Alive and Active

When we are born again, we see the immense love of Jesus through the righteous life He lived on our behalf and the suffering that He endured on the cross for us. Because of this, we WANT to live a holy life and avoid sin while understanding that our good works are NOT what saves us. Good works come FROM salvation, not FOR salvation. The only good works that are FOR salvation are from Christ's righteous and perfect life He lived for us on this earth.

"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!"  Romans 6:15

"What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?" Romans 6:1-2

Peter wasn't fully ready to follow Jesus because he didn't understand the intensity of what was going on. Peter needed people who would call him out and encourage him. We need people that will call us out for when we are off and not "yes men" holding us accountable.

We must be reminded of the fact that the enemy wants to sift us. We must examine the scriptures and be alert and not major in the minor.

Peter followed Jesus but at times he wasn't alert or humble. We too can be picked off by the enemy so we must be trained in God's word, alert and confident in Christ. Peter was only one degree off, but it caused him to lose track of Jesus Christ. We must keep coming back to the foot of the cross.

There are times in our lives where there has to be a necessary ending so we can move on. Stephen was a man in the book of Acts who preached the word but sadly he was stoned to death. But God used the necessary end in Stephen's life to bring about a bold and resilient group of new believers.  No matter what comes our way, our job is to trust in the Lord .

Hebrews 10:25 says to "... encourage one another all the more as you see the day approaching." Youth sports are a growing industry and Christians are taking themselves out of fellowship by missing church on Sunday morning due to games. Do we trust God with our kids? How are we going to handle the whiff of idolatry? As Christians let's look forward to Christ's return make sure we are prioritizing Church and fellowship and not sports.

There are a lot of players in the NFL that succumb to debt, divorce, and drugs.  Those three issues lead to a dead end. As Christians we need to look at the scriptures and encourage each other in the faith. Let's be culture shapers who steward our money biblically, who are in Christ, and who go to the Lord with the pressures of life.

When it comes to alcohol, it can be very easy to get outside of your natural state of mind. Paul says in Ephesians 5 to be very careful how we live and we should make the most out of every opportunity because the days are evil. With alcohol we can't look for loopholes and we shouldn't model drinking to our kids. Instead we should model what it looks like to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Bible makes it clear that we should not get drunk with alcohol, but instead we should be filled with the Holy Spirit. Alcohol has the potential to alter our natural state of mind. We should think responsibly when it comes to alcohol. Our goal is to be conformed into the image of Christ and we cannot let alcohol get in the way of what Jesus will do inside of us.

The Bible is full of people who experienced seasonal changes in their life, but their faith didn't waver. Despite the fact that Joseph was thrown in prison for 13 years for a crime he didn't commit, God never forgot about him. Job lost everything but God remained faithful. Stephen was stoned to death, but Jesus showed him His glory. Seasons will change in our life, however we must not forget that Jesus is the constant who remains the same forever and ever and there is no greater foundation than Him.

Seasons change in life.  As Christians, no matter what comes our way, we are called to be steadfast and trusting in the Lord.  Psalm 27 is a great reminder that the Lord is our light and salvation. This Psalm later says wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. As seasons change in your life, allow Jesus to continue to train you, so that no matter the circumstances, you can allow the Holy Spirit to conform you into the image of Jesus Christ.