REST AND RESTORATION

VIDEO LINKS TO THIS SERMON

REST AND RESTORATION - PART ONE

REST AND RESTORATION - PART TWO

REST AND RESTORATION - PART THREE

Rest and  Restoration (R & R)

By Pastor Mark Taylor

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  MATTHEW 11:28

“He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3)

One day when the Lord returns He is going to restore our world to it's original creation before sin entered it.  There will be no Satan or evil.  The "Lion shall eat straw like the Ox...and a little child shall lead them."  All of this will happen when the Lord sets up His Kingdom on Earth and we rule and reign with Him. "And He has made us serve God as kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth." (Revelations 5:10).  But until then we are in constant need of rest and restoration.

We need rest just as we need air, water and food to survive. The fact is, when we fail to rest fully and deeply, we not only hurt ourselves, we run the risk of hurting others. Physical rest is every bit as important as emotional and spiritual and let us not underplay this reality. 

We also need Restoration.  In the scriptures we see God restoring many things, the joy of salvation (Ps 51); the rain (1 Ki 18); lost years (Joel 2:25); relationship with the Father (Lk 16); lost wages (2 Ki 8); and other things.  The Hebrew word means to turn back to God, to refresh and to repair. When we restore something we bring it back to original condition.  God wants us to be restored as much or more than we sometimes do. If you can remember that God wants you to be on fire for Him it will always make the journey back home much sweeter.  s the prodigal son. Put shoes on his feet, my regal robe on his back, my ring of authority on his finger.  If he had not run out of money he may have never returned home.

Rest is an important element in being restored back to our original condition and in even in better condition.  Restoration means to take something from the garbage heap and make something very special out of it.  God is that way also,  He enjoys restoring things to their intended purpose.

As we read through the Gospels we see the relaxed, calm pace Jesus kept from day to day. You never once see Jesus in a hurry. Even when one of Jesus’ closest friends, Lazarus, was on his deathbed, Jesus took His time getting to Bethany to be with Lazarus. How is it that Jesus moved through life so slowly, and yet accomplished so much? Is there something we contemporary Christians have missed?  The ability to calm your soul and wait before God is one of the most difficult things in the Christian life, but it is necessary.

Maybe you have lived in a stressful life for so long, that you think it is normal, but it is not.  Maybe you have not been able to rest or be restored because of the demands of others..  Some people have chosen to draw boundaries in which they have chosen not to stress out about everyone else’s problems.  These people live with a thing called “Peace”.  That is their day is full of thoughts and actions that bring joy into their lives and into the lives of others.  Boundaries are important and we need to set them.

When God begins to restore you, He wants you to make meaningful changes in your life that keeps you from falling back into a broken and stressful life.  Today, you can begin to allow God to start the repairing work that needs to be done in your life.  

Prayer and asking Him to help you is where things start.  God works with you in your spirit and mind.  That means you have to connect with Him in conversation and filling your mind with new material for new thoughts and actions. To live a life with of rest and restoration, I would encourage to begin praying and making your requests known to God about these two areas.  The first is to take time for yourself.  The second is to take control of your life, especially what you think.  Ask God to help you and as you make progress, give thanks to our Heavenly Father for helping you.

The most important way to rest and let God restore you in your life is simply to   “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).  If you are living a life that is in line with God’s Word, and you are trying to please the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be “too blessed to be stressed”

Rest is more than sleeping or being physically inactive.  There is certainly a need for those periods of time.  But it involves more than spending time by yourself in a quite room.  Set aside relaxation time. Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Don’t allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries.  Connect with others. Spend time with positive people who enhance your life. A strong support system will buffer you from the negative effects of stress.  Do something you enjoy every day. Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it is reading an inspirational book, playing a game with your children or grand children, or working on a project you enjoy.  Other healthy ways to relax and recharge can include: taking a walk; spending time in nature; call a good positive friend; sweat out tension with a good workout; write in a journal; play with a pet, work in a garden or flower bed; listen to music; and many more things that bring you joy.

As God is restoring you, take control of your environment.  ”Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” (Colossians 3:15).  The key word is “let”.  Make a choice that you are going to think on things that bring peace into daily life.  What are thoughts that will bring you peace?  “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”  (Philippians 4:8).  Think about what you are thinking about.  “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3).

Have a good support system.  Church, family and positive people can help you as God restores your life  “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the House of the Lord” (Psalms 122: 1).    God’s House should be a place where people are happy and joyful and can encourage each other. And finally read God’s Word daily.  This will guide you into a life of rest and restoration.

TOO MANY EXCUSES

“TOO MANY EXCUSES”

By Pastor Mark Taylor

There are at least five areas the church needs to focus on as we carry out His commission:  “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel”.  If we are focusing on these five ministry areas and if we are following the will of God, and if our eyes are on Him, we can be excited about what God is doing and what He is going to do. 

We need to focus on investing and inviting.

We need to focus on the Word of God and prayer. 

We need to focus on meaningful relationships.

We need to focus on serving others.

We need to focus on praise and worship.

There is one thing stopping us from accomplishing these areas of ministry and that is “Too Many Excuses”.  Because it is going to take commitment, dedication, sacrifice, and tenacity to get it done. It means that we are going to have to stop making excuses.   It seems all of us have all kinds of strong excuses not to do the things we ought to be doing.   We need to be saying:  “I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

If there was any one person in the Bible who came up with excuses not to do what God had called them to do, it would have to be Moses. As many of us do, Moses had many excuses that he gave to God as to why he could not fulfill his calling to rescue the Israelites from slavery. 

Moses said, “But I am not qualified.”  Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11).  

All Moses could see was his own unworthiness.  God is calling us to make an impact and God is going to provide the means to fulfill that calling. We are His, we are His sons and daughters and He has qualified us to make an impact. 

Moses said, “But I don’t have the knowledge to do what you are asking me to do.”  “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” (Exodus 3:13). God always gives us the knowledge and the power to do what He asks us to do. Therefore by faith we do it. 

Moses said, “But I do not believe I can do it.”  Moses, once again doubts himself and his ability to fulfill his mission.  “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?” (Exodus 4:1).  We should not worry about what others think of us in relationship to our mission and calling from the Lord. Basically Moses is saying they are not going to believe me so I don’t believe in me.   The fear of failure often keeps people from trying to follow the Lord.  God gave Moses convincing proofs and He gives us the Word of God to produce faith in us.  “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”  (Romans 10:17).

Moses said, “But I don’t have the right gifts for this mission.”   If God calls you to do something, He will give you the ability to get it done.   “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”   (Exodus 4:10).  God answered Moses and said:  “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” (Exodus 4:12).   God already knows the inability and shortcomings of those He calls.  But our God is a God of miracles and He can give you what you need to get His job done.  “But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible." (Mark 10:27).

Moses said, “But I don’t want to!”  But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” (Exodus 4:13).  Moses was done with excuses and showed the real state of his heart. He would rather have God send someone else.  His problem wasn’t really a lack of ability; it was a lack of willingness.  He simply did not want to go.  It may be true with us that we would really rather that God would use someone else.  Send someone else to visit the sick.  Send someone else to invite people to church.  Someone else can pray.  Someone else can give their money and time.  In that case someone else will receive God’s blessings and some other church will grow and take the message throughout the world for the Lord.  God has given us everything we need to do everything He has called us to do.  “I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).  We need to be more confident in the fact that God is always going to give us what we need to get the job done.  All we have to do is step out in faith and do it. 

With Moses we know that He did answer the call and was successful in delivering the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage.  What about us?  Will we heed the call to use our gifts and abilities for the service of the Lord?  Moses is with the Lord right now enjoying his salvation and rewards for making the right decision.  It is an honor to be called by God and to serve Him.  If you put aside your excuses you will hear Him say to you: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Matthew 25:21).

What is God calling you to do this year?  I am sure He is speaking to each of us about something.  He has told us we are “the light of the world” and that we are “the salt of the earth”.  This means we are called to do something to make our world better, our church better, and our make our friends and families better.  Why don’t we all quit making excuses and start doing what God is asking us to do?

THE LOVE OF GOD

“THE LOVE OF GOD” 

By Pastor Mark Taylor

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”  (John 3:16)

The world population as  of July, 2012  is 7 billion  and the percent of those who call themselves Christian is only. 33%.  This means 67% of the world has not heard of,  or have decided not to receive the love of God, through His Son, Jesus Christ.

So if the "Love of God" has been revealed to you, and you have accepted "The Love of God", you need to be thankful to your Heavenly Father.

THE LOVE OF GOD IS UNCONDITIONAL. 

“For God So Loved The World...”.  The Greek word for world (kosmos) is defined as “the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ.” This is the world that God loved. It doesn’t say that God loved all the good guys. Or that God loved all the Jews. Or that God love all the saints. It says, “For God so loved the world.”

So God’s love clearly isn’t based on our spiritual condition or our moral predisposition. It isn’t based on our behavior or our attitude toward him. Rather we see here that God’s love for mankind is universal and unconditional. He loves everyone. And this is one of the things that sets him apart from every other god held up by every other world religion.

This does not however exempt any of us from the consequences of our sins and wrong choices. "Be not deceived (make no mistake in your thinking), God is not mocked, for whatsoever a person sows, that shall they also reap." ( Galations 6:7).  We must keep in the context of God's love that He hates sin because of the harm it does to His children.  He does not hate the sinner, but the actions that robs them of the blessings He wants to give to those He loves.  Deliberately choosing to live a life of sin is rejecting the Love of God.  This does not mean you will not sin from time to time. When you do God has forgiveness for you.  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  (I John 1:9).

This also means that His love continues to be given to you unconditionally.  “There is nothing we can do to make God love us more. There is nothing we can do to make God love us less.”  Christianity uniquely claims God’s love comes free of charge, no strings attached. No other religion makes that claim. 

THE LOVE OF GOD IS SACRIFICIAL

“For God so love the World, that He Gave..”    He loved us by giving, by serving, by sacrificing.   We can learn something important about the nature of true love by looking at the character of God.  Some people think they love others because of what those people do for them or how they make them feel.   God shows us that true love has nothing to do with what you can do for HIm, but everything to do with what He can do for you.

THE LOVE OF GOD IS VALUABLE

“For God so loved the world, that He gave, His Only Son...” 

Here we see the value of the Father’s love for us. Not only was He willing to give, but we see here that He was willing to give the only Son He had. When you give to someone out of your abundance that is one thing, but when you give your all, that is quite another. 

How many times have you heard or even said yourself: “I can’t give you that because it’s the only one I’ve got.” God didn’t have a back up. God didn’t have a spare. But He loved us so much that He was willing to give us the only Son He had.

THE LOVE OF GOD IS PERSONAL

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son...”

God’s love is not only universal, unconditional, and valuable, it is a personal love.  A love given to each of us individually, one at a time.  He gave His love to individual people, not to governments, nations, or religious organizations.

One of the reasons God saved you is because He is fond of you. He likes having you around. He thinks you are the best things He ever created. If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If he had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He is ready to listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.

GOD’S LOVE IS AVAILABLE TO ANYONE

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever would believe in Him...”

The really good news about God’s love is that it is not limited to a select few.  Nor is it difficult to obtain.  The love of God is accessible to “whoever believes” in Jesus – the only Son of God. 

God has come down to our level. Not in the sense that He has lessened His holiness or lowered His standards. But only in the sense that He has made His love accessible to the average, ordinary person like me and like you.

GOD’S LOVE IS FOREVER

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life”

God’s goal in sending his Son from heaven to earth was not condemn you or to show you how bad you are, how unworthy you are, or how hopeless you are. God’s only desire in sending His Son was to show you His love and draw you into a love relationship with Himself. Jesus didn’t come into the world in order to rebuke you. He came to rescue you. He didn’t come to criticize you. He came to cleanse you. He didn’t come to punish you. He came to pardon you. He didn’t come to destroy you. He came to deliver you.

GOD'S LOVE IS FOR YOU

Our response to this wonderful gift of love from God to us should be to accept it and love God back.  

Romans 10: 9-13

9 If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Our response of love should be to live a life that would be pleasing to The Lord.  Jesus said: "If you Love Me, Keep My commandments." (John 14:15).  "If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love." (John 15:10).

What are those commandments?  

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  (John 15:12)

When our Lord was asked: What is the greatest commandment?  He said:  

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, With all your soul, With all your mind, And with all your strength.  This is the first commandment,   And the second is like it  in that you should love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 11: 29-30).

Love is an action verb.  You love God with your life and not with just words.

"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."  I John 3:18

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."  (I John 4: 7-8).

I hope you will accept God's Love today.  Just simply ask Him to forgive you of all your sins, and come into your heart, and God will do the rest.

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IN 2013

VIDEO LINKS TO THIS SERMON

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IN 2012 - PART ONE

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IN 2013- PART TWO

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IN 2013 -PART THREE

“YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IN 2013”

Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." (Mark 9:23)

January 13, 2013 

By Pastor Mark Taylor

If you think some things in your life are impossible today, I would remind you that a little more than a hundred years ago many inventions we have today would have been thought of as impossibilities and many diseases were thought of as incurable.  Today you have more resources, education, and time than any other generation has ever had.  

Beyond the intelligence and creativity of man, we have our Lord telling us that with Him nothing is impossible.  "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26).  He is a resource to His children to give us courage, ability, and means to accomplish anything in life that will bring you closer to Him.

God has put into those who love Him, gifts and abilities, creativity and wisdom, and called us to use them for Him. “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29).  You are full of potential.  It has been reported in some studies that the average person uses less than 10 percent of his or her mind.  That means that there is 90 percent of our mind that we can use to accomplish what we think is impossible.  

But it all starts with a relationship with our Heavenly Father and a prayer. He moves that goal or desire to our mind, then to our will, then He gives us faith, and then we demonstrate our faith with our actions.

God wants us to know that we can do more, and bring more glory to Him.  The self-imposed limitations are the only thing that is limited us to do what we think is impossible.  Our value, our gifts and talents have already been put in us by God and with His help we can be better today than we were yesterday.  “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6).

You are full of potential.  It has been reported in some studies that the average person uses less than 10 percent of his or her mind.  That means that there is 90 percent of our mind that we can use to accomplish what we think is impossible.  The self-imposed limitations are the only thing that is limited us to do what we think is impossible. Our motto for 2013 should be:  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13).

To do the impossible, we have to realize that other people’s opinions do not determine our potential or God’s willingness to help us.  Don’t let other people talk you out of doing great things in your life.  Don’t let the size of your dreams keep you from pressing forward.  Don’t let past failures or disappointments keep you from trying again and again. 

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before” (Philippians 3:13).  When one door shuts, God can supernaturally open another door that will lead to something better.  You cannot change the past, but you can do something about your future.  What is in front of you is more important than what is behind you.  The windshield on your car is much bigger than your rearview mirror for a reason.

God is always ready to give us a fresh beginning.  He wants to resurrect our dreams and do new things in our lives. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’

 (1 John 1:9).  

This was David’s prayer after his great sins: “Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions” (Psalms 51:1).  

God is a God of second, third, and many more chances.  The Bible is full of miracles – of things that were impossible.  “Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." (Matthew 11:4-6).

The first thing we have to believe is that: “with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26).  The second thing we have to believe is that God wants to do the impossible in your life: “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” (Hebrews 11:6).

TESTIMONY AND MUSIC

SUNDAY SERVICE - JANUARY 6, 2012

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST PROVIDED OUR CHURCH WITH A POWERFUL SERVICE THIS PAST SUNDAY.  BELOW ARE SOME VIDEO LINKS FOR THIS SERVICE.

VIDEO LINK  -  TESTIMONY OF A YOUNG CHRISTIAN LADY WHO HAS HAD CEBRAL PALSEY ALL HER LIFE AND HOW GOD HAS HELPED HER.

TESTIMONY OF STACEY JAMSES WILSON - PART ONE

TESTIMONY OF STACEY JAMES WILSON - PART TWO

VIDEO LINK SPECIAL MUSIC FROM FRIENDSHIP CHURCH
LADIES SINGING "UNTIL THEN"

SPECIAL MUSIC - UNTIL THEN

VIDEO LINK - CHILDREN'S CHURCH SERMON

CHILDREN'S CHURCH MESSAGE - GOD'S GPS

“PRAYER REALLY DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE”

By Pastor Mark Taylor

When we rely upon education, we get what education can do;  When we rely upon skill, we get what skill can do;  When we rely upon technology, we get what technology can do; When we rely upon organization, we get what organization can do;  When we rely upon prayer, we get what God can do.  Those devoted to prayer do things by prayer-they begin with prayer, not tacking prayer on as an afterthought, after decisions are made.

When we pray, we receive the gift of God Himself-Prayer is communion with God. He wants us to know Him.  If we never gain anything from prayer but the opportunity to commune with God, that should be sufficient for us.

Jesus counted on prayer as a source of strength that equipped Him to carry out a partnership with God the Father on earth.

Prayer makes a difference in receiving forgiveness for your sins.  It is a second chance that is given to you every time you go to your Heavenly Father.

Prayer makes a difference in our relationship as children of God with our Heavenly Father.  Apparently God is the kind of friend and Father who rewards friendship and relationship with Him.  No one in the Old Testament directly addressed God as “Father”, but Jesus did so 170 times and told us to also:  "When you pray say: Our Father Who is in Heaven." ( Matthew 6:8-10).

Prayer makes a difference in what we can receive from God.  “You have not because you ask not” (James 4:2)  But that asking should be as a loving child who is asking for things to make him a better person and better serve his Father.

Prayer will make a difference in how much and how effective we will be in our service for the Lord.  Prayer is more than a reflective time to consider God’s point of view.  It is also a time to find a way to accomplish God’s will in the work He calls us to do.  

After entrusting His creation of people with the gift of free choice, God invited them to act as partners, even to argue and wrestle with the One who created them.   He asks us to pray for that which He wants to do.

Prayer makes a difference in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  I spend time with my closest friends not because of what they can do for me, but for the pleasure of their company.    In one hand I hold the truth of God’s vastness, and in the other hand I hold the truth of God’s desire for intimacy.  Prayer that is based on relationship and not transaction may be the most freedom-enhancing way of connecting to a God who’s vantage point we can never achieve and can hardly imagine.  “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer”. (I Peter 3:12)

Prayer makes a difference in feeling the presence of God in your life.  Prayer is not my way of establishing God’s presence, rather as my way of responding to God’s presence that is a fact whether or not I can detect it.  My feelings of God’s presence – or God’s absence- are not the presence or the absence.  Prayer means keeping company with God who is already present.  God has time for you.  A God unbound by our rules of time has the ability to invest in every person on earth.  God has, quite literally, all the time in the world for each one of us.  “For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past, And like a watch in the night” (Psalms 90:4).  

Contact with Him is not our achievement.  It is a gift coming down to us from on high like a meteor, rather than rising up like a rocket.  God finds ways to communicate to those who truly seek God.  I need to think more about God than about myself when I am praying..

Prayer will make a difference in our lives in increasing our faith.  Before the words of prayer come to the lips, the mind must believe in God’s willingness to draw near to us, and in our ability to clear the path for His approach.  Such belief is the idea that leads us toward prayer.  “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.” (Hebrews 11:6). The more we pray, the more faith we will have.

Prayer Really Does Make a Difference!!

IS THIS YOUR SEASON AND TIME?

VIDEO LINKS TO THIS SERMON

IS THIS YOUR SEASON AND TIME? - PART ONE

IS THIS YOUR SEASON AND TIME? - PART TWO

IS THIS YOUR SEASON AND TIME? - PART THREE

A TESTIMONY OF GOD'S HEALING POWER BY PASTOR MARK

“Is This Your Season and Time?”

by Pastor Mark Taylor

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to harvest that which is planted”  

(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

There are so many demands on our time, so many good things that need to be done. We see 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. And all is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchased it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life.  Like receiving a brand new calendar, the slate is clean and ready for us to post our appointments, meetings, dates, anniversaries and celebrations. So let us pencil this in, more time for loving our families, more time to take care of ourselves, more time to do what we really want to do, more time to follow our dreams and more time with the Author of time and the Author of all things, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Will you use your time wisely this year?  This could be that year that God wants you start planting seed that will grow into a great harvest for you.

Now what do you think God’s will is for you in this new year? Do you think He wants your mind so saturated with worries & anxieties that you can’t think spiritual thoughts? Do you think He wants your calendar so crowded that you don’t have time for the important things? What do you think God’s will is for you this year? 

This could be the year that you start that project God has put in your mind to begin months and years ago.  This could be the season when you begin to sow the seeds that will bring you accomplishments and happiness that you have been praying about.

As the Lord Jesus desires for you to have a harvest of blessings this year, your enemy, Satan wants to delay you another year.  Jesus said that Satan is a robber and a thief. (John 10:10).  One of the things he tries to rob from us is our time, because time is a very precious possession.

The two greatest enemies of time are regrets for things we did in the past, and anxiety about what will happen to us in the future. Many of us are living either in the past or in the future.

"Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life" (Psalm 39:4).  "The length of our days is 70 years or 80, if we have the strength...they quickly pass, and we fly away" (Psalm 90:10).  

What you do with your time, with your friends, and with your attitudes will determine what will come at your harvest time.

Time is all about choices.  Every day, in every moment, you get to exercise choices that will determine whether or not you will have a good harvest, no harvest, or a bad harvest.  Is this your time and season to start making good decisions? 

The “Secret of Time” is about the little things you do each day that doesn’t look dramatic, or do not look like they matter, or make a difference.  But successful Christians do what others are not willing to do.  They read their Bible, they pray, they attend Church several times a week, they give to God, and they show their love in their actions toward others.

Many people get frustrated and quit planting good seed when they don’t see immediate results..  You have to stay in the process long enough to reap a harvest of blessings from the Lord for your good actions.  “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”  (Galatians 6:9).

A positive philosophy of life based on Biblical principles will turn into a positive attitude, which turns into positive actions, which turns into positive results. which turns into receiving the blessings from your Heavenly Father.

A simple positive action repeated over time can cause you to have a life full of God’s blessings.

You start with a prayer today, or a kind deed, or read one chapter from a book of the Bible.  At the end of the year you will have prayed 365 prayers, done 365 kind deeds, and read 365 chapters.  There are only 260 chapters in the New Testament, so you could read it through almost twice in one year.

Are you waiting for a special day to get started.  “Some day” doesn’t exist.  There are no 

“big breaks” in your future.  Your “ship is not coming in”.  Your ship is already here, docked and waiting.  You already have everything you need to achieve everything you want.  You just can’t see it with your human eyes.  “I can do all things through Christ which gives me strength.”  (Philippians 4:13).  You have to start looking through your eyes of faith and plant the right seeds.

Planting good seeds is an act of faith.  If you make the right choices and take the right actions, over time you will have success.  If you plant the wrong seeds, your harvest will be one of disappointment and hurt to you, to those you love, and to those who love you.  You have to choose what kind of seed you want to plant.

"Be very careful, then, how you live not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is."  (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Today is a good time to start planting seeds that will bring you blessings from the God who loves you very much.    The sooner you plant your good seeds, the sooner you will start harvesting.   But He cannot help you without you helping Him.  There is a spiritual law that says: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a person sows, that shall they also reap.” (Galatians: 6:7).  This law also involves how much you sow. “But this I say, He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Corinthians 9:6).

When you plant good seed you will not see the results immediately. No success is immediate, nor is any failure.  it is determined by the seeds you plant.In simple words - “Don’t quit!”

  

Some people today are reaping a harvest of difficulty and pain because of seeds planted a long time ago.  For those people it is time to change the seeds you are planting or you will continue to get the same harvest, not the harvest God wants you to have.

Don’t judge your harvest by the evidence of your eyes, you won’t see the results over night.  This is where faith comes in. “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).  You live right, you treat other people like Jesus would treat them, and wait for the harvest of good things.    

There is a time to plant, and that time is today.  Today is the time to give your heart and mind to the God that loves you.  “For He says: In an acceptable time I have heard you.  And in the day of salvation  I have helped you.  Behold, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

FOR GOD SO LOVED - HE GAVE

“FOR GOD SO LOVED, HE GAVE”

ISAIAH 9:6 – “UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN”

Our God is a loving, giving God. “For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son” (John 3:16).   In Jesus Christ, God gave us the opportunity for the forgiveness of our sins.

God says, "Here’s my gift. It is not just the gift of a baby, but it is the offer of forgiveness and salvation."  Christmas made the difference. God wrapped up a gift and gave it. Now He stands back and waits to see what we will do. Will we receive it with joy? Or will we treat it with indifference and rejection?  God waits to see, because what we do with the gift is also what we do with Him. If we accept the gift, then we receive Him, His forgiveness, His help and His hope. But if we reject it, then we also reject Him.

He has many things to give His children.  If you are His child and are “born again”, you have the Holy Spirit which was “given” to you. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on His name”: {power: or, the right, or, privilege} (John 1:12).  You may not understand this wonderful gift at first, but as you grow as a Christian, you will understand that the Holy Spirit is a person and part of God that lives in you.

God has also given us His “Record”.  The Bible tells us Who God is, about His love and plans for us, and about our future with Him. “The record that God has given to us eternal life” (I John 5:15).  We have all the instructions we need to live a happy and successful life written in His “record”.

He has given us His beautiful creation. 
“The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD's: but the earth has He given to the children of men.” (Psalm 115:16)

God has given you His blessings if you love Him and follow Him.  You need to be thankful for those blessings. “Oh that His children would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men”  (Psalm 107:15).  Here are only a few blessings He has given to them that love Him:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul;  And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103: 1-4)

One final thing that God gave at Christmas time when He gave Jesus is hope for the future.  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:1-4).  One day heaven is going to open, and God will come back, and the dream will be fulfilled of “peace and good will for all men.”

The application of this message to you and I this Christmas is that since God is such a great giver, and we are His children, we should also be great givers.  God has blessed you and I not just to make our lives more comfortable, but that we might use our abundance to help others.

God has given you His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that you might share Him with the world.  “Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33)

God has given us a spiritual principle of giving so that we might be blessed even more, so in turn we can give more.  “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38).

Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” Haggai 2:8 adds, “The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the LORD Almighty.”  He has the rights, and I have the responsibility. He is the Master and I am the manager. I am the servant; He is the sovereign.

Have you allowed this basic principle to permeate your personhood? You don’t really own anything. Everything belongs to the Lord. Until we recognize this truth, we will not be good managers of what has been entrusted to us. Our days are in His hands. Our gifts and abilities are on loan from Him. Our money is an “advance” from the Almighty. Our houses, cars, clothes, and every possession we have doesn’t belong to us. We really don’t own anything. 

You have what you have because God gave it to you. And He expects you to manage His gifts within the boundaries of ability that He has wired into you.  Our potential is God’s gift to us. What we do with it is our gift to Him. You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.

Whether rich or poor, strong or rich, educated or not, God has promised us that if we will use what He has given us to help others, He will bless us when we are in need.  You can’t out give God.  He loves you and wants to give you everything you need and more.  If you choose not to give of your abilities and resources to help Him help others, then you are limiting Him in blessing you.  “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

This Christmas, be a giver.  You may not have much to give, but you have something to give.  You can make a visit to a sick person who cannot go any where because of their sickness.  You can have a prayer with them and ask God to bless them.  You can share your food with people who are hungry.  You can be kind to a homeless person or someone in a nursing home or prison.  Ask God how you are to be a giver this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!!

JOY TO YOUR WORLD

VIDEO LINKS TO SERMON  "JOY TO YOUR WORLD"

JOY TO YOUR WORLD - PART ONE

JOY TO YOUR WORLD - PART TWO

JOY TO YOUR WORLD - PART THREE

JOY TO YOUR WORLD

“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4)

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10).

The Lord wants you to have joy and be happy at Christmas.

Joy and happiness are often used to mean the same thing.  I think we can have joy all of the time even if we are not happy.  But I think that happiness is a choice.  I think that joy is that gift that God gives you to have peace in times of unpleasant circumstances when you may not feel happy.  For instance, when you lose a love one you are sad and unhappy, but you can have joy that you will see them in Heaven and that they are better off there than they would be here. He that goes forth and weeps, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” (Psalms 126:6)  “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalms 30:5)

Christmas can be a discouraging time of the year when people think of the deaths of their love ones, loss of finances or a job, or a relationship that did not work out.  But God's will for you is to be happy and celebrate the birth of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I would like to talk to you about happiness that will in turn add to your joy.  Happiness is a decision you make, not just an emotion you feel.  When you get up in the morning, you can choose to be happy and enjoy that day, or you can choose to be unhappy and have a bad day.

Happiness is not always displayed in the same way by everyone.  God has given each of us different personalities.  Some people have a bubbly personality that shows when they are happy and when they are not.  But other people are more reserve and even shy and they may not always demonstrate their happiness by laughing or smiling.  But we should all learn how to smile more and laugh more.  “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit dries the bones (Proverbs 17:22)

Here are some principles to apply in order to have the happiness or joy that God wants to give you, 

To be happy you need to learn how to live one day at a time.  By an act of your will, you need to choose to forget about yesterday and tomorrow and think about today.

Life is to short not to enjoy every single day. “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalms 118:24)  Learn to enjoy your family, your friends, your health, your work, your church, and everything God gives you. 

 Jesus said: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

 (John 10:10).  An abundant life is a happy life. He also said: “Take therefore no thought for  tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:34)

To be happy you need to learn not to let life’s little things get you upset.  When negative things happen to us, no matter how much we rant and rave, it’s not going to change anything.  No matter how much we murmur and complain, it’s not going to make anything better.  You can decide not to let little things get the best of you. 

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

To be happy don’t wait on some event or person to make you happy.  Not even Christmas.   Big events will not keep you happy.  People cannot keep you happy.  Having  the right relationship and fellowship with the Lord can make you happy: “For the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)

To be happy, learn how to content where you are in your life today.  If you will make the decision to stay faithful and be content, at the right time God will change your circumstances.  The Bible says: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6)  “For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” (Philippians 4:11).  Notice that it is a learning process.  Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom on how to look at your life as someone who has been blessed and is being blessed everyday.  If you are always discontented, something is wrong.  If you get up each morning dreading your day, you need to ask the Lord to change your attitude.

To be happy, understand that God has your best interests in mind as you go through trials and difficulties.  “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delights in his way.” (Psalms 37:23)  There is a reason why you are where you are and God will direct your steps until he leads you through the valley.  Remember change is by steps, not giant leaps.

If you will apply some or all of these principles to your life during this season of the year, you will have a “Merry Christmas”, regardless of what you have or don’t have. “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. (John 13:17)

The greatest gift you have is God’s love and that should make you happy.  

“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. (John 15:11)   For I am the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6).

“Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20 KJV)

“I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” (Lk 15:7 )