Proverbs 19:2 12/28/2021*

 “Desire without knowledge is not good —how much more will hasty feet miss the way!”

Do you have a plan… or just a desire?  You need a plan if you don’t want to miss the mark.

My 2022 plan deals with who I am going to be, not what I am going to do. 

It is comprised of six words which build on each other…. Faith, Love, Wisdom, Courage, Peace, Joy. 

It starts with FAITH…Faith has always been our path to God. Hebrews says it’s impossible to please God without faith. That is a significant statement that we sometimes ignore. Faith comes from God so I must continually pursue it in prayer.

The next ingredient is LOVE… Love identifies me as God’s child. Scripture says anything I do without love is irrelevant. Even great faith without love is meaningless.

Once these foundational pieces are set, I need WISDOM to see God’s plan.  Scripture says if I lack wisdom, it’s because I haven’t asked for it…So I will ask God for the wisdom to know what He wants me to do. 

Knowing what to do is different than doing it… God’s way is not always popular. So, it’ll require COURAGE to stick to His plan. 

Next, I need PEACE. I often have anxiety over problems that have not yet happened. Peace will allow me to stay focused on what is in front of me. Philippians says to stop being anxious and tell God my needs. If I do this, His peace which is beyond comprehension will guard my heart and mind and allow me to deal wisely with issues I face today.  

The final component is JOY. Nehemiah says the Joy of the Lord is my strength. I cannot dispassionately serve God – I must see life from God’s perspective and tackle life Joyfully…Doing so, will produce unstoppable enthusiasm and strength and will attract others to Him. 

So that’s the plan. Pray for FAITH, radiate LOVE, seek WISDOM, COURAGEOUSLY follow where wisdom leads, relax in God’s PEACE, and lean on His JOY.

Post these six words where you’ll be reminded to pray through them every morning.  Go “All In” this year and become a part of the victorious plan of God.

“God’s plan is to make much of the man… Men are God’s method. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men.” – E.M. Bounds

Luke 2:11-14 12/21/2021*

 “… today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Mankind was lost – We had been given the requirements for righteousness and had failed miserably by rejecting God and rebelling against His law…We had no hope of redemption, and our eternal destiny was set.

Then out of nowhere - Christmas exploded into history.

Can you imagine the panic in the hallways of hell when this baby was born?  Can you fathom the terror that surged through the enemy at this proclamation from a throng of powerful angels?

A heavenly host appeared and said: Today changes everything! 

In that instant history pivoted and God proclaimed that His love would not allow us to get what we deserved…. Since we couldn’t save ourselves – He would save us…So on the first Christmas morning God launched the greatest rescue mission ever undertaken. 

The Commander of the universe sent His Son as a child – to go behind enemy lines, live a life of perfection, die for our sin, and rise again to set us free. 

This birth began the process of turning the jungle back into a garden.  It signaled an end to my slavery to sin, restored the relationship I had forfeited with my creator, and canceled the debt I had accrued. 

Don’t be confused by the commercial hysteria – The holiday we celebrate is an historical event that has nothing to do with Christmas trees and reindeer.  

Christmas was a tactical invasion by The Lord of Host to rescue His children…It provided us a path back to Him.  It restored peace with our maker, and brought hope to this broken world. 

Don’t get so distracted by the hype that you miss the only Christmas gift that matters … “there has been born for YOU a Savior, who is Christ the Lord … Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

“The Son of God became a man, to enable men to become sons of God.” - C.S. Lewis

Deuteronomy 6:5 12/14/2021*

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

Are you an alien living here as a foreigner, fully committed to Christ? 

Or are you a local that dabbles in religion?

Because you can’t be both. 

God sent His Son to die for our sin…Centuries before He did - He wrote this verse to make it clear that something that costly can never be a side hustle…Christianity is not a part time job. You are either all in – or not in at all. 

So, what does loving God with all your heart, soul, and strength mean?

Your heart is your engine. – Is it committed to pursuing God at all costs? Is your worship filled with passion, gratitude, and commitment? It should be if you love the Lord your God with all your heart. 

What about your Soul? C.S. Lewis said, “You don’t have a soul, you ARE a soul...”  What a profound statement. Your soul is the essence of who you are…Your soul is what is everlasting and made in the image of God.  So, God expects you to love Him with ALL that you are. Everything in you that matters should be clinging to your Heavenly Father. 

And finally, how do you love God with all your strength?  Your strength is about what you DO every day? Is your energy spent chasing trinkets this world offers, or do you pursue your King? When you are exhausted is it most often because you were battling for lost souls - or chasing temporary fame and fortune?

With all of that in mind, let me ask you again… Are you an alien living in a foreign land fully committed to Christ? Or are you an earthling that dabbles in religion? 

If you don’t like the answer to that question – Change it…The invitation is open, and God has paid your way.  

Abandon all hesitation. Go “all in” with Christ with every part of your heart, your soul, and your strength. You were created for one purpose… to be with God – Anything else is just a distraction.

“If Christ is not all to you, He is nothing to you. He will never go into partnership as a part Savior of men. If He be something He must be everything, and if He be not everything, He is nothing to you.”

 – Charles Spurgeon

1 Kings 13 12/7/2021*

“The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (But he was lying to him.) So, the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house.”

There is a difference in listening to men who claim to serve God - and listening to God. 

The prophet lied, proving all can sin …The man of God followed the prophet’s advice – though God had instructed otherwise – and costly consequences followed. 

We must never elevate man’s words above the Word of God.

This principal is reinforced in the New Testament when Berean Jews are praised for their devotion to scripture: “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Even when listening to the Apostle Paul, they checked the content through existing scripture.

The danger in not doing this, is the temptation to look for agreement instead of direction. We tend to search for sources who encourage us to do what we already want to do. 

There is wisdom in having righteous advisers…but no matter who your advisers are, final confirmation must come from scripture and prayer.

In the gospels Jesus often says, “it is written”. That is the standard – You can read Christian books and devotionals – and they may be good additives to scripture…But the thing that matters, is your knowledge of God’s Word.

You cannot follow what you do not know. And you cannot know what you have not studied. 

Read your bible. Set up non-negotiable daily routines. Learn to ask questions through prayer and find answers in scripture. Study and learn to handle The Word well. Counselors are good – but their only purpose is to help you understand and apply what God has already written in your bible. 

We have the perfect compass. Memorize it – follow it relentlessly – and never entertain advice that conflicts with its guidance, no matter who that advice comes from. 

“What we need as Christians is to be able to feed ourselves.  How many there are who sit helpless, with open mouths, hungry for spiritual things, and the minister must try to feed them, while the Bible is a feast prepared, into which they never venture.” – D.L. Moody

PSALM 139:7-12 11/30/2021*

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take up the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will take hold of me.”

 This is a passage that completely mystifies us if we delve into it. 

God is incomprehensible. We see Him through a dark glass but even that glimpse is too much for us to grasp. 

You cannot hide from God – He knows where you are…and He is there…. there is no darkness around God – He is light. 

Most things in this life are relative and shifting, but God is not. He is eternal and permanent. 

How amazing is it to be loved by a God like that? A God who sees behind the façade and loves you still. In Jeremiah God says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart”. In other words, you didn’t earn it…

God is omnipresent. He is everywhere…All powerful, omnipotent, omniscient…and any other “omni” word you want to throw in…. You are literally incapable of overestimating His power.

After you recover from trying to comprehend that - throw into the mix that, that same God adores you! … He not only loves you – He likes you…He longs for fellowship with you. He stands knocking at your door. 

He is the perfect Father. It doesn’t matter how far you run or how well you hide…He is already there. Nothing you have done can separate you from Him…Nothing is stronger than the blood of Christ. 

The question asked in this passage is “where can I go from your Spirit?” … The answer is “nowhere”.

What a gift… Once I claim the sacrifice made on my behalf, I am permanently His child… and nothing can separate me from His love. 

Boldly walk out of your door today with confidence in that undeniable truth. The extravagance with which God loves you combined with His incomprehensible power is all you need to face today without blinking.  

“On the whole, God’s love for us is a much safer subject to think about than our love for Him.” C. S. Lewis

Joshua 1:9-11 11/23/2021*

"…Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are going to cross this Jordan, to go in to take possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving you…”

God tells His children to be strong and courageous …. Then He says - get ready to move – prepare to go into battle. 

I love talking about being courageous when I am telling other people to do it. But I am not as excited about moving courageously into conflict myself. 

Courage matters when there is a battle – bravery is important when facing danger…. So, as I sit in my easy chair this morning and write these comments – what danger am I willing to face? …What battle am I prepared to wage? God wants me to move – not just talk about moving. 

God is more interested in what we do than what we say. James 1:22 says “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  So, what are you willing to do? As you sit in your easy chair this morning – Ask yourself what battles you are willing to fight today. 

Consider the illustration of the pig and the chicken and their role in breakfast …The chicken is supportive - the pig is committed. So, which are you? Are you committed to the gospel or just supportive of it? 

God wants soldiers who are committed to sacrificing for the Kingdom. Courageous men and women ready to risk it all, leave their comfort zones, cross the Jordan, and take possession of the promises God has given them.

Moving forward is uncomfortable… And at times risky because it pushes you out of cover and opens you up for others to shoot at…But that can be a good thing, since it will force you to stop talking about courage - and actually have some.

So, it’s up to you today…Will you cross the Jordan that God has put before you…or will you sit in your comfort zone and talk about it?

"You do not write your life with words... You write it with actions. "

- Patrick Ness.

1 John 4:21 11/16/2021*

“And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.”

There is no wiggle room in this commandment. 

You can do all the “theological open field running” you want, search every commentary, point your finger, and deflect blame…but there is no getting around that statement. The one who loves God - must love others.

This is reinforced when Jesus says if you are angry with someone don’t sacrifice to God until you talk to them…. Matthew 5:24 “leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.”

There are no loopholes…. Love is not just a commandment, it’s an identity. God is love. If He lives in you - and you don’t love others, there is a problem. 

You can dress up with feathers and wings – and tell everyone you’re an eagle – but if you don’t fly – they’re going to know you’re not an eagle. 

You can dress up like a Christian – go to church every week – But, if you don’t love others – according to this verse their going to know you’re not a Christian. 

If you are unable to love people because of their skin color, or who they voted for, or because they have a medical opinion you don’t agree with…then you have an identity problem. Those stipulations are not allowed for in this verse, and you need to make sure you’re not claiming to be something you’re not. 

God loves you and wants you to be His…And If God lives within you…. how can you not bleed love when you are cut?

This is one of the last books written in the bible and God is making sure we “get it”. Love is the element that defines us… it is not just something we do – it is something we are – it is the foundational component in our DNA and identifies us as His children.

You cannot love your brother without loving God – neither can you love God, without loving your brother…So, reject this world’s tendency to divide us - and start praying for your neighbor, serving others, and loving those who don’t love you...that is your identifying mark.

“I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Jeremiah 9:23-24 11/9/21*

 “Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD …”

What do you see when you look in the mirror?

Do you strive for attractiveness, intelligence, stylishness, wealth? … When you boast is it about money, success, power…what identifies you? 

We all see ourselves with different assets…but this verse says only one thing is worth boasting about and that is knowing the Lord. 

So, tell me where “knowing the Lord” lands on your list of identifying attributes. How often do you find yourself boasting about God? If it is not high on the list, you need to evaluate why?

Scripture says, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What you love – controls you. What you think about is who you are. So, is God your focus or just a compartmentalized component of your life?

This is an interesting question because the answer can reveal idols that have been hiding in plain sight – comfortably using the approval of our culture for cover. 

Money is not evil unless it leads you…. Professional success is good unless it becomes too important… Your physical wellbeing is a gift from God that should be enjoyed but was never intended to consume your every thought and action. 

Pursuit of good things in life, is not the problem…The problem is the lack of pursuit of the best thing in life - a relationship with your Heavenly Father. 

Eliminate the noise in your mind that this world produces and recognize what Jesus did for you… If you want to boast, boast about God. If you want to brag, brag about His rescue mission that changed your life. Remember who you were when God found you and be amazed by the renewal He has produced. 

Money, success, popularity, health… all will eventually let you down. But the love of God is just beginning…it is an eternal blessing that will not only never let you down – it will forever increase in value and power the more you pursue it. 

"The deepest longing of the human heart is to know and enjoy the glory of God. We were made for this." - John Piper

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 11/2/2021*

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.  Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” 

Why does God double down on telling the Thessalonians to “build one another up” … even though it says they are already doing so?

Maybe they are like us - and encouraging others doesn’t come naturally …. This world pushes self-esteem… not esteem for others - and we tend to build ourselves up – even if that means stepping on others to do it.

But Christians should be different – building our brothers up should be our full-time job. We ought to constantly be helping others prepare to face life in a broken world.

But how do we do that?  

We strengthen others by reminding them that they are no longer destined for wrath and that they have been delivered from eternal punishment by the sacrifice of Christ…Focusing on our redemption can make todays negative news cycle lose its impact. 

The encouragement of Christ is not just something we offer when someone is having a bad day. Reassuring our brothers is not just done before the battle… it is done constantly.

You don’t lift weights the day of the game - you do it every day for months prior to the season. 

Spiritual strength is the same…. We must be each other’s full-time Strength Coaches…. Discussing daily the blessing of redemption - and the joy of being loved by God.

 In this age of pessimism and fear - we must build the confidence and faith of our brothers. In a world that preaches anxiety, we must advocate faith so we will not be shaken when we face trials. 

This won’t happen by accident; we must encourage each other on purpose. Make it your goal to be the greatest spiritual trainer you can be to the people in your circle.  Set daily targets for encouraging others and then relentlessly pursue those goals. 

You can’t do it alone, and neither can I – So find someone this morning to encourage …build them up and make them stronger today, so they will be ready to fight beside you tomorrow.

“The most valuable player is the one who makes the most players valuable.” – Peyton Manning

PSALM 121:1-2 10/26/2021*

“I will raise my eyes to the mountains; From where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

It is amazing how much power is in scripture when we slow down and read it.  Just two verses this morning but they contain a remedy for anxiety.

“I will raise my eyes to the mountains” is a choice…a difficult choice.  There are real and devastating problems out there. There are heart breaking sorrows and hard seasons that drain us of strength…. Raising my eyes is an intentional response to those trials. 

This passage explains why we look up – help comes from the Lord… The implication is my support is there waiting for me. I just must raise my head …. God is waiting for me to turn around…to reach my hand toward my Father.  

And in case I don’t realize the value of that opportunity, the psalmist explains who God is… “The Lord, who made heaven and earth”. The all-powerful ever-present King of kings…the Great I AM. The question is not can He deliver me…the question is will I turn to Him and be delivered?

It doesn’t say look around for a path of escape. Nor does it instruct me to look to my friends to bail me out…it says look up. 

At the end of the day, it is just me and God…and He loves me.  I either believe that or I don’t. If I believe it – it changes me. I am no longer a lonely victim. I am a beloved child of God waiting for my deliverance. 

This is not a “positive attitude” message it is much more powerful than that – It is a message about faith…Faith in a very real God who loves and protects me.  So, when I am downtrodden and exhausted, I have a choice to make… I can hang my head – or raise my eyes.  If I choose faith, I will receive strength and be protected in His shadow. 

So, in two verses we go from defeat and fatigue - to deliverance and confidence. With one decision the trajectory of my day is altered. 

So, what is your choice today?  Will you raise your eyes…or hang your head? God is waiting - the choice is yours. 

“Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.” - Oswald Chambers