People often reject the gospel because they would rather rely on good advice for what they need to do rather than receive good news about what Jesus will do for them. Humans love self-help strategies that promise you can fix yourself until they inevitably find that these strategies don’t actually help self. Well-meaning sayings like toughen up, lighten up, buck up and cheer up are just a set up that make us want to give up. Real, lasting change will only come when we ask God to begin and complete His good work in us so we can live by His power. He’s ready, willing and able to do it if we’ll stop trying to do it ourselves.
When Reading The Bible
When reading the Bible, if you don’t experience both conviction and celebration, you’re not reading it correctly. On one hand, we should not ignore the places where God’s words challenge and correct the way we are living if we are disobedient to His commands. On the other hand, we should not isolate the places where God issues His commands so all we have is a list of “dos and don’ts.” A proper reading and understanding of the Bible should equip us to joyfully do as God intends and encourage us with all that Jesus has done, is doing and will do for us. His doing makes our doing possible and makes it worth it.
What We Hear, What God Says
We often hear one thing when God is saying another thing. We hear, “You can’t do that or have that or be that.” God is saying, “That is not good for you.” We hear, “You must do this or have this or be this.” God is saying, “This is good for you.” What we interpret as a restrictive rule, God intends to be a gracious guardrail. While we may think His commands are something that will rob us of joy, He is actually saying them because He knows they will safeguard our joy. Therefore, let us trust Him as we listen to Him. Remember, even when we hear God saying something we don’t like, He is actually saying, “I love you.”
Grace For Believers Who Live Differently Than We D …
We should never approve or applaud someone else’s sin. But we should also be a lot more gracious with other believers who live differently than we do. It can be helpful to remember that every one of us who is following Jesus does so at varying paces and is at varying places in that journey with Him. Not everyone will… Understand things like we do. Interpret things like we do. Practice things like we do. Rather than criticize others because they aren’t carbon copies of us, let us cheer on others to continue growing in the likeness of Jesus. None of us are as mature as we will be; but we’re also not as messy as we used to be.
From Who You Used To Be
Every human knows what it feels like to be stuck. Stuck in repeated mistakes, personality flaws, bad habits, unfulfilling rhythms 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. This is what becoming new in Christ means: 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. He changes everything! Trust Him day by day and watch Him change you from who you used to be into who you were made to be.
If God And I
If God and I don’t think the same way, it’s me that is thinking wrongly. If God and I don’t speak the same way, it’s me that is speaking wrongly. If God and I don’t act the same way, it’s me that is acting wrongly. God never adjusts His ways to match mine, but is continually and graciously transforming me to be more like Him. So… It’s never right to conclude that God is wrong. Yes, He does things we can’t understand. Yes, He does things we don’t like. Yes, He does things we wouldn’t choose. But He absolutely never makes an error in anything He does. Let us trust in this: He knows what He is doing, even when we don’t.
The Fix Is Jesus
Our world is not going to get better until we realize we cannot fix ourselves. The fix is not in more laws or more freedoms. The fix is not in more penalties or more incentives. The fix is not in more pre-education or more post-counseling. Whatever entry you want to add to the list … that’s not it either. The fix is Jesus. Only He can transform us from rebellious, idolatrous sinners into the glorious image-bearers of a loving God we were created to be. When we turn to Him again and again in faith, He will… Change our minds. Change our hearts. Change our lives. He takes our broken pieces and puts them back together again.
The Truth Will Set You Free
The truth will set you free FROM fearful hearts, false hopes and fleeting happiness that cleverly disguised sin creates. But only if you know what the truth is when you see it. False things are often mixed in with true things which leave us mixed up if we can’t tell the difference between the two. Do you know how to spot a fake? By knowing what the real thing looks like. That is why it is so important to fill our hearts and minds with the truth of Scripture, the promises of God, the commands of our King, the words of Jesus, the beauty of the gospel. The truth will set you free TO enjoy real heart-peace, real hope and real happiness.
We Don’t Have To Drink Poison
Many Christians are slowly being poisoned by the indoctrinating words of the world they take in day after day. Words that contaminate their minds with fears and fakes that convince them to look away from God for hope and happiness. If what you’re reading doesn’t encourage you to follow Jesus, stop reading it. If what you’re watching doesn’t build up your faith in Jesus, stop watching it. If what you’re listening to doesn’t deepen your love for Jesus, stop listening to it. There is something better. You and I don’t need to drink poison when there is a fountain that flows with the life-giving water of God’s truth and promises.
The Scale Always Tips
If you put all of my weaknesses on one side of the scale and all of my strengths on the other side of the scale, it’s not even close in comparison. Strength wins easily. See if you agree with me on this. My weaknesses: I don’t have all the right answers. I don’t say all the right words. I don’t make all the right moves. Day after day, there are countless ways in which I am wrong, not right. My strengths: Jesus. The scale always tips to the side of grace! Day after day, He gives me the right stuff I need and forgives me for the wrong stuff I do. Let us rejoice in this good news today: His strength will overcome our weakness.
Grace For Every Step
So… Where do you go from here? What is your next step? Step one is to welcome Jesus into your life for Who He is: Savior, Provider, Counselor, Leader, King, Treasure. If you have never repented of your sinful life apart from Him and received the life that comes with Him, then by faith ask God for this right now. If you really mean it in your heart, He will give it to you. Step two onward is to grow in grace. Step after step, you let Jesus be Who He is … for you. You seek to know Him, follow Him and enjoy Him, letting His peace, hope and joy rule in your heart as He rules your life for your good.
Has He Started That Good Work In You?
Has He started that good work in you? How can you and I know that we have received God’s grace? There are two really good indicators that your faith in Him is genuine: you have a growing hatred for sin and a growing love for Jesus. You don’t just want to be free from the consequences of sin, but sin itself. You don’t just want to have the blessings of God, but God Himself. There is a desire that begins growing inside of you to experience all that God has for you, in this world and the one to come. You believe in Jesus for the first time, and then you believe in Him more fully over time. We grow. That’s how we know.
How God Sees Us
What we say and think about ourselves is sometimes quite different than what God does. We say we can’t do something. God says we can do all things through His strength. We think we are a flawed and worthless mess. God thinks we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We say we are unlovable because of our sin. God says He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for our sins. We think our lives can’t make much of a difference. God thinks He can change the world through people just like us. We need to see ourselves like God sees us: A forgiven, empowered, beloved son or daughter who is learning to live like it.
Be Sure To Think About God
Let’s be honest: In an ever-churning sea of distraction, we are vulnerable to forgetfulness. We forget Who God is and what God does and what God says about what we are to do and who we are in Christ. We forget His plans. We forget His promises. We forget His provision. We forget His power. We forget His presence. We forget His preciousness. It is essential that we fill our lives with things that redirect our attention to Him and rekindle our affection for Him. We need reminders that He is for us and He is with us. Today, you will think a lot about tasks, troubles, and things. As you do, be sure to think about God.
Our Big-Picture Purpose
How many of these we have and what we do with them differs, but we all get 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week and 365 days in a year. What our enemy wants us to do is fill them up with vain pursuits. We have countless options and distractions available to steal our attention. Rather than scrolling and clicking and watching and recreating our lives away on things that don’t matter, Jesus is calling us into something better. Namely, to glorify God by experiencing real joy in Him and helping others experience it too. So… While we still have time, let us make the most of it by living out our big-picture purpose.
Turn On The Light Today
The Bible is a light that illuminates dark places. When you read it or hear it, it lights up the darkness of… Your heart. Your path. Your witness. Your life. It exposes the sinfulness of your heart so you can go to Jesus for forgiveness. It shows you the pitfalls of the path you are on so you can follow Jesus safely to where you are meant to go. It brightens your witness before other people as you go so you can point them through your good works to the hope and happiness you have in Jesus. It shines encouragement into your life so that you can keep going because of the promises of Jesus. So… turn on the light today.
The Influence Of Entertainment
Entertainment has an agenda, and it’s often not just to entertain. While Christians have varying convictions on what they should and should not be entertained by, all of us need to be cautious of the influence that movies, music, books, podcasts and so forth have on us. Much of the events and content that is available to entertain us glorifies sin and desensitizes us to sin. It makes… Wrong things look right. Holy things look comical. Forbidden things look acceptable. Godly things look foolish. Bad things look good. So, let us consider turning off those influences that turn us away from loving and following Jesus.
Told What To Do
Most people don’t like to be told what to do. Our immediate response is usually pushing back or pulling back from those who are giving us unwanted instruction or information. We want to make our own choices for what we will and will not do based on what we like and do not like. But as we trust Jesus more fully, we increasingly… Like to hear His voice. Like to receive His guidance. Like to have Him tell us what to do. Why? Because we know that He loves us and will speak to us about what is best for us. Let us follow Him in faith today, knowing that whatever He has us do, we will like it very much in the end.
New Appetites For Better Things
An evidence that you are a genuine, growing Christian is that you want to be freed from your sin, not just forgiven of it. It’s not just escape from the penalty and consequences of sin that you desire, but escape from the power and control of sin as well. Those who love Jesus will inevitably and increasingly hate their sin. We are not perfect, but we want to be. We will fail, but we wish we wouldn’t. We like some wrong things, but we long for change. Jesus will soon fully deliver us from sin, but until then, let us pray for Him to progressively replace our taste for wrong things with new appetites for the better things He has for us.
Slow Down And Suit Up
God does not send us ill-equipped into battle against the enemy of our soul. Instead, He dresses us in His own armor. In order for us to fight the good fight of faith, we must put on that armor of God … ahead of time, in advance of the skirmish. We put ourselves and others at extreme risk if we wait until the battle begins to ready ourselves for war against sin and evil. The enemy does not allow us to call timeout or grant us a recess to gather our ammunition and put up our shield. This is why we should arm ourselves with a daily dose of God’s instructions, truths, and promises found in God’s Word. Slow down and suit up.
