Author: Brian Burdett

“You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.” – James 5:8-9

We know the end of the story: Jesus comes back in triumph, evil is defeated, sin is wiped away, creation is fully restored to perfection. Now we must live in holy, Christlike patience for that end. Christ’s return may come in our lifetime or it may come long after we pass away and enter the presence of Jesus. The exact timing doesn’t change how we are to live. We must live well, we must live like Jesus, we must be patient, and we must always be ready to meet our judge.

The world can certainly be shocking and discouraging. It’s easy to give up on trying to act like Jesus when so few are. That’s why James tells you to “establish your heart.” Solidify and commit to your intentions to patiently live in grace, love, and holiness until the day you die or until Christ returns. Understand what it looks like to live for Jesus, determine to live for Jesus, live for Jesus. Keep growing in your understanding of Scripture so you can course correct where you discover that you still fall short of His standard and glory in certain areas of your life.

Live with peace toward other Christians. Speak only words of praise, encouragement, and loving correction. Don’t just pointlessly complain about other believers. Don’t gossip. Don’t harbor resentment or bitterness. If there’s something between you and another Christian, talk to them directly. Go through the process of Matthew 18 to be reconciled to them, if need be. Life is too short and Christ’s return too imminent to waste time holding grudges against one another. Bitterness is too poisonous to drink yourself in the hopes others will suffer. Let love characterize you, your church and your small groups as far as you’re responsible. #FollowJesus

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” – James 4:10

An interesting thing happens when we humble ourselves before Lord Jesus… It happens when we admit that we truly need Him and we mean it. When we acknowledge that we have nothing to offer Him that He needs and that our very best deeds and treasures are but filthy rags and garbage compared to His majesty, holiness, and greatness. It happens once when we recognize that we can’t solve our addiction to sin ourselves and cry out to Him for help. It happens when we confess that OUR sin, not someone else’s, is vile, degrading, rebellious, and separates us from God’s perfect holiness. It happens when we’re honest enough to realize that we can’t ever save ourselves and that we’ll never be good enough, disciplined enough, kind enough, or righteous enough to connect with God on our own terms. It happens when we tell Him that we need a Savior and ask Him to be that Savior.

From that moment forward, He exalts us! He forgives us and assures us that our guilt and shame are completely gone forever. He cleans us up and dresses us in His righteousness. He calls us friend. He calls us beloved and tells us we’ve been adopted by the God of the universe. He heals us of our heart sickness and declares us to be saints. He unites Himself with us and seals us with the Holy Spirit. He proclaims we are new creation. He explains our past no longer matters and that only our future in Him is important. He invites us to join Him in ruling and judging creation.

Humble yourself and be exalted! It’s much more wonderful than the alternative that we’ve all tried, when we exalted ourselves and found ourselves humbled by the Lord. Humble yourself. Be exalted by your loving Lord Jesus. #FollowJesus

“Hear my prayer, O Lord,
and give ear to my cry;
hold not your peace at my tears!
For I am a sojourner with you,
a guest, like all my fathers.”
– Psalm 39:12

The Psalms are God’s invitation to be honest with Him. There’s no need to wear masks and pretend with the all-knowing, ever-present God of the universe! The psalms teach us to express our emotions honestly, faithfully, and respectfully. They teach us how to pray when we’re happy and thankful and when we’re lonely and hurting. God is always present and He always hears our prayers but it doesn’t always feel like that to us.

Whenever you experience a season in which God feels distant, know that it’s OK to cry out to God like the psalmist. Be diligent in seeking the Lord. Ask God to hear your prayers, to see your tears, and to respond. Have the faith and wisdom to understand that God will responds on His timetable and in the manner that’s best, but cry out nonetheless. Be honest, urgent, and consistent with God — He already knows your heart anyway. Seek His presence and beg to know Him better so that you won’t feel like a stranger to Him ever again.

These are prayers God loves to answer — again, in His perfect timing and in His perfect way. If you learn to cry out desperately to know Him more, He’ll answer your prayers when the time is right. He will reveal Himself to you and help you see that He was always with you. So pray and keep on praying. Pray with tears if need be. Pray with diligence and faith. Pray with genuine desire to know God more fully. Accept God’s invitation to pour out your heart to Him in faith. #FollowJesus

“Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” – 2 Peter 3:14

As Peter concludes his second letter, he gives a principle for living life in uncertain times as we anticipate the return of Christ and renewal of all things. As followers of Jesus, we must be diligent to live in a holy and peaceful way. This isn’t a casual calling or something that would be nice if we happen to do it. We must be diligent. We must be intentional and work hard to live according to all the commands of Jesus so that we’ll be found without spot or blemish.

This doesn’t just mean avoiding the “big sins” like killing people, stealing, or committing adultery. To diligently live without spot or blemish, requires that we be diligent about every word that comes out of our mouth – at home, at work, on the road, with friends, with colleagues, and with those we don’t much like. We must be diligent about everything we look at in private. Everything we write or post online. Every place where we’re tempted to cut corners or break rules that we imagine nobody will ever notice. No spot and no blemish is a very high standard. The good news is that when we discover we have a spot or blemish, God’s grace will clean that up when we repents and ask forgiveness. But we must be diligent to notice our sins, repent of them, and ask for that forgiveness.

We must also be diligent to be found at peace. Christians are told by Jesus to be peacemakers. That also won’t happen by accident, it requires intentionality. When conflict flares in our life, we must not fuel it or ignore it and we must repent when we do. We must do everything possible to make peace and resolve the conflict. When we’re angry or frustrated with someone, we must not let that fester and turn into bitterness. We must seek peace and reconciliation. We must not harbor resentments or hold onto feuds but rather be found at peace by Jesus. #FollowJesus

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” – 2 Peter 2:1

We are warned, over and over, that false teachers are inevitable. They’re going to be a part of Christian life until Jesus returns so Christians must be prepared at all times! Know the truth. Study the Word for yourself. Check what you hear or read online against God’s unchanging word.

Someone who makes a simple mistake isn’t a false teacher, especially if they receive correction with a humble spirit. Be cautious in labeling a person a heretic when they simply lack understanding or disagree with you. Nonetheless, those who teach falsely about God the Father, Jesus the Son, or the Holy Spirit teach destructive heresy because they keep those who would worship God from worshiping Him as He truly is. Those who teach falsely about the gracious salvation that’s only available through faith in Jesus Christ and to which no person or church can add teach destructive heresy that keeps people from living joyfully in the grace God would bestow upon them.

Peter particularly condemns those who teach a false and lesser version of Jesus, reducing the Master Who died for them to something less which would be incapable of actually atoning for their sin. Jesus is eternally the Son, not a created being. Jesus is one with God the Father, not merely a teacher, prophet, example, or revolutionary. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He lived without sin, died a sinner’s death on a cross, was buried, and physically rose from the dead. Jesus is fully a person as well as fully God. He had to be both to accomplish what He accomplished by His death and resurrection.

Today, false teachers are more widespread than ever and can easily build huge online platforms. God will punish them eternally, but they may still cause a great deal of harm in the near term. Know the truth. Study the Word for yourself. Check everything you hear against God’s unchanging word. #FollowJesus