Tag Archives: christian living

April 3, 2024 · 5:44 AM

Removing The Mask

There’s a study that shows over 70% of people feel like they can’t be themselves at work. I wonder what that percentage is for people around their spouse or friends. My guess is it’s pretty high too. We wear these masks because we’re afraid to be vulnerable for fear that if they knew the real me, they wouldn’t like me. The problem is the less vulnerable we are with people, the more shallow the relationship. My closest friends pretty much know everything about me. They’ve seen my ugly side, they know my past and I’ve seen theirs as well. We’ve given each other space to be each other’s authentic self. We’ve given each other permission to be human and to remove the masks. Because we’ve done that, we are able to help each other with the burdens we typically try to hide. Those tend to be the heaviest.

I saw a video ad this week talking about the Apostle Paul. It talked about taking a tour of going where he lived and walked. It also promised to reveal the authentic Paul. It then ended with, “No one liked Paul.” I couldn’t help but think that wasn’t true. Paul was definitely his authentic self in front of people, but I know Barnabas and Timothy liked him. They had mutual respect for each other. Even though they disagreed, Paul and Barnabas patched things up. We know Timothy was vulnerable with Paul because paul encouraged him to not let anyone look down on him because of his youth. In 1 Timothy 1:6-7, Paul encouraged Timothy when Timothy didn’t feel like he was enough for the ministry. Paul reminded him of his calling. They helped each other with the burdens of ministry because they were real with each other.

Paul wrote in Galatians 6:2, “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ” (NLT). The word “bear” meant to carry away, while the word “burdens” means weights. We can only carry the burdens of people who are able to take their masks off and share them with us. It’s also a command to us to do the same with others. It doesn’t just mean we carry theirs. It implies we must be willing to take our mask off and share what is weighing us down as well. When we are able to be this vulnerable and open we can truly love each other the way Christ commanded us to. Think about the masks you put on to keep people away from knowing the real you. That’s a burden all by itself. It’s time to find a true friend you can take the mask off with and let them share your weights. It’s also time you gave them permission to take their mask off too. Only then can we truly share each other’s burdens.

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk.

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April 2, 2024 · 5:42 AM

Defining Qualities

In the last month, I’ve been to two funerals for men I’ve known, both of whom lived to 88. At each funeral, family got up to speak and share stories. Some stories made you laugh and others were very sentimental. In each case, people shared about what mattered to these men. They told of their defining characteristics and values that they lived by. They then shared how these defining characteristics shaped their own lives. I began to think how each of these men influenced my life. I also began to think of my core values and my defining characteristics. What would people say mine are? Are mine influencing others to live out godly characteristics? We all have defining characteristics that we live by and are known by. Are we intentional about those?

I love the story of Ruth in the Bible. We learn very quickly that her husband, brother in law and father in law all died leaving three women behind. Her mother in law, Naomi, decided to leave the country they had moved to and return home. Since her daughters in law were from the foreign country, she asked them to stay. This is where we begin to see what Ruth was made of. Her loyalty to her mother in law kept her by Naomi’s side. Her kindness showed through when she began to glean the fields for food for them. She showed how courageous she was by leaving her culture behind and adopting a new one. Her defining characteristics attracted a man of character himself. Boaz was an influential person because of his character and honesty. They could have bypassed their values several times, but their character wouldn’t let them do it. Because of that, not only are they mentioned in the Bible, they are in the family tree of Jesus.

Their great, great grandson Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:3, “Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you [instead let these qualities define you]; Bind them [securely] around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart” (AMP). The defining qualities they lived by were passed down generationally. As you think about your own defining qualities and characteristics, are mercy, kindness and truth part of them? If not, it’s not too late to make them part of your life. Old qualities and characteristics are hard to break, but not impossible. That’s why Solomon tells us to tie them around our neck and write them on our heart. We can change what defines us and how we live through the power of the Holy Spirit. We no longer have to be defined by our past. God has given you new life and new characteristics to live by. Ask Him to help you live in such a way that these define you instead of your old life.

Photo by Aravind Vijayan on Unsplash

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April 1, 2024 · 5:43 AM

Overcoming Discouragement

Has anyone ever tried to discourage you from doing something before? It makes it worse when it’s an authority figure and it is something you feel God has put on your heart to do. I’ve had that happen. I allowed those words of discouragement to hold me back for years. I’ve ignored the discouragement from others. I went with the conviction in my gut to not allow anyone to stand in my way when I’ve felt called to do something. In both cases I had to manufacture the encouragement I needed to move forward or receive encouragement from another person. It’s crazy how words can stop all of our momentum or push us full speed ahead. It’s also important to think about how we respond to others when they’re trying to move forward with something they feel called to do. Are our words encouraging or discouraging?

In Mark 10 Jesus went to Jericho. On His way out of the city, a large crowd was following Him. There was a blind man who had begged there for years who heard the commotion. When he asked what was going on, they told him Jesus was passing by. He began to call out and try to get Jesus’ attention, but the people around him began to discourage him. They told him to be quiet. Maybe they told him Jesus didn’t have time for him or didn’t care about him. Either way, he yelled louder until Jesus heard him and called for him. The people told him to take courage. He threw off his beggars coat and made his way to Jesus who healed him by giving him his sight back. If he had let the crowd discourage him, he may have missed his opportunity for healing.

Psalm 43:5 says, “Then I will say to my soul, ‘Don’t be discouraged; don’t be disturbed, for I fully expect my Savior-God to break through for me. Then I’ll have plenty of reasons to praise him all over again’” (TPT). Sometimes you have to speak to your own soul above the discouragement from others. Sometimes you have to remind yourself to keep the faith when all other reports and words are discouraging. Discouragement is one of the enemy’s greatest tools to keep us inactive, to prevent us from praying or from seeking a breakthrough. He also knows that the power of life and death are in the tongue. We must combat discouragement with the encouraging truth from God’s Word. We must combat it with words of life. If you don’t have the strength or are too beat down by discouragement, then find someone who will speak life and encouragement to you until you can. I believe your breakthrough is coming.

Photo by Eric Ward on Unsplash

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March 26, 2024 · 5:32 AM

Undistracted Worship

If you’ve ever been to Rome, you have no doubt been to a piazza. If you haven’t been, there are the open spaces between buildings in an area where there are fountains, restaurants and usually a church. It’s a communal space where everyone tends to hang out. It would be very relaxing except that Rome is full of tourists and tourists bring sales people. As we tried to enjoy a stroll through one we were greeted by people launching little lighted up things in the sky. Others are walking by you with something in their mouth that squeaks. Others are approaching you with their wares calling out to you. Everyone and everything seems to be vying for your attention keeping you from the one reason the piazza is there for.

During Holy Week Jesus spent a lot of time in the Temple trying to teach and to worship. Because there were a lot of tourists in town for the festival, there were tons of vendors trying to sell things vying for each person’s attention. They were distracting people from the reason they were all in town in the place where everyone was supposed to be worshiping God. Jesus had enough of it and started flipping tables and whipping people throwing them out of the place of worship. In Matthew 21:13, He chastised them saying, “My dwelling place will be known as a house of prayer, but you have made it into a hangout for thieves!” (TPT) He removed the distractions and the clutter to redirect the people’s attention back to God and to the purpose of the House of Worship.

In like 10, Jesus was teaching in the home of Martha and Mary. Martha was distracted by everything that needed to be done to accommodate the group while May sat in worship listening to Jesus. When Martha complained, Jesus said, “Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her.” Jesus wants you and I to be undistracted as we worship Him. What are the things you’ve allowed in your life that have cluttered it up and are distracting you from giving Him your full attention and worship? What tables need to be flipped so you can sit at His feet? Make this Easter a time where you get back to your purpose of worshipping Him undistracted and uncluttered.

Photo by Caleb Frith on Unsplash

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March 21, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Keeping A Clear Mind

I’m bad about losing my cool when things don’t go the way I planned. I like to look at a goal, see the steps that need to take place and then take those steps. When something unplanned happens along that journey, I start to stress out, think of the worst case scenario and complain. On the other side of the coin, when I come to my senses and have a clear mind, I have a great ability to improvise. I can make connections where there don’t seem to be any and get things back on track no matter how far off they are. It’s really a matter of self control in those times when my plans go awry. My wife usually has to be reminded that it’s not the end of the world and to step back, clear my mind and reassess.

Joseph, who was Jacob’s son, had a dream that went awry too. After expressing his dream that one day his mom, dad and brothers would all bow to him, he was sold as a slave where no one would bow to him. Instead of panicking, he held onto the dream. When he was accused of trying to rape his master’s wife, he was thrown in prison, even farther away from the realization of his dream. We never read where Joseph panicked or complained. We simply read of a person who did what was required of him in whatever situation he was in. He kept a clear mind no matter how crazy life got, and God’s plan still prevailed no matter what his circumstances were telling him.

In 2 Timothy 4, Paul reminded Timothy that no matter what, he should go,d true to his calling to preach the Word. Then he gave him insight that things will get messy and people won’t listen to his message. In verse 5, he wrote, “But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you” (NLT). He was reminding him and us to do the work we were called to do no matter what things look like or how bad they get. Each of us have a ministry that God has given us. If we get distracted by the things going on around us, we will fail to do it. However, if we keep a clear mind, stay the course and continue working, we will carry out all God has created us to do.

Photo by Caleb Frith on Unsplash

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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March 20, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Inwardly Strengthened

When I was around six years old, my parents put me in sports at the YMCA. Even though I had been raised in church, that is the first place I remember seeing or hearing the phrase, “spirit, mind and body”. We either used to recite their mission statement at practice or I saw it often. I had to look it up now, but it says, “To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.” That’s still a pretty good thing that each of us need to work on. Sometimes we’re concerned about our physical health, but we starve our spiritual health. Other times we focus on our mental health while we neglect our physical health. To be whole and healthy though, we really need to make sure we’re keeping all three healthy and strong.

In Ephesians 3, Paul writes an incredible prayer for the believers in Ephesus, but I believe it’s for us too as he expected his letters to be passed between the churches. In verse 16, he starts this prayer saying, “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit” (NLT). Here he’s praying for spiritual and mental strength for us. According to the next couple of verses, it’s so that Christ will dwell in our hearts as we trust in Him, our roots will grow down into God’s love to keep us strong and that we will be able to understand how wide, long and high God’s love is. Receiving those things begins with us being empowered in our spirit and mind through the Holy Spirit. No wonder he told Timothy that physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise has so much more (1 Timothy 4:8).

A healthier, stronger, more whole you begins with being empowered inwardly by God’s Spirit. We need to pray this prayer over our own lives often, and also make sure that we’re doing things that will strengthen our inner being. We spend a lot of time and money making sure our physical body is in shape, but we can’t do that at the cost of neglecting our spirit and mind. It’s our spirit that will live forever, not our physical body. As Paul said, both are important and have value, but one is more valuable. Bible studies, devotionals, prayer groups, church services all contribute to being inwardly strengthened, but if you only do it once a week, it will have the same value as going to the gym once a week. It’s time that each of us are empowered inwardly by the Holy Spirit. Once we understand God’s love in a greater way through that empowerment, we can make God’s love known and love others better.

Photo by Jordan Donaldson | @jordi.d on Unsplash

I’m traveling today and am posting a previously written devotion that I hope speaks to you.

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March 19, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Waiting In The Chaos

In the battle for Texas’ independence, people were energized to help the Texans after the battle of the Alamo. “Remember the Alamo,” became a popular saying that fired people up. Sam Houston was mustering an army to chase down Santa Ana. He had a few opportunities to fight with him, but chose to wait rather than to engage in battle. People, especially those in his army, were tired of waiting. They wanted to fight that instant. However, Sam Houston said that he had seen the battlefield in his mind and he refused to fight until he saw it in real life. People became disgruntled in the waiting. They didn’t join to follow Santa Ana around. They wanted action. When the approached the San Jacinto area, Sam Houston saw his battlefield, engaged in battle and won Texas’ independence.

In Exodus we read how the Israelites wanted freedom from Egypt. God heard their cries and sent Moses. After a series of plagues, Pharaoh finally agreed to set them free. In Exodus 14, he changed his mind and chased after them. The people were frightened because they had the Red Sea on one side and an attacking army on the other. In verses 13-14 Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm” (NLT). In a moment of fear and with no way out, God wanted them to be still and wait while he took care of everything. They didn’t have to figure it out on their own. They simply had to be still while God fought for them.

Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” It’s hard to wait when you need answers now. It’s hard not to fear when you’re facing insurmountable odds. It’s hard to be patient when you need God’s help now. However, the battle is not yours, but the Lord’s. We must learn to be brave in spite of what we see and what we’re being told. God is working things out and has a plan. Sometimes He works things out the way we expect and some times He works them out in unexpected ways. No matter what we know that He is working all things out for your good. Be patient and wait for Him. His plan is best and His pattern seems to be that He shows up in just the right time.

Photo by Jeremy Perkins on Unsplash

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March 18, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Absurd Faith

There is a church in Cairo, Egypt I used to visit when I lived there. They told me the story of a member of their church who stood up to the Ottoman’s as they were conquering Egypt. He was a man of great faith whom they nicknamed the Blind Shoemaker. They called him that because He saw a woman and began to lusted after her. In Matthew 5:28 Jesus said, “If your right eye seduces you to fall into sin, then go blind in your right eye! For you’re better off losing sight in one eye than to have your whole body thrown into hell” (TPT). He took that Scripture quite literally and blinded himself. He didn’t just take on eye out, he took both out. I remember almost laughing at the absurdity of that story when I heard it. As I’ve grown and my faith has deepened, I admire his faith now.

I’m in Rome today as I write this. As we were walking through the streets, we began to talk about the Apostle Paul and Peter who once were here. Paul was beheaded here in this city because of his faith. Peter was crucified because he refused to quit sharing his faith. One by one, when you look up the disciples and other members of the early Church, you find that they were tortured for their faith. Being dipped in boiling oil, facing an ax, being publicly humiliated, nor crucifixion could weaken their stance. They believed in the words that Jesus taught them so much that they were willing to lay down their life for it. I’m sure the Romans and others thought it was absurd that they would rather die and go through excruciating pain rather than to recant their faith.

In Matthew 16:24 Jesus said, “If you truly want to follow me, you should at once completely reject and disown your own life. And you must be willing to share my cross and experience it as your own, as you continually surrender to my ways.” When I read this in light of the early Christians who have gone before, it causes me to ponder how deep my faith really is. Am I willing to share and experience the cross as Jesus and His disciples did? Am I truly surrendering my ways for His? The mark of a disciple is surrender. He are to submit to his way of life rather than our own. We are to follow Him in a culture that is against what we believe o matter the ridicule we might face. Are there parts of your life you’re still holding onto rather than nailing them to the cross or plucking them out? It may seem absurd at the moment, but the more of ourselves we get rid of, the more of Him and the life He give we can receive.

Photo by Jussara Romão on Unsplash

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March 14, 2024 · 5:30 AM

God’s Timing

We once gave my son got a 3-D puzzle of Big Ben, the famous clock at Westminster Palace. This particular puzzle had a working clock on one side. After we built the clock, he asked if we could set the clock to London time. I then moved the hour hand six hours ahead. He said, “Wow! London is six hours faster than us?” Now, whenever he goes by the clock, he announces what time it is in London so we’ll know the difference in their time and ours.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that God has a different time than I do. It’s not as simple as a six hour difference though. He doesn’t look at time by the hour like we do. He looks at circumstances and how they line up to tell time. Whenever I pray for something, I’m typically looking at my circumstances and ask God to intervene in that moment. God’s timing doesn’t just look at what I want in that moment, he looks at the ripple effect and how that affects other moments.

Like a child wanting something at the store, I often demand that God answer right now! To me, what I’m asking for is urgent, but I’m learning that God has a plan and will answer in His time and in His way. In Psalm 69, David is praying desperately for God to answer him. He felt like he was drowning in his circumstances and he cried out to God to save him. Then in verse 13, he changed his tone. He prayed, “Answer me, God, at a time you choose” (GNT). He understood that God’s time was different than His and He trusted God’s wisdom over His desires. It’s a prayer we all need to learn so we can trust His timing.

Photo credit: Chris Hendrix

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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March 12, 2024 · 10:30 AM

Practicing Obedience

I was driving home late one night when I noticed a car pulled off the road. The hood was up and there was a guy standing there looking at the engine. I immediately heard the Lord tell me to pull over and help. I thought of all the reasons why I shouldn’t, told myself it wasn’t God and kept driving. As I got to a red light about a mile up the road, I kept hearing the Lord tell me to help him. Then all of a sudden his hazard lights started blinking. I knew very few people were going to come down that road that late, and I knew what God was asking, so I made a u-turn. I’ve dismissed God’s voice enough in my life to know the regret that was coming if I didn’t obey. It turns out his car broke down over an hour away from home and his phone was dying. I was able to help him get a tow truck so he didn’t have to stay stranded.

What God asks us to do doesn’t always make sense in the moment. In John 2 Jesus was at a wedding and they ran out of wine. His mother tells the attendants to do whatever He says. He looks right at them and tells them to fill the stone jars with water. That’s an easy request. So they comply. Then he told them to dip some of that water out and take it to the master of ceremonies. That one didn’t make sense. They had just filled it with water. They hadn’t run out of water. They had run out of wine. The Bible doesn’t tell us if they hesitated or pushed back, but putting myself in their shoes, I might have. Nonetheless, they obeyed and found out quickly that Jesus had turned the water into wine. Everything worked out when they moved beyond hearing the voice of Jesus and obeyed.

James 1:22 says, “Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice” (GNT). How many times have you felt you heard God ask you to do something only to dismiss it? You’re not alone. We’ve all done it. There’s a difference in listening to God’s voice and acting on it. Listening is easy. Action is hard at times. I pray every day that God would put me in someone’s path who needs a word of encouragement, hope to believe God hears their prayers or who needs to be blessed. By praying that, it causes me to listen for His voice throughout the day. When He points out a random stranger, I have to put it into practice or dismiss it. We all have that same choice daily. Will you obey that voice today or will you rationalize it away? Let’s look for ways today to practice obeying God’s voice by purposefully listening for His voice and determining to obey it no matter what.

Photo by Mor Shani on Unsplash

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