Tag Archives: christian living

October 18, 2022 · 5:54 AM

Contradicting Yourself

How does it make you feel when someone tells you they’re going to do one thing, and then do another? Or when they say they support you to your face, but behind your back they are against you? I’ve had that happen to me at work. It not only hurts, it makes you not trust that person. I was nominated to be on a certain council, but because I didn’t fit the mold, it had to be approved. This person was my biggest advocate outside the voting room. However, behind closed doors, they were my biggest opponent. Ultimately I withdrew my name because I no longer trusted this person. They never knew I found out and they kept up appearances as long as I knew them. Their words to me said one thing, but their actions proved another.

In 1 Samuel 15, Saul was king, and he had been instructed to kill all the Amalekites and their animals. After the battle, Saul decided to capture the king and keep the best of the animals for he and the army. God was upset with King Saul and sent Samuel to address the problem. When he got to the king, Saul was happy and said, “I have carried out the Lord’s command.” Samuel gave one of my favorite replies in the Bible when he asked, “Then what is this bleating of sheep I hear?” Saul made an excuse saying they were going to sacrifice them to the Kord, but that wasn’t true. Because he rejected the Lord’s commands, the Lord rejected him as king.

In Isaiah 29:13, the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote” (NLT). God is not looking for lip service from us. He also not looking for us to go through the motions of serving Him. It’s easy to fall into that rut, and we all do at times, but God cares more about the condition of our heart than our outward actions. If you’ve been going through the motions lately, ask God to give you a heart of flesh and to renew a right spirit within you. You may be able to fool everyone else, but you can’t fool Him. Take some time today to check the condition of your heart. Does it line up with what you say? If they’re in contradiction, ask God to transform you from the inside out. His grace is sufficient to do it.

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October 13, 2022 · 5:30 AM

No More Micromanagement

I’ve had some very different bosses throughout my working life. Some of my bosses could be referred to as micromanagers. They would give me an assignment, then breathe down my neck the whole time. They wanted it done their way or I would get in trouble. It was stressful and not very fun to work for them. Contrast them with some other bosses I’ve had that were overseers. They would hand me an assignment then back up and let me work. If I needed anything, they were always available to answer questions or give me feedback. I always felt like I thrived in that environment. I knew what was expected of me and I was able to do the work in a way that made going to work fun.

When Jesus walked on the earth, the religious leaders had made following God a lot like those micromanagers. They had a set of rules you couldn’t deviate from or they would call you out and embarrass you. They had their interpretation of living for God and forced everyone else to try to live that way too. It was burdensome and difficult. Contrast that with Jesus who took all their regulations and said they could be summed up by loving God and loving people. If they did those two things well, the rest came pretty easily. He removed the burdensome yoke of the law from our necks. In Matthew 11:28-30 He said, “Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear” (TPT).

God is not a micromanager giving you a heavy load of regulations that’s impossible to bear. Christianity is not a bunch of “Thou shalt not’s”. Instead it is a spiritual oasis where we join our life to His and learn to love Him and others. He forgives your past and has given you permission to heal from it. You don’t have to live under the constant condemnation of what you were. In Him, you are a new creation. The old life is gone and He has created a new life in you. I love that He said in these verses that He’s easy to please. You don’t have to live under the stress of constantly fighting for His approval. He loves you, approves of you and has lifted your old burden that was weighing you down. It’s time to live in that approval and enjoy the relationship with Him that He offers.

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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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October 11, 2022 · 5:54 AM

Preparation For The Promise

I was talking with someone recently who wanted my opinion. I could tell they were a little worried when they told me that they feared God’s calling was no longer on their life because they hadn’t accomplished it yet. As they shared their calling with me and the things they were going through, it was clear to me that they were in a time of preparation. They pushed back a little saying they were getting too old to accomplish it. I reminded them of Caleb who entered the Promised Land as an older person full of wisdom and strength. He fulfilled his calling despite the years of waiting in the wilderness.

I then pointed to David. He was a young shepherd who received his calling to be king. He didn’t get taken to the throne right after he was anointed. Instead, he continued watching sheep, fought a giant and even lived life on the run before he became king. He waited over 15 years before he became king. God didn’t take away his calling even when he sinned. God uses our past to connect with others or to position us for His purpose the way He did with Joseph. His brothers sold him as a slave. He was falsely accused of a crime and placed in jail where he thought he was forgotten and God’s calling was over. Instead, he was being prepared and positioned to lead an entire country and save millions.

Romans 11:29 says, “For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn” (NLT). There is nothing you can do to revoke God’s calling. You’re not that powerful. There’s no circumstance that can take you away from it, and periods of inactivity are not a way to measure it. God works everything out for your good because you are called to His purposes. Don’t listen to the lie that He’s moved on and chosen someone else. Submit to the preparation, open your heart to understand and your eyes to see. God is still moving on your behalf. Some preparation takes longer than others. God knows what He’s doing. Trust Him and in the calling He gave you. Don’t get caught up looking at the present when He’s promised something in the future. His promises are yes and amen. That means they’re guaranteed through Jesus.

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October 10, 2022 · 5:46 AM

Being A Disciple

My wife was flipping through some Instagram stories and reels when she came across a young couple who had just landed in Rome. They showed their travel and continued by showing themselves getting a rental. They were so excited to show off the car, but while they were recording, they noticed it was a stick shift. She asked him if he knew how to drive one. He said, “No, but I’ll Google it real quick.” That got my attention. The girl said, “Keep following us as our adventure continues while he learns to drive stick shift through Rome.” The next part of their story was just text. It said, “We couldn’t do it. We kept stalling and causing traffic in Rome. We had to return the car and get an automatic.” If you drive a stick shift, you knew that was coming because you can’t learn somethings from Google. You need to be taught by a person.

Early on in Jesus’ ministry, He sat down in the synagogues to teach. They often were amazed at His grasp of Scriptures, but it wouldn’t be long before they got mad at Him. He then called twelve men who were willing to be discipled in God’s Word. Those men then discipled others as well. In Paul’s letters to the churches, we see where he did the same thing to show us a pattern of how to grow and mature in the faith. A good part of it is studying the Scriptures yourself, but the rest is done through submitting to learning from another person. In fact, the Greek word the New Testament uses for disciple means to learn and historically is between a teacher and pupil.

2 Timothy 2:2 says, “The things [the doctrine, the precepts, the admonitions, the sum of my ministry] which you have heard me teach in the presence of many witnesses, entrust [as a treasure] to reliable and faithful men who will also be capable and qualified to teach others” (AMP). You can’t Google or study your way into a deeper relationship with God. You need to be discipled and mentored. It’s important that you find a Paul that you can talk to, ask questions of and learn from so you can better understand and apply God’s Word. You should also find yourself a timothy whom you can teach and lead. Being a disciple is what you and I are called to be and to make. If you want to experience more of what God has for you, follow this pattern of discipleship.

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October 5, 2022 · 5:53 AM

Expressing God’s Love

One of the best books at helping me understand myself and others is “The Five Love Languages “ by Dr. Gary Chapman. We all need love, but there’s a difference in how each of us give it and receive it. What speaks love to me I may not be the same thing that speaks love to you. Some of us need to hear words of affirmation to know we are loved. Some of us need to get gifts to know someone is thinking about us. Some must have quality time with the other person to have their love tank filled, while others feel loved when someone does acts of service for them. Finally, some people need a physical touch like holding hands or an embrace to feel loved. Knowing these five things helps us in our interactions and in ministering to people.

Since I was in my earliest Sunday School class, I have heard the story of Jesus and the little children. The disciples didn’t want Jesus to be bothered by these little, snot nosed rug rats. Jesus noticed they were being held back and told them to let the children go to Him. I knew He blessed them, and I’ve seen drawings of them all around Him with Him patting them on the head, but there was something I had never noticed in that story until recently. Mark 10:16 says, “Then he embraced each child, and laying his hands on them, he lovingly blessed each one” (TPT). I had never noticed that He embraced each child.

When winning the lost, you and I can’t pick and choose who gets to see Jesus. We aren’t His gatekeepers. We must also embrace them. Each person you meet is broken and in need of love. Some need words of encouragement, some may need a meal or a cup of coffee. Others may need you to sit down and listen to their story while others may need you to mow their yard. Some may need you to simply embrace them because they feel unlovable. We must remember that God is love and people’s greatest need is to know that love. As the hands and feet of Jesus, we must express that love in a way that they will receive it. Outreach is simply reaching out with God’s love in a way that someone will feel it and receive it. Look for ways to express His love today.

Photo by HARSH KUSHWAHA:

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September 29, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Debt Forgiveness

“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch your back.” “You fly, I’ll buy.” “Quid pro quo.” “You buy this time, I’ll buy next time.” Ever used any of these expressions? Of course you have. We all do favors for favors. It’s an offer to help in exchange for help. You’ll give them what they want if they’ll give you what you want. Everybody wins. We all play the game, but what we forget is that Jesus changed the rules on it. He expects us to do for others who have no ability to pay us back.

You see, there’s no reward in doing something for others who can pay you back. It’s not really a blessing if you get a favor in return. Part of our Christian DNA should be to do for others who are unable to pay us back. It should be a part of who we are and be a regular thing we do. When Jesus was describing who got into Heaven, this is what He said in Matthew 25-35-36, “For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you brought Me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and lodged Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me with help and ministering care, I was in prison and you came to see Me” (AMPC).

In all of these examples, it was about helping someone out who couldn’t return the favor. He mentioned several times in the Gospels that we were to give without expecting anything in return. When you think about it, Jesus did that for us. He set the example of giving at a high cost for those who couldn’t pay Him back. If you’ve accepted Him as your savior, then He paid your debt for sin in full. There’s no way to repay Him for that. The best thing we can do is to follow His example. Give to those who can’t repay you, and don’t hold it over their head.

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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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September 28, 2022 · 5:48 AM

Remain In Christ

I was helping my son study for his science test this week. They’re studying flowers, plants and tree systems right now. He had to know about photosynthesis, chlorophyll, and all the parts of the plant. As I’m quizzing him, I kept thinking, “Why does an 11 year old need to know this? Why do any of us need to know this?” However, I kept asking him the questions. What do roots do? They supply water and nutrients to the plant. What is the process by which plants receive pollen so they can produce fruit? Pollination. Somewhere in the questioning, I began to see us as the plants with our need for deep roots and being pollinated by other believers.

In John 15, Jesus was giving His final instructions to the disciples before He was arrested. He had just told them that He was going away to prepare a place for us. Then He promised to send the Holy Spirit. He followed that up by telling them that He is the vine, we are the branches and God is the gardener. In verse 4 He said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me” (NLT). The vine is the main channel those roots give the nutrients to and unless the branches are attached to it, they can’t receive their nutrients, produce fruit or live.

God expects you and I to remain attached to Christ. He expects fruit from our lives. We can’t allow ourselves to become detached from our source. Colossians 2:7 reminds us to let our roots grow deep in Christ. We need to get our nutrients from Him and our water from His Word. We need to be around other believers in Life Groups breaking down Scriptures so we understand them better and produce fruit in our lives. If you’re not producing fruit right now, take a look at your roots. Make sure you’re grounded in Him and feeding your soul the proper nutrients. In His final sermon before His death, Jesus wanted us to know that trouble will come, distractions will arise, but we must remain in Him no matter what.

Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

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September 22, 2022 · 5:30 AM

A Call To Repentance

I’m reading through the “Killing Kryptonite” devotional by John Bevere. In it he said, “Repentance means changing our mind so deeply that it changes our personality from the core of our being.” As I read that, I thought about today’s world. Our culture is just the opposite of that. As a society, we celebrate and encourage people to be who you are. The problem with that is that we are encouraging them to identify with their Adamic nature rather than the image of God that is in them. We encourage people to suppress the new creation God is trying to bring out in order to celebrate their sinful nature.

When God called us to repentance, He called us to leave behind our Adamic nature so we can identify with His fingerprint on our life. Repentance means to turn around and go the opposite direction. We are not just called to accept Jesus, but to repent as well. The old life is gone and God turns you into a new creation from the core of who you are. There is a transformation God wants to do in each one of us, but it’s up to us to turn away from the fingerprint of Adam on our life, which is a spiritual cancer that God wants to put into remission.

Acts 20:21 says, “I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus” (NLT). Repentance and confessing faith in Jesus go hand in hand. We change identities when these two things happen so that we become who God created us to be. We walk away from who we once were, and leave the path we were on in order to become a new creation and be Spirit led. Your transformation starts with salvation then begins when you turn around and walk towards the life God has for you.

Photo by Arina Krasnikova: Pexels

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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September 21, 2022 · 5:42 AM

Refusing To Assimilate

When we go to Israel with our church, part of the trip is to see the sights. The other part is to get to know the people. We visit with Israeli’s, Muslims living in Israel, Christian Arabs, Messianic Jews, Jews and immigrants. The immigrants are brought in and placed in high rise apartment buildings where for a couple of years they are taught the language, the customs and the culture. Once completed, they become citizens. The process works well except for people from Ethiopia. They struggle to assimilate into a first world country. It’s difficult for Ethiopians to go from a rural, agrarian lifestyle to the high paced world of what we are accustomed to live in. They actually have their own building, farm land and a different time table to help them adjust since they don’t readily accept the culture.

In Daniel 1, King Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and took the best looking, brightest young men of Israel back to Babylon. Daniel was among those captured. The king said, “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men. Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon” (NLT). He was trying to assimilate them into Babylonian culture. Most men were indoctrinated, but Daniel and his three friends refused to assimilate. They showed that it is possible to live and learn in a culture without accepting it and allowing it to change your beliefs.

Romans 12:2 says, “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes” (TPT). We live in a culture that is trying to get us to change our beliefs, our way of thinking and our way of living. It is trying to get the Word of God to conform to its standards rather than the

other way around. We cannot allow ourselves to be shaped into its mold which is why we must be transformed from the inside out. We can go through all the indoctrination of our culture and still live a life that is holy and acceptable to Christ. In order to have the resolution that Daniel had, we must be empowered by the Holy Spirit and have a steady diet of God’s Word going into our mind. It’s not easy to do, but is necessary as believers to live according to God’s laws and customs rather than the world’s.

Photo by Gabriel Rodrigues on Unsplash

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September 15, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Think Differently

Several years ago, Apple was floundering as a company. They had lost their soul and direction. They decided to bring Steve Jobs back as the CEO to see if he could turn it around. One of the things he did after revamping their product line was to change advertising agencies. The agency that won pitched him the idea of the now famous “Think Different” campaign. The commercial showed different geniuses from history with a voice that started off, “There are people who see the world differently. They see things in new ways.” While the commercial went on to advertise Apple, it reminds me that you and I as Christians are called to think differently.

Proverbs 23:7 tells that our thoughts determine who we are. We must then learn how to control them or at least stop the negative thoughts that lie to us. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us that we must bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. We can’t just allow idle thoughts or negative thoughts to float around in our heads. We must capture them and change them. It’s easier said than done, I know, but it starts with challenging the thoughts that don’t line up with what God says. When those thoughts come in, you counter with who God says you are and what He’s promised to us as believers. God knows that one way to change our lives is through changing our thoughts.

Isaiah 8:11 says, “The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does” (NLT). Why would God do that? Because we are called to be and live differently than the world. We are to be set apart and to see the world in a different way. We are to change culture rather than to be a reflection of it. The only way to do that is to think differently and to see the world as God does. He transforms us by the renewing of our thoughts and in turn, we transform the world. Don’t get caught up today thinking and seeing the world the way others do. Pray and ask God to change how you think and see so that it reflects how He thinks and sees. In turn, you’ll begin to fulfill your purpose and help others along the way.

Photo by Anthony Tran 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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