Category Archives: General

When was the last time you gave thought to just how merciful Jesus really is? It is my prayer for you that after reading this word of encouragement, you will continually contemplate the multiplied mercies of your Master.

Luke’s gospel tells of a man named Jairus, who came to Jesus and fell at His feet, begging Jesus to come to his house and heal his only daughter, who was 12 years old and dying. Jesus agreed to help, and then something remarkable happened. Our Lord healed a woman who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years—the same age as Jairus’ daughter—while He was on His way to heal the little girl! To me, this suggests a limitless supply of mercy within our Master. While on a mission of mercy to one, He extended mercy to another.

The life of Christ was marked by “mercies multiplied” everywhere He went. He healed the sick, made the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, and raised the dead to life. All of these mercies were delivered, of course, while He was on His way to the most magnificent errand of mercy the world has ever known!

When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 

(Matthew 27:50-51)

Every act of mercy performed by our Lord was done while on His way to the cross. He took time for the little children. He had a divine appointment with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. He received prostitutes and tax collectors. He ministered to His fearful disciples on a boat in a storm. He wept with two sisters who wept for the loss of their brother Lazarus. He patiently instructed Pharisees and teachers of the law who had sincere questions about His words. He even celebrated with his mother and disciples at a wedding. Everything Jesus did was a mercy to all those He did it with.

Notice that in Matthew’s account the curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom. The temple was divided into three primary parts: the courts (inner and outer); the Holy Place; and the Most Holy Place. The curtain separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, where only the high priest could go once a year on the Day of Atonement. The significance of the curtain being torn in two is that the barrier between God and His people has been removed once-for-all by the cross work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know what that means to you today? There is no barrier between you and God. It means mercies multiplied are ready for you to receive!

Our access to the Almighty is unrestricted. We have a heavenly Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, and we can go to Him morning, noon, and night, knowing that we will be received and met with mercies multiplied, because Jesus has never stopped being merciful to His people . . . and He never will.

So . . . what mercy do you need multiplied from your Master today? What’s keeping you away?

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

You might be wondering where I’m heading with a title like that! How can “having” be the key to happiness, especially in light of all that the Scriptures teach us? Well, if I am right, and having really is the key to happiness, it must come down to what it is we have! It cannot be having more possessions; Scripture makes it abundantly clear that happiness cannot be rooted in the stuff of life.

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 

(Psalm 84:10)

Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. 

(Proverbs 16:19)

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.

(Proverbs 17:1)

Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse. 

(Proverbs 28:6)

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

(Matthew 6:19-21)

This is just a tiny sampling of the biblical truth that having “stuff” is not the key to being happy in this life. Remember that the rich young ruler went away from Jesus sad, because he had a whole lot of stuff (Matthew 19:16-22). As I have said here before, it’s not what you possess that brings lasting joy, but rather, what possesses you. In order for “having” to be the key to happiness, it must come down to having the only thing that truly matters in this life and the next: the Lord Jesus Christ!

Funny thing about life, you never realize Jesus is all you need for happiness in this life until Jesus is all you have. So many saints have lived this truth. How could Stephen, the first Christian martyr, pray for the forgiveness of those who were stoning him to death? Because he had Jesus! How could Paul endure so many hardships in life and not grow disillusioned and bitter? Because he had Jesus! How could so many martyrs go to agonizing deaths singing hymns and spiritual songs praising God? Because they had Jesus!

The key to happiness is having Jesus. Nothing smaller than Jesus will ever bring us the kind of happiness we desire deep down, because once we have Jesus we realize that “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Life—both eternal and every day—consists not in our stuff, but in our Savior. This is the key that unlocks the doorway leading to unimaginable happiness and a deep, abiding joy that cannot be shaken by the circumstances of life.

Just a cursory glance at today’s society provides all the proof we need that happiness simply cannot be rooted in the stuff of life. We have more possessions and comfort in our culture than any other country on earth, and yet, as Thoreau said, so many of us are leading lives of quiet desperation . . . often utter despair.

How is it with you today? Where do you find your happiness? By God’s grace, may we be able to echo the words of Solomon: “Happy is he who trusts in the Lord” (Proverbs 16:20 RSV).

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

I have a word of unimaginable encouragement for you today that comes from a passage you may be very familiar with, yet many miss the impact of a significant portion of its message.

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(Romans 5:8)

If you have spent much time in church, you are probably familiar with the second half of the passage. It surely is tremendously encouraging to know the awesome, almost incomprehensible truth that “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

But we must be careful not to miss the encouragement that comes just before that! The key word in the first half of Romans 5:8 is “demonstrates,” because it is written in the present tense. The Holy Spirit of God clearly intended to instruct us that God is continually demonstrating His own love for us in our lives.

It would seem to have made better sense if Paul had written “God demonstrated” in the past tense, just like “Christ died.” Since Christ “died” for us in the past, you might well think that “demonstrated” would be the best choice of words. But Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Spirit, kept this word in the present tense; he did so for our ongoing encouragement.

To see the verse in context, Paul was addressing the suffering and persecution the Roman Christians were going through before he declared God “demonstrates” His on-going love.

We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

(Romans 5:3-5)

Paul was reminding the Christians then—and all of us today—that God’s love is continually poured into the lives of His people. Paul knew the only way the Roman Christians would be able to deal with the horrific persecution they were facing was to be reminded of the ever-present, continually-poured-out love of God. Scripture is telling us that the love of God in Christ Jesus is invested in the lives of His people 24/7. God takes no time out and no days off; He never slumbers or sleeps; He demonstrates His love for His children moment by moment.

It is one thing to keep in view the love God demonstrated on the cross, where Jesus took our place and paid the penalty for our sin. But as glorious as that truth is, it is another thing altogether to realize that God demonstrates His love for us in countless other ways with every beat of our hearts! Christian, don’t miss the eternal encouragement that is found in experiencing every ounce of God’s eternal love for you as a profound, present-day reality.

So . . . is this the confession of your life? It will be if you keep Paul’s profound pick-me-up in view and remember the unchanging fact that God demonstrates His love for you with every breath you take.

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

People often ask me, “How can I know that I am in the will of God?” I’m happy to tell them that the answers to the most important aspects of God’s will are clearly outlined in the Scriptures. The more we marinate in and meditate on the Scriptures, the better we will understand God’s will for our lives. To be sure, the Bible does not tell us which car to buy, what job to take, or which person to marry. But the Scriptures do give us a solid framework for making the best possible decisions that will bring us the most happiness and give the greatest glory to God.

Jesus modeled this truth for us throughout His entire earthly existence. Perhaps, there is no better place to see this than in His wilderness experience and His thrice times utterance: “IT IS WRITTEN!” For every attack the devil threw His way, Jesus countered with the Word of God . . . and every counter conquered His adversary.

What was true for Jesus then is true for us today. But we cannot counter with the Word of God unless we know the Word of God; we cannot know the Word of God unless we are reading the Word of God.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

(Romans 12:2)

Being a disciple of Jesus goes far beyond mere behavior modification. It is simply not enough to refrain from doing what those in the world do. Our minds must be renewed to the point where our hearts are reoriented, which results in our will being realigned to the will of God. This is the work of His Holy Spirit, yet God calls us to take part in this process of renewal. We must discipline ourselves to read the Word of God, to attend church, to pray, and to serve.

Think about it this way: God has given us the great privilege of participating in the process of growing to maturity in our faith. To be sure, it is all of grace, but God empowers us to play our role. The more we play our role, the better we can discern God’s will for our lives. As the Spirit of God transforms us from the inside out, our will begins to align with the will of the Almighty. We make decisions that are both pleasing to God and beneficial to others . . . all others.

So . . . how are you doing in living out God’s will for your life? Could you use a little tune-up in the area of the renewing of your mind? If so, simply follow the prescription provided in the Sermon on the Mount:

ASK . . . SEEK . . . KNOCK!

Remember, “Everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). Ask God to work in you to will and to act according to His good purposes, and then determine to do your part in drawing closer to Him. And do you know what? As you do these things, you will be right smack in the middle of God’s will!

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

Back in the days when I was focused on personal development, I read the one of the best-selling business books of all time, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Mr. Hill’s philosophy went beyond helping one become financially wealthy to helping them succeed in any line of work and to be and do almost anything they wanted. At the time, I remember thinking, “Not a bad read!” But after God saved me, I found a much better read, one that empowers the reader to go beyond riches . . . to righteousness.

As image bearers of the Almighty, we have the mental capacity to think about whatever we set our minds to consider. And in so doing, we set a course that will either lead us in the direction God wants us to go or the direction we would rather go.

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:5-6)

The apostle Paul made a remarkable statement here: What we set our minds on determines, to an altogether unsuspecting extent, the issue of life and death! When was the last time you thought about that? Over and over again, the Bible tells us to take control of our thoughts and explains that we have been given the power to take control of our thoughts because we have been given the mind of Christ.

“For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

(1 Corinthians 2:16)

Here Paul was quoting an Old Testament passage, Isaiah 40:13, to tell us that we have the capacity to think the thoughts of God when it comes to His plan and purpose in this world.

Make no mistake, the mind of man is the exact opposite of the mind of Christ. Man’s mind is man-centered, always thinking how to expand the cause of man’s little kingdom. Man’s mind is rooted in self-protection and self-satisfaction.

But every Christian believer has received the Holy Spirit of God and thus has the ability to rise above the thoughts of mere mortals and to think as the Master thinks—thoughts rooted in self-sacrifice and self-denial. This is the thought process of those who “Think and Grow Righteous.”

So . . . what have you been thinking about lately? Where do your thoughts go when you do not choose to set them on what the Spirit of God desires? Let’s close with one more exhortation from the inspired pen of Paul that will help us rise above the challenges of daily living as we think and grow righteous.

Brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

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

Baseball legend Yogi Berra once said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” The phrase “fork in the road” is often used metaphorically to describe those deciding moments in life when a major decision must be made. Is this the person I want to marry? Is this the career I should pursue? Should I make this move to another state?

How do you deal with the many forks in your road of life? I hope you heed the Bible’s advice:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes . . .  (Proverbs 3:5-7)

Here is the key that unlocks the door leading to the life God is calling us to live. And the reason this is so profoundly true lies in the fact that much of what you and I consider to be “understanding” is actually misunderstanding . . . simply because our understanding is broken! Often we don’t see things as they truly are, but rather as we want to see them. Our interpretation of what is going on around us is just that: our interpretation. That is why we must look above and beyond ourselves and seek out the wisdom that will carry us through every fork in the road and onto the straight path God has prepared for us.

Notice that Scripture is not telling us to turn away from understanding. That is the siren song of the world, which frequently tells us to “Follow your heart.” That is devastatingly bad advice! Scripture says flatly that our hearts are “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV). And we’re supposed to follow our hearts?!

God’s wisdom book of Proverbs never instructs us to follow our hearts, but rather urges us to “Incline our hearts to understanding” (Proverbs 2:3); exhorts us to “Buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23); and reassures us that “Understanding will guard us” (Proverbs 2:6). In the passage featured today, we are told to turn away from our “own understanding,” which simply means an understanding that is the product of our own conclusions, drawn apart from the wisdom of Almighty God.

Now, to trust in the Lord with all our heart is to trust Him even when we cannot trace Him. To be sure, we cannot see things from God’s perspective. He sees everything, from beginning to end, and He knows what is best for us. God’s perspective is eternal, and therefore He guides us into what is eternally best, which is often not what we feel to be best in the moment. When Solomon penned Proverbs 3:7, saying, “Do not be wise in your own eyes,” this was another way of saying “Do not be a fool”—one who keeps his or her own counsel when infinite Wisdom is at our disposal.

What God would have us do at every fork in the road is to prayerfully consider which path He would have us take. That big promotion at the office might give us more income but take away significant time with our families. A particular course of study might land us a high-paying job, but may very well not be work that brings us joy and may not be where God wants us to serve.

To be faithful at the fork in the road requires us to look to the Faithful One. This requires time in His Word, time on our knees, and time with other godly people who will often provide perspective we do not have. Make no mistake, understanding that comes from above will keep us on the straight and narrow here below. You have His Word on that!

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

How well did you sleep last night? Did you spend the night tossing and turning? Perhaps you hit the “snooze” button a few times this morning and still got out of bed feeling like you needed more rest? Today I’d like to give you a word of encouragement about your sleepless Savior:

I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber . . . (Psalm 121:1-3)

When was the last time you thought about Jesus staying up all night just to watch over you? Perhaps we would all toss and turn a little less and awake feeling far more rested if we kept this Gospel truth before us. The psalmist tells us that our help comes from the One who refuses to slumber or sleep.

So . . . where have you been looking for your help lately? Think about this for a moment: the Creator of the universe, the One who created you, cares so much for you that He never sleeps! That means He is always working. Jesus assures us that “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working” (John 5:17). Jesus is working for you; Jesus is working in you; Jesus is working through you. Every night . . . all night . . . your Savior is sleepless on your behalf.

To be sure, this thought of the Creator and Sustainer of all things, the Alpha and the Omega, watching over us day and night, is a thought almost too much for our finite minds to comprehend. The love that sought us, caught us, and bought us—the relentless, pursuing love of God in Christ Jesus—never takes a moment off or calls for a time out. Jesus is watching over each and every one of us, twenty-four hours a day, seven days each week, 365 days each year, year after year after year, from everlasting to everlasting! Our God has promised us, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

When God sent Moses back to Egypt to lead His people out of bondage, He instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go, that they may serve me!” We are all called to be servants of our Most High God. That is why we are here on this earth: to serve and glorify our God by doing what He has called us to do. I truly cannot think of any greater encouragement in our service to God than knowing that He is in constant service to us!

The next time you find yourself experiencing one of those “sheep-counting” moments late at night, remember that your Savior will never slumber; He will meet you in your place of deepest need in this life and in the next. You have His Word on it!

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

You may remember the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids movie trilogy about a scientist father who accidentally reduces his family to the size of insects with his electromagnetic shrink ray. Today I’d like to offer a word of encouragement about a different kind of shrinking, the kind that comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This supernatural shrinkage causes us to decrease while our Lord increases.

He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30 ESV)

These words are contained in the final discourse of John the Baptist in the New Testament’s fourth gospel. God raised up John to be the forerunner of the Lord Jesus Christ. To say that John’s ministry was “successful” would be an understatement of gargantuan proportions. And yet we can find no selfish ambition or self-centeredness in John anywhere. When asked who he was, John made it clear that he was totally content to be what he was not. He asserted that he was not “the Prophet” or “Elijah” or “the Christ.” John was utterly devoid of any narcissism as he played the divine role God had called him to play as a “voice of one crying out in the wilderness” (John 1:23 ESV).

John the Baptist possessed the supernatural strength to shrink because he had Jesus. His identity was in his Messiah, not in his ministry. He found his significance only in his Savior. His purpose in life was rooted in the person and work of Jesus Christ. John was just like the apostle Paul when it came to his understanding of life: to live was Christ . . . and Christ alone. John’s heart beat for nothing smaller than Jesus, right up until it beat its last at the hands of the sword of the wicked King Herod.

Only those who have their identity in Jesus can say, “He must increase and I must decrease.” John found joy in this truth, the kind of joy that simply cannot be shaken by outward circumstances. John’s joy was an inside job, created by the presence of the Holy Spirit.

One more thing about this incredible shrinking man. John the Baptist said he was unworthy to untie the laces of Jesus’ sandals, a job that only a gentile slave would be required to do prior to washing his master’s dirty feet. This godly man, of whom Jesus said, “Among those born of women there is no one greater than John” (Luke 7:28), considered himself lower than the lowliest slave in comparison to the King of kings and Lord of lords.

How is it with you? How are you doing in the area of decreasing? And is Jesus increasing in your life? Remember that these two actions—decreasing and increasing—go hand in hand. Jesus will not increase in your life if your life is too full of yourself. But the more you decrease, the more He will increase; and that, beloved, will make your joy complete!

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

Today I’d like to lift up a biblical model that comes from the life of the One who was constantly engaged in what I call “errands of eternal encouragement.”

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. (Acts 10:38)

Jesus spent His short time here on this earth in the ministry of going around doing good. Wouldn’t that be well said of all of us . . . that we poured out our lives going around doing good? I want to call your attention to a few particulars that can be a source of great inspiration to you today, right where this finds you. Jesus went around doing good . . .

INTENTIONALLY – Jesus was intentional about everything He did, especially as it related to going around and doing good. I have always found it remarkable to find these words at the beginning of John’s account of Jesus meeting the woman at Jacob’s well: Jesus “had to pass through Samaria”! Whatever the reasons that Jesus had for going through Samaria, which certainly included His divine appointment with the Samaritan woman, He passed through intentionally. It was no accident or a random roll of the dice that Jesus met this woman and offered her the gift of eternal salvation; our Lord’s entire life was marked by doing good intentionally.

PERSONALLY – Jesus went around doing good personally. He could have sent any or all of His disciples on His behalf to do all the good He intended to do, but He did not. He went around personally. He spoke with the woman at the well; He traveled for days to raise Lazarus from the tomb; He dined with Zacchaeus in his home; and He recruited the fishermen on the shoreline. Jesus personally touched the eyes of the blind and the skin of the leper; He changed water into wine at the wedding at Cana; He cleansed the temple in Jerusalem; and He talked late into the night with the religious leader Nicodemus.

Our Lord Jesus Christ engaged in His errands of eternal encouragement both intentionally and personally. He not only left us with a picture of encouragement but also with a model to follow. We must be intentional about going around doing good, or we will simply never find the time to get around to doing it! And make no mistake, it is one thing to have a good thing done on your behalf; it is another thing altogether to do good and do it yourself.

If we are to be models of our Master in living out the truths of the Gospel, we must not grow weary in our well-doing (Galatians 6:9). We will look for ways to meet people in their place of need and we will do the work ourselves as much as it is within our power.

In only 3 ½ years, how busily was our Lord engaged in the lives of others! But don’t miss this important truth: He often retreated to quiet places to spend time in prayer with His Father in heaven. He was always operating in the strength of His Holy Spirit, and if we are to live lives marked by going around doing good, we too should often retreat to spend time in prayer with Jesus.

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

We have a responsibility to pass on the exalted truths of God from generation to generation. And that includes not only proclaiming His hand of mercy, but His hand of judgment. The combination of these divine attributes provides us with a full-orbed picture of God’s eternal plan of redemption, offering important life lessons for Christian believers

.Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers? Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten. (Joel 1:2-4)

The Word of God instructs us to be students of God’s story. And the only way we can be students of His story is to read it, meditate on it, and come to know it. God inspired the prophet Joel to urge parents to take the time to know God’s story and to pass it along to their children.

The locusts Joel referred to were agents of God’s divine judgment on His people for their rebellion and disobedience. And when the destroying swarms of locusts were understood to be an instrument of redemption in the hands of God, His people would respond in repentance and return to their God. This is the pattern throughout the Old Testament history of God and His people: things would go well for a while; the people would grow complacent and turn away from God; God would send judgment; and the people would repent and return to God.

So . . . how well are you at telling God’s story to those around you? Are you spending adequate time in the Word each day to know it well enough to tell it? Sadly, many in the church today neglect the rich history of God’s story in the Old Testament. Yet the New Testament doesn’t make sense without the Old! It has been well said that “The Old Testament is revealed in the New, and the New Testament is concealed in the Old.” Both the Old and New Testaments make up one single story of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The key is to see the Bible as a metanarrative—one single, overarching story—from beginning to end. Scripture is not comprised of 66 disconnected books offering stories with moralistic messages to keep us in line; it is the incomparable saga of God’s redemption and His pursuing love for rebels on the run. And God wants us to know it so well that we can share it with our children . . . so that they will share it with their children. With all the “stuff” we can pass along to our kids, there is nothing more important to give them than the story of our Savior.

Finally, in telling God’s story to our children, we are also to share how our story intersects with it. We can share the lessons we have learned in life from both our victories and our defeats. And we should explain how, through it all, God has loved us with an everlasting love that would lift us out of the ashes of defeat, dust us off, and send us back into the game of life. Now that is a story worth telling, over and over and over again!

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