Are you a part of the church -- the body of believers? This is an important question to ask as we come closer to the end of this age, when Jesus “raptures” the church. The exact word “rapture” is not used in the Bible, but its meaning is. For instance, the Greek word for “rapture” is harpazo, which means to snatch away violently or to be caught up. I Thessalonians 4:13-18 speaks of this, so we know the church will be caught up and taken from the earth. If you are not a part of the church at that time, however, you will be left on the earth, because you have heard the gospel and have still chosen to reject Jesus as your Lord.

More and more scholars believe that those who have rejected Christ will not get a second chance and will be doomed forever, which is eternal death and separation from God. Unfortunately, many think this is a game, but the decisions you -- not your friends or family -- make today can and will determine where you spend eternity. What a terrible moment that will be for those who were unwilling to allow Jesus to be Lord of their lives! This day and age, they are the people who believe serving God is all about their friends and social life and they think they will never have to give an account for their lives. If this is you, take heed, for there is not salvation until we have accepted Jesus as our Lord; lordship is allowing Him to be the boss of our lives.

We must decide to make Jesus Lord of our lives. In doing so, we submit our will to His will -- honoring God and His Word and looking to Him concerning how we live our lives -- with the understanding that Jesus is either Lord of all or not at all.

If you are not sure whether or not Jesus is Lord of your life, or if you need to repent, pray today and be certain (Romans 10:9-10).

Just a Thought,

PSS

Being a leader, or leading, is not for the faint of heart; yet, in some respects, we all lead. Whether you are a husband, a single parent, a boss at your work, we all lead at some point in our lives. As Christians, we are to be examples, to anyone who looks at our lives, that God is real and Jesus truly is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Leadership, or being a leader, can be defined in many ways. In this context, however, leadership is going to be defined by one word – influence. We are all called by God, through the scriptures, to share Jesus with everyone who comes across our path -- especially friends and family. Whether we know it or not, we are all leaders and we are to influence others to want to accept Jesus into their own lives.

The Bible teaches that we are all called to the ministry of reconciliation. This means that we are to live our lives in such a way that the people around us -- those we work with, those who are in our families -- can see that because we have been born-again, by accepting Jesus into our hearts, it has made a huge difference in how we live, talk and act. In doing so, we teach them to also want a relationship with God.

Don’t shy away from any opportunity to influence others. Let’s all embrace it and become the best leaders (influencers) we can possibly become. We need to be godly examples to our families, friends, co-workers, and those we come into contact with each and every day of our lives. Embrace being the leader that you are and watch how God can use you to lead others to Christ. 

Just a Thought,

PSS

During times of difficulty and hardship, we need to stay planted and persevere. Whether things aren’t going well in our marriage, in our workplace, with our health, or with our children, we need to keep moving forward. Typically, it tends to be the darkest times in life that cause us to grow. The Bible says, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:71, NIV).

Those who make a habit of quitting, or giving up as soon as they encounter an obstacle, never overcome. But those who persevere and keep moving forward look for ways to press on, and eventually overcome. By definition, to persevere is to persist steadily in an action or belief, usually over a long period of time, and especially despite problems or difficulties.

We must adjust our attitude and purpose to persevere. Regrettably, some of us have made a habit of quitting, which is why things don’t ever seem to work out. However, it’s not that things couldn’t have worked out, but that we quit way too soon. Therefore, we must learn to endure the storms in life and persevere. Remember -- quitters never win and winners never quit.

Just a Thought,

PSS

In our society, we have replaced obligation and responsibility with rights and privileges. Across the nation, people are fighting for their rights -- demanding what they want and what they think they deserve -- because they perceive something as unfair. Fewer and fewer people are taking care of their obligations and responsibilities. This attitude of entitlement is destroying our country.

The word responsibility means the state, fact, or position of being accountable to someone, or for something. To be responsible means we must stop making excuses, and do the right thing. Sadly, excuses are abundant in our society. Everyone -- from our children to our President -- is always quick to blame someone else, with an attitude that says, “It’s never my fault.”

The real question we need to ask ourselves is: Who determines what is fair? If we really got what was fair, or what we deserved, we would be condemned to eternal death. Thankfully, God doesn’t give us what we deserve -- He gives us what Jesus deserves. Instead of demanding what we think we deserve, we need to take responsibility for our lives and be grateful for the gift of eternal life.

Just a Thought,

PSS

Do you see the world as a place of adversity or a place of opportunity? Whatever you see, whether it’s the problem or the solution, your success will be determined by it. Unfortunately, most people focus on the problem rather than on the solution.  If you can learn to see the opportunity behind every obstacle, you will be able to move forward and begin to be successful in life.

If we only see the problems in life, we will never attain or accomplish very much. Sadly, many of us spend so much time and energy dwelling on our past that we are unable to move forward. As a consequence, we aren’t nearly as successful as we would like to be because we don’t change our attitudes. We need to realize it’s all about our attitudes and the way we think.

Have the courage to move past the setbacks, problems, and discouragements, which life can bring, and learn to focus on the possibilities. Eventually, you will see that all things are possible with God and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). With God, there is always an answer or solution to the problems we face, but we must be willing to change our attitudes.

Just a Thought,

PSS