Category Archives: General

Encourage him!  (Deuteronomy 1:38)

These words were spoken by God to Moses. After God led His people out of bondage in Egypt and guided them through the desert for forty years, sustaining them manna from heaven and twice providing water from a rock, God instructed Moses to encourage Joshua, who would lead the Israelites into their Promised Land.

Notice two things:

• God did not call on the angels to encourage Joshua.
• God called on Moses, who was not even allowed to enter into the Promised Land

The beauty in these two words, “Encourage him,” is found in the fact that God uses His people to encourage His people. We are all called by God to be instruments of encouragement in His mighty right hand.

When you think about it, we are far better suited to encourage one another than an angel would be; an angel knows not what it means to come up against the waves of challenge in life. What angel has ever labored through a dark night of the soul or walked through the valley of the shadow of death? No, it is to each of us to be encouragers to one other.

Encourage one another and build each other up . . .  (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

We met the man called Barnabas in Acts 4:36. His name was Joseph, but the apostles called him Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), because his life was marked by encouraging others.

It grieves me to say this, but I am convinced that far too many in the church today are notable for discouraging others. They seem to live their lives under the proverbial rain cloud that is ready to open up at any moment. They see the glass as half empty, rather than half full. They always seem to find a way to bring others down, rather than lift them up.

But this is not for you! After Paul’s conversion, many Christians did not trust him. After all, this man who now called himself Paul had previously been Saul, a Pharisee who had been actively and eagerly engaged in persecuting the early Christian church. No doubt the believers worried that Paul’s conversion story was just a ruse designed to help him identify, capture, and kill more Christians. When Paul first arrived at Jerusalem, it was Barnabas who refused to question God’s supernatural work in Paul’s life; at great personal risk, he willingly met with Paul. The Son of Encouragement greeted Paul and convinced the other Christian believers to do the same. Later, Barnabas would encourage Paul on his missionary journeys.

Here are two truths to remember: Everyone needs encouragement and everyone can be an encourager.

Are you a Barnabas? What would those closest to you say? Who in your life right now needs a word of encouragement . . . and needs to hear it from you?

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)

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

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  (Ephesians 2:10)

The title for today’s word of encouragement is a play on words from John Bunyan’s classic Christian allegory, The Pilgrim’s Progress. After the Bible, it is one of the most important Christian writings for strengthening the faith of all of us who truly are “pilgrims in progress” as we make our way to the Celestial City. The story is a powerful dramatizes the trials, tests, and tribulations that Christian (the pilgrim in progress) faces as he journeys to his home in heaven.

Life places one demand on all of us: that we make measurable progress in reasonable time. How are you doing at that? Are you a pilgrim making progress?

Let me be clear on one very important point at the outset: The progress I am speaking of is not progress toward perfection. We will never be perfect until we reach the other side of the grave and enter into the presence of our Savior. Our progress will always be a mixture of both highs and lows, steps forward and steps back; but nevertheless, it should indeed be progress as we journey toward our home in the new heavens and the new earth.

Like Christian in The Pilgrim’s Progress, we will face countless challenges along the way as we walk with Christ: Worldly Wiseman, Giant Despair, Talkative, Ignorance, and the demons of the Valley of the Shadow of Death. But God has promised to take us through all of them as we progress on our way toward home. And along the way, we will leave a trail of “good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Christian, please remember that we are not saved by our good works, but rather we are saved to do good works, which are the clear and present evidence of our salvation at work within us.

And I hope you’ll hold onto this thought also: God does not need our good works, but everyone else in our lives certainly does! Our sanctification should cause us to lead a life of progress in service to others. We are saved to serve, and that service moves in two directions: vertically toward God and horizontally toward everyone else.

So, regardless of where this message finds you today, you are God’s handiwork; you are a work in progress who is to be making progress throughout your Christian life.

Where in your life right now do you need to be making a bit more progress? What is holding you back from being all God is calling you to be today? Remember, pilgrims make progress until they arrive at their final destination.

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

I will heal their waywardness and love them freely.  (Hosea 14:4)

Here we find all the truths of the Gospel in a single word: freely. The Lord Jesus Christ showers His limitless love upon His people, and He does it freely—not because we deserve it and certainly not because we are in a position to demand it.

Marinate in this truth today, and I can assure you that today will be like no other day you have yet lived. This one word—freely—rebukes every proud pharisaical heart that beats for the glory of the self. And it is also to be the healing balm for every broken heart that has been crushed under the weight of sin and shame.

The love of God in Christ Jesus comes to the Christian believer freely, not because of anything we do or don’t do. There is no condition that must first be met in order to experience this love that is freely given to us. It is simply the desire of the One who freely loves. He loves because He is love. And He loves us simply because He chooses to love us!

For [God] chose us in [Christ] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.  (Ephesians 1:4-6)

Imagine for a moment that you believed at some level that the reason for God loving you was rooted in you . . . perhaps because of your faithfulness to God or because of your fruitful service in expanding His kingdom. What would happen when you found yourself less than faithful and far from fruitful? You would question whether or not God still loved you. You might well fear going out in a thunder storm! You would constantly be looking over your shoulder, waiting for God to smite you for your imperfections. But when you read today’s text and see this word freely, you are reading the sweetest note your Savior ever played.

Jesus loved you freely from before the foundation of the world; He wrote your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the earth was formed. Jesus loved you freely when He raised you from death to life. And Jesus loves you freely today, regardless of the love you have—or have not—been giving back to Him.

This truth should absolutely rock your world! The love of God in Christ Jesus is given to us moment by moment, freely, without cost and without measure. Jesus does not give us His love in increments—a little love here and a little love there. Rather, Jesus pours His love down upon us from the fountains of heaven, love as unconditional as it is immeasurable.

So . . . what will that truth do for you today? Will it bring you comfort? Will it inspire you to new heights? Will it convince you that you truly do matter to God? Whatever this truth does for you this day, may it burn within your heart that the God of the universe loves you freely . . . He always has and always will.

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

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

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. (Proverbs 27:1)

Did you know there is one thing that no one who has lived or will live is able to do? That one thing is serve God tomorrow. Many of us plan to serve God tomorrow, but make no mistake, no one has ever done it and no one ever will!

Procrastination is a powerful enemy of the people of God. The word procrastinate comes from two Latin words which, combined, mean “toward tomorrow.” Procrastination whispers, “Why do today what you can put off till tomorrow?” Mark Twain once quipped, “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.” Procrastination is the mindset of simply being content to look toward tomorrow when we should be living for today.

Without question, procrastination is one of the unhealthiest habits we can develop, because it eliminates any opportunity for progress. When life is calling us to make measurable progress in reasonable time, procrastination tells us to wait for the “right” time or the “perfect” opportunity, when we have all of our proverbial ducks in a row. But somewhere in the back of our minds, we understand that perfection is impossible and unreachable, so we push off until tomorrow what we should be doing today. And tomorrow never comes!

I have allowed procrastination to set me back, and I have also learned from experience that progress can and will be made in less than perfect circumstances, because those are the only circumstances we have!

Regardless of where this message finds you today, isn’t it time to do what you know you ought to do? At the office? In your studies? In your marriage? With your children? For your health? With your finances? At your church? In your community?

Take a moment to prayerfully consider what is fueling your resistance to rising above procrastination. Is it the possibility of moving beyond your comfort zone? Then do what is uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable. It is the prospect of falling short of your intended goals? Falling short isn’t failing unless you fail to get up.

So . . . have you been caught up in doing the one thing that no one can do—serving God tomorrow? We all do, from time to time, which is why we must make a deliberate decision to choose either procrastination or progress. Remember, procrastination in the past does not define who you are. It only defines what you did (or chose not to do). You are a child of the Most High God, and you have been made for greatness. His mercies are new every morning and those mercies should be all the motivation you need to stop procrastinating and begin making progress in the direction God is calling you to go.

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

Here I am, I have come to do your will.  (Hebrews 10:9)

Every day we are faced with two choices: “Thy will be done” or “My will be done.” And the will we choose makes all the difference in the amount of meaning, significance, and purpose we will experience in this life.

So . . . which will it be for you?

Oh, you may accomplish much in this life apart from the will of God. Many do. But it is devoid of meaning, significance, and purpose, because it is done for the glory of self rather than the glory of the Savior.

It really comes down to which of these two words is the mark our lives: “MY” or “THY.” Our Lord Jesus Christ set the example of living a life according to the will of God. Even in His moment of greatest despair, during His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, with the judgment of God looming just before Him, He prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).

Let me give you three keys that unlock the door leading to a life of living for “THY” will, rather than “MY” will:

KEY #1 – God Is In You

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

KEY #2 – God Is For You

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

KEY #3 – God is With You

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:8)

When we know deep down in our hearts that God is in us . . . God is for us . . . and God is with us, we will seek to accomplish His will in our lives rather than our own will. We will be convinced of God’s abiding goodness, as He is always working things out for our ultimate good.

Which will it be for you this day? If you want to rise above the daily challenges of fear, frustration, and anxiety, cast yourself upon the Rock of your salvation and seek only one thing: His will in your life—even when you would rather not!

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

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.  (Psalm 90:12)

I like to put this verse, which is a prayer of Moses, under the heading of “The Cosmic Countdown.” I say that because that phrase reminds me of this truth: When you spend a day, you have one less day to spend . . . so spend it wisely!

Moses was asking God to teach him to number his days because he knew his days were numbered. God has planned, from eternity past, how many days of life we will experience on this side of the grave. As David wrote, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16).

None of us knows when we will draw our last breath on this earth. God knows, for it is He who gives all men life and breath and everything else (Acts 17:25); but we do not. And so we should make the most out of each day we are given by living it for the glory of God. We must keep in view that the past is gone, and the future is promised to no one. All we have is this day, which is why it is called “the present.” The Cosmic Countdown is on as we race toward the finish line in this life.

Moses modeled great wisdom for us by asking God to teach him to number his days. Moses knew well that life is as fragile as a mist that soon vanishes into thin air. He wrote:

“You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning—though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered” (Psalm 90:5-6).

We may live 70 or 80 or even 90 years, but what is that in comparison to eternity? Our present life is but a shadow of the eternal substance to come.

But take note of this truth: you and I must be taught by God to “number our days,” because it does not come naturally to our sinful nature to make the most out of life by living it for the One who gave us this time. Our flesh is far more likely to cry, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1 Corinthians 15:32).

But this is not for you! The Christian will, by God’s grace, reject the pull of the earthly nature we inherited from Adam and follow Paul’s exhortation: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

So . . . how are you doing in numbering your days? When was the last time you asked yourself this question: Is what I am doing right now the absolute best use of the time I have been given? Here is another great question to ponder: When all is said and done . . . what would you like said about all you have done?

As you consider the Cosmic Countdown that is taking place in your life right now, let me close today’s word of encouragement with a portion of the famous poem written by the British missionary C. T. Studd, “Only One Life, Twill Soon Be Past.”

Two little lines I heard one day,

Traveling along life’s busy way;

Bringing conviction to my heart,

And from my mind would not depart;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,

Soon will its fleeting hours be done;

Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,

And stand before His Judgment seat;

Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

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

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory.  (Psalm 84:11)

Notice what we do not read in today’s verse: we do not read that the Lord will give His children gold, grace, and glory; rather, the psalmist only promises that the Lord God will give grace and glory. If the Lord gives some of His people gold in abundance—and He has on several occasions—then praise His mighty name! But Christians have never been and never will be promised gold on this side of heaven. But what has been promised to the adopted children of God is grace and glory.

Make no mistake, the Lord frequently gives His people great gain in temporal things, especially in the United States. But every great gain that we receive is to be used for His glory and the expansion of His kingdom. Remember, everything you have has been given to you, no matter how hard you worked for it. Every breath you take and every beat of your heart is a gift from God . . . and that gift comes under the heading of grace. “What do you have that you did not receive?” the apostle Paul asked rhetorically (1 Corinthians 4:7). Everything we have is a gift from God; God is gracious to us every moment of every day.

Let’s take notice of something else that the psalmist does not say: he does not say, “The Lord may give grace and glory.” No, he says, “The Lord will give grace and glory.” Grace is a promise from God. Granted, this grace often comes shrouded in the shadows of storm winds. I have noted several times in these articles that God has promised that we will experience trials and tribulations. But God will always give to us in proportion, and He has promised to supply all the grace we need to sustain us in every wave of challenge that washes over us.

No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 NET)

Paul was confined to cold prison cells while he wrote much of the New Testament. Yet God gave Paul abundant grace to pen the inspired Word of God. And there is grace enough for you to do all God is calling you to do, regardless of the circumstances you are facing.

In addition to grace, God will give us glory, a sure and certain promise that awaits us on the other side of the grave. We work our way through this life by sustaining grace, but what should greatly encourage us along the way is the glory that awaits us, glory that eye has not seen and ear has not heard. It is, in a word, glory unspeakable!

Throughout whatever time God has given to each of us on this earth, let us be content to eat the grapes of sustaining grace, knowing that one day soon we shall drink the wine of glory forever and ever . . . Amen.

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

All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:47)

1 Samuel 17 recounts the story of David and Goliath. The giant Goliath was far bigger, much stronger, and vastly more skilled in battle than was David, the shepherd boy. Goliath had every conceivable advantage . . . except one, and that one advantage that David had was the most important one of all: the Lord God Omnipotent! The giant went into the battle in his own strength; David went into the battle in the strength of his God. You know who prevailed.

David uttered The Believer’s Battle Cry on that day, and it is to be our rallying cry every day of our lives: “The battle is the Lord’s.” And if the battle is the Lord’s, our victory is already assured. As the apostle Paul would write more than a thousand years later, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

To the watching world, the giant Goliath was “a lock,” a sure winner. Even Israel’s King Saul was greatly afraid of this giant of a man, who harshly blasphemed God and challenged the Israelites for forty straight days. But David, who had never set foot on a battlefield before, knew that the battle was the Lord’s; it didn’t matter how big and strong and experienced Goliath was, because God was infinitely bigger, stronger, and more experienced than the giant!

So . . . what giants are you facing today? What in your life has come up against you that is causing you to shrink back from all that God is calling you to be? The armies of Israel trembled and forgot the power of God when they were confronted by the Philistine giant; you and I are likely to forget God also. The Israelites looked fearfully at the sword and the spear in Goliath’s hand, rather than looking to the God of their salvation. We often do the same thing. If we keep our focus on the size of the giants we are currently facing, the size of our God will shrink. But if we keep our focus on God, as David did, every giant that comes up against us will shrink before our eyes and God will give us glorious victory!

David penned Psalm 108, which concludes with these words:

Give us aid against the enemy,

for the help of man is worthless.

With God we will gain the victory,

and he will trample down our enemies. (Psalm 108:12-13)

Regardless of the challenges you are facing today in your professional or personal life, the battle is the Lord’s, and He has promised never to leave nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). You can advance confidently toward every giant that comes up against you, because the battle is the Lord’s and He has promised to strengthen you and help you and uphold you (Isaiah 41:10). God did not bring you this far to leave you in defeat. He will carry you past this challenge and all the way into glory. Elsewhere in the Psalms, we read . . .

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 42:5 NET)

On the surface—and especially to the watching world around you—it might look like you do not possess the strength to overcome the giants that confront you. And if you were operating merely in your own strength, the world would be right! But you know the truth, just as David knew the truth:

Greater is the power that is in you than any power that comes against you!

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

Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!  (Ecclesiastes 9:4)

The Wise Preacher gave us words of great wisdom that are designed to encourage us, regardless of our station in life. Make no mistake, life is a very precious thing and a great gift from God; as this truth relates to spiritual matters, it is far better to be the absolute “least” in the kingdom of God than the greatest in the kingdom of this world. Here’s how “the prince of preachers” from the 19^th century, Charles Spurgeon, framed this biblical truth:

Where the Holy Ghost implants divine life in the soul, there is a precious deposit which none of the refinements of education can equal. The thief on the cross excels Caesar on his throne; Lazarus among the dogs is better than Cicero among the senators; and the most unlettered Christian is in the sight of God superior to Plato. Life is the badge of nobility in the realm of spiritual things, and men without it are only coarser or finer specimens of the same lifeless material, needing to be quickened, for they are dead in tress passes and sins. A living, loving, gospel sermon, however unlearned in matter and uncouth in style, is better than the finest discourse devoid of unction and power. A living dog keeps better watch than a dead lion, and is of more service to his master.

Where does this word of encouragement find you this day? Perhaps you are in the midst of trials that are troubling your workplace, impacting your family, or afflicting your health in some way. Fear not, for your God is with you!

Jesus took the wrath of God upon Himself when He hung on the cross; from the sixth to the ninth hour, He was separated from His Father in heaven. God, whose eyes are too pure to look upon evil (Habakkuk 1:13), could not look upon His Son, who was bearing the divine wrath of your sin and mine. And because of Christ’s unimaginable atoning love, we have this promise from our heavenly Father: “Never will I leave you, or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). God turned away from His beloved Son . . . so that you and I need never fear that He will turn away from us!

Even in a situation that seems utterly hopeless, you can and must still have hope, because you are not alone. The world may throw you to the side, friends may kick you to the curb, even family may abandon you, but your God holds you in His nail-scarred hands and will never let you go. Remember, Jesus did not only die for you, He lived for you every day of His life. And now He lives to make intercession with the Father on your behalf (Hebrews 7:25). Not only that, but his divine power has given you everything you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). You have His Word on it!

It is indeed true: “Anyone who is among the living has hope,” and that Hope is in you, with you, and for you. Cheerful confidence in Christ should be the joyful confession of our lives.

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

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  (Matthew 11:28-29)

What a powerful word of comfort that is for those of us who are tired today!

Yet there are two kinds of “rest” in view here. Let’s take a look at them both.

1. Temporal Rest – One of Kim’s favorite reminders for me is, “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” How right she is . . . and how often I forget it! Many of you are a lot like me; we are all exhausted. Yet we have been promised a temporal rest from our weariness.

You see, Jesus was not only fully divine, He was also fully human; and in His human nature, He needed rest every bit as much as you and I do. He worked with His hands as a carpenter, and it was hard work, because He had no electric tools to ease His labor. By the end of the day, He was undoubtedly tired, just like any of us after a long day’s work. And that is why He invites us into this kind of temporal rest. Jesus knew the importance of rest and understands exactly what we need by way of His own personal experience. The key is to remember to rest in Him . . . not in the countless other things smaller than Jesus that promise rest but do not deliver.

2. Eternal Rest – Beyond temporal rest lies the most important rest of all: the eternal rest that is promised to us on the other side of the grave. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has secured an eternal rest for the believer that surpasses all understanding. It is a rest that we will experience because everything that was once broken will now be made whole. We will labor, but without the thorns and thistles of judgment. We will love without envy or regret. We will live a life of unbroken fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ and we will know Him as He is.

So . . . where does this message find you today? Are you tired and weary and heavy-laden? Remember that we rest in Jesus by spending time with Him each day. Whatever you are going through that steals your strength, Jesus went through it also . . . and so much more! Then, once you have taken time to rest in Jesus, reflect on the promised rest that is to come one day soon in that place Jesus has prepared just for you, a place where there will be no more tears, pain, sorrow, or death. Now that’s a promised rest worth preparing for, wouldn’t you agree?

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