About a year ago I bought a new Bible. The one that I had been using was fifteen years old, written in, highlighted excessively and worn out. Honestly, I hated to move on to a new Bible. The old one had been my help and companion over some amazing and difficult days.

God had used His Word powerfully in my life.

But I moved on.

I am now into a new Bible, a new translation with clean pages that are free of highlightings, underlinings and notes in the margins. It is a delight to see the Scriptures through fresh eyes (and yes, I am making new notes, underlinings and highlights).

In the back of my "old" Bible I found a sheet that I had looked at and lived by every day for over fifteen years. It was a "Life Rule" that I had drafted—a list of ten things that were non-negotiables for me in my spiritual life—my life with Christ.

It had been a year since I had looked at the sheet and I was stunned as I reflected on the fifteen years that I lived according to my "Life Rule". In retrospect I could see that God used it for good. He blessed my family and the work of my hands. I have no regrets. I grew in my life with Christ. This quote came to my mind:

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
                                        — Søren Kierkegaard.

Are you living forwards for the Lord, or just letting life happen? A "Life Rule" is a way to establish a guide and some helps in your life to ensure that you are in a green and growing place in your walk with Jesus Christ. It is all about the day by day, step by step, abiding life with the Lord. Are you inviting Jesus to be "with" you? If you are, you will one day look back and exclaim, wow!

Let's live forward for the Lord. A "Life Rule" will help you do that. Here is the video link to the teaching session on, "Developing a Life Rule":

The effectual . . . prayer of a righteous man [and woman] availeth much. (James 5:16, KJV)

What do you think when you read that verse? For many of us the term "righteous" takes us out of the conversation, because if we know anything, we know that we are not "righteous." From there we devolve into thinking that because we are not righteous our prayers are "not" effectual and are therefore useless. So why pray?

Don't get sucked into that lie. In tonight's session I look at our righteousness in Christ and how we can live in a righteous manner (out of love for Jesus) that can be used for good in our prayers and for God's glory in our lives.

I pray that my offering at the Youtube link below will be a blessing and encouragement to you. God wants us to pray, to look to Him and to call upon His Name. May we draw near to Jesus and pray effectively for our friends, our loved ones and for God's hand in our own lives.