“And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.” – 2 Chronicles 33:12-13

With the Lord, forgiveness, grace, and mercy are only ever a sincere prayer away! King Manasseh was a really bad guy. His father had been one of the best and most godly kings of Judah. Unfortunately, as children sometimes do, Manasseh went in completely the opposite direction. A devoted pagan, Manasseh led God’s people away from their Lord and into the arms of false gods. Manasseh built shrines to false gods, desecrated God’s Temple, and sacrificed His own children to demons.

Then God took everything away from Manasseh… In a moment, he lost his wealth, his power, his country, and his freedom. Eventually, in the depths of despair, Manasseh humbled himself before God. Guess what? God was right there to forgive him! God didn’t hesitate. God didn’t make Manasseh do great works of penance to make up for his evil. God didn’t require Manasseh to prove himself in the eyes of the world. God knew that Manasseh’s prayer was genuine and He poured out His grace and mercy.

That’s what God loves to do! Always! You don’t have to be a fallen king to received God’s mercy and grace. He has declared for thousands of years that His essential nature is to be gracious and merciful, patient, loving, and faithful. God is always ready to pour out grace and mercy on those who have avoided Him, run from Him, or opposed Him. All anyone needs to receive it is a sincere heart crying out in faith for mercy in the name of Jesus. The Lord is God and He loves to reveal Himself in love, grace, and mercy. All we need to do is let go of our pride and humble ourselves before our Creator, confessing our sins and asking forgiveness for our rebellion. God is always faithful and quick to forgive. #FollowJesus

“And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” – 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

God always gives you the power and strength to do what He’s called you to do in Jesus Christ. Always. No matter how impossible it might seem, God never asks His people to do anything without also giving them the spiritual power to do it. That power comes through His Holy Spirit. The moment you put your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God’s Spirit seals you (marking you as permanently belonging to God). His Spirit also indwells you, meaning He lives in your heart. And He anoints you, declaring you clean from your sins, holy to Him, and commissioned to serve Him.

The mistake we tend to make is to then try to follow Jesus and obey God using our own strength. We try to reform ourselves with good intentions and self-discipline. We jump into serving God using our own energy and enthusiasm. Sooner or later, those things aren’t enough. If we’re trying to serve God in our strength, we eventually become exhausted, frustrated, burned out, and broken. When that happens, we question ourselves, question God, and doubt His will and goodness. Does this sound familiar??? It isn’t God’s fault – it’s ours! We ignored the resources He already gave us in the Holy Spirit.

Learn to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. That requires a very different way of doing life. A way of submission to God’s will and ways. A life committed to rejecting and fleeing sin while quickly repenting whenever you do stumble and fall into sin. A life of prayer and patient waiting on God. A life of listening for the Spirit’s direction and then obeying without hesitation when the Spirit gives that direction. When you do the work of God in the Spirit of God, there’s unimaginable power available to you. Yes, you! And peace. And joy.

The same Spirit Who empowered and sustained the Apostles lives in you. Are you living in His power as you #FollowJesus?

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58

We don’t always see the fruit of what we do for the Lord. We don’t always know what our efforts and gifts accomplish for God’s Kingdom. We often have no idea what impact our sharing of the gospel has. Sometimes we question whether the time we spend teaching or investing in others was wasted. Never doubt the value of what you did! In the Lord, your labor is never wasted!

God uses all of your good works on His behalf for His glory. When we serve the Lord, build the church, share the gospel, or teach the young we’re dealing with eternal things. Someone you impact today can, in turn, impact countless future generations. The disciple you make may go onto make thousands of disciples who make disciples. Seeds you plant today may not bear fruit for years but when they do, it’s eternal fruit! You can’t begin to imagine everyone that your service to the Lord impacts down through future generations, but it’s fun to think about!

Even the things you do that appear to have been wasted or misguided will be used by God. He will often use those “failures” to change, refine, and mature you, teaching you deep lessons in faith, obedience, and perseverance. Everything you’ve ever done for the Lord is preparation for what He has prepared for you to do now and in the future. Trust this truth! Don’t grow weary of doing good for the Lord! Stay energized, steadfast, and rock-solid in pouring out your time, talent, and treasure as you #FollowJesus!

“Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” – 1 Corinthians 15:49

Right now, our bodies are like Adam’s was. When Jesus returns, our bodies will be raised to life and transformed to be like His. Right now, our bodies age, ache, weaken, become ill, break down, betray us, and ultimately give out. When Jesus returns, our bodies will be free of the effects of age, disease, disability, and death. There will be no more pain, no more illness, no more weakness. Our bodies will be like Christ’s resurrected body in other ways we can’t yet understand, but it will be glorious!

How will this work? Some things we can’t fully understand. Paul explained that just as a seed is planted and what grows out of the ground is very different, it will be the same for us when our bodies are raised in glory. However, what Paul emphasizes here and in other Scriptures is that we are naturally descended from Adam and affected by his sin and God’s curse for that rebellion. However, Jesus came to reverse what Adam did. Adam brought separation but Jesus brought reconciliation. Adam brought sin but Jesus brought forgiveness. Adam brought death but Jesus brought life to those who embrace Him.

And so, if Jesus is your Lord, then while your body is like Adam’s now, it will one day be like that of Jesus. Your glorified body will be sinless and undamaged by sin. You will live forever like Jesus. Perhaps you will be able to come and go like Jesus. You will be able to stand in the presence of God the Father like Jesus. It will be glorious beyond imagination! Rejoice in both your present and future situation in Christ and #FollowJesus

“Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.” – 1 Corinthians 15:6

Jesus rose from the dead. Paul wants us to understand that he and we have devoted our lives to a historical fact. Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God, was crucified, dead, and buried. Then, He physically rose from the dead. This isn’t a fairy tale, a hallucination, or a legend created after the fact. This was a historical event that his early readers could verify by talking to any of the hundreds of witnesses who saw Jesus alive. Who saw Him eat. Who touched Him or saw others touch Him. Paul is essentially challenging skeptics to go check things out for themselves because there were so many eyewitnesses to the resurrected Jesus still alive at the time.

This truth is vitally important as chapter 15 explains. The physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the central event of our faith. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, neither will we. Because Jesus rose, we who believe in Him will also rise to eternal life. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, His sacrifice wasn’t sufficient to pay the penalty for our sins. Because Jesus rose, we who believe in Him are forgiven our sins and set free from guilt and shame. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then we have no long-term future and should just maximize physical pleasure on earth. Because Jesus rose, our future is eternal and our greatest rewards will be in God’s presence.

Because Jesus rose, we who believe in Him have a purpose for our lives – to proclaim hope and make disciples. This mission is worth any amount of inconvenience, sacrifice, danger, and even the risk of death. This mission is greater than any person or any church because Jesus is alive and He wants many others to live with Him forever! #FollowJesus