Crawling comes before walking. Planting comes before harvesting. Starting comes before completing. There is an order to things, and for followers of Jesus… Praying comes before doing. You and I often handle things backwards from how we should handle them by acting and then seeking God when we should seek God and then act. The best thing we can do to handle what we face in life is to seek our Heavenly Father before we do a thing more. We ask. He answers. We act. He assists. This is the only way to live happy, holy lives. Turning to Him shouldn’t be our last resort; it should be our first line of defense.
He Won’t Just Tickle Our Ears
You can talk yourself into just about anything. Other people will try to talk you into something. Only God will talk to you truthfully about everything. There are many voices that speak into our lives such as family and friends, news and social media, advertising and entertainment, and especially ourselves … but the loudest (most influential) should be God. We are being shaped by influences all around us which is why it is essential that we devote unhurried time each day to read the Bible, pray, and listen to God-sent voices who speak His truth to us. When we listen to Him… He won’t just tickle our ears; He will delight our souls.
Being With Jesus, Part 2
Think about the best qualities of the people you admire and adore. What would your list include? Things like: compassionate, generous, helpful, honest, dependable, strong, wise, just, kind, fun-to-be-around, forgiving, accessible, intuitive, welcoming, joyous, calm, merciful, gracious, loving and so forth. You’d love to be around someone who checked even a few of these boxes. Listen… Jesus checks them all. Along with every other good and right quality. And, more than that, He doesn’t possess any bad or wrong quality. It’s not just what He is, but also what He is not, that makes Him so wonderful and so wonderful to be around. Nobody else in your life is like Him. Nobody else in the universe is like Him.
Being With Jesus, Part 1
The incomparable and incalculable benefit of following Jesus is that we get to be with Jesus. We get the pleasure of His company and the contentedness of His presence. It’s not just life. It’s not just the best life. It’s not just the best life now. It’s not just the best life now and forever. It’s the best life now and forever with Jesus. We go with Jesus not just because it’s the smartest thing to do and the safest thing to do, but even more so, because it’s the satisfying thing to do. Giving up all the world’s substitutes for Him, in order to be with Him, is not a trade-off; it’s a trade-up. It’s an infinite upgrade to know and enjoy Jesus.
Cheering, Not Criticizing
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.
Ready, Set, Go…
The alarm clock rings, and we’re already running behind. Before we even known if we’re ready, willing and able to enter the day, it’s ready, set, go. The remedy for busy, frantic lives is not to speed up, but to slow down. The thing that will most help us with what we face each day is to simply spend time with Jesus getting recharged so we can be prepared for what lies ahead, and refocused so we can prioritize the things that matter most. At the beginning, middle, and end of the day, take moments to connect with Him. You’re not too busy to spend time with Jesus. You’re too busy not to spend time with Jesus.
Do You Know What I Do?
Do you know what I do when I don’t know what to do? I pray. Do you know what I do when I need strength to do what I have been led to do? I pray. Do you know what I do when I experience difficult people or problems as I’m doing what I’m supposed to do? I pray. Do you know what I do when I grow weary doing the right things? I pray. Do you what I do when I get distracted by temptations to do wrong things? I pray. Do you know what I do when things don’t work out how I thought they would as I’m doing what I should? I pray. Do you know what I do when I have done what I was given to do? I pray. God’s answers to prayer include wisdom, strength, help, endurance, freedom, hope and thanksgiving. Prayer changes things; and it begins by changing us.
A Desire To Be Different
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 the brokenness, but until then, let us pray for Him to progressively replace our taste for sin 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.
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.
Today Will Be No Different
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.
Jesus Is Our Security
Jesus is our security… He laid down His life for us on the cross so we can be forgiven and freed from the only thing that can truly threaten us, our sin. He rose from the dead to defeat the final enemy that we could never safeguard against, our mortality. He sits in the position of power and authority to rule for good the one thing that we struggle to control, our lives. He prepares for us a place and an inheritance to be enjoyed forever by ensuring the one thing that we cannot, our eternity. He promises to provide all that we need until He brings us safely to the one good thing in our future that we long for most, our home with Him.
Real Security Is…
People go to great lengths to safeguard their money, health, jobs, computers, phones, homes, families, and minds against dangers that threaten their well-being. They look for security in a variety of places like their bank account balances, home alarm systems and workplace seniority. But all of the security measures people take have one thing in common: they can fail at any time, which means they don’t really offer security at all. Real security is having something which guarantees a good future for you that can never be lost by you or taken from you. That’s the kind of security that is only found in the love of Jesus.
He Leads, We Follow … That’s It
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.
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.
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.
Real Faith
Faith in Jesus is followed by following Jesus in faith. Saving belief leads us to step off the throne, take off the crown, and let Jesus take over ruling our hearts and lives. We haven’t really put our faith in Jesus if we are indifferent to what He wants and resistant to what He says. That’s not trust. That’s a lack of trust. That’s mistrust. Real faith in Jesus makes us want to give up our sin and self-rule to follow His steps, His ways and His commands (although imperfectly executed) more fully over time. Why? Because we are confident that life His way is better than any other option, and that for eternal life He is the only option.
Beloved Masterpieces
God has committed Himself to the long-term transformation of making us more like Jesus. He is acting as both demolition crew and construction crew in us, tearing down those things that don’t belong and building us up in ways that better mirror His image. He will not stop until the good work in us is done, loving us just as we are, but never content to leave us that way. We are His beloved unfinished masterpieces, treasured works-in-progress that are always under the skilled brush of God Who graciously and patiently adds His loving strokes to who we are so we can become who we were made to be.
