Tag Archives: christian living

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 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 29, 2024 · 5:30 AM

An All In Boldness

When you think of Peter in the Bible, what comes to mind? Many immediately think of the guy who put his foot in his mouth way too often. We remember him denying Jesus three times on the same night he told Him that he would die for Him. We remember how he famously declared that Jesus was the Messiah in Matthew 16. It would be a few verses later that Jesus would turn to him and say, “Get behind me, Satan!” We remember Peter as a mess, but also as someone we can identify with. What we often forget about him is the man he became after Pentecost and the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 2, we find a completely different man. We find someone standing on a balcony in Jerusalem preaching to thousands about Jesus. A few days earlier, he was hiding in that same city afraid to be associated with Jesus for fear of what others might do to him. The difference came with his decision to go all in after Jesus told him to feed His sheep. Peter waited and prayed in the Upper Room for 10 days not letting go until he received what was promised to him from God. On that day, Peter received boldness from the Holy Spirit to publicly live out his faith and to share it. That boldness raised the dead, took lame men by the hand pulling them to their feet and testified in front of the very group that killed Jesus.

That same boldness was in Stephen In Acts 6-7. He was full of grace and power because of what the Holy Spirit was doing in him according to the Bible. He was seized for preaching and brought before the high priest. Stephen didn’t back down and walked them through God redemptive plan. They refused to listen and began stoning him, making him the first martyr of the Church. A young man named Saul watched this display of boldness as he held the coats of the men throwing stones. He would later be changed by God, go all in with his life and write most of the New Testament. We never know the ripple effect of our boldness through the Holy Spirit. We must take hold of that boldness and connect people to God.

In the early 1900’s King George V was going to give an important speech that would be broadcast around the world. Just before the broadcast began, the main cable in the New York radio station snapped. Millions were waiting to hear this message, and the station staff began to panic. Suddenly a junior mechanic saw what needed to be done. He immediately grabbed both ends of the cable and held them together, allowing the royal message to be communicated. His body convulsed as the electricity flowed through him, yet he didn’t loosen his grip. We must be like this young man. We must choose to be all in, use the boldness of the Holy Spirit and communicate the Royal message of the Gospel to a world that needs to hear it.

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April 25, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Close To God

If you’ve ever been to Jerusalem, you’ve probably visited the Western Wall. It is what’s left of a retaining wall built on the Temple Mount to create a flat area to add more buildings around the Temple. I’ve been to the wall a few times to pray. On my last couple of trips over there, I’ve been able to go underground where the foundation of the Temple is. There’s a long corridor running beside it. As we moved down that hall, we came to a place where these women were praying. Our guide informed us that this was the closest spot to where the Holy of Holies was, and that these women come there to pray instead of praying above ground at the wall. In the Jewish culture, God’s presence is found in the Holy of Holies and the closer you are to that point, the closer you are to God. In the Old Testament, all of Israel would come to Jerusalem for the feasts and to pray so that they could be close to God and be heard.

In Ephesians 2, Paul was addressing people with this mindset. In verse 13, he wrote, “Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ” (NLT). The phrase “far from God” in that culture had a two fold meaning. People that lived outside of Jerusalem were considered far from God which is why they visited Jerusalem so often. They wanted to be close to God. There are times that you and I feel like we’re far from God. It’s like He can’t hear our prayers. We can’t feel His presence. We even feel isolated and alone. We all go through these feelings of being far from God, but the truth is that God never leaves us. In fact, He’s made His home in our lives so that He will be with us always.

Paul went on to try to change their mindset about the presence of God as the chapter continued. He ended it with, “God is transforming each one of you into the Holy of Holies, his dwelling place, through the power of the Holy Spirit living in you!” (TPT) You and I have become the Holy of Holies because He dwells in us. When those feelings come that we are far from God and makes us believe He doesn’t hear us, declare this verse over your life. Your feelings will lie, but God’s Word never will. You are never far from God because you are the host of His presence. You don’t have to go anywhere special for Him to hear your prayers. He hears every prayer, spoken or silent. God is close to you today, listening to you, walking with you and working things out for your good despite what your feelings are telling you. Push past those feelings asking God to let you sense His presence today. You are closer to Him than you think.

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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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April 23, 2024 · 5:41 AM

Growth And Change

Have you ever thought about getting better in an area of your life that you wanted to improve in? Most of us have. We want to see growth in our relationship with God, a better position in our company or to learn a new skill. There’s something in us that isn’t satisfied with where we are and it drives us to grow. What we resist is change though. We don’t like the uncertainty, the the different schedule, the loss of control or the uncomfortableness that it brings. However, you can’t have one without the other. Anytime you grow, there is going to be change. Anytime there is change, it forces you to grow. Sometimes we seek growth or change, and other times it it pushed on us by our circumstances.

Think of Joseph who was a teenager when his dad gave him a colorful coat and God gave him a dream. His brothers brought change into his life by selling him as a slave. Being thrown into another culture, falsely accused and forgotten in prison brought change and growth into his life. God used that time to help him become the person who could save his family and the nation. While he had change thrust on him, Peter, I believe sought to grow after Jesus restored him. He didn’t want to be the person who denied his savior anymore. He made changes in his thinking and actions that caused him to become the leader of the Early Church. The guy who was quick to pull out his sword became one who stood before thousands proclaiming his faith boldly. Growth made that possible.

God desires growth and change in all of us. Ezekiel 36:26 says, “I will give you a new heart and a new mind. I will take away your stubborn heart of stone and give you an obedient heart” (GNT). Have you been resisting the growth and change in your life that He wants? A new heart and a new mind are what He offers us to help us become more like Him. Salvation brings about new life for us. Discipleship brings about change in how we live and think. God is calling you to another level of intimacy with Him. He’s stretching you to grow you so He can put you in a new place. Don’t resist the growth and change He has for your life. Embrace it. You can’t fulfill your calling and purpose without these two things constantly happening in your life.

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April 22, 2024 · 5:52 AM

True Worship

A pastor and I were recently discussing the changes in church throughout our life time. One of the things we discussed was singing at church. When I was a kid, we had a song leader at church that led us in the singing of hymns and then Scripture songs. As we transitioned into singing contemporary, presence style singing, we changed their title to worship leader. A few years later, their title changed to worship pastor. Now, over time, we have begun to think of worship only as singing. As we were discussing what worship is, he told me how he had read that someone wrote about worship and said that we worship God any time we choose His will over ours, and His thoughts over ours. That really got my mind going.

I first thought of Job 1. After all his loss, the Bible says he fell down and worshiped. He cried out that the Lord gives and the Lord takes, and then he blessed the Lord. In his time of distress and grief, he chose to change his thoughts to God’s thoughts and worshipped. After thinking about him, my mind turned to Luke 22 with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was in anguish over giving up His life on the cross and the torture He was about to endure. In verse 42 He prayed, “Father, if you will, take this cup of suffering away from me. Not my will, however, but your will be done” (GNT). In a moment of pain, Jesus decided to worship as He chose the Father’s will over the will of His flesh. Worship isn’t an easy thing to do sometimes.

Romans 12:1 says, “So then, my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.” My flesh wants to crawl off that altar constantly. However, true worship is choosing God’s way over my own. What areas of your life have you been struggling to worship God in this way? It’s natural to have this struggle. Just read Romans 7 and 8. There’s a battle going on in every one of us between our flesh and the Spirit over who we will worship – ourselves or God. We all face this constant choice throughout our day. Choose to worship today by being led by God’s Spirit and choosing His will over your own. Also go back and read Romans 7 and 8 today with this in mind. It will change how you see it and how you worship.

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April 19, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Preserving Unity

The spirit of this age is one of divisiveness. People are split nearly 50/50 on so many things. This spirit has invaded almost every nation to divide them. I have also seen it invading the Church. I’m not talking denominationally, but in having us attack other Christians. I’ve seen it ramped up recently and it’s frightening. Jesus told us that a house divided can’t stand. An army divided can’t take ground either. God’s spirit is one of unity. His plan is for a United Church that even the gates of hell couldn’t prevail against. Yet when we fight among each other, we fail to advance His kingdom. Let’s individually ask God to helps us follow His spirit and to do our part to preserve the bonds of unity among believers.

Here are some Bible verses on unity.

1. Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love, which is the perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others].

Colossians 3:14 AMP

2. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

John 17:23 NLT

3. Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together.

Ephesians 4:3 GNT

4. Now may God, the source of great endurance and comfort, grace you with unity among yourselves, which flows from your relationship with Jesus, the Anointed One.

Romans 15:5 TPT

5. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

Psalm 133:1 ESV

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April 18, 2024 · 5:30 AM

The Right Hands

My son tries to be fiercely independent. He wants to do things himself without my help. I can see him sometimes working on something he can’t quite figure out. I watch his frustration begin to rise, and I say, “Bring it here. Let me try.” Of course he keeps trying getting more upset. I make my offer again. Nope, he wants to keep trying. That’s usually when frustration starts turning into anger. He then has the choice to make – he can walk away from it or he can bring it to me. Once he puts it in my hands, I’m able to do with it what he cannot. Many times I’ll set it up so that he can participate in finishing it. When that happens, both of us smile and are happy.

In Matthew 14, King Herod has John the Baptist beheaded at the request of his step daughter. Jesus was sad over the loss of his cousin and went into a remote area to mourn. While he was there, someone spotted him and started telling people where He was. Soon thousands of people made their way to Him for healing. As it was getting dark, the disciples asked Him to send the crowds away so they could get dinner in nearby villages. In verse 16, Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary – you feed them” (NLT). I’m sure the disciples panicked and got frustrated trying to figure out how they could do it. They found five loaves and two fish and told Jesus that was all they had and they couldn’t do it. That’s when Jesus said, “Bring them here.”

The difference in both of these stories is whose hands things were in. How long do we try to do things while Jesus is telling us, “Bring them here”? You can keep trying to do the impossible on your own or you can trust Jesus with it. You can get frustrated trying over and over or you can put it in His hands. The feeding of the 5,000 was a miracle because the disciples were able to say, “We can’t do it,” and then handed over what they had to Jesus. One of the most difficult things about faith is letting go. We are fiercely independent people who want to do things ourselves. At the end of the day we have to choose whether we allow that frustration to turn to anger or put action to our faith and trust God with it. He is able to do above and beyond what we are able to. If we will trust Him, He will often allow us to participate in the miracle.

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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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April 17, 2024 · 5:31 AM

The Fruit Of Patience

One of the Fruits of the Spirit that we don’t like to talk about is patience. We like to talk about love, joy, peace and kindness, but we tend to forget about patience being one. Have you ever thought about the fruit that patience and impatience yield in our life? When we’re impatient things escalate and complications arise. Our vision of the future gets clouded and we make dumb decisions. Impatience also comes with negative feelings that create negative behaviors for which we have to apologize. However, patience yields a different crop in our life. By being patient, we develop endurance and resilience. We Also build up future success because we learn to have delayed gratification. Finally patience creates better relationships. Would you rather be around an impulsive and impatient person or a calm patient one?

There were plenty of people in the Bible who were impatient. Think,of King Saul who couldn’t wait for Samuel to do the sacrifice. His impatience cost him the kingdom. Abraham and Sarah grew impatient waiting on God’s promise of a son and created a work around. That decision is still causing wars to this day. Also the Israelites got tired of waiting for Moses to come down the mountain and created a golden calf causing God’s anger to fall on them. Even though we have these examples, we also have examples of patience. Look at Job. He was patient through his trials and God restored everything he lost and then some. David patiently waited to be king even while running for his life. He became the most famous king of Israel. There was also Hannah who was barren. She continued to pray year after year and God answer with a son named Samuel.

Psalm 40:1 says, “I waited and waited and waited some more, patiently, knowing God would come through for me. Then, at last, he bent down and listened to my cry” (TPT). What crop do you want to grow in your life? Both patience and impatience create long lasting results. A moment of impatience can cause a lifetime of sorrow. If God hasn’t answered yet, keep praying and believing. If you’re waiting on God to fulfill His promise, don’t jump the gun. He will do it in His time, not yours. I know the clock may be ticking, but switch your focus from the humdrum of the ticks and tocks to His Word. Watching the time yields the fruits of impatience, while His Word reminds us of His character. Let the fruit of patience grow in your life as you wait for God to come through.

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