Christians, Assemble!

The character of God can be summarized by how he engages humanity and what he desires our response be when we read about his commands and communicate with him through prayer and supplication (Philippians 4:6-7). For example, God specifically lays out a foundation for how we should treat one another. On multiple occasions, the power of our influence is well documented in Scripture. Hebrews 10:24-25 says,

“And let us consider how to spur one another on towards love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

God created us to be in community with one another. Fellowship matters to him because it is a reflection of him and his deepest desires. In fact, our influence on one another withholds so much power, it will even prepare us for the dark days that are ahead of us. All the more is a key phrase used to explain how much more important it will be when the men and women who serve the Lord will be put on trial for their beliefs (see Matthew Henry Commentary of Hebrews 10:25).

In addition to all the more, another phrase that is important to focus on is as some are in the habit of doing. Long before this day and age, God knew the greatest weakness that could potentially eliminate the positive influence of man, and it would come in the form of isolation. Commentary suggests ‘assembling Christians’ (found in Hebrews 10:25) translates to Christians who publicly worship (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible). The problem, unfortunately, is the lack of meeting and publicly worshiping God together in word and deed. What looms larger is the disguise: Isolation and comfort often go hand-in-hand, and filling our schedules with busy seems to be the norm. Even when there is meeting up with others in worship to God, we are not spurring one another toward love and good deeds as much as we should. We forget and abandon the unlimited power of influence we are given when we meet with the purpose of encouraging one another on.

While Hebrews does provide clear instruction on how to engage with one another, it is not the only reference in Scripture that cites the importance of meeting together. Matthew 18:20 also promises, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Sure, alone time with God is good for the soul and the relationship, but a fellowship of believers makes a strong impact as well. When those who come together with a common desire to make him the vocal point of conversation and action, God’s presence is multiplied. Why? In the context of Scripture, it’s simple. Take a look at how influential fellowship works:

First, we are called to be “imitators” and to “imitate God” in everything we do (see 1 Corinthians 11:1 and Ephesians 5:1). This means Jesus didn’t just come to save us from sin, but he modeled for us what it looks like to imitate God in all we do. Second, being imitators of Jesus means this: when we are filled with the Holy Spirit and adhere to its promptings, we are very much like Jesus. Now imagine a room full of Jesus’, loving on one another, instructing one another, admonishing one another, etc. Our words, actions, and deeds, when prescribed in the context of imitating God’s goodness (the fruits of the Spirit), carries so much power because God is in the midst of it.

God earnestly desires for us to be committed to one another in Christ because in doing so, we are intentionally engaging in the mission statement of God: to bring Love and Truth to a world who so desperately needs it. Men, women, and children so often struggle to be like Jesus; to live like he did and imitate him in all they do. When we meet together and spur one another on, we collectively see that living like Jesus is possible, and it strengthens our desire to continue living that way.

Those closest to me, the men who run the race with me, know me well. When I am feeling down, or I let my circumstances define my faith, these men give me a pep talk; they snap me out of my mindset. Like a star athlete huddling around his teammates to remind them the game is not over, my buddies will yell in my ear who I am in Jesus and that I am bigger than Satan’s flaming arrows; that I have the armor I need to fend off any attack from him. My friends are good at giving me the pep talk because those pep talks are grounded in Scripture and aligned with God’s promises. When Jesus feels invisible to me, the Holy Spirit living in my friends is what catapults me into Truth and Victory. When Jesus fees non-existent in the midst of my problems, my fellow warriors show me Jesus in them and how that same Jesus still resides in me.

Again, the problem remains. We don’t gather together as much as we should (Hebrews 10:25). We don’t spur one another on enough through meeting one another and worshiping together. Too many people live outside of the realm of this possibility. If we do gather together, God isn’t in the picture as much as he could and should be. Fortunately, each day is new, and each day is another opportunity to flip the script. If you’re not spurring one another on towards love and good deeds and getting spurred on as well, your life will lose Biblical, godly purpose.

We were designed to gather together and encourage one another towards being imitators of Jesus. We were designed to publicly worship together. In today’s age, we have become distracted, and distraction is one of Satan’s tricks. If he can’t take us out, he will use daily distractions to prevent us from living in the complete blessings that come from God. Fellowship is a blessing, and isolation is Satan’s way to eliminate imitating God. When we see another believer properly living out his faith, we are inspired to begin or continue that process. If we are not inspired, we should be. If we are not inspired to meet with others, Satan could be using distractions, busyness, and other excuses to eliminate that desire.

There is a reason God gives the command of meeting together. It works, and it brings us closer to His likeness. Jesus walked with twelve disciples. This means he didn’t go through life alone. We too are not meant to go through life alone, so it is critical to be proactive in this area, because God says it is important.

1. The way to combat complacency and enter into a spiritually Christ-centered community is by doing some of the following. 
2. Making a local church your home and attending (maybe even serving) regularly.
3.  Finding spiritual brothers (if you’re a guy) and sisters (if you’re a girl) and becoming genuine friends with them (one of the most powerful accountability tools is putting yourself around godly people and allowing them to show up in your life)
4. Finding a same-gender leader who is willing to mentor and/or disciple you to become or continue being an imitator of God. 

Never give up on opportunities to meet with others, worship God together, and spur them on toward love and good deeds – this is a command that God gives us, so it is important to not become lazy in this area.

There is a reason God gives the command of meeting together. It works, and it brings us closer to His likeness. Jesus walked with twelve disciples. This means he didn’t go through life alone. We too are not meant to go through life alone, so it is critical to be proactive in this area, because God says it is important.

*Additional verses instructing the engagement of brothers and sisters in Christ: Romans 12:10-21, Colossians 3:12-17, 2 Timothy 2:23-25, Matthew 5:21-23

Identity Crisis

We all put our identity in something: possessions, position, and people. As a result, our identifiers control our temperature. We get heated when we lose something, our authority is in question, or we disagree with a loved one. Like a roller coaster, our days have their ups and downs. We often do not see them coming, but once our ups become downs, we let our worst become evident.

We have created a love relationship with the world around us, glorifying the good it brings us, and being corrupted by its tempting beauty. At night, we go to bed with it, and in the morning, it leaves us unsatisfied. The result? Destruction of our spiritual, emotional, and even physical well-being.

Once sin plagued this world, Satan used deceit, lies, and evil to enslave God's Image to his purpose: total annihilation of any possible love relationship with the Almighty God. One of his greatest weapons is convincing us to be content with the world. Like a one-night-stand, we try to get what we want quickly, and when the night is over, we go on seeking another form of happiness that is as fleeting as the air we breathe.

As we go from one hotel room to another, sin slowly devours us; unrealistic comparisons, lust, greed, coveting, uncontrollable temper, self-pity, lying, malice, the list goes on. We become the monster we promised we would never become. If we were to be interviewed with the question, "Do you wish to inflict harm on anyone?" most of us would consciously say "No." Unfortunately, when worldly expectations are not met, we lose control and live a destructive lifestyle. We unconsciously change our answer to "Yes."

If we keep these things from becoming our identity, they are good things to have. When we construct a golden calf (Exodus 32) in honor of the world, we become a slave to it. We befriend the world and bow down to its commands. The world tells us, and we do it.

We have become adulterous people, sleeping with the world and shunning the love that God offers us all the time. James 4:1-4: "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God...You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."

So, we become enemies of God when we put our trust, faith, and loyalty into the world. How is this encouraging? How is this uplifting? None of this is, but what God offers is truly the greatest gift we can receive. When we read James 4:4, it can be easy to take pity on ourselves because we have so often become friends with the world. But, we can take heart because "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted, beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out, so that you can endure it."

In other words, all of the sins that mankind has had to endure in the past can still be endured through God's promise that no temptation is beyond your control. Hence, any friendship with the world can be avoided because it is not beyond what we can bear. We can choose to focus on God's will for us and not on the temptations of the world.

See, Satan wants us to get entangled in our sin and lose track of God's purpose for our lives. On the other hand, God wants us to see our potential through his eyes - and we can only reach it when we allow him to direct us at all times. Again, we must choose him as our guide.

So, how can we avoid climbing in bed with the world?

Romans 12:2 speaks about how we need to think - "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world," it says, "But be transformed by the renewing of your mind." The rest of verse two is the kicker: "...Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing, and perfect will."

When you give God the opportunity to open your heart and mind, he will renew it. Psalm 1 clarifies what will happen to those who are "planted" in the Lord: "...That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither - whatever they do prospers" (v. 3).

Plant yourself in Christ. The true definition of success is not found in the world's dictionary, but in the libraries of Heaven. God wants you to prosper in him! We do not need to fear man (Hebrews 13:6) and conform to their patterns. If you rest in God's love, a love that fears, worries, evil, and even the gates of hell cannot vanquish, you will find an identity that only God can perfect.

Take a look around you. Do you see anything that will eternally give you peace? Wisdom? Love? In Ecclesiastes 1, Solomon is lamenting because he has searched and searched all human things, only to find them "meaningless." Even wisdom and knowledge he found to be meaningless because is all relayed back to the wickedness of man (source: Biblegateway commentary). Evidently, Christ was where Solomon could find true value. No gimmicks, no wickedness, and no flaws. Pure perfection in all things.

Sure, you can take pride in the temporary things of this world, but they will eventually fade away. So, what will be left when all of it does fade?

River of Life

There are two sides to living: your own way, or God's way. You can live the way you want, with no allegiance to anyone but yourself. You are the commander of yourself. You are solely responsible for the type of existence you create, and the consequences that come with your choices are only made visible when you decide to make a big deal of them.

This sounds pretty good. No responsibilities. Eminem, songwriter and rap artist, once said, "I say what I want to say and do what I want to do. There's no in between. People will either love you for it or hate you for it." We can say whatever we want, do whatever we want, and whoever does not like it can lick a frozen flagpole. "Out of my way, I have a life to live," the independent fighter can say. Again, no allegiance to anyone. You rule yourself, and if anyone wants to follow, they can come along as long as it does not intrude on your decisions, choices, and minor responsibilities.

Unfortunately, those who live for themselves are prone to wickedness and deception. They only think about what suits them, and this selfish corruption they file away begins to define them. Galatians 5:19-21 says,

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Paul, author of Galatians, wrote with the churches of Galatia in mind. He wrote to Christians who knew of sin and were aware of who it affected. If you are aware of the sin you commit, yet continue to commit it, who is your allegiance to? Just two verses prior, Paul states, "For the flesh (sinful) desires what is contrary to the Spirit (filled with the presence of God), and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want" (Galatians 5:17).

Slowly, a simple sin turns into a habit, and that habit turns into addiction. As we begin turning over to depravity, selfishness, and some of (if not all of) the sins listed above, we begin to lose the identity God intends to give us. We become unglued and run loose like beheaded chickens.

What do we do in a society like this? God's heart breaks at the rebellious children. We look in mirrors and shatter them with our corrupted identity (James 1:23). Who we are supposed to be gets locked away by the hands of demons, and our selfishness rules like an emperor of a country.

We are choking among thorns, thistles, weeds, and death. Where we sit is a graveyard. Dehydration kicks in, and those who surround us mock in ridicule and evil laughter. Lifeless, our only motivation is the hope of dying sooner than later. 

Yet, from the perspective of David, there lies another source of hope.

Not too far from corruption flows a never-ending river. It is an oasis of rich blue and delicious spring water. On the other side of that stream sits a tree. Its leaves never whither, it yields its fruit every season, and its limbs never grow tired. Here, it rests by the stream because it never thirsts (John 4:14) and never grows weary. Whatever it does, it prospers. This tree never steals, never boasts in itself, and never covets; it never grows impatient, unkind, or wicked. There is no need for this tree to sin because it "delights in the law of the Lord" (Psalm 1:2). Everyday, the tree receives life. It is always joyful, accepting, and at peace. Because it relies heavily on the water and plot of land it is given, it never wanders, but receives life everlasting.

David paints this picture in Psalm 1. In this chapter, David begins to understand how critical it is to stay committed to God and never stray. The wicked, while sitting on the opposite side as the prosperous tree, will always perish in their own foolishness (their decision). But, this tree will always be in nourished. It sits by Living Water, which will never run dry. 

Sometimes, we fall into those storms in life. We begin thinking about our problems, our issues, and our future. We leave God out of the equation, whether done intentionally or unintentionally, and we suffer for it in the end.

Plain and simple: A life without God will eventually perish, and a life with God will prosper like a tree by the riverside. 

Which side of the river do you find yourself on?

"Spit" Decisions

Littered through our lives is one thing that will never go away. It can be the toughest challenge to face, and it is always fought best when confronted personally. No one can make it for you, yet so many times we do not know what to do about them. These are infamously known as "decisions". Lebron James made one in 2010, President Barack Obama makes them all the time, and as Christians, we constantly have to be mindful of them. Unfortunately, many times in our lives, we are indecisive; with our jobs, our lifestyles, our friendships, etc. Worst yet, we are indecisive as Christians. We are not sure whether we should stay in the boat or whether to trust God and get out. We are not even sure whether or not we should "really" live for God. Oh, decisions, decisions, decisions.
In Revelation, there are seven churches that are mentioned. Each church has made some decisions and has to deal with them, and at each church - Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, a letter is written to the angel that resides there. To the church in Smyrna, the letter encourages the angel saying, "I know about your suffering and your poverty - but you are rich!" (Rev. 2:9). As opposed to the church in Smyrna, the church in Laodicea claims it is rich materialistically, but it is really poor in spirit. Furthermore, what the church struggled with greatly was what is was doing in the sight of the Lord, and it was all...worthless.
As a matter of fact, if we are to fully understand the meaning behind the letter written to Laodicea, we would have to understand the context in which it was written. Around this church was a source of water in the form of a fountain and water tower. Along with the tower, an aqueduct was constructed from hot springs four miles south of the town. All around the Laodicea, cold and hot water was used to take care of the people and the land. Hence, giving some context to the letter to Laodicea, which boldly states:

"I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!" (Revelation 3:15-16)

The Laodicean church was doing things (and/or not doing things) that were unacceptable in the eyes of God. The letter is explaining that, like lukewarm water, there was no use for it and it might as well be tossed out (or more repulsively, "spit out"). There are many who are hot and seek the Lord faithfully, while cold water people have a heart that rejects God. Laodicea?  It couldn't make up its mind. In this context, it is far better to be cold and stone-hearted than be halfway between yes and no. A relationship is  unhealthy when one desires to go to his/her lover and then rejects the relationship moments later. Being indecisive is one of the worst strategies to use to get into or out of relationship because it is dishonest. This is how Laodicea was treating its relationship with God.

As Christians, we can easily become a Laodicea. We proclaim, as the Laodicean angel did: "I am rich. I have everything I want. I don't need a thing!" (v. 17) We get swept away by our comfortable decisions and our comfortable lifestyle. Our lives become about us. We may not like to admit it, but we become so full of ourselves that we become stagnant, stale, and unworthy of carrying the most prized possession: Jesus Christ. In the next season, we praise and love God for what he gives  us ("everything I want"). We can't make a decision on whether to be 100% in or 100% out, so we lower our expectations to maybes. God makes it clear we need to knock it off.

Coffee, in our generation, comes in all different forms. We need to stay awake, so a good shot of espresso almost becomes a necessity. In order to provide it year round, coffee joints sell iced coffees in the summer and hot coffee in the winter. 

Never do they sell lukewarm coffee. It is gross, and it can be compared to the coffee you leave sitting out all day. Just like the town of Laodicea, the hot water and cold water was used for something, but the warm water could not be put to use in any way. It was worthless.

Many times, we are that coffee that sits out too long. The ice melts and becomes watery; the hot coffee reaches room temperature. We sit out and do nothing with the spiritual blessings God has given us. And, God does give us them:

Paul says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)

Unfortunately, after we make the decision to follow Christ, we tend to pull Laodiceas all the time. We sink into a comfortable lifestyle and become useless couch potatoes, and because of our indecisiveness, we look less like volunteers for our most High God and more like lazy servants who do nothing with their gift (Matthew 25:14-30). 

If we dare sit still, yet claim we have made God our Lord, we are merely trees tossed out and thrown into a fire (Matthew 7:19). In fact, just because we cry out, 'Lord, Lord,' this does not ensure eternity with him:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven," Jesus said (Matthew 7:21)

We need to constantly be aware of His will for us. We need to "...use whatever gift [we have] received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 4:10-11). In doing that, we can then "...make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19), all for God's glory.

Despite all of the decisions we are constantly making each day, one decision that should never be difficult to make is to live out our commitment to Christ Jesus our Lord. Make yourself of use for the glory of God, and see how He can personally make you a vessel for His Kingdom.

So, what will your decision be? Will you be a stagnant servant, lukewarm in all your ways? Or, will you live out 1 Peter 4:10-11?

See also: James 1:22-25, Matthew 7:19, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 1 Timothy 1:6-7, 1 Timothy 4:11-14

Being Faithful: Selfish-less

Being faithful to a calling is never easy. Most of the time, we do not want to be governed by another schedule, plan, or set of commands. Our dream vacation consists of what we want to do, when we want to do it; and, every hour of the day is organized by you, and you alone. Even when someone confronts you with the notion that their wish for you is the best option, you don't want to believe them, even if it is the truth. An independent life with no strings attached is exactly what we want. Our culture complains when we have to pay bills, listen to a job training seminar, attend classes on the weekend, and an endless list of other things. Worse yet, we think it is OK to complain; we think we are doing ourselves and those around us some kind of favor. When we moan, we want someone to agree with us in order to ultimately make us feel better. When someone agrees with us, it makes us want to complain more. And, the cycle begins.
What selfish people we are! We gravitate towards getting our way, and when we do not, we throw the tantrums like the ones we spent most of our time teaching children not to do. Our complaining is like a virus that convinces us that our lives are far more important than anyone else's. As Christians, this selfish behavior should alarm us. We should immediately wake up from this deceitful attitude and start walking on the path we are called to engage - and do it with a positive attitude.
If the Lord has called me to follow through on a command, He most likely will not tolerate a negative attitude. However, we still gravitate towards our desires and our own goals. On the outside, we smile and nod, knowing that God will be pleased with us when we cheerfully follow his commands. On the inside, we groan, moan, whine, complain, mumble, daudle, and shake our heads. We may even cut as deep as cussing, refusing, and labelling God as a failure to bring us happiness. As a result, we crush the relationship with God we built. Like a cheating wife, we threaten God and express our desire to walk away from the marriage.
Proverbs is a beautiful book because it talks all about wisdom. Chapter 3, verse 3 says, "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." No matter what, be faithful in what you do. Being faithful means sticking to the cause, no matter what the condition. It means focusing on what you were called to do, and doing it with love and devotion to the Lord. It does not matter how we feel or what we want. In the end, we need to be faithful without expecting anything in return - with 100% of our effort. Furthermore, faithfulness means loyally committing to His Ways and doing "everything without grumbling" (Phillipians 2:14).
Moses is a good example of someone who had a difficult time accepting God's purpose for him.  "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt" (Exodus 3:11), Moses quizzically asked. Even after God reassured Moses, saying, "I will be with you", Moses still had questions of doubt. In the same way, what God has called us to, He will bring us through. God is with us and will pull us through what we are called to do. As chosen ones, God will ensure that as long as we are faithful, we will not fail.
So, since God will bring us through what He called us to, let us have an attitude that spreads the Gospel; "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth" (Psalm 57:11). Remove the grumbling, the complaining, and the selfishness, and instead replace it with praise and devotion. Most importantly, be faithful and "serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people" (Ephesians 6:7).

Making Monotonous Marvelous

Ever have those days where you wake up and realize there is nothing in front of you but free time? And, when you have that free time, the only person around to share that free day with is you? Well, sometimes those days feel so monotonous and boring. In fact, it is obvious these days exist because many are so quick to voice their opinion on how they feel about days like these.

But, who could possibly disagree when your day is filled with nothing but you and your thoughts? Life certainly does not feel exciting or adventurous when your doing the smallest tasks that seem to make no difference to the world around you. Consequently, a quiet and lonely day to yourself seems grey, dull, and lacking excitement. In some cases, we want to become busy just to remove ourselves from the routine of boredom. We want to make everyday exciting, but some days are irresistibly mundane and stale. 
So, what's the remedy? What can we do?

We can change our attitude. After all, if we even have the slightest temptation to blame our day on anything, it should be our attitude. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (NIV) When we claim we are bored, it might be so, but do you think God's intention in making us was to entertain us? Francis Chan, author of Crazy Love, Forgotten God, and co-author of Erasing Hell, points out in Crazy Love that "The point of your life is to point to him. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified."

Whatever you are doing - no exceptions - God wants it to be for him. Imagine your life as a tribute to God's goodness. He has given you the blessing of living in what he made, so owe him back your life. Make everyday extraordinary by placing God in the center of it; it's biblical! We need to do everything for the Lord. If our boss tells us to do something, you would do it with a joyful spirit - in the same way, "be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful" (Psalm 68:3, NIV). Do everything for the Lord, and rejoice while doing it.

It is your attitude and your choice; be a steward of the minutes you are given, and no matter how monotonous the day feels, make it monotonous for the Lord. Your entire life is his, and he deserves our best. Make monotonous marvelous, and see how God works through it. 

Check out this video!

Just Stop and Think

Finding Freedom in His Precepts

Precepts. It is not a word that is frequently tossed around, but when it comes to dissecting the meaning of it, we can easily apply it to our spiritual walk. However, in order to apply the word 'precept' to our spiritual walk, it is important to know the definition of a precept. Dictionary.com defines a precept as "a commandment or direction given as a rule of action or conduct." In the case of our Christian walk, it would be any commandment or direction from the Lord.

Psalm 119:44-45 has some good news about precepts, and apparently, they bring freedom and hope. “I will always obey your law, forever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.” In other words, I will walk in freedom because I have decided to follow the Lord’s directions. I have obeyed his commands for my life, and because of my loyalty to keeping his commands, I now walk in freedom. How magnificent is this idea! The Lord’s direction brings freedom! A verse earlier, we recognize there is submission to the Lord and his ways. “I will always obey your law…” Notice the word 'always.' Obedience to the Lord’s laws becomes a promise, and the result is freedom in Him.

Next, we find out that we play a role in this calling. “I have sought out your precepts.” When we seek the Lord’s direction, when we call out to the Lord, we gain freedom.

Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” When we seek the Lord and his precepts, we are given freedom in Christ; when we “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33) our freedom and so much more is promised.

Do you accept God’s purpose for you? Will you walk closely with Him, following him and walking in freedom? Seek God and his precepts first, and be obedient to his calling for your life. When you do that, you will find freedom like none other. We can have peace knowing that the Lord's purpose in our lives will give us the freedom from trying to figure it all out ourselves. We can go into the world in the name of the Lord knowing that his precepts will protect us and give us freedom in the long haul. 
Trust God completely, and what will follow will be far greater than you can imagine today.  Don't let your past dictate you future, and do not let fear of the unknown keep you from following the Lord completely.

Sowing the Seed

Trees take time to grow. You need to cultivate, prepare, and set the tree up for a successful maturation process. However you plant your tree, it takes a process that lasts a long time. Psalm 1, a chapter-long metaphor about trees and spiritual life, speaks about the appearance of a healthy tree.

"...They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season."

-Psalm 1:3 (NLT)

Notice how this tree bears fruit each season. It is continuously cultivated and given care so that it may bear fruit each season. If this tree is to bear fruit each season, it needs to be cared for every year.

Secondly, notice where the trees are planted. The placement of the trees are crucial in order for growth to occur.  If placed by a riverbank, trees will grow because the stream produces fertile ground. If placed in a desert, surely there will be no growth because the placement is not right.

As Christians, we need to continuously push ourselves toward spiritual excellence. Every season of our lives needs to be cultivated, prepared, and set up for success. In order to be successful as servants of the Lord, we need to prepare ourselves daily. Furthermore, our placement in the world is contingent on how we train

ourselves up as godly men and women. If we place ourselves around wicked behavior, we will prevent positive growth from the spiritual standpoint.

The good news is that, when you place yourself in the midst of spiritual encouragement and continue cultivating your "tree," incredible results show:

"Their leaves will never whither, and they prosper in all they do."

-Psalm 1:3 (NLT)

Like a farmer planting his seeds in the right place, he reward is healthy growth and development. His plantation prospers and there is clear evidence of his hard work. There is actually a story of a farmer sowing seed. It is found in the Gospel of Mark:

 "...As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

-Mark 4:3-8 (NIV)

Notice where the farmer places the seeds. In the end, where he produces the seeds determines whether there is growth or there is not. Some seeds were choked, while others were thrown on good soil. The end result for the latter? They "came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times." When the farmer placed the seeds in the right spot, good things resulted. When you place yourself in good spots, good things will sprout from your life. You prepare and set up yourself for a lifestyle that honors and pleases God. It will "never whither" and will "prosper" in every way.

Do you put yourself around positive role models and good spiritual influences? Furthermore, are you preparing yourself to live the lifestyle you are called to? Like a tree, spiritual growth takes work, preparation, and the right location to develop. Are you doing what needs to be done to create it?