Taking time for others; this should be our mission as Christians, right?  In the past, I've always enjoyed giving, more than receiving.  

Volunteering at a nursing home has been so rewarding to me.  The people in these facilities are so thankful for people that take time out of their busy schedule, just to come spend time with them. 

Each of us has something to give.  I'm so thankful that God gave me the ability to serve others.  Don't neglect the elderly because we'll all be there some day. 

Love someone; give them your time.  Let them tell you their story.  Learn from them and grow in your walk with God.  

Use the gifts that God gave you to serve others.

Galatians 6:2 – “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Did you know that your story can be someone else’s survival guide.

There are all kinds of survival guides out there; for hiking, climbing, surviving disasters, etc. They make sure you’re equipped with the right tools and resources to get you through, when trying to survive.

The Bible is the “survival guide” to all Christians. There are stories that tell of disasters, heartache and valleys of discouragement. The Bible will show you how they survived these events.

Psalm 9: 9-10 - “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

Just a few survival tips, when things don’t go as expected:

1. Don’t panic, remember who God is.

2. Don’t be afraid; fear makes you susceptible to lies from the enemy.

3. Only believe God’s word (the Bible); God is faithful.

4. Everything in your life is filtered through God.

5. Allow God’s invincible love to cast out all fear.

The Bible, the ultimate survival guide to life!

In order to be saved, we have to be forgiven by God. Jesus’ blood is the only way for this to happen.

We all face eternity. This makes it imperative that we know if we are forgiven.

If we are forgiven, heaven is our future home, our eternity.

Matthew 25:33 - “And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.”

It’s then and only then that we receive peace. To retain this peace, we must forgive others, even forgive ourselves.

Unforgiveness brings bondage. You can’t move forward when you have unforgiveness in your heart. It just won’t happen. You’re stuck - going around the same block, over and over again. It seeps into every aspect of your life. It affects your health and your relationship with others.

Jesus taught that the only way for us to grant forgiveness to others is in the way He has forgiven us. Unconditionally. Humble yourself as Jesus did.

The forgiveness that God gives takes away our offenses and hurts. He wipes the slate clean.

What a wonderful freedom we can experience when God forgives our sins and we can forgive others.

Have you ever hoped for something; spending days fretting, thinking of how you could change things?

Trust me. This never works.

I’ve been hoping for change in a situation for almost a year now. The change hasn’t come yet. Does that mean I’ve given up? No, it means I have hope. You might be wondering how can you still have hope after a year has passed.

It’s because I’ve handed it over to God. I’ve placed my worry and anxiety about the situation over to Him. I’ve surrendered. I’ve relinquished all of what I’ve been holding onto, to God.

James 4:7 - “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Don’t let Satan use this as a snare. Satan loves to tell you that God doesn’t care; that He has left you to fend for yourself.

Release everything you’re holding onto to God. You’ll never regret it and you’ll live a lesser stressed life.

What does retirement look like for you? For some, it may mean spending more time at home, taking it easy. Some may desire for travel and adventure. And to others, they’ll never retire because they love what they’re doing.

For me, retirement means more time available to do God’s work. More opportunity for God to put me in places where there’s a need, or where some need to know Jesus.

I’m ready to be inspired by God; to be used by God.

Romans 5:13 - “Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

Retirement is a huge transition in life. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Life is short.

If you’re ready to retire or are thinking about retiring from your career, ask God for direction. Ask God for inspiration.

Be ready to be inspired by God and dive into your next chapter of life!

Faith is essential as a Christian. Faith is believing when you can’t see the proof. Faith is following God’s leading without knowing where. Faith is trusting God’s purpose without knowing why.

I know, for myself, I have questioned God; asking Him why it’s taking so long, or why do You have me on this path?

Right now I’m wondering why God’s not answering a prayer of mine. It’s been almost a year now.

I know in my heart that God is working diligently on my request. And I also know that it involves several parts and parties. I also know that if this is not His will for me, then it will not come to pass.

I know my God knows my heart. He knows my desires and He wants nothing more than to give them to me.

I don’t need an explanation from God as to why ‘it’s taking so long’ (in my opinion). I just know that God is faithful. ALWAYS.

God’s timing is never too late or never too early.

Faith and trust go hand-in-hand with God. You can’t have one without the other.

Isaiah 40:31 - “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

I love this quote I saw today in my reading: “Sometimes faith will make you look stupid until it starts to rain….Noah.”

I took the above statement from our pastor’s sermon Sunday. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

As a Christian, we should be busy daily, telling others about Jesus. We can’t do this on our own intuition or drive, it has to come from the Holy Spirit.

God’s not looking for people that have a seminary degree or someone who’s read the Bible through 50 times. He’s looking for someone with good fruit, meaning, someone who loves God, has a relationship with Him and who goes about telling others this good news.

I recently went hiking and someone had an app that would track our hike and guide us along the way. It would also show us when we were off the trail.

No, there’s no app that’s going to tell us when we’re not producing good fruit; God will reveal this to us when we’re not doing what we should be doing.

Colossians 1:10 - “So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

We are to be as a fruit tree, bearing fruit. And just as it is with a fruit tree, if it doesn’t produce fruit, then you have to cut it down and throw it into the fire.

God desires the fruits of good works and service to others.

Stop trying to push religion down people’s throats. Show your good fruit in loving others and sharing the gospel.

The definition of convince is “to persuade someone with evidence or argument.”

Most times, you have to have proof to convince someone of something.

Matthew 13:13 - “This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”

As Christians, we are commanded by God to tell others about Jesus. It is not our job to convince others to believe in Jesus.

Evangalism is not about “winning” a person to Christ, but only about proclaiming the truth of the Gospel, with the exception that God might persuade the unbeliever of the truth of it.

Anyone can believe the truth about God intellectually, but this is not the same as having faith or heart belief.

I’m not going to convince you to give your life to Christ, but I will tell you my story of how Christ changed my life, and I am convinced without a shadow of a doubt that I’ll be with Him in heaven some day.

Are you convinced, or are you convicted?