Week Seven, 2024

As I walked along the beach, the sign caught my eye. It said, “Swim Near The Lifeguard.”

Walking by the surf, I pondered and certainly it was a good safety warning, but it occurred to me that it had a spiritual warning as well.

Lifeguards rescue floundering people sinking beneath the waves. But so does Jesus rescue us as we sink to the way of the world below. A wise person does the Words of Jesus and builds His life on Jesus.

Wisdom is the ability to see life from God’s perspective and to then act accordingly. Disciples of Christ hear and do the Word of Christ. Put the Bible into practice! Be wise and build your life on the secure foundation of the Word of God. Jesus is not only a great teacher, but He is also God in the flesh. Follow and trust Him!

Matthew 16:24 provides direction on how to “stay close.” Jesus says, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” To stay close, one must seek, be selfless, submit, and be serious.

James 4:8 says, Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. When we seek God with all of our hearts and draw near to Him, we will feel His presence once again. It is in drawing nearer to God that we are able to access and obtain all that God has planned and purposed for us.

What does it mean to be close to Jesus? Serving and loving others, like He would. Trying to hear Him through the Spirit. Trusting His promises. Feeling grateful for His Atonement. Sticking up for Him, respecting His name, and defending the truths He taught.

How to stay in contact with Jesus? Really pray. Come to God as you would a friend, a confidant, a Father. And don’t make it a one-sided conversation. Learn to listen to God in your times of prayer by reading the Bible and waiting on him in silence, solitude, and stillness.

Drawing near to God means we commune with Him in our thoughts. We allow His Word to shape our attitudes, and we glorify Him in our lifestyle. Amid the stress and pressures of everyday life, we take time to focus on God and not on the affairs of life.

He wants us to stay closer to him. In James 4:8, we are encouraged to draw near to God and He will draw near to us. It is in drawing nearer to God that we are able to access and obtain all that God has planned and purposed for us Jer. 29:12-14.

How close are you to the lifeguard of your life?

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created he world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Hebrews 1:1-3

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You’ve gone for a run or vigorously played some sport. You’ve sweated. Your body tells you that you are thirsty and need to be replenished with fluids. That’s your natural reaction and remedy. You’ve had a hard week dealing with life’s difficulties. Your mind tells you that you thirst for an emotional uplift, so you seek out a friend with whom you can share your feelings and from whom you can get solace. That’s also natural and a remedy.

You’ve come to a place where you feel you no longer have a purpose and that you need to renew your spirit. That’s when you go to God’s Word. That is where you find Truth, purpose, guidance, and everything you need. It may not feel natural at first, but the more you drink of the Word of God, the more you will desire it.

We live in a spiritually dry and weary place wherein God’s Word is our only remedy. So, drink up. Rich Jensen

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Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Paul describes the classic battle between the flesh and the Spirit. Really asking the question, “On what is your mind set? What are you focused on? Satisfying your own flesh desires or what the Holy Spirit desires?” Romans 8:5-6

WORDS OF EDGAR APONTE

• Fear makes us irrational. It makes us lose our perspectiveness.

• King Jesus has power over nature, for He is God and Lord.

• Following Jesus might get you into a storm. Trust Him for He is with you.

• Great storms and trials will challenge our faith. Believe in Jesus and His power to save.

• The storms of life will not last forever. Jesus will demonstrate His power. Worship Him and pray!

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul… Gilbert K Chesterton

Jesus is the holiness of God in the flesh. He is the embodiment of who God is. Jesus is better than anything or anybody, so listen to Him as the promised prophet, trust Him as the faithful priest, and worship him as the exalted king. Edgar Aponte

Choice is a wonderful thing, but it can also bring devastating consequences. Dan Shock

Opportunities will abound before us to add value to the lives and world around us. Christ came to lift and encourage us, and to also point the way, to all we can be and do for Him, others and all the world. Scott Whitaker

One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things. John Burroughs

Wealth, notoriety, place, and power are no measures of success whatsoever. The only true measure of success is the ratio between what we might have been and what we have become. In other words, success comes as the result of growing to our potential. H.G. Wells

Reaching your potential is part of the secret of success. God has invested substantially into your life. Whether or not you bring a return is dependent on growing in your potential. John Maxwell

The apostle Peter exhorted Christians to add to their faith moral excellence. Knowledge. Self-control. Perseverance. Godliness. Brotherly Kindness. And love. He then added, For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:8).

George Bernard Shaw was interviewed by a reporter shortly before he died and asked, “Mr. Shaw, If you could live your life over and be anybody you’ve known, or any person from history, who would you be?” “I would choose,” replied Shaw “to be the man George Bernard Shaw could have been, but never was.”

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