Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” – Hebrews 9:27

It’s important to periodically remind yourself of how life works in this fallen world. Why? Because this truth lends urgency to the work Jesus assigned His followers to share life, hope, and good news through Him. Every person drawing breath today will die one day (unless Jesus returns first, which makes this work even more urgent!) Every person has but a limited span of life on earth. It could be a matter of years or a matter of hours – the truth is that we don’t know.

After that, each person will be judged. This is why sharing the Gospel should become very, very urgent in the heart of every follower of Jesus. Why? Because judgment is coming! For those who have heard and believed the Gospel, it will be a judgment based on God’s grace. It will be based on the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ and the work He accomplished on the cross to pay the penalty for their sins.

For everyone else – those who haven’t heard and those who haven’t believed – it will be a judgment based on what they actually deserve. It will be a judgment based on whether they lived a completely perfect life of holiness able to match the perfect holiness of God Himself. Of course, they haven’t. Nobody alive today has or could. That judgment will be terrible because it will result in every sinful person receiving what their sins demanded – for God to leave them alone as they are separated from Him for all eternity in suffering. It will be just. It will bring glory to God. But it will be terrible to see.

That is why everyone who has received God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ must be very, very serious about the work Jesus gave them. To explain the reason for their hope to this lacking hope (or hoping in the wrong things). To offer life to those facing only eternal spiritual death. To share God’s love to those under His wrath. To introduce grace to people who will otherwise be damned because of their works. If Jesus is your Lord, this is your task and it matters eternally to everyone you interact with! Share the Gospel and #FollowJesus!

“The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.”
– Psalm 145:14

Do you feel like the ground has fallen away beneath you? Call on the Lord and let Him hold you up!

Do you feel like your knees are buckling under the weight of the burdens you carry? Call on the Lord and let Him raise you up!

Do you feel like you can’t possibly take another step forward? Cry out to God and let Him raise you up!

Do you feel like everything is collapsing and you have no idea what to do? Cry out to God and let Him hold you up!

If Jesus is your Lord, then He lives in you. You don’t have to carry every burden on your own. He will help you if you’ll let Him. You don’t have to make the way forward all alone. He will make the way, if you’ll let Him. Rather than continue to grind forward with your teeth clenched together, draw near to God and let Him show you the path, strengthen you for the journey, and pick you up off the ground. #FollowJesus

“For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.” – Hebrews 7:26

This is Jesus, your Great High Priest! The eternal Son of God, He is your priest, representative, and intercessor before God the Father. By the sacrifice of His innocent, sinless, perfect life, Jesus made atonement for your sins. He offered His life as a single sacrifice for all of your sins and all the sins of the world. He Himself knew no sin. There was no stain of evil, cruelty, selfishness, or rebellion on Him. But because you’re stained by those things, along with everyone else in this fallen world, Jesus went the cross and suffered God’s righteous wrath for your sins. So you’ll never have to. That is the work your high priest has done for you!

Because Jesus is perfectly holy, separated from sin, He could make that sacrifice. Because He became a human being and endured the temptations of the world with which you’re so familiar, He could take your place. Because He rose from the dead, having defeated sin, death, and the devil, Jesus is now exalted above all creation. He sits at the right hand of God the Father, ruling, reigning, and making intercession for you as your great high priest whenever you fall back into sin. Praise Jesus for Who He is and what He’s done for you. Worship Him as the risen Son of God. Make Him the absolute Lord of your life. Whatever else you do, #FollowJesus

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Mark 10:45

Service and sacrifice are at the heart of what it is to imitate our Master. On this Veterans Day, the anniversary of the end of a war that certainly did not end all wars, we say a heartfelt thank you to all the men and women who have served this nation, their countrymen, and their brothers and sisters in arms. Thank you for your service and the sacrifices involved in that. We are thankful for your service and pray for you!

“‘Yet even now,’ declares the Lord,
‘return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;’”
– Joel 2:12

Yet even now…. This is Who God is: the Creator of the universe Who yearns for His creatures to turn back to Him in faith and repentance. He is the God of “yet even now”. Our God is always ready for people to turn back to Him. Even when they’ve sinned horribly. Even when they’re embarrassed, ashamed, or humiliated. Even if they think what they’ve done can’t be forgiven or shouldn’t be.

What Jesus did on the cross… taking the sins of the world upon Himself… bearing God’s righteous wrath for all our unrighteous thoughts, words, and actions… that’s what makes “yet even now” possible. As long as you, or another person, draws breath, God is ready to be gracious and merciful, for He is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, faithfulness, righteousness, justice, and holiness.

If you’re feeling broken today… guilty… embarrassed… hopeless… ashamed…. YET EVEN NOW! Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and return to God, genuinely repenting of whatever it is, confessing whatever must be confessed, and asking God to forgive you and restore you. He will!

If you’re worried about someone you care about, who’s deep in sin, guilt, rebellion, shame, or self-destruction… YET EVEN NOW! Pray for them. Plead with God for their salvation and restoration. Go to them in love and offer them good news. As long as they live, then yet even now, God is ready to forgive them, cleanse them, and love them in Christ Jesus. No matter who they are, what they’ve done, or what they’re tangled up in. Yet even now… #FollowJesus