How's everyone doing?

   

  Hello to you all! I hope this post finds all of you joyful and feeling strengthened in the Lord and body. 

     So, how are you doing with the challenge? If you feel like you are failing, don't fret just jump back on, and keep striving for your personal goals in each of these areas. 

     We all have different personalities so our targets will be different. Some of us will push ourselves so hard to accomplish our objective that we burn ourselves out, while the opposite personality will set our goals at... well, just about what we are doing already! :) 

     I encourage us all to NOT do either of the above. One of us may need to "Be Still", step back, and examine whether we are getting our worth, or filling some void, by what we accomplish, and remember that our Father loves us just where we are at, even in the biggest failures and messes we've found ourselves in. The other one of us needs to practice self-discipline, pushing ourselves beyond what is easy or comfortable. We understands that God loves us, today, right where we are, but our Heavenly Father loves us too much to let us stay where we are. He sees all the things in our lives that will hurt us or damage others. He sees the attitudes and habits we have that do not glorify Him, and He longs to weed these things out of our lives. We are a work in progress until He comes to take us home. 

     The question is, are we surrendering to Him as Lord of our lives so that He is changing us? Or are we meaninglessly drifting through life living for ourselves? 

"Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 3:12-14 NASB

Paul encourages us to quit living in our past and to eagerly press towards Christ. Every day is a new day to run with Him!

"Put to death, therefore, what belongs to your earthly nature... " ~ Colossians 3:5 NIV

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." ~ Matthew 5:16 KJV 

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." ~ 2 Peter 3:18 KJV

     Maybe we are working tirelessly to gain God's acceptance and others' praise. Are we just checking off all the required boxes needed to be good, yet feeling like we're trudging along just going through the motions? 

     Oh! That the Lord would show us more and more how much He loves us and that His love has always been there and always will be there. And that when we surrender to Him and follow His ways it is not burdensome or restraining, but rather freeing! It is living our lives in abundance! It is restful...peaceful...joyful. Jesus implores us-

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
~ Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

     Let us soak in these words and ponder what they mean to us! Aw... what a good God we serve! 

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—
that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." ~ Ephesians 3:14-21 ESV

Found a pastor singing a little sermon of encouragement

#1 Challenge Refresher