Are You Lost

Have you lost your way? An overwhelming and vast majority of people will say “No.” What I have witnessed and even experienced myself is that we more often than not don’t realize we have lost our way. We either believe we are doing just fine or we are comfortable lying to ourselves and others by saying we are doing fine.


So, are you lying to yourself? Are you lying to family and friends and co-workers? Are you putting up a front that everything is OK? Here’s a little secret I will share with you, those who are close to you know you are lying. Another little secret is they ache for you. Often times, those closest to you are praying for you every day because they don’t know what else to do, you won’t listen to them, or they are afraid to tell you they know because they don’t want to hurt your feelings.


What can you do about it? Take a long, hard look in the mirror and evaluate your actions, speech, and thoughts. Dig deep into your inner soul. Is there something missing? Having been there, done that, I can tell you what’s missing. It’s Jesus Christ. You see, every “Get Well Program” whether Alcoholics Anonymous, drug rehabilitation, or behavioral change is based on God’s Word. Don’t believe me? Go find the principles, guidance, rules, or whatever your chosen program calls them and then do a word or phrase search in the Bible. You might be surprised at what you find. I won’t.


We all yearn to be accepted, to be loved, to be satisfied, to have good family and friends in our lives. Your desires are satisfied to the point of overflowing by God when we accept Jesus and make the commitment to be His follower, His disciple. You can’t do it on your own. You need others around you to help. If you seek, you will find them. They are often already right by your side.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”


Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Believe in Miracles

Do you believe in miracles? Some do, some don’t. Some say providence, others say coincidence. Truth is, I don’t believe any of us are 100% on side or the other. I lean much more toward the former than the latter. I would say I’m about 80% / 20% toward miracles and providence.


Have you ever thought about what a miracle is? It’s something supernatural that we can not explain. Doesn’t that describe a lot of things we encounter everyday? Which of you can explain how grass grows and how the original seed came into being? We might be able to explain that water and heat cause the seed to germinate. We might be able to explain that nutrients from the soil combined with water and sunlight cause it to grow. We might be able to explain photosynthesis. But, who knows where the very first seed came from?


How much more complex are our human bodies? Our brains? The working of trillions of tiny components as one body? If that wasn’t complex enough, there is a whole spiritual world that we don’t see, but are right in the middle of. We can’t begin to explain that because we can’t see and study it. Miracles should increase our faith. How much more should our faith increase if we begin to recognize the miracles around us everyday? I try to see them and when I get a glimpse, it absolutely amazes me.


I pray each us look for the miracles and increase our faith. Our faith is what gets you through those really tough times.

Psalm 146:6-10 He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—he remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.

Do It All for the Glory of God

Do it all to the glory of God! Paul told the Colossians to do everything in the name of Jesus. If we do that, we do everything in truth and love. If we do that, we will be respected and honored by others. If we do that, we will not have the hate, malice, disgust, anger, and any number of other evil desires in our hearts and minds.


Do you have strife, stress, anger, hate, and frustration in your life? If you do, stop swimming in it, stop reveling in it, rather give it over to Christ and do all you do in His name. Turn the situation over to Him and let Him guide you in all you do. I know this works. I’ve experienced it first hand. I’ve been at the end of my wits, not having a clue how I would get things done by a deadline (a very short deadline, like just a few hours) and I’ve seen Him provide me with calm, peace, and a way forward.


If you say you just woke up on the wrong side of the bed that day, you’re allowing Satan to control you. If you know you’re tired or wake up with a bad attitude, stop! Pray! Ask God to be with you that day! Ask God to fill you with His Spirit that day! Let Him know you are weak that day! You know what? He will make you strong!
I pray each of us will do everything we do for Jesus, for the glory of God. When we do that, we make those around us better, we make the world a better place.

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Thank God for Today

Thank God for today! Do you do that everyday? I know I don’t always. Should we? Yes! Each day is a blessing from God. Each day is an opportunity to be a positive example for others. Each day gives us different situations to learn from.


So, why don’t we give thanks for each day? Well, I can only tell you why I don’t. Sometimes I am worried about getting things done or an upcoming event or a situation I see someone else in. Sometimes I’m just so focused on getting a task done that I forget to thank God for the ability to do it. Sometimes I’m just selfish and focused on me.


This morning, I give thanks to God for giving me this day. I ask that He guide me in all I do and help me to be a positive example to others. I thank Him that I have had so many wonderful experiences that have given me tons of happiness. I also thank Him for putting me into challenging situations and hardships so that I could learn that He is there with me and will get me through them.

I pray we all learn to thank God for each day. He has blessed all of us so richly.

Psalm 3:5-6 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.

Judging Jesus

Have you ever spent time thinking about just how outrageous the trial was that Jesus faced? Have you ever thought, “How can anyone have authority over Jesus?” What amazing audacity to think you can judge the Son of God?!

But wait! Do we judge Him? Oh, we certainly do not, we might claim. We don’t want people to think we are judging Jesus. We don’t want to think we judge Him. Yet, we might be surprised at what He thinks about our actions.

We won’t admit to passing judgment on Jesus, but we will quickly move on to our favorite sin. We will then argue that doing so is not judging Him. Perhaps we should spend a little time studying the Scripture. Perhaps we should look at the argument the Apostle Paul makes in Romans 5:12-6:4.

Paul first makes the case that sin has been in the world since Adam and Eve. He states the Law God gave the Israelites made sin abundantly clear. He then goes on to say that God’s grace covers our sin, which is because of Christ. He asks if we should go on sinning to make God’s grace more abundant. Sound like judgment?

Perhaps we don’t think so. Here is another situation. Let’s suppose we fall away from God, deny God. Then, let’s suppose we want to come back to Him. The writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 6:4-6 it is impossible. Doing so is crucifying Jesus all over again. Sound like judgment?

To take advantage of God’s grace or to deny God, then want to call on His mercy cheapens Him minimally. But I wonder if God doesn’t look at it as though we are judging Jesus as much as Pilate did. I think Jesus might give us the same answer He gave Pilate. We would not be able to turn back to God without having been granted God’s amazing grace, which is all due to the amazing act of self-sacrifice Jesus made for us.

I pray we all leave our life of sin. I pray we stop turning away only to turn back again. I pray each one of us stop taking God’s amazing grace for granted, deciding to honor Him instead. Take a deep look into your heart. Take a hard look into the mirror. Stop taking advantage of God’s grace. Stop passing judgment on Jesus.

John 19:11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

Bless God

How do you call out to God? Do you bless His name? Do you bless Jesus? Has it ever occurred to you that you should bless God? What does it mean to bless God? How has God blessed you throughout your life?

I’m convinced many of us have never thought about blessing God. Yet, we do ask and expect God to bless us. Blessing God is something we, as Christians, should do on a regular basis. Especially if we expect Him to bless us.

Blessing God is not much different than Him blessing us. You may ask, “How can I give an Almighty God a blessing?” It is not difficult. There are numerous ways we can bless God. We can bless Him much the same as the writer of Psalm 118 does in verse 26 we see below. We can simply say “bless you God.”

But here is where the crux of the blessing comes in. We must bless Him from our heart. It cannot be rote recitation. It is much the same as any other form of worship we give God. All of it must come from our heart rather than merely going through the motions.

We can also bless God by returning His love, carrying out His work, witnessing to others, allowing the Holy Spirit to produce fruit through us. Yes, the fruits of the Spirit as seen in Galatians 5:22-23 can be a blessing to God. Why? As God works through us, we respond to Him. Our response is a blessing to God.

Even though the above listed items are a blessing to God, we should still make a habit out of speaking that blessing to God. We will feel better knowing we have done something as a blessing for God. He will also be grateful that we thought to recognize Him.

I pray we all choose to bless God. I pray we bless Him in all that we do. I pray each one of us speaks a blessing to God on a regular basis to show our gratitude to Him. Bless God. Thank Him for His blessings. Allow Him to work through you. Bless Him in all you do.

Psalm 118:26

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

From the house of the Lord we bless you.

All Authority

What authority did Jesus have when He walked on this earth? Do you know of the miracles He performed? Have you heard how He healed people? Have you heard that He cast out demons? Who raised Him from the dead?

Even if you have not been in church, you have likely heard some of the stories about Jesus. You might have heard about the miraculous healings, casting out demons, and perhaps how He turned water into wine. You also have probably heard He died, was buried, and raised to life again.

But do you really know Him? He often used parables about farming or shepherding when He taught the principles of God, a good life, and Himself. Today, we see Him call Himself the good shepherd. What does He mean by that?

First, He says He lays down His life for His sheep. A shepherd of His day might be expected to fight off any number of wild animals to protect the herd. King David said he had fought the lion and the bear (1 Samuel 17:36) when he was tending the sheep as a young man.

Jesus goes on to say there are sheep outside the pen. Until He came to earth, Israel had been God’s chosen people. Jesus is saying that He has come to bring the gentiles or non-Jews into His family. He came to graft in those of us who are not Jews as Paul states it in Romans 11:17-24.

Notice that He states He has the authority to lay down His life and to take it up again. Through this statement, Jesus identifies Himself as God. Who, other than God, can lay down His life and take it up again? No one. Only God has the ability to die and come to life again.

I pray we all see Jesus as God. I pray we see Jesus as the Good Shepherd. I pray each one of us go to Him, accepting Him as our Lord and Savior. Know that Jesus is God. Know that He loves you deeply. Go to Him in all situations. Seek His guidance. Trust Jesus

John 10:14-18 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Live Sanctified

Do you have a tugging at your heart? Are you feeling as though you are being pulled in a specific direction for a specific purpose? Do you feel a little confused? Are you attempting to determine where it is leading you?

There are times when we feel as though we are being pulled down a certain path. We may feel just the opposite when we make a decision, meaning it feels wrong. If we are not connected to God, we may feel confused and not understand where these good or bad feelings are coming from.

God speaks to us in different ways. He uses our gut feelings. He uses what we may call mother’s intuition. He uses others to give us advice from a different perspective. You may even be one of the few who hear an audible voice speak, telling you the right move.

But how can we know if the voice or these feelings are coming from God? We won’t unless we are connected to Him. When we are connected to God, He sends us into the world to carry out the work He has planned for us, and we know what that work is. When we are His, we know His voice (John 10:27).

Jesus sends us into the world sanctified. That is not something we often talk about. Being sanctified is both a wonderful gift and an expectation. The gift is being able to stand before God in righteousness because of what Jesus has done for us. The expectation is we are held to a higher standard, and we are expected to obey.

It is the expectations we fail to live up to that causes us heartache. We feel guilty. We feel like we are less. We fret over missing the mark. We have high anxiety. When we stop, recognize the reason, and submit to Him and His will for our lives, all those bad feelings go away. We begin living as the sanctified person Jesus has made us to be.

I pray we all choose to listen for God’s voice. I pray we choose to be connected to God. I pray each one of us submits to God’s will for our lives, leaving behind our anxiousness. Choose God. Choose to listen for Him. Choose to be connected to God. Submit to God. Give up your anxiety. Give up your worry. Live in peace. Live sanctified.

John 17:17-19 “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”

Giving It All to Jesus

How much are you willing to spend on Jesus? What are you willing to give up for Him? Are you willing to give extravagantly? Do you give sparingly? What do you think He thinks about your giving back to Him?

We don’t spend time thinking about our gifts to Jesus nearly as much as we ought to. It isn’t all about the money. We can give to Him in more ways than we typically think about. We can give to Him every day of our lives.

We may miss the extravagance of Mary’s gift to Jesus in today’s passage. For one, we don’t understand what nard is, let alone what it cost. Yet, when we do a bit of research, we discover it was very expensive. The amount was large, but not extremely so. It was about twelve ounces. But the cost was extreme. It was about a year’s worth of wages. Can you imagine spending a whole year of wages on perfume? Then pour it out on someone?

I dare say none of us are so extravagant when we give to Jesus. We give a little here and there. We may even tithe to the point of giving ten percent to the church. We may be willing to give a little of our extra time to His service. Unfortunately, we take for ourselves before we give to Him.

Now, make no mistake about it. In no way am I insinuating we should all quit our jobs, give all our time to Him, and give all our money to Him. No, we do need to take care of ourselves in order to take care of others in His name.

Giving to Him is not merely a money topic. It is time. It is witnessing to others about Him. It is giving Him credit for the blessings He has bestowed upon us. It is recognizing that everything we have is a result of His grace.

I pray we all come to see Jesus for who He is. I pray we give Him the credit for all we have and all we are. I pray each one of us determine to give more of ourselves to Him. Think about your giving. Decide to give Jesus more. Give your time. Give your money. Witness about Him. Give Him all of yourself.

John 12:3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Extravagant Love

How much do you love? How deep does your love go? Is your love superficial? Does your love go beyond the surface? What is it you do to show your love? Do you reciprocate the love God the Father and Jesus the Son have for you?

We all love to some degree or another. Some of us profess love with words and counteract those words with actions. Some of us use very little words but show our love with actions. Some show their love with both.

When we discuss the love God has for us, it is not an emotional love. It is a deep caring and sacrificial love. It is a love in which God puts our needs as the highest priority. He satisfies needs of ours we don’t even realize we have and long before we recognize them. He addressed our deepest need nearly two-thousand years ago.

In today’s passage, we see a woman who recognized who Jesus was and showed her love for Him. We may think of her actions as extravagant, overwhelming, gross, or put on for show. But read the passage carefully. Jesus, who knows everything, confesses her great love for Him for her. She doesn’t speak of her love, she shows it. Jesus speaks of her love. He knew the depths of her love.

The question we must wrestle with is, do we have that kind of love for Jesus? Is our love a deep love or is it superficial? We must wrestle with and confront our love for Jesus. We must honestly assess our love for Him. He desires that we love Him as extravagantly and as deep as He loves us. Perhaps we will learn to let go and love Him as He desires.

I pray we all learn to love God as He desires. I pray we show our love for Him. I pray each one of us will evaluate our love honestly and commit to a sacrificial love for Jesus. Commit to loving Jesus. Show your love for Him. Learn to love Him deeply. Learn to love Him extravagantly.

Luke 7:44-47 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”