“So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’” – John 12:13

In the United States, today is your last chance to vote if you haven’t already. If you’re eligible, go vote. But never forget that you already have a King! Regardless of which candidates or parties win, King Jesus will remain on the throne of the universe. Never confuse a candidate or party with your true King. They don’t represent Him and they don’t replace Him.

Vote for those people, parties, and policies which you believe best represent your King. Vote for human life and dignity. Vote to love your neighbor. Vote for godly values and godly people. Nonetheless, always remember that these earthly people and policies will still fall far short of your King. Don’t invest too much hope, too much energy, too much emotion, or too much trust in earthly affairs. The Bible has already told us how the story will unfold and Heaven isn’t coming to Earth until King Jesus returns.

Win or lose, nothing can shake your eternal Kingdom. Whatever the outcome of this election and whatever your differences of opinion with other brothers and sisters in Christ, don’t tear up relationships over earthly matters. Don’t divide the body of Christ over flawed leaders. Jesus lived, prayed, died, and poured out the Holy Spirit to unify His followers. Never, ever let earthly power, party, policy, or politics rip apart what matters to Jesus!

If you wake up tomorrow and all your favorites won, give thanks, but know that that isn’t what’s going to usher in Heaven on earth. If you wake up tomorrow and all your favorites lost, know that that isn’t going to cause the forces of Hell to win forever. Jesus is King. Never doubt that. Never get confused about the power or importance of earthly rulers compared to that unchanging truth. Now go vote, if you haven’t already. But worship and praise your King. #FollowJesus

“And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.’” – Luke 19:8

This is what radical repentance looks like when someone becomes a new creation in Christ! Zacchaeus was a senior tax collector in Jericho. He was a hated collaborator with the Roman regime. He was an extortionist, using the power of the Roman army to take far more from people than he should have and keeping the extra for himself. His wealth was entirely built on injustice. He was greedy, thieving, and widely despised.

But when he met Jesus, Zacchaeus’ heart changed completely. When he turned his life over to Christ, the money that dominated his life lost its power. He recognized his many sins and repented. He vowed to right the wrongs he’d committed against others. He replaced greed with charity. That is what a life transformed by Jesus looks like.

We aren’t saved by what we do or promise to do for the Lord. We’re saved as a gift of His grace. However, if we’re saved, then Scripture says we become new creation. Our old sinful self died and we became new, righteous creation in Christ. For every believer, that should look like radical change. That should look like Zacchaeus, acknowledging our many sins, whatever they are, and repenting of them. We should ask God’s forgiveness, seek the forgiveness of people we’ve wronged, and turn away from them completely.

For Zacchaeus that looked like the determination to correct his many financial wrongdoings and use his ill-gotten money for good. What does it look like for you? Have you radically changed from the way you were before Jesus? Have you repented of your past sins and strongly rejected their ongoing influence in your life? Is there still some sinful temptation or indulgence you need to take to the cross of Jesus and leave there? Are you living in joyful freedom like Zacchaeus? Or are you still living more or less like you were before Jesus entered your life? #FollowJesus

“For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” – Luke 18:4-5

Jesus told this parable, about a corrupt, unjust judge to make a clear, emphatic point… keep praying! Don’t give up when your prayers aren’t answered the way you want in a day or a week or a month. If something is important, keep praying for it for as long as it takes. The point of the parable is that if this fictional judge who didn’t care about God or people would eventually give justice to a poor widow because of her persistence in asking him, then obviously God will hear and respond in the best possible way to the earnest, persistent prayers of His beloved children.

Why would Jesus want His followers to understood the importance of praying persistently? Because God’s timing is perfect and often considerably different than ours. He knows when the exact right time is to fulfill a prayer request. Because persistent prayer re-shapes us, deepens our heart for who or what we’re praying about, fosters deeper fellowship with God, and increasingly aligns us to His will. Because persistent prayer reveals what’s truly important to us and what’s just a passing whim.

If something is important, especially someone’s salvation, keep praying day-after-day. Be persistent. God IS listening and He is a perfect, merciful, and gracious judge. #FollowJesus

“Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.'” – John 11:14-15

Think about these words for a moment, because they may well challenge your notions about Jesus and His purpose. Jesus and His disciples had been told that their friend Lazarus was sick. In His perfect divine knowledge, Jesus knew that Lazarus had actually died. Indeed, Jesus intentionally stayed where He was for two extra days to make sure Lazarus would be long-dead when they finally reached Bethany.

Then Jesus, Who could have easily and instantly healed Lazarus from where He was, told His disciples He was glad He wasn’t there to heal their friend. What?!? Why??? So that they would believe in Him, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Resurrection and the Life.

Jesus permitted sorrow and grief. He permitted death to take His friend. Why? It certainly wasn’t because Jesus didn’t love Lazarus and his sisters. Jesus wept for Lazarus’ death. He loved this family. But also He understood His mission and its eternal stakes. Earthly life only lasts for so long. If Jesus had healed Lazarus, he would still eventually die of old age. On the other hand, eternal life, which comes as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ, will never end. Eternal life is of infinitely greater value than earthly life and comfort. The salvation of many is well worth the temporary sorrow of a few.

The greater good – for the disciples, for Lazarus’ family, and for Lazarus himself – was for Jesus to let His friend die and then raise him back to life. By this unprecedented sign, countless people across countless generations have come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We won’t always understand the ways of Jesus. We won’t always understand why He does or doesn’t appear to answer our prayer requests in the manner we’d prefer. We won’t always understand His timing. But it’s always perfect! Jesus does everything out of love and mercy and a desire for deeper fellowship with people, including those times when His answer feels late or wrong to our limited understanding.

Will you trust Jesus? Will you trust the Resurrection and the Life? Even when He doesn’t operate in ways you can understand? #FollowJesus

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. “ – Luke 16:10

This simple biblical principle is good wisdom for life. How a person handles the little details and day-to-day responsibilities in their life demonstrates whether or not they can, or should, be trusted with bigger things. If you encounter someone who is unreliable in small matters, that isn’t the person to trust with major leadership responsibilities. If someone is dishonest about little things, that will only get worse under the stress of larger responsibilities. When you’re assessing someone’s trustworthiness, don’t focus on the big things on their resume, talk to people who’ve seen them in smaller settings or who knew them in years past.

While this is a important principle to apply to everything from job hiring to church leadership to voting in elections, the first application should always be to yourself. Would God consider you to be faithful in little things? Should He trust you with small jobs or responsibilities in His Kingdom? Will you show up on time? Will you follow through with excellence? Would God consider your personal integrity worthy of entrusting with bigger Kingdom matters? Do you cut corners when people aren’t looking or stretch the truth about day-to-day questions? Do you follow through on small commitments or dump them whenever you feel like it or discover something better or more interesting?

Unreliability and dishonesty are not appropriate qualities for followers of Jesus. Our honesty, honor, consistency, reliability, and integrity should be like that of Jesus. If yours isn’t, that’s something to repent of and to ask God to transform in Christ. It’s also probably holding you back from serving the Lord in bigger ways. Develop Christ-like integrity in every situation and circumstance. Then see what God invites you to do for Him. #FollowJesus