“But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’” – Jeremiah 18:12

Jeremiah was diligently trying to obey God by warning his people of their coming doom and need to repent. This was their response – “you’re wasting your time.” Utter rejection of God’s way. Total embrace of doing their own thing. What followed was the destruction of the land and exile of the surviving people. God’s will will be done.

These words sound very much like our present cultural moment. God hasn’t specifically warned us of imminent destruction the way He warned Judah. But we’re living in a time in which good is called evil and evil is celebrated. A time when the ways of God are defiantly rejected in favor of each person defining their own “truth” and living their own definition of “good.” We’re seeing the “stubbornness of each person’s evil heart.”

If you’re a follower of Jesus and your heart is broken by the evil and degradation of our culture and world, you need to pray! Pray for revival to break out and sweep the globe. Pray for a powerful, miraculous work of God’s Holy Spirit to draw millions and billions of hearts to Him through new faith and radical obedience to Jesus Christ. Pray for people to be convicted about the evil of their ways and repent and follow Jesus. Another great awakening is what we need if we’re going to turn back from the destructive path of radical self-ism we’re walking as a culture. So pray and share the Gospel! #FollowJesus

“Thus says the Lord:
‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the Lord.’”
– Jeremiah 17:5

Consider this a friendly reminder from the Lord in the midst of an emotionally charged election season! Whomever you like or dislike, go ahead and support or oppose them. But understand that they are just limited human beings. They didn’t create the world and they won’t end it. They can’t fix all the problems they say they will nor will they destroy everything you fear they will. Support those you support but don’t put your faith and trust in them. They aren’t God. They aren’t Jesus.

Those who win may do great good or great evil. But they still aren’t God and have only the tiniest bit of power compared to Him. If you let your emotions run too strong for or against human leaders, it inevitably draws your heart, mind, soul, and strength away from the Lord. Protect yourself from that because if you let that happen, you’ve already lost sight of what’s most precious and important! Don’t put your trust and sense of well-being in a human being, party, or platform. Put all your trust and confidence in the Triune God of the Universe!

Don’t get distracted! Make the Lord your strength and shelter. Make the Lord your anchor and identity. Make the Lord your refuge and hope. He will not disappoint. All those humans, for all their promises, cannot and must not replace the Lord in your heart or mind. If they do, that’s the path to misery, sorrow, disappointment, frustration, and loss. #FollowJesus

“Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!”
– Psalm 117

This is the shortest psalm (and chapter of the Bible) in its entirety. Only two verses, but isn’t it perfect??? This psalm reflects God’s missionary heart that people from every tribe, language, and ethnic people group would one day worship Him. It’s a call for all the nations on earth to praise and worship God because of His loyal, steadfast, extravagant, overflowing love and faithfulness.

God pours out that love and faithfulness through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Jesus is the embodiment and visible expression of God’s love and faithfulness. He stepped into our world, resisted every temptation, taught and commanded us to love like Him, died to pay the penalty for our sins, and rose from the dead to save us from our sins. Through Christ, God is drawing to Himself a new family from all the tribes, language groups, and ethnic peoples of the world. Through Christ, God is pouring out His love and faithfulness on all who embrace Him for themselves.

The Lord’s faithfulness and love will last forever and ever! He is faithful as we go about Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. He is faithful as we praise and worship and invite the nations of the world to do the same. Praise the Lord! #FollowJesus

“Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel.” – Colossians 1:4-5

Paul praises and prays for the Christians in Colossae because of their faith and love for fellow believers. What is the reason for their overflowing love for others? Their confident expectation (that’s what hope means in the Bible) of what waits for them in heaven. They know that as blood-bought children of God, there is a glorious eternal inheritance waiting for them in the presence of God the Father and God the Son.

If Jesus is your Lord, then you have that same inheritance waiting for you! Uncountable years to enjoy the presence of God. Unending centuries without temptation or sin, sorrow or grief, illness or death. That is the guaranteed inheritance of every Christ-follower because Jesus purchased it for us with His blood. Your sins are forgiven. Your rebellion and separation from God has been reconciled. You have been adopted as a child of God. Therefore, His eternal estate is waiting for you.

Let this hope work in your heart the way it worked in the hearts of Colossians. Let your confident knowledge of the love and inheritance of God that awaits you motivate you to love your brothers and sisters in Christ. All of them, even the ones who can be difficult to love. Love them extravagantly. Love them generously. Love them patiently. Love them sacrificially. Love them humbly. Love them graciously, particularly if they don’t deserve it. Become famous for your love for other believers in ways large and small. #FollowJesus

“For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’” – Jeremiah 7:22-23

God’s pattern hasn’t changed in over 3000 years! His top priority for His people still isn’t about rituals or the appearance of religiosity. His top priority remains that His people listen and obey the commands of Scripture. If you’re a follower of Jesus, then you’re a beloved child of God and His main concern isn’t about how Christian you might appear to others. His concern is how Christ-like you actually are. In your actions. In your words. In your attitudes. In your thoughts.

Jesus made clear that saving faith in Him will always result in obedience to His commands. It doesn’t matter how nice you dress on Sundays, what magnets you have on your car, or what Christian-themed jewelry or tattoos you have. What matters is whether you’re actually following Jesus, seeking to get ever closer to Him, obeying Him, and being transformed by the Holy Spirit to actually be more and more like Him.

Are you loving God and neighbors more and more? Are the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) increasingly visible in your life to EVERYONE who knows you? Are you making disciples? That’s what demonstrates that you are walking in the Lord! That’s what delights God as you delight in Him.

Don’t focus on appearances, decorations, or rituals. Focus on genuine worship, on drawing near to God daily through Scripture reading, meditation, and prayer, on regularly enjoying the fellowship of other believers, on serving God in the power of the Holy Spirit, and on joyfully sharing your hope in Christ with other people. #FollowJesus