Paul said in Philippians 3:8, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

In Christ there is a spiritual treasure that turns earthly treasures into garbage. Paul has a way of playing the game, winning, and then saying the game is bunk. He does it, for example, in 2 Corinthians 11:21–12:11 where he lists his “superior” achievements and then says, “I have been a fool! You forced me to it” (2 Corinthians 12:11). In other words, I can play your game of measuring myself by your standards, win, and then call it all worthless. It is fool’s play!

In the above passage gaining Christ is all that mattered to Paul. As referenced above he said, “For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”. In context to “gain” means to get all that Christ is for us in heaven, not just on earth. Paul previously said, “To live is Christ and to die is gain” (Eph 1:21), because “to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Eph 1:23).

Futhermore, Paul will later tell the church in Philippians 3:12 that, “He press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of him.”

Brothers and Sisters, it’s abundantly clear that part of what makes human achievement a pile of garbage compared to Christ is that soon (and very soon!) we are going to meet the KING—in a far more full, intimate, stunning, and satisfying capacity.

At the end of the day and obviously at the end of our natural lives, Jesus Christ will be both the treasure we all cherish and the One who provided the right to possess or “gain” this magnificent treasure. In Christ and Christ alone we have an irrefutable and inalienable right to know and gain Christ. And that is all we should ever truly desire because in a nutshell that is the gospel aka good news!

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#ToGainInChrist

Psalm 105:4 says, “Look to the Lord to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.”

Looking to God in Christ Jesus means meditating on who “I Am” is and we are able to “find” who He is all throughout Scripture.

As a sidebar, in many contexts, the phrase “to look to God” is synonymous with praying.

Brothers and Sisters, Learning to look to God in everything—to know Him, to trust Him, and to wait for Him—is a life-long process. However, we must be intentional in order to grow, but we mustn’t get discouraged or overwhelm! As you know, all relationships require commitment and time in order for the relationship to flourish!

Therefore, if you don’t have anyone to talk to or listen to you, LOOK UP! God hears you, He listens to you, and He loves you more than you’ll ever know. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now unto Him is who able to do exceedingly-abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us!”

Lastly, looking to God is a habit we fix in ourselves. We have to take it one step at a time and keep going. I encourage you to “look up”and meditate on these scriptures and apply them to your daily conversations with the Lord our God: Isaiah 17:7-8, Psalm 34:5, Hebrews 12:1, Psalm 104:27, 145:15, and Micah 7:7!

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#Look🆙

Undoubtedly, God knows what we need, who we need, and when we need it! After Jesus told His disciples what prayer wasn’t and before He cited the model prayer (what prayer is) Jesus told them in Matthew 6:8, “Your Father knows what you need even before you ask Him.”

Now, you might be asking yourself if God in Christ already knows what we need before we ask, why do we have to pray?

The short answer is God wants to establish and build a relationship with us through prayer.

Brothers and sisters, if your childhood was anything like mines then you were once told that, “A close mouth don’t get fed.”

That being said, prayer is never a revelation to God but it’s the only way for us to receive what we need from Him (Heb. 4:16). He tells us the reason we don’t have what we need is because we haven’t asked or because we are asking selfishly (James 4:2-4).

Outside of meeting our needs, prayer is also critically important to all believers because we have an enemy, the devil, who wants to rob ALL of us of the good things God wants to give us and prayer is God’s way for us to stand firm against the devil’s malicious, deceitful, and covert tricks (Eph. 6:18).

In closing, God knows what we need even before we ask, but He still wants to hear from YOU! When we pray with selfless expectations (believing) and thanksgiving God chases away out worries and fills our hearts and minds with His peace (Phil. 4:6-7).

The radiant beauty in prayer is that God desires for us to talk with Him and to tell Him our needs and all we need to do is spend more time in prayer (I Thessalonians 5:17).

Here’s an easy “shoe-in” 2023 New Year’s resolution…. commit to praying daily!

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#NAP

#PrayerEqualsRelationship

Unfortunately, we have the tendency to put our trust in a lot of things, whether material or not. We trust our car that it’ll get us from point A to point B when we get behind the wheel. We trust the dentist and doctor that by their expert care we will keep all of our teeth and body. And so forth and so on.

But Proverbs 3:5-6 undoubtedly tells us in crystal clear english whom we should put our trust in, first and foremost!

We’ve been entrusted and commanded to put our entire trust in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior who came as God in the flesh to provide the ultimate sacrifice for our sins so that we may have everlasting life through Him (John 3:16 ESV).

God is unequivocally sovereign, self-sufficient, all-powerful, and able. He meets ALL our needs, blesses us daily and in Him there is no variation, no shadow of turning. (James 1:17 ESV).

Hallelujah, He is the same, yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Brothers and sisters, God wants it ALL because putting only a bit of your trust in Him and spreading some of the remaining trust in other things doesn’t work.

That being said, trusting in the Lord means to fully and completely rely on the Lord’s protection, providence, power, and promises, while trusting that He will direct our paths. This is not blind faith. In fact, it is an informed, intelligent wide-eyed faith.

If you been struggling like we always do, surrender all your worries and anxiety in the hands of God because the Lord is able, He will not fail you, and He will provide for you. Trust Him!

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#TrustInTheLord

When the vice grips of life (struggles or difficulties) began to tighten, it’s easy for us to become plagued with doubts, wandering if God hears or listens to our prayer.

Even David, a man after God’s own heart, faced the same fears. This led him to cry out in Psalm 22: 1-2, which says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.”

If you are feeling a little like David today, my prayers goes out to “you” who are suffering in silence and don’t believe “you” have anyone to talk to. I want you know that God knows, sees, cares, and loves you! His ears are always ready to listen… even when you don’t think He hears your voice!

Jeremiah 29:12-13 gives us a wonderful reminder about the God we serve as it relates to our prayers. The OT prophet said, “Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”

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#NAP

#GodListens

The deepest level of worship is praising God through our pain, thanking God during our trials, trusting Him when we’re tempted to lose hope, and loving Him even when He seems silent or distant.

Romans 8:18 reminds us that, “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.”

I am so thankful for God’s reassuring word because this has been one of the most difficult years I’ve ever experienced in my life. That being said, here are a few positive spiritual reminders God is showing me in my present valley:

*At my lowest, God is my hope 😊

*At my darkest, God is my light.☀️

*At my weakest, God is my strength.💪🏾

*At my saddest, God is my comforter.🫶🏾

Brothers and Sisters, worship and praise is not only a command, but a gift we give to God. It’s a sacrifice of our heart – giving Him our best, even when we don’t feel up to it. The more we worship and praise God and give Him this gift, the more we’ll be filled with God’s love to share with others.

So, if you’re struggling this Christmas season and the trials of life is leaving you worn out and weary, remember worshipping and praising God will always fill your empty, torn, or broken heart with joy, peace, and strength.

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#WorshipAndPraise

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

In order for us to fully appreciate His birth in a stable (tis the season), we must first appreciate the reason He left a borrowed tomb empty (tis the reason)!

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#OurBlessedSavior

Jesus is the light of the world. He was sent into the world to cast out darkness: to point people to God, to call people to repentance for their sins, and to empower His followers to do good works that bring glory to God.

John 8:12 says, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

As faithful followers of Jesus we are called to live according to God’s standards and as a result of that act of obedience we too become the light of the world (His hands and feet), pointing others to God’s greatness, faithfulness, and forgiveness.

Matthew 5:14-16 confirms, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

My brothers and sisters, they’re several other passages of text (approx 25) about the light of the world that will encourage you and I to confront spiritual darkness through faith in Jesus Christ. So never forget that as the world becomes darker, Christ light always shines brighter!

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#LightOfTheWorld

Unfortunately, as easy as it to know that God is love; it’s equally easy to forget that God loves you! Yes, God LOVES you and He is ready to embrace you with His arms of Love.

I John 4:8 says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

God loves ALL of His children tenderly, the way a true Father loves His precious children. God is the only one that knows us through and through. He also understand us completely. That’s why we can go to God with all our questions, doubts, fears, and all of ours struggles. He already knows them anyway! It’s not necessary to explain anything to God because He already knows, sees, and cares!

God knows our love language because He created them. His love is so much greater than we will ever fully and completely understand. On top of all that, God love for us in Christ Jesus is unbreakable, impenetrable, and impervious! Romans 8:39 confirms, “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I don’t know about you, but I believe this is good news and I hope you’re encouraged, empowered, and inspired today! If for whatever reason(s), you think for a moment that you’re not worthy of God’s love or God is angry with you; trust me you are made worthy in Christ and God is not angry with you!

Unequivocally, God cares for you with all His heart. He longs to fill you with His love, grace, mercy, favor, and make you His beloved child forever and ever.

#BeStrong

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#NAP

#GodIsLove