Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! —Psalm 46:10

I want to ask you to do a mental exercise that you might find very difficult. For just a moment, imagine someone you love, someone you care about. Now imagine that this will be the last day you will be with him or her. What would you like to say? What would you like your last conversation to be? My suggestion to you is say it now. Don’t wait until he or she is gone.

That is what Mary did for Jesus. That is why she lavished the costly, fragrant oil on His head. There with Lazarus, the apostles, and Jesus, it suddenly dawned on her that Jesus was about to die. What could she say to Him? What could she do for Him? She wanted to demonstrate her love in a tangible way and thank Him for all He had done.

I think we need to learn from Mary’s example and sit at the feet of Jesus. You might be thinking, That all sounds very spiritual, and I’m sure you have a lot of time to do that, being a preacher. But I have a life. I’m busy. I have all kinds of things going on. I don’t have time to sit at the feet of Jesus. Could He just text me when He wants me to know something?

It is possible to sit at the feet of Jesus. How? You make time for it. That was Mary’s secret, and it can be yours as well. Sometimes it means unplugging your computer or turning off your phone. But the Lord says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

There is a time for work, and there is a time for worship. Mary understood that. A lot can happen when you sit at the feet of Jesus.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”—Romans 8:28

Chuck Swindoll tells the story of a man who was shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. He painstakingly built a little hut for protection from the elements where he could keep the few items he had salvaged from the wreck.

For weeks he lived in this little hut, with only the hot sun and cold nights to keep him company. Prayerfully, he scanned the horizon for the approach of a ship, but nothing appeared.

Then one evening, when he returned from a search for food, he was terrified to find his little hut in flames! He tried to put the fire out, but it was too late. Everything he had in the world had gone up in smoke.

He went to sleep that night listening to the pounding of the surf, amazed at his misfortune. The next morning he awoke to find a ship anchored at the shore! It was the first ship he had seen in all the weeks he had been marooned.

Still trying to believe his eyes, he heard footsteps, and then heard the captain’s voice: “We saw your smoke signal and came to rescue you!”

What may seem like a disaster in your life might be just the thing that leads to your deliverance!

Has God used bad things in your life to bring about good?

So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.—Psalm 90:12

Have you ever wasted your time? Let me restate the question: Do you have a television or a smartphone?

There are so many television channels now. Yet I’ve sat with a remote control in hand and hardly found a single thing worth watching. I’ve also found myself wasting a lot of time. And now we have smartphones, which people can’t seem to stop looking at. They look at them while they’re driving. They look at them while they’re standing in line. They look at them while they’re walking down a crowded street. Everyone is sidetracked with this current technology, and I wonder how much time we waste.

It isn’t good to waste time, but it’s much worse to waste a life. In Matthew 26 we find the story of a woman who was accused of great waste. Interestingly, this accusation was made by a man whose life actually was a complete waste.

I’m convinced that when we get to Heaven, we’ll see things much differently. I think some things that we will have thought of as good during our lives on this earth may not be perceived as good in the same way. We think that good obviously means excellent health and having a lot of money. We think good means having a very successful career or ministry. I am not saying these things are bad. But maybe they won’t be as good as we once thought they were.

On the other hand, we may think of any kind of a setback, sickness, or failure in life as a horrible thing. But I think that when we get to Heaven, we will realize that some of those setbacks and failures actually produced more spiritual fruit in our lives than the so-called good things. Things are not always as they appear.

He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.—Deuteronomy 32:4

Some parents are terrified when their children question the authority of the Scriptures or have questions about various things we believe as Christians. But I don’t think it’s a horrible thing when children start asking the hard questions. Skepticism isn’t necessarily a sign that a person is wrong; it may be a sign that he or she is thinking.

Christian parents need to answer their children’s questions and help them work through those things. Sooner or later, children will have to grow up. They will have to find out for themselves who God is.

If you were raised in a Christian home, thank God for that legacy. But some people have been raised in Christian homes where there was a lot of hypocrisy. Maybe their parents argued all the time, or there were other problems. This is very disillusioning to a young person, who may say, “My parents talked about God all the time and couldn’t live it out. It’s all a bunch of nonsense.” They base their views of God on their parents.

I am not excusing Christian parents who have not been good examples to their children. But I am saying that even if your mom or dad blew it, even if someone you looked up to blew it, don’t base your view of God on what that person did or did not do. You need to find out for yourself who God is.

Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “[The LORD] is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.”

Don’t base your view of God on someone who may have misrepresented Him. God is who He is. He is faithful. He is perfect. He is flawless. And He never will be a hypocrite.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. —Ecclesiastes 3:11

Sometimes we think that certain things in life are good, while other things are bad. But as we live a little longer, we have the advantage of being able to look back and see life in a different way. We begin to realize that certain things we thought were good were actually bad, and certain things we thought were bad were actually good.

This is one reason David was described as a man after God’s own heart (see 1 Samuel 13:14). He knew God was in control of His life. David reasoned that the things he was going through, even the hard times, were preparing him for what came next. And he was right. David was being prepared for the great responsibilities that would eventually rest on his shoulders.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” I’m convinced that when we get to heaven, we will have a completely different perspective on what happened to us in life. We will look back at some of the most difficult times in our lives and realize that God was at work, developing character, endurance, and, most importantly, Christlikeness in us.

Believers love to quote Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” But very few people quote the verse that immediately follows: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

God’s end game is to make us holy. God’s goal is to make us like Jesus.

David and his men tore their clothes in sorrow when they heard the news. They mourned and wept and fasted all day for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the Lord’s army and the nation of Israel, because they had died by the sword that day.—2 Samuel 1:11–12

If an enemy who had opposed you for years was finally dealt with, what would be your first thought? I doubt it would be how to show kindness to that person or to members of his or her family. Generally, we want to give the way that we get. If we get hit, we want to hit back—even harder. That is human nature.

But David had made a promise to Saul’s son Jonathan, and he was a man of his word. He would look out for Jonathan’s children and show mercy and kindness to his descendents.

After Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle, there was no king over Israel. David was the rightful king, but the battle continued between the house of David and the house of Saul. Saul had a son named Ishbosheth, and Abner, Saul’s general, made him king. He ignored the fact that God had chosen David as Saul’s successor.

Then Abner and Ishbosheth had an argument, and Abner threatened to defect. Sure enough, he went over to David’s side. But there were problems with that because Joab, David’s general, hated Abner. He couldn’t believe that David would allow Abner into their ranks. This escalated, and Joab ultimately hunted down Abner and killed him.

David was outraged. He was tired of the fighting and wanted it to end. He didn’t want to deal with his enemies in the way they had dealt with him. He wanted to forgive them. David could have engaged in some big-time payback. But he did the very opposite. Even before all of the experts figured it out, David knew the power of forgiveness.

Was David a perfect man? No. Did he have his flaws? Yes. But God loved David. And He uniquely described him as a man after His own heart.

“The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools.”—Proverbs 3:35

Parents, today you are leaving a legacy by your life, words, and actions. This will affect your children, your grandchildren, your great grandchildren, and beyond.

1. H. Spurgeon said, “A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you, and were helped by you, will remember you. So carve your name on hearts and not on marble.”

We need to think about the legacy we are leaving. Because when your last day on earth comes, you will not be remembered for what you may be making the focus of your life today.

When someone passes, foremost in their eulogy is who they are survived by. We talk about them as a spouse, a parent, a son or daughter, as a person who did good for others.

We don’t celebrate the wealth they acquired or how attractive they were, because when they are gone, we collectively realize those things don’t matter.

Socrates said, “Could I climb to the highest place in Athens, I would lift my voice and proclaim: Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth and take so little care of your children to whom one day you must relinquish it all?”

Our goal as parents is to lead our children to Christ and get them to heaven.

We are all leaving a legacy. The question is, is it a good or a bad one?

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.—Hebrews 2:14

Some people think it’s a joke to play with Ouija boards or read their horoscopes. They think it’s only fun and games to play around with demonic forces and ideas. But it’s no joke. Occultism and astrology are doorways to darkness, and people really push it when they start dabbling in the Devil’s world.

Nonbelievers have no defense against the Devil, who can pretty much do whatever he wants to do in their lives. However, he can do nothing in the life of a Christian without God’s permission. The only thing he fears is the power of Jesus Christ.

A classic example of this is the story of Job. Interestingly, the Lord allowed Satan a certain leeway, which resulted in many horrible afflictions on God’s servant, including the loss of his health, the loss of his property, and, worst of all, the loss of his children. There were limitations to what the Devil was allowed to do, but Job was tested severely. He came through it all, and God blessed him in the end.

You may think you can’t make it through a hardship of some kind, but if God is letting you go through it, He has a reason. God knows how much you can take. He will never give you more than you can handle.

The Devil was soundly defeated at the cross of Calvary. Prior to His crucifixion, Jesus said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31). As believers, we share in the victory of Jesus Christ. He dealt a decisive blow against the Devil and his minions at the cross. When Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” it reverberated through the corridors of Heaven and the hallways of hell. It was a victory shout.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.—1 John 1:9

Sometimes we need to take drastic measures to be free from a sin. Jesus said, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:29).

Jesus wasn’t speaking literally here. He was using an expression that was commonly understood in that culture. The right eye was thought to be the best eye. So when Jesus made that statement, He was saying, “Do whatever it takes to be free from that sin.”

We have to call sin what it is. Don’t call it a mistake or a weakness; that is the verbiage we use to soften what we do. Call it a sin. We are all human, and we all make mistakes. But there is a big difference between that and going out and overtly sinning.

After David committed adultery with Bathsheba and his sin was exposed, he admitted it and made this statement to God: “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight—that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge” (Psalm 51:4).

David didn’t say, “Lord, I am weak and human, and I make mistakes.” Rather, he said he had sinned against God. That’s what it means to confess your sin. Start by calling it a sin.

The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). If you want to be forgiven of your sin, you must first confess it. The word confess means to agree with God. It means seeing sin the way God sees it.

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”—Luke 11:1

Prayer changes everything. In prayer I am reminded of the greatness of God and, thus, the comparable smallness of my problems. When I pray, my problems don’t go away. But I get perspective.

Jesus taught what we call the Lord’s Prayer (even though it isn’t called that anywhere in the Bible). It would be better described as the Disciple’s Prayer because Jesus never prayed it. But He taught that prayer in response to the disciples’ request, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).

There’s nothing wrong with praying the Lord’s Prayer verbatim. But the disciples said, “Lord teach us to pray” not “Teach us a prayer.”

Jesus said, “When you pray, say:

‘Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.’ ” (Luke 11:2–4)

That is a template for prayer. The idea is to first contemplate the awesomeness of God. Get things in perspective. You are talking to the Creator of the universe, who is in Heaven. “Hallowed be Your name” means “Praise to Your name. Honor to Your name. Glory to Your name. Set apart is Your name. Hallowed be Your name.”

Effectively, we are saying, “Lord, before I offer a single request, I want to first say that I want Your will more than I want my own.” See how that can change your prayer? You don’t just start off with demands. You start off with worship and praise so that you see God in His glory. Thus, you see your problems for what they really are.

And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before.—2 Peter 2:20

After you’ve been a Christian for a number of years, the Devil will say, Remember the good ol’ days? . . . Remember those parties? . . . Remember that one girl (or that one guy)? . . . Remember that one night?

But what he won’t say is, Remember that time you were throwing up everywhere? . . . Remember that time you got that DUI? . . . Remember that time you actually contemplated suicide? He will take a few good times and bring them to your memory, and then he’ll say, Wouldn’t it be fun to do that one more time?

The first step toward going back is looking back. That is what the children of Israel were doing after God delivered them from their slavery in Egypt. They said, “Oh, for some meat!” . . . “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” (Numbers 11:4–6).

That is one reason we need to study the book of Numbers. Believers who are living in the last days will face many of the same temptations and challenges as the children of Israel did. The Scriptures warn us that if we go back to those things of the past as the Israelites did, it will be worse than it ever was (see 2 Peter 2:20). It will turn bitter in our mouths.

When you go back to your old life before Christ, it is like a dog that returns to its vomit (see Proverbs 26:11). It will be worse than it was before. Don’t go there—either in person or mentally. Don’t look back. Put it behind you.

And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.—Psalm 106:15

Sometimes we pray for something with such passion and fervency. But I’m so glad that God overrules our requests at times. Have you ever prayed for something and God said no, only to later say, “Lord, thank You for not answering my prayer in the affirmative”?

At times God will overrule our requests. That is why Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9–10).

Really, what Jesus was saying is that when we bring our requests before God, we can effectively say, “Lord, if this thing I’ve just prayed for is outside of Your will, please overrule it, because You know better than me.”

You can ask God for something and plead with Him about something, and He just might give it to you—sometimes to teach you a lesson.

We don’t always know what’s best for us, just like my grandchildren don’t know what’s best for them at times. If they had their way, they would eat candy all day long. But they don’t realize what it would do to them. Adults have to provide some oversight and tell them what they can and can’t do for their own good. In the same way, God will put roadblocks in our paths to stop us from exercising our free will and going in the wrong direction.

Don’t take for granted what God has given you: your husband . . . your wife . . . your children . . . your career . . . your health . . . your church. Don’t say, “I’m tired of this. I want something else.” God just may give you what you want—and you may not like it one bit.

“Tell and bring forth your case; yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me.”—Isaiah 45:21

A while back I read an interesting article about a study conducted by Baylor University on peoples’ various perspectives of God. Drawing their conclusions from the survey participants’ responses to 77 questions, the researchers found that four distinct viewpoints of God had emerged: authoritarian, benevolent, critical, and distant.

I think there are certain aspects of truth in some of these descriptions. But personally, I don’t like any of them. So I am proposing a fifth category: the biblical God.

Yes, God is angry at the sins of humanity, as those who believe in a so-called authoritarian God would say. But He is not ready to throw thunderbolts. Otherwise, no one would be alive right now. Yes, God is kind and full of mercy, as those who believe in a so-called benevolent God would assert. He cares about the sick and the needy. He is interested in what is happening in the world. He is not merely a cosmic force who is disengaged.

The Bible tells us what God is like. And God tells us about Himself in a blessing He instructed the priests to pronounce over His people: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24–26). God loves to bless us. He loves to smile on us. He loves to listen to us, protect us, and give us peace.

It’s important how we view God, because that will determine how we view life. Let me take it a step further: our view of God will dictate how we live. It will determine the decisions we make. In fact, there are no areas of our lives that are not impacted by how we view God.