How much God loves you does not rise with every new entry on your resume’ and does not fall with every new entry on your rap sheet. God’s love is not based on your performance as if He only cares about you when you get it right. You are loved; not because you are perfect, but because you are His. You are valued; not because of what you have made of your life, but because you were made by Him. You are treasured; not because you cross off items on a checklist, but because Jesus died on a cross for you. God will continue to shape you into the person He made you to be. But He deeply loves the person you are today.
There Is An Order To Love
Love both sums up all of God’s commandments and gives us the motivation to obey them. But only when we love rightly. All the sins of all the people in all the world are the result of loving wrongly. Augustine described sin as “disordered love.” He noted that for our loves to be in proper order we should not… Love what it is wrong to love. Fail to love what should be loved. Love too much what should be loved less. Love too little what should be loved more. There is an order to love. We are to love God above people. Love people above things. And love things in such a way that they help us to better love God and love people.
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 (Matthew 5:14-16), and you are not done shining yet.
No Perfect People
There are no perfect people. When you find that you are focused on and frustrated with the faults of others, remember that your life is riddled with faults too … yet you are loved, accepted, forgiven and changed by Jesus. When we are humbled by, amazed by, overjoyed by and empowered by the forgiveness and help extended by God for our own sins and shortcomings, we will more readily extend grace to others. God judged Jesus in our place. We don’t have to be judged. We don’t get to be judge.
Lifeopoly, Part 2
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. – Philippians 4:19-20
The way to win the game of Lifeopoly is to go to Jesus. Go immediately, personally, expectantly, honestly, submissively, willingly, hungrily, persistently, confidently, obediently, adoringly, fearlessly, gratefully, humbly, corporately, sincerely, hopefully, lovingly, trustingly and frequently. For those moments we are in over our heads and about to lose our minds, let us go directly to Jesus to collect peace and rest. Whenever we land on a space that has us wondering what to do, let us go directly to Jesus to collect wisdom and guidance. If the next roll leaves us so weak we think we cannot continue on, let us go directly to Jesus to collect strength and endurance. Should some turn scare us, let us go directly to Jesus to collect courage and assurance. As we cause some of the bad things that happen, let us go directly to Jesus for forgiveness and transformation. Of course, even in this world of brokenness and even in our own sinfulness, not every turn turns out badly. Some moves bring us to pleasant places. What should we do then? Go to Jesus. Go directly to Jesus. To thank our God for His gracious gifts, and to ask Him to help us rightly enjoy them so they do not become idols that take us to a bad place. We do not have to handle the demands of this life by ourselves. In fact, we cannot. God never intended for us to. Instead, His Son, Jesus is with us and for us as we round the board. Go directly to Him and be refreshed and reoriented. God’s supply of peace, hope, joy, wisdom, strength, courage, security, companionship, and every other good thing He has for us in Jesus is endless. There is grace for our every roll, every turn, every landing space until this game is over, and it all goes back into the box. Then, Eternal-Lifeopoly begins. In which there are no bad spaces to land. And every player gets fullness of joy and pleasure forevermore with God.
Lifeopoly, Part 1
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. – Philippians 4:19-20
Do you ever feel like the game of Lifeopoly is rigged, and you’re always a roll away from landing on another bad space? As you survey the board, there are unexpected burdens, unreasonable people, unpleasant circumstances, uncertain details, unknown outcomes, unmet expectations, unrealized dreams, unkind words, and unmanageable schedules. All of this can leave you feeling undone! On some days and in some seasons, it’s like every roll of every turn plops you down on a hotel-laden property whose owner demands you pay up. You look at your resources and find that you have a measly $12 and one of the utilities, forcing you to mortgage off your peace, hope and joy. Overdrawn. Overextended. Overwhelmed. There is no way this game is going to end well. Unless… You follow these instructions: Go to Jesus. Go directly to Jesus. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. In other words, don’t try to play the game on your own with your own resources. You. Will. Never. Win. The only way to handle all of the tough landing spaces in this broken, sin-stained world is to go to Jesus. Go directly to Jesus. There is unbelievable grace available for every unsettling thing you face. Let us go to Him over and over to give Him our worries in time of need. Let us go to Him over and over to give Him our worship in time of needs met. How relieving and reassuring and renewing it is to talk to Him about our cares and trust Him to do something about them. Whatever space you find yourself landing on today, go to Jesus for peace, joy, hope, guidance and provision. He will give you gracious help in whatever way He knows is best. Relying on Him is the only way to play the game of Lifeopoly. You. Will. Never. Lose.
Are You Known? Jesus Offers Love.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. – Ephesians 5:1-2
We all keep secrets. There is not a human being on the face of the earth who fully discloses every thought, feeling, motive, desire, and attitude to others. We hide many of those things within ourselves, hoping that no one ever finds us out, because we fear that the ugliness we keep tucked away would drive others away. So, we put on a mask, and we put on a show, make-believing we are something that we are not. But there is Someone who knows the real you and loves you with a costly, undeserved, willing, lasting, transforming, blessing love. You are fully known by Jesus and fully loved by Jesus, even with all of your sins and shortcomings. It’s a good thing that He knows every micro-detail about you because you don’t ever have to wonder if He loves the real you or just the sanitized-for-public version of you that others see. Jesus loves the you behind the mask. He doesn’t love you more on “good” days when you do all the things He wants you to do, and love you less on the “bad” days when you stray and disobey; He loves you all days and always because you are treasured by Him. To be sure, He doesn’t love your and my sin. He doesn’t love those sinful things that are tucked away inside of us. In fact, He hates them. But that didn’t drive Jesus away from us; that drove Him to the cross for us, so we might be forgiven for and freed from our sins, and welcomed into the family of God. Then, He stays with us to transform us from the inside out into people who both hide less and less and have less and less to hide. The One who matters the most, knows us most, and loves us most. Secure in His love for us, we are moved to love Him back and extend His love to others, knowing that when the all-seeing God of the universe looks upon us in Christ, though He sees everything about us, what He sees most is a beloved son or daughter.
Imperfect People Loving Imperfect People
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8
Let’s be honest, loving others isn’t as easy as it sounds. When we say it out loud, what a beautiful ring it has: let us simply love the people in our lives. It not only has a beautiful ring, but it’s a beautiful thing when we look out for the best interests of those around us as we defend, pray for, welcome, involve, help, correct, befriend, equip, encourage, guide, care for, speak life to, and support them. But it’s not so simple to simply love others, and here’s why: others don’t always bring out the love in us. Some of the people where we live, work and play are know-it-alls, gossips, selfish, cry-babies, back-stabbers, unforgivers, troublemakers, lazy, outcasts, judgmental, self-righteous, unkind, power-hungry, cheaters, entitled, drama queens, hypocrites, snobs, clingy, braggarts, and downright unlikeable. Who would love people like them? Jesus. Jesus would love people like them. Jesus loves people like you and me, who are just like them. Oh, didn’t you see yourself in that list above? I certainly felt like it was a mirror to my face for more than one entry. But Jesus loves us anyway. Oh, the height and depth and width of His love for sinners like you and me and them! This is what brings out the love in us for others. This is our reason to repent of being unloving, of loving selectively, and of being consumed with self-love. This is the model, means, and motivation for every expression of our love toward the people God has put into our lives. Jesus loves us. Jesus loves us. Jesus loves us. When we remember and rejoice in this, this will fan into flames our love for others. For who better to love imperfect people than those who were at their own worst when Jesus loved them anyway? We will extend love to others when we remember how wonderfully it has been extended to us.
Every Person In Your Life
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:30-31
Your zip code is not an accident. You live there. You work there. You play there. But God placed you there. He worked in ways that you could never comprehend or calculate to divinely position you right where you are at this very moment and this very season. Life didn’t just take you there. He did. If God thought it important enough to ordain in which community you and I would live, work and play, we should think it important enough to find out why. And then, by His grace, get busy doing what He placed us here to do. While there are undoubtedly very specific things God means for us to do, one over-arching purpose for our divine deployment is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31) Every person in your life is there for this reason: for you to love on them. Have you ever thought about that? God put you where you are, and brought people into your life where you are, so you could demonstrate His love for them, to them. These aren’t just neighbors, co-workers, and team-mates; they are intended recipients of God’s affection to be administered through you. God providentially orchestrated the events that got you and other people to meet so you could love on them, and point them to the greatest love of them all … His love for us. Every meeting, every conversation, every interaction, every passing, and every encounter is a wonderful occasion to bless and brighten someone else’s life to the glory of God. Those intersections where your life meets someone else’s life hold a beautiful, God-given opportunity and responsibility to love like Jesus.
Are You Discouraged? Jesus Offers Joy.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. – John 15:9-11
God wants us to be happy. He’s the Author of happiness. It was His idea. But if that’s true, then why are so many people discouraged and downtrodden… and so often un-happy? The problem is what we listen to that drives what we look to in order to find that happiness. The message of the world is to “do what you want to do and be who you want to be” and this will make you happy, and it plays on repeat in advertising, conversations, entertainment, politics, news, books, talk shows and in our heads all throughout the week. Only… It. Does. Not. Work. The reason we can’t stay happy very long is because we often look to something that was never intended to keep us happy very long. God alone knows how best to deliver enduring happiness, and He delivered it through Jesus. Jesus invites us into the same kind of intimate relationship that He has with our Heavenly Father, one that overflows with love and joy. He tells us to keep His commandments, not to rob us of happiness, but rather to remove the things that are in the way of our full and lasting happiness. His message is “do what I want you to do and be who I made you to be” and in doing so, we will experience His joy, and our joy will be full no matter what else is happening in our lives. Do you want to know how to be happy both now and forever? Receive, believe, trust and obey the words of Jesus. To the degree that we listen to and linger over and live out the encouraging, correcting, instructing, guiding, cheering, uplifting, promising, God-glorifying words of the Bible, we will experience the same joy that is shared by Jesus and our Heavenly Father. Today, and every day, set your eyes, heart and mind on the glorious gospel truths of Scripture. It’s the only message that will truly deliver the happiness that it promises.
Are You Disappointed? Jesus Offers Satisfaction.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. – John 6:35
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Most human beings struggle with seesawing their way through life going back and forth between being pleased and displeased with the things of this world. At one moment we are far too easily pleased, settling for appetizers instead of the feast that God offers us, and at the next moment never pleased at all because the appetizers only whet our appetites for the feast. As we settle in and settle for seeking satisfaction in relationships, achievements, possessions and experiences, we find that there is an ongoing craving for something more, something different, something better that always leaves our souls hungry and thirsty. We find that “If only I had or did or could” looms ever in front of us, out of reach but not out of sight. The truth is, we will never be satisfied until we know God, and that’s what Jesus makes possible. He came into the world to be the “bread” that ends our spiritual hungering and longing. He doesn’t offer to get us that new job, new spouse, new vacation, new baby, new home, new personal best, new recognition, new bill of health, or new thing that we think will make us happy. He offers to give us Himself so we can actually and finally and ultimately be happy as we experience all that God has for us in Him. Jesus isn’t a means to an end; He is the end. He’s the source of enjoyment and nourishment. He’s the main meal. He’s the feast that all of the appetizers of this world point us towards. And you and I will be hungry and thirsty no more when we come to Him in faith and believe He will deliver for us all that He has promised to us, both now and for all eternity. The more we pursue Him, the more precious He will become to us, and the more He will prove to us that He is everything we’ve been looking for all along … and so much more. We’ll be more satisfied with what we have in life and less dissatisfied with what we don’t have in life when we are fully satisfied with all we have in Jesus.
In Receiving Jesus, We Receive Everything
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. – John 3:16
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When was the last time you thought about eternity and what it would be like to perish forever? When was the last time you rejoiced that you have a completely different eternity awaiting because God gave His Son? When was the last time you contemplated the implications of receiving this gift? Everything bad is turned around and traded in for good when we trust in Jesus! Because in Jesus, through Jesus, by Jesus and from Jesus we are given forgiveness, joy, peace, hope, power, identity, purpose, security, acceptance, courage, transformation, comfort, companionship, help, guidance, endurance and everlasting life. And every entry on this list has a sub-list of its own with staggering promises and provisions from God to those who are born again into His family. And every entry on every sub-list has its own listing of countless practical, everyday ways that God’s gracious gift shows up for us in this life. And this life is not even as much as one drop from all the water contained in all the oceans, seas, lakes and rivers of the world in comparison to what we will receive in eternity when we go to be with God. All this is a gift. An understated gift, for there is much more that could be said of the benefits and blessings of knowing Jesus. An undeserved gift, for there is much more that could be said of the depths of our sinfulness apart from Jesus. In receiving Jesus, we receive everything. For who could add anything to the gift of God’s Son that would make that gift better? Unwrap its blessings afresh today by believing and by loving the One who gave you this Gift as you think about the preciousness and pricelessness of what He means to you.
Everybody Loves Good News
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. – Luke 2:10-11
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Everybody loves good news. Why? Because good news makes us happy. And in a world full of bad news and sad news, we could all use more glad news! The way to battle the negativity of sin and sorrow that is around us and a part of us is not merely to fill our thinking with positivity. We all know that doesn’t fix how we feel or act for long if it fixes anything at all. We fight for joy by “preaching the gospel to ourselves.” That is, we tell ourselves the good news of Jesus over and over, specifically as it applies to what we are struggling with in the moment. We remind ourselves of the things that are true for us because of Who Jesus is to us and what Jesus accomplished for us. We recall promise after promise that has been made to His people by the great Promise-Keeper Who never fails to do what He says. We remember the words of peace and grace and love that Jesus spoke in the Bible and now speaks into our lives. Remembering leads to rejoicing. The more we trust in that message of joy that a Savior and Lord has arrived to save us from bad and rule over us for good, the more we will experience the “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10-11) no matter what we are facing. Today, don’t fill your mind with the garbage of this world; fix your mind on the glorious good news of Jesus. If He’s your “Savior” and “Lord” then… Your past is forgiven. Your present is empowered. Your future is secure. This is not just good news; it’s the best news ever!
A Happily Ever After Ending
There are many experiences that cause us to weep with joy. It is touching to observe some beautiful act of kindness. It is stirring to embrace a loved one after an absence. It is moving to see someone come back from certain failure. It is emotional to extend or receive real forgiveness. It is uplifting to receive some unbelievably good news, behold the birth of a baby, view the rebirth of a struggling marriage, and witness a life in ruin radically changed for good. But as wonderful and sentimental as each of those occasions rightly are, they do not compare to this stupendous, heart-stirring, joy-producing, emotion-overloading, love-generating occurrence… Jesus died for our sins so that we might have eternal life. We were the ones in need of a beautiful act of kindness. We were the ones who were far away in need of love’s embrace. We were the ones headed towards certain failure in need of a comeback. We were the ones deep in sin in need of forgiveness. We were the ones desperately in need of the Good News. We were the ones dead and in need of rebirth and new life. We were the ones whose lives were in ruin and in need of change. And Jesus set His affections upon us, pursued us, gave us the faith to believe, and graciously rewrote our narratives with the ultimate weep-for-joy “they lived happily ever after” ending.
The Best Way To Be Thankful
The sweetest of all thankfulness isn’t superficial; it goes deep. It goes past feeling happy that certain things are in our lives. It goes past naming those things so it is known that we appreciate them. It goes past even tracing their origin back to God and thanking the Giver for all of our blessings. There is a delightful, wonderful, beautiful experience when our gratitude is not merely directed toward God for His gifts, but toward God for Himself. This happens when we see beyond loved ones, comforts, simple pleasures, touching moments, adventures, favorite things and other wonderful blessings to see something about the character, generosity, supply, and love of God in Christ towards us. Deeply felt thankfulness is rooted in knowing God. Knowing… The peace that comes from trusting Him. The joy that comes from delighting in Him. The guidance that comes from following Him. The hope that comes from believing Him. The courage that comes from walking with Him. The renewal that comes from resting in Him. The love that comes from belonging to Him. The real blessings aren’t peace, joy, guidance, hope, courage, renewal, and love; the real blessing is Him. If everything we label as a blessing was taken from our lives and only Jesus remained with us, we would be infinitely, mind-blowingly, perfectly, eternally blessed. The more we realize the staggering nature of the Gift that can never be taken from us, the more we will rightly enjoy all of the gifts that have been temporarily given to us. The way to be best thankful for all that God has given us is to be most thankful for Him.
Why Are You Here On Earth?
It’s a question that most of us ask at some point in our lives as we consider the purpose of our lives: why am I here? There is this hard-wired desire in the DNA of each us to know the reason we were born and remain alive on this earth. You may state the conclusion differently than I do, but the words of my personal mission statement offer the basic meaning for why God gets us up each morning: “I exist to know Jesus and make Him known so that God is honored in us and we are happy in Him.” Starting with ourselves and spreading to our circles of influence, we are after one ultimate objective: an honored God and happy people. How do we accomplish this? By making disciples who make disciples. A disciple is a follower of Jesus. Discipleship is the ongoing process of following Jesus. Disciple-making is the ongoing process of helping others follow Jesus. The practical reason why you and I haven’t already been called home to heaven is because we have been left here to help other people take the next step in their spiritual journeys with Him toward heaven. To mature in and multiply our own faith, and help others do the same. To make a difference, make disciples who make much of Jesus! The specific details will vary for each of us, but for every person in the family of God whose heart still beats, we have one common aim and ambition for the rest of our lives: to make the greatest difference for the greatest length of time. And there is nothing we can ever do on this side of eternity that will have more significance and more endurance than being used of God to impact the eternities of other people so that He is fully and forever honored by us, and we are fully and forever happy in Him.
Anything Else Is Too Small A Thing To Live For
You and I are on earth for a reason, and that reason is this: God has called us by His grace to know and make known Jesus. His perfect life. His atoning sacrifice. His resurrection power. His heart for people. His message of love. His life-transforming hope. His offer of eternal life. His amazing grace. His matchless value. His endless joy. His immeasurable benefits. His imminent return. His incredibly good news. God has graciously transformed our lives and sent us back out to be agents of His transformation in the lives of other people. We are who we are because of what Jesus has done for us; we do what we do because of who we are in Jesus. Christian is the adjective that is to describe and define every category and moment of our lives as we represent Jesus 24/7 to those in our lives. As ambassadors for Christ, we have been summoned into the most important work in the universe to spread the message and ministry of reconciliation as God makes His appeal for the hearts of others through us. The thoughts, feelings, motives, attitudes, words and actions of our lives need to communicate one thing with absolute clarity and certainty: life with Jesus is far better than life without Him, and eternal life is found only through Him. Ultimately, we are after this: Jesus being honored in us and us being happy in Him. Anything else is too small a thing to live for.
Comparison Is A Game We Do Not Have To Play
An ongoing struggle that all of us experience is comparing ourselves and our lives to other people. It shows up as we measure our appearance, finances, intellect, popularity, achievements, opportunities and so forth to someone else’s. Regardless of whether we compare favorably or unfavorably, it usually leads to sin. Comparison is a game we cannot win for at least two reasons: it either makes us discontent with the kind of person we are or the kind of life we live compared to other people, OR it makes us prideful because we feel superior to others or look down on others in some comparison category. The solution for both of these problems is to be happy with the person God is making us and content with what He has given us with no care to compare at all. Our ultimate source of satisfaction is found in Jesus, Whom God is making us like and is His greatest gift to us. Comparison is a game we cannot win, but because of Jesus we do not have to play it.
This Life Is Not All There Is
One of the enemy’s biggest deceptions is convincing us to live as if this life is all there is. It’s the cause for the fear of missing out, the fear of sacrificial service and the fear of death. It’s the reason so many strive to build their own kingdoms instead of building the kingdom of God. It’s the basis for the never-ending search for happiness by looking to the world instead of looking to Jesus to find happiness that is never-ending. The lie that we should live as if this life is all there is to live for is the fountainhead of ten thousand troubles. And you can find out exactly what you’re living for by honestly answering one simple question: why do you think, feel, speak, and act as you do? Is it because of some earthly aim or ambition, or because you’ve got your sights set on eternity? Everything looks different when you look past the temporary to forever. This place isn’t our home; we’re heading home. This life won’t last forever; the next life will. This treasure trove will fade away; the ones laid up in heaven have an everlasting shine. The joys and pleasures of today that never satisfy enough and never last enough will give way to fullness of joy and pleasure forevermore when we enter the presence of God.
There Is An Order To Love
Love both sums up all of God’s commandments and gives us the motivation to obey those commandments. But only when we love rightly. All the sins of all the people in all the world are the result of loving wrongly. Augustine described sin as “disordered love”. Or said another way, we sin, we break God’s commandments, when our loves are out of order. He noted that for our loves to be in proper order we should not… Love what it is wrong to love. Fail to love what should be loved. Love too much what should be loved less. Love too little what should be loved more. You see, there is an order to love. We are to love God above people. Love people above things. And love things in such a way that they help us to better love God and love people.
