“Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
Today marks the darkest day in the history of the world!
This is how Luke partially described what literally happened two thousand year’s ago in Luke 23:33-36 when he said, “When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed Him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on His right and one on His left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for His clothes by throwing dice. The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let Him save himself if He is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers mocked Him, too, by offering Him a drink of sour wine.”
I’m flooded with emotion (as well as with many tears) as I imagine being there to witness the crucifixion of my Lord and my Savior. I find myself overwhelmed with shame, recognizing the horrendous way in which Jesus chose to suffer and die for all of my sins.
Amidst the tremendous sadness I’m feeling right now in remembrance of that awful day when Jesus willingly experienced, and took on the sins of the whole world … I’m beyond grateful that because of His obedience to the Father, He provided the only way for me to be cleansed of my sins and to spend eternity with Him in heaven.
The Apostle Paul says in Romans 3:22-26, “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for He was looking ahead and including them in what He would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He himself is fair and just, and He makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus.”
1 John 1:8-10 says, “If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude ourselves and the truth is not in us. [His word does not live in our hearts.] If we admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing]. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
If you have not yet surrendered ownership of your life to Jesus, may you sincerely consider today (Good Friday 2025) to be the day you say “Yes” to Jesus.
And may this Sunday (Easter 2025), be a celebration unlike any other, now that you’ve become born again and you’re eternal future has been secured!!
How can we know if or when we’re pleasing God?
Hebrews 11:5-7 says, “It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—he disappeared, because God took him. For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him. It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.”
Scripture is clear that without true, real, and genuine faith … it’s impossible to please God. So the answer to our question (at least in part), is we must first put our trust in God for our salvation in order to know that we can please Him.
A good Biblical definition for faith is found in Hebrews 11:1 which says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]”
I think it’s vitally important for us to understand that assurance in this verse does not mean wishful thinking. Rather, the more accurate translation is along the lines of ‘evidence’ or ‘proof’ of our faith that is foundational to the confidence that God wants all of us to experience.
It’s wise at times (especially when we’re having doubts about whether He’s even present with us) to revisit our foundational experience of when we first became born again! To remember what changed once we surrendered ownership of lives unto Jesus … and after sincerely repenting what it felt like having our sins forgiven and wiped away.
What are some of the evidences of those who have true faith?
I’d like you to think for a moment of someone who you really admire. Not necessarily a favorite athlete, or a famous person who you personally don’t have a relationship with, or somebody you only know by reputation. Rather, think of a person who has made a positive impression on you, and who you might go to for advice, and who you genuinely enjoy spending time with.
The person who comes to my mind is actually a friend who I’ll meet with for coffee tomorrow morning. One of the reasons I admire him so much, and can hardly wait to catch up every time we get together … in large part is because of how he handled an incredibly difficult situation a few years ago. The circumstances were so bad, and so wrong, without any fault of his at all … yet he lost almost everything in his life that he held dear, and had worked tirelessly for.
I’ve been privileged to see first hand, how this devoted Christian friend lived out the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ throughout an overwhelming ordeal that was very public in our small community.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the person you may be thinking about right now (who you admire) does not fall into the following category that the Apostle Paul mentions in Galatians 5:19-21:
“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
However, my close friend (and probably the person you’re thinking of) most definitely falls into the description given by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23 when he says:
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
We’re all guaranteed to face storms throughout our lifetimes … but as follower’s of Christ, we won’t ever have to face them alone!
I’m inspired to continually surrender ownership of my life (moment-by-moment) to the Lord who lives within me, in large part due to others like my friend who have allowed the Holy Spirit in their lives to shine so brightly!
What do belly buttons, opinions, and a baseline for identifying truth all have in common?
Well, the best I can tell … we ALL have them!
Because we at MWM have chosen to establish our baseline for identifying truth to be the Jesus of the Bible, I’d like to encourage everyone to take some time to consider examining what your baseline for identifying truth actually is.
If you reject Christianity as being true, there are many other choices to put your faith in, like Atheism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Baha’i, Mormonism, Jehovah Witnesses, etc.
The Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We demolish arguments and every pretense that sets itself against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Other words that could help us to better understand what Paul is conveying in the first half of this verse could be; ‘Destroying proud obstacles, or sophisticated, or arrogant arguments that are coming from lofty opinions that others use in opposition to the knowledge of God.’
As it relates to the second half of this challenging verse, Paul encourages us to; ‘Intentionally and purposely bring, or lead every thought to line up with what we know from the Scripture, that Jesus teaches us how to think as well as how to live out our lives.”
Please thoughtfully consider the following words written on the headstone in a graveyard:
“Pause now stranger, as you pass by …
As you are now, so once was I …
As I am now, so you shall be …
So prepare for death, and follow me”
A wise response might be something like:
“To follow you is not my intent …
Until I know which way you went!”
The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus rose from the grave, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, in His resurrected body. The Bible also clearly teaches that those who choose to put their faith and trust in Him in this lifetime, will be redeemed, and will live in resurrected bodies for all eternity with Jesus in heaven.
The decision is ours surrounding where we will in fact live after we die! My prayer for each one of you is that you will make the decision to follow Christ here and now, while there’s still time.
What happens when we die?
If Jesus is your baseline for identifying truth, then the Bible is absolutely clear where your soul (the essence of who you are) will go after you take your last breath on this earth. There’s no ambiguity and no doubt about it.
The great news is, we all are given the choice to decide where we will live for all eternity! Depending upon your decision, you will either be present with the Lord … or, you will live in torment eternally separated from the presence of God.
Not only will you have nothing to worry about surrounding your impending death, you should be overjoyed with anticipation of your eternal future … if you believe, accept, and live out what the Apostle Paul says here in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4:
“Now brothers and sisters, let me remind you [once again] of the good news [of salvation] which I preached to you, which you welcomed and accepted and on which you stand [by faith]. By this faith you are saved [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain [just superficially and without complete commitment]. For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to [that which] the Scriptures [foretold], and that He was buried, and that He was [bodily] raised on the third day according to [that which] the Scriptures [foretold].”
However, if you die having decided to reject putting your faith in Jesus, then the Bible says this in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9:
“For after all it is only just for God to repay with distress those who distress you, and to give relief to you who are so distressed and to us as well when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in a flame of fire, dealing out [full and complete] vengeance to those who do not [seek to] know God and to those who ignore and refuse to obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus [by choosing not to respond to Him]. These people will pay the penalty and endure the punishment of everlasting destruction, banished from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
If the Bible is true, both heaven and hell are real and eternal. God has given us a free will to decide where we will live forever. The ball is literally in our court … but this is definitely not a game that any of us should take lightly!!
Why is repentance necessary prior to geting saved?
A good Biblical definition of what it means to repent is, “A change of mind that results in a change of action.”
It’s essential that we admit our habitual sinful behavior … and then change our minds about Jesus Himself, recognizing and accepting that He is indeed our Lord and our Savior.
Because every human being is born with a sin nature, none of us are born into the faith as followers of Christ. We all have to repent of our sins in order to become born again, which will guarantee our entrance into heaven whenever we take our final breath at some unknown point in the future.
Peter says this in Acts 4:12 about Jesus being the only way to eternal salvation, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
2 Peter 3:8-9 says, “But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”
Even though you’re life circumstances at the moment might be complicated, unsteady, and confusing … putting your faith into Jesus as the baseline for identifying truth is quite simple.
You have to sincerely believe the “Easter story” … that Jesus was crucified in order to pay the price for your sins on the cross, and that He rose from the grave on the third day.
If our repentance is real and not just some kind of prayer to try and secure ‘fire insurance’ for after we die … then our lives moving forward will in fact demonstrate, through the power of the Holy Spirit who now resides within our soul (the very essence of who we are) a truly transformed life!
When you consider the risk/reward component to the single most important decision you’ll ever make in your lifetime … my prayer is that you’ll choose very thoughtfully to weigh the two options before you, surrounding where you will live for all eternity.
After surrendering ownership of your life to Jesus, may the fruit of His spirit fill your heart and your mind with the joy of your salvation!
The Apostle Paul gives us some wonderful advice and encouragement to follow, in Philippians 3:10-14 when he said:
“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
Unfortunately, we’re living through a cultural time in which we’re oftentimes told by a counselor, therapist, or pop psychology in general … to focus on recalling and reliving past hurts, habits, and hang-ups. We wrongly think that it will help to heal our present set of circumstances, and ultimately bring us the peace of mind we all so desperately desire.
Rather than going along with someone’s opinion (even if they are a ‘professional’) about how we should move forward in our closest relationships with family and/or friends … we would be wise to weigh their counsel against God’s word.
Hebrews 13:7-9 says, “Remember your leaders who brought you the word of God; and consider the result of their conduct [the outcome of their godly lives], and imitate their faith [their conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things, the Provider of eternal salvation through Christ, and imitate their reliance on God with absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness]. Jesus Christ is [eternally changeless, always] the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established and strengthened by grace and not by foods, which bring no benefit or spiritual growth to those who observe them.”
Paul’s words, along with how he chose to live out his faith in Christ, are trustworthy examples for all of us to follow … especially when he said we should forget our past and press on to what’s ahead!
True faith
Alister Begg says, “True faith takes its character and its quality from its object … not from itself.” We should never have faith in faith itself! Rather, we should put our faith wholeheartedly in the One who died on the cross for our sins, and Who rose from the grave, in order that we may be forgiven and redeemed.
It’s entirely Biblical to test our faith in Jesus. Here’s what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:2-5, “I have already warned those who have sinned in the past and all the rest as well, and I warn them now even though I am absent as I did when I was with you the second time, that if I come back I will not spare anyone, since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in and through me. He is not weak or ineffective in dealing with you, but powerful within you. For even though He was crucified in weakness [yielding Himself], yet He lives [resurrected] by the power of God [His Father]. For we too are weak in Him [as He was humanly weak], yet we are alive and well with Him because of the power of God directed toward you. Test and evaluate yourselves to see whether you are in the faith and living your lives as [committed] believers. Examine yourselves [not me]! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves [by an ongoing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test and are rejected as counterfeit?
As our baseline for identifying truth, the Bible clearly instructs us on how to know we are in fact saved, and our eternity with Jesus is secure!
1 John 5:12-13 says, “He who has the Son [by accepting Him as Lord and Savior] has the life [that is eternal]; he who does not have the Son of God [by personal faith] does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you will know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that you [already] have eternal life.”
If the Bible is true as it relates to teaching that every human being will either live eternally in heaven in a perfect place, or will live eternally in hell in torment … wouldn’t it make sense to know that you know that you know, that you have true saving faith in Jesus?
Not everyone agrees that our lives have meaning
Famous atheist Bertrand Russell said in his book “Why I am not a Christian” that, “Religions are both harmful and untrue.” He also concluded that if life beyond the grave is a myth, then life before the grave has no meaning.
One of the greatest gifts I believe that God gave us, is free will. Consequently, He will never force anyone to spend eternity with Him in heaven when they die.
God also gave each one of us the right to choose our baseline for identifying truth. A good question to ask an atheist is, “If Christianity were true, would you believe in it?” The reality for most people who reject Jesus and His offer to pay for their sins if they would repent and become born again … is that it’s more of a heart issue than it is a head issue. Most atheist simply don’t want Christianity to be true!
The Apostle Paul’s baseline for identifying truth was clearly Jesus! Here’s what he said surrounding having meaning for his life in Philippians 3:6-11:
“I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”
May we all similarly put our trust completely in Jesus, and never forget what 1 John 3:2 says … “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.”
Have you ‘built your house on sand, or on the rock?’
Jesus shared a parable in Matthew 7:24-27 in order to illustrate something that’s true for all of us to consider, when He said the following:
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
The clear teaching Jesus is conveying to us here, is the reality that we all have a choice surrounding the foundation in which we establish our life on. Either we choose to act upon Jesus’ words … or, we reject Him and build our life on sinking sand.
James 1:21-22 says, “So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
If you’re like me, you’ve lived long enough to know that the storms of life (death of loved ones, physical suffering, financial set backs, relational challenges, etc.) affect each one of us at some point and to some degree.
The choice is ours to either put our trust fully and completely in Jesus (the rock) and His promises … or, to believe that we can handle it all on our own (a sandy foundation).
In each scenario, the outcomes are predictable, and when we’re honest with ourselves, we’re putting our faith into something or into someone either way.
I encourage you to choose your foundation thoughtfully & wisely! Our decisions and actions will literally have eternal consequences, depending upon the foundation in which we build our lives upon.
Focus on God’s truth, and avoid foolish arguments!
Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:22-24, “Run away from youthful lusts—pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But have nothing to do with foolish and ignorant speculations, since you know that they produce strife and give birth to quarrels. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.”
Our time on this earth is far too short to waste time in petty arguments. We should rely on the presence of the Holy Spirit within us to discern when someone implements useless disputes into a discussion surrounding meaningless controversies.
Paul also encourages us in Titus 3:5-9 surrounding Christ living within us when he said, “He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we have done, but because of His own compassion and mercy, by the cleansing of the new birth and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we would be justified [made free of the guilt of sin] by His [compassionate, undeserved] grace, and that we would be [acknowledged as acceptable to Him and] made heirs of eternal life according to our hope (His guarantee). This is a faithful and trustworthy saying; and concerning these things I want you to speak with great confidence, so that those who have believed God [that is, those who have trusted in, relied on, and accepted Christ Jesus as Savior,] will be careful to participate in doing good and honorable things. These things are excellent and profitable for the people. But avoid foolish and ill-informed and stupid controversies and genealogies and dissensions and quarrels about the Law, for they are unprofitable and useless.
May we continue to learn to be good stewards of our time, and how we can best honor the Lord in everything we say and do.
Things that are both inside as well as outside of our control, from a Biblical perspective
My very wise coach (Rudy Duran) hammered into my brain while in my 20’s and pursuing a career as a competitive professional golfer, to only pay attention to the things that were within my control. I didn’t realize it at the time what a Biblically sound & powerful principle this is in helping us to stay focused on Jesus … and no matter what, to remember that He will ALWAYS have us covered!
Here’s a response from Jesus to us when facing trials & suffering that are outside our control from John 16:33 when He said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” It’s up to us through trying times to decide to trust in the reality that we can abide in Jesus due to the victory He’s already won.
Surrounding things that are within our control, take to heart what Proverbs 29:25 says whenever you’re fearful about anything: “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in and puts his confidence in the Lord will be exalted and safe.” It all boils down to who we put our trust in … especially while going through incredibly difficult seasons.
I came to find out that this simple concept not only helped me to dramatically lower my scores on the course … but more importantly, it continues to help me maximize a close walk with my Lord and Savior while navigating all the daily issues as they come up.
What does the Bible mean when it says we’re to ‘Wait on the Lord?’
Perhaps you know a parent (or are one) who has an adult son or daughter who has walked away from their relationship with Jesus. Maybe your waiting to hear back from the doctor surrounding a diagnosis that could change everything in your life. It could be you’re facing a financial hardship that seems overwhelming, and you can’t see past the mountain of debt you’re dealing with.
The word Qavah in Hebrew means, “To wait with hope and expectation.” It’s the concept of tying our lives together with the Lord at all times and in every circumstance, and to be intertwined with Him.
Isaiah 40:31 is a perfect example of how we need to be trusting and relying on the 24/7, 365 presence of our Lord and Savior: “But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]
Will gain new strength and renew their power;
They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.”
If you find yourself so stressed, and so tired, and literally weary day after day due to any variety of trouble you or a loved one are facing, now is the time to lean heavily into your relationship with Jesus and trust that He’s completely aware of how to sustain you by providing you with the strength you need.
David is a great example of faith and courageous trust in God, based on his confident expectation that the Lord would save him in his times of difficult situations. This is what he said in Psalm 27:14, “Wait for and confidently expect the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.”
May we have similar confident expectations that the Lord will be with us while we wait for our prodigal children to come back to Him! Or, as we’re waiting for the lab reports to help determine our next move surrounding our physical ailments. As well as to trust that He will in fact make a way through our financial crisis! May we truly recognize that He always knows what’s best for us, and that He’s promised to never leave us or forsake us!
Listening to God’s word, rather than trusting our feelings
If you think there may be some room for improvement surrounding your spiritual maturity, then you must choose obedience to God over your feelings.
A good Biblical definition of what it means to listen to God’s word, would be, “To hear and to pay attention to … and even more importantly, to respond to what we hear!” The concept of obedience may not be culturally popular these days, but it’s never become outdated from a Biblical frame-of-reference.
Here’s how Jesus puts it in Luke 9:23-24, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
We’ve all been born with a sinful human nature. Jesus is telling us we need to set aside our selfish interests, and daily choose to follow Him. Fortunately, He’s provided us with a very detailed “Owners manual” in which we can all refer to. He’s also provided us with a supernatural personal guide to ensure we’re understanding His word accurately through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The only condition to experience this transformed life that Jesus mentioned, is we actually have to follow what He’s laid out for us to do! He’s never going to force us to love Him and to follow His dictates … but I can guarantee, if you choose to take up your cross daily and follow Him, you’ll never regret it!
A ‘prescription’ for when someone says something hurtful to you, that is totally offensive … and you’re just not sure how to respond
A couple of decades ago, while facing some real life interpersonal struggles … a very wise friend said to me, “Jim, there are times when you’ll need to hide your responses in your heart, and give these hurtful circumstances over to the Lord in prayer.”
I’ve been so grateful since then for such Godly counsel! I’ve experienced far less regret, having a rock solid plan for dealing with the vast opportunities for when people have been mean, and when I chose to give it over to the Lord … rather than reacting in the moment badly myself.
The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:12-13, “I know how to get along and live humbly [in difficult times], and I also know how to enjoy abundance and live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret [of facing life], whether well-fed or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]”
Some of you may be facing daily situations in which people are being unkind to you, or saying hurtful things for no apparent reason, or are trying to get under your skin knowing that you’re a faithful follower of Christ. My recommendation is to pay attention to what is within your control, and go to the Lord in prayer immediately! Give it to Him, as He can more than handle it. And see if in fact your peace will return to you as you’re not baited into responding in ways you know won’t be helpful.
Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” You don’t have to let anyone or anything steal your joy!
Have you ever been asked why you pray?
A very close friend of mine who is not yet walking with Jesus, asked me the other day if I ever pray. From his current world view, he really doesn’t like that Christians pray selfishly for whatever they want as if God is some kind of cosmic genie who will grant their every wish.
I absolutely believe that God still works through miracles and physical healing today! I had a wonderful opportunity to share with my dear friend that hopefully got him thinking about the genie in the bottle concept that he’s so upset about, and why Biblical prayer should never be like that.
God answered the Apostle Paul’s plea for a very specific ailment that he was suffering from, with the following reply in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Paul also said in 2 Thessalonians 3:16, “Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace at all times and in every way [that peace and spiritual well-being that comes to those who walk with Him, regardless of life’s circumstances]. The Lord be with you all.”
Don’t ever stop praying! Whatever you may be going through our dealing with, know that the creator of the universe cares about every aspect and every single detail of your request … and most importantly remember that He knows exactly what’s best for you!
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”
Even though Paul would have preferred at the time to be healed from whatever physical ailment he was suffering from … based on his response (which is a good reminder for all of us), he was able to experience peace because the Lord was with him throughout it all!
We are in reality made by God … as well as in fact made for God!
This might be somewhat of a scary thought, but what if someone was to give a completely objective analysis surrounding what they’ve observed after spending an entire week in our presence … regarding “What we live for, and what fulfills us?”
Even as professing Bible believing Christians, would there possibly be any ‘little gods’ they would see as our priorities … based upon how much time, our top interests, our energy, our emphasis to things or on certain people, our zeal for certain activities, our financial investments, etc., that is robbing us from the freedom we should be enjoying as committed Christ followers?
In Acts 17:23-25 Paul says, “Now as I was going along and carefully looking at your objects of worship, I came to an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you already worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who created the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, because it is He who gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.”
I don’t think it would hurt any of us to take inventory of potential distractions from what God’s best is for our lives. Then, out of obedience to what we know from His Word, along with the 24/7 presence of the Holy Spirit to help guide us through making wise decisions each and every day … to see if in fact we’re living faithfully and gratefully to the One who has given each of us our very life & breath.
Is it true that God sometimes works in mysterious ways?
It would difficult to read the story of Joseph in the Bible and see how any of the ways in which he was so badly mistreated over about a 13-year time span, could have possibly been allowed by an all loving God.
Paul says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
God actually used the trials Joseph endured to bring about much good … including saving the lives of his brothers who had hated him so much. Many years after they sold their younger brother into slavery because of their jealously towards him, Joseph said this to them in Genesis 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”
So the answer is “Yes” that God sometimes works in very mysterious ways in our lives. Joseph’s example is a wonderful lesson for all of us, if we choose to recognize and trust that Jesus will in fact use each and every situation (especially the really hard stuff!) for our good.
God doesn’t call the qualified … He qualifies the called
I’m probably not alone when I admit to feeling inadequate at times, especially as it relates to specific ways the Lord prompts me to do something in which I don’t feel equipped to successfully do. I’ll even debate with Him by responding, “You certainly have to have many more qualified people who are wiser, more articulate, and much more prepared than me, who can better share Your love with the person You want me to talk to about what You’ve done in my life.”
The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.”
Earlier in the same chapter Paul says, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18
The constant battle we as believers face, is the tendency to focus on fear of rejection or our own inadequacy to witness to those around us about our personal salvation experience. The Lord is more concerned about our faithfulness than He is about what we would consider successful outcomes.
Scripture is abundantly clear that God will equip us with His presence in every situation He puts us in. 1 John 4:4 says, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.”
The next time you feel ‘paralyzed’ with doubt that you may not be the right person at just the right time to point someone to Jesus when He is prompting you to act … pray a quick prayer of gratitude for His presence, and then walk in His power, and in His wisdom, and in His strength, as you trust Him for the results!
Is Christ’s provision everlasting for all true believers?
In other words, can a Christian lose their salvation?
In John 5:24 Jesus says, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, the person who hears My word [the one who heeds My message], and believes and trusts in Him who sent Me, has (posses now) eternal life [that is, eternal life actually begins—the believer is transformed], and does not come into judgment and condemnation, but has passed [over] from death into life.”
Paul says in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Paul also said in 2 Corinthians 1:20-22, “For as many as are the promises of God, in Christ they are [all answered] “Yes.” So through Him we say our “Amen” to the glory of God. Now it is God who establishes and confirms us with you in Christ, and who has anointed us [empowering us with the gifts of the Spirit]; it is He who has also put His seal on us [that is, He has appropriated us and certified us as His] and has given us the [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [like a security deposit to guarantee the fulfillment of His promise of eternal life].”
1 Peter 1:3-5 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant and boundless mercy has caused us to be born again [that is, to be reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] to an ever-living hope and confident assurance through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [born anew] into an inheritance which is imperishable [beyond the reach of change] and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who are being protected and shielded by the power of God through your faith for salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.”
I believe God’s love and His eternal provision is available to everyone! 1 Timothy 2:4 says, “God wants everyone to be saved and understand the truth.”
I’m so grateful that the Lord has provided us with His Word as a baseline for identifying truth! May we all continue to search the Scriptures, and let it be our guide in every area of our lives.