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In biblical days, an armor-bearer was one who actually carried the shield and armor of his leader as he went into battle, often acting as his personal assistant. The term itself originally meant to figuratively or literally lift up, support, or simply help. The basic attitude of a Modern Day Armor-Bearer is one of servanthood. We are called to lift each other up, to support one another, to encourage, equip, and strengthen each other for the fight of faith. Therefore, it's no surprise the general functions of an armor-bearer: attend to, minister to, care for, help, be of use, assist, benefit, promote, support, make easy for, nourish and encourage are found in the formal definition of "serve”. We all need an armor-bearer as we walk the Christian walk.
Out of His holiness, God sets up the norm for acting, thinking, and living that is very different and separate from the patterns of our times. He does this through His Word. The Holy Spirit leads us as we consume God’s word to trust and obey. We as Christ-followers, as Christians living in this world, ought to be led by God’s word in our decisions, in our actions, and in our speaking. The Prophet Amos was given a vision of a plumb line in reference to One who would come, the One who is aligned with God’s desire for all humanity. Jesus came to show us how to live what He taught through love for each one of us.
If you think back over your week, there probably was a time when you forgot something. Maybe it was you forgot to pick up something at the store. You forgot to say something to a friend or co-worker. Or even, you forgot a special day. Memorial Day is that day that reminds us to remember. Remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. We have a pattern of forgetfulness. Maybe its in how fast paced our lives have become but we not only forget the simple things we forget the all important spiritual things in our lives. This weekend, we will gather to remember and worship the God who remembers.
God’s love manifests in our lives through the words and works of His people. When Jesus said He came to give us life abundant, He was not necessarily talking about money or things that the world deems important. He was speaking about receiving more and more of His love— to be blessed to overflowing so that it ends up pouring out in the lives of others. As we move closer to the cross of Christ, may we take on an attitude of gratitude for each word spoken and each deed done with love from the Father.
God’s love for us is not based on conditions. His love never changes. May we be reminded that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). That is how God demonstrated His love, His unfailing love for each one of us— for you. You may be thinking that God could never love you because of what you have done. God’s love is not based on what you have done but is based on what Jesus did on the cross. One thing in this life you can be guaranteed of is that God’s love is unfailing.
We’re moving forward with our God-given dream and are focused on Jesus. What else would we need as believers, followers of Christ? Well, it takes a bit of risk. Most of the time when we think about risk, we think it is a negative thing. However, as we will discover this weekend is that there is the Safe Zone or the Faith Zone. If God has given you a dream, do you really think He will let it fail? This is where stepping out with a bit of risk and a whole lot of Faith ought to be how we walk in this world.
So, there’s a dream God has given you or maybe a dream that has been rekindled by last week’s Sermon and Study. Now what? Our next step is to focus on the one main thing in life that will keep us moving forward to obtain it. It sounds simple! Yet, in reality, it rarely comes easily. The push and pull of everyday life make take away some of the excitement we once had. But that’s why we must learn to Remain Focused. Fix our eyes on Jesus and the promise God has given to get us through.
Moving forward is sometimes a bit difficult especially when you’re not sure where to go. That’s when we need to dream God-sized dreams, to “Seize Tomorrow, Today!” As a follower of Jesus, you are called to look ahead and move forward in power, passion, and purpose. The good thing is, God always knows where you are going, and He has promised to never abandon you on your journey.
As we step into this new year, we can either dwell on what things we’ve left undone, what things took us down, and what things just didn’t realize in our lives OR we can stand tall, persevere, and walk firmly in Christ into the new year. Moving forward in Christ means that we walk into our Divine purpose, which God determines for us both individually and corporately as a Church. As we move in Christ, guess what? God moves closer toward us, in us, and through us.
Do you know our lives are to reflect the thankful heart we have for what God has done? We ought to desire to walk into His presence with singing because of what Jesus has done— He saved us, He redeemed us, He called us His own! That is worth giving God all the praise and thanksgiving for working in each of our lives. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, let us remember the cost and give thanks to God for His hand of mercy and grace upon our lives.
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