1 Corinthians 15:53-57 - For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. NASU
We are decaying, or in other words, we are not able to do what we did when we were 18 or 21 years of age and that is a fact. But we have a body that is coming that will allow us to never decay, age or lose our vitality. Second, we are going to become immortal. This means we will never die again. The Greek word for immortal is "athanasia" which means "no death or deathlessness." You may recognize the word "euthanasia" which means "a good death." The word "eu" in Greek means "good or well" and is used as a prefix in many English words. Another word is "eulogy" or good words spoken about a person at a funeral. Paul is able to mock death because he views death as a defeated enemy. You and I can mock death if we will have the faith in Jesus Christ.
We can receive this "victory" by being "in Christ." The Greek word for "victory" is a very popular word and one I am sure you'll recognize. It is the word "Nike." The shoe manufacturer's name means "victory or victorious." When Nike started their company they saw themselves as being "victorious" in business. My question for you is this, "How do you see yourself when you will meet death face to face?" Do you see yourself getting the "Nike" or "Victory"? If you have faith in Jesus Christ you can be as assured as the Apostle Paul that when you meet death "face to face" the "Nike" will be yours.
Have you been "born of God" or been "born again"? John 3:3-7 - Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' NASU I was born again March 2, 1975 when I went down into a watery grave (aka- baptism) and was resurrected to walk in newness of life. Baptism is a transliterated word from the Greek. The translation of this Greek word is "immerse". I hope you will be "victorious" in this life by being able to defeat death when you meet it face to face. You can be "Nike". Think On This: The only thing worse than growing old is to be denied the privilege. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Share this Pump Up with others by Sharing on Your Facebook Page, Twitter or Forwarding to a friend.
0 Comments
James 4:10 - Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
NASU
If you are familiar with the story of Moses and the Egyptian Pharaoh, then you know this plague doesn't humble the Pharaoh. As a leader he was not able to bring himself where he needed to be and that was a state of humility. WOW! Do you know any leaders of any countries today that are not able to humble themselves? Or do you know of any wannabe leaders that are not humble?
There, my friends, is the reason that Moses was a successful leader. In fact, if you continue to read the following verses God called Miriam, Aaron and Moses to come outside for a meeting. In this meeting God tells Miriam and Aaron that he doesn't treat any of the other prophets like He treats Moses. Then God wants to know why Miriam was not afraid to speak against Moses? God then gives Miriam leprosy. Aaron begs Moses to ask God to remove the leprosy, which Moses does, but God makes Miriam endure the stigma that comes along with leprosy for a week. Moses was the most humble man on the face of the earth then, and God protected him from his enemies, even those who were from his own family.
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. NASU If you will follow this plan it is fail proof. You will be successful. You will receive Grace from God and God will exalt you at the proper time. He exalted Moses at the proper time and He will do the same for you. Be Humble and you will Be Successful. Think On These: We usually admire the other person more after we have tried to do his job. No man can truly stand erect until he has first bent the knee to Almighty God. Sincere humility attracts. Lack of humility subtracts. Artificial humility detracts. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Share this Pump Up with others by Sharing on Your Facebook Page or Forwarding to a friend. 1 John 2:14 - "I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one." NASU
Wisconsin Coach Barry Davis says, "Preparation is the most important thing a champion does. A champion prepares for his opponent, he knows the moves his opponent is good at, and sees himself mentally countering those moves and executing his own moves to win that match." Campbell Coach Cary Kolat says, "The biggest trait of the best wrestlers is that they find a way. Wrestling is man (vs.) man which attracts men who are independent but most of all determined. If the door is locked the wrestler will climb through the window. He will not stop until he achieves or fails. Oregon State Coach Troy Steiner says, "A Champion is someone who is willing TO GO ALL IN EVERYDAY in all area of their lives. By going all in, I mean that you are giving your very best effort in what you are doing in that moment. This doesn't mean you will win every moment, but if you are persistent in giving your best each and everyday in every moment, You will prevail!" Wrestlers will have a plan to win and they will execute that plan because they want to be winners. The big question here is "What is your plan to win against the devil and his temptations?"
Read the Word of God Daily - that is my plan. Col. 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,..." NASU Last week's Pump Up was about how the Bible doesn’t contradict itself. You will never know that for sure if you don't read it. A HOF wrestling coach named Mike Hampe preached this one lesson over and over again to his athletes -TOM - Time On Mat. "You will never get any better if you don't spend TOM - Time On the Mat.", he would say. I was thinking about what Coach Hampe had said one day and it dawned on me. You will not improve spiritually if you won't spend TIB - Time In Bible. A preacher friend of mine had a saying, "No Bible, NO Breakfast." Start your day off right by reading God's Word. If you will read 3 chapters a day starting in the New Testament with the book of Matthew you will be finished in 87 days. I can guarantee you the successful wrestlers have spent more than 87 days in training.
Do you want to out wrestle the devil? Then know the Word of God and let it reside in you. When the devil was tempting Jesus we all know what Jesus did. He quoted scripture to the devil and in so doing, He gave us a plan on how to defeat the evil one. We must KNOW the Word of God. I remember this old saying, "Reading the Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from reading the Bible." Think On These: The Bible is most helpful when it is opened and read. A Bible that is falling apart often belongs to one who isn't. If you couldn't get another Bible, what would yours be worth? Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Share this Pump Up with others by Sharing on Your Facebook Page or Forwarding to a friend. Exo. 3:11 - But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”
God has informed Moses that He has chosen him to lead the children of Israel out of the Egyptian bondage. Moses is stretched out of his comfort zone with this plan of God’s.
Moses doubts that he was the one who could be used to help free the Israelites. He says to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh…?” Moses doesn’t realize it yet, but he is the one who God has chosen and there isn't any way God will change His plan. We probably all have been chosen by God to accomplish a task and we thought like Moses, “Who am I?” If God chooses you, God will help you to complete the task.
1. Stop Doubting Yourself. The way to accomplish this is by feeding your mind positive thoughts. You need to realize that you have been chosen by someone to complete this task. God, your boss, your close friend, your spouse or one of your children may have chosen you. The exciting thing is you have been chosen. You want to see this as an opportunity to achieve a project that you haven’t done before. 2. Start Preparing Yourself. What can you do to prepare yourself to fulfill this project? Are there any books you can read or is there a website you can visit? Do you know someone who has done this type of job before that you can contact for some assistance?
One evening while we were working I asked him, “Would you teach me how to weld?” I grabbed a welder’s hood and within a couple of hours he had me welding. I continued to practice everyday and on the next job site I took the welder’s test and passed. I was now a certified welder, thanks to Jack McAvoy. Find someone you can associate with who can teach you what it is you’re trying to learn. Obtaining knowledge will help you in times when you’re being stretched to accomplish a feat for which you don’t feel qualified. Think on These: You must first be a believer if you would be an achiever. Today’s preparation determines tomorrow’s achievement. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Share this Pump Up with others by Sharing on Your Facebook Page or Forwarding to a friend. Judges 16:28-30 - Then Samson called to the LORD and said, "O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes." 29 Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. 30 And Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life. NASU
You have to want to do it more than anything else in the world. I have never met Rob or talked with him but I am sure that he wanted to play in the NFL again. He wanted this more than anything else. Therefore, he endured all the physical and mental pain that came with his rehabilitation of his torn ACL and MCL. Rob did play again in the NFL and was on the Super Bowl Championship team last year.
Then you need to know this: "Everyone loves a comeback story." This is what they make movies about because people love to watch stories that inspire. Comeback stories inspire others to try and overcome whatever obstacle they are facing.
He had squandered the best years of his life by being rebellious. He had a bad temper, was vengeful, and had a mean streak in him. He loved to show off and display his great feats of strength. He had a little problem with pride. Samson's association with Delilah will bring him an extreme amount of pain and I am sure a lot of second guessing. Has your association with someone brought you an extreme amount of pain? Samson lost his youth, his hair, his strength, his eyes, his job, his pride and God's Spirit will depart from him. That sounds like a lot to lose in one life time but Samson managed to accomplish this. We can learn a lesson from this situation like Samson and move forward.
Maybe you can relate to Samson. You have squandered your youth, your health, your finances, your reputation and your relationship with God. Then there is only one thing for you to do. Make A Comeback! Samson prays to God and asks Him to remember him and give him the strength that he needs to make a comeback. This is great advice for all of us. We need to pray to God and ask Him to strengthen us to make the "Comeback" that we need to make right now. God answered Samson's prayer. God will answer yours. Think On These: Pride hides a man's faults to himself, and magnifies them to everyone else. It's not the body's posture, but the heart's attitude, that counts when we pray. A little pride is a small thing to lose when compared with losing honor. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Share this Pump Up with others by Sharing on Your Facebook Page or Forwarding to a friend. |
Archives
December 2023
AuthorGary A Serago. Categories
All
|