Serve the Lord and Follow Him by Ann Broughton

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am my servant will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me” (John 12:26 NIV).

  Jesus asked his apostles to follow Him. They left their jobs immediately when He asked them to come with Him. They didn’t just follow him for a day, they stayed with Him until He was crucified. They wanted to learn from Him, and in order to do that they offered everything they had to serve Him. So, since becoming a Christian, can you say the same? Do you follow Him every day and try to please Him?

   Have you ever had to follow someone to a place that you have never been before? We went to Hungary on Dec. 31, 1992 to visit our son and daughter-in-law because they had gone there as missionaries in September. We couldn’t wait to see them again. They met us at the airport at Budapest on New Year’s eve night. We hadn’t slept at all during the trip over and were exhausted, but our little gal who was our tour guide and interpreter wanted to show us some of Budapest. New Year’s Eve there is wild. All the people were in the streets with masks on. The little gal we were following was very short. My husband kept his eye on her stocking cap as we weaved in and out of the crowd. We would have been lost if we lost her. She was quick too and was far ahead of us. When we reached our destination we all sighed in relief.

She had lead us to the hostel and we were safe.

    Jesus urges us to follow Him too and keep our eyes on what He wants us to do for Him, but in order to do that we must know Him. In order to know Him we must read the Gospels of the Bible. We must do what He says and act the way He would act in every situation. It is not enough to say, “I believe in Jesus.” It is how you follow Him every day of your life that is the most important. He promises that God will honor you for serving Him. You must be committed enough to fulfill His plan for you every day and serve Him and others.

Dear Lord,

Help us to follow you in every way during each day. Help us to study the Gospels to really know you better, and then let us step out in faith to serve you in wonderful ways.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Stand Firm by Ann Broughton

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV).

    Whatever you do for the Lord is not in vain. God has a specific plan for your life and you must do it and stand firm. Jesus walked this earth during his last year with a purpose, to do His Father’s will no matter what. Jesus expects the same of us. No matter what. Your purpose is to also do the work of the Lord even when it appears hopeless. But all things are possible with God and you can be sure that if God has placed you in a certain position, He will help you and give you wisdom to handle any problem that is before you. One of my favorite verses is:

“He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6 NIV). God has placed upon you a commission that only you can fill. It is imperative that you do it and finish the work He has for you to do.

   I am reminded of Gideon, who was appointed by God to lead a very small army, 300, to defeat a very large one. God did this to prove to Gideon and all the others, that God had it all under control. Gideon did what He was told to do by God. He told his men to encircle the camp, blow their trumpets, break their jars, and shout, “For the Lord and for Gideon’. The enemy ended up killing each other and running away. Gideon did what the Lord asked him to do and succeeded.

   God is with you always, especially if you are doing His will in your life. He can work miracles into situations that seem impossible. But you must trust Him, be calm, and draw your strength from the Lord. Sometimes in the midst of crisis, it is so very hard to take a deep breath and be calm, but that is the exact time when you should do this. When faced with a crisis, remember who is for you and believe that He will give you the answer. God never fails.

Dear Lord,

We are put on this earth for a purpose that you foreordained for us. Help us to seek your will and do it, even when it looks hopeless. We know that you have given us the strength and courage to face anything that befalls us. Help us to take time every day to seek your will and be calm, knowing you will give us the answers we seek.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

 

Be Strong and Courageous by Ann Broughton

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV).

   Are you facing something in which you must have courage? The above verse will help you if you memorize it. God is with you always and will give you the strength you need to face anything. The word “them” could be replaced with: cancer, divorce, foreclosure, death of a loved one, just to name a few. It is so comforting to know that the Lord will never leave you or forsake you.

   I have known several women who have fought breast cancer. They are such an example to me of trusting God and having courage. They underwent countless chemo treatments and radiation, but they continued to have a positive outlook. They quoted scripture, and told everyone that their lives were in God’s hands. I admire these ladies for their faith and courage.

   Now what I want to know is, if something like this would happen to you, how would you handle it? Do you have enough faith in God that you could tell everyone that you trust God and know that your life is in His hands? Would you lean on His strength to sustain you through the future, whatever lies before you? The Holy Spirit lives within you and will give you the strength you need to face anything, but you must be in constant communication with the Lord in order to tap into His power. It is so important to keep your relationship with God an ongoing commitment. It is like a marriage: if you stop talking to your spouse, your relationship with him/her will suffer. So it is with God.

Dear Lord,

I know that this life is full of worries and that a crisis could hit at any minute. Help me to be in constant communication with you so that my faith will sustain me through whatever the future holds. Thank you for never leaving me or forsaking me.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen