Live for Jesus

Good afternoon my friends.
I don’t know if you have noticed that life isn’t really a bowl of cherries, at least not every day. Ever been tempted to take the first plane out of here? I used to jump and yell ‘rapture!’, but it never came for me. J
Guess what. Jesus was tempted to throw in the towel, too. In the garden He fought it until He sweat (ed?) blood. I’ve given in to temptation way before blood. However, because He didn’t, I am forgiven! But, He has given us His peace, His name and authority, and His spirit to empower us to endure temptation as well as He did. Paul encourages us in 2 Timothy 2,
3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. 6 And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. 7 Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things.
I added the highlights to help break it down so we can understand, with the Lord ‘s help.
We are supposed to endure temptation (suffering) as good soldiers. Why? To please our Master. We are not to get tangled up watching Hollywood personalities or wall street trends, our things, children, jobs or even our weaknesses. We win the prize by following the rules, like ‘without faith it is impossible to please Him’ and ‘faith works by love’ and ‘faith without works is dead’. We sow the Word like hardworking farmers, speaking out His will in the earth as it is in heaven.
That is a lot of work, so why do it? First of all , obviously, because of all Jesus has done for us – I get excited just thinking about Jesus saving, delivering, cleansing, healing, providing, protecting and blessing us! Wow! But this passage says that we have another benefit… We get to enjoy the fruit of our labor. So cool; that means your prayers of faith for your children will come true. Your labors of love will bear fruit, and you will enjoy it! Keep that in mind as you are tempted to quit. DON’T quit; don’t let the devil steal what you have been enduring for! If you have backed off of something you were praying for, it’s not too late. Pick it back up. The answer may be delayed, but it will still come. Get (and enjoy) your fruit! The rapture may not come when I jump , but it is coming soon. And we have missions to accomplish for our commander of love. (think of the theme song to Mission Impossible) J
I love you all. Man, now that song is stuck in my head!!
healed by His stripes,
Nancy