But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

How you start your day is important. So important that during this month leading up to Easter, I am asking everyone to set aside the first moments in the morning to draw near to Jesus. Every day, before you turn on the news, check the weather, or have conversations with your family, seize the time (even if it is in the quiet of waking) and acknowledge Jesus.

The morning watch is essential. You must not face the day until you have faced God, nor look into the face of others until you have looked into His. You cannot expect to be victorious if the day begins only in your own strength . . . Meet Him with His open Book of counsel before you; and face the regular and the irregular duties of each day with the influence of His personality definitely controlling your every act. ~”Streams in the Desert” Devotional

The Creator of the Universe has invited us to connect with Him. David wrote: “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch” (Psalm 5:3). And again he says, “I will awaken the dawn” with praise (Psalm 108:2). The Lord Jesus himself would slip away and start His day in God’s presence (Luke 5:16; Mark 1:35). If Jesus did it, how much more should we!

Every one of us has a start to our day. If you work the night shift, don’t think you are missing out on being spiritual. This is not about the legalism of an exact time; it’s about seeking God first—at whatever time of the day or night that is.

So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain. No man is to come up with you. Exodus 34:2-3a.

The days when I’ve started in my own strength aren’t the best days; but the most fruitful, peace-filled days happen when I’ve filled my heart with God’s presence and His Word. Get your mind fixed on what’s good, praiseworthy, true, and honorable (Philippians 4:8), and calibrate your day by putting Jesus first.

Thank God for new beginnings!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2011 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Streams in the Desert, P. 75, L.B. Cowman. Copyright 1996 by The Zondervan Corporation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority. Colossians 2:9-10

The truths in the Bible, inspired and revealed by the Holy Spirit, will liberate you from the devil’s accusations (Revelation 12:10) and bring you into the understanding of who God created you to be. Understanding who you are in Jesus isn’t just for a feel-good moment; it will make you more effective in your prayer walk, in your relationships, and in your church life!

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:12

God is a God of revelation. He wants to reveal things to us through His Holy Spirit. When we look away from the mirror of God’s Word, it’s easy to forget what we truly look like (James 1:22-24). That’s why we need to be constantly reminding ourselves of who we are and what we have in Jesus.

Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

God’s Word is more stable than the trends and seasons of the world. There is power in the name of Jesus. There is power in prayer. There is power in getting a renewed mind (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23)—it enables you to cast down imaginations and resist the accuser. So delve into the Scriptures and begin acknowledging every good thing that is in you through Christ Jesus (Philemon 1:6 NKJV).

Press on!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2011 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. NKJV reference taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

I love the book of Philippians! It represents the fruit of Paul’s obedience in Acts 16 when he didn’t go where he had a “good idea” but instead followed the “God idea.” The result of that missionary journey was a vibrant, alive church that funded outreach in city after city. Philippians has four chapters, and there are anywhere from 21 to 30 verses in each chapter. If you read the whole book out loud to yourself it takes about 12 minutes. Here are a few of the great verses to meditate on. Reading these kinds of things puts us back in touch with how amazing the redemptive power of Jesus really is.

Don’t Worry. Trust God.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7

Dealing With Life.
I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:12-13

A Heart of Thankfulness.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing. Philippians 2:14

Eight Things to Think On.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8

God the Supplier.
And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

I can’t think of any better response to this Gospel than to get evangelistic with it. God is looking for Philippian-type churches that will shape culture. We don’t need a comfort zone of religiosity. Instead let’s reach this generation and let everything we do translate into souls—more people in heaven!

God bless you.
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2010 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

A woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38b-42

Mary was listening; Martha was distracted. We’ve all been Martha – we invite Jesus into the house, but then we get distracted with preparations and lesser things. At some point we need to quit the activity and engage in what matters most.

C.S. Lewis said it this way: “Now there are a good many things which would not be worth bothering about if I were going to live only seventy years, but which I had better bother about very seriously if I am going to live forever.”

Do not worry then, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear for clothing?” For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:31-33

These verses pull us out of the tyranny of the urgent and point us toward the perspective of eternity. Loving God and connecting with Him is the best and most important part of life: thinking about God, talking to God, talking about God, loving God, seeking God, worshiping God, and magnifying God.

“Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42b). The “good part” is all about a relationship with the Creator; then it’s about impacting people. First, we become sensitive to God’s voice, receptive to His prompting, and aware of what matters most to Him. Then—when we have rivers of living water flowing out of us, when we are alive and present and loving—others will want that too! Let’s be like Martha and invite Jesus in; then let’s be like Mary and sit at His feet.

Press on!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2010 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

The God of hope has solutions to your problems. I’ve walked into situations that did not look solvable. But after I had prayed and sought the God who is able, wisdom poured out and sufficiency came. God is able to do even more than we can think or imagine, so don’t limit God’s ability to provide an answer for the most impossible situations (Ephesians 3:20).

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. Psalm 42:5

Put your hope in God’s faithfulness, which extends to all generations with no variation or shifting shadow (Psalm 100:5, 119:90; James 1:17). He is more faithful than the sunrise.

This is our time to roll up our sleeves and exhibit a steadfastness of hope (1 Thessalonians 1:3). People love the sound of the starting gun, but it’s a whole different breed that makes it to the finish line. “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Galatians 6:9). With determined faith, keep holding to the conviction that God is going to bring to pass His purposes; and with your hope fixed on Him, dare to believe that you will see the good news message of Jesus permeate the world!

Press on!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2009 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation