Standing Firm

What is written on your heart? Is love written there? Is being faithful written there? Have bound them to you? Do you live by them each and every day? Do you know that living by them will provide you with a good name?

It seems a good name in today’s world is no longer a concern. It’s not about being a respected person with a good name, rather it’s more about who can be more outrageous to gain their ten minutes of fame. Unfortunately, for that person, it is short lived and quickly fades away.

Today’s culture has infiltrated much deeper in our lives than we are willing to admit. It is a struggle to fight against it. We must work at following the wise guidance found in the Bible. We must study and consciously concentrate on living a Christian life.

The world and all its self-centeredness bashes us like the waves of an ocean. It’s unrelenting. It knocks us off our feet. It sweeps our feet out from under us. It tosses us about like we are a boat without an anchor. Often the waves seem to be angry and overwhelm us, dragging us to the bottom.

How can we find firm footing to plant our feet to stand? Our foundation must be our love and faith in God. When we plant our feet in Him, we become like the tree planted by the stream. We grow and become fruitful. We gain strength and can withstand the world.

Make no mistake about it. The waves will still come. They will do their best to overwhelm us. They will continue to crash against us. Yet, we will stand with roots deep in God’s love. We will have an understanding the world does not have. We will see this world for what it is. Our strength will come from bowing before God and looking to Him to provide.

As our love and faith in God grows, we will experience the peace of God and be able to show it to those we encounter. Others will notice the peace we have and will ask where it comes from. This will provide us an opportunity to tell others about God. It will provide an opportunity to be part of God’s plan to bring others into His kingdom.

I pray we all plant our feet firmly in God. I pray we turn our love and faith to Him rather than this world. I pray each one of us will bind ourselves to God and write His love in our hearts. Stand firmly on God’s word. Be like a tree planted by the stream. Know that God loves you and love Him back. Put your faith in God. Bind yourself to Him and experience His peace.

Proverbs 3:3-4

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; 

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart.

Then you will win favor and a good name 

in the sight of God and man.

The Prayer of the Righteous

Have you ever been in an impossible situation? Have you wondered how you would ever get things back to the way they were? Have you thought, “there’s no way out of this”? Do you not know that God can handle any situation?

We sometimes face really tough situations, not the least of which is the current pandemic. We wonder when the tough time will ever end. We start thinking we’ll never get back to any semblance of normalcy again. Sometimes, we are ready to throw in the towel.

When we face these types of situations, we need to pray. I don’t mean a simple one-minute prayer. Though, even spending just one-minute with God is better than spending none. No, we really need to spend significant time with God in prayer. Remember, Jesus, on multiple occasions, spent several hours in prayer. He spent an entire night in prayer. He spent enough time in prayer that His disciples fell asleep. He spent enough time in prayer His disciples had rowed their boat half-way across the lake. We need to spend time in prayer.

We also need to trust God. We have been told to put our faith in God. Our faith is the combination of belief and trust in God. It is when we fully believe He has a plan and we fully trust Him to complete His plan. We need to be building that trust in God before the bad situation presents itself to us. We need to build our faith by working hand-in-hand with God every day.

We are told in James 5:16 that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” We may think we are not righteous, but we would be wrong. We are righteous because we are seen through the person of Jesus. He has wiped away our sins, therefore making us righteous. What we are lacking in our prayer is our faith in Him. When we come to the realization that we are righteous, we can fully trust Him, and we build our faith by walking with Him, our prayers are powerful and effective.

I pray we all spend some quality time with God in prayer. I pray we walk with God each day, building our faith in Him. I pray each one of us will recognize we are righteous when seen through the vail of Jesus Christ. Spend time with God today. Walk with God today. Work with God today. Pray to God today. Pour your heart out to Him today. Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit today. You can trust God.

Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Wise Decisions

Do you consider yourself wise? Do you want to be wise? Do you look up to those who you consider to be wise? Or, do you not think about being wise at all? Do you simply make snap decisions without considering whether it is good or bad?

We all know someone who has made foolish decisions. In fact, we likely have made a few of those ourselves. Unfortunately, we likely know someone who continues to make foolish decisions over and over. We see them continue down a road to destruction. We may have attempted to help them to no avail.

Making wise decisions requires us to seek wisdom. It requires us to spend time thinking, considering the potential outcomes based on what our decision is. Often a decision will provide a short-term fulfillment of pleasure but is a long-term step toward destruction.

For example, we can forget our troubles for a few hours with drugs or alcohol. We are temporarily relieved of our pain and feel some bit of joy. Yet, when the effects of the drugs or alcohol wear off, we are faced with the reality of our lives once again. If we continue to abuse them, we destroy our lives and severely affect those around us, those we say we love.

Unfortunately, the example above is an obvious, but destructive decisions occur in numerous situations and often follow the same pattern. We simply fail to recognize them because they are not as obvious as the example. Why do we find ourselves somewhere down the road of our lives in bad situations?

Our lives are made up of decision upon decision. Too often, we don’t make wise decisions due to our failure to consider the potential outcomes and seeking short-term gain over long-term prosperity. We have been blessed with the ability to think. We have been blessed with the ability to gain wisdom. True wisdom comes from God, from following His guidance and instruction. When we gain and use the wisdom God is willing to give us, our lives become exponentially better. Our bodies and minds will be better off when we seek God’s wisdom.

I pray we all seek to gain the wisdom God is willing to provide. I pray we take time to consider the potential outcomes of our decisions. I pray each one of us use the blessing God has already provided us to think before we act and speak. Seek God’s wisdom. Use the blessing God has given you. Make wise decisions. Make your life better.

Proverbs 8:32-33, 35

“Now then, my children, listen to me; 

blessed are those who keep my ways.

Listen to my instruction and be wise;

do not disregard it. …

For those who find me find life

and receive favor from the Lord.”

Living in Eternity

Do you know where you came from? Do you know where you reside? Do you realize that every cell of your body was created by a Creator who is eternal? Do you understand that eternal means no beginning and no end? Have you tried to wrap your mind around that?

While in this world, we will say we are from here or there. Often it is our place of birth or it may be the place where we grew up. Some of us have moved so often that we say we are from wherever the last place we lived. Yet, that isn’t where we originated.

Eternity is a hard concept for us to wrap our minds around. Time doesn’t exist in eternity. Since we exist within time, we have a hard time grasping what it will be like without time once we are gone from this life. We struggle with the infinity of eternity.

I’m not foolish enough to claim to fully understand eternity. What I do know is it is beyond my imagination. I can confidently say that God is eternal and each one of us lives eternally. We have made a short stop in this world of time and will live eternally. Our human lives in this time and place are a mere drop in the bucket of the spiritual life we live forever.

God has always existed and will always exist. He is presented to us in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Yet, we live in God as well. Our human minds cannot fully understand how that works. This is where our faith must come in, we are simply to believe. Many people refuse to believe it. They want physical proof. They have proof all around them and fail to see it. There is no human alive who can create what God has created from nothing.

Do we refuse to believe because we don’t understand? If we carried that concept forward, we wouldn’t believe a rocket can fly. Many of us wouldn’t believe our brains can think and process information. We wouldn’t believe the trees are real. We wouldn’t believe many things in this world or our universe because we don’t understand.

I pray we all believe we exist in God. I pray we believe we live for eternity. I pray each one of us will put our faith in God, taking Him at His word. Believe in God. Believe you live in Him. Believe His word. Believe you live for eternity. Put your faith in God.

Psalm 90:1-2

Lord, you have been our dwelling place

throughout all generations.

Before the mountains were born

or you brought forth the whole world,

from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Do Not Be Troubled

Is your heart troubled? Is it troubled over situations in this world? Do you know how to reconcile your situation? Are you aware there is a way? If you were told how to release your troubles, would you?

Each day, when we wake, we have something that comes to mind that we can fret over. We may fret about getting our car to the shop for an oil change. We may fret about an assignment that is due for school. We may fret about a job interview. We may fret about an upcoming event. We may fret about something far more serious.

We often spend a lot of our time worrying about one thing or another. Jesus tells us not to be troubled about the future, that today has enough of its own in Matthew 6:34. Yet, we often ignore His advice and worry about today, tomorrow, and next week.

It’s hard not to worry about what’s going on in our world. Whether it’s the world as a whole or our own little piece. We have lives to live and with that comes concerns for basic necessities and wants. We strive to fulfill as many of those as we can for ourselves and our families. Sometimes, we don’t know how we’ll do that, and we worry.

We see in today’s passage that Jesus doesn’t just tell us not to be troubled about tomorrow, He tells us not to be troubled at all. Of course, He is talking about preparing a place for us in God’s house. He is talking about where we will spend eternity.

Folks, when we keep our eye on eternity, the troubles of this life become insignificant. When we are focused on Jesus and trust Him, we realize there is nothing in this world that can truly harm us. We have a reserved spot with Jesus and the Father for eternity. The momentary bumps in this life are quickly forgotten when we have our focus on eternity.

I pray we all focus on eternity and allow the troubles of this world to fade away. I pray we trust Jesus at His word. I pray each of us will find the peace and contentment that Jesus offers. Believe in God. Believe in Jesus. Trust Jesus’ promises. Be confident in your reserved place for eternity. Know that Jesus has overcome the world.

John 14:1-4 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Reward in Prayer

Do you look forward to a reward? Do you look forward to a reward with such desire that you save to reward yourself? Are you working extra hard so your boss will recognize your work and reward you? Have you ever thought about being rewarded by God?

We often look to be rewarded with money, a trophy, or some gift for our work or service. We compete against rules, standards, and objectives to achieve those rewards. For some, it’s a team competition to achieve specified levels of excellence to be rewarded with a bonus at the end of the year.

Unfortunately, we also see people competing for rewards in relationships. It may manifest itself in gift giving, people increasing their gift to someone in hopes of receiving a larger or better gift from the other person. We see people do something for someone else in hopes the other person will do something for them.

Too often those attempts are done solely out of selfishness rather than out of love. Our motives are wrong. We are solely looking out for ourselves. We want people to notice us, even if we say we don’t. We desire the recognition, even it only in private.

If we desire an everlasting reward, we will pursue it quietly without seeking recognition from people but from God. We will seek God in quiet contemplation and periodic fasting. We will spend time in prayer to seek God’s will for our lives. Jesus clearly tells us that we are to spend time in prayer and fasting without seeking the recognition of others and God will reward us.

Do we spend time quietly in prayer? It is highly likely that most of us don’t or we spend very little time. And we wonder why God isn’t rewarding us. Jesus made a promise, which means God made a promise. If we truly trust God, we are to spend time quietly in prayer or stop expecting a great reward.

This may sound harsh, but it isn’t. Think about this for just a moment. Do we reward our children for not doing something we ask them to do? No, I don’t think so. God will reward us in ways we cannot explain nor imagine, if we will only do what He has asked.

I pray each of us will spend time in prayer. I pray we all seek God’s reward rather than human rewards. I pray we trust Jesus at His word. Spend time in prayer each day. Seek God’s will. Trust Jesus. Look forward to God’s reward.

Matthew 6:16-18 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Treasure in Heaven

Where is your treasure? Does it reside in a bank? Is it tied up in your house? Is it your car? Is it jewelry? Is it all of these things? Do you ever wonder why things in this world don’t seem to go right for you? Could it be your treasure is in the wrong place?

I know, some of you have immediately tuned out of this writing or simply stopped reading altogether. In your minds, I’m meddling. You know what? I’m not meddling. Jesus isn’t meddling either. He is stating a truth that no one wants to hear.

Let me ask another question. If your house and car and everything you own were destroyed today, would you be so completely devasted that you couldn’t go on? Sadly, for most of us, we would be devasted. We may not be capable of moving forward again for quite some time.

This is exactly what Jesus is talking about. It’s not that He doesn’t know that we need food, water, clothing, and shelter. He absolutely knows we need it. In fact, He has already promised to provide it. He says to put Him first and He will give us all of that stuff just a few verses down from today’s passage in Matthew 6:33.

You see, by seeking all these things and fitting God in where we decide we can spare the time and, yes, our money, we end up shortchanging ourselves. If we put God first, we not only get Him, but He provides all those other things we need. God is longing to bless us in ways we cannot even imagine, if we will only put Him first.

I’ve heard preachers preach on this topic. I’ve taught it myself in Bible studies. I’ve told people this until I’m blue in the face. Unfortunately, people just don’t listen. Their self-centeredness to satisfy an earthly desire today puts them at the back of the bus for God’s blessings. Why? He’s not first in their life.

Oh, we might say we are putting God first, but we aren’t. How many of us are tithing more than 10 percent of salary? Based on survey’s, not many at all. In fact, it has become somewhat rare to find anyone tithing 10 percent let alone more than that. Is that putting God first? Not in my book and I don’t think it is in God’s either. It’s not all about money, but money is a significant part of it.

I pray we all decide to put God first. I pray we store up our treasure in heaven so our hearts will be there also. I pray each one of us trusts God enough to make Him first in all we do and say. Store up your treasure in heaven. Move your heart from this world to heaven. Trust God to provide more than you need when you put Him first. Step out in faith and give it a try.

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.”

Truth of God

Are you receptive to hearing the truth? Will you adhere to it when you hear it? Does hearing the truth upset you? Are you accepting of God’s Word? Do you accept it as the truth and follow it like a child does their parent?

We hear many people making claims of truth. It may be politicians claiming an opponent did something, a company making a claim about their product, or the news media claiming they are reporting the news accurately. Unfortunately, not all who claim they are telling the truth are actually telling the truth.

There is one source that is the truth and that is our Bible. It tells us the truth about God. It tells us how He has been working in this world from the beginning. It provides us guidance for living our lives. The Bible tells us how we can spend eternity with God.

We can choose to read theological books that will provide explanations of the Bible in various forms. They may provide in depth word studies of each word, phrase, verse, and chapter of the Bible. Or, they may provide a higher level explanation regarding concepts and the nature of God.

Yet, we don’t have to read the theological books to accept the Bible as truth. We have the option of accepting it based on our faith and belief that God is God. It is our choice. It is also our choice to not believe the Bible is true. But God calls us to believe in Him.

Jesus claims to be the Son of God. God claims to be the Creator of all creation. Jesus says He has sent the Holy Spirit to be our Helper. Are we willing to accept these claims as easily as we accept the sun will rise tomorrow?

Jesus tells us in today’s passage that we are to accept God’s kingdom like a little child. What does He mean by this statement? When we tell a young child the sky is blue, does the child argue with us? No, they accept it as truth. That is how God expects us to accept the truth of His Word. It doesn’t mean we are not to attempt to better understand it. We can dig into His Word to better understand it just like scientists can explain why the sky appears to be blue. What we are not to do is claim God is false.

I pray we all accept the truth of God. I pray we will believe in His kingdom like a little child. I pray each of us will go forward with confidence in God’s Word. Trust God’s Word. Believe God is the Truth. Accept God like a little child. Put your faith in Him.

Mark 10:14-15 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

True Worship

What do you consider important? Who do you consider important in your life? Do you worship that object or person? Why is it we seem to put people we don’t really know on a pedestal? Why do we put things above people?

Sometimes it seems our world is upside down. We chase after new and more expensive things. We listen to every word our favorite star, whether sports, actor, or political as if they are God. And our world, specifically the media, continues to feed our desire to worship something or someone above God.

We often want to deny it. If we happen to admit it happens, we claim it is short term and we have corrected our behavior. Yet, have we really? My experience is that I will recognize one small area of my life that I was not turning over to God and I will change that while continuing in the same way I always have in others.

As I observe the world around me, I see a continual lack of worshiping of God. I’m reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 15:8 “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” He was quoting from Isaiah, which means this has been going on for thousands of years. We, as humans, continue to try to do things our way and continue to fail to truly worship God.

We are told many times that we are to give up trying to do things our way and to follow God’s way. That means we need to worship Him with our entire being. If we are worshiping Him in that way, we no longer struggle to do things our way. Unfortunately, we don’t want to give up our way for God’s way.

This is the point that Paul is making in our Scripture for today. We are to be a living sacrifice for God. This is a new concept for the Jews, but the base concept for us as Christians. The Jews brought their sacrifice to the altar alive but killed it and burned it on the altar. In one sense, we are to die as well, but we are to die to ourselves, giving up our wants for God’s desire for our lives. We are to live for Him rather than our own selfish desires.

When we give up our entire being for God, we are truly worshiping Him. You see, worship isn’t just a few songs, a prayer, a sermon, and tossing a few bucks in the collection plate. It’s living every day to Him rather than ourselves. It’s seeking Him in everything we do.

I pray we all truly worship God. I pray we humbly submit to God’s will. I pray each of us will release our selfish desire and seek God’s desire for our lives. Be a living sacrifice for God. Let go of your selfish desires. Seek God’s will for your life. Truly worship God.

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Spiritual Food

What do you live on? How well do you eat? Do you drink protein shakes? Do you drink energy drinks? Do you eat healthy? Do you eat a lot of sweets? Do you eat fast food often? What is your favorite thing for sustenance?

We have more options than we can count to eat. In many of our cities and towns it seems there are more restaurants than department stores. It has become so common to see them all that we don’t even think about it anymore, other than to determine where we want to eat.

Our bodies need proteins, vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates among other things to keep our bodies strong. As children, our bodies gobble it up to grow and develop into adults. As young adults, our bodies usually continue to run at a higher metabolic rate. As we get into our elderly ages, our metabolic rate slows down and are less efficient in processing what we eat.

Most of us understand our bodies need food and even understand what it means to eat healthy. Yet, a large number of people have no or very little understanding of what they need to feed their spiritual well-being.

As much as our body needs food, our spirit needs food. Obviously, our spirit feeds on a different type of food than our body. Our spirit needs to be fed with the Spirit of God. It needs to feed on the Word of God. That is, if we want our spirit to be healthy.

As with our body, our spirit can continue to run on junk food. That means we can feed our spirit with worldly thoughts, images, and ideas and it will continue to function. Unfortunately, it functions badly. We are lost in a world of chaos.

When we feed our spirit the healthy food of God’s Word and His Spirit, it becomes healthy, strong, and wise. The Holy Spirit is our ultimate guidance counselor and intercedes for us with God. The Word of God feeds our spirit with knowledge and wisdom.

It comes down to us choosing to have a healthy spirit or continuing to run on the junk food of this world. Our spirit, if we will recognize it, wants to feed on healthy food. The healthier our spirit is, the better our lives are. Not in worldly possessions, but with joy, peace, and calm.

I pray we all choose to feed our spirit with God’s Holy Spirit. I pray we feed our spirit with the Word of God. I pray each of us decide to stop feeding our spirit the junk food of this world and feed it healthy food. Tend to your spirit. Feed your spirit what God intended. Make your spirit healthy.

Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”