Fill The Void

Are you longing to be a part of a group? Are you looking to be an active participant socially? Do you want to be with others who have your best interest at heart, who care for you? Are you willing to make a change in yourself to be part of a wonderful group?

We all long to be part of a group. We want to be seen and heard. We desire to be accepted. We long to be loved and cared for by others. Unfortunately, far too many look in the wrong direction and we often miss experiencing the love right in front of us.

There is no doubt our world needs more love, more care, more acceptance, and more compassion for one another. We can often trace negative behavior to a desire to be seen, to be recognized, an effort to fill the desire for love. Our desire for recognition can cause us to act badly simply to get someone to pay attention to us, even if it is negative attention.

Our world has promoted the idea of being acknowledged by others for years. It has recently evolved into having thousands of friends or likes on Facebook or being a YouTuber with thousands of followers. This type of attention doesn’t fill the void we have any more than the fame of a movie star or sports star fills the void. We still need the individual, one-on-one attention.

There is a place we can get the attention and love we long for—the body of Christ. We are called to be of one Spirit, one mind, and have the same love for one another. When we are an active part of the body of Christ, we experience the love and care we long for.

What does it mean to be an active member? It means to be involved, talk with one another, lay out your joys and your troubles, interact with each other, share each other’s lives. We may shy away from that, thinking we won’t really be cared for. Yet, we turn to medicating ourselves and talking with people we don’t really know to relieve our pain.

Why not share our lives with people who will pray for us? My experience has shown that having people pray for you is a wonderful way to grow into a better person. It simply takes a small commitment on our part to participate with others who will care for us as the body of Christ.

I pray we all decide to participate in the body of Christ. I pray we share in the Spirit of Christ, loving one another. I pray each of us will commit to being of the same mind as Christ and are filled with love. Be of the same spirit as Christ. Be a participant in the body of Christ. Have the same love. Pray for one another.

Philippians 2:1-2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

Determine Your Priority

What are the most important priorities in your life? Are people in your top priorities? Are possessions part of your top priorities? Do you put possessions ahead of people? Have you spent time to truly consider what is most important to you?

We will often say something or someone is important to us. We may change our minds from day-to-day, depending on what each day brings. Often, we haven’t spent time to determine what or who is really important to us. We have simply walked blindly through each day.

Yet, within our subconscious we have determined what is important to us. It will be where we spend our time. It will be who we spend our time with. It will show in how we treat the people we interact with. You see, when something or someone is important to us, we care for them.

Today’s passage is a truth we often ignore but is a core truth we can not deny. It is part of our basic human nature. We spend time with and care for what is important to us. Notice there two key components.

We may spend time with lots of people. In fact, many of us spend more time at our jobs than we do with our family. That may be due to the requirements of our job. Yet, we can put a higher importance on our family. Our job may allow us to provide for our family in ways we wouldn’t otherwise be able.

We may care more for our family than others we interact with. When we do, it shows in our attitudes and our actions. We speak kindly to them. We do many things for them. They see they are important to us and that we love them. It is obvious.

We also see in today’s passage that we are to make our relationship with God our most important priority. When we do, it will show in the same way as our love for our family. People will see God in us. They will see our love for others. They will notice changes in us throughout our lives as we grow in our relationship with God.

What is the alternative? As we see, Jesus clearly states all things on earth will be destroyed. It will rot. It will be dissolved. There will be nothing left. It is temporary. Our relationship with God will continue forever. Heaven will continue forever. What is wiser, making something temporary our top priority or something that will last forever?

I pray we all make our relationship with God our top priority. I pray we seek to grow in God each day. I pray each of us will decide today to put God first. Make your relationship with God a priority. Seek God today. Put God first in all you do. Spend time with God.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Judge Not

Do you like being judged by others? Does it upset you when people determine you did something wrong before knowing all the details? Do you judge others in the same manner? Are you weary of all the judging that happens in our society?

We often judge others based on superficial information. We find that others judge us in much the same manner. We see judgments being cast by people all around us, and almost certainly without knowing the full circumstances and details of the situation.

The court of public opinion has risen to a fever pitch. Many are being led astray by false information. One tidbit of information is obtained and stretched to the point of being unrecognizable. This is not just happening on the national stage, but is also happening in our offices, schools, and even our churches.

There is certainly a need to hold people accountable for their actions. That is the purpose of laws across our country, whether they be federal, state, county, or city ordinances. Yet, we often see people judging others without all the facts.

During our day-to-day interactions with others, we are called to judge no one. We are told that God will judge everyone at the appointed time. Our God cannot lie. So, when God promises to judge at the appointed time, why don’t we trust Him to do as He promised? Is it because we think we are God?

When we judge others, especially without all the facts, we put ourselves in God’s place. Oh, we may say that’s not what we are doing, but it is exactly what we are doing. We are indicating our lack of trust in God. We are taking God’s prerogative from Him and handling it ourselves.

We are called to love, not judge. We are called to care for orphans and widows, not demean them. We are called to feed the hungry, not look down on them. We are called to follow the perfect example of Jesus, not fallen humans.

Folks, if we are to love our neighbor, we cannot continue to condemn them. Who is our neighbor? As Jesus taught in the parable of the Good Samaritan, it is everyone we meet, even those we may not like.

I pray we all decide to stop judging everyone we interact with. I pray we continue to work on removing our judgmental attitudes. I pray each one of us will ask God to change us into a loving and caring people. Stop judging. Stop condemning. Love each other. Care for each other. Provide for each other. Follow your calling from Jesus.

1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.

The Few, The Loving, The Pursuers

Do you have goals you are pursuing? Are you looking a particularly large purchase you are saving for? Do you have your sights set on a promotion at work? Are you looking for that special relationship? Is there some other important goal you have set for yourself?

We often set goals in life. They may be career oriented. They may be family oriented. They may be personal growth or physical health goals. Setting goals is a great way to motivate ourselves toward achievements. They can also be set so high as to be unachievable.

How we react to goals we determine to be unachievable is important. We may simply write them off. We may be deeply depressed. We may decide to lower the goal to something that is achievable. There is one goal we all should set that none of these options apply to.

We should pursue becoming more like Jesus with the ultimate goal of perfection. No, we’ll never achieve it, but we should never give up. The apostle Paul set that goal fully understanding he would not achieve it while living on this earth. Yet he continued to pursue it throughout his life, knowing he would be made perfect at the end of his life by Christ Himself.

We, too, can take comfort in the thought of being made perfect by Christ. However, knowing Christ will make us perfect in the end does not relieve us of the pursuit to continue to become more like Him during our lives. Much as Paul pursued this goal, we are to continue to pursue it each day.

We cannot achieve this goal solely on our own. We need the assistance of the Holy Spirit and Jesus. We also need the assistance of other Christians. We need an attitude of continual learning and yearning to move closer to the goal as we go through this life.

We all have seen the Marine Corps commercials with the slogan, “The Few, The Proud, The Marines.” As Christians, we need a similar slogan, “The Few, The Loving, The Pursuers.” It is unfortunate the first two words are the same on both slogans. The world would be far better off if there were millions more in pursuit of being like Christ.

I pray we all decide to pursue the goal of perfection in Jesus Christ. I pray we set about each day to take another step forward. I pray each of us will grow in our knowledge of Jesus and allow Him to change our lives for the better. Pursue perfection. Pursue Jesus. Grow in your knowledge of Him. Never give up on the goal of perfection. Be perfect in love.

Philippians 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Always Working

Do you feel as though your work is never done? Are you consistently looking at a long list of tasks to get done? Do you sometimes think your boss is too demanding? Do you know there is someone at work 24/7/365?

We all go through periods of our life when we feel as though all we do is go to work, eat, and sleep. Our lives seem to have no fun, no enjoyment, and drudgery every day. Yet, those of us who have gone through those times know they will pass and there will be a break one day.

As much as most of us might wish we didn’t have to work, life doesn’t work out that way. We don’t have the luxury of not needing to work. We must work in order to pay for our basic needs and all our wants.

There is another that is always at work as well. It is rare that we see Him at work. Yet He is working each day to execute the master plan of God. He works through us and through others. He works through difficult situations and in rejoicing. He is at work when we wake and when we sleep.

Jesus is at work for us at all times. We may think of Him as being with us, and this is true, but rarely think that He is working for us. He clearly states that He is working, and His word is trustworthy. Isn’t it comforting to know He is working for you?

Not only is Jesus working, but God, the Father, is working too. We may remember, and often quote as a reason to not work, that God rested on the seventh day after creating everything. Yet, Jesus says the Father is always working and He is always working as well. That means both are working 24/7/365.

With God working to execute His plan at all times, we can take comfort knowing He is working on our behalf, as long as we are working within His plan. Yet, things become quite difficult when we are working against God. So, why would we want to work against God?

Working with God doesn’t mean it will always be easy. It does mean God will provide what we need to accomplish His plan. It means we will gain the strength needed to complete the work as He will provide it for us.

I pray we all work with God. I pray we seek to follow His plan. I pray each of us will ask God to use us in His plan each day. Know that Jesus is working at all times. Know the Father is working. Be part of God’s plan. Ask God to show you where you fit in. Decide to work today.

John 5:17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”

Welcoming Friend or Guard Dog

As many of you know, I run through my town two or three times per week. As I’ve run through town, I’ve seen different breeds and different types of dogs. We all know there are different breeds, but what do I mean by types? I mean their demeanor or attitude toward people.

One type is the dog who is barking, wagging its tail, and looking excited at you. This dog is hoping you’ll stop by, visit with them, play with them. They want to lick you to death and are simply excited to see someone, anyone. We generally get a long quite well with these types of dogs.

The second type is the guard dog. It’s barking, but its tail is not wagging. It has a fierce look on its face. It’s warning you not to come into the yard. If it is not on a leash or there is no fence, it may chase you down the street.

The third type is somewhere in between. This dog is excited to see people it knows. When family or friends visit, they are just like the first dog. Yet, if a stranger approaches, they are like the second dog. So long as we are one of the family or a friend, we get along fine with these dogs as well.

As I’ve walked my Christian walk for nearly three decades, I’ve seen similar characteristics in my fellow brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, I can generally lump them into one of two categories. They are either the guard dog who doesn’t want any outsider coming into the church (and often they don’t even know they are like that) or they are welcoming to members of the church while not so welcoming to outsiders.

Folks, I don’t believe Jesus called us to be either one of these types. I believe He called us to be somewhere in between the first dog and second dog. We are to be welcoming to all who want to join us while remaining just a bit cautious until we get to know them better. This means we let them know we are excited they have decided to join us. We cover them with love and acceptance. We also watch them and are willing to ask them to depart if they are offensive in nature.

Much like Jesus, we must be like the shepherd who guards the flock from the wolves. Yet, we are not to guard the flock from other sheep. If we want to know why we see a decline in our church attendance, we must ask ourselves if we are welcoming.

I pray we all are welcoming to people we meet. I pray we not only welcome but invite people to our churches. I pray each of us will seek to welcome all people, who are created by God. Be glad to see other people. Treat each person as a creation of God. Know that we welcome God when we welcome others. Be Jesus to someone today.

Mark 9:37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomesme does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Alive in the Spirit

Do you want to feel alive? Do you want to be alive?  Are you looking for a reason to look forward to tomorrow? Are you willing to give everything up to gain more than you can imagine?

There are many people who long to feel alive. They are looking for a continual mountain top experience. Unfortunately, they think it is possible to be on top at all times. Yet, that isn’t true. We go through peaks and valleys throughout our lives.

It is because of those peaks and valleys that we know we are alive. It is the changes in our emotions and feelings that we are reminded we are alive. We also experience physical ailments and a high level of physical condition. Whether we are sick or just complete a particularly dauting physical challenge we are reminded we are alive.

Unfortunately, many people don’t recognize indicators of life. They are so caught up in their wants they can’t see the life they are experiencing. Our lives are a continually changing experience of events, a constant reminder that we live. Yet, what if there is more?

We are promised more. We are promised to live forever in the presence of God, when we are willing to give up our lives here and now, the lives of constantly seeking our wants rather than God’s wants.

Paul is not advocating dying physically but giving up all worldly trappings. He states our obligation is to live as God has called us, not as the world would have us live. Rather than chasing after endless worldly possessions, we are to seek what God has in store for us.

There is no doubt following God’s desire for us is hard. However, it is only hard because we are unwilling to give up our own desires. Yet when we do, we gain far more than we lose. It is too bad that we act like the child who has a piece of candy in his hand and won’t give it up to gain the bag that is held behind the parent’s back.

We can’t see the end and that disturbs us. We don’t know the rest of the story, so we worry about today. God knows all that He has in store for us, much like the parent who knows what they bought for their child for Christmas. Ultimately, we gain an eternity of bliss.

I pray we all decide to give up our worldly desires to accept God’s desires. I pray we seek God’s plan for us. I pray each of us will take one step at a time toward doing God’s will for us. Give up the desires of the world. Seek God’s plan for you. Follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. Know the difference between your desires and the Spirit’s leading. Become alive in the Spirit.

Romans 8:12-13 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

Carry Jesus With You

Are you feeling depressed? Do feel like the weight of the world is on you? Does it seem as though everything that can go wrong is going wrong? Are you tired of the constant battle to get through each day? Are you looking for a way out of the chaos?

We face many different challenges each day. We must get the kids off to school, get ourselves ready for work, there are bills to pay, meals to be made, and those are just the everyday tasks. We often face other difficulties like a vehicle needing repair, a sick family member, or relationship problems. Then throw in the pandemic, social unrest, and political turmoil on top of that and we can quickly become overwhelmed.

We hear there is a greater number of people feeling depressed and we might consider throwing our name in that hat, as well. We may see people with the expression on their face as if they are simply trudging through life, and we may think “they look like I feel.”

We all understand there are challenges from time-to-time in our lives. We have faced them before and somehow gotten through them. Yet, at this current time, it seems there are more challenges across our country than we can find the strength to overcome.

We are not alone in feeling this way. Not only are most everyone we meet feeling the same, but the apostle Paul went through the same exact feelings. He wrote to the people of Corinth of his feelings and told them how he carried on. We can learn a lesson from him.

Paul leaned on his knowledge that Jesus was his Savior. He relied on the strength provided by God to continue. He realized that Jesus was being revealed through him to others who needed to know Him. Paul carried Jesus with him wherever he went.

We can persevere through these troubled times in much the same manner. We can carry Jesus with us each day. We can rely on God to provide the strength we need to get through each day. We have a wonderful opportunity to show Jesus to those we encounter, providing them with a ray of hope in a troubled world.

I pray we all choose to carry Jesus with us each day. I pray we rely on God to provide us with the strength we need. I pray each one of us will show Jesus to others, helping them to carry on through their challenges. Rely on God. Trust Him to provide. Be a ray of hope to others. Carry Jesus with you each day.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Evil Opposes Truth

Are there people who oppose you? Do you oppose others? Who is speaking truth? Sometimes, it’s tough to tell, isn’t it? Are you speaking truth on behalf of God? Are you opposing evil? Is it evil opposition you are dealing with?

We often hear opposing opinions. We also see people hold onto their opinions as though they were truth. Our human nature of preferring our opinions over others creates an overwhelming amount of opposition.

We sometimes call the opposition of opinion drama. No matter what we call it, it seems there is more of it now than ever before. Social media contributes to it like throwing gasoline on a fire. Yet, we continue to feed it rather than squelching it.

Paul knew young Timothy was going to face opposition—opposition to truth. He knew that evil was going to oppose the teaching of the truth of Jesus Christ. He provided Timothy guidance for dealing with the opposition he would face. We, too, can follow Paul’s guidance.

When evil opposes truth, it will stand its ground as steadfastly as we see people stand on their opinions. In order to lead people who oppose the truth we speak to accept it, we must do so gently and with love. Our demeanor must show that we care for the person who opposes us. It is by demonstrating we care for the person that we can break through the barrier of evil surrounding the other person.

Perhaps you wonder why we should care. We are called by Jesus to teach all nations, all people the truth of His Word. The most effective way to do this is through our daily interactions. When we see others as Jesus sees them, children of God, and we understand that Jesus wants to save all people, we can pursue saving them ourselves.

As we open our eyes, ears, and hearts to see this world as Jesus does, we see the overwhelming amount of evil in it. We see the traps the devil sets for us and others. We see how he captures us by luring us into situations that are unhealthy for us and oppose God. It is through our gentle instruction to others that we can lead them away from those traps and into the blessings of God. This is how we lead others to the saving grace of God.

I pray we all gently lead others into the grace of God. I pray we display our love and care for God’s children in our daily lives. I pray each of us will lead a life that others want to emulate and are curious enough to ask about. Be gentle with instruction. Realize opinions are not the same as the truth of God. Desire to lead others to God. Desire to release others from their captivity. Trust God to lead you into truth.

2 Timothy 2:25-26 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Hope Through History

Do you like to read history? Do you like to watch movies or documentaries on history? Or, would you prefer to avoid history? Do you realize that history, whether event driven or experiential driven, is a major key to our hope for the future?

There are many people I know who will say they don’t like history. They are referring to the narrow subject of history in school. Unfortunately, history has become a label for studying events that took place decades or centuries ago. History is far more than those events.

History includes the discoveries made by inquisitive people. They range from the discovery of how to create fire to cook with to building rocket engines that send people into space—one day to Mars. There have been more discoveries and inventions than we can count.

History is also the key component of our growth. Much of our growth comes through our experiences. We learn to ride bicycles by experience. We learn to cook through experiences We learn by making mistakes. Our experiential history contributes greatly to who we are.

We also grow in knowledge by reading. Even if we don’t think we are reading history, we often are reading the result of history. When we read a recipe, we are reading the result of someone having experimented with ingredients and discovered a tasty combination—history.

We also grow in wisdom through thought. Our thinking is reviewing history and putting together pieces in logical fashion. As we make connections of different pieces of history, we make new conclusions, improving our knowledge and growing in wisdom.

Perhaps we dislike history less than we think when we realize it is history that teaches us new capabilities. It is through the history written for us in the Bible that we learn how to endure the difficulties of life and we receive encouragement. Our hope is built on our understanding of what is written. As we grow in knowledge, our hope increases.

I pray we all open ourselves to learning from history. I pray we see that it is through history that we grow as followers of Christ. I pray each of us will continue to grow in our hope by reading the Scriptures. History is more than events. Understand your experiential history. Open your eyes to your own history. Realize everything we read, see, and do is a result of history. Grow in wisdom as you study history—in all its forms.

Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.