Chosen

Do you sometimes feel as though you have been left alone? Do you feel like you are fighting an uphill battle? Do you feel abandoned? Or do you feel called? Do you feel chosen?

There are times when this world can feel like a foreign place to us. We may feel as though we are all alone. We may feel like we have been left on an island by ourselves. We may feel as though the battle of life is simply too much.

Though we may feel like that at times, as people who have answered the call of Christ, we can be assured that we are not alone. We know Jesus promised to never leave us. We know He promised the Holy Spirit. And yet that intellectual knowledge can seem distant or hollow.

Jesus states that we are chosen. Chosen by Him. Since we are chosen, not only is He always with us but we have brothers and sisters in Christ who are with us as well. We are part of a larger family, even if we sometimes forget.

As the chosen, God desires us to be in closer relationship with him. He desires that we show the world who he is. He desires us to tell the world of his Son. As we become closer to God and carry out his will for our lives, we discover we are far from being alone. We discover the family of God and enter into a new understanding of how God is working all around us.

I pray we all realize we have been chosen. I pray we know in our heart that we are not abandoned. I pray each one of us grows closer to God and works to carry out his plan. Know you have not been abandoned. Know that God is always with you. Know that God has chosen you.

Matthew 11:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Wedding Banquet

What do you think of when you think of the kingdom of heaven? Do you think of a place? Do you think of angels with wings? Do you think of golden streets? Do you think of God sitting on a throne? Have you ever considered it being like a wedding banquet?

We have seen a variety of portrayals of heaven in paintings. Many of us have our own images of heaven based on descriptions we have heard or read. We see images given to us in the Bible. All those pictures are beautiful, awe inspiring, and maybe a little nostalgic.

But do we typically think of it as a wedding banquet or party? I venture to say most of us do not. So, let’s give it a try. There are elaborate table settings. There are all kinds of food dishes, including more delicacies than we could ever think of eating. The sweetest wine we can imagine. There is laughing, talking, and an abundance of joy. Then we look to the head table and there sits God, our host.

I know some may not think about it, but I’m guessing there will be dancing, too. After all, David danced when he was able to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. I don’t know what kind of music will be playing. Perhaps we will hear our favorite music much like the people heard the apostles in their own language on Pentecost.

What I trust as the truth is it will be a banquet unlike any here on earth. If not, I don’t believe Jesus would have compared it to a wedding banquet, which was the most elaborate banquet most people within His hearing would have experienced. It will surpass any banquet we experience in our lifetimes.

I pray we all see the kingdom of heaven as a wedding banquet. I pray we see God as our host. I pray each one of us will look forward to the biggest and best party we have ever experienced. Look forward to THE wedding banquet. Know it will be better than anything here on earth. Trust God will be our host.

Matthew 22:2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.”

Positive Thinking

What do you think about? Do you think about the next task on your task list? Do you think about bills that you do not how you will pay. Do you think about what will be for dinner? Do you think about nothing at all? Do you know what you should be thinking about?

If you are like me, there are always several different things that are running through your mind. It seems my mind never shuts down. To-do’s run through it. Questions come to mind. Wondering what some people think they are doing. And sometimes dwelling on deep thoughts.

Our brains are amazing organs. It is estimated that our brains can store 2.5 petabytes of data. A petabyte is a million gigabytes. By comparison, the hard drive of the laptop I am writing this devotional on only stores 250 gigabytes. Not only that, but our bodies send 1.3 million bytes of information to our brains per second for processing. Amazing!

But what should we think about? The Apostle Paul tells us what we should think about. Notice the list he provides is all positive. They are thoughts of good things. It is real positive thinking, not simply the type of positive thinking to try to pump yourself up. It is focusing on what is good and pure. It is focusing on the things of God.

By thinking as Paul tells us to think, we remove the negative thoughts that can bring us down. We remove fear and anxiety, replacing it with excellence and praise. Changing our way of thinking, focusing on God and his awesome power doesn’t remove reality, but it changes our outlook on reality. Let’s start changing our thought process.

I pray we all focus on the things of God. I pray we think positively as Paul instructs us to do. I pray each one of us will begin to change our way of thinking and continue the change for a lifetime. Think about God. Be a real positive thinker. Change your way of thinking.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Rejoice and Be Gentle

What does rejoicing mean to you? What does it look like? What does it feel like? Is it something you do every day? Are you gentle? Or are you rash, excitable, or over bearing? Do you know what it means to be gentle? Do you know that God is near?

We typically think of rejoicing as being happy about something. And honestly, that is a good way to think of it. Unfortunately, we get caught up in the day-to-day happenings and forget we have a reason to rejoice every day. How would our days go if we were to rejoice each morning when we wake up?

If we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, if we have given our lives to Him, we have reason for rejoicing. We have a promise of spending eternity with Him. That is something to be joyful about. It is something we can look forward to every day. We also have the promise that He will never leave us. He is always with us. Therefore, we can rejoice that He is with as we go through our day no matter what happens.

What does it mean to be gentle? The word translated as gentleness in today’s passage can also be translated as considerate. Being considerate of others can be a challenge sometimes. Yet, we want others to be considerate of us. Being considerate takes a little effort. Rather immediately jumping to conclusions or being judgmental of others, we need to take time to think about why they did something we disapprove. Looking at it from every angle we can think of will help us be considerate toward others. We may still disapprove, but we can do so with a gentle and understanding spirit. We can explain why their reasoning was faulty.

Finally, we must remember Jesus is always with us. That means He is with us when we rejoice and when we are sad. He is with us when we are considerate and when we are being judgmental. He is with us when we wake up, giving us reason to start our day rejoicing.

I pray we all rejoice in the Lord each morning when we wake up. I pray we are considerate of others, just as we want them to be considerate of us. I pray each one of us remember Jesus is always with us. Rejoice every day. Be considerate of others. Know that Jesus is always with you.

Philippians 4:4-5 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.

Balance of Life

How is your praising? Do you sing praises to God on a daily basis? Or do you mope around depressed? Do you give God the glory for your accomplishments? Or do you snag all the honor for yourself? Do you return God’s love? Or do you forget he loves you?

In all our busyness, we often forget about God. We are on the go, talking to people, performing tasks, going places, rarely having any quiet time. Often, we are going and doing to obtain praise from others or to feel accepted by others. We are seeking to fill a void in our lives.

Being as busy as we are is not healthy. Our health is like a three-legged stool. One leg is our physical health. We may attempt to take care of ourselves physically by eating healthy and exercising. The second leg is our mental health. We have seen a rise in awareness of mental health. We are seeing mental illnesses that used to be a reason to put someone into an asylum now being treated in better ways.

The third leg is spiritual health. Unfortunately, this is where we fall short. Attendance in our churches is in decline. There are fewer people attending worship services in our country now than there has been in decades. Without the third leg of the stool, the stool cannot stand. If we are not healthy in all three areas, our lives are out of whack.

Those of us who are Christian, who attend worship services regularly, who read and study our Bibles need to be the example and the encouragers to others to bring their lives into balance. We need to spread the gospel of Jesus. We need to praise God for his love for us. We need to stand firm in our faith.

I pray we all seek balance in all three areas of our lives. I pray we praise God for his love and care for us. I pray each one of us will be the example and encourager to others to attend to spiritual health. Praise God. Know that he loves you. Be the example. Encourage others. Seek balance in your life.

Psalm 106:1

Praise the Lord! 

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; 

for his steadfast love endures forever.

Change God’s Mind

Yesterday, we saw the Israelites disobey God by creating a golden calf to worship as their idol while Moses was on the mountain receiving the law from God. God was angry at them for choosing to worship an idol rather than him. He was ready to destroy them all.

Have you wondered what God thinks of our collective behavior? Does he look at our community or nation and shake his head in disgust? Who will stand before God and ask him to change his mind? Will you? Or will you depend on someone else to do so?

It may sound like an exaggeration. Surely God is not going to destroy us. After all, he is the God of love, grace, and mercy. Yes, he is. But he is also Holy God who is just. Yet, as Moses did, we can ask God to change his mind. That may sound odd to us, especially if we remember we have been told that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

God always has the same character. He is holy and righteous. His plan has been put in motion and will be accomplished. Yet, we can implore God to change his mind. If by changing his mind he can continue with fulfilling his plan, he may change his mind. Just like Moses, we must ask with a desire to serve God and with his plan in mind.

How can we know God’s plan? His basic plan is to bring people into his kingdom through his Son, Jesus Christ. When we pray that God move in our community to open hearts and minds to the message of the gospel, we are praying within his plan. When our desire to see our community to be worshipers of God, our heart is in alignment with God’s.

I pray we all pray in God’s will. I pray we ask God to move throughout our community to open hearts and minds. I pray each one of us will spread the good news of Jesus Christ to others. Pray in God’s will. Pray for God’s plan to be executed. Ask God to move in our community. Spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Exodus 32:11a, 14 But Moses implored the Lord his God, …And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

Give Up Your Idols

Do you consider yourself an idol worshiper? Do you put trophies you have won on shelves in a prominent place? Do you buy representations of things you like and set them on your mantle? Do you ask others to join you or bring you things to worship?

We don’t consciously think about idol worship today. If we do, we think of Greek god statues or Buddha statues or maybe even Roman god statues. We don’t think of modern objects as idols. Our perspective is one of indifference or deferential or perhaps downright denial.

Though we may not offer animal sacrifices to statues as they did in the ancient world, we still have our idols. They fly under our radar because we have become accustomed to them being part of our everyday lives. Our sacrifice is the money and time we spend on them. They become our priority rather than God. We invest more of our time in them than we do with God. We spend more money on them than we give to God’s mission.

The Israelites did the same when they were assumed something had happened to Moses. They asked Aaron to make a golden calf for them to worship. They donated golden rings, earrings, and necklaces to make it. Then they offered sacrifices to it. In other words, they gave more to create the idol and made it a higher priority, putting it above God.

We are told that God is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14). He will not share nor tolerate us worshiping someone or something more than him. He desires our wholehearted worship. He loves us and desires our love in return. He stands ready to reward us, but only if we commit to worshiping him.

I pray we all commit to worshiping God. I pray we make God our top priority. I pray each one of us will give up our current day idols to worship only God with our whole heart. Give up your idols. Make God your priority. Worship him with your whole heart. Love God as he loves you.

Exodus 32:1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

Fruit of the Kingdom

How fruitful are you? Do you consider yourself a diligent worker? Does your work to produce good fruit? Or do you wait for someone else to do it? Do you realize God is expecting you to produce fruit?

We all have worked or currently work for a living. We know our bosses expect us to do good work. Most of us take pride in doing a good job. We also know that if we didn’t, we probably won’t keep that job for long. Slackers are not well liked nor retained in workplaces.

God expects the same. Jesus tells His Jewish audience that God will remove the kingdom from them because they are not producing good fruit. His warning applies to us today.

What is good fruit? Bringing others into the kingdom of God. Completing the good works God has set aside for us (Ephesians 2:10). We are to boldly go about the work God has put before us, for we do not have a spirit of timidity but of power (2 Timothy 1:7).

When we succumb to fear, we are allowing Satan to win, rather than relying on God. We are to follow God’s instructions and carry out the mission he has given us. If we do not know what he wants us to do, we are to pray, asking God to reveal his will to us.

Jesus clearly states that God has expectations of us. His expectations apply to us as individuals and as the church. We are to produce fruits of the kingdom.

I pray we all seek to produce good fruit. I pray we seek to carry out God’s will for us. I pray each one of us will live in the power of Christ rather than the fear Satan desires of us. Seek God’s will. Execute God’s will. Produce good fruit. Follow God’s instructions. Bring others to Christ.

Matthew 21:43 “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.”

Prize of Heaven

What are your goals in life? Do you have goals? Are you pursuing a specific goal right now? Have you set interim goals to work your way to your ultimate goal? Are you progressing toward your goal? Do you have a goal to be more like Jesus Christ?

Often our goals in life are of this world. We seek a partner to spend our life with. We work hard to get promoted in our jobs. We desire to live in a good neighborhood with good schools. We try to eat healthy and exercise. We do our best to raise our children to be good citizens.

All of those goals are good. But are we pursuing the best goal? The best goal we can pursue is to be like Jesus Christ and seek the prize of heaven. There are incremental steps we can pursue as we pursue the ultimate goal. To be like Christ, we can seek to clean up the life we live.

Cleaning up the life we live is not easy. In fact, it is impossible without completely turning our life over to Christ. We must relinquish our control and allow Him to take control. We may have heard songs that state this, yet words are cheap, easily stated, and much harder to put into action. We like to have control. Yet, our control is false, an illusion. In order to fully turn over our lives to Christ, we must remove our blinders and see that God is the only one in control.

As we have steppingstones toward an earthly goal, we need to set for ourselves steppingstones to become like Jesus. The first and most important one is to begin relinquishing control and submitting to God’s control. The next steppingstone is to open our eyes and see as God sees. Only by doing this will we see the lies of this world.

I pray we all pursue the goal of being more like Jesus. I pray we open our eyes to see the world as God sees it. I pray each one of us will begin relinquishing control by realizing God is in control. Set your goals. Seek to be more like Jesus. Open your eyes. See as God sees. Allow God to be in control of your life.

Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Attitude of Christ

Have you thought you had a right to brag about your accomplishments? Have you thought your pedigree allowed you to think more highly of yourself? Did you find out later you really had no reason to think so highly of yourself? Have you given up putting yourself on a pedestal?

Some of us like to put ourselves on a pedestal. We like to believe we are better than others. Our perception may be that we have made better decisions or were born into a better family or we have accomplished more than others. However, that is not how we should view ourselves.

Even if we have been born into a better situation, had better education, and made good decisions, we should not think of ourselves as better than others. The Apostle Paul had all the credentials and accomplishments he could have had. His education was equivalent to an Ivy League education today. Yet, he realized it meant nothing after his encounter with Christ.

Paul came to understand the most important thing to ever happen to him was knowing Jesus. He realized what he thought he knew was not the truth of God. He discovered the true meaning of life. He understood there was nothing on this earth to compare with heaven. Paul, being a man of high status, gave it all up to follow Jesus and carry out His will.

We are to do the same. But let’s not make the mistake some have. Giving it all up does not mean we should literally throw away our education or give up our jobs. No, it means our attitudes are to change. We are to realize all we have has been given to us by God and give him the credit. We are to use what we have been given for his glory, not ours.

I pray we all give up thinking highly of ourselves. I pray we take on the attitude of a humble servant. I pray each one of us will use our gifts and talents to bring glory to God. Do not think highly of yourself. Have a humble attitude. Know that God has given you all you have. Seek to bring glory to God.

Philippians 3:7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.