Prepare for the future today!

Today we consider how important it is for us to be preparing today for the opportunities of tomorrow. Welcome to Run With Horses! My name is Norman and my goals is to help you Thrive as a follower of Jesus. Your day is a series of choices. Thanks for choosing to make me a part of your day, today! Life IS ultimately about your choices. All those questions we have, Who, What, When, Where and the big one, WHY, are answered for us in our choices. Who will you encourage today? Who will you marry? Who will you work for? What will you do for lunch? What will you do next year? When will you go to bed? When will you begin that next project? Where will you live? Where will you go on your break? Why? All of these questions are answered in the choices you make and don't make. Those choices make your life easier or harder. They make up many pieces of your spiritual journey. They are HOW you answer Jesus' call to follow Him. My question for you to answer today is, "Are your choices preparing you for future ministry and spiritual growth? or are they taking you further away from Jesus and down a path of self-interest and personal desires. God has given you gifts and daily gives you opportunities to choose Him and His path. How do you respond when you are faced with those decisions? We live in a time when there is a shortage of leaders. Godly men who consistently choose godliness and holiness above personal pleasure and success. Certainly the world is constantly inviting you to indulge in your desires and gives you a constant stream of things to desire through every possible medium that you can imagine. Make the choice to put Him first and prepare for the challenges that will be in your path as you follow Him. To be the man or woman of God that you have the potential to be, you will need to make consistent choices that show place a high value on godliness. Your choices will give evidence that your priorities are God's priorities. Your life will reflect Him clearly. WHY is this so important? Tomorrow gets before you know it! If you don't give intentional effort to your preparation you may miss the opportunity to be a blessing to others. God's intention is for you to grow in Christ-likeness. You have to DO something! God has a ministry prepared for you in the future. You need to be preparing to be the right person for that ministry. There is an expectation of spiritual growth throughout your life. HOW do you do that? Be quick to volunteer to learn new skills and to take part in challenging projects. Engage with the leaders and ask WHY they make the decisions they do. Take responsibility for a small group, whether it is for a project at work or a home group through your church. Volunteer to be a substitute for teachers in any context that you have available. Ask for a one on one time, lunch maybe?, to go over how the current leader prepares and ask for advice as you begin. Once you have led a class or group, ask for feedback and humbly consider how you can grow in this area. Ask if you can shadow a leader who is doing something you are interested in. Pursue internship opportunities. When classes are offered that will teach you new skills, take advantage of them. Ask someone to mentor you! We grow best in community so be a part and invest in those around you. Make sure you keep in God's Word daily and put in the time to understand what Biblical maturity looks like. Pray for God's work in your life and be open to the Spirit's leading every day. Keep pursuing Jesus daily and keep on growing your faith. Thanks for joining me today.  Write me at norman@runwithhorses.net with questions or comments. God is at work in your life and He is preparing you for ministry even as He prepares your future ministry for you. Commit to getting ready and keep running!