the Arise Team
Hey guys. This will be the last post here on Arise for Christ. We will still leave the site up, so that God will be glorified through this site. However, Arise for Christ will no longer be updated; the site is being discontinued. Within these two years, we hope Arise for Christ has blessed you. Sincerely,
the Arise Team ![]()
This isn't necessarily a sermon, per se. This is just me, sharing my musings.
Do you believe in coincidences? I used to. I used to think that some things that happened by chance. I never really thought that there was something that could have caused it to happen. Like the lotteries. People just happened to buy the winning ticket, and just happened to choose the winning numbers. It just happened. But then, a friend said this one phrase: Everyone goes through a time where they feel like everything they are doing is just not worth it. Sacrificing your Sundays for worship, risking the chance to be seen as "normal" by your friends...the list goes on. It can be hard to be a light in the midst of darkness, especially in the society we live in.
However, our Bible verse today tells us to give thanks in every situation we are in. We need to do this because all things work together for good for those that love God (Romans 8:28). So even if we are in the worst situations, we should just keep thanking God because we know that is what God wants us to do. Therefore, hold onto your faith; there is a greater reward in Heaven waiting for you! "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:14)
This verse reveals to us that God evaluates everything we do. Whether they're sinful or not, secrets can not be kept from Him; they're bound to be exposed. Therefore, it's important we take caution over our actions, because no matter what, we will be judged! Happy New Year! Use this time to thank God for everything He has done in your life until now. Personally, God has been so faithful to me. I’m alive. I’m healthy. I have an awesome family and an amazing group of friends. Indeed, God has been faithful in my life. This week’s passage talks about letting go of the old. As we say farewell to 2014, we as Christians are also to put off the old man. Once forgiven of our sins, we become alive in Christ. By becoming alive in Christ, we become dead to sin and dead to our former selves. We no longer live for ourselves, but Christ. The old and sinful habits are destroyed, and we become “renewed in the spirit” of our minds. We put on the new man, and walk in true righteousness and holiness. By living in Christ daily, and He in us, by dying to ourselves daily, we undergo a transformation that is subtle, yet ever so prominent. We find that lying becomes harder; the conscience is quickly convicted. We glow with happiness, to the point that people get annoyed. Forgiveness comes by easily, because we wish to emulate the never-changing grace God bestowed unto us. So, has there been any sin you've turned to when times got rough? What is that sin, that weakness, that always brings you down? Tell it to God. Confide in Him, because it’s time to say goodbye. Fun fact: 'Goodbye' originated from the phrase 'God be with ye'. When we are first born, what do we eat? Do we start eating chicken and rice? Or, do we start small with milk?
We start with milk, because it is all the body can handle at this early stage. Babies desire milk, and likewise, we need to desire our milk as a Christian. Our milk as Christians is the Word. It is what makes us grow. Everybody needs food to grow. If you fill your spirit with junk like dirty music, then your spirit will just become dirty and polluted. On the other hand, if you fill your spirit with the word of God, then your spirit will grow healthily. You will be a firm Christian who will be able to overcome all obstacles that comes your way. Have you ever heard the phrase " always try harder" or "just keep going"? Well our bible verse today is going give us more information on this and also tell us the outcome when we last till the end.
Our bible verse says that we should be steadfast and unmovable. When they say steadfast they me we should be dedicated or faithful. When they say unmovable... they mean unmovable. It's sorta like the race between the Tortoise and the Hare. Although he was slow he was dedicated to what he was doing and when it all comes down to it, that plays a major part in how he won the race. So as I was saying before, we basically need to be strong and always working for the Lord because guess what, God honors everything you do for Him. Your labour will not be in vain. God will surely bless you as you continue to work for him with all your heart. Sheep are known for being gentle and calm creatures, whereas wolves are seen as being bad and evil. We can see this in the folktale of The Three Little Pigs: "I'll huff, and puff, and blow your house down!"
Our Bible verse today talks about the dangers of false prophets, wolves disguised as sheep. They may tell you only what you want to hear, or what they think you should hear. Their true goal is to deceive. Here are a few ways to distinguish a false prophet from a prophet of God: 1. Listen to what the preacher says about Jesus Christ. Is he there to tell others about Him, or are his words filled with the intent of subduing God? 2. Does the preacher portray the habits of a believer? Does he show the fruit of the Spirit? 3. Listen to what he is actually preaching about. Is he actually preaching the gospel? The gospel is defined as the teaching or revelation of Christ. It is not a motivational message. So, from now on, you can determine if you are getting the true word of God, or the revised, edited, and twisted word from unbelievers. Above all, pray to God to guide you, and lead you to where He wants you to go. "My husband died, I lost my job and I still need to feed two children. God, what am I going to do...?"
In our Bible verse today, we will learn exactly what to do. First, let's define the word laden. According to Google, being laden means to be "heavily loaded or weighed down". I think that we could all agree that the woman we just read about had reasons to be stressed and weighed down. What does God say to do when we have a big load? He tells us to go to Jesus (Matthew 11:28). We should take all our problems, take all our sickness, take everything, to Him. He will deal with it for us. He will give us rest. We won't have to worry about a thing anymore because now, God is in control. |
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