Loving others includes being happy that they are happy … unless the source of their happiness is sin. People can find happiness in things ranging from cheating on a test to cheating on a spouse, hurting themselves through addictions to hurting others through mistreatment, and ignoring family needs to ignoring God. This is not the time to be happy for them; it is the time to help them. We should support: Godly ambitions, but not selfish ones. Godly affections, but not sinful ones. Godly actions, but not senseless ones. Let us encourage each other to be happy in ways that will not be regretted in the end.
It Will Be Worth It All
There is a heavenly scene that should run through our minds often as we run the race of life. When we grow weary from serving, we should think of it. When the good we do doesn’t seem to be doing much good, we should think of it. When the risk or sacrifice of living out our faith is high, we should think of it. Here’s the scene: We cross the finish line. We see the smiling face of Jesus. We fall down before Him. And we hear Him say “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master.” Know this… Every long day. Every hard day. Every costly day. In that moment, it will all be worth it.
Small Things And Big Things
The world wants us to make small things big and big things small. It wants small fears to rule our hearts, petty disagreements to sabotage our relationships, and trivial matters to dominate our schedules. It wants the seriousness of sin to be downplayed, the importance of living for eternity to be minimized, and the amazing availability and role of God’s grace in our everyday lives to be underestimated. But, praise God, we don’t have to live like that! Jesus has redeemed us from a life of smallness and sinfulness so we can live for bigger and better things. Today, by grace, let us keep big things big and small things small.
Jesus Will Come Through For Us And Come For Us
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. 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.
And So Is The End Of Sin
There are many things we long for about heaven, such as being with Jesus, reuniting with loved ones, eliminating sorrow and experiencing fullness of joy. One big thing that we should daily and decidedly look forward to is the complete defeat of all sin. What a day it will be when we sin no more! No more unkindness, hardheartedness, covetousness and selfishness. No more idolatry, bigotry, adultery and mockery. No more rebellion, manipulation, inaction or division. Every sin completely gone forever because our Savior has secured the victory! Take heart, friends. Jesus is coming, and so is the end of sin.
Made New In Every Way
We’re given… New identities. New desires. New lives. New futures. Christians have a faith in Jesus that is demonstrated by loving obedience, though imperfectly executed. That means there is grace to help us get this right, and there is grace to help us when we get this wrong. Our entire spiritual journey is one in which we rely on grace to take steps of faith in living as God intends for us, and in which we rest in that same grace when we take mis-steps knowing that God won’t give up on us. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith, and we can be sure of this: God will finish what He starts in us.
A Life Of Real Contentedness
You can’t afford it; but it’s already paid for. You can’t earn it; but it’s freely given. You can’t secure it; but it’s always available to you. God’s grace has countless implications and applications for everyday life and eternal life, ranging from getting good things to getting through bad things to getting to the best things. There is grace for you to have the life of real contentedness that you’ve always wanted. And that’s just the beginning, for it will expand and extend throughout eternity. All you have to do is … Want it. Ask for it. Receive it. Enjoy it. Grace isn’t about your doing or your deserving; it’s about God giving us His gifts.
His Main Concern Is Your Soul
No one wants you to be happy more than Jesus does. No one will make you happy more than Jesus can. But Jesus isn’t primarily aiming at making you happy by getting you past a bad time or helping you have a good time. His goal isn’t a happier you because He worked it out so you got the new job, got over the breakup, got through the illness, got to take a vacation or got the result you wanted. Those may be part of His blessings to you, but His main concern is your soul. He is after your happiness in being forgiven and free from the devastating consequences of your sin so you can know every pleasure of knowing God.
No Suffering At All
Christians aren’t exempt from hurt. No matter what precautions we take to safeguard our lives or how hard we work at being godly people, something will inevitably come uninvited, unannounced, and unwanted into our lives and cause us pain. Yet… Healing will come. Comfort will come. Justice will come. Restoration will come.Deliverance will come. Joy will come. Eternal life will come. This is all true because Jesus has come. Take heart in this: He has come to join us in our suffering; indeed to suffer in our place on the cross so that one day we can enter into a place where there is no suffering at all.
Calling Out From The Noise
Last week is behind you. This week is ahead of you. What did you do, and what will you do, that really matters? It’s important that we take regular inventory of how we are spending our time to make sure we don’t waste away on unimportant things the lives that God has given us. The enemy wants us to lose our focus and lose our purpose. And one of his primary weapons against us is busyness. Much of it is meaningless distraction away from the important work God has given us to do. Today, listen for your Father’s voice calling out from the noise and leading you to do great things that matter forever.
The Best Is Always Yet To Come
For all who trust in Jesus, there is a glorious eternity ahead in which bad things will be eliminated, good things will be perfected, and the best things will be unveiled. We have an eternity with Him that… Never gets stale. Never gets boring. Never gets routine. Never gets unappealing. Never gets finished. There will always be more to discover and enjoy from the immeasurable riches of God’s grace towards us in Christ Jesus. Don’t live for this day; live for that day. Don’t be discouraged by this day; be encouraged by that day. Take hope in this every day: for those who are trusting in Jesus, the best is always yet to come.
No Matter What Comes Next
Take a look around. That’s all it takes to see that this world and the people in it are broken. Relationships are broken. Bodies are broken. Environments are broken. Hearts are broken. Communities are broken. Suffering is a reality that we all experience: everyone, everywhere, every day. What helps us get though the suffering is knowing this simple truth: it will not always be this way. A glorious day is coming when the broken will be made whole, the wrong will be made right, and the pain will be made into pleasure forever. No matter what comes next, we know what comes last and longest: Heaven. Take a look ahead.
Heirs To Possessions And Pleasures
Human beings tend to be treasure hunters. We are inclined to attach too much value to, and become too attached to, earthly possessions and pleasures. We often want to have more of these for ourselves and have more of these than others do, so we spend our lives collecting and comparing. When we remind ourselves of all that we have in Jesus, this frees us to pursue better things. As adopted children of God, we are heirs to every good possession and endless pleasure in heaven. This means on earth we can be joyous no matter what we have, generous with what we do have, and unenvious of what others have.
Death Is The Door To Life
It’s incredible. It’s inevitable. It’s irreversible. Life after death is coming for every person who has saving faith in Jesus. Jesus decisively defeated our enemy, our sin and our unbelief through His perfect life, His atoning death, His victorious resurrection and His effectual call upon our lives. In doing so, God removed everything standing in our way from fullness of joy and pleasure forevermore in His presence in heaven. Because of this, we do not need to fear death for we know what awaits on the other side. Take heart! For Christians, death is the door to life, and Jesus has left it unlocked for each of us to enter in.
We Are Safe In Jesus
Human effort couldn’t overcome it. Human wisdom couldn’t solve it. Human goodness couldn’t cancel it. But God did something glorious and gracious about our biggest problem: He condemned our sin on the cross so you and I don’t have to be condemned for our sin. For those who are trusting in Jesus, this means we don’t have to live in constant unease that God is going to turn against us or turn us away when we don’t measure up. Our sins, our shortcomings, our struggles and our setbacks have all been dealt with once and for all. We are safe in Jesus. He takes away our sin and makes a way for us to not sin.
Eternity Is Coming
We spend planting day in anticipation of harvest day. We spend pre-season getting ready for post-season. We spend rehearsal time longing for show time. We spend work hours to enjoy weekend hours. All this for a fleeting yield, championship, applause, and pleasure. How much more important is it to spend today in getting ready for, in anticipation of, and in longing for eternity? This life isn’t all there is! Eternal fruit, eternal victory, eternal glory and eternal enjoyment are coming. Christian, rejoice and recommit to living for what matters most. This life will soon end, but praise God, the next one never will.
He Makes Us Safe And Secure
What Jesus has done, is doing and will do out of His love for us is what makes us safe and secure. He atones. He rules. He provides. He sustains. He delivers. There is nothing that can stop Him from loving us like that. And there is nothing that can separate us from a love like that. Because Jesus loves you… He gave His life for you in the past, He’s walking with you in the present, and He’s coming back for you in the future. Christian, take heart today, for though your life is not without threats and troubles, your life is safe and secure in the love of Jesus. He has loved you every day of your life. Today will not be any different.
The Things You Do For Others
Even if no one repaid them. Even if no one appreciated them. Even if no one saw them. The acts of kindness, acts of generosity, acts of sacrifice, acts of love and all other times you act like Jesus are not unnoticed in heaven. While it may be tiring to keep giving up your time and giving of yourself to do good to the people that Jesus brings into your life, don’t give in to the temptation to stop blessing others in His Name. Remember, the things you do for others, you do for Him. And Jesus sees them. Jesus appreciates them. Jesus will repay them. Someday you will see the glorious outcome of the good you do today.
Praise And Pleasure
What you’ll discover about life with Jesus is this… The better you know Him, the longer you follow Him, and the greater you enjoy Him, the deeper you will experience all the blessings and benefits of grace. He will be honored in you and you will be happy in Him. And that’s what grace is all about. God and sinner reconciled so that… God receives the full and lasting worship He’s always deserved, and you receive the full and lasting happiness you’ve always desired. It starts now, grows over time, and will extend into eternity where it will explode into unhindered, unbridled, uninterrupted pleasure forevermore.
An Infinite Difference
There is an infinite difference between… Who we were and who we are. What we were and what we are. We were sinners who were infinitely separated from God with no hope of avoiding the coming judgment and wrath for our sin. But God demonstrated His infinite love for us by sending Jesus to shower infinite grace upon us through His perfect life, sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. By faith, we are now infinitely forgiven through Him, infinitely connected to Him, infinitely secure in Him, and infinitely blessed by Him! So… Let us use our lips and our lives to give Him what He deserves: infinite praise.
