Your Words are a Witness

When a witness sits on the stand in court, they testify to what they witnessed. Usually, it is for a crime, but sometimes it can be over a dispute. When needed, a lawyer will bring in an expert witness who will shed light on the circumstances based on his expertise in a particular field. As…

Putting On the New Life

My wife has been a thrift store shopper since I met her. She can find expensive, well-made clothes for just a few dollars. Now she has my oldest daughter hooked, and they often go shopping together. When they get home, they want to show me all of their new finds and tell me how much they spent. Choosing to follow Jesus is putting on a new life.

‭‭EPHESIANS‬ ‭4:22-24

To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

You receive a new life when you put your faith in Jesus Christ. You have to take off the old one to put on that new life. It’s much like putting on a clean outfit and taking off the old dirty one, except this new outfit comes with more than any of your others. When you put on the new life, you are filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ righteousness is deposited into your heart, and you start the transformation of looking more like Jesus. Only Jesus offers this.

Point People to the Lamb

All of us have that loud relative that says what everyone is thinking. They liven up family parties and often spark controversy. Jesus had a cousin like that, John the Baptist. People thought he was crazy by how he dressed, and he never shied away from confrontation. God used him to be a voice in the wilderness and to prepare the way for Jesus. He declared that the Messiah had come. Point people to the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.

‭‭JOHN‬ ‭1:29

“The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Jesus went by many names. His favorite to refer to himself as “Son of Man.” Here, John the Baptist proclaims in front of everyone, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” To the Jewish people, the correlation of a sacrificial lamb given for the sin offering and Jesus might have been odd. John was declaring what Jesus’ primary role was going to be on earth, the perfect sacrifice to take away everyone’s sins. Jesus’ primary purpose wasn’t to be a moral teacher or a champion for the poor. He did all of those, but He came to die on the cross to appease God’s wrath.

Enlighten Your Life

Imagine inventing this incredible product that changes millions of lives for the good. It’s hailed as revolutionary, stores can’t keep it on the shelves, and Amazon can’t deliver it in two days. Your face would be on social media feed, and people would be begging for you to come on their TV show, podcast, or YouTube channel. Jesus created the world, came as a light for lost people, and the world did not know Him. He is able to enlighten your life.

‭‭JOHN‬ ‭1:9‬-10

There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

Some asked if John the Baptist was the Messiah. He had a fiery personality and was willing to stand up to Herod. The Apostle John sets the record straight by saying he was not the light but came to testify to the light. There was a light that came into the world to enlighten your life. That was Jesus Christ. Sadly, the world doesn’t know Him. The solution to every problem people have is being ignored by those who need it most.

Surrender Your Heart

What does it take to really change? It doesn’t matter what you want to change. There are some principles that need to be in place for permanent change to take place. First and foremost, it starts with your heart. You’ve got to be willing to sacrifice temporary pleasure to see new habits formed. For the disciple, it starts with surrendering your heart to Jesus Christ. Stop striving and let the Spirit do His work.

‭‭GENESIS‬ ‭32:28

“He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”

Jacob gets his name changed by the Angel of the Lord, which is pre-incarnate Jesus. He goes from being called a “scoundrel,” which is what Jacob means, to Israel, which means “contend” or one who strives with God. Of course, this is where the nation of Israel got its name, from the father of the twelve tribes. Jacob had the strength to strive with God throughout the whole night, and he had striven with his Uncle Laban for years to marry the woman he loved and get a start for his young family.

Are You Thinking Too Small

What makes some people accomplish great things for God, while most people fall short of what is possible? Some might say it is faith, while others argue that it is talent. The Apostle Paul presents another option. Are you thinking too small for a God who can do more than you can dream?

‭‭EPHESIANS‬ ‭3:20

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,”

Look at how Paul combines the words “able to do far more abundantly beyond.” He is trying to convey God’s ability in a way that we can understand. We can’t possibly ask or even think more than what God can do. Ponder that for just a second. God’s power is infinite, and He has placed that inside of you. While you can use it like a magic wand, you can ask the Holy Spirit to activate it for the purposes of the Kingdom.

All That You Need

In old western movies, the good guy had what they called a silver bullet. It was a magical solution to cure everything. That has become a figure of speech for an easy solution to solve a problem. They often call a medical solution or miracle drug that because it’s all you need. The Bible tells us that the Lord is all that you need.

‭‭PSALMS‬ ‭84:11

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
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This verse is packed with incredible promises! First, the Psalmist says the Lord is your sun and shield. The sun brings both light and life. Without sunlight, nothing would live or grow. The Lord is also your shield. He protects you from the fiery darts of the enemy. (Eph 6) Second, the Lord gives grace and glory. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve. God loves to give gifts to His undeserving children. Finally, the Lord doesn’t withhold from those who walk uprightly. If you have a heart after Him and obey His commandments, he showers you with good things.

Find Your Strength

Muscles need to be used to work properly. If a muscle goes with exercise, it will atrophy. When a muscle diminishes, the person loses strength and isn’t as strong. To regain strength, that muscle has to be used beyond its capacity to grow, which leaves people exhausted. Where do you find your strength? David shows us his source.

‭‭PSALMS‬ ‭84:5

“How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion!”

David was a mighty man who was followed by multitudes of mighty men. He sleighed Goliath and got the foreskins of two thousand men to win the hand of Saul’s daughter. If you picture a strong man in the bible, he is one of the ones you think about. This is what makes this Scripture so intriguing. David didn’t rely upon his strength. He found it in the Lord. He modeled what the prophet Zechariah said: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord.” David tapped into that strength by going to the House of the Lord and worshipping.

Where Can You Be Found

Google maps is a great invention. Pull up the app on your phone, insert an address, and find the path of least resistance. There is one flaw. Sometimes the path of least resistance isn’t the best. I have used the map several times, and it has taken me to a service entrance or on a windy path that took twice as long. If someone was to look for you, where can you be found?

‭‭LUKE‬ ‭24:52-53‬

“And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.”

After Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples didn’t get into a period of mourning; they didn’t go back to their old lives. They went and worshipped Him in the temple. Their hearts were full of joy, and they made it a daily habit of going to the temple and praising God. In the Jewish culture, they regularly stopped working in the mid-afternoon and would go to the temple to worship. The Apostles used that time to preach the gospel at Solomon’s porch and worship together.

Are You Dead or Alive

Are you surprised how crazy people have become about zombies? TV shows like The Walking Dead and movies like World War Z have brought the obsession with the living dead to the mainstream. In all of these shows, the heroes need to determine if a person is dead or alive. If they are zombies, they must be eliminated. Did you know that before you came to Jesus, you were dead in your trespasses? You were part of the living dead, but Jesus in His great mercy made you alive!

‭‭EPHESIANS‬ ‭2:4-5

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”

You have been saved by grace. That means you were guilty of your sins and deserving of the consequences, but God, in His infinite mercy, extended forgiveness, and your slate was wiped clean. This shows how deep He loves you. You were once dead but now have been made alive by the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. Live the life Jesus has given you. Don’t long for your old sins. Focus forward and keep your eyes on Jesus, and He will direct your path.