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It’s the start of the New Year, and I pray 2025 will be your best year yet. I pray you will prosper in every area of your life this year. It all starts with your relationship with God. Will you commit to grow spiritually this year? What is the next step for you - accepting Christ, being baptized, joining the church, joining a Community Group, Men’s or Women’s Group, serving at church, reading your Bible, praying regularly, journaling or maybe a mission trip? There are so many ways to grow spiritually this year. Commit to be at church and to grow in your relationship with God. I’m praying for you in 2025! Know God has a great plan and purpose for you!
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“The world looks for happiness through self-assertion. The Christian knows that joy is found in self-abandonment. 'If a man will let himself be lost for My sake,' Jesus said, 'he will find his true self.” Elizabeth Elliot
What an amazing quotation from Elizabeth Elliot, who by the way is uniquely capable of commenting on where joy comes from as her husband, Jim, was put to death in South America for the sake of the Gospel. Instead of harboring bitterness, she forgave and eventually went back to the very tribe of people who put her husband to death to continue telling them about Jesus. What Elizabeth says, is that we look for happiness by self-assertion. Happiness comes when I get to insert myself into whatever situation I want and I get whatever I want. However, the Christ follower knows that joy is found in self-abandonment. By putting myself last, losing myself, and in doing so I find Jesus and the joy that comes from him alone. May you find joy this Christmas in putting yourself last, and putting Jesus first.
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Advent is the waiting - the preparing our hearts for Jesus. We celebrate the first coming of Jesus at Christmas, and we prepare our hearts for His Second Coming. The entire Old Testament was pointing God’s people to our Blessed Hope, Jesus. Jesus came to bring salvation to both the Jews and the Gentiles - to all who are far off from God. There are more prophecies about Jesus’ Second Coming than even His first coming. Our hope is in Jesus today. When Jesus returns He will make all things right. But, until then, we wait in expectation and hope. Come, Lord Jesus!
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God wants us to experience Generous Living. The most famous verse in the Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave…” John 3:16. Therefore, we are most like God when we love and when we give. The first key to Generous Living is to rejoice always. This is a true mark of spiritual depth and maturity. Jesus was full of joy and there will be rejoicing in Heaven. When we are grateful, we rejoice. Let’s learn to rejoice always as we grow to be like Jesus.
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God longs to bring Revival in His Church today. We are on the precipice of Great Spiritual Awakening in our nation. And, these Spiritual Awakenings have always started with Revival in God’s Church. Revivals occur when God’s people become fully devoted to His heart and mission. So often, we drift from the things of God and find ourselves devoted to the things of this world. Yet, God is constantly drawing us back to Himself. When the people of God become fully devoted to Him get ready, Revival will come. And, Revival will impact our lives, but also our nation and world. Come, Jesus, Come. Revival starts here.
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The Book of James is so practical in how we live out our faith in Jesus. In James 5, he points out that our faith is seen in how we use our money, our suffering, and our prayers. As Christ-followers, these three areas should look different from the world - how we invest our money, how we are patient in our sufferings, and how we pray. May we be people who grow deeper and stronger in our faith. Let’s mature in our love and faith in Jesus.
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So why should we be faithful to God? Why choose friendship with Him over the world? Because God chose to enter into a relationship with us, fully knowing we would betray Him. Even after all the times we’ve walked away, made mistakes or said things we regret, God remains faithful.
God chose to send His Son, Jesus, to redeem what was already His. We were created in His image, but sin had taken us away. So, what did God do? He bought us back from sin and slavery with the blood of His Son. Jesus paid the price for our redemption. And, when you understand all that God has done for you through Christ, the pull of the world loses its appeal.
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We have all been impacted by words. Words are powerful. James talks about the impact of words on our lives and others. We all carry hope and wounds from words said to us by a parent, coach, teacher or friend. And, at the same time, we too have the power to build up and destroy others with our words. James calls to us to live out our faith with our words. How we use our words - what we say, post, write and more - matters. As a disciple of Jesus, do our words reflect Christ? Have you declared Jesus with your mouth, and have you professed Him with your life?
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Salvation only comes through faith in Jesus. It is Jesus who saves a person. It is not about what we do, it is about what He has done. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and then conquered death so we can have eternity with God. However, James will say that “faith without works is dead.” While works do not save us, our good works for Jesus are the evidence of our faith. Can people look at your life and see your faith in Jesus? Behavior always follows belief. Are we living out our faith in Jesus? Let’s renew our commitment to Jesus today and live every day for Him.
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Favoritism has always been a problem for God’s people. Even in the Old Testament, there was dysfunction in families because of prejudice and favoritism. Favoritism is still a problem for Christians today. However, James calls believers in Jesus not to show favoritism but to live by a higher standard - love. How can we love others this week? Let’s start at home with our spouse, children, and/or roommates, and then love the people in our church, school, and work. Let’s show mercy and not judge. Let’s love others like God loves us. Spiritual maturity is measured in love.
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There are many people who have heard about Jesus. There are many people who have a Bible in their home. But, there are few people who actually live out their faith in Jesus. James tells us to “be doers of the Word and not hearers only.” We are called to live out our faith. Works do not save us, only Jesus saves us, “through faith,” but works are evidence of a transformed life in Jesus. If someone listens to what you say and watches how you live, will they see your faith in Jesus? Let’s not just listen to God’s Word today, but let’s live it out every day.
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The Christian life is all about faith. Salvation comes through faith in Jesus. But salvation is not the end, but the beginning of an incredible faith journey. Every day we have the opportunity to place our faith in Jesus. This is where we see miracles happen and God move mountains. We are called to “live by faith and not by sight.” So, where’s your faith? Is your faith in Jesus or in the things of this world? Place your life fully in Jesus and see the difference God will make in your life, your family, your future, and your eternity. Faith works!
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What made David so special was his heart for God. David was an incredible leader that God used to impact His people and history. David wasn’t perfect. He sinned and made some big mistakes in his life. But after his sins, David always repented and came back to God. Even at the end of his life, he was known as “a man after God’s own heart.” Regardless of what you have done, make a commitment today to be a “man or woman after the heart of God.” Put God first in your life and live every day for Him. Then, watch God do miracles in your life. Trust God today.
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God calls and conditions us to lead with leadership rooted in spiritual influence. Henry Blackaby describes spiritual leaders as those who guide others toward where God wants them to be, starting with their own relationship with Him. Each generation is given the opportunity to raise new leaders who, like David, defeat new giants through deep faith and trust in God. David's leadership was marked by his faith in God's past faithfulness, humility, servant leadership, and willingness to own up to his mistakes. His faith was contagious, empowering those around him to become leaders and giant killers. The question is: What does this look like for us?
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The aftermath of David’s sin was chaos and brokenness. His sins were forgiven, but the consequences remained. This began a generational pattern of the sons of David falling short. Jesus is the son of David, who broke the generational curse and created a new way forward. In our lives, we need to be aware of the dangers of sin and its damage to those around us and those who come after us. Through the power of the cross, we are called to follow that new way forward for ourselves and those in our circles with a life of confession, repentance, forgiveness, and healing.
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In 2 Samuel, Nathan uses a parable to confront David indirectly about his sin, avoiding direct accusation due to the danger involved. The parable of the little ewe lamb, symbolizing Bathsheba, triggers David's deep-seated compassion for sheep, drawing parallels to his own past as a shepherd. In the story, David condemns the rich man's actions without realizing he condemns himself. This blinds him to his own wrongdoing, revealing the danger of being unaware of your own sin. We have much to learn from this story of David’s sin, his choice to repent and turn from his sin, and the power of God’s grace and forgiveness. You’re never “too far gone” from God’s grace – and that’s what we can learn from the relationship and story of David and Nathan.
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David's story in 2 Samuel 11:1-15 shows how sin can mess things up, even for someone like the greatest king of Israel. So, because we recognize that we can slip up, praying and reading the Bible daily, having friends who keep us accountable, and knowing how to step away from temptation are all essential in our walk with Jesus. When we do make mistakes, though, asking for forgiveness and choosing repentance can bring us back to God. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says God helps us handle temptation when we stick close to Him and our community. We can learn from David's mistakes because we all struggle with sin. Finding our joy in God helps us say no to temptation and grow spiritually. And just as we learn from David’s life, no matter how you have sinned, you are never too far from God.
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In the story of David and Mephibosheth, there’s a central theme of this: when we show kindness to others, we're actually showing them who God is. It's not just about being there for people when things are good for us; we've got to remember others' struggles, even when life gets messy for us. At times, this will mean that we must stick to our commitments, no matter what and to allow Christ's love and our obedience to Him to keep us going. The story makes you think: who is it in your life that God wants you to treat with that same covenant love? It's all about building relationships and reflecting God's character through our kindness and actions.
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