“On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, ‘The voice of a god, and not of a man!’ Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.” – Acts 12:21-23

This Herod was a thoroughly ungodly man who experienced the fruit of his ungodliness in a very dramatic fashion! He’d ordered the Apostle James killed and tried to kill Peter. Then when sycophants mindlessly praised Him as a god, he forgot Who the real God is. He should have known better, but his ego ran wild. Then God struck him dead. As a persecutor of the early church, Herod experienced God’s inevitable and perfect justice sooner than most! This graphic story is also an excellent reminder that humility is a virtue honored by God. Our culture could use that reminder…

Today, we casually describe people as “gods”. Admittedly, that isn’t a claim they’re actually deities, but it still misunderstands the true magnitude and holiness of the One True Living God. Such labels represent a fascination and celebration of lifestyles that are the opposite of humble. We praise, celebrate, and follow those who most successfully draw attention to themselves. We live in a world where many people are famous just for being famous. Don’t get sucked into mindset!

Consider instead, those who are faithful and humble. Admire those who labor for years to care for the most vulnerable. Honor those who teach the truths of God without a celebrity platform and millions of followers. Celebrate those who love Jesus and avoid attention so that Jesus gets more attention. Let them set the pattern for your life as you follow Jesus. Don’t worry whether many people will ever know your name or remember you for years after meeting you. Worry about whether Jesus will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” when you stand before Him. That’s what ultimately matters, not whether people on earth respect or adore you! The way of Jesus is the way of humility. We must diminish so that He is magnified and glorified. #FollowJesus

“Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” – Number 14:3

As humans, most of us have a tendency to romanticize the past and fear the future. During times of transition, upheaval, or rapid change our faith, trust, and confidence are often challenged. Most people experience seasons where we want to turn back the clock and return to the past rather than march into the future. It happened to the ancient Israelites as they stood on the brink of the Promised Land. They became overwhelmed and afraid of the future even though God’s visible presence was leading them! They feared the unknown dangers of the glorious future that was promised to them so much that they preferred to go back to the horrors of slavery in Egypt.

With the benefit of hindsight, it’s easy for us to judge them. However, the truth is that we can easily be like them. We tend to dislike and fear change. We often imagine the past to be better, more glorious, more pleasant, and more pure than it really was. Dread of the unknown and the future easily build in our minds, even though we have the clear promise that God is with us.

As followers of Jesus, we must not be yearning to go back to Egypt! We must not long to go back to the past, imagining it to be a refuge from the constant changes and overwhelming brokenness of the present and the deep uncertainty of the future. God always moves His people forward! We are marching to Zion in the future, not the past. We must trust the promise of Jesus that He is with us always to the end of the age. We must not dread the future, but pray and work for the advance of God’s Kingdom in the future. Don’t keep looking backward wistfully. Pray and look forward optimistically. Jesus IS Lord! #FollowJesus

“But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!’” – Numbers 11:29

What seems like a casual statement by Moses some 3400 years ago actually describes our present-day situation! Not that we’re all prophets, of course, but God’s Spirit is indeed upon all His people. This is what took place at Pentecost after Jesus ascended to heaven. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon all who believe in Him. The Spirit seals us, guarantees our eternal future, lives within us, and empowers us to grow, change, become like Jesus, and serve the Lord.

If you’ve trusted in Jesus as your Lord, believing that God raised Him from the dead, then the Holy Spirit is upon you. Truly! He desires to bring forth fruit in your life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He gifts you to serve in a local church and build up the body of Christ there. He’ll give you the words and the power to do what Christ has commanded you to do – make disciples who believe in Him and obey Him.

The question for you, if you’re a Christian, isn’t whether you have the Holy Spirit. You do. The question is whether you’re quenching the Holy Spirit (preventing Him from doing much in your life) or allowing yourself to be filled with Him and walking in step with His leading. Quenching the Spirit is easy – it just requires ignoring Him, neglecting to read and think on God’s Word, skipping prayer and fellowship with God, minimizing worship, avoiding meaningful relationships with other Christians, sitting on the sidelines rather than serving God, keeping the good news of Jesus Christ tightly within yourself rather than sharing it, and failing to act when the Spirit calls you to do something. Most Christians seem to live lives that have effectively quenched the Holy Spirit.

Don’t quench the Holy Spirit! God has given you the Spirit, just as Moses wished for you. Fan the Spirit into flame. Live a life of worship, devotion, prayer, meditation, community, godly service, and sharing Christ. Work hard to obey all of Christ’s commands (not just the ones you like or agree with). Love God, listen to the leading of the Spirit and take the leap of faith to do what He says. #FollowJesus

“On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning.” – Numbers 9:15

Long ago, God made His presence visible in a dramatic way. During the day, the cloud of His presence would settle on the great tent He’d commissioned to be set up in the midst of the people of Israel. At night, His presence looked like burning fire. In this way, the people of Israel knew that God was real, that He was with them, and He could guide them. It was easy for all Israel to see and trust in God’s presence and protection. Today, we might wish we had such visible signs of God’s presence!

Alas, we seldom see God’s presence in such a visible way. That doesn’t mean that He’s less present or less powerful. In fact, God is more closely present today! God is present in and with every believer in Jesus Christ. The Bible makes clear that when we trust in Jesus as our Lord, God’s Holy Spirit comes to live within us. Every individual Christian has become like that tent. God is present with us every moment of every day! We may not see it with our eyes, but it’s absolutely true.

The drama in the desert so long ago pointed toward this greater reality we all enjoy in Christ. The Creator of the Universe dwells in you! God is present every moment of every day. He watches over and cares about everything that happens in your life! In these verses, God’s presence first settled upon the tent after a LONG process to make it holy and ready to host God’s holy presence. That’s something we must take seriously about ourselves. We are the new tabernacle of God and He’s made us holy in Jesus Christ through His sacrificial work on the cross. However, we must also live in a way that is holy and pleasing to God as He dwells in us. We must take seriously what the Bible teaches us about how to live, speak, and think, so that we may be a genuinely holy tabernacle hosting God’s Holy Spirit and presence. #FollowJesus

“And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.” – Acts 8:38

There are many wonderful lessons about the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch that ends with this roadside baptism. Their encounter was completely arranged by the Holy Spirit but it wouldn’t have happened if Philip hadn’t obeyed the Spirit, left behind a successful ministry, and gone to the middle of nowhere. As a follower of Jesus, learn to be sensitive to the leading of God’s Spirit Who lives in you. Learn to hear His voice speaking in your heart and obey Him in faith.

The eunuch was a man who clearly desired to know the Lord, but he didn’t know how. God rewarded that desire by introducing him to Philip. As a follower of Jesus, Philip had taken his faith seriously enough to be prepared to explain Scripture to the eunuch. Philip knew what Scripture the eunuch was reading and knew how to use it to point him to Jesus. As a follower of Jesus, invest time in studying the Bible for yourself every day and in small groups so that you too can explain the truths of the Gospel from the Word of God. Have a way to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those you encounter in your daily life. You are literally surrounded by people who need to know Jesus!

The eunuch believed and wanted to take the next step of obedience for a new believer, which is baptism. The eunuch was also uncertain whether he was permitted to take that step because his status as a eunuch excluded him from full participation in Judaism. Fortunately, Philip knew that the good news of Jesus Christ is good news for everyone! Rather than put obstacles in his path to obedience, Philip welcomed the eunuch into the faith. Philip knew the next step for him to take and performed that next step himself. As a follower of Jesus, make sure you know how a new believer can begin growing in Christ and make sure you aren’t putting stumbling blocks in their path which the Bible doesn’t require.

Every follower of Jesus should be ready to help someone else become a follower of Jesus and to help other followers grow in Christ. Are you ready? If not, seek intentional training and study to become ready to welcome people into God’s Kingdom. #FollowJesus