The scoreboard may show us behind, but the game isn’t over yet.   The pieces may be a jumbled mess, but the puzzle isn’t assembled yet.  The road may seem to lead in the wrong direction, but the journey isn’t complete yet. For those who love Him, God is working ALL things together for an ultimate good. That means there is not a bad thing in the universe that isn’t factored into His plan.  Even the difficult things, painful things, unexpected things, and hostile things will work toward a good result, a good fit and a good place for believers.  When things don’t seem to be working, let us remember that God still is.

Take a look around.  That’s all it takes to see that this world and the people in it are broken.   Relationships are broken.  Bodies are broken.  Environments are broken.  Hearts are broken. Communities are broken.  Suffering is a reality that we all experience:  everyone, everywhere, every day.  What helps us get though the suffering is knowing this simple truth:  it will not always be this way.  A glorious day is coming when the broken will be made whole, the wrong will be made right, and the pain will be made into pleasure forever.  No matter what comes next, we know what comes last and longest:  Heaven.  Take a look ahead.

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.

Human beings tend to be treasure hunters.  We are inclined to attach too much value to, and become too attached to, earthly possessions and pleasures.  We often want to have more of these for ourselves and have more of these than others do, so we spend our lives collecting and comparing.  When we remind ourselves of all that we have in Jesus, this frees us to pursue better things.  As adopted children of God, we are heirs to every good possession and endless pleasure in heaven. This means on earth we can be joyous no matter what we have, generous with what we do have, and unenvious of what others have.

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.

It’s incredible.  It’s inevitable.  It’s irreversible.  Life after death is coming for every person who has saving faith in Jesus.  Jesus decisively defeated our enemy, our sin and our unbelief through His perfect life, His atoning death, His victorious resurrection and His effectual call upon our lives.  In doing so, God removed everything standing in our way from fullness of joy and pleasure forevermore in His presence in heaven.  Because of this, we do not need to fear death for we know what awaits on the other side.  Take heart! For Christians, death is the door to life, and Jesus has left it unlocked for each of us to enter in.

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.

Human effort couldn’t overcome it.  Human wisdom couldn’t solve it.  Human goodness couldn’t cancel it.  But God did something glorious and gracious about our biggest problem: He condemned our sin on the cross so you and I don’t have to be condemned for our sin.  For those who are trusting in Jesus, this means we don’t have to live in constant unease that God is going to turn against us or turn us away when we don’t measure up.  Our sins, our shortcomings, our struggles and our setbacks have all been dealt with once and for all.  We are safe in Jesus.  He takes away our sin and makes a way for us to not sin.

Here’s the ironic truth about gossip:  it says more about the one doing the talking than the one being talked about.  Gossip reveals a heart that finds more pleasure in the transfer of information than in the transformation of an individual.  It is the opposite of the gospel for it is indifferent to its harmful effect on others, or it is intent on that harmful effect.  Rather than pointing out the bad news about others, we should use our words to point to the good news of our Savior.   Let us fill our minds and our mouths with things that repeat His story. If we’re going to say something about someone else, may it be about Jesus.

It’s okay to not be okay.  It’s not okay to stay that way.  Especially when God has equipped the church to take care of one another as we depend upon Him to graciously provide what we need in our time of need.  He calls, gifts, empowers, mobilizes, and sends the church of Jesus to be His hands, feet, and mouth to people inside and outside the family of God. Therefore, the smartest thing you can do when you find yourself feeling overpowered, overwhelmed or overloaded is to ask for help.  If it’s more than you can handle alone, that’s God’s way of saying He doesn’t want you to handle it alone.

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.

Because of Jesus, we can have courage; the kind of courage that does not shrink back from saying and doing the right things no matter what people might think of us, what might happen to us, and what it might cost us if we remain faithful to Him.  We press on, knowing that He will graciously keep us and empower us and provide for us and go with us and deliver us and save us because He has promised to do so.  Therefore… Be bold to speak the truth in His love.  Be brave to face enemies with His love.  Be encouraged in opposition by His love.  If He is for you, it really doesn’t matter who is against you.

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.

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.

The Bible doesn’t pretend that bad people don’t exist or bad things don’t happen.  It actually warns us about the reality of bad stuff, prepares us to deal with bad stuff, encourages us as we go through bad stuff, and guides us to get past bad stuff.  Supplies may be short, but God will supply our every need. Finances may crash, but God will be our security. Relationships may deteriorate, but God will never leave us. Sickness may invade our bodies, but God will ultimately heal us forever.  Whether we escape trouble or endure it, we can be sure of this… There is always good news that overcomes the bad news.

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.

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.

Biblical humility is a response to grace.  It is an acknowledgement that God helped us over and over in the past and an awareness of our need for God to help us again and again in the future.  When you are humble, you know that the good things about who you are and the good things you have done are because Jesus has freely and fully made it so.  We work hard, but He empowers us.  We make decisions, but He enlightens us. We take opportunities, but He equips us. We keep going, but He encourages us.  Let us humble ourselves and exalt Him, for nothing good about our lives would be possible without Him.

When others wrong us, repaying evil for evil is never the right answer, solution or response.  We are commanded to release our instinct for revenge and let God judge, punish and make all things right in His timing and in His way.  God will repay, either by accepting the payment made by Jesus on the cross should the evildoers repent and receive His grace, or by making them pay in hell if they do not.  Therefore, let us overcome evil with good and leave it to God to do the work He means to do in their lives.  We best model the grace of Jesus when we show it most to those who deserve it the least.