Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:14

In Christ, death is NEVER the end! To our limited knowledge and sensory experience, death feels final and terrible. However, the reality is that we are eternal beings and death isn’t final. The souls of those who die in Christ go to be with Him immediately. They will also return with Him when He returns. On that day, their bodies will also rise from death in a glorified state and be reunited with their souls. And so, death is never the end. It is the beginning of endless glorious years with the Lord.

A Christian doesn’t need to fear death. The process of dying may be truly terrible, but death itself is merely the passage from our present experience into the eternal experience of God’s presence. When we die, we close our eyes to the physical reality we’ve experienced our entire lives and open them to the greater spiritual reality that we currently only understand by faith.

Let this be a reassurance to you if you’re a follower of Jesus. Let it also challenge you to urgent action for the sake of those who don’t yet believe in Jesus. These wonderful truths only belong to those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus. For everyone else, the future is every bit as eternally terrible as your future is eternally wonderful. While that is their choice (whether they realize it or not), urgently try and rescue them from that fate by introducing them to Jesus. #FollowJesus

“In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.” – Psalm 119:14

How’s your relationship with the Bible? Is it like King David’s? Do you delight in God’s Word as much as in all riches? If not, what holds you back?

God’s Word, the Bible, is His love letter to you. It’s His revelation of Himself and His unchanging gracious, merciful, patient, loving, faithful, just, kind nature. It’s His revelation of His Son Who loves you and gave Himself for you. It’s His guide to a meaningful, significant, and joyful life in a world governed by an all-wise, all-good, all-powerful, ever-present God. It tells the amazing story of His good creation, our terrible fall, His extraordinary redemption, and the glorious consummation to come.

If you haven’t yet reached the place in your life where you delight in God’s Word, think about what keeps you from that delight. Is it a lack of familiarity? The best way to get past that is to begin reading. Begin reading the Bible in small portions every day, one chapter at a time, beginning in Matthew. Is it that it’s long and difficult to understand? It will get easier to read the more times you read it. You will begin to make connections with each pass through the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit will help you grow in understanding. Bible reading is like any other skill, you must actually do it to improve at it.

Is it that you aren’t really a reader? Listen to it being read instead. There are many free sites that offer this. Is it that you don’t understand the writing? Talk to a trusted Christian friend or pastor to find a good quality translation that works better for you. God’s Word is food for your soul. It is beautiful, challenging, encouraging, and convicting. It has power beyond any other book you will ever pick up. While it will not save you in itself, it is meant to be a source of lifelong delight and growth in Christ. Nothing will change you more over time than a daily personal study of God’s Word. #FollowJesus

“But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’” – Jeremiah 18:12

Jeremiah was diligently trying to obey God by warning his people of their coming doom and need to repent. This was their response – “you’re wasting your time.” Utter rejection of God’s way. Total embrace of doing their own thing. What followed was the destruction of the land and exile of the surviving people. God’s will will be done.

These words sound very much like our present cultural moment. God hasn’t specifically warned us of imminent destruction the way He warned Judah. But we’re living in a time in which good is called evil and evil is celebrated. A time when the ways of God are defiantly rejected in favor of each person defining their own “truth” and living their own definition of “good.” We’re seeing the “stubbornness of each person’s evil heart.”

If you’re a follower of Jesus and your heart is broken by the evil and degradation of our culture and world, you need to pray! Pray for revival to break out and sweep the globe. Pray for a powerful, miraculous work of God’s Holy Spirit to draw millions and billions of hearts to Him through new faith and radical obedience to Jesus Christ. Pray for people to be convicted about the evil of their ways and repent and follow Jesus. Another great awakening is what we need if we’re going to turn back from the destructive path of radical self-ism we’re walking as a culture. So pray and share the Gospel! #FollowJesus

“Thus says the Lord:
‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the Lord.’”
– Jeremiah 17:5

Consider this a friendly reminder from the Lord in the midst of an emotionally charged election season! Whomever you like or dislike, go ahead and support or oppose them. But understand that they are just limited human beings. They didn’t create the world and they won’t end it. They can’t fix all the problems they say they will nor will they destroy everything you fear they will. Support those you support but don’t put your faith and trust in them. They aren’t God. They aren’t Jesus.

Those who win may do great good or great evil. But they still aren’t God and have only the tiniest bit of power compared to Him. If you let your emotions run too strong for or against human leaders, it inevitably draws your heart, mind, soul, and strength away from the Lord. Protect yourself from that because if you let that happen, you’ve already lost sight of what’s most precious and important! Don’t put your trust and sense of well-being in a human being, party, or platform. Put all your trust and confidence in the Triune God of the Universe!

Don’t get distracted! Make the Lord your strength and shelter. Make the Lord your anchor and identity. Make the Lord your refuge and hope. He will not disappoint. All those humans, for all their promises, cannot and must not replace the Lord in your heart or mind. If they do, that’s the path to misery, sorrow, disappointment, frustration, and loss. #FollowJesus

“Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!”
– Psalm 117

This is the shortest psalm (and chapter of the Bible) in its entirety. Only two verses, but isn’t it perfect??? This psalm reflects God’s missionary heart that people from every tribe, language, and ethnic people group would one day worship Him. It’s a call for all the nations on earth to praise and worship God because of His loyal, steadfast, extravagant, overflowing love and faithfulness.

God pours out that love and faithfulness through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Jesus is the embodiment and visible expression of God’s love and faithfulness. He stepped into our world, resisted every temptation, taught and commanded us to love like Him, died to pay the penalty for our sins, and rose from the dead to save us from our sins. Through Christ, God is drawing to Himself a new family from all the tribes, language groups, and ethnic peoples of the world. Through Christ, God is pouring out His love and faithfulness on all who embrace Him for themselves.

The Lord’s faithfulness and love will last forever and ever! He is faithful as we go about Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. He is faithful as we praise and worship and invite the nations of the world to do the same. Praise the Lord! #FollowJesus