Matthew 16:24-27 NLT Then Jesus said to his disciples, If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. ... Jesus never backed down from telling the truth. He didnt sugar coat anything. ... When was the last time you made yourself slow down and reflect on your life? ... When was the last time you made yourself slow down and spend time with God? ... When was the last time you made yourself slow down and spend time with your family and loved ones? ... Principles to live life to put our purpose in perspective: 1- living a new life of purpose. Proper priorities: *focusing on Jesus *making Him the center of your life *deny yourself Our problem is that we are committed to so much that we have too little time to commit to the one thing that should matter the most - our relationship with Jesus Christ. Too much to live with and not enough to live for. In America we have plenty of materials but we are in spiritual poverty. When we are close to Jesus, our life works. When our lives are not close to Jesus, things just dont work. We get miserable and cant seem to understand why things arent working out for us. If this year we could just purpose in our heart that Jesus is everything we need and we focus on Jesus rather than everything else around us - our lives will change! 2-practicing personal surrender to God Jesus said, if we dont surrender to Him, we cant be His disciples. You may be a church member but f you have not surrendered to Him, you are not a disciple of Christ. Its hard to surrender because weve been raised to make it on our own. Everyone of us want a life that is meaningful and full of purpose. Jesus opens the door to us to experience that. But its a journey, not just a one time experience when you are five years old. It is a lifetime journey of surrender to The Lord. This world is focused on being self seeking... Whats in it for me? Jesus offers the opposite of what the world offers. The world offers more stuff, bigger, shinier, better. Jesus offers a rugged cross. Jesus tells is to surrender what we have to Him and let Him lead how we live. 3- the stakes involved are too high to ignore the right priorities. Its about the little things - they make the difference. Matthew 25:31-40 NLT But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me. Then these righteous ones will reply, Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the King will say, I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me! ... Every one of the things He listed are little things that we can do. Heaven notices when those little things are done. We know we are supposed to help others - but he was specific and said - the least of these my brethren - it is supposed to begin with help to the least of the brethren - our brothers and sisters in Christ and then to others. All of heaven takes notice, even if its just a glass of water or a bite to eat. Its not the big things in life as much as it is the tiny things we do to help that we think no one will notice - but heaven notices. And really, is anything more important than pleasing God? 2 Corinthians 13:5 NLT Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. Examine yourself. Pastor Jim Tosto Faith Church youtu.be/KRZDHmlmKCU
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 17:10:56 +0000
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