This may not be the first day of the year, but it could be the first day of the rest of your life!
It’s easy for us to carry the weight and worry of yesterday into today. The result is always defeat and discouragement. What if we could start with a clean slate? What if the mistakes of our past couldn’t be held against us? What if our tomorrows depended on today instead of yesterday? How would that change your life? According to the Bible, that’s the opportunity God presents to us. When we ask God to forgive our past mistakes and put our trust in Jesus for tomorrow, our past is wiped clean. Isaiah 1:18 says, “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be clean; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as white as wool.” In fact, God’s promise is to make us so clean so that, in His eyes, we are spotless and without fault. We can only have victory today and hope for tomorrow when we ask God to take care of yesterday. Every day can be the first day of the rest of your life. No one needs to carry the weight of past sins—Jesus ‘ death paid for those errors. All he asks is that you follow him today and trust him for the future. If your past has weighed you down, ask Christ to erase it with his love and forgiveness. He won’t refuse you. Only then can we live like there’s no yesterday! The Ultimate Thirst Quencher by Larry Refsland
When you’re really, really thirsty, what do you reach for? There are so many sports drinks available today. Remember when Gatorade was the only brand? And they only had one flavor? Now it’s big business, and several companies are competing to satisfy athletes and anyone else that works up a thirst. (Speaking of which, pardon me a second… twisting the cap, pour, drink, aaaaah). Now, where was I? Oh yeah, thirst quenchers! The Bible records an incident where Jesus met a thirsty woman at a well. She had come to draw water, but Jesus saw that she was also thirsty for satisfaction, security and love. It turned out that this woman had been consistently turning to men to find fulfillment. She had been married five times and was now living with a man. She had already drawn from at least six masculine wells trying to find satisfaction. Jesus offered her living water that would permanently quench her thirsty heart. This living water, the ultimate thirst quencher, is a relationship with Jesus Christ. He alone can truly satisfy. We cannot hope that another human being will bring us true and lasting joy and happiness. Men and women will let you down. Relationships fail, but Jesus never fails! Nothing can separate us from his love. He loves you unconditionally. He invites you to drink from a relationship with him. That void in your life—the sense that there has to be more, can only be satisfied by turning your life to him. Go to the source of living water, ask Him to fill you up today and be our guide from now on. Knowing the Limits by Larry Refsland
Salespeople, entrepreneurs, and pilots are all familiar with the term “stretching the envelope”. Pushing yourself to the limit of your abilities can be a good way to enhance your skill and increase your income. There is a difference, however, between stretching the envelope and straying outside the envelope altogether. Most everyone has tried to see how far he or she could go before something negative happened. A child will test the limits of his or her parents’ rules. An athlete may try performance enhancement drugs. Anyone with a car has tested the extent of the speed limit at some time. The problem is, it’s sometimes hard to tell if you’re stretching your ability or testing your luck. We all know someone who has suffered an unhappy ending when luck ran out. A study several years ago demonstrated the value of clearly defined boundaries. Two elementary school playgrounds were used to test children’s behavior with or without known boundaries. One playground had no fence, while the other playground was entirely fenced. Researchers observed the children in the fenced playground actually used more of the area and enjoyed themselves within the safe boundaries established for them more than the children in the unfenced playground. Boundaries are designed to keep bad things away from us, as well as to prevent us from straying too far from safety. God has established boundaries so that we can enjoy life more fully. He wants us to experience all the good in life without the harmful consequences that inevitably happen outside of those limits. He loves you enough to offer you his protection so you can be all he wants you to be. |
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May 2016
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