Important

God created us to do important jobs for His Kingdom. He invites us to be involved in bringing His Kingdom to Earth.

“Do not think in your heart that you will escape ... For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise ... from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14

God wants to use us to help bring His kingdom to life on Earth, but we have to decide to get involved. If we choose to remain on the sidelines, God’s Will will still be done, but we will miss out on a chance to be involved in it. God put you on His team because He wants you to be involved. Don’t be lazy, don’t be silent, don’t give up on the important things God has for you.

Other things may change you, but you start and end with family.

Whether your family was broken or not, you were born out of an intimate relationship (family). The people who will be there for us when we are sick and the ones who will show up to our funeral are our family. Family is what matters most—both how we uphold the legacy from “your father’s house” and how we raised up the next generation.

Moral virtue doesn't happen by accident; moral virtue is acquired.

We acquire moral virtue by observing the world around us. As we observe God’s created universe, we understand that our world is governed by a set of laws—both physical and moral. The more we learn and live by the laws, the better our life becomes. When we learn to observe and obey the law of gravity, we will expect to fall down when we fall forward. When we understand the moral laws of the universe, we will live so that we expect the “natural” consequences of our actions. Many verses express the concept “Keep my commandments and live” (Proverbs 4:4, 7:2). We acquire moral virtue by deciding to live by the moral laws God created.

Are you on God's here I am list?

Abraham, Moses, Samuel and many of the prophets gave the simple response: Here I am. (Genesis 22:11, Exodus 3:4, 1 Samuel 3:4). Two examples who didn’t respond with a response of availability are Adam, who hid, and Jonah, who ran away. The first step to being useful to God is being available. We all have things God has called us to do, but while we are doing those things, we have to be ready and available to let God interrupt our agenda. “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8). As we live by the Spirit, we have to have a sense of flexibility about us as we listen to the Spirit.