Are you a good neighbor?

“I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. 
Do you know your next door neighbor?”  Mother Teresa

State Farm coined the phrase in their commercials: “Like a Good Neighbor State Farm Is There.” It’s a great philosophy to have, but it didn’t originate with them. The concept of being a good neighbor is original with God and the Bible. When the Lord Jesus was asked to sum up all of God’s commands into one command, He said that we are to love God with everything we have and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). The genius of the Great Commandment is that it’s so simple yet so powerful. Unfortunately, most of us have generalized “neighbor” yet then fail to do anything specifically to love our neighbors. We’ve turned it into a nice saying with no action.

  Think about how wonderful it would be if we took the Great Commandment literally…if we started with loving our neighbors in our very own neighborhoods, where we live? When we build relationships in our neighborhoods and communities, not only are the lives and the families around us affected, but those relationships also begin to connect to God’s story of salvation. It transforms us into having more of the heart of God.

  This year we’re focusing on growing in our neighbor relationships. We want everyone in our church family to participate, even if it’s a small step. It’s simple: build relationships with those right outside your front door.

  America has a new epidemic. It can’t be treated with traditional therapies even though it has debilitating and deadly consequences. The problem seeping in at the corners of our neighborhoods is loneliness. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, hoping to generate awareness of the cost of loneliness in one media interview said: “Most of us probably think of loneliness as just a bad feeling. It turns out that loneliness has far greater implications for our health when we struggle with a sense of social disconnection, being lonely or isolated.” Loneliness is detrimental to mental and physical health and can lead to an increased risk of heart disease, dementia, or stroke. According to Dr. Jeremy Nobel, founder of The Foundation for Art and Healing: “Loneliness won’t just make you miserable, but loneliness will kill you.”

  In every worship service at Grace, we have a short time to greet each other. It’s not only because the New Testament commands believers to greet each other, it’s a small step to combat loneliness and begin to build fellowship. The DNA of Christianity is relationships. It begins with a relationship with Jesus. Once we’ve committed our life to Him and are a Christ-follower, we have a new family of brothers and sisters. In the church greeting each other serves as more than just a way to say hello, it symbolizes unity, forgiveness, and hope. It helps bring individuals and groups together. Being committed to breaking out of your personal comfort zone is crucial for believers who want to grow, honor God and demonstrate His love to others.

  We also want to connect with others who may be attending and don’t yet know our Savior. Friendliness and relationships open the door for us to share the one essential relationship. As strangers see that we care, it’s easier for them to believe that God cares about…because He does.

  It’s why for the last few weeks we’ve been encouraging you to make a special treat for your neighbors (we’re even supplying the mixes). It’s been fulfilling to receive some of the feedback of those who have done this. Yet, as your pastor it’s been discouraging how few who are part of the Grace Family have committed to partnering on this. It’s something like 10% of our church. We can do better than this. We must care about our neighbors. It’s not optional if you’re a Christ-follower. It’s a command. So, please join us and let us know the response that you receive. I know that it stretches some of us. By nature, I’m an introvert. What motivates me must motivate all of us – we care because Jesus cares. And it could be the beginning of God working in their lives. It starts by knowing our neighbors.

  So, do you know the names of your neighbors, even the ones two or three doors down or across the street? Do you know the names of their children? 

  Ron Clements said, “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” You may remember the story of then Green Bay Packers running back, Aaron Jones in May of 2018. It was all over the news. Aaron Jones was a Good Samaritan. He came off a plane and noticed an elderly woman standing there with no one to help her and without any way to transport herself to her destination, so he jumped in. He found a wheelchair and took her to her destination. Someone caught it on camera, uploaded it online and it went viral. When the media picked up on the story, they called Jones a “Good Samaritan.”
  Are you a “Good Samaritan?” God has called us to reach our community and neighborhoods. Here are some questions that I believe you’ll find helpful to you as you partner with God on His mission.

  How am I loving others? That seems like a simple question. However, if we define love as putting others before ourselves and sacrificing our own resources for the sake of others, it’s worth asking. This helps us live a life that is not primarily about our own advantage, progress, and self-preservation or even our own family. Have I given recently to meet the needs of others even though it costs me money or time?

  How am I paying attention to “the least of these”? It’s easy to love those who are like us but harder to even notice or love those different than us. If we’re blessed with a life that reflects the results of a solid education, good health, strong relationships, comfortable shelter, and sufficient income, then how can we show hospitality to the least of these? Those words are found in Matthew 25, where they refer to the hungry, strangers, prisoners, or the sick. How am I paying attention to the weaker members in my neighborhood? Want a great place to start? Stop and listen. You’ll be amazed at how many long to share their story if we take the time to listen.

  Who am I eating with? Sharing food around a table, even if it’s dessert or soup helps us prioritize others in our community. If we’re always eating with those similar to us, it’s time to invite outside of our comfortable circle to our table so that relational growth can take place and respect for each other’s differences can grow. If you have underage children, work to make your home the safe, enjoyable place other kids want to come to.

  Am I inviting people to join me? As we work as a church family to grow, are we reaching out to others? When we embody this picture of God’s grace, peace, and reconciliation, we’ll have opportunities with others to share the gospel, the only hope for this world. God has called each Christ-follower to be a good neighbor. Are you obeying? If the Lord were handing out grades on this, what grade would you get?

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Spiritual Community is Essential

 

“Community is much more than belonging to something. 
It’s about doing something together that makes belonging matter.”

 

Post-Covid, it’s been widely reported that the social isolation during the pandemic has led to increased mental health problems like insomnia, anger, fear, anxiety, stress, depression and even suicidal thoughts and attempts worldwide. All of this isn’t surprising. God designed us to be social creatures. The isolation of the pandemic disturbed the worldwide state of mind. Our world experienced firsthand the dark side of being devoid of human interaction and touch at a new and disastrous level. It affected sleep cycles and sleep is one of the body's natural healers. With good sleep, a person loses attention towards unpleasant events, thereby being renewed with energy and zeal. When it’s hampered, it leads to suicidal tendencies.   

  The bottom line is that God has designed us for community.  This morning we’re completing our study of the “one another” statements in the New Testament. We only worked through a few of them, yet there are 59 of these “one another” commands in the New Testament. It’s just under 60 exhortations to actually do something for another brother or sister in Christ. These are behaviors we do out of an overflow of our relationship with Jesus, but they’re not things that we do solely unto the Lord Jesus. Other believers must be involved in order to fulfill them. They’re lived out in our ongoing relationship with other Christians. The primary place that we interact with other believers is in the local church family. While you can intellectually learn these commands by watching a worship service remotely or by listening or reading the material, they can’t be obeyed and applied without physical contact and interaction. In other words, it’s just not the same if YOU aren’t with us at church.
  Going to church is not about getting your attendance gold star. It’s not about gaining God’s favor because you got together with His people. Church is not a place to go, it’s a family, a living body that God wants you to be a part of for your good and His glory. Faithfully attending worship services helps combat two of the greatest enemies that we have to Christlikeness in American culture: busyness & individualism.
  In American culture, we’re so busy and there are so many options. Anyone who chooses to attend church for worship has potentially said “no” to another half a dozen options. The problem is that the vast majority of them aren’t bad things. They’re just not usually the best things. For example, many work six days a week. Sunday is often the only day to catch up on rest and rest is a good thing. Yet, the better thing is that, if at all possible, we need spiritual rest for our souls that we find as we worship.
  Then, we’re bombarded with the message of “I’ve got to take care of ME.” If we break out of “me,” it often only devolves into the small circle of the “we” of my family. Is “me time” a good thing? Yes. Is “we time” of family a good thing? Yes. Yet, the better is the “we” of our church family. With the almost cultlike emphasis of “me” time, one would think that we are going to be in heaven alone – just me and Jesus – but we’re not.
  God designed us for community. While each person is born again individually, one can’t be a solo healthy Christian. God designed us for each other. The local church is the best place for spiritual growth. While you can be self-taught when it comes to education, or work alone and be successful. You can even exercise alone to increase your physical health. Yet, the Bible is clear, you can’t increase your spiritual health and maturity alone. Why should we make worshipping together a priority?
  You are needed. Although it is counter-intuitive, helping others is the most effective way to help yourself. We’ve been programmed today to be consumers. Buy more, earn more, spend more. It’s self-focused has us constantly thinking about ourselves, what we need and want. God built you to be in service to others. There are needs in the body of Christ (the church family) that only you can fill. There are people who need your voice, your face, and your life experience. The more you try to fill your life with your wants, the emptier it becomes. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you,” (Matthew 6:33).
  It’s a place to give and receive grace. Most of the time when someone says why they quit going to church, it’s because of something hurtful someone said or did. We have all been there. The Bible says that when this happens, we are to confront the offender, “speaking the truth in love,” (Ephesians 4:15). The local church must be a place of kindness and gentleness. Rude or unthoughtful brothers and sisters need grace and instruction as much as anyone. We can model and teach kindness in how we talk to them about their words and actions. Without your loving intervention, those same people might push others away from Christ.
  It’s noteworthy too that someone will quit attending a church if they feel they’re mistreated, yet most of us are mistreated periodically at our jobs but we rarely walk off in a huff without trying first to resolve matters. It says a lot about what we value more, money or spiritual family.
  It is vital for your spiritual health. The Body of Christ is not just Jesus dying on the cross. The New Testament often speaks of being “in the body” of Christ. The Body of Christ is the local assembly of those who gather to honor and worship Him. That’s simply not possible if you’re not physically gathering with other believers. Skipping physical worship hurts us. Much as a biological family needs physical interaction, we need personal interaction with our brothers and sisters in Christ. While God does not judge us based on our attendance, Hebrews 10:24 does urge us, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
  It’s no coincidence that the world has gone mad while church attendance has dropped to record lows. Ultimately, there’s nothing more important that you can do for yourself, your family, our community, and even our country than gathering with spiritual brothers and sisters to weekly worship King Jesus. He designed us to need Him and each other!

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Investing Generationally

 

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” 

                                                                                Isaac Newton

 

In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, famed Greek soldier Odysseus is off battling in the Trojan War. Meanwhile, his son Telemachus is left with the warrior’s trusted friend, Mentor. For 20 years, Odysseus’ military campaign kept him away from home. Upon his return, he found his son a grown and mature man—thanks to Mentor’s wise and careful tutelage. 

  Over the years, Homer’s mentor has become synonymous with teaching and leading. It’s a badge given to those who serve as role models and human standards. 

  At Grace, we talk a lot about that the Bible teaches that as believers we’re a family. It must be more than rhetoric. It means that in our church we must be spiritual brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers. If there was ever a time when a generation needed more family, more Dads, and Moms, it’s today. 

  Yet, you can’t speak into the next generation’s lives if you’re arrogant or insulting. The term “snowflake” is an offensive addition to the cultural vernacular. It’s used as an insulting way to refer to a young person who is easily offended, especially by opinions different from their own. Calling someone names won’t help build bridges or speak helpfully into the lives of the next generation. No one likes to be lectured or chewed out. 

  When I was a boy, the worst hour of my week was having my Dad take me to the barbershop. For the entire drive, there and back, he’d lecture me on what a terrible person I was and that I’d never amount to anything. Unfortunately, it was a common approach for his generation, particularly with their children. Archie Bunker was symbolic of a generation. 

  Christians must be different. We must live out 1 Timothy 4:12: “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” If we want to make a difference in young lives, we must be kind, respectful, and listen. Perhaps if we did, a younger generation would be less inclined to tune us out. 

  The Christian life is one of investing in the lives of others. Jesus did it. Moses did it. Solomon did it. Paul did it…and so must we. It’s homework that’s spread over a lifetime. It’s the assignment that counts most in the classroom of spiritual growth and leadership. Mentoring should begin early. There are always those coming behind us who could use our help. 

  Personally, I’m continually amazed at the thoughtful insights of a younger generation within our own church. We’re blessed with several young leaders who have a heart for the Lord and blessed with wisdom beyond their years. Yet, many of them are looking for a father or mother figure as they navigate marriage, child-rearing, career, etc. 

  Recently, I shared with my small group that one of my great burdens at Grace is our lack of intergenerational interaction. We have been given an opportunity to mentor, to speak into the lives of others from other generations, yet seem to be missing this opportunity. 

  There are various reasons this has developed. First, we’re most comfortable with those who are like us – chronologically, economically, maritally, even number or age of our children. It’s also how our culture typically divides. 

  Secondly, God has blessed us and we’re a growing church. As a result, we have many, many new people at our church. Very few though grew up in our church. Some churches are a “family church” where multiple generations from the same family grew up in the same church. That’s rarely the case at Grace. Instead, many are either new to Grace or even new to the area. Age is rarely a factor. We have young and old who have uprooted and transplanted to our community and our church. 

  This lack of roots makes a need for “family” much greater. Many of those who are younger in our church do not have parents, grandparents, or even siblings close by. Older adults often don’t have children or lifelong friends close by. There’s a sense of uprootedness, feeling disconnected and lonely. 

  Making new friends or connections is risky. Some, unfortunately, play it safe. Church is little more than a weekly event without being a relational family. They put their hour in and scoot quickly out the door. There’s a big problem with that. It’s not a biblical model and it’s not our DNA at Grace.

  Others find a few friends and latch on to them. It was a risk to find new friends and now that they’ve found them, they’re comfortable. Without meaning too, they become a closed circle (it’s a nice word for clique, sorry). While most of us find that we’re more comfortable with a certain circle of friends, it’s wrong to close our circle. 

  How can we fulfill the Great Commission when our circle is closed? And we easily reach a spiritual saturation point where our friends are no longer challenging us to grow spiritually and we aren’t challenging them.

  The Christian life is not to plateau. God has called us as He did the Children of Israel to possess “a land of mountains and valleys” (Deut. 11:11). If we’re not taking new ground or gaining new relationships, we’re stagnating spiritually and relationally. The Bible continually compares the Christian life to a walk. Walking requires continual forward progress.

  Some will rationalize that others aren’t friendly to them so they don’t reach out. It’s a sinful selfie perspective. Jesus commands us to serve not to be served, that includes “serving” by reaching out to make new friends.

  We need each other to grow spiritually. Each of us can mentor and be mentored. Yet, while it’s vital for our spiritual health, it pushes our comfort zones. The Christian life is not about being comfortable.

  So, let me challenge you to reach out to those you’ve not reached out to within our church. You’ll be shocked at how wonderful and interesting they are. You’ll find that you’re stretched spiritually which we constantly need.

  Here’s a simple way to start – move! Sit in a different area of the church. If you sit in the back, sit in the front. If you sit on the right, sit on the left. 

  Then, commit to having a meal once a month or once a quarter with someone outside of your normal friend circle. If you’re nervous, go to a restaurant so it will be time-limited. Just do it. Cross-generational lines. It’s an opportunity to mentor and be mentored. All of us can grow in this area. 

  One of our best models that we have at Grace of this is Montez Thompson. Though in her nineties Montez is flexible and growing. Periodically, she’ll go out with a group of ladies from Grace, all from different generations. (Subtle hint…if you want in on this, Montez loves Red Lobster). If someone in their nineties still has that kind of flexibility and vision, what’s wrong with the rest of us? Let’s do it! Please start today! 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

No Lone Ranger Christians

“Some Christians try to go to heaven alone, in solitude. But believers are not compared to bears or lions or other animals that wander alone. Those who belong to Christ are sheep in this respect, that they love to get together. Sheep go in flocks, and so do God’s people.”   Charles Spurgeon

If you boiled down the Christian life to one word what would it word be? At the risk of being too simplistic, I believe the word would be relationships. When Jesus was asked the most important commandment, He talked first about our relationship with God and then with others. He pointedly indicated one’s relationship with others must be a close second to our relationship with God. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets’” (Matt. 22:35-40). Relationships are at the heart of Christian living.

  As a human being, community is in your design. We were created by God to live in vital relationships with each other. To understand why community is so vital, we must understand that we’re made in the image of God—and exactly what sort of God in whose image we were made.

  In Genesis we learn that humans are made in the image of the triune God. This means that, as humans, we’re made in the image of a God who is a “We,” not a “Me.” You’ll notice in Genesis that God says, “let US make man in our image.” God’s three-ness has huge implications for what it means to be human. Since we’re made in the image of the God who exists in community, we’re a being who has community hard-wired into our DNA. We’re designed for community. When we ignore relationships, we cut against the grain of our very humanity. We can’t isolate ourselves without becoming deeply broken and lonely.

  God told Adam at the beginning, “it is not good for man to be alone.” Adam was lonely not because he was imperfect, but because he was perfectly made in the image of the God of community. There was no sin, there were no relationship breakdowns. He was designed for “other,” not just self.  

  At Grace Church, we are committed to community. We are committed to being part of God’s solution to eradicate loneliness and don’t want anyone to be alone. We were built to know and be known because we’re made in the Father’s image.

  Our Grace  Community groups exist to foster this basic “life together” for which we were built. They’re vital to healthy Christian living. Yes, they will help us grow in our knowledge of God and His Word BUT that’s not their main purpose. Their main purpose is to help us draw closer to each other by drawing closer to the Lord. It’s unusual to find a growing Christian who is not part of some type of small group. That’s because…

  We are redeemed for community. When Adam fell into sin, we were not only separated from God, we were also separated from each another. The world was relationally fractured, resulting in racism, murders, strife, alienation, and every other kind of societal breakdown. A critical aspect of God’s work in Christ is to heal broken relationships caused by sin. And God has a wonderful plan for relational healing – the local church. God is a community-forming God. He never brings a person into a relationship with Himself, without bringing them into a relationship with others.

  In the New Testament the local church is described with strikingly intense metaphors. Christians are likened to “living stones” in a holy temple. We’re called “fellow citizens” of the kingdom of God and “members of the same household.” Throughout the New Testament we’re called “brothers and sisters.” Scripture is wonderfully clear. The gospel unites us in relationships closer than even with our blood relatives. Jesus connects people of different classes, races and genders into “one new man.”

  It’s impossible to be a Christian on your own. It’s a violation of God’s plan and it’s a sin to be a “Lone Ranger” Christian. God has redeemed you to be in a deep, rich, close-knit community.

  Love is the identifying behavior of a Christian. Jesus said, ““By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). The only way you can know that you love other believers is if you actually spend time with them and know them. You can’t truly love someone you don’t know or have little contact with.

  There’s a famous character in Dostoyevsky’s Brother’s Karamazov who considers himself a humanitarian. He loves humanity and gives lots of his money to charities. The problem is that he hates people.

  The power of the early church is seen in that former enemies (Jews & Gentiles) live together as “brothers and sisters” in a close-knit community. Community is the context where our love is tested. How do I know if I love others? You must get to know a real “other.” You get into close Christian community with a person that’s different than yourself, even a person who was once an enemy. Community is the only place where God’s agape love is revealed. That kind of love happens best in small groups.

  Community matters enough to be prioritized. It must be more than an afterthought. It must be our focus.

  It grieves me that many in our church miss this vital aspect of the Christian life. We’ve sought to make our groups very convenient in that many of them meet on Sundays after the morning service. There’s not a more important ministry in the life of our church than our small groups. It’s truly that important. They begin again on September 15^th at 10:45 am.

  Please plan to join one. Please make it a priority! Your spiritual health depends on it!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Some Righteous Resolutions

“Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” Carl Bard

  Every year, around 45% of Americans seize upon the desire for a fresh start at New Year’s and make one or more resolutions. We determine to lose weight, exercise more, quit smoking, or get out of debt. We feel determined. We join a fitness center or a 12-step program. We create a plan for change. Yet every year, 97% of us fail. Early efforts prove to be a flash in the pan. In the end, we forget and quit. It’s over and nothing changes.

  Please do make some of those needed changes and stick with them. Yet, let me add to that – consider what really counts, the eternal and spiritual. If you get out of debt, lose weight or stop smoking – it only counts for this short life. Changes though in our spiritual life make a difference in eternity. It’s the difference between buying a gift for someone at the Dollar Store or at Neiman Marcus. Which would you rather have? So let me share some suggestions on eternal changes to consider.

  Reading your Bible daily. This is one of the most important commitments a Christian can make. Each day we must make decisions and want to accomplish something. If you begin your day with the Bible, you’ve already accomplished one of the most important things you’ll do that day. You’ve spent time with your Heavenly Father who loves you and knows exactly what you’re going to face that day. It’s best to start small and be systematic. If you’ve never done this before, begin with one of the Gospels. Read a chapter or least half a chapter a day. I’d consider adding a chapter from Proverbs. The book of Proverbs has 31 chapters and you can easily read the chapter that coincides with the day. Perhaps you’ve never read the Bible through. There are several Bible reading plans available. We have one on the back table available and a link at the bottom of this week’s Sword Challenge that will direct you to four different options.   

  Committed prayer time. Reading our Bible is allowing our Father to speak to us through His love letter. Prayer is our conversing back with Him. Too often our prayer life is little more than a grocery list. How would we feel if the only time that we heard from a friend was when they needed something? God wants us to talk to Him. But it’s normal to struggle with what to pray about. I love this simple approach called A.C.T.S. Adoration: Give God praise and honor for who He is as Lord over all. Confession: Honestly deal with sin in your life. Thanksgiving: Verbalize what you're grateful for. Supplication: Pray for the needs of others and yourself.

  Commit to worship and community. God designed us for worship and community. Our struggle is that there are so many options and we seemingly have so many things to do. It’s easy to deceive ourselves in to thinking that we’re faithful in worship if we attend once or twice a month. Let me encourage you to commit to attending every Sunday unless you’re providentially hindered. And determine to make some type of Grace Group part of your life, whether it’s one that meets on Sundays or one that meets every other week on a weeknight. Since sin entered the world, we’re resistant to community. We like to keep others, even brothers and sisters in Christ, at a safe distance and not let them glimpse into our souls. Community is essential to our spiritual health and growth. You will never grow spiritually and have all that God has for you ALONE. 

  Grow past that sinful habit that keeps throwing you spiritually. For some it may be something overt like substance abuse, porn addiction, anger or materialism. For most of us though, it’s an attitude which pops up as a sinful behavior. First, remember that it’s already paid for and conquered at the Cross, and your Heavenly Father already knows about it. But you can never just stop something. Scripture teaches the principle of godly replacement. Check out Ephesians 4 for a wonderful model of leaving something and replacing it with something godly, eternal and better. This might be one where you ask a mature Christian friend to help and share with you where he/she thinks that you most need to grow. Most of us are blind to our own spiritual weak spots. Our attitudes are usually the biggest barriers to a vibrant relationship with the Lord and with others. Some of the more common sinful attitudes are arrogance, a critical or negative spirit, a selfish one, or even a fearful or doubting spirit.  

  Grow in generosity. If you focus on the other four, the Spirit will make this one nearly happen spontaneously. First, praise God each day for His countless blessings. Then, most of us need to grow and learn to be lavish in our praise toward those closest to us. Praise and affirm the ones that God has brought directly into your life – your spouse and children. For many of us, one encouraging word a day would be a huge step forward. How sad that we often are kinder and more gracious with a clerk in a store.

  Then, be generous in sharing your faith. Everyone that you meet will spend eternity somewhere. Ask the Lord for daily opportunities to share the gospel and seek to build gospel bridges. Finally, be generous with your time and money. Ours is a narcissistic world, but we are not of this world. Those who are spiritually mature and love the Lord are always generous. You can’t be close to a generous God without becoming generous as He is. 

  Finally, write it down and date it. Writing it down helps keep us accountable. You might ask a godly friend to be your accountability partner. As you look back at it at the end of 2018, it will encourage you. You probably won’t get as far as you desire, yet you’re headed in the right direction! And God is more interested in our direction than in our distance. 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.