Putting God First

      In my own life I have noticed consequences in my day when I don't meet with God first thing in the morning.  I have realized that I need to put God first in my day.  If I don't get up and read my bible and pray and just skip over those and move on to breakfast or my chores then my day goes sour fast.  I might have a bad attitude or I might be lazy or I might just be really selfish or hurt someone's feelings. If I would have met with God first I would have been changed and ''refreshed'' by the reading of his holy word.  I also wouldn't know what God wanted me to do for that day if I didn't give him time to show me.  We need to talk to God each morning so he can show us how he wants us to live.  We should also spend some time reading his word.

      I know mornings can be very hectic for most people with school and work but it doesn't take long for you to read a Psalm or Proverb and pray to God.  Just by doing this your day will be changed dramatically.  Meeting with God and putting Him first is the right thing to do.  If you do this, you will be blessed I promise!

  The Bible says, ''But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you".  Matt. 6:3
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied".  Matt.5:6

There are also some very great devotional books you can get to work through each morning with questions to think about and answer.  You can find many of these at your neighborhood Christian book store.  I have worked through several books like this and they have really blessed me.  It's important that we give some of our time to spend with our Creator first thing each day.  

The Holy Spirit Dwells in Us

     The Bible calls the Christian's body God's Temple, or the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  Temple means dwelling place.  Therefore, if we are Christians, God's Spirit lives in us.  (1Cor. 3:16, 6:19)  Our bodies are also called members of Christ.  God created us, and we are His.  If we are Christians we belong to Christ.  If we are Christians we should be the hands and feet of Jesus.  Christians should do the work of Christ here on Earth.  We should be witnessing, praying, spreading the gospel/good news and helping others.

     Since our bodies are God's temple; His dwelling place, we should keep our bodies holy.  Our bodies should be well taken care of.  One way we can take care of our bodies is to eat healthy and to exercise.  Our bodies aren't being kept holy if we are filling them with fatty foods, unhealthy junk, or if we are overeating or smoking.  We should exercise our bodies and try to stay in good physical condition.  Another area where we should take care is our personal appearance.  Our bodies aren't being kept holy if we are pierced, tattooed, or have self-inflicted wounds.  We should also keep our hair neat, teeth brushed, and nails trimmed.  We should always try to look our best and dress appropriately.

     We should keep our minds pure as well.  Our minds should be kept pure just like our bodies are to be kept holy.  Our minds aren't pure if we are filling them with the lyrics of bad music, if we are speaking bad language, or viewing pornography.  We should take extra care to make sure that our eyes don't look at anything unholy and our ears don't listen to anything unholy.  We must honor God in what we do with our hands and what we say with our mouths.

     Since the Spirit of God lives in every Christian, we should be certain that we are good stewards of our hearts, minds, and bodies.  The place where the Spirit of God dwells must be a holy place for Him to reside.

"Fight The Good Fight"

Fight the good fight with all thy might;
Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right:
Lay hold on life, and it shall be
Thy joy and crown eternally.

John S. B. Monsell, 1863

More Christian Manhood

  Tonight in our study of Christian Manhood we learned that we need men in our life.  The most important man in your life should be your father.  As you grow older there are many other men with whom you will have the opportunity to listen, watch, and spend time with.  These include relatives, men in school, men in the neighborhood, men at church, and men on t.v.  The Bible tells us to watch men whose Christian walk shows that they are faithful servants of Jesus Christ and to use them as examples for your own life.  Phil. 3:17  You also must withdraw from those who claim to be Christians but are living a sinful lifestyle.  2 Thes. 3:26  The things you take into your life by listening to, talking with, watching, and reading about men will determine what kind of man you will be.  Prov. 4:23

To become a man of God you must listen to instruction, remember what you have been taught, and then practice daily so that when you reach physical manhood you will also be known as a godly man.  Everyday you should be growing spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.

To learn to become a man of God:

*First, be sure that you are a child of God. Romans 10:9,10

*Pray now that the Lord will make you into a man He can use for His glory.  Pray that the Lord will instruct you through His word and through men and women.  2Tim. 14,15

*Listen to godly men; listen carefully to the conversation of men of God, their instruction, their correction, and their teaching.  Prov. 4:13, 20:18

*Talk with men of God as much as you can. 

*Read about godly men; spend time with men of God, living or dead, in books.  Read biographies and autobiographies of men that have been greatly used by God and men that have helped make this country great.  

*Watch men of God; watch how they walk, sit, stand, express themselves, how they treat others, and how they do things.  

Have You Decided?

Last night in family devotions Dad led us in our book Christian Manhood.  We talked about making decisions.  Here is what we talked about....

Are you sowing to the flesh or are you sowing to the Spirit?

Are you sowing.....
*Ungodly knowledge and attitudes from worldly music OR godly knowledge and attitudes from God honoring music.

*Ungodly knowledge and attitudes from Hollywood movies and T.V. shows that do not bring glory to God OR personal Bible reading and meditation, prayer and attention to Bible teaching from church, home and school.  Prov.4:23

*Advice and counsel from the unsaved or friends; OR listening to instruction and counsel from adults.  Psalm. 1:1

*Unclean thoughts and activities OR clean thoughts; pure activities.  Phil. 4:8, 2 Cor.10:5

*Seeking constant pleasure and entertainment OR character building activities .

*Ungodly reading material OR reading material that builds you up mentally and/or spiritually.
1Tim. 5:22b

*Sinful, loose living OR righteous living;  Biblical standards.


And we talked about setting goals.....

Have you decided to be:
*Preparing for eternity? or living for today?

*Tenderhearted? or hard-hearted?

*A hard worker? or a lazy, pleasure seeker?

*Leading others in what is right? or leading others in the wrong direction?

*Warning others who are unruly? or encouraging of those who are unruly?

*A submissive, obedient servant? or an uncooperative, disobedient child?

*A friend of God fighting against worldly temptations? or a friend of the world, and an enemy of God? James 4:4

*A godly child? or a rebellious child?

*Bold in witnessing? or ashamed of Jesus Christ?

What have you decided?

CHRISTIAN MANHOOD

     My Dad started a new study with the boys in the family.  He is using ''Christian Manhood'' a guide for training boys to be spiritually strong men by Gary Maldaner.  It is a really good book.  I am very excited about using this book with my brothers and Dad.

     Last night we talked about ''What is a man?''  We learned, God defines a man in a much different way than the world does.  He is looking for certain qualities in a man.  God is looking for a man who will take a stand for what is right even though it may not be popular.  A man of God is willing to take a risk to do what is right.

     The Four Areas You Need To Develop As You Become A Man.

SPIRITUAL:  The command to men to ''be strong'' in 1Cor. 16:13 does not refer to your physical muscles.  It means to be spiritually strong -strong in faith and in the character of Jesus Christ.

MENTAL:  God expects a young man to have a ''sound mind''.  2 Timothy 1:7  You should be able to use your mind to think clearly, to commit much of the bible and it's knowledge to memory, and to be the best worker for the Lord that you can be.

EMOTIONAL:  The Word of God instructs a young man in how to express his emotions.  Your emotions should be trained to be under the control of the Holy Spirit.  Phil.2:5

PHYSICAL:  A young man should take care of his body so that it is physically fit to be used by God.  It is good for a young man to learn to control his body and bring it under the discipline of the mind.  Train your body to be strong, durable, and coordinated.

Your most important goal in life is to become a man of God.

''.....Be strong, and show yourself a man.'' 2 Kings2:2b

Rules of Holy Living

     Adoniram Judson's Rules of Holy Living. 

(Adoniram and Ann Judson were pioneering missionaries in Burma.  Adoniram developed an alphabet for the Burmese language and translated the Bible into Burmese.)
 
1. Be diligent in secret prayer, every morning and evening.
2. Never spend a moment in mere idleness.
3. Restrain natural appetites within the bounds of temperance and purity.  ''keep thyself pure''
4.Suppress every emotion of anger and ill will.
5. Undertake nothing from motives of ambition, or love of fame.
6. Never do that which, at the moment, appears to be displeasing to God.
7. Seek opportunities of making some sacrifice for the good of others, especially of believers, provided the sacrifice is not inconsistent with some duty.
8. Endeavor to rejoice in every loss and suffering incurred for Christ's sake and the gospel's remembering that though like death they are not to be wilfully incurred yet like death they are great gain.
9. Have scriptures and some devotional book in consant reading.
10. Suppress every unclean thought and look. 

Read this!

My parents and I just read this. 

It brought all kinds of things to my mind and heart.

Now is the time to get the house in order. 


Character

2 TIMOTHY 2:22

     Quite often my Dad assigns my brothers and I a verse to memorize.  Here is one is from last week. 

      So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the name of the Lord from a pure heart.  2 Timothy 2:22

  We need to flee our youthful passions, which can mean a passion for sports, money, electronics, and so on.  We need to go after righteousness, which is holy living.  Trying to live like Christ.  We need to have faith, and we need to live like we believe what the Bible says is true.  Christians should love one another and Christians should want to get along with each other.

  How are we to keep our hearts pure?  By asking God to forgive us each time we sin.  (That doesn't mean just to say ,''please forgive me God'' and go on and keep sinning.) 

  We need to try to live as the Bible tells us to live.  If we live according to this verse then we are doing that.  I'm glad my Dad picked this verse out for us.  This may be my new life verse.

Stand firm!
COLIN


                  
    

Faith and Works

     For the past couple of nights my family has been reading the book of James for family devotions.  I have been really enjoying this book of the Bible.  Last night we read James 2:14-26.  Verse 19 was my favorite of the passage, It says,"You believe that God is one; you do well.  Even the demons believe and shudder!"  Just because we believe in God doesn't mean we are saved.  The demons believe He died on the cross but they are not saved from hell.  We must give our hearts to Jesus and have total faith in Him.
     This passage also talks about faith without works is dead.  Verse 14-18 says, "What good is it my brothers, if someone says he has faith but doesn't have works?  Can faith save him?  If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking daily food, and one of you says to them, go in peace be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?  So also faith by itself,  if it doesn't have works is dead."  We can't just say we believe that Jesus died on the cross for us(faith), we need to tell others about how he died for us(works)!  We need to live with a desire to please Jesus.  We need to show our love for God in the way we treat others and live godly lives.  Verse 26 says, "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead".   The 2 go together, faith AND works.  We should place our faith and trust in God and do works in His name.   Our works cannot save us but our faith apart from our works means our faith is dead.
     Our family Bible time is a real blessing to me and our entire family.  I have a lot to learn but I am thankful that God has given me His word.  Tonight we are reading chapter 3 of James and that passage is on taming the tongue.  This will be good!!

How to Part Your Hair With Attitude

     A lady woke one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed that she had only three hairs on her head.  ''Well'', she said, ''I think I will braid my hair today''.  So she did, and she had a wonderful day.
    The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed she only had two hairs on her head.  ''Hmmm,'' she said, "I think I will part my hair in the middle today''.  So she did, and she had a great day.
    The next day, she woke up, looked in the mirror, and noticed that she only had one hair on her head.  ''Well'' she said, ''I think I will wear my hair in a ponytail.''  So she did, and she had a grand day.
     The next day, she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that there wasn't a single hair on her head.  ''Yea,'' She exclaimed.  ''I don't have to fix my hair today.''
     
ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING!!

-Author unknown
   
 ''Whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.'' -Philippians 4:8

Finding Time for the Bible

Put a Bible under your pillow to read each night before you go to sleep. 

Wake up ten minutes earlier each morning.

Turn off the TV at 8:00p.m. each night and read.

Read a few verses at mealtime when the family is  together.

Talk less to have a few more minutes to read.

Keep a Bible in the kitchen, to read while waiting on food to cook, or for water to boil, or near the phone to read while you are on hold. 

Carry a Bible in your purse or pocket, to read while in line for the doctor or when arriving early.

Take a Bible on trips and read on a plane or in a hotel.

Don't just own a Bible -read it!
                  
 ''Blessed is he that readeth''
                                Revelation 1:3

A Positive Focus

 Let your mind dwell on these eight things........

Whatever is true

Whatever is noble

Whatever is right

Whatever is pure

Whatever is lovely

Whatever is admirable

Whatever is excellent

Whatever is praiseworthy

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Conquer the Greatest Sin!

THIS IS FROM "DAILY SUCCESS" A DAILY DEVOTION I RECEIVE. DAILY SUCCESS IS A MINISTRY OF THE INSTITUTE IN BASIC LIFE PRINCIPLES.


One day the president of a successful real estate company stood before his sales staff of about one hundred. After presenting several new properties, he stated, "My success story has been written up in a national business magazine. If you would like a copy, just see my secretary.''

A lightning bolt of dismay and tension struck the staff. Angry looks were exchanged, and murmuring began: " Who does he think he is?! We are the ones that made this company successful! It's our success story, not his."

That very afternoon several of his top sales men quit and formed their own company. Soon there was not enough money to close contracts, so the president used money from other escrow accounts, which is a federal offense. Within six months, the one-successful company was dissolved, and the president began serving a prison sentence, all because of the lack of one character quality-humility.

The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4.

Pride is the sin that God hates the most and punishes the swiftest. Pride caused Satan and a third of the angels to be cast out of heaven. Pride was the cause of Adam and Eve's dismissal from the Garden of Eden. It's also the the cause of our unrepentance over sin, which keeps God from blessing us with riches, honor, and life. "Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. Proverbs 8:13 God resists the proud and so do people. That is why conflicts are stirred up, because ''Only by pride cometh contention''. Proverbs 13:10.

Pride is putting ourselves on an equal level with God. It is reserving for ourselves the right to decide what is right or wrong. Our pride is what put Jesus on the cross. We are just like those who said,"We will not have this man reign over us.''

Pride is projecting on the outside what is not true on the inside. Today, lets conquer this primary hindrance to daily success by humbling ourselves before a holy God and making things right with all those whom we have offended. '' Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" Matthew 4:17

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