Flourish Even More in 2024

Happy New Year!!

    I hope that as you look back on the past year you find that you have grown in some areas and as we enter a new year together I encourage you to continue in your growth and Flourish Even More in 2024

    To prepare yourself for this daily resolute determination, consider this passage:

“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my Rock, and there is now unrighteousness in Him.” (Psalm 92:12-15 NKJV)

“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree…”

    If you would like to flourish like a palm this year you must be righteous. How can you be righteous? By putting off your former conduct and being renewed in the spirit of your mind so you can put on the new man created according to God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:20-24) – following God’s way will provide all with you need to know to be right in His sight and holy in all your conduct (1 Peter 1:15-16) – but please note, that knowing what is right is not enough, you must put it into practice and do what is right (James 1:21-25)

    You must practice righteousness (1 John 3:7). To practice means to continually do, to keep trying, to build up your ability and consistency to do properly to the best of your ability. Through reading and study you will find out what is acceptable to Him (Ephesians 5:8-10) and when you ask for wisdom (James 1:5) you can, in wisdom, understand what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:15-17), which should lead you to do His will.

    It is in the knowing and the doing that you will discover wonderful blessings (Psalm 34:8, Matthew 6:44, Ephesians 1:3-14) and realize that His guidelines (the freedoms and the prohibitions) are all for our good, and you will prove, to yourself and to others, that His will is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).

    Just as the extraordinary cedars of Lebanon, renowned for their longevity and characteristic strength, begin by anchoring themselves in the earth and then spend their lifespan actively growing toward the sun, if you begin by rooting yourself deeply in the truth and anchoring yourself in it, you will flourish; in your lifetime you will reach untold heights, become known for your stick-to-it-ive-ness, and strength of character as you actively grow closer to the Son!

“Those planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God”

    What is the house of the LORD? Consider Hebrews 3:6 where it states that Christs is over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. We could now consider this “house” as the church, which is Christ’s body – and God adds to it (or plants in it) those who are being saved (Acts 2:47).

Side note: Consider how one becomes part of the body of Christ by reading Romans 6:1-3, Galatians 3:27, and 1 Corinthians 12:13

    Once you are planted by God in His wondrous courts the root of the righteous cannot be moved (Proverbs 12:3, Psalm 62:5-7 – nothing and nobody can remove you unless you choose to uproot yourself, Romans 8:31-39). You can flourish in the courts of our God because He provides all we need to do exactly that (Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 3:20, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)!

“They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing…”

    Throughout your lifetime, at every stage of life, you can bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) as you continue your daily practice of righteousness. Consider 2 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” Whatever age you are at, there is SO much you can do!

Do not give up! Keep going! Keep growing!!

Be determined to flourish even more in 2024!!

You can do it! So can I!!

Walking as a Christian: Our Five Senses – Touch

    Our hands are probably the first body parts we think of when talking about our sense of touch; they are certainly an important part of that sense and we should consider them and be careful to use them and our ability to touch for good, as God intended.     

We Need to Hold Fast to What is Good

“Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9b NKJV)

    Throughout the Bible we find either direct instruction or mention (in psalm or prayer) of the need to ‘cling’ and ‘hold fast’ to the LORD, His word, and His ways. Turn to and read these Old Testament passages: Deuteronomy 4:1-6, 10:20-21, 30:20, and Psalm 119:30-32. In the New Testament we find these same terms used (please turn to and read these passages to see them in their entirety):

• 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 “…by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you…”
• Philippians 2:14-16 “…holding fast the word of life…”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 “Hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
• 1 Timothy 6:12 “…lay hold on eternal life, to which you were called…”
• 1 Timothy 6:19 “…lay hold on eternal life”
• Hebrews 3:6 “…whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end”
• Hebrews 2:14 “For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning our confidence steadfast to the end.”
• Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering…”
• Revelation 3:11 “Behold I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

Hold fast (OT Hebrew #1692) ‘dabaq’ means to cling, to cleave, keep close, be loyal. In the NT this phrase comes from the Greek ‘katecho’ (G#2722) which means to bind, take possession of, lay hold on/of, keep secure.

    Clinging, laying hold on, and holding fast are active, ongoing determinations of effort. Having come to a place of spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9-11, Psalm 119:97-106, Proverbs 9:10, 2 Timothy 3:16-17) and comprehending the value of God, His word, and His way, we bind ourselves to them and work to not only maintain our hold but strengthen it every day. We spiritually root ourselves deeper into the solid foundation of Truth (Matthew 7:24-27, John 14:6) because we have come to know that all we truly need is found only in God!

    Use your hands and your sense of touch to open God’s word, read it and let it touch your heart so that you cling to it with everything you’ve got (Matthew 22:37)!     

We Need to Use Our Hands for Good

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10 NKJV)

    Our hands can be used for good or for evil. God, of course, wants us to learn to do good with our hands and continue to use them by doing good for others, to His glory (Matthew 5:16, Galatians 6:9-10, Ephesians 2:10, Titus 3:8). To this end, He, through the apostle, Paul, tells one who had once maintained a habit of using his hands for evil, in this case, stealing, to no longer steal, “but rather let him labour; working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (Ephesians 4:28).

    Use your hands and your sense of touch to be a blessing and a benefit to others!

Touch Other Lives With Goodness

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NKJV)

    Has your life been touched by God’s goodness? Do you appreciate the hope you have in Him and His abundant daily blessings (Psalm 68:19)?  Share your hope (1 Peter 3:15) and your blessings with others! Reach out and touch others with God’s comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) and stretch out your hands in mercy (Luke 6:27-36); touch other’s hearts through your lovingkindness. In doing so you show God to those who may not know Him! If you can do anything for another, do good! Tell others of God through your actions - He is the reason for and source of your goodness (Psalm 16:2)!

    Use your hands to touch other lives with God's goodness!

You can do it! So can I!!