Motivation Monday

One of the great benefits of Jesus' resurrection is that our past story no longer defines our present story or our future history when we are born again. Because of Jesus Christ, the narrative of our lives has been rewritten to reveal that we are free and made to be a new creation.

Throughout the Old Testament, God instructed His people to establish memorials to remind them of His power in their lives and His promises. We should also establish memorials in our lives as testimonies of our relationship with God and HIs amazing work in our lives.

Do you know your Church History? Not just the history of long ago, but the history of your local congregation, as well as the history of God's faithfulness in your own life. As believers, our foundation is strengthened by the reminders of God's power and strength witnessed in our lives in the past.

As we begin this new year, let us make every effort to offer God our intentional "first" best. Whether it is our time, talent, or any other resource we have to offer, make it the best portion of our offering, just as Able gave his best portion of the firstborn lamb from his flock unto the Lord.

There is an old cliche, "Fake it till you make it" that needs to be removed from our Christian theology. God never intends for us to fake happiness; rather, He desires that we learn to rejoice in our hope. Jesus is our perfect example of expressing our emotions while leaning on God to see us through the end.

Proverbs 17 tells us that a happy heart is good medicine. A good heart can also be contagious, bringing needed healing to those around us. We must be careful not to allow the opposite to happen to us as well; being in the company of a low spirit can drain one's strength.

As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we have a responsibility to be "brand ambassadors" for Jesus and His Church. We must ensure that we are not engaging in false marketing, pretending to be like Christ but behaving more like our society.

There is nothing more satisfying to our spirit man than God's word. However, the enemy will try to distract us with things to keep us from consuming the only thing that can refresh and nourish our inner man.

As believers we can be confident that God is never really silent because He is always speaking through His written Word. When God's word is stored in our heart, we will hear Him speaking even in those moments when it feels like He is silent.

When life become overwhelming and far more than our mind or heart can take, we must lean into God's Word to be our source of hope and strength. For in God's Word we find His promises and the healing we need for our soul.

As we have entered into a new year that has already seen its share of tragedy, we are encouraged to place our confidence in God, trusting that He is with us through both the bad and good. In our faith, we can be a testimony to the world of the great hope we have through Jesus.

It is easy for us to get caught up in the celebration of Thanksgiving -the food and watching football games with the fam- and forget to give God thanks for His continual blessings. Before we prepare the Thanksgiving Day meal, turn on our favorite college football game, or do our annual Turkey Day 5K let us take time to reflect on God's love and goodness towards us.

If we are to accomplish the things that God has assigned to us as His instruments of service, we must be willing to trust Him and entrust ourselves to His leading and guiding. We need not fear because God already knows how the end results.

The question was asked if a tree falls in the forest does it make a sound? In truth, the sound is irrelative. The reality is the tree has fallen. As believers, we are to be sensitive to one another regardless of whether we hear the sound of the mouth or the heart. We must allow the spirit of discernment to help us hear God's voice to serve one another.

Koinonia calls every believer to be in simultaneous communion with God and with His family. To fully understand the practice of communion, that which took place just before Jesus was crucified, we see in full practice in Acts 2. The act of that Jesus instituted at His last Passover continued in constant practice amongst the early believers.

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Belonging. Community. Family. These are words that should evoke feelings of warmth and happiness. However, loneliness has become a common feeling for many people in recent years. So many people feel detached from a community or even family. The Bible offers a remedy to "doing life alone" or feeling absent of community. As Christians, part of our new life in Christ we are commanded to be connected to community or God's family. We are called to be a part of the Koinonia of God and His people.

God's peace is stronger than any storm of life. As Jesus was coming to the close of His ministry and discipleship time with His followers He left these encouraging words for them and us today, in John 14 “What I am leaving with you is shalom — I am giving you my shalom. I don’t give the way the world gives. Don’t let yourselves be upset or frightened."

Did you know that you are an influencer? No, not the kind you find doing crazy things on social media for attention. You are called to influence those around you to come to know Jesus or strengthen their relationship with Him. Whether we know it or not, there is someone watching and learning from our life what it means to be a Christian (not be a Christian).

Like a rose bush, life can present us with a mix of pain and beauty. This reality can cause us to miss the beauty of life by being distracted by the thorns that can sometimes prick us. However, we must remind ourselves that God is our refuge and source of hope, He is our beautiful Rose in the few painful moments.

Spring has a way of inviting us to remember that if God is concerned about creation how much more does His heart of compassion lean towards us? This week may we be reminded that in every difficult moment God is present with us, therefore we have no need to fear.

As we celebrate Black History Month, we can reflect on the words of the deeply rich message of faith in the "Negro Anthem" Lift Every Voice and Sing. The song reminds believers that in trouble or triumph, we must remain constant in our faith and trust in God.

The anniversary celebration of our Saviors birth is a reminder of the important pieces of God's eternal plan. God intentionally picked each person who would play a part in the narrative of Jesus' life, including His earthly Father. Just like Joseph, we have been chosen to be a part of the continuation of the redemption narrative.

Forgiveness is a difficult human task, practically impossible to do on our own. But when we rely on God's Spirit to aid us in exercising the gift of forgiveness what was impossible becomes possible, no matter how great the offense or damage was done to us.

Despite the uncertainty and chaos of our world, we can rest in the knowledge that God has His children in the safety of His hand.

Thanksgiving is more than just a word or words that we utter out of our mouths. Thanksgiving is an offering the we give unto God that reflects the nature of our hearts.

One of the hardest things for most human beings to do is to sit, be still, and just relax. During this holiday season, instead of missing out on the joy around us because of busyness, let's take time to refresh ourselves and enjoy the moment.

Despite what the enemy tries to sell us, every single believer is valuable to the Kingdom of God. Because of the value we bring to the world around us, we can trust in God to preserve us for His glory.

Don't be afraid when life, as we planned, goes off script. Instead of panicking, we must trust God to fulfill His purpose and trust that what He has placed in us will work perfectly with the changes.

God has saved and redeemed us through Jesus Christ. Because of this, we are carriers of the Gospel of Hope, and we are proof of God's love for humanity. Therefore, we must do just as Paul did, share the exciting news of God with others.

As Christ's followers, we are to be testimonies of what it means to be good. We are to be the living replicas of Jesus and treat others with love and compassion, even when they mistreat us. We are to be good humans.

No matter how much we try, it is impossible to eliminate the difficult moments in our lives. No matter who we are, the bumps of life will come to us all. However, there is good news for those in Christ. Just as the woman with the issue of blood found hope by touching the hem of Jesus' garment, we too can find hope when it seems we are hanging on by a mere thread.

We are reminded of the deniable strength of a man who takes up the weapon of intercessory to fight against the enemy. Lot's life was spared twice because Abraham stood in the posture of protector for Lot and his family, and God needs men to do the same for their families and communities.

Reflecting on the historic day of the March On Washington For Jobs and Freedom, Mel honors the 60th anniversary by reminding Christ's followers to obey God's word and do what is just, show love, and stand in unity with like-minded believers. Christians are called to be God's agents of love and justice.

In Psalm 56 David cries unto God when he is captured by the Philistines in Gath. Despite his current situation, David declares that he need not fear his enemy because of the confidence he has that God is for him. Just like David, we can rest in the assurance that if we are walking in God's righteousness God is with and for us in every circumstance that will come against us. So we can walk in this new week knowing that we are not alone, God is for us.

Psalm 100:3 reminds us as believers that we have a responsibility to acknowledge the sovereignty of our God. As we submit to His Lordship we position ourselves to reap the benefit of His tender love for us.