A New Covenant by Ann E. Broughton

“The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord to follow the Lord and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book (2 Kings 23:3 NIV).

Josiah has just heard the word of God and tore his robes because he finally realized that his people had not followed what God wanted them to and God’s anger had been poured out upon them. He was grieved and wanted to know what he could do to restore the nation’s relationship with God. He tore down all the idols that were being worshipped.
He was such a wonderful spiritual leader that the Bible says that neither before him or after him was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did…with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength.
How does this apply to our walk with Christ. Before we became Christians we walked in sin. When we accepted Christ as our Savior, we made a covenant with Him, to follow His will for our lives. A covenant should not be taken lightly. It is a promise that is not meant to be ever broken. When Josiah read the Book of Covenant he was so moved that he tore his robes and wept. Does the word of God move you in this way also? The Bible is God’s word and when read should move us to live a life pleasing to God. Just as Josiah chose to dedicate his life to serve the Lord, so we must constantly be measuring our lives to see how they measure up to what God’s will for us is. Josiah tore down all the idols after he read the covenant. So we must lay down at Jesus' feet all of the sinful issues in our lives that keep us from benefiting from a closer relationship with Christ. We must be constantly aware of the weak areas in our lives that could lead us into sin and surrender them to the Lord.
If we love him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength, he will give us the strength we need to handle any temptation that comes our way.
Dear Lord,
Help us to take time every day to read your word and not take the words we read lightly.
Help us to learn from them so that we can grow as Christians. Help us also to be aware of temptations that come our way and give us the strength to call upon you for help. We know you will never fail us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

God's Will For Your Life by Ann E. Broughton

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).


There was a movie out this summer called "The Bucket List". It was about older men who made a list of all the things they wanted to do before they died and how they went about doing them. It made me think that maybe as Christians, we too should have a bucket list. This doesn't include a trip to Tahiti, which would be nice. It doesn't include sky diving or scuba diving or bungee jumping. I believe our bucket list must start with God first. It is fine to have goals for the future because without them we can flounder in our lives and have no purpose, but our goals should be what God wants for us. As we see from the verse above God does have a plan for each of us. Plans to use us in amazing ways, if we let Him. That is the tricky part. It is very easy to do as we please and leave God out of it, but true happiness and peace in your soul can only occur when you follow God's will for your life. We all have a future that is totally in God's hands and can be as exciting and adventurous as sky diving. He will take you places where you have to grow as a person spiritually.
He may also make you face personal issues that you need to face and fix in order to be a better witness. Look at each challenge as a way for God to mold you and learn from it. Ask Him to show you how you need to change to be a better Christian, and you won't believe the exciting revelations that will come your way.
This week pray and ask God what your specific bucket list should be for Him. Then see what a wonderful adventure God has in store for you.
Dear God,
Help us to pray and believe that your plans for us are good. That you want us to grow as Christians in order to serve you better. We anxiously await each opportunity you give us to serve you. Help us to be willing, no matter the challenge, to step up and do what you have planned for us to do.
In Jesus' name,
Amen