Tag Archives: christian living

August 31, 2023 · 5:30 AM

An Open Hand

To me, one of the most challenging things God has spoken to anyone in Scripture is in Genesis 12:1. “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you’” (NLT). He was 75 years old at the time. He was well established, and yet God asked him to pack everything up and go to a destination that would be shown to him at a later time. His faith in action is inspiring to me. The Bible later says that his faith was counted at righteousness. That’s a faith we should all aspire to have.

Fast forward to the New Testament and Jesus spoke something very similar to all of us. In Luke 14:33 Jesus said, “So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.” Every one of us who follows Christ is given the same call that went out to Abram. I believe it’s God’s reminder to us that this place is not our home. Everything we have here is temporary and we can’t take it with us. We must be willing to let go of earthly things so we can receive from God the spiritual things He has for us. We can only do that if we have an open hand.

My wife and I try to be intentional with keeping an open hand with the possessions we have. When your hands are open to God, He can place things in them and take things out of them whenever He wants. Faith like Abraham’s is trusting God with all you have and with the direction of your life. You may not get to know the destination, but you still have to pack up and leave if He asks to walk away from everything that’s familiar to you. God’s greatest blessings are stored up for those who are willing to give Him whatever He asks for and for those who follow Him wherever He leads. What are you willing to let go of should God ask for it? Are you holding onto to earthly things too tightly? Pray that God would help you keep an open hand and heart then watch what He does.

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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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August 30, 2023 · 5:44 AM

Guarding The Seed

One of the most exciting things in life is when God puts a vision in your heart of where He wants to lead you and how He wants to use you. For most of us, we’re so excited that we want to share that with someone. What often happens is that the people whom you think would encourage you and be excited with you about it are often the ones who will discourage you from doing it. They’ll either blow it off, tell you why it can’t happen or outright oppose it. The enemy kills more seeds this way than in any other. Your disappointment turns into lack of moving forward and the vision goes dormant. Remember the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy that which God plants in you. Protect it until it has taken root.

In Genesis 37 we read the story of Joseph. One night God gave him a dream where he and his brothers were tying up grain when his stood up and their bowed to his. The next day he was so excited about this vision he told his brothers. They mocked him for the dream. When he dreamed that the sun, moon and eleven stars bowed to him, he told them again. This time his father scolded him for the dream God gave him. His brothers grew jealous of the dream God had given him, began to hate him and started planning to kill him over it. Even thought they sold him into slavery and he went to prison for years, God accomplished the dream He gave him. When things were darkest in his life, God was still growing the seed the enemy tried to steal and was positioning Joseph for it to come to pass.

In 1 Timothy 6:20 Paul warned Timothy of this very thing. He wrote, “Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge” (NLT). To guard it well you will first need to purpose in your heart to follow God’s vision and plan before you tell others what God has planted. You need to begin moving in the direction of the vision and acting on it. When the people you respect and love say opposing words, guard the seed and remember your promise to God to fulfill it. The larger the dream, the greater the opposition. Even if you feel like the seed has been stolen in this way, trust God’s plan like Joseph. It may be dark now, but that’s the condition a seed needs in order to grow. God does not take back His gifts nor His callings (Romans 11:29). Begin watering that seed and guard it well. God is still working.

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August 29, 2023 · 5:41 AM

Burden Bearing

When someone is going through a tough time or has even lost someone close to them, we usually say, Let me know if you need anything.” Has anyone ever taken you up on that? I haven’t. The person going through it quite honestly doesn’t know what they need and are often not in the right state to be asking. What they need is someone who will help them carry the load and take a few things off their plate. They need someone who won’t just say that and leave. Someone who will anticipate what they need, sit there in the silence with them and walk through the struggle with them. That’s what we’re called to do and I’ve been blessed to have people do that with me.

In 1 Chronicles 23, David was living in the wilderness on the run. He heard a town was being attacked and went to save it. Then he heard that Saul was on his way to kill him so he headed back for the wilderness. While being hunted by Saul, his best friend Jonathan found him and came to encourage him. In verse 16 he said, “Don’t be afraid. My father Saul won’t be able to harm you. He knows very well that you are the one who will be the king of Israel and that I will be next in rank to you” (GNT). I love that he met David in the wilderness where David was. He didn’t send a message from afar. He then gave him words of encouragement and affirmation along with a reminder of God’s promise to help in his time of trouble. The Bible said these two loved each other like brothers and this was a time when they showed that love.

Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ [that is, the law of Christian love]” (AMP). What is the law of Christian love? To love your neighbor as yourself. Part of that is helping your neighbor carry their burdens. It will require more than platitudes to do this. It may require time, effort and energy to help someone through a crisis. While we can’t carry everyone’s burden, list important to listen for the Lord to direct you to those who need your help, otherwise you will be exhausted. Ask God to show you who needs your help in carrying their burden, then go and do something. They won’t know what to tell you they need many times. In those cases be proactive. Clean the house, provide a meal, watch the kids, sit and listen. Whatever God puts on your heart, do it out of love to encourage them and strengthen them.

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August 28, 2023 · 5:51 AM

God Of The Impossible

Have you ever had a situation in your life where you thought that it was impossible even for God to do something about? You may not have put it in those exact words. You might think, “It’s too late to do anything about. No one Can help.” Or you could just decide not to pray and waste God’s time with it. I’ve done it myself. I have mentally put limits on a limitless God. It happens to us more often than we think because it’s usually every day situations where we limit God. Our thoughts and our words simply exclude Him from the equation. I’ve learned that I have to catch myself and say, “God this looks impossible to me, but I know it’s not impossible for you.” I’ve seen Him do the impossible many times and still my default is to dismiss His abilities until I stop and put it in His hands anyway.

In John 6 Jesus took the disciples across the lake and up a mountain to teach them. At one point Jesus looks up and sees a large crowd headed toward them. Jesus asked Philip where they could buy enough food to feed so many people. Philip saw the crowd and didn’t answer the question. Instead he told Jesus that it would take almost a year’s salary to feed them. Then Andrew spoke up in verse 9, “There is a boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish. But they will certainly not be enough for all these people” (GNT). These men had seen a year’s worth of miracles from Jesus and both mentally limited His abilities without thinking about it. One didn’t tell Him where, but instead told Him what it would cost. The other saw how little they had and professed it wouldn’t be enough. Both found out that even a little in Jesus’ hand could do the impossible with leftovers too.

In Mark 10:27 Jesus was speaking about another situation, but had to remind them, “This is impossible for human beings but not for God; everything is possible for God.” There are so many things that we face that are impossible for us that we often dismiss them as even impossible for God. Remember that He spoke this universe into existence. There was nothing, and then there was everything. If He can do that, He can take care of whatever you’re facing no matter how impossible it seems. Philippians 4:19 says, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” (NLT). Don’t limit our God. He is the God of the impossible.

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August 21, 2023 · 5:46 AM

Kingdom Work

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor during the time of World War II. He opposed the Nazi regime and started a movement to protect the Jews from Hitler. There were some Christians who felt Hitler was the Antichrist and therefore Bonhoeffer’s opposition pointless. Some asked him, “Why do you expose yourself to all this danger? Jesus will return any day, and all your work and suffering will be for nothing.” Bonhoeffer replied, “If Jesus returns tomorrow, then tomorrow I’ll rest from my labor. But today I have work to do. I must continue the struggle until it’s finished.” He was later captured by the Nazi’s and executed in 1945 for doing the work of the Kingdom instead of doing what was convenient.

In Haggai 1, King Darius of Persia had allowed some Jews to return to Israel to rebuild their country including the Temple. After rebuilding their homes and planting their crops, they settled into a comfortable rhythm of life for about 16 years. The had faced opposition from the Samaritans when it came to rebuilding the Temple so they decided it wasn’t a convenient time to do it. That’s when the word of the Lord came to Haggai. God told them to consider their ways, to bring lumber and start working. In verse 9 He said, “You look for much [harvest], but it comes to little; and even when you bring that home, I blow it away. Why? Because of My house, which lies in ruins while each of you runs to his own house [eager to enjoy it]” (AMP). They were working hard on their own causes, but nit yielding much fruit because they were focused on the wrong things.

In Matthew 6:10 after honoring God’s name, Jesus started the Lord’s Prayer with, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Each one of us has a mission from God to be accomplished with our lives to bring about His Kingdom and will. If you feel like you’re spinning your wheels and going nowhere or if the fruit of your labor never seems to be enough, see if you’ve been trying to accomplish your will before His. We like to establish ourselves first so we can afford to do His will comfortably, but that’s backwards in God’s Kingdom. We must put His will and plans above our own. I can tell you it’s rarely convenient or will feel like you’re ready to do God’s will, but that is what He requires of us. When we do that, the next part of Jesus’ prayer takes place where He gives us our daily bread. Where has your focus been? We can’t make excuses anymore. We must focus on Kingdom work until it is finished.

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August 17, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Making Better Decisions

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. If life is full of anything, it’s full of decisions we all have to make. Every decision we make has a consequence for good or for bad. If you’ve made some bad decisions in your life and have suffered the consequences, it can make it hard to make future decisions. There are tough questions we have to answer in life. Which college to attend, what to become in life, who to marry, whether or not to apply for a promotion, which church to attend, should we move, and so many more. Each has its own consequence and we want to make the right decision, but how can we know?

There are two things I do each time. The first is to pray for wisdom to know what to do. James 1:5 says, “But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all” (GNT). Often, wisdom comes at the expense of failure and suffering consequences, but God can give it out when we ask for it. It may take some time in prayer, but in the right moment, God often speaks heavenly wisdom through someone or makes the best choice clear in our minds.

Another thing you can do is ask God to give you peace in helping to guide you into making the decision. Colossians 3:15 says, “The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make.” I often pray, “God, if this is what I’m to do, then give me peace. If not, bring unrest to my heart and mind.” God gives a peace that is beyond understanding especially when there are life altering decisions to be made. Praying for this and experiencing it will guide you through some of life’s toughest decisions. God has a plan and a purpose for each of us, and He’s given us tools to guide in our decisions us as we go. We just need to use them.

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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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August 16, 2023 · 5:37 AM

Opening The Door

I love stories where Jesus entered people’s homes. We get to see a different side of Jesus and how different people respond to it. In Luke 7 Jesus went into the home of a religious leader of the Pharisees named Simon. When Jesus sat down to eat, a woman from the neighborhood entered the home, anointed Jesus’ feet with perfume, wept tears on His feet and dried them with her hair. Simeon began to judge Jesus in his heart and doubt Him because a prophet should know this woman was a prostitute and not let her touch Him. Jesus responded that the man neglected Him by not extending normal customs to Jesus like greeting Him and anointing Him. This woman responded the way he should have and Jesus forgave her sins.

A few chapters later in Luke 19, Jesus entered Jericho with large crowds of people blocking the streets to see Him. That’s where we meet Zacchaeus who climbed up a tree to see Him. When Jesus saw him, He invited Himself over to his house. Zacchaeus was honored and the people were upset because of who Zacchaeus was. When Jesus entered his house Zacchaeus had a change of heart and offered to repay with interest the people he had stolen from. He also offered to give half of his wealth to the poor all because when he let Jesus come in, he let Him into his heart as well. In verse 9 Jesus responded, “Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham” (NLT). With that, Jesus restored Zacchaeus into the family.

In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” Do you hear Him knocking? Once He comes in, how will you respond? Many people like Jesus as a teacher, but never let Him in because that forces us to either judge Him or be changed by Him. We see what happens to people in these two stories. You can’t let Him in and be the same person. You will either dismiss Him or become like Him. He’s still standing outside your door knocking, waiting to be let into every area of your life. He wants to fellowship with you and bring about forgiveness, healing, restoration and life change to you. Will you let Him in or hold Him at a safe distance?

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August 15, 2023 · 5:42 AM

Building Your Life On Truth

Recently I shared with my son the importance of building his life, decisions and convictions on the truth of God’s Word. The world has always fought against God’s truth, but in recent history the strategy has changed. Culture has let truth become relative so that each person has their own truth. When everyone has their own truth, they can do what is right in their own eyes. The Bible has lots of stories of what happens during those periods. I explained to him that we can’t allow culture to define truth because it doesn’t know what truth is so theirs is always changing. I then told him that culture will always try to quiet the truth of God’s Word and that we must not be silent about it. If we don’t share what truth is, how will they ever know? If they never know, how will they be saved?

In Acts 4 Peter and John were in the Temple teaching people about the truth of Jesus after they healed a crippled man who had begged at the Temple gates for years. They were confronted by the priests, leaders and guards and told to keep quiet.when they didn’t, they were arrested. The next day they were brought before the council and asked who gave them authority to teach. They replied it came through Jesus. The council were stunned by their boldness, but also couldn’t deny the healed man standing in the room. They met privately and then came back to demand that they not tell others about Jesus. In verse 19 Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?” (NLT). They were threatened again and then released.

2 Timothy 3:14 says, “But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.” The same charge that Paul gave Timothy is given to us. We must remain faithful to what is true. We can’t live our lives by the changing tides of culture. There is only one truth and we must let it be what we build our lives on. When our lives are in contradiction to its teaching, it’s not wrong, we are. We must then come into alignment with its teaching. God does not change, nor does His Word. Everything in this world and it’s culture changes based on the opinions of people. What was true for them yesterday may not be true for them tomorrow. Don’t build your life on shifting sand but rather the rock solid truth of God’s Word.

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August 10, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Reality Check

All of my life I felt called into ministry, but I kept putting it off until later. I figured I’d do my own thing first and then follow my calling. That was working until I got a divorce. I was devastated because I grew up in a denomination that at the time would not allow divorced people to be in ministry. I was discussing my plight with a friend one day about how I had waited too long to fulfill my calling. He almost chuckled and then said, “Do you really think that man can revoke God’s calling on your life?” It was the slap I needed to bring me back into reality.

God has numbered each of our days before we were born. He knows our future and the choices we will make. So when He makes a promise to us, He does so with full knowledge of the mistakes we’re going to make. He created each of us with a purpose that only we can fulfill. He knows the bumps in the road we’re going to face, the sins we’re going to commit and the set backs we’re going to have when he gives purpose to our lives. Those things don’t revoke your purpose. They actually validate it and give your life the depth needed to reach people you otherwise couldn’t.

Psalm 138:8 says, “You keep every promise you’ve ever made to me! Since your love for me is constant and endless, I ask you, Lord, to finish every good thing that you’ve begun in me!” (TPT) God has not revoked your calling, nor will He walk away from the promises He made to you based on what you’ve done or been through. He will be faithful to complete it. He has not stopped loving you, and He still has a plan. Any mistake you’ve made has not nullified your calling or revoked any promises. Seek forgiveness if you haven’t already, and ask God to finish what He started in you.

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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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August 9, 2023 · 5:46 AM

Giving Comfort

Not long after I started writing devotions, I had an idea to start an online support group. The plan was to write six papers detailing the journey I went through from divorce to bankruptcy to making it through. I found about ten people who were going through similar struggles and were willing to join an online community. My plan was to help them through their darkest time. However, a few weeks in, one of the participants said, “I’m glad you made it through your situation, but I’m more interested in how you did it than the story of what you went through. I need to know how to get through this.” It was great feedback, but I really didn’t have an answer at the time. I became discouraged with the idea and never moved forward with it. When I finally thought of practical things I did, I began to help people individually through their pain.

In 2 Corinthians 1:8, Paul shared a story of intense attacks against his ministry and the work he was trying to do. He said he was crushed and overwhelmed beyond his ability to endure. In fact, he thought he was going to die. It was during that time that he learned to rely on God’s strength, protection and provision instead of his own. That’s when God rescued him and he got the faith to trust God in the most difficult of circumstances. He wanted the church in Corinth and us to know his story so that we would be encouraged and learn to rely on God during our toughest times. He went on to say that what he learned we should do is to quit relying on our own strength and to seek people who will pray over us in those times and God will rescue us to.

In verse 4, he tells us, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (NLT). The pain and struggles you go through have a multifaceted purpose. They’re to get you to rely and trust in God and they’re to get you to help others in their time of trouble. Remember that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and our testimony. Don’t keep your story to yourself. People need to know that you made it through and how you made it through. Your testimony will bring comfort in the middle of pain. It will bring hope in a hopeless situation. It will provide direction when they can’t see a way out. Don’t allow the enemy to keep you quiet. People need the comfort and hope of your story. Their story may not be exactly identical to yours, but the pain and process are. Start looking for someone to share your story with. God is ready to use you to bring comfort.

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