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  Wishing you and your family the very best in 2015. May God richly bless you and yours. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, God's unfailing love for you will never be shaken. (Isaiah 54:10)       Don't dwell on the past, God is doing a new thing! Arise & Shine in 2015…Write the vision (goal) and make it plain. (Isaiah 43:18, 60:1; Hab. 2:2)      

Summary   “Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God is in the heavens.”   a. Being “up” isn’t difficult. It does require a conscious effort on our part to involve God in our daily lives. b. We must first wake up with the realization we have been given the gift of another day to serve God and advance His kingdom. c. We must dress up with the smile that comes from the knowledge that God is all in all. d. We must shut up when it is appropriate, not saying things we shouldn’t. e. We must stand up for God and our belief in His son. f. We must look up to Him for our every need, our every problem. g. We must reach up to Him. When everything or everyone else fails us, we know we can depend on Him. h. And, finally, we must lift up to Him not just all our burdens and cares, but also our gratitude for what He has done for us. Here are the links to all "The 7 Ups of Life" First - Wake Up Second: Dress Up! Third: Shut Up!

7 th : Lift Up - Your Prayers.   "Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING" Philippians 4:6   a. Do you remember that sleek new bicycle you wanted? How about that pretty new dress? Or, years later, that car you just had to have in order to continue living? b. Whatever your wants, your desires, your problems, the ultimate solution was to take them to Dad or Mom. c. Is it any different now? Only now, we have a heavenly father who wants to be the answer to everything. d. Philippians 4:6  —Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (1) This is not a call to a carefree life, but rather an entreaty to not be worried about anything. (2) Paul and Timothy cared for or were concerned those they ministered to, yet they retained trust in God.   (3) Jesus Himself warned against worry, which reduces or eliminates trust in God. (4) Matthew 6:25-33 (5) Pau

  6 th : Reach Up! - For something higher. As Jiminy Cricket sings "High Hopes" Always try to better yourself.   “Christ in you, the hope of glory”. Colossians 1:27   a. Do you have those moments when you just aren’t sure? Do you question whether the actions you have decided on are what God would have you do?   b. It is important that when you have these doubts, as you look up, reach up! c. Proverbs 3:5-6 —Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (1) Trusting in God means so much more than just trusting in Him when the times are tough.   (2) While we may not understand God’s ways or His reasoning, the one thing we can understand with certainty is that He has our best interests at heart. (3) We may be wise beyond our years, but that wisdom can never replace the need for a full and complete trust in God’s superior ways. (4) If we trust in Go

  Fifth: Look Up!  To the Lord.   "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" Philippians 4:13   a. A television program from the 50s frequently used the line, “Look! Up in the air, it’s a bird, it’s a plane. No, it’s Superman.” b. Whenever problems arose, they could always count on meek and mild-mannered Clark Kent to shed the suit, glasses, and shy persona and become Superman. They could count on him to save whatever problem they were collectively facing at the time. c. While we don’t have a Superman, we do have a super God. And though he doesn’t come flying in faster than a speeding locomotive to solve our problems, he does equip us to solve or contend with our problems. d. Philippians 4:13  —I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. (1) In this statement, Paul tells the church at Philippi that he could handle anything through Christ, even handling poverty or living in abundance. (2) This was not an expression of pride in

 Fourth: Stand Up! - For what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything. "Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good. "Galatians 6:9-10  a. As Christians, it is important that we stand up for our beliefs, for what we know to be true and right.   b. Galatians 6:9-10 – Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (1) It is easy to become discouraged or frustrated with spiritual sowing, because we often do not see the result of that planting and even less often do we see the harvest of that planting. (2) We often reach the point we say, “Why bother?” “Nothing is going to happen anyhow.” (3) We have to keep in mind, though, t

  Shut Up! - Say nice things & learn to listen. God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. "He who guards his lips guards his soul" Proverbs 13:3 "Gossip betrays confidence, avoid men who talk too much" Proverbs 20:19 "Listen to advice, accept instruction and in the end, you will be wise" Proverbs 19:20   (1) Being careful of what you say keeps you out of trouble; whereas speaking hastily and thoughtlessly can bring trouble to not only you, but also to others. a. I was taught long ago, if you can’t say anything nice about somebody, then say nothing at all. b. Although the thought is a bit cliché, it would seem that since God gave us two ears and only one mouth He intended for us to speak less and listen more. c. There is a little poem that goes something like this: The mighty owl is a wise old bird. The less he spoke, the more he heard. The more he heard, the more he l

  #2: Dress Up! - The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart" - 1 Sam 16:7      a. So now you’re awake. It’s time for the morning routine—shower, shave, brush your teeth, and dress. b. When you consider your attire for the day, do you consider your physical attire as well? c. The best way to dress up, to put the finishing touches on your appearance, is to put on a smile. d. 1 Samuel 16:7 —But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Your friends, your co-workers, even your family, may focus on your outward appearance. That is, your new dress or your new suit, but God is not concerned with such

    First Wake Up - Decide to have to good day. "Today is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice & be glad in it" - Psalms 118:24 a. What is your attitude when you first wake up? (1) Do you rush right into your routine? Are you immediately focused on what the day has in store for you, what lies ahead? (2) Or, do you take the time to thank God for His grace and mercy, and ask His blessings on what lies before you? b. Psalm 118:24—This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. c. The Psalmist makes it very clear, this day, or any day, is a gift from God. We should rejoice because of this great gift and be glad or happy in it.     “Determination is the wake-up call to the human will” Anthony Robbins   Stay Tuned for more:     Second: Dress Up! Third: Shut Up! Fourth: Stand Up! Fifth: Look Up! 6 th : Reach Up! 7 th : Lift Up Summary Source: http://www.se

Daily Motivator      (Ralph Marston)      How you act today if you were the most successful person in you industry? Howa would you dress? How would you walk? How would you prioritize your time? Who would you speak to? What would you say? What is preventing you from doing these things today? Nothing except your own expectations. You can stand confidently, walk confidently, speak and act confidently at any point in time. Confidence comes not only from where you've been. It also comes from where you expect to go. Expect the best and you'll be your best. Sincerely act like a winner and you will become a winner. Winners understand that their actions create their reality. How would you act if you were successful? Do it today. Understand that the actions come first and the success comes as a result. Act like a success, and before long you will be. The first step to success is beginning. Our Preparation + God's Providence = Success Expect great things an