Newness of Life In Mission Training.

  In every new endeavor, whether it is starting a new job or running a marathon or learning a new software system or grasping a set of plays on the football field, training is foundational to successfulness.
  In walking in newness of life (living a life of grace and dependence on God), there are some vital components, such as prayer and worship and practice of faith, that enable us to train for the mission God has for us.
  We start with prayer, as Nehemiah did.

  "O, Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name..."- Nehemiah 1:11a
  In 445 B.C., Nehemiah led a group of Jewish exiles from Persia back to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall around the city. He faced heavy discouragement from within and opposition from without, yet the mission was done in 52 days.  What was his secret? The key was his prayer life:
  When he was discouraged and depressed, he prayed. (See Nehemiah 1:4-11)
  When he was weak or powerless or under attack, he prayed. (See Nehemiah 4:4,5,9 & 6:9)
  When he had a busy schedule, he prayed (See Nehemiah 2)
  When he was happy, he prayed. (See Nehemiah 12)
  He had a running conversation with God.
What about me and you?  Is prayer a regular part of our daily lives?  Do we rely on God in hard times?  Do we regularly thank God for His incredible blessings?
  To pray is one of the most commonly mentioned commands in Scripture.  We could and can be people of great prayer, as it is one of the greatest and highest callings we know if we are followers of Christ.  I would like to encourage you to make a decision to pray more.  Start a prayer time for your family and/or a prayer group in your home.  Prayer is vital to training in the mission God has for you.
  Another important aspect of mission training and walking in newness of life is worship.  Start with looking into the Psalms.  Asaph wrote Psalm 50 and Psalms 73-83.  He and his fellow Levites  were responsible for writing and performing music that would thank and praise the LORD.  His powerful psalms help us to see God's majesty, faithfulness, mercy, patience, and our utter dependence on God.  God can be counted on to rescue and uphold His people.  The Psalms take us into the heart of worship, where we may get daily refreshments to garner perspective to our hurried lives and help us to know we are meant to worship and love God with all our being.

  "But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble."- Psalm 37:39

  Stop and take a few minutes to consider the blessings He has lavished on you.  Express your gratitude through:
  *Prayer
  *Singing
  *A life that is devoted to Him.

  Practice of faith is also vital in training in His mission for us.
  Justus (see Acts, chapter18) gives us an example.  He opened his home for the apostle Paul's ministry for a year and a half.  He did not have much, but gave what he could when he could.  Whenever we make the best we have available to God, the results are often extraordinary.

  "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."- Hebrews 11:1

  Faith is the belief that God is real and that God is good.  It is belief that He will do what is right.  And part of walking in newness of life is walking by faith, not sight.
  "Doubt sees obstacles, Faith sees the way,
  Doubt sees the darkest night, Faith sees the day,
  Doubt dreads to take a step, Faith soars on high,
  Doubt asks 'Who believes?', Faith answers 'I'.   - Unknown
 
A prayer:
  Father in Heaven, please help me to know Your ways by spending time in Your Word, and train me to live a life that brings honor to You and fame to Your name.  In the name of Jesus, Amen.
 

Newness of Life With Bragging Rights.

  Have you ever heard it said, "Nobody likes a braggard."?
  It is certainly mostly true.  Certain athletes, especially select professional ones, have an extreme braggard, boasting mentality.  Hollywood lives on and breathes boastfulness.  It can be seen in the ritzy neighborhoods of Scottsdale, and the small towns of quiet north Alabama. And the mindset can creep into any life, if one is not careful to keep it in check.  We are warned that pride becomes before a fall, and ultimately, destruction (see Proverbs 16:18).
  But as I think about newness of life, there is a boasting that will help us to travel well through the sometimes rough roads of life. 

  Jeremiah 9:24 lets us know:

"But let him who glories, glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.  For in these I delight says the LORD."

   So, here it is, that we see that we can boast in Him.  Let the world know how awesome He is.  Let the world know of His amazing grace, what He has done.
  It is clear that we begin by beginning to know and understand God, as He has revealed Himself.  This comes by keeping the main things as priorities in front of you.
  Number 1 - Spending time reading and studying the Bible, so that you can know Him better and also be able to share what you know of Him and are learning about Him.
  Number 2 - Spending time in prayer, treasuring quality time in His presence.
  These two things are top priorities, and sharing the Good News and helping others to be disciples naturally coincide and follow.
  We can never keep to ourselves what we know God has done, what He is doing, and what He has promised to do.  And as we align ourselves with His will, He delights in us.
  "Repentance, faith, prayer, and righteous living all please God because they are expressions of love.  That's the overarching principle.  Whenever you express your love to Him- whether by words of praise or by acts of obedience- you bring Him joy.
  Doesn't it thrill you to know that the God of the universe delights in you? It should!  Let that realization motivate you to find as many ways as possible to bring Him joy today." - John MacArthur

  He also tells us this:

  "Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." - Psalm 37:4

  Please also know that whatever gifts and delights He has given to us should be used, and used for His glory and honor.
  Ask Him to give you pleasure in your relationship with Jesus.  And take the talents He has graciously given and bring Him glory with them.
 
  So, let us boast with wise boasting - which is proclaiming that we are His and known and loved by Him.

A prayer:
  Dear Father, please let me see any things that I boast in myself, and submit them back to you, knowing your gifts are to honor you alone.  Please let me treasure time with You in your Word and in prayer more than ever before.  I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
 

Newness of Life Under God's Direction.

  There are three kinds of people in life - those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who take a look around and say, "What happened?"
  Lot seemed to fall into that last category.  As we read about him in Scripture (Genesis, chapters 12-19), we get the impression of a floater, just drifting through life, choosing the easy roads.  He never seemed to wrestle with some pertinent questions, such as:

  What are the long term consequences of this choice?

Or,

  I wonder what God wants me to do?

  He never seemed to anchor himself in the truth of God, and so he was swept away by a corrupt culture.  He seemed to allow the world to shape his life and determine his direction.
  Have you ever found yourself drifting?  Have you and are you making sure to anchor yourself in His truth?  Do you have defined goals in life, whatever station you are currently in?  If we don't take precise and diligent steps to place ourselves under God's direction, we are in danger of ending up like Lot.  People who drift without God's direction will usually end up in places they do not want to be.

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

"As followers of Christ, we are called to be supermodels- not glamorous stars walking the runways of fashion, but flesh and blood men and women walking the streets of daily despair with the good news of God's love."- Jim Daly

  "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."- Psalm 16:11

  There in the Psalms, God is not just letting us know that He will give us direction on the way to go, but He is speaking of walking in newness of life- indicating the eternal life given by the resurrected Savior (Jesus) to all who trust in Him.

  In spending time treasuring and reading and studying God's Word, our minds can be renewed, our heart can be refreshed, and our hands and feet spurred on to action and service to Him.
  And if you have drifted a little or a lot?
  Come home. Remember His goodness, return to His everlasting arms, refine the life you have by:

  Refusing to be conformed to what the world is touting and spouting.
  Getting involved and staying involved in seeking first His kingdom and righteousness.
  Being encouraged in spending time with others who are active and interested in growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.
  And giving extravagantly whenever possible.  This includes not just financial, but of our time and talent and wisdom as we walk closer to the heart of God.
 

A prayer:

  Heavenly Father,  would you give me a greater hunger for reading Your Word and sharing the gospel with others?  Be glorified in this life I live.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Newness of Life With God's Love.

  We aren't always sure ourselves what we mean when we use the term love.  That word has become one if the most widely misused words in our language.  We say we love chocolate cake, we love our new car, or the decoration in our home.  We even say we love our neighbors- but we can many times not do much more than say it and let it go at that.  It is no wonder we sometimes do not have a very clear idea of what the Bible means when it says "God is Love."
 
  "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."- 1 John 4:7-8

  God has no needs.  He gives goodness but cannot need or get it.  His love is bottomlessly selfless.  It has everything to give and nothing to receive.
  His love is unfathomable (immeasurable), unchangeable, inseperable, undying, and unselfish.
  Walking in newness of life under the influence of His great love gives us courage to face every day.
  To know the width and depth and length and height of His love, as Ephesians 3:14-21 describes, is like a cup running over and a well that never will run dry. 
  His love is unchangeable too.
  "For I am the LORD, I do not change..."- Malachi 3:6
  Don't ever question His love, for it is as unchangeable as His holiness.  Were it not for God's love, none of us would have a chance in future life.  His love is everlasting.
  His love is also inseparable.
  "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" - Romans 8:35
  When we look at the world around us, sometimes it is difficult to understand the unfairness of life.  It is not fair that the young should suffer or hunger touch the innocent.  But then, it isn't fair that God would have to come from Heaven to earth and hang on a cross of His own.  It isn't fair, but that is real love, and that's God.  He is absolutely faithful.  He has an unrelenting love from which you cannot be removed from if you have trusted in Christ for freedom from the power of sin and death.
  His love is undying, enduring forever.
  See what He shows us in His Word in Jeremiah 31:3:
  "...Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you."
  And His love is unselfish.  This is tremendously an understatement.
  "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."- Romans 5:5
  God's love is the cross of Jesus, by which people can have forgiveness and cleansing.  It was the love of God that sent Jesus Christ to the cross.  In turn, we also want to show this love back to Him and others.
  "Repentance, faith, prayer, and righteous living all please God because they are expressions of love.  That's the overarching principle.  Whenever you express your love to Him-whether by words of praise or by acts of obedience-you bring Him joy."- John MacArthur
  Let His love reside in your heart and share and show it to everyone you come into contact with.  Don't hold back.

A prayer:
  Father, please give me a loving heart and help me to show Your love is alive to a watching world. In Jesus's name, Amen.
 

Newness of Life In Bearing Fruit.

  Is it possible to depend on God too much?  Not if you are to be fruitful in bringing glory to Him and knowing Him more.  Every person who has placed their trust in Christ as LORD and Savior can and should bear fruit.  There are two main ways of bearing fruit and therefore glorifying God. 
  By the way, the quality of one's life cannot be measured in years.  Some have lived a long time and not lived full lives.  The bottom line is that life on earth is connected to eternal life in Heaven.  You will receive a full, rich life with purpose and direction if you choose to walk with Jesus Christ.
  How do we glorify God?  By bearing fruit.  We were placed on this earth primarily to enter into a relationship with our Creator and to bear fruit for Him.  Bearing fruit is the results of someone having a relationship with Jesus.

  "...walk worthy of the LORD, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."- Colossians 1:10

"I am the Vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."- John 15:5

  Walking in newness of life is only attainable because of God's enablement.  By His unending grace, we are able to love Him and know Him.  Then, as an outgrowth of this, you will bear fruit.
  Many people may incorrectly reason, "I must bear fruit." No, actually, Jesus said we must abide in Him.  If we abide in Him, we will bear fruit, which is evidence we are indeed abiding in Him.
  God intended for ancient Israel to bear fruit and glorify His name before the nations of the world.  Sometimes they strayed, as Hoses 10:1 states, "Israel empties his vine, he brings forth fruit for himself."  We must be careful, because that is true of many of us at times.  There has to come a point in our Christian life when we are asking, "LORD, what do you want me to do for You?", instead of only, "LORD, what can you do for me, how can You bless me?"
  The secret to living life to the fullest is in bearing fruit.  He created us and Jesus purchased us so we can know Him and invest the lives He grants us in giving.
  What is this fruit?
1.  Winning others to Jesus Christ and helping them to grow - you are a vital link in the chain through faithful witness of your Christian life.  We will never know here how many souls will be impacted when we lead one person to Christ.
2.  Change in conduct and character - being conformed into the image of Christ, which is a lifelong process.  We must sink our roots down in Christ and stay put.  It is a continual commitment. (Read Romans 12:1-2 when you have a moment or three)
  "Jesus desires to rule every inch of your heart.  When you live your life in submission to His rule, He is able to change you into an extraordinary man or woman."- Richard Ganz
  Sometimes, God may lead us differently than we want to go.  He may have put desires in our heart that may one day break ground and bear fruit, but it may be later.  It's during these times of waiting for our fruit to ripen that we must trust Him.  He is trustworthy.
  Be a fruitful branch.  Depend on Him.  Abide, and grow.

Pray:
  Father, please help me to focus on Christ and abide in You by faith.  Your way is the only way to salvation.  Be glorified in this life I live. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.