Category Archives: General

Unto us a child is born, to us a son is given. (Isaiah 9:6)

Today is the first day of December, which means Christmas is finally drawing near. As a pastor, I am reminded that the Christmas season is filled with mixed emotions. For some, as the song says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” . . . but for others, it is a time of fresh reminders of painful providences from a Christmas now past, reminders which make the Christmas season the most painful time of the year for many.

I relate to both groups quite well. To be sure, the Christmas season is a wonderful time of the year for the Boland family. We make our annual trek to Disney World to share in Mickey’s Christmas. We take out the decorations, turning our Florida home into a winter wonderland. Most importantly, it is the time of the year when we are reminded of the good news of the Gospel, proclaimed a little more than 2,000 years ago on that first Christmas morning in the little town of Bethlehem.

Inasmuch as Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year for our family, it is also the most painful. Both of my parents went home to be with the Lord during the Christmas season: Mom after only a six-week battle against cancer during the 2014 Christmas season and Dad on Christmas Day, 1995. Both of these painful memories are reminders of how desperately we need the good news of the Gospel.

You see, sin brought death into this world, but God promised us life through His Son, Jesus Christ. Death is not the end for the Christian; death has lost its sting because Jesus conquered death when He came out of the grave on the third day. And that is the glorious good news of the Gospel. By trusting in the atoning work of Jesus Christ as our Savior, our sins are forgiven and then death merely marks the beginning of life eternal with Him.

“Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43 NKJV)

So regardless of where this Christmas season finds you—whether it is filled with wonder and joy or marred by pain and sorrow or, as it is for me and for many of you, mixed with some of both—keep the good news of the Gospel in view. God promised a Savior, and on that first Christmas morning He fulfilled that promise in the birth of the baby Jesus. But Jesus did not stay a baby. He grew up, increased in wisdom and stature, lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death, rose supernaturally from the grave, and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father.

Jesus knows the wonder of Christmas and He knows the pain of it too. When He promised to never leave nor forsake you, He meant with He said! Jesus is not only with you, He is for you. Remember that glorious truth over the next 25 days as we advance toward Christmas Day.

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

Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”(John 13:37)

We have a tendency to prepare ourselves for the attacks of the evil one where we are the weakest. But experience has taught me that Satan often attacks where we are seemingly the strongest. Today’s word is designed to be both a comfort and a caution to you as you go throughout your day.

In today’s verse we read of Peter’s sold-out commitment and service to his Savior. Peter was confident in his commitment to Christ, but, ultimately, Peter’s confidence was in himself. Peter was boasting of his own strength, and this is exactly where the devil found his foothold.

Peter was unaware of the weakness of his strengths. We must all remember that the enemy’s attacks will come, not only at our weak points or during our low periods, but also at the peak of what we consider to be our strengths. Peter was secure in his belief that his own strength and will could withstand any attack that might come his way, and that is exactly where Satan tripped him up, exposing Peter’s true, natural condition: harassed and helpless apart from his Shepherd.

What was true for Peter is true for you and me. We have all been tripped up by the devil in places we felt the strongest. Our strength is our weakness when, like Samson, we trust in the gift of our strength rather than in the One who gave us that gift. We must never believe that we are safe in our strengths; we are only safe in the strength of our Savior, who is at work within us. To be sure, the devil looks for chinks in our armor and launches his attacks, but we must also be ready to do battle with the evil one in areas where we believe we are fully armored.

When we find ourselves in the cross-hairs of the world, the flesh, and the devil, let us remember that we can do all things . . . but only those things in which Christ has strengthened us. The best way to keep our strengths from becoming our weaknesses to the watching world is to keep our eye of faith fixed on Jesus, the One who has promised us victory in Him and in Him alone. It is in His strength, nor our strength, where we will stand firm against every attack the devil sends our way.

As James said, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Christian, remember that where we are weak, there Christ is strong.

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

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Luke 12:6-7)

When was the last time you considered just how much God cares for you—I mean, really contemplated and considered God’s cosmic care for you? Has it been a while? Well, I have a word of eternal encouragement for you today!

In the passage from which today’s verse is taken, Jesus is talking about how valuable you are to God and just how much He cares for you. When Jesus says, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God” (Luke 12:6), He is arguing from the lesser to the greater. If God cares for five sparrows that are sold for roughly a single hour’s pay, then how much more does God care for you—you who are made in the image of God? Then Jesus strengthens His message of “cosmic care” for you even further by revealing that the exact number of hairs on your head are known by God.

The problem for most of us is that we have a tendency to forget what God thinks about us and to focus more on what others think of us. Yet our true worth comes not from our peers and how they judge our performance; our true worth comes from God, because we are His and His care for us is cosmic—which is another way of saying that His care is beyond our comprehension. God cares for all of His creatures and that most certainly includes you, right now, right where this finds you. God’s care for you does not fluctuate based on your accomplishments, achievements, or accolades. His care for you is fixed from eternity past. He tells us,

I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. (Jeremiah 31:3)

Christian, consider this biblical truth as you begin yet another day of life on this side of the grave: there has never been a time in your life—in fact, there has never been a time in all eternity—when God has not cared for you and loved you with His eternal love. You have eternally been the object of His Almighty affection. From everlasting to everlasting, you have been on His mind, in His heart, and part of His eternal plan. This should strengthen your resolve to rise above anything that has been trying to keep you down, knowing that the power of the One who is in you is greater than the power of the one who is in this world (1 John 4:4).

So the next time you are grooming yourself for the day ahead, consider what you are holding in your hand: a “holy hair brush,” because the Holy One knows who you are, what you need, and precisely how many hairs are left on your head after you just brushed. Now, that is care worth contemplating . . . don’t you agree?

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

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 103:2)

All across America, the first day after Thanksgiving is known as “Black Friday,” marking the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. The most plausible explanation for the term “Black Friday” is related to the profit and loss statements for retailers; the Christmas shopping crush is when many retailers begin to turn a profit for the fiscal year, thus going from being “in the red” on their balance sheets to being “in the black.”

I would like to suggest another name for this day: “Forgetful Friday.” I say that because so many of us become totally immersed in buying and selling on this day, not even 24 hours after we had spent our time giving thanks to God for His many blessings. How soon we forget!

For many, their forgetfulness begins even before Friday, due to the countless “pre-Black Friday” sales; some of these even take place during Thanksgiving Day. To fully grasp how complete the forgetfulness is for many, you can go online and pull up countless video clips of the consumer chaos created by shoppers flooding stores, looking to save a buck. Like herds of raging bulls ready to stampede, they gather outside retail outlets hours before the scheduled opening; when the doors open, it is every man, woman, and child for themselves. Shoppers and employees have been trampled, vicious fights have broken out in store isles, and some have even been killed . . . all in search of a “Black Friday” bargain

Now, please don’t misunderstand me. There’s nothing wrong with looking for bargains; that is simply being a good steward of the resources God has given us. We should look for sales and clip coupons whenever we can. But when the “stuff” of this life begins to crowd out our Savior, we are heading in the wrong direction. When we get up from the last bite of our thanksgiving meal and start shoving our way through crowds to get the best deal, we have shoved our Master off the throne of our lives and replaced Him with the god “Merchandise.”

But this is not for you! If you are heading out to take advantage of some super sales this “Black Friday,” just remember what you celebrated the day before: Thanksgiving! The key is to be thankful for what you have while you are in pursuit of what you want, and to make sure you pursue those wants in a way that honors and glorifies God.

Perhaps keeping these words from the apostle Paul in view will help protect us from getting caught up in the frenzy of “Forgetful Friday” —

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

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

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving . . . The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me. (Psalm 50:14, 23 ESV)

On Monday we set out a definition for “a sacrifice of thanksgiving,” and I asked the question, “How are we to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving during those seasons when we don’t feel very thankful?” Today, on the day before we celebrate Thanksgiving Day here in the United States, we will discuss just how we are to live it out this command.

“A sacrifice of thanksgiving” lived out . . .

The only way to live out a true sacrifice of thanksgiving is to keep in view the sacrifice of our Savior. When we lose sight of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we begin to live more and more according to our feelings, desires, and expectations. At that level of living, praise and thanksgiving flow from us when we are feel that life is good, we are achieving our desires, and our expectations are being met. Yet, as we go through life as broken people inhabiting a broken world, we frequently feel that life is bad, that we are not achieving our desires, and we find ourselves facing unmet expectations. And that is exactly why we must keep the sacrifice of our Savior in view at all times.

The clearer our view of the cross work of Christ, the more we will live according to God’s perfect plan and purpose for our imperfect lives . . . which means that life frequently will not go according to our plans! Because God is God and knows what is best for us, He often causes us to walk down unplanned paths and through painful providences for two simple reasons: our good and His glory. I will grant you that many of those providences don’t feel particularly good or appear the least bit glorious. And it is during these times when thanksgiving is a sacrifice for the saints of God.

So as you prepare to celebrate another Thanksgiving Day, meditate on all that Jesus has done for you, and you will find yourself offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God, not only when the sky is blue, the clouds fleecy, and the sun brightly shining, but also on those days when the storm winds are blowing and the waves of challenge are crashing over you.

May you and yours have a blessed Thanksgiving!

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

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving . . . The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me. (Psalm 50:14, 23 ESV)

We have arrived at Thanksgiving Week of 2017, and what I would like to do in these two blogs leading up to Thanksgiving Day is to encourage you to pause and reflect on what the verse above is truly instructing us to do.

At first glance, the phrase “sacrifice of thanksgiving” seems incongruent. How could being thankful for receiving some blessing be a sacrifice? It seems like such a natural response. Clearly the psalmist had something more in view, and I think this is it: to be thankful continually . . . even when we would rather not be thankful.

Today we will look at the definition of a “sacrifice of thanksgiving,” and on Wednesday we will see how we are to live it out.

“A sacrifice of thanksgiving” defined

When the sky is blue, the clouds are fleecy, and the sun is brightly shining, it is easy to be thankful to God. There really is no cost—no sacrifice—in being thankful when everything is going your way. Your boss has given you a raise, your medical checkup was outstanding, and there is harmony in the home. To be sure, thanksgiving flows from our hearts to heaven when we are in these calm seasons.

But what about those days when the storm winds begin to blow and the waves of challenge crash over us? That’s when thanksgiving feels more like a sacrifice . . . something that is a bit more costly. Here are a few examples:

• The promotion you expected goes to someone else.
• There is too much month left at the end of your money.
• Your family relationships have become strained.
• The medical test comes back positive.

I am sure you can think of many more examples. Perhaps you are in the middle of one of them right now. These are the seasons our Lord is speaking of when he directs us to offer “a sacrifice of thanksgiving” to Him. Heaven seems silent, God seems distant, and being thankful is going to take some effort on your part!

We see this concept reiterated in the New Testament; the letter to the Hebrews reminds us that we are to continually offer, through Jesus Christ, “a sacrifice of praise” to our God (Hebrews 13:15). There are no qualifications or stipulations. It is simply what the child of God is to be doing, regardless of the circumstances in life.

But how do we do it? How do we offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise when we don’t feel all that thankful? Come back Wednesday to find out!

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

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. (Revelation 3:7)

Our God is the keeper of the gate into glory. It is God who holds the key that unlocks the door leading to eternal life, and it is God who locks it behind us, keeping all who have entered eternally safe. This is the key of David, and it is designed to offer you both encouragement and comfort—not only today, but all the way into glory.

Here are some of the incredible implications of this verse:

Salvation is rooted in . . .

• God’s mercy – not our merit
• God’s grace – not our good works
• God’s good pleasure – not our posturing

The gate that allows access into eternal life is opened by God and God alone. He is the one who extends His invitation; He is the one who offers His mercy; He is the one who pours out His grace on His adopted children. And when we receive God’s offer of salvation, by grace through faith, we can be assured that our home in heaven is irrevocably secured (Romans 11:29).

In addition, the same gate that allows access into eternal life is closed and secured by God too. What this means is that eternal life is assured and judgment is certain. You see, today is a day of invitation for all those who stand outside the gate. God in Christ has extended His invitation to everyone who will trust in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life. The promise is eternal life for those who will abandon their self-salvation projects and transfer their trust to the Savior. Jesus calls to all who will hear:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

The frightening flip side of this truth, however, is this: tomorrow may not be a day of invitation, because tomorrow may be that day when we breathe our last and the gate leading to eternal life is shut forever.

So if you have acknowledged yourself to be a sinner in need of a Savior and have transferred your trust to Jesus Christ, rejoice! Know that a banquet is being prepared for you this day; and one day soon you will be sitting at table with Jesus Christ.

To know that your salvation is secure is to know that there is nothing in the entire universe that can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39)—not your sins in the past . . . nor your sins in the future . . . not Satan . . . nothing! The door that was opened for you by your Savior has also been closed and locked behind you. You couldn’t turn around and walk back out again even if you wanted to! You are held securely and eternally in the hand of your Savior (John 10:28).

Does that truth not fill you with unimaginable strength for the day ahead? If Jesus has the ultimate authority as the keeper of the gate, He is absolutely sovereign over every detail of your life. Nothing happens to you that doesn’t first pass through His nail-scarred hands. And everything that happens to you, no matter how wonderful or dreadful it may seem in the moment, is taking place for two reasons: God’s glory and your eternal good.

Christian, you are held securely by the Keeper of the gate . . . you have His word on it!

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

Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman . . . as surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” (2 Kings 5:20)

The story of the prophet Elisha being used of God to heal Naaman of leprosy is well known by students of the Scriptures. There is another story, however, that is closely associated with this miraculous event that is less familiar and perhaps more profound in its message: the greed of Gehazi.

Naaman was the commander of the army of the king of Syria. The Bible tells us that he was a mighty man of valor, but suffered from leprosy. One day he sought out the prophet Elisha in order to be cured. Naaman was displeased with the response he received from Elisha, but he did as he was instructed and went down to the Jordan, dipped himself in the river seven times, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child.

Naaman was hugely grateful for his healing and wanted to reward Elisha, but Elisha refused. Enter Elisha’s servant Gehazi, who had a leprous heart that was beating for things smaller than God. Gehazi ran after Naaman, requesting the reward that Elisha had refused. When Elisha discerned his servant’s actions, the prophet rebuked Gehazi for his greed, and Gehazi became as Naaman had been—a leper, with skin white like snow.

By nature, we all have a bit of Gehazi in us. We have leprous hearts that beat for the stuff of this world rather than our Savior. On the outside, Gehazi looked quite good to the watching world. He was a servant of the great prophet Elisha, which brought Gehazi close to God and God’s Word continually. He was immersed in an environment of all things eternal. But his leprous heart was beating for that which was temporal, and eventually, what he loved most rose to the surface of his life. It always does!

What has your heart been beating for lately? Things above or things below? What have you been running after? Do not be deceived as Gehazi was and think all is well inwardly simply because of your outward environment. As a servant of the prophet Elisha, Gehazi was close to God outwardly, but deep inside, his heart was far from God. Remember, it is not your religion—rooted in your church attendance, prayer life, daily devotions, and service to God—that guards you from a leprous heart. It is always and in every way your right relationship with your Redeemer, because the ultimate reward in both life and death is Jesus.

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

You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed (Jeremiah 20:7)

Over the decades of working as a coach and a trainer, I have been able to tell athletes that if they did certain things, they could expect certain results. For example, for those who had the goal of getting stronger, participating in a consistent weight training program would produce the desired result. For the goal of increasing speed, a systematic running and sprinting program would be the way to go. However, inasmuch as this principle is also at work for the Christian who desires a closer walk with Jesus, and who consistently engages in the spiritual disciplines of Bible study, prayer, corporate worship, service, giving, and so on, that Christian is likely to find that God often gives us something totally unexpected . . . perhaps even unwanted!

Today’s verse is an example of the unexpected. The prophet Jeremiah did not foresee the trials he would endure when God called him into his prophetic ministry; Jeremiah’s preaching ministry did not return the results he had expected. Jeremiah was faithful to preach the Word of God, but his reward was beatings and prison. While you and I may never see the inside of a dungeon, we often find ourselves in the same situation as Jeremiah: experiencing the exact opposite of what we had expected God to do in our lives. Tragically, when we are confronted by the unexpected, a root of bitterness may grow within us, diminishing God’s glory in our eyes and robbing us of the good God intended for us.

Our God is in the business of delivering the unexpected. Because God sees the beginning from the end, He knows what is best and He orchestrates events to produce His perfect results—which are often completely unexpected! Like Jeremiah, we do certain things and expect certain results. Without realizing it, we put our God in a box. And once we do that, we begin serving the “god” we wanted, rather than the God who is.

Here are three things to remember if we are going to have any measure of peace and joy in this life:

1. There is a God.
2. It is not me.
3. And I don’t get a vote!

Regardless of where this message finds you today, remember that God is in the business of delivering the unexpected. We all must keep these powerful words from our Lord before us: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). The better we become at “being still,” the better we will become at receiving the unexpected—and the freedom, joy, and faithfulness it is designed to deliver.

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