In Jesus’ Name

Would you like to be confident that what you ask for will be granted? Do you long for being synchronized with the will of God? Does being in agreement with others sound good? Will you do what is required?

Being in agreement can be a difficult task if we only follow our human desires. If we are selfish, we likely will not agree with others on most decisions. Agreement does not always mean we get what we want. We may need to compromise.

Is there a way to not compromise but agree with others anyway? Sure! We come together in the name of Jesus, pray about the situation, discuss it, and agree because we are leaning on Him to provide the answer. As long as we are willing to follow Him, His leading, we will agree with Him and therefore agree with one another.

Jesus goes on to say that when we do that, we also get what we ask for. Why? Because what we ask for is according to His will. We have prayed, received His guidance, and we have chosen to follow Him. When we are following Him and His will, we ask for His will to be done. By asking for His will to be done, we get what we ask for.

What does this mean for us? It means we give up our selfishness. It means we put others ahead of ourselves. It means we take a step back to see the larger picture. It means we begin to see through Jesus’ eyes rather than our own.

I pray we all seek agreement with our brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray we seek God’s will in all situations. I pray each one of us submits to God, giving up our selfishness for His plan. Seek agreement. Seek God’s will. Spend time in prayer. Ask God for His will to be done. Gather as brothers and sisters in Jesus’ name.

Matthew 18:19-20 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Turn It Over

Are you seeking relief from an oppressive situation? Do you long to see the world from a broader perspective? Would you like to experience true freedom in your life? Have you turned to the One who can grant you all of these?

We may find ourselves in difficult, and perhaps oppressing, situations at various times in our lives. We may have been denied an opportunity due to our race, gender, cultural background, physical disability, mental disability, or simply because of how we dress.

Often, we want others to see us for who we really are rather than how they perceive us. We may want to see others as they really are rather than how they are typically perceived. Being able to see people in this way is both possible and a gift.

Being set free from a prison, whether one with bars or a situation in which we are being controlled by someone else is something many of us desire. We can experience true freedom despite our current situation.

Jesus quotes from Isaiah 61:1-2 in today’s passage. After quoting it in the synagogue in the presence of those worshiping, He tells them it is fulfilled at that moment. He continues to fulfill it today. However, it is only fulfilled for us if we are willing to accept it from Him. It is a gift from Jesus to be freed, to really see, and to be relieved of oppression.

You may say, “I want it, but it isn’t coming.” That is not true. It is coming and has come. When we are fully committed and rely solely on Jesus, these are gifts He delivers to us. Too often, we want these things, but also want to hold onto our perceived control. We must give up our perceived control and turn it all over to Jesus.

I pray we all desire these gifts from Jesus. I pray we decide to fully commit to Him. I pray each one of us give up control and turn it all over to Jesus, accepting these gifts from Him. Experience true freedom. Receive true sight. Be relieved of oppression. Accept Jesus’ gifts. Turn it all over to Him.

Luke 4:18-19

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Rest for the Weary

Have you grown weary? Are you looking for relief? Do you long for a time of peace rather than struggle? Is your desire to go away to a secret place to acquire the peace you desire? Have you looked to the One who can give you rest?

We live in a time of weariness. We have grown weary of the pandemic, political fighting, war between nations, and any number of reasons causing unrest. We long for rest. We long for peace. We long for simpler times.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard, “I just wish we could get back to normal,” I would be a very rich man. Yet, I don’t believe what we thought was normal just a few years ago will ever be again. For crying out loud, we don’t even have baseball now.

On the other hand, I’m not sure I want to go back to a point in my life when I was scraping change together to buy bread and milk to get by until payday. That normal can stay long gone for me. What I have learned is this, there is no normal, there is only today and possibly tomorrow. Now, don’t get me wrong. I plan for next week, next month, next year, and even for years down the road when I will retire (I hope). But I cannot change yesterday and, in many cases, I don’t want to go back to it either. I’m betting you don’t want to go back either, if you spend just a little time thinking about it.

So, where does that leave us? We still desire rest. Jesus tells us to come to Him and He will give us rest. It may not always be physical rest. However, it is rest for our souls, which is far more important. When our soul is at rest, the worries of the world roll off us like water off a duck’s back.

I want to encourage each one of you to go before God with a humble heart and ask Him for rest. Seek Him out, relieve yourself of your worldly worries, and accept His gift of rest. You will be amazed at how your view of the world will change.

I pray we all go to Jesus for rest. I pray we accept His offer to give us rest. I pray each one of us take on the lighter burden of Jesus and relieve ourselves of the burdens of this world. Give up being weary. Accept rest from Jesus. Find rest for your soul. Humble yourself before God. Learn from Jesus. Bear the lighter burden.

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Understanding Context

Have you heard of taking things out of context? Do you understand what that means? Have you ever heard something said but only one small piece of it? Have you read only a portion of a statement and misinterpreted it?

Taking things out of context can be misleading and dangerous. We have seen or heard of people claiming their statements were taken out of context. There have been legal cases taken to court for slander because someone took another person’s statement out of context.

The same is true when we read the Bible. It is especially important when we are reading what Jesus said. Without careful study, we can misinterpret His meaning. Let’s take today’s passage as an example. If we read only these two verses, we might think that God will grant anything we desire as long as at least two of us agree on it. That would be misunderstanding what Jesus said.

By reading a handful of verses just about these, we see that Jesus is talking about sin committed by members of the church. Prayer and discernment are implied as part of the process. It includes hearing witnesses. Verse 17 states the offending person is to be treated as a “pagan or tax collector,” which has been misinterpreted on many occasions. It has been interpreted to mean excommunicating people from the church. But how are we to treat those not in the church? We are not to keep them out but draw them in. For the person who won’t listen to sound advice, we are to continue to try to draw them in, convince them of the truth.

As we read today’s passage within its context, we come to understand it requires two or more followers of Jesus to spend time in prayer asking to understand God’s will in the specific situation. When they agree, it is taken as God having revealed His will to them and it will be done by God.

I pray we all commit to understanding God’s Word in context. I pray we do not misinterpret what is being said. I pray each one of us spend time studying Scripture, praying, and listening for God’s understanding. Read God’s Word. Study Scripture. Look for the context. Ask God to reveal His message. Discuss Scripture with others.

Matthew 18:19-20 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Who is that?

Have you ever seen a stirring of people or hear a buzz of excitement going on and wonder why? Have you been in a crowded room when a controversial figure walks in and hear mumbling questions? Have you thought that was what happened when Jesus entered Jerusalem?

Likely, you have heard the whispering about a controversial figure at some point. It may be a local person who people talk about. You may have been in a room when a well-known political figure walked in and heard everyone say he or she had arrived.

When someone of some notoriety or fame shows up at a location, even if you don’t know them, you can feel the buzz in the crowd. You may have been the one who asked who the person was. This is what happened when Jesus came to Jerusalem during the last week prior to going to the cross. The whole city began to buzz. And why not?

Jesus was a polarizing figure. The Jews were looking for the Messiah. Yet, they were looking for a different kind of personality. That meant Jesus’ claim was unexpected. This despite Jesus performing many miracles. There were people who wanted to believe He was the Messiah. There were some who were skeptics. And there were many who were downright opposed to Him. Haven’t we seen this in our own lifetimes, at least to some degree?

Jesus taught radical concepts. He had a significantly different view of the Jewish Law, which was given to them by God. He taught that mere silent thoughts went against the commands of God. He railed against the religious and political leaders for their lack of following God’s intent. The rich and famous did not like His teachings. The poor and destitute flocked to Him. Are we being radical in Jesus’ Name?

I pray we all study Jesus’ teachings. I pray we see Him for the radical He is. I pray each one of us will decide to both follow Him and to be as radical as He is. See Jesus for who He is. Study His teachings. Get to know Jesus intimately. Choose to follow Him. Tell others about Jesus. Choose to be like Him. Be radically different.

Matthew 21:10-11 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Adopted

Have you ever thought about adoption? Have you wondered how your life would have been different if you had been adopted into another family? Would you have had a better life? Would your chosen profession be different?

Many of us have been adopted into another family, even if not legally. When we get married, we join two families together. We call them the “in-laws.” We may have friends whose homes are our second homes. Perhaps we have been legally adopted into another family.

As we grow older, we adopt others into our families. Close friends become family. Our sons and daughters get married and we adopt their spouses into our families. We bring pets into our families. Even our co-workers can become like family to us at times.

When we commit to Jesus Christ, we become part of God’s glorious family. God makes us holy because His Son was made the perfect sacrifice for us. He made the way for us to be adopted into a family of holy brothers and sisters of which we do not deserve.

Deserve—a word that is often misused in today’s culture. To deserve something is to be worthy of it or to merit it. We do not deserve to be rewarded with eternal life with God, but He has granted it to us anyway. It is called grace. Through Jesus, we have been grafted into God’s perfect olive tree (Romans 11:17-24).

We should never take for granted being adopted by God. After all, it is only because of His love for us that we are offered the opportunity to be adopted. His love has caused Him to show mercy on us, forgiving us of our shortcomings, and showering His grace on us. Being thankful for God’s wonderful gift is the appropriate response.

I pray we all understand we are adopted by God. I pray we are thankful for God’s wondrous grace. I pray each one of us accept His grace and respond with love toward Him.  Know that you are adopted. Know that you are loved. Accept God’s grace. Be thankful for God’s mercy. Share God’s love with others.

Hebrews 2:10-11 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.

Be Prepared

Do you live by the motto “be prepared?” Are you continually looking ahead, thinking about what you can do today to be ready for tomorrow? Next week? Next Month? Next Year? Are you prepared for the schemes of Satan?

We prepare ourselves for school. We prepare ourselves for jobs. We prepare ourselves for many things in life. However, there are things that happen for which we are unprepared. When those occur, we are caught off guard and must figure out a way to get by with what we have.

We all want to be prepared, even if we don’t always take the necessary actions to be prepared. Those of us who take being prepared seriously, work to prepare for anything we can think of. Others, think logically through the percentages and prepare for the most likely possibilities. Still, there are others who simply do not prepare. Of course, there is no way any one of us can prepare for every possibility.

Yet, there is preparation we can do to keep from falling for Satan’s schemes. It really comes down to three basic actions we can take to prepare. First, read and study God’s Word.  Reading His Word, even if we don’t understand it all, helps us become more familiar with God. Having read the Bible through several times, I can tell you no one understands it all the first time through. It takes repeated reading and studying to grow in knowledge and understanding.

Second, spending time in prayer. Talking with God, pouring out your worries, anxieties, joys, thankfulness (a big one), and turning it over to Him again and again is key. Through our communication with Him, we grow closer to Him, and we begin to hear Him when He speaks to us.

Third, believe and trust in Him. Why is this third? We do not fully believe in and trust someone we do not know. We learn to trust someone more as we grow closer to them. Yes, we can believe a little initially, but it grows deeper as we get to know God better and communicate with Him more.

I pray we all prepare for Satan’s schemes. I pray we get to know God better and communicate with Him more. I pray each one of us trusts God more, knowing the more we trust Him, the better we are prepared for Satan’s schemes. Read God’s Word. Study God’s Word. Spend time in prayer. Relieve yourself of worries. Believe in God. Trust God. Be prepared.

Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Do Not Test God

Are you at times frustrated with waiting? Do you wish action would be taken sooner? Are you tired of barely holding on, waiting for relief to come? Do you ever wonder when God is going to lift you up out of the problems you are experiencing?

We wait in many aspects of our lives. We wait, while working extremely hard, for that big promotion. We wait in check-out lines. We wait for the right person to come into our lives. We wait, and wait, and wait.

We may wonder when Jesus will return. We may hold onto the stories floating around that say it will be soon. Fortunately, no one knows when that will be. The apostles often told people that Jesus would return soon. It’s been nearly two-thousand years and He has not returned yet. We know by reading the book of Revelation that the world will be put under extreme stress with much destruction prior to His return. When comparing what Revelation says will happen to the events of today, it’s like comparing a mole hill to a mountain.

Yet, because of our wait, we may cry out to God. We may yell at Him. We may be tempted to tell Him to fix things or we will no longer believe in Him. That is a sad state to be in. You see, we are not to put God to the test. He will not answer our test. At least, not in the way we want.

As Paul states in today’s passage, when the Israelites tested God in the past, there was punishment that followed. Why? Testing God is being disobedient. It is putting ourselves above Him. It is asking Him to be a genie in a bottle. We must remember that God does not bow to us, but we bow to Him.

I pray we all hold on to our faith in God. I pray we do not put God to the test. I pray each one of us will continue to go about doing the work that God has set before us in faith. Do not test God. Do not bring punishment on yourself. Trust God. Trust His plan. Continue in His work. Hold on to your faith.

1 Corinthians 10:9-10 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

The Unknown God

What do you know about God? Do you feel like you know Him well? Are you more interested in seeking things of this world? Do you think you have plenty of time to seek God later? Are you sure you have time?

Being religious doesn’t mean we know God. We can follow religious traditions and doctrine without really knowing God. Of course, this is nothing new. There have been religious organizations for centuries that didn’t truly seek out God.

Take a look at today’s passage. The apostle Paul speaks to the people of Athens who had many religious traditions and worshiped multiple gods. They recognize there is a god they do not know and have built an altar to him. They realize there is a God who is mightier than all other gods, they just don’t know Him. Paul tells them he has come to tell them about Him.

Lest you think this does not apply today, it is very applicable. As I look around, I see people who are religious, who claim they follow Jesus Christ, yet worship other gods. Oh, we don’t say that and don’t call them gods in quite the same way the people of Athens did in the first century. But make no mistake about it, we worship them.

Our gods of today include climbing the corporate ladder, seeking beautiful houses, buying new vehicles, Hollywood stars, sports stars, and even our own vanity and pride. No, we wouldn’t dream of calling them gods, but we will call them idols. What is the difference? The people of Athens built idols for their gods.

For many people today, there is an unknown God. They don’t really know who God is nor who His Son is. They have not sought to know Him. They have merely followed traditions blindly. They walk down the path of destruction unknowingly. Don’t be one of them.

I pray we all give up our idol worship. I pray we decide to worship the true God of heaven and earth. I pray each one of us will seek to know God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Give up your idols. Get to know God. Seek Him out. Read God’s Word. Know Jesus Christ. Get off the path of destruction. Follow Jesus.

Acts 17:22-23 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.”

Resisting Temptation

Are you often tempted to do something you know you shouldn’t? Do you find it difficult to resist following through with it? Would you like to have a stronger will to resist? How is your knowledge and relationship with God?

We are tempted nearly every day to do something we know we shouldn’t do. Or we are tempted to turn back to a bad habit or give in to a sudden urge. Perhaps we resist occasionally but giving in can be so easy.

Resisting sinful desires can be extremely difficult. This is especially true if it is a sin we have dabbled in for a long time. Our behavior and self-justification tell us that one more time won’t hurt. It is made all the easier to justify it in our own mind if we are not affecting anyone else. Yet, we are not to fall prey to the temptation. So, how to we resist?

It requires us to know God and know Him intimately. It requires us to have a close relationship with Him and rely on His guidance. It requires us to reach out to Him during those times of temptation. How do we do this?

We read and study His Word. We regularly spend time in prayer with Him. We memorize and quote Scripture when the temptation comes. We pray, asking God to remove the temptation both well in advance and at the time the temptation arises. We are continually in contact with God. Perhaps that is why the apostle Paul wrote “pray continually” in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. It is a continual communing and communicating with God.

As today’s passage states, God will provide a way to resist the temptation and to endure the challenge of resisting. Our responsibility is to reach out and hold on to God. He is always there, always willing to come to our aid.

I pray we all grow in our knowledge of God. I pray we build our relationship with God. I pray each one of us prepare for temptation by memorizing Scripture and spending time in prayer. Read God’s Word. Study God’s Word. Spend time in prayer. Reach out to God when temptation arises. Trust God to provide a way to resist.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.