Jesus Is Who We Can Believe

It is hard to know who is telling us the whole truth, withholding the truth, distorting the truth, misinterpreting the truth, or creating their own version of the truth. We can easily be deceived into thinking something is true when it is not. So, who can we count on to be honest with us with what we need to hear?  What is the standard by which we can evaluate all other guiding life principles and philosophies? What truth can we live by so we do not live in vain or error? Who can we believe?  Jesus.  Jesus is Who we can believe.  We can always count on what He says to be true for us and good for us.

Those Who Are Close To You But Far From God

Are you praying for God to change the lives of those who are close to you but far from Him?  It may not look promising right now, but don’t lose hope because no one is a lost cause.  That family member, that friend or even that foe can be changed by God no matter how disinterested they are in Him or distant they are from Him.   A rebellious will can surrender to the plans of Jesus.  A closed mind can open to the good news of Jesus.  A hard heart can soften to the love of Jesus.  Keep talking to God about that person and keep talking to that person about God. Remember: He can do for others what He has done for us.

He Will Always Choose What Is Best For Us

Every hour of every day we must choose between two options for how we will live:  the ways of the world or the ways of God.  The temporary pleasure, the quick fix, the easier path, the feel-good philosophy, the you-do-you attitude and the comfort zone are incredibly popular and powerful enticements.  They aren’t always wrong options, but they are never right options if we choose them over what God tells us.  The good news for us is this:  We do not have to face life’s temptations, tests and turns in our own power and wisdom.  When we rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us, He will always choose what is best for us.

Why Go To A Church Service?

The singing lauds the greatness of Jesus.  The preaching proclaims the message of Jesus.  The offering furthers the mission of Jesus.  The discipleship equips the people of Jesus.  The prayers unleash the power of Jesus.  The Spirit transforms the image-bearers of Jesus.  The communion celebrates the finished work of Jesus. The invitation welcomes new believers of Jesus. The fellowship encourages the good deeds of Jesus.  The service nurtures the joy of Jesus. The gathering sends out the representatives of Jesus.    Why go to a church service?  Because it leads to greater honor for Jesus and greater happiness for you.

The Thing About Being Deceived

The thing about being deceived is you don’t know you are being deceived.  You think something is real, but it’s not.  You think something is true, but it’s not.  You think something is right, but it’s not.   Things aren’t always what they look like, sound like or feel like they seem to be.   And often it’s our own hearts that trick us into believing what we want to be genuine.  So, how do we spot counterfeits?  By hearing, embracing, knowing and living out the message of Jesus.  We must look to His life-giving, life-enriching truth to be the fountainhead of our thinking and feeling and desiring that sets us free from all deception.

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.

Before You Make A 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.

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.

It Is Wonderful To Love

It is wonderful to love.  One of the greatest gifts that God gives us as humans is the capacity to care for things and care about things.  From pizza to people, fireworks to friendships, Chick-Fil-A to conservation, jobs to justice, adventures to Apple, and countless other things, it’s good to give affection and attention to the good things God puts in our lives.  But… Only one love can be supreme.  Only one love can be primary. Only one love can be central.  The love we have for Jesus should be greatest of all.  Let us stir our affections for Him, knowing this:   We will love other things best when we love Jesus most.

The Most Important Prayer Request

Is your prayer life more about getting God to do your will or you to do His?   I’ll be the first to admit that it’s much easier for me to pray about my preferences, priorities and plans than it is to say to my Heavenly Father, “nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.”   Yet, there is nothing so freeing and fulfilling than to be right where God means for me to be doing right what God means for me to do.   Prayer involves many things, but the most important thing is to request what we need to live for His Kingdom, not to secure what we need to build our own. Today, ask God to give what you need, to do what He wants.

Where Love Is Defined

Someone once said that God doesn’t care how many Bible verses we memorize as long as we love others.  But the Bible is where we find our definition for what love is and our demonstration of what love does.  Knowing what God has to say about love keeps us from forming our own opinions about what is right and wrong about how we feel and treat other people.  It also reminds us of His steadfast love for us despite our faults, flaws and failures.  This helps us be loving towards others who, like us, are in need of grace. God cares that we know the Bible because that’s how He prepares us to care for others.

God Delights To Give Us Good Things

God delights to give His children the good things they ask from Him.  Why then are there times when we don’t get what we want in life?  One reason is simply that we aren’t asking Him for good things.  That could mean that we aren’t praying at all, and we don’t get what we ask for because we aren’t asking.  That could mean that we are praying, but what we are asking for isn’t good for us to get.  Whether it’s the wrong thing, the wrong track, or the wrong time, God loves us too much to say “yes” to all of our requests that we would regret in the end.  When He acts differently than we asked, it’s always an upgrade.

Some Days Are A Blur

Admit it, some days are a blur.  We wake up, and it’s a nonstop rush throughout the day to not fall behind.  You know what the cure is for being overwhelmed, worried and frustrated about the many things on our schedules?  Making the right choice to spend unhurried, undistracted time with Jesus today so He can refresh us, reorient us and ready us for what He knows is coming next. It’s the most important part of our day, and it should have the most intentional part of our schedule, because it’s the most influential part of our lives.  We’re not too busy to spend time with Him; we’re too busy not to spend time with Him.

The Final Say In How You Live

How much authority does the Bible have in your life?  How is it shaping the way you see the world, the way you see polarizing issues, and the way you see yourself?  How fully and frequently do you rely on it as the final say in how you live?  The Bible isn’t an out-of-date, out-of-order, out-of-touch book with no real relevance for us today.  It is God’s Word that still speaks today telling us what is good and bad, right and wrong, true and false, beautiful and ugly, necessary and frivolous, wise and foolish.  God intends for us to seek it out and live it out as the ultimate authority for the Christian life.  Indeed, it is where life is found.

The Nourishing Word Of God

For genuine, growing Christians, our relationship with Jesus increasingly influences how we live.  As we turn to the Bible and turn its pages, we learn of His good plans for us, His gracious promises to us, and His guiding presence with us.  Only when we regularly read and respond to the Bible can we be who we were made to be and do what we were made to do.  That’s why it is essential that we… Read it.  Pray it.  Live it.  Share it.  If your ultimate aim in life is to be as happy as you can and bring as much honor to God as you can, there is no substitute for the nourishing, encouraging, strengthening, transforming Scriptures.

The Loudest Voice In Your Life

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 each day we read God-breathed words in the Bible 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.

The Prayer That Never Fails

There are many things that are true about prayer.  One of them is this:  prayer involves seeking what we need to do what God wants.  We don’t talk to God in order to secure what we need to build our own kingdoms; we talk to God to request what we need to live for His kingdom.  Prayer is not a hotline to heaven we use to override His will so He will give us what we think will make us happy; it is a lifeline to heaven we use to ask Him to show us His will and make us happy with what He gives us.  This is the prayer that never fails:  Your will be done in my life as it is in heaven.