Daily Focus

To become the best we must  first become the least. We must first learn to follow before we can lead. We must first learn to serve before we can be served. We must first give before we can receive. We maybe able to be the things and have these things but it is without a full understanding. We do not know the sacrifice, work, pain, and effort that goes into anything unless we first do it our selves. If we truly want to be great we must be a servant at the cost of our selves. Christ did it! He asked you to do the same! What are you doing today to become a servant as Christ did? “”… And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”” Matt. 20:27-28 Do not live to be served. Live to serve. Seek and save the lost. Exhort and encourage each other today. :)  Gal. 1:3-5

We need to teach and admonish each other.  Teaching each other the word and its application is very important.  We must make sure we are thoroughly educated and continue in that education.  (Col. 3:16; I Tim. 2:4) We must use such education to admonish one another.  We have to keep each other focused and on course.  We need each other to do that.  God gave us and blessed us with a body.  Therefore, we need the body to get to heaven.   “…teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Col. 3:16 Teach and admonish someone today. Seek a lost soul and do all you can to bring them to Christ today. Keep working hard! :)   Gal. 1:3-5

Lifting each other up in prayer is a great way to exhort one another   We need to pray with each other.   We need to offer up prayers for each other.   We need to fervently pray for the specifics needs of another.   Not in unspoken prayer request or vague appeal for prayer do we go to God for each other.   We enter the throne room of God on behalf of each other over specific needs and trespasses.   To do that we need to be real with each other.   Not fake in the way we present our need for trespasses or weaknesses.   We need to be encouraging one another by praying for and with each other. “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.   The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”   James 5:16     Talk to and pray for someone today about their specific need. Seek a lost soul and pray with them! :) Keep about the work of the Lord today. Gal....

We must encourage each other. We can encourage each other in many ways. One way is encouraging each others  faith. We need to keep each other exhorted in the faith we have received. We need to study with one another keeping our selves rooted in the faith. We need to exhort an active faith in all the brethren.  We should be encouraging a limitless faith in our brothers and sisters. We need to  recall the purpose and basses of our faith for one another.  We should always be  rooting  and encouraging  each other concerning our faith. Daily encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ! They need it and so do you. We are one body. “and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith,” 1 Thess. 3:2 Encourage a body member  today! Seek a lost person and encourage them to become a Christian today! :) Gal. 1:3-5

Encouragement is essential. We know life is difficult. We know sin can drag any one down at any moment. We know the world is working against us. We know that there is evil out there that we stand against every day. We forget every soldier grows weary. We forget every fighter gets down. We forget every servant grows tired. The road is long and difficult for Christians. That is why you and I need to encourage each other daily. We need to exhort one another in all things. We need to always be uplifting our brethren. We cannot wait tell we know someone is down and out. If we wait it may be too late. Seek to encourage a brother or sister in Christ today. Seek to encourage a brother or sisters in Christ every day.   “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.” 1 Thess. 5:14 “but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” ...

We are to exemplify what it means to be a child of God. When the world lays their eyes on you and I they should see Christ. When the world encounters our lives, they should see Christianity. When the world hears our words, they should hear the gospel call. Our character should exemplify what it means to be a saint. We need to daily let our light so shine before men that they praise God. Exemplify Christianity today!  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven .”   Matt. 5:16 Go out and shine today! Seek and save the lost with all you have their life depends on it.  J Gal. 1:3-5

You have got to say “yes” to the life given by God. You must say “yes” to the hope of eternal salvation. You have got to say “yes”. Yes, you can make it. It does not matter how many failures you have had. It does not matter how many mistakes you have endured. It does not matter about your defeats. It does not matter about what you have done. What matters is what you are doing right now.  You have got to put forth the effort. You must get it done. You have got to work. Effort is the difference between life and death. As Christians effort is the difference between eternal life and eternal death. Say “Yes” to all that God has laid before you. Say “yes” and get it done everyday to receive eternal life! “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?” James 2:14 “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” James 2:24 “ And what more shall I say? I do not have tim...

Everyone has a cause. Everyone has an issue that fires them up. Everyone will go to “battle” over something. The world we live in today seems to be up in arms over every little thing. That is not being a true soldier. A true soldier has a cause bigger than himself. A true soldier fights for the man next to him and the hope of saving thousands of others. As true soldiers in the Lord’s army it is no different. We have an unbeatable armor given to us by our Commander. We war against Satan from the time we wake tell we sleep. We fight for our souls. We fight for our brother’s soul. We drag out the wounded and get them help. We rescue the casualties of this world. We save the souls that are fighting for the wrong cause. We are soldiers. Are you living and fighting like one? “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.   For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers o...

We are but passing through this world. This is not our home. There is no need to try to pretend different. You and I are living for the eternal hope we receive in Christ. We are striving to make our home in a city not built by human hands. An eternal home is what we seek. The things around us are passing away. We need to live as pilgrims. We need to pass through this life journeying to the next. We need to be working hard to bring as many along with us as we can. Let yourself be known as a pilgrim. Live as a pilgrim. We have a far better place awaiting us. “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.” Heb. 13:14 “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 2 Cor. 5:1 Live as a pilgrim. Strive to reach that eternal home. Find others to bring with you today. Everybody wants what God has freely given, they just do not know it yet. Gal. 1:3-5

How optimistic are you? That is a very important question you must ask yourself. You need to know the answer. Christians are to be truly optimistic. We have great reasons to be optimistic. We have blessings from God in our lives. We have the promise of life to come. We have the joy that comes from God. We can even rejoice in pain and persecution. Negativity and pessimism come from the world. They are without hope or positive sight. The world does not have what we have and they are drained of all true optimism because of it. Be optimistic. We have God and God has us!  “So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”  Acts 5:41 “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 Be optimistic. Work hard for the Lord knowing there is success in Him. Keep seeking the lost. They need you to bring them the word! :) Gal. 1:3...

Many in the world tremble at the thought of there being a judgment day coming. Many, if not most, people do not think they are ready. The world and everything as we know it coming to an end is a scary truth. Christians can never share this fear. We cannot share this doubt or wonder about things to come. We know all about it. We know there is a judgement. We know how we will be judge and who will be judged. We know result of that judgment. For God’s faithful children judgement is a great day. It is a day that we are interceded for. It is the day we get enter Heaven for ever. We have the assurance that on that day we can stand in confidence because of the faithful life we have lived here. “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” 1 John 2:28 Abide in Him every moment of your life. Live in the confidence that comes with abiding in Him. Cull the sin from your life and repent. Let nothing stand in...

The blessing of assurance is often over looked. We have assurance in a great multitude of areas in our lives. We often overlook them and worry.  Then we are in bad shape worrying about things we ought not. That is a sinful state. Death is an aspect of Christianity that we should never worry about. Too often we do worry about death. We fear for our lives. That fear sometimes keeps us from doing the Lords work. We fear death even if it is from old age. Why? Death is a great thing. We get to go live on in peace in Abrahams bosom. Do not let your flesh steal your confidence of the blessed assurance of life after death. Being with Christ is far better than life on earth. As we remain on this earth we have a great deal of work to do. "If I die let me die in the service of my King" “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the ...

It is a beautiful day! God has created a wonderful world for us to enjoy. God intended us to enjoy this world with out sin. Sin still came in. Sin entered this world because we chose to serve our selves. To often we overlook this glorious creation and Gods wonderfully created people because of sin. Today enjoy the world God made for us. Enjoy the blessing of wind, sunshine, harvest, land, tress and wild life. Enjoy man. Enjoy Gods children. Look not into the evil intentions of man but the good of others. God created all man in His image, love man kind as God has. Do not let sin ruin what God has blessed us with.  "Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Then Go...

It is  all passing away. We forget that everything around us is passing away. Sometimes things happen in our lives to help us realize how fragile and temporary this world is. We know that our bodies will not last forever. We know the things we hold dear will not last forever. Although it is a hard concept to grasp the home we are headed to is eternal. Gods place for us is without end or destruction. Hold to that assurance today. Hold to Gods  promise of an eternal home. Why would we not put more effort into an eternal home than a temporary home? "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 2 Cor. 5:1 Work and live for the eternal promise everyday. Seek and save the lost today! :) Gal. 1:3-5 Steve Johnson

One more time. One more time we need to serve. Just one more push we need to make to spread the word. One more step given to those in need. One more breath given for the work of the Lord. One more day fighting the fight. I have learned something of great value. It was taught to me in an unconventional way. The thought rings true. You can always give more . Muscle failure is where you physical cannot make that muscle work anymore. Something many fail to ever reach. Your body always keeps a reserve. Most of the time when you quit you quit with gas in the tank. You are always able to walk, sit, talk, etc. after you quit. Why? That is the reserve. Today think about giving one more. Use that reserve today for God. Push yourself to that point and then give your reserve every day. Do not stop working for the Lord until your body won’t let you move another muscle. Then get up and do it again tomorrow. If you want to grow. You will grow beyond what you can imagine if you do this every da...

Conviction cannot be hidden. If you are convicted, it is evident. Your life will revolve around what you are strongly fixed in or on. We can get convicted of things that are bad for us. We can get convicted that certain sins are okay in moderation. We can get convicted that cultural teachings are perfect practices. That does not make it right. If we are convicted of the right things, then great things can be done. Let us be true to our conviction that Christ is the savior. Let us be convicted that we are children of God. Let us be convicted that we are soldiers for Christ. Let us be convicted that in Christ the world and sin cannot overcome us. Let your firm belief in God govern your actions. “Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son ...

Christ expects the church to grow as Daniel prophesied it would. Starting out as a small stone the church is to grow until the whole earth is filled.  Our cornerstone is Christ. Our rock is Christ. He is sure and steadfast. Nothing can take down the kingdom of God. We fight for something that can never be destroyed. We live for the best thing man has and will ever know. We work for the sake of lost souls coming into the fold. We endure to get everyone to heaven. We are the stones to be scattered. We make the indestructible kingdom in Christ. Live in that truth. “As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.  And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.  Inasmuch a...

Life is short and the journey to heaven is even shorter. It may seem like a long daunting task to live in Christ day after day but it is not.  It will feel like tomorrow when we are all in Heaven. The decisions we make today will echo for eternity. The lives we will live will leave behind something for the next generation. You can inspire or discourage them to conquer the world with the gospel. I say we inspire them. Leave behind an incredible story of faith, endurance, and commitment to God. Stand up and fight today so others will fight tomorrow. “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” John 20:30-31 “and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” Phil. 1:14 Live life to leave a legacy that ca...

Honesty is essential to our Christian walk. Honesty gives us a good reputation in the world. Honesty in the world is hard to come by. When we are honest it is a breath of fresh air to the world. Honesty comes to the world as an unexpected moment. It is a moment in this constant chaos we are in where the lost realize there is good out there. Let us walk honestly around unbelievers by leading a quiet life, minding our own business, and working with our own hands. Always being honest provides an honorable thing in the sight of the Lord and men. Honesty is something good that we should have regard for in the sight of all men. Be honest. “that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.” 1 Thess. 4:11-12 “ providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.” 2 Cor. 8:21  “ R...

Faith is simple. Sometimes things in life make faith hard. Sometimes we put ourselves in situations that make faith hard. Faith is still simple. Hear and obey is as simple as it gets. The word obey comes with its own naysayers. However loud those people may be God still has His expectation of obedience. The real question lies within you. The real question is “Do you have the strength to obey God’s commands?”. We must challenge ourselves every day. We must challenge ourselves to be strong enough to obey. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Our faith is evident in our works. We must obey God by faith. Faith is simple.  “ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Heb. 11:6 “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Heb. 11:8 Let your works s...