“Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.”
– Proverbs 4:24

It’s often tempting to stretch the truth to make yourself look better. It’s often tempting to tell a small lie to smooth over a conflict or awkward situation. It’s often tempting to tell a big lie to get yourself out of trouble. DON’T!!!

If you’re part of the family of God, then know that your Father in Heaven is a God of absolute, 100% truth. You’re called to be the same. You’re an ambassador of Christ, representing Him in this world. People evaluate Christ based on you, your conduct, and your words. You can’t lie. You can’t make stuff up. You can’t fabricate things or distort things to make you look better because you make Jesus look worse. No matter how uncomfortable it may make you, always choose to speak with complete integrity.

Moreover, be selective about the news you choose to pass on to others. All news reporting has some degree of distortion, bias, and spin because humans are involved and humans have agendas. Understand what that distortion is before you ever dream of hitting the “Share” button or passing on a nugget of news that happens to be false or twisted. The more a story agrees with what you already believe, the more careful you must be to evaluate its truth. As a follower of Jesus, become well-known for your honest speech at all times.

“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” – Luke 13:24

There aren’t many ways to heaven. God can’t be reached any way we choose. If you have the slightest shred of respect for the teachings of Jesus, hear Him well in this verse! There’s only the narrow door. Billions will seek to enter by their preferred path and won’t be able. That’s a tragedy of unimaginable proportions! Don’t be part of that crowd. Strive to enter the narrow door.

What is the narrow door? It’s not a what. It’s a Who. Jesus is the narrow door. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to God the Father except through Him (John 14:6). How do you pass through the narrow door? By God’s grace through faith in Jesus. Trust your life and soul to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who died a sacrificial death for you on a cross and rose from death on the third day.

Such trust that passes through the narrow door isn’t a light or casual commitment. Belief in Christ must be much deeper than your belief about what you might eat for dinner tonight. Faith that saves will change you and move you toward a lifetime of taking up the cross of Christ for yourself, denying yourself, and following in the footsteps of Jesus. Faith that saves will result in you becoming more like Jesus throughout your life, caring about what He cares about, serving humbly and sacrificially as He served, and seeking first the Kingdom of God rather than your own private kingdom.

Strive to enter the narrow door! Live out the faith that saves. After entering the door, walk the narrow path of discipleship all your days, following the leadership of Lord Jesus. It is the only way!

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” – 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Many today long for peace in this unstable, ever-shifting world. For many, recent years have held an endless run of earthquakes that have shaken them to the core. Pandemic. Politics. Economics. Crime. Culture. Anxiety. Fear. Division. Abuse. Scandal. War. Hatred. Violence… In our hearts, we long for genuine, lasting peace, but it’s hard to find.

Peace is hard to find because we’re usually looking for it in the wrong places! We seek peace in human systems, rules, laws, and solutions. We seek peace in rituals, practices, and self. We seek peace in pills and liquids. None of these can bring true and lasting peace! True peace comes from God, because He’s the Lord of peace. In Hebrew, the word for this peace is “shalom”. The Bible calls Jesus the Prince of Peace. He is the Prince of Shalom and apart from Him we’ll never find the lasting shalom our souls desperately desire.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of professing Christians who aren’t particularly peaceful – either publicly or privately. Why is that??? Peace is an essential element of the Fruit of the Spirit. We experience (and display) the peace of God only as we pursue authentic relationship with Christ, walking in the Holy Spirit. It’s only as we increasingly devote our lives to the worship of God, the understanding and application of the Bible to ourselves first and foremost, communion and communication with Christ, life in community with one another, and the service and proclamation of our Lord and His Kingdom that we are transformed by the Lord of peace to be filled with His peace and to radiate peace in this un-peaceful world.

Scripture promises that as we learn to commit all our concerns, troubles, anxieties, fears, and requests to God in thankful prayer we will be blanketed with and guarded by God’s shalom peace that surpasses all understanding. Pursue this peace and may God give you peace today and every day!

“Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.”
– Psalm 149:3-4

God delights in His people! If you’re one of His people whom He has made beautiful and holy to Him by salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, then God delights in YOU! Whatever you may think about yourself, God loves you, cherishes you, and takes pleasure in you. You are very precious to Him. When those made in God’s image do what they were made to do by enjoying a rich relationship with their Creator, worshiping and praising Him, then the circle of joy and delight never ends!

If you’ve been saved from the terrible consequences of sin and death, then you have much to praise God for! If you’ve been united with Christ and changed by His Spirit, then you have much to praise God for! If heaven is your true home and you long for it more each day, then you have much to praise God for! If you know that you’re never alone, never forsaken, never abandoned, and never rejected by God, then you have much to praise God for!

So, praise Him! Praise Him! Praise Him in spoken words and beautiful songs. Praise Him with dancing and music. Praise Him with silence and shouts. Praise Him! Praise Him!

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” – Luke 12:32-34

You might have heard some bad financial news in recent months. Fear not! God’s priorities and promises remain unchanged and crystal clear! As we learn to align our lives to His priorities we also lean into His promises. God’s priority isn’t the building up of our personal financial kingdoms. His priority is the building up of His Kingdom through the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ, the demonstration of Christ’s love and presence, and the salvation of people currently lost in their sin.

If we align our priorities to God’s priorities by investing our lives, our energy, and our possessions into God’s Kingdom, we may not wind up rich from a human perspective, but we grow rich in Christ. As we invest ourselves in God’s Kingdom we store up eternal treasure in heaven. Treasures of love, honor, respect, and responsibility. Treasure that isn’t affected by market crashes, runaway inflation, or supply chain disruptions. Treasure that will never fail or become worthless. Treasure that we’ll enjoy in God’s presence forever and ever.

Seek that treasure. Don’t fear for your earthly financial situation. Embrace the promise of God’s Kingdom and invest in heavenly treasure for your heart, emotions, thoughts, and dreams will also become invested in the glorious realities of heaven.