As we enter the Christmas season, it is important that we remember that joy, real joy, comes only from God because of the sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. Man-made joy falls apart, but joy from God is eternal! Show someone the joy you feel this week; rejoice in what Jesus has done and celebrate the Season! 
We were created for one purpose, to worship a God who created EVERYTHING that we see, and who knows EVERYTHING that we are. A.W. Tozer wrote, “If worship bores you, you are not ready for Heaven.” Consider as you join together with other believers to worship the One who gave you everything you have … are you bored with Him or excited to come into His presence?
Rev Charles H. Spurgeon wrote, “There is no fatigue so wearisome as that which comes from lack of work.” Serving God is not a matter of option, but a matter of responsibility for all believers to take hold of and execute. In order to grow, we must remember to serve God in everything that we do, regardless of the task. The input that we receive in our hearts is God’s Grace, and the output must be what forms our testimony in service to others, for His Glory alone. Can we think of 1 person this week who might need our service? I’m sure there is more than 1 in our lives, but what kind of change could it make if we started with just 1? 
Many of us will wake up on Sunday morning preparing to do our “normal” things. We will shower, brush our teeth and hair, make some coffee, put on our Sunday best, and headed out to face the world. But, what if this Sunday were different? What if we came to God’s house for the sole purpose of meeting Him face to face … instead of coming to see if we could be blessed? 
During this week's service (and most likely throughout most churches), we will discuss the passion our Lord and Savior endured to give us eternal life. It is important that we remember not only what Jesus has done, but what we must do in response to the suffering and death of the King of Kings. Today, would you be willing to examine your heart and ask the Lord what is in there that is not allowing Him to be first place? Would you be even braver to admit what that is and then lay it down at the cross? Jesus is calling us into a life of obedience with Him … not a life of convenience. What’s your response? 
As we continue our exploration of Easter, this week we examine the triumphant entry of Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem to the shouts of the crowds crying, “Hosanna!” (which means “Save Us!”). Many times in our life, we cry out Hosanna when the going gets tough, and then when we are in the driver’s seat we are all too quick to let Jesus know that we can handle this, and ask Him to step aside. 
This week, our church began an in-depth examination of the Easter Season with a study of The Passover. When Jesus gathered His disciples to celebrate this critical event, they did not realize that this would be the final time they would eat with Him before the Cross. 
God's mercy is something that each of us needs daily, no matter how strong we may feel from one day to the next. When the Psalmist wrote, “weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5), his tone of celebration was that in ALL things God is STILL in control - and if we will turn to Him we can be restored! This week is another opportunity for us to be refreshed and to understand that God’s mercy will sustain us eternally if we will only focus on Him rather than the situations around us. We must admit that we need more of God’s mercy daily, and it is my prayer that we would focus on filling our souls with the healing that only God can provide. 
Paul continues to encourage us to focus on what Jesus has done to bring us freedom, so that in everything we may glorify Him and live totally devoted to God. In Romans 6:12, Paul writes, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” It is at this crossroad that many believers find themselves today. 
Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Many of us in the faith can quote this verse all day long, but have you ever considered why Paul used the word ‘but’? In order to do so, you have to look at verses 6 and 7 which says, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.”
Justification is the act of being brought into a right relationship with God, but it does not take into account anything we have done.
Jesus has called each of us to witness, to minister, and to disciple one another in a Godly manner. Regardless of the status of our life situation right now, if you know Jesus as your Savior then you are called to spread the Gospel at any cost, to every person you meet. Author C.S. Lewis once said, “Christianity is the story of how the rightful King has landed and is calling us to His great campaign of sabotage.”
Throughout God's Word we are told of the importance of human life. God reveals to us that He knew us when were formed in our mother's womb (Jeremiah 1:5 and Psalm 139:15), which means that each of us was known to a righteous God for a specific purpose. This month, we remember the importance of the Sanctity of Human Life and it is the prayer of my heart that will seek the Lord honestly and pray for this critical issue in our nation. The cross Jesus endured was because ALL LIFE is precious to God, and as believers we must take this same stand as well. Will you seek the Lord on this critical issue and take a stand to ensure that life is preserved? If we do not speak as God's people ... who will?
God reveals Himself throughout all of creation, so that we (as the created) would not only recognize the Creator – but give all our attention to worshipping Him. Because He is God we have a choice today to do away with ungodliness and unrighteousness, which appear to God as a direct violation of His nature, and follow Him. As we continue to study the Book of Romans, it is the responsibility of all believers to not only celebrate the Good News of Christ, but to understand that we must take a stand against the things that are against God as well; and be willing to explain them to a world in need of a Savior. I challenge you to tell someone this week who Jesus is, and what the Good News has rescued you from. It is in this telling that you will gain strength and be able to witness more for Him!T.J. Conwell. Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved Free Wordpress Templates by Brian Gardner Blogger Templates
