Wisdom Of Life

Scriptures: Matthew 4:18-22   I've heard every reason you can imagine for avoiding missionary service: "I haven't been to seminary." "I can't preach." "I'm too old." "My family won't go for it." On and on the list goes. Let me tell you that there are thousands of active missionaries who once thought that God couldn't use them either. I often have the privilege of hearing their stories of how the Lord turned resistance into enthusiasm. People can offer God plenty of reasons why He shouldn't call them to spread the gospel. But His call is not issued for our consideration; He expects a response of obedience and surrender. A believer is accountable only to say yes to God's call. It is the Lord's responsibility to equip the chosen for the work He's assigned. A personal plan has been mapped for each believer's life, and God provides the personality and temperament that suits. Then He adds ski...

Scriptures: Jeremiah 32:17-19  So often when we deal with difficult people, it's easy to form judgments about them based on their behavior or attitudes. But have you ever stopped to wonder what has made that person so disagreeable or foolish? When the Bible says God "repays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children" (v. 18) , it is speaking about generational cycles of sin. Unless someone in the family line makes a deliberate choice to change, sinful and dysfunctional behavior will be passed from parent to child for many generations. This is really just a confirmation of the principle of sowing and reaping. We pass down standards for conduct and character traits that we received from our parents. If we are unwilling to change our sinful habits and attitudes, they will very likely find their way into our children's lives. What is true for sin is also true for wounding. When a child is emotionally bruised in the home, his behavior and char...

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.”  1 Peter 1:22 Christian love is both vertical and horizontal. It begins with love for God. This love starts in us by our "obeying the truth" of the Gospel. The resulting new birth purifies us from the inside out. This love originates and ends in God. We love Him only because "he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). The horizontal love is harder. Someone described two porcupines needing warmth from each other on a cold night-- "They needed each other; even though they needled each other." We sometimes feel the same way. But Peter calls us to a love that is sincere (genuine, without hypocrisy) , deep (fervent, constant) , and from the heart (the center of our emotions, desires, and will) . Maybe today there is another believer who has not received a sincere, deep, and heartfelt love from you. In fact, maybe the...

Scriptures: John 13:1-15   Do you equate success with wealth, acclaim, and power? If we measured by these standards, then Jesus, who was rejected by His community and didn't even have a house of His own, was a failure. But, of course, we know that's not the case. So God must use something other than these worldly goals to define success. In fact, Scripture is clear that Jesus Christ is our example--we should strive to be like Him. So, what exactly was our Savior's mission? In today's passage, we see the answer through His actions: He came to serve. The disciples, wanting recognition and reward, were arguing about who'd be the greatest in heaven. In contrast, Jesus took off His outer garment and performed the task of the lowliest servant: He washed the dirty feet of His followers. The next day, Almighty God was crucified by His own creation. In allowing this, He offered salvation to all--even those who nailed Him to a cross. Jesus deserved glory but c...

Scriptures: Philippians 2:7-9   When it comes to serving in the church, people rarely request positions where they will go unnoticed. They usually ask to be involved in a place of leadership. Now, there is nothing wrong with heading a committee. But God calls us to have a servant's heart: He desires that our motive be to glorify Him, not ourselves. Over the years, I've had many conversations with young men studying at seminary. Countless times, they share the desire to lead a sizable church. And those who are called to a small congregation frequently struggle with feelings of insignificance. My encouragement to them is this: In His great love, God places us where He wants us to serve, and every task we undertake should be given our all, whether there's one person listening or a multitude. We ultimately serve Jesus, and He is not concerned with the recognition we receive. He desires our obedience and our best effort. This is true not just for pastors but for all believer...

“. . . Take up his cross daily and follow me.”    Luke 9:23   You do not make your own cross, although unbelief is a master carpenter at cross-making; neither are you permitted to choose your own cross, although self-will wants to be lord and master. But your cross is prepared and appointed for you by divine love, and you must cheerfully accept it; you are to take up the cross as your chosen badge and burden, and not to stand complaining. This night Jesus bids you submit your shoulder to His easy yoke. Do not kick at it in petulance, or trample on it in pride, or fall under it in despair, or run away from it in fear, but take it up like a true follower of Jesus. Jesus was a cross-bearer; He leads the way in the path of sorrow. Surely you could not desire a better guide! And if He carried a cross, what nobler burden would you desire? The Via Crucis is the way of safety; fear not to tread its thorny paths. Beloved, the cross is not made of feathers or li...

Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10   What a scene will occur at the sounding of the Lord’s trumpet! The “dead in Christ” will emerge from their resting places all over the earth and soar into the sky; these saints’ resurrected bodies will reunite with their spirits, which will have been residing in heaven with Jesus. Close behind them will follow believers who haven’t yet departed this life—at that moment, they’ll miraculously be changed as they are “caught up . . . to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:16-17). The description sounds extraordinary, but in fact, the plan is practical. We’re going to need a body with which to enjoy the new heaven and new earth that Jesus is preparing for His followers. However, earthly flesh and bones will not do. They age, break, and succumb to sin. So God promised to transform our humble structures into glorious bodies like the one Christ had after His resurrection. Common temptations and limitations will be gone. In addition, our phy...

Scriptures: Luke 24:44-53   The principle we will explore today is basic but so powerful that it determines whether we experience victory in our lives. You are probably familiar with the book The Little Engine That Could, in which a small engine keeps repeating the words "I think I can." By using sheer willpower, she pulls an entire train over the mountain. That's a nice children's story, but the truth of the Christian life is very different. In the real world, our efforts and determination often fall short. Only by walking in the power of the Holy Spirit can the godly life be achieved. Throughout the Old Testament, God's Spirit would temporarily come upon saints for a particular work. However, after Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Spirit to dwell permanently within each believer. Consider what this means: If you're a Christian, God is living inside of you, available to help all through life by providing guidance, comfort, and empowerment. Obedience...

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave as his master.”   (Matthew 10:24–25) The word disciple means “learner, student.” The ancient Greeks had disciples in the realm of philosophy. Plato, often called the “father of philosophy,” developed a system of thought that dealt with issues of epistemology, and issues related to the meaning of life. Plato discipled his student Aristotle, who took what he had learned and built “gymnasiums,” or academies. In the ancient world, gymnasiums were not arenas for sporting events.They were training centers to teach students Plato’s thought and the system developed by Aristotle, known as Aristotelian logic. The students thus trained were “gymnatized,” which is the verb form of the Greek word for gymnasium. So successful was this discipling process that it allowed th...

Scriptures: John 3:16   God has to be true to Himself. People are foolish to entertain the hope that He will ignore justice and sacrifice holiness in order to allow unbelievers into heaven. Living a mostly moral life will not satisfy a righteous Judge. As much as the Lord loves us and desires to save us from our sins, He cannot deny His holiness by accepting sin in His presence. The Father is pristine perfection--a holy Being who, by His very nature, must condemn all sin. Therefore, it is the height of egotism to think that God will bend both His law and His nature to welcome one whom still bears the stain of wrongdoing. There is not one person who's good enough to enter heaven on his or her own merit. Every one of us needs Jesus. The stain of sin is washed clean only by the sacrifice of God's holy and blameless Son. Those who believe in Christ are forgiven their wrongs and cloaked in His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). Let me make it very clear that trusting Jesus is far more...

Scriptures: 1 John 4:7-12   Many people simply can't believe that the Lord loves them. Others believe that He loves them, but only when they are pleasing Him in some way. Why is it so hard for us to accept His unconditional love? One reason is that we have a hard time loving others without condition. We might say the words "I love you" to our spouse, children, friends, co-workers, or fellow believers but all too often are calculating in our mind whether or not they've lived up to our standard. We sometimes excuse ourselves from loving certain people because their behavior upsets or annoys us. The fact that we place restrictions on extending favor causes us to wrongly assume that the Lord does likewise. Another reason is poor self-image. Considering ourselves unworthy, we refuse to accept God's love. You know what? None of us are worthy of the heavenly Father's goodness and mercy—so you can let go of that excuse once and for all. We're ...

“… teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”   (Matthew 28:20) Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is a lot different than just going to church once or twice a week. To get excited because the preacher moved you and the choir inspired you is nice, but that’s not spiritual growth. To enjoy fellowship with your friends is a wonderful part of the Christian life, but it in and of itself is not discipleship. The goal and the cornerstone of your activity, that which brings God the most glory, is for you to become a disciple. God’s goal is not salvation; that is just the introduction to God’s goal. His desire is that those who are saved become disciples. It is not enough simply to say: “I’m on my way to heaven.” The issue is, are you becoming like the One who is taking you to heaven? That’s discipleship, and that’s what Christ wants from you. Discipl...

Scriptures: Romans 5:6-11   Scripture tells us that love is the very essence of who God is (1 John 4:7) . So if you don't believe that He loves you unconditionally, you'll never really know Him or have genuine peace about your relationship with Him. How do you define "love"? It is Jesus unselfishly reaching out to mankind, giving Himself to us and bringing good into our life regardless of whether or not we accept Him. Romans 5:8 tells us that His care and concern are so immeasurable that He laid down His life for us while we were still His enemies. In fact, the Bible says that He first began to express His love toward us before the foundation of the world (Ephesians. 1:3-5). That means your actions had absolutely nothing to do with His love for you! God's commitment to us has absolutely no conditions or restrictions and isn't based on whether we love Him back. Nor does He have more love for "good" people who may strike us as more worthy. He l...

Scriptures: Hebrews 6:10-12   Most of us are quick to declare our love for God, but at times our reluctance to serve Him tells a different story. Honestly consider whether you have ever found yourself saying or thinking, I love you, Lord, but don't call me to do that! Or perhaps you served Him, but with a flawed attitude: If no one else will do it, then I guess I will. What causes us to be reluctant servants? Busyness: Sometimes our schedules are so full that there's no space to follow the Lord when we hear Him calling us to minister in a certain area. We all need "margins" in our lives if we want to abide in God's will. Inadequacy: Perhaps you feel unqualified to serve, and you're thinking, Surely there's someone more gifted who could do that job. But that's just an excuse; the Lord promises to equip those He calls (2 Corinthians 3:4-6). Selfishness: Sacrificial service is never convenient. It may require that we change our plans, give up our ...

Scriptures: John 15:12-14   Perhaps the most intense love and protective instinct in the experience of mankind is that of parents toward their children. There is little that most mothers or fathers wouldn't do for a baby. If a truck posed a threat to the little one, it wouldn't surprise us if they jumped in front of the moving vehicle without a second thought. Wouldn't you like to be cared for with this kind of intensity? You are. In fact, the Lord's love toward you is far deeper and more secure than that of even the most caring, tuned-in human parent. And what God did for us is proof. Romans 5:8 says that while we were living in disobedience, He sent His only Son to die on the cross for us. Think about a father giving up his child for people who choose to rebel against him. What a tremendous sacrifice and cost! Jesus' death took the place of the punishment that we deserved. If we accept this gift and decide to follow God, He no longer sees us as guilty. Rather,...

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”   (John 15:4)   As you put God first in your life, make certain that what you do is rooted in relationship rather than in rules. Too frequently people will confuse structure for surrender. They cross off a list and think that they have put God first. When in actuality, if God is first, you don’t need a list because you will naturally seek Him, His heart, and His way in your own personal surrender out of love. Whenever religious activity trumps relationship, the victory of Christ is no longer experienced in the fullness it ought to be in the believer’s life. One of the greatest dangers in our churches today is for religion to replace an intimate relationship with the Savior. By religion, I mean the external adherence to exercises, codes, or practices in the name of God yet apart from God. For example, if y...

"Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.”  (Deuteronomy 28:1) like the story of the chicken and the pig. Both are walking down the street one day when they come to a grocery store with a sign in the window which reads, “Bacon and Eggs Desperately Needed.” The chicken looks at the pig and says, “I’ll give them the eggs if you’ll give them the bacon.” The pig stares back at the chicken and replies, “No way.” The chicken asks, “Why not?” To which the pig states, “Because for you it’s a contribution, but for me it’s my life.” Unfortunately today we have too many Christians who are only willing to give God an egg here or there, and after they do so they think they’ve given enough. They wonder why God isn’t showing up miraculously in their lives. The reason He is not is that God has asked us as kingdom fol...

S criptures: Psalms 25:4-10   If we'll let the truths of Scripture fill our minds, guard our emotions, and influence our conduct, God will richly reward us. I'm talking about spiritual blessings here (though He at times chooses to bless materially as well). By reading and meditating on His Word, you'll learn to understand His ways. This isn't something we can figure out on our own, because His ways are unlike ours—they are higher, bigger, and eternal. Also, your relationship with the Lord will grow increasingly more intimate because He chooses to reveal Himself to those who seek Him and obey His instructions. When you see that God always keeps His promises, your confidence in His faithfulness will soar. No matter what the situation, you'll know you can trust Him. Then He'll transform your worries into joyful anticipation about what He's going to do next in your life. Even if hard times await, you'll be convinced that the Lord will work them out for good....

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”  Psalm 139:13-16   What do you think of your body? Yes, I know ... a pretty personal question. But self-image is a big part of our culture, and so many people don't like what they see when they look in the mirror. And the results? Anorexia. Bulimia. Acceptance gained by promiscuity. Addictions. Recently, a young girl sitting in front of me on a flight had scars all over her legs and arms from cutting. What do you think of the body God made just for you? In her book Real Sex, Lauren Winner writes the following: "Bodies are not simply pieces of fu...

“For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”  (1 Corinthians 6:20) When you look around at the Christian community today, you frequently see chaos. Marriages are falling apart; singles are struggling to be content. Debt rules. Addictions run amuck. And yet so many people are faithfully in church, leaving many to conclude, “My Christianity is just not working.” They are worn out, lonely, miserable, and frustrated, to say the least. Many have come to conclude that either this thing called Christianity is not real, or it is simply not real for them. However, there is a reason why so many well-intentioned believers are falling short of God’s best in their lives. This is because without the password called “priority,” they cannot access all that God has in store for them. The way that you express priority is through surrender. If you have a smartphone, it is likely that you have a password restriction on it s...

Scriptures: Ezekiel 36:25-28  The Lord wants to give each of us a "heart of flesh" so that we will be pliable and responsive to Him. When touched by the finger of God, a tender heart yields to the pressure and assumes the form He desires, much like a lump of clay that allows the potter to determine the shape of the vessel. To aid in this process, God has sent the Holy Spirit to indwell each believer and awaken responsiveness in him or her. By yielding to the Spirit's promptings with ready obedience, the heart becomes increasingly tender and sensitive to His leading. The Lord is able to impart greater understanding of His Word to a soft heart because it has faithfully accepted and obeyed previous teachings. Any resistance to God will result in hardening. But those who are accustomed to intimacy with Christ—which is the result of submission to Him—will be quick to deal with sin and return to the place of obedience and blessing. People with tender hearts stay closely ...

"If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you."  Psalm 130:3-4 Forgiveness. The word is powerful and calming, refreshing and cleansing, renewing and burden-lifting. "I forgive you." Those three words tell guilt to go away and invite peace to take its place. If God kept a record of all our evil thoughts, reckless words, and aberrant actions, our spiritual legs would buckle under the weight. We would be buried under the pile of our wickedness. And the pile would forever stand as a monument to our depravity. But God does not keep a record of our sins. He nailed them to the cross, where the Lord Jesus paid the penalty for every morsel of juicy gossip, every white lie, every murder and every other despicable action of man. And when we trust in Jesus' death as our own, God throws our sin into the depth of the sea. He puts it behind His back. The God with perfect m...

“ So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  (Matthew 6:34) Most people are being crucified between two thieves: yesterday and tomorrow.They kill today because of what happened yesterday, and they are too scared today because of what may happen tomorrow. Do you know that today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday? In other words, as long as you are on earth, you will never run out of tomorrows. There will always be a tomorrow. So until you learn to make today what today is supposed to be—to embrace today, seize it—then you will perpetually live your life either being bound by yesterday or tomorrow, or even chained between both. I would like to challenge you to change one thing and watch that one thing change everything else: When you put God first, all else will fall in place. Make Him first in your thoughts, hopes, and decisions. Put Him first in how you spend your time. Place Him first in how you view the...

" Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”  Psalm 119:18  Q uoting Isaiah , the apostle Paul wrote, "'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him'--but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) . God's Spirit knows God's thoughts. When the believer reads God's Word, it is the Spirit of God, living within us, who reveals God's words and thoughts to us. Today's passage , then, is a prayer of preparation for our Bible reading. Our minds can be distracted. We can simply read the Bible to check if off for the day. Prior to reading God's Word, here is a prayer we should pray. Dear heavenly Father, Thank You for giving me Your Word. Thank You for the privilege of opening it and reading it today. I admit to You that I am in a hurry. I am busy and distracted. So please slow me down. Help me focus. Keep distractions away. Help me list...

Scriptures: Matthew 7:13-14   Have you ever been accused of being a narrow-minded Christian? Those who level such accusations against us certainly mean it as an insult. According to Jesus, however, that’s the only way to walk if we want to experience abundant life now and eternal life with Him in heaven. But it will require a deliberate choice on our part, because no one automatically drifts onto this pathway. The broad way is easy to find. In fact, unless you make a conscious choice to avoid it, you’ll find yourself on it. Most people like this wide path because it encompasses all philosophies and belief systems. Everything is acceptable, and everyone’s “truth” is valid. It even seems like the loving path because no one is left out. There are no restrictions, and freedom is unlimited. Or is it? What those who travel this road fail to realize is that it’s a downward descent into destruction. All the promises it gives of satisfaction and fulfi...

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”   (Matthew 6:25) God says that if you will seek His kingdom first and His righteous standards first, then He will willingly grant you all of the things that often make themselves the focus of your worry. You ought to put God’s kingdom first if for no other reason than to reduce your personal anxiety and worry. More than 40 million US adults suffer from a diagnosed form of anxiety. Countless millions more suffer from worry or anxiety on less severe levels. Worry is a common issue plaguing people today. Perhaps it is even plaguing you? Whether it’s worrying about jobs, safety, health, relationships, flying, income, terrorism, the future, or anything else—worry eats away at many people’s ability to enjoy the gift of life t...

Scriptures: Hebrews 4:14-16   Almighty God is righteous and just. Romans 3:23 tells us that all people have sinned and are inadequate to be in His presence. As a result of His wrath against sin, we were doomed to eternal separation from Him. But thankfully, the story doesn’t end there. In His love and mercy, God sent His Son to walk among us. Jesus experienced the hardship and temptation common to all people, yet He never sinned. The Savior chose to die a gruesome death in our place, paying the penalty for our wrongs. There is no deeper love, Scripture tells us, than a man who gives up his life for a friend (John 15:13). Jesus went even farther—dying for us while we were still His enemies (Romans. 5:10) . In fact, He would have sacrificed Himself even if you were the only person ever to exist. Promising forgiveness and eternal life, Christ asks sinful man to believe and follow Him. When we trust in Jesus, we are adopted as God’s children and receive His indw...