Resolutions: by Ann Broughton

 “Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually” (1 Chronicles 16:11 KJV).

Have you made your list of resolutions for the New Year? It seems everyone has good intentions at the beginning of the New Year, but oftentimes we get lazy and forget about the list. Usually at the top of the list is for people to lose weight and exercise. Well, today I will challenge you to put seeking the Lord and His plans for your life as the number one item on your resolution list. After all, that should be your first priority.

The Wise Men or magi of the Bible certainly put the need to find the Christ child as their number one priority. These men were not even Jews, but were astronomers and had seen the star and had researched that a King of the Jews was to be born. As soon as they saw the star they headed to Jerusalem, which was very far away. It might have taken them many months to get to Bethlehem, as the Bible says that “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11 NIV).  Jesus was no longer a baby but a child and later King Herod commanded that all boys 2 years and under should be killed, so we know that Jesus was a young child. So these men traveled earnestly to find Jesus for a long period of time. They let nothing stop them. Their mission was to see Jesus and give Him gifts.

My challenge to you as we start the New Year is to earnestly seek the Lord with all your heart every day and give Him the gift of yourself in service to others. You have a special gift that only you have, and you must seek the Lord to help you see it and use it for Him. Every day, take time to pray, seek the Lord’s will, read the Bible, and then go out and serve Him in whatever He leads you to do. There is so much need around us that it should not be hard to find a way to serve. People need hope. They need to know that people care for them and that God loves them. So many people are lonely and sad. You can be the one that turns a life from despair to happiness just by caring and sharing what the Lord has done for you. This could be the greatest year ever in your life if you just step out in faith and seek the Lord earnestly.

Dear Lord,

As we approach a New Year, let us strive to earnestly seek you every day. Help us to put seeking you at the top of our to do list every morning, so that we can serve you with the gift you have given us.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Serving God Together by Ann Broughton

“Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:25 NIV).

    Do you attend church regularly? Is it important to you to worship the Lord one day a week and take that time to lay aside your thoughts about your work or home and just concentrate on God?  When God made the commandment “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy”, He knew that everyone needs to rest and remember who God is.

    When I go to church I am there to worship my wonderful Savior, who loves me in spite of my weaknesses. I worship Him in song and think about the words as I lift up praises to God. The words of the praise songs are so powerful and meaningful. That part of the worship time is so very important to me. It makes me feel so very close to God.

   The sermon is from the Bible and helps me learn more about God and His love for me. Communion helps me remember the sacrifice Jesus made for me for my sins. I recall my sins from the past week and repent during this time. I pray that God will give me the strength to handle the challenges of life and not give in to temptation.

   I love to talk to my Christian friends and encourage them after the service. That is what is so very important about meeting every week. We all need encouragement and prayer just to get through the tough times in our lives. My Christian friends have never failed me when I needed them to pray with me over concerns. They are glad to pitch in and help out with any worthy cause to help out others in need also. You see people are the “church”, and it is those people who can show others what being a Christian really is about: serving others. It is all about service and loving others as you would want them to love you. I hope that you are a member of a loving congregation and that you attend every Sunday to worship God and encourage one another.

 Dear Lord,

Help me to be committed to you and take time each week to attend services and meet with my Christian family. I know that we all need to serve you together so that others will see our love for one another and want your love in their hearts also.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

 

Reach Out To Others by Ann Elaine Broughton

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10 NIV).

Think about this past week and how you served the Lord. Did you help others in a self sacrificing way? Do you think about others’ needs first?
Are your interests surrounded around your needs so much that you have wrapped yourself up in a cocoon of self-pity?
Yes, we all have needs, but I have found that when I am praying for someone else’s problems or if I am actively helping someone, I have little time to be wrapped up in my own problems. I believe that Jesus wants us to reach out to others so that we won’t succumb to self pity.
Let’s face it, all of us have problems. In this world, we will, but it is how we view these problems that make a difference on our quality of life. We have power over our thoughts. We can decide what we think about. We can choose to wallow in self-pity, or look around us for someone who needs help and go to them. We are to serve others. We are to reach out to those who are hurting and give them hope. We are to feed the hungry, wipe the tears of those who mourn, pray with those who are hurting or are tempted, and go out of our way to show Christ’s love to those around us, even our enemies. This is how people will know that we are Christians, by the love and care we show as we serve the Lord in a self-sacrificing way. Don’t become so busy with your life, that you don’t have time to help those who are in need. We, as Christians, are to reach out to others. It is a command of Christ. “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave” (Matthew 20:26 NIV).
Guess what? The world does not revolve around you. There are others surrounding you who need Christ’s loving arms and His caring voice. There are people who are needier than you and who hurt worse than you. There are always others who are worse off than you and you must realize this and reach out to them. It is time to get out of your comfort zone and help others. This week find someone who has a need and comfort them in some way. Reach out and you will not regret it. I am always happiest when I am helping someone.
Dear Lord,
Help me this week to not think about my own problems, but help me to reach out to someone who has a great need. Help me to serve others in a humble manner.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen