Look for Opportunities

Are you willing to set aside your needs or wants for your family? Are you willing to sacrifice your desires to provide for loved ones? Would you give your life for a friend? Do you wish you could give up your eternal life with God so you could save your kindred?

Many of us are willing to make sacrifices for our families. Parents especially are willing to sacrifice for their children. Some will ensure their children have enough to eat before they serve themselves. Some will buy new clothes for their children rather than themselves.

We all have heard stories of people who have run into a burning building or dove onto a grenade to save others. Having spent twenty years in the Marine Corps, I can attest to the brotherhood within military units. The smaller the unit, the closer the group is. They become like a tight nit family. They pick on one another, maybe argue with one another, maybe even fight one another, but an outsider is not allowed to do so. They will band together tighter than woven silk.

The Apostle Paul felt the same way about his fellow Israelites. He saw a preponderance of them who would not accept Jesus as their Messiah. He wished that he was separated from Christ so that they might be saved. Alas, that is not how it works. Each of them must make their own decision.

We may have family members or close friends we wish would accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We may wish we could convince them to do so. We may even wish we could give our salvation to them. However, we can’t. What we can do is continue to live the life Jesus desires for us. We can continue to be a positive example for them. We can make comments as the opportunity arises in hope of convincing them…and we should.

I pray we all desire to convince others to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I pray we live lives that provide a positive example. I pray each one of us will continue to tell others about Jesus. Be concerned about the salvation for others. Be a positive example. Speak up about Christ. Look and listen for opportunities.

Romans 9:3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh.

Trust God

Where do you turn in times of trouble? Who can you count on to help you out? Do you count on family members? Can you count on your friends to be there for you? Have you sought out God? Have you called on him to hear you? Do you trust he will answer?

When trouble comes our way, and it will, we all need someone we can count on. We will need physical help, emotional help, or spiritual help. We may need all three at the same time. We may need financial help as well. Counseling is available for three of the four.

Physical help seems to be the easiest to get. We simply need some able bodies to help with moving or fixing a vehicle or adding on a room to the house. Emotional help becomes a little trickier. There are only a few people we trust with our emotional problems. Financial help can also be dicey. Maybe our family or friends can help, maybe we need to go to a financial institution to borrow the money we need.

Spiritual help is the trickiest of them all. It is also the most important of them all. It is the only one that will have an everlasting effect. We need someone we can trust who will be truthful and compassionate, knowledgeable and tactful, objective and caring. Most of us will turn to our pastor for spiritual counseling. After all, they are to keep conversations confidential. But what if we don’t have a pastor or perhaps do not fully trust him or her?

We can always call out to God. Because we know troubles will come, we should build our relationship with God beforehand. That will help us hear him when he provides an answer. It will help us see the situation as he sees it and see how he would have us address it. God will answer. The better our relationship with him, the quicker and easier we will see or hear his answer.

I pray we all build our relationship with God. I pray we turn to him in our times of trouble. I pray each one of us will look and listen for the answers God will provide us. Build your relationship with God. Seek him in all situations. Learn to hear his voice. Be attentive to his answers. Trust God.

Psalm 17:6

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; 

incline your ear to me, hear my words.

God’s Cause

Are you in the middle of a battle? Are you striving for justice? Does feel like it is an uphill battle? Have you been striving for years to right a wrong? Have you asked God to intervene? Are you willing to accept God’s answer if he says you are fighting the wrong battle?

We fight many battles throughout our lives. For most of us, we believe we are fighting the right battle for the right reason. Sometimes, we have heard the battle cry of others and joined them. At other times, we feel we have been wronged and we choose to strive for retribution.

Our culture is full of battles. Some of them are small skirmishes while others are very large battles that seem to never end. Each side seeks to win. Sometimes there are more than two sides to the battle. It seems everyone has an opinion, everyone wants their voice heard, everyone thinks they are right. However, everyone cannot be right and opposing one another.

Make no mistake about it, there is right and wrong. To know we are on the side of right, we need to pray that God leads us and be willing to hear his answer, even if it doesn’t coincide with our thoughts. When we ask God to take up the battle, we cannot merely ask him to take our side of it, but we must ask that he take up the just cause and show us how we can follow him.

With the plethora of opinions, many of which are posted all over social media, we must continually reach out to God to show us the way. We must relieve ourselves of personal opinion and be open to following God’s direction. We must ask God to remove deceit from us. Being open to hearing God and willing to follow him will ensure we are truly fighting for a just cause.

I pray we all ask God to reveal to us the just cause. I pray we ask him to remove deceit from us. I pray each one of us are willing to follow God, taking up his just cause. Ask God to reveal his just cause. Be willing to follow him. Relieve yourself of your preferences. Take up God’s cause.

Psalm 17:1

Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry; 

give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.

Sorting Them Out

Have you sat down to separate rotten fruit from good fruit? Have you spent time sorting good product to be boxed and shipped while throwing bad product into a trash heap? Have you considered it will be similar at the end of time?

We sort good from bad all the time. It may be part of our jobs to sort things, but we also sort good from bad in our daily lives. Sometimes, we interpret our preferences to be good and someone else’s preferences to be bad.

Mistakenly counting preferences as good or bad is what causes a lot of dissension in the world today. It becomes an ‘us versus them’ mentality, quickly followed by the ‘I’m better than you’ mentality. When that occurs, we are wrong.

Ultimately, there is only one who can define good and bad, and that is God. Jesus tells us that at His return there will be a sorting of good and bad based on His definition. All the definitions we hear, and we may spout ourselves will be useless unless they coincide with God’s definition. At that point, we will all be in awe beyond comprehension and will have no foundation on which to stand and argue. To prepare for that day, we need to ensure we are on the same page as God and abide by his definition.

I pray we all earnestly seek to understand God’s definition of good. I pray we pursue the goodness of God. I pray each one of us will ask the Holy Spirit to guide us into understanding and to following Jesus in all that we do. Be in sync with God. Know his definition of good. God will do the ultimate sorting. Follow Jesus in all things.

Matthew 13:47-48 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad.”

Keep the Tree Growing

Have you ever wondered what the kingdom of heaven is like? Have you considered the kingdom of heaven is not quite the same as heaven itself? Huh? Are you willing to give that a little thought? Will listen to some logical thinking on the subject?

As Christians, we talk a lot about heaven. We even talk about the kingdom of God, which the same as the kingdom of heaven. But do we realize they are not quite the same? I believe we think of them as the same…incorrectly. Hear me out.

Heaven is a place. Heaven can even be a vision. The kingdom of heaven is not just the place, but it includes all angels, the saints, and God himself. Heaven can be a place we long to go to. The kingdom of heaven is something we can belong to. Perhaps that is why Jesus uses so many parables or analogies to describe it.

When Jesus talks about the kingdom of heaven being like a mustard see that grows into a large tree, He is talking about the growth of the kingdom. Jesus is the seed. The growth is His church. As more and more people accept Him as their Lord and Savior, the kingdom grows. As the Apostles went throughout the world, big branches spread. As those they taught continued to spread the good news, smaller branches sprouted. More and more branches continue to sprout as we continue to tell people about Jesus, and they become His disciples.

I pray we all see heaven as a place. I pray we understand the kingdom of heaven as Jesus’ church. I pray each one of us continue to spread the news of Christ and keep the tree growing. Seek to go to heaven. Be a part of the kingdom of heaven. Tell others about Jesus. Keep the kingdom growing.

He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

Nothing Can Separate

Do you ever wonder if you are loved? Do you experience times in which you doubt that anyone loves you? Are there times when you feel as though you are all alone? Have you heard that God loves you but find it hard to believe? Have you read the Apostle Paul’s words?

As we go through life, we experience a variety of ups and downs. We may experience a period of time in which we feel abandoned and unloved. It can be a very difficult experience. It is also a lie we are being fed by Satan, who is constantly trying to bring us down.

It is important that we read and understand Scripture. We need that foundational understanding to combat the lies Satan uses against us. He can be very convincing. The lies can pile up, one on another, and cause a mountain of pain and disillusionment. Without the foundation of truth found in Scripture, we can tumble into the bottomless pit.

Carefully read today’s passage. Spend a few moments pondering each of the objects and situations Paul states than cannot separate us from the love of Christ. He provides quite a list. Then he wraps it up by including everything else. In other words, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ. No matter what happens. No matter what we do. No matter what anyone else does. Christ will always love us. Jesus also promised He will never leave us, saying He will be with us until “the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

Knowing passages such as todays can carry us through those lonely times. Knowing that Jesus will never leave us can give us the courage to face another day. Leaning on His promises and the understanding of the Apostles can provide us a foundation that will never crumble.

I pray we all spend time reading Scripture. I pray we seek to understand the promises of Jesus. I pray each one of us will use the promises of Jesus and the Apostles understanding as our solid foundation. Trust Jesus’ promises. Trust the Apostles’ understanding. Know that you are loved. Know that Jesus will never abandon you.

Romans 8:38-19 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Come Into God’s Presence

Have you ever been at a loss for words? Are there times when you simply do not know what to say? Do you say nothing during those times, or do you ramble on about nothing? Has a loss of words happened when you were praying? Do you know you have Someone who intercedes for you?

There are times when we experience something, and we have no idea what to say. It may be something so amazing we cannot describe it. It may be something so horrible we cannot or do not want to describe it. We are left speechless.

We can experience being speechless when talking with God. We may be in the middle of a medical emergency, whether us personally or a family member or a close friend. We may not know what to ask for. We may not fully understand what is going on. We may be fearful, grieving, in shock, desperate, or otherwise unable to focus.

On the other hand, we may be overjoyed to the point of being in awe. We may witness something that takes our breath away. It may be a beautiful sunrise or sunset, seeing the Rocky Mountains for the first time, or experiencing a miracle. All we can do is say “Wow!”

When we experience those times when we do not know what to say, especially those of desperation, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. He knows how to translate our feelings into God’s language. He knows how to express what we cannot. We simply need to allow ourselves to come into the presence of God, sit quietly, and allow the Spirit to speak for us. It is comforting to know that we have such a wonderful Advocate who will speak on our behalf.

I pray we all know the Holy Spirit speaks for us. I pray we trust him to translate our feelings for us. I pray each one of us will simply seek to be in God’s presences in times of desperation. The Holy Spirit intercedes for you. He speaks on your behalf. Trust him to interpret your feelings. Come into God’s presence.

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

Sing Praises

Do you like to sing? Do you sing in your car? Do you sing in the shower? Do you sing in the choir? Do you sing in a band? Do you randomly sing while working in the yard? Do you sing songs of praise? Do you know God likes to hear us sing, whether we are good at it or not?

Some of us like to sing in the car. We drive down the road all by ourselves and sing out. We really put a lot into it. Our faces reflect the joy we feel while singing. We have our favorite songs on which we really cut loose. Oh, what joy we have with those!

Singing is good for the soul. It also pleases God when we sing praises to him. Some of us are not good singers (that’s me). But some of us are wonderful singers. Yet singing to God is wonderful, whether we are good at singing or not. We have amazing old time hymns we can sing. There are new contemporary Christian songs that pull at our heartstrings or cause us to explode with joy. There is no shortage of songs we can sing to praise God.

God loves to hear us sing about his wonderful works. We can sing about how he has worked in our lives or someone we know. We can sing about the beautiful creation God has created. Singing to tell the story of God to others not only pleases God but educates others. Singing is good for us, good for others, and pleases God.

I pray we all sing God’s praises. I pray we randomly sing about all that God has done for us. I pray each one of us will see God’s wonderful creation and sing about it. Sing the old hymns. Sing the new songs. Sing about God’s creation. Sing God’s praises.

Psalm 105:1-2

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, 

make known his deeds among the peoples. 

Sing to him, sing praises to him; 

tell of all his wonderful works.

Customs and Traditions

Do you adhere to cultural customs? Do you like traditions? Do you prefer to buck the norms? How many cultural norms do you regularly disregard? Have you disregarded a cultural custom that has resulted in a bad outcome for you?

Each culture has its customs and traditions. Some of them are written but most are unwritten. Some of them are minor and some are major. In fact, some are so major as to cause you to be a complete outcast of society if you do not follow them.

Not only do we have cultural traditions, but we also have family traditions. Where do all these traditions come from? They have evolved over the years. Someone started something, others thought it was a good idea, and it continues. Often, we do not even know how it all got started nor why. We do know we are expected to follow them.

In Japan, it is a custom to bow to someone when you meet them. The more important the person, the deeper you are to bow. In the western world, you shake hands when you meet someone rather than bow. In much of Europe, it is custom to kiss each other on the cheek when you meet. Not following any of those customs can be offensive to the person from that culture.

Jacob discovered a custom the hard way and it cost him seven years of working for his future father-in-law. He might have gone through with it even had he known ahead of time, but he was caught off guard when he suddenly realized he had been given Leah to marry rather than Rachel.

As Christians we have traditions as well. It is customary to meet for corporate worship on Sunday mornings. We do so to celebrate the day of the week on which Jesus rose from the grave. We have many other traditions that we, unfortunately, do not always know the origin. Might I suggest we learn the reason behind the traditions.

I pray we all choose to abide by the tradition of joining together to worship on Sunday. I pray we seek to understand the traditions of our Christian faith. I pray each one of us celebrate Jesus. Seek to understand tradition. Join others in worship. Choose to celebrate Jesus.

Genesis 29:25-28 When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” Laban said, “This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.

Fair Dealings

Do you have an understanding of fairness? Do you treat all people with fairness? Do you treat your family with fairness? Do you expect something different from your family than you do others? Have you considered there might be consequences of treating someone unfairly?

We have our own understanding of fairness. It doesn’t always match up with what others consider as fair. We may expect that fairness is an exchange of things of equal value. Someone else may believe their fair share is more than others.

Sometimes we treat our families unfairly. We expect more of them than we do others. We have gotten in the habit of giving to our family members to the point that it is expected, whether we have anything to give or not. Some family members expect their family to always be there, to always bail them out, to always do what they want. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way.

As we see in the exchange between Laban and Jacob, Laban did not expect Jacob, though a kinsman, to work for him for free. Laban fully expected to pay Jacob something for his labors. They agreed upon an exchange that both thought to be fair. Jacob would work for Laban for seven years. Jacob asked for Rachel.

As we live and work with our families, perhaps we, too, can think about what is fair for everyone involved. We might consider if we are treating our family as fairly as we would a co-worker or a client. Maybe we should rethink how we approach and treat our families.

I pray we all think about how we treat our families. I pray we seek to treat everyone we meet fairly. I pray each one of us will ask God to enlighten us and guide us in our dealings with one another. Treat your family fairly. Treat everyone you encounter fairly. Ask God to help you. Ask guide to guide you in all dealing with others.

Genesis 29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?”