Author: Brian Burdett

“And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.’” – 2 Chronicles 20:21

King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah were facing an overwhelming enemy army. Rather than collapse in despair, Jehoshaphat went to the Lord in earnest, humble, desperate prayer. The Lord heard the king’s prayers and promised He would fight for His people once again. All Jehoshaphat had to do was lead the army out to watch the Lord’s victory. In turn, Jehoshaphat appealed to the people to trust in the Lord once more… and they did!

Such was the king’s confidence in God, that when he organized his army, he placed his elite SINGERS at the front of the formation. Wait, what?!? Singers in the vanguard? Yes! The choir led the way, singing praise to God and calling on all God’s people to give thanks to Him. God’s people trusted in Him that day and the Lord delivered a miraculous victory. Would you have the courage, faith, and confidence to do the same?

If God gave you clear direction, would you be willing to lead with unarmed singing and praise? Or would you give in to the temptation to cover your bases with clever planning and wise strategy from the world’s perspective? Would you put the singers in the front of your army or would you hedge your bets by placing your strongest soldiers up front, just in case? If you’d lean toward that second strategy, James would call that being “double-minded”. The Bible doesn’t recommend that approach to life!

Jehoshaphat was special because he went “all-in” on trusting God to do what He said He would. Are you confident enough in the Lord to do the same in your life? #FollowJesus

“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” – John 6:40

This is a simple, powerful truth to remember throughout this Advent season. Jesus, the Son of God, entered our world that first Christmas to accomplish God’s eternal will. The birth, sinless life, sacrificial death, and resurrection of Jesus is the will of God from before time began. Jesus stepped out of glory and into this fallen world to make it so that everyone who looks to Jesus and believes in Him has their sins forgiven, their guilt erased, their shame washed clean. Everyone who is in Christ will enjoy eternal life in Him and be raised in glory at the Second Advent, when Jesus returns in power, victory, and judgment.

You probably know all this, but in this busy, stressful season (in your life and in the world around you), do you KNOW it? Let the goodness of God’s will for you soak into your soul. Let it bring healing and comfort to your wounded, scarred places. Let it renew and strengthen you if you’re feeling weary or weak today. Let it motivate you to point others to Jesus this Advent, so that they too may look on the Son and believe. Bless others in the name of Jesus. #FollowJesus

“When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be healed?’ The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.’” – John 5:6-7

When Jesus healed this man, it was a most unusual miracle for Him. The man hadn’t looked for Jesus. Instead, Jesus found him. The man didn’t ask Jesus for healing. Instead, Jesus asked if he wanted to be healed. The man didn’t consider healing to be possible after years of frustration with his inability to heal himself. The man didn’t seem to have any particular faith in Jesus, nor did he do anything to deserve healing. Jesus healed him anyway.

This is a picture of salvation and the gospel! This is how you got saved if Jesus is your Lord. Jesus sought us out long before we sought him. He took the initiative for our salvation. He came and died for our sins while we were still dead in them and defiantly rebellious against God. When we finally grew frustrated with our inability to save ourselves from our sins, Jesus offered salvation through faith in Him. Jesus pours out the healing grace of God though we do nothing to deserve it. Jesus presents Himself to us before we believe in Him.

As a gift of grace, through faith in Christ, we who were dead in our trespasses are raised to new spiritual life in Him. This is the good news we should all be eager to tell others about, especially at this time of the year. #FollowJesus

“For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” – Revelation 3:17

What was true of the ancient church in Laodicea is often true of modern churches and Christians in the west. Broadly speaking, we live and work amongst some of the wealthiest people in the wealthiest country to ever exist. By the historical standards of the world, most reading this post are wealthy. You probably know where you will sleep tonight, probably have no doubt your next meal will happen, and obviously possess wondrous electronic devices for accessing social media.

We can easily mistake material comfort and financial prosperity for spiritual health. When things go well in a worldly sense, we often let our bank accounts, homes, vehicles, and myriad other possessions hide our true spiritual poverty: the weakness of our relationship with Christ, the deficiencies of our faith and trust in the Lord. The greatest threat to life-changing, transformational faith lived in obedience to Jesus Christ may well be the false sense of independence brought about by comfort and wealth in this world. When we lack the things of the world, we’re forced to depend on God. When we have abundance, we easily forget that we’re still completely dependent on God. Rather than seeking to work in the strength of Christ, we quickly become content to operate in our own strength and resources. That’s disastrous in a spiritual sense, for churches and for individual Christians.

Take some time to do a spiritual inventory today. Are you fully depending on Jesus as your provider? Or are you reasonably content with the things you have? Is your peace and security derived from your Lord or from your situation? Do you recognize your need – day in and day out – for your Savior? Do you imagine you’ve got things under control or do you easily remember that it is God Who is in control? If you’ve quietly slipped into the mistake of Laodicea, repent of it, go back to relying on the Lord, and #FollowJesus

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” – John 1:12

What a powerful truth! Think about it and let it fill and overwhelm you with joy and gratitude… Believing in Jesus, welcoming Him into your heart as Lord of your life, results in being adopted as a child of God. In Christ, you are an enormously loved child forgiven your sins, washed clean, and made new. A co-heir with Christ, your older brother. United with Him. Sealed by His Holy Spirit, the guarantee of your eternal inheritance. Past darkness has been swept away and replaced by the glorious life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

That’s really it… As John 1 explains, Jesus, the eternal Word of God, Who is God, became flesh and was born into our world over 2000 years ago. He lived among us, taught us, revealed grace and truth to us, lived a sinless life, then died as the sacrificial Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world. Which is why God’s grace welcomes us as His children when we believe in His Son.

If you don’t believe, what’s stopping you? If you do believe, who in your life has yet to receive Jesus and become a child of God? #FollowJesus