May 13, 2024 · 5:43 AM

Giving Away Treasure

On our tour of Israel we visited the caves of Qumran. It’s located not far from north end of the Dead Sea. In 1946 some shepherds were watching their goats in the area. The goats were climbing the steep rocks looking for food. As it became time to head to camp, one of the shepherds climbed up the cliff to bring down a couple of goats that weren’t coming down. He came upon two small openings in the cliff which he felt like could be caves. He threw a rock into one and heard some pottery break. He looked in, but couldn’t see anything. He and the other shepherds decided it was too late to explore and that they would come back in a couple of days hoping to find treasure. When they did come back and make it into the cave, many were empty and a a few had papers in them. The treasure they had found wasn’t what they were hoping for, but turned out to be the Dead Sea Scrolls.

In Judges 7, we read were Gideon had an army of about 32,000 men and were headed to fight the Midianite army of about 135,000. On their way, God whittled down Gideon’s army to just 300 men who would fight this battle. He divided his troops into three groups giving each man a rams horn and a clay pot with a torch in it. They approached the enemy’s camp around midnight and got into position around their camp. At the right moment, they blew the rams horns, then broke their clay pots, lifted their lights and shouted, “A sword the Lord and for Gideon!” (NLT) The Midianite army woke up in such confusion and fear that they fought themselves and the Lord gave victory to Gideon.

2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” Paul used this imagery to remind us of the treasure, strength and light we have inside of each of us. Like Qumran, it’s when we are broken and let others see inside that they can discover the real treasure of Jesus. It is His strength that helps us through the battles we face and will help others as well. Finally, we must let His light shine wherever we go. It causes confusion to our enemy, but leads others to a saving grace from the darkness they’re living in. Don’t keep your faith hidden away from others. You have God’s treasure inside and He’s placed you around people seeking it. Open up and give this treasure away like you’re made of it.

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May 10, 2024 · 5:25 AM

Forgetting God

I once heard someone say that Christianity is only one generation away from extinction. When you read through the Old Testament you see how many times a generation didn’t pass down their faith or thank God for what He did for them. It says that they forgot God. It’s easy to read through Scripture and judge them for that, but you and I are in danger of doing the same thing. Human nature is to cry out to God in our distress and then to forget about Him when things are going well. Good relationships require communication in good times and in bad. If you haven’t had many needs arise lately, when’s the last time you had a great time of prayer? Praying isn’t just about taking your needs to God. If it is, you’re in danger of forgetting God.

Here are some Bible verses on forgetting God.

1. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.

Deuteronomy 8:11 NLT

2. That whole generation also died, and the next generation forgot the Lord and what he had done for Israel.

Judges 2:10 GNT

3. They forgot what he had done, the miracles they had seen him perform.

Psalm 78:11 GNT

4. But they quickly forgot what he had done and acted without waiting for his advice.

Psalm 106:13 GNT

5. But when you entered the good land, you became full and satisfied, and then you grew proud and forgot me.

Hosea 13:6 GNT

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May 9, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Worship In The Valley

Two of the biggest lies we hear when we’re going through a difficult time is that no one else understands and that God doesn’t care. I remember hearing both and believing them. The first one tries to get you on a technicality because there is no one else with your exact situation. I’ve found that while our situations may be unique, the pain and the process we go through is very similar. While someone may not be able to fully understand my exact situation, they can identify with the pain. That leads us to the second lie that God doesn’t care. The lie wants you to think that if God cared, you wouldn’t be going through so much. The truth is that even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He’s there with you to guide you and comfort you. He makes all things work together for our good.

I don’t know anyone who went through as much as Paul or Job. Job lost everything including his wealth, his kids and property. He still was able to worship God in that moment. In Job 2:9, when his wife told him to curse God and die, he responded, “Shall we accept good from God and not the trouble?” (NIV) When Paul was thrown in prison with Silas after having been beat, he invited God’s presence into the deepest, darkest part of that prison in the middle of the night by singing praises. When both of these men felt abandoned by people and God, they worshipped knowing that God dwells in the praises of His people. They held to the truth that God cares for us no matter how bad things may seem.

Psalm 31:7 says, “I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul” (NLT). In the darkest nights of my life, the most painful times, I turned on praise and worship music to help me worship when I didn’t feel it. God is worthy of our praise no matter what it is we’re going through. He sees the anguish in our soul and He cares deeply for us. He knows that the pain, the hurt, the sadness and the darkness will only last for a little while. He never leaves us in those times though He may feel far away. He’s there leading us into a greater joy and life that often goes through the darkest valley. Don’t listen to the lies and despair. Listen to the truth and worship.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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May 8, 2024 · 5:39 AM

Redeemed From Failure

In 2003, I was going through the hardest time of my life. My first wife had left me and my business was going under. I ended up divorced and bankrupt. My mind began to be consumed with one thought, “You’re nothing but a failure!” I couldn’t shake it. I had failed God, failed at love and failed at business. That thought I couldn’t shake made me think my life was over and that God could never use me. I felt like I had let everyone down. As I was going through it, I received a word from God through someone who didn’t know me or what I was going through. God said, “What seems like an end is only a beginning. I have not left you. In fact I am walking through this with you. Im not in front of you or behind you. I’m right beside you. Where I’m leading is to a place where you will experience joy like never before.” Over twenty years later, looking back, I can say God has been true to that word.

In John 18, Peter was standing in a courtyard watching and listening to people accuse Jesus. That’s when a little girl recognized him and asked him if he was a disciple of Jesus. Peter denied it. Two more people asked about it that night and he got to the point he vehemently denied that he knew Jesus. Luke says that Jesus turned and looked at Peter after the rooster crowed and Peter left weeping bitterly at his failure. Peter began to focus on his failure and even went back to his old life of fishing rather than preaching. That’s when Jesus showed up and asked him if he loved Him. Jesus took his failure and used it to build a rock solid faith rather than to use it to disqualify him.

Psalm 103:1-4 says, “Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, And all that is [deep] within me, bless His holy name. Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits; Who forgives all your sins, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you [lavishly] with lovingkindness and tender mercy” (AMP). God doesn’t just forgive our failures. He redeems our life from the pit that they create, including pits that are so deep you can’t see the sunlight. Instead of beating us up or leaving us, he gives us kindness and mercy in those times. Our greatest growth will come from our lowest moments of failure if we focus on who Christ wants us to become and follow His leading rather than succumbing to the thoughts of our failure. He restores us and leads us into new beginnings after failure if we will let Him.

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May 7, 2024 · 5:48 AM

Getting Some Rest

Did you know that humans are the only mammals to put off sleeping? We stay late, get up early and work ourselves to death. It’s no wonder the coffee industry will do more than $350 billion in sales in the US alone. The energy drink market is over $20 billion a year. We’re caffeinating ourselves to wake up and stay awake throughout the day because we’re missing rest. I’ve worked for a company that valued long hours. They wanted people in debt because it meant they had a reason to work. When we work so hard and rest so little, we can forget that God is our provider. I’m not against hard work or coffee or making a good living. We just need to be careful of what we’re sacrificing and what our motivation for it is.

Jesus worked hard too. He grew up understanding hard work as a carpenter. He carried that over into His ministry. He even got tired and exhausted from the work God called Him to. John 4:6 says that Jesus was tired and sat down next to a well to rest. That’s when He met the Samaritan woman. In Matthew 8, we read the story where Jesus was asleep on a boat. They had to wake Him up to calm the storm. He took time to rest even though He was about His Father’s business. He also trusted God to give He and the disciples their daily bread. Luke 8:3 tells us the names of several people who contributed to the Jesus to provide for His needs so He could minister. He was able to rest and trust God to take care of His needs.

Psalm 127:2 says, “It is useless to work so hard for a living, getting up early and going to bed late. For the Lord provides for those he loves, while they are asleep” (GNT). Don’t let worry or work continuously rob you of rest. God rested after a week of work and even made taking a rest one of the Ten Commandments. Our bodies and minds were not created to go 24/7. What is the motivation behind staying up late and working hours that are longer than normal? Is it the praise of people? Is it that you see yourself as your provider? It’s good to be a driven individual. Just watch your motivation. Man looks at the outside, but God is looking at your heart. You are to be a good steward of your time, your energy, your body and your money. Ask God to give you wisdom in how to be a good steward in all these areas and to trust Him to provide even when you sleep.

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May 6, 2024 · 5:40 AM

The Lesson Of Contentment

One of the hardest things to learn is contentment. Last week we watched the movie “Unsung Hero” about the Smallbone family. The father lost everything, including their house, when a concert tour he was promoting flopped. He was promised a job in the US, so he moved his family here only to find out it wasn’t a sure thing. The rented a house, but had no car, no food and no furniture. They made a chart of prayer requests for their needs and as God answered their prayers, they moved them over. The kids were content with nothing, but the dad struggled with it seeing their situation as a reflection of him. His discontentment led to depression and family arguments. Discontentment affects relationships horizontally with people and vertically with God.

Job in the Bible was one of the wealthiest people of his time. He had everything you could want. He had land, resources, a family that he loved and lots of employees. When Satan approached God to accuse people, God pointed out Job and his contentment. Satan said that he was only content because of God’s blessings and protection. When Satan took everything from Job in a day, we read how Job fell to the ground and worshipped. He prayed in Job 1:21, “Naked (without possessions) I came [into this world] from my mother’s womb, And naked I will return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord” (AMP). He had possessions, but they didn’t have him. Because he recognized that everything he had was from God, he was able to be content even with nothing.

Paul had learned a similar lesson. In Philippians 4:12, he explained, “I know how to get along and live humbly [in difficult times], and I also know how to enjoy abundance and live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret [of facing life], whether well-fed or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need.” That secret is contentment. Simply put, contentment is submitting to God’s plan even when your circumstances are not ideal. This doesn’t mean you don’t have ambition to improve your life or circumstances. It’s an attitude like Job’s that recognizes what you have has been entrusted to you by God for this moment. Are you stewarding it well? Are you content with what He’s given you? Or is your discontentment affecting your relationships? The secret to facing life in any circumstance is contentment.

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May 3, 2024 · 5:38 AM

Adjusting Your Focus

There are distractions everywhere for us. Sometimes they’re financial distractions, job distractions or relational. Distractions try to take our focus off of what is true, and they cause us to lose perspective. When you focus on something, you give sustained attention to it. The Bible gives us several things to focus on to help us keep our lives in balance. When we focus on what God asks us to focus on, we have peace, even in our problems. When we focus on the things that try to distract us from what God asks us to focus on, fear walks in, temptation comes knocking and worry tries to make itself at home. Where is your focus today? If it’s not on what God tells you to focus on, make some adjustments and retrain your mind by giving it your constant attention.

Here are some Bible verses on where to keep your focus.

1. You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].

Isaiah 26:3 AMP

2. I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.

Philippians 3:12-13 NLT

3. We view our slight, short-lived troubles in the light of eternity. We see our difficulties as the substance that produces for us an eternal, weighty glory far beyond all comparison, because we don’t focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 TPT

4. For I’ve kept my eyes focused on his righteous words, and I’ve obeyed everything that he’s told me to do.

Psalms 18:22 TPT

5. Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving.

Colossians 4:2 AMP

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May 2, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Your Firm Foundation

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus told the people that people who listen to what He says and applies it is like a wise person who builds their house on a firm and unshakable foundation. Then He said that those who hear His words and doesn’t apply them is like a foolish person who built their house on sand instead of a foundation. When the storms of life come, and it rains day after day, one of those houses will collapse and the other will stand strong no matter what comes against it. Hearing what Jesus says is important, that’s where faith comes from, but it’s not enough. We must apply the godly principles to our lives if we want the blessings that they produce. You can’t get the foundation He was talking about unless you do something with His teachings.

In today’s world, we are watching the rain come down day after day. The wind is blowing against everyone’s houses. Financial markets are crashing across the world. Education systems are under stress trying to figure out how to respond in this time of crisis. Governments across the world are scrambling trying to protect their people and keep their country afloat. The flood waters are rising and the houses that have been built on the sand are crashing down. Fear and panic have taken over the world as people watch what they’ve built get destroyed. Believers are no different. The things they have built are being affected by the storm and floods too, but there is a difference. We have a firm foundation that will remain no matter what comes.

Proverbs 10:25 says, “When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation” (NLT). There is no need to fear or panic as a person who has applied God’s Word to their life. He is still in control and He is still your source. He is your Jehovah Jireh, your provider. No matter how high the waters rise or how long the storm lasts, the godly, the ones who have built their lives on applying God’s Word, have a lasting foundation that is unshakable. You have an anchor of hope that will not let you be moved in this time. Hold onto your faith. Hold onto the promises of God. Rest on your foundation that He has given you. He will be true to His Word. Even Job lost everything, but he held onto his foundation and was able to worship in the storm.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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May 1, 2024 · 5:43 AM

Get Off The Treadmill

Years ago I was at the YMCA running on the treadmill one evening. I was running at a steady pace and had been going for over a mile or so. At this YMCA there were windows in front of you and a TV to the right. It was dark out so I couldn’t see out the window. I began watching the news on the TV as they were updating on the war in Iraq. I was starting to get tired I guess and quit paying as close attention to the fact I was on a treadmill. One foot stepped on the side of the treadmill, which wasn’t moving, while the other foot stayed on the moving conveyor belt. My upper half started to go forward as my lower half shot backwards. I fell face first into the treadmill and flew backwards onto the floor. I’m sure people got a good laugh as I jumped up and exited the Y. I started thinking about the treadmill that night and how I can run for hours, getting tired and going nowhere. It’s like trying to do things in your own strength and expertise without relying on God.

In Luke 5, Jesus was teaching a crowd, but they kept pressing in and backing Him up to the water’s edge of the Sea of Galilee. He noticed some fishermen there cleaning their nets and asked if they could take Him out a bit so He could teach the crowd. Once He finished, He asked these experienced fishermen to push out further and to cast their nets. Verse 5 tells us, “Simon replied, ‘Master, we worked hard all night [to the point of exhaustion] and caught nothing [in our nets], but at Your word I will [do as you say and] lower the nets [again]’” (AMP). They didn’t argue that they knew what they were doing or how it was the wrong time or place according to their knowledge. They had tried it in their abilities and had gotten nowhere and were tired. They decided to obey and their boat nearly capsized. It was then that they learned to rely on what Jesus said rather than their expertise.

Ephesians 5:17 says, “Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is.” Sometimes we know what God’s plan is for our lives, but we try to accomplish it in our own strength or knowledge. In those moments we can feel foolish as we accomplish so little in exchange for the amount of effort we’re putting in. It’s important to not only seek God’s will, but also His direction. We can end up on a treadmill going nowhere, getting tired and falling on our face trying to do what He asks in our own strength and knowledge. If that’s you, it’s time to get off the treadmill, ask Him to show you how He wants it accomplished and then follow His lead. You will go farther and get greater results if you do.

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April 30, 2024 · 6:43 AM

Led By Love

We’ve all heard the saying that actions speak louder than words. We can probably all think of someone who is all talk and no action too. We have very little confidence in people who rarely do what they say. You never know when to believe them. I’ve had friends, coworkers and acquaintances who are like this. It’s no fun to be associated with them because it creates a lack of trust in you as a person. I don’t ever want to be known as a person like that. I want to be known as a person who does what they say or can at least own up to it when I can’t deliver on what I promised.

As Christians, we need to be concerned about our reputation because we don’t just carry our name with us. We also bear the name of Jesus Christ. It’s not just our reputation we’re tarnishing, it’s His. Knowing that, our lives should reflect the work He’s done and is doing in our lives. The love He’s shown us should be something we give out each day. 1 John 3:18 says, “My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality“ (MSG).

A life lead by love is one that doesn’t just talk about loving others, it does it. It shows up in the smallest ways throughout our day. Too many times we try to think of doing great things to the point that it keeps us from doing anything. I love the quote by Mother Teresa that says, “We can’t all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.” If you and I will focus on doing small things today, showing God’s great love, we will make a difference in the lives of others. Doing great things isn’t what makes the difference in life. It’s doing the small things consistently. Today, look for something small you can do with great love, and bless someone.

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