Know Our Mission

How well do you know your mission? Does your mission at work change on a regular basis? Do you know your mission as a family member? Do you have a different mission as a friend? Do you know your mission in life?

We have many different missions as we go through life. Some of those missions are short-lived. They last for a few weeks, are accomplished, and we move on. Some missions are longer lasting. The mission of a parent never ends.

Despite the many missions we may have, none of them are more important than our life mission. Jesus knew His life mission. He knew what He was to do. His mission included teaching, healing, comforting, performing miracles, dying on a cross, and being raised again on the third day.

Jesus foretold what He would do. He told them He would enter triumphantly into Jerusalem. He told His disciples He would be killed by the Jewish leaders. He told them He would rise again on the third day. We often scoff at them for not believing, yet we may not believe as deeply as we should.

How does that tie into our mission? We are to believe Jesus is who He says He is. We are to obey Jesus’ teaching. We are to love God, which means we must love one another. As we are told, if we do not love one another, we cannot love God. Loving God includes obeying him and his commands.

I pray we all believe Jesus is the Son of God. I pray we obey His teachings. I pray each one of us will love God by loving one another and showing God’s love to everyone we meet. Know your mission. Believe Jesus is the Son of God. Obey Jesus. Show His love to everyone. Bless Jesus.

Luke 13:35b “And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

A Life Well-Lived

What is your work? What do you do every day? Do you have specific tasks that you repeat every day? Do you have general guidelines to follow and tasks that change from day-to-day? Do you know when your work is done? Or do you believe your work is never done?

Our work can be monotonous, or it can be very diverse. Some work on an assembly line doing the same thing every day. Others work in offices and deal with different situations every day. Regardless of the type of work we do, most of us never know when we are done.

Jesus knew when His work would be finished. He knew the day and the hour it would be finished. Why is it that He knew, and we do not? Perhaps because we are looking at our work from the wrong perspective. The job we work at every day is not our true purpose. Sure, we need to work to provide for our families and ourselves. Yet, it is not our true work.

Our true work is to obey God and tell others about Jesus. When we approach our daily jobs with this in mind, our perspective changes. Rather than being bored by our job, we actively seek opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with someone. They may not pop up every day, but there will be times we can do so.

When our focus is on sharing Jesus, we know when we will be finished. It will occur just as it did with Jesus. We will be finished when we take our last breath. That may sound tiring or morbid, but it is not. It is a life well-lived and a life that is pleasing to God. So, start each day with a bit of excitement and a yearning to share Jesus.

I pray we all know our daily jobs are not our purpose. I pray we ask God to show us opportunities to share Jesus. I pray each one of us will live a life well-lived, one that pleases God. Know your purpose. Seek opportunities to share Jesus. Live a life well-lived. Please God.

Luke 13:32 He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.”

Citizenship In Heaven

Where is your citizenship? Do you ascribe to being a citizen of the country you live in? Do you consider yourself a patriot of your country? Are you willing to step away from that citizenship for something better? Will you consider yourself to be a citizen of heaven?

Many people are patriotic about their country. They take great pride in being a citizen of their country. Some take their pride very seriously. Seriously enough to put their lives on the line. Others are less concerned about their citizenship. But should we take our citizenship seriously?

We should take our citizenship in heaven very serious. We must remember that our citizenship in heaven is because of Jesus. His work while on this earth bought us that citizenship. Not only do we have that citizenship, but we look forward to the transformation of our bodies so that our bodies will same the glory of Jesus.

Through the power of Jesus will be transformed and by His power we will live forever. We will be His subjects while also being His brothers and sisters. We will rule the nations along with Him. We will feast at His heavenly banquet. Jesus will provide everything we need and be our focus for eternity.

Can we ask for anything more? No. We may long for everything in this world to go as we desire but know it won’t. We may support the country we live but know it is not our home. We may seek to achieve success in this life but know true success is knowing we belong to Jesus. Our challenge is to keep Jesus as our focus in this life.

I pray we all know we have citizenship in heaven. I pray we know we will be transformed in glory. I pray each one of us will keep our focus on Jesus throughout our lives. You have citizenship in heaven. You will be transformed in glory. Keep your focus on Jesus.

Philippians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.

Live In Moderation

Where is your glory? Is your glory in your children? Is it in your grandchildren? Is it in your job? Is it in your accomplishments? Have you considered these questions? Will you take a little time to evaluate your outlook on life? Will you take a hard look into the mirror of your life?

We may take pride in our children and their accomplishments. There is nothing wrong with that, unless our pride in them pushes them to make receiving praise from others more important than serving God. The same is true of ourselves. We should not make receiving praise more important than serving God.

We, as humans, can become addicted to praise. We can seek the praise of others to the point of destroying our lives. Make no mistake, receiving praise is good for us, so long as it is done in moderation and is appropriate for the situation. But when we become addicted to it and we do not receive the praise we desire from our families, we will seek it elsewhere, which can lead us into bad situations and being with bad people.

Rather than continually seeking praise from people, we need to set our minds on Christ. Rather than seeking to acquire material possessions, we are to serve God. When we set our minds on Christ and seek to serve God, we can trust God to provide for our needs. We need to disassociate ourselves from the culture of immediate satisfaction and focus on the eternal reward we have by following and obeying Jesus Christ.

I pray we all learn to live in moderation in this life. I pray we set our minds on Jesus Christ. I pray each one of us seek to serve God and trust he will provide for all our needs. Live life in moderation. Focus on Jesus. Follow Jesus. Obey Jesus. Serve God. Trust God to provide.

Philippians 3:18-19 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things.

Land of the Living

Do you see good in the world? Or do you only see the bad? Do you see love and kindness? Or do you see hate and rudeness? Do you see compassion and hope? Or do you see selfishness and hopelessness? Do you seek to see the goodness of God in the world?

We often see what we want to see or what we expect to see. Because criminals know we do, they often take advantage of it. We must be trained to see something other than what we want or expect to see. That training can help us see God’s goodness in this world.

God is at work every moment of every day. Yet, if we expect to see the worst the world has to offer, that is what we will see. We will miss the good God is doing. We will miss the beauty of his creation. We will miss the good he is doing through other people who have opened themselves up to following his guidance and commands.

How can we train ourselves to see what we have been missing? Begin by looking out your window. Look at the grass, the flowers, and the trees. Notice your neighbor’s yard. When you go to the store, look for people helping others. Look for the mother who is teaching her children to behave in the store. Notice the old man helping his wife put things in the shopping cart. Notice the smile on checkout clerks face.

Little by little we can train ourselves to see something other than what we expect. Little by little our eyes can be opened to see the goodness of God in this world. Sure, there will be bad things. Yet, we can choose to see the good things and thank God for working in the people we see and for working in his creation all around us.

I pray we all seek to seek God working in this world. I pray we choose to see the beauty in his creation. I pray each one of us will train ourselves to God’s goodness in the people around us. See God working. See God’s beautiful creation. See God working in people. See God working in the world.

Psalm 27:13

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord 

in the land of the living.

See God’s Glory

What is it you seek? What do you long for more than anything else? Is it a job promotion? Is it finding a partner for life? Is it purchasing a house? Is it the healing of a family member? Have you been asking God to provide it to you? Do you seek to be closer to God?

We all seek something. Whether we believe it or not, we are goal-oriented people. We need something to live for, something to accomplish. Some of us have big goals, while other’s goals are much smaller. One may merely seek their next meal, while another seeks to be president.

Without a reason to live, we would give up. But what is our reason? Our reason will change how we go about our lives. If we have a lofty goal, we will take steps to achieve it. It will drive us to do some things and not others. It will guide our priorities. We will make choices based on whether they will help us achieve our goal or not.

If our goal is to be with God at all times, will make choices differently. We will take time to read and study his Word. We will attend Bible studies. We will be at every worship service and attend Sunday School. We may even lead a Sunday School class or a Bible study. After all, when we teach, we learn more than the student.

David voices his desire to live with God for his entire life. He wants to see the glory of God. We, too, can desire the same thing. Even if we do not see God face-to-face, we can see his glory in his creation, our interactions with others, and in his blessings. The ultimate question is, what are we looking for? What is our hearts desire? If seek God with all our heart, we will see his glory.

I pray we all desire to live with God each day. I pray we spend time studying God’s Word. I pray each one of us will make seeing the glory of God our hearts desire and pursue it every day. Seek God. Study God’s Word. See God’s glory. Observe God’s creation. Recognize God’s blessings.

Psalm 27:4

One thing I asked of the Lord; 

this I seek: 

to live in the house of the Lord 

all the days of my life, 

to behold the beauty of the Lord, 

and to inquire in his temple.

From Fear to Joy

Have you ever been afraid of the future? Have you worried about what will happen next? Did you wonder if you would survive a major change in your life? Did it nearly paralyze you? Did you overcome it? How did you overcome it? Did you depend on God to get you through it?

Major changes can be scary. I can remember a few scary changes in my life. Perhaps the first major life change was when I went to boot camp. Nothing can prepare you for it. The best you can do is simply take the next step. The second was going to Drill Instructor School. A second boot camp.

It doesn’t matter who we are, where we come from, or who our parents are. We will face a fearful situation. Something will hit us with fear. It may come out of the blue, whether a bad medical diagnosis, being fired, or an unexpected family death. It may be a major decision we make to change jobs, get married, or move to a foreign country. All of them can be scary.

When we are filled with fear, there is only one place to turn—God. Abram (Abraham) was afraid, and God knew he was. So, God came to Abram to tell him not to be afraid. God was going to be with Abram and be his shield or protector. He told Abram he would receive a very great reward.

God is also our protector. He is with us always. We, too, have a very great reward promised to us—eternal life with God. Yet, we can live a great life now. The closer we get to God, the more we follow Jesus, the better our life will be. We will have peace. We will have joy. We will allow the light of Jesus shine through us.

I pray we all know that God is our protector. I pray we lean on God when we are facing fear. I pray each one of us know we have a very great reward waiting for us. God is your protector. Lean on God. Get closer to God. Follow Jesus. Be at peace. Experience true joy.

Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

At Our Weakest

Have you ever been weakened to the point of not being sure you can even get out of bed? Have you had to continue to work when you felt as though you would fall down? Have you been attacked when you were at your weakest point?

We all have times of weakness, whether it be from sickness or shear exhaustion. There may be times when we are not merely physically worn out but are mentally drained as well. It is in those times that we are most vulnerable to the attacks of others.

It is when we are weak that Satan attacks us. He did the same to Jesus. When Jesus had been in the wilderness for forty days and having eaten nothing that Satan attacked. His intent was to catch Jesus while he was in a weakened state and coerce Him into giving up His glory to serve Satan. Jesus, however, was stronger than that. He knew His mission and from where He had come.

We can be strong in our time of weakness as well. How? We must remember who we belong to and where we are promised to spend eternity. Jesus has paid the price for each one of us and we stand in His power. Though we may be physically weak or mentally drained, we can stand up to Satan’s attacks in the power of Christ. To do so, we must allow His Spirit to live within us and to empower us.

I pray we all know we can stand up to Satan’s attacks. I pray we allow Christ’s Spirit to empower and strengthen us in our time of weakness. I pray each one of us will continually ask the Holy Spirit to take charge of our lives and guide in the path of righteousness. Be prepared for Satan’s attacks. Be empowered by Christ’s Spirit. Live by the Holy Spirit.

Luke 4:1-2 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tested by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over he was famished.

Worship God With Action

What do you worship? Who do you worship? As Christians, our immediate answer is that we worship God. But do we? Is worshiping God truly our top priority? If so, why are there so many hungry? Why are there so many homeless? Why do some not feel comfortable in a church?

We cannot worship God and not do the same work Jesus did when He walked this earth. Jesus’ only altercations came against the religious elite. He fed the hungry. He healed the sick. He cared for the marginalized. He forgave the sinners. He encouraged the downtrodden.

We have the same mission. Sure, we can point to Jesus’ great commission as our mission, but making disciples means doing what Jesus did. He had followers because of how He treated people. He had followers because He loved everyone He met, even the religious elite He tangled with. His love showed through in everything He did.

We must show Jesus’ love to everyone we meet. That means stopping the petty squabbling and working together to share His love with one another. Loving one another is not about words but about actions. It is about attitude. It is about forgiveness—true forgiveness and not lip service.

To worship God is more than singing a few hymns, hearing Scripture read, and hearing a sermon given. It is more than an hour on Sunday morning. True worship occurs every moment of every day. It infiltrates our soul. It exudes from our being. True worship fills our hearts and minds with God at all times.

I pray we all choose to worship God. I pray we choose to love like Jesus loves. I pray each one of us will show the love of Jesus through our actions and to everyone we encounter. Worship God. Love like Jesus loves. Show Jesus’ love to everyone. Ask God to fill your heart and mind with his Spirit.

Luke 4:8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, 

‘Worship the Lord your God, 

and serve only him.’ ”

He Won’t Give Up

Have you ever faced an unrelenting foe? Has there been someone who would not stop attacking you? Is there someone in your life right now who does everything they possibly can to trip you up? Would you believe there is someone who has always been seeking your failure.

We all encounter someone during our lives who desires to see us fail. They may be an archnemesis. They may be hounding you right now. You may have overcome them or moved on, so they are no longer in your life. Yet, there is an enemy we all have in common.

Satan continually seeks our downfall. He tempts us at every opportune time. He may leave us alone for a short period of time, but he hasn’t given up. His goal is to cause us to fail. But what is failure? Failure is turning against God. Denying God exists. Being angry enough to curse God. Being disobedient to God. All of them at any time.

How do we know Satan will return to tempt us? Take the lesson from his encounter with Jesus. When Jesus had been in the wilderness for forty days without eating, Satan came after Him. When Jesus was able to withstand Satan’s attacks, Satan left Him. Yet, Satan would return when there was an opportune time. We can reasonably assume Satan was whispering in Jesus’ ear when He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.

If Satan returns when there is an opportunity, we can be confident he will return when we least expect it. He will return when we are weak. He will return when he can catch us off guard, when we are most vulnerable. We must be prepared for those attacks. The only way to be prepared is to have God’s Word in our hearts and minds to ward him off.

I pray we all know that Satan will seek to cause us to fail. I pray we learn the lesson from Jesus’ encounter with Satan. I pray each one of us will prepare ourselves for Satan’s attacks by having God’s Word in our hearts and minds. Know Satan will attack. Be prepared for Satan’s attacks.

Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.