Welcome 2011!

3 P's for the new year! No, not the peas from Veggie Tales, silly! What I'm talking about is:

Purpose

Prepare

Practice

These ideas have been swirling around in my heart after our New Year's Eve service at Harvest Church last night. I was really challenged to step out and be what God wants me to be in 2011. No more excuses! No more being a cry baby!

Purpose to do His will in our lives. We must be determined to do it no matter what. We must commit to walking in His ways and make it a minute by minute daily commitment to serve Him, honor Him in all that we say and do. We can't be wishy-washy any longer. No more dishonoring the Lord with our half-hearted attempts to do what He's called us to do. Read the Bible, pray, act on His Word. Move forward in 2011 with purpose and walk out His calling on your life.

Prepare for His eminent return. Do you know what He's looking for when He returns? A pure and spotless bride. Are we living our lives in purity? Are we living our lives looking for Him at every turn? Are we preparing ourselves by living our lives in a way that pleases Him? Are there areas that we need to clean up, to fix, to ask the Lord to help us with? Are there areas that we need to step up to the plate and with boldness declare He is Lord to others? Are we intimidated by unbelievers or do they spur us on to show them God's love and how much they need Him? We need to be bold and not shirk our God-given talents and abilities. Move forward in 2011 preparing to meet Him one day.

Practice what we preach. It's so much easier to tell others how it should be done, even our children. This has especially hit home with me. We tell them how to do things, but do we show them how to love the Lord and serve Him in all they say and do? I'm pretty good at teaching it, but I'm not so sure I'm that great at showing it to them and modeling it before them. I've heard it said before that we are not supposed to point them to the cross, we are supposed to take their hands and lead them there. Am I leading or pointing? Are you leading others to Him or just pointing them to Him in a religious hypocritical way? Move forward in 2011 and put into practice what you've been taught, what you preach, who you really want to be.

You can do it! I can do it! Let's work together in the Body of Christ to make 2011 the best year ever! If we will all be determined to do this the Body of Christ will move in unity and we will be amazed at what God can do in all of us and through all of us this year!