Christians. That is what we are. Love. That is what we do. The entire Christian experience of following Jesus in faith is characterized by love. But only when we love rightly. All the sins of all the people in all the world are the result of loving wrongly. To love like God loves, 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. By grace… 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.
God Has Solved It All
Here’s just one of the many things that is so amazing about God’s grace: we would still be walking in darkness if He had not shined His light upon our hearts. We would not have seen our sin for what it is, but even if we did… We would not have cared, but even if we did… We would not have been able to do anything to change. But God has solved all of this. His light exposes our sin, reveals His grace and leads us to faith in Jesus. Whoever follows Him does not live in darkness, but has the transforming light of life. Today, as we walk in the light, let us remember to praise God for drawing us to the Light of the World.
He Does Not Need Us, But We Do Need Him
Light bulbs depend upon a power source. Flowers depend upon water. Humans depend upon oxygen. Everything in creation depends upon something in order to continue existing and functioning as it was created. But God does not depend upon anyone or anything for He does not have any needs. He has all the power, all the wisdom, all the sovereignty, all the perfections from all categories to do all He desires. He does not need us, but oh, how we need Him! Let us praise the One Who never came into existence, will never go out of existence and never stops ruling for good our existence as we trust in Jesus.
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.
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.
We See His Wonderful Heart
There is a lot we learn to love about Who Jesus is, which we learn about from what Jesus does. We love that He is gracious, kind, powerful, wise and compassionate … and we see He is all of those things in the way He relates to us. He forgives us, so we know He is gracious. He blesses us, so we know He is kind. He helps us, so we know He is powerful. He guides us, so we know He is wise. He cares for us, so we know He is compassionate. But it is His character, nature and personality that draw us and delight us. We don’t love Jesus because we see His wonderful acts; we love Jesus because we see His wonderful heart.
Worship War
Worshipping Jesus is war against worshipping anything else. Only one person, pursuit, prize or passion can rank as your highest priority, get your greatest admiration and be your fullest joy. The more you value Jesus above all other things, the less you will value other things above Jesus. Your heart. Your mind. Your will. These will all bow down to something or someone that means the most to you. While we are “given all things richly to enjoy,” none of these things are meant to compete with our love and loyalty for Jesus. Who is worthy of our worship? May we answer with our hearts, minds and lives: Jesus is.
God-Glorifying Happiness
How is God glorified through our happiness? There are at least three ways… First, He is glorified when we trust that He knows best how to make us happy, and we lovingly do what He says to bring about our happiness. Second, He is glorified when we thank Him for the good things He gives to us and does for us that make us happy so that He gets credit. Third, He is glorified when we treasure Him as our ultimate source of happiness by delighting not just in His gifts, but in Him as a good and generous and gracious Giver. Trust Him. Thank Him. Treasure Him. This is how God is honored in us and we are happy in Him.
Praise Him During The Highs And The Lows
Life is a series of personal, societal and general changes. But there is one thing that remains the same: our God is worthy to be praised through all of the ups and downs of our lives. Therefore… We praise Him when we succeed, but also when we fail. We praise Him when things are comfortable, but also when they are difficult. We praise Him when we get what we want, but also when we miss out. God deserves our praise because of Who He is and what He does whether we are experiencing a high or a low. So… Let’s praise Him today as the One Who gets us to the mountaintops and gets us through the valleys.
Contentment Will Be Ours
We rob ourselves of satisfaction when we long too deeply for something more or something different than what God has given us. We will not like our lives when we think too much about how unlike they are from… The way it used to be in better times. The way we want it to be in current times. The way it seems to be for others at all times. But we can stop this robbery by trusting God knows best what to give us and by treasuring what God does give us in, through and because of the gift of His Son. Contentment will be ours if we stop focusing on what is absent from our lives and start rejoicing that Jesus is present in them.
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.
Biggest Thrills And Best Prizes
Temptation often invites us to sin in two ways. The first is like a carny barking at us to “Step right up” for a chance to have a thrilling experience or win a desirable prize that is never worth it in the end. The second is like a boat at sea gently rocking us back and forth until we have drifted to sleep in indifference to God’s better ways. Whether it shouts or whispers, temptation beckons us to look away from Jesus, love something more than Jesus, and live for a substitute for Jesus. By grace, we can resist by reminding ourselves that the biggest thrills and the best prizes are enjoyed by those who are anchored to Him.
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.
Don’t Let Anything Keep You From Him
Hard times can cause people to harden their hearts against God, but good things in life can make us just as unfeeling toward Him. When things go wrong, we are tempted to blame God; when things go right, we are tempted to ignore God. Overcoming this sinful tendency to live as if God doesn’t care or as if God isn’t there will only happen when we regularly remind ourselves of Who He is and how good He is. He helps us in hard times and gifts us with good things so that we will… Remember Him. Rejoice in Him. Remain with Him. Don’t let the seriousness of the bad or the shininess of the good keep you from Him.
If You Do It Out Of
If you do it out of duty, you’ll be resentful. If you do it for attention, you’ll be prideful. If you do it just when it’s convenient, you’ll be neglectful. But… If you do it because of love, you’ll be joyful. Obeying Jesus isn’t a matter of duty, show or convenience; it’s a matter of the heart. Our affection for Him produces our devotion to Him. We don’t say and do the right things because that’s the way we should live, but because that’s the way should love the One who tells us what things are right for us to say and do. May grace continue to change how we feel about Him so that more and more His wants become our wants.
Everywhere He Is Present, And Nowhere Is He Absent
Rejoice in this today: Though God is a million miles away, He is also right here with us. We cannot be in two places at the same time, but He is in all places at all times. Everywhere He is present, and nowhere is He absent. Let us praise Him as the uncontainable, unlimited, unequaled One Who is always both there and here, both far and near. So amazing it is that He can be high above it all and still be close enough that we feel Him… Guiding us. Helping us. Correcting us. Delighting us. Sustaining us. Here with us. In any place we are, may our hearts be full of worship for the One Who is in every place.
He Knows Everything
It should make us bow in awe knowing that God knows everything. Just thinking about the scope and span of His knowledge is mind-boggling to me, and yet knowing everything that has happened, is happening, will happen and could happen doesn’t boggle His mind at all. He doesn’t need research. He doesn’t need reminding. He doesn’t need rest. How amazing He is! How amazing too that He knows all our sinful actions, words, thoughts, feelings and attitudes, and He loves us anyway. Let us praise the all-knowing One, for He showed His love on the cross to cleanse our sin so we can now know Him.
God Is Able
God is the most-powerful, all-powerful being in existence and is able to do whatever He purposes to do. Nothing is too hard for Him. Nothing is mightier than Him. Nothing can stop Him. And He has graciously chosen to use His power over all things to work all things together for our good. Praise God He needs no help! Praise God He helps those in need! When we grow weak, He strengthens us. When we grow weary, He sustains us. May we rest today knowing He will use His power in ways that will bring blessing to us when all is accomplished as He intends. He has made us promises, and He is able to keep them all.
Go Shine Your Light
God didn’t create you primarily so you could make a lot of money, take a lot of trips, have a lot of fun, and indulge in a lot of temporary pleasures. Those things may be a part of your experience, but they are a means to this end: “to let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Today, be mindful of the beautiful calling upon your life: You were made to be… An image-bearer. A darkness-brightener. A difference-maker. A good-works-doer. A Jesus-treasurer. A God-glorifier. That is why you are here … so, go shine your light!
