Category Archives: General

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced. (Psalm 105:4-5)

On Monday we’ll close out yet another year of Grace for Your Race. Today I want to encourage you to take a backward glance over the past year and remember and reflect on the many and multiplied wonders God has done in your life. On Monday we’ll look forward to the starting line of another year . . . and crossing the finish line of the year that lies ahead running well, if God is pleased to grant us that.

Someone has said, “It is difficult to climb to the summit of the mountain when you are always looking over your shoulder.” That’s true, but a backward glance is beneficial for the Christian believer to be reminded of all God has done. To be sure, it must be a brief glance if we are going to make forward progress throughout 2019; but make no mistake, it is the best way to close out another year of blessings that God has bestowed upon us.

It’s important to note that a backward glance is not the same thing as walking backward. We cannot go back, nor should we want to! God is moving us forward into His perfect plan and purpose for our lives. Inasmuch as we live His call on our lives out imperfectly, we must remember to always treat the past as a school. We are to learn the lessons from our past, but not live in it. I’m afraid that far too many Christians believe that their past limits their future, and that belief prohibits any measurable forward progress.

But this is not for you! Take some time this weekend to reflect on 2018, and make sure that backward glance includes both your successes and your storms. There is much to glean from both life experiences; God has delivered them to us in order to conform us to the image and likeness of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Let your “backward glance” bring to mind God’s . . .

• Faithfulness and Friendship
• Discipline and Devotion
• Mercy and Ministry
• Love and Leading

Your brief backward glance will encourage you and strengthen you to set out on another year of life with Jesus seated upon the throne of your life—guiding you through every twist and turn, and growing you through every up and down, every step of the way.

And as you look back, remember the greatest blessing of all: He who cried out “It is finished” from the cross was telling you that your sin debt is done; it is finished; it is paid in full by His sacrificial atonement. If you have, by grace through faith, placed your trust in Him, all the sins of your past are as far from you as the east is from the west.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12)

Now, inasmuch as it is important to be using a sound workout plan to care of your body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, I want to encourage you today to engage in another kind of “workout,” one that builds that temple from the inside out.

First, let me make something perfectly clear: The apostle Paul was not suggesting that we need to work out a salvation that can be lost if we do not engage in the right kind of workout or produce the right kind of results. We are not to be living in a condition of continual fear. That, beloved, would violate not only the good news of the Gospel, but all of sacred Scripture. The “fear” Paul spoke of in today’s verse is best translated as “reverence” or “respect” for our Redeemer.

I’m not a big fan of paraphrases of the Bible, but I do believe that the rendering of Philippians 2:12 in J.B. Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English beautifully articulated the sense of what Paul was exhorting us all to do:

Be keener than ever to work out the salvation that God has given you with a proper sense of awe and responsibility.

So what does it look like for a Christian to work out his or her salvation? It starts with a desire to live obediently before the face of God. The primary witness of our “workout” is found in our practice of obedience to the Lord. Notice that I did not say “the perfection of obedience,” because perfection will not be part of our lives until we cross the Jordan and are received into glory. Along the way, we will live lives marked by both obedience and disobedience because our old sinful nature is in a constant struggle with the new sinless nature. But in spite of the many times we will stumble along the way, we are to “press on toward the goal,” as Paul said in Philippians 3:14, of growing in Christ-likeness. As I’ve said here before, Christian, always remember that falling is not failing unless you fail to get up again.

The secondary witness of our “workout” is found in the environment that we are working out in, which is an attitude of reverence and respect for the Almighty. Remember that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). In other words, we are to take the call of Christ to live as obedient disciples seriously! Even though we know we will work out our salvation imperfectly on this side of the grave, nonetheless we strive to be obedient in all things. True disciples desire to live lives that are pleasing and acceptable to God. True disciples seek to use all their time, talent, and treasure for the advancement of the kingdom of God. True disciples look to glorify God in all things.

What has the witness of your “workout” been saying to those around you? In what areas are you working out well? In what areas do you need to put in extra effort? Remember, the same grace that saved you is the same grace that is sanctifying you—and it is all of grace—yet God has called each one of us to “work out the salvation that God has given you with a proper sense of awe and responsibility.” May this be the daily confession of our lives.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and we will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

On this day before Christmas, let us pause for a moment. Let us join the company of the shepherds who were out in the fields, keeping watch over their sheep, and go down to Bethlehem and see this Babe who was born King of the Jews in the little town of Bethlehem.

In my role as a pastor, there is no busier season throughout the year than the Christmas season. Christmastime can be saturated with so many activities and so much ministry that, if I’m not careful, I can miss the miracle of the message that “Unto to us a child is born, unto us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). So let us pause for a moment, you and I, and contemplate deeply what we are about to celebrate tomorrow: the birth of the Babe in Bethlehem, who came into this world to save sinners . . . of whom I am chief!

Notice two things with me today and let your heart beat with joy for that first Christmas gift. First, “the virgin will conceive and give birth.” Oh, the wonder of His miraculous conception! Never before had the world heard of such a thing, and never will it be heard of again. But it had to be this way. Only through His conception by the Spirit of God would this Babe be born sinless, without spot or blemish. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, all of us are born sinners through natural conception. But Jesus was conceived as the seed of the woman supernaturally, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The second thing I want you to see is what this Babe born in Bethlehem was to be called: Immanuel, which means God with us. That’s right. God in Christ came into this world, not only to save us from our sins, but to be with us so that we could live in relationship with Him.

Take just a moment to think that through. Jesus left his throne in heaven and entered into this fallen, broken, sin-stained world so that He could have an intimate, personal relationship with you. He wanted so much to be with you that He was born to die. Every day of His life pointed to that day when He would be nailed to a cross on Calvary’s hill and pay the penalty for your sin. And three days later, on that first Easter morning, Jesus walked out of His grave alive and well, which was proof positive that God the Father was well-pleased with the sacrifice of His Son.

So, Christian, as you prepare to celebrate the birth of this Babe born in Bethlehem, pause today and remember that Immanuel is with you, regardless of where this finds you. But that’s not all! Jesus has also promised never to leave you nor forsake you. This Babe born in Bethlehem is not only with you now, He is with you forevermore.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. (John 1:41-42)

Wouldn’t it be well said of all of us what is said about Andrew in the sacred writings, “He brought him to Jesus”? Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, is sometimes referred to as one of the “anonymous” disciples because, for the most part, he lived his life in Peter’s shadow. Beyond the Gospel of John, and a one-verse introduction in Matthew and Mark, Andrew is only mentioned in the lists of the apostles.

Like most of the disciples of Jesus throughout the last 2,000 years, Andrew is not well-known, almost anonymous. But what he is known for is the most important thing any of us can and should be known for: leading others to our Lord. After Andrew heard the proclamation of John the Baptist that Jesus was the Lamb of God, who had come to take away the sins of the world, he immediately went to find his brother Peter, who would go on to become one of the most influential of Jesus’ apostles.

Whether we acknowledge it or not, we will all leave a legacy. The question is, what sort of legacy are we leaving behind? Some people leave behind legacies that are positive; some leave behind legacies that are negative. And some leave the most important legacy of all: that of leading others to the Savior.

You might remember John’s account of the Feeding of the 5,000. Here again, you see that Andrew brought someone to our Lord Jesus Christ, saying, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:9).

After a long day of teaching, the people were hungry, and Jesus would use this as another opportunity to demonstrate He was the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. Andrew spotted a boy with a few fish and loaves and brought him to Jesus. So now this boy was standing in the presence of God incarnate, and he watched in awe as Jesus multiplied his meager meal to feed as many as 15,000 – 20,000 people. We never hear about this boy again, but it may very well be that he went on to be just like Andrew—anonymous in the service of the Almighty, leaving a legacy of leading others to Jesus.

So . . . if today were your last day on this earth, what kind of legacy would you leave? What would those closest to you say about you? When was the last time you brought someone to your Lord? As I said in Wednesday’s article, I am well aware that witnessing for Jesus is a frightening idea for some people, but it doesn’t need to be. One of the best ways to start is to simply invite a friend or neighbor to visit your church or attend a church event.

Remember, Jesus has left us behind to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8). And because of this truth, we can count on Him to give us all we need to live a life like Andrew—leading others to our Lord so that they too may be filled to the measure of all His fullness.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation. (Isaiah 52:7)

Let me begin with this question: What word do the first two letters in the word Gospel spell? The word, of course, is GO. Did you ever consider how beautifully this one word describes the calling of every Christian at the deepest level of living out their faith in Christ? Please read on; it is my hope that today’s message will both challenge you and encourage you.

When you see a movie you really like, what do you do after it is over? If you’re anything like me, you tell others about it. When you have a great meal at a local restaurant, what do you do the next time you see a friend? If you’re anything like me, you tell them about it. We are hardwired to be evangelists; we share the good news of the things we like with those around us.

When we read through the gospel accounts, we see Jesus sharing the Good News with those around Him over and over again, whether they came to Him or He had gone to them. The question is: Can the same be said about our sharing the good news of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ?

It’s true that we have been commanded to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) and share the Good News about Jesus. But I much prefer to think of evangelism as a delight rather than a duty. Think about it this way: God has called you and me, broken earthen vessels, to take the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world. He did not need to call us, but He did. God invited us to go on mission with Him, and that should cause us to respond to The Great Commission out of a sense of sheer delight, not duty.

I don’t know where this message finds you today as it relates to the “Go” in Gospel, but let me encourage you to reread today’s verse from Isaiah and meditate on it for a moment. We see that our Lord regards the feet of those who carry the good news of the Gospel to the world as beautiful. If that doesn’t light the fire of your faith and inspire you to Go . . . your wood is wet!

Remember, everyone needs God’s love because everyone has been made in the image of God. I know that it may feel a little scary to tell others about Jesus . . . maybe a LOT scary! I know that because there was a time when I felt exactly that way. But fear not! God will give you the words to say and Jesus has promised to go with you. For right on the heels of the command to “Go” came this promise: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

Remember, you have a testimony of what God has done for you. Jesus told the man He healed of demon-possession to “Go and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” You can do that too! So . . . will you go?

One last word of encouragement for readers who live in the South Florida area and would like to learn more about how to fulfill the command to “Go.” We will be presenting our Disciples Making Disciples program—both in weekend workshops and as part of our Wednesday Family Ministry night—at Cross Community Church in 2019. Whether you are a member of our church or not, we would be delighted to have you join us and be encouraged and equipped to share your faith in the One who regards our efforts to share that faith as beautiful.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

“Come to me . . .” (Matthew 11:28)

Never has there been a more comforting and encouraging call than the one set before us today. Where the Law said, “Go and do,” the Gospel says, “Come and receive!” The Law was not given to comfort, but to convict and condemn mankind of sin. The great Protestant reformer John Calvin said that the Law is “a kind of mirror” into which we look and discover the truth of our sinful condition, driving us to the safety of the Gospel where we hear our Lord Jesus say, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

The true beauty and comfort in our Lord’s call to “Come” is found in the continual nature of it. We are not just invited to “Come” on the day of our salvation, but we are called, moment by moment, all the days of our lives. From the instant our spiritual life began until that day when we cross the Jordan and are received into glory, the language of our Lord is “Come to me!”

Notice one of the deep truths contained in His call: Jesus is ever before you; He is ahead of you, leading you and calling you to “Come, follow me” wherever He leads.

Perhaps this message finds you in a season of storm winds blowing, or maybe you are off in some far country, having wandered away like a willful sheep straying from the Great Shepherd. Fear not, for His cry is still ever before you: “Come to me!”

And if you find yourself without the strength to answer that call, remember that the shepherd left the 99 sheep to go and find the one that was lost, and he carried it safely back to the herd. And when the day comes that you find yourself walking through the valley of the shadow of death, you will know there is nothing to fear, for the comfort of “come” will be calling you into your eternal rest.

There is one final comfort in the Lord’s invitation to “Come” for every believer, one that is a source of transcendent joy. Not only is “Come” the cry of our Lord to us, it is our cry to Him too. As we patiently wait for His Second Advent, when Jesus will return and consummate His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, we know with each passing day that His glorious return is closer than it has ever been, and we cry out, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). And until we hear those trumpets herald His return, our cry of “Come” is for a deeper and more abiding communion with the Comforter who sweetly, graciously invites us, “Come to me!”

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? (Psalm 56:8 ESV)

Far too many people in the church today have a mistaken understanding of God. They see Him as a distant, disconnected deity, not a personal God who is intimately involved with His creation. This idea is as far from the truth as the east is from the west! And the psalmist knew the truth personally, exulting that God cared so much as to collect his tears in His bottle and record them in His book.

Is this the view of God you have today? Do you know by way of personal experience that you have not shed a single tear that has not been collected by your Savior? I hope this knowledge will fill you with a sense of cosmic comfort, regardless of where this message finds you. Consider for a moment that not a single one of your tears falls to the ground that Jesus has not noticed and recorded in His book, just as He has numbered every hair on your head (Matthew 10:30). Your Savior is concerned with each and every one of your sorrows.

David penned today’s verse while he was a prisoner of the Philistines. Yet he was certain that God was still in control and was caring for him, even as a prisoner of war. David knew that God never turned away from him. God remembered his pain and sorrow and tears, and because David knew this, he could trust in God even when it was quite difficult to trace Him.

Now, I don’t know how full your bottle of tears is today, but I can assure you, Jesus does. Every sorrow has been recorded in His book. Perhaps your sorrow does not rival that of the weeping prophet Jeremiah, who wondered “if there is any sorrow like my sorrow” (Lamentations 1:12). But make no mistake, not a single one of your tears has been shed unnoticed by your Savior. And that means that there is purpose in your pain. Every painful providence has divine purpose attached to it. In God’s perfect plan for your imperfect life, even your bitter tears play a role for your good in your sanctification, conforming you into the image and likeness of Christ.

One final point that should bless you immeasurably. The picture of Jesus tracking your tears should bring to mind just how personal and intimate He has made your relationship to Him. In no way is He some aloof and disinterested deity. Jesus is with you. Jesus is for you. Jesus is in you. And one day soon, when you cross the Jordan, “He will wipe every tear from your eyes . . . for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

You have a Savior who knows you intimately and who loves you deeply. He loves you so much that He laid down His life for you! And He loves you so much that no sigh, no sorrow, no sob of yours ever escapes His attention.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. (1 Samuel 22:2)

In today’s passage we see the men who made David their commander . . . men who were in distress, who knew their debt, and were living discontented lives. They had come to the end of themselves. They desired to live the victorious life, but that life would only be built upon their understanding and acknowledgement of just how truly bankrupt they were. It is no different for the disciple of Christ. If He is to be your Commander, you must acknowledge your distress, your debt, and your discontentment.

Is this not a word of encouragement and comfort for you today? We do not come to the Fount of every spiritual blessing filled with self; if we do, we cannot be filled with our Savior. Only those who hunger and thirst after righteousness have the promise that they will be filled (Matthew 5:6). We cry out to Jesus in our need, confident that in His perfect timing and in His way, we shall indeed be filled.

The key to making Christ our Commander is to continually sense our need, and we do that by looking at ourselves with sober judgment. Like the great apostle Paul, we are to look out at those around us, not to judge them but to recognize beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are indeed the chief of sinners. And when we own that condition, we must rely solely on our Savior if we are to make any forward progress. We must remember that we are in need of Jesus—not only the moment we are saved, but every moment thereafter. We have been delivered from the power of sin, but not its presence. I have said before that sin no longer reigns, but it still remains, creating a clear sense of distress, debt, and daily discontentment within the heart of the true disciple of Christ.

So, beloved in the Lord, where does this find you today? Do you sense your need? If so, make Christ your Commander by crying out to him from the depths of your heart, for He delights in filling His disciples with blessings multiplied.

Let me close with these glorious words from the psalmist:

Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why are you upset? Wait for God! For I will again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention. (Psalm 43:5 NET)

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. (Hebrews 5:7)

Oh, what a comfort we have before us today! Jesus was betrayed, denied, abandoned, beaten, mocked, cursed, crucified . . . yet while hanging on that old rugged cross, forsaken, He was still heard. He was always heard because He is the beloved Son of the Father, in whom God is well pleased, who lived His life on earth before the face of God in reverent submission. Jesus offered up prayers and petitions in the morning, at midday, and in the evening. With fervent cries and tears He cried out to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane while His disciples slept and from the hill Golgotha while His disciples hid. His life was a life of continual communion with His Father in heaven. Can the same be said about you and me today?

Know this, even when heaven seems silent, you are heard. You may not receive the answer to your prayer that you were hoping for, but you did receive an answer. As I’ve said here many times, God answers with “Yes,” “No,” or “Wait.” But make no mistake, you have never offered a prayer in reverent submission that has not been answered by your Father in heaven.

Let me ask you: Are you not grateful that this is God’s formula in answering prayer? Are you not filled to overflowing with thanksgiving that God does not always say ‘Yes” to your requests? We can all look back over our lives with glad hearts that God said “No” to some of our requests. Our Father in heaven, who formed us in the womb, always knows what is best for us.

Because God sees the beginning from the end and knows us far better than we will ever know ourselves, He knows what we need, when we need it, and how we need it to be given to us. It is like looking through a small hole in a wooden fence. We can see only a tiny portion of the horizon, while our Father sees the whole. That is why the key to our prayer life is to be continually seeking the will of God. When we do that, we will live in the confidence of the truth of this powerful passage of Scripture:

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will . . . we have what we asked of him. (1 John 5:14-15)

Beloved in the Lord, be comforted this day, just as the psalmist was, knowing, “I call to God . . . and he hears my voice” (Psalm 55:16-17). Jesus was heard . . . and so are You!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

“Do not be afraid . . . do not fear, for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord, your Redeemer . . . (Isaiah 41:14)

I don’t know where this message finds you today and what need may be knocking at your door, but I do know the promise given to us from the prophet Isaiah: holy help is on the way! Now, beloved, it is one thing to hear from a friend who is willing to lend a helping hand or a colleague who stands ready to assist you. As welcome as their offers of aid are, it is another thing altogether to hear the omnipotent Creator God say to you, “I myself will help you.”

And, oh, how small a thing it is for our God to help us! Consider all that He has already done for us:

• He stepped down from His throne in heaven.
• He took on human flesh.
• He lived a sinless life.
• He died a sacrificial death.
• He was supernaturally raised from the grave.
• He ascended into heaven.
• He defeated sin, Satan, and death.

Even now, as our Lord Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father, He bears the marks of the cross on His body, making it perfectly clear just how willing and able He is to meet us in our deepest place of need. Know this, Christian: Jesus had you in His mind and on His heart even before the creation of the world, for He says, “Before the world began I chose you!” (Ephesians 1:4). If that is not enough to comfort you for the rest of your days, go over it again and again until you can rest in its truth.

Are you in need of strength? Omnipotence will meet you in your deepest place of need. Are you in need of wisdom? Jesus is the power and wisdom of God. Are you in need of comfort? Your Lord is ready to bring you cosmic comfort. Are you in need of direction? All you need to do is trust in Jesus and He will make your paths straight. Are you in need of peace? Jesus is ready to shower you with the peace that passes all understanding.

Regardless of the need, do not fear. Cast your cares before the Lord, and go forth this day in the confident assurance that holy help is on the way.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!