“He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’” – Matthew 14:29-30

Today we celebrate freedom and the birth of our nation. If you live in the United States, you have truly been blessed with great freedom. But do you know how to use it well? Peter struggled with that part.

He freely stepped out of the boat, excited to do something extraordinary. However, his freedom quickly overwhelmed him. He lost his focus. He got distracted by the circumstances all around him. He became afraid of the wind, the waves, and the dangers of using his freedom. He began to sink. The Lord rescued Peter and asked what went wrong. Why had he let the world around him steal his focus on Jesus and the freedom he enjoyed in Him? It was a life-changing lesson for Peter.

Take some time today to reflect on your freedom. Are you enjoying and using your freedom well? If Jesus has invited you to do something exciting for Him, have you done it? Or have fear and the dangers of the world limited your freedom? Are distractions keeping you from freely following Jesus wherever He leads? As you celebrate today, meditate on how you could more fully exercise your freedom in Christ for His Kingdom and His glory. #FollowJesus

“As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” – Matthew 13:23

This is the picture of life that truly understands and embraces the Good News of Jesus Christ, fully submitting to Jesus as Lord. Such a life will inevitably overflow with character transformation, good deeds done for the right reasons, and the making of new disciples of Jesus. Such a life is supernaturally fruitful because of that person’s profound connection to Jesus, Who produces all good spiritual fruit.

Is this a picture of your life? If Jesus is your Lord, it should be. Your fruit might look different from someone else’s fruit but there should definitely be fruit. Lots of it. Your fruit might take awhile to start being fully visible, but there should definitely be fruit forming. So, is the Spirit of Christ working so freely and fully in your life that there is multiplying fruit? Praise God (literally) if He is!

If not, why not? Go back through the parable and consider whether you might be struggling in one of the other situations. If you’re a believer in Jesus, have you grown deep roots in Christ through worship, study, prayer, and meditation? Are you working to draw nearer to Jesus and claiming the promise that He will draw near to you when you do? If not, that will definitely prevent fruit from forming in your life because there can be no fruit apart from a healthy relationship with Jesus.

Is your life so busy, so full of other good things that Jesus is just one good thing among many? Or so full of bad things that there doesn’t seem to be any time for Jesus? Are you too busy to really devote yourself to knowing and enjoying your Lord? Is your attention so divided and your energy so directed elsewhere that Jesus really isn’t that important in your life? If so, He certainly isn’t the Lord of your life and there will definitely be no fruit until you correct your priorities.

Reflect on your life. Celebrate the fruit Jesus is producing in you and carefully consider what any lack of fruit might be saying about your relationship to Jesus. #FollowJesus

“And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’” – Joshua 4:21-22

God did an extraordinary thing for the people of Israel. He backed up the flooding waters of the Jordan river so they could cross into the Promised Land on dry ground. He commanded the people to take 12 stones from the riverbed and set them up on the other side as an attention-getting memorial. When future generations asked what the memorial meant, they would get to learn Who God is and how He works. This is truly brilliant and we should all find ways to follow this example.

Has God done something extraordinary in your life? Saved you from your sins? Come through in a time of desperate need? Resolved a crisis, healed an illness, or or made His loving presence clear to you? Answered fervent prayers in a way that could only be done by Him? If so, what is your memorial to His miraculous work? What have you put in place to draw the interest of others so you can tell them your story of God’s miraculous work?

Think carefully about this question. If God has done something extraordinary in your life, how you are both celebrating it and creating opportunities to tell others about it? Your memorial and story could impact eternity, leading future generations to trust in the Lord as they learn that He is real, He is present and active, He is good, and He is powerful. If you don’t yet have a memorial to God’s goodness, faithfulness, provision, and power in your life, think carefully about making one. For those who don’t yet believe. #FollowJesus

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:30

People sometimes imagine following Jesus as having to follow an endless list of rules. Do this, and this, and this… Don’t do that, or that, or that… All too often, they got that impression from Christians who’ve turned following Jesus into endless rule following. That isn’t what following Jesus is all about! To follow Jesus is to yoke yourself to Him, like one horse or ox connected to another. A yoked team moves together in the same direction and at the same speed. A yoked team has the combined strength of both members.

That’s the invitation of Jesus, to be yoked to Him. Obviously, there’s a certain commitment to that. But consider Who you get connected to…. Jesus Himself. Following Jesus isn’t about gritting your teeth and following rules. It’s about binding yourself to Jesus and letting Him set the direction and pace of your life while He also does the heavy lifting as the stronger team member. It’s about being so connected to Jesus that as He moves, you move. It’s about letting Him strengthen you. His Spirit fills you. He lives in you.

Committing to follow Jesus isn’t a commitment to check boxes of behavior and follow rules. That’s what the Pharisees did and Jesus condemned them for it. Following Jesus is about doing what He does through His power living in you. This is why Jesus said that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. If you’ll truly follow Him, He will work through you to make extraordinary things happen! His life will flow through you and make you more and more like Him. But, you will need to agree to truly take His yoke…to walk where He walks, do what He does, and move at His speed rather than your own. Will you do that? #FollowJesus

“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.”
– Isaiah 62:1

As the Middle East continues to be a troubled and unsettled region, it’s worth remembering that Jerusalem will always be near and dear to God’s heart. Always. The Bible speaks of God’s longing to bless this ancient city and calls on His people to pray for the city’s peace. Be faithful in doing exactly that. However, followers of Jesus must also be clear-eyed in understanding that very few who live in that city currently call upon Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah.

As you pray, don’t just pray for a city or a nation or people’s safety or strength. Pray with urgency for their salvation. That the righteousness and salvation Isaiah spoke of this verse would flow through Jerusalem through saving faith in Jesus Messiah. Romans 11 speaks of a coming day when many from Israel will call on the name of Jesus as Lord. Pray zealously that this time would be now! Pray for the transforming love and peace of Jesus wash across the entire Middle East and all the nations that are currently in conflict.

Pray for radiant righteousness and the light of salvation to flow out of Jerusalem and through the deeply divided and violent lands that so get the world’s attention for all the wrong reasons. #FollowJesus