“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” – John 8:31-32

A disciple of Jesus Christ not only has an intellectual belief in Him but also follows Him, living in obedience to His teachings. This is what it means to abide in His word. It’s impossible to separate genuine faith from a life committed to knowing and living the words of Jesus. While our obedience doesn’t save us (salvation is a free gift of God through faith in Jesus), if we aren’t then trying to live in obedience to Jesus then we haven’t yet truly believed in Jesus as He is – the Son of God and Lord of our life.

Are you currently abiding in Christ’s word? Are you spending time learning the Scriptures (by reading or listening to them read)? Are you spending time thinking about the wondrous truths revealed in and through Jesus? Are you growing in your obedience to His commands – to love God and neighbor, to love fellow believers, to make disciples, to deny yourself and follow Jesus?

One of the many beautiful aspects of our faith in Jesus is that abiding in His word by reading, meditating on, and obeying Scripture isn’t a burdensome chore. That’s actually where true freedom is found! Jesus is the Truth and in obeying Him, we’re set free from our lifelong compulsion to sin. He sets us free from the inevitability of eternal separation from God because of our sin. He sets us free from the finality of death by being the gateway to eternal life. He sets us free from guilt and shame by wiping our slates clean on the cross. He sets us free from the hopeless task of trying to save ourselves through burdensome rule following and dead works of the law. As we abide in Christ and his Word we discover true freedom. Are you free today? If not, abide in Him and be free!

“Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.” – Ezekiel 16:13

Ezekiel 16 describes how God graciously chose and blessed Israel from among the nations based on no merit of their own but simply because He is gracious and merciful. It graphically details how Israel then betrayed God by pursuing the false gods and religious practices of all the nations surrounding her. This isn’t merely a strange or interesting historical passage – it’s quite relevant to Christians today.

If you’ve been saved from your sins by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, then like Old Testament Israel you’ve been graciously rescued from your own sin, filth, and spiritual death. You’ve been washed clean, adopted, embraced, and loved by God. You’re a royal priest and ambassador of Christ in this fallen world and you enjoy an exalted relationship with your Father in Heaven.

And yet, despite the enormous and eternal blessings we enjoy in Christ, we easily fall into the habits and practices God detests. We want “more”. We become blind to our many blessings and dissatisfied with God’s loving standards and expectations for our lives. We dabble, sample, and pick up choice bits and pieces from other faiths, philosophies, and practices. A little Eastern mysticism here, a little New Age there…

Rather than simply following Jesus we chase after celebrities, experiences, movements, philosophies, powers, and people. We pursue earthly things at the expense of spiritual things. We pursue immediate gratification over eternal satisfaction. Child of God – learn the lesson of Ezekiel 16 and remain faithful to God. All your greatest blessings, joys, exaltations, and satisfactions will be found when you stop searching out those earthly things and simply follow Jesus!

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” – 2 Peter 1:16

What a great confidence we can have in the words of Scripture because the authors were eyewitnesses to what they write about. Peter doesn’t pass along his opinions. He doesn’t share information that was passed down to him verbally from previous generations. He saw with his own eyes and heard with his own ears. This is a precious gift to us!

Moreover, Peter didn’t merely witness the wise teachings of Jesus or the astonishing miracles of Jesus. He didn’t just witness the perfect life and sacrificial death of his friend Jesus. Peter’s lifelong faith, obedience, and willingness to suffer for Jesus was grounded in an experience like no other – the Transfiguration of Jesus. On a mountain, Peter briefly got to Jesus in His glory, the glory He had experienced for all eternity past. Peter saw Jesus momentarily changed and radiating divine glory. He saw Jesus meeting and talking with Moses and Elijah. He heard God speak affirmation, blessing, and family relationship over Jesus.

Peter’s eyewitness experience seeing Jesus as the eternal Son of God powerfully shaped the rest of his life and writing. It motivated Peter’s efforts to share Jesus throughout the ancient world. His experience and his eyewitness testimony still speak powerfully today! When you trust your Bible and believe in Jesus, you aren’t trusting folklore, legend, or myth. You aren’t trusting a superhero story. You’re trusting the recorded testimony of eyewitnesses to the most dramatic and important events in human history. Believe what you read, trust in Jesus, and make Him Lord of your life.

“And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.” – Ezekiel 1:27-28

How do you picture God? Many of us picture an aged, caring father based on imagery which we’ve absorbed (directly or indirectly) from great art. However, the Bible paints a picture of God that’s far more overwhelming, magnificent, glorious, and indescribable. Scripture offers a handful of visions of God granted to certain prophets.

What those prophets saw was so overwhelming, beautiful, and beyond human comprehension that they were challenged, even under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to find words to communicate meaningfully how awe-inspiring God truly is. Gleaming metal polished so brilliantly it shines like a dancing fire. Unspeakable brightness, radiance, and blindingly bright light. A vivid rainbow of rich colors. Comparisons to richly colored precious gemstones are often used.

In all likelihood, these words, analogies, and likenesses simply represent the best that human language can offer to describe our indescribably beautiful, awesome, and terrifyingly holy God. Meditate on these descriptions. Let them soak into your soul. Don’t let them depersonalize the love and compassion of the God Who gave His Son for you. However, do let them increase your awe, wonder, and delight at the truth that this very same God welcomes you into His presence every single time you pray to Him!

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8

If you’re a Christian then you have an active, vicious enemy (and it isn’t simply another Christian you dislike). Whether you realize it or not, the devil is actively searching around the body of Christ (the church) looking for those who are spiritually weak and disconnected from other believers. He wants to destroy you spiritually! Regardless of whether you believe in him, he believes in you!

As a follower of Jesus, you must take the devil’s threat seriously. He isn’t a cartoonish figure with a red cape, horns, and pitchfork! He’s subtle. He seeks to confuse you about the truth of Scripture. He whispers the lies of our culture into your ear. He encourages you to make yourself lord of your life rather than Jesus. He encourages sin rather than holiness, spiritual surrender rather than obedience to Christ, and fear over the Spirit of power living within you. The devil wants you distracted, discouraged, and ineffective for Jesus. He wants you scared, silenced, and sorry you ever chose Jesus.

Be watchful! Spend time each day reading and meditating on the Bible, staying close to God’s truth and discerning true teaching from false. Spend time each day in prayer, drawer nearer to God and learning to distinguish His voice from the devil’s. Spend time with other believers, encouraging one another rather than living in unholy isolation. Spend time serving Christ regularly and consistently rather than simply focusing inwardly on yourself. Share Christ with others rather than walking through life in scared silence. Draw ever nearer to Jesus rather than making the devil’s task easier.