Unrelenting Light

Are you tired of hearing about all the violence on the daily news? Do you wish people would simply get along? What are you doing about it? Are you willing to make a difference in the world? Will you stand up for what is right in the eyes of God?

We all see and hear the news. There is violence in our streets every day. There are arguments at our work locations, in our homes, and in our schools every day. Our society has devolved into a continually dissatisfied people. What can we do about it?

There are certainly valid reasons for being upset and looking for a positive change. Yet, violence is not the way to make positive change. We can find a reason to argue every day. But we don’t really win arguments, even if we might win a debate. You see, there is a difference.

We seem to have forgotten some old sayings that contain a lot of truth.

  • You attract more bees with honey than vinegar.
  • Violence begets violence.
  • No one wins an argument.
  • One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.

What our world needs are positive examples to follow. We need people who show others how to change their lives in a positive way. We need to re-learn what it means to be the upstanding person who quietly influences those around us. Otherwise, Satan continues to win.

We are called to be a person of positive character, a person who shows the light of Jesus to others. We are called to be the example of joy, peace, and calm. We are to be the ones who bring a message of hope to the people we encounter.

Don’t misunderstand. Things won’t change in the blink of an eye. Change takes time. It takes our unrelenting push for change. Yet, being unrelenting doesn’t mean forcing change in a negative manner. Unrelenting positive change is like the trickle of water that eats away at the rock minutely each day.

I know, we are impatient. We want things our way today—right this moment. Yet, it is the person who understands the reality of human nature and God’s nature, who will patiently continue to shine the light of Jesus, who will make the positive change.

I pray we all choose to make a positive change. I pray we are unrelenting in our patience. I pray each of us will shine the light of Jesus every moment of every day. Be unrelenting. Be patient. Be the light of Jesus. Be the positive change.

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Choose the One

Do you want to follow someone who is in charge? Do you want to follow someone who is in control of everything? Do you want to follow someone who has all authority and wants to give you the most prized gift in all the world?

Most people would love to have a precious gift given to them. They long to have something given to them that is of such high value they no longer have to work. All we have to do is look at how many people play the lottery. There is a gift available to all of us more precious than the winnings of any lottery ever held.

There are people who won’t believe in that gift. There are people who want the reward now rather than having to wait for it. It is truer today due to our instant, consumer, got-to-have-it-now society. We want it with a click of a button.

Having a firm belief in something bigger than ourselves seems to have gone by the wayside. Our belief in team, community, and country has lost its grip on our minds. Many in our communities and country have no real idea who God is.

Yet, we are told clearly in Scripture that God the Father has placed everything into the hands of Jesus the Son. He has complete authority over all we see and don’t see. He has won the war between good and evil. He is the One who can grant us an eternity of blessedness in the presence of God.

Our decision is to join His team or fight against Him. It really is that black and white. Oh, we like the shades of gray that Satan lies to us about. We like to believe we can dabble in a little bit of the bad stuff but remain mostly good and still get heaven. We want to push the edge of the envelope as far as we can. Then, we wonder why our communities and world have gone crazy.

Folks, we are called to be the light of Jesus in our communities and all the world. We are called to follow Him wholeheartedly. God wants us working beside Him. We can change our world, one person at a time. No, it won’t happen with the snap of our fingers. After all, anything worth having takes time and effort on our part.

I pray we all dedicate ourselves to God. I pray we spend our time and effort in spreading the light of Jesus. I pray each of us will make the right choice, the choice to be a disciple of Jesus. Choose the One with all authority. Choose to be a disciple of Christ. Choose to do the right thing. Choose to be the light for others. Choose God over this world. Reap a reward beyond comparison.

John 3:35-36 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

Mature Love

Have you ever stopped to spend some time thinking about love? It’s really an odd emotion isn’t it? It’s more than simply liking someone or something. It’s a strong emotion that often causes people to do things that others just shake their head at.

Our human love comes in a few different forms. There is the crazy love that happens when two people fall in love. When young folks do so, we may even call it puppy love. Why is that? Much like the name, it’s a young love that isn’t going to last. It won’t stay in that stage forever.

That means love must mature. Mature love is something quite different from puppy love. It includes several other desires with it, such as caring, doing, longing, appreciating, and even continuing to love when you don’t like something the other does or says. If we think about it long enough, we can come up with more components of mature love.

We don’t fully understand what causes love in our lives. Oh, we know that the initial emotional love between two people often starts with a physical attraction, but not always. It may start with a common interest. In either case, love creeps into the picture, sometimes without our recognizing it until it hits us that we love the other person.

In other cases, we grow up with love. For many of us, we love our parents with an appreciating love. We trust and appreciate them because they cared for us as children and helped us to grow into adults. When we have this type of love, it lasts longer due to it being deeper and having grown for several years or decades.

Jesus tells us that our love for God is to be stronger than any other love we have. He covers the three components that make up our being—heart, soul, and mind. Our heart is the emotional piece. It’s the one that starts as puppy love and matures into something more.

Our mind is the piece that appreciates who the other person is and what the other person does. It is was causes us to do for the other. The rational thought of our mind combines with the emotional love of our heart to mature our love.

The soul is the component we struggle to understand. It is a gift from God. It is internal and not seen. Yet, it is what connects us to God. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God puts His Spirit inside us and joins us to Him. I think of it as a big brother coming along side and putting his arm around my shoulder and talking in my ear to guide me. Loving with our soul is a key component to loving God with all our being.

I pray we all love God with our whole being. I pray we love Him with heart, soul, and mind. I pray each of us will take time to ponder our love with God and recommit to Him. Love God with your entire being. Strive to mature your love for God. Spend time with Him. God loves you.

Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

Reliable Witness

Are you a good witness? Do you observe what is going on around you? Can you relate it accurately? Do you only see what you want to see? Is your recounting of what happened skewed by your personal preferences?

We see many, many things happen each and every day. We hear and participate in many conversations each day. When we think about it, we are witnesses of everything we do each day. Yet, we often aren’t very good are recounting what we witness each day.

Science and research of our brains will inform us that it isn’t that our brain doesn’t record everything. It’s more about us recalling what our brain recorded based on our personal perspective. If we stop to think about it objectively, we can quickly see the truth in it. After all, even if we realize something was our fault, we often will point to something or someone else who was a cause, perhaps going back years.

We all know, when the police interview witnesses, they will get different perspectives. This requires them to piece together what really happened by sifting through the witness accounts carefully. Each person saw what happened and filtered it based on their own point of view.

Our experiences over the course of our lives influence our perspective. As we interact with our world and other people, we gain an understanding of how things work and general actions or reactions of others. We come to expect certain results based on what is going on.

The apostles also had many human experiences. They had expectations. Yet, their experience with Jesus completely changed their lives. As they witnessed about Jesus, they had personal experience walking with Him for three years. They knew, without a doubt, who He was.

We, too, can experience Jesus in our lives. In fact, God works in our lives far more often than we realize. We simply allow what we’ve been taught about how the world works to overrule and explain away God’s actions. We fail to see God working due to our human blindness.

If we will open our eyes and recognize God working in our lives, we will not be able to deny His works. We will be just like the apostles when it comes to witnessing about God. When we experience God, we are amazed, and our excitement cannot be contained.

I pray we all open our eyes. I pray we see how God is working in our lives. I pray each of us will witness to others what God is doing in our lives. Look objectively at what is going on around you. Recognize God working. Tell others how God is working in your life. Be a witness for God.

Acts 4:18-20 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Do The Right Thing

Do you do the right thing? Are you concerned with what is right according to all people? Will you do what is morally right? Are you willing to do the right thing, even if it means allowing someone else to “get away” with something? Will you leave judgment and revenge in God’s hands?

We are often offended, hurt, or even abused by other people. Our immediate reaction is to take revenge on the person. Our culture tells us that we should not allow them to get away with it. Our broken human nature wants to avenge the wrong.

Yet, we are told that it is God’s place to avenge any wrongs against us. We are to trust God to make the final judgment. That goes against our nature and our desire to settle ourselves. But God knows the situation, all the background, and our own desires.

God will take care of the offender. It may be that He punishes the person in a way that we don’t understand. He may use the offense as a means of drawing the other person to Him. Of course, in our state of mind immediately following the offense, that is the last thing we want. This is just one of the ways in which God’s ways are not our ways.

God has a plan for each person. Though we may stray, God can draw us back to Him, no matter the situation. He has the ability to use nearly any situation to draw us to Him. If we continue to turn away, He continues to try through other means.

We may ask, “Why doesn’t God just make the person come to Him?” That isn’t God’s way. He allows us the opportunity to choose Him of our own volition. God wants us to make the choice for Him, but He won’t force us. Yet, He won’t stop seeking us in our various situations.

For those of us who have chosen Him, we are to trust Him. That means we are to allow Him to work in the offenders’ life. We are to allow Him to either avenge the wrong or use it to draw the person to Him. This is the choice God wants us to make, trusting in Him.

I pray we all trust God to handle the situation. I pray we leave revenge in the hands of God. I pray each of us will do the right thing in the eyes of God. Trust God. Do the right thing. Allow God to handle the situation. Be at peace with everyone.

Romans 12:17-19 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

Comparison Failure

Why do we compare ourselves to others? Do we feel better if we think we are better than someone else? Have we not learned that, even if we do, it’s a temporary feeling? Do we not know that God only looks at us as we are and how He wants us to be?

Our culture is filled with people who put others down simply to make themselves feel better. They chase a false dream and fleeting feelings of happiness. In fact, far too many of us chase after those fleeting feelings. We have not learned to be content in who God created us to be. We have not learned that God created us to be far better than we are willing to settle for.

The world around us wants us to compare ourselves to others. It is driven by Satan’s lies, the lie that we will feel better when we put someone else down. Oh, we might feel pretty good for a few minutes, but it all falls apart within a few minutes.

God created us to love Him, serve Him, and follow His plan for our lives. Yet, we get off the path He has set before us, wondering aimlessly in the dark, searching for something that only God can provide. If we are to find lasting joy, we must return to the path God wants us on.

I have stated this before, and I am continually disappointed with the refusal of people to listen to the message and live by it. God has such a wonderful plan for each one of us and we throw away the life-long treasure for fleeting moments of cheer. We throw away a blessed life for the dregs of humanity. We throw away God’s love in order to follow the lie Satan continues to tell us. The lie of comparing ourselves to others and believing we must put them down to make ourselves look good.

God created each one of us to fulfill a plan He laid out for us before we were born. He created us for good works. He created us to live an abundant life. He created us to have joy, peace, and contentment in Him. But we only get the wonderful life He has laid out for us if we choose to follow His plan. The unique plan He has for each one of us.

You see, we are all unique, while sharing common human tendencies. Each one of us is loved by God uniquely, while also being loved with the same love God has for all. We are all uniquely blessed with skills, even if our skills are similar to those of others. No two of us has the exact same DNA.

I pray we all stop comparing ourselves to someone else. I pray we let go of our jealousy of someone else. I pray each one of us decides to follow the unique plan God laid out for our lives. Give up the insanity of comparing yourself to someone else. Decide to follow the path God put before you. Be the person He created you to be. Trust God’s plan and live the abundant life.

2 Corinthians 10:12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.

Pigsty vs God’s House

How do you handle frustration? What is your reaction when things don’t go your way? Will you continue to wallow in your misery? Or, will you decide to give up feeling sorry for yourself and reach out to the One who can pull you up?

We see all manner of frustrations all around us today. There is the current pandemic that has people mostly staying home and, with the pandemic, comes the endless argument of “to wear a mask or not to wear a mask.” There is the racial unrest that has both peaceful protests and incited riots. There is the presidential election that is heating up with people rabidly standing on both sides, while some simply don’t even want to contemplate it. These are just three on the national stage, not to mention the daily frustrations we have in our individual lives. All of it can be overwhelming.

Our country is about as divided as it has been since the civil war. The odd thing about it is we will see people who disagree on one subject yet agree on another. So, we argue and fight on the one hand, then agree and stand together on the other. It can be quite confusing, and it creates a lot of chaos.

Our frustration level can reach a breaking point, if we are not well grounded. Even then, we can be pushed to our limit. It is only when we lean on God that we gain the strength to continue. He is patiently waiting for us to reach out to Him.

I’ve seen a lot of messages flying around on social media quoting Scripture and advising people to turn to God. Yet, I don’t see many people doing so with their actions. In fact, many of those who fling the Scriptures around don’t follow them. They remind me of an old saying that pointed out the hypocrisy of their actions, “Do as I say, not as I do.”

When we fail to follow the Scriptures, we continue to wallow in our pigsty. Rather than making changes for the good, we become comfortable in the mud and muck we are living in. Perhaps one day we will wake up and recognize just how bad our situation is and decide to reach to God for His help.

I pray we all decide to read, study, and ingest the Scriptures. I pray we reach out to God to pull us out of the pigsty we revel in. I pray each of us will open our eyes, recognize our situation, and move in a positive direction. Reach out to God. See your current situation and actions for what they truly are. Know that God has a better plan for you. Leave the pigsty behind to live in God’s presence.

John 15:17-20 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

Always Loved

Do you sometimes feel as though you can do nothing right? Do you feel like the world is against you? Are there times when you feel defeated? Do you get down in the dumps and ready to quit? Do you not know that God loves you?

We can feel as though nothing in this world is going right. People can be downright hateful with us. Sometimes it is those we work with who are dumping all the work they don’t want to do on us. At other times, our friends seem to have turned their back on us. It could be our family wants nothing to do with us.

In my experience, it usually isn’t as bad as we make it out to be. Often there is a misunderstanding, or our perspective is skewed. Of course, it could be as bad as we perceive it to be. If it is, we still have good news to rely on.

You see, God always loves us. No one nor nothing can separate us from His love. That is hard to comprehend when we are in the middle of a downturn. We forget that God is there, or we minimize it by saying, “Yeah, but He isn’t physically here for me.” Though He may not be there with us physically, He is always with us, and He continues to love us.

It is comforting to know that even demons cannot separate us from God’s love. We can rest assured that, if God continues to love us, He will pull us through whatever situation we are in. There may be a significant lesson for us to learn, but God will bring us through it. God often allows us to go through difficult situations in order for us to grow stronger. Yet, He never leaves us nor stops loving us.

Think about this from a parents’ perspective. Don’t we sometimes allow our children to fail or make mistakes in order for them to learn a lesson? We still love them. We are still there to help them pick up the pieces afterward. God does much the same with us. Perhaps the question for us is, do we believe He is with us and He continues to love us?

I pray we all come to the realization that God loves us. I pray we all come to know in our hearts that God is always with us. I pray each of us will ask God to show Himself in our lives. Know that God loves you. Know that God is always with you. Ask Him to guide you. Ask Him to show His love for you. Trust God.

Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Quiet and Rest

Do you take things for granted? Do you assume they will always be the way they are? Do you assume things will get better as you get older? Are you of the mind that nothing bad will ever happen to you? How is your relationship with God?

We often don’t realize what we have until we no longer have it. We’ve likely heard that phrase or something like it before. It’s a phrase that has been around so long it has become cliché. Yet, that doesn’t make it any less true.

This point is driven home when one of our loved ones becomes deathly ill or seriously injured or they pass away. All of a sudden, we are sorry for many things we’ve said and done. We wish we had done that one good thing we planned for them, but never got around to. Our minds will race with thoughts of why we took our loved one for granted. We will beat ourselves up and, perhaps, vow to never take anything or anyone for granted again…then tomorrow comes.

The fast-paced world we live in demands our attention at all times. The demands come from our jobs, our friends, our family, social media, and television. There are numerous tactics used to gain our attention, as varied as the source from which the demand comes. Perhaps it’s to ask a question, ask us to do something, or attempt to entice us to purchase something. Sometimes, it’s simply to draw our attention with no other motive other than to fill our time.

Though much of these attention gainers are designed to pull us into their sphere of influence, not all are frivolous. Some properly attempt to educate us and prepare us for a prosperous future. These are the ones we should pay particular attention to. Gaining knowledge and wisdom can improve our lives.

Despite the positives that can come from education, we all need to spend quiet time with God. This runs contrary to our entertainment and consumer culture. It is when we spend quiet time with God that we calm ourselves and can hear God speaking to us. It is in these quiet times, especially when spent in prayer, that we gain insight to what is truly happening all around us and where God wants us to go. As we see in today’s passage, Jesus had the apostles go with Him to a quiet place to rest. We all need the rest that God will grant us in the quiet.

I pray we all seek to spend quiet time with God. I pray we look for opportunities to escape the hustle and bustle of this world. I pray each of us spend quiet time in prayer, asking God to reveal Himself to us. Don’t take people or things for granted. Realize God has put them in your life for a reason. Seek the wisdom of God in quiet time. Ask God to show you what He has planned for you. Seek quiet and rest from God.

Mark 6:31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Our Plan, God’s Plan

Do you spend time planning? Do you think through all the options and make wise choices? Have you planned out your retirement years, perhaps decades, down the road? What will you do when God disrupts your plans with His plan?

We often plan out our retirement, our vacations, our weddings, we may even plan out exactly when we are going to have children. Some of us may not plan anything beyond today. Planning ahead is a good thing, yet we need to be flexible at times.

God has plans for our lives as well. His plans often contradict our plans. His plans, also, often override our plans. How do we react when God’s plan alters our plans? We can go ahead with our plans, ignoring God, or we can be flexible and adhere to God’s plan.

There will be times when we have no choice, God will force our hand. At other times, God will provide us with a choice, and we must decide which path to take. Depending on the choice we make, God will provide more choices.

Our lives are made up of choices. God sees the tree or maze of choices that lie ahead of us. He knows which ones will move us along the path He wants us to take and the ones that will take us off the path. Is it possible this is the reason we should pray, asking for God’s guidance prior to making our choices? Do you suppose it is why we should stay in step with the Holy Spirit?

We make our plans. God has His plans. Whether we decide to follow God’s plan or be hard-headed and follow our own will determine how successful we are in life. It determines how much we have peace, calm, and joy in our lives.

As we follow the path of our lives, whether our plan or God’s, God is involved in our lives. He guides our steps, even if it means putting obstacles or other people in our lives to move us where He wants us to go.

Perhaps all we need to do is simply open our eyes, open our minds, and open our hearts to God. Perhaps we should allow God to guide our planning. Perhaps we might realize we are far better off by doing so.

I pray we realize God is guiding our steps. I pray we all seek God’s plan for our lives. I pray each of us will follow God’s plan rather than being hard-headed. Be flexible with your plan. Allow God to guide you. Follow God’s plan for your life. Trust that He knows the future of your life.

Proverbs 16:9

In their hearts humans plan their course,

but the Lord establishes their steps.