“So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
– Psalm 90:12

Isn’t it interesting that there’s a God-ordained connection between understanding your own mortality and becoming truly wise? Anyone at any age and stage can brilliantly know many things. However, it’s only once we reach a certain understanding about our lives that we’re open to genuine wisdom. When we’re young and assume we’ll live forever, there are simply things we fail to understand, appreciate, or apply. Once we begin to realize that our days on earth are truly limited, we can begin to value at least two things. With that, wisdom finally has fertile soil to grow in our hearts.

We begin to value the days themselves because we know they’re each a gift. Once we understand that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, we can grow thankful for today. When we understand that our earthly days will end, we can desire to use those we have better. We can learn to steward our time, talent, and treasure better, filling our days with love for God and others. Once we truly know there will only be so many days, we can value the ones we’re given, using them for the purposes for which God has given them. Smaller acts of grace and gratitude grow more precious. Concern for leaving a legacy that blesses the generations to come begin to outweigh the selfish concerns of the present.

We also begin to value eternity more accurately. As we begin to realize how our short earthly life is, we’re able to grow in understanding just how long eternity is. We can grow in our concern for storing up rewards and treasures in heaven that we’ll enjoy forever rather than collecting stuff on earth that we’ll leave behind. The Kingdom of God should grow infinitely more important than building our own personal kingdoms here on earth. We begin to see that which is invisible – the eternal inheritance stored up for us in Christ Jesus! As we value our days here on earth more highly while simultaneously valuing eternity more accurately, the true wisdom of God is able to grow in our hearts as we #FollowJesus.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” – Deuteronomy 6:5

These ancient words commanded by Moses are what Jesus called “The Great and First Commandment”. They’re extraordinarily simple to understand, yet endlessly challenging to obey. Take some time today to consider…

Do you love the Lord with ALL YOUR HEART? Or is your heart divided into many different compartments or slices, only one of which is focused on God? What would you need to do to move toward a truly wholehearted love for God?

Do you love the Lord with ALL YOUR SOUL? Is your greatest satisfaction found in your relationship with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Is your understanding of who you are as a person rooted in your identity as a blood-bought child of God? What would help you devote your soul fully toward loving God?

Do you love the Lord with ALL YOUR MIGHT? Are you pouring out your time, energy, and strength to love and serve God? Are you a living sacrifice, taking up your cross every single day to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and advance God’s Kingdom here on earth? What next step of service, sacrifice, and devotion might God be calling you to?

#FollowJesus

“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.” – Revelation 1:7

There are many parts of Revelation which Christians might prefer were just a bit easier to understand. Be that as it may, certain truths ring out loud and clear. These are intended to give followers of Jesus great comfort, particularly during times of persecution and suffering. This verse contains one such truth – Jesus will return to earth physically, visibly, and victoriously. He will come from the sky with the clouds as the prophet Daniel promised long, long ago.

Just as God appeared in cloud throughout ancient times, Jesus Christ will return to earth in the clouds that emphasize He is God the Son come in the flesh. His return will be unmistakably visible to everyone on earth – both those who believe in Him and those who don’t. Those who love Jesus will know He has come to rule over creation and so will those who hate Jesus and everything He represents.

When Jesus returns, judgment will come for all of mankind. The book of life and the book of our deeds in life will be opened and read. Those whose names are written in the book of life because we’ve entrusted ourselves to Jesus as Lord will be glorified and rewarded. Everyone else will wail as their desire for God to leave them alone becomes their unending reality in the lake of fire. No matter what you must endure between now and then, whether your life is filled with joy or pain, happiness or persecution, this IS the future. If Jesus is your Lord, this is something to take comfort in, look forward to, and rejoice when it happens. Think about the return of Jesus and get excited!

If Jesus isn’t your Lord then this is something to fear. But it’s still going to happen. Strongly consider re-evaluating your life and beliefs before this day comes and #FollowJesus!

“For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” – Jude 1:4

Be careful who you listen to, read, watch, and follow! Nobody’s perfect but be careful of anyone calling themselves a Christian pastor, preacher, teacher, influencer, or expert while presuming on God’s amazing grace to excuse sin. From the beginning of the church to the present day, there have always been false teachers who claim that grace means God no longer calls His people to holy lives. This is a lie!

As followers of Jesus, we ARE saved by God’s amazing grace. Then we are repeatedly commanded to crucify our sinful desires, to fight for our personal holiness, and to reject the sins of the flesh. God’s grace isn’t an excuse to sin as often as we want. God’s grace is our invitation and power to truly be holy because our God is holy. While there is always grace available when we sin and repent of that sin, we must not intentionally abuse God’s grace. To do so is to think like someone who probably hasn’t actually been saved by that grace. To teach it is to be condemned by God.

If a teacher won’t teach about sin… if a teacher won’t say that things like sexual immorality, greed, uncontrolled anger, division, and idolatry are sins… if a teacher won’t speak of growing in holiness… then they are probably one of those Jude is warning about. Don’t follow them into the sinful desires of your heart. Always #FollowJesus instead.

“You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
“He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
“He has no understanding”?”
– Isaiah 29:16

We do turn things upside down! This is such a great illustration of God’s perspective on so many of the conversations taking place in our so-called modern world. Many today imagine and argue that they weren’t made by a Creator. They claim they simply exist, a purpose-less product of random chance or the inevitable outcome of chemistry and biology. This is as arrogant and ridiculous as a hand-formed pot convincing itself that it simply came into existence without anyone making it. Such beliefs aren’t the result of advanced knowledge but rather profound ignorance. The more our understanding has increased of the extraordinary complexity of human life from our largest structures to the microbiology operating within our individual cells, the more clear it is that nobody is an accident. No human life is the product of random chance or biochemical inevitability. We have each been made, crafted by the Master Craftsman, the God of the Universe! You have been made and don’t let anyone’s confident ignorance and/or pseudo-intellectualism convince you otherwise!

Then, we have the frequent statements (and consequences) of those claiming that God made a mistake in the way He made them. They imagine He made them other than as they truly are. They claim He doesn’t understand what it’s like to be them, etc, etc, etc. Statements like these are used to justify all manner of ungodly activities. They are just as false and nonsensical as a pot claiming its potter had no idea what he or she was doing when making it. Once again, we have each been made, crafted by the Master Craftsman, the God of the Universe! He knew exactly what He was doing when He made each person and He did not make a mistake. You are as God intended. Rather than chafe against that, resist it, or pretend it isn’t true, embrace the elegance and wisdom of God’s work and His love for you as you are.

In our cultural conceit, it’s uncomfortable to think of ourselves as clay in the hands of a potter. It feels humiliating to be clay. We’d rather be potters. We don’t like to think about how infinitely above and beyond us God actually is. Too bad! This is just how it is. For all our learning and accomplishments, God’s thoughts and ways are still infinitely above and beyond ours. His knowledge and wisdom are perfect and He always works for what is best. Rather than hate or resist these truths, learn to find comfort in them. Let God love you as you are. Trust God’s presence, power, and goodness in your life no matter what. Submit to His will, authority and design for your life. And #FollowJesus