“May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!” Romans 15:5-6 TM

There is nothing that unites better than a relationship with Christ. I have been in many different countries, some even speaking different languages, and I love how easy it is to connect with people solely because of our unity in Christ.

It is a beautiful thing to come together in our faith, and forget about our differences, and worship together. We are all God’s creation, and we were made to worship. When you worship the Lord, you’re not thinking about your differences, you are focused on the One who made us all.

Maybe instead of focusing on our differences, let’s unite under the supreme cause that our God loves us despite our mistakes. I want to point out that I am not just saying that you should focus just on your own relationship with Christ, although that is vitally important; it was never meant to be the sole thing. We were not only made to worship, but we were made to worship together.

I realize that our current circumstances make worshiping together a challenge, but even though it looks different, it doesn’t mean it’s any less important. You may have to get creative. You may have to put in a little more effort to make it happen. You may have to have worship over Zoom with friends. You might even have to pick up the phone. Regardless of the format, have intentional conversation with others about the Lord and worship Him together.

“So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it!” vs 7

“Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, ‘How can I help?'” Romans 15:1-2

Our world is hurting. Things have spun out of control and people are freaking out. Many people who many of us might’ve thought were Christians have either turned from the faith or adopted beliefs that don’t gel with Scripture. What should we do? How should we handle all this unrest and all these friends seriously doubting their faith?

Unfortunately many well-meaning Christians have resorted to pointing fingers and making a spectacle of someone’s sin. Some have even stooped to name calling. “You’re doing it wrong!” That does not seem like the right reponse to a someone who is struggling or straying.

We’ve got to love each other, and not with a hippy, groovy kind of love, but with the love that comes from the Source of love that now dwells in us. If you know someone who is struggling, listen to him. Hear what he is really saying and ask good questions. Remember it’s not up to you to convict, but to lead him back to the feet of Jesus.

Do you know someone who is struggling in his faith? Pray for him and then reach out to him. Maybe you are the one who is having doubts. Reach out to someone you know who is solid in his faith. If you don’t know anyone, message me, I’d be happy to pray for you and help you navigate through your trouble if I can.

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18

How does this verse sit with you? Or maybe a better question would be to ask which one is consuming you? Your future glory or your present sufferings?

For some of you, this pandemic and quarantine have been a good restart or a good change of pace. For others it has been devastating.And as it has dragged on, I’m sure that all have experienced some kind of suffering, if not at least a little inconvenience.

Paul, who wrote this had a pretty good history of suffering to draw from. He was stoned with rocks, beaten, imprisoned, starved, shipwrecked, chained up, and I’m sure that’s just the beginning of it; yet Paul was so consumed with his future glory that he endured all of these things like a champ.

What do you believe about the “glory that will be revealed in us?” Your answer to this question directly affects your ability to endure present sufferings. We have to know and believe that our true home awaits us in heaven and that any good thing we’ve experienced on earth or any redeeming quality will be magnified tenfold in our lives to come–the renewal of all things.

Spend some time with the Lord asking Him to show you where present sufferings have been consuming you. Surrender each one to the Lord. Then ask Him to open your eyes to catch a glimpse of the glory the He will reveal in you.

“So above all, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23 TPT

I don’t know about you, but my heart has been through quite a bit over the course of of the last couple months. With so much uncertainty around me I have felt despair hovering around me. That is not the half of it, is it? Hatred and violence spewing all over the world; add on to it the daily assualts of normal life, and your heart seems to be doomed.

But there is hope. For those who are in Christ you have been given a new heart. Jesus lives there now, so you have every reason to be joyful.

However, the Bibles still tells us over and over to protect our hearts. How do we do that?

We have to make sure we are speaking the truth over ourselves everyday so much so that we can more easily recognize when the dangerous arrows of the enemy come to discourage us.

Thomas Kelly writes that, “Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center, a speaking Voice, to which we may continously return. Eternity is at our hearts, pressing upon our time-torn lives, warming us to the intimations of an astounding destiny, calling us home unto Itself.”

This is certainly not a time to stay complacent about your heart. You’ve got to be diligent to protect it by reminding yourself of who you are and who He is.

Make sure your morning devotion is not just about grabbing a nugget or two about God, but make sure you set your heart right. Spend some time writing down ten things that are true about you in Christ. Here are a handful to get you started…

You have been bought with a price.

You are redeemed.

You are forgiven of all sin.

You cannot be separated from God’s love.

You are God’s masterpiece.

“God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all––life healed and whole.” 1 Peter 1:5 TM

This should be a huge encouragement for those who are in Jesus. He is not going to leave you to fend for yourself in this world. The God of angel armies will shield you. You cannot have your salvation taken away from you, and you will not be overtaken by anything in this world or in the world to come. 

This will mean a lot more for those who are really going for it with their faith. When you stick your neck out for God, He is like a fortress for you. You might bend, but you will not break. 

If you have tasted any love, peace, joy, or encouragement in this life, this is but a small picture of what is to come. God is going to finish what He started in you. You will be completely healed and made whole in the coming life. All good things you receive now, however great they may be, are just a deposit of what is to come. For now, you are being made into who you were created to be, but when it’s all said and done, you will be made perfect, not lacking anything. 

Are you encouraged by this verse? If not, ask the Lord why that is. Perhaps the enemy is discouraging you; or perhaps God wants you to step out more in your faith, so He can come through for you.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

With all that’s been upended in our lives, have you sensed the Lord calling to you? As much as we’d like, Jesus doesn’t break in and force himself into our lives. He waits for us to decide if we will open the door to Him.

Maybe at one time you opened the door to Jesus and experienced His love and peace, but over time you’ve kind of let the door slowly close again. 

Do you hear Him knocking? What is keeping you from opening the door? Love, peace, and joy wait on the other side. 

“Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.” Peter 1:7 TM

Friends, let’s face it, these are refining times. Massive Pandemic, global economies crashing, racial tensions are through the roof, and domestic violence is up. Anger, hatred, fear and death are running rampant. But I believe God is up to something. What are you perceiving?

Most sane people knew the world was out of control before all this happened. It was almost like we needed a shock to the system to sober everyone up. What has changed for you? Has this been a refining time? Have you dug into your faith more or escaped into television, movies, social media and the internet?

Spend some time with Him. Don’t worry about the rest of the world for a minute, ask Him what He is up to in you, how He is trying to refine you.

“By faith Abraham’s wife Sarah became fertile long after menopause because she believed God would be faithful to His promise. So from this man, who was almost at death’s door, God brought forth descendants, as many as the stars in the sky and as impossible to count as the sands of the shore.” Hebrews 11:11-12 TV

The odds were stacked against her to have a child, and the 90 year old Abraham for that matter, but Sarah had faith that God could do it. She also had faith that He would do it given His promise and she knew God always does what He promises, but it’s also worth noting that her first response was to laugh at God (Gen 18). The great people in the Bible were just that, people like us, and even they had their moments of unbelief. And yet many of them, after their first reaction, chose to believe in God’s ability and desire to provide for them. 

Maybe you’re in a situation where the odds are against you. Maybe you have a recurring sin that seems impossible to break. Maybe you mom or dad or good friend are not Christians, and it seems unlikely things will change. 

Push beyond your initial reaction of disbelief, and learn to trust in the One who is more than able to do it. 

How is your faith right now? Are you able to push beyond what you can see, and trust in the One, who you cannot see, to come through?

“Faith motivated Abraham to obey God’s call and leave the familiar to discover the territory he was destined to inherit from God. So he left with only a promise and without even knowing ahead of time where he was going, Abraham stepped out in faith. He lived by faith as an immigrant in his promised land as though it belonged to someone else. He journeyed through the land living in tents with Isaac and Jacob who were persuaded that they were also co-heirs of the same promise.His eyes of faith were set on the city with unshakable foundations, whose architect and builder is God himself.” Hebrews 11:8-10

The image of Abraham pitching tents all along his jouney makes me think of how much I love backpacking in the mountains. There’s something about being removed from anything resembling civilization and sleeping under the stars that purifies the soul; however, usually, after a few days of primitive tent camping, I find myself longing for my creature comforts like home, a shower, and some real food.  

Maybe Abraham was tempted to feel like I do, but he sure didn’t show it. He put his trust in the promise of God that he would inherit this new amazing land. He considered his current place temporary, dwelling in tents and putting his faith in what was to come.

We spend so much time creating permanent dwellings and comforts for ourself here on Earth. We fight hard for status or popularity. We’re miserable unless we have a girlfriend/boyfriend. We throw a fit if we don’t have a certain car or new gadget that just came out.

Learn to put your trust in the One who promises us a new world where there is no crying or problems and everything is made perfect. Put your hope in the world to come and you will find that the troubles and heartaches of this world will lose their grip on you and fade away. Maybe instead of pitching fits when we don’t get our way need to start pitching tents.

Spend some time today asking the Lord to show you where you are creating too much of a life for yourself here.

“By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.“ Hebrews 11:7 TM

Who builds a giant ship on dry land to house animals of every kind? If you didn’t know the story of Noah, then you would probably answer a crazy person. I’m sure to most people at the time, he was a lunatic. He didn’t build this giant vessel in a day or even a few days. He didn’t have modern technology with electric or cordless saws. He defintely had to convince many other people to build this seemingly foolish thing. Scholars estimate it took him around seventy years! I’m positive he had many onlookers and workers ridicule him for all that time as he built the ark.

It takes a different kind of person and a different kind of faith to believe in God they way Noah did. I’m lucky to be faithful for one day much less a year. Noah’s faithfulness spanned longer than most of our lifetimes. The only long-term project that compares to his is our very own lives.

Although God is not having you build a giant boat, He is having you build your life into something that matters. If you look at the entire project it can be overwhelming, but maybe if you just focus on the next board you’ll begin to see the progress of His work in you. One thing you can bet on is that you won’t be alone; He will be with you every step of the way and will bring people into your life to help.

Do you believe God is building something in you? Spend some time asking Him to show you what the next board will be. Maybe your faith will save your family.