Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” – Malachi 4:2

What a perfect word from the final book of the Old Testament as we stand on the brink of a brand new year! Are you ready to leap eagerly into 2026, like an energetic calf getting free from its pen? Are you ready to walk into the power of the Holy Spirit Who lives in you if Jesus is your Lord? Are you ready for a year of letting your soul be healed by God’s grace as the Lord warms your heart with the sun of righteousness?

As you reflect on the highs and lows of 2025, be sure to give thanks to God for His presence in your life, in and through those very same highs and lows, triumphs and tragedies. As you pray and dream about the year ahead, may this promise be true for you! Fear the name of the Lord! Then leap into 2026 as you #FollowJesus

“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” – Revelation 21:27

The Holy City… New Jerusalem… the restoration of creation as God made it to be…. It WILL be glorious. It IS the future. But ONLY for those whose names appear in the Lamb’s book of life! How does anyone get their name in that book? There’s only one way: as a gift of God’s grace given through genuine, saving faith in Jesus Christ. The kind of faith that Jesus is the crucified and resurrected Lord of the Universe that alters one’s life forever. That recognizes that whoever or whatever you were like before you met Jesus, He’s always calling you to change. To get rid of your old ways and walk in the newness of a life in imitation of Him.

It doesn’t matter if someone calls themself a Christian. It doesn’t matter if they’ve raised a hand, walked an aisle, or been baptized. What matters is if they’ve entrusted their life to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Have you? Have you accepted God’s gift of grace and been made new creation? If so, you won’t persist in old habits that are detestable to God and false. God’s Spirit will nag at you until you repent and change your ways. He won’t give you peace until you crucify the old ways of your old self and begin to live your new reality as a child of God.

The same is true for those you care about. Are you desperate to see their names written into the Lamb’s book of life? Are you deeply concerned when you see them continue in false and detestable paths if they call themselves a Christian? You should be! As one year ends and another begins, who do you love enough to invite them into a transforming relationship with Jesus Christ? #FollowJesus

“You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, ‘How have we wearied him?’ By saying, ‘Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.’ Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?’” – Malachi 2:17

Try not to weary the Lord with your words! That’s just good, solid life advice… Fortunately, the Bible gives us some examples of words that weary and frustrate the Lord when spoken by His people. One that’s popular today is saying that God is fine with sin and delighted with people engaged in unrepentant sin. That’s a total lie (proclaimed by many, including churches)! He isn’t!

God certainly is love. However, that doesn’t mean He has no opinion about, or turns a blind eye toward, sinful behavior. God is also perfectly holy and righteous! All sin must be dealt with and can’t be ignored. That’s true whether you’re talking about sexual sin, false teaching, or injustice, cruelty, and hard-heartedness toward the poor and vulnerable around you. That’s true whether the sin is greed, sinful anger, gossip, lying, substance abuse, or pride. Don’t try to pretend, excuse, explain, or affirm sin and call it good. Don’t lie and claim that God delights in people who make a habit of practicing sin. Those who are happily engaging in sin – whatever that sin is – are not in a good place with the Lord! To say otherwise is to lie about God’s nature.

Likewise, God grows tired of complaints about how the universe is being managed, when those complaints become our excuse to not obey Him. The Bible tells us to expect all sorts of calamity during our earthly lives. We live in a world that is thoroughly infected and affected by human sin at every level. Injustice is going to happen – for a period of time. Eventually, Jesus will return and all injustice will be dealt with. Those who are wicked will be dealt with for all eternity and God’s perfect justice will be done THEN and forever afterward (not necessarily now). Complaining about that which God has already explained in His word grows wearisome to Him when it becomes our reason not to delight in God and commit ourselves to #FollowJesus

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” – John 16:7

What a remarkable statement! On the night before His death, Jesus explained to His disciples that it was to their advantage that He die, rise, and ascend to Heaven while they remained on earth. How could that possibly be true? What could be better than having Jesus walking with them and teaching them every day???

Having His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God living in them, empowering them, transforming them, teaching them, and correcting them whenever they need it!!! According to the Lord, Himself, having the Spirit of Christ giving you the power to do the work of Jesus is even more valuable than having His physical presence with you.

Remember this truth, and treasure it, because the Helper lives in you if Jesus is your Lord! The moment you believe and entrust your life to Jesus, you were sealed and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Jesus has sent Him to you! This is an incredible reality that should transform your life completely over time! The question is whether you’re tapping into that power and enjoying the advantage of having the Helper? Are you living a Spirit-filled and led life? Do you truly #FollowJesus?