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Today we are going to talk about how important it is to be involved in church. I’m sure most of you reading or listening to this already go to church, but if not, I hope I can give you some reasons to make church a huge part of your life. In Ps 92: 12-15, the Bible says that if we want to flourish – that means thrive or increase – then we need to be planted – that means to have deep roots – in church. Jesus gave pastors to the church so that we can have a shepherd to take care of the sheep. Jesus called himself the chief shepherd, but Jesus gives pastors to take care of people – who are a lot like sheep in many ways! Everyone needs to have a shepherd to take care of them. Someone once said, you either are a pastor, or you need one! I like that. That’s why we have the church. God wants you to have an avenue to grow, and when you are growing, increasing, and thriving then you will make an impact on your world. So are you going to church this week? Are you involved in a small group? Do you take your kids to youth and kids activities? You and your family need to be growing, and today is the best time to develop the habit of being in church, every time you can. Those of us who teach at church, want you to learn the Bible and life principles, so that you can apply them personally and with your family. We want you to learn how to make good decisions, and we want you to know and experience God in your life everyday! What is cool about the scripture in Ps 92 is that it says that when we are planted or putting deep roots down in the church, we will flourish or thrive, even when we are old. So why not start today, and get planted, stay planted, and thrive for life!

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Today we are looking at the importance of growing in God. If we want to flourish and prosper in life, we need to be planted in the House of God. Church body life is about serving others. It all starts because we have received love from God, and when He placed His love in our hearts, we want to share it. So because we love, we serve. When we serve, we win for God. Jesus was all about serving others, and that should be our heart too. When we are doing His will on the earth, loving and serving others, the Bible says in Psalms 84verse 11 that no good thing will He (God) withhold from those who walk uprightly. That sounds almost too good to be true. Did the Bible really say that? No GOOD THING. God has lots of GOOD THINGS for us, and when we abide in Him, in His House, in His Word, in other words, walk uprightly, they will overtake us! That sounds like flourishing and prospering in life. Let’s be conscious of His presence in our lives. We have been called the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, so we can walk uprightly. We’ve received the provision of righteousness, let’s walk it out, and let the blessing of God bring grace and favor in your life. Why not expect God to fulfill His Word on your behalf. Do you want to flourish and prosper in life? Then let’s get planted. Let’s have roots that go down deep. Let’s participate, love, serve and win for God by being active in our local church body. It’s God’s desire for you. With long life will He satisfy you and show you his salvation. The Amplified Bible says it this way in Ps 92:13,14. Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God. Growing in grace, they shall still bring forth fruit in old age, they shall be full of sap (spiritual vitality) and rich (in trust, love and contentment). That sounds like flourishing to me!

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Romans 8:35-39 says that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Isn’t that an amazing thought? Really, no thing, can separate you from God’s love for you. It is an interesting word study to just look up all the scriptures that talk about love, and read them one after another. Here are some of them:
We get a deposit of God’s love on the inside of us (Rom 5:5)
The love of God is abounding to us (I Thes 3:12),
It is sincere (Rom 12:9),
It is unselfish (Matt 22:39),
It is impartial (Deut 10:19),
It is fervent (I Peter 1:22),
It is compelling (2 Cor 5:14),
It is divine (John 15:9),
It is self – sacrificing (John 15:13)
and it is sacrificial (Gal 2:20)
All of God’s love is deposited into our spirit!
That is just a short list of the adjectives that describe the love of God. And that is just a short list of the attributes of love that can (and should) be found in us. Let us make these adjectives the way you love others. While talking about parts of speech, it really is important to remember that love is A VERB. Love is more than just a feeling, more than just words. Love is an action. If we really love, we serve. God’s love on the inside of us is there just for that. Whether we are in a relationship or just being neighborly, God’s love in us compels us to serve others. What is so great about serving others is that it not only helps them, it helps us too! So as we conclude this months topic of who we are, I want you to remember who you are, you are a conduit of God’s love to the people around you! Make loving others around you a way of life.

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Be bold and courageous. How easy that is to say, and how hard that can be to do! When I think about coming boldly to the throne of God like is says in Eph 3:12, I am so grateful that I don’t have to come dressed in my own righteousness. Yesterday, we talked about being the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, and becoming a new creation. When we realize that Jesus blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness, it makes it easy to step into the presence of God at any moment. We don’t have to be in the proper clothes, or at the right place, we can live in His presence all the time. All we have to do is utter the name of Jesus, and He answers! He longs for us to spend time with Him, and because we are welcome there, we can boldly enter any time. That means that we never have to do life alone. In a world where often you feel like a number that doesn’t matter, we matter to God. He is with us. He knows us, and loves us, and like us too! His desire is that we long for His presence as much as He longs for us to be there. So next time you want to be in the presence of God, go in there boldly. You are welcome, anytime. Come there boldly!

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I hope this month you have really begun to see who you are in Christ. You are an overcomer, you are the head and not the tail, and you are a new creation in Christ Jesus as it says in II Cor 5:17-21. I love each new season, because it is like a do over. It is another opportunity for a second chance. This new year, or this new morning are opportunites to start fresh. Each day is time to re evaluate where we are compared to where we want to be. If you have a relationship with Jesus, this verse applies to you. If you’ve made Him your personal Lord and Savior, then you are new. Your spirit has been made alive to God, and not only are you a new species of being, you are now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. This is another scripture that seems too hard to believe. How can I be righteous? I do bad things, I think bad thoughts, I have bad attitudes. We can all says those things. But what is God saying about you? He says you are a new creation and that now in Christ, you are the righteousness of God. God sees us through Jesus. When it comes to our relationship with God, the vertical relationship, we are clean, pure and holy. When it comes to the horizontal relationships with people, and things of this world, we have to make choices to be clean, pure and holy. But because we are empowered by God, filled with the Spirit of God, and have a dynamic relationship with Jesus, our vertical relationship can override the horizontal relationship, and help us to live holy right here on planet earth. So are you new? YES! Are you righteous? The answer to that is Yes too!

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In Eph 2:10 it says that we are prepared for good works, as God’s workmanship. When it comes to flourishing in life, it is good to remember who our creator is. We are created in the image and likeness of our magnificent God, and if anyone knows how to create beauty from nothing, it is our God! Just take a peek at creation around you, and you can see beauty in all forms. This same amazing God created you. You are His workmanship. He hand crafted you! He put everything you would need to fulfill his plan for your life within you. He has prepared you to do great things on this earth. In fact, this verse in Eph 6:10 says that we are His workmanship, prepared and ready to do great things. God saw you, and created you to do good things! I know most of us would like to have a complete list of what God has planned for us, but as faith people, not knowing everything is part of our faith walk. We find out step by step. This journey we are on is an adventure. His plan for us is unfolding as we take each step in the direction He leads. So what good works do you thing God has prepared for you? We would all love to think God would use us to cure cancer, or bring world peace, but how about looking in your own home. What good can you do right there? Can you be a peace maker? Can you be an encourager? Can you be the one who brings sunshine in the room when you enter? Can you be the positive one in a world of negativity? Why not start where you are, begin doing good right where you are, and then be prepared, God has a great plan for you!

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Hi this is Dorette Schaal with an Encouraging Word for your day. If we really want to hit a home run for God this year, we need to be growing up spiritually, and really know who we are in Christ. I hope you are taking advantage of the Bible Reading program that goes along with your dailyeword at agf.org, and making it your goal to flourish in life this year. Too many people flounder instead of flourishing and being fruitful. Do you know who you are in Christ? I hope you know deep down that you are God’s child, loved, accepted and cherished. Here’s your dailyeword.

This scripture in Ephesians 2:6 almost seems too good to be true. Sometimes the things of earth can be overwhelming. Dealing with difficult people, frustrating circumstances, and just the fallen world we live in can be draining. The cool thing about this scripture is that because we are made alive in Christ, we don’t have to stay in the muck and the mire of the world. Someone once said, if we sat where God sits, we would see what God sees. Well according to this scripture in Ephesians, we do! We are on a higher plane. We can rise above, and because of who we are in Christ, we don’t have to be discouraged by difficult people, by frustrating circumstances, or even this fallen earth that has a curse on it. We know the last chapter of the book, and we win! We see the big picture, and God triumphs over the enemy completely. We know the score at the end of this big game of life and we are not only conquerors, we are more than conquerors! We overcome! Not just on our own, or in our own strength, but in the strength of our amazing God. So take a peek on your circumstances from another view. Sometimes getting God’s perspective helps us navigate where we are to where we want to be. Remember where you are supposed to sit. Not in the midst of the mire, but way up higher, right next to Jesus!

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We were chosen to bear fruit. It is so cool to think that God has a plan to use us to help promote His kingdom. He wants our life to be fruitful. He has chosen us, appointed us and anointed us to be fruitful in this life! When it comes to goals, and accomplishing them, God is on our side. His desire is that we progress. He wants us to experience the very best of life, in our health, in our finances, and specifically in our spiritual life. He wants our soul prospering, so that every other area of our life can prosper. We can be fruitful in all of these ways:
Kindness – is discovering the joy of helping others
Patience – is accepting the imperfections of others
Forgiveness – Is finding freedom from the grip of anger
Courtesy – is treating others as friends
Humility – is stepping down, so someone else can step up
Generosity – is giving yourself to others
And Honesty – is revealing who you really are.
As you think about all of those qualities, I’m sure there are some that come quite easily to you. Maybe you are very generous, and love giving to others. Or maybe kindness comes really easily. Maybe you can see where you do need the strength of God to do better . Maybe your are really impatient with people, or have a hard time forgiving others. Praise God we do have the power of God on the inside of us to help us overcome. We don’t have to stay like we are. We can change. We can bear good fruit and we can develop into the person God really wants us to be. So why not start today. Determine to be kind, patient, forgiving, courteous, humble, generous and honest.

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One of my goals this year is to be more salty! Our whole family loves salt, in fact, I have my Swiss sister send me Swiss salt several times a year, because we love it so much. Salt has some wonderful attributes. A few of them are, it makes food taste great, it keeps you from slipping on the ice by melting it, it makes you thirsty, and it is a preservative. In the scripture in Matt 5:13-14 we are called the salt of the earth and the light of the world. If we take the natural attributes of ice and put them in a spiritual context, we can see that we should bring a good taste to those in the world. We can do this by being authentic, truly living our life in front of unbelievers. We can keep others from falling into the enemies traps, and we can see the hardest, coldest heart melted. We can cause those who don’t know Christ yet to be thirsty for the things of God, and last of all, we can help preserve a world that needs Jesus so desperately. So let’s be the salt of the earth. We can be the light on the hill that doesn’t hide, but shines brightly so that all can see the true light of Jesus shining through us. Salt and light, just like Jesus!

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Don’t you love that full feeling after eating a good meal? Totally satisfied, and comfortable. I’m sure we have all experienced over full too. That can be uncomfortable! Let’s go back to perfectly full! God’s fullness is in us and when we
know who we are in Christ, we are complete in HIM as it says in Col 2:10. The work Jesus did on the cross was complete. In fact, Jesus said, it is finished. The work He came to do was done, he finished the goal that God had set before him. I hope when we meet Jesus face to face, after we’ve completed our earth assignment that he will look at us and say, your work was done. It is finished all that I sent you to earth to do. If we want that to happen, we have to keep seeking His face, and continue to stay open to His will for our lives. While we are complete in Him, our job is not complete until we say hello to heaven and goodbye to planet earth. Are you letting the Lord speak to your heart for His goals for you this year? Let’s not just do our own thing. Let’s be ready to do what God wants! We don’t just live for ourselves, we are here on earth as God’s ambassadors to get things done! Let’s see His will completed on this earth. There are a lot of people who still need to know Jesus. Let God use your hands, your feet, your mouth, your life as a way to draw others to the foot of the cross.

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