Category Archives: General

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. (Mark 8:34-35)

The Bible is full of paradoxes — that is, statements that contain two truths that seem to be incompatible. And this is one of them: our Lord says we must lose to win. The only way to start truly living is to lose your life in service to your Savior.

When we look at today’s passage, the very first thing we need to see is that Jesus is not talking to the spiritual elite — “super saints” like Peter, James, and John. No, He is speaking to every person who desires to live a life that truly matters, a life filled with meaning, significance, and purpose . . . He is speaking to you and me today.

Notice that the words our Lord used — “anyone” and “whoever” — leave no room for exceptions. This is a call to all those who claim the name of Christ. To be sure, this call is counterintuitive for all of us, because by nature we do everything in our power to protect ourselves from any and all difficulties, hardships, and painful providences that might lead us down the road toward any kind of loss.

Now, a level of protecting oneself is certainly not a bad thing. It is biblical, in fact, because we are commanded not to live carelessly. “A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge,” the wisdom of Proverbs 22:3 advises us, “but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” The sacrifice that Jesus has called us to live, the sacrifice that leads to loss, is never to be a result of careless, thoughtless, or irresponsible living, but rather sacrifice on account of Christ. When we are living for the sake of our Savior, we reject self-interest, self-rule, and self-service, which means we have invited Jesus to take His rightful place in our lives. With Jesus on the throne of our lives, the place where our King belongs, we not only understand the duty to deny ourselves, but also the responsibility to take up our cross daily. There is a cost to following Christ, and we must be willing to count that cost, and ultimately pay it, if we are His true disciples.

Sometimes this sacrifice can cost us relationships. At other times is can cost us social status or even career advancement. Our Lord’s call is not easy, but it is necessary. And we must never forget that God never commands us to do anything without giving us everything we need to get it done. We have received His strength and His power to live a life of self-denial and cross-bearing. With the supernatural strength of our Savior residing in us through the Person and work of the Holy Spirit, we can deny ourselves with great joy, regardless of the cost, and take up our cross, regardless of the circumstance.

Regardless of where this message finds you — whether you are giving up what the world would consider “good things” or enduring what the world would consider “bad things” for the glory of Jesus — remember that you are not alone. Our Lord Jesus set the perfect example of what it means to deny yourself and take up your cross daily, and in so doing, He made it clear that the cross must always precede the crown, and that true life only comes through death.

Christian, you must lose to win!

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

He has made everything beautiful in its time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

When you think of the word “beauty,” what comes to mind? I live on the east coast of Florida, so the first thing I think of is sunrise at the beach. As a teenager, I served as an ocean lifeguard, and I would often arrive at Hollywood Beach early enough to see the sun rise over the ocean, and the beauty God had created never ceased to amaze me. Some readers might say that “beauty” is best represented by a mountain range covered in show; for others beauty is a nature trail winding through a forest.

In today’s word of encouragement , we read that God is making everything beautiful in its time, and that includes you. That’s right . . . you! In God’s perfect timing, you are being perfected into the beautiful believer you were created to be. Now, I’ll be the first one to admit that it often does not feel this way. Some days we feel like we are everything other than “beautiful” — we think what we should not think, say what we should not say, and do what we should not do. And those are the days when we must remember that God is making everything beautiful in His time and in His way . . . including us!

Never forget that everything is happening for two reasons: God’s glory and our ultimate good, and we can and should trust that His process is perfect. As one Bible commentator put it, “God is working all things out so that, all things considered, it could not have been better.” To be sure, on the night Jesus was betrayed, Peter reflected anything but beauty as he called down curses on himself to emphasize his desperate denials that he had been a companion of Jesus. But after the resurrection, Jesus restored Peter, reminding him that He could see what Peter could not see: the true condition of Peter’s heart. On the surface, Peter looked like a man who had no concern for Jesus at all, but Jesus knew better. Jesus knew that inasmuch as the spirit is willing, far too often the flesh is weak. Jesus knew that Peter’s heart beat for him, though it beat imperfectly.

This is true for all of us. Everything we do, we do imperfectly, often without any measure of beauty. But remember, God is always looking at the heart. Jesus knows you love Him, just like He knew Peter loved Him. The reason Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” was not because He was seeking reassurance, but because Peter did! Jesus knew Peter would be doubting his own faith because of his cowardly denials.

Peter saw his own failure looming large, but Jesus saw Peter’s great faith that would be lived out imperfectly. And not long after Jesus had restored Peter to fellowship, Peter stood boldly before a group of unbelieving Jews on the Day of Pentecost and proclaimed, “Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. . . . Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:36, 38).

Regardless of where this message finds you today, remember that you are beautiful in the eyes of God because you are clothed in the rich, righteous robes of Jesus Christ. And in God’s time and in His perfect way, you are being made beautiful in every way. There is a time coming when you will received into glory, where you will be without spot or blemish . . .  in a word, you will be beautiful.

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

“To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” (Revelation 2:17)

Is this not a word of eternal encouragement for you to keep on keeping on this day and to endure until you cross the finish line of faith? If we understand this word rightly, our hearts will be stirred unto zeal for the things of our Lord. Our hearts will beat joyfully for Jesus and the glory of His name, regardless of the cost or circumstance.

When John was given this vision of the Lord Jesus Christ, the words “hidden manna” were designed to give him (and us) an echo of the forty years the people of God spent wandering in the wilderness after being freed from their bondage in Egypt. They were in a place were there was no food, yet our Lord gave them manna from heaven to sustain them each day throughout their entire 40 years in the wilderness.

But John has something else in view for us. Thanks to God’s grace, we are made victorious in this life and are invited to sit at the table of our Lord. But it gets even better than that! The “hidden manna” we will be given to eat is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He was the manna of the wilderness and He is our “hidden manna” today. Regardless of where this message finds you — whether you are standing atop the mountain of God in joyous victory or slogging sadly through the valley of defeat, Jesus is your “hidden manna” who sustains us in every season of our lives.

Jesus is our shelter. Jesus is our shield. He is our source of strength and sustenance. He fights our battles and He gives us victory. And He has promised that He Himself is the ultimate reward of the righteous. I believe John also wanted us to remember these words from the apostle Paul: “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). Paul was speaking to believers who were facing incredible difficulties and hardships in life, ranging from persecution to imprisonment and even to death. So Paul reminded these beleaguered saints to keep their eyes fixed on the One who had overcome everything — even death itself — and who would never allow anything to separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, this is also your truth today, tomorrow, and forever. Walk in it, by grace through faith. And no matter where this message finds you today, remember this: Greater is the power that is at work within you than any power that will every come up against you!

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

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. (Psalm 139:23)

The focus of today’s word of encouragement is rooted in a quote from A. W. Tozer, the beloved American pastor and author. Tozer wrote —

We Christians must simplify our lives or lose untold treasures on earth and in eternity. Modern civilization is so complex as to make the devotional life all but impossible. The need for solitude and quietness was never greater than it is today.

Keep in mind that the context of Tozer’s “today” was was well over a half-century ago. If the need to simplify was great then, imagine what his thoughts would be if he saw how complex life is for us today!

Let me give you a working definition before we continue: To simplify means to remove anything that complicates your Christian walk with Jesus and thus to enjoy the journey along the way. Here are two steps to begin the process of simplifying your life.

1. Toss Out the Tyranny of the Urgent

Step One is time management. If you don’t take control of your time, your time will take control of you. In order to toss out the tyranny of the urgent, you must, as Stephen Covey advised, begin with the end in mind. Begin each day with the end of the day in mind. But the only way you can do this is by considering in advance what the priorities are for that day. If you “plan tomorrow today,” you will be able to begin each day with the end in view and have a greater measure of control over your time – recognizing, of course, that the unexpected will inevitably occur,

• Schedule Time for Solitude and Quietness

Step Two is time alone with Jesus every day. If you find your days so filled with activities from the time you get up to the time you go to bed that you have no “alone time” with Jesus, you are doing more than God wants you to do. An easy way to see this simplification step in action is to recall the story of Martha and Mary. The sisters were preparing a meal for Jesus and His disciples, but Mary knew when to put her doing down and sit at the feet of her Lord. Martha, on the other hand, continued with her work until her frustration boiled over, and she complained to Jesus about her sister Mary, who had exchanged service for solitude with Jesus.

“Lord,” Martha snapped, “don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

Jesus gently corrected her, saying, “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 10:40-42).

Could you use a little simplification in your life right now? If you will incorporate these two simple steps — plan tomorrow today and schedule time for sitting at the feet of Jesus — you will gain untold treasures on earth and in eternity.

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

[Jacob]l said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.” (Genesis 48:11)

When was the last time you received an unexpected blessing from God? In today’s passage, we catch a glimpse of a blessing that was as unexpected by Jacob as it was unimaginable.

If you remember the remarkable story of Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, you know that his brothers, seething with jealousy, sold Joseph into slavery and told their father Jacob that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. In an act of shocking, depraved deception, the brothers actually presented Jacob with Joseph’s multicolored coat, which they had splattered with blood from a goat they had killed, as “proof” of Joseph’s death. Jacob was completely convinced that he would never see Joseph again on this side of the grave, and grieved the loss of his son. But many years later, Jacob did see Joseph again; not only that, but he also met his grandsons, whom he hadn’t even known existed!

Our God is in the business of blessing His children immeasurably more than all we ask or even imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Even in seasons of terrible loss, God is working all things for our gain, even when we cannot see that gain at present. God never stops working on behalf of His children, even when it looks like He has.

I must be careful to point out that Jacob’s story does not represent a universal promise that when we suffer loss we should expect to receive back what we have lost. But what this story does teach us — along with many other stories throughout sacred Scripture — is to expect the unexpected.

God is always working for our good, but often what you and I think is “good” and the good God actually gives us is as far as the east is from the west. But we must keep in mind that when we do not receive the outcome we were hoping for, it is only because God has a better ending in store for us. We have a tendency to draw conclusions about what the end of the story should be when we are in the middle of it. But if we will trust God and allow Him to continue writing our story as we go through life — instead trying to snatch the pen out of His hand — we can entrust our heartache into His tender, loving, nail-scarred hands.  

Where does this message find you today? Are you riding the crest of a wave of victory? Or are you being pulled under by the remorseless undertow of challenge? Regardless of your current circumstances, you can be certain that God loves you with an eternal love and wants to bless you in ways you simply cannot imagine.

Take this truth with you into the rest of your life. And as you look to Jesus to meet you in your place of deepest need, Christian, expect the unexpected. You can be sure that God’s unexpected will be infinitely and eternally better than anything we might expect.    

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

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. (Proverbs 16:3)

Life presents us with two choices at every moment: We can either choose to follow God’s will for our lives or go our own way. The first way leads to fruitfulness; the second leads to fruitlessness. The choice is always ours.

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived apart from Jesus, penned today’s proverb to offer us the key that unlocks the door leading to a life marked by faithfulness and fruitfulness. You can be sure that Solomon fully understood the importance of committing his plans to the Lord at the time he wrote these words. It was Solomon — not his father, David — whom God had tasked with building His Temple. Solomon built the Temple of God, and during this time he also built his life upon the Word of God. All was well in his life and in the lives of those living under his rule, because Solomon had chosen to follow God’s will rather than go his own way.

But as time went by, Solomon began to change. He married multiple wives, which was contrary to God’s ordained plan for marriage, and some of his wives did not know the Lord. Over time, these unbelieving women began to turn Solomon’s heart away from God and toward idol worship. More and more, Solomon did what was right in his own eyes. His affections were divided, and he failed to commit his whole heart to the Lord. So the Lord no longer established his plans.

It is important to see just how today’s passage is structured. You could read the verse like this: Commit your work to the Lord in order for the Lord to establish your plans. In other words, if we are not committing our work to the Lord, we have no reason to expect our Lord to establish our plans. On the other hand, when we align our work with God’s will in our lives, we can expect that God will give us good success in His perfect timing and in His perfect way.

We must remember that God’s blessings on our work is always according to His will, often in ways that far exceed our understanding. This means that “success” will not always look like what we expect. Yet the plans our Lord will establish in our lives will actually be our plans if we strive to live our lives in harmony with the revealed will of God. When we don’t get the results we were looking for, we always get something vastly better. When we commit to the Lord whatever we do, we can confidently leave the results up to God, trusting that He is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).

Have you been living a life marked by God’s will? Or are you merely following your own way? Remember, the size of the matter you commit to the Lord matters not. Whether big or small, commit your life to following the righteous plan and purpose of your Lord, and He will make your plans work to a worthy end.

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

On that day HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses. (Zechariah 14:20)

Sacred Scripture assures us that a day is coming when all things will be put right. The prophet Zechariah envisioned the consummation of the Kingdom of God, when all things will be made new, when all that has been ruined will be restored, and when even the bells on horses’ bridles shall toll forth the glorious, comforting, cosmic truth that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Zechariah was writing at a time when the people of God had returned from exile in Babylon to a Jerusalem that was only a distant, crumbled memory of its previous glory; both the city walls and the temple lay in ruins. But the Word of the Lord came to His prophet to let God’s people know that the current condition of the sacred city bore no resemblance to its future, consummated condition. A time is coming — “on that day”– when the heavens will rejoice, and the earth will be glad, the fields be jubilant, and everything in them, all the trees of the forest will sing for joy (Psalm 96:11-12), and even the bells of the horses shall toll the truth that God was, is, and forever will be on His throne, maintaining perfect, righteous control of all things.

Think about it this way: Even the common bells of the horses shall ring out the holiness of the Lord when Jesus returns, bringing with Him the Kingdom consummated. “On that day” all that was common shall be uncommon, because all will be consecrated unto the Lord. All our meals shall be sacraments to our Savior. All our clothes shall be vestments to our Christ. All our words shall be a witness of sweet-smelling incense rising up to heaven. And only to the extent that we believe this to be true will we align our lives with God’s truth, each and every day, and live all of life as unto the Lord, regardless of the cost or circumstance that may confront us.

Have you received God’s promise of future perfection? Are you living by faith according to this promise? If the bells of the horses shall be inscribed with the holiness of God, how much more shall the hearts of God’s people resound with the truth that has set us free to be all God has called us to be and to do all God has called us to do!

Christian, when all around you seems to be coming apart, remember the promise that God has made, which He will certainly bring to fruition in His perfect time. All will be made new and perfect and “Holy To The Lord” . . . and that includes you!  

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

He chose our inheritance for us. (Psalm 47:4)

Infinite wisdom has determined His “Inspired Inheritance” for us. He who formed us in the womb knows what is best, and He knows what is best for us. When we come to this understanding, we come to the place where we can rest in our redemption.

Left to our own devices, we would never choose our best destiny, either in this life or the next, because we make all our decisions with a thought process that is not only finite and fallible, but utterly fallen. In this case, the old saying is as true as it is timely: “Father knows best!” His thoughts are eternal, infallible, and true; His plan is to prosper us and to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). When we ask our heavenly Father to take the helm of our lives, we can rest assured that He will steer us into His perfect port of call.

Now notice two biblical truths:

1. Being the recipient of an Inspired Inheritance does not mean that God will never steer us into the storms of life. “In this world you will have trouble,” Jesus warned (John 16:33). Our God has ordained storms to shape us and strengthen us for the ministry of service into which we have been called.
2. However, this does mean that God will be with us in the storm. Just like the disciples in the boat out on the sea when the storm winds arose, the Lord was with them, and He was in complete control of everything that was happening. The King of kings stilled the fierce storm with a word, and the disciples reached their intended destination in safety and with a deeper faith.

The inheritance we receive from our Lord is as intentional as it is inspired, and it is always delivered for two reasons: for God’s glory and for our good. I know from personal experience that this can be very difficult to see when we are in the middle of the storm. Some storms seem to pop up out of nowhere and wreak havoc in our lives, but the truth is that nothing just “pops up” in the life of the disciple of Christ. Not even a bird falls to the ground apart from His will (Matthew 10:29), and everything happens according to His perfect plan and purpose for our lives.

So regardless of where this message finds you today, let me ask you this question: Who would you rather have choosing your inheritance? Your Savior or yourself? As for me and my house, we want Jesus to choose for us. If today’s message finds you in a painful place, please remember that this did not happen by accident. God chose this for you, and He is working all things together for your absolute good, no matter how bad it feels right now. We must always remember to trust the hand of our God in all circumstances, even when we cannot trace Him.

Have you asked God to take the helm of your life today?

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

“When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’” (Luke 15:9)

In ancient Palestine, it was common for women to receive ten silver coins as a wedding present. These coins had both monetary value and sentimental value, much like a wedding ring would have today, so to lose even a single coin would be deeply distressing. The woman who had lost the coin would search everywhere until she found it. And our Lord Jesus Christ tells us that just as she would rejoice and celebrate with her friends when the missing coin was found, so too the angels in heaven rejoice and celebrate when one lost sinner repents and turns to God.

Here are a few things to take from this story that will both comfort and challenge you as a “Christian Coin” –

• We were lost because of our sin.
• We had no interest in being found.
• We were the object of a search by the One who wanted us.
• We were found by the One who searched for us.
• We were celebrated over by the One who found us.

Here is an important aspect to the story: Even though the woman still had nine coins in her possession, she went after that one lost coin and would not stop until she found it. God loves us so much and desires deeply for us to be in a right relationship with Him; therefore, regardless of how many other “coins” He has, He still goes after that one lost coin and will not rest until that coin has been found. Why? Because that single lost coin has true value in the eyes of God, and so does every lost sinner. And knowing the heart of the King of kings, the angels in heaven rejoice when even one of those sinner repents.

One final thought: There was a cost for the woman in finding her lost coin. “Does she not light a lamp,” Jesus asked rhetorically, “sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?” (Luke 15:8). First, to light a lamp would be costly simply because of the oil expended. Next, the woman would not merely glance here and there, but rather use a broom to sweep the whole house, searching diligently and intently until the coin was found. Remember, Jesus was making this point to the self-righteousness religious leaders who cared deeply about their own positions of power but showed no concern for those they considered to be unclean sinners. But our loving Lord Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and He paid the ultimate cost — His precious blood shed on a cross — in order to have them.

Let us this day join the angels and rejoice over all that God has done in our own lives and in the lives of others!

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

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

Our Lord Jesus Christ provides His sheep with a cosmic covering. To “cover,” at the deepest level of understanding, is to forgive and to forget, and only God has the ability to do that over and over and over again in our lives.

While Jesus hung on the cross He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). He was speaking directly about those people who had nailed Him to that cruel cross! Once we have this truth firmly planted in our understanding, we can begin to live this forgiveness out in our lives with others, which is specifically what Peter was referring to in today’s passage. Peter was talking about interpersonal relationships on the horizontal level. Only as we are able to love others as Jesus has loved us – by forgiving as we have been forgiven – can we truly be considered His disciples. Because we have been given this cosmic covering of grace and mercy, we must be willing to offer it to others.

But what we must remember in our interpersonal relationships is the fact that love covers “a multitude” of sins — not all of them — and Paul makes this clear in the following ways:

• We are not to participate with others in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather we are to shed light on them (Ephesians 5:11).
• We are to separate ourselves from those who claim to be believers and still live immoral and destructive lives (1 Corinthians 5:11).
• We are to give a word of warning to those who are living idle and disruptive lives (1 Thessalonians 5:14).
• We are to bring restoration to anyone who has been caught in the snare of sin (Galatians 6:1).

The life of the believer is a life lived in the shadow of the cross, as we forgive and forbear, prayerfully trying, in our own sin-stained way, to emulate the forgiveness and forbearance of our loving Lord. Love does indeed cover a multitude of sins. Yet there are sins that must be addressed in love when someone’s sin is destructive to them or those around them. We have received a cosmic covering of the love of our Lord, and we are to express that love to others — deeply and from the heart.

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