Foremost Sinner

Have you been at the front of the pack? Have you been leading the way? Were you headed in the right direction? Or were you on a path of destruction? How have you changed? Do you attribute your change to God’s patience, mercy, and grace?

Leading the pack is good, if we are on God’s path. The Apostle Paul was not on the path God wanted him on early in his life. Paul was a Pharisee. He was persecuting the church. He stood by while Stephen was being stoned. Paul thought he was doing right, but Jesus opened his eyes.

After Paul had his encounter with the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus and spent three years wondering and being taught by Jesus, he knew he had been wrong. We know Paul had authority to arrest those who were following Jesus when he was intercepted. We are not told how many he may have arrested before his encounter with Jesus. Paul considered himself the foremost among sinners because of his actions against Christians.

We may not be seeking the arrest of fellow Christians, but we may not be fully on the right path either. We must evaluate our motives. We must determine if we are in disagreement over opinions or if it is truth. We must not allow opinions to fracture our unity in Christ. Yet, it is often opinions that cause arguments and division.

What are we to do? We are to repent of our behavior that divides. We are to ask God to guide us back onto the path he would have us walk. We must ask God to put the love of Christ in our hearts and realize that God has been patient with us. We must hold onto the truth of God and release the opinions we have, knowing God has granted us eternal life.

I pray we all encounter Jesus. I pray we give up our opinions and refuse to be divided. I pray each one of us know God’s patience, mercy, and grace has granted us eternal life. Encounter Jesus. Don’t allow your opinion divide. God is patient. God’s mercy and grace has given you eternal life.

1 Timothy 1:15-16 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience as an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life.

God Can Save Anyone

Do you believe God can save you? Do you believe he can save anyone, no matter how bad they are? Do you believe his grace is big enough? Do you believe he will strengthen you when you feel weak? Do you believe God has a plan for you? Are you willing to serve him?

We often think too little of God. We don’t believe he can what we need done. We take on the task ourselves, not trusting anyone else, including God. We go about our daily lives leaning on our own strength…and wonder why we feel worn out, drained, and burned out.

Let’s not kid ourselves. God is not going to give us endless energy to do whatever we want. He will give us the strength we need to complete the work he has set before us. He will grant us the rest and peace we need to be renewed and rejuvenated. God is our ultimate sustainer, granting us, not only life, but also what we need to live an abundant life.

Yet, there are many in this world that don’t believe God can save them. They believe they are beyond saving. They have committed too many offenses. They believe they are too far gone, down a path that is irredeemable. However, God has the power to save anyone, even someone who has committed grave atrocities. Do we believe that? Does it change us?

The Apostle Paul states that he was one of the foremost sinners. He had persecuted the early church and blasphemed against Jesus. He supported and committed violence against those who followed Jesus. Yet, God not only saved him but used him to advance the building of the church and sending his Word throughout the world. God has a plan to use each one of us. Our part is to choose to be used by God, regardless of what our history is.

I pray we all trust that God can save anyone. I pray we believe that God has saved us. I pray each one of us will repent of our past and commit to being used by God for his purposes. God can save anyone. God is all-powerful. Repent of your past. Commit yourself to God.

1 Timothy 1:12-13a I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence.

Recommit to God

Have you encountered people who say there is no God? Do you think there are many people who do not believe in God? Do you think there are many people who may acknowledge God exists, but do not obey him? Do you see evidence of it in our world today?

What we see in our daily news is mostly disagreement, anger, fighting, catastrophes, accidents, and other bad news. People we interact with are disgruntled, upset, fearful, anxious, and angry. For many of us, the world seems to be falling apart. We see evidence of it every day.

It can be disheartening to see all the negative things going on in our communities, nations, and around the world. Because of all the bad going on, some are predicting the end of the world. Yet, we can see in Psalm 14, written about three-thousand years ago, the same thing was happening. The people were corrupt. They were doing horrible things. They did not even acknowledge God existed.

In God’s long-standing patience, he endures our cycles of straying and returning. When the Israelites strayed from him, they were punished. The same happens to us today, both collectively and individually. When we return, God blesses us. As the old saying goes, we often need to hit rock bottom before we look up to God and plea for his forgiveness.

Yes, there has been a cycle of walking away from God across our country for the past few decades. We are paying the price for that now. Yet, there are indications that there is a movement starting in which people are returning to him. It is by returning to God that we will experience God’s blessings again.

I pray we all know there have always been people who refuse God. I pray we continue to hold onto God’s promises. I pray each one of us will redouble our efforts to know God and increase our faith. God will punish evil. Hold onto God’s promises. Recommit yourself to God each day.

Psalm 14:1

Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” 

They are corrupt; they do abominable deeds; 

there is no one who does good.

Evil Will Be Defeated

Have you ever tried to view the world through God’s eyes? Have you taken a step back to see the bigger picture? Have you tried to think as God thinks when he looks at this world? Have you concluded the world is not worth saving? Would you simply give up on it?

Seeing the world as God sees it is a challenge. First, we can’t see everything God sees. We are aware of what goes on in our local community more than any other place. We are only cursorily aware of what is going on in our nation and around the world. We only see what the news broadcast shows us.

Yet, we see enough to know there are far few people who worship God. We know of the hate, anger, discrimination, violence, and disobedience. We can only imagine God shaking his head in disappointment. In these acts he sees people who have disobeyed his commands and may have no inclination to ever submit and obey him.

So why is he patient with us? What we don’t see but God does are the people who are doing their best to be good people. We don’t see all the sorrow, worry, sadness, and lack of hope. We don’t see all the people who have not heard about God or have been led astray by false teaching. God sees them and desires for them to be taught and to turn to him.

Make no mistake, when we purposely turn away from God, we can be sure there will be consequences. God is patient, but he is not patient forever. God cannot stand in the midst of evil. He will destroy evil forever. We, God’s children, must take his Word to those who need it. We must be the ones who seek to make this world a better place. And we need to do so with a sense of urgency.

I pray we all know God is patient with us. I pray we know that God will not allow evil to win. I pray each one of us speak the good news of God to all we meet and obey his commands. God is patient. God will stamp out evil. Seek to make the world a better place. Speak the good news.

Jeremiah 4:22

“For my people are foolish; 

they do not know me; 

they are stupid children; 

they have no understanding. 

They are skilled in doing evil 

but do not know how to do good.”

Be A Disciple

What are your priorities? Do you have they firmly set in your mind? Have you taken time to think about them? Or are you simply running from one thing to another? Are you a planning kind of person? Or are you a spur of the moment, fly by the seat of your pants kind of person?

There are many people in this world who have no plan. If they have a plan, it is short term, perhaps as short as just getting through the day. Some will plan for the week. Some will plan a vacation a few months out. But all their plans are about activities.

What about a life plan? Setting priorities for our lives is key to living a good life. Those priorities will include putting certain things at the top of our list. For those who teach life planning or setting priorities, often the difficulty is getting everyone to understand they have set priorities, whether they realize it or not.

There are those who seem to fly by the seat of their pants. That’s because their priority is to follow current culture or to be people pleasers. There are others who have set a priority to reach a certain status within the corporate world. They often work long hours and may even drive their family away because of it. There are still others who seek a music or sports profession and spend all their time practicing and going to try outs.

There are many things we can make our top priority. Jesus tells us He must be our top priority for us to be His disciple. Though it appears today’s verse is telling us to sell off all our possessions, that is a misinterpretation. Jesus is telling us that our possessions cannot own us, and they are not to be our top priority.

What does making Jesus being our top priority look like? It will be different for each person, but it starts with focusing on Him every day. It means that all we do, we do for Him. It means we support and participate in His work in this world. That often means participating in the church. It also means that we give up our desires to focus on His. Are we choosing to be His disciples?

I pray we all choose to be Jesus’ disciples. I pray we make Him our top priority. I pray we don’t allow our possessions to possess us and fully participate in God’s work in this world. Be a disciple. Make Jesus your top priority. Give up your possessions. Participate in God’s work.

Luke 14:33 “So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”

No Contradiction

Have You ever questioned something Jesus said? Have you scratched your head in confusion? Have you thought this is not what I was taught in Sunday School or heard in a sermon? Have you thought this sounds contradictory to everything I’ve heard about Jesus?

Jesus uses hyperbole in some of His teachings. We must understand this, and we must identify it. If we don’t, we risk taking His words literally rather than grasping the point He is making. Jesus would over exaggerate to drive home His point, often astonishing His audience.

Today’s passage is a prime example of Jesus using hyperbole. When He states that we must hate in order to be His disciple. It is an over exaggeration to drive His point home. The is the same Jesus who says we are to love everyone. Why the contradiction? It isn’t a contradiction. Jesus still wants us to love everyone. His point is that we cannot love anyone more than we love Him.

To be a disciple, or follower, of Jesus, we must make Him our number one love. He must come first in our life. It is only by putting Him first and loving Him with all our heart, mind, and soul that we can truly love others. It is only by loving Him with our entire being that we can be His disciple. As His disciple, we are His ambassador’s.

As Jesus’ ambassador, we are to represent Him and show His love to everyone we meet. In doing so, we can lead others to follow Him as well, which is our mission, our purpose in life. Yes, Jesus uses hyperbole, just like we do still today when we say, “I haven’t seen you in forever.” Forever isn’t quantified in time, though we use it to mean a relatively long time. So, don’t always take Jesus’ words literally. Ask yourself if He is using hyperbole, then learn the lesson He is teaching.

I pray we all seek to understand the point Jesus is teaching. I pray we discern Jesus using hyperbole at times. I pray each one of us makes Jesus number one in our lives and love everyone we meet. Seek understanding. Learn the lesson. Make Jesus number one. Love everyone.

Luke 14:25-26 Now large crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and said to them, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.”

Appeal to God

Have ever asked the question, “Why me?” Has something happened to delay a project you were working on, and you were frustrated? Did you ask God, “Why?” Did you later realize it was for your benefit? Did you see God at work on your behalf in the delay?

There can be times when we experience setbacks, and we are frustrated. We may even become angry. Yet, God may be working in that setback, doing something for our benefit. Rather than being upset, we are to trust God is in control and everything will work out for our good.

The Apostle Paul exposes a situation as he writes a letter to Philemon. Paul calls him a co-worker and mentions that Philemon hosts a church within his house. Based on what Paul’s description of Philemon, we can also assume he was somewhat wealthy. Paul appeals to Philemon in his letter, explaining that God has done a good work on his behalf.

Onesimus was a slave of Philemon’s who had evidently run away. He ended up with Paul and Paul spoke to him of Christ. Onesimus becomes a Christian and is serving Paul as he is in prison. According to Paul’s letter, Onesimus was not a good worker beforehand but has now become a good worker. Paul is sending Onesimus back to Philemon and asking that Philemon both accept him back warmly and treat him as a brother.

There are many lessons in this single chapter letter of Paul’s. One is that God is working for our good, even when we don’t see it. A second lesson is that when someone commits their life to Christ and the Holy Spirit works on them, they change for the better. A third lesson is, we are to do what is right according to the laws of the land, even when we don’t agree with them, and trust God with the results. When we trust God is in control and appeal to him, we relieve ourselves of stress and grow in our faith.

I pray we all choose to trust that God is in control. I pray we choose to follow the laws of our nation. I pray each one of us will appeal to God in all situations, turning the results over to him. Know God is in control. Follow the laws. Appeal to God. Know he is working for your good.

Philemon 15-16 Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for the long term, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

See Faith

How often do you recognize the faith of people you know? Do you recognize the love others have for their brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you thank God you know them, and they are in your life? Do pray their faith will be strengthened and they recognize their blessings?

Recognizing the faith in our brothers and sisters in Christ is important. Seeing their love for others by their actions lifts us up. It is also important that we thank God for the faithful people in our lives. For it is God who put them in our lives and us in their lives.

Praying for one another is important. Each of us has our own struggles—some spoke, others not. As we pray for the faith of others and give thanks to God for him blessing us through them, we not only praise God but bless them as well. It is also good for us to tell them that we recognize their faith, that they have been an encouragement to us, and let them know we are praying for the continued strengthening of their faith.

Mutually praying for one another, not just to heal illnesses or recovering from surgeries, but that the faith of each other is strengthened blesses all of us. God works through each of us so that we may be a blessing to others. That blessing comes in many ways, not the least of which is praying for one another. That is what the community, family of Christ does for one another.

I pray we all recognize the faith others have. I pray we take time to pray for one another. I pray each one of us share the blessings God has blessed us with to be an encouragement to others. See the faith of others. Pray for one another. Share God’s blessings. Be an encouragement.

Philemon 4-6 I thank my God always when I mention you in my prayers, because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. I pray that the partnership of your faith may become effective as you comprehend all the good that we share in Christ.

Wonderfully Made

Have you ever stopped to consider the amazing human body? Have you thought about how a baby is formed? How one cell splits into two? How two splits into four, and so on until there is a fully formed infant? Have you considered that God knows exactly how many days you will live?

The human body is amazing. To think that God created each one of us. I know some will say it is our DNA that gives us our physical form. Yet, who created DNA? The deeper you dig into how things began, the more you realize there is no other answer than we were created by God.

Though we don’t like to think about it, our days are numbered as well. We have a set number of days on this earth. God knows exactly how many each of us have. Our limited view cannot see the future. We plan. We save. We procrastinate. We wait. We rush. All the while not knowing what the next day will bring. Why?

The simple answer is…faith. We may not call it that. In fact, many won’t. Yet, it is faith, nonetheless. Unfortunately, for far too many, it is blind faith. Without faith in God, trusting he is in control, we blindly run down the road of life. When we realize God has created us for a purpose, trust and seek his guidance, we then run the race he designed for us.

The Psalmist states the wonder of God creating us and having seen our lives from beginning to end. He saw all of it before we ever existed in the timeline in which we live. It is difficult for us to wrap our minds around. Yet, when we try, not fully comprehend, and realize God is far more than we can understand, we begin to see a glimpse of who God is.

I pray we all know that God created us. I pray we understand that God knows the number of our days. I pray each one of us will put our faith in God and run the race he designed for us. God created you. God knows the number of your days. Put your faith in God. Follow the path he has set before you.

Psalm 139:13-14a, 16

For it was you who formed my inward parts; 

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. 

In your book were written 

all the days that were formed for me, 

when none of them as yet existed.

God Knows All

Have you ever felt déjà vu? Have you seen something or done something and like you have seen it or done it before? Ever wonder why that could happen? What if everything you see, everything you do, and everything you say is already known? How would you feel?

Déjà vu feels puzzling to us. We may say it is a weird feeling. We don’t understand it. Some will explain it as there being parallel universes and the knowledge of something happening in the other universe crosses over to us. There is a much simpler explanation, if you are willing to accept it.

God knows everything we will do, everything we will say, and every situation we will face. He doesn’t force us to do anything. He has granted us free will. We make our choices. Yet, because God lives outside of time, he sees all of time in a single moment. The Apostle Peter tells us a single day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a single day in God’s eyes (2 Peter 3:8).

The Psalmist says that God knows our path. He knows all our thoughts. He knows how we will react to specific situations. He even knows what we will say before we say it. It is hard for us to wrap our mind around it. I like how C. S. Lewis describes how this happens in his book Mere Christianity. He says for us to imagine a piece of paper. Draw a line on it. Put a dot on the line. God is the paper. The line is time. Our life is the dot. We live within God, and therefore, God knows everything all at once.

So, how does God change his mind? I don’t think he does. He already knows what we are going to ask. He already knows how we will change. He doesn’t change. He does exactly what he decided to do all along. We change. We gain a new perspective. We misinterpret our change for God’s change. Again, something that is hard for us to understand. Yet, déjà vu is God giving us a glimpse into his knowledge.

I pray we all know that God already knows everything about us. I pray we seek to follow his guidance. I pray each one of us trust that God is leading us on the path he wants us to walk. God knows all. God sees all. God is directing all. Follow the path God has for you. 

Psalm 139:3-4

You search out my path and my lying down 

and are acquainted with all my ways. 

Even before a word is on my tongue, 

O Lord, you know it completely.