Author: Brian Burdett

“There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way;
whoever hates reproof will die.”
– Proverbs 15:10

This is a recurring theme in Scripture that runs completely counter to our modern culture. We naturally desire affirmation in everything we do. Our culture teaches us to demand instant affirmation and assume the worst about anyone who doesn’t give it. We want green lights all the time. However, Scripture is clear… God gives us warnings, red lights, obstacles, setbacks, and correction to help us. To bless us. To save us from ourselves.

Sometimes this comes through the words of a trustworthy believer who sees something in our life, conduct, or character and has the loving courage to say something about it. Sometimes it comes through unexpected obstacles that slow us down or change our course. Sometimes it comes through a word of Scripture that takes on added life when we read it. Sometimes it comes through a painful event in our life that stops us in our tracks, leaving us no choice but to think.

Correction and discipline aren’t hostile acts. They aren’t given to undermine you or hurt you. They’re life-giving, soul-nourishing acts of love and kindness. We never like discipline or correction in the moment. It wounds our pride and that hates to be wounded. But God knows when we need it. Perhaps because we’re doing the wrong thing. Perhaps because we’re doing the right things in the wrong way. Perhaps because we’re doing the right things but not in step with the Lord’s pace.

The next time you find yourself frustrated or angry by things that slow you down or the words of generally trustworthy people that run against whatever you want to do take a moment to pause. Reflect on the overall situation. Rather than assume the worst, think about your motives. Your words. Your actions. Are you in step with the Lord? Are you conducting yourself like Jesus did? Instead of opposition might you be encountering the loving correction or discipline of the Lord Himself? #FollowJesus

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” – Philippians 1:21

Can you say what Paul says here? Has this become your perspective on life? It really should be, if Jesus is your Lord…

Paul wrote these words from prison. His earthly future was uncertain but his eternal future was rock solid in Jesus Christ. He would soon stand trial and perhaps be set free to once again travel freely and share Christ openly. Or perhaps He would be executed and join His Lord in Heaven. In the meantime, he loudly and proudly shared Christ with all of his guards. For Paul, to live was to serve Christ in the power of Christ. To die was to enter into Christ’s presence forever. To live is Christ and to die is gain!

How do you feel about living? Can you honestly say that your life is so tied into the mission of Jesus that no matter who you are or what you do for a living, you are serving Christ by it? This is the call for every Christian. To align our lives to the disciple-making mission of Jesus so that as we go about our day – working, studying, shopping, playing, hanging out, whatever – we are bringing honor, glory, and fame to the name of Jesus. As you grow closer to Christ and are transformed by Him to be more and more like Him, this is what He’s working to make true about you, if you’ll let Him.

Now, how do you feel about dying? Do you know – not just in your head but in your heart – that because Jesus is your Lord and Savior that dying truly is gain for you? Are you afraid of death or you confident that you truly will be in an infinitely better situation once you’ve finished your race here on earth and entered into glory? Again, as you grow closer to Christ and are transformed by Him to be more and more like Him, this confidence is what He’s working to instill in you, if you’ll let Him. #FollowJesus

“Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man” – Ephesians 6:7

Sometimes work can be a four-letter word! God created work before the fall into sin. It was given to be a blessing, a source of meaning, purpose, and provision. However, when mankind fell into sin, work was cursed. It became difficult and quite unpleasant in many cases. That’s true whether your work is going to school as a student, working in a paid job to provide for yourself or your family, caring for loved ones of any age, or whatever else. Sometimes work will be hard. Sometimes it will be miserable. Sometimes it will hurt even after you’ve left it behind. It can be frustrating, disappointing, and humiliating. It can leave you in tears or fill you with rage.

Often, the source of our greatest anger, frustration, struggle,, or sorrow is someone we’re “working for”. A supervisor. A customer. A teacher. A student. A difficult parent, spouse, or child. Someone unappreciative. Someone maddening. Someone hurtful. What Paul says in this verse is tremendously helpful in those times when work is very much a four-letter word. When you hate it, don’t want to continue with it, but you must anyway. He says, don’t focus on that earthly person who’s causing you such distress. Do every bit of your work as if God the Father is your one and only supervisor. Understand that God is the only supervisor and evaluator of your work Who matters eternally and He already loves you!

No matter what your job is, do it for the Lord rather than for a person, paycheck, or grade. Don’t dwell on that person who’s driving you crazy or leaving you in tears. Focus on the Lord! Understand that He sees your every effort as well as your heart behind it. Work hard. Work honestly. Work humbly. Work well. God will appreciate it, even if others don’t. Seek to please the Lord and let everyone else’s response be what it is. #FollowJesus

“You are my friends if you do what I command you.” – John 15:14

We delight in the truth that Jesus is the friend of sinners. Jesus certainly is an extraordinary friend!!! He meets us wherever we are. In the filth of our sins… In the depths of our foolishness… In the pits of our own making… In our despair… In our shame… In our humiliation… In our loss… In our sorrow… In our pain… In our guilt… What a friend we have in Jesus!

But are we a friend to Him? Jesus is certainly our friend, but are we His?>> In this verse, Jesus lovingly explained what it looks like to be His friend. It looks like doing what He commanded. Why? Because He is the Lord of the universe. Because His commands are for our good and His glory. Because He gave us His commands so that we may be filled with joy and grow in His power and presence. His commands are so that we will feel His love more fully and richly with each passing day. So, if we’re His friend, we’ll do EVERYTHING He commanded. The easy things and the hard things. The popular things and the deeply unpopular things. The obvious things and the subtle things. All of them!

So, are you a friend to Jesus??? Do you do everything possible to obey what Jesus commanded? Do you diligently love God? Do you deeply love ALL your neighbors? Do you truly love your fellow believers, especially the ones you know? Do you make disciples? Do you walk in holiness, repenting of EVERY sin? Do you crucify your flesh and the sinful desires of your heart? Do you pour yourself out for God’s Kingdom? Do you act as a citizen of God’s Kingdom more than a citizen of a world and a nation? Jesus always meets us where we are but then He commands us to leave that place and #FollowJesus

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” – Ephesians 4:30

The Holy Spirit is a person. He is the third Person of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit isn’t “the force”! If Jesus is your Lord, then the Holy Spirit has marked you as God’s child by coming to live within you. Because the Spirit is a person, the Holy Spirit has feelings. That includes feelings about you, since He lives in you. You can grieve Him. You can please Him. So, how does the Holy Spirit feel about you? Think about that for moment…

As God living in you, the Holy Spirit very much wants what’s best for you. The Spirit wants to see you flourish in close relationship with God the Father and Jesus the Son. When you do things that diminish that relationship, it makes the Spirit sad. That’s what it means to grieve the Holy Spirit. He’s sad when you choose to draw away from God. Your body is a temple because God lives in you. When you defile that temple with sin – sinful actions, sinful words, sinful thoughts, sinful inactions – that grieves the Holy Spirit. When you devote yourself to the temporary pleasures of the world and thereby miss out on some of the eternal pleasures of knowing Christ more fully, that grieves the Holy Spirit.

The opposite is also true. When you repent of sin and receive God’s forgiveness in Christ, you delight the Spirit. When you devote more time and energy to worship, prayer, Bible study and meditation, Christian community, service to God, and sharing Christ with others, you delight the Spirit. When you still your mind and listen for the promptings of the Spirit, obeying them as they come, you delight the Spirit. So, how does the Holy Spirit feel about you today? Have you grieved Him recently or is He pleased as you enjoy His presence each day? Don’t grieve the Spirit, #FollowJesus