Tag Archives: christian living

November 21, 2018 · 5:57 AM

Salt Of The Earth

Earlier this year, my father in law told us he was experiencing tightness in his chest and pain in his arm every time he went up the stairs. We immediately took him to the hospital where they discovered he had blocked arteries. They put in some stents and then handed us a list for a new diet he needed to abide by. One of the things he was no longer allowed to have was salt, so I bought some sodium free salt. When we got home and tried to cook with it, we noticed a huge flavor difference. Not only did it not taste like salt, it tasted horrible to us. We threw it away with the rest of the salt.

It reminded me of Matthew 5:13 where Jesus said, “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage” (MSG). I finally understood that scripture. Salt without its flavor was repulsive and we wanted nothing to do with it. Now translate that to our lives. If we claim to be salt, but our lives lack the flavor that points people to God, we’re no different than sodium free salt. Right label, wrong taste.

One of the things salt does besides give food flavor is that it makes you thirsty. Our lives should make people thirsty for God. When we live and love the way we’re supposed to, it will make people want more of what you have. We can’t keep our salt put away in the cabinet either. We must learn to share God’s love into all the bland places we go. Keeping God’s love away from the people who need it most is like keeping the salt in the cabinet but never using it. We’re not here to just enhance seasoned food. We’re to bring out God’s flavoring where ever we go.

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November 19, 2018 · 5:32 AM

Feed Your Soul

Brian Tracy, who is a leader in the field of sales, says, Your outer world will always reflect your inner world.” He’s saying that no matter how much we try to mask what is going on inside of us, it will always find its way to the surface. It’s hard to produce positive results if you’re a mess inside. He believes you should work on your mental health first before you try to correct any outward behavior. Many people go through life trying to repair the fruit of the problem without trying to correct the root of the problem first. That’s a losing battle because the fruit will keep showing up until you deal with the root.

I believe the same thing is true of us spiritually. Many of us spend a ton of money and time addressing the physical aspect of our lives while neglecting the spiritual aspect. One of these will live forever, and one will turn back into dust. We must learn to feed our spirit by reading the Word of God, praying, going to church, having fellowship with other believers and exercising our faith. Imagine trying to run a marathon without hydrating or feeding your body. It would collapse, yet we try to do this to our soul all the time.

In Proverbs 4:23, Solomon wrote, “Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life” (TPT). How can you continue to care for the needs of others, being life for them when they need it, if you don’t take care of the well inside of you? You and I have a deep well of life giving water inside of us that God wants us to draw from so we can bless others, but we must learn to care for it and ourselves first. If you’re dry and empty inside, it’s difficult to pour out anything of substance to others. Feed your soul, then feed others.

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November 15, 2018 · 5:00 AM

Under God’s Press

As many of you know, I went back to Israel this past summer. One of the most visited places in Jerusalem has to be the Garden of Gethsemane. It’s filled with Olive trees as pictured here. On this trip, I discovered that the name Gethsemane means the olive press. We got to see an olive press to understand how it crushes the olives to make oil. That first pressing of the Olive is holy and belongs to God. I think that’s important to know when considering what happened there the night before Jesus was crucified.

Matthew 26 tells us that Jesus went there with the disciples and that grief and anguish came over Him. In verse 38, Jesus said, “The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me” (GNT). He was being pressed like an olive in that moment. His prayer in the next verse is what I want to focus on today. He prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, take this cup of suffering from me! Yet not what I want, but what you want.”

Each of us have times in our lives when we are being crushed by problems and things going on. Just like Jesus, our first instinct is to pray, “Father, if it’s possible, get me out of this!” We cry and we pray for God to help us. But what if God wants to use that time to create a holy offering in your life? What if He is allowing you to be crushed so what’s inside comes out? I’m sure the olives in the press don’t appreciate the stone mill rolling over them, but what comes out is more useful than just the olive by itself.

Jesus understood this. That’s why His next breath was, “Yet not what I want, but what you want.” Instead of praying for God to get us out of the press, ask God that His will be done instead of ours. James 1:12 says, “Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.” Remaining under the press, like Jesus did, is the way to receive the life God promises us.

Throwback Thursday is a new feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other writing 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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November 14, 2018 · 5:46 AM

Fighting Peer Pressure

I was in a meeting when a group of coworkers decided to go downtown for dinner and to check out the night life despite being told by our supervisors not to. They were asking one guy to go with them and he said, “I don’t like to be out late. I’m a bear when I don’t get my sleep.” They continued to pressure him until finally he agreed. They all cheered and he smiled sheepishly. The group then turned to me and said, “Let’s go! Are you in?” Matter of factly I said, “No.” The leader of the group said, “Well, that was definitive.” He turned to the group and asked what time everyone wanted to leave.

Peer pressure isn’t something that only kids face. We as adults are exposed to it almost daily. Most of it is harmless, but there are those moments when it’s trying to get you to sin. I’ve learned that disobedience likes company. It’s a way of justifying your desires that are counter productive to what God wants you to do. If more people are doing it, then it’s the popular opinion and we must be misinterpreting God. That kind of peer pressure is what got Adam and Eve to sin.

Proverbs 1:10 says, “When peer pressure compels you to go with the crowd and sinners invite you to join in, you must simply say, ‘No!’” (TPT) If you haven’t decided before a situation arises how you are going act or what you’re going to say, it becomes increasingly difficult to respond the right way. We need to purpose in our hearts to say, “No” when temptation comes. We must be firm and have a desire to please God more than man. Remember that peer pressure only works when they think you can be influenced to go along with the crowd. Ask God today to help you stand firm in the areas where you normally give in.

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November 12, 2018 · 5:40 AM

Forgiving One Another

Several years ago I reconnected with a person that went to my high school. I watched silently as they posted pictures of the ministry they were doing. Inside, i would think, “What’s their game? Who are they trying to fool?” I had seen this person play the part of a Christian, but could tell they were faking it. Fast forward twenty years later and I felt like they were still faking it. I watched them for almost a year as they kept updating about their ministry. Each time it would burn me up. One day as I was stewing over it, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Why are you holding their past against them? Do I do that to you?”

I can tell you that was an humbling experience. God reminded me that as a person, I only look at the outside of a person, but He looks on the inside to see the true intent. I finally reached out to this person and found out that God changed their life in college. After they shared their testimony, I confessed how I had felt and what God spoke to me. From that point, I began to look for ways to partner with them in the ministry they were doing. Once I forgave them for their past, I was free for God to use me as well.

Ephesians 4:32 says, “But instead be kind and affectionate toward one another. Has God graciously forgiven you? Then graciously forgive one another in the depths of Christ’s love” (TPT). Many of us are guilty of holding something against someone because of something they’ve done in the past. As believers, we must forgive them or we withhold our own forgiveness. If the depths of Christ’s love can cover any sin, we too must learn to forgive in the same manner. Who knows what our unforgiveness is keeping us from? Even if the relationship isn’t reconciled, forgiveness is our path forward in Christ.

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November 8, 2018 · 5:00 AM

Grab Your Sword

Have you ever been so angry with someone you sat there and plotted ways to pay them back? I have. I’ve plotted ways where I wouldn’t get caught, ways that would hurt them worse than they hurt me and ways where they would know to never do something to me again. I used to say, “I don’t get even, I get ahead!” It’s crazy how clouded our mind gets when we’ve been hurt by someone. Reason goes out the window and we have a laser focus (tunnel vision) on hurting them back. We don’t care who gets caught in the wake as long as that person suffers.

I know I can’t be the only one who has ever felt this way. Maybe you’ve experienced it too. I know David did in 1 Samuel 25. He had protected a man’s property while running from Saul and living in the wilderness. He was hungry so he sent servants to ask for food as repayment. The man whose property he protected replied, “Do you think I’m going to take good bread and wine and meat freshly butchered for my sheep shearers and give it to men I’ve never laid eyes on?” David took that as a slap in the face for all he had done for him. Without hesitation, David said, “Get your swords!”

His first instinct was to repay this man evil for evil. Eye for an eye. Tit for tat. His anger blinded him. He got 400 of his strongest men and headed for that man. If he wasn’t going to give it freely, David was going to kill him and take it. We act the same way when we’re angry. Only around here, we don’t say, “Get your swords,” we say, “Grab your gun!” Violence seems to be our answer when someone has made us mad. We hit a wall, stomp our feet into the ground, punch something, scream out loud and display our displeasure any way we can. We want people to know we’re really mad.

That’s opposite of what God wants us to do. God says, in Deuteronomy 32:35, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back. In due time their feet will slip. Their day of disaster will arrive, and their destiny will over take them.” The problem is we want them to have pay back now. We want to be the ones delivering it, but that’s not God’s way. That’s not God’s timing. In the New Testament, God reaffirms this message through Paul. Romans 12:17-18 says, “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”

God doesn’t want us grabbing our swords (or guns) to pay back what someone did to us. He wants us to calm down, breathe and trust that He will handle it “in due time.” Proverbs 22:1 says that a good reputation is more important than riches. We lose our reputation when we go around paying people back. In turn, we tarnish God’s name. By the way, that man’s wife stopped David from killing her husband and everyone else. The next day, the man had a stroke and died. Instead of having murder on his hands, he maintained a pure heart before God. Instead of reaching for your sword next time someone hurts you, reach for patience instead. Let God have it.

Photo by Henry Hustava on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a new feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other writing 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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November 5, 2018 · 6:05 AM

Applying God’s Word

Every once in a while, I’ll see an equation pop up that looks something like 6-1×0+2/2=? for people to solve. I like to read the comments to see the heated exchanges of what people think the answer is. You can’t simply work this from left to right. You have to use the acronym PEMDAS (parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition then subtraction) to do it. You can try any number of methods and come up with a lot of different answers, but only one answer is right. The only way to get it is to remember the acronym, “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally,” and apply it.

Every one of us have problems that show up in our lives. Whether they are complicated or easy, we must approach them through the lens of Scripture. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made things worse by trying to do it my way instead of God’s. The Bible gives us principles on how to live, how to handle your finances, how to treat others, how to act in a relationship and so much more. If we would apply those principles, we would be more successful in each of them.

2 Timothy 3:14 says, “But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught” (NLT). Paul was reminding Timothy that it’s not enough to know the right way to do things. You must faithfully apply them. If you’re struggling in an area today, or going through a problem, I want to encourage you to see what God’s Word says about it. Take His Word and faithfully apply it to your situation. You’ll find that it is good for teaching us what is true, showing us what needs to be corrected in our lives and for training us in righteousness (verse 16).

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November 2, 2018 · 5:36 AM

Children Of God

Recently, Meghan Markle married Prince Harry of the British royal family. She was an American actress who was a commoner. Since she married the prince, she has become part of the royal family and has been given the title Duchess of Sussex. She now has the rights and privileges of royalty. She travels the world representing the Crown. Her story has captivated the world giving hope to non-British people that one day they could become part of the most famous royal family,

You and I have been given the privilege of becoming part of the royal family of the King of Kings. When you accept Christ, God adopts you into His family making you a co-heir with Jesus. With that comes the privileges of royalty. God gives us special things as His children. It’s time that you and I start to live as children of the King and receive the benefits that are afforded to us. Don’t let the enemy steal your new identity and keep you from the things God has promised you as His child.

Here are some Bible verses on being a child of God.

1. For then you will be seen as innocent, faultless, and pure children of God, even though you live in the midst of a brutal and perverse culture. For you will appear among them as shining lights in the universe, offering them the words of eternal life.

Philippians 2:15-16 TPT

2. What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to.

1 John 3:1 MSG

3. You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Colossians 3:12 GNT

4. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.

Galatians 6:16 NLT

5. But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name.

JOHN 1:12 AMP

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November 1, 2018 · 5:52 AM

Revitalizing Your Passion

A while back, I lived in Cairo, Egypt. My mode of transportation was a bike and I lived about a mile from where I worked. I took the same route every day at about the same time. There were constant messages from the embassy to those of us living there that we should vary our routines and routes. I never really understood why, so I didn’t do it. Then one day, I was in the police station getting my permit to extend my visa, and the officer set a folder down on his desk. When he walked away, I opened it and saw photos of me on my bike on my way to work and on other routes I took. That woke me up and I started changing routes.

I tell you that story because most of us have a rhythm to our lives. We get up at the same time, go through the same processes each morning, take the same route to work, do the same thing every day at work, take the same path home, watch the same shows and go to bed at the same time. To me, that’s a recipe for burnout. You can lose your way, your purpose and your passion. When that happens, we can easily start to question God’s purpose for us and wonder if there’s something more. We can even grow tired in living how God commanded us to live.

Philippians 2:13 says, “God will continually revitalize you, implanting within you the passion to do what pleases him” (TPT). God knows that we need revitalization every now and then. We need a wake up call to remind us of our purpose and the reignite our passion. If you’re in that routine today and starting to get burned out, pray that God would revitalize you and restore your passion. Ask Him to plant in your heart the excitement you once had. I believe He’ll break you out of your routine so that you’re no longer just going through the motions. He’ll set you back on the path to accomplishing what you were made to do here on this earth.

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October 29, 2018 · 5:42 AM

A Messy Life

Sometimes it’s easy to know what the right thing to do is, but it’s very difficult to do it. In my own life, I’ve found that I’ve passed on doing the right thing because my pride got in the way. Other times I didn’t do the right thing because my flesh wanted it and I gave in. In any of those cases, I can tell you that it’s created a mess. I’ve found that when I get into a habit of choosing the wrong thing, my life becomes a mess and it takes a while to make things right.

One of things I like to tell my son is, “You know the great thing about a mess? They can always be cleaned up.” No matter how much of a mess our life can be, it can always be cleaned up. It can take years sometimes, but once we determine to add God to the equation, miracles happen. I believe that messes are the incubators for miracles. When things look so bad that there’s no way out, He can make a way.

The person who wrote Psalm 119 was a person who made some messes in his life and didn’t want to make any more. In verse 31 they prayed, “Lord, don’t allow me to make a mess of my life, for I cling to your commands and follow them as closely as I can” (TPT). They understood that it takes prayer, knowing God’s Word and following no matter what to keep from creating messes. If you’ve made a mess already, it can be cleaned up with God’s help and choosing to do the right thing going forward. If you want to prevent future messes, continue to follow God’s Word. It has all the instructions you need.

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