“My soul longs for your salvation;
I hope in your word.
My eyes long for your promise;
I ask, ‘When will you comfort me?’”
– Psalm 119:81-82

God works on His perfect timetable. Often that’s very, very different from our preferred timetable! We pray, we beg, we plead and then we wonder if or when God will move to change whatever hard situation we’re in. The answer is that God will move when and how is ultimately best in His perfect, eternal understanding of things. That’s considerably different than our limited, present understanding of those same things. When we’re tempted to doubt God, we need to be like the psalmist – longing and asking while continuing to hope in God’s word and promises.

God will often walk with us through difficult seasons far longer than we would prefer. This builds our faith and trust. It breaks our pride and self-sufficiency. It cultivates patience and reliance on the Lord rather than ourselves. It teaches us steadfastness and perseverance. It reveals the strength of God amidst our weakness and brokenness. It gives us needed time to do soul work, cleaning out some of our residual filth, sin, and self-centeredness.

So, when you’re longing for God to “fix” a hard season you’re enduring through, be patient. Be faithful and diligent in prayer. Wait well – spending extra time reading and meditating on the Bible. Draw near to God and recognize that intimacy with Him is eternally better than a short-term fix for your situation. Long for God’s promises but trust they will come in His perfect timing. Have strong, confident hope in God’s Word, His goodness, and His presence in your struggle and pain. Love God and love your neighbors, even when it’s hard. #FollowJesus

“A man who bears false witness against his neighbor
is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.”
– Proverbs 25:18

The Bible is crystal clear when it comes to lying about others – it’s a big deal to God, so don’t ever do it! Lying about someone violates one of the Ten Commandments. This proverb explains that it’s like attacking them with a sword, beating them with a club, or shooting them. If you’ve ever been the victim of lies told about you, you certainly know it’s true. The wounds aren’t physical but they’re deep and very painful.

Followers of Jesus MUST NOT tell or participate in lies about people. We must not speak lies, write lies, post lies, tweet lies, like lies, or share lies. We will be held accountable by God for every loose, careless, cruel, or false word we speak. We must walk with total integrity. We must speak up for those being lied about, no matter what it costs us personally. We must speak the truth about people, even those we don’t like, no matter what it costs us personally. Popularity, friendships, opportunities, promotions – we must be willing to let go of them all to maintain our integrity before the Lord.

Nobody can take your integrity from you. However, it can be very, very tempting to give up your integrity for some real or imagined benefit. Don’t do it. Don’t become a weapon of the devil. Serve the God of truth in complete truth. #FollowJesus

“When I think on my ways,
I turn my feet to your testimonies;”
– Psalm 119:59

Do you, like King David, think on your ways? Do you take time to step back and reflect on your habits and patterns of life and how they compare to the example and commands of Jesus? Do you consider the direction of your life and whether you’re moving closer to God or further away? It’s a good and healthy habit for every follower of Jesus to practice. Every few months, schedule time to pray and ask God to reveal any concerns He has about your ways. Think about what you have seen, heard, and read about Jesus and how your ways compare to His ways.

Most Christians don’t decisively move away from God. Instead, they drift away, little by little. One decision at a time. One choice not to worship, read, pray, fellowship, or meditate at a time. One choice to sin rather than honor God at a time. Before we realize it, our ways can be very different from God’s ways. So, be like King David and if you discover your ways aren’t the most obedient, edifying, or glorifying, do what he did. Turn your feet toward the testimonies of Scripture. Make intentional choices to reject sin and reject laziness. Reject the world, the flesh, and the devil and re-engage your mind, heart, body, and soul in the ways of God.

Worship with other believers. Read and meditate on Scripture daily. Memorize God’s Word. Pray, give, and fast in faith. Get engaged with a small community of fellow believers seeking to grow in the ways of Jesus. Serve the Lord and share your hope in Christ. Practice Five to Thrive and #FollowJesus

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.” -1 Timothy 2:1-3

Do you want to know what’s good and pleasing to the Lord in divided political times like these? You better!!! It’s this – praying, pleading, and giving thanks for people in authority at every level from local government to national government. County officials to presidents. Regardless of party. Regardless of platform. Regardless of whether you voted for them or against them. Regardless of whether you like them or despise them.

Be faithful in this before the election. Be faithful in this after the election. Be faithful in this after officials take office. This is what pleases God. He may or may not be pleased by how you vote, how you advocate for the people for whom you vote, or what you post and repost online. But He is definitely pleased when you pray for blessing, salvation, and wisdom for those in office. Regardless of whether they are friends of His or enemies.

The purpose of these prayers is so that followers of Christ may live peaceful, quiet, godly, dignified lives making disciples, loving God, and loving ALL our neighbors. With 100% certainty, that’s God’s will for you right now, next month, and next year. #FollowJesus

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” – 1 Timothy 1:15

Paul is speaking, first and foremost, of himself. By the time he wrote this, he’d spent decades reflecting on the extraordinary grace of God that saved him from the horrors he had committed. In his misguided zeal for God, Paul had persecuted the church, hunting down Christians and condemning them to death. He knew the evil God had rescued him from through Jesus Christ and he rejoiced in God’s love, grace, and mercy.

However, this “trustworthy saying” is about far more than Paul. It’s about you. To truly understand, appreciate, and rejoice in God’s grace, make this saying about you. Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners, of whom “I ________ (fill in your name) am the foremost”. That’s when this statement becomes powerfully true!

Our minds hate to think about the horrors of our sin. We don’t like to admit that we were really all that awful, depraved, and hopeless. We like to say, I’m better than most people. We like to console ourselves that we probably haven’t killed or tortured anyone recently. These words radically misunderstand sin. ALL sin, no matter how “small” or “harmless” we consider it to be, is outright rebellion against God’s Kingship over the universe. All sin is our defiant, obscene gesture pointed toward God. ALL sin! Yours included…

Whatever your favorite sins may be, each one is a declaration of war against the Lord. Thus, each of us, you included, can say exactly what Paul did. Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. Once you can bring your mind and mouth to speak this truth for yourself, your love and appreciation for God’s grace and Christ’s saving work on the cross will skyrocket! #FollowJesus