Great Anticipation

“So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” – Acts 10:33

God carefully arranged the meeting between the Apostle Peter and the Roman officer Cornelius. This meeting had far-reaching implications because it opened the outreach of the early church to people from every background all over the world. The odds are, if you’re a Christian today, it’s because of the global outreach that began at this meeting.

Take careful note of just how eager Cornelius was to hear the word of the Lord. He knew a man named Peter was coming to tell him something from God. Cornelius was so excited about it that he gathered all his family, friends, and personal staff. They waited in great anticipation to hear what turned out to be the best good news in the world. Peace with God was available to them through faith in Jesus Christ! They anticipated, they heard, and they believed and were saved.

Do you have a similar eagerness to encounter the word of the Lord? Are you excited to read or hear God’s Word? Are you delighted to hear it taught or preached? Are you hungry to know and understand it better? Are you burdened to more fully apply and obey it in your life? Cornelius had no idea what he was going to hear but he was prepared and excited to hear it. You, on the other hand, know there’s good news in God’s Word. Are you excited about it like Cornelius? If not, it’s time to ask God to give you a renewed hunger for His Word because it’s for you! #FollowJesus

Go With Open Arms

“And the Lord said to him, ‘Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying.’” – Acts 9:11

And once again, would you go??? Saul of Tarsus had been a terror to the early followers of Jesus. A persecutor. Searching, interrogating, arresting, imprisoning, condemning, and killing those who loved the Lord. Now God told one Christian in Damascus to seek Saul out. To go to this sworn enemy and bless him because Jesus had transformed him into a friend and brother in Christ. How difficult it must have been for Ananias to go to Saul. But he went!

Ananias went, prayed for Saul, and helped him begin his world-changing ministry as a devoted servant of Jesus. Would you have the courage to go to such an enemy if God told you to? To approach someone with open arms who’d caused so much fear, pain, and even death to people you cared about? How difficult would it be for you? Could you do it? Would you do it?

God uses our obedience in the midst of fear for His Kingdom and glory. When we move forward in obedience to His direction despite our fear (not in its absence), He is glorified, we are changed, and His Kingdom advances. What is God calling you to do this year despite your fear or anxiety? Will you go??? #FollowJesus

Step Up and Step Out

“And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and join this chariot.’” – Acts 8:29

Once again, would you go??? An angel told Philip to walk away from a thriving ministry in Samaria and head out to the desert. Upon reaching the lonely road to which he had been directed, Philip saw the chariot and entourage of a wealthy and powerful official from Ethiopia. It was then that the Holy Spirit prompted Philip to step right up to the chariot and Philip ran to it.

God’s Spirit still guides and prompts His people. Are you listening? Will you obey? Would you go? As you draw near to God in prayer, worship, meditation, and fellowship, He will speak to you. Verses will stand out. Ideas from God will fill your mind. When you still the many voices competing for access to your mind (TV, social media, entertainment, etc.) and clear out any sin that may be hindering you from hearing, God’s still small voice will begin to give you guidance about where to go, what to do, and even who to talk to. But are you listening? Do you actually go when He says go and talk to those He points you toward?

If God’s Spirit speaks to you but you don’t listen and obey, His voice will typically become harder and harder to hear. You will have “quenched the Spirit” as Paul warned against. On the other hand, as you begin to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit you will experience delight and wonder. You will discover just how intimately involved in your life your Father in Heaven really is. You’ll discover just how concerned for His Kingdom and glory Jesus is and how He’s regularly inviting you to be part of that. There is such joy to be had in obeying the Spirit’s nudging and discovering that God really is with you, guiding you to accomplish His purpose. Will you go? #FollowJesus

Would You Go?

“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’” – Acts 7:2-3

Would you go??? If God asked of you what He asked of Abraham, would you go? Would you leave your home, your community, your extended family, and your country behind to do God’s will? Abraham did and it changed the world!

This was a crucial first step in God’s plan to bring salvation to all the nations of the world through Jesus Christ. In a very real sense, you know Christ because when God commanded Abraham to go, Abraham went in an act of radical obedience. Radical obedience is the repeated pattern of Abraham’s life. That’s why he played such an important role in establishing God’s people and advancing God’s plan of salvation. God uses radical obedience to change the world!

Would you go? Most followers of Jesus won’t ever be asked to do anything as radical as what Abraham was asked to do (and did). However, Jesus invites every one of us to take up our cross each day, making sacrifices for Him. Jesus invites you to choose to do what He wants you to do rather than what you want to do. He invites you to follow Him wherever He leads. We’re each called to radical obedience in the service of King Jesus. You’re called to radical obedience.

You may not be called to move for Jesus, but you’re definitely called to make disciples in the way God has prepared and gifted you to do. We’re all called to experience inconvenience and the releasing of our plans to embrace God’s better plans. We’re all called to #FollowJesus and enjoy the blessing of a life spent in God’s will. Will you???

Why Worry?

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” – Matthew 6:34

These words of Jesus certainly resonate in our anxious time! Jesus knew we’d always have stuff to worry about. The future will always feel uncertain until He returns. He knew that worries about the future could easily distract us, overwhelm us, or paralyze us. That’s why He commands us to focus on today rather than worry about tomorrow.

Throughout the Bible, God repeatedly emphasizes and illustrates how He provides for His people day-by-day (not week-by-week, month-by-month, or year-by-year). He provided enough manna in the wilderness for that day but the people weren’t allowed to store up extra. The Lord’s Prayer asks for daily bread, not weekly bread or a Costco supply of bread to put in the freezer.

Here Jesus comes right out and commands us to stop borrowing trouble from the future. There’s nothing wrong with planning for the future – that’s appropriate and Jesus commends that elsewhere. But don’t WORRY about future things you can’t control. If you can’t influence the outcome, leave it in God’s capable hands. Don’t borrow trouble. Don’t pull worry from the future into the present. It won’t help the future but it can certainly ruin your experience of the present.

When worry stalks your mind, redirect your thoughts toward Christ. Spend time with Him in prayer, Bible reading, and meditation. Turn your anxieties and fears over to Him in great detail if you need to. Ask Him for what you need today (physically, emotionally, spiritually). Then trust that when you come back tomorrow, He’ll still be there listening and loving you just the same. Train your mind to live in the present and the presence of Christ. Don’t let the voices that influence you (media, social media, your own thoughts, the people around you) send your mind off anxiously fearing tomorrow. Jesus will be there then too! #FollowJesus