It Starts With Me Loving Jesus The Most

Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV)

3 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

You don’t get to have a godly relationship without first being godly yourself. Instead of pursuing a relationship, spend your time pursuing Jesus. He’ll take care of the rest.

Many of us have when younger had probably pictured a happy, fun, romantic life as a married man or woman, It didn’t  just happen overnight. It started with us, and it starts with us loving Jesus more than we could possibly love another human.

Many of us think that we have gaps that can only be filled by our soulmate. The truth is that no matter how “perfect” the person you end up with may be, it still won’t be enough. If you want to have dating relationships that are successful in the eyes of Jesus, you have to seek Him, ask what He wants for you, and listen to what He thinks about dating. It starts with you submitting to Jesus. Only after you’ve gotten to the point where Jesus is your everything will you be whole enough to make a good wife or husband for someone else.

So don’t wait until you’ve met that person that you want to be with. Don’t wait until college is over to be more selective about who you date. Put Jesus first now and trust Him to bring about the right person at the right time. By doing this, you’ll get His best for you and avoid a lot of unnecessary heartache.

What could you do practically to put Jesus first?

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus’ highest priority for us is to love Him. Do you live like He is your highest priority?

Dear Lord, help us make you the highest priority in our life. Help us to not put anyone or anything ahead of You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

It Starts With Me Taking Responsibility

Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV)

13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

If you want to do all that God has called you to do so that He gets the glory and you get the joy, then it starts with you taking responsibility for your life.

There comes a time when you have to man (or woman) up and take responsibility for your own life. That time is now. No more can you blame your parents, your family, your teachers, co workers or lack of opportunities, for who you are or who you are becoming. The Bible tells us that “we are more than conquerors” through Christ, which doesn’t leave much room for excuses (Romans 8:37). Jesus said it, so we better believe it!

Too often people allow the past circumstances to determine the future outcome. The only power that your past has over your future is the power that you give it. God has a great plan for your future so quit making excuses as to why or how you can’t get there. Take responsibility for the person you are today and trust that God will provide you with all you need to become the person He is calling you to be. Jesus doesn’t agree with our excuses nor does He affirm us when we play the blame game. As He said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”. Your weaknesses are simply opportunities for Jesus to reveal His grace in your life.

Look for a situation, limitation, or person in your life who you’re blaming for how things have turned out for you? Instead, choose to take responsibility for your life and trust that Jesus will turn any weakness into a strength for His glory and for your joy.

Dear Lord, help us to not blame things on others or our past. Help us take responsibility today for our self and help us to become the people that You want us to be.  In The Name of Jesus, Amen.

It Starts With Me Playing My Part

Ephesians 4:16 (ESV)

From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

As Christians, the church is not just a building we spend a few hours at every week. We are the church and we each have a part to play in it. Being able to enjoy the community that church offers us starts with each of us playing our part.

The Church has existed for 2,000 years and spans across the entire world. It is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). The Church is ‘The Body Of Christ’ – the gathering of believers who are on mission to fulfill the Great Commission.

As a believer you and the church you attend are a part of the large scale Church – the Body of Christ. Because the whole body is made up of many different parts, there is a specific part you play and contribution you can make to the body. Whether it is speaking on stage, greeting at the door, serving coffee, or giving generously, everyone’s contribution makes the whole body grow and be able to continue Jesus' work on Earth.

If you are simply attending church without playing a part, why not think of an area you would like to serve at and then get involved!

The part you play in contributing to the Body of Christ is significant. You wouldn’t choose to something without any of your body parts and neither would Jesus or His Church choose to do without you!

Dear Lord, open our eyes to the ways we can serve You. Thanks You for Your church and that we can be part of it. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

It Starts With Me Coming To Church

Hebrews 10:25 (ESV)

Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Jesus knew the Church was needed and necessary – not only for the world’s sake but also for yours. If you are serious about pursuing Jesus and doing all He has called you to do, then it starts with you coming to church.

Church attendance doesn’t earn you extra bonus points; it is essential for your relationship with Jesus. Thankfully, when He left the earth and ascended into heaven, Jesus didn’t leave us to fend for ourselves. Instead, He established His Church – the unified body of believers – who would gather throughout the entire earth until He returned. The Church is something we are a part of because of our decision to follow Christ, it’s not something we choose to attend or a program offered to us. If you are in Christ then you are a part of His Church.

It is important that as Christians we make coming to church a priority. It is in church that we hear the Word of God, celebrate what Jesus is doing in our lives and in the lives of those around us, support and sharpen one another, and have opportunity to serve.

If you are serious about growing in your relationship with God, becoming all He’s called you to be, and doing all He has planned for you to do, then coming to church must be a non-negotiable. There isn’t a second or third option. Church is not just a good idea; it’s God’s idea. He knew that we couldn’t do life alone!

Dear Lord, help us to make going to church a priority in our life. Help us face the excuses that we have and not give into them. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

It Starts With Me Being A Friend First

Luke 6:35-36 (ESV)

35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Too often people complain or tweet about not having friends or community in their life —if only they knew that the solution lies within them! Just as Jesus initiated a relationship between Himself and humanity, sometimes we must be the instigators and initiators of friendships so that we can enjoy the fullness of community that God intends for us. Why not create quality community for yourself by being a friend first!

Jesus didn’t wait for us to approach Him; He made the first move. Romans 5:8 says, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” We did not ask for Jesus, nor did we do anything to deserve Jesus, but yet He still came to us.

Rather than wait for others to acknowledge us, look in our direction, or invite us to sit with them, as Christians we should imitate Jesus and go first in friendships. Make the first move: make eye contact, be the first to smile, have a good attitude, and introduce yourself! While your friendliness won’t always be reciprocated, most of the time it will be received and returned in your direction. The more you do this, the more confident we will become and the more we will recognize community happening in and around our life.

Go today and extend your friendship to a stranger, or to someone you have known for years (but have never been friends with).

Dear Lord, help us to be a friend today. Give us the courage to make the first move like You taught us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

It Starts With Me Being On Time

Romans 5:6 (ESV)

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Being on time makes you more than a punctual person. If you want to impress your future boss, receive more responsibility, be respected among your friends, and live a disciplined life, then it starts with you being on time.

In a world where we worry about anything and everything, we don’t worry about being on time like we do our Instagram posts, what we are going to eat, or our bench-press max.

While being late – even by a few minutes – might not seem like a big deal, over time you will see a lack in discipline and urgency in other areas of your life as well. To set yourself up for the best opportunities in the future and to create good disciplines in other areas of your life, make punctuality a priority. Your ability and commitment to being on time says a lot about you and how you choose to live your life. This is something that will be noticed by your future husband or wife, your present husband or wife, boss, pastor, friends, and Jesus.  Luke tells us that it is pleasing to Jesus when we are ready, on time and well prepared.

God was not late or delayed in sending Jesus but instead, “at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). Jesus arrived on time – not only in the pages of history, but also in the story of your life. His timing is impeccable and because of that we get a sense of His urgency, love and devotion towards us. Can the people in your world say the same thing about you?

Think about a time when Jesus’ timing was perfect in your life.

Now think about how not being on time could affect other areas of your life. (ex. relationships, job opportunities, leadership responsibilities, etc.)

The discipline of being on time can make a huge difference in your life. Do today what you will thank yourself for tomorrow!

Dear Lord, we pray that we would work on being on time for the things that face us each day. Help us to be disciplined with our time. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Conflict resolution

Colossians 3:13 (ESV)

Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

The best example we have of conflict resolution is God Himself. Time after time, we turned away from Him. We sinned against Him. And we did things we knew weren’t good for us.

So, God decided to have some conflict resolution—with us. How did He do it? Humbly and directly.

God sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to be born in a lowly, dirty animal stable. He came as one of us—a person. He lived life just as any human would. But unlike us, Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. Then, He died on the cross to pay for our sin in the ultimate conflict resolution.

He didn’t have to, but He chose to. He took what we deserved and put it on Himself. He died to confront the conflict and forgive us of our sins so that we could be with Him.

If we call ourselves followers of Jesus, we’re supposed to follow His lead. And that means things might get a little messy. He asks us to confront conflict head on instead of running from it, by going immediately, directly, and humbly—just like He did.

The thing to remember is that dealing with conflict in a healthy way won’t always fix our relationships. Sometimes, people may not accept your apology. And sometimes, the conflict may not go away overnight. But, learning to handle conflict in a healthy way heals your heart, even if it doesn’t heal your relationship. Why? Because when we deal with conflict the right way, we become more like Jesus.

So, let’s embrace conflict. Let’s be like Jesus—humble and forgiving. Remember: He saved us when we didn’t deserve it. So, let’s extend that same grace to others, even when we think they don’t deserve it either.

Dear Lord, help us deal with conflict in a way that honors You. Give us wisdom to help us get our relationships right. Help us forgive others the way You’ve forgiven us.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.