All times. All places. All circumstances. That’s when and where Jesus will be there with you and for you if you are trusting in Him. There are occasions so wonderful that you never want them to end. There are occasions so painful that they feel like they will never end. The key to not being distracted by the highs and defeated by the lows is to keep your eyes on Jesus and experience His strengthening, sustaining, satisfying presence in both the ups and downs, the wins and losses, the pleasures and pains. Today, trust and treasure Him. You can rightly go through all things because Jesus goes right through them with you.
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.
Good Works All The Days Of Our Lives
There is no quota to meet. There is no bar to clear. There is no stage to reach. When it comes to serving the Kingdom of God with our lives, there are two things we need to understand. First, we don’t work to get into the kingdom. Second, we don’t stop working once we get into the kingdom. We are completely accepted because of the completed work of Jesus, and our faith rests in what He does, not what we do. But that doesn’t mean we rest from doing. God has ordained that we do good works all the days of our lives, never reaching a stopping point until we reach home. He saves us and sends us to share His love.
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.
If He Is For Us
Because of Jesus, we can have courage; the kind of courage that does not shrink back from saying and doing the right things no matter what people might think of us, what might happen to us, and what it might cost us if we remain faithful to Him. We press on, knowing that He will graciously keep us and empower us and provide for us and go with us and deliver us and save us because He has promised to do so. Therefore… Be bold to speak the truth in His love. Be brave to face enemies with His love. Be encouraged in opposition by His love. If He is for you, it really doesn’t matter who is against you.
Good News That Overcomes Bad News
The Bible doesn’t pretend that bad people don’t exist or bad things don’t happen. It actually warns us about the reality of bad stuff, prepares us to deal with bad stuff, encourages us as we go through bad stuff, and guides us to get past bad stuff. Supplies may be short, but God will supply our every need. Finances may crash, but God will be our security. Relationships may deteriorate, but God will never leave us. Sickness may invade our bodies, but God will ultimately heal us forever. Whether we escape trouble or endure it, we can be sure of this… There is always good news that overcomes the bad news.
His Way Is Always The Right Way
Over the course of our lives, we will make countless decisions, and each of them will change the course of our lives. Some significantly. Some insignificantly. But all of them will steer us in varying degrees as we journey through this world into the one to come. While we often let intuition and emotion be our inner guide as to what is right and wrong for us, these often lead us astray because they are skewed by many biases, experiences and influences. Thankfully, God does not leave us alone to navigate through life. He graciously directs our paths when we trust in and submit to His guidance. His way is always the right way.
Biblical Humility Is A Response To Grace
Biblical humility is a response to grace. It is an acknowledgement that God helped us over and over in the past and an awareness of our need for God to help us again and again in the future. When you are humble, you know that the good things about who you are and the good things you have done are because Jesus has freely and fully made it so. We work hard, but He empowers us. We make decisions, but He enlightens us. We take opportunities, but He equips us. We keep going, but He encourages us. Let us humble ourselves and exalt Him, for nothing good about our lives would be possible without Him.
Jesus Entered Our World Of Troubles
No matter how tough we are, removed we are, indifferent we are, or protected we are, there are real threats to our peace of heart and peace of mind. In this world, we will have troubles. But Jesus entered our world of troubles so we could have our peace restored, now and forever. This brings peace: Jesus has overcome the world, is with us as we live in the world, provides all that we need in this world, and promises to come back to deliver us from this world! If you trust that He can handle sin, death and Satan to give you eternal life, then trust He can also help you through all the issues you face in everyday life.
Not Guilty
Not guilty. But it happened. Not guilty. But You saw it. Not guilty. But I did it. Not guilty. But I owe for it. Not guilty. When we repent and believe the gospel, God applies the perfect life of Jesus and the atoning death of Jesus to our record, and we who really are guilty of sin are set free. Free from shame. Free from judgement. Free from punishment. Therefore, we can dismiss fear of death, face life courageously and look forward to an eternity where punishment has been replaced by reward, inheritance and blessing in God’s presence. Rejoice today, for Jesus has the final word for those who are trusting in Him: Not guilty.
We Walk By Faith Not Sight
I’m a recovering sight-walker. Give me the plan. Give me the map. Tell me where we’re going, how we’re going to get there, what’s going to happen along the way, and what awaits us at our destination. While the Bible does give us the “big picture” view of these things, the everyday details of our individual lives aren’t specifically given to us in advance. It takes faith for us to follow Jesus into the unknown, uncertain and, often, unfamiliar spaces where He leads us. But our faith rests firmly in this: When Jesus calls us to leave our comfort zones, we can be sure He will always go with us and provide for us.
He Leads, We Follow
Many people see the commands of Christ as “restrictive rules” that are keeping the good stuff out of our lives instead of seeing them as “gracious guardrails” that are keeping our lives out of the gutter. He is our Good Shepherd Who protects us, provides for us, empowers us, refreshes us, delights us, guides us and delivers us safely to our eternal home in heaven. How? We hear His voice (the words of the Bible with all of its instructions, truths and promises made clear to us by the Holy Spirit) calling us into His care, and by faith we do as He says. He leads. We follow. That’s it. He takes care of us by taking care of all the rest.
Today When…
Today, when that temptation is offered, that relationship blows up, that meeting goes wrong, that diagnosis is grim, that pleasure is available, that problem shows up, that plan falls through, and that thing happens … you will believe something to be true. Instead of believing sin’s promises that you have been abandoned by God, or you should accept a substitute for God, believe the promises of God. Place your full weight on God’s Word, for it is the only solid ground in a world full of cleverly-disguised sinking sand. If He says it, you can believe it. And if you can believe it, you can experience its life-giving assurances.
You Are Not Done Shining Yet
God will bring you through 100% of your dark days until He brings you home. He will not forget you a single moment. He will not forsake you a single time. He will not fail you a single day. Will it always be easy? No. Will it always be comfortable? No. Will it always be the way you want it? No. But it will always be under the careful, calculated and compassionate rule of a Father Who loves you and has a purpose for you. You are alive and breathing today because God made it so; God made it so because you were made to be a light in this dark world. And you are not done shining yet.
God Is Always Doing More
For those who are trusting in Jesus, God is always doing much more in us, for us, around us, and through us than we are aware of. All we see is the show, but He is working behind the scenes. All we see is the ship, but He is working beneath the surface. He is precise. He is punctual. He is providential. We don’t have to make sense out of everything that is going on or that we are going through, but we do need to trust that God is tirelessly at work in ways that would make sense if we knew all that He knows. And when we can’t see it with our eyes, let us believe it in our hearts. That’s what faith is for.
If You Believe He Is Alive
Do you believe that Jesus is alive? Then don’t live as if He’s still dead. Don’t live as if you are left to your own wisdom, strength and resources to navigate through life. Don’t live as if this world and its stuff is all there is, and you can’t be happy unless you have more of it. Don’t live as if your life has no real meaning and purpose, and how you spend your time doesn’t really matter. Don’t live as if you are a victim of temptation and sin, powerless to stand up to it and resist it and defeat it. Don’t live as if life is out of control, and you have just cause to worry and fear and dread. If you believe He’s alive, live like He’s alive!
Our Lives Are Full Because The Tomb Is Empty
He Is Risen! We can rejoice and worship for the empty tomb changes everything. Because the Lamb of God was slain, rose again and the tomb is now empty, we can be forgiven and free forever. If you are trusting Him, you are a new person with a new eternity in your future, and new potential, new purpose, new power, new pleasure in Him for everyday life even now. All because He lives! This is our hope: Jesus has overcome the world, is with us as we live in the world, provides all that we need in this world, and promises to come back to deliver us from this world. Rejoice! Our lives are full because the tomb is empty.
Waiting For Better Things
Wait it out. Wait and see. Wait upon the Lord. Things will break our hearts and leave us in stunned silence. But our God is sovereign, and though the sinfulness of people, the brokenness of this world and the maliciousness of Satan all rise up to seemingly stop God’s work, He makes them bow down and serve His purposes. Struggles, suffering, sin and Satan will be defeated! Every foe we will ever face will be overturned, overthrown and overcome because Jesus is putting and will put every enemy under His foot in final and forever victory. Until then, we wait. But we wait in real hope of better things.
It Was Finished, But It Was Not Over
Confusion. Shock. Fear. Uncertainty. Heartbreak. Silence. When they laid the breathless, lifeless body of Jesus in the tomb, it must have seemed like their own breath and life had been drained from them. Jesus. Was. Dead. And when the stone was rolled into place, it must have looked like their hopes and fate were sealed inside with the One they had pinned their hopes on and trusted their fate to. They didn’t see it coming and wished they hadn’t seen it at all. They laid Jesus there. But He would not lie there for long. They thought it was the end. But it was just the beginning. It was finished. But it was not over.
We Aren’t Who We Used To Be
Jesus lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death, and rose victoriously from the grave. He did not live, die and rise so we could remain stuck in our sin and struggles as if He did nothing at all. He came to forgive us and free us from: bitterness, selfishness, laziness, unkindness, purposelessness, sadness, fearfulness and all ungodliness so we might walk in newness of life. Sin-defeating, life-enabling, heart-transforming, joy-securing resurrection power is ours! May we have a confidence in and dependance on the power and presence of Jesus today. We aren’t who we used to be, and we don’t have to live like we are.
