Author: Brian Burdett

“And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.'” – Acts 17:6

The message of Jesus literally turns the world upside down! The last become first and the first last. The humble are exalted and the exalted are humbled. Leaders serve and servants lead. Success on earth bears no relationship to eternal blessing and success. The values of God’s Kingdom are opposed to the values of earthly kingdoms.

The early Christians became known as people who “turned the world upside down”. How? By preaching the gospel of grace, peace, and reconciliation. We are saved only by God’s grace through faith in His Son Jesus and cannot save ourselves so we have nothing to brag about. Through faith in Jesus, we are at peace with, reconciled to, and adopted by God with the spiritual power needed to reconcile with others. And we do.

How about you? Are you turning the world upside down? You believe the same Gospel the early Christians did. You receive the same Holy Spirit when you trust in Jesus as Lord. You have the same truth of God written down for you in the Bible. You have EVERYTHING you need to turn the world upside down!

It doesn’t have to start with anything big and dramatic. It can begin with turning your household, your workplace, your classroom, or your neighborhood upside down. How? By loving God completely and loving your neighbors outrageously. By visibly living out Kingdom values like meekness, patience, gentleness, humility, kindness, holiness, peacemaking, and self-control. By telling people how Jesus has transformed you and actually being transformed.

If you do that, you’ll turn plenty of things upside down! If enough Christians do it with you, we’ll once again turn the world upside down and that will be a truly beautiful thing! #FollowJesus

“And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely.” – Acts 16:23

Sometimes, the most miserable things we endure produce the most beautiful and eternal results! Most of us would struggle to imagine something more miserable than being beaten by a mob, beaten by the police, and thrown in jail for being Christians who cast out a demon. That’s exactly what happened to Paul and Silas in this verse. And yet…

What the crowd and the authorities did to hurt them, God used for a wonderful, eternal purpose. Paul and Silas didn’t know what was next but were confident in God’s good and loving presence with them even amidst suffering and injustice. Rather than sitting in their pain and feeling sorry for themselves, they worshiped and praised God from within their jail cell. God used that extraordinary faithfulness to bring their jailer and his entire household to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

The suffering of Paul and Silas was unjustified and unjust. Their pain was very real and intense. However, God used it for a glorious, redemptive purpose. An entire household gained eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Who knows how many of the following generations of that household also became Kingdom citizens! Would Paul and Silas have said their temporary pain was worth it because of the eternal gain for other people? Absolutely!!!

This story is a beautiful reminder that while we feel each moment of time intensely, God sees all moments equally well. When we can’t comprehend the suffering and injustice we experience, God can still redeem it for the blessing of many and for His glory. When times are hardest, that’s when we most need to trust God’s plan, presence, and providence, praising Him amidst tears and testifying to His goodness in the face of human evil. #FollowJesus

“And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice” – 1 Kings 11:9

God gave Solomon every blessing imaginable and Solomon threw it away! God made him king over Israel. God appeared and spoke to him twice. God gave him wisdom, wealth, power, and peace. And yet, despite ALL that, Solomon wandered away from God. He indulged the lusts of his mind and body and it ruined him spiritually.

In his greed for sexual delights, international influence, and greater earthly wealth, Solomon collected an enormous harem of pagan women. As he devoted his mind and body to sexual gratification, his heart turned away from the God Who had blessed him beyond measure. Solomon is a vivid reminder of the devastating effects of listening to your heart with all its deceptive sickness rather than listening to God’s unchanging command.

Don’t let that happen to you! Follow God and discipline your heart to be in line with His will and Word. Earthly love is wonderful, but true and lasting satisfaction can only be found in our relationship with God. For this reason, our earthly relationships must conform to God’s will and heart rather than the other way around. Pursue earthly relationships that strengthen your relationship with God and glorify Him. God’s people must always be careful about whom they give their heart to. That is God’s clear and unchanging command in both Old Testament and New. #FollowJesus in your earthly relationships!

“And said, ‘O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart;’ – 1 Kings 8:23

Yes, this is your incomparable God!!! He is utterly faithful toward His people. His love is a steadfast love that doesn’t rise and fall with His mood. His love isn’t transactional and doesn’t consider what you’ve done for Him lately. God’s love is extraordinary, rooted in grace, and more solid than any rock. His love is better than any love you’ve ever shown toward anyone or anything. The Hebrew word for God’s steadfast love is “hesed” and hesed is one of the defining qualities of God’s nature. For God, hesed isn’t a mood or feeling, it’s Who He is!

If Jesus is your Lord, then you’ve been reconciled to God by His grace through your faith in His Son. That means you’re a recipient of God’s steadfast love and He’ll always keep His covenant of grace toward you. He will always be gracious toward you, remembering that your sins have already been paid for by Jesus on the cross. He will always forgive you when you confess your sins. He will always keep His promise to never leave or forsake you. Indeed, God has permanently sealed you as His beloved child by sending His Holy Spirit to live in you.

In light of God’s hesed, live your life with total devotion to God. Know that He loves you more fully and completely than you can possibly imagine. Let His love transform you. #FollowJesus

“But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. Nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.’” – 1 Kings 8:18-19

How do you handle it when God says, “No”? God doesn’t exist to rubber-stamp the prayers and plans of His people. Sometimes He says, “No”. Even when we have the absolute best intentions to serve and glorify Him, He can still say, “No”. That’s exactly what God told King David. David wanted to build a magnificent temple for the Lord in Jerusalem. His intentions were pure and holy. He LOVED the Lord. God still told him, “No”.

God’s reasons are His own. His knowledge and wisdom are perfect and complete. His timing is also perfect. He understands “the big picture” in ways we never will. When He says, “No” it’s always for the best. But do we trust that when God says, “No”? Do you?

Being told “No” when all we want to do is please and glorify God can be disappointing, confusing, embarrassing, and frustrating. We seldom understand because we lack God’s perfect knowledge and timing. But can we accept His answer anyway? Can you be at peace about the matter when God says, “No”? Many Christians today are more interested in God’s approval than His timing. We want Him to say, “Yes” but remain determined to move forward no matter what He says. We assume we heard Him wrong. We struggle to accept “No” and halt our plans.

David shows how to properly handle God’s “No”. He wasn’t angry and didn’t plow ahead anyway. He accepted it even though he probably didn’t like it. He continued serving faithfully as he had been serving. He prepared things to make it easier for his son who would receive God’s, “Yes”. Praying, preparing, serving — that’s how to handle God’s “No” when you #FollowJesus