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.

Combating Satan

Do you like to be fooled? Do you do your best to avoid being made a fool? If you are going to a job interview, do you research the company and position to prepare yourself to answer questions? Are you applying that process to other aspects of your life?

May I be so bold as to say we do not like being made a fool? We don’t like looking foolish in front of others. If we are seeking a job promotion, we will not only work hard but will seek to learn the position we are striving to achieve. Yet, we do not always do that in all aspects of our lives.

Satan likes to make fools of us. He even tried to make a fool of Jesus. Notice there are three sentences in today’s passage. In Luke chapter 4, Jesus has been in the wilderness for forty days fasting. He is physically weak. Satan comes to tempt Him. In Satan’s final temptation, he quotes Scripture—specifically Psalm 91:11-12. However, he doesn’t quote verse 13.

Jesus knows Scripture. He knows verse 13. Yet, Jesus doesn’t quote verse 13. Instead, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16. Both Jesus and Satan know that verse 13 is the promise that that God’s people will overcome Satan because God will deliver them out of Satan’s hands. But so many of us fall for Satan’s schemes. Why? We don’t know Scripture as thoroughly as we should.

There are many in this world who will search the Scriptures to find a passage they can twist to mean what they want it to mean. They will use it to trip us up. How do we combat their approach? We must know Scripture more thoroughly. We must understand the context of passages. We need to understand God’s larger plan and see the larger picture to properly interpret Scripture and respond to those who attempt to make fools of us.

I pray we all know that Satan seeks to trip us up. I pray we spend time studying Scripture. I pray each one of us see the larger picture and interpret Scripture properly to combat Satan’s schemes. Study Scripture. Understand God’s plan. See the larger Scripture. Combat Satan’s schemes.

Psalm 91:11-13

For he will command his angels concerning you 

to guard you in all your ways. 

On their hands they will bear you up, 

so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. 

You will tread on the lion and the adder; 

the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

Give Jesus the Credit

Do you like to have others recognize your good deeds? Do you tell others about the good things you do so they will praise you? Have you considered others may grow tired of hearing you brag about yourself? Do you have a “holier than thou” attitude? Should you rid yourself of it?

Most of us like to get a pat on the back for doing something well from time-to-time. Yet, we should not brag about everything we do. We likely know someone who brags a lot and grow weary of hearing them do so. We tire of their attitude of thinking they are above others.

Jesus tells us not to have a “holier than thou” attitude. He tells us not to look down our noses at others. He tells us not to think higher of ourselves than others. He tells us not judge others. All of this is wrapped in His statement in today’s passage. He doesn’t tell us not to be righteous or strive for righteousness. We simply are not to believe it is our doing, rather be humble and know that our righteousness comes from Him.

In no way is Jesus saying we should not speak to others about Him nor what He has done in our lives. We simply are not to do so by bragging about ourselves. We are to tell our story of redemption and change while giving all the credit to Jesus. We can be excited and should be. We can be joyous, celebratory, and grateful, all while being humble. It is an attitude of the heart that comes by recognizing our hope and salvation comes from Jesus, rather than anything we have done. So, praise Jesus and give Him the credit, thanking Him for His wondrous grace and mercy.

I pray we all give up our “holier than thou” attitudes. I pray we praise Jesus for His amazing grace and mercy. I pray each one of us joyously and humbly give Jesus the credit for our hope and salvation. Have a humble attitude. Praise Jesus for His grace and mercy. Celebrate your hope and salvation that comes from Jesus.

Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

Repent Like David

Have you ever done something so bad you thought you could never be forgiven? Do you wonder if forgiveness is real? Is it hard for you to believe that God can and will forgive you? Have you asked God to forgive you? Have you poured out your broken heart to him?

Forgiveness can be hard to believe. After all, we see grudges being held in our culture and vengeance being meted out. If we have done something wrong in our jobs, it can be held against us for a long time and may keep us from receiving a promotion.

Psalm 51 was written by King David after the prophet Nathan had revealed his sin to him. He had wrongly slept with Bathsheba, gotten her pregnant, plotted to cover it up by having her husband come back from battle to sleep with her, and had him killed when we refused. Nathan came to David and revealed his sin to him at God’s behest.

David’s world came crashing down around him. Because of his selfishness and deceitfulness, God punished him by taking his youngest son from him. David broke. He pleaded with God not to take his son. He mourned over his sin. He wrote Psalm 51 to express his brokenness and need for God to forgive him. We know God forgave him for David is called a man after God’s own heart. Not because of his sin, but because he turned his heart to God.

We, too, can turn our heart to God. In our brokenness, we can turn away from our sin and ask God to forgive us. If we are giving our heart to God, we can trust that he will forgive us, just as he did David. It is unfortunate that we often must hit rock bottom to turn to God. We would be much better off if we would learn lessons from others who have had experiences we would rather avoid. So, learn the lesson of David and turn your heart to God.

I pray we all turn from our sin and ask God for forgiveness. I pray we learn the lesson of David. I pray each one of us will trust in God’s grace and mercy, trusting him to forgive us of our sin. Turn your heart to God. Confess your sin. Ask God to forgive you. Trust in God’s mercy. Know he will forgive you.

Psalm 51:1-2

Have mercy on me, O God, 

according to your steadfast love; 

according to your abundant mercy, 

blot out my transgressions. 

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, 

and cleanse me from my sin.

Turn It Over to God

Are there things you know you need to turn away from? Are there things you are doing that you need to stop? Do you need to turn your brokenness over to God? Do you know how you can do that? Have you found it difficult to do? Are you willing to give it another try?

At some point during our lives, we do things we know we shouldn’t. Perhaps there is something you are wrestling with right now. Maybe there is some form of addition that has a hold on you. Or it may be a specific behavior that you know is not pleasing to God.

God is always calling out to us to repent of anything that is displeasing to him. We can demonstrate our commitment by fasting and mourning over our addiction or behavior. We can turn to God and ask him to remove from us. But it is not easy to do. It may require us to go to him multiple times. Our heart may need to break over it to cause us to truly turn it over to God.

When we return to God, he is gracious. He sheds his grace on us. He blesses us with what we need. He also shows us mercy. He grants us forgiveness. And through his mercy, he blesses us by cleaning our hearts. He shows us his amazing love by caring for us. He wraps his arms around us and pulls us in. He will withdraw any punishment we may deserve when we turn our hearts back to him.

I pray we all turn our hearts over to God. I pray we give him the heavy load we are carrying. I pray each one of us will accept God’s grace, mercy, and love and allow him to wrap us in his arms. Turn your heart over to God. Give your cares to God. Accept God’s grace. Accept God’s mercy. Accept God’s love.

Joel 2:12-13

Yet even now, says the Lord, 

return to me with all your heart, 

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 

rend your hearts and not your clothing. 

Return to the Lord your God, 

for he is gracious and merciful, 

slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, 

and relenting from punishment.