"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:14 KJV)

I heard an old story about a kid who grew up in the back hills of Tennessee many years ago. While walking through the woods one day, he saw a big tree with something carved into its trunk. When he got closer he could clearly read what it said.

"Daniel Boon killed a bear clear up to there!" And next to Daniel's message was a mark.

The odd thing, was that beneath Daniel Boon's mark, there were a few other marks put there by other bear hunters.

Apparently Daniel was very famous for killing such a huge bear, and therefore, whenever anyone else killed a bear in the area after that, theywould drag it up to Daniel's tree and press it up towards his mark to see how their's compared with his. They would then carve their own name and put their own mark under his.

I don't know if the story is actually true or not, but it does illustrate a great point about living for Jesus.

Jesus Himself is the mark that we must press towards!

We are told to "Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ." (Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT)

When you do this, you will be pressing towards the "prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." And, that's a great promise!

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor.15:57 NIV)

We live in a different kind of world in many ways than the one I grew up in. When I was a kid we were taught a strong, clearly proclaimed, work ethic. We were taught at home and at school that we must work to get the things we need in life; that life is tough for those who fail to work, and the world does not owe you a living. And that lazy non-workers were called "bums."

 Many have a victim mentality!

Today, many have the idea that the government owes them a living. The number of people on food stamps and other types of government entitlements is staggering. Many have a victim mentality.

It wasn't always this way! In one of his famous speeches, President, John F. Kennedy said the following: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask instead what you can do for your country."

Things are very much the opposite today!

A few weeks ago while Susan was in a store, I waited for her in the car. A woman saw me sitting there and tapped on the door glass to get my attention. When I rolled down the window she handed me a note. The note said, "I am deaf, anything you can give me will help!"

She was a healthy looking young woman. I asked her if she could read lips? She indicated that she could. I then asked her why she didn't just get a job instead of begging. I told her that I had deaf friends who worked regular jobs. And, I said that she looked plenty strong and healthy to me, and that thereare lots of jobs around that don't require hearing.

When she saw that I wasn't going to give her any money, she moved away from me and immediately approached someone else in the parking lot.

She clearly saw herself as a victim and expected others to feel sorry for her and to compensate her for being a victim of deafness.

I believe as long as anyone sees themselves as a victim of any kind they are in a dangerous mental trap!

The promise at the top says, "He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." We never have to beg when we understand God's abundant provision.

Psalm 37:25 says it best, "I was young and now I am old, yet I've never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread."

Now, that's another great promise!

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (Psalm 1:1-3 KJV)

 How to make it so

Would you like whatsoever you do to be blessed and to prosper (succeed and grow)? This promise explains what you need to do to make it happen.

1) "Don't walk in the council of the ungodly." This means to not get your directions, counsel and/or advice from ungodly sources. They will only cause you to fail! Instead, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matt. 6:33 KJV).

2) "Don't stand in the way of sinners." This means you don't act and behave like ungodly unbelievers (like anyone who doesn't follow and serve God).

3) "Don't sit in the seat of the scornful. "Don't join in with negative and critical people. They will corrupt you and cause you to to be a negative thinker, too! Negativity is contagious and destructive!

4) "Delight in the Law of the Lord." Make God's Word a happy part of your life. "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4 NKJV).

5) "Meditate (dwell on and think deeply) on God's Word both day and night. That means all the time, or continually. The Bible says, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7 AMP). You are what you you think about so it's critical to watch what you put into your mind and what you dwell on! The great motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, said to "Give yourself a checkup from the neck up to keep you from stinking thinking and hardening of the attitude!"

And, as a result of following the practical steps in the above passage, you will be "like a tree planted by the rivers of water" (your roots will be watered continuously which will make you healthy); "that bringeth forth his fruit in his season" (you will have productivity at the right time in what you do as needed); "his leaf also shall not wither" (you won't suffer drought, setbacks or lack); "and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (Anything you do will succeed and prosper).

To recap:

Get your directions from God (not from the world), be guided happily through God's Word and His Spirit continuously, and then whatsoever you do will grow and prosper as God adds his blessings to it.

"Give thanks to the LORD for He is good. His love endures forever." (Psalm 136:1 NIV)

How wonderful it is that we serve a good God! He is not angry, he is not upset, He is love! (1 John 4:8). Because of the payment for sin by the blood of Jesus, we can come "boldly" to God to "obtain mercy, grace and help in our time of need!" (Heb. 4:16)

And, God never has a bad day! He's consistently the same! (Heb. 13:8).

So, you can say with complete confidence, "God is good all the time. All the time, God is good!"

"The fool says in his heart, 'there is no God,'" (Psalm 14:1 KJV)

 Happy April Fools Day!

This is the the day dedicated to pulling some kind of practical joke on others. And, I have to admit that I have pulled a few pranks on others and have been a victim of a few. All were done in fun. But, the Bible says that "being foolish" is very serious stuff! In fact Jesus says, in Matthew 5:22, that calling someone else a fool can even put a person in serous jeopardy, because of the seriousness nature of it. Contextually, Jesus was referring to those who are unrighteously angry. In another place, God called a man a fool who was selfishlyplanning to build bigger barns to hoard his wealth rather than using it for God's Kingdom work. (Luke 12:20).

 Only a fool could say such a thing

The Bible also says that a "fool says in his heart there is no God." And when you think about it, only a fool would ever say such a thing. In order to be able to say that there is no God, you would have to have actually looked every single place in existence for God, including behind every rock, behind every bush, and behind every place in the entire universe! That is impossible! In order to say there is no God, you'd have to be God! It really is a foolish statement to make.

A promise for the non-foolish

And here is a great promise as an answer to a fool who says there is no God. "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." ((2 Tim 1:2 KJV)

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1 Cor. 10:13 NKJV)

Everybody faces temptation on occasion, even Jesus did (and, He did so without sin!).

 Four promises in one!

There are four really great promises built into this one passage that you can completely count on during any time of temptation.

First, God won't allow anything "uncommon to man" to tempt you. It won't be something unusual, strange or weird that temps you. It will be only "common to man" stuff that ordinary people usually are faced with.

Second, "God is faithful" and you can count on His help in dealing with any temptation the devil sends your way. God will always send His help and guidance.

 Third, God limits what the enemy can do to you. God won't allow the enemy to put more on you than "what you can withstand!"

 Fourth, God will "make a way for you to escape any temptation so that you can bare it". Knowing that God promises that there will always "be a way of escape," you can then confidently look for it, find it, and use it!

"For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 8:38-39 KJV)

You are loved unconditionally by God!

That is a fact! And, His love for you was paid for and guaranteed for you by Jesus' death on the cross! The payment was made, and it can never be "unpaid!" And, there is absolutely nothing that can, or will ever, be able to separate you from His great love! That's a promise!

"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority." (Col. 2:9-10 NIV)

 You have more than enough!

The fullness of the deity lives in bodily form and in Christ you have been brought to fullness! You cannot get fuller than full! And, because He is the head over every power and authority, you can rest, assured that you have more than enough of His provision to cover every possible thing!

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." (Col. 2:6-7 NIV)

 By faith!

You received Christ as Lord by believing in Him and coming to Him by simple faith. You must continue to grow and to be built up and rooted in Him in exactly the same way, by faith. And, you do this by reading and meditating on His Word every day. As you meditate (think deeply and personally about) His Word, your thoughts and your behavior begin to change. You will begin to spill over (overflow) with thankfulness! And, because of what He has done for us, we have a lot to be thankful for!