Repent of a Judgmental Attitude

Do you compare yourself to others? Do you look at the mistakes of others and think you are better than them? Do you think you make better decisions? Have you seriously considered your own mistakes? How do you think God looks at your judgmental attitude toward others?

We love to compare ourselves to others, even if we won’t voice our judgment. We love to think that we are better than others. No one, I repeat, no one is immune to it. We all do it within our own context. It is especially challenging for us as Americans. Our culture seethes with it.

The Jews of Jesus’ day were no different. They had brought the killing of some Galileans up to Jesus with the implication that they were heathens that deserved it. After all, the Galileans were looked upon as low life’s. Jesus brings up an accident in Jerusalem that killed eighteen Jews. In the eyes of those who lived in Jerusalem, these Jews were much more valuable than the Galileans.

Jesus’ response to both situations was exactly the same. He stated to the Jerusalemites who were questioning Him, was that their fate would be the same if they did not repent. Not that Jesus was saying they would be killed by a falling tower but that they would perish eternally. They needed to repent and turn to Him for forgiveness and redemption.

This warning is for us as well. We must stop judging others or thinking ourselves better than others. We must repent and ask God to guide us into a better attitude, one that is nonjudgmental. If we do not, we, too, will perish. When we choose to follow Jesus, this is just of many things we are signing up to do.

I pray we all repent of our judgmental attitudes. I pray we ask God to cleanse us and guide us to a better attitude. I pray each one of us know what we sign up for when we choose to follow Jesus. Repent of your judgmental attitude. Ask God to forgive you. Ask God to guide you. Choose to follow Jesus.

Luke 13:5 “No, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all perish just as they did.”

Facing Tests

What has been your most significant test? What has been your most difficult test? Have you been through times when it feels as though your testing is overwhelming? How have you handling being tested? Have you gutted it out? Have you crumbled? Have you gotten help?

Being tested can be extremely difficult. Depending on what we are experiencing, we may feel like giving up. We may feel as though there is nowhere we can turn for help. But there is someone we can turn to, if only we will decide to do so.

God is always with us and waiting for us to surrender to him. If he is testing us, we are promised that he has provided a way out. He is using the test to strengthen us. His desired result from the test is that our faith is made stronger, that we learn to trust him more.

But we must remember that God is not the only one who may test us. Satan is behind many tests. His goal is much different than God’s. Satan wants us to give up. He wants us to deny God, but holding on to God is and putting our faith in him is the only way to overcome Satan’s tests.

Notice also the Apostle Paul states that the testing we face is common. Though we may think our testing is unique, something no one else has faced before, we are mistaken. That means there is help for us. To find that help, we need to look for it. We need to ask God to guide us to the help we need. Through all our testing, to endure it, we need to hold on to our faith.

I pray we all know the tests we face are common. I pray we know God will provide a way to endure it. I pray each one of us see testing as a way to strengthen us and increase our faith. Testing is common. God will provide a way. God tests us to strengthen us. Hold on to your faith.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

Idle Hands, Idle Minds

Do you have a lot of “down time?” Do you find yourself sitting idle a significant amount of time? Does it create problems for you? Have you made leisure time a higher priority than taking care of what needs to be done? Has leisure time become an idol for you?

Having some leisure time is good for us. We need time to rest and recover from our busy lives. Yet too much leisure time can become problematic. We can become lazy. We can procrastinate, putting off what needs to be done so we do what is fun. We can find ourselves in trouble.

There is a saying, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” When we have nothing to do, we will find something to do. We can replace the word hands with minds. The meaning is the same. It is especially true in today’s culture. All we have to do is observe people and their cell phones. They will often be doing something on their cell phones while they work, watch television, or sitting in a restaurant.

We may think this is new phenomena, but it is not. Though they didn’t have cell phones, the Israelites had the same problem. While wandering through the wilderness, they would find themselves with not much to do when they stayed in one placed for several days. Some of them were tending sheep or cattle, but they were not farming or doing much artisan work. That left them with sleeping, eating, and free time.

The Apostle Paul warns us not to become idolaters and gives the example of the Israelites in the wilderness. Due to their extensive free time, some of them pursued sexual immorality, which became their idol. God struck down twenty-three thousand of them in a single day (1 Corinthians 10:8). We may not follow in their footsteps in the exact same manner, but we will find something to do when we have a lot of time on our hands. We must carefully consider how to spend that time.

I pray we all evaluate how we spend our free time. I pray we are aware that idle time can become problematic. I pray each one of us use our free time to focus on God. Take time to rest. Evaluate your free time. Do not create idols. Set down your cell phones. Use your idle time to focus on God.

1 Corinthians 10:7 Do not become idolaters as some of them did, as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.”

Thirsting for God

How would you describe your desire to seek after God? Is it a sporadic yearning that only occurs when you need his help? Is it an inconsistent, even if often, reaching out to thank him and to make requests? Or is it a continual thirst of asking him to guide your through every situation?

We go through different phases of life and relationship with God. We experience stagnant periods and periods of growth. There are times when we feel as though we are walking through a desert and times of dancing in lush pastures. Through it all, we have a choice to make.

As we walk through life, we can choose to seek God in every moment, or we can attempt to go it alone. Going it alone only works for a while. Eventually, we realize we are headed down the wrong path, something is missing, or we need help to get out of a bad situation. Returning to God gets us back on the right path, fills the hole in our heart, and keeps us out of those bad situations.

If we seek God in every moment, being mindful of him being with us, and following his guidance, we discover the abundant life Jesus promised us. Desiring God to be ever present in our hearts and minds, regardless of the phase of life we are in, satisfies our soul. Keeping God as our top priority brings us peace and joy, and we experience the love of God—his grace pours over us.

I pray we all thirst for God in every moment. I pray we desire to have God flood our hearts and minds. I pray each one of us experience God’s love and amazing grace. Thirst for God. Desire Gove every moment. Ask God to fill your heart and mind. Experience God’s love and grace.

Psalm 63:1

O God, you are my God; I seek you; 

my soul thirsts for you; 

my flesh faints for you, 

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

First Thought and Action

How many times a day, a week, a month do you argue with God? How many times do you think you know what’s better for you than God does? Do you ever find yourself wondering why things didn’t go as you thought they would? Have you seriously considered why?

We like to think we know what’s best. We really do. We fail to ask for advice from older and wiser people. We refuse to see things from someone else’s perspective. We even take this as far as thinking we know better than God. How do I know? Been there, done that, and still do sometimes.

I thank God that I have gotten better at listening, but I know I still have a long way to go. I get reminded of that from time-to-time when I take it upon myself to make a snap decision and things go haywire. In moments like that, I imagine God sitting on his throne and chuckling to himself, and saying, “He did it again.”

God has told us through the prophet Isaiah that his thoughts are higher than ours. You would think after making enough mistakes we might let that statement sink in. Yet, we are hardheaded and refuse to give up our idea of control.

There is a reason God’s ways are higher than ours and his thoughts are higher than ours. After all, he is the Creator of the universe and everything in it. He knows everything that is going on. He knows what every person on earth is doing and thinking. He knows what is best because he sees how we fit into his plan, and he sees how others are planning to trip us up. Our first thought and action should be to ask God for guidance in every situation.

I pray we all realize that God’s thoughts are higher than ours. I pray we allow that thought to sink in. I pray each one of us will make asking God for guidance in every situation our first thought and action. God sees all. God knows all. God’s ways are higher than ours. Ask him for guidance.

Isaiah 55:8-9

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. 

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 

so are my ways higher than your ways 

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Satisfy Your Hunger

Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? What are you hungering for? What will quench your thirst? Do you seek satisfaction? Where are you looking to satisfy your hunger and your thirst? Will you turn from the temporary and seek the permanent? Will you seek satisfaction from God?

Just as we do today, Scripture often uses hungering and thirsting as an analogy for something else. We may say that a team is hungering for a championship. Or that an individual was hungry to achieve a milestone and worked extremely hard to finally achieve it.

Our soul’s hunger and thirst as well. Whether we recognize it or not, whether we admit it or not, our soul has a hunger and thirst that only God can satisfy. Unfortunately, far too many don’t recognize it and some who do will not admit it. They will continue to seek to fill their desires with many earthly things in many ways. They will make excuses for one way not working and try another.

If we are willing to recognize God is the only one who can satisfy our hunger and thirst, our soul’s desire, we can begin to seek fulfillment from him. As we seek fulfillment from God and begin experiencing his blessing through his amazing grace, we experience a fulfillment beyond our imagination.

Just as God promises through the prophet Isaiah, we can go to God with nothing to give and purchase what we need. God seeks only our heart. He seeks only our devotion to him. We cannot buy God’s grace with money nor material things. Yet, when we fully give our heart to him, we realize all that we have belongs to him anyway.

I pray we all take our hunger and thirst to God. I pray we recognize that God is the only one who can satisfy. I pray each one of us will admit God can satisfy and fully give our hearts to him. Take your hunger to God. Take your thirst to God. Know that God can satisfy. Give God your whole heart.

Isaiah 55:1

Hear, everyone who thirsts; 

come to the waters; 

and you who have no money, 

come, buy and eat! 

Come, buy wine and milk 

without money and without price.

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.