Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“Take every thought captive to obey Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:5b

Here is the great challenge of our new life in Jesus Christ! We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus alone. We are made new creation in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are to be holy because our Savior is holy. And, we are to think holy thoughts with renewed minds because our Savior is holy and He lives in us.

In this modern age in which we live, this may be the most difficult task we’re given! We can, with God’s help, clean up our outward appearances and visible behaviors. Most Christians know this and are trying. But are you also working hard, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to take captive the racing, swirling, distracted, selfish, and chaotic thoughts that race through your mind? With all of the entertainment, information, and distraction that you are constantly bombarded with, are you intentionally trying to control your mind and take every thought captive to Jesus?

As a follower of Jesus, you should be trying to increasingly devote your thought life to Jesus. Not to yourself, not to thinking false or harsh things about yourself, not to indulging deceptive or ungodly feelings. To Jesus. In Philippians 4, Paul explains how to do that – by intentionally choosing to think about the good, noble, and holy things in the world. By filling your mind with Scripture, by meditating regularly on God’s Word, by spending joyful time in prayer, by listening to music that praises God, by listening to teaching and preaching that honors God, and by reading and watching media that lifts Jesus high.

Taking every thought captive is only possible through the Holy Spirit. Make the effort! It’s extremely difficult, but we’re called to try each day. Be aware of all the racing and circling and and swirling thoughts of your mind and rebuke those which are false, sinful, or disobedient to Christ. Taking every thought captive won’t happen overnight. It’s a process of growth and transformation in Christ. But now that you should and know that you can. #FollowJesus

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:7

God loves and blesses joyful generosity toward His Kingdom! This is a basic principle of financial stewardship in God’s Kingdom. God blesses each of us with everything we have, whether that happens to be a lot or a little. What God blesses you with, He expects you to manage and use well for His glory. That means using part to provide for your needs. That means using part to provide for those who are in need. And that means using part to advance His ministries in the world. Have you embraced the joy and mystery of Christlike generosity?

Giving in the New Covenant of grace in which we stand isn’t about giving a fixed number or formula. It certainly isn’t about giving with a grumbling or unhappy heart. Kingdom giving as a follower of Jesus is about responding to the truth that Jesus gave everything for you when He died on the cross for your sins. For that reason, God encourages and blesses us when we give joyfully, sacrificially, and extravagantly to the work of His Kingdom – contributing to churches, missions, and ministries. He will bless you and fill you with His pleasure when you give beyond what the world says is prudent.

This is God’s ongoing stewardship invitation to every follower of Jesus. Consider how much you give to God’s work spreading the Gospel, ministering to a congregation, and caring for the poor and vulnerable. Then consider how much you spend on yourself, your needs, and your desires. How can you alter your lifestyle to give to God’s purposes with greater joy and freedom? Will you take the step of faith to increase your generosity and see how God will bless that? #FollowJesus

“For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory.” – Isaiah 66:18

As Isaiah concludes, God speaks of the glorious time we already see unfolding before our eyes – the gathering of the nations. After His resurrection, Jesus commanded His followers to go into all the nations, tribes, and tongues of the world to make disciples. This is the work God uses to accomplish this promise regarding the gathering of all nations and tongues. As the different ethnic groups of the world are introduced to Jesus and some in each group respond to the Gospel call, are baptized, and learn to obey Jesus, the nations are gathering to see God’s glory.

The mission of the church is to go and share the good news of Jesus Christ so that people from every nation and language will come to know God the Father through Jesus the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. Whether we are sending or going, giving or praying we are the people through whom God is accomplishing this promise! One day, we know for certain that citizens of every nation and language group will be gathered in God’s presence praising and worshiping Him, praising and worshiping Jesus, and basking in our Triune God’s glory.

God isn’t merely the God of a single nation or region of the world. He is the Living God of all the world and He will be worshipped and glorified by people from everywhere in the world. Everywhere! Even those areas that seem the most hardened against the good news of Jesus will one day be gathered in God’s presence through faith in Jesus. Rejoice in this future and embrace the work Jesus has given His church right now. Share good news in your neighborhood and be part of sharing good news in the far ends of the earth.

Learn about God’s mission work in the world. Pray for God’s mission work in the world. Support God’s mission work in the world financially. Encourage and support those doing God’s mission work in the world. Pray about become one of God’s mission workers out in the world. #FollowJesus

“In all their affliction he was afflicted,
and the angel of his presence saved them;
in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.”
– Isaiah 63:9

What a beautiful summary of God’s saving work throughout all of history! What was true in ancient days remains true today. What God did for Israel then, He does for everyone Who loves and follows Jesus now. If Jesus is your Savior, then this verse describes your life! Praise God!!! When His people are afflicted, God feels their pain. When His people are suffering, God suffers too! God doesn’t observe the pain of His people from a distance. He doesn’t watch it with with bored half-attention like a show on Netflix. When you’re hurting, God aches!

In ancient days, God saved His people through His visible cloud presence and the miraculous work of the Angel of the Lord. Now, His saving work is even more personal. Today, He saves through His Son Jesus. Whenever anyone puts their faith in the resurrected Jesus as Lord, Jesus unites Himself with them and the Holy Spirit seals and indwells that person. You are saved and sanctified by God’s presence and power in you!

God has forever redeemed us from sin by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. God bought our freedom from death through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are set free from sin’s terrible power and consequences. Though you may still sin, sin no longer owns you if Jesus is your Lord. You are God’s free, loved, adopted child and empowered to live a life of true holiness in that freedom.

It is God Who did this – both in ancient days and in your life today. We don’t lift ourselves up by good morals, rigid discipline, or hard work. Your Father in Heaven has raised you up to new life as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus. He carries you today in His love and Spirit just as He has always carried His people. #FollowJesus

“And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: ‘O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.’” – 2 Kings 19:15

King Hezekiah was in a desperate situation… He was surrounded by an overwhelmingly powerful enemy bent on the destruction of Israel. His army stood absolutely no chance in the face of the mighty Assyrian Empire. The enemy spokesman had publicly mocked the weakness of Israel and the powerlessness of God. By all human logic, there was no hope for Israel. Nevertheless, the people of God are never without hope!!!

Hezekiah turned to God’s plan A. He prayed for God to intervene. When all earthly hope seemed lost, Hezekiah looked to the true hope of all mankind. He came before God and praised Him. He didn’t despair, complain, or blame God for the crisis. He worshipped God. Hezekiah appealed to God to intervene, not to save Hezekiah’s kingdom but for God’s glory to be revealed. Hezekiah prayed for a miracle, knowing that the army of Assyria had insulted the Lord. Sure enough, God intervened miraculously, ending the foreign invasion overnight and ultimately destroying the Assyrian king.

Always remember that God is truly the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth! There is nothing about which He is unaware or uninterested. Pray to Him with every concern. God always hears the cries of His people and will move mountains for their ultimate good and His glory. Remember this truth and always make God the first person you turn to in a crisis rather than the last. Train your instincts to respond to any situation with prayer. Praise God, confess any sins, give thanks, and make your requests known to the God Who can make anything happen for His glory. #FollowJesus