Looking for the Lost

There is a funny video floating around on social media with the voice of a comedian talking about how his wife is perfect, never does anything wrong, but can never find her phone. It’s funny because it’s spot on. People looking for their lost cell phone or asking people to call it is a commonplace today. Jesus came to earth looking for the lost. He wanted to share the Gospel with them so that they could be saved.

‭‭LUKE‬ ‭19:10‬

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Do you realize that Jesus actively seeks you when you are lost and headed towards hell? People don’t look for Jesus; He looks for you. Let that marinate for a second. What other god or religion has the leader looking for their followers? Most require the follower to go on a pilgrimage and inflict great harm on themselves to find what they are looking for. Jesus was in heaven, but came to earth, suffered on the cross, and was resurrected to find you. You do very little work in the salvation process.

Do It Through Faith

The start of a new year brings optimism and a renewed sense of purpose. You want to put away all of the bad stuff of the previous year and replace it with the good habits that will bring needed change. There may be a list in your mind or on paper of all you want to accomplish. It can be easy to treat our faith the same way. You want to do good works for the Lord, and there is nothing wrong with that as long as you do it through faith.

‭‭GALATIANS‬ ‭3:2

“This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

Galatia was an area in what we would know as central Turkey today. Several churches were started by Paul and Barnabas that saw both great fruit and brutal persecution. The most difficult challenge wasn’t from the persecution but the infiltration of Judaizers into the church. These men brought heavy requirements like circumcision and following the law. The new converts were starting to abandon Paul’s teaching of being saved by grace and replacing it with works. Paul counters that by asking them if they received the Spirit by anything they have done or faith.

Rebuild Your Life

The word “redeem” in the New Testament is a financial term and means “bill paid in full.” It was often used when it came to slaves debt. When that slave worked off the debt, the creditor would stamp “redeemed” on the invoice, which meant his debts were paid in full. When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the debt of your sin and stamped redeemed on your heart. You’ve been redeemed to rebuild your life.

‭‭PSALMS‬ ‭78:35

“And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer.”

Israel had a pattern of forgetting God and then crying out to Him when they were in a hole where they couldn’t get out. It usually started with sin but then devolved into idolatry. God would get angry and be ready to judge them, and Israel would beg for forgiveness. God would forgive them in His infinite mercy and let them start fresh. Sadly, Israel could never break that pattern. They were sent off into captivity as judgment, and only a remnant returned to the Lord.

Live the Crucified Life

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…

Only One Gave Thanks

Every 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.”
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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.

The God Who Works Wonders

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.

Take Baby Steps

One 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.

Become Complete

If 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.

Light Up Your World

There 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.

Follow the Light

There 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.