In this day and time it’s easy for someone to say they are a Christian, but it’s an altogether different thing to show it.  A high percentage of people you talk to will claim they are Christian or at least say they attend church somewhere.  Unfortunately, not everybody who claims to be a Christian acts like they are.  And the ones who truly aren’t Christian damage the credibility of the ones who actually are.  When you claim to be a Christian people take note of what you say and do.  When you profess to be a Christian, make sure that what people hear from you coincides with what they see from you.  If you’re going to talk the talk, be willing to walk the walk.

Take time today to pray to God and ask Him to help you be what you say you are.          “Identity” - John Waller

The eighth and final of the Keys to Successis to give your all to Christ; He gave His all for you.  When you give yourself to Jesus do you put your “whole” self into it, or just enough of you to get done what He wants done?  Many of us fail when it comes to giving our all for Christ.  We might not balk at serving, but we may have reservations about giving all that is needed to get a job done right.  A service done half-hearted may as well not be done at all.

A.W. Tozier said, “Before the judgment seat of Christ my service will not be judged by how much I have done, but by how much of me there is in it.”

Through Christ’s example we see that going all the way in service is important.  What if Jesus only went to Calvary, but refused the crucifixion?  A work half-done or done half-hearted is no work at all.

A.W. Tozier also said, “No man has given at all until he has given all.  No man gives anything acceptable to God until he has first given himself in love and sacrifice.”

Take time today to pray to God and ask Him to give you the willingness to give your all in all you do.           “Offering” - Third Day

Game On With God

Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

A young teenager named Cody went on a mission venture to Ethiopia. While there he was exposed to poverty conditions he never knew existed. On one occasion, a little boy tugged on his shirt evidently indicating that he wanted the t-shirt which Cody was wearing.

Cody gently turned him away and kept his shirt. He returned to the States and began to reflect upon the trip. The face of the little boy would not leave his memory. Nor would his t-shirt.

Cody began a campaign to collect t-shirts to send to the poverty-stricken country. He made calls, knocked on doors, and eventually had a whopping 18,000 t-shirts of which 10,000 were usable.

CNN called after hearing of his efforts and reported that they had discovered a relief plane to ship the shirts free of charge–but they could not guarantee where they would end up.

The relief agency used a jet and flew into a country not requiring a customs inspection–you guessed it–Ethiopia. The recipients were ecstatic. So was Cody.

(”Vision-It’s The Tool of The Spirit.” Adapted from John Ortberg, www.willowcreek.org.)

Most likely you have never had an experience like Cody, but it is important to remember that we all have a calling to make a difference in the world. You may not know it, but the God of the universe desires to use you in amazing ways. The issue is whether you will allow Him to do so. Let me suggest a three ways you can get started down this incredible path:

1. First thing when you get up, ask God to use you that day to advance His kingdom. It’s really that simple!
2. Keep a journal or take mental notes of how you are seeing that prayer answered each day.
3. Put together a ‘world changer’ notebook where you brainstorm ideas on how to use your life for His glory. Remember that if you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it everytime.

If you daily offer your life as a living sacrifice, God will not let you down!
Questions:

1. How has God used me in the past?
2. How could He use me in the future?
3. What is holding me back from “game on” with God?

The seventh of the Keys to Success is to not fill up on this world’s crumbs; feed your soul on the Living Bread.  We are constantly bombarded with sights and sounds that are all competing for our attention and appetite for things of the world.  Advertisers are always coming up with new ideas and strategies to capture our imaginations and minds.  To fill up our minds with junk food.  It’s hard not to be pulled in by the slick wording, “Hollywood” style models, upbeat sounds and jingles that companies employ to attract us to their products and “life-changing” gizmos.

However, we sometimes fail to be attracted by the one, true, life-altering, life-giving Word of God.  Nothing can fill you up faster and more completely than the scriptures.  Paul reminds us that the Bible was given to us by God and is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).  Which means that the entire Bible is God-inspired.  And because it comes straight from God  it is trustworthy, and we should rely upon it daily.  It is our standard to live by and our only guide from this life to eternity.  Through the Word, God wants to show us what is true and equip us to live for and serve Him.

Take time today to pray to God and ask Him to reveal something to you through His word.  (to be cont)         “The Book” - Michael Card

The sixth of the Keys to Success is to guard your thoughts; what you think, you are.  Our thought life is the most guarded part of our being.  No one but God and ourselves know what is going on in our minds.  People can usually tell how we are feeling by the way we look or act, but none can tell what thoughts go on inside our heads.  And that’s where our trouble begins.

Proverbs 23:7a says that, “for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.“  We must continually strive to protect and direct our thoughts.  Obviously we can’t stop thoughts from entering in, but we can control where it goes from there.  When an impure thought comes in, we must act to quench it immediately, or, if we think on it long enough, we might act on it.  Josiah Holland said, “The mind grows by what it feeds on.”  So we must be careful to subdue bad thoughts and nourish good ones.  Take time today to pray to God and ask Him to help you control your thought life.  (to be cont)           “Purified” - Michael W. Smith

The fifth of the Keys to Success is to see what you can do for others, not what they can do for you.  All to often we hear about the “Me” generation.  Everyone is looking out for “Number One” and nobody else.  We are all too concerned with what we can get out of a given situation.  Our mentality has come down to “What’s in it for me?” when Jesus clearly preached the opposite truth.

He plainly tells us in Matthew 20 that “even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (serve), but to minister (serve).”  We are also reminded by Paul to “…serve one another” in Galatians.

Jesus became the ultimate servant and is the perfect example for us to follow.  Take time today to pray to God and ask Him to show you how and where you can be of service.  (to be cont)          “The longer I serve Him” - Greater Vision

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The fourth of the Keys to Success is to stand for something or you will fall for anything.  Every day that we are here in this world we are constantly bombarded by people or advertisements to join a group or a cause.  The world wants us to join in with whatever they think is the most important issuer of the day.

Lots of advertisements use catchy slogans or celebrity endorsements, hoping we will hop on the bandwagon with everyone else.  And sometimes we do just that, without even checking it out first.  There are plenty of good causes to support, but some people get pulled into unhealthy situations because they weren’t careful.  Satan loves to hook us into bad things by making them appear good or worthwhile.

So before you fall for one of Satan’s traps, check it out, then pray about it.  And remember, the Cause of Christ won’t mislead you.  Take time today to pray to God and see what He wants you to stand for.  (to be cont)          “Standing out” - Blue Tree

The third of the Keys to Success is to treasure your time; don’t spend it, invest it.  We all have time in our lives.  We all get an allotted amount.  It’s not the same amount for everyone, but we all have the choice of what we do with it.  Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that, “to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

Every moment of every day we have a choice to make on what we will do with our time.  We can choose to waste the time we have or we can use it wisely.  Amelia Barr said, “Time is a precious gift of God; so precious that He only gives it to us moment by moment.”

Over the past seven days you have lived 168 hours.  Aside from the time you have slept, what have you done with your time?  How much time did you spend reading your Bible, or praying, or witnessing, or even spending time with your family?  How much time did you spend surfing the web, or watching tv, or texting?

The average person has 630,000 hours to live in their lifetime.  What are you doing with your time?  Take time today to pray to God and ask Him to help you prioritze your time.  (to be cont)          “Out of time” - Matthew West