All the Same

Do you feel like others look down you? Do you look down on others? Have you realized you are equal to everyone else and everyone else is equal to you? Do you know that we all are the same in the eyes of God? Have you allowed that to sink into your heart and mind?

This world is full of people who think they are better than others. Many of them are in our workplaces, schools, and other organizations. Unfortunately, some of them are in our churches. But God does not see any one of us as being better than another.

We all agree we are sinners and need God’s grace. We all agree that Jesus died for each one of us. Yet, we often look at others as being less than we are. How unfortunate. Not only for them but for ourselves as well. We lose out on getting to know many people, who God created, by thinking we are better than others.

The Apostle Paul tells us that because we are all baptized into Christ, we are all clothed the same, that being in Christ. We are all same in God’s eyes. It doesn’t matter our race, gender, nor our occupation. God uses those qualities and skills to further his work on earth. After all, he is the one who gave them to us. Yet, we are not to use them to think we are better than those with different qualities. See one another as equals and seek to learn something from one another.

I pray we all know that we are the same in God’s eyes. I pray we know that God uses our differences to further his work. I pray each one of us stop thinking we are better than others. We are all the same in God’s eyes. God uses our differences. Stop looking down on others.

Galatians 3:27-28 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

Law vs Faith

How well do you fall every law in the nation, state, and local area in which you live? Are there some laws you ignore? Do you attempt to obey them all? Have you found it near impossible to obey every law? Have you considered the consequences for breaking a law?

Obeying every law in the land is difficult to do. Some of them seem downright silly in our minds. For instance, in Alabama it is illegal to drive blindfolded. None of us would consider doing (other than a teenage practical joke), but we may consider texting while driving.

Here is another example of a law we might ignore: in Maryland it is illegal to wear sleeveless shirts in a public park. Really? What if you take your shirt off? Silly, right? But most laws are put in place for safety and for good order, while others are instituted to support government operations. Though we may think some are silly, someone thought they were necessary and received enough votes in congress to make them laws.

The same is not true of God’s laws. The laws he gave the Israelites were solely his. Yet, they were for their safety and good order. They were laws that included everyday living as well as directions for worship. God gave his law to Moses to be passed to the Israelites. Those first ten commandments are still valid today, thousands of years later.

But when Jesus came, He fulfilled the law of God perfectly. His sacrifice eliminated the need for sacrifices. His sacrifice made faith in Him what saves us rather than perfectly obeying the law. Sure, we should do our best to obey God’s commands, but when we fall short, we are forgiven by the blood of Jesus. It is God’s love for us and love for him that makes our lives complete.

I pray we all seek to obey God’s commands. I pray we put our faith in Jesus Christ. I pray each one of us love God with our whole heart and know that God will forgive us when we fall short. Obey God’s commands. Put your faith in Jesus. Love God with your whole heart. God will forgive you.

Galatians 3:23-24 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be reckoned as righteous by faith.

As the Deer

What do you long for? Is it financial success? Is it prestige and fame? Is it a spouse? Is it a close friend to lean on? Whatever it is you desire, it will consume your time and effort to achieve it. For it is the heart’s desire that drives us. It will drive us to commit ourselves to it.

There is a hymn written by Martin Nystrom named As the Deer. It contains beautiful lyrics. It restates the first two verses of Psalm 42 this way: As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you. We can envision this panting and seeking of water by the deer.

The second sentence of the hymn states: You alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship you. If we can say our heart’s desire is for God, we will pursue him. We will do whatever we can within our power to get to know him better. We will study his Word, ask him to reveal the meaning of it, and apply it to our lives.

There is a difference between wanting something and desiring something. I may want a candy bar, but I may not eat one because I know it is not healthy for me. However, if I allow my want to become a desire, I will that candy bar regardless of how good or bad it is for me. The desire supersedes every other thought.

The same is true for desiring to know God. If we truly desire to know him, that desire will supersede our wanting to do something else. It will drive us into action. Not only will we gain more knowledge of God but our worship of him will be deeper. For as we better know God, we better understand just how much we need him. When we realize just how lost we are without him, we praise him more and are more thankful. So, we should make God our desire.

I pray we all long to know God better. I pray we allow our desire to overtake us and drive us to action. I pray each one of long to worship God more deeply and make him the object of our desire. Seek to know God better. Act on your desire to know God. Worship God deeper.

Psalm 42:1-2

As a deer longs for flowing streams, 

so my soul longs for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, 

for the living God.

God’s Plan

Yesterday, we saw how Elijah the prophet was ready to give up and had asked God to take him. But that was not the end of Elijah. Our God of immense patience heard Elijah’s cry, but he was not done with him. God had more for Elijah to do and was about to send him on his way.

We may be like Elijah at times. We may be ready to give up. Yet, God often has something else in mind. There are other works he wants us to carry out. It boils down to whether we are willing to continue in God’s will or we decide to give up despite God having something for us to do.

Though God did not show himself to Elijah in this instance he spoke to Elijah. But notice what happened before God gave Elijah instructions on what he was to do. There was a strong wind, an earthquake, and fire. In today’s language, we might say a might storm occurred. Though these may have been physical events for Elijah, we can treat them metaphorically for us.

We face storms in our lives. Some are stronger than others. They come in various forms. There are broken relationships, lost jobs, financial struggles, health issues, and you name your storm. God did not speak in the storm, though he provided Elijah safety and shelter to weather the storm. God spoke in the silence that followed the storm. This is true in many of our own situations.

God did not abandon Elijah, nor will he abandon us, even if we don’t hear or see him in the midst of the storm. However, it is after the storm that we often hear from God. There is a lesson to be learned from our experience in the storm and God’s direction for us to follow. It is often the storm that prepares us for God’s use. The remaining question is, will we or will we not choose to obey God?

I pray we all trust that God is with us in our storms. I pray we listen for God’s direction following the storm. I pray each one of us chooses to obey God and proceed down the path he shows us. Trust God in your storm. Listen for God’s direction. Obey God. Follow his path for you.

1 Kings 19:11-12 He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

Ready to Give Up

Have you ever been ready to give? Have you been so low you just wanted it all to end? Have you tossed your hands in the air and declared it all over? Did your declaration end it? Or did it continue? Were you plans for ending everything changed inexplicably?

There are times when we want to give up. We are down in the dumps with nothing going our way. We’re ready to throw in the towel. We simply want the whole thing to go away. Yet, it doesn’t. Then, suddenly, something changes, and everything is much better.

Elijah had that kind of experience. Yes, that Elijah. A great prophet of God. He had a time so tough that he ran away, hid in an out of the way place, and asked God to simply take his life. He had been threatened to be cut into pieces. In fact, King Ahab had stated he would hunt Elijah down and he would not live another day. Elijah, like most of us, did not want to face that kind of pain.

As Elijah lay down under a tree, he asked God to take his life. He knew it would not be as painful as King Ahab had planned for him. He knew God could simply cause him to stop breathing. He was ready to give up being a prophet of God. He was ready to stop doing what God had called him to do. Yet, God was not done with him. We will see what God has in store for Elijah tomorrow.

I pray we all look to God when we face tough times. I pray we ask God to help us through those situations. I pray each one of us trust that God has our good in mind as he walks with us through tough times. Look to God. Ask God for help. Trust God in all situations.

1 Kings 19:4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.”

Everyday Father

What does it mean to be a good father? Is it more difficult in today’s culture than it was decades ago? Who do we model being a good father after? Do we use our own earthly father as a role model? How can we use God as our model for being a good father?

Being a good father is challenging and a work in progress. Some of us may have had bad father influences growing up. Others may have had good father influences. Yet, each of us must make our own choice regarding the type of father we will be.

I had a good Dad, even if not a man who followed Jesus. He worked hard to provide for my two sisters and I. He wasn’t always at our events due to working, but he made the ones he could. We weren’t abused. Yet, he had his faults. I saw those as I grew up and committed to myself not to repeat those.

Jesse was a property owner. He owned a flock of sheep and a home. His sons helped tend the sheep, including the youngest, David. He was also considered a righteous man. How do we know? He was invited by the prophet Samuel, at God’s direction, to participate in a sacrifice and the following celebratory meal.

Was Jesse perfect? No. We know that no man is perfect. Yet, Jesse had done the best he knew how to provide for his family and worship God. For those of us today who want to be good fathers, all we can do is the same. We are to love our wives and families, and be the example of worshiping God for them.

I pray we all choose to worship God. I pray we seek good examples to emulate in our lives. I pray each one of us love our families, teach them about Jesus, and provide a good example of worshiping God. Worship God. Follow good examples. Love your family. Teach them about Jesus.

1 Samuel 16:3 “Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do, and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.”

Freely Given

Do you like to give things away? Or do you prefer to sell what you no longer use to make a buck? What about advice? Are you willing to give wise counsel to others? Even to the co-worker you don’t like? Do you enjoy instructing others so they can be more productive?

Giving things away can be difficult for us. Especially, if it is material possessions. We are sure they are worth something, and we want to be paid for them. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with selling possessions. However, it is the motive that can make it wrong.

Giving away wise counsel and instruction can also be difficult for us. Especially, if there is a co-worker we do not like who needs it. Or if we think our advice will help them move up the ladder faster than us. We fail to remember that it is not about us. There is something far bigger at stake. It may be our wise counsel that allows the larger organization to be successful.

The same is true of sharing our faith and understanding about God. We are to share to expand God’s kingdom. It is not about us but God. Plus, we must remember that God has shared with us for this very purpose. Jesus tells His disciples that the Holy Spirit will share with them what He wants them to know. He freely gave to them and freely gives to us a deeper understanding of God, if we are open to hear it.

Jesus freely gave His life for us. He continues to freely give us the knowledge and understanding we need to increase our faith. In both cases, we must be willing to accept it. In the latter case, we are to share what God has blessed us with, whether material possessions or knowledge of God’s kingdom. God has blessed us so we can bless others.

I pray we all know that Jesus freely gives to us. I pray we are willing to accept His gifts. I pray each one of us will share the good news of Jesus and the knowledge of the kingdom of God. Jesus freely gave to you. Accept His wonderful gifts. Share your blessings with others.

John 16:14-15 “He will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

Quietly Listen

Do you ever feel lost? Do you feel like you are groping along in the dark? Do you feel left out, as the only one who does not know? Do you have questions that you never seem to get answers for? Would you like to know what the future holds for you? What if you could have it?

There are times in our lives when we feel lost. We feel as though we are in a fog or sludge or maybe even being kept in the dark. We feel like an outsider, like others know something we don’t. We search for answers and don’t find them. We can’t forecast tomorrow, let alone next week.

But what if we could get the answers we seek and be confident in our future. No, we may not know who we will marry or how many kids we will have or what job we will be working in ten years. What we can know is that we have a God who cares for us. We can know he will always be with us—through the hard times and the good times, until we are no longer on this earth.

How do we get this knowledge? By listening to the Holy Spirit. That may sound simple, and yet it is not. We must train ourselves to listen to him. We must learn to ask the question and be silent. We must discipline ourselves to turn off the television, the computer, and put down our smart phones. It requires us to spend quiet time with God to hear the Holy Spirit speak to us.

How do I know? I have been there, done that. I have experienced it work over and over. Spending quiet time does not mean sitting in a dark corner. It can be the time you spend mowing your yard. It can be your exercise time. It can be your drive work, if you turn off the radio. It can also be sitting quietly on your couch or in a chair with no distractions. It is in this quiet time that your answers will come through the Holy Spirit.

I pray we all seek answers to our questions. I pray we strive to hear the Holy Spirit speak to us. I pray each one of us will spend quiet time asking our questions and listening for the Holy Spirit to answer us. Ask your questions. Be quiet and listen. Trust God to send the answers through the Holy Spirit.

John 16:13 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

Afflictions Mold Us

How do you react when you are faced with some type of trouble? What is your reaction to a medical issue? How do you feel when someone shuns you? Do you get depressed when facing financial difficulties? Have you ever thought your troubles are molding you?

Any type of trouble we face causes a reaction of some sort. We might call those troubles afflictions. They can cause us to be angry, depressed, frustrated, hurt, stressed, and even wonder why we exist at all, depending on the trouble we are facing.

But those afflictions may be molding us, refining us into the person God wants us to be. Now, make no mistake, God does not send the troubles our way, but he does use them to make us a better person, if we are willing. Those afflictions will produce in us an endurance. Not the endurance of a long-distance runner, but an endurance that allows us to remain standing throughout the situation.

Endurance builds and strengthens our character. Some of the strongest characters ever built lived through the great depression. That strong character then gives us hope. We discover that with God we can withstand anything. We carry that hope into every situation. The stronger our character, the deeper our hope. And that hope is the belief and trust in God’s promises. Through all of it, we witness the love God has for us as he provides for our needs.

I pray we all view our afflictions differently. I pray we endure our hardships and our character is strengthened. I pray each one of us have a deep hope in God and always trust in his promises. Endure your hardships. Allow God to build your character. Put your hope in God. Trust God’s promises.

Romans 5:3-5 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Hope In Glory

Faith. Justification. Peace. Grace. Hope. Glory. Don’t those sound like wonderful things? Wouldn’t you like to have all of them? Do you know that you can? Wonder how they are accessible to you? The first step is asking God to give them to.

We may think our faith is ours, but we would only be partially correct. True, we must believe. Yes, we decide to trust God. But it is God who adds to our faith, strengthening it and us along with it. For God strengthens us as we call out to him (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

As we put our faith in Jesus, we are justified. That justification guarantees us eternal life with God. Not only should that justification bring us peace, but we have peace as we live in Jesus Christ. Why do we have it? The grace of God. It is as we stand in God’s amazing grace that we acquire our faith, that it is strengthened by him, that we are justified, and we have peace. 

The hope we have is not wishful thinking but a belief that God will deliver on his promises. Our hope is that Jesus came to be our Savior, and we are granted eternal life. It is a hope that brings us great joy and confidence, knowing this world cannot take it away from us. And our hope is knowing we will share in the glory of God. Yes, we will share in the same glory as God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

I pray we all ask God to strengthen our faith. I pray we thank Jesus for our justification and peace. I pray each one of us are thankful for God’s grace, boast in our hope, and know we will share the glory of God. Strengthen your faith. Thank God for his grace. Hope in the glory of God.

Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.