Get Up With God
highly caffeinated daily bible doses to help start your morning off right

The one who sows to please his sinful nature,
from that nature will reap destruction;
the one who sows to please the Spirit,
from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
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.
(Galatians 6:8-10)

TODAY’S ” TO DO” LIST:

1. Be filled with the Spirit.
2. Look for opportunities to do good.
3. If you get tired, go back to Item #1 and repeat.

I tell you the truth, whatever you did
for one of the least of these brothers of mine,
you did for me.
(Matthew 25:40)

According to the latest statistics from stopthehunger.com, more than one billion people are starving right now. Some other sobering stats:

• more than 6,000 people have already died from hunger today
• nearly 1 in 6 of the world’s population is undernourished
• the amount spent in the U.S. on obesity-related diseases is 66 times more than the global amount spent on food aid
• Americans will waste more than 150,000 tons of food today — enough to feed the world’s hungry three times over

Do something. Now. Seriously.

• Pray.
• Sell some of your stuff and give the money away.
• Get involved in your community by helping out in a local homeless shelter or food pantry.
• Instead of ignoring beggars on the street, take ‘em to Subway and buy ‘em a meal.
• Visit foodforthepoor.org, where for $36 you can feed a hungry child for a year.
• Go to worldvision.org, where you can donate goats, chickens and cows to starving families.
• Share food, clean water and the Gospel by sponsoring a child through Compassion International.
• Check out bloodwatermission.com, where you can help build sustainable wells in Africa.
• Play trivia games at freerice.com where each correct answer triggers a food donation.

If anyone has material possessions
and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him,
how can the love of God be in him?
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue
but with actions and in truth.
(1 John 3:17-18)

Everyone who hears these words of mine
and puts them into practice
is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
The rain came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beat against that house;
yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
(Matthew 7:24)

I love reading. I can sit with a book for hours and easily forget the world around me.

Getting up off the couch and actually doing something? Well, sometimes that’s a different story.

The Bible instructs us to get up off our collective duffs. If we listen to God’s words AND put them into practice, God promises us a foundation that can’t be shaken.

What happens if we don’t do what God says?

But everyone who hears these words of mine
and does not put them into practice
is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
The rain came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beat against that house,
and it fell with a great crash.
(Matthew 7:26-27)

Storms are coming. Do what God says.

GET OFF THE COUCH

Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends.
(John 15:13)

Want to show real love? Lay down your life for others.

Here’s a real-life example . . .

A man named Maximilian Kolbe oversaw a monastery in Poland. After the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, Father Kolbe turned the monastery into a sanctuary that housed thousands of Poles and Jews seeking refuge.

The Gestapo soon became suspicious. Kolbe was the publisher of a monthly magazine with a readership of about one million. To incriminate Kolbe, the Gestapo allowed him to print one final issue in December 1940.

Did Kolbe hold back, knowing the Nazis were reading? Nope. Here are just a few of his words:

The real conflict is inner conflict.
Beyond armies of occupation
and the catacombs of concentration camps,
there are two irreconcilable enemies
in the depths of every soul:
good and evil,
sin and love.
And what use are victories on the battlefield
if we ourselves are defeated
in our innermost selves?

On February 17, 1941, Kolbe was arrested for aiding the Polish and Jewish underground. He was sent to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp.

In July 1941, a man from Kolbe’s cell block disappeared. To deter further escape attempts, the camp commandant selected ten men at random to be put to death. One man, Francis Gajowniczek cried out, “My wife, my children. I shall never see them again!”

Father Kolbe stepped forward and volunteered to take the man’s place. The commandant asked: “Who are you?” Kolbe replied: “I am a Catholic priest. I wish to die for that man. I am old. He has a wife and children.” Kolbe and the nine others were taken away to be starved to death.

During their time of torture, Kolbe told the others about Jesus and led them in prayers and hymns. After three weeks of starvation, the guards were amazed that Kolbe and three others were still alive. They also found it odd that every time they checked on the group, Kolbe was always kneeling or standing calmly in the middle of the cell, while the others writhed on the floor, moaning and complaining.

When Kolbe was still alive several days later, the guards decided to kill him with a lethal injection. Kolbe raised his arm calmly and went to be with the Lord.

It’s ROCKY’S GREATEST HITS WEEK here on GUWG, where we’ve been examining words of wisdom from the man Jesus nicknamed “Rock” (aka Peter).

We’ll close just like Peter closed his letters — with a highly motivational call to action based on one simple fact: it’s later than it’s ever been.

Here’s a selection from Peter’s first letter . . .

The end of all things is near.
Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled
so that you can pray.
Above all love each other deeply,
because love covers over a multitude of sins.
Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,
faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
If anyone speaks, he should do it with the strength God provides,
so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.

(1 Peter 4:7-11)

Here’s the closing from Peter’s second letter. (Spoiler alert: the following contains graphic information about the end of the world and your role in it. Proceed at your own risk.)

First of all,
you must understand that in the last days
scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?
Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on
as it has since the beginning of creation.”

But they deliberately forget
that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed
and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
By these waters also the world of that time
was deluged and destroyed.
By the same word the present heavens and earth
are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment
and destruction of ungodly men.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:
With the Lord a day is like a thousand years
and a thousand years are like a day.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,
as some understand slowness.
He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish,
but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.
The heavens will disappear with a roar;
the elements will be destroyed by fire,
and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way,
what kind of people ought you to be?
You ought to live holy and godly lives
as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
That day will bring about the destruction
of the heavens by fire,
and the elements will melt in the heat.
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward
to a new heaven and a new earth,
the home of righteousness.

So then, dear friends,
since you are looking forward to this,
make every effort to be found
spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

(2 Peter 3:1-14)

Peter’s final instructions . . .

Be on your guard
so that you may not be carried away
by the error of lawless men
and fall from your secure position.
But grow in the grace and knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be the glory both now and forever!
Amen.

(2 Peter 3:17b-18)

This week on GUWG, we’re looking at ROCKY’S GREATEST HITS – words of wisdom from the disciple Jesus nicknamed “Rock” (aka Peter).

Want to know how to live in your short time on this planet? Here’s a a top ten list of Peter’s practical principles . . .

1. Get Ready For Action. Prepare your minds for action: be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:13)
2. Be Holy. Do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. (1 Peter 1:14-15)
3. Watch Your Mouth. Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. (1 Peter 2:1)
4. Submit. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men. (1 Peter 2:13)
5. Don’t Retaliate. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2:23)
6. Live for God. Do not live the rest of this earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. (1 Peter 4:2b)
7. Rejoice in Suffering. Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:12-13)
8. Don’t Worry. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
9. Resist the Devil. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith. (1 Peter 5:8-9a)
10. Live in Harmony. Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9a)

It’s JESUS WEEK Part 2 here on GUWG, where today we’re finishing our look at the greatest sermon ever preached: the Sermon on the Mount.

Here’s how Jesus began his concluding remarks:

Therefore,
everyone who hears these words of mine
and puts them into practice
is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
The rain came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beat against that house;
yet it did not fall,
because it had its foundation on the rock.
(Matthew 7:24-25)

If we listen to Jesus’ words AND put them into practice, he promises us a foundation that can’t be shaken. What happens if we don’t do what he says?

But everyone who hears these words of mine
and does not put them into practice
is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
The rain came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beat against that house,
and it fell with a great crash.
(Matthew 7:26-27)

The sermon is over.

You’ve heard Jesus’ message.

Now DO it!

“Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”

The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:37-40)

Want some perspective?

According to real-time statistics provided by worldometers.info:

• 22,205 people have already died from hunger today
• 1,731,072 people have died from water-related diseases this year
• 1,357,496,468 people have no access to safe drinking water

Want to help? 

Ask God to open your eyes to the needs around you.

• Sell some of your stuff and give the money away.
• Get involved in your community by helping out in a local homeless shelter or food pantry.
• Instead of ignoring beggars on the street, take ‘em to Subway and buy ‘em a meal.
• Visit worldvision.org, where you can buy goats, chickens and cows to help starving families.
• Check out blood:watermission.org, where you can help build sustainable wells in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Go to Food for the Poor, where you can build a home for a destitute family.

Since I started writing this, another 841 people have died from starvation. Help NOW!

FEED THE POOR

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

Look around you today.

See anyone who needs help? Pitch in.

See anyone who’s down? Lift ‘em up.

See anyone who’s tired, stressed, overwhelmed, frustrated and/or maxed out (in other words, 98.6% of the people in the world)? Love ‘em.

God gives us opportunities every day to show love in action. Don’t let a single one pass you by today.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER
RIGHT NOW

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, “Go I wish you well; keep warn and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  James 2:14-17

Faith is all we need to be saved by God.  But our actions will demonstrate whether we truly believe or not.

True faith goes deeper than merely thinking the right things — we should DO the right things.  True faith produces a LIFE OF LOVE.

FAITH WITHOUT ACTION IS DEAD