A Worthy Goal

Is there something specific you are working for? Have you set a goal to achieve? Have you laid out steps to build on along the way? Have you achieved a goal? Are you proud of your accomplishments? Have you set a goal with regards to becoming more like Jesus?

We like to accomplish tasks. We make our lists and mark them off as we get them done. We set goals. For larger goals we set steps to achieve that build toward the goal and we check them off. We need something to work toward. It is our motivation to be active.

We may not think a goal of becoming more like Jesus is a goal we can achieve. We may not know how we can set steps we can achieve that will help us move toward it. However, we can. In order to set steps, we must first know more about Him. We need to understand His actions, how He treated people, and how He responded to challenging situations. We can only do that by digging into the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Once we better understand Jesus, we can determine how we can work our way toward being more like Him. We may realize we can never be exactly like Him, but we can work our way closer. One step we can take is to start each day in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us throughout the day. Another step is to purposely seek to treat people as children of God, treat them as though they were Jesus in disguise. Taking small steps each day will change us over time.

I pray we all choose to be more like Jesus. I pray we start each day in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us. I pray each one of us start treating people as though they were Jesus in disguise. Be more like Jesus. Start your day in prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Treat people well.

Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of me.

No Reason To Brag

Do you brag on your accomplishments? Do you think highly of yourself? Do you tell others what you have done so they also think highly of you? Do you seek to impress others with the things you have done? How much of that do you think impresses God or has an impact on eternity?

We like to tell others about things we have done. We like to display our trophies for all to see. Some of us will tell the stories of youthful accomplishments for many years. We hold onto them, living in the past, rather than looking to the future and seeking eternity.

The Apostle Paul tells of his accomplishments, which are significant from both a human and religious perspective. He was an ideal Jew. He had done everything required, followed the letter of the law, and served the Jewish leadership. In any gathering, he could proudly stand among the righteous. Yet, once he met Christ, he realized all that was worthless.

We, too, like to point to all that we have done, faithful attendance at Sunday worship, baptized at an early age, Bible studies attended, volunteering to serve, leading committees, and even being a pastor. However, none of that gains us eternity. Not that we shouldn’t take on those roles or serve the church, but we must understand it is knowing Christ that is important. All that we do should be done out of love and appreciation for Christ, not to attain pats on the back or gaining awards here and now.

I pray we all know our trophies are meaningless before God. I pray we serve the church out of love and appreciation for Christ. I pray each one of us will strive to build our relationship with Jesus. Give up your trophies. Serve out of love. Serve with appreciation. Build your relationship with Jesus.

Philippians 3:4b-6 If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

Keep the Sabbath

Do you work hard? Do you ever take a day off? What does your day off look like? When you take a day off, are you still working, even if only at home? Is your day filled with activity? Have you ever spent a day off simply resting, both body and mind, so that you can work better the next day?

Taking a day off can seem impossible. We work all week at our jobs, then we work all weekend at home, or we are busy entertaining ourselves. Our culture has taught us to be on the go. Unfortunately, being always on the go or working is not healthy for us.

God commanded the Israelites to remember the Sabbath. The Sabbath for the Israelites was the seventh day of the week. It was to be a day of rest. They were not to do any work. They were to remember God and spend time thinking about him. They could pray, talk about God, or hear readings of God’s Word. Regardless of what they did, the day was to be holy.

We do not take a Sabbath day like we should. Post resurrection, we now think of Sunday, the first day of the week, as a Sabbath day. It can certainly be our Sabbath, but we must use it as a day to rest and focus on God. However, any day of the week can be treated as a Sabbath day, if we spend time rest and focusing on God. We do not have to be totally inactive, but we are not to use the day for work. Using our Sabbath day properly rests our body, mind, and soul. It improves our overall health.

I pray we all decide to take a Sabbath day. I pray we know the Sabbath is to be a day of rest and holy to God. I pray each one of us will choose to rest our body, mind, and soul to improve our health. Take a Sabbath day. Rest your body. Rest your mind. Rest your soul. Keep the Sabbath holy.

Exodus 20:8-9 “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work.”

Worship Only God

When you think of idols, what do you think of? Do you think of the television program “American Idol”? Do you think of a childhood idol? Do you have other idols? Are there things that you make idols by how you treat them or because they remind you of something?

We like to believe we do not have idols. Yet, we often idolize specific things we have or certain people we know. We don’t think we have idols because we think of idols made of wood or iron or bronze. We think of idols that people bow down to, but there are other idols.

God tells the Israelites and us that we are not to make idols. Notice that God says the idols should not be made in the form of anything in heaven, on the earth, or under the sea. Do we idolize the form of a fish that is to represent Jesus? Do we idolize a cross that represents the cross Jesus died on? Some either believe they are to worship the cross or come very close to it. Yet, we are not to worship anything or anyone other than God.

Sometimes, we worship other people. We worship athletes who accomplish great things. We worship singers who sing amazing songs. We worship authors who write thought provoking and interesting books. Yet, God tells us there is to be no other God nor anyone else we worship except him. He is the only one who is worthy of our praise.

I pray we all cast aside our idols. I pray we decide to stop worshiping other things and people. I pray each one of us will worship God only and give him all our praise. Cast aside your idols. Do not worship other people. Do not worship things. Worship God only. Give God all your praise.

Exodus 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth.”

Hope Purifies

What comes to mind when you think of purity? How do you define being pure? Do you think of silver and gold being pure? Do you think of pure bred animals? Have you ever considered yourself to be pure? How can you be sure that you are pure? Can you become pure on your own?

Being pure can be different for objects, animals, and humans. The process of being or becoming pure is different. Animal breeds are kept pure by breeding them with other animals of the same breed. Silver and gold are made pure by refining them in a fire to burn off or separate out the impurities.

Becoming pure for humans is a different process. We cannot become pure on our own. We are made pure by God. Yet, there is a part we must play in that purifying. Through the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus made a way for us to become pure. The invitation for us to accept Him as Lord and Savior is available to everyone. However, not everyone will. For those who do, they become children of God and put their hope in Jesus.

It is our acceptance of Jesus and our hope in Him that makes us pure. Not because of anything we did, but because Jesus is pure and He cleanses us to make us pure. We all have a choice to make. Going through the motions does not make us pure. We must put our hope in Jesus, it must be a commitment to Him. If we merely go through the motions, we are in the same situation the Jews were in when they performed rituals without giving God their heart. Giving our hearts to Jesus and putting our hope in Him by accepting Him for who He says He is, the Son of God, purifies us.

I pray we all accept the invitation Jesus was given us. I pray we give Jesus our hearts. I pray each one of us will put our hope in Jesus, trusting in Him, and be purified by Him as children of God. Accept Jesus’ invitation. Give your heart to Jesus. Hope in Jesus. Trust in Jesus. Be purified by Jesus. You are a child of God.

1 John 3:3

And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 

Choose Jesus

Where do you stand? How do you decide which side to choose? Do you decide based on the choices of others? Do you bow to peer pressure? Or is your decision based on truth? Do you seek out truth to base your decision on? Are you willing to change your decision?

Deciding what side to take can be a challenge. Our friends may take a side we prefer not but decide to go with them anyway. Or we may make the tough choice of standing against them. Our choices come down to beliefs and commitment to them. We might say it takes a strong backbone.

Jesus says we must make a choice. We are either with Him or against Him. We either gather with Him, or we scatter to the winds. There is no gray area. There is no straddling the fence. We cannot have our cake and eat it, too. Jesus forces us to choose Him or choose the world. So, we must make a choice. Not choosing is making a choice.

If we want to make decisions based on truth, we can only find truth in God. There is truth in God’s Word. Jesus is God’s Word that became flesh (John 1:14). So, if we are choosing based on truth, we will choose Jesus every time. Unfortunately, we do not always choose based on truth. Far too often we choose based on our wants or our culture. In other words, we choose against Jesus. Despite that, Jesus is willing to forgive us when we turn back to Him. We have the option to choose Him every day. Therefore, we make a choice every day.

I pray we all seek to base our decisions on truth. I pray we know that Jesus is truth, the Word of God. I pray each one of us will choose Jesus every day and turn back to Him when we choose the world. Base your decision on truth. Jesus is God’s Word become flesh. Choose Jesus today.

Matthew 12:30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

Be United

Have you noticed the division across our country? Have you noticed division in your local community? Is there division within your workplace? Is there division within your local church? What will come from all the division?

We cannot miss the division we are continually bombarded with in the news. It seems every news story is about and exacerbates division on whatever topic it covers. Division results in the organization that is divided to fall.

I know. The arguments on both sides have valid points. Both sides dig in their heels and refuse to budge. The result is ruin. We can continue to dig in our heels, or we can choose to give in so we continue to stand. That is not to say we cannot have healthy debate. But healthy debate does not include slander, hatred, stubbornness, nor mudslinging. Healthy debate results in an agreed upon way forward. It results in remaining united.

Jesus knew this hard truth and stated the obvious to those who were accusing Him of casting out demons in Satan’s name. Yes, it is obvious that a person or group who works against itself will be torn apart and fall. It doesn’t take much thought to see the truth in Jesus’ statement. If a husband and wife are continually pulling in different directions, they will eventually separate. If one part of an organization is going in one direction and another part is going in another, the organization will experience failure and eventually go out of business.

Jesus prayed that we, the church, would be united (John 20:20-23). He did so on purpose. He knew the truth He speaks in today’s passage. If we are divided, why would we believe we will succeed in reaching a broken world? Why would we think we can grow God’s kingdom (and our churches) here on earth? We must be united as the body of Christ if we are to do His will.

I pray we all seek to be united in Jesus Christ. I pray we set aside our differences to do the will of God. I pray each one of us spend time praying for unity in the body of Christ, the church. Eliminate division. Seek unity. Pray for unity. Trust in the truth of Christ. Know that He has prayed for us.

Matthew 12:25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”

Glory to God

How do you view Jesus? Do you honestly attribute to Him who He claims to be—Son of God, Messiah, and Son of Man? Do you honestly believe He is the Savior of the world? Have you accepted Him as your Lord? If you have not, why not? If you have, do you remind yourself regularly?

Jesus is a divisive figure. Those who accept Him as Lord and Savior may not think of Him that way. Yet, take a moment to think about all the people who have not. Jesus leaves no room for straddling the fence. You either accept Him as Lord and Savior or you do not.

As the Apostle Paul states, Jesus has been exalted by God and given a name above every name. Every knee will bend to Him, either as those who accept Him as Lord or those who bow as conquered enemies. Everyone will confess that Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings. All of this will happen to glorify God the Father. We do not know when Jesus will return, but when He does, His glory will be seen by all, and all will bow down to Him.

Knowing this will happen, we must ask ourselves why we are not telling everyone about Him. Especially our family and friends. We do not want our family to be among the number who bow to Jesus as conquered enemies. We want them to bow as followers of Jesus. We all need to believe Jesus is who He says He is. We should give Him the glory and thereby glorify the Father.

I pray we all accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. I pray we tell others about Jesus and what He has done for us. I pray each one of us give the glory to Jesus and the Father. Accept Jesus as Lord. Accept Jesus as Savior. Tell others about Jesus. Give glory to Jesus. Give glory to the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God exalted him even more highly and gave him the name that is above every other name, so that at the name given to Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Comfort, Love, Sympathy

Where do you find comfort? Where do you find love? Where do you find sympathy? Who do you partner with? Do they all come from the same person? Does it result in you being in community with others? Are you sharing what you have received with others?

Comfort can be creature comfort or emotional consoling. Receiving love can be both a joy and a challenge. Being sympathetic can be confusing. Receiving sympathy can be hard. We can seek comfort, love, and sympathy from one person or multiple people. We show them to one or many.

The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Philippi, telling them to consider their relationship to one another in Christ. He starts with comfort in Christ. Asking them to evaluate the comfort they have in Christ. He moves to love. Being consoled with the love of God. Knowing he loves us regardless. We are to partner with the Holy Spirit, meaning we must listen to him. For many of us, it may mean we seek to build a relationship so we can hear him. Showing sympathy to one another is to be done with tender affection. All of this is a reminder that we receive it from Christ and should be the same with Him.

Being the same includes having the same attitude, the same perspective, the same goal. We are to have the attitude of Christ and be one with each of other. We are to show the same love Christ demonstrated. We at to have the same goal, which is to save everyone we know by sharing the gospel.

I pray we all find comfort in Christ. I pray we know God loves us more than we can imagine. I pray each one of us partner with the Holy Spirit and listen for him to guide us every day. There is comfort in Christ. God loves you. Partner with the Holy Spirit. Be of the same mind as Christ.

Philippians 2:1-2 If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any tender affection and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Learn from History

Do you like to learn? What are your interests? Do you like history? Is it interesting to you? Do you take notice of mistakes made and learn from them? Do you apply the lessons of history to current decisions? Do you read the Bible to see how God has worked and look for him to work today?

We can learn a lot from history. We can see patterns of human behavior. We can learn from the mistakes made throughout history. The saying, “those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it,” is true. We can see it throughout history. We can observe it today.

We can also read Scripture and see how God has operated. Many speak of God being angry throughout the Old Testament, but that is not true. When reading through it, we see times in which he was displeased with the Israelites. We also see times of compassion and care. Unfortunately, compassion can be misinterpreted for weakness. The Israelites would live in the blessings of God’s love, then be disobedient and be punished.

Some people will point out that not everyone was disobedient and yet God punished the nation. In our individualized culture, we believe that to be unfair. But God deals with community as well as individuals. We a community, or nation, has turned away from God, he will take corrective action. On the other hand, when the community obeys God, he blesses them richly. Those are lessons we must learn from the history of God operating in our world.

I pray we all take time to read the Bible. I pray we learn how God has operated in the past. I pray each one of us will apply lessons from history and are obedient to God’s commands. Read the Bible. Learn from history. See how God operates. Apply lessons learned. Be obedient to God.

Psalm 78:1

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; 

incline your ears to the words of my mouth.