Prayer, Share and Pure

VERSE:               1 Timothy 5:22

    Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins, keep yourself pure.

REFLECTION:

    This verse has three important suggestions for Christians.  First, the laying on of hands is something that should not be taken lightly. You cannot go around just laying hands on people, expecting God to move in their lives.  The laying on of hands needs to be done only when a person comes to you and asks for help, i.e. healing.  God also wants Christians to have the right mindset when laying hands, and this is where the next two components of this verse come in.

    Don't share in other people's sin.  For example, compromising your faith and going to a bar with people just to make them happy is like enabling them to sin.  You cannot profess to have true faith in God if you willingly participate in sinning with others.  Drinking just to make them happy is wrong.  Using foul language just because your friends do is wrong.  Stand firm on your faith, let God guide your heart, and then you will be able to follow the third key, keeping yourself pure.  The only way to do that is to flee from sin and keep your eyes on Jesus.

    If you can keep yourself pure and avoid sharing in other people's sins, God will give you the ability to lay hands on someone.  That is the perfect time for that person to need it, for God will have compelled

them to ask.

PRAYER:

    Pray for God to lead you not into temptation, so you can avoid other's sins.  Pray for discernment when you are asked to lay hands on someone.

Working for Wind

VERSE:                                                            Ecclesiastes 2:17

Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

REFLECTION:                                        

Do you ever find yourself wondering if the job you do is worth anything? Many of us spend 40 hours a week doing a job for someone else that has no significance in the world. We sit there clicking away on the computer or writing on paper all to earn money. But to what end is the job? Our true work should be to serve God and glorify His name in all that we do.

It is important to have a job and earn money. It is the only way we will survive but that shouldn’t be all that we do in life. It shouldn’t be just to earn money. We all have a higher calling whether our job is in the ministry or not we all have a purpose to further the Kingdom of God.

If all we do is chase after the all mighty dollar and look for jobs that will satisfy only us it will be like chasing the wind. You can chase it into eternity and never ever catch it. It becomes frustrating because we can see it and if we reach for it we can almost touch it but it is always slightly out of our grasp. So we work harder and longer and try to make more money thinking we will get closer. We never do get closer but instead we get further from God.

Regardless of what you do for a living find a way to glorify and honor God in your job. Also look for the ministry with your job. Maybe you make friends with someone and are able to tell them about Jesus. Maybe someone needs your prayers or your help in a time of need. Look for those opportunities in your job and glorify and honor God with the job you do.

PRAYER:

Thank God for the gift of the job that you have. It doesn’t have to be stressful, pray for a relief in the stress and pray for opportunities to lead others to Jesus. Ask God for a servant heart so you may work and serve God joyfully.

Walk In Him

VERSE:                            Colossians 2:6‑7

    As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

REFLECTION:

        Have you received Christ Jesus the Lord?  If so, do you "walk in Him"?  Are you rooted in the word and "established in the faith"?  With the start of a new year, there is no better time to take inventory of your walk.  You need to be sure you are doing what God wants you to do. The following is a suggested inventory checklist:  Use this checklist to verify that you currently are, or will plan to do these things:

• Praising and worshiping God: Do you go to church regularly to praise and worship God?  Your church home should be a place where you can feel comfortable doing so.  Once there, you need to pour out your whole heart to the Almighty.  Give Him all you've got!!!
• Reading the Word : Do you regularly schedule time to read God's Word? Do you have daily devotions, or a "Read through the Bible in a year" plan?  In order stay rooted and built up you must consistently read the Word.  With the start of the new year, begin a reading plan and watch yourself grow.
• Praying: Do you pray daily?  Do you have a set time or place you pray? Praying is not just for meals only; it is important to establish a regular prayer life.  Pray for family, friends, and other things God puts on your heart.  The only way to communicate with God is to pray. If you want to hear from Him, you need to talk to Him.  Start today with a set schedule of pray and watch God change your life and others'.
• Avoiding worldly things: Do you avoid the temptations of the world, or are you sucked into the mesmerizing life of a world filled with emptiness and void, lured by the sweet taste of sin? You may then crave more, but in truth, be longing for God. True fulfillment and contentment comes through a solid walk with Jesus Christ.  It is by avoiding the pleasures of sin that you will find true pleasure in Christ.

 

    How did you do on this checklist?  We all have different strengths in our Christian walks. Pray about the areas where improvement is needed, and watch your spiritual life improve in 2013!!!

PRAYER:

    Pray for a closer walk with God.  Pray for a discernment when reading the word and a life of true pleasure with Christ.