As believers in Jesus, we experience the joy of having our sins forgiven. We are immersed into the Body of Christ. We are given the opportunity and the grace to live a life of love.

Eph 5:1-2
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

We are exhorted to imitate God! In this verse, Paul points out that Christ lived a life of love by dying on the cross; His Father—Our Father—considered Jesus’ death a fragrant offering for our sin debt.

Romans 3:25a
God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

As followers of Jesus, we must live a life of love to God and our neighbors—anyone God puts in our path (cf Lk 10:36).

Let's deny ourselves and take up our cross today. Let's sacrificially live to bless others, thus obeying His command to make disciples!

As Jesus beckons us to follow Him, it’s a call to wholeheartedly commit to His ways. By the power of His Spirit we must teach His ways to those who want to be followers.

Lk 9:23-24
Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

Lk 14:33
In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Jn 13:34-35
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

This seems hard but when we trust the One who loves us and endured the scorn and shame of the cross, we find it not only possible but rewarding.

Mt 11:30
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Let’s follow Jesus and embrace His ways. Only Jesus leads to an abundant life!

Happy MLK, Jr Day and Happy Inauguration Day!

Let’s begin this day honoring MLK. He once prayed, “Have faith in God. God is Love. Love never fails. It is our prayer that we may be children of light, the kind of people for whose coming and ministry the world is waiting. Amen.”

As we ponder his message in prayer, let’s think about the many lost folks we know that do not know God’s love and presently aren’t interested. We could say they are hard soil like soil on a path.

Lk 8:12
Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

Let’s be children of Light today and love those who are presently unreceptive to the Good News. Let’s pray that God will remove all obstacles that are blinding them. Let’s pray for America to receive a new heart!

MLK, Jr
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

God blesses us with many ways to sow gospel seeds. At this point, we won’t know the type of soil we are sowing upon but we do know the Lord of the harvest knows how to prepare the soil. So let’s pray for people who will become good soil. I believe God is already tilling the soil, removing rocks and thorns.

Lk 10:2
He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

We are God’s workers. We sow, we harvest, but God reaps, giving the increase. We love and obey God by sharing the Gospel as His Spirit empowers us!

1 Jn 5:14-15
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.

Let’s pray with confidence that God will use us to make disciples. God died so folks will be saved!

Praise the Lord!

Ps 34:1-3
I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.

God is so good! He loves us. He’s saved us! He’s given us His Spirit to lead and guide us. He provides a way for an abundant life. He provides for all of our needs. He’s preparing an eternal place for us to live. Will His goodness ever end? No!

1 Chr 16:34
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Let’s praise the Lord today. Although we’re separated by distance, we can still lift our praises—As One—today. When we do, the heavens open and God is glorified. Let’s praise Him and see God help us with people to pray for and to attend our Alpha meetings. Let’s make disciples together!

God will make a way!

2 Chr 20:22
As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes… and they (the enemy) were defeated.

It’s cold outside but I pray there’s fire in our hearts.

Jeremiah 20:9b, 13
…his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

Sing to the LORD!
Give praise to the LORD!
He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.

We have an awesome opportunity to flame the fire that is in us to touch and bless others! God has given us so much.

2 Tim 1:6
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Let’s not let our heart grow cold toward making disciples. Let’s keep reading the Word and praying for the lost to hear the truth of God’s blazing love for them and for us to have a bold and white hot passion to reach and teach folks about Jesus.

Mt 28:19a, 20b
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Yes! God will be with us always. His fire is in our hearts!

God loves us and wants us to live abundantly. Jesus became one of us to die for and conquer sin so we could live in His kingdom, a realm of commanded blessing.

Luke 4:43
But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”

Let’s honor God and live in His realm,not the sinful realm of eventual destruction.

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

By God’s grace let’s remain in the realm of commanded blessings by doing everything Jesus commands. Then we will, as Jesus did, preach to others how to enter the realm of commanded blessings! Like St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use words.”

Luke 9:1-2
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

“If you can explain it, God didn’t do it.”

-Warren Wiersbe, a former DTS professor and prolific Bible author.
______

All blessings flow from God and He does not share His glory with another.

“Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.”

Abram learned this hard lesson: evidenced by his response to the King of Sodom after rescuing his nephew Lot.

Genesis 14:22-24a
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me.”

This shows Abram's commitment to giving glory to God rather than man. Despite the victory over the kings and the offer of wealth from the king of Sodom, Abram chooses integrity over material gain, ensuring that only God receives the credit for his blessings. Let this be a reminder for us to live lives that reflect our faith, acknowledging that all we have comes from God, not from human accolades or wealth. Let's praise Him, from Whom all blessings truly flow.

If God’s not in it—run away!

How great is our God? He’s the King of kings and Lord of lords. He has all authority!

Rev 19:16
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

As God’s children we live in His Kingdom, the realm of commanded blessings. Still we can be deceived and leave the realm of commanded blessings. We do this when we sin and our faith lapses.

Jam 1:15
Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Let’s make all effort by God’s grace to stay in the Kingdom. We prepare for this daily spiritual war with our daily time with God.

Jesus motivates us to cherish the Kingdom.

Mt 13:44
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

So let’s thank God for the Cross allowing us into the Kingdom. Let’s daily prepare to resist the devil and live abundantly!

Jesus first taught His disciples to pray for God’s kingdom to manifest on earth just like it does in heaven.

Mt 6:9-10
“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’”

The Kingdom of God is a realm of commanded blessings so God wants us to have heaven’s blessings. He wants us to be worry-free because we know our loving heavenly Father has only good for us.

2 Cor 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Let’s pray today for God’s will to be done in us. Let’s be faithful knowing we will not lack if we stay in the Kingdom realm. We will stay if we are patient and believe in the goodness of God!

2 Pt 1:3
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

May your feet walk in holiness and your steps be ordered by the Lord today!

Walking in holiness means to live according to the purposes of God. It means our sin nature is dead and our new nature in Christ, led by the Spirit, lives for God’s will.

1 Pt 2:24a
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.

Paul amplifies this truth by writing that followers of Christ cannot live according to the sinful nature.

Rom 8:9
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Since we are God’s children let’s walk in holiness today and live abundantly. Let’s stop wrestling with God and yield to His Lordship in our lives.

Rom 8:13b-14
… If by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

By God’s grace we will continue seeking the Lord and living in His kingdom as 2025 gets underway. We will live in the fear of the Lord.

Acts 9:31b
(The church) was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

The fear of the Lord is a childlike trust in God knowing He loves us and knowing we must obey Him.

The wise king Solomon wrote the following:

Eccl 12:13-14
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Solomon reminds us to wholeheartedly follow God or we will fail and life will be empty and meaningless.

Let’s live life to the full, expecting blessings of love, joy, and peace by fearing God and living in the realm of commanded blessing.

Jn 10:10b
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.