Keeping Up!

You might think of times you had to keep with an older sibling or cousin. Think about how you tried to keep up in school or in gym class as a young teen. Of course we have tried to "Keep up with the Jones'" one time or another in our lives. When do we ever learn we are not in a race with any other but ourselves. Maybe we tumbled to that conclusion after much trial and error!

Then the golden years hit and you just want to keep up with your children and their children. Now that is a task! Or keep up with the day to day activities and planning and goings on in your life!

Whatever our reasoning may be to "Keeping UP" it is the flesh that causes us to strive in areas for our ego to be puffed up in one way or or another. In Philippians 3:8-9 tells us Paul to consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord for Christ's sake he has lost all things considering them trash so that he may be found in Christ. Paul goes on to say having righteousness of his own only comes from law (and may I add the World's competitive nature). Yet the righteousness found through faith in Christ gives us power of His resurrection! That power enables us to carry out our destiny designed by our heavenly Father.

Philippians 3: 13-14

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

Will we ever learn that in our Father's eyes there is no "Keeping UP". We run the race of one, setting our aim at the prize and running with confidence that He and He alone will accomplish every good deed within us.

As we live our lives, I suggest we cling to those things that are from above and let those other things fall to the wayside. Let us seek out Christian friends who are also in the race of one. Let us band together and encourage each other as we all walk this journey of life towards eternity.

Today I pray, Father guide me and lead me to those who are like minded and are walking the walk of Faith. Bring me to a clear understanding of my prize that is stored for me in Christ Jesus! Amen

Wait and See

Luke 17:14
He looked at them and said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. (NLT)

It is so easy to take a wait and see attitude to much going on in our life. This is especially true with the political situation no mater what year it is. Once we have voted someone into an office, we then wait and see what s/he does. If we like the results, we vote for them when they are up for reelection, otherwise we vote against them.

But how often do we take a wait and see attitude with God? As we read our Bible, we come across many promises for our day to day lives. All we have to do is believe, and yet we wait and see if they will happen without any action on our part. If it is God's will we say. Well, hello! He put it in His word so we know it is His will.

This story in Luke is about the ten lepers. They cried out to Jesus as He was passing by them. All Jesus said was "Go show yourselves to the priests."  Jesus did not lay hands on them. He did not pray a long flowery prayer. He just gave them an action to perform.

The lepers knew they could not show themselves to the priests unless they were healed. They believed and as they walked forth in that belief they were totally delivered from leprosy and healed.

As believers we have been saved from our sinful existence. Our spirit man has been reborn. All the promises of God are yes and amen. What lacks is not God's will, but our belief and action. We do not have to wait and see. As we trust in Him and walk forth in faith, we too are delivered and healed.

Shepherd of Faith Ministries

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