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It doesn’t matter how much knowledge we have about the Bible if we’re not living it out in daily obedience. The real test of what we believe comes in whether or not we are willing to step out and follow God wherever He leads us. Are we eager to respond when God calls us to follow Him into the unknown, and are we prepared to let go of anything that would hold us back from a life of total surrender to Him?
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The Bible says that God has already given us every spiritual gift we need to live for Him. We do not lack anything. The only question is, have we ever discovered our spiritual gifts and are we actually using them? Just attending a church service every week does not automatically make us a healthy, contributing part of the Body of Christ. We have to choose to be used! Have you ever discovered the spiritual gifts given to you by the Holy Spirit so that you can use them for the mission of Christ?
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No doubt, many people saw Jesus hanging on the cross and thought, “What a waste! He could have done so much more good if He hadn’t died.” But Jesus compared Himself to a kernel of wheat, which will never become more than a single seed unless it falls into the ground and dies. Only by dying can it spring to life and produce many more seeds. As His followers, we have been called to die to our own life just as Jesus did. Until we die, we will never begin to truly live!
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Jim Elliot is quoted as saying “He is no fool, who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” Jesus response to the widow who gave 2 copper coins is very revealing; he does not say she gave all her money, he says she gave all she had to live on. Luke 12:15 says “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”. If our life isn’t in our possessions, what is Jesus referring to when he says this widow woman gave all she had to live on?
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As Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, the crowds threw their coats on the road before Him and shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel!” They wanted a king who would rule their nation, but they didn’t want a King who would rule their hearts. When they realized that Jesus was not the kind of savior they wanted, they turned on Him and shouted, “Crucify Him!” What kind of savior are you looking for? One who will give you everything you want, or one who will reign in your heart?
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Have you ever said, “If I had a chance to live my life over, I’d live it so much better!” But why is it that we don’t go ahead and make those changes now with the one life we do have? The Bible tells us how to invest our life wisely so we don’t reach the end and realize we wasted it. Jesus has entrusted each of us with different “talents” and one day He will return to see how we invested them. Will we hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” or will He rebuke us for the way we managed what He gave us?
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God sends so many blessings into our lives, but there is always a danger that those very blessings will be the things that draw our hearts away from Him. Because of this, the Bible warns us to never treasure anything more than we treasure God. We can become so consumed by our treasures that we refuse to let them go, and as a result, we will miss God’s mission for our life. Are you investing the blessings God gives you for His kingdom, or are you using them all for your own benefit?
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Someone once said, “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” Our thoughts are so important, they will ultimately determine the course of our lives. Romans 12:2 tells us that we will either be conformed to the world or conformed to Christ based on what we think about. It also tells us that we will either find God’s will or miss it based on what we think about. It is absolutely vital that we learn how to surrender our thoughts to God so that our lives will be shaped by His thoughts, not ours.
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In a culture that constantly urges us to strive to get ahead, to climb the ladder of success, to never settle for second place… what motivation could there possibly be to completely surrender our lives to the will of someone else? This command of Jesus comes as a startling shock to our senses. Surely no one would ever demand such a thing! And yet that’s precisely what Jesus demands. Could there be any reason compelling enough to make us not only obey this command, but to do it willingly?
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The well-known preacher, Jonathan Edwards, once wrote the following New Year’s resolution: “I will live for God. If no one else does, I still will.” He was making a commitment to consecrate himself to God regardless of the decisions or opinions of others. The word consecrate means to set apart, and the Bible says our lives must be set apart for God’s use. Are we willing to consecrate ourselves to live for God, even if no one else does?
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For generations the people of Israel waited for their Savior to come, but when He did come, He was not the Savior they wanted. Instead of being born to royalty, He was born to a poor couple from the middle of nowhere. Instead of being a powerful king, He was a humble servant. Instead of being a mighty military leader, He taught everyone to love their enemies. Jesus truly was an unexpected surprise. And even after they put Him to death on a cross, He still had one more unexpected surprise that no one could have believed until they saw it for themselves!
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Mary and Joseph didn’t ask for this! They were quite content making their plans and living their lives. Things were going along just fine. And then, without warning, along came God and dropped a bombshell in their lap, telling them that all their plans would be laid aside so that God could use their lives for His plans. They could have been angry. They could have fought back. But instead, they both submitted themselves to God’s will, and their lives were never the same. How do we react when God drops an unwelcome announcement into our lap and asks us to put our lives on hold for Him?
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