Author: Brian Burdett

“For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.” – Luke 17:24

Jesus is going to come back one day. This is a VERY good thing…for everyone who has submitted their lives to Him as Lord. It will be a terrible day for those who haven’t! If Christ is your Lord, this day isn’t to be feared but to be eagerly anticipated. When He comes, it will be instantaneous and unmistakable, just like a bolt of lighting that flashes from one side of the sky to the other. There will be no questions or doubts about what’s going on when that day comes, so if a day comes that raises questions and doubts, it isn’t the Day of the Lord!

With His return will come the resurrection of the dead, judgment of all mankind (sinners and saints), and the renewal of creation. We will dwell in His presence forever and all the evils and agonies of this fallen world will be swept away. It’s a beautiful thing to contemplate and it will be even better than we can possibly imagine! In the meantime, as His followers we must live in a way that’s faithful to everything He’s commanded. Everything! We must live holy lives in the power of the Holy Spirit. We must use the days of our lives well to spread good news and make disciples. All of us! We must worship, pray, grow, change, reveal Christ by the way we live, share Christ with our words, and serve God diligently.

The Day of the Lord will come suddenly and without detailed advance warning. We already have all the warning we need in the Bible! When Jesus returns, it will be too late for those who haven’t yet heard or trusted in Him. So, live with urgency and intentionality about sharing Him from your neighborhood to the end of the earth. Pray for those in your sphere of influence who need to know Jesus and then love them enough to tell them about the Son of God Who died for them. Live well. Always be prepared for the return of Jesus. #FollowJesus

“Hear from heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name.” – 2 Chronicles 6:33

Solomon’s prayer, as he dedicated the temple, expressed God’s heart for the nations of the world. Everything God did to show love and favor for Israel had a bigger purpose. It was never just about Israel. God chose Israel, preserved Israel, freed Israel, covenanted with Israel, dwelled with Israel, gave them a land, and sent prophets to them for centuries so that they would reveal Him and His nature to the entire world. What God did for and with Israel was meant to show the world that there is one true, living God. Through Israel, God revealed that He is gracious, merciful, patient, faithful, loving, and just. He is real, powerful, knowledge, and wise. He cares about mankind because He created mankind and because He cares about mankind, He intervenes in this world.

Israel was to be a light to the world, a kingdom of priests, and a living testimony so that all the ethnic peoples of the world would come to know, believe, and worship God. This was God’s revealed heart from the earliest parts of Genesis onward. To draw to Himself a new people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Solomon’s temple, with all its splendor, was just another part of that ongoing revelation of God to those far from Him. It was, and is, God’s mission.

God’s work and will for reaching the unreached continues to this day. Now we call it The Great Commission, referring to the repeated command of the Risen Jesus to make disciples of all nations. Followers of Jesus are to preach good news all over the world, to go, baptize, and teach people to follow Jesus. We are to minister, love, care for, and instill hope in Jesus Christ. The ancient work of revealing God to those who were made by Him but don’t know Him is now our responsibility for as long as we walk the earth. It is the mission of the church and should be the mission of every church. It’s the God-given task of every follower of Jesus and it’s your task. We all have a role to play in accomplishing God’s will and spreading the good news of His steadfast love and Christ’s life, sacrificial death, resurrection, and reign. Continue Solomon’s work. Pursue God’s will. #FollowJesus

“The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.” – Luke 16:14

Have you ever been ridiculed by people who thought they knew it all? Jesus certainly was! The religious elite of the day thought Jesus was clearly foolish, especially about money. If Jesus was ridiculed, then as one of His followers, you probably should expect to be laughed at too. Nobody likes being made fun of, laughed at, mocked, and dismissed as a fool. Nonetheless, if you’re serious about following Jesus you may get treated like Him. Just make sure it’s for the right reason!

Jesus was being mocked for His teachings about money. He argued that you can’t serve both God and money, because one will always become dominant over the other. That doesn’t mean you can’t serve God and have money, but you can’t serve God and also chase after money with great energy and enthusiasm. When pursued aggressively, money gradually shoves God aside in your heart, leaving you serving a false god. Realize this can happen, even with the best of intentions, and don’t let it happen to you.

Jesus talked a great deal about money. He talked about not worrying about money and just serving God. He talked about managing your money as a steward on God’s behalf rather than thinking you own any money. He talked about using your money for God’s Kingdom, to help people come to know Jesus as Lord. Much of what Jesus taught about money still surprises people and leaves them questioning whether He was serious. He was! Christians today can be just like those Pharisees – loving money and (quietly) making fun of those who live by the teachings of Jesus.

Take time to study what Jesus taught about how to use whatever money you have, whether a lot or a little, for God’s Kingdom and glory. Rather than argue about why it can’t be true, simply trust in Jesus. Don’t accidentally become like the Pharisees. Intentionally #FollowJesus

“And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” – Luke 15:20

This verse is a key moment in one of the most famous parables ever told by Jesus. Here we see God the Father’s true heart toward those who’ve rebelled against Him so terribly that they think there can be no hope, no forgiveness, and no restoration of relationship. This verse is a powerful picture of God’s love and grace toward everyone who’s ever rejected Him, including you…

Though we all sin against God, demanding to live our life our way regardless of God’s good and holy design for our flourishing, He’s still looking for us to turn back to Him. Though we’ve all been hurt, manipulated, or used others at times, rejected God’s authority and love, and humiliated and shamed ourselves, God is constantly looking toward us with love. He sees when we hit such a low place that we’re ready to seek Him out and ask His forgiveness. And when we do, what a moment that is!!!

When we finally reach that lowest point spiritually, realizing that all our efforts to make paradise for ourselves has only made our lives empty and more broken, then God is ready to embrace us in love, forgiveness, and restoration. In the parable, when the Father sees his disgraceful son coming back toward him, he doesn’t stand around and wait for apologies. He didn’t wait to be vindicated or to say, “I told you so”. He sets aside all dignity and runs toward his beloved son who’d been lost to him. That’s exactly how God is!

When you’re ready to turn back to Him by trusting in Jesus, God doesn’t hold back or make you suffer longer or punish yourself. God rushes to you, embraces you, forgives you, loves you. God is unimaginably gracious, merciful, and loving! He’s already done everything necessary to restore you to Himself by sending His own Son to the cross to die for your sins and raising Him from the dead. Believe in Lord Jesus, turn to your Heavenly Father, and let Him embrace you as His beloved child. #FollowJesus

“And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.’”” – Luke 13:32

The third day… Throughout His earthly ministry, while Jesus performed miracle after miracle, He was always looking forward to the third day. Which day is that? The day He would physically rise from the dead after having been executed on a cross. As great as His miracles were in announcing that God’s Kingdom had begun on earth, it was the third day that would define the future of the world!

In the scheme of things, a few people healed and some demons cast out was good for them but not universe-altering. On the other hand, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead changed everything! It proved that His sacrifice on the cross was sufficient to pay the penalty for all our sin, past, present, and future. It proved that God the Father had accepted the sacrifice of Jesus His Son and established a New Covenant in Him. It showed that death, which is the consequence of sin, was defeated because sin was defeated. It doomed Satan to defeat and opened the narrow path to life for everyone who trusts in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

The third day gives us new life in Jesus Christ. The third day gives us confidence in our eternal life. The third day gives us a glorious present in Christ and glorious future in His visible presence. Thank you, Jesus for the third day! #FollowJesus