Author: Brian Burdett

“You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
– Psalm 73:24-26

In this psalm, the writer wrestles with a common question asked across the ages by God’s people – why do ungodly people often seem to prosper? Is God unaware? Is God unjust? Is there even a reason to bother being faithful and obedient to God’s teachings? Then, the psalmist goes to the temple and comes to understand the invisible spiritual reality of our world…

God is always with His people. He is our greatest blessing. Not money. Not power. Not health. Not status. Not influence. Not family. God. His presence, love, strength, and grace are wealth beyond measure. He wants us to understand and truly experience our extraordinary present reality in Him and our glorious eternal future with Him. Then we can be satisfied in the Lord, today and every day. As the psalmist celebrates, God gives wise advice, instruction, and direction to His people through the Bible and His Holy Spirit. He strengthens and sustains us during good times and bad here on earth. Knowing the Lord is our ultimate satisfaction, peace, and joy as we walk the earth. And then…. God welcomes us into Heaven when we pass away. He receives us into glory that will never end. He Himself is our inheritance forever and that inheritance is a joy so infinite we can’t even begin to imagine it.

If you find yourself struggling with the same question the psalmist was… with frustration over the obvious prosperity of the ungodly elites in our world… with dissatisfaction over your own situation in the world…. Remember the lesson of the psalmist and look to the Lord. Not to change your earthly situation but to be your greatest treasure. Draw near to God in prayer, worship, meditation, devotion, and service. Truly seek God and embrace His love for you, His comfort for you, His grace for you, His mercy for you, and His peace for you. #FollowJesus

“For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 2 Peter 1:8

If you’re genuinely saved from your sins by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, then your salvation is 100% secure. You’re an adopted and sealed child of God and the devil can’t touch that! That’s the good news. The bad news is that with your salvation secure, you can still be utterly ineffective and unfruitful as a follower of Jesus. Far too many Christians are and that’s the devil’s top priority for any genuine child of God. That’s probably his top priority for you!

How can you protect yourself from this? The verses before this one list a number of qualities Christians should actively develop in their lives with God’s help. They include knowledge, virtue, godliness, self-control, steadfastness, brotherly affection, and love. These won’t come to you automatically. You have to work for them in the power of the Holy Spirit.

To be more effective and more fruitful, choose to be intentional about growing your knowledge of the Lord – both in your spiritual experiences and through intentional, daily study of the Bible. Develop virtue and godliness – reject sin in your life and work to imitate Jesus. Deepen your prayer life, worship habits, and meditation on Scripture. Self-control comes from the Holy Spirit over time as you refuse to give into the things that tempt your flesh and instead walk in step with the Holy Spirit.

Steadfastness comes as you endure hard trials in life and discover the comfort and profound certainty that Jesus is walking with you through them, sustaining and transforming you through them. Brotherly affection is your intentional choice to love, spend time with, and experience life with fellow believers in deep friendship and community. Most of the time you’ll need to do the hard work of seeking that out – it rarely happens by accident in our individualistic society. And then there’s love, Christlike, sacrificial love, even for those who may be difficult to love.

Developing these qualities isn’t easy. There is some pain in the process. They require discipline in how you use your time and energy. The choices you make day by day and moment by moment influence whether you are growing in them or not. As you increasingly make godly choices and develop these qualities, you’ll discover that you have more and more impact on the world for God’s glory and Christ’s Kingdom. You won’t need to worry about being ineffective or unfruitful because God will work powerfully through you. You will enjoy the purpose for which you were created as you faithfully #FollowJesus

“Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” – 1 Peter 3:9

When we get this right, it’s such a powerful testimony to the unbelieving world!!! But it’s so hard to get it right, isnt it??? We sure do struggle with it, don’t we? Our flesh hates this command. Our nature yearns to pay people back for evils they have done. Our instincts are to fight fire with fire and return insults with insults. Far, far too many followers of Jesus fall into doing exactly that. Perhaps you do, too…

That isn’t the way of Jesus. It isn’t what you’ve been saved and raised to new spiritual life to do. You’re called and commanded to imitate Jesus. He didn’t resist those who spat on Him. He didn’t insult those who insulted Him. He didn’t fight back against those who arrested, tortured, or crucified Him. And if you’re a follower of Jesus, you’ve been repeatedly commanded to imitate Him.

Christians try to reason and excuse their way out of this command. But there is no valid way to avoid it. There is no excuse. You don’t get to pay people back for their evil deeds. To do so is a sin. Instead, you’re called to bless them and be blessed by the Lord for it. You don’t get to insult people back for their foul words about you. To do so is a sin. Instead, you’re called to bless them and be blessed by the Lord for it.

Ultimately, it’s a matter of who do you want to please when your blood is boiling? Do you want to please yourself and your pride? Or do you want to please your Lord and Savior? Think carefully about this command because it’s hard to rise above your nature, walk in the nature of Christ, and truly #FollowJesus

“You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 2:5

This isn’t how most of us think of ourselves. However, it’s absolutely what God thinks about you if Jesus is your Lord. These things are true about you, whether you realize it or not. So, what does it mean for your life???

First of all, it means that God has a purpose and plan for your life. You don’t exist primarily for your entertainment and enjoyment. You aren’t alive just to bump along, getting by until you die. Far from it! God has saved you from your sins and raised you to eternal life so that you can glorify Him throughout your life. You have been cleansed from your sins and set apart from the rest of humanity to be a priest of God. That’s what it is to be holy and YOU ARE HOLY!

Your new life in Christ is intended to be an ongoing spiritual sacrifice of holiness, ministry to others, service to God, and worship. Romans 12:1 emphasizes that your spiritual sacrifice is to devote your love, life, energy, and treasure to serving and obeying Jesus. You’re now part of God’s new temple. You’re a single stone meant to work closely with other believers, not sit on the ground by yourself. Going it alone isn’t an option for followers of Jesus. You were made new to fit into the body of Christ, a local church in which you worship, live life, and love God and others. It’s only as you live, love, and work closely with other believers that you experience the fullest joy and purpose for your new life and bring God the most glory by it.

You were made holy by God’s grace through faith in Jesus. Now, you’re called to live in a holy manner that suits who you already are. You are to be praying, worshiping, and blessing God and others by your manner of life each and every day. You aren’t a random nobody – you are God’s priest and representative in your community, your workplace or classroom, and in all the other places you go. God is calling others to salvation through you. So, be bold and live out God’s glorious purpose for your life. Don’t be afraid – just #FollowJesus

“Who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” – 1 Peter 1:5

Do you realize that God Himself is protecting your salvation in Christ? When you first put your faith in Jesus, your sins were forgiven, and you were adopted as God’s children, that gracious salvation came under God’s protection. He guards it against all enemies until that glorious day when Jesus returns and your faith becomes your sight. Your continued relationship with the Lord isn’t something that you must protect on your own. Oh no, God is protecting you spiritually with His infinite power, total knowledge, and perfect wisdom.

You eternal inheritance in Heaven is assured. Your invitation to the feast of Jesus is assured. The final outcome of your judgment before the white throne of the Lord is assured. You have indeed been born again to a strong, certain hope that is also a living hope – the ruling, reigning, and risen Jesus Christ, the Son of God and sustainer of all things.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take your spiritual life seriously. Shortly after this verse, Peter emphasizes the importance of living a holy life. But pursue personal holiness for the right reasons. You don’t need to do that out of fear that you’ll lose God’s grace and love. What you didn’t earn in the first place, you cannot un-earn! God’s love and power will endure through every trial of your life and even every failure. The devil will certainly attack you, but the Lord will guard you and His power is unimaginably greater than the devil’s. Pursue holiness out of gratitude, love, and a desire to become more like Jesus. Not out of guilt and fear. Love the Lord with all your heart, for He surely loves and guards you every moment of every day. #FollowJesus