Interests of Others

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. - Philippians 2:4

Written in the post “Best Motive for Serving” is that Paul didn’t get compensated for preaching the gospel. He didn’t say it was wrong and claimed that those who preach the gospel should be able to receive their living from the gospel. He made the comparison of a farmer who makes his living from what he produces on the farm.

For Paul, the reward was not for himself but for the interests of others and serving the Lord out of love. There was a freeing aspect in serving the Lord out of personal generosity as his faith expressed itself through love.

In the same way, the path built by our generosity is the best way for it is in giving that we find true joy and meaning. Giving not only our time or money but as pointed out in the song When Love Sees You by Mac Powell, giving our testimony or life story and how we became a Christ follower.

Those that give their story to others are blessed. The story of struggles, of pain, of shame, and that Jesus came to give us a new story for the future. A story of joy, of peace, and even fame because those who follow Christ have their name written in the book of life.

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The Reward is with the Lord

Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. - Revelation 22:12

As brought out in the post “Keeping Sight of Doing Right”, the greatest reward is doing the right thing so the heart is at peace in knowing that God will reward with an eternal destiny.

Just as pointed out in this song Lose My Soul by Toby Mac ft. Kirk Franklin, Mandisa, some are consumed by gaining the whole world but in the process lose their soul. Instead, do the right things in life and look forward your eternal destiny.

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Sing of the Lord’s Great Love

I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. - Psalm 89:1

This day with God, receive the peace Christ has provided. Express your joy for God’s love to you by persevering, building character, and maintaining hope. 

Just as in the song I Am Free by Newsboys, each day can be amazing because we can live out loud. We can pray, listen for instructions, and get things done now. Opportunities to do great things are right in front of us so let’s go out and give God our best.

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Never Tire of Doing What is Good

And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. – 2 Thessalonians 3:13

Sharing some thoughts in the post “Leading by Example”, the main problem discussed was idleness. Paul emphasized being an example to others by getting involved, being industrious, and working hard.

These same principles were adopted by the founding fathers of the United States. As the post 4^th of July from the blog altruisticao points out, the founding fathers grasped the understanding that it was through liberty, the kind of liberty they had learned through the Bible and the teaching of Jesus Christ, that mankind would be happy and prosperous.

As it is with individuals and with nations, we can become broken and as the song Keep Making Me – Sidewalk Prophets inspires, there is always the need to be remade. In the process, let us never tire of doing what is good.

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Encouraging and Learning

Therefore encourage one another with these words. – 1 Thessalonians 4:18

This day with God, let us take every opportunity to encourage and learn from each other so we are ready for the challenges of tomorrow. Go to the ONE who created it all and passionately stir each other up to boldly step ahead.

For inspiration today, here’s a video to begin the day: Build Your Kingdom Here – Rend Collective Experiment.

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Cheerfulness

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The memories you make give you a lift, good weather can give you a lift, but the ultimate lift is knowing that the future is bright because of the reward God has for all that believe in His Son.

We get hit with so many negative thoughts on a daily basis. One idea to overcome is to start and end the day with uplifting positive music like this one: Hands of God by the Newsboys. This spiritual exercise gets your mind in the right frame of mind as you start your day or as you retire for the evening.

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Perfect in all of Your Ways

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6

A moving target makes success very unlikely. What if the bases where never in the same place in baseball and we didn’t know where first base was or where second base was?  There wouldn’t be a chance to get to home base and not many runs would be scored would they?

Unfortunately, we constantly receive conflicting information in this game of life. 

Just as it is important to know where the bases are in a baseball game to win, it’s even more important to know the rules in life. Fortunately, we have God’s Word as our rule book.

So this day, work together with fellow believers and build up the kingdom. Know the most important rule is that you are loved by God because of accepting His Son as Savior. Receive inspiration from today’s video: Good, Good Father – Chris Tomlin.

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The Lord Provides

If you ever run into a situation as described in the post Allegiance to the True King where you must choose between fearing human authority or giving your allegiance to God, choose God because with Him are benefits and resources that no human authority can provide. The ultimate reward is eternity for those who accept Christ.

This day with God, sincerely believe that each obstacle will be overcome and enthusiastically act upon each task until completion; celebrating progress throughout this day by praising Him. Start it right now with this video: Revelation Song – Kari Jobe.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him. - James 1:12

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Bold and Persuasive Witness

There were warnings but also encouragement as I wrote in the post Of Most Importance is Jesus in Our Heart.   We should be inspired to be a bold and persuasive witness through the Holy Spirit. Because of the Holy Spirit, we receive counsel at all times to help us and here is a video poem to inspire our day with this thought in mind: Blessings Throughout Each Hour.

Enable me to speak Your word with great boldness. Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Jesus. - Acts 4:29-30

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In the Presence of the Maker of the Heavens

Abraham wanted to be a father of blessed children and as written about in the post Promises Given, God was with Abraham.  He made a promise to Abraham that He would be the father of many nations.

We can ask what it is that we want out of life and like Abraham, seek God’s guidance; patiently waiting for our reward. God is with us and we can lift our voice to Him in prayer to discuss our burdens and listen for the promises He gives us.

Planning for this day In the Presence of the Maker of the Heavens, here’s a video to inspire as we pray for our day and ask how to respond to His promise: In Your Presence – Jeremy Camp.

And this is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life. - 1 John 2:25

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