Jesus Is Not Like Others
If there is one thing you can be sure of, it is this: people will hurt you. It may be accidental, or it may be intentional, but it will happen. There will be things said and left unsaid, things done and left undone, which bruise and break your heart and spirit. But there is a sweet-like-honey truth to overcome the bitter taste of how others treat you: Jesus is not like others. He is a friend who will never betray you, abandon you, disparage you, neglect you, exploit you, condemn you, harm you, mis-prioritize you, belittle you, mistreat you, lie to you, pretend with you, or withhold love from you. He will only do good to you.
Things Are Out Of Our Control, But…
Jesus invites us to come to Him to rest in His righteousness to merit eternal life for us and rest in His sovereignty to manage everyday life for us. He is in charge of the results and outcomes. He controls circumstances and situations. He commands our future and eternity. No matter what we face today, let us remember that what happens in our lives is not ultimately decided by chance or luck, humans or demons, Satan or self. Things will work out as they should. Because there is a wise, powerful, loving Savior who reigns over all for the good of those who trust in Him. Things are out of our control. But they are never out of His.
You Were Made To Be
God didn’t create you primarily so you could make a lot of money, take a lot of trips, have a lot of fun, and indulge in a lot of temporary pleasures. Those things may be a part of your experience, but they are a means to this end: “to let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Today, be mindful of the beautiful calling upon your life: You were made to be an image-bearer. A difference-maker. A Jesus-treasurer. A God-glorifier. A good works doer. That is why you are here … so, go shine your light!
Only What You Do For Him
The enemy wants to rob your life of real meaning. The enemy wants you to live for temporary things. The enemy wants you to waste your life. But if you have given your life to Jesus, nothing you do for Him will ever be in vain; to the contrary, it is only what you do for Him that will matter in eternity. When we put our trust in Jesus, we were created anew in Him for a life of good works which God has planned out and supplies what is necessary to carry out. Remember this today: You were made by Him, for Him and like Him as an image-bearer of God to show and tell the world all about Him through your good works.
As We Trust In Jesus
As we trust Jesus to come through for us, we will be filled with peace when we’re running low, renewed with spiritual energy when we’re running out, helped through difficulty when we’re running down, and kept steadfast when we feel like running away. This is our hope in Jesus: the best is yet to come. Let us believe it, expect it, anticipate it and await it to come true, especially when we suffer. Let us watch for the daily doses of His grace to appear when we need them. And let us regard the eternal pleasure of heaven with Him as something wonderful on the calendar that is certain to come at the appointed time. Because it is. Because it will.
Something Good In Your Future
You don’t have to cross your fingers. You don’t have to be cautiously optimistic. You don’t have to wonder in uncertainty. You don’t have to have a glass half full disposition. You don’t have to fear the worst. You can have a real hope in this broken world with broken people even when life doesn’t work out the way you thought it would, because you are certain it will work out for good. That’s what real hope is: a confident expectation of something good in your future. And it comes from trusting that Jesus will be with us in time of need, give to us all that we need, and one day put an end to our needs.
You Can Change
Every human knows what it feels like to be stuck. Stuck in repeated mistakes, personality flaws, unfulfilling rhythms, bad habits, and inner unrest caused by our sinfulness. But God in His grace sent Jesus to get us un-stuck and offer real transformation for those who put their trust in Him. He initiates it. He motivates it. He cultivates it. He consummates it. This is the reality of becoming new in Christ: a change in our standing with God, a change in what makes us happy, a change in what controls our lives, and a change in what our eternity will be like. Trust Him day by day and watch Him change you from who you used to be into who you were made to be.
He Loves You Because You’re His
Striving for a sense of self-worth through your own performance will create more unhappiness in you than you ever dreamed possible. Why? Because you will face disappointment in yourself when you don’t perform well, discontentment when others don’t applaud your performance, and depression when you don’t get to perform at all. The good news is this: that’s not where your value comes from at all. You are priceless because of God’s unrelenting love for you in Christ. God doesn’t love you because you’re beautiful, witty, popular, fit, wealthy, fast, intelligent, kind, influential or talented; He loves you because you’re His.
Your Next Move
The decision we need to make, the step we should take, the future that is at stake are all too important to risk trying to take our best guess and our best shot at getting it right. The good news is, we don’t have to. The sweet voice of Jesus will guide us from where we are to where we need to be when we ask Him to do so. But we will not hear these life-giving, joy-producing, hope-inspiring, course-correcting, God-honoring, truth-telling words of His if we neglect to read the Bible and pray, as this is where asking and receiving takes place. So… Before you make a move, your first move is always to ask Jesus for your next move.
Help For Temptation
Everyday there is a tug-of-war for control of your thoughts, feelings, motives, attitudes, words and actions, pulling you in the opposing directions of what sin entices you into and what God invites you into. Look to Jesus for help and look for His help to arrive as a way to leave the temptation, the power to say “no” to the temptation, a divine removal of the temptation, the arrival of someone to help you through the temptation, and / or a promise of something worth waiting for that is better than the temptation. Never lose sight of this truth: You are never helpless against temptation as long as there is a throne of grace for you to run to for help.
