There is a leadership quote that applies in many areas of life. It goes, “You will not change until the pain of not changing exceeds the pain of changing.” That is true when it comes to faith in Jesus. As long as your life is fine, you do your own thing. It’s not until things…
Read MoreEvery church has more needs than it can meet. It’s supposed to be that way because our trust and reliance are to be on the Lord. Our hearts are to be filled with compassion for the lost and hurting, and when we can’t meet their needs, we are to cry out to Jesus to meet them. When Jesus encountered ten lepers, He healed them all. Only one gave thanks.
LUKE 17:15-16
“Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan.”
Leprosy is a horrible disease. It eats away at your skin and body parts until you die. Modern medicine has created a cure for it today, but it was a death sentence back in Jesus’ day unless God healed you. When Jesus encountered ten lepers along the road to Jerusalem, they begged to be healed. He told them to show themselves to the priest, which was custom for lepers to do when healed. One of the ten returned praising the Lord and thanking Jesus for healing him. Jesus asks why the other nine hadn’t come back and given thanks.
Have you heard of the seven wonders of the world? There are two classifications, ancient and modern. The world’s modern wonders include the Great Wall of China, the ancient city of Petra, and the Colosseum in Rome. Millions of tourists visit these attractions each year. Did you know that you follow the God who works wonders? There are no other gods like Him.
PSALMS 77:13-14
“Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples.”
Our God is holy, mighty, and works wonders. He makes His strength known by working wonders among His people. There are no other gods like Him. As a follower of Jesus, you can put your complete trust in Him because He is both holy and strong. You can trust His word because His way is perfect, and you can rest in His power because He will protect you. No one can separate you from His love.
Read MoreOne of the memorable moments is when your child takes their first steps as a parent. Babies don’t come out of the womb walking. They need to learn. Those steps don’t come easily. The baby needs to learn to control their body by rolling over, then crawling, followed by pulling themselves up, and finally taking that first step. There is a spiritual principle to learn in that process. It is being faithful in the little things. Learn how to take baby steps.
LUKE 16:10
“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.”
Jesus lays out one of the essential principles humans need to learn. The principle of “Baby Steps” is vital to spiritual growth and maturity. You have to start small and learn to be faithful with what you have before being trusted with more. If you are impatient with what you have and are expecting more, ask yourself if you are faithful to what you have right now? Getting ahead of yourself will only lead to failure. Ask God what lessons you need to learn to move to the next step.
Read MoreIf your email inbox or social media feed is like mine, it is full of advertisements with programs for you to become the new you. Whether it’s for a revolutionary diet or for a workout program that will make you look twenty years younger, all of them promise more than they can deliver. Today’s passage challenges you to become complete in your faith. This is something that you can accomplish.
2 CORINTHIANS 13:11
“Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
The Apostle Paul writes his farewell to the Corinthians. He encourages them to become complete, be comforted, and like-minded. The church in Corinth had a problem with spiritual maturity and unity. Paul wants them to work on these areas, but what does it mean to “become complete?” It’s not becoming perfect but growing in your knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Corinthians thought they were experts in a few areas, but they lacked in many of the vital ones.
Read MoreThere are few things more painful than stepping on one of your kid’s blocks in your bare feet in the dark. I’m exaggerating, but at that moment, the surprise pain as you grope around for the light is brutal. Turning on a light before you entered the room would’ve reduced the risk. Jesus came as a light to a dark world, and He calls you to light up your world.
Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
In John 8:12, Jesus tells His listeners that He is the light of the world. The Apostle John tells us in John 1:4 in Him is life, and that life is the light in us. So you are to shine that light to the whole world. Don’t hide it under a bushel but be like a city on a hill whose light is seen from afar. You should light up your world with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Read MoreThere are some drawbacks to conserving energy. Some light switches have sensors that shut off lights if they don’t detect motion. This can leave you in a pitch dark room. If you are not careful, you could stumble and hurt yourself. You need to follow the light to get out. Two thousand years ago, some wise men followed the light to Jesus.
Matt 2:9-11
After listening to the King, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
We don’t know much about these wise men. Even their name is misleading. They were called Magi, where we get our word magician, but they weren’t sorcerers. They were probably what we would call professors, experts in areas like math and science. Legend has it that Daniel initially trained them, and that’s how they knew to look for the signs the King of the Jews had been born. What we do know is that they traveled a long distance to follow the light.
Read MoreSometimes, you are hiking in one of the national parks in the United States, where everything fades into the background, and the beauty of your surroundings encompasses you. That’s how I felt when I was in Glacier National Park. Its stunning beauty takes your breath away. That is one of the images I get when I try to picture what the shepherds in the field experienced when the Heavenly host appears. They got a glimpse of heaven.
Luke 2:8-11
And in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Read MoreIt was nineteen years ago this week where my wife told me she was pregnant. It was one of the most thrilling moments of my life. No one told us that our son would be autistic and all of the struggles associated that come with that. It wouldn’t have changed anything. Mary was visited by an angel who told her, “You’re having a son.”
Luke 1:29-32
And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High
The encounter between Gabriel and Mary has many implications. Not only does Gabriel tell Mary that she is going to have a baby boy, but he tells her what to name her and how his life will turn out. Thoughts must’ve flooded Mary’s mind as she contemplated being the mother of the Messiah. It would be too much for anyone to take in, but she didn’t overreact but pondered it in her heart. Her son would be great and called “Son of the Most High.”
Read MoreWhat does your country do for Christmas? Does it have some celebrations or traditions that are specific to your culture? I would love to hear some of them down in the comments. For our family, Christmas lights are a big tradition. We decorate our house and love to make hot chocolate and hop in the car and go and look at how other people have decorated theirs. Since the kids were little, we have done it, and they still love it as teenagers. Did you know that lights on Christmas are a tradition born in Scripture? Jesus was called to be a light to the nations.
Isaiah 42:6
“I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,
The prophet Isaiah foretold the coming Servant who is given as a gift. He would be a light to the nations in a dark world. Isaiah 9:2 says, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” Jesus is the light of the world, and those who believe in Him will never walk in darkness. (John 8:12) Jesus is a gift of light to us in this dark world. In that light is the life that we desperately need.
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