Author: Brian Burdett

“And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” – Luke 10:2

I suspect that, like most people, you’d love to see the fruit of a great harvest for Jesus. You’d love to see millions of souls saved and lives transformed by a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You’d love to see the dramatic renewal of our culture that would accompany such a revival in this nation. You’d love to see healing communities, restored families, filled churches, God-honoring leaders, and the flourishing of art and entertainment glorifying to God. You would like that, right???

It’s easy to get discouraged when you compare what you’d love to see to what you actually see in the world today. Don’t despair!!! Jesus told the truth 2000 years ago and it’s still true today. God has already prepared the harvest. Millions around you are hungering spiritually. They’re looking for Jesus even though they don’t realize it. They’re ready! They’re desperately looking for truth, goodness, beauty, and meaning in all the wrong places, but they’re searching! What’s lacking are the willing followers of Jesus who will go to them to lovingly introduce them to Jesus.

Jesus already told you what to do about this situation…PRAY! Pray for God to raise up faithful followers of Christ who will be obedient to His command and commission to go and make disciples. Pray for bold, loving, Christ-like witnesses to go and introduce people to Jesus. Pray for God to awaken sleepy followers of Jesus, embolden timid followers of Jesus, and enlighten ignorant followers of Jesus so they will GO into the fields and reap the harvest He’s already prepared. #FollowJesus

“Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” – 2 Chronicles 1:10

When Solomon was a young king, God offered him anything he wanted. Wisely, Solomon asked for wisdom to govern Israel well. He didn’t ask for wealth, status, power, or victory in battle. He recognized his limitations and humbly asked for the wisdom to be a good and just leader. This pleased God greatly and He not only blessed Solomon with incomparable wisdom but also all those other good things he didn’t ask for.

Did you know that you can make the exact same request of God? The Book of James promises that if you’d like wisdom, you just need to sincerely ask God for it and He will give it to you generously. The wisdom of God is available for the asking! So, have you prayed for God to give you wisdom with the full expectation that He will provide? Every follower of Jesus should!

Ask God to give you wisdom. Then fuel your mind with the wisdom God’s already provided in His Word. Read and think about a portion of God’s Word every single day. Let His revealed wisdom become your wisdom. Soak in the wisdom of Jesus displayed throughout the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Drink in the wisdom of Solomon in Proverbs. Linger longer in the wisdom of David and the other psalmists. Visit the wisdom contained in the letters from Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude over and over. See wisdom in action in the book of Acts.

Hopefully you get the idea! The Bible is a book full of God’s wisdom – in prose, poetry, and prophecy. In stories and letters, histories and descriptions of the future. Pray to God for wisdom and then study the wisdom He’s already revealed. He will make His wisdom your wisdom. #FollowJesus

“I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.”
– Psalm 119:11

Are you struggling to kill off a particular sin that seems to keep tripping you up? Is there some temptation you really can’t seem to get out of your mind? Do you really want it gone? If so, then what’s your relationship with God’s Word? Are you reading a meaningful amount of Scripture every day? Are you systematically making your way through the Bible? Are you making time to think about what you read, what it proclaims about God and Jesus, and how it applies to you? Are you memorizing Scripture that will help you in your battle against temptation and sin?

The reality is that we can’t just choose to stop thinking about something we don’t want to think about anymore. That just makes us think about it more! We must actively replace whatever we hate thinking about with something else. The Bible tells us to set our thoughts on the good things of God so they will squeeze out all the thoughts about darkness and temptation. For that to happen, we must be soaking our souls in God’s Word!

As we marinate in God’s Word, we’re filled with thoughts about God’s glory, Christ’s love, and the Spirit’s power. We’re clarified and reinforced about God’s standards, His holiness, and His call for us to be holy like Him. Intentionally fill yourself with God’s Word so that sinful desires will be crowded out and sin itself itself crucified in your heart. Make a point to memorize Scripture to have available in times of need. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He didn’t ask the devil to wait a minute while He pulled out His Bible scrolls. No, Jesus recited Scripture from memory to fight the devil! You can too, it just requires discipline and effort. Don’t let that scare you off! It’s worth it. Store up God’s Word in your heart to protect you from temptation and sin. #FollowJesus

On this special day of remembrance, we rejoice that God has blessed this particular nation with an extraordinarily large amount of earthly freedom. This freedom is a gift of God given through the sacrifice of countless men and women across two-and-a-half centuries. As we remember their sacrifices today, take a few moments to consider the challenge given by President Lincoln on November 19, 1863. The hard work of promoting union, liberty, equality, and democracy continues…

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

“The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.”
– Psalm 145:17-18

Remember this truth!!! Remember it. Remember this truth when times are dark. Remember this truth when God feels distant. He is never distant! Regardless of what you may feel in the moment, this truth is clear and unchanging. If you truly call out to God, He’s right there with you! You aren’t alone. God is near. He’s never more than a prayer call away, so call on Him. Call on Him desperately and honestly. If you seek Him, you WILL find Him!

God is perfectly righteous in all His ways. He won’t ever deal with you unrighteously or unjustly except to give you better than you deserve. Why? Because He’s kind in all His works. So don’t be afraid to call out to God. Don’t be shy or ashamed to admit you need Him. Don’t worry about what He’ll say or do. God is kind and God is righteous. Obviously if you’re in the midst of unrighteousness, He isn’t going to encourage you to continue. But if you repent of your unrighteousness, He’ll forgive you you every time. If you repent for distancing yourself from Him through sin, He will embrace you. If you repent of rebelling against Him, He will always restore you. Because He is kind as well as righteous.

If God were only perfectly righteous, you might have good reason to fear calling out to Him. Fortunately, He’s also kind. He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for your sins already. They’re all paid for and ready to be forgiven when you ask forgiveness in His name. The kindness of God is beyond anything you can imagine. His love is without limits. There’s nothing to fear about calling on God! Don’t let guilt, shame, stubbornness, or pride stand in your way. Call on God. He is near! #FollowJesus