Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6)
If you are anything like me, and you really like to be in control, I have a word of comfort and encouragement for you today. To be sure, it isn’t easy to deny yourself and your desires, to mortify your flesh, and to submit to God’s will and timing in your life. We all have a tendency to be a bit like Martha, who not only tried to control her environment, she also tried to control Jesus!
As one of Jesus’ closest friends, Martha seems to have been constantly stressing over the details of daily living, especially when it came to hospitality – which is a good gift from God that we can turn into a bad gift if we believe it is the ultimate gift. Martha was growing more and more exasperated as she was preparing a meal for Jesus and His disciples while her sister Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus instead of continuing with the preparations.
Finally Martha’s frustration boiled over. “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?” Martha demanded acerbically. “Tell her to help me!” Notice the response from Jesus: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:40-41).
Martha was doing a good thing in her hospitality. But her need to be in control would not allow her to shut it down and sit with Jesus. Her controlling nature came between her and the Lord. Yet Jesus never rebuked Martha; He simply told her what is best – Him – and said the best would not be taken away from Mary. Jesus is the cure for control freaks like Martha and me. Luke’s account makes it clear that what we do for Jesus is not as important as what we do with Him. And spending time at the feet of Jesus is the cosmic cure for our controlling nature.
Remember, when Jesus raised you from death to life, you surrendered control of your life to Him. And there is no one better to be in control of your life than Jesus! The more time you spend sitting at His feet, the better you will be able to surrender your time, talent, and treasure to His control for the expansion of His kingdom and not your own.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT…AMEN!
May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep . . . (Hebrews 13:20)
The writer of Hebrews was telling us that before we were even in existence, Jesus was on the way to save and sanctify us. Rightly understood, the truth of God’s eternal covenant will provide you with a peace that passes all understanding. You were on the mind and heart of God before you were on this earth! To be sure, our finite minds cannot begin to understand the eternal encouragement that this truth of a covenant as old as eternity has been designed to provide. That is why it requires our attention day and night. We must never lose sight of this unimaginable blessing, which is rooted in the good pleasure of our God (Ephesians 1:4-5).
Think about it this way: Before you were, you were His! That means before you did anything worthy of God’s favor, His favor was already yours. Before you did anything commendable of His blessing, His blessing was already yours. Before you did anything to warrant His love, His love was already poured out on you. God has always dealt with you based on His mercy, not your merit. God has always related with you based on His grace, not your good works. God has always loved you based on His choice, not your character.
So if you did nothing to earn God’s favor, blessing, or love, it is secure forevermore, regardless of what you have done or will ever do in this life. If you do good, God will not love you any more; if you do badly, God will not love you any less.
Perhaps you should read that again. Everything you need you already have because of the eternal covenant of God. You have His forgiveness, His pardon, His adoption, His acceptance, and His promise to finish what He started in your rescue (Philippians 1:6). How your heart should swell with joy unspeakable because God has given you a wellspring of life and a storehouse of love. How good must our God truly be to have established this covenant in eternity past and to extend it throughout eternity future? Surely we cannot begin to plumb the depths of our good God!
Regardless of where this message finds you today, pause a moment to feast on its fullness. Before you were, you were His! There was never a time when you were not His. And remember, what God has joined together shall stay joined together forever and ever. And this unending union is not rooted in your faithfulness to Him (because we are so often unfaithful), but rather in His faithfulness to us. Let the life we live be a holy hymn that extols the glories of this eternal truth with every breath we take and every step we make.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT…AMEN!
If you have been walking with the Lord long enough, you can recall times when He seemed distant from you. You can also remember those pleasant seasons when your load was light, your burden was easy, and your heart beat for nothing smaller than Jesus. But there have also been those times when you found yourself in somewhat of a spiritual wasteland, just like Job.
Job continued his discourse: “How l long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone upon my head and by his light I walked through darkness! Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house.” (Job 29:1-4)
If you are familiar with the story of Job, you know about the terrible tragedies he faced. And here we see him longing for you and I might call “the good ol’ days,” when his intimacy with God was the anchor of his soul. But after so much suffering, God seemed distant and heaven was silent. Because we know the whole story, we know that Job did not invite any of his difficulties because of unrighteous behavior.
Today you and I often find ourselves longing for “the good ol’ days” because we have been “bad” recently! Now, “bad” has many different shades. Sometimes we simply neglect the wonderful means of grace God has given us that bring us into the presence of God in a very special way: We miss church, we neglect prayer, we are inconsistent in our Bible study. These omissions always leave us feeling empty, wanting, and longing for that feeling we had when we were diligent in our spiritual disciplines.
Sometimes it is a matter of idolatry; we have removed Jesus from the throne of our lives and and allowed something smaller than Him to sit there. The prophet Jeremiah hit that proverbial nail squarely on the head:
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)
One minute our heart is beating for Jesus, and the next minute it is beating for a thousand other things. We are in a constant battle with divided affections; when our affections are divided, God will eventually step in and give us what we need to reorient our hearts back toward Him. Most often, He will give us a glimpse of “the good ol’ days” to help us get our lives back on track.
Spiritual pride can also give us a sense of separation from the presence of our God. Self-love will always cast a shadow over our Savior. To be sure, Jesus is shining as bright as ever, but our pride has made our spiritual eyes grow dim.
So if you currently find yourself feeling separated from your Savior, what should you do? Recognize that your longing for “the good ol’ days” is God’s call to you to return to Him! Run to Jesus and seek His face; know that He never left your side. Remember, when God feels distant, we can be sure of one thing: God never moved . . . we did. Cry out to Jesus, and rejoice in the truth that no matter how “good” those ol’ days might have been, the best is yet to come.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT…AMEN!
Perhaps you are familiar with the term “consolation prize,” the term frequently used designate an award of minor or lesser value than first prize. The consolation prize is given to the losers in the completion, the runners-up who finished behind the winner. Well, today I want to encourage you with a completely different kind of consolation prize, which is given to the people of God — every every last one of them, including you!
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)
If you take even a cursory glance through the passage above, one word jumps right off the page: comfort. A word that is synonymous with this word comfort is consolation, which appears four times in the New King James Version’s rendering of 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. So it is plain to see that the Christian is given a Cosmic Consolation Prize that is wholly other from anything offered in this world. It is not for the loser . . . It is not for the runner up . . . It is for every child of God. It is the cosmic consolation given to every Christian every moment of every day.
Jesus is our Consolation — our Everlasting Consolation — and He gives His consolation to every one of His disciples. Our Consolation comes to us in times of trouble. Our Consolation comes to us in seasons of suffering. Our Consolation comes to us in the darkness of distress. And as He delivers His consolation to us — all of us — we begin to grow in His grace and in the patient endurance that helps us endure trouble, suffering, and deep distress. AND His consolation equips us to minister to others who need consolation.
Another way to look at this Cosmic Consolation would be to say that everyone on Team Jesus is a winner. There is no “runner-up trophy,” no consolation prize given for second place, and no one finishes in last place. Everyone who has trusted in our Lord’s atoning work on the cross receives this Cosmic Consolation, simply by virtue of our union with Him.
So remember, whatever it is you are facing today . . .
Trouble at the office
Difficulties in your marriage
Parenting a prodigal
Fragile friendship
Less than perfect health
Financial shortfall
. . . Look to the One who is with you in all that you face, knowing this truth: Greater is the power (consolation) that is in you than any power that can come against you. Jesus promised to send “another Helper” (John 14:16), the Holy Spirit, our Cosmic Consolation, to walk with you and in you. He has never let you down in the past and He never will. You have His Word on that!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT…AMEN!
Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor. (Matthew 27:13-14)
Pilate pressed our Lord to speak on His own behalf, and we read to our own amazement that our Savior was silent. “Jesus made no reply.” It wasn’t because Jesus was at a loss for words; the Jewish temple guards, who were certainly not friendly to Jesus, had marveled that “No one ever spoke the way this man does” (John 7:46).
To be sure, in the life of every disciple of Christ there is a time to speak and a time to be silent. The key is to have the wisdom and discernment to know the time.
So much can be said about these two words — no reply — that should bring great encouragement into the life of every Christian. “Jesus made no reply” when words might have brought a blessing to Himself. But never did He withhold His words when He could bless others.
Jesus said to the fishermen He found by the shore, “Come” and they became fishers of men.
Jesus said to the little man perched in a tree, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately” and he rose up into the ministry of the Gospel along side of his Master.
Jesus said to the woman at the well, “Will you give me a drink?” and she received the living water of life and became the first evangelist in her town of Samaria. Many there became believers.
Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” and she left His presence forgiven and faithful to Her Lord.
These are just a few of the many examples of the words Jesus used to bless others. He gave no reply to Pilate, refusing to provide a defense against the false accusations leveled against Him, but He never missed the opportunity to defend and bless others.
Where has Jesus spoken into your life and brought you great blessing? Remember, Jesus made no reply because He chose to take our place and die on a cross. Jesus made no reply so He could drink the full cup of God’s wrath. This was the time for Jesus to be silent because His silence testified to Him being the True Lamb of God, who was silent “as a sheep that before its shearers is silent” (Isaiah 53:7). But when it comes to your relationship with Him, He has not stopped speaking life to you, and He will not all the way into glory.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Today is the 23rd anniversary of the event we know as 9/11, September 11, 2001, a day and date that has been stamped on the national consciousness of our nation. The cry of America is, “We will never forget!”
We will never forget the pictures of those two planes flying into the Twin Towers.
We will never forget the pictures of the first responders arriving at the scene to help the victims (Those pictures are particularly close to my heart; I spent nearly a decade serving on the Hollywood Fire Rescue Department).
We will never forget the sight of the two towers dropping off the landscape of lower Manhattan as they collapsed to the ground, taking with them nearly 3,000 victims.
We will never forget how a nation came together to both mourn and mount up against sin and evil in this world.
To be sure, 9/11 is to be remembered for many reasons. One reason is to remind all of us of the brevity of life. And that reminder comes to us each and every day as we read about and personally experience this truth in our own lives. Nobody knows when their life will come to an end or how it will happen. Since the fall in the Garden of Eden, death has been the debt all men have paid. When it comes suddenly and unexpectedly, it can rock us to our core. The events of 9/11 did that to us, and they lit a fire of faith deep within that would not go out. We realized that God has saved us to serve Him and to surrender our lives completely to His control. We began to understand, not only the importance of the good news of the Gospel, but the urgency with which are called to share it today, because we may not have the opportunity to do it tomorrow.
On October 8, 1871, while preaching at Farwell Hall, the great evangelist D. L. Moody asked his congregation to evaluate and think about their relationship to Jesus and return to church next week to make their decisions for Him. That crowd never reassembled. While they were singing the closing hymn, the rising din of fire trucks and church bells scattered them forever; Chicago was on fire! The Y.M.C.A. building, church, and parsonage were all lost in the next 24 hours, as well as the lives of some 300 residents of the city. When thinking back on that fateful evening, Moody said, “Giving my congregation a week to think over in their minds their decision for Jesus is my greatest regret in life. Never again would I give my listeners time to go home and think about their response to the gospel.” And he never did.
May we never forget the lessons taught us by D. L. Moody and the terrible events of 9/11. May we be passionate about sharing the truth of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. May we never forget what He has done for us, and may we be bold to proclaim the truth of His free gift of eternal life.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT…AMEN!
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. (1 Corinthians 10:11)
Make no mistake about this biblical truth: Your life . . . my life . . . everyone’s life will serve as either an example to follow or a warning to avoid. As one who worked as a coach for decades, I have always been dismayed by high-profile athletes who insist, “I’m not a role model!” The truth is, they may not want to be a role model, but they most certainly are for someone who is watching. The same can be said of everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ.
You do understand that you are the only “Bible” some people will ever read, yes? Many unbelievers — particularly those raised in the West during the last 30 years — know nothing about the 66 books of sacred Scripture, but they know a great deal about the life they see you living before their eyes. And if they know you to be a disciple of Jesus, the way you live is what they will come to believe about the Jesus of the Bible.
The question that you and I must ask ourselves is this: Is my life serving as an example to follow? Or is it a warning to avoid?
I want to make something perfectly clear: I am not saying we must live a perfect life. Only Jesus did that. We live every aspect of our lives imperfectly. We all do things we ought not do, we say things we ought not say, and we think things we ought not think. What I am talking about is the desire to live a life that is pleasing to God, recognizing that it will not be perfect on this side of the grave.
Peter’s life was far from perfect; he denied our Lord three times and later refused to eat with Gentile Christians, earning a sharp rebuke from the apostle Paul (Galatians 2:11-14). Yet the life Peter lived serves as a wonderful example of what it means to live for nothing smaller than Jesus, even while living imperfectly. Every great saint in Scripture and in the history books had their share of blemishes and warts that all the world could see. But those failings just make them more real to us.
If you’re anything like me, your own failings are all too real. Others may not see our shortcomings, we know they are there. We are painfully aware when we do not measure up to the standards Scripture sets for us. But in spite of our sins, God has chosen us to put the Gospel on display. Remember, God uses imperfect people because that’s all He’s got!
Have you considered the example you are setting for those who are watching you? When you mess things up (as you inevitably will), confess your sin and ask for forgiveness, both from God and those you have offended or hurt. Then get on with life, asking God to give you His supernatural strength to live it for His glory and the good of others.
Everyone is an example . . . including you. The question is not whether you are an example, but rather what kind of example are you setting? Christian, be an example of one who is living for the glory of God.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. (Mark 2:1-4)
Every time I read this passage I have to stop and ponder two questions: First, do I have any sold-out friends like that, who would rip a hole in someone’s roof because the doorway was blocked . . . just to get me in front of Jesus? Second, am I a sold-out friend like that to anyone in my life right now, for whom I would refuse to be denied in bringing him before Jesus? Those are questions we all need to consider, don’t you think?
Sold-out saints have a way of making things happen for the good of others and the glory of God. They refuse to be denied. Blocked doors will not keep them out. Crowded rooms will not cause them to shy away. And if they cannot bring someone to Jesus by the ordinary way that has been set before them, they will simply make a new way and refuse to stop until they get before our Lord.
Luke offered this insight to the account we read from Mark: “When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd” (Luke 5:19). What great risk these men took to get their paralyzed friend before the Christ! Just the sound of them up on the roof would have drawn the attention of those in the home. Then when they started digging and tearing away at the roof tiles, everyone inside would have been looking up as dust and pieces of the roof began to cascade down into the room below.
I really cannot think of any better phrase than sold-out saints when I read this account. These men would let nothing stand in the way of getting their friend an audience with Jesus. And how did Jesus respond?
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven. . . . I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” (Mark 2:5, 11)
The friends’ sold-out faith not only brought their friend physical healing, but spiritual healing as well. So the question I want to leave you with today is this: Do you have the kind of sold-out faith that will tear through roof tiles to get someone you know before the Savior of the world? May that be the confession of all our lives as we look for opportunities to bless those God has put in our lives, to the glory of the praise of His name.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
“Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42)
When Jesus came to visit Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, the sisters were very busy, probably engaged in preparing a meal for the Lord and His disciples. Luke’s account tells us that Martha was “distracted with much serving,” giving us valuable insight into her heart . . . and into our own hearts as well! In serving her Lord, Martha was actually serving herself. Even service to Jesus can become self-serving if we allow it to happen. Martha had lost sight of her Savior because she shifted her focus to her service. Mary didn’t all into that trap; when Jesus arrived, Mary knew it was time to put her doing down and sit at the feet of her Lord.
The question we must ask ourselves is this: Am I more like Mary or Martha? We can get so busy doing stuff for our Savior that we neglect spending time with Him. Martha was encumbered by all of her doing, and she quickly grew frustrated that Mary had stopped helping with the preparations. “Lord,” she grumbled, “don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40). Notice how Jesus responded to what amounted to a peevish rebuke from Martha.
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)
In the ancient cultural context, when someone’s name was repeated, it was a sign of relationship, friendship, and intimacy. Jesus was not upset with Martha, even though Martha seemed to be a bit upset with Him. In essence, Jesus was saying, “Martha, I appreciate all that you are doing in making preparations for our visit. Hospitality is a good thing, and we are to show it to everyone. But if we aren’t careful, the focus of our hospitality can shift away those we are serving, because we have begun serving ourselves.”
I can personally testify to this truth –perhaps I should say confess to this truth — from my life as a pastor. There have been too many times when my service has been self-serving. We are not immune to serving ourselves even when we are serving our Savior. We must constantly check our motives.
How is it with you? Which of the two sisters do you more closely resemble? I think we all have a bit of both Martha and Mary in us if we truly love our Lord. We want to serve to the best of our ability, but we need to know there is a time for serving and a time for sitting. Have you chosen what is better? May this be the confession of our lives.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. (Psalm 34:7 NKJV)
There is a wonderful promise in our passage of Scripture today, but it comes with a condition. God has put His holy hedge of protection around those who fear Him. Now, this is not the kind of fear that drives us into a small, dark corner, cowering in fear of God. This fear is a holy reverence for the sheer glory and magnificence of our God because we love, respect, and honor Him.
When we read that “The Angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,” the word encamps reminds us of the 40 years of wilderness wandering of the people of God. After being freed from bondage in Egypt and being led out to the Promised Land, God gave Israel forty years to think about their unbelief and rebellion (Numbers 14:34). But during all that time, God never abandoned them. He encamped around them and protected them from everything that would come against them. Even in their faithlessness, they still feared God, and He ultimately delivered them into their Promised Land.
Do you fear God? Do you love and respect Him? Do you esteem Him above all else? Then you have this promise today, that God will deliver you from anything that will come against you. You have the promise of God’s protection, God’s deliverance, and God’s love, favor, and mercy.
We must be careful not to assume something that is not promised. The promise is not a trouble-free existence; regular readers here know that I frequently recall that Jesus flatly told us that we will experience trouble in this world (John 16:33). The promise in Psalm 34:7 is that God will encamp around you and ultimately bring you to the other side of everything that has come against you – if not in this life, then certainly in the next, when He brings you to your true Promised Land.
Are you living your life in the fear of God, knowing that He has encamped around you with His holy hedge of safety? We can feel all alone when the waves of challenge are crashing down on us, but we must remember what Jesus said to His disciples before He left them: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18). You are not alone! Jesus is with you every step of the way, especially when your way is long and winding and filled with difficulties.
One final word of encouragement. A few verses earlier in this psalm, David said, “I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). God not only hears your cries, He has promised to answer them and replace your every fear with faith. All you need to do is seek Him out, and you can look forward to His deliverance.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 