The Right Place

How do you remember the name of a place?  Do you remember places by what happened there? Have you been to places that were named for an event? Have you given your own name to a place because of what you did while you were there?

We often remember places by what happened at that place or what we saw when we were there. Some places were named long ago. Others we may rename for our own reference. Naming them in a way that reminds us of something can be useful.

We use word association to jog our memory. This works great for naming places or giving places a nickname. For instance, most counties have a place called the fairgrounds. We may have never been in that county before, but we know at least one event that happens in that place.

When God provided the ram to replace Isaac as a sacrifice to him, Abraham called the place “The Lord will provide.” Many of us may not know that the mount on which God showed Abraham to perform his sacrifice is now the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. God continued to guide his people to a specific place. He also continued to provide for them so long as they continued to worship him.

We might take this lesson and apply it in our lives. When we continue to worship God, he continues to bless us. When we continue to attend worship services, we continue to please God. When we return to the place God has guided us to, he continues to meet us there.

I pray we all continue to worship God. I pray we continue to go to church for worship services. I pray each one of us please God in our worship of him and accept his blessings. Return to where God has called you. Continue to worship God. Please God through worship. Accept God’s blessings.

Genesis 22:13-14 And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

Faith Tested

Have you gone through an initiation? Have you been tested to determine if you are a fit for an organization? Was it a physically grueling test? Was it a mentally stressful test? Did the test combine mental and physical requirements?

We may face some very difficult tests in this life. Personally, I have faced a couple of lengthy tests that included both mental and physical requirements. The first was boot camp and the second was Drill Instructor School. The second was tougher than the first.

Not everyone will face the same tests. Some face the test of giving up something or someone that is very dear to them. It may come in the form of the death of a loved one. It may be the time of retirement from a job in which you have given thirty or forty years. The last day can be very emotional. The following days, whether losing someone or leaving a job, can be challenging, and filled with grief or sorrow.

God tested Abraham’s faith. He sent him to a specific place to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham did not argue. He simply got up and went. He knew that God had promised him that he would have descendants as numerous as the sand by the seashore. He knew God had promised that he would be blessing to all nations. I’m sure he didn’t know how these promises would take place if Isaac was sacrificed, but he trusted God.

When we face testing that comes from God, we, too, should obey. We may not understand how things will work out. We may not know what lies beyond the next step. But when we put our faith in God, following his guidance, we can trust that he will provide just as he did for Abraham.

I pray we all put our faith and trust in God. I pray we follow God’s guidance when we are faced with a test. I pray each one of us obey God when he tests our faith in him. Put your faith in God. Trust God’s promises. Obey God’s command. Know that God will provide.

Genesis 22:1-2 After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.”

Lose It for Jesus

What does it mean to you to lose your life? Have you given up something that is dear to you? Have you taken up your cross? Have you given up your preferences and accepted God’s desire for you?

Giving up something we like, and maybe addicted to, is very challenging. It doesn’t matter if it is an addiction to alcohol, drugs, food, attitude, or behavior. Giving up something we have been doing for a long time is difficult.

Jesus even tells us that we cannot love our own mother and father as much as we love Him. Now, that does not mean we cannot love them. It means just what Jesus says. We are to love Him more than them.

Giving up our own life also means giving up this world’s attitudes, behaviors, and desires. What are we prioritizing above God? What are we prioritizing above going to worship? What are we prioritizing above obeying God’s commands?

Giving those things up is giving up our life for Him. To truly find the joy in worshiping Him and to truly be a disciple, we must give it all up. Again, this doesn’t mean we cannot enjoy it. But it cannot be our priority. When we give those things up, we will live the abundant life Jesus promised us (John 10:10).

I pray we all make Jesus our priority. I pray we pick up our cross to follow Him. I pray each one of us is willing to lose our life in order to gain it in Jesus Christ. Give it all over to Jesus. Make Jesus your top priority. Choose Jesus over the world. Live the abundant life.

Matthew 10:37-39 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”

Student and Teacher

Who is your favorite teacher? Have you had a wonderful mentor? Have you experienced a great boss? Are you now a teacher? Are you mentoring someone? Are you a manager or leader who has several people working under your tutelage and guidance?

We have many teachers in our lives. We may have had a mentor. We may have worked for a wonderful boss. Having people who can guide us down the path of a career is a great benefit. It is also wonderful to have someone who can provide us real life advice.

As we grow older, and hopefully wiser, we become the teacher, mentor, or manager. We have years of experience from which we have learned many lessons that we can pass on to others. But we must remember that a great teacher or mentor does not force the lesson, rather they allow the lesson to come about naturally.

Jesus is the greatest teacher of all. He teaches us lessons, not only of life, but of eternal life. He teaches about God, his law, his guidance, his desire, and his expectations. He tells us that we are not to think more highly of ourselves, but to strive to be like Him. The more we become like Him the bigger the impact we can have on the world around us, including our family, friends, and co-workers.

Each one of us can have a significant impact. It doesn’t require us to be in front of a crowd. Actually…it does. But the crowd consists of the people we interact with on a daily basis. Some of us have a far larger crowd we can reach. Others of us fewer. But all of us have a crowd we can teach.

I pray we all follow the Teacher. I pray we teach and mentor others we encounter daily. I pray each one of us strive to be like Jesus and continue to learn from Him. Accept Jesus as your teacher. Follow His guidance. Seek to be like Him. Teach others to be like Jesus.

Matthew 10:24-25a “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master.”

Death Has No Dominion

What has dominion over you? Is it a large amount of debt? Is it a boss you don’t care for? Is it your attitude or state of mind? Are you ready for it to move on? Are you ready to die to it? Are you ready for a renewal, a new life?

We all fall prey to being governed by something we would rather we were not at some point. We make mistakes and find ourselves where we don’t want to be. If we are lucky, the situation is short lived, and we move on to something better.

We may overextend ourselves with debt. We may find ourselves in a bad job or working under a mean boss. These may lead to us having a bad attitude or being in a chaotic state of mind all the time. We are ready to be rid of it. We want to feel refreshed, as though we have a new lease on life.

When we are baptized into Christ, we are given that new lease on life. We are no longer the old person. We no longer need to live as someone who is trapped in a bad situation, even if we are in a bad situation. We can live as someone who is set free. We can live as someone who knows the current situation is temporary and we have a permanent place filled with bliss.

When we are baptized, we are buried with Christ in death. We die to our old selves. We are raised to a new life in Him. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are alive in Christ. Our life in Christ is a life of freedom. It is a life with no boundaries. It is a life of love, joy, peace, and contentment, no matter the situation.

I pray we all die to our sin. I pray we grasp the life we have in Jesus Christ. I pray each one of us understand that death no longer has dominion over us anymore than it has dominion over Christ. Die to your sin. Live your life in Christ. Live a life of freedom. Live in the love of Christ.

Romans 6:9-11 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Our Struggle

Do you argue with yourself? Do you debate whether to do this or do that? Are there times when you do something you know you shouldn’t? Are there one or two things you continually battle? Do you know you are wrestling with sin?

We know when we are doing something we shouldn’t. We may even tell ourselves we should not do it again. Yet, we continue to fall prey to it. It may be something that makes us feel good for a short time but has negative effects later.

Wrestling with sin can be a very difficult struggle. In one respect, we know that God’s grace can cover it. In another, we know we should not continue in that sin. We tell ourselves to stop. We may even resist it for a while. Then it rears its ugly head in a weak moment, and we submit to it again.

When the Apostle Paul tells us not to continue in our sin, he knows it is a struggle. He also knows we cannot overcome it on our own. He points us to submitting to Jesus and asking Him to remove it from us. Paul knows we cannot conquer an especially challenging sin on our own.

As we pray to God to forgive us of our sin, we must also pray that he eliminates our urge to sin. If it has a strong hold on us, we may need to pray many times for God to remove it. It may take us weeks, months, or even years to remove it. It is not that God cannot remove it immediately, it is our unwillingness to let it go. Therefore, we must pray that God fill us with his Spirit and help us let go of it.

I pray we all recognize our sin. I pray we continue to pursue eliminating sin from our lives. I pray each one of us will ask God to help us remove our urge to sin by submitting to him. Conquer your sin. Ask God for forgiveness. Ask God to fill you with his Spirit. Ask God to eliminate your desire to sin.

Romans 6:1-2 What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?

Dire Straits

Have you ever been in dire straits? Have you been in a situation that you had no idea how you could ever get out of it or past it? Did you simply want to sit down and cry until you could cry no more? Were you at a point that you thought you might die?

We experience many tough situations in this life. Some of them are steep hills to climb, but we believe we can climb them. Some are nothing more than speed bumps, even if they are a more than a little inconvenient. Then there are those heart wrenching, depressing, and dire situations.

Hagar was in a dire situation. She had been expelled from Abraham and Sarah’s camp. She had faithfully served Sarah until she started flaunting the fact that she had had a son by Abraham when Sarah could not. Eventually Sarah had a son, too. But Hagar continued to boast about her son being the firstborn. Sarah had finally enough of the flaunting and had Abraham send her away.

Hagar only had one skin of water and some bread. We cannot go long without water. So, when Hagar ran out of water, she thought her and her son’s end had come. But God heard the voice of the boy and provided. Hagar was pointed to a nearby well by an angel.

When we are in a dire situation and we call out to God, he hears us. When we put our faith in God, he leads us to the well—his well. God provides for our needs, our necessities. God will not abandon us, even when we may have made bad decisions to put ourselves in a very bad situation.

I pray we all put our faith in God. I pray we ask God to guide us in our decision-making process. I pray each one of us will ask God to pull us out of any dire situation we may find ourselves. Turn to God in tough situations. Build your relationship with God beforehand. Put your faith in God. Trust God to provide.

Genesis 21:15-16 When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept.

Teacher of Truth

Have you ever seen a blind person leading another blind person? Have you made the statement that it is like the blind leading the blind? Do you follow a specific teacher? Is there someone who is or has been a mentor to you? Do you think of yourself more highly than them?

Most of us have seen a blind person. They often have a walking stick that allows them to feel ahead of them while they are walking. They see by touch, which can be a little unsettling the first time a blind person wants to feel our face. Yet, they can be very perceptive.

When Jesus talks of a blind person leading a blind person and falling into a pit, He is not referring to them having a walking stick like we see today. He was speaking of them either not having one at all or a very crude and perhaps clumsy walking stick. Not only that, He might have been referring to them running away from danger. We often don’t realize just how much we rely on our eyesight until we don’t have it or it has gotten hard to see clearly.

Jesus immediately follows up the blind person example with that of a disciple. Have you stopped to wonder why? If the teacher we follow is not teaching the truth, we will learn falseness. He also states the follower of a teacher is not to think of themselves above the teacher. No, the disciple can merely seek to be like the teacher.

In His example, Jesus is referring to the Jewish tradition of following a rabbi. In our world today, we have many teachers as we progress through school. This makes it even more difficult for us to be equal to the teacher in their specific subject. Spending just a few hours with a teacher is not nearly enough time for them to teach all they know on the subject. So, why do we think of ourselves as experts? This applies to our understanding of God as well. We need to spend more time learning about God by reading his Word and participating in Bible studies.

I pray we all choose our teacher wisely. I pray we choose to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. I pray each one of us will commit to spending more time reading God’s Word and studying it. Choose not to follow a blind teacher. Choose to be a follower of Jesus. Be a disciple of truth. Spend time reading God’s Word. Participate in Bible studies.

Luke 6:39-40 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher.”

Cry Out to God

Have you felt as though you are all alone? Have there been times when you were in dire need of help but did not where to turn to receive it? Who did you cry out to? Who did you finally ask? Did you turn to God? Have you trusted him? Have you experienced his grace?

It doesn’t matter who we are. At some point in our lives, we will be in dire need of something. It may be a material object, but it is more likely something far deeper than that. We will need someone we can trust, someone to lean on, someone who can provide loving arms for us to collapse into.

God is always there for us. As with most of you, I have experienced a deep need for God to step in. I have been in that lonely place. I have been on my knees crying out to God. And…God answered my cry. He gave me strength to go on. He calmed my soul. He comforted me and increased my faith. God does not abandon us. He is always with us.

The Psalmist cries out to God and states his dedication to God. No matter what comes his way, he will continue to devote himself to God and trust him to provide what is needed. He puts his trust in God’s grace. But also notice that the Psalmist does not stop crying out to God. He continues crying out until God answers. He is persistent.

We may need to be persistent. We may need to cry out to God for more than just a couple minutes. We may need to cry out for hours or days or weeks. Continue to cry out when you are need. Continue to trust that God will answer you when he determines the time is right.

I pray we all put our trust in God. I pray we cry out in our time of need. I pray each one of us will continue to cry out to God until he answers our cry. Trust God always. Cry out to God. Put your needs before him. Be persistent. God will provide. He will calm your soul. He will comfort you.

Psalm 86:1-3

Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, 

for I am poor and needy. 

Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; 

save your servant who trusts in you. 

You are my God; be gracious to me, O Lord, 

for to you do I cry all day long.

Go and Proclaim

Where do you go on a regular basis? Are you willing to go somewhere different? What do you proclaim? Do you proclaim it wherever you go? Do you have good news you should proclaim?

We are all called. We are all sent. We are to go into the world, meaning everywhere we go, to proclaim the good news of Jesus. We are to proclaim the gospel. Yet, I wonder if we are truly proclaiming it.

Jesus told his twelve apostles when He sent them out to proclaim the good news. They were to proclaim the kingdom of heaven was near. The kingdom was near and is near because Jesus is near. He brought the kingdom near to all of us. He put the kingdom into the hearts of those who believe in Him.

Jesus wants us to spread the good news of His kingdom having been put into us. Though the apostles also were given the authority to cast out unclean spirits, cure disease, and cure illnesses, most of us do not have that power bequeathed on us. However, we do have the authority, as His ambassadors, to proclaim His good news.

We are to share what we have been given…the good news of eternal life. We have been given a gift to share with the world. We can start by sharing it with our family, neighbors, and co-workers. Even those of us who are not called to be evangelists can tell others the good news.

I pray we all go into the world every day to proclaim the good news. I pray we tell others the kingdom of heaven is near. I pray each one of us believe the good news and share it with others. You are called. God has sent you. Spread the gospel. God’s kingdom is here.

Matthew 10:7 “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’”