Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!”
– Psalm 67:3

God’s plan of salvation isn’t limited to just helping a few privileged groups of people. God desires and is actively working to redeem people from every ethnic people group, tribe, language group, and nation. His work won’t be complete until members from all the peoples are praising Him in the name of Jesus. This is why Jesus issued the Great Commission, directing His disciples to make disciples of all nations based on His absolute authority over creation.

As a Christian, you’re blessed with the opportunity and responsibility of helping this vision of worldwide praise and worship become reality. Currently, there are over 3 billion people who have no one in their own culture to tell them about Jesus. They will live and die without knowing God, or having the opportunity to know God, unless someone tells them about Jesus, Who is the way, the truth, and the life.

These billions of souls are the responsibility of the church and all her members. You’re commissioned and commanded to help make disciples and to support those proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ where it’s never been proclaimed before. For some, that support looks like going and sharing good news with them directly. For others, it looks like faithfully praying for the nations to receive a gospel witness and to hear and embrace the invitation of Jesus to follow Him. It may look like sacrificially giving to support the sending of missionaries and the development and distribution of resources in their native language. It may look like sending and providing ongoing support for those in the field or it may look like actively welcoming the nations as they move into your neighborhood.

God has work prepared for you to do (Ephesians 2:10). There are many ways to be part of God’s one mission to redeem and be praised by all the nations. Do you know what your work is? Are you doing it so that all nations may one day praise Him? #FollowJesus

“But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.’” – Jude 1:17-18

The New Testament writers warn over and over again about false teachers and ideas getting into our circles of friendship and fellowship. They warn that people will gain positions or platforms of influence on believers that will be used for evil. It’s an ever-present danger. They warn there will be times when people will act or argue that they “know better” than we do. That they are wise and enlightened while we are foolish and close-minded. They will make fun of us or condemn us for holding to “outdated” or “hateful” truths of the faith. They will do this in order to rationalize doing whatever they feel like. It has happened before and it’s absolutely happening today!

Our protection against this influence is always the same! Read the Bible. We’re commanded to remember what the Apostles taught and since they wrote the New Testament, that translates to “read your Bible”. Read and study your Bible daily so you know the truth. Read and study your Bible daily so the truth can change you rather than the other way around. Meditate on God’s Word so you won’t fall under the persuasion of the scoffers and false teachers who have such loud voices today. What the Bible has taught for centuries remains true. God has one design for human flourishing. God has provided one way to gain eternal life. Don’t let anyone scoff you into thinking otherwise! #FollowJesus

“You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.” – James 5:8-9

We know the end of the story: Jesus comes back in triumph, evil is defeated, sin is wiped away, creation is fully restored to perfection. Now we must live in holy, Christlike patience for that end. Christ’s return may come in our lifetime or it may come long after we pass away and enter the presence of Jesus. The exact timing doesn’t change how we are to live. We must live well, we must live like Jesus, we must be patient, and we must always be ready to meet our judge.

The world can certainly be shocking and discouraging. It’s easy to give up on trying to act like Jesus when so few are. That’s why James tells you to “establish your heart.” Solidify and commit to your intentions to patiently live in grace, love, and holiness until the day you die or until Christ returns. Understand what it looks like to live for Jesus, determine to live for Jesus, live for Jesus. Keep growing in your understanding of Scripture so you can course correct where you discover that you still fall short of His standard and glory in certain areas of your life.

Live with peace toward other Christians. Speak only words of praise, encouragement, and loving correction. Don’t just pointlessly complain about other believers. Don’t gossip. Don’t harbor resentment or bitterness. If there’s something between you and another Christian, talk to them directly. Go through the process of Matthew 18 to be reconciled to them, if need be. Life is too short and Christ’s return too imminent to waste time holding grudges against one another. Bitterness is too poisonous to drink yourself in the hopes others will suffer. Let love characterize you, your church and your small groups as far as you’re responsible. #FollowJesus

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” – James 4:10

An interesting thing happens when we humble ourselves before Lord Jesus… It happens when we admit that we truly need Him and we mean it. When we acknowledge that we have nothing to offer Him that He needs and that our very best deeds and treasures are but filthy rags and garbage compared to His majesty, holiness, and greatness. It happens once when we recognize that we can’t solve our addiction to sin ourselves and cry out to Him for help. It happens when we confess that OUR sin, not someone else’s, is vile, degrading, rebellious, and separates us from God’s perfect holiness. It happens when we’re honest enough to realize that we can’t ever save ourselves and that we’ll never be good enough, disciplined enough, kind enough, or righteous enough to connect with God on our own terms. It happens when we tell Him that we need a Savior and ask Him to be that Savior.

From that moment forward, He exalts us! He forgives us and assures us that our guilt and shame are completely gone forever. He cleans us up and dresses us in His righteousness. He calls us friend. He calls us beloved and tells us we’ve been adopted by the God of the universe. He heals us of our heart sickness and declares us to be saints. He unites Himself with us and seals us with the Holy Spirit. He proclaims we are new creation. He explains our past no longer matters and that only our future in Him is important. He invites us to join Him in ruling and judging creation.

Humble yourself and be exalted! It’s much more wonderful than the alternative that we’ve all tried, when we exalted ourselves and found ourselves humbled by the Lord. Humble yourself. Be exalted by your loving Lord Jesus. #FollowJesus

“Hear my prayer, O Lord,
and give ear to my cry;
hold not your peace at my tears!
For I am a sojourner with you,
a guest, like all my fathers.”
– Psalm 39:12

The Psalms are God’s invitation to be honest with Him. There’s no need to wear masks and pretend with the all-knowing, ever-present God of the universe! The psalms teach us to express our emotions honestly, faithfully, and respectfully. They teach us how to pray when we’re happy and thankful and when we’re lonely and hurting. God is always present and He always hears our prayers but it doesn’t always feel like that to us.

Whenever you experience a season in which God feels distant, know that it’s OK to cry out to God like the psalmist. Be diligent in seeking the Lord. Ask God to hear your prayers, to see your tears, and to respond. Have the faith and wisdom to understand that God will responds on His timetable and in the manner that’s best, but cry out nonetheless. Be honest, urgent, and consistent with God — He already knows your heart anyway. Seek His presence and beg to know Him better so that you won’t feel like a stranger to Him ever again.

These are prayers God loves to answer — again, in His perfect timing and in His perfect way. If you learn to cry out desperately to know Him more, He’ll answer your prayers when the time is right. He will reveal Himself to you and help you see that He was always with you. So pray and keep on praying. Pray with tears if need be. Pray with diligence and faith. Pray with genuine desire to know God more fully. Accept God’s invitation to pour out your heart to Him in faith. #FollowJesus