Be Honorable

Have you ever made a grand entrance? No? Have you witnessed a grand entrance? Was it filled with all the pomp and circumstance? Was there special music being played? Was the person(s) introduced as they made their way in? Was there applause? Were they smiling?

When I think of grand entrances, I think of the way young folks today enter their reception following their wedding. The entire wedding party is introduced as they make their way in one couple at a time. And, of course, the bride and groom are the last and receive the loudest applause.

But grand entrances do not happen with weddings only. We see starting lineup introductions in sporting events. There are the red-carpet entrances for the various Hollywood awards events. And, of course, the dignitary entrances at official government events. It seems we desire to make grand entrances as often as we can, seeking the attention of others.

As Jesus was about to make His grand entrance into Jerusalem, He chose to do so humbly. Rather than riding in a white stallion with escorts riding ahead announcing His coming, He set out unannounced. He gave simple instructions to a couple of His disciples to retrieve a donkey and her colt, humble animals.

One thing we can learn from Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem is this: we do not need to drum up the applause. If we are a person of integrity, honor, and worked diligently for God, the appropriate applause will be provided. It is better to be humble and unassuming than to be haughty and attention seeking.

I pray we all see the grand entrances for what they are. I pray we seek to be humble as Jesus was humble. I pray each one of us work diligently for God with integrity and honor. Follow Jesus’ example of humility. Work for God diligently. Be a person of integrity. Be honorable.

Matthew 21:1-2 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me.”

Strong Foundation

What kind of foundation is your life built on? What is the foundation you stand on? Is it solid? Is it soft and spongy. Are you standing on a foundation of solid rock? Are you standing on a foundation of sand? Has the foundation you are standing on been built properly?

Having a solid foundation to build our lives on is important. It is that strong foundation that will hold us when things go wrong. If our foundation crumbles, our whole lives can crumble with it. If we have not built our lives on a solid foundation, we can make a new start to do so.

How do we know if we are on a solid foundation? We know through experience. We know when trials come and we are not shaken. The foundation will hold us and support us as we weather the storms of life we face.

Jesus is the chief cornerstone of God’s foundation. What does that mean? A cornerstone is the first stone laid for a foundation. It has perfect right angles and placed perfectly so the rest of the foundation is laid from it. If the cornerstone is off by even a smidgen, the rest of the foundation is off. It is through Jesus that all of creation is supported. Everything was created through Him (John 1:3).

Building our lives on a solid foundation requires us to build it on the foundation that started from the beginning. That beginning starts with the Word of God that became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. It may be a mystery that we do not fully understand, but it is a truth we can trust and stand on in a world filled with half-truths and lies.

I pray we all know that Jesus is the chief cornerstone. I pray we know He was there from the beginning. I pray each one of us will build our lives on the strong foundation of God and his Word. Jesus is the chief cornerstone. All things were created through Him. Build your life on God’s foundation. Build your life on God’s Word.

Psalm 118:22

The stone that the builders rejected 

has become the chief cornerstone.

Despised and Vindicated

How do you feel when others disgrace you? How do you feel when you are humiliated by others? What if they despise you? What is you are ostracized? Do you continue to have faith in the One who has redeemed you? Do you continue to set your face toward obedience?

Being humiliated, disgraced, despised, and ostracized by others can be debilitating. We may want to find a cave to hole up in. We may want to disappear. We may do our best to avoid contact with others. Yet, there is no need to feel this way if we are obeying God.

In Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the Messiah, he states that despite being physically struck, slapped, insulted, and spit on, the Messiah is not disgraced. In fact, He sets his face like flint, proceeding toward His mission despite all of that. Why? He knows that He will not be put to shame. He will be vindicated. He will be glorified. His glory will be on display for all to see.

When we are humiliated, despised, or ostracized by others for our faith and we feel disgraced, we can be confident that God has our back. He will not allow us to be shamed for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. We will be vindicated. We will share in His glory. Because of that, we should continue to move forward with confidence. We should set our face toward the mission God has given each one of us, knowing Jesus is with every step of the way.

I pray we all know that Jesus was despised, yet vindicated. I pray we recognize Jesus’s glory. I pray each one of us believe we will share in Jesus’ glory and continue pursuing the mission God has set for us. Jesus was despised. Jesus was vindicated. Jesus is in His glory. You will share in Jesus’ glory. Continue pursuing God’s mission.

Isaiah 50:7-8a

The Lord God helps me; 

therefore I have not been disgraced; 

therefore I have set my face like flint, 

and I know that I shall not be put to shame; 

he who vindicates me is near.

When We Are Weary

Have you grown weary? Are you seeking help? Are you struggling? Do you feel you have nowhere to turn? Does it seem you have no more options? Have you asked the One who can provide you the help you need? Have you listened for His guidance? Have you turned to the Lord?

We all experience weariness at some point during our lives. Troubles will find us. We go through struggles. We may even feel completely helpless with nowhere to turn. It seems as though there is no one who can help. Our family and friends may have abandoned us.

There is One we can always turn to. He will always be there. He will never leave us. He is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Some of us may think that we need someone physically with us to turn to. As true as that may be, by turning to Jesus, we are turning to the One who can provide the physical person we need. By crying out to Him in prayer and trusting Him, we relieve ourselves of the anxiety and fear.

Jesus will provide us with the guidance we need. He will provide someone to meet us in the midst of our struggles. In addition to crying out to Him, we are to listen to Him. His guidance may come from an unexpected source or someone we do not know. He works through many people to provide for His followers. We must remember that He is the Creator as well as the Savior. It is Him that we live and He lives within us.

I pray we all know that we can turn to Jesus in any situation. I pray we lay our burdens at Jesus’ feet. I pray each one of us will listen for His guidance and trust Him to provide for our needs. Turn to Jesus. Lay your burdens at His feet. Listen for His guidance. Trust Him to provide.

Isaiah 50:4

The Lord God has given me 

a trained tongue, 

that I may know how to sustain 

the weary with a word. 

Morning by morning he wakens, 

wakens my ear 

to listen as those who are taught.

Do You Believe?

Do you believe? That can be a difficult question to answer. We may first reply, “Believe in what?” But the question is not about a what but a Who. Do you believe in Jesus? Again, not a simple question to answer. There are many nuances to that question.

Do we believe Jesus is the resurrection? Jesus says He is. We may believe He was resurrected. But do we believe we will be resurrected by Him? If we do, and we believe we will spend eternity with Him, our lives should reflect that.

How should our lives reflect that? We live without fear, anxiety, and worry. We do not worry about our lives, rather we live for Him and the eternal life we will spend with Him. In fact, though we may not want to go immediately, we look forward to that eternal life. Knowing we are going somewhere better should eliminate our fear of death and what anyone can do to us in this life.

Jesus also states He is the life. If He is the life and we are in Him, then we never die. He tells us that. But do we believe it? Again, if we do, our lives change. If we believe no one can take us out of His hands, our lives change. Rather than living for this world, we live for His kingdom, and everlasting, forever and ever kingdom.

Jesus asks if we believe and asks us to believe. Not for his sake. For our sake. He knows what is best for us. He knows the best thing is for us to believe and to be changed. May each of us decide to believe Him and believe in Him so that we are changed by Him.

I pray we all believe Jesus is the resurrection. I pray we believe that Jesus is the life. I pray each one of us will have our lives changed because we believe Jesus and we believe in Jesus. Believe Jesus is the resurrection. Believe Jesus is the life. Be changed. Believe Jesus. Believe in Jesus.

John 11:25-26:  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Facing the Difficult

How often do you do what you know you need to do, even when you are facing opposition? Are you willing to face ridicule or ostracization for doing what is right? Would you be willing to face the possibility of death for your faith? Do you willingly tell others about your faith?

Doing what is right can be difficult. We may face ridicule or ostracization for it. When speaking up for someone others dislike because it is the right thing to do, can get us pushed aside. Telling others about our faith can do the same thing. Our friends may not want to be around us.

Jesus had to face a challenge so that He could do the right thing, which was to obey God’s will. He must head back to Judea, where they had on multiple occasions sought to kill Him. His disciples know it. They warn Him against it. Yet, Jesus knows He must go. In the case of today’s passage, He was heading to some friend’s house. He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. He was going to show the glory of God.

We may not face death to speak about our faith. But there are times when speaking about our faith or doing the right thing can put us in a tough spot. Our conscience tells us to do the right thing. Our logical thinking tells us to wait a minute, think about it, it might be a good choice for us personally. We waiver. We’re caught in the middle. It requires us to listen for God’s guidance and trust in him, just as Jesus did.

I pray we all do the right thing. I pray we seek out and listen to God’s guidance. I pray each one of us will choose to trust God and speak about our faith, even when it isn’t comfortable to do so. Do the right thing. Trust God. Seek his guidance. Speak out about your faith.

John 11:7-8 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?”

The Spirit in You

Many of us are not very familiar with the Holy Spirit. In fact, some of us know so little, we don’t want to talk about the Spirit for fear that we will show our ignorance. Unfortunately, our fear doesn’t motivate us to read and study to become more familiar with the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is not talked about much in the Old Testament. However, there are many passages in the New Testament about the Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit living within us who interacts with our spirit. And since the Spirit lives within us, shouldn’t know who he is?

The Apostle Paul tells us that because the Spirit lives within us and it is the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus on the third day, he will give us life. This means that he gives us life in our current physical world and will raise us again for eternity. Is this not amazing? Certainly, something to think about. Something we should spend some time pondering.

Another amazing bit of truth is that the same Spirit that alighted on Jesus when He was baptized is living within us. The same Spirit was with Jesus throughout His ministry. In the same way, the same Spirit is with us every moment of every day. So, we can look only to the future, to eternity, or we can live by the Spirit of God today. It is our choice to lean on him or to continue to try to do on our own.

I pray we all know the Holy Spirit alighted on Jesus. I pray we know the same Spirit lives within us. I pray each one of us knows it is the Spirit who gives us life and is with us every moment of every day. Know the Holy Spirit. Know that he lives within you. Know the Spirit gives you life.

Romans 8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Life and Peace

What is your mind set on? What topic occupies your mind more than anything else? Is it your financial situation? Is it your job? Is it the worldly events you see on the evening news? Is your mind filled with drama? Or do you focus on your relationship to God and his will for you?

Most of us focus on what is in front of us at the moment. While on the job, the tasks we perform are our focus. When at home, we focus on our families and things that need done around the house. Focusing on these things at these times are normal.

But the why behind them is the point of today’s passage. If our motivation for focusing on our job is to gain a promotion, our minds are set on fleshly things. If we are focused on remodeling or improving our homes to make them look better than our neighbor’s, we are focused on fleshly things. If our focus on our family is merely to make our children better than someone else’s so we can brag on them, we are focused fleshly things.

On the other hand, if we are set on doing the best job we can because we are working for God, our minds are set on the Spirit. If we are beautifying our home to improve God’s creation, our minds are set on the Spirit. If we are focused on raising our children to obey God and to do everything for him, we are focused on the Spirit. And having our minds set on the Spirit is life and will result in peace.

Our world is full of drama, disquiet, disfunction, ungratefulness, rivalries, and sometimes utter chaos. We can only find peace by setting our minds on God. Peace will come to us when we live according to the Spirit. Therefore, we are to set our minds on the Spirit of God rather than on the things of this world.

I pray we all change our focus for our daily lives. I pray we decide to make God’s will our focus. I pray each one of us live in the Spirit, setting our minds on the Spirit and let God be our motivation. Change your focus. Change your motivation. Set your mind on the Spirit. Obtain life and peace.

Romans 8:6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

Wait for God

Do you want to be heard? Do you think you have a message worth hearing? Are you seeking someone to listen to you? Are you waiting for answers? Are you asking the right questions? Are you pleading to the right person? Where is your hope? Is your hope in the Lord?

Some of us feel as though we are never heard. We believe we have a message others need to hear. Perhaps we are speaking our message and feel like people are not listening. We provide guidance to them, and they do not heed it. It becomes frustrating.

We may be waiting for answers to questions we have. Perhaps we are seeking guidance and finding no answers. We may be asking the wrong person. We may be asking God, who is the right person. We may need to wait for God to answer. We may be impatient. God may be teaching us patience. Or it may not be the right time according to God’s plan.

Waiting challenges us. It can be frustrating. We may begin to lose hope. That is when we need to hold onto our faith with a tighter grip and wait, rather than making a rash decision. God will provide the answer we need. We must never give up hope. Our hope includes trusting in God. It is often in our waiting that we grow. As we wait, we are to continue to cry out to God. Not like a spoiled child but as a person of faith who continues to trust God and waits for his answer.

I pray we all trust God to provide the answers we need. I pray we hold onto our faith during times of waiting. I pray each one of us spend time in prayer, asking God for his guidance. Trust God will provide. Hold onto your faith. Spend time in prayer. Continue to wait for God’s answer.

Psalm 130:5-6

I wait for the Lord; my soul waits, 

and in his word I hope; 

my soul waits for the Lord 

more than those who watch for the morning, 

more than those who watch for the morning.

Strong Foundation

How much do you trust God? Do you trust him to keep his promises? Do you trust that he is in control? Do you trust that he never forgets you? Do you trust he is always with you? Do you lean on him for strength and courage? Do you trust him to provide for you?

Trusting God can be easy to say. It can be harder to do when the chips are down, when life becomes difficult. We may think and say, “You either trust God or you don’t.” But it isn’t that cut and dry when you get slammed to the deck or take a sucker punch to the gut.

It is in those hard times, those painful times that we need to hold onto our faith even more. During those times, we need to remind ourselves that God has given us his Spirit and will guide us through it. It will continue to be difficult, but it will not be insurmountable. God will strengthen us and he will act when the time is right according to his plan.

How can we better prepare ourselves for those difficult times? We can prepare by getting to know God better during the good times, the easier times. We can do that by reading God’s Word, spending time in prayer, and reflecting on how God has worked in our lives in the past. By building our faith before the difficulties arise, we build a strong foundation to stand on when the storm arrives.

I pray we all strive to build our faith in the good times. I pray our faith is a strong foundation for us to stand on. I pray each one of us trust God is with us during difficult and challenging times. Read God’s Word. Spend time in prayer. Strengthen your faith. Build a strong foundation. Trust God is always with you.

Ezekiel 37:14 “I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.”