Are you willing to make difficult choices to move forward into the New Year?

You often don’t see me doing this but I would like to share my notes from my husband’s sermon this past Sunday.  The points were excellent and things to ponder as we move into a New Year fresh and with a blank slate.

            I’ve been a church goer for years and lately I have been pondering lately how easy it is to just go to church, put in your hour or two and then live the rest of the week the way we want only to start all over again the next Sunday.  But there’s so much more to it than that.  I’ve known people that have “gone to church” for 20 or 30 years but never made the difficult choices to implement actually living their daily lives for Christ.  Oh what they are missing.  Maybe you’re missing the same?  It’s easy to do certain things but it difficult to do others.  Here’s the list:

                               EASY                                                  DIFFICULT

1.  To sit in church each Sunday         1. To actually BE the church

2. To be fed (God’s Word)                     2. To feed others (God’s Word)

3. To be served                                          3. To serve others-following Christ’s example

4. To be critical                                         4. To be encouraging

5. To hate                                                    5. To love like Jesus did (it’s a decision)

6. To hold a grudge                                  6. To forgive

7. To everything (or think you do)     7. To be teachable-talk less, listen more

8. To read the Bible                                 8. To DO the Bible

9. To pray by talking                               9. To pray by listening

10. To receive Jesus                                 10.  To actually follow Jesus

 

I have put this list on the mirror in my bedroom because this year I want to be reminded daily to be doing the things in the difficult column. I want to encourage you not to take the easy way out.  Don’t just go to church and sit there waiting to get, get, get.  Find out who Jesus is and what He did. Be ready to go out into the world and BE the church, BE Jesus, DO what He did.