It is a good thing to be grounded in our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Being grounded in our faith means that we will not be moved no matter how strong the storms rage around us. Being grounded means that we will not waver or weaken in our beliefs no matter how “politically incorrect” they may become. Being grounded means that no matter what everyone else says is true, our final authority is God’s Word, the Holy Bible which was given for our admonition and edification. We as Bible believing Christians are to be that Beacon of light that others are drawn to when they have lost their direction. We must see our office as Christ’s ambassadors as critically important because today more than ever people have lost their way and have adapted to the ways of the world. Little attention is paid to their eternity because the enemy has blinded them with selfishness. Everything they think about has to do with themselves and not the betterment of those around them. That is the opposite of how God wishes for us to lead our life. (Hebrews 10:19-25) (2 Peter 2:1-10)

The Lord Jesus declares in Matthew 22:37-40 “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Loving God and loving others means that we have grasped the importance of our calling and it is our responsibility to lead all people to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else matters. By our living example and testimony we will either draw people to God or draw people away from God. That is a heavy responsibility that should never be thought upon lightly. May we each reevaluate how we are interacting with one another and do our absolute best to be an example of love, of hope, of encouragement, of forgiveness and ultimately an example of redemption showing all that no man is beyond God’s love, God’s forgiveness and God’s eternal redeeming mercy and grace. (Romans 12:1-21) (Hebrews 4:11-16)

Even if we have fallen short in being a shining example, it is not too late for us to begin again and let the Lord work in our life and through our life to be His disciples to proclaim His Word of truth to all those who are lost and seeking their way Home. It is not an impossible dream. God is able to use us in ways that we never thought were possible. I can attest to that myself. All God is looking for is a surrendered heart who is willing to let God lead the way. When we do, our life will go from ordinary to extraordinary in very little time. I pray that you will heed the call and become one of God’s Mighty Warriors! (Isaiah 55:6-9) (Jeremiah 1:7-10)

I hope this message inspires and challenges your heart to be that strong mountain that others are drawn to and can depend upon.


I WANT TO BE A MOUNTAIN

The year drew to a close. What would I accomplish in the next?

I looked up at the mountains in the distance. They were white now. Not long ago, they were brown. In the time I've lived in Idaho, I've had the opportunity watch the cycle of seasons make their changes on those mountains I never tire of seeing.

My first sight of them came in September of 2008. The sides of the mountains were painted green with the leaves of sage brush. Near the top were pines. The days moved on. The weather cooled and the rain didn't fall. The leaves browned. The mountain changed.

Fall gave way to winter. I stood in the rain and watched the top of the mountains turn a blinding white. Each week the snow crept further down the slopes and long before the first snows fell in the valley, the mountains were covered with fresh powder. The sun set; the lights on the ski slopes lit the side of the mountains a dazzling white. I'm not a skier, but I imagined the excitement of speeding down the side of those mountains - free, fast, and thrilled.

Winter turned to spring. The snow in the valley disappeared and made its retreat up the slopes until it was gone once again. The weeks passed, the green in the valley flowed steadily up the slopes like a reversed waterfall. The mountains were as I first saw them, green and lush.

On this New Years Eve, the mountains are white again. On New Year’s Day they will be peppered with the dark dots of the distance skiers as they daringly fall down their slopes.

I saw so many changes, but were they changes? The mountains are never changing. Like people, they only changed coats to fit the weather. They didn't allow outside influences to alter what lie beneath their coats of changing colors. They were always the same. You can have faith in them.

I'm in my third season of life. A little snow has gathered at my peak. Some of the sage brush is gone all together. My clothing changed to fit my seasons. Next year and all my years to follow, I want to be as constant as a mountain. Although my looks change, I want to be reliable. My body will change coats many times, but when my day is done, I want people to say, "No matter what the seasons of life brought, he never changed inside. He never allowed the pressures of the seasons or the weathers of life to change what he was underneath. He was a mountain you could rely on to watch over those who looked up to him."

For this New Year and all the New Years that I have left, whether it is at my job, at home, or with friends and family, I want to be a mountain - reliable.

By Michael T. Smith


Read and meditate on these scriptures:

1 John 4:20-21 “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”

Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus declares, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Colossians 3:23-25 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”

Romans 15:1-4 “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not Himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on Me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

Matthew 25:37-40 Jesus says, “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'”

All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible. 


Today’s Selected Poem: THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem82.htm

Today’s Selected Testimony: ANGELS IN THE ROOM
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony84.htm


In Christ’s Service,

Dwayne Savaya
God’s Work Ministry