Category Archives: General

When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. (Mark 6:47-48)

Have you ever wondered why Jesus walked on the water toward His disciples who were out in a boat that was being buffeted by high winds on the Sea of Galilee? The reason could not have been to calm the wind and the waves; Jesus could have done that from the shoreline with a thought or a word. I believe Jesus took that walk on the water simply to be in the presence of His disciples in the midst of their storm. Yes, by walking on the water, Jesus made it clear that He was no ordinary man, but God incarnate. But we must not miss what I believe is the great comfort in this gospel account for His disciples then and for you and me today: Jesus wants to be with us in every storm and every difficulty we are facing on this side of the grave.

Jesus walked out on the water toward His disciples, not to calm the winds that were roiling up the water, but to calm the storm that was roiling up inside of them. They were filled with the fear, and Jesus was teaching them how to replace fear with faith. Jesus was teaching them to see life from His perspective, not their own. As He drew near to the boat, Jesus said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Mark 6:50). The Great I AM was in their presence, the same One who spoke to Moses from within the burning bush. Jesus was not there to still the storm around them, but to still the storm within them. And He is doing the same for each one of us every day of our lives.

I’ve said it here before, but it bears repeating: The disciples were in the center of God’s will. They were out on the water in obedience to God’s command to go to the other side. Their difficulty in making the crossing was not due to their disobedience. No, it came because of their obedience. God does not send trials to destroy us; He sends storms to deliver us from ourselves and to teach us to depend more and more on Him.

We must learn how to trust God’s painful providences in this life, even when we cannot trace their purposes. Never let the storms of life sink you! Take courage! Jesus is with you, He is for you, and He is in you. Let that truth set you free to serve Him with confidence and joy.  

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

“‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6)

Excuses! Excuses! Excuses! The Bible is filled with stories of people whom God used for His glory, people who started out making every excuse imaginable in order to keep from answering God’s call in their lives. Some rationalized their disobedience; others flat-out refused to obey; in each case God eliminated every excuse and used these people as inspired instruments in His Mighty Right Hand. Here are just three of those stories.

Moses – When Moses was 40 years old, he tried to free his people from their bondage in Egypt. The people of Israel did not receive him, and he spent the next 40 years on the back side of the desert. When Moses was 80, he turned aside to look more closely at a bush that was burning but not consumed. There God called Moses to deliver His people out of their slavery. Did Moses jump for joy and exclaim, “At last! Let’s DO this”? Far from it! Moses responded to God with every excuse in the book: “I don’t know who I am! I don’t know who You are! The people won’t believe me! I have a speech impediment!” And when God had resolved all those objections, Moses finally spluttered, “Please send someone else!” But God, who is the Eternal Excuse Eliminator, replaced Moses’ fear with faith. The rest is His-story.

Jonah – God called Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and preach His Word. “Nope,” Jonah thought. “No way.” The Ninevites were brutal, barbaric enemies of God’s people; Jonah hated them with a passion, and he could not conceive how God could possibly want to be gracious to them in any way. So God’s recalcitrant prophet boarded a ship that would take him to Tarshish — the opposite direction of God’s call on his life. But God canceled Jonah’s trip to Tarshish by sending a violent storm; when Jonah essentially insisted that “I would rather drown than go to Nineveh” and asked the sailors to throw him overboard, God appointed a great fish to act as a lifeguard. In the end, God had eliminated all of Jonah’s “avenues of excuse.” He brought Jonah to Nineveh, and the entire city of pagan people — more than 120,000 people — repented of their sin and believed in God.

Gideon – Gideon was threshing grain secretly in a winepress, hiding from the Midianites, who were oppressing God’s people. God planned to use Gideon to free his people from the Midianites, who had injected much of their pagan culture into the way God’s people were living. Much like Moses, Gideon offered up one fearful excuse after another, from family obligations to time constraints, hoping that God would release him from this call. Gideon even had the temerity to put God to a “fleece test” — twice! Patiently, graciously, God eliminated every excuse that Gideon could devise, and He ultimately used Gideon and only 300 men to defeat the Midianite army of 135,000 men.

The end of every excuse can be found in one faithful fact: God is with His servants. You see, God does not call the equipped; God simply equips those He calls and promises to be with them every step of the way in order to live out their call for His glory and the expansion of His Kingdom in this world.

Are you ready to answer God’s call on your life today? Are there any excuses still standing in your way? Bring them to the External Excuse Eliminator and lay them at His feet. Nothing is impossible with God!

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

A heart of peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. (Proverbs 14:30)

In the most basic sense of the word, envy is the sin of harboring jealousy over the blessings of others. There are many examples of this in the Bible. Cain was envious of Able and God’s blessing in his life. Joseph’s brothers were envious of him and God’s blessings in his life. King Saul was envious of David and God’s blessings in his life. The religious leaders were envious of Jesus and God’s blessings in His life.

Throughout the pages of Scripture, we see the destructive nature of envy; we also learn how we can end it for good in our own lives. Here are four simple steps:

Step #1 – Confess this sin.

We will never end envy until we begin confessing this sin to God. James says, “If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth” (James 3:14). Confession is good for the soul and an absolute necessity for ending envy–and every other sin.

Step # 2 – Shift your focus away from yourself and put in on your Savior.

When we focus on ourselves, we have a tendency to compare ourselves with others. When we do that, we always find areas where we believe we are falling short and envy begins to take root. But when we keep our focus on Jesus, we realize we already have everything we need. We can rest in our relationship with the One who loves us unreservedly and unconditionally, knowing we are blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

Step #3 – Maintain an attitude of gratitude.

The more grateful we are, the less envious we will be. Proverbs 17:22 assures us that “A joyful heart is good medicine.” Everything we have is a gift from God. Regardless of how hard we have worked, every good gift has come to us from the hand of God (James 1:17). The more we have, the more we are in debt to the One who has given it to us. An attitude of gratitude and the bitter spirit of envy simply cannot coexist.  

Step #4 – Develop a spirit of generosity.

When we are focused on giving to others, envy is as far from us as the east is from the west. The more you give to others, the less you think about what you don’t have. When we are engaged in giving to others, gladness grows and envy flees.

Remember, resting in God’s goodness and grace is the key that unlocks the chains of bondage to envy. The four steps I have outlined here will help you in this life-long process . . . and it is a process! We will never reach perfection on this side of the grave.  

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

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

We live in a broken world, and we all experience the outcomes of its brokenness. Trouble is simply a part of this life. When we face difficulties, challenges, and obstacles in life, we should not be frightened or resentful. We must remember that Jesus never promised to prevent our experiences with brokenness, but He did promise to protect us in all of it. We must take heart when we are facing troubles of all kinds, because Jesus has promised to protect us in all of it. Nothing happens to us that does not first pass through His nail-scarred hands.

I am well aware that no one looks forward to the hard times in this life. I certainly don’t! No one wants to slog through the mud of difficulties, disappointments, defeats, and despair. No one looks forward to dark days spent in valleys of confusion, chaos, conflict, and challenge. But when those troubles arise, we must remember the promise we have from Jesus to walk through all of them with us. Trials and troubles are simply part of our journey. They are designed to grow and mature us in our faith and make us more and more like Jesus. “For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again” (Proverbs 24:16).

Peter put it this way: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:12-13).

Because Jesus has already overcome this world through His sinless life, sacrificial death, and supernatural resurrection, we can rest assured that He will overcome everything we are going through in life. Remember, the power that raised Jesus from death to life is the same power that is at work within us. Christian, let me encourage you to cling to these words from Job: “He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

Let that truth set you free to receive Jesus as your Protector, not your Preventer.

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

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21)

Martha was right: If Jesus had been there, her brother Lazarus would not have died. Martha lived with her sister Mary and their brother Lazarus. When Lazarus became deathly ill, the sisters sent for Jesus to come and heal him. John’s gospel tells us something as strange as it is insightful, “When [Jesus] heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” It seems so strange that Jesus did not come immediately to heal his friend whom He loved. He had healed so many who were not his friends, people He had never even met before!

Then Jesus said something that must have puzzled His disciples: “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” (John 11:4-6). Jesus did not go immediately to heal His friend because God had a greater plan that would bring Him greater glory. You see, by the time Jesus arrived Lazarus was dead — as dead as a doornail, as Dickens famously wrote. Lazarus had been in the grave for four days. Yet when Jesus uttered three words — “Lazarus, come out!” — the dead man walked out of his grave, alive and well (John 11:43-44). Just as our Lord had said, this sickness did not end in death and God was indeed glorified through it.

That is the primary purpose behind everything that Jesus does. You and I are so much like Martha! We often say, “Lord, if you had done this” or “Lord, if you had done that . . .” We must remember that no matter what Jesus is doing in our lives, we can be assured it is always for God’s glory and our ultimate good.

How would you fill in the blank today? “Lord, if you had _______ !” Perhaps it was something related to your job or a relationship or your finances or your health. Regardless of what it was, you must always remember that Jesus is working everything together to maximize the glory God gets in everything. Everything Jesus is doing in your life always trumps your desires, your dreams, your goals, and your preferences.

Christian, when Jesus does not meet your expectations, it is because He is planning on exceeding them! That certainly was true for Martha and Mary on that fateful day, and it is just as true for you and me today. We fill “blanks” when we are looking through the eyes of our flesh; we fill our hearts when we are looking through the eyes of our faith. You must decide which it will be each and every day.  

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

“Quiet! Be still!” (Mark 4:39)

After a day of teaching by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus told His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side” (Mark 4:35). Leaving the crowd behind, they all got into a boat and pushed off from shore. While they were crossing, a furious squall came up that threatened to sink the boat. The disciples — several of whom were experienced fisherman — were terrified. Jesus, no doubt exhausted from a long day of ministry, was sound asleep on a cushion. The disciples woke Him, crying fearfully, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38).

Clearly, Jesus was not the least bit worried about drowning. Do you know why? The answer lies in what He had initially said to the disciples: “Let us go over to the other side.” The disciples had completely forgotten the promise Jesus had made before they ever started their trip across the water. The boat the disciples and Jesus were in was unsinkable, because the Word of God had commissioned it to cross the Sea of Galilee, not founder in it. But the disciples forgot that promise, and they panicked. So Jesus spoke just three words — “Quiet! Be still!” — and the water immediately became completely calm.

I often say from the pulpit that when we are reading the Bible, we are to look for ourselves in the story. And when we are reading one of the gospel accounts in the New Testament, we can be completely sure that we aren’t Jesus! Which means that, in this story, you and I are . . . that’s right; we are the disciples, wailing, “We’re gong to drown!”

It is one thing to know about the promises of God; it is another thing altogether to actually take them to heart and believe them–to live in the certainty that God’s promises are real and enduring. When the storm winds begin to blow and the waves of challenge wash over us, we often completely forget our Lord’s promise that we are going to the other side of the lake. We must learn to take Jesus at His Word, rest in His presence, and rely on His power. In His time and in His perfect way, we can be fully assured that we will reach the other side of the lake safely.

One final thing to remember: When this storm blew into the lives of the disciples, they were right in the center of God’s will. They were doing exactly what Jesus had instructed; they were heading across the lake with the Lord. Never forget, Christian, that storms will come to us, and they come for two reasons: God’s glory and our good. Sometimes those storms come when we are in the closest proximity to Jesus. Jesus did not keep this storm from striking the boat they were traveling in, but He most definitely kept the storm from sinking it.

So . . . who is the captain of your ship? Do you still think it’s you? When Jesus is your Captain, you can trust Him to navigate the turbulent waters of life and bring you safely to the other side of every storm wind that blows. Safety is not the absence of storms; it is the presence of Jesus. When Jesus is at the helm of your ship, you can hold fast to God’s sure and certain promise that you will reach His intended destination for your life.

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

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

There was a problem–a big problem! Thousands of people had spent an entire day listening to Jesus preach and teach, but now they were all hungry, and there was no food anywhere . . . expect for the meager rations that a little boy offered to the disciples, enough food to feed perhaps ten people. This problem became a possibility for Jesus to show that He truly is the Bread of Life, and He did! He fed every man, woman, and child, and there were baskets full of leftovers.

Another problem: “There is no more wine!” The host of the wedding was completely out of wine to serve the guests. This problem became a possibility for Jesus to show that He is the promised, divine Messiah, for new wine symbolizes the Holy Spirit. And He did! He turned water into wine–the best wine!

Neither of these problems were life-and-death issues. The people who had been listening to Jesus teach could have gone into town or gone home to get food, although they probably would have been disappointed and “hangry.” The people at the wedding could have carried on without wine, although it would have been an embarrassment of gargantuan proportions for the host family. Most of the problems we face are not life-and-death either, but they are problems nonetheless. The important issue is not so much what we are facing, but rather how we face those problems.

Where do you turn when you are facing problems in life? Do you look inside yourself for the solution? Or do you look outside yourself . . . and look up? When you turn to Jesus, talk to Jesus, and trust in Jesus, you will see how your problems become possibilities for Jesus to do great things in your life.

Because Jesus is for us, with us, and in us, we are to look to Him for the solutions to our problems and the answers to our questions. Jesus cares about everything we care about, and He is ready, willing, and able to help us through it all. Jesus cares about our flat tire, our delayed flight, and our sleepless night. Jesus cares about our toothache, our first date, and when we have to work late.

Regardless of the problems you are facing today, follow Mary’s advice to the servants at the wedding: “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). When you do, you will see Jesus turn your problems into possibilities for grace to flow in and through your life.

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

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

Everything is broken. We live in a broken world that does not operate in the way that God created it and pronounced everything to be very good. And because we live in this broken, sin-filled world, we will suffer from all the symptoms of its brokenness. It could be that you will suffer as a result of some kind of injustice or betrayal. You may suffer from sickness or disease. Perhaps, as many on Florida’s west coast did last fall, you will suffer the effects of a devastating natural disaster.

The world is indeed broken. But we must never forget that we too are broken. The greatest challenge we face in life does not come from outside us; it comes from within us. It is the evil that lives deep within our hearts. That is true for everyone, even for those who are in Christ.

Jesus conquered sin, Satan, and death on the cross. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He meant what He said. However, inasmuch as sin no longer reigns over us, it most definitely still remains. You and I have the internal problem of remaining sin in our lives, and it will never be completely eradicated while we live on this side of glory. Sin is part of our fallen nature, even after we have been given our new nature in Christ. Scripture tells us matter-of-factly that “The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want” (Galatians 5:17).

This battle rages deep within the human heart, but even in our brokenness we are still immensely blessed. When we are in Christ, we have been given the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to fight against every temptation that comes our way. The Holy Spirit encourages and empowers us to rise above indwelling sin so that we can live according to God’s perfect plan for our imperfect lives.

On those occasions when we don’t rise above the brokenness of this world, but find ourselves muddling around on the sinful mudflats of life, we must cling to the truth that we are fully forgiven and unconditionally loved, thanks to the cross work of Christ. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Not Satan. Not death. Not even our sin. Remember, “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20).

Yes, the world is broken, and we are broken. But we are abundantly blessed in all that brokenness!

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

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

We all like to believe that we can handle life on our own. We crave independence and deeply desire to control what is going on in our lives. But the truth is, we are totally dependent on God for everything we are and everything we do, “for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). The fact is that we ought to fear our desire for independence, not our dependence on Him.

The world tells us that dependency is a sign of weakness. No one likes feeling weak or being seen as weak. Yet weakness is the universal condition of every person! Adam and Eve, created in their perfect state, were still weak and totally dependent on God. How much more dependent are you and I today, after Adam’s dreadful fall in the Garden, which plunged us into our own slavery to sin.

Weakness is an inescapable aspect of the human condition. God created us to need Him and depend on Him. Jesus said bluntly that apart from Him, we can do nothing. Yet even in our weakness we have all the strength we will ever need, because we have God’s strength working in us and through us. The apostle Paul rejoiced that “My very weakness makes me strong in him” (2 Corinthians 12:10 PHI). God gives us the strength we need to do everything He has called us to do. And the best way to receive God’s strength is to acknowledge how desperately we need it — not just daily, but moment by moment.

David expressed it this way in one of his God-breathed psalms:

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. (Psalm 20:7-8)

What have you been trusting in lately? Yourself or your Savior? Have you been fearing your dependence and weakness? We need never fear our dependence! What we absolutely must fear is the delusion of independence and strength. That illusion of autonomy is nothing more than succumbing to the serpent’s sly suggestion that “You will be like God.” We were made by God and for God, which means that God will supply us with everything we need to live the life He is calling us to live for His glory and the good of others. May this be the confession of our lives, by grace through faith in the One who died to give us life — both eternal life and everyday life.

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

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure . . . (Philippians 2:14)

From the time you get up until the time you return to your bed, you are engaging in conversation with yourself. Have you ever paused to listen to the kind of conversations you are having? It will either be marked by murmuring against God or magnifying His blessings. The choice is always yours. You have the power deep within you to grow better or bitter, regardless of the circumstances you are facing.

Do you live a life of complaining or blessing? To be sure, it is a mixture for all of us, but what is your primary conversation with yourself? It is all too easy for us to start moaning and groaning when life is not going according to our plan. Like the children of Israel in the wilderness, we whine, grumble, and complain against God when things are not going our way. You see, the sin nature that lies within causes us to make life all about ourselves. When we shrink the size of our lives down to the size of our wants, desires, goals, and feelings — and when our expectations are not met — our internal talk frequently makes it clear that we are not happy with God.

It’s important to keep in mind that the Bible does not minimize the seriousness of murmuring against God. In Deuteronomy, Moses recounted how God’s people continuously murmured against God after having been released from 400 years of bondage in Egypt. What ruled their heart – murmuring – shaped their lives. They continued rebelling against God all the way into the Promised Land.

What is the confession of your life today? Murmuring or magnifying? When we forget God’s goodness and grace in our lives, we murmur. But when we remember just how good and gracious God has been, is now, and will be forevermore, we will magnify His glory in all we think, do, and say.

Christian, you can be assured that God’s plan for your life is always better than yours! The more you magnify God’s blessings in your life, the less you will murmur against Him. Let that truth set you free to replace murmuring with magnifying on those inevitable occasions life is not working out the way you want it to.

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