Daily Focus

       Christians should be the most easy-going people on this little round planet. We have no reason to worry. We have no burden too great to give to God. We have no pressure that we cannot bear. There is no yoke we cannot negotiate through life with. We should be the most carefree people that have ever lived. When we are burdened with some worldly or fleshly nonsense, we have someone greater than us to handle it.  He wants us to make our request known to Him. He is the reason we are carefree and He can handle any care we have. In prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your request known to God.  (Phil 4:6) Let us take a moment and talk about our wonderful carefree state.       We have things in the world that burden us. For a country like ours many of us are burdened with great pleasures. Things like what car to get, job to take, and which house is big enough weigh us down.   I know these things should never bother us. However, we let them. Things that are more serio

We are to be carefree. We are not to be careless. God gives us things to care about. He also lets us know we are not to worry. How can we live carefree? We are to cast all our cares on to Him. He is the only one that provides for all our needs. He blesses us daily. Who else would be better than the Creator, our God, to take care of us? Lean not on your own understanding. Lean on God and let God take over.  “ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” Phil. 4:6 It is such a blessing to be carefree. Share that blessing by giving someone a chance to live a carefree life. Give someone a chance to live carefree by spreading the word. Gal. 1:3-5

“Best-laid plans of mice and men” is such a powerful thought. God is control. We are not. We can plan and prep. We can organize and schedule everything. Still there is an opportunity for things to go wrong.  We put too much stock in our plans. We rest our hat on things that are not in our hands. Make sure you are doing things God’s way. Make sure you are not putting too much trust in your own plans. Be ready to audible at a moment’s notice. “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” Matt. 6:25-27 Give someone else a chance to rely on God. Spread the word today! Gal. 1:3-5

Often, we simply just try our best to make it through each day and get our list of deeds done. We rarely stop and think about what we need to be self-controlled with.   We need to be moderate with our food, work, hobbies, and sleep. (Psalms 22:26; Mark. 6:30-32; 2 Tim. 3:4; Proverbs 6:9) That is a powerful list of things to think about. We simply need to make sure we are not going to any extreme in these areas. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. We must make sure we exhibit it in every area of our lives.   “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Gal. 5:22-23   Live with temperance. Strive for self-control in every area of your life. Give someone else a chance to know what a balanced life is today by sharing the Word. Gal. 1:3-5    

We need self-control in our lives. It is impossible to have a healthy life without it. If we go to an extreme on anything everything else suffers. We tend not to realize this in our daily lives. We refuse to think about what suffers when we go overboard. Even if we do stop and think often we just think about how we suffer for it. An extremist life style in any area causes everyone around you to suffer. What things in your life are you not doing in moderation? Who is suffering? How is it effecting those around you? “And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.” 1 Cor. 9:25 Live with temperance. Do not be afraid to show or stand up for moderation. Give someone else a chance to know what a balanced life is today by sharing the Word. Gal. 1:3-5

Sometimes we let the world get the best of us. When we do, our wrath is shown. Often that is not the best side of us. Frequently it is not the wrath they see. Sometimes, it is the lack of moderation or gentleness.   They see our lack of self-control. It may be stress, worry, heart ache, pain, loss, and or the fleshly desires that cause us to lose control. Do not let that be the case today. Let your self-control, moderation, be known to all men. It will take effort. Anything worth working for is worth having. “Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ” Phil. 4:5 Be self-controlled so that the world may see your good works and praise God. Give them a chance to desire the truth. Beat the bushes if you must, but spread the Word today. Gal. 1:3-5

Don't miss the wonders that soround you, every tree, every rock, every ant hill, every star is filled with the wonder of God. You ever notice how greatful you are to see the light after you come through a long dark tunnel, well always try to see life around you as if you just came out of a tunnel.  “O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions—“ Psalm 104:24 Gal.1:3-5  

What is a good time to rejoice? What circumstances should cause us to rejoice? Christianity is never without its opportunities to rejoice. We should rejoice when we are under persecution. (Matt. 5:11-12) We should rejoice with others who are full of joy. (Rm. 12:15) We should rejoice in our sufferings. (Col. 1:23-24) We need to rejoice in His salvation. (Isaiah 25:9) Although we might not feel like rejoicing in some of these circumstances we are called to. Joy is more than a feeling it is about knowing. In all circumstance, we know all things belong to God and all things are under His rule. Rejoice in Christ. “ if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,” C

At times we forget how to rejoice. We lose track of what rejoicing is all about. We have great riches in Christ that should cause us to wake up rejoicing. There is another type of rejoicing. The worldly kind. The type of rejoicing where you are full of joy for immoral behavior. That type of rejoicing is appalling. Let us be careful to only rejoice in the truth. What can you do today to have more joy about the truth God has given us? “does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;” 1 Cor. 13:6 We have so much joy flowing from us because of the truth God has given us. Share that joy! Give someone the opportunity to hear the truth and have your joy today.

We should rejoice. We need to increase our joy in our lives. We have one huge reason to rejoice. We can know and be assured of it. We have can rejoice every moment of our lives because our names are written in the Heaven. That is the most amazing to ever happen to us. How often do you think about your name being wrote in Heaven? That should make us leap with joy every day. ““ Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” ” Luke 10:20 We have so much joy flowing from us because our names are written in Heaven. Share that joy! Give someone the opportunity to hear the gospel so they too can have their name written in Heaven! Gal. 1:3-5

What does it mean to rejoice? We rejoice over many things but are they worthy of it? To rejoice means to be joyful over something good. Only God is good. Are we making a fair comparison when we compare someone rejoicing over a job promotion and someone rejoicing over God’s mercy? No. God is infinitely better than anything we have on this earth. The things of this world may seem good but they wilt in comparison to God. Think on that today. Paul was emphatic about it! Rejoice always for the Lord our God is good!   “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! ” Phil. 4:4   We have so much joy flowing from us because of Christ. Share that joy! Give someone the opportunity to hear the gospel so they too can have true joy!   Gal. 1:3-5, Steve

The things  that need to draw us into meditation are not the last football score, the great mysteries of science, the unbelievable achievements of man, or anything else. They are godly things. Things like who God is, what He  has created, what He has done and much more should stay on our mind. Today spend at least a minute or two contemplating God.  “I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds.” Psalm 77:12 “l will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways.” Psalm 119:15 Let God captivate your mind so you can captivate the moment with Him! Keep working for the Lord. Live today to seek and save the lost.