Tag Archives: Christianity

June 10, 2025 · 5:30 AM

God Over Everyone

When the Israelites left Egypt, God was their supreme leader. He used leaders like Moses and Joshua to take them to the land He had prepared. He then used a combination of judges and prophets to lead His people to victory and to call them back to repentance. That lasted about 400 years. In 1 Samuel 8, the people said, “Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” Samuel was upset and cried out to God. He was reminded that Israel wasn’t rejecting him. They were rejecting God as their leader. They were saying that they preferred to be culturally relevant instead of spiritually distinct. God had set them apart from all the other nations to be holy and devoted, but they decided they would rather blend in culturally than to stand out spiritually.

This isn’t just a story in the Bible. It’s a reflection of who we are as humans and how our desires tempt us to choose cultural conformity over spiritual conviction. The culture we live in is at odds with the teachings of the Bible. Jesus says He is the Truth, yet our world says that each person can have their own truth. When there is no absolute truth, there is no standard of what is right and wrong instead of God. We all face the temptation to look and act like everyone else, but God called us to be separate. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” How can you show others the goodness of God if you are no different than the culture around you? When there is no difference, we risk losing the very distinction that makes us God’s people.

Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” We are specifically told to not imitate the behavior and customs of the world. The idol of approval tempts us to conform to cultural norms by sacrificing our intimacy with God in order to look like everyone else. God wants us to live transformed lives starting with changing how we think about what we value. When we value what He wants, we live our lives following His lead. We become less concerned with what others think and more concerned with pleasing Him. We then put our relationship with God over all others.

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June 5, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Understanding Spiritual Principles

I read recently that you can understand almost every spiritual principle through understanding farming. I grew up hearing that you reap what you sow, but there’s so much more. There’s faith that when you plant it, things are growing where you can’t see. There’s understanding the right soil and the right season to plant in. The list goes on and on. The more I learn and understand the concepts of farming, the better steward I can be with the spiritual realities God has entrusted to me. These concepts were obvious to people until we became a modern society where we get our produce from a store.

Think back to Genesis 3. Adam and Eve took the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. They had access to everything, but they squandered it. What was Adam’s punishment? Verse 17 says, “And he said to the man, ‘You listened to your wife and ate the fruit which I told you not to eat. Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse. You will have to work hard all your life to make it produce enough food for you’” (GNT). What if his punishment was really about teaching him and us how to better manage and appreciate spiritual principles? Instead of leaving him in the dark, God created a way to understand Him better through having us work the land.

What lesson has God been trying to teach you? What concept has He been trying to get you to understand. I’m pretty sure you can better understand it through farming. Most of Jesus’ parables were about some form of farming. God wants us to learn more about Him and to understand spiritual realities better so He can entrust more to us. Take some time today to ask God to open your eyes to see what He’s showing you. God wants you and I to grow closer to Him and He’s given us the blueprint. We need to seek better understanding from Him so He can help us to be better stewards of all He’s entrusting to us. Don’t shy away or try to take the easy route. Lean in and learn from Him and His Word.

Photo by Ponnappa Ganesh 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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May 26, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Polished To Perfection

Polishing the blade is one of the most satisfying parts of knife making. It reveals the grain, finish and craftsmanship that was put into it. The polishing process starts with holding the blade against a belt grinder using a coarse grit and progressively moving to a fine grit. Each grit removes the scratches from the previous one until there is a clean reflective surface that reveals the beauty of the steel. Before this polishing, the blade may be fully formed, but there are details and beauty hidden that only polishing can bring out. The polishing process can be slow and tedious. If the artist is too quick or too aggressive, it can damage the blade. The final polish is often done by hand in order to be slower and more intentional with the outcome.

Each of us goes through a process of sanctification when we are saved. I’ve seen some people delivered immediately from a habit, addiction or sin, while most undergo the process of becoming more like Christ as they get to know Him. The Holy Spirit starts with a coarse grit in our life removing the old man and everything that he stood for. While our soul is saved, our flesh and its desires need to decrease while Jesus increases in our lives. As our roots grow down deep into Him, He begins to switch to a finer grit to continue this sanctification process. We take on the mind and attitude of Christ mentioned in Philippians 2. We undergo a change from being led by our flesh to being led by the Holy Spirit. This process continues throughout our life to help us reflect Jesus.

In Philippians 3:12 Paul continues, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” Don’t fall into the comparison trap as you undergo this process. There will always be others whom God is using a finer grit with and others whom He is using a coarser grit with. Allow Him to work in your life at the pace He wants to go. You are being forged into His image for His purpose. Each step along the way, God will reveal more of who God created you to be. Don’t try to jump ahead. He will be faithful to complete what He started in you. Like Paul, you will not achieve perfection in this life, but press on anyway! 

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May 5, 2025 · 5:25 AM

New Life In Christ

Have you ever seen a caterpillar crawl? Their entire existence is earthbound. They are driven by instinct to eat leaves. They live limited lives that lack beauty and freedom until they enter the chrysalis process. Inside the cocoon, the old body dissolves and a new body is formed. There is a form of death in the metamorphosis as the caterpillar ceases to exist. A butterfly emerges from the cocoon no longer limited to crawling. Its wings have vibrant colors that embody freedom. This isn’t an improved caterpillar. It’s a new creation without the limitations of the old life.

Becoming a Christian is much like that. Jesus didn’t come to make improvements to your life. He came to give you new life as a new creation. Before Jesus met Saul on the road to Damascus, Saul found his identity in his performance, lineage and knowledge. After his encounter, he became a new person with a new identity. He was no longer defined by his past but by Christ living in him. He was no longer living life being led by his fleshly desires. Instead, he began to live as one who was led by the Spirit of God living in him.

Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (AMP). To be crucified with Christ is to nail our old life on the cross. It’s a daily choice to put to death its desires in our life so we can live as new creations led by the Spirit who lives in you. Jesus died and resurrected to give you new life through Him, and you get to start this new life right where you are. Christianity is not a modification of your behavior, but a metamorphosis of who you are. Now live as a new creation.

Photo by Sam Mgrdichian on Unsplash

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March 13, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Saying Yes

I was just talking with some friends about Bob Goff’s book “Love Does”. If you haven’t heard of him or this book, I’d encourage you to check it out. To me, Bob is a Christian “Yes Man”. He views each interaction and request from someone as an opportunity for Jesus to show up. The book is a collection of stories from his life where he simply said yes in certain situations and incredible things happened. It challenged me to want to do more for others and God’s Kingdom. It’s prompted me to say yes to more things giving the Holy Spirit more opportunities to do things through me.

I love reading Paul’s letters to the Early Church. Not only are they great instructions for us on how to live, they also include a list of people who were examples of Christian character. He mentions how they opened their homes to him, made clothes for the poor, welcomed him in, some visited him in prison and encouraged him. These people he mentioned were just ordinary people who did what they were promoted to do because of their faith. They could have easily found an excuse to not do those things, but because they did, they’re mentioned in the Bible.

2 Thessalonians 1:11 says, “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do” (NLT). You are called by God to do the things He’s prepared you to do. Your faith is constantly prompting you to do things. Have you been listening to it and obeying or have you been making excuses? The more we say yes to those promptings, the more we allow the Holy Spirit to accomplish things through us. You don’t have to be a Bob Goff, but you do need to live the life God is calling you to. It starts by saying yes to things He is prompting you to do.

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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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March 7, 2025 · 5:32 AM

Self Examination

I don’t remember many people who liked taking exams in school. Why don’t we like them? I believe it’s because it is a tool that shows where you are a academically and how much you’ve learned. Imagine if churches gave out tests to determine where you are spiritually seeing where your relationship with God really is. The good news is that they don’t do that. However, the Bible does mention several times that we should examine ourselves to do just that. It’s easy to quickly say that everything is fine. It’s much more difficult to truly scrutinize where you really are. When we’re willing to do that, we’re willing to grow and move closer to God.

Here are some Bible verses that ask you to examine yourself:

1. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

II Corinthians 13:5 NKJV

2. But each one must carefully scrutinize his own work [examining his actions, attitudes, and behavior], and then he can have the personal satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable without comparing himself to another.

Galatians 6:4 AMP

3. Examine your motives to make sure you’re not showing off when you do your good deeds, only to be admired by others; otherwise, you will lose the reward of your heavenly Father.

Matthew 6:1 TPT

4. But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way.

1 Corinthians 11:31 NLT

5. Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord; Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven.

Lamentations 3:40-41 NKJV

Here’s an exam I use to give me a snapshot of where I am in the different areas of my spiritual growth. Click here.

Photo by Михаил Секацкий on Unsplash

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March 6, 2025 · 5:30 AM

A Change Of Heart

My pastor said something that really resonated with me. He said, “In the history of the world, church has never been done better than it is today, yet never have we had such little impact on our culture.” It has me thinking, “Are we focused on the right things corporately and individually?” What are we concerned with? Is the music too loud? Is there too much fog in the sanctuary? Is it too cold? Are we concerned more with our entertainment than reaching the lost? Are we too focused on our comfort and not enough on the lost? Do we spend our time talking about God rather than to Him? I don’t know, but I know that if our ability to impact the culture around us is going to improve, it has to start with us as individuals.

After Jonah preached to the city of Nineveh, he went outside of the city, sat down and waited to see what would happen. Even though he had obeyed God, in his heart, he still wished that God would destroy the city. To expose his heart, God caused a plant to grow up and provide him with shade. The next day, the Lord sent a worm to eat the plant. Jonah was mad enough to want to die over it. God responded in Jonah 4:10-11, “This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn’t do anything for it and you didn’t make it grow—yet you feel sorry for it! How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!” (GNT)

God is concerned with people and their salvation. Scripture says that it’s His kindness that draws us to repentance (Romans 2:4). We need to pray what Bob Pierce prayed, “God, break our heart for the things that break yours.” Jonah was more concerned for his comfort than 120,000 people dying. That’s a recipe for not having an impact on culture. God was able to move then, and He’s able to move now despite our heart. It’s much better though when our heart is aligned with His. I wonder if the story of Jonah ends abruptly right there so we don’t miss that point. As Jonah pointed out in verse 2, God is loving and merciful, always patient and kind, ready to change His mind and not punish people. Shouldn’t we be the same way?

Photo by Ron Burgess 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 4, 2025 · 5:31 AM

Connecting People To God

We live in a world full of people who are disconnected from God. Some have never known Him and don’t know to connect with Him. Some have been through traumatic events in their life that have them disconnected. Some refuse to acknowledge Him and are purposefully disconnected. No matter their reason for being or remaining disconnected, you and I as believers are to be connectors that keep one hand holding onto God and one reaching out to them. Before I step on a stage as a minister, I’ll pray and ask God to use me to help people reconnect or to connect with Him. However, it’s not just ministers, or people on stage in ministry, whose job it is to connect people. It belongs to each of us as believers because every day we walk through crowds of people disconnected or are in meetings with them.

In John 3 we read the story of John the Baptist. He was at the Jordan river baptizing people and calling out to them to reconnect with God through repentance. When Jesus walked by one day, God revealed to Him that He was the Messiah. As he called it out, two of his followers left to follow Jesus. After he baptized Jesus people began leaving his ministry to follow Jesus. Others came to him to try to stir up jealousy, but he remained humble. He told them that he said all along he wasn’t the Messiah and that his job was to go before Him to prepare the way and connect people to God. Then in verse 30 he said, “He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease” (AMP). As a connector, John kept everything in perspective and remained humble.

2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God.” Never forget that you are an ambassador for Christ wherever you go. Your job as Christ’s representative is to reconcile, or reconnect, people with God. You must remain connected to Him though as you reach out to others. Pray each day that God would open your eyes to see people who need help connecting with Him. Ask Him to give you boldness and courage to reach out and to know what to say. It’s also good to ask Him to help you stay humble as John the Baptist was. When we have this mindset and are grounded in prayer, God will use us as His ambassadors to help a disconnected world reconcile and connect with Him.

Photo by Maksym Tymchyk 🇺🇦 on Unsplash

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February 25, 2025 · 5:36 AM

Being A Peacemaker

I’ve learned that there are peacemakers and there are instigators in life. Peacemakers look to resolve conflict wherever they go. Instigators incite conflict through manipulation to get people to react in a way they normally wouldn’t. Peacemakers are good listeners, while instigators talk.i can think of a number of times when things were fine until someone started talking and started getting everyone worked up. They turned on people they normally wouldn’t have. Instigators will often try to undermine the work of a peacemaker. You’re probably thinking of people right now that fit the bill for each of these. Where do you fit in? Jesus told us that the peacemakers are blessed in the Sermon on the Mount.

In Matthew 20, Jesus told the parable about a land owner who needed help bringing in the harvest. He went out and hired people at dawn to hire workers. He offered them a days wage to work. He went out at nine and did the same thing. He followed this pattern at noon and at three. Then at five o’clock he found more people needing work and offered them a days work. He then paid the last people hired first and worked his way to those who worked the longest. When they saw the people who worked the least get paid what they were promised, the instigators started working them up causing them to assume they would get more. When they didn’t, they complained to the land owner saying he cheated them. He then reminded them that they agreed to work for that price. They took their money and left. It doesn’t what their attitude was, but instigators set wrong expectations hoping to incite conflict. The land owner was wise and brought peace to a delicate situation.

Hebrews 12:14 says, “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord” (NLT). It is often work on our part to live at peace with everyone. When we’re hurt, the easy thing is to incite people against that person or to hold a grudge. However, Biblically it is our responsibility to go to that person to make peace. Part of living a holy life is making peace where there is strife. The responsibility falls on us, not someone else. Has someone offended you? Did you go to them or someone else? It’s not easy being a peacemaker. It’s not easy to live at peace with everyone either, yet it’s what we are called to do. In a divided world, let’s do our part to bring peace rather than conflict. Let’s speak healing rather than hate. Let’s seek the best for others and stop trying to manipulate. It’s the peacemakers who are blessed.

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February 10, 2025 · 5:50 AM

Redefining Yourself

Have you ever thought about what you want to be defined by? I hear people say what they don’t want to be defined by. I’ve heard it said that you are defined by the qualities and values that you exhibit. I’ve spent time thinking about the core values I want to live by and also the qualities I want to exhibit. Some come naturally and others I have to work at. I first started thinking about these in the sixth grade when a teacher told me the proverb that says a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. I decided then that I wanted a good name. I thought about what it takes to have a good name. I’ve also found out how hard it is to keep one. As I looked at other people, I recognized qualities in them and decided I wanted those in my life. I’ve also found Biblical ones I needed to adopt.

Proverbs 3:3 says, “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). I think it’s important that this verse leads with mercy. This is one that doesn’t come naturally to most of us. It’s the quality of giving forgiveness to someone who has offended or wronged you. When I think of mercy, I think of Joseph. His brothers beat him up, threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery. When they came looking for grain, he was in a position to pay them back, but chose mercy instead. He understood God’s plan was to get him there to save his family rather than to pay them back.

The next one mentioned is kindness. This is a fruit of the Spirit that again isn’t natural for most of us. I think of King David when he found Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth. Instead of killing off the last king’s family line, David gave him a permanent seat at his table. Truth is critical in the life of a believer as well. We need truth because Jesus is the Truth. It is also what sets people free. When our lives are marked by truth, we take freedom with us to whomever we meet. What a thing to be defined by! All three of these are powerful, and Solomon told us to bind them around our neck and write them on our heart. The neck represented our human will. He’s telling us me must override that with these. To write them on our heart makes them become part of who we are. Don’t let your past or your flesh to define you anymore. Choose these instead. It’s never too late to redefine the things that define you.

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