Children of Abraham

Do you know your lineage? Do you know your family tree? Do you know your cultural heritage? Do you know your racial heritage? Does any of that matter to you? Should it matter to you? Do you think it matters to God?

Some of us will have answers to all the questions listed above. Some of us will have no idea. Some of us will have dabbled a bit in finding out the answers to those questions but are a long way from knowing it all.

Knowing who our ancestors, where they came from, what they did, and their history may be of importance to us and may not. Sometimes having that knowledge explains a lot about why we are where we are. In fact, many of us may find we have relatives who participated in some historically significant events.

On the one hand, knowing our family history may provide us some stability, encouragement, and pride. On the other hand, it may cause us embarrassment, shame, and humiliation. Yet, all of us have a family history that is wonderful.

Though our human family history may explain some things about us, our spiritual family history makes all of that moot. God isn’t concerned about our human family history. He has given us a spiritual family history that makes all the difference.

You see, when Paul tells the Roman Christians in Romans 11:11-25 they were grafted into God’s family. He is stating our human family tree is now irrelevant, other than satisfying our general curiosity. The main point is God has adopted us into His family, calling us His children.

As we are grafted in, we become children of Abraham. We become Abraham’s children by faith. We become God’s children by faith. This is God’s form of adoption. As such, we inherit a new ancestral heritage, a heritage of faith.

As we see in today’s passage, all nations have been blessed by Abraham and his descendants, namely Jesus Christ. We are part of that blessing and are to continue to bless the nations through our faith. We do that by being a blessing to the people we encounter.

I pray we all are grafted into the God’s family. I pray we recognize our spiritual heritage. I pray each of us extend our spiritual heritage by blessing others. Know your spiritual heritage. Continue God’s work. Be a blessing to others.

Galatians 3:7-9 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Seek Forgiveness

Do you recognize your failures? Are you aware when you fall short of achieving a task? Do you berate yourself for missing the mark? Are you driven to overcome the failure with success in the future? Do you apply this same attitude to your walk with God?

Many of us are driven to succeed. We work hard to accomplish our tasks in our jobs. Often, we put in extra time to improve ourselves professionally. If we fail to complete a task at the standard we’ve set for ourselves or our boss has set, we work even harder to do better at the next task.

For many of us, failure is not an option. We won’t give up when we fail, we’ll simply put more effort into succeeding in the future. We may study, read, practice, or take on any number of other improvement initiatives.

Unfortunately, we don’t apply this method to the way we live our lives. What do I mean by that? We don’t seek to do better in our attitudes, our health, the way we treat others, our emotional well-being, nor our spiritual health. What we apply to our jobs is discarded when it comes to self-improvement.

If we were to read, study, and strive to improve ourselves emotionally, physically, and spiritually, we would find ourselves much better off. We fail to realize we need all three of these to be healthy and well-balanced to truly enjoy our lives. If we do come to this realization, it is often late in life when we must overcome other challenges as well.

Often it is our spiritual health that suffers the most. We fail to see our own sin. We fail to study, read, and practice spiritual strengthening exercises. We fail to pray as often as we should. We fail to seek God’s guidance in everything we do. We fail to ask God for forgiveness.

We need to pray, confessing our failures to meet God’s expectations and asking for His forgiveness. Our spirit needs this cleansing. We need to ask God to guide us as we read His word and strive to improve our spiritual well-being. As we do so, we will see our lives improve.

I pray we all seek God’s guidance and forgiveness. I pray we strive to walk more in step with God each day. I pray each one of us will confess our sin and seek to remove it from our lives. Seek God’s guidance. Ask for God’s forgiveness. Confess your sin. Seek to eliminate sin. Trust God. God is patiently waiting for you.

Psalm 51:1-2

Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love; 

according to your great compassion 

blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

Wait Patiently

Have you recently cried out for help to get through a difficult situation? Do you have someone to turn to for the help you need? Are you willing to turn to someone you cannot see? Will you turn to God, crying out to Him in prayer to lift you up?

There are many in this world who face difficulties, some on a near daily basis. Even those who often appear as though their lives are wonderful face difficulties. Unfortunately, many do not know where to turn to get the help they need.

We also see within our culture people kicking someone when they are down. It may not be literal kicking, but it hurts all the same. Social media has been used for many nefarious purposes, including social bullying. People will shun those they think are beneath them or someone they are angry with.

There are numerous other difficulties people face, including job seeking, bill paying, providing the basics for life, relationships, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual abuse, and many more. These situations often are not quickly solved. Yet, when we reach out to God in prayer, we find guidance and direction in solving them. We see God move in ways we don’t understand.

There are times we must wait patiently for God to act. He moves in His time. We may think He is being slow. Yet, God’s timing is perfect. He knows far more than we do and acts perfectly at the right time to address our situation. Unfortunately, we become impatient and take matters into our own hands, rather than waiting for God.

Now, just because we are waiting on God, doesn’t mean we simply sit like a bump on a log. We must continue to think and do as best we can. All the while, we continue to pray to God for guidance and direction. We pray for God’s intervention. At the right time, God will intervene to provide what we need.

I pray we all wait patiently on God, praying for guidance and His intervention. I pray we continue to do the best we can while we wait. I pray each one of us will turn to God and trust Him to intervene. Spend time in prayer. Ask God for guidance. Ask God for intervention. Trust God to provide. God will not disappoint.

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry. 

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord

and put their trust in him.

Humble Before God

In today’s passage, we see a quote from Jesus that can quickly be taken out of context and often is. Unfortunately, many people will apply it to their job or their relationship or perhaps to competing on a team. Things may or may not work out as they think when applying this passage to those situations.

The context for this passage is religious. The religious leader comes to God in prayer, thanking Him that he isn’t like those who are out doing evil in the world. He is coming to God with a high opinion of himself. He comes to God in prayer looking down on some of God’s children.

On the other hand, the tax collector comes before God knowing he isn’t worthy to do so. He understands he disappoints God and comes before God in a humble state, simply asking God to show mercy on him.

We have one man coming to God in arrogance and another humbly. One thinks highly of himself while the other recognizes his own failure. One is telling God of how well he follows the law while the other can’t summon a single obedient act to mind.

I wonder, how do we come before God in prayer? Do we take pride in our accomplishments for God to the point of being arrogant? Do we list off what we’ve done for God and forget what He has done for us? Do we come justifying to God why He should bless us or begging for mercy because He have failed Him?

I don’t believe we have to neglect telling God what we’ve done for Him, providing we are thanking Him for granting us the ability to do so and giving Him the glory. You see, it’s all about attitude. When we come to God in prayer with an attitude of arrogance, thinking that God owes us something, we will find that God is going to bring us down a couple notches.

Yet, when we come to God recognizing we are no better than any of His other children and pouring our heart out to Him, He will lift us up. When we submit to God, asking for His mercy, asking to be part of His plan, He will put us exactly where He wants us and provide what we need. He just might put us on a pedestal, but that can’t be the reason for us coming to Him.

I pray we all humble ourselves before God. I pray we beg Him for mercy. I pray each one of us recognizes we are just one of 7.8 billion of God’s children on this earth. Humble yourself before God. Ask to be part of God’s plan. Give the glory to God when you succeed. Give thanks to God. Trust God.

Luke 18:14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Choices

How well do you discern what is right? Do your choices show that you are making the right decisions? Are you making wise choices, having factored in the outcomes for each option? Have you thought about the eternal consequences of your choices?

Most of our daily choices are minor. What will we have for lunch? Will we stop at the store today or wait until tomorrow? Which pen will I use? We could list hundreds of choices we make throughout a normal day. The vast majority have little or no impact.

Yet, there are some choices that have a lasting impact. There are some choices that are major. There are some choices that have a major impact, not only on ourselves, but on many others including family and friends. Those choices should cause us to pause to take time to consider all the ramifications before we make a decision.

No, these types of choices don’t usually come around every day. However, in the middle of the chaos going on around us today, they come more often than they used to. We are put in compromising situations and must decide to do one thing or the other. If we happen to be in the spotlight, whether a celebrity, sports star, or political figure, we may find ourself in a compromising situation nearly daily.

Sometimes we are faced with a decision to do something. We have options and need to think through them. Sometimes it is a choice of words that can be destructive. Sometimes it’s a failure to do something that harms others. We need to seek proper guidance when faced with tough choices.

We may ask, “where can I get good advice?” If we are in tune with God, His Holy Spirit will guide us. In fact, His Spirit is always attempting to guide us. It comes down to whether we will listen or not. When we start down a bad road, it’s because we are failing to listen to the Holy Spirit as He is nudging in a different direction.

It all boils down to whether we are seeking to do good or not. That may sound simple, and it is if we are in tune with the Holy Spirit, but too many in this world are confused and fail to hear the Holy Spirit. Doing good and seeking to follow the Holy Spirit must be a persistent thought.

I pray we all seek to do good. I pray we listen to the Holy Spirit. I pray each one of us will seek to be in tune with the Holy Spirit. Be persistent in doing good. Seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Listen carefully for Him. Follow His advice. Seek good rather than evil. Trust God to lead you.

Romans 2:7-8 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

Avoiding Foolishness

How well do you follow instructions? How well do you follow advice? How well do you follow guidance? Are you willing to listen to someone more experienced? Will you listen and learn from God through His Word?

We’ve all been there. We were young and thought we knew what we were doing. Or, we went into a job thinking we were the expert in the field. Or, we were given good advice and decided to ignore it. Regardless of the reason behind it, we made a bad decision and learned a very hard lesson the hard way.

Our experiences feed our understanding. As we experience more in this life, we gain knowledge. The combination of know experiences, knowledge, and understanding should lead us to making wiser decisions. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen.

We can and should apply this same principle to our spiritual well-being. By listening to good guidance, we can avoid hard lessons. By reading and following God’s instructions, we avoid making bad decisions.

For those of us who are asking, “where is this good advice?”, it is throughout the Bible. Yet, if we are looking for one particular book in which to start, read through Proverbs. However, to see all the guidance God has to offer, we need to read the entire Bible and rely on the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a key player in our understanding and gaining of wisdom. Since He lives within us, we are accompanied by God wherever we go and have access to God’s advice for every decision. It is our choice to ask, listen, and adhere to His guidance.

As our Scripture passage for today states, we are to listen and follow God’s guidance. Otherwise, we deceive ourselves. I don’t believe we want to purposely deceive ourselves, which means we need to consciously focus on God’s guidance. This may mean we can’t take the easy way out of a situation, but we will be thankful later that we handled it God’s way.

I pray we all seek God’s guidance. I pray we read His word. I pray each of us will choose to follow God’s word and avoid foolishness. Read your Bible. Seek understanding. Listen for God’s guidance. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Avoid foolishness. Live a better life.

James 1:22-24 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

Pure Love

What does love mean to you? How do you define love? Is it a static word or an action word? A noun or a verb? Is it a feeling or state of being? Is it superficial or does it go deep into the core of your heart? Have you ever stopped to honestly take a hard look at love?

In this broken word, love is often missing. People will say they love and may even display actions that can be interpreted as love, yet they are only projecting that image to get what they want. We see some leverage the gullibility of others, who are seeking love, for personal gain.

God has shown us perfect love. His love is on display for us to see every day. He has purposely shown us His love as an example for us to follow. God’s love has a purpose as well, a pure purpose. His purpose is to draw us to Him, just as it was in the beginning.

In His pure love, God has put our needs ahead of His. He sent His Son to be a perfect sacrifice in order to sanctify us, to make us holy so we can come into His presence. When we are in God’s presence, we experience His glory, much as the apostles experienced the glory of Christ. As we experience His glory, we desire more of it, being in awe of Him.

God also desires unity in His people. Unity is to come through the love we have for God. If we love Him with the same love He has for us, we will also love His people. When we love Him and His people, we will be unified in our mission, fulfilling His plan.

Love and unity in us will demonstrate to the world that Jesus was sent by the Father to be our Lord and Savior. We will show the world the love of God. We will bring about healing, reconciliation, and unity.

I pray we all recognize the love God has for us. I pray we seek to love as He loves. I pray each of us will seek unity in our love for God to bring about reconciliation in this world. Experience God’s glory. Know that you are loved by God. Seek to understand the depth of His love. Love to heal, reconcile, and unify. Show Jesus to the world.

John 17:22-23 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

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.”