Who Am I?

Have you mistakenly thought the wrong thing about someone? Have you misidentified their personality, their makeup, their character? What did you do once you discovered your mistake? Did you correct your opinion of them? Did you change how you reacted to them?

We can mistakenly misidentify a person’s character. Perhaps they present an initial impression that is misleading. We may have first seen them on a bad day. Or we may listen to other’s opinions which cause misperceptions. But are we willing to correct our first impression of them?

Perhaps you have been shunned by someone who has had an initial bad impression of you. Maybe you had a bad day when they first met you. You might have been off your game, not feeling well, or distracted by thoughts of a dire circumstance. We have heard we only get one chance to make a first impression. Though that is true for each of us, it is also true for everyone we meet. Yet, we all need to be willing to wait to formulate our full opinion of the person.

Jesus asked His disciples who other people were saying He was. They provided some interesting answers, all of them incorrect. We, too, can be incorrect in our understanding of who Jesus is. And if not completely incorrect, we may fail to have a full understanding of who He is, even if we confess Him to be our Savior.

To fully comprehend who Jesus is, we must step outside of human norms. We must see with spiritual eyes. We must use our imagination to see beyond the physical. We must think on a far grander scale than we see in our daily lives. Jesus is unlike any other human who has walked this earth. He is both fully human and fully divine. We all should reevaluate who we think Jesus is, realizing He is greater than anyone we have ever met.

I pray we all seek to better understand who Jesus is. I pray we see Him through spiritual eyes. I pray each one of us will spend time pondering who Jesus is and ask God to fully reveal Him to us. Reevaluate who Jesus is. Gain a deeper understanding of Him. Know He is greater than anyone you know.

Mark 8:27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”

Bless and Curse

Do you know of anything that accomplishes opposites in the blink of an eye? Can a pump switch from oil to water that quickly? Can a flower go from dying to thriving that quickly? Can a car go from 0 to 60 with the snap of the fingers or vice versa? The answer is no to all of them.

Though we cannot create anything that accomplishes opposite things in the blink of an eye, we accomplish it ourselves. In one breath we speak blessings and in the next breath we curse someone. We think one thing and then another faster than we can take the next breath.

James tells us this should not be so. As followers of Jesus, we are not to tarnish our minds nor our mouths with such behavior. This not to say we are to be unrealistically happy every moment of every day. However, we are to realize that cursing another is not following Jesus. Read through the gospels. Look for Jesus to do what we do. You will not find it.

If we are going to follow Jesus and put our best effort into it, we cannot continue to think we can curse others. Though Jesus called the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes hard hearted and foolish, He did not curse them. No, He was striving to get them to understand who He is and to have a change of heart.

Changes of heart do not come after being cursed. Changes of heart do come after being blessed. We need to turn off the cursing spigot and turn the blessing spigot on full blast. That is not only following Jesus, but it is the way we will change this world. As our behavior becomes one of continual blessing, we will have the positive impact on our world that we desire.

I pray we all stop cursing others. I pray we decide to bless others every chance we get. I pray each one of us will choose to follow Jesus and work to change our world in a positive way. Stop cursing others. Bless others. Be a blessing to others. Follow Jesus. Change the world positively.

James 3:10-11 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water?

Tongue of Fire

Have you said things you regret later? Were you able to recover and correct it later? Were they divisive and hateful words? Were you able to ask for forgiveness and reconcile later? Have you had others say hateful words to you? Have you forgiven them?

When we say things we wish we hadn’t, we can’t take them back. We can’t undo them. The hurtful and hateful words cannot be erased no matter what we do. The best we can hope for is the other person will forgive us and we reconcile the relationship.

How do we avoid saying things we wish we hadn’t? Rather than speaking what immediately comes to mind, stop, think, and be cautious about what we say. We also need to make it part of our inner being to love one another. Jesus commands us to love our neighbor. When we love one another in the same way Jesus loves us, our love will drive what we say.

We can still speak truth. We can tell people hard truths. But we will do so in such a way that they can feel the love we have for them. Because of the love we have for them, we won’t spew the hateful and hurtful words that only come from evil thoughts. Our words will come from a pure heart that cares for others and seeks to serve Jesus.

James makes no bones about our tongues. He states they are fire. They speak iniquity. Our tongues stain our entire bodies. They set off a fire of hell that creates divisions through hurtful language. We can only control it by learning to love as Jesus loves. We would do good to spend more time listening and less time talking.

I pray we all seek to control our tongues. I pray we recognize it stains us and causes harm when we speak hateful words. I pray each one of us learn to love one another as Jesus loves us. Control your tongue. Know it stains you. Know it harms others. Love as Jesus loves. Speak in love.

James 3:5b-6 How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Teach Well

Do you like to teach? Do you enjoy providing people with information they did not have before? Do you like providing useful information that will help people? Have you ever made a mistake when teaching? Have you misspoken, whether accidentally or knowingly?

Teaching is an honorable profession. Most of us teach at some point, whether we realize it or not. We teach our children. We teach our grandchildren. We teach people we work with. We may even teach people we meet in the grocery store. Teaching occurs every day.

James cautions us against becoming teachers. Why? Teachers are held to a higher standard. When teachers make mistakes, many people point out the mistakes. Yet, we all make mistakes. But James is speaking to teaching about God. Making mistakes when teaching about God is more egregious than making mistakes when teaching about cooking.

When we teach, and we will, we are to ensure that what we teach is correct. We need to ensure we know the subject we are teaching thoroughly. When we teach, we need to be precise. We also need to ensure we not only teach but challenge people to think for themselves. We need to encourage them to come up with new ideas. At the same time, we should hold ourselves accountable for proper teaching.

I pray we all ensure we teach correctly. I pray we know that teaching is held to a higher standard. I pray each one of us will challenge those we teach to think for themselves. Teach correctly. Know you are held to a higher standard. Challenge your students. Teach them to think for themselves.

James 3:1-2 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle.

Stand Amazed

What amazes you? Are you amazed every day? Or do you walk through your day without seeing anything amazing? Do you look up at the stars at night in wonder? Or do you remain confined to your home? Are you in awe at the growth of plants. Or do you fail to see them with open eyes?

We take a lot for granted. We fail to notice the blooms on the dogwood trees in the spring or the rich colors of fall. We do not see the beauty of cloud formations or the intricate flight of the hummingbird. Out eyes are blinded by the regularity of the amazing sights all around us.

If we are willing to slow down, even for just a few moments, we can see the amazing handiwork of God. When we see it, the proper reaction is to give God the glory for his creation. When we take a few moments to think about the innumerable plants, creatures, and stars in the sky, we cannot help but be amazed.

I typically run three days per week. Those morning runs are a time for me to observe God’s creation and spend time in prayer. Though I often see the same things, I also try to take notice of what is different. I have seen deer, racoons, rabbits, squirrels, cows with calves, dogs, cats, all kinds of birds, and even a snake. Sometimes, on a clear night, I will step outside and simply gaze at the stars. Noticing each one and the differences in them help me see God’s amazing handiwork.

The more we notice, the more amazed we are. God has created every creature, plant, and star we see. We can also notice the differences in each person God has created. People watching is a favorite hobby of mine. I often wonder why they do the things they do, then I think, “God created each one of them, he gave them their DNA.” Each time I slow down to notice, I am amazed by God’s creative nature.

I pray we all slow down and notice God’s creation. I pray we give God the glory for his creation. I pray each one of us is amazed at the variety and creativity seen in the creatures, plants, and stars of God’s creation. Slow down. Notice God’s creation. Give God the glory. Be amazed.

Psalm 19:1

The heavens are telling the glory of God; 

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

Wisdom and Foolishness

Do you seek out wisdom? Or do you scoff at those who do? Do you listen for wise speeches? Or do you turn your back on them? Do you accumulate knowledge? Or do you foolishly turn away from it. Do you think about God’s Word? Or do you focus solely on worldly things?

Wisdom does not come easy. It does not fall into our lap. Wisdom requires us to work for it. We not only must gather some knowledge, but we must use our minds to ponder the knowledge we have accumulated. As much as many of us may dislike it, wisdom also requires logic.

The logic required to be wise is not simple, worldly logic. It requires God’s logic, which does not always line up with worldly logic. The world may be telling us to go in one direction while God is telling us to go in another. The wise person will follow God’s logic, his wisdom to pursue the best path for our families.

The writer of proverbs personifies wisdom as a lady crying out in the streets, seeking people to come to her. Yet, so many walk away, ignoring her cry, scoffing at the possibility of becoming wise. Why? They think they already know enough. They falsely think they are in control. They falsely think they know the best option for themselves.

God calls out to us every day. He calls and waits for us to turn to him. We can play the fool and turn away. Or we can be wise and turn to him and listen to him. Wisdom will lead us to an abundant life and an eternity spent with God. Foolishness will lead us to eternal torment separated from God. We need to make the wise choice and turn to God.

I pray we all seek wisdom. I pray we spend time reading God’s Word, learning about him. I pray each one of us set aside the foolishness of the world for the wisdom of God. Seek God’s wisdom. Read God’s Word. Meditate on God’s Word. Turn away from worldly wisdom. Turn to God.

Proverbs 1:20-22

Wisdom cries out in the street; 

in the squares she raises her voice. 

At the busiest corner she cries out; 

at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: 

 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? 

How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing 

and fools hate knowledge?”

Ask Out of Love

What do you do with love? How do you show your love? Do you show your love by caring for other people? Is your love deep enough to ask for help? Do you love God enough to ask him to guide you down the path he would have you go?

As we love, we show others that we love. We show it by caring for others. We show it by doing for others. We show our love in many ways without speaking a word. Yet, our love for God can sometimes be overlooked by us and others.

When we love Jesus and love the Father, we can go to the Father to ask for his help. When we know that God loves us even more than we love him, we can trust that he has our best interest at heart. It is knowing God has that kind of love for us that we can trust him. But do we really trust him?

Jesus tells us that we can go directly to the Father because of God’s love for us. It is also because of what Jesus has done for us. Jesus loves us so much that He asked the Father to send his Holy Spirit to be with us always. Because the Father loves us and loves Jesus, he granted His request.

It is an enormous privilege to go to God the Father personally to ask for his guidance, help, and provision. We can go to him confidently because of his love for us and our love for Jesus. So, go to the Father in prayer, asking for his help.

I pray we all love Jesus. I pray we know God the Father loves us. I pray each one of us will go to the Father to ask for his guidance, help, and provision. Love Jesus with all your heart. Know that God the Father loves you. Believe in Jesus. Believe Jesus is from God. Ask God out of love for him. 

John 16:26-27 “On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”

Ask for the Unheard Of

Yesterday, I mentioned asking for the impossible. Consider this a continuation. We simply do not ask for the things we don’t believe can be done. Yet, we serve a God who is powerful enough to do anything, even those things we believe cannot be done.

Why don’t we ask? As I mentioned yesterday, a significant reason is out of fear. Fear that God won’t grant our prayer. Fear that God can’t do it. Fear of getting our hopes up and being let down. Even fear that God may do it, and we won’t know how to handle it.

Another reason we don’t ask is we are not always sure we want it. We think we want it. We may believe we want it. But there is a small bit of doubt nagging at the back of our mind. We waffle back and forth. We want to ask, then we don’t want to ask. We think it would be a good thing, then we rethink it.

But here’s the thing. God wants to hear our requests. He wants us to bring it all to him. He wants to hear our worries. He wants to hear our joys. And he wants to hear our desires, even those we believe to be impossible.

We see Jesus heal a man who was deaf and could not speak plainly. The man’s friends brought him to Jesus. The begged Jesus to lay His hands on the man. Since the man could not ask for healing, his friends did it for him. So, we can ask God to do the impossible for our friends as well.

I pray we all ask God for our desires. I pray we ask him for the hard things. I pray each one of us will trust that God can do anything and ask him for the impossible. Stop thinking about it. Ask God for the impossible. Trust God can handle it. Ask without fear. Ask with a humble heart.

Mark 7:35 And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.

Ask for the Impossible

What are you willing to ask for from God? Will you ask for something hard? Will you ask for your deepest desire? Will you ask for the impossible? Do you trust God can deliver whatever you ask from him? Will you accept his answer, even if it is no?

We often ask God for things we want, but those wants are not deep desires. We ask God for things we think are hard, but we don’t really believe he will give them to us. We dare not ask for what we think is impossible for fear that God will not grant it, or worse, he can’t.

Fear stops us from approaching God so many times. Think about it. What is it in your life that seems impossible or has in the past and you have not asked for God’s help. If we are honest with ourselves, we all have something we are afraid to ask God for or have had something at some point in our past. If not, we will experience at least one impossible thing during our lives.

A gentile woman came to Jesus to ask Him to cast a demon out of her daughter. She didn’t bring her daughter with her. She knew He was Jewish. Likely, she feared He wouldn’t even see her. Yet, she went. She begged. She argued with Him. In the end, Jesus granted her request, largely because of her persistence and her faith in Him.

We would do well to learn the lesson from this woman. Do not fear going to God with the hard things or the impossible things. Be persistent in asking for what we believe is needed. We need to be desperate in our asking. We should lay our hearts bare to God, making our deepest desires known and trust that he will provide.

I pray we all approach God without fear. I pray we make our deepest desires known to him. I pray each one of us bare our hearts to God and trust him to provide what we need. Have no fear. Go to God. Go with a humble heart. Lay your heart bare. Ask for the impossible.

Mark 7:28-29 But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.”

Dead or Active

What do you put your faith in? Do you have faith in material things or a job? Who do you put your faith in? Do you put your faith in your parents, spouse, children, or friends? How do you demonstrate your faith? Is your faith actionable? Is it alive? Or has your faith faded?

We often put our faith in things we can see and touch. It may be material things, such as our vehicle. Most of us go to our vehicle every morning and trust it will start. We may put faith in our jobs, believing they will always be there. We regularly put our faith in people.

I had put my faith in a job at one time. I thought that I could work that job until I retired. There was more than enough work to keep me busy for years. Then one day, I was unceremoniously fired. God had a different plan for me and, though I knew it, I rediscovered nothing in this world is guaranteed.

Yet, our faith must be an active faith. James tells us that faith, or belief, by itself is dead. If our faith does not cause us to do something, it is not as deep as we might like to believe. He gives the example of taking of someone in need. Helping the poor, homeless, or the hungry are certainly ways our faith can be put into action.

But helping others is not always based on faith. Sometimes we act out of compulsion and our wealth. We have extra and give to the poor. We feel compelled to help at the soup kitchen, because someone at church asked. James is saying our faith cannot come from our wealth. It must come from our trust in God to provide.

We are not fans of James writing what he wrote. We don’t want to hear we must put our faith into action. We like to say we believe but do nothing with it. Yet, Jesus tells us to go make disciples. He gave us a mission, which requires us to put our faith in Him into action. We need to listen for God speaking through his Holy Spirit to us and God using people around us to pose opportunities for us to put or faith into action.

I pray we all put our faith in Jesus Christ. I pray we listen for opportunities to put our faith into action. I pray each one of us will have an active faith that causes us to do the good works God has set aside for us. Put your faith in Jesus. Have an active faith. Go about doing the good works God has for you.

James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.