Author: Brian Burdett

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” – Matthew 18:6

Have you ever considered how important it is to NOT encourage others to sin? To not facilitate, recommend, rationalize, excuse, aid, affirm, or otherwise help a follower of Jesus to make an ungodly decision or do an ungodly thing? What Jesus says in this verse is truly something to contemplate! Jesus says that if you’re leading or encouraging another believer to sin (whether young or old) it would be better to have a thousand pound stone tied to your neck and be dropped in the ocean to “sleep with the fishes”. That’s unbelievably hard truth from Jesus! But it’s truth nonetheless.

Many Christians understand they aren’t supposed to sin themselves but can be entirely too casual about helping others to sin. In our culture in which we’re supposed to agree with, affirm, and celebrate anything that enters another person’s mind, we can easily become someone who helps others to sin. If our visible faithfulness to Jesus means that thoughtless (or intentional) words of affirmation sound like Jesus would approve of sin, that’s a dangerous place for us to be in!

Carefully consider your words and your actions. Don’t just be concerned for your holiness but consider carefully the impact that you may be having on others. #FollowJesus

“Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.”
– Psalm 141:5a

We live in a very sensitive and defensive culture. We’ve been raised to naturally HATE to be critiqued, criticized, corrected, or rebuked for doing wrong. Our pride hates to be poked like that. Our shields instantly raise and our first instinct is to lash out, strike back, and crush all opposition. Generally speaking, Christians aren’t different anyone else in this regard. But we should be! The Bible is clear that we must be.

It’s also clear that we will be enormously blessed once we learn to respond to words of correction from godly people in a supernatural way. To respond with humility, openness, and respect for the person who speaks. To believe they want the best for us rather than the worst. To truly hear what they’re saying and discern whether it’s coming from a place of wisdom and love for us. To let the Holy Spirit speak through them.

Once we can get over our pride and reprogram our instincts to actually welcome the feedback, critique, and rebuke of godly brothers and sisters in Christ, we can GROW. Not all feedback is useful but a lot of it is. It can help grow our skills. It can help us grow spirituality. It can protect us from sin. It can help grow in maturity. It can grow our impact for God’s Kingdom. It can ultimately grow God’s Kingdom itself.

However, we must learn to welcome the correction of other believers if we’re going to grow in this way. To understand it as kindness, not cruelty. To see it as an act of love rather than hate. To see godly correction as ointment and medicine for our souls and lives rather than deadly poison. To let our heads and hearts truly hear, understand, and apply that which is true and useful. Think carefully about how you respond to words of correction, critique, and even rebuke from fellow Christians. Are you eagerly and joyfully seeking to learn in this way that the Bible repeatedly endorses? #FollowJesus

“He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’” – Matthew 14:29-30

Today we celebrate freedom and the birth of our nation. If you live in the United States, you have truly been blessed with great freedom. But do you know how to use it well? Peter struggled with that part.

He freely stepped out of the boat, excited to do something extraordinary. However, his freedom quickly overwhelmed him. He lost his focus. He got distracted by the circumstances all around him. He became afraid of the wind, the waves, and the dangers of using his freedom. He began to sink. The Lord rescued Peter and asked what went wrong. Why had he let the world around him steal his focus on Jesus and the freedom he enjoyed in Him? It was a life-changing lesson for Peter.

Take some time today to reflect on your freedom. Are you enjoying and using your freedom well? If Jesus has invited you to do something exciting for Him, have you done it? Or have fear and the dangers of the world limited your freedom? Are distractions keeping you from freely following Jesus wherever He leads? As you celebrate today, meditate on how you could more fully exercise your freedom in Christ for His Kingdom and His glory. #FollowJesus

“As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” – Matthew 13:23

This is the picture of life that truly understands and embraces the Good News of Jesus Christ, fully submitting to Jesus as Lord. Such a life will inevitably overflow with character transformation, good deeds done for the right reasons, and the making of new disciples of Jesus. Such a life is supernaturally fruitful because of that person’s profound connection to Jesus, Who produces all good spiritual fruit.

Is this a picture of your life? If Jesus is your Lord, it should be. Your fruit might look different from someone else’s fruit but there should definitely be fruit. Lots of it. Your fruit might take awhile to start being fully visible, but there should definitely be fruit forming. So, is the Spirit of Christ working so freely and fully in your life that there is multiplying fruit? Praise God (literally) if He is!

If not, why not? Go back through the parable and consider whether you might be struggling in one of the other situations. If you’re a believer in Jesus, have you grown deep roots in Christ through worship, study, prayer, and meditation? Are you working to draw nearer to Jesus and claiming the promise that He will draw near to you when you do? If not, that will definitely prevent fruit from forming in your life because there can be no fruit apart from a healthy relationship with Jesus.

Is your life so busy, so full of other good things that Jesus is just one good thing among many? Or so full of bad things that there doesn’t seem to be any time for Jesus? Are you too busy to really devote yourself to knowing and enjoying your Lord? Is your attention so divided and your energy so directed elsewhere that Jesus really isn’t that important in your life? If so, He certainly isn’t the Lord of your life and there will definitely be no fruit until you correct your priorities.

Reflect on your life. Celebrate the fruit Jesus is producing in you and carefully consider what any lack of fruit might be saying about your relationship to Jesus. #FollowJesus

“And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’” – Joshua 4:21-22

God did an extraordinary thing for the people of Israel. He backed up the flooding waters of the Jordan river so they could cross into the Promised Land on dry ground. He commanded the people to take 12 stones from the riverbed and set them up on the other side as an attention-getting memorial. When future generations asked what the memorial meant, they would get to learn Who God is and how He works. This is truly brilliant and we should all find ways to follow this example.

Has God done something extraordinary in your life? Saved you from your sins? Come through in a time of desperate need? Resolved a crisis, healed an illness, or or made His loving presence clear to you? Answered fervent prayers in a way that could only be done by Him? If so, what is your memorial to His miraculous work? What have you put in place to draw the interest of others so you can tell them your story of God’s miraculous work?

Think carefully about this question. If God has done something extraordinary in your life, how you are both celebrating it and creating opportunities to tell others about it? Your memorial and story could impact eternity, leading future generations to trust in the Lord as they learn that He is real, He is present and active, He is good, and He is powerful. If you don’t yet have a memorial to God’s goodness, faithfulness, provision, and power in your life, think carefully about making one. For those who don’t yet believe. #FollowJesus