“May abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8b)

The key to being successful in life is being able to make the right decisions in what you do

And, that is possible because you have the mind of Christ. "But we have the mind of Christ.” (2 Cor 2:16b). God gives you wisdom, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5). This means you are able, through God’s involvement in your decision making, abound in every good work!

A wonderful Back-up plan

If for some reason you make a mistake,  similarly to a GPS system, God can fix it for you. He will “recalculate” for you and get you pointed back towards the right direction.

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.”  (Prov. 16:9)

“In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Prov. 3:6)

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8)

It really bothers me to see people, who claim to be followers of Christ, viciously attacking other believers, who they disagree with. This is rampant on social media sites like Facebook. Yes, false doctrines and false teachings should always be exposed, but never in an attacking, non-loving way. Never attack the person you disagree with personally! Too often, religious people resort to personal criticism, gossip, lies, and accusations. By doing this, they become no better than the lost people out in the world.

“If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3:25)

“But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.” (Gal. 5:15)

Love others the way God loves you!

How has He loved us? He loved us while we were “yet sinners,” before we accepted and received his gift of salvation. (Rom. 5:8)

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35)

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

Mercy & Grace is through Jesus! 

“We may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16b)

Grace and Mercy to you from God!

• Grace means to get something that you do not deserve; unmerited favor.
• Mercy means you do not get a punishment that you deserve instead you receive; compassion and forbearance.

God is abundant in grace and mercy!

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

His greatest act of grace is the gift of salvation available for all people through faith in Jesus

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”  (Eph.:8-9)

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 3:23)

When the gift of salvation is accepted, eternal life is promised to the recipient

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved.”  (Eph. 2:4)

“When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, ‘We want to hear you again on this subject.’ At that, Paul left the Council. Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed.” (Acts 17:32-34)

Idols were every where!

The Apostle Paul was troubled by all the idols he saw around Athens when he visiting that city, so he spoke to them about who the real God is. He told them about Jesus, and when he got to the part about God raising Him from the dead, there were three distinct reactions.

1) Some sneered.

2) Others said, “we want to hear you again on this subject.”

3) Some of them became followers.

This is typical when you share your faith with others. Some will sneer, some will be positive, but put it off, and some will believe. And, it's worth it! God can and will change lives and it's wonderful to be used by Him to reach others with the good news!

 Here’s what the Bible says about sharing your faith

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’” (Mark 16:15)

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Tim. 4:2)

“Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”(Psalms 96:3)

 “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:13)

The late President, Ronald Reagan, once said jokingly, “Some of the scariest words ever spoken are, ‘I am from the government, and I'm here to help you!’”

Unfortunately, many feel the same way about God! He says, “I am the LORD … and I will help you.” And yet, they treat that statement with fear instead of with delight!

Why is this so? It's because many don't understand the true nature of God (love)! They picture Him wrong! They don't understand that God loves them and really wants only the very best for them.

Understand this about God

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16)

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

“Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God, Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.” (Psalm 146:5-7)

Boldly!

“So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Heb. 13:6)

"See, the LORD's hand is not too short to save." (Isaiah 59:1)

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Powerful and life-changing! 

There is nothing more powerful and life-changing than to take God’s word, personalize it,  and make it from Him to you. For instance. Today's promise above, say it this way:

I will not fear because the God of the universe loves me and has declared to me: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

And, I believe it! Amen!

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

 God has promised it and He will deliver!

God has promised that all things work together for good to those who love and serve Him faithfully. It may be difficult for us to see and understand how this is accomplished at times, but God has promised it and He will deliver!

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6)

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  (Jer. 29:11)

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Tim. 4:8)

This verse points out that physical training is of “some value.” It's great to take care of your body, it's the temple of the Holy Spirit. But, as hard as we try, we will not be able to keep our earthly bodies forever. We are all temporary here. But, “godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

So, what exactly is godliness?

According to Strong's Concordance, the word "godliness" is translated from the Greek word for "piety," and is used in the New Testament fourteen times in the letters of Peter and Paul. While the expression also refers to the divinity of God, godliness in the Bible is mainly used to describe a positive way of life influenced by God.

We should aspire to live godly lives!

“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment.” (1 Tim. 6:6)

The word “godly” is defined as conforming to the laws and wishes of God

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ..”(2 Peter 1:5-8)

"As he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17b)

“And Jesus increased… in favor with man…” (Luke 2:52d)

Favor with man - Socially

Over the last three days I pointed out that according to Luke 2:52, as Jesus grew from a child into an adult, He increased in four distinct areas of His life: 1. Wisdom (mentally), 2. stature (physically), 3. favor with God (Spiritually) and 4. favor with man (socially).

Jesus was a perfect example of living a perfect balanced life. And, we should also increase in all four of these areas.

Yesterday I discussed the thirdarea, favor with God which is spiritually, today will be the fourth one, “favor with man” which is the social area.

We are social creatures. We need others and they need us. God made us that way. He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” (Gen. 2:18). He created Eve for that reason.

In life, there are people we must be around in the course of daily life and there are close friends we choose to be around.

Bad friends can drag you down

You can't always choose who you must associate with on a day to day basis, but you can choose your close friends. Choose wisely!

“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” (Prov. 12:26)

“Take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.” (2 Peter 3:17)

Good and faithful friends speak truth into your life

“Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” (Prov. 27;5-6)