A New Thing

Do you like new things? What about new situations? Do you like going to new places seeing things you have not seen before? How would you like to know you have a guaranteed passage to see something far grander than anything in this world?

Getting new things is nice. Seeing new places can be exhilarating. There are some very beautiful places to see. Starting something new can be exciting. We start new relationships, jobs, classes, building a new home, or remodeling our current home.

I consider myself fortunate to have been able to travel to several places around the world. I’ve seen the mountains of Colorado, the beaches of North Carolina and California, the sunflower fields of Kansas, Mt. Fuji in Japan, beautiful fish and corral in Okinawa, the Eiffel Tower, felt the cold of a South Korean winter, seen the Black Sea of Romania, and ancient ruins of cities more than seventeen hundred years old. Yes, I have been fortunate.

As fortunate as I have been, there is more I have not seen than seen on this earth. I enjoyed the series Planet Earth that showed numerous animals in their natural habitat that I could never have seen without the months of patience practiced by photographers in locations around the world. Watching programs such as this can provide a means to see more than we otherwise would.

Yet, there is one thing we will only see when our time on this earth is done. There is also only one way to punch our ticket to see it. God is doing a new thing. This earth will pass away. The heavens as we know them will pass away. There will be a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1). God promised this new thing long before Jesus born. He put in motion His plan thousands of years ago. He desires that we all spend eternity with Him—in His physical presence—on the new earth. It is our choice to make. We can choose to accept Jesus as our Savior or choose to spend eternity away from God. May we all choose to follow Jesus.

I pray we all see the new thing God is doing. I pray we long to see something greater than this world. I pray each one of us will choose to accept God’s invitation to join Him for eternity. Perceive what God is doing. Trust Him to execute His plan. Accept Jesus as Savior. Choose to accept God’s invitation.

Isaiah 43:18-19a

Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

Extravagant Love

Do you know just how much God loves you? Have you fully comprehended what He did by sending His Son to die for you? Do you realize God spent all of Himself to show you His love? Do you see His extravagant love?

God knows we are human and we will fail. He knows we cannot live perfectly. And yet, He continues to love us despite our failures. He sent His Son to cover all our failures with His blood so that we can be with Him for eternity.

Sometimes we turn away from God, seeking our own way. We are lured by the world to strike out on our own, to seek its riches and glory. But when we turn back to God, He is standing there with His arms wide open, ready to welcome us back into His family.

Sometimes we are self-righteous and angry at God for welcoming the wayward person back. We may be frustrated knowing we have served Him for many years and thinking we are not receiving any more than the one who just came home. God still wants us to be with Him.

No matter which of the situations fits you, God wants you to be at the feast table when He celebrates the marriage of His Son to His wonderful bride, the church. He wants you to worship Him for His extravagant and inexpressible love. He wants you to return to Him, whether from living wildly or living self-righteously.

I pray we all see God’s extravagant love for us. I pray we understand His inexpressible love. I pray each of us understands that God spent all of Himself for each one of us. See how much God loves you. Understand how big His love is. Know that God spent everything on you. Return His love. Show His love to others.

Luke 15:31-32 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Wisdom of God

What does it mean to be wise? How do you achieve wisdom? Where can you gain wisdom? Do you long to be wise? Do you believe you are wise? Do you believe wisdom would make your life easier?

We may want to achieve wisdom. We may think we are wise already. We may not know how we can become wise. We may review our foolish decisions on a regular basis. Being wise is a life-long pursuit.

Wisdom is often something we achieve as we get older. Unfortunately, that is a false belief. Though, experiencing a wide variety of experiences do add to our knowledge, it doesn’t guarantee wisdom. Wisdom is far more than simple knowledge. Wisdom requires us to think. It requires us to relate known facts to specific situations and discern the proper course of action or advice.

Where can we gain wisdom? The simple answer is God. We are told “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10). In this case, fear does not mean being afraid. It means to be in awe of. It is seeing God as the all-powerful, omniscient, omnipotent God of heaven and earth. When we see Him in this way, we seek Him for guidance, advice, and discernment. We follow the path He desires us to walk.

If we are wise in our own eyes, we continue to make foolish mistakes. We continue to repeat the bad decisions of history. We find ourselves missing out on the abundant life Jesus promised. Being wise in our own eyes also makes us look foolish in front of others.

Being wise brings us health. That is not to say we will never be sick. But it does bring us peace, with reduces our stress—a cause of numerous ailments. It helps us make better decisions for our lives, which will have a positive effect on our health.

I pray we all desire to be wise. I pray we are in awe of God, understanding who He is. I pray each of us will seek God’s guidance and follow the path He would have us walk. Seek to be wise. Give up thinking you are wise of your own account. Seek God’s guidance. Follow the path God wants you to follow.

Proverbs 3:7-8

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord and shun evil.

This will bring health to your body

and nourishment to your bones.

Selfish or Righteous

How often do you get angry? How long does your anger last? What is the cause of your anger? Have you spent time thinking about your anger to determine what the root cause of it is? Have you determined if it is righteous anger or selfish anger?

We all get angry from time-to-time. But why do we get angry? I suspect we more often than not get angry because things are not going the way we want. Our anger is more likely to be self-centered than to be righteous anger.

Ask yourself when the last time was you were angry because someone offended God. Can you think of an occasion? Then ask yourself what the real reason was you were angry the last time, and the time before that, and the time before that. Were they because someone said something you didn’t like? Was it because they did something you didn’t like?

Taking a deeper look at our reasons for getting angry tell us a lot about our own attitudes and our relationship with God. Coming face-to-face with our own selfishness, self-centeredness, and perhaps low self-esteem can be jarring. Yet, there is One who can correct those attitudes. He can fix them with His love.

When we fully understand the depth of God’s love for us, we yearn to serve Him. When we come to truly know the depth of Jesus’ love and that He went to the cross because of His love for us, we desire to be like Him. Our love for Jesus will soften our hearts and we will allow the Holy Spirit to make the changes God desires in us. As those changes happen, our selfish anger will dissipate.

I pray we all understand the depth of God’s love for us. I pray we feel the love Jesus has for us. I pray each one of us will reciprocate His love and allow the Holy Spirit to make changes in us. Know God’s love. See God’s love. Feel God’s love. Allow Him to make changes in you. Be relieved of selfish anger. Show God’s love.

Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”

Take the First Step

Are you looking for a positive change in your life? Have you made attempts to bring about positive change? What has your success rate been? Are you still looking to make a positive change? Do you long to know how to make the change?

We often long to make changes in our lives. We may be looking for a new job, thinking that will be the change we need. We may look to change our place of residence. We may look for a new relationship. We may think making a significant purchase will do the trick.

As we seek joy and happiness, we often look externally in the belief that something or someone else can bring us the happiness we seek. Those things may bring us happiness for a short time, but they won’t bring us lasting joy. If that is the case, how to we find the true joy we are seeking?

The true joy we all seek is the joy of knowing we are accepted. We long to know we have a wonderful reward awaiting us. Our hearts long for a close relationship with Jesus. We may not recognize it. After all, our culture bombards us with messages telling us this or that will make us happy, and we deserve it.

In today’s passage, Jesus tells us how to find the joy we seek. We must become like little children. By this, He means that we must trust Him just as a child trusts their parents. Think back to when you were a young child. It is likely you trusted your parents without question. You didn’t worry about there being food prepared for dinner. You didn’t worry about having clothes to wear to school. You never had the thought there would be no presents under the Christmas tree. You inherently trusted those things would be there. This type of faith is to be put into Jesus. Trusting Him to provide for all our needs. We must take the first step by putting our faith in Him to find the joy we ultimately seek.

I pray we put our faith in Jesus. I pray we trust Him to provide for each of our needs. I pray each one of us will find the joy we seek by making the change internally rather than seeking external things. Trust Jesus. Put your faith in Him. Trust Him to provide. Find the joy you seek. Take the first step today.

Matthew 18:2-5 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

Saved by Grace

What is it you crave? What are you seeking with all you’ve got? Is it the craving of worldly possessions? Is it the desires and thoughts of today’s culture? Do you seek to be one of the “in crowd?” Do you know there is something far better available to you?

We all have cravings, desires, and wants. We all fall prey to the latest craze at some point in our lives. It may be the latest fashion our favorite movie star is sporting. It may be those horrendously expensive sunglasses our favorite sports star wears. It may be the popularity our classmates or colleagues appear to have.

Chasing after those things can be destructive. They can keep us from the better things in life. But even if we fall prey to chasing those things, when we realize it and determine to turn our focus back on God, he forgives us. Isn’t that amazing? Who of us is willing to forgive a close friend or family member who has ignored us for a period of time when they return their focus to us? We may find it hard even if they have a very legitimate reason, such as a very sick member of their family. We may think, even if we won’t speak it, they could have at least called!

On the other hand, God does forgive us. His grace is without limits. His mercy is extended to us immediately. We don’t deserve it, but He does it anyway. Why? Because He loves us more than we can fully understand. He loves more than a child loves a new puppy. He loves us more than a mother loves her children.

His grace and mercy save us from destruction. They pull us out of the ditches we find ourselves in. They lift us up onto wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31). They pull us from the grips of death and give us life. It is God’s love, grace, and mercy that saves us from ourselves, this world, and Satan. We should thank Him every moment of every day.

I pray we all return our focus to God. I pray we see His wondrous grace and mercy at work in our lives. I pray we feel the amazing love He has for us at all times. See God’s grace at work. See the mercy He extends to you. Feel His love. Give thanks to God. Focus on Him.

Ephesians 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Realistic Life

What is your plan for life? Are you planning a good paying professional career? Are you working a good paying job? Are you looking for a job that allows for more time off? Would you prefer to win the lottery and have no need to work anymore?

We know we need to work to be able to provide for our families. We know some jobs pay more than others. We know there is a range of benefits offered for different types of jobs and companies. But some chase after the quick buck rather than working for it.

There are schemes that promise to make us wealthy with little work on our part. They can be tempting to try. But notice what the writer of Proverbs tells us. Chasing after those get rich quick schemes will leave us high and dry.

This proverb also teaches us not to chase after fantasies. That does not mean we cannot pursue doing well or chase our dreams. It does mean we are to look at those dreams with a bit of realism. What are the odds we will play professional baseball? What are the odds we will be a world-renowned singer? What are the odds we will be the CEO of a fortune five hundred company?

The proverb suggests a realistic view of living in this world. It reminds us we must work to live a comfortable life. The proverb does not promise riches but does promise we won’t need to worry about where our next meal will come from. Many of us live this way. However, there are many who do not.

God will provide for those of us who follow His path for us. That pathway may not be the one we fantasize about, but it is one we can be thankful for. To find that path is to find peace, joy, and contentment. We find it when we seek God first and rely on His guidance for our lives.

I pray we all seek the path God has prepared for us. I pray we forgo chasing after fantasies. I pray each one of us seeks the right job for the right reasons for our life. Trust God to lead you. Seek His guidance. Be prepared to work. Live the abundant life. 

Proverbs 28:19

Those who work their land will have abundant food,

but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.

Honor Your Parents

What is your relationship with your parents? Is it one of respect? Is it a strained relationship? Have you spent time putting yourself in their shoes? Do you attempt to see through their eyes? Are you willing to honor them as God has commanded?

We see varying relationships between children and parents. Some are very good. Others are not good at all. Many reasons are given for those that are not good. Some justified, some not. Some are strained because of selfishness, self-pity, and obstinance.

God commands us to honor our father and mother. There are circumstances which can make that very difficult. We know there are some parents who are addicted to drugs or alcohol. Some parents are abusive. God does not expect you to remain in dangerous situations. However, He has called us to love and forgive as He has done. No, that is not easy to do in all situations. It may require years to be able to love and forgive, depending on the situation and our relationship with God.

On the other hand, we also see relationships that appear to be very good, yet children behave disrespectful toward their parents. In many cases, they don’t even realize it. We can put the blame on society. We can blame today’s culture. But what does that say about us? It says we have strayed far from God and His desires for our lives.

God did not randomly command children to honor their parents. Nor did He randomly tell parents to love and care for their children. The family unit is precious to God. After all, God has adopted each of us into His family. Honoring our father and mother is an act of worship to God. In honoring them, we honor Him.

I pray we all honor God. I pray we honor our father and mother as God has commanded. I pray each one of us will determine to toss aside societal norms to obey God’s commands. Honor God. Honor your parents. Love your children. Hold the family in high esteem. Obey God’s commands.

Matthew 15:3-7a Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites!”

We All Fall Down

Do you ever feel as though you are being hunted? Have you had someone who is looking to take you down? Are there people who want to destroy you? What have you done in response? Have you trusted the One who has your best at heart?

We have all likely felt as though there was someone who wanted to see us upended. There has been someone who wanted to see us fail. Perhaps we have even had someone who did all they could to bring us down or destroy us.

It is highly unlikely any of us have had someone out to kill us. Yet, it is not much consolation to think we are not being hunted down to be killed when we believe someone wants to cause us financial ruin. Anytime we feel as though someone is after us, constantly looking over our shoulder, we feel anxious. We worry and play the “what if” game, often thinking about the worst.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew who they were after when they came to the garden. But notice what happened. When He asked who they wanted, they gave His name. When He told them He was who they were looking for, they fell to the ground. Why? The Greek word Jesus used means “I am.” We typically translate it as “I am he” in our English Bibles. Jesus’ response claimed that He was God. It is one of several “I am” statements He made in the gospels.

How does this affect us when we are being chased down or someone is seeking to bring us harm? We can take comfort in knowing we serve the One who has overcome death. We can find comfort knowing we have a reward for holding onto our faith. We may experience trouble in this life, but we can continue to look forward to an eternity of bliss. We know that all will fall down at His name sooner or later.

I pray we all find comfort in knowing we have an eternal reward. I pray we hold onto to our faith in Jesus. I pray each one of us reaches out to God when we feel we are being threatened. Find comfort in Jesus. Hold onto your faith. Look forward to your reward. Know Jesus for who He is.

John 18:4-6 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

Facing Difficulty

How do you react when you face a serious challenge? Who do you reach out to when you are being overwhelmed? Where do you turn when the going gets tough? Do you have someone you can turn to when you need it?

We all go through tough times at varying points in our lives. There will be times of sorrow. We will face tough challenges. We all experience the loss of loved ones. Some of us will face being unceremoniously released from a job. Relationships are ended.

When we face those times of difficulty or challenge, we need someone we can trust to help us through them. We need a special family member, friend, counselor, and advocate. There is such a person we can trust at all times.

Jesus set the perfect example for us. When He was facing a false arrest, fake trial, mockery, being spit on, being flogged, and ultimately crucified; He went to the Father in prayer. He sought God’s assistance, but willingly submitted to God’s will. And because He submitted to God’s will, He gained the ultimate crown.

When facing difficulties, it is not easy to pray as Jesus did. It is not easy to ask God for what we desire, but say, “Your will be done.” But God promises to reward us for submitting to Him. He rewards us with more than we can imagine and far more than we deserve.

In addition to the long-term reward, God gives us the strength to overcome the difficulty we are facing. He provides a way for us to not only survive the challenge but become stronger from the experience. And it is all available to us when we trust Him and pray to Him.

I pray we all go to God in our times of difficulty. I pray we make our desires known but submit to God’s will. I pray each of us spend time in prayer with God daily, both preparing for tough time and during tough times. Trust God. Turn to God in difficult times. Make your desires known. Submit to God’s will. Know that God is always with you.

Matthew 26:36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”