“If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.”
– Psalm 130:3-4

This is the honest truth that most in our time don’t want to deal with. If God listed every single sin we’ve ever committed – every wrong action, every wrong thought, every wrong word, every wrong silence, and every wrong inaction – we couldn’t bear to see it. If every personal moment of selfishness, cruelty, arrogance, dishonesty, rebelliousness, greed, lust, and hatred were listed, we’d be utterly wrecked. Our minds would be shattered for we would know that we are truly wretched, depraved sinners. No matter how good you like to think you are, if your Creator Who knows EVERYTHING about you listed all of your “less than good” aspects and history, it would break your spirit.

We need to understand this. We must stop comparing ourselves to mass murderers and start comparing ourselves to the perfect standard of our perfect Creator. Then we’ll begin to understand our desperate need for God’s grace and mercy. Then we’re ready to be blown away by God’s glorious offer to forgive us for all those things. He’ll wipe our slate clean and look upon us with love and all we have to do is believe in the Lord Jesus. God made forgiveness possible by sending His eternal Son, Jesus, into the world to live the perfect life we don’t, to die an atoning death to pay the penalty for all our sins, and to rise from the dead on the third day. For those who repent of their sins and trust in the Lord Jesus, there is total forgiveness.

It’s then, when we stand in a holiness and righteousness we don’t deserve and couldn’t possibly earn, reconciled to a God we shouldn’t be able to go near, that we can learn to truly fear God. Not with blind, paralyzing terror, but with holy reverence and awe for our Almighty Creator, Sustainer, and Father. At last, we can begin to grow in true knowledge and wisdom because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and the beginning of wisdom. #FollowJesus

“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” – James 4:4

If you’re a follower of Jesus, then you need to take some time to really wrestle with this simple, unequivocal truth! You must be brutally honest about yourself (and don’t think about ANYONE else). If the bulk of your time, energy, and thought is focused on the structures and things of the world: making a perfect home, building a stellar career, amassing a great fortune, or advancing a political agenda then there’s a good chance you’re a better friend to the world than you are to God! If your emotions (good and bad, high and low) are largely driven by what happens to stuff, things, and worldly affairs, then there’s a good chance that you’re a better friend to the world than you are to God. Think about that for a moment…

It’s not that Christians shouldn’t be concerned with matters of food and shelter, environment and politics, justice and mercy. It’s that we must be careful not to become overly concerned with them. We must remember that all that we see is temporary while our friendship with God is eternal. We must remember that this world is fallen and therefore will never be perfect until Jesus returns to perfect it. We must ground our emotions in our eternal relationship with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit rather than the passing fads and fortunes of the world. Our satisfaction must be in who we are as children of God, co-heirs with Christ, and eternal beings united with Christ. Not in our professional, academic, personal, or political standing or situation.

What gets the bulk of your time? Do you spend more time with God and His Word than you do with news, information, and entertainment? What gets the bulk of your energy and attention? Is it God’s Kingdom or yours? What does your credit card bill say you devote your money? To what do you devote most of your time on the device you’re currently using to read this post? What makes you extremely happy, extremely sad, or extremely mad? If your answer to these questions involves things of this world, you’re probably too friendly with the world and more distant and hostile toward God than you imagine. Consider this and #FollowJesus

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” – James 3:17

What is wisdom? Who is wise? That can be difficult to answer in a complicated age. Fortunately, the Bible is very clear about what godly wisdom looks like! Godly wisdom looks like what this verse describes. Look for these qualities in a speaker and you will find God’s wisdom. Godly wisdom looks like purity and holiness. It looks like gentleness. It looks like openness to thoughtful, reasoned discussion. It looks like a concern for mercy and blessing toward others. It looks impartial, not playing favorites based on any category. It’s backed by a life (public and private) that is consistent with the words being spoken.

If something doesn’t look or sound like these things, it isn’t wisdom. It doesn’t matter how good it might sound to you. It doesn’t matter how famous the speaker or how many followers he or she has. It doesn’t matter how much money or power they have. It doesn’t matter how much the message might thrill you. It simply isn’t godly wisdom. Period.

Godly wisdom doesn’t fight loudly and proudly on social media. Godly wisdom doesn’t seek to crush anyone arguing with it or questioning it. Godly wisdom isn’t afraid of having facts checked. Godly wisdom doesn’t need to shout louder when someone disagrees with it. Why? Because it’s wisdom and it can be confident in itself! It doesn’t sound like the great debater of the age with slick, manipulative arguments and excellent production values. All godly wisdom flows out of Jesus Christ and all godly wisdom looks and sounds like Jesus Christ. Pursue godly wisdom. #FollowJesus

“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” – Hebrews 13:15-16

Do you want to please God? The good news is that if you’re a follower of Jesus, He already took care of the hard work necessary to please God. You just need to trust your life to Lord Jesus and God will be pleased with you. After that, simply practice day-to-day things that reflect who you already are in Jesus Christ. Here, the author of Hebrews lists three daily habits that are truly pleasing to God.

First, praise God regularly. Praise Him in gathered worship with other believers and praise Him throughout the week in your own quiet times of worship, prayer, Bible reading, and meditation. Praise His name – the Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, just, righteous, and holy. Cultivate a habit of regular praise for God at various times throughout the day. Yes, it takes time and intentionality but it’s a sacrifice that pleases God.

Then, do good things and share what you have with others who are in need. Don’t do these to save yourself but because God has already done and shared the very best with you through Jesus Christ. Rather than focus on yourself and your needs, think about how you can share whatever you have (whether it’s a lot or a little) with others. Make it the habit of your life to just do good things. It might require some discipline at first but should quickly become an essential part of who you are. These are also sacrifices pleasing to God. He isn’t looking for occasional dramatic gestures. He’s looking for a day-in-day-out life of praise, good deeds, and sharing. That’s what truly makes God smile. Are you in? #FollowJesus

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” – Hebrews 12:14

This is an essential, imperative, vital, and worthy task for every single follower of Jesus! No exceptions! Strive for peace with everyone. Striving means working hard, with purpose and intentionality, even past the point of exhaustion. The call for Christians is not to be peaceful if everyone agrees with us. It isn’t to get along when nobody’s annoying you. It’s to strive for peace with everyone. Period. You are called to actively, intentionally, sacrificially, prayerfully work to make and keep peace with everyone you possibly can. Not when it’s convenient. Not when it’s comfortable. Not when it’s easy. All the time!

Likewise, strive for holiness. The good news is that in Christ, you are already holy in God’s eyes. The perfect righteousness of Christ is credited to everyone who believes in Him because of His work on the cross. However, as followers of Jesus, we’re then called, commanded, and expected to strive for holiness in our thoughts, words, and actions. We are to actually live as Jesus lived. To actually fight every temptation that comes our way and pursue a holy life of obedience to the commands and example of our Lord. A Christian who isn’t striving for holiness might not actually be a Christian at all, because faith that saves and brings new life also instills a desire for holiness.

What are you striving for in your daily life? What’s getting your energy, attention, strategy, and tactics? Is it peace? Is it holiness? If not, are you sure you’re striving after the right thing(s)??? #FollowJesus