Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and 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 10:38-42

God is calling you to carry joy to a fallen world, but the devil wants you to become so preoccupied with the issues in your own life that you stay in the constant cycle of maintaining and trying to overcome discouragement and distraction instead of being what God has called you to be.

Sing to the Lord a new song, sing His praise from the end of the earth! Isaiah 42:10a

Choose the good part like Mary did: “sitting at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.” Don’t wait for the worship team or for an inspirational moment. Thank God in the morning, thank God in the noontime, thank God in the night. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving every day (Psalm 100:4).

You are still here. Whatever highs and lows you’ve had in 2011, you didn’t get alienated and cynical, you didn’t cave in to self pity, you didn’t throw in the towel, you didn’t let the devil run you off, and you didn’t negotiate with him when he was terrorizing you. Even if you feel meager and feeble in your faith, at any time, day or night, you can cry out to the Lord and He will respond. Don’t fear the future. If God has called you to a task, you will have grace and blessing equal to the task. As you take time to seek God and listen to His word, He will show you what to do.

God bless you this New Year!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2012 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.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

The Genesis revelation—that the creation of this world was not a random accident, but was initiated by the eternal God—reveals an origin of value, purpose, hope, and endless possibilities. God made us in His image and He has designed Kingdom purposes for each one of us.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. John 1:1-4

The God of the beginning is consistent, permanent, and the same all through the ages. Things change and people change, but God never changes! His Word is immutable; He is eternal, the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

When you’re serving Jesus, life is worth living and days are worth planning. Now’s a good time to write down some details of what you want to see in your business, relationships, and finances. Strategize and aim high. Look into the Bible to see just exactly what God’s attitude is about any given subject. Get strengthened and stand firm. As time marches on, dwelling on God’s permanency will help you to be faithful in and out of season.

God Is Faithful!
Pastor Jeff

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.

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9

I’m dedicating the month of January to prayer and fasting as we seek God about the next steps for the church and our personal lives. God has some significant things up ahead. Let’s increase our Word intake and sensitize ourselves to the Holy Spirit so we’ll be ready to walk out His plan in 2010.

Here are the five points we are continuing to pray. They make a great New Year’s resolution list!

1. Pray for the removal of obstacles.
2. Pray for the increase of love.
3. Pray for personal growth.
4. Pray for the 100% will of God.
5. Pray with the end in mind.

Don’t let the devil steal your joy this New Year. If you’ve let your love toward God grow cold, meditate on God’s great love for you, on His promises for your life found in the Word. “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).

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, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. Proverbs 4:18

God has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). Psalm 119 tells us that the entrance of God’s Word brings light (119:130a). So, to get where God wants us to be, it’s important to pull out the owner’s manual, the Bible, and read the instructions.

We must keep ourselves filled with the Word of God and keep our spirits sensitive to the Holy Spirit by daily surrendering our lives to God’s plan. This requires us to deal with offenses and make constant adjustments to lay down things that don’t please God. Don’t get overwhelmed! Even small changes produce big results.

My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to all their body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:20-23

Don’t let your purpose be thwarted by bumps in the road. Clear off your spiritual windshield so that you can see things the way God does. You have a heavenly Father who delivers on a very profound level. He gave His Son. Meditate on that for a while. If God can cleanse you of sin and save you for all of eternity, He can certainly cover every other deal in your life.

The rubber-meets-the-road part of this letter is that I believe God wants to use you in the upcoming days to impact others. You aren’t just striving to be a “nice Christian”—the goal is to reflect who Jesus truly is so that your message to the world is clear. You might be the only Bible some people read. Make it your goal to please God and finish strong. Cast your worries on Him (1 Peter 5:7).

He can stabilize any situation. You are more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ (Romans 8:37). With man it may be impossible, but with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27). He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). So trust Him. Stop looking in the rearview mirror at past mistakes and step forward into the great big beautiful plans God has for you. The best is yet to come!

Happy New Year!

Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2008 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.