Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. Matthew 24:42

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to drift unintentionally through life? Workdays, school events, social commitments, and recreational pursuits begin to blur together, with days turning to weeks, weeks to months, and months to years. When we finally stop to catch our breath, we look back and ask ourselves, “How did I get here?” and even more importantly, “Is this where I want to be?”

Christ-like living is something you and I have to intentionally, actively, and alertly pursue with every fiber of our being. No one ever stumbles upon Christian maturity and Christ-like character by accident, nor does it happen overnight.

I believe we can all think of people whom we know personally or respect from a distance that choose to live intentionally meaningful and devout lives, people who bear the fruit of a life spent focused upon Christ and His Kingdom. They are the beautiful souls who view Christ’s likeness as the ultimate goal and aim of their life and are willing to reframe every other desire in light of that pursuit. We are deeply motivated by the humble, simple faith of ordinary men and women who choose to live each day as though it could be their last, eagerly anticipating and hoping for the day in which the Lord returns in glory to rule and reign.

If you’ve ever tried to stay awake all night, you know that the easiest way to stay awake is to remain active and engaged in work that engages your entire person: mind, body, and soul. If you crawl into bed, turn out the lights, and then resolve to stay awake, you’re setting yourself up for almost certain disappointment! The same is true of our life with Christ.

The best way to “stay awake” in your faith is to stop passively drifting through life and choose instead to passionately pursue Christ with every fiber of your being. Look to the example of others who have stayed awake in their faith and learn from them. If you’re able, seek them out and ask for their wisdom and advice on how to live an intentional Christian life.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Stay Awake  →

To him who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures forever.  Psalm 136:16

When was the last time that you experienced a great unfulfilled desire?

Maybe you had a particular desire to get pregnant, obtain a particular job, move to a particular state, make a particular amount of money, live without a particular physical pain, or marry a particular person. You wanted it so much that your soul felt hungry. You lay awake at night dreaming—and worrying—about what would happen if you couldn’t get your desire met and you wondered what would happen if God didn’t say yes to your prayer. You may have even wondered what this desire, ungranted, would say about His love for you.

I recently considered how we all experience these unfulfilled desires when I read Deuteronomy 8:2-3. In this passage, God is speaking about His people as they wandered in the desert.

“Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

In this passage, it struck me how God used their physical longing for food to do a spiritual work in their lives. He leveraged something material to do something immaterial. Sometimes the Lord does the same with us. He will use a physical or emotional desire we long for to draw us to the only place we know we can go for relief. . . straight to Him. Sometimes God doesn’t give us what we want so He can give us what we need.

This is a magnificent truth! Remember this: during times of longing, an absence of God’s provision for what we desire is not proof of a lack of His love. In fact, it may be proof of His very active involvement in our lives.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – What Your Unanswered Desire Says About God’s Love for You →

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” Revelation 14:13

God is not looking for perfection, but He does desire passion for Himself and obedience to His word. People—who have decided to take control themselves, do not finish well. They act as if they have a better plan than God. This type of decision-making process will have limited, if any, success in the Lord’s eyes. So, does it mean we will have no regrets when we finish well? No.

It’s like a lifelong race—a marathon. Jesus is at the finish line, and as you run an eternal entourage of people who have been faithful before you—surrounds you. Your Savior and His saints are praying for you and encouraging you to finish well—this is His will. Don’t lose heart or become proud of heart. Keep your focus on the ultimate destination: the prize of Christ’s commendation that awaits you. Die in the Lord and you will live eternally with the Lord.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:1-3).

Along the race of life you will encounter difficulty. You will tire and need rest. You will have stretches of road that you run alone and feel like quitting. Other times the race will seem like an uphill battle with every muscle in your body screaming for attention. But thankfully, there are times of refreshment and rejuvenation. After you have run up a hill of hope, there is an opportunity to enjoy the righteous run down the other side. Finishing well thrives in the presence of God. Intimacy with Him positions you to hear His voice and obey Him.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Finish Well  →

He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.   1 Timothy 3:6

Leadership in the world does not automatically guarantee leadership in the church or ministry. In fact, if you are a new believer, you need not sign up for highly visible leadership in a spiritual environment. Your character more than likely needs sanitizing from the stains of sin. You do not want to bring into a leadership role any baggage that may burden you. Take your time and get to know the current leadership. Serve them and allow them to get to know you. It is tempting to jump right in soon after becoming a Christian. After all, you are so grateful and energized to do good works. Your business experience seems fitting for service on the board of a church or ministry, but this may the worst thing for you. There is the very real chance that your premature elevation to spiritual leadership will lead to pride and conceit. Why put yourself in a position to fail?

Be patient, and let leadership opportunities come to you. Serve in the nursery and love on little babies and children. Park cars, write a check, volunteer in the kitchen, greet people, or help stuff envelopes. The point is to crawl before you walk. Develop a reservoir of humility that can douse any flames of conceit. A new believer is not fit for significant leadership in the Christian community. It is neither fair to the person, nor to the people he is attempting to lead. Leadership in the church and ministry requires much more than passion and availability. It requires a seasoned walk with Christ that leads with grace, truth, and wise judgment that only comes through experience and maturation in the application of knowledge.

So there is a warning to those who are responsible for recruiting and placing leaders in roles of responsibility. Do not do a disservice to someone by assigning responsibilities to them when they are not ready. There is always room for growth and learning, but in situations requiring mature faith and character, be very prayerful and patient. It is better to have an empty leadership position than to have the wrong person filling a slot. Pray for God-called leaders to lead. Pray for leaders who understand the grace of God and the judgment of God. Pray for leaders who lead by example. Pray for leaders who lead by serving. Pray for leaders who point people to Jesus, not to themselves. Pray for leaders who will not superimpose slick sales techniques, but instead challenge people to look to the Holy Spirit for their direction and confirmation.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Leadership Maturity Takes Time  →

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.  2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Comfort is not a one-time act, it is recurring and compounding. It is a gift that keeps on giving, as it can cut through any calamity and bring healing and peace. It can transcend circumstances because it is the very nature of God. He is the God of all comfort, and no one is immune from His comfort. There is no trouble looming that can outpace God’s comfort. If you slow down and listen, His comfort will catch up and cover you. He is relentless in His comforting pursuit. He comforts the comfortless. Life may currently have you in a very uncomfortable place. You are a little embarrassed and a lot unsure of yourself, but one thing you can be sure of is the comfort of God.

Your situation is not unique, for He has been there before with His battalion of comfort comrades. Let Him in, and do not continue to wrestle alone in your discomfort. You were made to be comforted. It is not a sign of weakness to be comforted by God. On the contrary, it is strength and wisdom. He is your celestial comforter. His blanket of comfort is always available to bring rest and deep sleep. Do not toss and turn in your troubles.

No matter how terrible your circumstances, His comfort has you covered. His comforter of compassion and love compensates for adversity. It is a warm, soft, and soothing comforter that is tailor-made for your bed of life. Do not toss off its warm embrace; it is for your benefit, not your harm. Yes, it probably means slowing down so you can receive his calming comfort; so trust Him. Rest and relax in the arms of your heavenly Father.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Compounding Comfort  →

This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.  Revelation 14:12

Faithfulness is doing what I said I would do. It is an integrity issue. Commitments are not to be taken lightly. For example, a verbal commitment is an unwritten contract. However, these can be the most risky and the most misunderstood. If we make a verbal commitment it behooves us to make sure it is understood by all parties involved. Slow down, communicate more and show up on time for appointments. Less is more. Most of us would be much better off if we focused on fewer commitments.

The Lord has been faithful even in our unfaithfulness. God says what He does and does what He says. He is faithful to forgive our sin and lead us to forgive. He is faithful to convict us of sin and to lead us into righteousness. He is faithful to flood our souls with peace, joy and contentment. God understands what it means to keep a commitment—even at great cost—the death of His only son. Indeed, the Lord is faithful to the faithful.

“To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless…” (Psalm 18:25).

After our conversion we made a commitment to follow Christ. Following Jesus requires fidelity of faith. There are no equals to our love for Him. When He says in His word to “let our yes be yes and our no be no” then we must do so because we want to be faithful to Him and others.

Unfaithfulness will catch up with us if not quickly remedied. How many of us go to bed with conflicting relational commitments? Do not let work, hobbies, children or money become your idols of activity. Faithfulness begins and ends in follow through with our commitments to God.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Reward of Faithfulness →

A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save. Psalm 33:16-17

We are tempted to put our hope and trust in countless things: military might, economic strength, education and beauty, to name but a few. Each of these offers a promise of significance, success, and safety. Yet if we have learned anything from history, we know that armies are defeated, economies can crumble, and beauty is fleeting (Proverbs 31:30).

When we live surrounded by prosperity and success, it is easy to think that these promises are true. As a result, though we may not say it, we live in ways that show how we’ve placed our hope and trust in these earthly powers. We misplace our hope when we allow anxiety and fear to arise within us when one of these powers begins to fail. In times of political strife and turmoil, for example, are we as Christians able to remain hopeful in the steadfast love and unshakable power of the Lord? This is the way of life that the Psalmist invites us into.

“Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you” (Psalm 33:20-22).

In each and every generation, God’s people must learn and live out this profound truth.

The Lord alone is our source of help and protection. Our joy and happiness is not linked to our personal success or national strength but is found only in the love of God that he freely lavishes upon us. And when we encounter times of great trial, conflict, or pain, we are never to despair for we know that the Lord is with us. As we are reminded in the book of Isaiah, “though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, my unfailing love for you will not be shaken” (Isaiah 54:10).

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – In God We Trust  →

Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.  Revelation 14:6

Satan sometimes shames seekers when they begin to take God and His word seriously. The enemy plants seeds of doubt related to intellectual honesty and the fear of being labeled a religious fanatic. The devil wants Jesus believers to be apologetic and embarrassed to live for the Lord, not declaring His teachings as the gospel truth. But, there is no shame in standing up for Christ and His commands. Faith reveals His fame.

Instead, we are to be ashamed of sin and its deplorable outcome, while embracing wise living. Shame enslaves us in our self-focused behavior, but we are emancipated by our selfless service to others. Our Savior Jesus does not seek to motivate us out of disgrace; rather He infuses His grace into our inner being for bold initiatives. The good news of salvation in Christ gives us the confidence to love all people. God’s power is shameless.

“If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).

Your prayer is for Jesus to be unashamed of you. Offer Him your daily attitude and actions that He can anoint with His favor. Can your conduct pass the scrutiny of your Savior’s examination? Is there anything in your life that could bring reproach to His name? Holy reverence for God runs from any potential embarrassment to His name. Because you deeply respect your heavenly Father you honor Him with a life that brings Him glory.

His power rests on you when the gospel governs your worldview. The Lord’s power exerts itself with quiet influence over individuals and loud declarations over crowds. God entrusts you with the power of His ideas to do good for Him. Harness the Holy Spirit’s energy for eternal purposes. Look for ways to get the gospel to those who are sick, in prison, neglected in nursing homes, and hungry in housing projects. Seek to share the good news with every tribe, nation, language and people. There is no shame in representing your Savior Jesus, so be stunningly shameless.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16).

Prayer: Lord, how can I be shameless in declaring and living out your good news?

Application: Who in my circle of influence needs for me to boldly share Jesus with them?

Related Readings: Genesis 2:25; Psalm 25:3; Isaiah 54:4; Romans 6:21; Philippians 1:20

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You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Psalm 139:3

Last summer, my sweet husband rented a condo for me a couple of hours from home in Galena, Illinois so I could spend some undistracted time with the Lord. I needed refreshment for my tired soul. As I drove to my destination, the Holy Spirit immediately began to minister to me and He continued to fill me with His peace while I was away. He ministered to me while I sat on the porch, took walks, and scribbled notes in my journal while I read my Bible. A still calm was my companion as I drove back home. I was filled with joy.

Last week as I settled into my favorite arm chair in the morning, I spoke with the Lord. “I want to always experience your peace and presence like I did when I was in Galena.” In that quiet moment, I sensed the Lord reminding me that I did not leave Him there in that condo when I packed up and locked the door. There was nothing magical about that place that caused me to experience Him more intimately.

It’s as if He was saying, “You didn’t leave me there, Shana. I am always with you. I will never leave you. I will never forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

That simple, yet profound truth penetrated my heart.

“You will never leave me.

You will never leave me.”

Tears of gratitude flowed. My thoughts turned to those who have left me because I failed them, because they wrestled with some inner shame that caused them to run, because God took them home to heaven before I was done loving them, or just because the Lord took us on different life paths.

“But you, O Lord. You will never leave me. Ever.”

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – He Will Never Leave You →

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  2 Corinthians 9:8

God is able. He is able to abundantly bless in all things at all times.  God is able to provide what is needed for every good work. He is able when I am unable. He is able to soften my heart when I am unable to listen.  He is able to illumine my thoughts when I am unable to understand the truth. He is able to love me when I am unable to love myself. God is able. Yes! His Spirit is able to intercede on my behalf when I am unable to pray. My Lord Jesus is ready, willing and able.

God is able to supply the needs of His people through His people. He is able to make us rich in every way so we can be generous on all occasions. Thus, we have emotional, physical, spiritual and financial capacity to give to others. Yes, margin (extra) gives us space in our brain to be creative, room in our heart to be compassionate, and surplus money with which to be generous. Indeed, we have more to give to others when we steward our resources for the sake of service.

“Spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday” (Isaiah 58:10).

So, what are we to do when God is able, but unwilling? What if His help seems delayed or unresponsive? First, we are reassured knowing the character of our Heavenly Father is 100% trustworthy. He is good and He desires what’s best for His children. Furthermore, our will does not always align with the Lord’s will. Free will is freedom to chose badly. Thus, we require the Spirit’s ‘will alignment’ by renewing our mind and purifying our heart. Clarity comes from cleansing and repentance. God is able, but we may not be ready, so we remain steady in prayer.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – God is Able  →

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.    John 15:5

Much fruit that remains is the goal of a disciple of Christ. This glorifies God and accomplishes His purposes. Fruit- bearing glorifies God because He is the source of life for the fruit. No fruit can be produced without God. The branch is intrinsically dependent on the vine.

Therefore, we as followers of Christ cannot take credit for the fruit because the fruit comes from Jesus. He is the manufacturer of fruit and we are the distributors. The fruit remains luscious as the Father prunes back the unproductive branches. We do not always invite pruning, as it is painful and disfiguring in the beginning. But over time, submission to painful pruning produces beautiful and long-lasting fruit. Trust your heavenly Father with the pruning process, and you will be much better off.

So, what is the nature of this fruit He is creating and nurturing through us? It is the fruit of character and souls. As we abide in Christ, we become more like Christ. This is a natural result of remaining in Him. We become like the ones we hang out with the most. We start to love more unconditionally because God is love. We experience a fullness of joy because the joy of the Lord becomes our strength. A holy contentment flushes our countenance because the peace of Christ reigns over our hearts. An unselfish servant spirit fills our heart because Jesus set the ultimate example of servanthood.

Fruit-bearing is character-driven on behalf of souls for the glory of God. Character is a conduit for the Holy Spirit to draw others to Himself. You are saved for more than goodness. You are saved to bridge others to God. Much fruit that remains is the result of God working through a humble, obedient, and submitted life for His glory.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Bear Much Fruit  →

He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. John 7:18

God is easy to honor because He is the most honorable. We honor and esteem God because he is God. His position is without comparison. His role of King of Kings and Lord of Lords is matchless. Nothing can compare with the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is high and lifted up, never to sin and always to forgive. He is not always understood, but He can be trusted exclusively. Honor and glory goes to the One who can be thoroughly trusted. His word is His bond; it is never to be broken. This is trust at the highest level.

Therefore, He solicits honor by His very nature. He is the most deserving of honor. His character calls for it and His holiness demands it. Foolish and unwise are we when we honor ourselves. Self-honoring is as awkward as the physical act of patting yourself on the back. It looks strange for one thing and secondly, it draws attention to the wrong person. Honor is to be given, not taken. It is to be bestowed, not withheld. The act of honoring God facilitates authenticity. Honor means you are about truth and you flee from what is false. There is a divine dignity in your behavior and speech. It is easy to honor God because he is honorable. It is a privilege to honor God because He has honored us with His presence. Do not substitute God’s place of honor with anyone or anything, especially yourself.

Honoring God starts with attitude. Honor by definition means you revere, respect, and fear God. You hallow His name and speak it with humility. There is God and there is none other besides Him. Your words are a reflection of your attitude; therefore, they are honorable, and you esteem Him by the way you live. You do certain things—like honor others—because you honor God. You do not do certain things—like abuse your body—because you honor God. You recognize your body as the temple of His Spirit; therefore, you honor Him with clean living.

Your speech is free of obscenities because you honor God. You love your wife because you honor God. You respect your husband because you honor God. You honor your parents because you honor God. The bottom line is you honor what God honors, and you dishonor what He dishonors. This is why you embrace righteousness and abhor sin. Honor is what God desires and what He deserves. Honor Him first, and it becomes natural to honor others. If you reverse the order, it is impossible to honor Him with a whole heart. Your true life in Christ flows out of honor for God.

A life of honoring God and others means you graduate to heaven with honors. Honor Him with your time, treasures, and talents.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, show the wonder of Your honor and glory through my grateful praise.

Application: What does it look like for me to honor the Lord in all I say and do?

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No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless. Revelation 14:5

Truth reveals hidden realities. Hence, the lover of truth daily discovers new opportunities to walk wisely in the ways of Christ. Because He is the Truth, a love relationship with Jesus illuminates truth by His Spirit and illustrates truth by His life. The fruit of truth grows in a life of educated faith. Those who romance truth in God’s Word grow to know Him in deeper intimacy. Just as a loving husband pursues his wife, so loving followers of Jesus seek out His truth and His life.

Is the foundation of your relationships based on honest truth or dishonest deception? If you commit to open agendas, pure motives and transparent communication, you value truth. Honesty is a tool for loving correction, not a club for angry retaliation. You speak the truth in love to one another and so bear one another’s burdens. You rejoice, as you truly do life together. Truth talking facilitates freedom to trust, as fear of a secret life fades away and is forgotten.

“Love rejoices in truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6).

Love loves truth because it knows truth sharing is caring. When we love someone enough to not leave them in their ignorance we show we care. Love takes the time to explain and instruct, not complain and erupt. Yes, you patiently instruct your child in the teachings of Christ, so they will come to know Him and grow in His grace. Under pressure it is hard not to take the easy route of resisting full disclosure, fear can cause facts to be withheld. Help your child not hide the truth.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Love Loves the Truth  →

While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Mark 5:35-36

Of all the things that burden us and weigh on our souls, sickness and suffering in the lives of those we love is likely at the top of the list. Is there any greater trial than to observe a loved one in pain and yet be entirely helpless to bring them relief and rest? Though we do all that we can to comfort and console, we reach a point of exhaustion, desperation, and helplessness. This is exactly the sort of person Jesus encounters in Mark 5.

Jairus, we are told in verse 22, was “one of the rulers of the synagogue,” clearly a man of personal means and great influence. When his daughter fell gravely ill, he certainly would have secured for her the best care in the entire region, sparing no expense. Yet in spite of this, we find him begging and pleading with the Lord Jesus for his daughter to be made well. He was, as we say, at the end of his rope. Or so he thought.

As our story unfolds, we see the situation go from bad to worse as the last light of hope goes out, with word reaching the man that his daughter had already died. In light of this tragic news, as the messengers say, “why bother the teacher anymore?” When all hope is lost, why continue to pursue Jesus? Jesus’ response to this question invites us deeper into the mystery of God’s love, nature, and power.

To follow Jesus is to believe that there is never a time, moment, or situation in which all hope is lost.

Even when staring death in the face, we must learn to hear the words of Jesus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” We must remember that we serve a God who is Lord of heaven and earth, in whose hand “is the life of every living thing.” (Job 12:10) We must believe that the God who defeated death on the cross is powerful enough to bring hope and healing to the darkest and most painful moments of life, even when all hope seems to be lost.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Don’t Be Afraid  →

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. Luke 6:45, NLT

When stress begins to drizzle down and dampen my soul, or anger bubbles up in my heart—I am almost certain to be in a mode where I am focused on a person or circumstance that is out of my control. Why would I try to harness another person’s heart and seek to change them, anymore than I could attempt to guide the weather into conditions pleasing to my desires? It’s my heart that I’m expected to monitor and make better under the influence of God’s grace and love. If I let go of controlling the uncontrollable—I can work on the stubbornness of my own wandering heart.

Jesus describes our heart as a treasury of good and evil, a repository of abundance for good or bad. For example, a healthy government treasury is full of resources necessary to invest in opportunities and to step in during times of crisis and calamity. So it is with a healthy heart. Instead of being jealous of another’s success or angered by pride—we can store up in our hearts: humility, forgiveness, acceptance and love. In collaboration with Christ, we daily invest into His righteous treasures and over time the compounding interest of gracious words flow from our heart.

“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life” (John 6:63).

Has not getting your way caused you to lose your way? What started out as feeling slighted has grown into a combative posture of full blown rejection. Maybe at work you have run into a rough spot and there needs to be clarity around your expectations and your supervisor’s expectations. Because of the warp speed pace of your work, your boss may have assumed they clearly communicated their changes to you—but they didn’t. Big decisions require all involved to slow down and understand each other. Respectful, candid conversations invite the team’s influence.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Persistence Invites Persecution  →

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:34-35)

While I was single, I became friends with a man I wanted to get to know better. But there was a problem: He had a young daughter and she had a mother who was involved in her life. As a result, I felt as if there wouldn’t be room for me in the little girl’s heart or in the family should I marry this man. My focus was on myself—and being a part of a blended family was not my plan.

One day while I was on my knees in prayer in my apartment, I cried out to the Lord, “I like this man, but his daughter already has a mom.” Immediately, in that still, small voice that convicts, teaches, and comforts, it was as if the Lord said to me, “Yes, but I am her Father.” He was reminding me, “True. I have given the little girl a mother, but because she belongs to Me she has value. That’s why she deserves love. It’s not all about you. It’s about glorifying Me.”

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

That little God-lesson spilled over and changed my life when I met my husband. Because of that special time with the Lord, I decided I would love my step kids even before I met them. Not because I want to try to take their mother’s place, but because they are valuable as people God has created. In the beginning I decided to love them because God loves them. But then, as I moved toward His will by choosing love, genuine love began to bloom in my heart for each of them (and for my sons-in-law, too!) Now I just flat out think they are awesome.

Which brings me to something that I hope encourages and challenges you. There’s a whole lot of mess in the world today because people everywhere are offended by others who are different than them. There are entire nations, cities, groups, families, and individuals who won’t accept others who aren’t like them. Our judgmental, prideful hearts blind us to one important truth: People are important and deserve love simply because God created them. And, when we ignore the value of all people we are refusing to love those whom God loves. We are rejecting those He has created. We are rejecting His will. In this we are completely blinded, and ignorant—and we miss out. But when we open ourselves to love the way God loves, our hearts are enlarged.  In this we are blessed and experience joy.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – A Little God-Lesson That Changed My Life →

I will not speak to you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.  John 14:30-31

The prince of this world is alive and well. His methods are fear, intimidation, and deception. He flaunts his pretentious power over a decaying world. He maneuvers around in a spiritual disguise. He wants you to have just enough of Jesus to disappoint you but not too much that you depend on Him. His desire is for partial obedience to the commands of Christ, so that your love for Him is sentimental and shallow. Then when pain and suffering grow in intensity, you will lose confidence in the Lord. He wants your love for the Lord to be conditional on everything being okay, not unconditional regardless of the outcomes.

Adversity is the adversary’s most intense weapon of distrust. Satan desires to sift your faith through the sands of suffering. He tries to extract your joy in Jesus with jealously over the good fortune of others and a jaded belief that God is distant and disinterested. He demands you to believe that death is the end and that no good can come out of your grief and loss. But, followers of Jesus do not have to believe his half-truths. You are free to instantly, willingly, and completely obey God’s commands. This is the evidence of your love for the Lord. Love is where joy gestates. Hate is where anger incubates. Obedience to God makes you an overcomer.

There is nothing the devil can demand of you without first going through God. He tries to make you think you are eternally exposed, but you are safely strapped in by eternal security. Christ is in His Father, you are in Christ, and Christ is in you (John 14:20). The prince of this world is powerless to pry you from the Prince of Peace.

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When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Matthew 6:7-8

I believe the Lord teaches us profound truths about life and faith through our children, especially when they are young. If you are a parent or have spent any time around children, you know this to be true. At times, without even knowing it, in a single sentence they can speak a deeper truth about God than an entire sermon or book on the same topic!

In my own life, my children have taught me a great deal about how to approach God in prayer. Prayer for them is never a display of the sincerity of their piety or the depths of their Biblical knowledge. Prayer is instead the simple request from the heart of a child, offered to a heavenly Father that they believe hears them, loves them, and desires a relationship with them. They also remind me of the profound truth of Jesus’s words in Matthew 6: God knows the needs and desires of our hearts before we ever speak a single word.

The Lord knows us and loves us more than we even know and love ourselves. The concerns, burdens, bruises, and hurts that we carry with us are already known by a God who deeply desires to wash our wounds and heal us from the inside out. Your connection to God in prayer is never based upon the eloquence or length of your prayers but upon the fact that God is a loving Father who has called you his son or his daughter.

Prayer is never a transactional agreement but is always an exchange of love where we encounter the goodness and faithfulness of God and we in turn respond with a renewed, childlike faith.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Before You Even Ask  →