He Must Increase.

Living in a me-first world is tough. At times it seems no one is following Jesus call to life except you. A picture of our culture can be found on an airplane. You’re in the middle seat and the other two passengers are taking up all the armrests. Or the guy in front of you reclines his seat back as far as it will go leaving your tray in your gut. In America, we live for ourselves. It’s a me-first culture.

But Jesus told us, “You must lose your life if you want to find it.” Life cannot be about you in Jesus’ upside down kingdom. John the Baptist had a driving motto and it’s one I’ve adopted, although I drop the ball every single week. John says in John 3:30, “Jesus must become greater and greater; I must become less and less.” That’s a kingdom heart and the same heart Jesus wants all his followers to possess.

Jesus actually pointed at John the Baptist in Matthew 11:11, saying there had never been anyone greater than John. Why? Because John’s heart was a kingdom heart. His attitude was about self last and others first, indeed the King of kings was in the priority position in his life. So what were the things in John’s life that give us a better understanding of what it means to follow the risen Savior?

First, John’s parents were sold out for God. They created a rich heritage within the home that lived out Kingdom mentality. They served others and God with their Temple service. They had done that their entire life. So, moms and dads, grandma and grandpa…you have the opportunity to predecide you will live for Jesus and your life will be centered on serving him. Make a decision, no matter where you are in your family life that your house will be centered on Jesus by servicing others, regularly interacting with a local faith group and making your house scream you love Jesus with decor and scripture on the walls.

Secondly, practice NOT being #1. John did. He says in John 1:26-27, “I’m not worthy of being the slave of Jesus nor untying this shoes. John was humble and did not seek to be known. His only desire was to make Jesus known at whatever the cost. So many of us seek the spotlight and what the applause. But those of us in life, when we get the applause, acknowledge Jesus during the recognition. God is the one who put you in that position so let the world know it’s not about you but about Jesus.

Finally, when you have doubt, take it to Jesus. That’s what John the Baptist did when he found himself in prison because he was speaking truth about King Herod and his wife Herodias. We don’t know how long John was in prison but it was long enough for him to start asking some questions. He was alone, isolated, tired, cold. In Luke 7:19-22, he is asking Jesus, “I think…I believe you’re the Messiah but in this moment, I’m not 100% sure.” It’s a good story for us to read.

Each of us have moments when things are dark, negative, and stormy. We can’t feel God or see him working in our life and we ask, “Are you real?” The story, your story, will not always turn out as you had planned. But in a be-last kingdom, we are called to trust the Savior and realize, it’s not about me. It’s about exalting Jesus and letting the world see our faith and trust in Jesus, especially during the valley moments of our life.

So Jesus reminds us in Matthew 10:39, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” So the challenge is to live the mantra of John, “Jesus must increase and I must decrease.” In this way, you will develop the Kingdom heart that says you belong to the Savior. Blessings on the journey.

Greatness Defined

At least once a year, I watch “Band of Brothers” created by HBO. The show follows a company of US soldiers during WWII through Europe. It reminds me of the sacrifices of men and women who were part of the greatest generation and makes me appreciate all that I have. But how does greatness get defined in the Kingdom of Jesus?

In Mark 9, the disciples are arguing over who is the greatest in Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus doesn’t discourage greatness but does redefine it for us saying, “The first will be last and the last will be first”. In Matthew 20, the disciples are again arguing over who’s the greatest among the disciples. Jesus says look, I have an upside down kingdom. If you want to be great, you’ll need to be the servant and slave of all.

In Luke 22 as Jesus celebrates Passover with the disciples one last time before he’s killed, he redefines the Passover meal into what Christians celebrate today as the Lord’s supper or Eucharist. After Jesus breaks bread with them and drinks the watered wine, the disciples begin to argue over who’s the greatest! But Jesus says, “I’ve told you I want you to experience the best life possible and the path to that greatness is not pushing people around but serving those you encounter.”

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the story of a land owner who went on a trip but before he left, he gave 5 bags of silver to one servant, 2 bags of silver to another servant and 1 bag to the last servant. Upon his return, the 5-bag servant had earned 5 more bags and the 2-bag servant earned 2 more. The master said well done! Let’s celebrate and I’ll give you more because of how you used the resources to gain more.

But the 1-bag servant was afraid of the master so he hid his silver and did nothing with it. Upon the master’s return, the master took away what the last servant had and gave it to the 5-bag servant. So, what’s the moral of the story and how does it relate to greatness in Jesus’ kingdom?

Well, we notice the 5-bag servant put his resources to work immediately…he didn’t wait. Some of us make plans to work in the kingdom but after our kids graduate and leave home or after I get my nest egg built up or when I get different working hours. But Jesus reminds us it’s a mindset. We all have been given “gifts”. Gifts could be time, talents or resources. The point is, whatever we have, if you follow Jesus, start today using that for kingdom.

We also have to realize that all the resources you have (time, talent, physical resources) are entrusted to us and don’t belong to us. Everything we have was given to us by Jesus and while we have it, it’s used for His glory and for his kingdom.

Too many of us have adopted the American mentality of entitlement and owning, using what we have been blessed with for our own purposes. If this is your spirit, your joy and peace will be wrapped up in the stock market and your bank account. But if you realize what you have is really not yours, your joy and peace will be wrapped up in Jesus.

Finally, if you follow Jesus, serve others as one who will give an account of your life one day. The Bible mentions that we are allotted 70 years on earth. The current US average for life is just under 79 years. In the moment, we think we have all the time in the world to live into the life we have but the truth is, it is a very small window to make a kingdom difference.

Jesus is coming back and when he does, he will not say good job my good and faithful social media influencer or good job my good and faithful public school teach. King Jesus will recognize me by the way I stepped into kingdom life and served those around me. I look forward to the day when my Savior looks at me and says, “Well done my good and faithful SERVANT.”

As we live into the greatness of the kingdom of Jesus, we want to be like him which means we serve those around us and recognize, others are more important than we are. Blessings on the journey.

The Key to Greatness.

Most of us have heroes…typically sports figures. Football might be Tom Brady; Basketball could be MJ. Women’s gymnastics is probably Simone Biles. These are the people who have sacrificed a lot to be the greatest of all time. They usually say having a great coach, practice and trusting your skill set are the things to make you the GOAT. But what does Jesus of Nazareth say will make you the GOAT?

Initially, there was no clue to his greatness. He was born in a barn to poor parents who eventually became refugees in another country. His dad was a blue collar worker. Jesus was so ordinary early on that we don’t even know about 17 years of his life.

But the 33 years Jesus had on earth changed the course of human history. His life affected the medical field, the academic field. theology. You can go to the graves of world-be world changers but you can’t go to Jesus’ grave because he isn’t there. And the Bible paints a greatest-of-all-time picture of Jesus.

Just read John 1:1-5, Colossians 1:15-17 and Hebrews 1:1-3. You’ll see the authors remind us that Jesus existed before time began and that everything we know was created through him and for him. He is the visible image of the invisible God. Jesus is the greatest of all time. So what does the GOAT say is the key to greatness?

Jesus says, “Be last”. Jesus says in Matthew 20:26-27, “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.” Jesus would never ask us to do anything that he hasn’t already done. Jesus left glory, heaven, authority, peace, purity to be pour into a human body and live on earth. He gave up kingship in order to be a servant.

Paul writes in Philippians 2:3-11 how Jesus left heaven and what he did on earth. Jesus is setting an example for us that in a “me-first” world, a “be-last” life is different. And Paul says “you must” in verse 5 reminding us that if we follow Jesus, looking like him is imperative…it’s not an option.

So focus on the one question this week: “What does ‘be-last’ look like for me?” If you are like me, I could make a list fairly quickly of 10 things I need to change. But if I make a list, I won’t do any of them. So, focus on one thing. What’s one thing that would help you be last this week?

There are so many ways you can look like Jesus this week. Following Jesus will cost me something. My hope is the Spirit will reveal to you exactly what you need to work on. In a me-first world, following Jesus looks very different. Blessings on the journey.

The Spirit of our Politics

You grew up hearing little phrases that meant something in your neck of the woods. Phrases like, “You’re behind the 8-ball now” or “You’re barking up the wrong tree” or “bless your heart”. All of these meant something specific where you grew up. One I grew up hearing was “never talk about politics and religion together.”

But over the last two to three election cycles, my American friends have told me they felt like they were between a rock and a hard place. Comments like, “No candidate inspires me” or “I don’t trust either one” or “I just don’t know who I should vote for” has led to the comment, “So I’m just going to sit this one out”.

Now, I am not a political person by nature. You’ll really never hear me endorse a candidate or a platform or a party. But Paul tells us in Romans 13 that God establishes human government. And it doesn’t make sense to me that God would not want humans involved in the government he has established.

When we read Jeremiah 29, you find a prophet of God living in a broken Jerusalem who’s trying to encourage his countrymen who have been taken hostage. King Nebuchadnezzar took thousands of Israelites to Babylon as he conquered and dismantled the country of Judah. So, while the Israelites are living in a country and culture that doesn’t share their values nor their belief in the God of Israel, Jeremiah sends a letter to encourage them. This letter is written and sent to Babylon in about 597BC and Jeremiah has some insight that will help us in our difficult and divided moment here in America.

Jeremiah reminds us to be responsible in our culture. He says look you’re going to be there a while, 70 years so provide for your family, get a home, get a garden, get a job, get married, have kids and raise a family. The average life span in America is 78.9 years. And we live in a culture that doesn’t have the same beliefs we do in a risen savior nor an everlasting God. But don’t isolate, permeate. Be salt and light and live in such a way to represent Jesus well.

Jeremiah reminds us to be prayerful for our country. Our lives are wrapped up in the welfare of this country. Prayer is our declaration of dependence on God. I think most of us would agree that our country desperately needs God. So prayer for revival and another chance. Pray for our leaders to use the wisdom of God in their decision making. Pray that we’d be united instead of divided.

Jeremiah reminds us to be careful about who you consider when you vote. Every election candidates from both sides tell some truth and some things not so true. We hear positives and negatives from both sides. So, take time to think, research and learn. Don’t just listen to your favorite evening news broadcast and go with it. Investigate and discover what the real issues are in the campaign. Then make the best choice you can out of what is available. Participate in the process; don’t isolate.

Finally, Jeremiah calls us to be hopeful in your calling. Keep your eye on the permanent heavenly home. We are here for a lifetime; we are not here for all time. We are just passing through. At the end of the day, God is still on his throne. The Lamb is greater than the donkey. The Lion is greater than the elephant. As a child of God, I should never be hopeless because our God is in control.

We are about a month away from election. So, be responsible, be prayerful, be careful and be hopeful. We are called by God to be salt and light. It’s our opportunity to show our friends, coworkers, and family how to navigate a culture making sure God is the priority. Blessings on the journey.

You Should Just Give Up

In Junior high, I was experimenting. I was playing football for school and I was in the school band. I didn’t know anything about either so I was giving both a shot. The band director gave me the French horn to play, which is a hard instrument. Every day at football practice, I thought about throwing in the towel since I was so small. Eventually, the band director, Mr. Hicks, told me I needed to choose: it’s either football or band Hall; which do you choose. So I gave up on band and dedicated the rest of my years (7-12 grades) playing football. It was the right choice for me.

Each one of us have moments in our life when we have to choose. There are difficulties and hardships. When hard moments come, it’s the enemy, Satan, trying to get you to choose to give up your relationship with God and other people. Jesus said that the enemy came to kill, steal and destroy. That’s all Satan cares about.

One dude in the Old Testament who experienced the full force of choices was a guy named Job. His story is one of the oldest recorded stories in the Bible. Job was very blessed by God. Job worshiped God every day and kept God in the primary place in his life. Job had lots of wealth, property and a huge family with 10 children. But Satan wanted to press Job into leaving his relationship with God so Satan created difficulty and chaos.

Satan had groups of people come in and steal all his livestock and kill all his servants. Satan also created a storm that destroyed the house all ten children were in, killing all of them. But even after all of that destruction, Job 1:20-21 says that Job worshiped God.

My guess is you also have had tough moments in your life. Maybe your marriage is not in a good place right now or your adult children are walking away from God. It could be your working through a prolonged illness or cancer treatments. Maybe you were hit hard in the market and investments and now you realize you’ll need to work a few more years before retiring. It could be you’ve been carrying around the shame and guilt from past mistakes, unaltered habits, or secret sin. These all are difficult moments where you must make a choice.

But like Job, we must realize your story doesn’t have to be defined by what happens to you; it should be defined by how you respond. As a follower of Jesus, we know difficult life moments are going to come. That’s a promise. Like Job, we must realize the script is already written for us in how we respond. Don’t buy the lie from Satan that you should just give up. Don’t let him sway you from the truth that Jesus has given us.

Like Job in chapter 19, we can say, “I know that my Redeemer lives!”. Jesus told us he’ll never leave us nor forsake us. He’s with us until the end. There are going to be storms in our lives. It’s just Satan trying to get us to walk away from our relationships with those we love, including God.

So, stay the course. Be resolute. Don’t back down. Make the choice to continue to walk with God through the storm. He’s with you. He’s got you by the hand and he’s not letting go. Blessings on the journey.

"You'll Never Change"

You have probably heard that lie, “You’ll never change”, about you in your life. Maybe from a parent or a coach or a teacher or even your pastor. You and I must discern between what is truth in our life and how the enemy lies to us about who we are. You and I must concede that God and his truth can and will set us free.

For several years, I was part of an American Civil War reenacting group called the Trans-Mississippi Rifles (that has nothing to do with gender identity, by the way). We were attached to the 3rd Louisiana infantry and “fought” for the South. Our U.S. Civil War pit us Americans against ourselves and for some reason we like to replay that.

We are spiritually in a civil war as well. We are fighting with who we are and whom God called us to be. Paul talks about his personal frustration with this civil war in Romans 7:15-19. You can just feel his frustration in the words he pens. “We don’t do what we want to do and the thing we don’t want to do, we do.” So how do we overcome this within ourselves?

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10 that we demolish the stronghold Satan has on us by taking our thoughts captive for Jesus Christ. We make our thoughts and then actions obedient to Jesus. And when we take every thought captive, the walls will fall. For some reason, we believe Satan and God are equally matched but NOTHING is equal to the power of God’s love for us.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” In other words, protect what you think about or dwell on each and every day. Whatever you’re allowing into your thinking will direct your attitudes, emotions, and behavior. Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 not to conform to the world’s way of thinking but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So to do this, I want you to think about a couple of things.

First, think process, not perfection. Becoming more like Jesus doesn’t happen overnight. But use this metric…am I different as a follower of Jesus than one year ago? Since the first of 2024? Have a changed any since summer began? You’ll want to do some investigation in yourself to see if you are growing spiritually. We’re all in process. Even the Apostle Paul says that in Philippians 3 about himself.

Now we are justified or found to be righteous the moment we say “yes” to Jesus. But sanctification or becoming more holy and like Jesus is a lifelong process. We are made right through Jesus immediately upon making him our Lord and Savior but our journey is a life-long process.

Secondly, think God’s power, not your own. That word “transform” in Romans 12:2 in the original Greek is in passive form meaning we don’t do it to ourselves, it’s done to us. There is power with filling our minds with Godly moments and thoughts.

One final point. Paul tells us something so important in regards to power. Our enemy, Satan, gets us so busy and distracted we forget about the power of God in our lives. But Paul reminds us in Ephesians 1:19-20, “I pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” Wow! That kind of power lives within you if you’ve said “yes” to Jesus.

Jesus came to set us free. He’s come to give you life. He’s come to empower you. He’s come to change you. And if you will let him, your life will never be the same again. Blessings on the journey.

"You Deserve to be Happy"

Forbes Magazine wrote an article a few years ago about unhappy habits. In other words, things we do that we believe will make us happy but actually do not make us happy. Things like: waiting on the future, acquiring stuff, avoiding people and staying home, complaining and seeing yourself as a victim.

The whisper we hear from the enemy, Satan, is that you deserve to be happy. And that is a ubiquitous theme throughout our American culture. But if you make happiness the central point of your life, you’ll notice it’s always an arm length away. It will always allude you.

So, you’re telling me God doesn’t want me to be happy? Somehow, my desire to be happy gets morphed into “God wants me to be happy.” What I think will make me happy somehow becomes what God wants. God is a loving father and his desire is for his children to experience joy in their life. The issue is we take what culture says will make us happy and assume that’s God’s version of our happiness.

You see, culture tells us the pursuit of pleasure will bring us happiness. When you read through the book of Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon, we find that chasing all the money, all the fame, all the sex, all the relationships and the fortune this life can offer is like chasing the wind. Solomon, who did all that, says it’s meaningless.

God tells us pursuing holiness is what will bring you happiness. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 1:1-3, “Happy is the person who doesn’t follow the world but delights in mediating on God and His ways” (paraphrased). God defines happiness different than culture.

But the world goes on to say happiness is based on your circumstances or what’s happening around you. You look at any commercial on TV or social media. Every one of them are saying you’d be happier if you buy this product or act this way or have this lifestyle. 2024 Gallup Poll measured the happiness of countries around the world. America came in at #23. With all we have in America, 22 countries are happier than we are.

It’s a reminder that happiness is based on Christ. Paul knew this as he states in Philippians 4:11-12. He was happy or joyful in any circumstance because it didn’t matter what was going on in life as long as he was connected to Jesus. And he wrote that from a prison cell. See, happiness is based on happenings; joy is based on Jesus.

Culture says our happiness is based on comparisons. All of us look at social media. And all of us post only the best pics on media. As we scroll through those, we see we aren’t as pretty or fit or popular or fun. So we try to do more and keep up with the Joneses.

But God says our happiness is fueled by gratitude. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in every situation…” Our demeanor as a believer is to find the things that are praiseworthy and focus on the life we have in Christ. It doesn’t mean we will always have smiles and life will always be a bowl of cherries. But it does mean our focus is on Jesus and what He’s done for us.

Finally, culture tells us life is about you, look out for #1, I’m in it for me. Currently, we live in an incredibly entitled culture. “I have everything coming to me and I’m going to get it no matter the cost.” That’s how our culture thinks. Everyone exclaims they have rights and are owed something. Even if I have to step on you to get, I’m going to claim what’s mine.

But God says happiness is actually when you focus on others and live as second. When we decide to humble ourselves is when we actually find joy. It’s when we find the peace in life we truly want. Serving others will ultimately bring you happiness. Try it and see if this doesn’t change your spirit.

Jesus said in Matthew 10:39, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” As believers, we want to imitate Jesus. He served others and laid down his life for us. If we are truly disciples, we’ll have the same mindset. Happiness is found in Jesus. Follow him closely. Do what He did. Blessings on the journey.

You Can Fix It Yourself.

We live in a DIY world. Every Saturday, I try to watch at least one house flipping show because I love that kind of stuff. It’s reassuring to me that I can save tons of money on labor if I do the work myself. I typically look at a project and say, “I think I can do that myself.” We’ve all been saying that since we were 3 years old though.

But many times in our adult life when we say this, it really isn’t true. It’s the lie of pride that states I don’t need anyone else. We are desperate to cover up imperfection, hide mistakes, not admit fault or that we are even capable of doing something so we just say, “I can fix it myself.”

Sometimes the thing we are fixing is the person we are married to or our kids or our coworker. Sometimes we are fixing a financial situation, our marriage, an addiction, a health issue, a broken relationship or a secret sin. Here in the good ole USA, we pride ourselves on being individualists. We celebrate self-starters and self-sustainers. It’s our mentality to not include others because after all, I can fix it myself. And this idea has been around for a long, long time.

Sarah thought this when she and Abraham were past childbearing years in Genesis 16. God had told them they would have a baby and their offspring would be more than the stars in the sky. They were an old couple so Sarah gave her servant, Hagar, to Abraham thinking that’s how God will do it. I can fix this myself. Hagar and Abram had a child together. All the issues between Muslims and Jews and Muslims and Christians can be traced to Genesis 16 where one person decided they could fix the issue by themselves.

If we buy into this lie, I can fix it myself, several things happen to us in our lives. First it increases pride. “I don’t need anything else or anyone to help me.” I can do it on my own is inherently prideful. As followers of Jesus, we are called to be humble and part of a community. Pride goes before a fall so the Bible says.

When we believe this lie, it minimizes the problem saying it’s nothing I can’t handle. We end up usually making the situation worse than it ever was and to avoid embarrassment, we just say it’s no big deal.

It can also feed guilt and shame. Internally, we acknowledge the mess of our situation and the reality that I can’t really clean it up. I can’t put it back in the package like it was before. So I take on guilt and wear it like a bad suit. Carrying the guilt intensifies the fallout. We think, “I can’t believe I let it get this bad.” We typically realize this too late when our addictive personality keeps bringing us back to the porn site or the intake of alcohol or drugs.

This lie will rob us of relational intimacy. We are ashamed of our situation because we thought we could handle it so we are not vulnerable enough to admit we need help. It can be the reason we avoid being in a church small group or attending Sunday morning Bible class. However, when we decide to have relational intimacy, it makes the person we interact with feel valued and helps us feel known.

Finally, when we buy into the lie, it fuels hypocrisy. We dare not let anyone know how broken we are so we put on the mask and pretend all is right as rain.

As a follower of Christ, I realize the truth in Hebrews 4:14-16. Jesus is there for us. He carries the weight. He understands our dilemma. He gets us. Jesus is our high priest who has taken on our guilt and created a pathway to the very throne of God. And because Jesus is our high priest, we can appoach the throne of God with boldness. We don’t have to, indeed we literally cannot do it on our own. We need Jesus. And with Jesus comes the church.

None of us were ever meant to journey alone even though that’s what Satan wants. Jesus calls us to follow him, not to walk alone. The church is the body of Christ so being in the body means we are never alone. If you’ve bought into the lie that you can do it alone, I hope you’ll leave that idea behind and realize you have a high priest who wants to be your advocate, your rock and your soulmate for the journey. Grab his hand and leave the lie behind. Blessings on the journey.

You Don't Have What It Takes

You’ve probably heard this phrase sometime in your life. Maybe on a sports team or from a parent or in a classroom. Sometimes we hear that phrase, “You don’t have what it takes”, and it is not true. That’s typically the Devil lying to us and trying to tear us down.

Jesus told us in John 8 that Satan is a liar. In deed, it’s his native language. But in the same chapter of John, Jesus reminds us that Jesus is truth and the truth will set you free. Too many times, we believe the lie and are bound and shackled by Satan’s whispers rather than listening the the truth that Jesus wants us to hear and know.

And Satan has been at this deceiving thing for a while. You go all the way back to Genesis 3 in the Garden of Eden and Satan is spinning his story to Eve. “You won’t really die but you’ll be as smart as God.” That’s what he told Eve and in that chapter, Eve believes the lie, eats the fruit and sin enters the world. That’s what Satan wants to do to us. Get us to believe the lie so that he can ruin our relationships with each other, ruin our relationship with God and break us. That is his goal.

We do this to each other as well through social media. We fall into comparison with each other and Satan whispers that we don’t have what it takes…we aren’t good enough…we are not worthy nor valuable. So we begin to work on ourselves by trying to be perfect so that none of this will be right.

But perfectionism is just not possible. It’s not attainable. The only way we can be perfect is through Jesus and even then, it’s Jesus, not us, that is perfect. But as we try and are unsuccessful at being perfect, we get angry. If we stay in that emotion long enough, we get frazzled, tired, and fatigued. Since we can’t handle that state of mind very long, we discover things we can escape with such as pouring ourselves into our work, or going to the gym every possible moment, or binging Netflix, or going to websites no Christian should be on. The enemy loves it when we buy into the lie so he can break us.

But this lie does have some truth to it. It’s not the whole truth. The whole truth is in Jesus, you have everything you need to accomplish all things in life! And Paul knew this. He states in Philippians 4:11-13, “…I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

You can tell the enemy, “I may not have what it takes but I know the One who does.” His Name is Jesus. His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness. So be free from the pressure of culture and the lies. Jesus is your perfection. You don’t need to feel helpless. Jesus is your help. If you’re hurting, Jesus will heal. If you’re overwhelmed, Jesus will give you peace. If you’re lost, He wants to find you. Blessings on the journey.

Simplify

The world is full of things that will distract you from your purpose and life’s meaning. King Solomon lived about 3000 years ago but his wisdom recorded in Ecclesiastes is so profound for our current state of life in America. Americans are overwhelmed with perceived expectations from work, culture, family and friends. It can be debilitating and paralyzing. But Solomon gives us a moment to discover clarity and peace in Ecclesiastes.

See, we need a bigger God theology. That means, we don’t minimize our stories. I know many of us are dealing with a prolonged illness or adult children who have left God or the end of a career and no enough money to retire. There are lots of things that can bog down our process of becoming everything God created us to be. But a bigger God theology states that, despite our circumstances, God is bigger than that thing we are dealing with in our life.

So in Ecclesiastes, King Solomon gives us four things to consider if we want to move post those road blocks and move on to a more productive and joyful life.

First Solomon reminds us that we can’t control outcomes. We had ideas about what our marriage would look like. In our mind, it was going to be Disney-like…a fairy tale. We got married and it was different than we thought. It’s a great marriage and fulfilling but it’s not like we dreamed it would be. You can’t control outcomes.

Our kids grow up and make choices that would not be the ones we would have made for them. They end up going to a different college, moving away from us and even marrying someone we don’t think is a fit. No matter how hard we try, we can’t control other people. In Ecclesiastes 7:14, Solomon reminds us, “…nothing is certain in this life.”

But he also tells us that power cannot bring pleasure. And he should know. He was the most powerful, wisest king in his day and at the end of his life, he’s saying power is like a vapor, like chasing the wind. No matter the title on your office door, no matter how much sway you have in the market place, no matter if you’re the patriarch or matriarch in your family, Solomon reminds us that we will never find joy in the power we wield.

Solomon knows about people getting a leg up even though they don’t follow God. But he reminds us in Ecclesiastes 8:12, “…those that fear God are better off.” Fear or respect God and you will not fear death. Solomon is at at the end of his life as he dictates Ecclesiastes and he knows death is the great equalizer. He says as you follow God it may look like others have more money and prestige, more pull and position. Those people may not be following God and no matter what it looks like, those that fear God are better off.

Finally, Solomon calls us to find joy in ordinary life. In Ecclesiastes 8:15 and 9:7-10, he says we should love our work and eating because they are gifts from God. Enjoy the life God has given you. Enjoy your marriage and just the rhythm of life. You don’t need to be a social media influencer or have a life with a big splash. Enjoy the natural and normal ebb and flow of life. It’s all from God.

So may you find joy as we begin a new school year. May you discover true purpose of your raise your kids and enjoy your marriage. May you feel the presence of God in your life as you live into your purpose. Blessings on the journey.