“And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?” – Luke 18:7

When something’s burdening your soul, how long will you pray about it before you get distracted by something else or give up in frustration? A day? A week? A month? A year? Or as long as it takes???

Jesus taught this parable that begins Luke 18 to emphasize that He wants His followers to be persistent in prayer, never giving up. He tells a story about a fictional, corrupt judge who eventually does the right thing just because he hates being bothered by a nagging widow’s persistent requests. Jesus says that if a bad guy like that will eventually do the right thing for the wrong reason, how much more will your loving, perfect, holy Father in heaven be faithful when you’re persistent about praying for whatever’s on your mind?!?

God is faithful, but His timing is His own. He wants you to be persistent in prayer, never giving up, because that will draw you closer to Him, deepen your faith, give you a better understanding of His will and timing, and refine your character. God isn’t being mean or selfish in delaying His answer to your prayers – He is truly orchestrating the best possible outcome for everyone. So, pray and keep on praying!

Don’t lose interest, get distracted, or give up in frustration just because it takes weeks, months, or years to see the results for which you’re praying. If you’re praying in accordance with God’s will, He is listening, He is delighted to talk with you, and He is looking forward to answering your prayers when the timing is perfect. Be patient. Be persistent. Be prayerful. #FollowJesus

“Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” – Luke 17:28-30

Jesus said quite a bit about His return. While some Christians devote a great deal of time and energy to trying to figure out exactly when that will be, they’re wasting their time and lives. Jesus was very clear that His return will be both surprising and unmistakable. It will be on a seemingly ordinary day as people are going about their ordinary lives. As Christians, we should trust that Jesus will return but live our daily lives in faithful obedience to Jesus.

As Christians, we must not fear the return of Jesus. Instead, we must live holy lives of faithful service to Jesus. Over and over, Jesus emphasized that we must be faithful in doing what He told us to do. Making disciples. Bearing witness to Him throughout the world. Loving God. Loving neighbors. Worshiping the Lord. Christians who are found faithful when Jesus returns will be rewarded in unimaginable ways. Those who aren’t will regret their unfaithfulness forever.

If you aren’t a follower of Jesus, His return will be terrible. Study the Scriptures and embrace Jesus before it’s too late. If you are a follower of Jesus, live as if Jesus could return today or in thousands of years. Live with both urgency and patience. Be faithful in all things. Love and #FollowJesus!

“Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” – Luke 15:10

As humans, we tend to underestimate the level of celebration in heaven when a person repents of their sins and trusts in Jesus for salvation. Jesus tells three parables in Luke 15 to help us understand how important reaching those far from God is to Him. God and His angels rejoice to an unimaginable extent when one person bearing His image moves off the highway to hell and onto the narrow path of salvation. There’s an incredible party in heaven every time a sinner becomes new creation in Christ. Every time a rebel lays down his or her weapons and becomes an adopted child of God. Every time!

If we understood how important and exciting this was in the heavenly realms, we’d make it a much higher priority in our lives. Most Christians live lives that prioritize themselves or other Christians. That’s what we think about, enjoy, and invest in. These three parables invite us to turn our priorities upside down. They encourage us to chase after the lost sheep. To drop everything and hunt for the lost coin. To run to the lost child. Heaven is desperate to reach people with the Gospel and bring them into new life in Jesus Christ. Are you?

A life aligned to the priorities of heaven would radically change how time, energy, and money is spent. It would prioritize connecting with, serving, and sharing Christ with those who don’t know Him. It would prioritize missions and particularly missions to unreached and frontier ethnic groups with no existing Christian witness. It would invest prayer, care, thought, time, money, and travel into the growth of God’s Kingdom rather than our own kingdoms or even our established churches. Is your life well-aligned to the priorities of heaven? #FollowJesus

“You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.” – Deuteronomy 17:1

Thankfully for everyone involved, this rule governing animal sacrifices no longer applies! We don’t have to keep or purchase animals to sacrifice to God because He gave His Son, Jesus, to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Jesus was the perfect, sinless Lamb of God Who died for the sins of the world. Therefore, we don’t have to make sure our sacrificial animals are physically perfect before offering them. What a relief!

HOWEVER, this verse expresses a timeless principle that absolutely applies to every follower of Jesus. Throughout the Bible, from beginning to end, a clear principle is taught: God deserves, and should receive, our best. Because God is the source of all our blessings and because He sacrificed His eternal Son on our behalf, we owe Him our best. Whatever we give to God in terms of our precious time, extraordinary talents, and earthly treasures MUST be our best.

God is worthy of it all! It’s profoundly inappropriate to give Him the scraps and leftovers of our lives. Take a moment to think about what you give to God. In terms of your time. In terms of your energy and ability. In terms of your finances. Are you giving Him your first and best? Are you giving Him the crumbs that fall from your table? Are your offerings to God worthy of Who He is and what He’s done for you?

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him” – Luke 14:8

If you’ve trusted your life to Lord Jesus, then you are already exalted! You’re an adopted child of God! You’re part of God’s family and a co-heir with Jesus Christ. You’re loved and welcomed into the throne room of Heaven and treated by God as a friend. God lives in you and is with you. This is true regardless of how many people around you notice or know your name. That’s all the exaltation and status anyone truly needs!

Don’t waste time, energy, and emotion jockeying for positions of high status here on earth. The effort will usually end in disappointment, frustration, and embarrassment. It’s a hollow and ultimately soul-consuming pursuit. Jesus warns against putting yourself forward as some sort of “big shot” because a bigger “big shot” may well appear.

Choose to be humble, instead. That doesn’t mean thinking less of yourself (though you may need to). It means thinking of yourself less. Willingly take positions of low status and demonstrate your faithfulness and excellence. Let others invite you upward. Don’t force the issue. The sovereign King of the universe chose to be born into a humble life. He accepted the scorn and hatred of those He came to save and embraced a humiliating death. If He can do all that, you can live in humility as well. Learn from and #FollowJesus