"Walk in wisdom toward them that are outside, redeeming the time."Colossians 4:5

Life can get so hectic sometimes -- we often try to do too many things at once. But when our schedule gets that hectic, we need to start investing in some quality time with the Lord. The operating word here is "investing". Did you know that God is the best broker in town? When we invest our time in worship, prayer and the reading of His word, He takes that time and multiplies it many times over! When we give the Lord our time, He gets our minds focused and can even give us new ideas for how we can get things done better and more efficiently! I’ve heard testimony after testimony about this and seen God at work in my own life in this area. It really works! Brothers & Sisters, I heard it said once that "proof of love is the investment of time". Do we have something to prove today? Let's start by spending more time with the Lord this weekend. Spending time in His presence is the greatest investment we could ever make! MULTIPLY YOUR TIME!

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you."Philippians 3:13-15

2016 have come and gone. Now the reality is settling in -- it's 2017!! Some of us are wondering where in the world the time went... the Lord knows I am. We have passed through one more year. One more long stage in the journey of life, with its ascents and descents and dust and mud and rocks and thorns and burdens that wear the shoulders, is done. The old year is dead. Roll it away. Let it go. God, in His providence, has brought us out of it. It is gone; . . . its evil is gone; its good remains. The evil has perished, and the good survives." I say amen to that -- how 'bout you? Brothers & Sisters, let's be sure to confess the sins of 2016 today. Roll them away. Let them go. Rest assured in the fact they are forgiven so we can confidently look towards the future. Let's press forward to do exciting and new things for the Lord --- 'cause there's sooooo much work to be done!! REALITY CHECK!

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."John 3:17

Jonah the prophet was told to "preach against the city of Nineveh", that was in the ancient kingdom of Assyria. Nineveh was a major city on the banks of the Tigris River about 500 miles north and east of where Jonah was; located on a contemporary map in modern Iraq, about 300 miles north of Baghdad. Archaeologists have found the ruins of ancient Nineveh right outside the Iraqi city of Mosul. When God said Nineveh was wicked, he wasn’t kidding. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, the most powerful empire in the world in that day. The Assyrians had a reputation for cruelty that is hard for us to fathom. Their specialty was brutality of a gross and disgusting kind. When their armies captured a city or country, unspeakable atrocities would occur. Things like skinning people alive, decapitation, mutilation, ripping out the tongues, making a pyramid of human heads, piercing the chin with a rope and forcing prisoners to live in kennels like dogs. Ancient records from Assyria boast of this kind of cruelty as a badge of courage and power. Sad to say, the saying – "History repeats itself", truly fits in this case! So we ought to remember this context when we consider God's command to Jonah, and the prophet's response. Suppose God spoke to you today, "Go and preach against the city of Mosul!" Think you might respond, "Ahem God – they're terrorists! Let's nuke 'em; send 'em right where they belong!" But the heart of God is merciful. He wants to bring people to repentance so He can forgive, rather than bring judgment. He desires to save...even the most wicked and hardened individuals! Brothers & Sisters, so here's what I think: There’s a little Jonah in all of us and a whole lot of Jonah in most of us. We're praying for the Christians fleeing Iraq – but what about the wicked terrorists who are killing, torturing, and persecuting them? Do you have an "Assyrian" in your life? Someone truly worthy of your hatred? Rather than pray for him, you'd be glad for him to meet God face to face today? Our Heavenly Father rebuked Jonah the prophet for his own hardness of heart and lack of compassion. So the story of Jonah is about the heart of God, who desires all men to be saved. He wants us to have the same heart. HAVE THE HEART OF GOD!

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."Philippians 4:11

Charles Swindoll wrote about these men who bring in animals from Africa for American zoos. They say that one of the hardest animals to catch there is the ring-tailed monkey. For the Zulus of that continent, however, it's simple. They've been catching this agile little animal with ease for years. The method the Zulus use is based on knowledge of the animal. Their trap is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine. The seeds of this melon are a favorite of the monkey. Knowing this, the Zulus simply cut a hole in the melon, just large enough for the monkey to insert his hand to reach the seeds inside. The monkey will stick his hand in, grab as many seeds as he can, then start to withdraw it. This he cannot do. His fist is now larger than the hole. The monkey will pull and tug, screech and fight the melon for hours. But he can't get free of the trap unless he gives up the seeds, which he refuses to do. Meanwhile, the Zulus sneak up and nab him. There's a pretty clear moral to this story, wouldn't you say? If we really want to be free, we must let go of the things we love. The more we hold on to our earthly possessions, the more frustrated we will get and eventually, we will be entrapped. Brothers & Sisters, let's let go of the worldly things we've been holding on to. God has much greater things for us to be doing than sitting here with our fists in a melon! ARE YOU TRAPPED?

"Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day."Psalms 25:4-5

A father asked his son to carry a letter from their camp to the village. He pointed out a trail over which the lad had never gone before. “All right Dad, but I don’t see how that path will ever reach the town,” said the boy. “Well son, I'll tell you how. Do you see that big tree down the path?” asked the father. “Oh, yes, I see that far.” “Well, when you get there by the tree, you’ll see the trail a little farther ahead -- and farther down you'll see another big tree -- and when you reach that one you'll be closer and so on until you get within sight of the houses of the village.” In the same way, I believe God wants to reveal the way for each one of us on our trails toward Him, one tree at a time. Sometimes we're convinced we need to see the end of our path, so that we can be reassured that there's something good down there, or that we're going in the right direction, or that we'll be able to see if it gets dark. We know first hand how it feels to walk in the darkness here in the Land and not know where the end will be -- and often how we'll have the strength and sustenance to get there. It's not easy to move forward and trust that God will light the path ahead and point us in the way we should go. But the fact is that it is a crucial step toward our growth and maturity in the Lord and we all need to get there. Brothers & Sisters, let's give our hesitation and fear to the Lord. He will not fail us. He will be faithful to light our path and lead us in the way everlasting -- one day at a time. ONE DAY AT A TIME!

"Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame."Revelation 16:15

What is this passage talking about -- anyone know? During the days of the Temple, the Levities were in charge of keeping the Temple holy. So throughout the night, the captain would make his rounds to make sure that those assigned were watching attentively, so that no one would defile the Temple during the night. If a watchman was found sleeping, he was beaten and his garments were set on fire so that he had to return home naked in his shame! Brothers & Sisters, we are today's watchmen! With the turmoil of events surrounding us in these last days, it's imperative that we watch carefully and do not become weary. We need to stay alert and awake to see danger coming from afar and be ready to defend what is holy! KEEP YOUR CLOTHES!

"When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing."John 9:6-7

I read this passage and I wonder how I would react if someone mixed their saliva with some dirt on the ground and put it on my face like this. Ewww! Why didn't Jesus just heal this guy and be done with it? Why the messy prelude? If you'll notice, Jesus did two things. First, He placed mud on the man's eyes. Then, He told him to go and wash himself in the pool of Siloam. Of course, the man willingly obeyed. If you had some gross concoction smeared on your eyes, wouldn't you? The mud actually provided the motivation for his obedience. My point? We don't always have to understand why we find our selves muddy sometimes. Perhaps if we weren't muddy, we'd never be motivated to obey! And obedience is crucial to a successful and flourishing walk with the Lord. Brothers & Sisters, let's not despise the mud on our face today. We all have times of trial. Let's use them for an opportunity to be obedient! God is just trying to help us see better! SOMETIMES WE GOTTA GET DOWN AND DIRTY!