Go for the Gold and Run Your Race!

I had the privilege of listening to Brian Thompson on Sunday afternoon This gentle man is a very humble man that gets fired up for Jesus. I honestly enjoyed listening to him teach. He was real and as a minister who messes up and keeps going is a gem. Thanks Brian.
Here are a few notes that I want to share with you from this fired up follower of Jesus.
Philippians 2:12-17 (NKJ) is where Brian read from:
¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
¹⁴ Do all things without complaining and disputing, ¹⁵ that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
¹⁷ Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ¹⁸ For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.

In Philippi they were serious about their belief in Christ. Not just who Christ was but what He did on the cross for us.  Working out our salvation in fear and trembling is developing a relationship with God, for it is He who works in us for Him.  When you accept Jesus for who He is and what He did for you on the cross you can't help but become serious about your faith. 
The Philippis were the same outside the church as they were on the inside. Are the Christians today the same or are we conforming to this world?  Gay marriages are on the rise, where are we, the Christians that should be standing up and saying God's word doesn't teach that?
We should be doing everything we can to work in the field for the harvest and share God's word with others.
We are to be different-people should see a difference in us as especially after we've spent time with him in His word, cultivating our salvation.
When people see you do they see you've been with Jesus? If not, what are you doing or what are you not doing?
Beloved, we are not always going to get our own way. The Lord tells us in verse 14 to do everything without complaining and arguing. Not everyone in the church is going to get their way! There will always be something happening that you will not like, the walls won't be the right paint, the carpet won't be the color you want, SO WHAT! It's not about the building but the people within the building. We are to be shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. 
In the book of Acts there is a term you see that we should take more notice of "one accord." This means we, Christians, should be of one mind; not fighting and having division in the church. Bite your tongue and don't complain, murmur, or argue, only what we do for Christ will matter.
In verse 16 we are to be determined to hold firmly to God's word, but if you are not spending time with God and having that relationship with Christ, you will give into the dark days. There will be a day when we will be persecuted for our faith, will you be ready?
Christ is worth us coming out of our comfort zone. God was in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He was in Lion's den with Daniel, and in the grave with Christ Jesus. So, know that you may rejoice knowing that you have not labored in vein for God and He is with you.
Brian's challenge:
On the day God will ask "what did you do for me?" What will your answer be?
Today, be determined to live your life for Him and stand before God on your judgement day with joy.

What you do today determines your tomorrow and tomorrow may never come.
~ Marjorie

Where Does Your Peace Come From?

If you missed the Women's Summer Brunch you missed great music from local talent such as Sophia Smith, Lori Gill and Billie Barlow. The main speaker was Lydia Greear who was captivating in her message. I know that each of us catch different pieces of the sparks when we listen to speakers, but I felt lead to share what I heard from Lydia.
First here's some little bits about Lydia. Lydia is originally from Ashland, Kentucky and has been in Florida since 2007. She is married to Asa Greear who is the Director of Missions for the St Johns River Baptist Association.  Lydia and Asa have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren. She works for AT&T, is a certified fitness instructor/personal trainer since 1994. Lydia has held workshops in North Africa, Middle East and Europe. Her and Asa have spent 14 years serving the International Mission Boards.   The first thing that caught my attention was when Lydia made the statement "there is peace in obedience." My first thought was "wow, she is right." I immediately thought about how she and Asa have been missionaries in other countries and she would know that there is peace in obedience first hand because she and Asa followed Jesus' direction to go; just as she stated.

In our journey "we don't know whose heart we are gonna touch or who we're gonna influence with a touch."This is especially true when we are doing what God wants you to do you. She also made the comment, "you will get attacked in many ways from many different directions." The one thing you must do to keep your peace is look up. Look up to the One who called you, Father God, who calls you to do His work. If you have peace in your heart, you know it is from Him.
Lydia shared that when you "put joy with peace you get happiness and without the joy you are without peace." Joy comes from the Lord, peace is from the Prince of Peace. The connection is one in the same. Keep your eyes on Jesus and you can't go wrong. Think of Peter as he stepped out of the boat, it wasn't until he took his eyes off of Jesus, stepping into his own ability that he sunk in the water. The same is for you and me. We must keep our eyes on Jesus in all circumstances.
It is easy for us women to hold onto the things that hurt instead of pressing into the fruit of the Spirit. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we receive these fruits as gifts; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. You are called to be a woman of faith.
I don't know exactly how she said this bu what I do know is that Jesus wants to know that we trust Him, want Him, desire Him, and need Him in our lives.
When we accept Jesus in our lives we are permeated by the Holy Spirit. She shared from Galatians, people make us do things we don't want to do and we know is wrong or we agree to do what is wrong. We take on challenges but don't prepare for the battle.
When we commit radiant acts of kindness it brings us peace. Through prayer, scripture, and acts of kindness we find peace. When we don't hang onto grudges and we aren't jealous of others; we find peace. Accept the things you cannot change just as they are; what you cannot change. When you have inner peace it will bring out outer peace. It will be evident in your walk, share your enthusiasm with others, impact the next 100 people with the fruit of the Spirit.
Lydia then ended with a question and a challenge.  "How can you take the world as it is today and share your peace?

It was wonderful! I walked away refreshed and excited to share the love and peace of God with others.
Now you may be reading this and attended the conference; I hope you enjoyed Lydia as well. I want to say it again that we all hear things differently and sitting in the back of the fellowship hall is definitely true.

Thank you Lydia Greear you speak in front of your peers just as good, if not better, than Asa. We love you!

~ Marjorie