Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 

—Deuteronomy 6:7

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 6:7 

When my son Christopher was born, I remember thinking, “How am I going to be a father?” My mother had been married and divorced many times. I never had a real father in my life, though a man named Oscar Laurie adopted me. He provided as much of a fatherly relationship as he could in the relatively short time that we spent together.

So when I became a father myself, I had to look to Scripture. And I sought out other fathers to learn from.

Fathers are a visible link between their children and the Father in Heaven. Many of the attitudes children develop toward God will be connected to the attitudes they have toward their fathers. The potential impact of a good and godly father is almost immeasurable.

But fathers, you cannot lead your children any further than you have come yourself. Pastor and author Andrew Murray wrote, “The secret of home rule is self-rule, first being ourselves what we want our children to be.”

First we must develop our own relationship with God.

Moses, speaking to the Israelites, said, “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up” (Deuteronomy 6:5–7 NLT).

This is a picture of parents who are spending a lot of time with their children. We need to teach our children not only by what we say but by how we live.

Are you walking as closely with the Lord as you could? Is there room for a deeper commitment? Then I encourage you to make it before this day is through.

 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 

—Ephesians 5:15–16

Scripture:

Ephesians 5:15-16 

It’s difficult to be a father these days. In fact, I think it always has been difficult. But a man who stands by his wife and children today is, in my book, a true hero. And I thank God for him.

We men cannot, even for a moment, consider bailing out on the commitment we’ve made to our wives. Nor can we turn our backs on our children. To do so would be the same as deserting in the face of battle and being branded a traitor.

Tragically, we live in such a selfish culture in America. And most marital problems can be traced to simple selfishness, nothing more and nothing less. Additionally, researchers have traced many of the social ills in our country today directly to the breakdown of the family and, more specifically, to the absence of the father in the home.

Certainly fatherhood comes with many pressures. Some of us feel ill-equipped. We don’t think we’re up to the task. But it’s better to be an okay but learning father than to be an absent one.

If you’re a dad, chances are you’re not perfect. Maybe you haven’t done everything in just the right way. Learn from your mistakes. Be there for your children. They can be very forgiving when you’re making an effort on their behalf.

How important it is for us as Christian men to try and be the men God has called us to be, even in our later years, even when our children are adults and have their own children.

Maybe you’re thinking, “I failed as a father.” Well, you still have time. You can still change your behavior and attitudes toward your children and try to make up for some of the time you lost. Do what you can while you can still do it.

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy. 

—Psalm 68:5

Scripture:

Psalm 68:5 

I don’t know what kind of earthly dad you have, but you have a Father in Heaven who is perfect. He’s flawless. He has no limitations whatsoever.

What is He like? Jesus answered that in what we call the parable of the Prodigal Son. We could just as easily call it the parable of the Loving Father, because it’s a story about a father who has two sons.

One of the sons went astray, left home, and blew all the money that his dad gave him as his inheritance. Afterward he came to his senses and returned home. And according to Jesus, when that father saw his boy in the distance, he ran to him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. He welcomed him home again.

God the Father is like the father in that story. He’s a Father who loves you, a Father who longs for a relationship with you, and a Father who is brokenhearted when you sin and are away from Him.

I would also add that God’s heart goes out to fatherless children. I understand how hard this can be because I was basically raised by a single mom. In fact, the Bible tells us that God is a “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows” (Psalm 68:5 NLT).

Honestly, there are times when parents blow it. They abandon their children, or they’re harsh or even abusive. But regardless of what your parents did or even what your grandparents did, God can change your story. When Jesus Christ enters the narrative, He can change your future. But you need to ask Him to come and take control.

If you’re a prodigal child, you can come back home. Or if you never have believed in Jesus, then you can believe in Him and be forgiven of all your sin. There’s a place at the table for you in the family of God.

 The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living. 

—Psalm 19:8

Scripture:

Psalm 19:8 

When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, He included this one: “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12 NLT).

God tells children to honor their parents, even when they say those four words that no child likes to hear: “Because I said so.” This statement is usually followed up with something along these lines: “You’ll understand one day.”

Sometimes God says the same to us. We might say, “Lord, I don’t really get all these things You say in Your Word, and I don’t like all those commandments You’ve written down. Why are they even there? Why do I have to follow them?”

And God replies, “Because I said so.”

One day we’ll get it. One day we’ll understand. And we don’t even have to wait until we’re in Heaven. After we’ve lived a few years, we see how human lives unfold. We see what happens when people obey God’s Word, and we see what happens when they disobey it.

As the children of Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, Moses stood before them and made this statement: “Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways” (Deuteronomy 30:15–16 NLT).

Then he added, “If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy” (verse 16 NLT).

God was saying to them, “Follow My commands and your life will be blessed.” If we will read God’s Word and do what it says, then we will ultimately discover how much better life goes.

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. 

—Ephesians 6:4

Scripture:

Ephesians 6:4 

A while back I was at a restaurant with my wife, and we were enjoying the view as the sun began to set. Then I glanced at a table nearby where a young family was sitting.

The dad was on his phone, the mother was on her phone, and the baby was on a tablet—in fact, there was a tablet holder in the stroller!

I thought, “What are we doing to these kids?” We put them in front of devices and bombard them with information, and I wonder whether their brains are forming properly. Are they even learning to read social cues and communicate?

What concerns me is that a lot of parents are leaving their kids to themselves. Yet it’s the parents’ job to raise their own children. God created the family, and He loves the family. And as someone has pointed out, a family can survive without a nation, but a nation cannot survive without the family.

Ephesian 6:4 reminds us, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord” (NLT). The phrase “bring them up” means “to nourish.”

We should protect our children, watch over them, and help them process what they’re being exposed to.

Moses said to the Israelites, “And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7 NLT).

As a parent, nothing can happen through you until it has first happened to you. You cannot take your children any further spiritually than you have gone yourself.

 For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. 

—Ecclesiastes 3:1

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 3:1 

I don’t know about you, but I constantly look at my watch throughout the day. What time is it? What time are we supposed to be there? How much time will it take?

Time is a part of our lives. It’s inescapable. That is what Solomon was talking about when he wrote, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT).

We find two important words in this verse: “season” and “time.” The Hebrew word for “season” refers to a fixed, definite portion of time, while the word for “time” refers to a beginning or a starting period.

When we put those words together, we see that Solomon is telling us that God has appointed everything that comes into our lives for a specific purpose. God knows just when to bring things in, and He knows how long they should last.

The things we experience are not random events that float in and out of our lives. Rather, they are specific events that God has chosen, and they are timely and purposeful. This includes the good times that we experience and the bad times we experience.

And in retrospect, we’ll see that many of the bad times will turn out to be good times. That’s because it is through those so-called bad times that we learn some of life’s most important lessons.

We also will recognize that we’re not in charge of our lives. God is. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we come under His protective care. This means God is fully aware of everything that happens to us.

God is always paying careful attention to the smallest detail of our lives and is in complete control of all circumstances. There’s a season for everything. We’re not victims of fate or dumb luck. God is guiding and directing our steps.

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 

—2 Corinthians 3:18

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 3:18 

I wasn’t raised in the church. I grew up in an alcohol-dazed world, and I saw what it did to the adult generation. So, I detoured myself into the drug culture and tried a lot of things. And I tried enough to know that it all was empty.

When I heard about Jesus Christ, I thought, “I would like to know God. That idea sounds really good.” The idea of having a relationship with God held great appeal for me.

But I also noticed that the Christians on my high school campus were sweet and nice and loving. I thought, “I’m not that way. I’m cynical and sarcastic. In fact, I can be kind of mean. I don’t know if I can become one of those people.”

However, after I became a Christian, God started working in my life. Now, I’m not saying that I don’t have a little bit of cynicism still. I’m not saying that I haven’t been sarcastic since my conversion. But I am saying that God changed my heart.

In fact, when I told people that I was a Christian, they didn’t believe it. They thought I was joking. And later when I became a preacher, they laughed even harder. It was the last thing anyone envisioned for me.

But God had a different plan for my life. And who knows what kind of plan He has for you?

Maybe you have tried to get your life together. Maybe you’re still searching for answers. You’ve been trying to fill the void in your life with anything and everything, but nothing satisfies.

God holds the missing piece. You won’t find it in your pursuits or in anything this world has to offer. But you will find it in a relationship with God. The missing piece is a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. And He will change you from the inside out.

Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 

—Romans 13:13

Scripture:

Romans 13:13 

Shortly before he died, Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, recorded a song called “Party.” Here are some of the lyrics: “We were up all night, singing and giving a chase… the next morning everybody was hung over.”

In the refrain he repeatedly implores his party mates to “come back and play.”

Don’t be pulled into the illusion that drinking and partying will make you a happy person. Christians should live apart from that.

Romans 13 tells us, “This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living” (verses 11–12 NLT).

Here’s how the J. B. Phillips New Testament puts it: “The present time is of the highest importance—it is time to wake up to reality. Every day brings God’s salvation nearer. The night is nearly over, the day has almost dawned. Let us therefore fling away the things that men do in the dark, let us arm ourselves for the fight of the day!”

That is good advice. Don’t chase after those things. Proverbs 20:1 says, “Wine produces mockers; alcohol leads to brawls. Those led astray by drink cannot be wise” (NLT). Eventually the party will be over. Then where will you be?

I’m reminded of the great hymn of the church that says, “On Christ, the solid Rock I stand—all other ground is sinking sand.”

This world offers you cheap thrills that never will meet your deepest needs. In the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon arrived at the same conclusion: life is empty without God.

I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind. 

—Ecclesiastes 1:14

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 1:14 

It isn’t that unusual anymore to hear about another rock star who overdosed or another Hollywood celebrity who has checked into a drug rehab unit—or, tragically, has committed suicide.

It’s hard for us to understand how people living in a Tinseltown world could be miserable. But they have the same problems we have. The difference is they have a lot of the things that we dream of, yet they see the emptiness and futility of it all.

Solomon saw this as well. He wrote, “Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new” (Ecclesiastes 1:8–9 NLT).

It’s the conclusion that everyone will come to eventually. Of course, we can discover it the hard way, or we can discover it the easy way. We can take God’s word for it, or we can foolishly chase after all the things that, in the end, will leave us empty.

And some people who go down that road will lose their lives in the process.

You don’t have to find out the hard way. You can come to God, and He will fill the void in your life. We all were born with an emptiness inside. No earthly relationship will fill it. No amount of sex or possessions will fill it. Nor will knowledge or morality or even good, clean living.

We were designed to know God. And until you come into a relationship with Him, you will keep coming up empty, time and again, just as Solomon did.

When you turn to God in faith and let Him forgive your sins, He will fill the void in your life—a void that only He can fill.

Yes, joyful are those who live like this! Joyful indeed are those whose God is the LORD. 

—Psalm 144:15

Scripture:

Psalm 144:15 

Before I became a Christian at age seventeen, I was sick and tired of this world. I had been raised in a home without God. I didn’t have anything to overcome as far as obstacles to the Christian faith because I knew nothing about it.

I had been to church a few times with my grandmother, but what I heard never really penetrated for the most part. I was truly godless.

As I watched the adults in my world, I saw affluence and all the world had to offer. But I also saw how miserable they were. So, I went out on my own path and experienced enough to see the emptiness of it. And by the time I was seventeen, I knew that life as this world offers it is empty. Coming from a broken home and a disillusioned generation, I was searching for meaning.

My question was not so much whether there was life after death. It was whether there was life during life. Was there more to life?

Then I heard about Jesus Christ. I heard one of His statements in which He said, “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10 NLT). Jesus not only offers life after death; He offers life during life. And that got my attention.

I noticed that Christians seemed to have found meaning. They weren’t doing the things I had been doing, and they had contentment. And when I became a Christian myself and started reading the Bible, it came alive to me. It was the user’s manual for life that I’d been searching for.

The world offers a fleeting happiness that comes and goes. But God offers a happiness that will be there despite our circumstances. This happiness doesn’t come from what you have; it comes from who you know.

Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. 

—Ecclesiastes 1:8

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 1:8 

If you’ve ever ridden a stationary bike, then you know that no matter how much you pedal, you never go anywhere. And even if you’re riding a high-tech bike with a monitor displaying terrain that you’re supposedly going over, a quick look around reminds you that you’re on a machine. And you’re in the same place where you started.

That is what life can be like sometimes. You’re always trying, but it seems like you’re not going anywhere.

Solomon looked at life that way. He wrote, “What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. . . . Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content” (Ecclesiastes 1:3–4, 8 NLT).

That’s a bleak way to look at life. But throughout Ecclesiastes, Solomon uses a phrase that helps us explain his outlook: “under the sun.”

Solomon was speaking of horizontal, strictly human living. He rarely looked above the sun for answers. In other words, he was not looking to God. Instead, he was looking horizontally. He was looking to this planet, to this world, for answers.

As a result, Solomon decided to take a crash course on sin. He was prepared to try everything that was out there. He wanted the finest entertainment the world offered and the finest education that money could buy. And he wanted to experience unlimited materialism. Basically, Solomon wanted to experience everything there was to experience.

Solomon had what most people only dream of. But in the end, it turned out to be a nightmare.

This serves as a reminder that if we leave God out of the equation when we attempt to meet the deepest needs of our lives, we always will come up empty.

“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” 

—Ecclesiastes 1:2

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 12 

Solomon had tried it all. He was the hedonist extraordinaire, seeking pleasure at all costs. He went on unbelievable drinking binges and chased after women like there was no tomorrow.

At the same time, he was highly educated. An architectural genius, he masterminded the building of incredible structures. And by today’s standards, he was worth billions of dollars. Yet Solomon asked the same questions that many people are asking today.

Solomon wrote the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, and the first few verses introduce its theme: “These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem. ‘Everything is meaningless,’ says the Teacher, ‘completely meaningless!’ What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?” (1:1–3 NLT).

Right away we know the writer is Solomon because he identified himself as “King David’s son.” Solomon was raised in a godly home. And though David’s sins were infamous, the Bible also describes him as a man after God’s own heart (see 1 Samuel 13:14).

Despite his failures, David indeed was a man of God, and he wanted his son to walk with the Lord. Yet Solomon, like many young people, went on a search for himself. He went on a quest for the meaning of life.

However, we don’t have to wait for the last chapter of Solomon’s book to find out what his answer was. He brought it front and center in the beginning and went on to explain why and how he came to his conclusion.

In Ecclesiastes 1:2 he basically summed up what he discovered on his great search: “Everything is meaningless, . . . completely meaningless!”

The searcher is telling us there is nothing on this earth that will satisfy us completely. That is because God has designed us, has wired us, to know Him.

 Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. 

—Psalm 119:2

Scripture:

Psalm 119:2 

Many people today who are searching for happiness will never quite find it. That’s because they’re searching for it in the wrong way.

We learn from the Bible that happiness is a by-product of holiness. And when we get our priorities in order, happiness will soon follow.

That is why nonbelievers never will know true happiness. They keep going after the devil’s cheap counterfeits; they have no deep well from which to draw.

In Psalm 119, we find God’s original design for finding and maintaining holiness. And as a result, we will discover happiness.

The psalmist wrote, “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths” (verses 1–3 NLT).

From the very beginning of our lives, we learn the importance of walking. It’s interesting how little children immediately start moving in that direction. But they don’t quit after they take their first steps. They keep trying.

We grow as Christians in the same way. When we commit our lives to Christ, we begin to walk in the way of the Lord. And if we fall, we need to get up and keep trying.

Walking speaks of progression, of moving forward as opposed to simply standing still. And if we want to be truly happy and holy people, then we should not only avoid what is wrong but also actively engage in what is right.

People who are merely trying to avoid evil are missing the point. It is not merely a matter of what we don’t do. It’s also a matter of what we do. We must engage in spiritual growth and in godly living. We must walk in the way of the Lord.

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” 

—Luke 10:41–42

Scripture:

Luke 10:41-42 

Luke’s Gospel tells the story of two sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha frantically worked in the kitchen to prepare a meal for Jesus, while Mary sat at His feet and drank in His every word. Martha became frustrated because she felt overworked, and she demanded that Jesus send Mary to help her.

But Jesus said, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42 NLT).

He was saying, in effect, “Martha, you’re too busy! Take a cue from your sister. She has chosen the better part.”

Mary knew what was important. She knew there was a time for work and a time for worship.

But quite often as Christians, we can be like Martha, frantically working instead of sitting at Jesus’ feet.

Psalm 91 tells us, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (verse 1 nlt). In the original language, the word used here for “live” speaks of quiet, resting, and remaining with consistency.

Essentially, this verse is telling us that God wants fellowship with us. He wants us to come close to Him, to be near Him, and to remain consistently in His presence.

Sometimes we are so busy doing Christian things with Christian people in the Christian church that we forget about Christ. And then one day, we suddenly realize that we’re overwhelmed. We feel burned out.

Are you living in the shelter of the Most High? There’s a time for work, of course. However, the best work will always overflow from a life of worship. At the same time, work can never take the place of worship.

The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. 

—Psalm 91:14

Scripture:

Psalm 91:14 

The Bible tells us that one of the signs of the last days is perilous and dangerous times (see 2 Timothy 3:1 NLT).

Certainly, that describes the days in which we are living.

But in Psalm 91, which is the gold mine of the Psalms, we find wonderful promises of God’s provision and protection. In fact, next to Psalm 23, this psalm probably has brought more solace to God’s people over the centuries than any other psalm. As believers have faced times of danger, sickness, war, and death, Psalm 91 has been a great comfort to them.

It’s an excellent psalm for anyone who faces danger.

In this psalm God promises that He will deliver us, He will protect us, He will answer our prayers, and He will be with us in times of trouble.

While Psalm 91 contains great promises, it also contains conditions for activating those promises. Not every person can simply take the promises of this psalm and say, “These apply to me.” Rather, these promises are only for the children of God. They are only for those who have put their trust and faith in God through Jesus Christ.

So, to receive these promises, we must first meet the conditions. For example, the psalm begins, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (verse 1 nlt). The name “Most High” is from the Hebrew word Elohim. It speaks of God as the One who possesses everything.

Next, the word for “Almighty” comes from the Hebrew word Shaddai, which speaks of God’s provision. So not only is He the living God, but He is also the giving God. Isn’t that wonderful to know?

But to activate these promises, we must “live in the shelter of the Most High.” We must dwell in fellowship with God. We must have an intimate, close relationship with Him.

 O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. 

—Psalm 8:1

Scripture:

Psalm 34:6 

So often in the psalms of David, he began with an acknowledgement of the greatness of God. It’s important for us to look at the attributes of God. It’s important for us to consider His unlimited power, His unlimited knowledge, and the fact that He is present everywhere.

When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He said, “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy” (Matthew 6:9 NLT). We should begin our prayers with adoration. We should consider the love, justice, and holiness of God and get our thoughts in order.

Thus, we start by recognizing who it is we are speaking to.

God is our Father in Heaven, not our servant in Heaven, our butler in Heaven, or our vending machine in Heaven. We are speaking to the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. That puts things into perspective.

This, by the way, is the reason we have a time of worship at the beginning of our church services. It prepares our hearts and helps us set aside the things that are distracting us and troubling us. It puts us into a frame of mind in which we can be refreshed, taught, strengthened, and, if necessary, corrected.

Before we offer a word of petition in prayer, we are to worship the Lord and recognize who He is. As we do, we’ll begin to reexamine things, and we may not pray for what we originally intended to pray for.

For instance, you may have wanted to pray that God would change your spouse or judge someone who has wronged you. But after spending time in the presence of God, you instead pray, “Lord, change me. Forgive me for the wrongs I’ve done. Change my heart.”

Things will change in your petitions because you’re aligning yourself with God’s will. And that is the objective of effective prayer.

 Never stop praying. 

—1 Thessalonians 5:17

Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 5:17 

One of the most important practices of the Christian life is prayer. It’s as essential to knowing God and growing spiritually as breathing is to living.

Prayer isn’t something that we offer to some force out there. Nor is it some type of energy that can heal us in and of itself. Rather, prayer is the means of communication whereby we hear from and speak to God Almighty.

That’s why it’s important to understand what prayer is and what it is not.

Some would assert, even within the church, that we can speak things into existence through prayer. For instance, teachers of the Faith Movement advocate that you can pray and speak things into existence because they claim you are a little god. They say you can speak and it will happen, but you must speak by faith. And if you don’t, it won’t happen.

It is wrong to believe that we can order God around as though He were a celestial butler. It is also wrong to think that we cannot bring a specific request before God because He is merely a force.

Prayer is communicating with and hearing from God. True prayer is aligning our wills with the will of God and praying accordingly. We want to keep the lines open to Heaven to both speak to God and hear from Him.

Yet many of us are reluctant to pray. We don’t really know how to pray, and we’re embarrassed about praying.

However, prayer is something that we all need to be doing. In fact, it’s something the Bible commands us to do. First Thessalonians 5:17 tells us, “Never stop praying” (NLT).

Prayer is not an option in the Christian’s life. It’s both a privilege and an adventure. And it’s something that we need to keep learning about for the rest of our lives.

 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 

—John 15:7

Scripture:

John 15:7 

Did you know that it’s possible to read the Bible out of pure duty—and not remember anything? We may read three chapters, but if the words don’t affect our lives, and if we don’t understand what we’ve read, then we would be better off reading three verses instead.

In Psalm 1 we find a description of those who walk with God: “They delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (verses 2–3 NLT).

To meditate means to ponder or chew on something. It means to think something over.

When it comes to God’s Word, how do you listen? Whether you are distracted or paying attention will make all the difference in your life.

Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” (John 15:7 NLT). The New King James version of this verse begins, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you . . .”

Think of a deeply rooted tree that is soaking up the nutrients from the soil and growing every day. In the same way, to “remain” or “abide” refers to staying in a given place. It’s staying in fellowship with Jesus.

As we do this, as we start sinking our roots deeply into Christ, we will start praying for what God wants us to pray for. That is the objective of prayer. It isn’t getting God to do what we want Him to do. Rather, it’s doing what God wants us to do.

When Jesus’ words remain in us, it means that, ultimately, they affect our thinking, our living, and everything that we do.

 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. 

—1 Corinthians 11:1

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 11:1 

In the Great Commission, Jesus gave the command to “go and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19 NLT). But we cannot take someone any further than we have come ourselves.

Sometimes people who have been Christians for ten or twenty years are still spiritual babies. They haven’t learned to feed themselves spiritually. They haven’t become as mature as they ought to be.

Writing to believers in Colosse, the apostle Paul said, “So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ” (Colossians 1:28 NLT).

Some of us are not as far down the road as we should be as followers of Jesus. Yet we ought to be living godly lives to the extent that we could say, as Paul did, “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NLT). In other words, “Follow my example.”

Maybe you’re thinking, “We should never ask people to follow our example. We should tell them to follow Jesus.” But that would be a cop-out.

Like it or not, people are looking at us as visible representatives of Jesus Christ. They are making evaluations about God according to the way that we live. Yes, it’s a lot of pressure. But it’s also part of being a disciple.

Being a disciple is walking with Jesus in such a way that you can say, “Follow my example.”

So, what if the church were filled with people just like you? Would it be a Bible-studying church? Would it be a worshipping church? And would it be an evangelistic church? What if everyone in the church walked and talked and dressed like you? What would the church be like?

Yes, we will mess up sometimes. But that doesn’t excuse us from being examples.

 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to teachings. 

—John 8:31

Scripture:

John 8:31 

The word disciple comes from the root word discipline. However, we typically don’t like discipline because it’s hard. We want things fast, and we want things now. We don’t like to wait for anything anymore.

If we want something, we can order it online, and we might even get same-day delivery. If we want to watch a movie, we can download it or stream it. And if we want the latest news, we can get it on demand instead of waiting for the evening news or the morning newspaper.

So, when we read in the Bible about taking up our crosses daily and following Christ, and when we realize that we need to slow down and meditate on God’s Word, it seems almost alien to us.

Yet God says, “Be still, and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10 NLT). If we want to be real disciples of Jesus, then we need to slow down and learn to listen.

A disciple will carefully read, study, and live according to God’s Word. Jesus said, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32 NLT). The Bible says that He addressed these words to those who believed in Him.

Jesus wasn’t referring to just any truth. This is specific, absolute truth found exclusively in Scripture. The context is reading, studying, knowing, and living God’s Word. That truth will set us free.

Jesus prayed to the Father, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth” (John 17:17 NLT). The truth we find in the Bible is the only absolute truth we can be certain of in life. And when we understand what God says about life, it sets us free.