I am preparing my lesson for youth group tomorrow night, in my preparation I have have been studying Gal 2:17.  I have not “found” anything “new”, but I have been greatly impressed by what Paul is saying!

Gal 2:17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.

Paul is addressing the issue of Peter moving away from the Gentiles because they were not following the Mosaic Law. Paul speaks this verse as a great challenge and accusation against Peter! He is saying: If while you are saying you are justified by grace, yet you are still seeking to be justified by the Law, you are saying that the grace of God was not good enough to justify you. In fact you are saying that even after the grace of God you are still a sinner! This is not true because Christ is NOT the minster of sin! If you are looking to the Law to justify you, you are saying Christ what you did wasn’t good enough!!!!

What a strong accusation!

There are two applications from this verse:

One, if you are unsaved, Christ’s grace is more than you need to be justified, there is NOTHING you can do! Following the Law will not justify you. Christ is not the minister of sin, but if justification and if you are seeking to be justified any other way you will not be justified!

Two, if you are saved, you are already justified! And as Paul says in verse 18, if you seek to go back to works to justify yourself you are make yourself a transgressor and not justifying yourself. The Law was NEVER meant to justify, but to show that one was a sinner and needed a savior!

I hope that you have been challenged as I have been! Not to look to the Law to make me a better person, but to look towards Christ! The Law is there to help teach us what is wrong so that we look to Christ for what if right!

~ Nate

This morning (8/20) I gave a devotional at our men’s prayer breakfast. I know it was practical in my life and wanted to share it here as well.

Hebrews 4:16

“Let Us” – Prayer is not one person praying, while everyone else is thinking about everything else in life. When one person leads in prayer we need to all be praying with them, they are “leading” in prayer, not praying on behalf.We need to pray individually. Prayer is not just a collective event, but is something that each one of us need to be doing individually as well. Last under this phrase, prayer is something that we need to teach our families, and to those around us. It is an us factor, therefore we should help others to be part of the us, and not just someone who listens to others pray.

“therefore come boldly” – We do not have to fear God. I am not saying that we don’t reverence God, I am saying that we don’t come timidly. “Boldly” means “openly” or “confidently” we are joint heirs with Christ, we don’t have to be timid before God. It is not “proudly” though, there is still a reverence.

“unto the throne” - We come before the King of kings. He is not just another man. He is not one of many gods, he is the supreme being of all the universe. He has no equal. We don’t have to wonder if he can do it, we don’t have to wonder if he has the authority. He is on the throne!

“of grace” - The character of the one sitting on the throne. He is graceful to us. He sent his son to die for us on the cross, what more grace is there than that. Who in this world would sacrifice their son for you. Some may be willing to sacrifice themselves for someone who loved them, but who would be willing to sacrifice themself for one who hated them, and was in outright rebellion against them? Yet this is what God did for us. Grace!

“that we may obtain mercy” - Not getting what we deserve. How often does this happen to you on a daily basis? You have done something wrong that deserves punishment, and you pray to God and in his mercy he doesn’t give you the punishment that you deserve? When he died on the cross he provided a way to obtain mercy and not face the death that we deserve for being a sinful people.

“and find grace to help in time of need” - Getting what we do not deserve. Does this not also happen on a daily basis? I can think of countless times when God has given me many things that I do not deserve. The greatest of these was salvation. We do not deserve the salvation that he provided for us, but because of his grace, we have that which we don’t deserve. I think one of the most interesting things about this phrase is “in time of need”. Those good things that happen to us daily that we don’t deserve, often happen when we need them to. There are times that God is just gracious and does something for us out of the blue, but often it is in our time of need that we see him giving us what we do not deserve to get.

So remember first of all that it is our individual privilege/duty to pray. That we come before the King of kings who has the power and the authority to do what we ask. We are joint heirs with Christ and therefore we come before God as sons and daughters. His character is one of grace, and from him we can find deliverance from what we deserve and be given what we don’t deserve.

~ Nate

James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

I have been in a class the last week or so, dealing with the Divided monarchy of Israel (Israel and Judah). It is interesting to look at the prophets ministry during that time period. They were continually warning the kingdoms of their impending doom if they did not get right with God. For the most part the kings didn’t heed their warnings and there were many judgments because of that. The times when the kings did listen to God, when they trusted and obeyed him there was miraculous provision and protection. Yet, even after they had seen the hand of God working for them, they would still turn back to their idols and forsake God.

(There is MUCH more that can be studied with Israel and the prophets, but this is enough for what we are considering today.)

I want to ask you a simple question: Are you heeding the prophets in your life? By this I mean, when you read the Bible and it tells you that you need to stop doing something in your life, or you need to start doing something, do you do it? When your teacher, pastor, parents, Bible study leader, points something out from the Bible and you see that you need to change, do you do it? Looking at our verse in James, are you a “hearer” or “a hearer and a doer”? Do you do it?

~ Nate

Galatians 6:2,5 “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ…For every man shall bear his own burdens.”

Those who would criticize the Bible and who try to find fault with it might see a contradiction in these two verses. This is not the case though, and with just a little study one can see the great truth that God has written here for us.

First, so that we can fully understand what Paul is say, we must take a closer look at the word burden in both verses. It will be noticed that the word in the original language for the word burden is different in both verses. In the first verse the word for burden carries with it the idea of “oppressive suffering” or “great weight” this is something that is too much for one person to bear. In the second verse the word for burden is a diminutive form of another word meaning “cargo” or burden”. Since it is the diminutive form, it carries the idea of a “small burden” or a “small cargo”.

Now that we have a better understanding of these two words what can we learn from these two verses, and how can we apply it to our lives?

There are burdens and pressures that come into a Christian’s life that are too much for one person to bear. These can come in all shapes and sizes and can range from financial to persecution to the death of a loved one. This would be a great weight to them, and might even be a weight that would “crush” them emotionally or spiritually. It is the duty of fellow Christians to come along side this burdened Christian during this time in their life and to bear their burden with them so that it is not too much for them.

There are burdens that come into a Christian’s life that are just the normal day to day things of life. These can be things like chores, work, fulfilling one’s responsibilities, and other things of this manner. It is the individual responsibility of the Christian to attend to their own tasks, and the normal issues of life, and to not try to get others to carry his work for him.

Let’s apply this to our lives starting today. If you see someone who is going through a hard time, and dealing with some big issues, come along side them and help them carry this heavy weight. Take responsibility for the tasks of your life and the day to day responsibilities you must fulfill.

~ Nate

(I am in the middle of classes right now. They are going quite well. I wanted to take a brief minute to share a word of encouragement)

John 10:26 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”

Do you know the Shepherd’s voice? Often we are so busy with the hustle and bustle of life that we are too busy, or there is too much noise and we do not hear the Shepherd’s voice. I think of the prophet who heard the “still small voice” of God. He was away from all the commotion of life. Do you ever take a minute to listen for God? Do you have a time when you “get away” so that God can speak to you? Take time today and every day to spend some time “away” with God in your devotions and prayer.

The Shepherd knows you! Even when we aren’t listening to the Shepherd he know us. Though we might not be listening to his instruction, and we might fall into some problems because of not listening to him, he is still there and knows us. What a comfort that God knows you and me on a personal level, he know the hairs on our head!

As mentioned above, we need to be listening for the voice of God. Only listening though won’t do us any good. Once God has given you instruction, you need to follow him! I have seen this with my own eyes. My dad was a “shepherd” and there was an instance when some people who didn’t work with the sheep every day were trying to move them from one place to another, they were having no success. My dad came over, who worked with the sheep everyday, and just started talking to them, they followed him, without any herding, because they knew his voice and trusted him. Do you know God’s voice? Do you follow him where he leads?

Listen for the voice of the Shepherd? He knows you better than you know yourself. Follow the voice of the Shepherd!

~ Nate

1 Cor 10:11 “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

In this passage, Paul has just finished listing many of the sins of the Children of Israel while they wandered in the wilderness. He rehearses not only their sins, but also the consequences of their sin! These judgments of their sins were meant to be an “ensample” to their fellow Israelites. (Note: difference between “example” and “ensample”: These words are built by adding either the prefix “ex-” or “en-” to the root word of “sample”. The word “sample” has the idea of something that is representative. If you look at that idea, combined with these prefixes, you get the ideas of: something that is representative outward; and, something that is representative inward.) God executed these judgments upon the Israelites that sinned, so that they would be an “ensample” to those that weren’t judged to show them what happens when you sin against God. This was to instruct them not to disobey God.

After pointing out the “ensample” of the sinful Israelites to their fellow Israelites, Paul tells us that their record was written to admonish us, Christians. Merriam-Webster defines “admonish” as “counsel or warning against fault or oversight”. We don’t have to make the same mistakes, and sin the same sins as others to know they are wrong, to realize that there are consequences for them. God has providentially written down the experiences of those that have gone before us, so that we can be warned by them.

This leads to a question of application. Are you learning for the experiences of others in your Bible? This can only happen if you are spending time reading and studying your Bible. How are your devotions? Are you spending time in your Bible, so that God can admonish/counsel you from the experiences of others?

~ Nate

Jeremiah 18:4 “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.”

When we receive Christ as Savior we become a new person. 2 Cor 5:17 ”Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Our sins are washed away, our mistakes are forgotten, we are a clean, fresh newborn in Christ.

After being a Christian for only a short period of time, the new Christian will realize that just because they got saved, doesn’t mean they are perfect. Though we endeavor to be holy, we still have the flesh. If we do not avoid temptation, if we do not have self-control we will fall into sin. Often when someone falls into sin, small or big, they think, or are told, that they can no longer be used of God. This is not true!

When you fall into sin, it does not mean that you are no longer useful to God. Though there are consequences for sin, and sometimes because of sin there are limitations to your future ministry, you are never useless to God. “So he made it again another vessel,” after we sin and get right with God, he can take your life and re-form your life into a model Christian life, and make you useful to his ministry. “As seemed good to the potter to make it,” God is not just making you a generic vessel, God has a specific design for your life, and though sin can limit what we can be used for sometimes, he still has a specific plan for you. He has a specific plan for you and he will form our life to work for that plan.

Whether or not you have fallen into “major” sin, you have sinned, and you need to allow God to re-form those mars, allow God to remake you. You are never useless before God if you get your life right with God and allow him to make you as it “seems good” to him to make you!

~ Nate

Eph 4:3 “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

It is not uncommon for there to be “disagreements”, “grudges”, and even out right “fights” among fellow Christians in churches. This is something that is addressed in multiple New Testament books. These can programs and break the unity of Christian fellowship. Broken unity leads to a less effective ministry

This is just a quick thought. “What are you doing to keep the unity?” We no there are problems, are we contributing to them, or are you “Endeavouring” to put out the fires? Are you “Endeavouring” to keep Christians unified or are you breaking them apart?

What are you doing to keep the unity?

~ Nate

I am reading a book for a class that I am currently taking call “How To be a Team Player and Enjoy It!” by Dr. Matt Williams. The book is an excellent book on being a team player. In one paragraph he discusses where our standards should find their source. I liked the way that he put it so well I wanted to quote that paragraph here:

“For every rule there must be a Biblical reason. If we cannot express a Biblical principle and show a convincing correlation between it and the rule, we need to reconsider. Our standards should not be a cloak for our personal preferences. We are called to lead our people to Christlikeness, not to make them clones of ourselves. This is most important in our ministry to young people. We can require whatever conformity we desire, but the only standards that they will keep for a lifetime are those for which they understand the reasons. This understanding should come from the Bible. If we do not teach the Biblical reasons for what we consider important standards, our young people will not make them a part of their lives. When they leave home, they will leave their standards, too, and will be left to form new ones at a time when they have little of no encouragement to do right.” (Italics are mine)

So whether you are a pastor, teacher, parent, or youth who is setting up standards, remember make sure they are based in the Bible. This is the only way to foster true godly character.

~ Nate

Matt Williams, How to me a Team Player and Enjoy It! (Independence, MO: American Association of Christian Schools, 1992), p. 51

Luke 12:6-7  “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

Sometimes life seems to be so overwhelming and so much seems to be happening to us that doesn’t make sense to us, that we can begin to wonder if God is even paying any attention to what is happening in our life. Yet, from these verses in Luke we can be reassured that God pays great attention to our lives.

The farthing that is mentioned here in our money today would be worth less than a cent. That is a pretty small and insignificant amount! Not only is that a small amount, but two of them was worth five sparrows. A sparrow was not of great value, yet God does not forget one of them. He pays attention to even a bird that we would subscribe very little monetary value.

God pays attention to every detail. Every hair on your and my head is numbered by God! That is how well God knows us and pays attention to us! Can you imagine if you loved one of your relatives so much that you knew everything about them even the number of hairs on their head? That would mean devoting a great deal of time and care to know that much about them, and this is who well God knows and pays attention to you.

God does not forget even one sparrow that is worth nothing by our standards, and Gods says that you and I are worth MANY sparrows! So, when life seems to have you down, and you are feeling insignificant, remember the sparrow! Remember that you are worth more to God than MANY sparrows that he does not forget!!!

~ Nate

I once read a quote that really made me think, pretty sure I know who wrote it, but for the sake of not making a mistake I will only say here that it is not my own.

“We are slowed more by a grain of sand in our shoe, than by the mountain we climb.”

What a thought provoking statement. It is so true of many of our lives, I know for sure that I let this happen to me all the time! There are many things in life that happen to us day to day, some things are big, and some things are small.

What slows you down?
- Someone does something different than you would do it?
- Someone is annoying?
- You spilt the milk?
- You are out of your favorite cereal?
- Maybe it is finances?
- You mean I actually have to work at memorizing scripture?
- Maybe you don’t like the color?
- They didn’t use your idea?
- You mean I might have to give up something I really like so that I can become more like Christ?
- People might make fun of me?
- They might call me a goody-two-shoes?
- Ten Percent?!?!?
- You want me to give up my Saturday to help a fellow Christian?
- If I read my Bible I will have to get up 30 minutes earlier!
- and the list goes on and on and on….

What is slowing you down in life? What is slowing down your spiritual life? I will be the first to admit that there are grains of sand in my shoe: I like things to be done my way, everyone knows that being in Seminary is not a get rich quick scheme, and there are others, but I have to work on a daily basis to get those grains of sand out of my shoe, and focus on the bigger picture. I want to live a life that serves and magnifies God, and there are other things that are far more important for me to be worrying about, like living a holy life, than the sand in my shoe.

God takes care of everything, so don’t let the little things slow you down!

~ Nate

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

I have heard Christians say that faith is not logical, you just do it. I have also heard Christians say that trusting God does not make sense. I totally disagree, faith in God is totally logical! We don’t base our faith in logic, we base it in Christ and in the Word of God. Yet, as Paul says to the WORLD it is illogical, it doesn’t make sense, but to the SAVED it is the “power of God.” It does make sense.

This is just a quick thought. The world says it doesn’t make sense, but to the Christian it should make all the sense in the world!!

~ Nate

Acts 17:6 “These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also.”

The goal of this post it to cause me and you to evaluate our lives, and challenge us to do more! When you read about the lives of first century Christians this verse would be a great summary verse. They were spreading Christianity to everyone and every nation. Not only that they were changing their world!!!

Today, I want to focus more on ourselves, than on the world. So often we evaluate the need of the world to the neglect of evaluating ourselves!

I have a question that we need to ask ourselves, then evaluate ourselves based on what we find: Are you turning your world upside down?

Our goal is to win the lost to Christ, and this is a great goal, but often we forget that there is so much more that we are to be doing! Think of the example of Christ, and answer me this: Did Christ only provide help to Christians? When Christ saw someone in need did he condemn them to hell on the spot, or did he first meet their need then tell them to follow him?

I am not downplaying evangelism, not at all, I am trying to show us that evangelism is more than just telling someone that there is a heaven and a hell, and that they need to get saved! Evangelism is living a life that shows them there is a reason to trust Christ, and that Christ does care about them!

It is easy not to help people by making excuses; “They are probably faking being homeless.” “They are not fellow Christians.” “They will probably use my help for/to facilitate more sin.” “They don’t need help, they need salvation!”

It is not our job to evaluate the heart and motives of others! It is not our job to regulate the morality of this world! How will they see Christ unless they see him through you? If you think that changing your world, your community, is not evangelism, then think again. Jesus won the lost by showing them he cared for them!

Having trouble evangelizing? Maybe it is because you only ask people if they are going to heaven or hell, and forget to show them that you care about them, and where they are going!

How will they see Christ unless they see him through you?

~ Nate

So in the last post I talked about the importance of Scripture memory. I hope you have started working on your memorization. Sometimes the task or memorization can be daunting, especially if you are at a loss as how and where to start. In this post I hope to give a few tips on Scripture memory.

~ One of the most important parts of Scripture memory is review! Part of your goal when memorizing scripture is to memorize for the long term. If you spend five minutes memorizing a verse, then never look at it again, you are not truly accomplishing Scripture memory. You must come up with a method of review. Keep track of the verses that you have memorized so that you can go back over them weekly. Once you build up a large inventory of verse you may have to come up with a monthly review system. Whatever system you find for review, do it, just make sure you do not stop reviewing!

~ Meditating on God’s Word is another great way to aid memorization. Sometimes sitting down and memorizing a verse or few is not always the best idea. There will be times that you just sit down and read over a passage a few times, then think about it throughout the day. The next day you do the same thing again. After a time of doing this you will find that you begin to know what is coming next when you are reading, and that you are memorizing it. Right now my goal is to memorize James, I do this on a regular basis. At the same time I spend some time meditating on 1 Thessalonians. I have printed it off and keep it with me so that when I have five or so minutes here and there I can read through it. This way I am actively memorizing James, and through meditation memorizing 1 Thessalonians at the same time.

~ Memorize in complete thoughts. Often we tend to memorize one word at a time, or one phrase at a time. This is often a bad idea. The result of memorizing in this manor is stumbling through a verse as during recall as you try to remember the next part. If you memorize as complete thoughts you will be recalling a complete thought and not just the next part. At a minimum memorize one verse at a time. Read the verse over and over, then try to say it without looking, if you get stuck look at the verse to get through, but finish the verse before starting again. I prefer to memorize in paragraphs. You can find out paragraph divisions in some Bibles, and through some Bible software. If you need help determining a paragraph, talk to your pastor, or email me though the contact page.

~ Use memorization software. There was one mentioned in one of the comments on the last post, but there are many other programs as well. Sometimes they are free, sometimes they are not.

~ Writing out the verse, or verses, is another great way to aid memorization. If you don’t what to do a lot of writing sometimes I will just write the first letter of each word. So John 3:16 would look like: fgsltwthghobstwsbihsnpbhel. This is a great way to see if you have memorized correctly without sacrificing a lot of writing and paper.

~ One more thought on memorization. Do a little bit every day. If you spend two days and memorize the verses, then 363 days and do not memorize anything, you are not reaching your goal. It is better to read over a verse in the morning and at night and only memorize a verse ever few days, than to memorize none at all.

Once you get a system down, memorization becomes a lot easier. You may not be able to memorize the whole Bible in a year, but you should be able to put a way a large amount of verses.

~ Nate

Scripture memory is important in the life of every believer. Recently, in the youth group that I work in we have been studying the book of James and I have challenged the teens to memorize the entire book of James. I truly love the book of James, and my love for this book started back in Junior High. It was our summer VBS, and we were given a challenge tom memorize the entire book of James in 4 four days! Yup, four days! My friend and I both succeeded in doing so. That is 27 verses a day. I spent probably nine to ten hours a day memorizing. The only downside was that I did not keep up with the memorization, and it quickly slipped away. Over the years since then I have memorized portions of it again, trying to get back to the place where I have the whole book memorized. Now that I have challenged the Youth Group, I myself have undertaken again to memorize James completely.

The Bibles says that we are to hide God’s word in our heart, so that we don’t sin against God. The benefits of memorization are endless. Many of the Old Testament scribes had much, if not all, of the Old Testament memorized. Memorization is a great fortification to the believer’s life.

There are many different memorization plans, a couple that I like are: The Two-Edged Sword, by Evangelist Jerry Sivnksty, and The Word of Life memory program. The best program by far though is the one that has you hiding God’s word in your heart.

I hope this has encouraged you to memorize. I know the teens in our Youth Group have taken to it wholeheartedly. It had been a blessing to see them enjoy memorization.

I will flow this post with a post on some methods and good habits to have in scripture memory!

~ Nate

It has been almost three months since the last time I posted. Things have been really busy as this is my last semester of school! I have four classes this summer, and then I graduate! I am truly excited, and thankful to the Lord for his help!

With graduation coming, Cindy and I have been looking for a church that God would lead us to. There are many churches that needing help, and there are always our own desires, so how do we know where God is leading us? Finding God’s will sometimes seems like an allusive ghost, we are often taught that God’s will is hard to find. Well, I do not think it is as hard as we make it sound sometimes, it is just as hard as we make it, that is all. I believe there are four easy steps to finding God’s will.

1). Pray. Prayer is our way of communicating with God. Have you ever know somebody wanted something, but you waited until they asked for it before you gave it to them, just because you wanted them to ask first? We as humans my do this for many different reasons, but God only does it for one, he wants us to demonstrate that we need him.

2). Read the Bible. This is one of God’s ways of communicating with us. If you do not listen to someone, how do you know what they want you to do? The same applies to God, if you are not reading his Word to you, how can you know what he wants you to do!

3). Follow where he leads. Psalm 37:23 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” We often want to see the big picture, we want the “10 year plan”. This is not the way that God leads, God leads step-by-step. Just like the Israelites in the wilderness, had to follow the pillar, so we must daily follow God. This point and the next tie together.

4). Take the Open Door. I have found the easiest way to follow God’s will in my life is to take the open door. Now there is a few things you must be doing in order to know that an open door is the will of God, and not a trap by Satan: You must be doing the first three steps, and you must evaluate the open door to see if it is in line with scripture, or contradictory to it! If you feel that God is leading you in a direction, then begin to head that direction, with prayer and seeking his will. If the door stays open, then go through, if the door closes, then God must have a different door that he wants you to go through. The key is to just go/live one step at a time!

I hope this is an encouragement to you, it is to me I know. When I begin to get stressed about what I need to do next, this is what I focus on, God leading me step-by-step, and I know if I approach life this way I cannot go wrong!

~ Nate

Valentine’s Day! The Day of Love! This is a good day to talk about the ultimate gift of Love, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for all humanity.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God SO loved the world! Can you imagine loving something, or someone, that is in complete opposition to you? How about loving them enough to send your son to die for those people? I find it hard to imagine loving someone who hated me, yet God did. God didn’t only love me, but he SO loved me. His love isn’t just a minute thing, but it is a great thing! He SO loved you and me!

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. There are many people who would be willing to give their life for family members. There are some people who would be willing to give their life for a friend. There are a few people who would be willing to give their life for a good person that they might not even know. There is none, or almost none, who would be willing to give their life for a bad person or criminal. Yet this is exactly what Christ did, he gave his life for all of humanity, who have blatantly sinned and become criminals in his presence. What might be even greater than that sacrifice is that of God the Father’s. Some people might be willing to sacrifice themselves for another person, but I doubt anyone would be willing to sacrifice their only child. This is the SO great Love that we see from God the Father, He “so loved the world,” that he was willing to sacrifice His son for the wretched souls of you and I.

Let’s not forget today, on this day of love, to thank God for his ultimate gift of Love!

~ Nate

This is the time of year that we all decide to turn over a new leaf and start different aspects of our lives again. There are many good things to start in a new year: diet, Bible reading plan, working on a relationship, and many other things. One aspect I do want to emphasize, our spiritual life!

Now, I’m not saying that you need to begin your spiritual life, hopefully you already have (if you haven’t you need to trust Christ as Savior, and start your new life today). What I am saying, is actually two fold: one, we need to understand what spiritual life is, and two, some of us have it, but we need to start living it.

Eph 2:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”

First, we need to realize that before salvation, we were dead! Salvation, didn’t just make us “good” people, but rather it took us from death to life! Before salvation we couldn’t have a relationship with God, because we were dead. Now that we have life, we can have a relationship with God! What a difference that is!

Second, we must live like we now have life!  We were dead in sin, we had no life, but once we received Jesus, we received life. Eph 4:22-24 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true.” Even though we have this life, many choose to go on living as though there was no change to them. They choose to stay the old man, and not become the new man. They choose to live life as a dead person and not as a living person!

It’s a new year, a new beginning, realize that God has given you life, and live life in light of your relationship with God, not in spite of it!

~ Nate

Have you ever considered the way in which you celebrate Christmas? Think of it like this: It’s your birthday, and you’re excited! You find out that the party is at someone else’s house. When you get there the door is locked and you can’t get in. This is weird, so you go to the window an look in, and this is what you see! Everyone you know is there, their singing birthday songs, eating birthday cake. They all have gifts, even though it is not their birthday. They are exchanging gifts, and opening them having a grand ole time. They don’t even notice that you are not there, come to find out they didn’t even invite you!!!

It is sad to say that this is how many of us treat Christ on the day that we celebrate his birthday, Christmas! We have forgotten that Christmas is the celebration of Christ’s coming to earth to die for us! To us it is just a day to get that item that you have been wanting for a whole year, and won’t want any more tomorrow.  I’m not saying that we shouldn’t exchange gifts, but we need to remember that that is not the focal point of Christmas, it is only a remembrance of the greatest gift that was given to us!

One of the greatest things you can do to help keep the focus of your Christmas on Christ is to begin the day with the story of Christ. Read Luke 2, maybe even have a family devotional in Luke 2. Don’t rush through it, take your time, enjoy remembering what Christ did for us! Then when it comes time open gifts, don’t let it be a free-for-all. Sit around as a family, have one person open a gift, everybody oohhh and aaahhh, thank the person who gave it, then move to the next person. Repeat this process over and over until all the gifts are give. This will make everyone appreciate the gifts so much more, and in so doing help them to appreciate the GIFT that was given them, as they may actually take some time to consider that gift as they have considered everyone else’s.

Remember, Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

~ Nate