Tucker Presley

The question may be asked, “What is so great about serving others?” The fact is, life is not about us. But we live in a self-centered world. We are told to do and say what makes us feel good. We’re told to post pictures of our perfect lives on social media. Self-centeredness leaves room for no one else, though. If all we can think about is ourself and our needs, we push everyone away. What a miserable way to live! The Bible spells out a completely different way to live. Life is all about serving God and others. Matthew 22:37-40, Philippians 2, and many other passages echo that point. When we serve others, we are making someone else’s life better. We are putting ourself aside and elevating another person. That is the best way to live! There is one more verse I have not shared from the account we’ve been looking at in Mark 10. It is the last verse in the section of James’s and John’s request for greatness. Jesus says, ““For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”” (Mark 10:45 ESV). The most important thing about service is that we model our Savior when we do it. Jesus was a king. In fact, He was the greatest king to ever live. Yet, He chose to use His time in service of others. Let’s model our savior. Not because we want any praise for doing good to others but because we sincerely want to serve mankind. So, I challenge you, be great!

Suffering is a part of life. Each of us will face some type of suffering, tribulation, or trouble at some point. Sometimes it seems like troubles start piling up on our backs at the most inopportune times. It can become too much to handle. Maybe you’ve had a death in your family or a sickness or loss of a job or maybe something else. Whatever it may be, it’s tough. It’s hard to get through the suffering and pain. But you’re not alone. God is always right there. We try to handle our problems on our own too often. God is wanting us to hand our problems to Him! We must quit holding onto our suffering. Let God bear it. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.“ 1 Peter‬ ‭5:6-7. Cast all of your anxieties on God. He can handle it. He cares for you. There’s more hope about suffering from the apostle Paul. Look what he writes in Romans 8:18: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Paul says that the suffering he has and is facing is not even worth comparing to the day that Christ will take him home. Our present sufferings, likewise, are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to us. What we’re going through right now will mean nothing when we get to Heaven. We will get to be with God forever and all of our trouble will be over! Yes, suffering is a part of life, but you can get through it with God on your side. ‭‭

The wind and the waves were raging, tossing the disciples back and forth on the sea. A figure was walking on the water some distance away from their boat. The disciples were afraid and thought it was a ghost. The figure called out to them saying "Take heart; It is I. Do not be afraid." Peter, knowing it was Jesus, then cried out "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He called him out and Peter began to walk on the water with Jesus. Peter then saw the wind and the waves and began to sink in the sea. He cried out "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached for Peter and saved him. This is a familiar account found in Matthew 14. We hear this story quite often. Usually the application we take from it is that we need to have faith like Peter to get out of the boat. Or we need to fix our eyes on Jesus and not become distracted by sin around us. The lesson I want you to take today is simple. When Peter saw the wind and the waves, he was afraid. He realized that he could easily drown in that water. So he began to sink. Yes, Peter was drowning. But who was still standing on top of that water? Jesus Christ. Jesus was standing on top of the very thing that Peter feared. He was conquering Peter's fear in that moment, and He saved him! He's still on top of our fears today. He still defeats and controls our fears today. We often let our fears hold us back, but Jesus is in control. He can and will handle your fears. After all, Jesus did say to the disciples "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." Don't be afraid. Jesus is there for you and can wipe out your fear.

John 3:30 simply says “He must increase, but I must decrease.” These are the words of John the Baptist in reply to a complaint about Jesus. In John 3:22 and following, John’s disciples complain to him about Jesus’ growing popularity. John replies by basically stating his mission. He says that he is not the Christ, but was just sent before him (John 3:28). Just a couple of chapters before this in John 1, John says that he was to “make straight the way of the Lord.” John’s mission was to prepare the way for Christ and he accepted that job. He realized that his mission required him to take the back seat at some point and let Jesus take the lead. He knew someone greater who could save the world was coming. That’s why he says “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John willingly took an inferior position to Jesus and recognized how great He was. We too must take an inferior position to Christ because he is so much greater than us and deserves all the praise. We must look at Jesus more important than ourselves and understand how much He can do in our lives. We must get to the point where we willingly say “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

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A catchy song comes on the radio. You’ve never heard it before, but you really like it! You turn the radio up as you drive down the highway. Your speakers are blaring! This song is instantly your favorite song. You listen to it again! And again. And again. You can’t get enough of it. As a week or two passes by, you listen to this song every day. Local radio stations are overplaying this song, and it seems to be everyone’s favorite now. Soon enough, you’ve heard it so many times that it has gotten old. It doesn’t have the same effect it use to have. You know the song through and through. Each time this song comes on now, you change it. The song you use to love has become one you now hate. I’m afraid this is what our worship to God has become. We meet at the Church building every Sunday and Wednesday for worship and do the same things in the same order every week. We’ve done it for years and years. It’s routine for some. But worship is not a routine, and it’s not something that we only do on certain days of the week. Worship shouldn’t be like that catchy song that gets old really fast. Now there is certainly nothing wrong with order and planning in worship services. When we get caught in a routine, then it can become a problem. We should praise God with all of hearts each time we get the chance to worship Him in services or devotionals! It shouldn’t get old or be something we dread doing. Rather, it should be something we wish to do and something that we enjoy doing! I eluded to this point in a previous post, but I will state it again here. Worship is not just something we do on Sunday’s and Wednesday’s with our congregation. It is a way of life. We worship God by the way we live. When we categorize worship as something we only do, we’re fooling ourselves. It is the way we live. We live a life of worship to Christ. It’s all about changing our perspective and heart. Live a life of worship so you can be pleasing to God! It’ll be worth it when He returns!

I’m afraid that these phrases we have heard in prayers over the years have translated to our personal prayer lives. As a result, our prayer lives aren’t as rich as they could be. If we look at the Psalms, we can’t turn a page without seeing a Psalmist pouring his heart out to God. We see the Psalmists’ praising God for who He is and what He has done. Take a look at some of these verses. “Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!” Psalms 150:1-2‬. “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” Psalms‬ ‭115:1. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalms‬ 103:1-5. I could show you hundreds of more verses that proclaim the greatness of God. The point is, God. Is. Great. He has done incredible things for us, and we must pour out praise to Him for these things. When we pray, we are talking to God. While we’re already talking to Him, we should go ahead and proclaim His greatness. We must tell Him how thankful we are for what He has done. We can worship God with our prayers! When we lift Him up in our prayers, He hears us and is pleased! How often do you proclaim God’s greatness in your prayers? If you haven’t been telling Him how much you recognize His greatness, start today! Pray right now and lift Him up!

Many people have the view that worship is only a Sunday and Wednesday thing. We meet at the building to sing praises, hear a sermon, and have a Bible study and that’s it. While that is worship, it is not the entirety of it. Worship is not just a twice-a-week type of thing. Worship is a way of life! We worship God by the way we live our lives each day! Just as the Israelites sacrificed to God, we sacrifice to Him by living a life worthy of the calling of Christ. Our lives must be a sweet smelling aroma to God. We are to be a living sacrifice. Each day, we must strive to live a Holy and acceptable life to Christ. He is so worthy of our lives. So praise Him by the way you live! Worship is a way of life. It’s who we are.

Because of God’s greatness and power and majesty and what He has done for us, He is worthy of our worship and praise. He alone is worthy of our praise. Our lives must center around worship to God because He deserves it. I hope you’ll stick around as we look deeper into this important topic of worship! “O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭25:1‬

“When the oceans rise and thunders roar I will soar with You above the storm Father you are King over the flood I will be still, know You are God”

I want to start this article by asking you a question. Now I want to prepare you because this is not your typical question. This is a very important question. It will ultimately determine your purpose in this life. Brace yourselves. Here it is: What do you want above anything else? Such a simple, yet profound question. Because, the truth is, we all desire something. We are all searching for something in this life. Something drives each and every one of us. But the sad reality is, a lot of people spend their entire lives searching for things that leave them empty. So many people are missing fulfillment in their lives because they're looking in the wrong places! Does it feel like something is missing in your life? If it does, the fix is simple. If you want true happiness, if you want to fill that empty space in your life, the answer is JESUS CHRIST. He is the only one who can make your life make sense! He is the only one who can completely fulfill your life. Millions of people are looking for happiness in drugs, sex, money, and other things, but something will always be missing because true happiness comes only through Christ. So stop looking. Stop looking for happiness in the things of this life. Jesus can change your life if you just go to Him. In John 10:10, Jesus says “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus came to give you life abundantly. He will provide so much hope and purpose for you. He will abundantly fulfill your life. So is something missing in your life? If so, you know how to fix it. What are you waiting for? ‭‭

Where is your treasure? What is it that you devote most of your time to? What is the number one thing in your life? Is it a relationship? Is it money? Is it a job? So often we find ourselves pursuing the things of this world. It’s so easy to get caught up in the things of this life because there is so much to enjoy! We live in a world where money, fame, and possessions define success. But the things of this life WILL NOT last! This is something we have to understand! The things of this life are fleeting. They will ultimately be destroyed. Here's what Jesus had to say about worldly treasures: ""Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”“ Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV). Jesus knew that the things of this life wouldn't last. He tells us right there that treasures here on earth will be destroyed and thieves will come in and steal. But Jesus doesn't stop there. He gives us a hope. He tells us to put our treasures in something that is everlasting: Heaven. Nothing on this earth can compare to what Heaven will be like. If we lay up treasures in Heaven, we will not be disappointed. Jesus also said "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" Mark 8:36 (ESV). Jesus knew that this was important! He knew that people would get caught up in the things of this life. If we were to gain the whole entire world in possessions but lose our soul, it's not worth it! If we were to be the most renown human being of all time and lose our souls, it’s not worth it. This life is not worth losing Jesus for eternity! Stop living for this life. Lay up treasures in Heaven. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Incredible Inspirational Video

So there’s a line in the sand. What are you going to do? If you step on God’s side, you will never be the same.

Prayer is so incredibly powerful. Just stop, and think what a prayer is. When we pray, we are talking to God! The God who created everything in 6 days, the God who delivered the Israelites out of the hands of the Egyptians, the God who was 100% human and God at the same time, the God who died for us on the cross. What a great God we serve. And we get to talk to Him and He hears us! Not only does God hear us, but He answers us. How cool is that?! The all-powerful God listens to us and answers us when we pray to Him! We need to be praying every single chance we get. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 simply says “Pray without ceasing.” Pray when you wake up in the morning, pray on your way to work/school, pray before bed at night, pray before a test, pray before meals. There are so many opportunities to pray, and it really helps! God can do so much with what we ask. But sometimes we get impatient or unhappy with God when we pray to Him. God answers our prayers in the three ways. Yes, No, or Wait. Sometimes God says yes to our requests to Him. Sometimes God says no to our requests. God also says wait. All of these answers to our prayers are answered by God for our best interest. He says yes if the request is good for our spiritual well-being. He says no if the request isn’t good for our spiritual well-being. And He says wait when He is testing us or when the time isn’t right for a yes or no. We must realize that God knows what He is doing in our lives and knows what is best for us. Also, we need to realize that God doesn’t even have to listen to our prayers. We aren’t worthy, but He loves us so much that He wants to hear us. So next time you have a big work project, pray. When you have a sick family member, pray. When your home life isn’t good, pray. When everything seems like it’s going great, pray. God will answer.

We all slip up. We all mess up. We all give into temptation and sin. It’s going to happen, but just like we choose to sin, we get to choose what we do after we mess up. When you slip up, you probably feel guilty after what you did and that’s normal. But don’t let that guilt eat you up. That’s what Satan wants. He wants you to get consumed in what you did. You can’t change the past. What’s done is done. Look forward and forget about the terrible things you’ve done. God wants you to come back. When you sin, come back to God. He knows it’s going to happen, but don’t think He’s up in Heaven waiting to punish you for what you did. God is a very loving God and He’s always willing to forgive you. There’s an awesome story in Luke 15. It’s probably the most known parable that Jesus told. It’s the parable of The Prodigal Son or The Lost Son. This parable is so popular because everyone can relate to it. There are 2 sons and a father in this parable. The youngest son asks his father for his part of the inheritance. So he takes what he was given and goes to a distant land. There, he blows all of his money on wild living. He had nothing left. He got so hungry and in need that he even began to eat the pigs food. This guy then realizes that the servants at his fathers house are way better off than he is so he decides he will go back and be a servant for his dad. As he approached his home, the father saw him at a distance and had compassion on him. The father ran to the son, embraced him, and kissed him. He then gave his son the best clothes and killed the best calf for them to eat. The father represents God, the son represents us. We sin and wander far away from God sometimes in our life. But we're never too far from God. When we find ourselves distant from God, we have to realize our condition and come back to Him. It doesn't matter what you've done, God will accept you no matter what. He'll actually run to you just like the father did in the story! All we have to do is make that choice to leave sin and go back to God. God wants you. When you find yourself far off, God still wants you. Take the step toward Him. You won't regret it.

We all need support sometimes. We can't get through this crazy life alone. We need other people to help us in our Christian walk. We need to be there to support each other in the good and the bad times. Galatians 6:2 says "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." We are called to take on each others burdens. When someone is struggling, we need to take that weight off their shoulders. We first have to notice that a person is struggling, and then secondly seek them out to help them. 1 Corinthians 12:26 says "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together." If one member suffers, all of us suffer with him or her. All of us need to be there to support that individual. But also if someone is rejoicing, we should all rejoice with them! It would be so uplifting for that person who is struggling or rejoicing if we would wrap our arms around them and let them know we are there for them! We have to develop a skill to see when others are struggling. It's hard to recognize sometimes but sometimes it's easy to recognize as well. When you see someone who is struggling or someone who is rejoicing, tell them "I'm here to support you at all times, and I want the best for you!" In all situations, whether good or bad, let others know you're there for them. Don't let Satan get you thinking that you won't make a difference because you CAN. We all need support at some point in our life. Someone is waiting on you to be there support, so be it.