Yesterday was my birthday, another year gone by. Why does it seem that the days, years and decades come faster these days?

I’m thankful God has blessed me with many years, some happy, some sad; many challenging and yet rewarding.

I can look back on my years as a Christian, and see how God has blessed me in so many ways. I have grown closer to God in the last five years. What’s the secret in my mature relationship with Christ? It’s all in learning more about Him, reading His word and talking to Him daily.

Just as any relationship develops and thrives, a relationship with Christ will add years to your life. When God knows your heart, your desires and realizes you are trusting in Him alone, the sky’s the limit.

But, don’t think you’ll be handed a silver spoon. If God gave us everything we asked for, how could we appreciate the blessings?

Trust God as each day passes. Thank Him for the blessings, and yes, the challenges He puts before you.

Each of us has a birthday, every year. But, there’s also a spiritual birthday - a day when you give your life to Christ.

Although I don’t remember the exact date I was saved, I remember every day after, when Christ came into my heart to stay.

Proverbs 9:11 - “For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.”

Mark 11:24 - “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Thanksgiving is a traditional American holiday when we give thanks for all we have.

I wonder how many people only give thanks, on this one day of the year. And those that are thankful, how much are they giving?

I’m thankful for each day, every breath, and another opportunity to show God’s love and to serve others.

I’ve also practiced a daily routine of thanking God for what’s to come. I think God loves it when we thank Him ahead of time. This shows our trust that God will do what He says - answer prayer.

Be careful what you ask for. Be ready to accept the responsibility of your answered request.

Most importantly, thank God every day for the life He gives you. And, remember the opportunity He gives each of us to accept Him as your savior; thank Him for dying for your sins, and give to others, while you still can.

Those reading this may be dealing with death, rejection, anger, neglect or depression. This message is for you too. Thank God for His grace; His presence with you; His strength to overcome this and His love that covers all sins.

Thanks-giving to all my friends and family.

On a recent hike in the northeast, I found myself in a forest of stepping stones and also enormous boulders that filled the trail.

Thus far this was the most difficult hike I’ve ever accomplished. Challenged and weary, I finished the hike within 12 hours; a hike that should have only taken 8 hours.

I give God the credit of pushing me and helping me move my feet when I wanted to give up and turn around.

Even though I had read about the boulders and challenging trails, I felt confident enough to try anyway. Had I really known the boulders would be that large, and the mountain wall of boulders stretched for a mile, I may not have even tried the hike.

This made me think of my Christian walk. Am I a stepping stone to others, or am I a stumbling block, hindering others from their walk with God?

I pray that I am that stepping stone. I hope that my friends are encouraged by me, and strangers are intrigued and curious about the God I serve.

Are you serving others, encouraging your brothers and sisters in Christ? Are you telling the lost about Jesus and how He fills your life with hope?

Aim to be a stepping stone, not a stumbling block.

Matthew 3:8 - “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

I hadn’t had my driver’s license for more than a year, but was comfortable driving on my own. I had a 5-speed truck and was finally confident to drive. My niece, Teresa was with me one day while we were cruising around our little town of Kermit.

Kermit was laid out with a train track splitting the town in the middle from end to end.

This particular day, I drove toward the railroad crossing to get to the other side of town. I had drove the course several times, although this was the first with the 5-speed.

I heard the train, but the gate arm hadn’t came down yet, so I thought I would have enough time to cross the track.

Just as I pulled onto the track, the truck died. I panicked. I kept trying to start it, but it was not in neutral so I kept killing the engine. I was just about ready to have me and my niece bolt from the truck, when the engine started. Hallelujah!

God spared our lives that day and I learned a valuable lesson. Pay attention to warning signs (sound of the train). Obey the law and wait for the train to pass.

As a Christian, we have warning signs all the time. It may be a new diagnosis, a wayward child, or a failing relationship.

My advice is to seek God in everything.

Commit to your relationship with God, so when danger approaches, you’re ready to take action and get out of harm’s way.

Don’t ignore the oncoming trains of life.

Hebrews 2:1-3 - “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.”

Matthew 5:13 - “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

I’m a fairly good cook, and baking is one of my favorite hobbies. Any baker knows that in baking if you put the wrong ingredients into the mix, you’ll usually end up with results that can’t be eaten.

Once when I was baking, I wasn’t paying attention to what I was putting in my banana bread recipe and put in salt, instead of sugar. Well, you can imagine what that tasted like.

Salt has its purpose. It is typically used to season savory foods or to balance out baked goods.

But, what happens when salt loses its flavor? Well, it’s not really good for anything.

As a Christian, we are to be that one ingredient in every day life that makes a difference. We should be visible and mixed in with society, so that others can see a difference, and wonder why we’re so different than most.

If salt loses its taste, it can’t be restored. It has to be thrown out.

Don’t let your light burn out; don’t let your testimony go stale.

Be a witness to everyone in your path today.

Spice up the journey; show others the love of Christ today.

Some people can be real convincing when it comes to their beliefs, to the point you may be questioning your own.

Jesus warned us about people claiming one thing and professing another. A wolf in sheep’s clothing.

As I grew into my early teenage years, I was one of those girls who wanted to be liked, so I would go along with the crowd, just to fit in. This got me in a lot of trouble. Anyone could talk me into anything. I was naive and gullible.

By the grace of God, He plucked me out of this dead-end road and saved me at the age of sixteen.

I was convinced beyond a shadow of doubt that God saved my life. The problem was, I was just a baby in my faith. I struggled in living this new life. A few seasoned Christians tried encouraging me, but I lacked the confidence I needed in this new role in life.

And just as a toddler can be convinced to try something new, Satan can find a weak link in your faith and step right in. He will convince you that the sin is not that bad; everyone’s doing it.

Don’t fall for Satan’s schemes. Don’t be wishy/washy in your faith.

Stay committed to serving Christ, learning more about Him through His word and ask for help when things get out of control.

Ephesians 4:14 - “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.”

Proverbs 16:3 - “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”

Commitment is defined as the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.

Commitment is a part of every day life. You’re committed to a job, kids, spouse, etc.

When you surrender and give your life to Christ, you become committed, dedicated to a life different than what you had before.

Once you accept the gift of eternal life, you want to do things pleasing to God. You have new desires, such as reading the Bible and serving others.

Just as you do in any new relationship, you want to learn more about the other person.

God already knows your heart so you can’t fake it with Him.

As it says in the scripture above, when you’re committed to Christ, He will make a way in your journey. He will get you further than you could on your own.

Commit to Christ today.

You’ll be glad you did.

Have you noticed that nothing’s free in life? Well, there is one free gift I’ll talk about later, but as far as material possessions, status or position, nothing comes without a cost.

So it is with opportunities. If you’re a Christian, you know that even if opposition comes with opportunity, God is in the midst, to comfort and guide us.

We all long for peace and God does promise peace, but He does not promise that there won’t be difficulties or obstacles along the way to greater opportunities.

It’s easy to follow Jesus when life is full of open doors and exciting opportunities. It’s when things don’t go as we expect that we tend to doubt God cares or is really in control.

Trust God, always. We will face disappointment and loss, hostility and heartache. It’s during these times that God uses the difficult circumstances to drive us closer to His promises and our desires.

God will never let you down. If the opportunity seems unreachable, understand that it’s all in God’s timing.

Look for opportunities and be ready for opposition.

Colossians 4:5-6 - “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”