Be with Jesus!

I praise the Lord for showing me last week to keep my heart and mind on things above.  It kept me from only thinking about myself and the wedding and kept my thoughts on God and His purposes.  It allowed me to share life with the volunteers who came all the way from Northern Wisconsin.  Shout out to Ms. Jeri for bringing a team from her church!

The team was challenged to take their mission experience home with them.  They do not live in a city like New Orleans but they recognize that there are people around them who need the love of Christ expressed to them.  It just takes asking the Lord to provide opportunities to share Christ's love with those in need then being on the lookout for them.

My challenge to them was found in Acts 4:13 where the Jewish leaders realized that Peter and John spoke with courage yet they were unschooled, ordinary men who had BEEN WITH JESUS! Being with Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, gives us courage to live boldly for Him!  Our courage doesn't come from graduating seminary, or how many years we've been a believer, or how many mission trips we've been on...being with Jesus changes everything and gives us courage to live radically for Him anywhere we are.

So my focus this week is simple: BE WITH JESUS! I want to be in His Word daily, praying continuously, listening for the Spirit's leading and obeying, and singing praise songs to Him.   Being with Jesus will change me and give me courage to live boldly for Him.  Being with Jesus will make me more like Him who continuously put others before Himself and kept his heart and mind on things above.

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13