Category: Relationships

Walk with the Wise

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 (ESV) Who do you walk with? Who are the people influencing your life? God instructs you to walk with the wise and to guard against becoming the companion of fools. God has created you to continue the ministry of Jesus on the earth by shining His light and by sharing His love. You are to be light in this dark world and you are to be salt in our decaying culture. Be intentional about growing in your love relationship with Christ by walking with the wise. Surround yourself with people who have a vibrant love relationship with the Lord and exemplify the wisdom of Christ. Learn from their successes and from their failures. Observe how they think and why they do what they do. Learn from their life lessons and glean from their treasure chest of wisdom. “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22 (ESV) “Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.” Proverbs 15:32 (ESV) God places people of wisdom in your life to help you develop into the person God created you to be. As you walk with the wise, you will become wise. You will have more to offer those in your sphere of influence. List the names of a few of the wise people God has placed in your life. Spend a few moments calling out each name before the Lord and thanking Him for enriching your life through those relationships. Continue to walk with the wise. Commit to become a person of wisdom so that others can walk with you. As others walk with you, may they be drawn to the wisdom of the ages, the Lord Jesus Christ! Following Jesus Every Day, Stephen Trammell

Tags Devo

Proverbs Relationships Wisdom

Walk with the Wise

Following Levi Relationships

Following Jesus

“After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.” Luke 5:27-28 (NIV) Tax collectors in Jesus’ day were despised. Levi was a Jew who collected taxes for the Roman government. In order to increase his personal income, Levi required more from his countrymen than the government demanded. Levi’s fellow Jews despised him and deemed him as a traitor. Jesus calls the least likely candidates to join His team. Levi was chosen by Jesus and willingly left everything to follow Jesus. Levi was willing to leave his career and forfeit his income in order to be on mission with Jesus. Following Jesus involved trusting Jesus with his life and his future. There’s not a person on earth Jesus can’t use. There’s not a person alive that Jesus cannot transform. Jesus calls us to Himself in salvation and transforms us for His service. Jesus factors in our past and our sin when He saves us and sets us apart for His mission of seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10). Is there anyone in your sphere of influence who reminds you of Levi? Do you know of someone whom you would consider despised and unfit for the kingdom of God? God has created that person for a divine purpose. Will you allow God to use you to bring that person into an abiding relationship with Jesus? You can build intentional relationships with people so that the salvation story can be shared and received. The people you think are unreachable are actually prime candidates for the personal experience of receiving the gift of eternal life. There’s no one beyond the reach of God’s grace. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Proverbs Relationships Wisdom

Walk with the Wise

Following Levi Relationships

Following Jesus

“After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.” Luke 5:27-28 (NIV) Tax collectors in Jesus’ day were despised. Levi was a Jew who collected taxes for the Roman government. In order to increase his personal income, Levi required more from his countrymen than the government demanded. Levi’s fellow Jews despised him and deemed him as a traitor. Jesus calls the least likely candidates to join His team. Levi was chosen by Jesus and willingly left everything to follow Jesus. Levi was willing to leave his career and forfeit his income in order to be on mission with Jesus. Following Jesus involved trusting Jesus with his life and his future. There’s not a person on earth Jesus can’t use. There’s not a person alive that Jesus cannot transform. Jesus calls us to Himself in salvation and transforms us for His service. Jesus factors in our past and our sin when He saves us and sets us apart for His mission of seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10). Is there anyone in your sphere of influence who reminds you of Levi? Do you know of someone whom you would consider despised and unfit for the kingdom of God? God has created that person for a divine purpose. Will you allow God to use you to bring that person into an abiding relationship with Jesus? You can build intentional relationships with people so that the salvation story can be shared and received. The people you think are unreachable are actually prime candidates for the personal experience of receiving the gift of eternal life. There’s no one beyond the reach of God’s grace. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Blessing Prayer Relationships

Blessed to Bless

“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Num 6:24-26 (NIV) Did you know that we are blessed by God to be a blessing to others? We are blessed to bless. God made us into relational beings so that we can relate to Him and relate to others. God placed us here to be a blessing. Moses instructed Aaron and his sons to articulate this priestly blessing over the Israelites. Nearly two million Israelites were wandering in the wilderness and weary from the journey. They were in need of a touch from God. God was ready to put His name on them and bless them (Num. 6:27). Aaron and his sons were to be the instruments of relaying the blessing from God. Would you be willing to pray this blessing over someone? As an individual comes to mind, simply pray this blessing over him or her. For example, if you were praying for an uncle, you would say, “Lord, bless my uncle and keep him. Lord, make Your face shine upon him and be gracious to him. Lord, turn Your face toward him and give him peace.” You can bless someone in prayer in this very moment. Think about people God has brought into your life as a blessing. Consider how blessed you have been by their time, their friendship, their generosity, and their kindness. Your life has been enriched by their presence in your life. They have blessed you. Now, you can be a blessing to them by praying for them and giving God thanks for them. Life would be so empty without meaningful relationships. Who will you bless today? Remember, you are blessed to bless! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Eternity Grace Relationships Salvation

Grace for the Race

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” Eph 2:8-9 (NIV) We need grace for the race called life. Outside of God’s grace, we would have never discovered the salvation we now have in Christ. God graced us with the gift of eternal life in response to our faith in the completed work of Jesus on the cross. It is not from ourselves. Salvation was initiated by God and extended to us by His grace. We do not work for salvation. But, once we are saved, we will want to work so that others can receive the gift of eternal life. Our work is sharing the grace found in Christ with others who have not come into a saving relationship with Christ. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (NIV) “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Heb 4:16 (NIV) There’s no room for boasting about the salvation we have graciously received from God. The gift of eternal life has been made possible through the sacrificial death of Jesus upon the cross. Jesus died and rose from the dead so that we could be recipients of His grace and live in union with Him for eternity. Grace enables you to pray. Grace gives you access to our Holy God. You need God’s grace for every step of the race. And remember, the same grace that saves you is the same grace that keeps you. God’s grace will bring you safely home. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Commitment Love Relationships

True Love

How would you define love? Is love a verbal expression, an act of kindness, or a gift extended to another? Is love being willing to do what you do not enjoy in order to benefit someone else? Is love a natural flow from a heart that is full? “‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.’” John 13:34 (NIV) “‘By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’” John 13:35 (NIV) “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NIV) “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8 (NIV) “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10 (NIV) “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 (NIV) Jesus is the model to follow. Jesus defined love by His willingness to die for the church and to rise again for the church. He gave His life so that we could live with Him eternally and love others intentionally. Jesus is the ultimate portrait of unconditional love. How are your primary relationships? Do those closest to you feel loved the most by you? Think about the adjustments that you need to make in order to better communicate love to them. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Eternity Influence Relationships Soulwinning

The Real Party

“Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.” Luke 5:29 (NIV) Jesus changed Levi’s life. Shifting from being a tax collector to being a follower of Jesus, Levi wanted to honor Jesus by hosting a banquet at his house. Levi invited a large crowd of tax collectors along with others. The sinner chose to invite his fellow sinners to hear the Savior. Levi wanted his friends to experience the life transformation that comes through a personal relationship with Jesus. Levi provided them with the opportunity to be with Jesus. At that point in Levi’s life, his sphere of influence included those who were despised by their fellow Jews. Tax collectors were not esteemed, but rather considered traitors. Yet, Levi reached out to them because he was one of them. Levi was willing to create an environment in his home to honor Jesus and to invite others to receive the salvation Jesus provides. Think about the people God has placed in your life. Do you have a “Levi” in your sphere of influence? Is there anyone you have written off as unreachable? Remember that Jesus came to seek and to save the Lost (Luke 19:10). “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Cor 5:17 (NIV) Begin to pray for the “Levi” God has placed in your life. Watch for opportunities to build an intentional relationship with that person in order to share the plan of salvation with that person. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Discipleship Eternity Obedience Relationships

Intentional Relationships

Hope Influence Relationships Soul Consciousness

Whatever It Takes

“Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.” Luke 5:18-19 (NIV) Who was instrumental in bringing you to faith in Christ? Can you recall the investment they made in your life to influence you toward Christ? Your salvation experience may be connected to the influence of a godly parent or grandparent. Perhaps you can trace the impact made by a teacher or a coach that God placed in your life. These men where willing to embrace a “whatever it takes” attitude to get their friend to Jesus. They did not allow obstacles to deter their mission. They were committed to getting their friend to Jesus at any cost. They were fully convinced that Jesus was the answer to their friend’s life. As a result, the men lowered their friend down through the roof to get him to Jesus. What if you decided to do whatever it takes to bring others to Jesus? What if your life was that focused and that concentrated on the mission of bringing people to Jesus? Are you convinced that Jesus is the hope of the world? Today, God wants to use you in shining His light and sharing His love. Today, God wants to use you to build intentional relationships with others so that they can know Jesus personally and eternally. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Jethro Moses Relationships Stress

De-cluttering Your Life

“Moses’ father-in-law replied, ‘What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.’” Ex 18:17-18 (NIV) Living in a fallen world has immediate and progressive challenges. Sinfulness and selfishness dominate our culture. We live with an immense amount of pressure to perform at home, at school, at work, and at play. Our lives are bombarded with information and endless opportunities to expend our energy. Do you have margin in your life? Margin is the space between your load and your limit. God has designed you to handle a certain amount of His work during your brief stay on this planet called earth. God has given you all the time you need to accomplish His plan. Moses reached a breaking point due to being overextended and overwhelmed. The masses of people each wanted a piece of him. They wanted his time, his attention, and his decision making prowess. Though serving as judge over Israel, Moses failed to exercise proper judgment over his own life. God came to the rescue by bringing Jethro into Moses’ life. Jethro lovingly spoke into Moses’ life to declare, “What you are doing is not good.” Moses couldn’t see the unhealthy path that he was on. Jethro saw it clearly and succinctly. Jethro was willing to help Moses’ de-clutter his life. What is overwhelming you right now? Has your load exceeded your limit? What are you giving your life to that is outside of God’s will? Step back and evaluate your current reality. You may want to ask someone you know and love and trust to help you examine your life. Allow that person to give you feedback on what they see going on in your world. Their perspective could help you see what you are not seeing. God uses other people to help us walk in obedience to His will. Pray and ask God to bring a Jethro into your life. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor