Faith in an Awesome God.

If you are struggling with your faith, I highly recommend reading Hebrews 11, known as the faith chapter. Having have in the unseen, awesome God is an. It says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Faith is having complete trust and confidence in God. There is no sugar coating the importance of faith that this verse conveys. Without faith it is impossible to please God. It’s not half-way possible, or maybe possible, but it is impossible! If you don’t believe and have faith in God, then you aren’t pleasing to Him (ouch). Not only do you need to believe that He exists, but as this verse says you must also believe that He will reward you for following Him.

It’s not always easy, but the only way to please God is to get out of your comfort zone and take a step of faith. It’s not always going to make sense. Actually, most of the time it won’t make sense because if it made sense, then it isn’t faith. Just as hope that is seen isn’t hope (Romans 8:24), faith that is seen isn’t faith. So if you could see God, then you wouldn’t need faith, which is why it’s so important to Him. As your father, He wants to know that you believe He is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do.

You have to step out of the boat, just like Peter did, to find out what He has in store for you. If you don’t take that first step then you are going to miss out on all the blessings in store. Expect God to reward your faith! If something is holding you back, ask Him to remove the fear and to step forward in the abundant life He has for you.

May you have a faith that sees you through today and the days to come. May you feel God’s presence all around you. May you believe that God has a plan for you and will continue to bless you. Blessings on your journey.

Come and See!

What’s the first big thing in your life you felt compelled to shout about? Maybe that first career job or graduating from college. It could have been standing at the altar with the one you would spend the rest of your life with or when you first held your new born in your hands. We’ve all had moments that we could shout and be as excited as we’ve ever been.

For those of us who believe Jesus is exactly who he said he was, the story in Matthew 28:1-8 gives us reason to shout. See, two women are going to Jesus’ tomb on the Sunday morning after he dies to prepare his body but upon arrival, an angel is there and has rolled away the stone covering the tomb. He invites them to do several things that are so applicable in our discipled life.

The angel says, “come to the empty tomb”. It’s an invitation to see that Jesus has risen from the grave, conquering death. Have you every noticed in Jesus’ ministry, he’s always inviting people close to him? He never says, “Stay away…I don’t have time…I’m too busy.” Jesus is wanting you and me to come to him. His invitation is real and authentic. Nothing you have done will undermine your ability to draw close to him.

And the angel also says “See.” That word is one of encounter and experience. He says to us, “Check it out and see if Jesus is really who he says he is. There’s nothing to hide here.” Come and see. The women at the tomb that morning would have noticed several things. They would have seen the humility of God. How far would God go to have a relationship with each of us? All the way to the cross. They would have seen the reality of sin. Sin killed Jesus and sin kills me and you everyday. We need Jesus for life.

The women would have seen the mortality of human beings. The future for all of us is death unless the Lord returns first. All of us are going to die. But the beauty of being in Christ is that death is a stepping stone to eternal life with Jesus. Finally, they would have seen the victory of Christ over death. Jesus was not in the tomb. He is risen!

Once the angel reveals Jesus is risen, he tells the women to “go and tell” the world the story. And that’s our invitation as well. It’s such a relief to see the tomb is empty but we can’t stay there. It’s more than good news…it’s great news! and you can tell that story of life with your family and friends, in your workplace and in your neighborhood. If necessary, use words but your life will reflect the risen Savior best. Now, go and tell how Jesus has changed your life. Blessings on the journey.

A Little Donkey Ride.

This week is called “Passion Week” in the Christian community. Yesterday is known as Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem. It is the week he will give his life for the world (John 3:16-17). The festival is Passover that Jesus, his disciples and all the Jewish community will celebrate. It’s the celebration of Israel being released from slavery in Egypt and making their way toward the Promised Land.

Part of the process of Passover is that every family selects a lamb to be sacrificed for the Passover meal. That selection happens on the 10th of Nisan in the Jewish calendar. Not coincidentally, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on lamb selection day. The Lamb of God, who will be sacrificed, rides into Jerusalem on a donkey.

The story is found in all four gospels. And in every account, there are some truths we can pull out of the story. For this blog, I’m using John 12:12-19 and in this pericope, we discover Jesus is more appealing than religion. So many people are in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and they come streaming out of the gates toward Jesus on the road calling out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the LORD.” That word means, “Save now…deliver us now.”

In Jesus’ ministry, they had seen his love and compassion…his forgiveness and inclusiveness. They had noted over the last 3 1/2 years how Jesus had reminded everyone of the love of God and how everyone was invited to the table of the Father. Jesus was so fresh and vibrant, so authentic and real. The people and us had been longing for something different for so long. And there are differences between religion and Jesus.

Religion emphasizes the outward but Jesus focuses on the inward. Religion was all about appearance and keeping the rules but Jesus was about changed hearts. Religion is often about what you can’t do but Jesus is about what you can do. Religion was consistently saying, “Thou shalt not…” while Jesus was saying, “Come as you are.”

Religion was about creating barriers for people while Jesus was tearing them down. The religious elite where categorizing and fencing in people while Jesus says in Matthew 11, “Come to me ALL of you who are tired and burdened and I’ll give you rest.”

Religion is often reminding us how we must work our way to heaven while Jesus says, “I am the way.” Religion is about what you must do; Jesus says it’s already been done.

In John’s account, he quotes two Old Testament prophecies from Psalms 118 and Zechariah 9, reminding us all that Jesus fulfilled so many old prophecies, some 300 Jesus fulfilled. He’s riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Zechariah foretold that 500 years before it happened.

And finally, following is more important than inspection. Four groups of people are at Jesus’ triumphal entry. The disciples are there. The guys that have been following Jesus for over three years. The eyewitnesses to Jesus resurrecting Lazarus are there and their group of friends who want to see Jesus. The Pharisees are there wagging their fingers, “Look, the whole world is following him.”

This week we celebrate the Passion of the Christ. And Jesus is the one foretold…the Messiah…the Son of God. As you read the story, you have to choose one label for Jesus. To you, he’s either a liar, a lunatic or Lord of all. So how will you respond? What group would you be in as Jesus rides into Jerusalem? How will you respond now that Jesus has visited you? My hope is you’ll be a follower and walking so close to Jesus that his dust settles upon you. Blessings on your journey.

Pray for Change.

When have you prayed like there’s no tomorrow? I mean one of those prayers that leave your heart pounding and a glisten on your forehead. We have all said those “generic” prayers but how many of us have really prayed for change in our lives and a different self?

David does that in Psalms 139 but before he gets to the meat of his prayer, he acknowledges God is supreme. He knows God is all-knowing, ever-present, and all-powerful. We serve an awesome God who has never been and will never be beaten in any regard. Like David’s prayer in Psalms 139:23-24, we too should be praying for transformation. There are four different parts of the prayer we need to imitate that David prays.

First, we pray for God to search our heart and show us the places we do not look like Jesus. Without Jesus, we don’t have good hearts. Jeremiah knew this as he states in Jeremiah 17:9, ““The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”

If we prayed this honestly, what would God show us? Are we prideful, self-centered, or prejudiced? Are we compassion, loving, and forgiving? When you openly pray this, God will show you where your heart truly is and what you might need to work on in order to look more like his son Jesus.

Secondly, we pray for God to show us the things that make us anxious or worried. For each of us, it’s something different. Maybe you are worried about your marriage or your kids. Maybe you are anxious about the career path or being able to pay your bills. What I do know is what we fear the most shows us where we trust God the least. But we cannot be driven by fear if we follow Jesus. God has given us a spirit of boldness, love, and power, not a spirit of timidity.

The third thing David prays for and we should as well is that our sins be uncovered. The things in our life that distance us from Jesus should be revealed so that they no longer hinder our walk. It’s easy to see other people’s sin but much more difficult to see mine. I can point out all the deficiencies in your life but never see how I need to change.

So to help with that, we should ask ourselves three questions: What are others trying to tell me? There are always a handful of people who are jealous and trying to give you false info about yourself. I’m not talking about those folks. But your have 10-12 people in your life you trust and if they are all saying the same thing, maybe it’s time to be aware of what they are revealing to you.

You might ask yourself, what have I rationalized for a time? or where am I most defensive? Those two honest answers will reveal areas of your life you should examine to be more in line with how Jesus would want us to live as his disciple. Ultimately, when sin is revealed, it reminds us as imperfect people there is only one person who can make us right again and his Name is Jesus.

Finally, like David, we ask God to lead us. Once I said “yes” to Jesus, I threw away the script the world gave me and now I live like Jesus would live. So, if someone takes advantage of me, we don’t return with worse action. If someone hits me, I simply walk away. If someone talks poorly about me, I bless them. I follow another way of life…the one Jesus has called me live.

When we pray for God to search us and then lead us, it will totally change and rearrange your life for the better. Jesus can and will change your life for the better. Blessings on the journey.

Worship Joyfully.

If you had your life to do over, what would you do differently? Maybe you’d climb Mt. Kilimanjaro; or you’d hike the Appalachian Trail; or maybe you’d save more money. I don’t know what your item would be but most of us would do something different with at least one thing.

A survey was taken of folks across America who were in their 90s and asked the same question. Far and away, the top three answers were reflect more, risk more, and do things that outlive me more.

For those of us that love God and his son Jesus, most of us would respond to God more appropriately with our life. The writer of Psalms 100 gives us four ways we could be different in how we respond to God.

Verses 1-2 remind us to make a joyful noise and come before him with singing. With singing…but so many of us have excuses of why we can’t sing. I’ve heard some say, “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.” But respectfully, I’d say, “Get over it.” Jesus calls us in Mark 12:30-31 to worship God with everything we have, bad vocals and all. I’m always amazed that some believe enthusiasm for the most worthy thing in the universe must be carefully contained. We are called to sing for all that God has done for us…give him praise and adoration for his mercy and grace.

Verse 2 reminds me to serve God gladly. We should respond to God with emotion but also with motion. Our very lives should reflect a servant heart for God and others as we strive to imitate Jesus in our life. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 9 that God loves a cheerful giver. That word “cheerful” can be translated “hilarious”! That is how I want the world to think of me. I serve in ways that the world thinks is crazy…hilarious by their standards. I should serve God because of the life he’s given me.

Verse 3 reminds me to love God intelligently. The first word of the verse is “know” or “acknowledge”. Paul tells us in Romans 12 to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And we are to know a couple of things about God. First, we should know his Lordship. Basically, He is God and you are not. You are his craftsmanship. You are a divine incident. Secondly, we should know his ownership. We are his people. And if you are a baptized believer, He paid for you with Jesus’ blood. Know who God is in your life.

Verses 4-5 tell me to thank God consistently. We come together on Sundays to worship, love, serve, and thank a wonderful Heavenly Father. But it doesn’t end on Sunday…it’s an every day affair. The Psalmist gives us three reasons why we should thank him: He’s a good, good Father, He’s merciful and He’s faithful to all his promises.

What if we decided to live every day in a worshipful posture to an almighty God? What if every day we worked at our job, loved on our spouse and kids, were good neighbors all as ways we worshiped our Heavenly Father? We are called as believers to worship him daily, serve him faithfully, love him completely, and thank him for everything He’s done for us. Blessings on the journey.

Listen and Pray.

I have found lately that I’m stressed and tired and weak and distracted. It comes from a current scenario in my life that I’ve been walking through for about a year. And we all have those difficult moments in life when we tell ourselves we just need to grab the bootstraps and get on with it.

You and I have had moments when there seems no end to the pressure…no solving the problem…your thorn in the flesh is so imbedded, you’re not sure if you will ever be able to remove yourself from it. You wake up thinking about the issue and it’s the last thing you think about before you finally drift away at night. You and I have had questions about endings and new beginnings.

In those moments, I tend to pray a lot. I tend to have detailed conversations with God. I ask questions about the longevity of the situation and horizons of brighter sunlight. I know you have as well. Those moments create some vulnerability in your life. You depend on family and your inner circle of friends like you never have before.

One place I go repeated to gain strength is God’s Word. He reminds me that I’m his child and he has not forgotten me. I’m reminded he is my strength and my advocate. I’m reminded when I’m weak, he’s strong. He reminds me that he is in control.

I love Psalms 86. It is an open, vulnerable prayer. I read it and feel the connection to my Heavenly Father. It reads like this:

“Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you.”

“O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent cry. I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble, and you will answer me. No pagan god is like you, O Lord. None can do what you do! All the nations you made will come and bow before you, Lord; they will praise your holy name. For you are great and perform wonderful deeds. You alone are God.” (New Living Translation)

So, where ever you are in your journey, know you have a Father that will listen. He’s a whisper away. Talk to him today and enjoy the refreshing conversation. He’s waiting for you. Blessings on the journey.

Rediscovering Joy.

My guess is that most of us have had joyful moments. Those that made our hearts leap and smile. Like when she said “yes”; or you held your first born child in the delivery room. Maybe it was when you achieved some monumental task like graduating college or paying off the student loan debt.

But in Psalms 16, David is going to remind us, no matter your life experience, there’s only one place to find real joy.

I know every time I put faith in my own abilities, I come up short. I know David did that too. He says in verses 1-2 that joy cannot be found in yourself. God has got to be the thing you trust in, put your faith in, find joy in. In just 2 verses, David uses 3 different words for God, each one getting closer in relationship. He says the generic name for God (El) but then uses the very personal, covenantal name of God (YWHW). But finally ending with the Hebrew word, Adonai, which means “Master”. Joy is found not in yourself but in an almighty God. The closer you get to God, the happier you will become.

Secondly, David reminds us joy isn’t found in your troubled companions. See, some of us can’t find real joy in life because you have some friendships that do not care much for God. So if you want to find joy, get rid of the people in your life that are pulling you down. If you want to be more godly, then hang out with Godly people.

Third, joy can’t be found in worldly possessions. Too many times, we fill our lives with material stuff like the house, car, job titles, money…all of which will not get us closer to God. Instead of longing for more stuff, David says long for God and his presence. A sign of mature faith is when you realize that God is all you have and you decide God is all you want. Check out what Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:6-8.

Finally, David reveals real joy is found in God’s presence. When we consciously seek God in our every day life, God will even instruct us when we are sleeping. I’m reminded that God knows my story and will always be with me (see Isaiah 41:10). I can rest safely because of God’s presence. I can rejoice because of God’s presence. My heart is glad because of God’s presence. Finding God is finding joy.

Consider David, a guy who had everything and did everything. He was king of his country and led armies. He conquered other countries and had untold wealth. His relationships were many. After all he accomplished in life…after all of his experiences, David said real joy is found only in God. So do what you need to in order to pull God closer to your life and when you do, you’ll realize in him is where you will be most happy. Blessings on the journey.

What to Do When Life is Chaotic.

The Psalms are beautiful outreaches to God about where we are in our journey. Sometimes it’s celebratory and rejoicing. Sometimes it’s full of angst and anxiety. Sometimes it’s moments of outright anger and frustration. When you read through the Psalms, you see the spectrum of human emotions.

I know I’ve had moments when life seemed chaotic. There have been moments when you are asking, “Why God?” There have been moments of sudden loss when a family member is here one day, gone the next. There have been moments of financial ruin. There have been moments when a relationship fell apart and seemed irreparable. There have been moments when we’ve all had health scares.

In Psalms 16, David reminds us that when our life is overwhelming, keep a proper perspective with God and take it to God in prayer. See, prayer is not about getting what you want but getting closer to the one you need.

David reminds us in Psalms 16 to take our complaints to God and a small accountability group. Keep silent in front of non-believers because you don’t want to distort their view of an almighty God. See, others can tell how authentic your faith is when troubles come your way. We should not broadcast to the world what needs to be laid before God.

David also reminds us to keep everything in the right perspective. Life is short…too short to be consumed with trivial issues. I mean, we worry about dumb things: price of gas, price of eggs, things not organized in the workplace like we want them to be, the songs we sing on Sunday, etc. But David reminds us that life is short so lean into the important things.

David has an incredible hope in God. David says that he doesn’t trust anything of this world but his hope is only in God. He trusts God for his life and any plans he makes. He knows that whatever the situation, God’s plan is better than anything he could have discovered. We do get distracted at times trying to find out if God is doing this thing to me, or is it Satan trying to distract me or is it the natural consequence of my actions. I don’t know what it might be in your story but I do know as people who follow Jesus, we are called to be faithful.

David closes this Psalm with a prayer. He recognizes he’s just a traveler passing through this earth. His home is in heaven. I think David is saying, “God, remove this issue from me because I know my time is short here on earth and I want to spend the rest of my days living for your glory.”

So, what could you pray for God to do in your life right now that has eternal implications? Know that God loves you and he knows you…you wants the very best for you. Live like life is short and give God the glory in the process. Blessings on your journey.

Share Your Spiritual Story.

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” — 1 Peter 3:15, NIV

Christians have something that is very valuable in today’s world: hope. As Christians, our hope is found in Jesus Christ and his redemptive sacrifice for us. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to “always be prepared to … give a reason for the hope that you have.”

Sharing your faith story might not always be an easy task, especially if you are afraid of being judged or looked at differently because of what you believe. It may seem intimidating at times, however, sharing your faith story is a worthwhile endeavor that can lead to eternal life for those who you tell.

How do you share the Gospel?

“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” — Psalms 96:3, NIV

Sharing the Gospel does not have to be a source of stress, rather it can be an exciting chance to share your passion. There are various ways individuals learn how to share the Gospel. Some may try to use tools or visuals. Others may use resources such as the Romans Road, which explores different verses about salvation.

These can be useful if you don’t know what to say, but you do not need anything other than a willing spirit to share with others. The Holy Spirit will touch people’s hearts; your words don’t have to be elaborate or scholarly to teach others. Always remember you can turn to Scripture or a friend if the person you are talking to has questions that you are unsure about.

It is important to show kindness and respect while sharing about Jesus. Not everyone wants to hear about your faith, so try not to take it personally if they are unwilling to listen. Make sure not to be forceful while sharing your story as this does not make for a good witness. What you can do is pray that other people will come along who are more willing to listen to what you have to say.

Share Your Story.

Another good way to share your faith is by sharing your story or testimony. When you share your story one-on-one or in a small group, you form a personal connection. You can tell others about how Jesus has personally impacted you or why you are a Christian. This is also a way to work Christ into a conversation without it being too awkward, because you are sharing your own experience.

For example, if you invite some of your friends over for breakfast, they might bring up a topic that relates to your personal experiences and story, and this gives you a chance to share what Jesus has done for you.

Different people may share their testimonies in different ways. Some individuals may give their testimony in front of a large audience. Others may use their social media influence to spread the Gospel message. Some people may lead Bible study to share God’s word.

No matter how you share the Gospel, know that you are helping plant seeds of hope.

Some people may travel all the way across the world because they want all people groups to know the message of the Gospel. However, you do not have to travel to another continent to share Jesus with others.

Look at the people around you. Have you ever told your family or friends about the wonderful things of God? If not, this can be the perfect opportunity to share your faith. You never know the difference you may make, not only in someone’s life but in their eternity. Blessings on the journey.

Live and Give Like You Never Have Before.

Rivalries exist in all of our lives. It could be as simple as, “do I work out or eat Blue Bell ice cream”. We have football rivalries and political rivalries. Most of use have had rivalries over a girlfriend or boyfriend.

Jesus makes a unique statement found nowhere else in the New Testament. He lets us know what his chief competitor is by telling us “You can’t serve God and “mammon” in Matthew 6:24. So what is mammon?

Most Bibles use the word “money” but it’s much more than just that. Mammon is a false god that promises how you can trust money/resources to give you what only God can give you. Mammon is huge liar.

See, mammon falsely promises to give you security. You and I think, “If I just had $_____________.00, I’d be set for life.” It lies to us about our significance. “If I had enough money to buy a lot of stuff, people would listen to me and finally believe I’m important.” It gives us a false sense of an ideal marriage. We say, “If we had enough money, we wouldn’t fight anymore and she/he’d be happy.” It promises peace and joy in life.

But the truth is, the only person or thing that can give us security, significance, a great marriage, joy or peace is God Almighty. It’s only in and through him that you and I will ever have all those things.

Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 6:21, “Where your treasure is, there is your heart also.” In other words, your heart follows what you treasure. We end up spending our money on things we don’t need or spending too much money on someone we might need. We spend money on our kids as if that 8 year old needs the latest iPhone. Now, I’m not saying to tell your family no or to sell everything you have.

But God does put a biblical principle in place that will help you release the grip of mammon in your life. The principle of tithing reminds you where your heart belongs and it lets God know you recognize who supplies your daily needs.

The principle is simple: take whatever you bring home for your pay and give God the first ten percent. On your home budget, the first line item should be “giving”, and it’s 10% of what you make. God is the first check that you write. Then you learn to live on the other 90% of your income. God calls us to give sacrificially and in doing so you share your blessings with those around you.

Some of you don’t give at all and you’re wandering, “How could I give anything? Everything I bring home is spoken for.” If that’s you then just start giving something, even if it’s $10 a week. It may not be 10% initially but you’ll start instilling the principle a little at a time. If you've set your giving at some point in the past, my guess is, you’ve received a raise between then and now. It might be time to reevaluate how much you're giving.

Robin (my wife) and I made a commitment when we married to three things concerning giving to God. One, we are always going to give every week back to God. Two, we are going to work hard on becoming debt-free. Finally, we are going to help people whenever the opportunity arises. I challenge you to incorporate that way of thinking into your giving spirit.

I know God promises that he can and will do more with the 90% than you could ever do with the 100% on your own. It takes trust and a heart for God to move in this direction. Don’t you want to live and give like you’ve never done before? Trusting God will allow you to do exactly that. Blessings on the journey.