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.
Freedom Means Having No Regrets
Freedom isn’t just wanting to do something, being in a position to do something, and having the ability to do something. Real freedom is all of those things plus no regrets over what you do. You’re not really free if you have the desire, opportunity and ability to do something that you later wish you hadn’t done. Only Jesus offers this kind of full and forever freedom. He takes away our enslaving sin and all of its pain, and makes a way for us to experience life with God and all of its pleasures. Freedom comes by receiving through faith all that He graciously gives us to enjoy without guilt. Restraint free. Regret free. Really free.
Jesus Took It Seriously Enough
You’re going to get wobbly against temptation. You’re going to stumble in your faith. You’re going to take a fall into sin. And here’s what you’re going to find when you do: Jesus is there with grace. Grace that forgives you for what you have done, and grace that frees you from doing it again. And Jesus will repeat this over and over again for the rest of your life. Now… Don’t mistake this for a license to sin. It’s not a loophole or permission slip or pre-paid ticket to live unrighteously. So, let us both repent and rejoice at this: Jesus took our sin seriously enough to die for it, and He took grace seriously enough to die for us.
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.
God Wants Us To Be Happy
God wants us to be happy. When He tells us in the Bible to do, say, correct, believe, feel, think or share something, it is not to take away our happiness. Instead, it is to take away things in the way of our full and lasting happiness in Him. We must trust that God is after our happiness, that He knows best how to bring about our happiness, and that what He tells us in the Bible is designed to lead us into happiness. Doing what God tells us is not always easy, popular or instantly gratifying. But it is always for good, always better in the end than sin, and always the best option for making us truly, ultimately, and eternally happy.
His Fountain Of Forgiveness
No matter how much we grow to look like Jesus, there will be countless times when we don’t look much like Him at all. Because Jesus never sinned, and we often will. The natural response for us when we think wrong things, say wrong things and do wrong things is to hide. Hide the truth. Hide our responsibility. Hide from God. But because God is gracious, we don’t have to do any of these things. When we sincerely repent, He is faithful to extend grace. Every. Single. Time. He isn’t reluctant. He doesn’t have a shortage. He won’t turn you away. Run to God with joy knowing this… His fountain of forgiveness will never run dry.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It’s All About
It’s easy to be mistaken about this, assume this, believe this, want this and live like this: that your life is all about you. But the Bible teaches that your life is all about Jesus. Let us daily be reminded that you and I are to exalt, proclaim, model, know, serve, praise, believe, seek, adore, please, magnify, worship, defend, treasure, follow, trust, enjoy, obey and love Jesus. We do so to bring glory to the One who was slain for us, conquered sin and death for us, offers forgiveness and life to us, and has become a treasure and joy to us! Because here’s the thing… A life that is full of personal honor for Jesus is also full of personal happiness.
The Standard Has Been Met For Us
We don’t pretend it never happened. We don’t stay there for long. We don’t give up because of it. As we experience godly sorrow in honest ownership of our sin, it should lead to rejoicing in Jesus. Rejoicing over His forgiving grace. Rejoicing over His transforming grace. Rejoicing over His empowering grace. Yes, we feel genuine regret over our sin because it breaks God’s heart and breaks our lives. But we quickly remember that the finished work of Jesus makes it possible for us to finish well in our fight against sin. It’s not that the standard has been lowered for us; it’s that the standard has been met for us.
Demolition And Construction Crew
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.
That’s Not You Anymore
An ongoing battle that every Christian faces is the one between the person you were before you met Jesus and the one you are now that you have met Him. Old temptations beckon. Old habits resurface. Old desires rekindle. Old loyalties divide. Old beliefs hinder. Old memories haunt. When you feel this tension, remember that you have a new identity, a new life and a new you because you believe in and belong to Jesus! You have been changed, are being changed and will be changed by His transforming grace. So fight the good fight of faith against sin as you rejoice in this today: that’s not you anymore.
Striving For Holy Living
Imperfect words. Imperfect actions. Imperfect thoughts. Imperfect attitudes. Imperfect motives. Even though we are not who we used to be, we are also not yet who we will become. We are imperfect people. That doesn’t mean we should be indifferent to our sin-produced flaws or complacent in our grace-driven effort to overcome them. We should work hard to act like Jesus on the outside while God works to make us more like Jesus on the inside. But we do this secure in His love, safe in His mercy and strengthened by His power. Today, let us strive for holy living while relying on and resting in His grace.
Sights Set On Eternity
One of the enemy’s biggest lies is convincing us to live as if this life is all there is. He wants us to prioritize and pursue things that won’t matter for long over things that will matter forever. But everything looks different when you look past the temporary to eternity. 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. Yes, let us enjoy our time on earth and the things of earth as God means for us to do. But, even more, let us think, feel, speak and act as people who have set their sights on eternity.
Pleasing God Over Pleasing People
The paths will divide. The objectives will conflict. The plans will differ. The desires will compete. The advice will disagree. We will often find ourselves having to choose sides for who we will listen to, go with and live to the satisfaction of … God or people. We simply cannot be and do what will make Him happy and others happy at the same time, all the time. Rather than compromising to satisfy the crowd, let us show others the better path, the better objective, the better plan, the better desire and the better advice found in the good news of Jesus. Today, by grace, let us prioritize pleasing God over pleasing people.
God’s Rules Are Good
Many people see God’s commandments as a life-draining set of rules that is unpleasant, unnecessary and unwanted. They are seeing them wrongly. Do you know how bridges are designed, built and maintained for our safety? By “rules.” Do you know how meals are prepared, served and consumed for our nourishment? By “rules.” Do you know how music is composed, recorded and performed for our delight? By “rules.” God has decided how things should work for our … Safety. Nourishment. Delight. God’s good design for all things in our lives and in our universe is not life-draining; it is life-giving.
