The Daily Dose w/Pastor Chad Reisig

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I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life. ~ John 8:12 (NLT) I had an incident which happened to me a while back that was both painful and a bit embarrassing. Back then I lived only a hundred yards or so from the church where I pastored, so I often times ventured over to the building to do miscellaneous things. Often times this involved going over to open or close all of the windows (there's a lot of them) to either help the church building cool off or keep the warmness in. One evening, a thunderstorm was coming through the area and I knew that the windows at the church were open. So, I decided to go over and get them closed up, lest the wind blow things around inside the church or slam windows shut (We already had one break due to a previous windstorm). Though it was dark outside, I had walked this path many times, so I didn't grab a flashlight. I headed out into the dark, trotting towards the church. At about the halfway point, things went very wrong. My toe tripped on something unseen and caused my body to fall at a rapid pace toward the ground. In fact, I fell so fast, I wasn't able to get my hands out to brace myself. I ended up doing a header into the gravel road I was trotting down – skinning up my knee, wrist, and face in the process. So, there I lay bleeding and in a lot of pain. Luckily the wounds healed and nothing was broken. But, next time I venture out into the darkness, I'm taking a light with me. When it comes to living this life in this dark world, we have two choices. We can stumble around in the darkness, or we can actually allow the light of Jesus to shine into it, lighting our path as we go. As Jesus stated in our verse today, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” So, you have a choice to make. You can choose to navigate this life without Jesus, and you will stumble and fall. You will get hurt and you will never find your way to eternal life. Or you can walk in the light of a relationship with Jesus. Walking side-by-side He will point out the trip hazards. He will light up the path in front of you. He will help to minimize the self-inflicted pain we experience. He will lead us to our eternal home with Him.

Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." ~ John 14:6 (NLT) When I was a freshman in college, long before the advent of the Internet, smart phones, and GPS, my girlfriend and I decided to take a road trip into San Francisco to see the sights and maybe do some shopping. Right before we left, my girlfriend told me she needed to stop by the bank to grab some cash for our trip. I asked which bank and she rattled off a name that I wasn't familiar with. I asked if she knew where this bank was located in the greater San Francisco metro area. Her response? “Not really, but how hard can it be to find it?” Let me tell you. We spent what seemed like hours looking for this bank. It was nowhere to be found. I was getting really angry; she was getting majorly defensive. Let's just say that the words we were using towards each other were neither loving nor encouraging. We were so upset with each other that neither one of us wanted to spend any more time together. So, I turned the car around and drove back to the college and dropped her off at her dorm. The trip was off. Far too often, our spiritual life can feel like that trip. Now, I'm not talking about a trip to see the sights and get some city swag. Instead, I'm talking about our Christian journey. Notice that I call it a journey, because that's exactly what it's supposed to be. Though we may know the ultimate destination (Heaven), we have no idea how to get there. The only being in the universe who actually knows every twist, every turn, every hill, and every valley that we must take to join Him in heavenly splendor is Jesus. But, here's the deal. He wants to journey with us. He doesn't want to just give us a roadmap and say “good luck.” He wants to be with us as we see the sights. He wants to help re-direct us when we take a wrong turn. He wants to point out the wonders of His creation along the way. He wants to build a solid, intimate relationship with us which is built over time and experiences. This is why He gave us our verse today, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” In other words, unless He is along for the ride, we have no shot at getting to our final destination in Heaven. Only with Jesus joining us on the journey can we experience the perfection which awaits.

Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." ~ John 6:35 (NLT) It's one of life's ironies. In the USA, we tend to be obsessed with our weight. I mean, just look at the dieting industry. There are tons of diet plan options out there (Paleo, South Beach, Keto, etc.). There are diet commercials on TV, on the Internet, radio, magazines, newspapers, and basically everywhere the marketing industry thinks we'll be looking. The diet industry rakes in billions of dollars per year off of people wanting to lose weight and get in shape. Here's the ironic part: The majority of people in the USA are either overweight or obese. (Read here for more: https://bit.ly/1nL8c3i) In other words, we're spending billions of dollars per year on dieting, but we're not actually following through with the diet plan. Beyond our physical issues, there is also a problem when it comes to our spiritual diet. The vast majority of Americans own a Bible, but very few actually read it. (Check here for more info: https://bit.ly/2oDFwTN) In other words, we're good at saying we need the Bible, but we don't actually follow through with reading it. This results in people whose lives are spiritually out of shape; dying. Jesus put in simple terms how this needs to work. As He stated in our verse today, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again.” Our lives are built to be spiritually hungry. But the stats don't lie. We fill our lives with junk food rather than the actual bread of life. We spend hours watching TV, gaming, and social media, rather than spending quality time learning about our Savior. We fill our lives with things that replace the spiritual nutrition we need. As a result, our spiritual lives gets out of whack. Spiritual disease takes over and we begin to die spiritually. Family, it's time for a diet. Dust off that Bible that's been sitting on your shelf. Open the pages and just start reading. Start simple. Read a chapter or two per day. Read it slowly. Ask questions: What is God saying here? How does this apply to my life? Pray about what you've read. Ask God for His wisdom to understand. Get your diet lined up to help you regain spiritual health.

Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. ~ Romans 6:13 (NLT) We have an epidemic in the world today. Because of our greater connectivity, stress doesn't just come into our lives every now and again. It streams through every device we own and into our lives. We hear about bad news through our phones the moment it happens. We get called out on social media. Shaming has gone from the school yard to the globe. The keyboard permits people to say things about us globally which they would never say in person. In short, we are saturated with messages of stress everywhere we turn in the modern world. So, tip # 1 is to take a Sabbath rest from your devices. Stop the flow of stress. Tip # 2 is to get off your rear. One of the greatest issues with mental health today is that we as a society have stopped exercising. As a result, we are left alone with our thoughts, dwelling on the negative day after day. It eats away at us. It leads us to sinful behavior in an attempt to relieve the pain. We dwell on the evil rather than allowing our bodies to heal through natural stress relief. I don't have time to detail all of the science here, but Google “benefits of exercise.” The top results will tell you about stress, anxiety, and depression relief. I believe the issue goes beyond just the physical, however. I believe not taking care of our bodies is a spiritual one. As Paul tells us in our verse today, “Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.” Did you catch that last part? Use your whole body to bring glory to God. But, can we say we're doing that if we don't keep it healthy? Here's my challenge: For the next two weeks, exercise each day. Get your heart rate up. So, go for a walk at good pace, or run. Go for a hike that involves some incline. Hit the weights. Just do something which elevates your heart rate for 30 minutes. Oh, and as you do it, either listen to some good praise music or spend some time talking with God. Invite him into your workout. The results will be obvious: Better mood; better sleep; more positivity; and on and on.

A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones. ~ Proverbs 14:30 (NLT) A few years ago, I was away at pastor's meetings. Overall, it was enjoyable. I got to hang out with some friends. The food was amazing. The male pastors who didn't bring their families got to live together in a bunkroom, we had a good time. We also got to rough it a little – as in we had to bring sleeping bags and sleep on mattresses which are built for 10-12-year-old weighted people, not middle-aged dudes. As I was packing to leave, I began to shove my sleeping bag into its stuff sack. At first, everything went in very easy. But, as the bag got fuller, I had to push harder and harder to get everything in. On the first attempt, I didn't close the sack quickly enough and the sleeping bag started to slither its way back out. After a few times of this happening, frustration set in, and the bag now became my mortal enemy. (Second only to camping tents. If you've never set one up, ask someone who has. They'll explain.) I crammed harder and harder until it finally all stayed in. Sometimes, we treat our lives like stuff sacks. When we experience issues in life, sometimes we stuff our anger and jealousy way down deep and pretend everything is OK. Here's the issue: Eventually all of that stuff will come back out. And, when it does, you will have no control over it. It might exit in a tirade of anger and foul language which costs you friends, or even a job. It may show up in your relationships, slowly destroying the trust that has been built over the years. It may cause issues with mental health which require long-term therapy or prescription medication. It may drive you to addictive behaviors like self-harm, eating disorders, sex, porn, drugs, alcohol, to numb the pain you thought was dealt with. In short, stuffing our stress, our anger, our jealousy down deep doesn't make it go away. It causes it to grow stronger and stronger until one day, it comes bursting out in very unhealthy ways. King Solomon, who was a pretty wise dude, put it this way, “A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.” In short, we need to stop stuffing everything deep down inside and need to deal with those things in healthy ways. So, how do we do that? That will be the topic of tomorrow's devo.

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. ~ Proverbs 14:12 (NLT) It was my sophomore year of high school. I thought things were going pretty well for me socially (I was an introvert back then – go figure!). I felt confident that this would be a great year. So, I arrived at the first banquet of the year feeling good. It was luau-themed party in the large backyard of one of the family's homes. Within minutes of my arrival, some of the senior guys were actually hanging out with me. Usually they just made fun of me, so this was a welcome change. That changed after about five minutes when they all gave each other a look and nod. Suddenly, I was lifted from the ground by this group of “friends,” carried through the middle of the entire student body, to the pool where I was thrown into the deep end. This of course brought a lot of laughter and cheers from the rest of the senior class who were in on the hazing. I should've known that they were up to something. But I bought their deception. We have an enemy who is far more crafty and deceptive than a group of teenage boys. He's been watching each one of us, getting to know our patterns, our personalities, our wants. He's watching for an opening to begin his deception. You see, Satan knows our weaknesses, our wishes, our desires. So, he crafts plans of deception which feed into those desires. He approaches us through someone or something to present a plan which seems awesome of the surface. It appears like it will help us in our life. It's not until we are half-way down that path, however, that we realize it was all a deception. As a result we suffer pain, heartache, and sorrow. We develop addictions we wish we never had. We get loaded with emotional baggage. King Solomon knew this all too well. This is why he wrote our verse today, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” In other words. Satan's plans always look good on the surface, but will destroy us if we follow them. So, how do we know which path is Satan's and which is God's? There are a few skills we need to develop. 1) Stay close to God. The closer we are to God, the louder we hear His voice. 2) Get into the scriptures. God won't contradict what He has told us to do in the Bible. 3) Prayerfully consider choices when they are presented and submit to God's directions. 4) If it appeals to your emotions, be suspicious. God doesn't manipulate us.

Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! ~ 1 Peter 3:17 (NLT) Have you ever woken up to a raging headache, a sore throat, and runny nose? It feels miserable, right? Your mind is foggy, and you know that today's going to be horrible. Have you noticed that often times we can tend to blame God when we hurt? For example, we could sit there and lament the fact that God could have prevented us from catching that horrible cold. I mean, He's supposed to protect us, right? This is really His fault, not ours. Nope. In reality, this is the fault of at least two people: The person who decided to spread their germs and us individually, for either getting too close or not washing our hands enough to prevent contamination. Unfortunately, though this case is pretty cut and dry, we tend to blame God for the consequences of other actions which take place in our life. I've heard people blame God about getting pregnant, despite being on the pill. You had sex. One of the side effects of sex is pregnancy. The pill only works 99 percent of the time. I've heard people angry with God because they are suffering withdraws as they recover from a drug addiction. They blame God for not taking away the pain in an instant rather than having them work through the pain to recovery. The list goes on and on. All of those consequences have a common element: Humans. Because God is love, He has given us humans freedom to do whatever we want. We can choose to do things His way, or we can choose to go our own way. It's our choice. But we are not free from the consequences of those actions. And, please note, often times those consequences are forced upon someone else due to our actions. Humans hurt humans. As Peter put it in our verse today, “It is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!” In other words, there are consequences for doing good or doing bad. The consequences for doing good help others and lead to an eternal relationship with God. The consequences of doing wrong bring pain and separation from God. Today, and every day, before you take action, lay your plans at the feet of Jesus. Talk them over with Him through prayer and by reading the Bible. His truth will always lead to positive consequences.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) I enjoy playing a round of golf every once in a while. And, by that I mean I get to play maybe once every couple of years. I'm not that great at it. Occasionally, when I hit the ball, it goes where I want it to. And, on those rare occasions, it not only goes the direction I want it to go, but the distance as well. In reality, however, I spend a lot of time trying to figure out which patch of weeds or bushes my ball landed it. I've lost a lot of golf balls over the years. One thing I've learned is that golf has its own language. An eagle isn't bird, it means you got the ball into the hole by taking two less swings than the person who manages the course thought it should take. A birdie isn't a small bird, but it means you got the ball into the hole in one less swing than thought. Par means you got it in the hole in exactly the number of swings. There are a bunch of others, but you get the idea. Golfers have corrupted the English language. Then there is this word: mulligan. To take a mulligan is to basically get a do-over on your last swing. Your ball flew into the lake? Mulligan! Try again. That last shot isn't recorded, and you get a new attempt at doing it correctly this time. God offers each of us a mulligan. In fact, God offers us unlimited mulligans when it comes to our sins. But He is more interested in our soul than our mistakes. The only difference is that God's mulligan isn't a do-over for some game we play. Instead, His mulligan redeems us from a life of sin, separated from Him, and restores an eternal relationship with God. As the Apostle Paul put it, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.” We get a do-over. However, unlike the mulligans of this world, we aren't left to figure out how to live life better, we receive a Coach to guide us in everything we do. So, this “new life” which Paul is talking about isn't on our own. God is with us every step of the way. He's telling us how to avoid the pitfalls in life. He's holding on to us as we walk through the darkest valleys. He's cheering us on when we celebrate the victories of life. This new life isn't apart from God. It becomes a part of Him. It is the greatest mulligan the universe has ever seen.

On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. ~ Genesis 2:2 (NLT) I have a coworker in ministry who likes to use a particular word in his sermons, bible studies, books, online presence, and basically anytime he is talking about the Kingdom of God. That word? “Marinate.” For those who have never barbequed or grilled anything, this idea of marinating something might be a foreign concept. Basically, to marinate something, you cover it with a sauce or dripping of some sort (like barbeque sauce) before you put the item on the grill. Often times you do this hours in advance so that the seasonings from the marinade soaks in to the item to be grilled, which will add some great flavor once it is. Master chefs even have secret recipes for their marinade which gives their products a distinctively awesome and unique flavor. So, how does this word marinate apply to the Kingdom of God? Let me show you. As people, we marinate on all kinds of things during the week. The stresses of our career marinate us with stiff necks, sore shoulders, back aches, headaches, and a hundred different things. The stresses of school marinate us in stress and worry about that next test, project, or the homework we didn't get to in time. The relationships that surround us day in and day out marinate us in either sweet goodness or sour bitterness. Our finances (or lack thereof) marinate us in anxiety about whether or not we can pay that next house or school payment. Basically, every waking minute of each day marinates us in sweetness or sourness. Then comes Sabbath. God created the Sabbath as a gift for you and me. He instituted it at creation, and, just to be sure, the Bible says He blessed it. In other words, it's an extra special day unlike any other. You see, the Sabbath was meant to allow us to shift our focus off of the day-to-day grind and to help us marinate on the goodness of God and what it means to belong to His Kingdom. When we observe the Sabbath, God marinates us with peace, calm, hope, joy, and a million other things that can be in short supply during the week. If we allow Him, by keeping His Sabbath, His goodness soaks into us and prepares us for the fires which await us during the coming week. Every seven days, God has built in a time to let go of work, of school, of drama, and given us a day to soak in His glory, His goodness. This Sabbath, marinate on that fact.

Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God. ~ Psalm 90:2 (NLT) The English language is a bizarre thing. We have words that sound alike, or are even spelled the same, but mean something different. For example: “The red fox read a book about reading.” Of course, it also doesn't help that new words are invented hourly for the English language, such as the word “fleek.” Here's what it means: “Look good.” Here it is in a sentence: “My eyebrows are on fleek today.” Yup. We invented a word for that. Awesome, right? Within this crazy language, a couple of letters moved around, repositioned, or added to a word change everything. For example, yesterday we talked about mortality. Today, we're looking at immortality. That extra I and M in front definitely change things up. While humans are mortal, our God is immortal – as in He'll never die. But, it goes deeper than that. God's immortality isn't just the fact that He'll never die – He isn't a comic book superhero. It's that He's always existed. He's always been around. He doesn't have a beginning or end as we mortals do. That's cool! But, what's the big deal? The fact that God has always existed means that there is nothing that He doesn't know about. As humans, we gain wisdom as we age and experience things, learning from them. But, God, who is immortal, knows everything about everything. In fact, our verse today puts it like this, “Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.” Let's put this into perspective. Our God existed before the world began. He has seen every world event, every human born, every human life, every human victory, and every human defeat. His wisdom is beyond anything we can comprehend. In addition, He came down to this planet and became human, so He also has complete wisdom on what it means to be one of us – even though He's immortal. This brings me to the point: Do you think there is an issue that you're facing which God doesn't have wisdom on? The answer is a big, fat “NO!” We have an all-loving, grace-giving, compassion showing God who wants to share His wisdom with you. Not a flawed mortal wisdom, but an immortal super-wisdom. Let Him.

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. ~ Psalm 90:12 (NLT) When we are young, we have no concept of our own mortality – that this life of ours will eventually come to an end. So, we do stupid stuff to test the concept out. We climb to the tops of trees which begin to bend under our weight. We scale sandstone cliffs without a rope. (BTW, sandstone isn't really a stone. It's basically a cliff made up of dirt.) We drive faster than we should to see if we can freak out our passengers. Yeah, there are these and a million other things we do to test out whether we are mortal or immortal. As we age, we gain some wisdom through our years of experience. The more we age, the more the end seems to loom larger. If death hasn't found you after a few decades of life, it will eventually. A doctor friend of mine puts it like this: “All we do is try to extend life for a few hours, days, months, or years. Eventually, all of our efforts will fail, and the patient will die.” Indeed, it is one hundred percent true that you will die – unless Jesus comes back first. No one likes to think about their own death. It's kind of depressing. We want to focus on the good stuff. We want to focus on the joy. We want to focus on the fun. And, we should. This Psalm, which is actually a prayer of Moses, gives us a reminder of the shortness of time we have in this world. It reads, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” In other words: This life is short. Don't waste your time doing stupid superficial stuff. Yes, have fun, and enjoy it. But, also prioritize the things which are important: Loving God and loving others as ourselves. This is the wisdom which Moses is trying to help us remember. So, how do we live our short life with wisdom? By remembering that this life is indeed short when compared to the eternity which awaits with Jesus. Use this life to prepare us for that one. We love Jesus individually and as His church. We share the love of God with others through our words and actions. Today, and every day, focus not on the shortness of this life, but the eternity which awaits. Spend time deepening your relationship with Jesus; study, pray, praise, worship. And spend time sharing the love of God with others; show compassion, help those in need, use your finances and time to serve others. Life is short. Use it wisely.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ~ 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT) Every now and again, I would get some time alone with my dad doing stuff just us guys liked. I remember one such day when I was about 12 years old. We went and watched a funny movie (the name escapes me at the moment) and then went to Burger King to eat some non-nutritional food-like products. Of course, I had a soda, and those tickly bubbles began to grow in my stomach as I chugged it. Without warning, the bubbles flew up my throat and out my mouth for the biggest, loudest, longest burp I had ever performed. It was a moment of pride for me. In fact, I noticed that everyone sitting around us in the restaurant were all now silent and staring my direction. One man sitting nearby summed it all up when he said, “Well, at least you know he's alive!” Everyone started laughing. Of course, I was later reminded about manners – he was still my dad after all. I informed him that, in many cultures, burping loudly after a meal was a compliment to the chef. He reminded me that we don't live anywhere near those places. Giving compliments for a job well done take many different forms, depending on where one lives. A nice “thank you” is generally accepted universally. Other cultures have the guests smash the plates to the ground to show their appreciation. Still others demand a completely clean plate, demonstrating that every piece of food was consumed. In short, giving glory to someone for their assistance, for their expertise, is a common thing in our world. When we say the term, “Praise God” in response to something good, we give Him glory. Of course, it needs to be heartfelt, not forced. Do we actually believe that something good was deserving of praise to God? The Apostle Paul believed so, and took it a step further, when he wrote, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” In other words, it's not enough to just say “Praise God,” we need to live a life which gives glory to God. Our life should scream “Praise God” through both our words andactions in every circumstance. So, today, and every day, live a life which proclaims the glory of God. Live a life which praises His name, His kingdom. Let there be no doubt in anyone's mind that God is good and worthy of our praise.

And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. ~ Titus 2:7 (NLT) Do you know the difference between a leader and a boss? Many can't. Here's an easy definition: A boss tells you what to do, a leader shows you what to do. In other words, a boss is all talk, a leader is all action. One leads by example, the other leads by authority. Now, don't get me wrong, as a manager of people myself, I give instructions to those who are under my area of influence. But, I don't just bark orders at them and then complain when they don't deliver things according to my (often times unspoken) desires. Bosses are generally why people don't like showing up to work in the morning. Leaders inspire others to do good. Now, we need to step back for a minute. Because in our 24/7 world we live in, leadership doesn't just happen between the hours of eight and five, Monday through Friday in the workplace. A leader is an influencer even when they aren't at the office. Let me explain. A leader loves their family by not dividing attention between work and wife and/or kids. A leader shows how to have a life balance. A leader takes care of their health by exercising regularly and eating well. A leader shows that without a strong body, a leader's health will crumble. A leader makes sure to get the needed amount of sleep each night. Lack of sleep leads to brain fog and irritability. Leaders need a sharp mind and pleasant demeanor. A leader makes quality time for God each day. If a leader isn't full of God's wisdom, they're working in inferior human wisdom. A leader says no to extra work, and instead empowers others to seek solutions to streamline the work environment. A leader must demonstrate self-care. The Apostle Paul, who was a bit of a workaholic himself, penned this verse, “And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.” So, if we're teaching/leading others, do we walk the walk? Do we actually practice self-care so that those in our sphere of influence get our very best? Do we work in God's wisdom, or in our own flawed intelligence? Today, and every day, practice the spiritual discipline of self-care. When you do, you won't just feel better, you will become a better influencer, and a top-notch leader.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. ~ Romans 15:13 (NLT) Loneliness is an epidemic which is sweeping the world among young adults and teens. I know, it sounds weird, but let me explain. Though we live in the most connected society the world has ever seen, the quality of our friends has been declining since the birth of social media. In today's world, a teen or young adult may have thousands of people they are “friends” with online. Yet, in real life, they really don't have anyone who is a close friend – someone they can rely on and trust. Instead, hour upon hour is spent online tending to acquaintances, many of whom live on the other side of the earth. Instead of confiding in friends about the hurt teens feel inside, they instead post their feelings online, and then a horde of wannabe friends come and tell them they are loved. While this may work to ease pain in the short-term, it's actually a trap. Eventually, after posting so many times about their issues, the likes, or the emojis, begin to become less and less. The words of encouragement dwindle in number. Now the teen drops deeper in their sorrow as their only “friends” don't seem to be there anymore. Unfortunately, this vision of online “friendship” can translate into our relationship with God. We don't spend time building it, so it seems to fade away when troubles strike. But, if we've accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we know for certain that we will never go through anything alone. As the Apostle Paul put it, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” In other words, when we focus on our true friendship with God, we realize He is there with us. His Holy Spirit never leaves us. We're never alone. He does this because He cares for us and wants to fill us “completely with joy and peace.” But, notice, it says that we find this joy and peace because we “trust in Him.” Today, and every day, limit your online time and, instead, spend quality time with your True Friend, Jesus. Let His Spirit encourage you. Let His Spirit help you in your time of sorrow and pain. Let Him show you how to truly experience hope, peace, and joy.

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. ~ Romans 12:12 (NLT) Growing up, I was really, really into sports. I would watch any game any time I could. I listened to sports on the radio (way before steaming was an option), read about them in the newspaper (we didn't have smartphones), and talk about them with friends at school. These days, my hours for catching a game are a bit more limited. But I try to at least follow my teams. One of the things I love the most is when one of my teams is just crushing the competition. Why? I enjoy “garbage time” in the fourth quarter. Let me explain. Garbage time is when the game has already been decided. One team is so far ahead that the other cannot possibly catch up. So, the coach pulls all of his superstar players and puts in the guys who rarely get any playing time. I know, that doesn't sound like fun, but it is. I love watching the superstars now cheering on their teammates from the bench and celebrating with pure joy every time they score. Even when their teammates make a mistake (as often happens in garbage time), they laugh about it and encourage them to refocus and try again. It's one of the few times you can watch professional athletes demonstrate a child-like joy. Here's the deal. It's garbage time for those of us in the Kingdom of God. The match has already been decided. Jesus wins. Satan loses. There is no turning back. That is the result of the eternal showdown. As a result, our Superstar, and His legion of angels, are cheering us on, waiting for the final buzzer to sound on that wonderful day when Christ returns. They are full of joy and excitement as they watch us help others find faith in their Messiah. Often times, however, we forget that the whole match has been decided, and we're on the winning team. This is especially true when we're going through difficulties in life. This is why the Apostle Paul wrote this reminder, “Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” So, what is our “confident hope?” It's simple. Jesus wins and He's coming back to take us home. So, today, and every day, live in the victory which Jesus has won for us. Remind yourself that though Satan may score a point or two against you, He cannot win. Every time you remember that amazing truth, give praise to Jesus, and rejoice in our confident hope.

But I am trusting you, O LORD, saying, "You are my God!" ~ Psalm 31:14 (NLT) I've known several teens who like to play a game I call “The Occasional Boyfriend” (or girlfriend as the case may be). Here's what that looks like. They find a person whom they know is attracted to them and they flirt until they finally become an official couple. Then, the object of their affection does something which upsets them. So, they break up with that person. Then, a little while later, they begin flirting with the person once more and boom! They're back together again. Everything is right once more! But, then a short time later, the renewed object of their affection does something which irritates them. Break-up # 2 occurs. This pattern repeats itself for far too long. To say that this behavior is unhealthy is an understatement. Unfortunately, we sometimes do the same thing with God. It's easy to worship, praise, and proclaim the goodness of God when His blessings seem to be pouring right on top of your head. Your health is good, your family is amazing, your coworkers or classmates aren't irritating you. Life is good! But, then there are the times in life when things are going horribly wrong. A family member or friend dies unexpectedly. That addiction you thought was going away comes roaring back. Your job is now making your life miserable. It seems the blessings have dried up. So, what happens? Far too often we stop worshipping God. We don't offer up praises anymore. We question His motives and ways of leading. We flash out in anger at the fact that someone died, and He didn't stop it. So, we distance ourselves from Him. This type of behavior is unhealthy. Are we truly only using God for the times when He makes us feel good? King David knew a thing or two about going through rough times, and his life can be an example of worshipping an occasional God (As-in, when it suited him). But, he learned that God is always there. He's always working for us. That is why he penned our verse today, “But I am trusting you, O LORD, saying, "You are my God!" Notice, this verse doesn't say “I'm trusting in you when things are going right.” Nope. He is either our God all the time, or none of the time. No matter what you're going through in life, put your trust in God. He will never fail you. He will always love you. And, He alone can rescue you.

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you. ~ Psalm 9:10 (NLT) When I was a kid, we used to play a game at recess called “Hot Potato.” Maybe you've heard of it? If not, here's what it's all about. You have an object, like a bean bag, a tennis ball, or something smallish that you can toss from one person to the next. The idea is that the object was hot (like a potato which had just come out of the oven) and you couldn't grab it. So, you'd form a circle of your friends and hit the object back and forth while acting like it was ridiculously hot. If you missed it when it was your turn to hit it, or you didn't hit it far enough to make it to someone else, you were out. The circle then shrank to those who remained. The last one standing would be declared the winner of Hot Potato and, I'm sure, go on to receive major awards, praises, trophies, and untold riches. Of course, there was only one winner, and a bunch of losers. For the most part, we just shook off the loss and jumped back in when a new game was started. Then there were others who pouted or even shed tears over the fact that they lost and were kicked from the game. They usually didn't rejoin the game when it restarted, even if we tried to get them back into it. There are many people in the world that believe God is into the game of Hot Potato. Except, in their version, He isn't playing with a bean bag or ball, He is playing with people. This version of the game calls for God to only save those who don't have a ton of sin because they aren't hot. But He drops those who have too much sin because they are radioactive. In other words, they believe that God only accepts those who are good, but not those who are bad. Of course, this is completely false. God isn't a God who only picks certain people to love and save. Instead, He is a God who loves unconditionally and never abandons anyone who seeks Him. In fact, our verse today from King David states, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.” Today, and every day, don't buy the lie of Satan that God will reject you for your sin. To the contrary! God will free you from the penalty of it! Seek God. Run to Him. To Him, you aren't radioactive. You are loved. He will never abandon you.

Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful. ~ Proverbs 16:20 (NLT) Have you ever tried to assemble something that came with horrible instructions? Yeah. It is a royal pain. The layout doesn't make sense and the screws they send with it never seem to fit any of the pre-drilled holes perfectly. Nothing seems to fit together properly. Let's just say that having to put stuff together has nearly ruined many a Christmas day for me and my brother as we tried to piece together the gifts our kids were given. In fact, it was getting so bad that my whole family passed a rule together. The rule goes like this: If we purchased a gift for any child the gift-giver was obligated to put it together. Maybe you've never had to assemble a kid's toy, but I'm guessing that you can relate in one way or another. Maybe it's getting lost in a maze of streets in some downtown area. Maybe it's not being able to figure out how turn on the TV. Or, just maybe, following the directions to solve that ridiculous math problem just isn't working out. (That was certainly my case in high school. The directions looked worse than the problem itself). In our faith, God gives us some instructions to follow in order to have a good Christian life. In addition to the 10 Commandments there are others sprinkled throughout the Old and New Testaments. I don't know about you, but I sometimes struggle to follow those instructions too. I try really hard, but it doesn't seem to help me obey. This is why King Solomon helps identify the missing ingredient to following instructions. We need to seek out the instruction-giver so that He can clarify things, help us understand, and lead us through the problem. In our verse today, Solomon wrote, “Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful.” Notice that last part. We can have some prosperity if we just try to keep the Lord's commands. But, when our hope, our trust, our power is securely found in Him, we experience joy! So today, and every day, don't just try to do good, put your trust, your hope, in Jesus who is truly good. He will direct your steps. He will give you perfect instructions. And, when you follow His lead, He will flood your life with joy as a result.

O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. ~ Psalm 62:8 (NLT) Perhaps you and I have a shared memory. No, it's not that we did it together. But we did the same thing at the same point in life. I remember it vividly. When I was a kid, at night, the walls seemed creepier than normal. As I lay in my bed, I was sure I could hear something moving around in my closet or under my bed. My mind began to race with ideas of what kind of monster, or monsters, could be lurking in the darkness. The good thing was, I knew what to do in order to be safe. I dove underneath my blankets and made sure there were no open areas from which a hand, finger, or tentacle could infiltrate. I knew that if I stayed secure under my blankets, the creepy things in the dark couldn't get to me. I had found my refuge. Now, of course, as we get little older, something like a blanket fort of refuge seem not to make any sense whatsoever. Like a blanket has some sort of magical force-field properties that can't be penetrated. Or, that if I was under it, I was somehow invisible to the things in the world which wanted to hurt me. Perhaps we were a little naïve about such things. However, as adults, we do the same thing. We seek refuge in things which won't actually protect us. We seek out pleasure, drugs, drinking, self-harm, or over-eating to try and cope with the evil which pounds on us day after day. Here's the problem: They aren't a refuge. They're a trap which Satan pushes us towards so we don't find the one, true refuge. King David knew a thing or two about persecution. His buddy, King Saul went all crazy on him and tried to kill him on several occasions; even sending his army to seek and destroy. So, how did David survive? He knew who his refuge was. As David writes in our verse today, “O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.” You see, our refuge isn't a thing, it's a being. God is our protector. He's not weak and flimsy like a blanket. The Bible also calls Him a Fortress for the Weak. In other words, when we are in Him, though the evil surrounds us and the sounds of battle roar, He is our protector. Today, and every day, no matter what Satan hurls at you, make sure you stay safe in the refuge of Christ.

This is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. ~ Micah 6:8 (NLT) I used to watch a TV show called The Office. For those who have never seen it, here's a brief description. The Office was a sit-com which was shot as a reality TV type of way. The “employees” of the office worked for a paper company under a boss, his name was Michael, who had a great big heart, but no leadership abilities whatsoever. They also had an Assistant To the Manager character named Dwight who was power hungry, but none of the employees paid any attention to him and showed him zero respect. There was an episode at one point where the fake documentary producer was interviewing Dwight and asked the question, “What's the best advice Michael has ever given to you?” His answer? “Don't be an idiot. It changed my life.” It was one of the greatest lines from the show. Oddly enough, in our own reality of faith, we might turn the question back on us. “What's the best advice that God has ever given to you?” Though there may be a ton of different answers we could all offer up, the Old Testament prophet named Micah actually answers it for us in our verse today. He penned, “This is what he [God] requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” So, let's break this down. This is God's way of talking to Israel, back in the day, and to us today. He's talking about the fact that He calls us to love everyone. However, not everyone was getting it. So, God broke it down into simple to understand nuggets. “Do what is right.” In other words, always side with what God is calling you to do. Do what is right, even if others say you shouldn't. “Love mercy.” This one can be a little bit more complicated, but let's simplify. We should show love, give help, provide assistance, to those who need it. Finally, “walk humbly with your God.” This one should be pretty straight-forward. Realize that God ranks above you. He is the Lord. He is in charge. He is the one who leads. You come second in this relationship. So, for those of us who call ourselves Christians, here's what God is saying (in a much nicer way): “Don't be an idiot.” Love God. Love others. It's that simple.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” ~ Matthew 11:28 (NLT) A few years ago, I was battling an unknown medical condition which affected my gut for many months. The unfortunate reality was that I could maintain focus and have limited issues during the day. But, at night, my gut never seemed to sleep very soundly. It just hurt. This left me feeling very tired most days. Maybe you've faced something similar. Maybe (hopefully) not a medical issue, but just feeling exhausted from this battle we call life. Constantly being tired has several negative consequences, as you may imagine. Your short-term memory doesn't seem to work so well. The ability to recall even simple things seems to get stuck. Your patience wears thin really fast. That one person who you often times could tolerate suddenly seems a whole lot less tolerable. You can get really irritable. Things that you used to let slide, or even laugh at, now get your blood boiling. And, perhaps the worst part of it, being constantly tired steals much of the joy in life. Now, don't hear me wrong, I've got plenty of joy – I have Jesus after all! But taking pleasure in many things seems to take more effort. If you can relate to these things, then you too may be way too weary today. But, hold on, Jesus has something for us. As He said in our verse today, Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Isn't that an amazing promise? When we're feeling overwhelmed with life, Jesus provides that much needed rest. Now, let me clarify something. Jesus isn't talking about physical rest. And, He's not really offering rest from self-inflicted tiredness. (You know, staying up way too late gaming, watching TV, binging on Netflix, etc.) Jesus is talking about rejuvenating our life with His Holy Spirit when the day-to-day service to others is wearing us down. We need to regularly spend time with Jesus and let Him infuse our faith with His energy, His joy. So, today, and every day, spend time with Jesus. Though you may be physically tired, let Him recharge your faith, renew your joy, and keep you topped off with the Holy Spirit. Oh, and just to fill in the blank, the medical issue was caused by a malfunctioning gallbladder. It's gone now, and I feel oh so much better.

Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. ~ Psalm 25:5 (NLT) Have you ever been in a store when a little kid threw a tantrum? It's pure awesomeness! It all begins when a toddler knows for sure that they either want to do something, or don't want to do something. And, when they aren't listened to, they throw down. Great big tears start to roll down their cheeks. Their skin turns to the color of ketchup. Their back arches, their arms flail about, and they begin screaming complete gibberish. A human, especially a parent, has upset their delicate little ego and they ain't having it. When a toddler latches on to a truth, they do not let go of it very easily. Their truth may be that dad is going to buy them that Hot Wheels car right now; or that doll; or that tablet; or that cell phone; or whatever it is. And, when it doesn't happen, they don't think, “Hmmm. Maybe I was wrong about this. Maybe my parents know something I don't. Perhaps I was mistaken.” Nope. They cannot admit that their truth was not actually true, so tantrum time. Let's face it, even as adults we can behave this way. OK, maybe not throwing tantrums but we refuse to let go of what we think we need or want. We know our own truth. And we can be very stubborn about it. But, what if someone way smarter and wiser than us knows better can actually see that what we want, or what we think we need, is actually going to harm us? What if this person only wants the best for us and tells us when we're about to do something which will lead to misery? As Christians, we should know that the someone is Jesus. He is the smartest, wisest being in the universe. And, He loves us so much that He only ever wants the best for us. This is why the psalmist penned a reminder to himself, and to us, when he wrote, “Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Notice, he is saying that we should be led by God's truth – what He knows we need – not just for today, but all eternity. So, today, and every day, lay down your “truth” and allow God to show you real truth as He guides you through this life and into eternity. Let go of your truth and embrace His.

Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish. ~ Proverbs 18:13 (NLT) When I was working at the City of Salem (before I entered ministry), one of the things the library department hosted were author talks. These were generally pretty cool, and featured very well-known authors of some of the most popular books in the nation. I love that the talks weren't just limited to those who sold fiction (their books were made up stories), but also invited authors to speak who were experts in a particular field and had written books about it. One of my favorites was an author named Mary Roach. She writes on all kinds of crazy topics, but her stuff is fascinating. The next time you're on Amazon or at a library, check out some of her stuff. Maybe you'll find it fascinating too. One of the coolest things people like Mary get to do is research. She flies all over the world, investigates things, talks to others who are experts in a particular field of study, and learns as much as she can before she even sits down to start writing her book. In fact, the book doesn't even start to take any kind of shape – no outline or even premise – until the research is completed and it all makes sense in the author's head. Only then does the author begin to write about topics that can be intriguing, but also accurate. Unfortunately, in this world, the idea of completing research before actually sharing one's ideas is a lost art. We often times speak as though we are an expert in a certain area, yet have no idea what we are talking about. Even worse, we won't let those who know more than we do – those who have gained wisdom in that area – convince us otherwise. Our society is quickly becoming so close-minded that the sharing of truth has become near impossible sometimes. Truth has become what we think, not what is factual. King Solomon knew a thing or two about a few things. Well, maybe a lot of things. He was the wisest man who ever lived. He saw this ideological train-wreck coming when he wrote our verse today, “Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.” In other words, we are called to listen to others. Learn from them. Seek wisdom. Seek knowledge. And, no, learning from only those who think like you already doesn't count. Find those who have a different view. Seek to understand. Only then is true wisdom gained.

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. ~ Colossians 4:6 (NLT) A survey was done quite some time ago. I can't seem to locate the actual results anywhere on Google, but I'll summarize it for you here. A bunch of young men were asked about what type of woman they would like to marry. They were given descriptions of three, or so, different women. The first was extremely beautiful. She had the looks of a supermodel. But, she was shallow and only cared about herself and what others could do for her. She was rude and crude. She was hot, and everyone else was made to serve her. The next was very pretty, not quite supermodel status, but still gorgeous. Yet, she had an attitude and complained about everything. Nothing was up to her standards, and basically everyone in the world was stupid compared to her. The next woman was very nice looking, but certainly didn't have the ideal looks to be a model. She had a little more meat on her bones and was curvy. However, she loved people. She had a great sense of humor and didn't put people down. Instead, she always seemed to be lifting them up. She was confident in her own skin, but not cocky or arrogant. So, how did the men pick? Overwhelmingly they chose the third woman. Of course, it shouldn't come as a surprise that men can look beyond the superficial. Yet, for some it did. I know it shattered my stereotype of what most guys look for in a woman. Here's the truth, your attitude dictates how other people see you. It doesn't matter how good looking you are. It doesn't matter how rich you are. What matters is how you treat other people. And, of course, God understands this. This is why through the psalmist, He inspired our verse for today, “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” Additionally, we as Christians aren't just representing ourselves. We are representatives of the Kingdom of God. How attractive does that kingdom look when the people that represent it are constantly griping about things and calling other people names? Not so much. So, today, and every day, be gracious. Seek to lift other people up. Don't look for the negative, seek the positive. Use words that are attractive.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. ~ 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) Have you ever met someone who complains about everything? This isn't right. Or, that person didn't do this. Or that person didn't do that. On and on and on the complaints go. It's not enough that they think that way, they have to let everyone else know. I've met a lot of those people over my life. In fact, I'd find ways to avoid them if I saw them coming. The bathroom was sometimes a safe space. But, complainers can even find you when you're sitting in a bathroom stall trying to get some personal time. It's gross, but true. Plus, you're kind of captive at that point. You're locked in a box with pants around your ankles. Making a speedy exit ain't gonna happen. Now that you're stuck, the gripe fest begins. Sometimes I feel like I do a lot of this type of complaining toward God. (Maybe you can relate?) When I'm praying, I'm telling Him all of the stuff that is wrong in this world He created. (Of course, I sometimes forget that we humans are the ones who messed it up. But, I digress.) I'm telling Him about people who need “God's guidance,” which is sometimes a nice way of saying “Can you please fix this person?” It's often times during these prayers that God stops me and says “Reframe your prayer.” In other words, stop complaining about people and things. Tell me what's really worrying you. You see, our God isn't there for us just to gripe at. He is a real, living God who deeply cares for each one of us. So, He doesn't want the surface level complaining. He wants to get to the root of the complaining – our insecurities. Why? Because God doesn't “fix” other people if they aren't asking for it. Instead, He deals with each one of us who come simply to God and say “God, heal me of my worry.” Our verse today gets at the heart of this, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” It isn't a license to dump everything on God, but an invitation to talk to Him about what's hurting you. It's an opportunity to connect with God on a personal level. So, today, and every day, spend time talking with God about your worries and anxieties. Don't complain about everything. Be real. Be honest. Be open. He cares for you and will see you through.

The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. ~ 1 Peter 4:7 (NLT) A young man was driven to succeed in life no matter what. He was the top graduate of his class from college. He got married and had a family. He began to work his way up the corporate ladder. Soon, he became very wealthy and their little family was able to purchase their dream house, then vacation homes in Hawaii, Spain, and the Swiss Alps. The man became so successful he was running his own company, had his own private jet, and billions of dollars in the bank. Of course, he wasn't really able to visit any of his vacation homes anymore. Life was too busy for that. In fact, he was working seven days per week and often got home after the family had gone to bed. Soon, his kids were all grown up and had families of their own. The man had seen pictures of his grandchildren, but never actually met them. But he had his success. Then it happened. In his sixties, at the height of all of his financial success, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given only a few days to live. As he lay dying in his hospital bed, his nurse asked, “With all of your success, what is the thing you regret most in life.” His answer? “I wish I would have spent more time with my family.” Though this story is fiction, I believe it captures a truth about our lives. When we come to the end, whether it is from a health issue or old age, the things we thought were important turn out to be the very things that pulled us away from what truly was. This is why Peter's verse for us today is so powerful. “The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.” In other words, Jesus is coming back at any moment. Don't waste your time pursuing the things of this life that you think you need. Instead, connect on a deep level with your Savior. Prayer, regular prayer, is our quality time with God. It's those moments we get to share with Him. It's the opportunity for Him to hear our voice and us to hear His. It's the time we can cry, laugh, and be joyful together with Him. It's the building block of our relationship with Him. So, today, and every day, spend time with your Heavenly Father. Create those memories together. Bond over conversation and experience. When it all comes to an end, you'll never regret it.

Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. ~ 1 Peter 4:8 (NLT) One of my favorite activities to do when I am blessed to go someplace tropical is snorkeling. Strap on the mask, put on some fins, don the snorkel, and I'm in the water checking out the marine life. I've been blessed to see hundreds of different types of fish, sting rays, sea turtles, eels, and even a nurse shark. There's just something cool and calming about floating up on the sea while looking down at a very unique world. Of course, getting distracted by what is happening below can often times lead to disaster if you don't occasionally look up to see what's going on. That was the case in Maui a few years ago. I was so busy watching two sea turtles eating algae off of rocks below me that I didn't notice that the swells (the waves of the ocean) had picked up size and pace. All of a sudden, I felt myself being thrust forward toward the sea turtles. This is bad for many reasons. One of the main ones is that it is a federal crime to touch one, as they are an endangered species. So, I began furiously swimming against the current. Just then, the swells let up, and I rocketed in the direction I was kicking and found myself in very shallow water. Which was another issue. Beneath me was a coral reef. It's also a federal crime to step on a reef. So, I tried may hardest to get away, but the swells came back and knocked me down into the reef. Those things are sharp! I ended up with cuts on my legs as a result. Luckily, I caught a break when the swells let up once more and I swam away from the reef into deeper water, then back to shore. Getting caught in a loveless relationship (friends or otherwise) is like being caught in shallow water. When something goes wrong, you get hurt. You get cut. You get scars as you are slammed against the sharpness of harsh words or actions. Shallow love is no fun at all. Peter had some wisdom on this topic, when he wrote, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.” In other words, we need to show real love, we need to act love, we need to demonstrate love, we need to overflow love towards our friends and family. Our love can't be shallow. Shallow love leads to hurts. Deep love helps protect us from the scars of life. It keeps us afloat. So today, and every day, demonstrate deep love toward others.

This is real love - not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. ~ 1 John 4:10 (NLT) The three words that are hardest for most people to say shouldn't be. I mean, how hard is it to say “I love you” to someone? Why do we get tongue-tied and all nervous before we tell someone that phrase? It's like the feelings and brain get all mixed up and the words get jammed in our throat as our brain screams “Red alert! Red alert!” I believe I have an answer to this. It's because, in this life, rejection is a real thing and it happens quite often. Think about it. How many movies use the premise of rejected love? How many of them put a plot twist into the romantic relationships to make the audience question whether or not the character's love is true? Of course, this is Hollywood. It's fake. We can separate fiction from real life, right? Rejection is also very real in our normal, day-to-day lives. Maybe we come from a split home, or a home where our parents fight, or fought, all the time. Love seemed to be absent. Maybe we were the ones always picked last for teams on the playground. Perhaps no matter how hard we try we can't manage to get a grade higher than a C or D in math. Then there are the special times. The time when you manage the courage to say “I love you” but the other person doesn't say it back, or doesn't feel the same way. In other words, our lives are full of rejections. So, imagine a God whose very character is pure love. Everything He does and says is born out of an unimaginable, unconditional love for us humans. In fact, His disciple John put it this way, “This is real love - not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” The cross serves as a giant banner to you and me which reads “I Love You!” Notice too, He didn't do it because we said “I love you” first. He did it knowing that so many of us may never say it back. He did it facing the fear of rejection from His own creation because His love, true love, for you and me wouldn't allow Him to hold anything back. So, here's my challenge to you today. Say it back. How many times in your prayers do you say thank you, and please, and even the word “Lord,” but never actually utter the words, “I love you to Jesus?” In reality, it's like He's saying “I love you,” and your reply is “Thanks.” Today, and every day, practice literally saying “I love you” to Jesus. He'll never reject you.

And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. ~ 1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NLT) I was a student worker over the summer at my high school, Fresno Adventist Academy, and was one of the few guys who had his driver's license and his own car. So, occasionally, the other student workers and I would slip away for lunch break and go get something that had no nutritional value at all. Our favorite? The 7-11 Slurpee. It was 64 ounces of magnificent frozen sugar. And, on a hot Fresno afternoon (which was usually over 100 degrees), it always hit the spot. Then, there was that one time the spot it hit got really, really big. We entered the 7-11 as usual and headed to the Slurpee machine. It was self-serve. We grabbed the oversized cups, and my friend placed his under the nozzle and then pulled the lever to activate the flow of sweetness. As my buddy finished filling his cup, he pushed up on the lever to stop the flow of Slurpee juice, but nothing happened. He tried again. Still nothing. His cup began to overflow. So, my other friend threw his cup underneath and began filling his. The lever still wasn't working. His cup began to overflow, so I stuck my cup underneath. I watched as the Slurpeeness climbed to the rim of my cup and began to spill over the sides. We were out of cups. Frantically, one of my friends got the store clerk to come running over who unplugged the machine. The Slurpee flood of 1992 was over. But, the aftermath remained. As we looked around, there was a giant puddle of Slurpee all over the counter, the floor, and our feet. Our shoes stuck to the ground wherever we walked for the rest of the day. I picture God's love kinda like the Slurpee machine. Yes, it's sweet and oh so good! But, I also know that it is limitless. There is no end to His love for you and me. And, if we allow it to, it will pour into us so powerfully that it will overflow into others. As Paul put it nearly 2,000 years ago, “And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.” In other words, God's love is too big for a simple human to contain. Once it begins flowing, it will keep on coming full force into our lives until His love overflows and begins to fill the lives of our friends, families, and neighbors. However, unlike the Slurpee incident, the love overflow doesn't leave a giant mess behind. Instead, it brings salvation to those who let it in.

Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked? ~ Ecclesiastes 7:13 (NLT) When I was in academy, our coach used to make us run a lap or two around the track to warm us up for PE class. To me, running in a circle around a track was boring. I'd much rather be playing a team sport. So, one day, a couple of friends and I decided to take a short cut when we thought the coach wasn't looking. Rather than completing our two laps, we cut across the middle of the field and only did half-laps. We cheated. We were laughing because we didn't have to run the stupid track anymore. That is, until we heard the coach's whistle blow and realized that he was staring right at us. He called us over and, because we were varsity athletes, decided to make an example out of us for cheating. He made us run wind-sprints on the football field. If you've never had the pleasure of this activity, let me break it down. Wind-sprints consist of you starting at the end zone of the football field and running as fast as you can to the next line on the field, touching it, then running back to the end zone. You then run to the next line down the field, and return to the end zone. Essentially, you have to touch every line (there are 12 of them by the way) while running back and forth as fast as you can. They're called wind-sprints because you lose your wind (and sometimes your lunch). It turns out that shortcuts never really turn out the way we want them to. Maybe in the short run things seem to be better. But in the long run, they only cause problems. When it comes to our spiritual life, this is an absolute truth. Cheaters neve prosper. King Solomon, who was a pretty wise dude, put it like this, “Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked?” In other words, there are no shortcuts in the Kingdom of God. As God leads us, His route through life and into Heaven is always the best route. But we humans tend to question His route. We often times seek a shortcut which will require less work. That's the issue. We begin to question His motives, His ways, His directions. We think we know better than God. Instead of trying to be God, we need to accept that it is His job to lead, and our job to follow. We must accept His route – His way of doing things – and quit trying to cheat our way into eternity.

The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. ~ Psalm 24:1 (NLT) There is a well-known scene in the movie Finding Nemo. If you've ever seen the movie, I can just say one word and it will instantly pop into your head. “Mine!” If you're not hearing seagulls, then you haven't seen it. Here's the deal. In this scene, there is a dock in the harbor of Sydney, Australia upon which a bunch of seagulls sitting around. Suddenly, a sea creature that they normally eat appears, and they all turn their attention toward it and begin shouting, “Mine! Mine! Mine!” Of course, the way they shout it sounds like a seagull's call. It's an instant Disney classic moment. Of course, are we humans much different than those crazy birds? I mean, maybe the reason it's an instant classic isn't just because it's funny, but because we can relate. If you are a parent, you probably remember when your child went through the phase where they would not share anything. (For those who aren't parents yet, or your kid hasn't reached two years old, you'll get it eventually.) Everything they touched became, “Mine!” I remember prying a straw out of one of my child's hands because they kept gagging themselves with it. They immediately flew into a temper tantrum. It was a straw! Seriously? Us adults can be the same way. Maybe we don't become obsessive about a straw, but we sure do about our lives. And, as Christians, this is dangerous territory because our lives aren't actually ours. In case you forgot, when you accepted Jesus as your savior, your life stopped being “Mine!” and was instead turned over to Jesus. It is now “His!” Even King David got this concept – though he struggled with follow through a bit – when he penned our verse today, “The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” In other words, there is nothing that exists apart from God. The earth? He built it. Each person? As the bible says, He knit them together in their mother's womb. In other words, everything in existence is here because of Him. It is His. So, today, and every day, give God His due. Give Him thanks for this life, and the promise of the one to come. Give thanks for the things He is loaning you. Give thanks for all He has done and will do. Give thanks that He loves us enough to share His goodness.

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. ~ Psalm 143:10 (NLT) I remember one winter up at Camp Wawona in Yosemite. I was with some friends playing around in the snow. It was January, so it was very cold, and there was a lot of snow, icicles, and ice pretty much everywhere. One of my friends spotted a frozen pond and we decided to check it out. Basically, we all ran to the pond, hit our knees and slid out into the middle of it. We spent some time sliding around and playing a made-up game of hockey with a rock and some tree branches. We had a lot of fun, luckily. I say luckily because none of us had checked to see if the ice was thick enough to support the weight of three boys running, sliding, and jumping on it. The unfortunately reality is that many people (and animals) die each year because they ventured out onto thin ice. Though the ice looks OK from the surface, the ice isn't thick enough to support them. So, they crash through into a freezing environment that can kill them in minutes, and unless someone intervenes, they are on their own. Often times, we venture out into areas of life which have thin ice. Sure, it all looks ok from the surface, but the real test is what is underneath – what is holding it all together. We take the risk into the unknown. The ice begins to crack, we're in trouble. If we don't retreat fast enough, we will face certain doom. In life, the ice can be relationships, or addiction, workplace, school, or a thousand other things. And when it begins to crack, it's no fun. King David found himself on thin ice quite often. This is why he penned a reminder to about how to check the ice we're about to tread upon, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.” In other words, we must allow God to tell us whether the ice ahead is thick enough, whether to wait for it to harden, or if we should simply take a different path. He's the expert when it comes to these things. Let Him measure the ice. Let Him pick the route. We must let Him lead us on sure footing. So, today, and every day, ask God to check the ice up ahead. Make sure He is the one who gets to make the decision on whether it is safe to proceed. Otherwise, you may find yourself standing on thin ice.

Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. ~ Psalm 143:8 (NLT) When is the last time you played the game Follow the Leader? I used to play it all the time in elementary school. There was recess time, lunch time, PE time, and after school time to play. Of course, when you're young, most people would keep their eyes open. Not us, we'd play the game with our eyes closed. It was always fun to see if you could get someone hung up, like walking under a low tree branch that would snag them in the head, or stepping over a curb to see if someone would trip. Of course, as we matured, we played the game less and less. I mean, after all, cool kids wouldn't do something so silly. We had more grown up sports to play like soccer, or football, or softball. So, Follow the Leader faded into distant memory. The unfortunate reality is that we often adopt the same attitude when it comes to our daily life. The message most people hear is that you have to carve your own path in life. You have to prove yourself. You have to make it on your own. Except, that's a lie. Now, hear me clearly, you need to put effort into things (job, friendships, marriage, etc.), but the path we carve is not the best one for us. We actually don't know the best path to take. King David, who was the top dog in Israel and had basically everything he could possibly desire, knew a thing or two about the issues of carving your own path (the whole Bathsheba thing comes to mind). It didn't end well and left him distraught, depressed, and at an all-time low in life. He discovered that following his own desires didn't actually fulfill him at all. It's because of this life experience that David penned our verse a few thousand years ago. He wrote, “Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.” In other words, David was saying, each day I commit to following your lead. It's not my path I want to walk, but the one which you choose for me. In our walk as Christians, it's not about being in the lead, it's about following the lead of Jesus each and every day. When we rise in the morning, we must give thanks for the blessing of another day. When we climb out of bed, we must commit to following the true Leader. Let Him show us where to walk, when to duck, and when to jump. Let Him lead us through this life and then through the pearly gates of Heaven.

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. ~ Colossians 4:2 (NLT) I went to a training seminar once when I was working my way up the career ladder. The seminar was supposed to teach us how to be a good boss. To be honest, it was kinda a rip-off. However, I do remember one of the activities was interesting. It had us focus on active listening. Let me break that down for you. Active listening is actually being a part of a conversation with someone even though you aren't the one doing the talking. As an example, an active listener makes eye contact during the conversation, ask questions for clarification, nod their head when they grasp what's being said. They give a confused look when they don't get it. All of these are cues to the person talking that what they are saying is not only making sense, but that you're actually paying attention. The opposite, of course, is passive listening. We are experts in passive listening. Passive listening is playing on your phone while someone else is talking, saying “huh?” a lot because you weren't paying close enough attention to hear them the first time, and that your attention is elsewhere. The person doing the talking is not the priority. I believe we have an epidemic of passive listeners when it comes to our prayer life. We create so much busyness in our lives that we throw some prayer requests at God, but don't hit the pause button on life to let Him now talk to us. We're too busy doing other stuff, or our mind is clouded with all of the things we need to accomplish, or all of the worries for the day. But, notice our verse today says, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind.” In other words, we need to be active listeners. Our mind must be alert, actively focused on the One who will be speaking. We need to have a time when we drop everything in life and just spend time listening to, and for, God's voice. Of course, many will say that they've tried that and didn't hear anything. To that I say, did you fail the first time you played that video game? Yes. But, you kept working at it so that you understood how to play at a higher level. So it is with active listening. You may not hear His voice the first few times because you aren't at that level of listening yet. You must keep at it. Your mind will tune in, your worries will tune out, and you will understand the sweetness of His words in your ears (or mind, as is normally the case).

How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension! ~ Psalm 147:5 (NLT) When I was working at a summer camp (in my youth), I had the privilege of working in the maintenance department. I say privilege because I wasn't particularly interested in working with little kids. So, I enjoyed stacking wood, paving roads, fixing plumbing, hauling garbage, and a thousand other tasks. But, with one week left to go in the summer, my privilege was taken away. During rec. time with the staff, I fell hard playing volleyball and broke my wrist. Because of this, I could no longer work maintenance. So, they made me a substitute counselor. Yippee! On my very first afternoon with a cabin (whose regular counselor had the day off), one of the boys just randomly hauled off and decked one of his cabin-mates. I pulled the kid aside and angry asked him why he did it. His response? “Because I felt like it.” I kept pressing for an answer, but that was all I got in return. I couldn't wrap my brain around that one. There obviously had to be a reason: Did the other kid provoke him? Does he have anger issues? Is this kid acting out what he sees his dad do at home? There were lots of questions, but no answers. I think we approach God in much the same way when we have questions about why He did, or didn't do, something. Why didn't He heal someone? Why didn't He help me on my algebra test? (That was a regular one of mine) Why didn't He answer my prayer? Often times, we don't get an answer. Other times, the answer simply is that we couldn't understand. I praise God that the writers of the Bible wrestled with this concept, too. In our verse today, the author stated, “How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!” In other words, our God is so great, that we can't understand why He does certain things because His thought process and decision-making is so far superior to ours it wouldn't make any sense. This is where our faith, our trust, must kick in. No, not a blind faith that just repeats, “God knows better.” Instead, it must be a faith based on a relationship with Jesus where we can say, I know God personally, and if He chooses to do this (or not do this), then He must have a good, loving reason. Though we may not understand it, He's thought it through, seen every angle, and made the best possible choice for us and those we care about.

But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. ~ Philippians 2:17 (NLT) The fear of death is what keeps most of us alive. There is something which triggers inside of us when we're faced with a decision that says, “Nope!” Trying to jump over the Grand Canyon on your BMX bike. Nope! Jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. Nope! (Or with a parachute for some of you!) Asking that girl/guy to banquet who you've always thought was cute. Nope! Well, maybe you can summon the courage on the last one. But you get the idea. We are wired with a Nope! sensor which keep us alive when we follow it. Of course, then there are those in life who somehow override their Nope! sensor. These are the tightrope walkers who walk across a cable only a few inches wide suspended thousands of feet in the air. These are the motorcycle riders who see how many cars they can jump before they crash and break every bone in their body (if they're lucky). These are the ones who seem to be fearless about death. When we look at the heroes of the Bible, these peeps seemed to be fearless too. They took on an armor-clad giant with just a slingshot. They walked on water in the middle of a storm. They defeated an army of over 100,000 with just 300 men. These peeps didn't seem to have a Nope! sensor. It wasn't that the sensor wasn't there. It was that they understood the sensor could be overruled when God called them to a task. In other words, they trusted God more than their fear. The apostle Paul, who was involved in some crazy fear-invoking ministry, knew this all too well when he penned, “But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God.” Paul was OK with laying down his life, because He trusted the Giver of Life. Paul wasn't afraid to die because he knew the One who had overcome the grave. Paul was a death defyer. He understood that no matter what happened in this life, His eternal life was secure in the hands of his Savior. Church, may we be death defyers. Yes, listen to our Nope! sensors (don't be stupid). But, may we allow God to overrule those sensors when it comes to serving Him.

For the Lord's sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. ~ 1 Peter 2:13-14a (NLT) If you've never had the chance to see the White House (You know, where the President of the USA lives), you should pay it a visit. Though I've never been inside, just from the outside it is quite the sight to behold. But, what is even more fascinating to me is the transformation that has occurred over the centuries since it became the abode of our president. The White House didn't actually house our first president, George Washington. But it was his idea to have a central residence for the new leader of this great land. It wasn't until John Adams moved into it in 1814 that it became official. Here's the cool thing. Back then, anyone could literally walk up to the home, knock on the door, and get an audience with the president (if he was available). There were no fences or security staff. Just John and his family. Unfortunately, a lot has changed over the last 200 years. No longer can you walk into the White House. It's guarded by tall fences, motion sensors, armed guards, patrol dogs, infrared cameras, and a small army of Secret Service personnel. You need a special pass just to get on the grounds, let alone into the house. So, why the massive increase in security? Because people desire to kill the President for one reason or another. Their hatred for the person, or position, has consumed them. Therefore, protective measures are required to keep him safe. The true reality is that this world is in rebellion against the way God has called us to live. We're called to love our leaders. We're called to respect them. We're called to honor them. As Peter put it nearly 2,000 years ago, “For the Lord's sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed.” Now, let me be clear. We can choose not to like the person occupying the White House. We can choose to disagree with their policies, their antics, or just the way they carry themselves. We can choose to be bummed out that the person we voted for isn't the one currently living at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW (The address for the White House). However, as Christians, we are called to respect the fact that the person is the leader of our country. So, church, here is our challenge. Rather than complain, pray. Rather than vent on social media, ask for God's blessing on our leaders. Demonstrate love, not hate.

Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king. ~ 1 Peter 2:17 (NLT) If ever there was a verse that our world needs to get back on track with, this is, arguably, one of the top. In a world that preaches tolerance and respect, the irony is that there is very little of it anymore. The tv news shows cover very little news anymore. Instead of news anchors reporting facts, they have a round table of people who promote their opinions on all matters. The more extreme those opinions, the more tv time they get. On social media, I've seen so many people saying things like “If you voted for ___________, we can no longer be friends,” and then proceed to call out such people for being stupid. When it comes to differing views on a whole host of other social issues, people are painted as evil on both sides of the argument. In short, the world that teaches tolerance and respect doesn't show it. Of course, tolerance and respect go hand in hand. Tolerance has very little to do with viewpoints on issues. Instead, it can be boiled down to this: Do you respect those who may disagree with you? Will you sill treat them with kindness, compassion, and love? While it's easy to point fingers at the world, the sad reality is that this often times looks and sounds like the family of God – the church. We are quick to demonize those whose worship format is different than our liking. We are quick to judge those who don't use a particular translation of the Bible. We easily judge those who don't eat a vegetarian or vegan diet (or vice versa for my meat eaters out there). We call out fellow believers publicly, shame pastors who are doing their best to serve, and look with scorn at a generation who wants to worship in different ways. In summary, we look an awful lot like the world we point fingers at. So, here's Peter, who knew a thing or two about failing to respect people, writing this verse for his fellow Christians. “Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.” Just to make sure, I looked up the Greek word for “respect.” Here's what it means: To honor and place a high value on a person. Church, may we get back to who we are called to be. May we honor everyone. May we place a high value on everyone. May we respect everyone. May we love everyone. And, yes, that especially includes those we disagree with.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1 (NLT) The mysteries of how God works, or doesn't work, in people's lives is probably one of the biggest questions we as believers, and even those who aren't, wrestle with. Why does God choose to do somethings, yet not do other things? For example, why does God choose to heal one person, but not another? Or, why does God call some people in to professional ministry, but not others? Even though, on the surface, we believe God could have, and should have acted for all people in those situations, He chose not to. We prayed for the person, or persons, yet things didn't turn out the way we hoped. The big question of “Why?” hangs big. I wish I had a simple answer, but I don't. Why? Because I'm not God. And, a God who is infinitely complex can't be fully understood by us simple humans. But I have observations that I can offer up. Prayer is not about manipulating God into doing something we want. It's about aligning our hearts and minds with God's. Jesus demonstrated this in the Garden of Gethsemane. As Jesus prayed, He asked God the Father to change the plan so that He wouldn't have to go to the cross. (See Matthew 26:39) Jesus, in His humanity, didn't want to experience a horribly painful death. So, He asked for another way. But, the second part of Jesus' prayer brought alignment with God when He stated that He would submit to the Father's desire if required. God wants us to dialog with Him about what our worries and concerns are, but He also wants us to understand that His way is always going to be the correct way. Prayer helps us understand that. Prayer softens our hearts. This is why the verse today is so powerful. As Paul states, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.” Got someone you care about? Pray for them. Got someone that is mean to you? Pray for God's blessing upon them. Holding a grudge against someone? Pray for God's favor and goodness to engulf their life. Realize, the prayer isn't going to force them to change. Rather it's helping align your thoughts and desires with God's. He wants to bless everyone. He wants people to experience His love. He desires everyone to come to know Him. And, He chooses us to be His instruments to make that happen. So, as we pray, we submit to God's way of seeing people and we begin to evaluate them based on His vision, not our own.

“The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock! May God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted!” ~ 2 Samuel 22:47 (NLT) I remember when I was younger, some friends and I would go out into a big open field and play target practice. Essentially, we'd set up a target and grab a bunch of rocks and see how far away we could get while still being able to hit the target. The targets were usually like a branch or a chunk of wood. So, nothing special. But it was a lot of fun. Of course, target practice came down more to who had the good rocks (at least in my opinion) and less about the skill of the thrower. If you got a nice, balanced rock, it would fly straight and true. If you got a lopsided rock, it would never find its way to the target. Then, there were the rocks which broke apart in the air right after you threw them. Now, they weren't necessarily rocks, they just looked like them on the outside. They were actually dirt clods – which is dirt compressed together into a big chunk. Though the dirt clods looked like rocks, and felt like rocks when we held them, they wouldn't hold together under the physical strain of being hurdled a thousand miles per hour (maybe less) and broke up in flight. When this happened, there would be cries of “not fair” from the thrower and laughter from those who were watching. In our life, we often times think we have something which is rock-solid, something that will help us attain all of life's goals. For some, the rock is money. For others, the rock is a career. For others, it's a relationship with that special someone. But, here's a secret, those are all just dirt clods. Now, hear me out. There's nothing wrong with having a good job, or money, or a good man or woman. But, when our faith is in those things for giving us the perfect life, they will break apart from the strain. In life, there is only one Rock which we can count upon. The Bible tells us, His name is Jesus. There is only one real Rock that doesn't come apart under the strain of sin, death, and eternity. King David put it like this, “The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock! May God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted!” So, today, and every day, put your faith in the Rock of your salvation. Put your faith in the One who holds it all together.

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. ~ Hebrews 10:36 (NLT) I love going on roller coasters. It's the one thing that bums me out about living in Oregon. There are no amusement parks. Now, before you tell me about Oaks Park in Portland, or Silverwood in Idaho, I'm talking about the amusement parks who are known to have the fastest, tallest, craziest coasters. Growing up, and in my early 20s, I had access to a place called Six Flags Magic Mountain. It has some of the best coasters in the USA. If you ever find yourself down in the Los Angeles area, it's worth the trip. I remember when they debuted a brand-new roller coaster called the X2. It was crazy. The seats on the train were below the track, so you couldn't see it. You just dangled there. Plus, the seats could rotate 360 degrees to the left or right, but also up and down. The seats would spin based on the movement of the coaster. The wait time was over two hours, but everything I'd heard told me it would be worth it. When we finally boarded the train, it was amazing! There were crazy twists and turns and a drop that left me breathless! It was the coolest 40 seconds of my life. Yup, we waited over two hours in line for a 40 second ride. Others in that line were waiting for their second or third trip on the coaster. They were literally waiting all day to ride a few more times before the park closed that night. It was that exciting. To my fellow Christians, I have a tough question to ask. Why is it so easy for us to spend our cash and time waiting for something which only lasts but a few seconds, minutes, or hours, yet, we don't get as excited about the soon return of Jesus Christ? I mean, I loved X2, but the Kingdom of God? Jesus in person? Sin destroyed? Immortality? All of these things crush the joy of the temporary rush found here on earth. If we're willing to anxiously wait for a coaster ride, or a movie, or a concert, or anything, we need to also excitedly be waiting for Jesus to return. As Paul put it, “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” In other words, understand what it is that you are waiting for. Understand the rush that awaits. Understand the excitement of that moment. And, as we did in line with the other coaster riders, share in that excitement. It will be the greatest ride in the history of the universe.

God's will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor—not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (NLT) Sex is a very powerful piece of our human existence. It is wonderful, amazing, awesome, and fun. God created it to be that way. Why? Because He realizes the power it has to unite two people into one. Sex bonds a couple at a very intimate level. It requires a vulnerability which allows a man and woman to experience freedom in ways that nothing else can. Of course, all of this was meant to be done within the confines of the marriage covenant (The I dos part of life). Satan, who is amazingly good at taking something God intended for good and making it evil, has convinced the vast majority of the world that sex isn't just for within marriage. In fact, sex can be with anyone at any time. With the advent of technology, one can participate in sex acts 24/7 in a closed room with nothing but a laptop or smart phone. The cold reality is that 79% of 18 to 30-year-old American men watch internet porn at least once per month, and 76% of 18 to 30-year-old American women report that they watch porn at least once a month. Even crazier is that the average age of exposure to pornography is around 11 years old.[1] Here's the deal. That porn consumption not only warps our sense of sex, it also leads to a whole host of mental health issues. In fact, “studies have found that frequency of porn use correlates with depression, anxiety, stress, and social problems.”[2]In other words, using sex outside of what God intended is destroying not only our soul, but our mental health. No wonder Paul wrote with such a dire warning in our verse today, “stay away from all sexual sin.” It's not to avoid fun. It's to avoid pain and misery. We need to understand that God knows best, in all circumstances. He created sex, therefore knows the most about it. If you need more ammunition to help decide about the harm of porn on our lives and our world, go check out a really cool docuseries at https://brainheartworld.org/. If you need help getting rid of porn in your life, visit http://gatewaytowholeness.com/. Both resources are free of charge and completely confidential. [1] https://fightthenewdrug.org/by-the-numbers-see-how-many-people-are-watching-porn-today/, accessed April 24, 2019 [2] https://fightthenewdrug.org/overview, accessed April 24, 2019

I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. ~ Psalm 57:9 (NLT) Talking to people about God who don't believe in God can be an interesting activity. Sometimes, you find a willing participant who asks good questions and genuinely wants to learn more. These often times turn into bible studies and baptisms down the road. Then there are the ones who are not as receptive. They shut you down. They've made up their mind, and they don't want to hear anything to the contrary. You know, it's like arguing with a flat-earther about the shape of the globe. There ain't nothing going to change their mind. They are convinced that they know the truth despite any evidence suggesting otherwise. It's frustrating, and often times feels like you're talking to a brick wall. A waste of time. Yet, God says not to back off on reaching out. In our verse today, King David (who knew a thing or two about arguing with thick-headed people) wrote, “I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations.” In other words, we're not supposed to suppress the good news of Jesus Christ just because we think the audience might not listen. Nope. Instead, he says we should sing the praises of Jesus to all nations. This message about Jesus must go global. So, how do we help to spread the gospel when there are so many jaded people out there? How do we get through to them? Here's a couple of pointers. The first thing to realize in sharing the gospel is that not all people will respond to it. Jesus Himself was crucified by the very people He came to save. Not even God Himself was able to convince a lot of people that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior. But He kept teaching. The second thing is to keep it simple. You don't need to launch into an examination of Daniel and Revelation. Instead, share from your own experiences. Share stories. How do you know God is real? How have you personally seen Him working in your life and in this world? Jesus did all of His public teaching by using stories. It's a pretty good model to follow. Finally, bathe everything in prayer (and shower every day too). Pray for God's words. Pray for His joy. Pray for His influence. Pray for His impact on those who hear the gospel through you. Pray. Pray. Pray. It's in His power that people will be saved.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. ~ Colossians 3:1-2 (NLT) When I was in college, some of my friends and I would go out into the woods and do target practice with some rifles. We had targets which were fairly up close, and targets which were much further away. We'd keep track of who could hit the targets the most. There wasn't really an award other than bragging rights. On the property was a fairly big pond. It was probably about 100 yards wide. Toward the opposite shore floated a five-gallon bucket. Once we spotted it, the competition was on. The first one to sink the bucket wins! But, we decided to keep it interesting. We were only allowed to use our 22-caliber rifle. This rifle shot the smallest bullet of the bunch, so it would be much harder to actually sink the bucket. My friends started firing away. None of them even came close. In fact, all of their shots fell about five or ten yards short of the target. It was kinda cool to see the water splash up from the shots hitting the water (like in the movies). But the bucket stayed afloat. I took note of their technique and stepped up for my turn to fire. I decided to try something different. It worked. On the first shot, I nailed the bucket. On the second, the hole I made was right at the water line. The third shot send the bucket to the bottom of the pond. My friends were incredulous (they couldn't believe what they just saw). They asked how I pulled it off when all of their shots fell short. My answer? I just aimed higher. Our verse today tells us to do the same thing when it comes to our spiritual life. The apostle Paul put it like this, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. 2Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” In other words, quit setting your sights so low. Look to Jesus. Look to God the Father. Listen to the heavenly voice of the Holy Spirit. Let them set your sights on loftier things than the world has to offer. Let them set your sights, your dreams, your ambitions, on eternal life in the Kingdom of God. So, today, and every day, shoot for heaven.

You call me ‘Teacher' and ‘Lord,' and you are right, because that's what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. ~ John 13:13-14 (NLT) I remember the first time I did communion on my own, as-in my parents weren't there. It was at our high school and was part of a Friday night agape feast. My friend and I agreed to wash each other's feet as part of the ceremony. As he peeled off his shoes and socks, and all too familiar smell began to emanate. You see, my friend had very stinky feet. And, here I was about to bend low and touch them. It was a bit gross, but I got through it. When Jesus washed the disciples' feet, he had to go through something which was ten times worse than just stinky feet. Back in the day, circa 30 AD, people walked everywhere in sandals. If you've ever hiked wearing just sandals, you know that your feet get caked with the dust of the trail. They look nasty. Of course, they weren't hiking on pristine trails up in the forests of Oregon. They were walking the dusty streets of Galilee and Jerusalem. In addition to people, animals were using these same streets – donkeys, camels, sheep, and other land mammals. These animals, of course, were not potty trained, so would relieve themselves whenever nature called. So, mixed with the dust and dirt of the roadways was the pee and poop of hundreds of animals. Finally, the Middle East tends to be very hot. Heat in humans produces sweat. Therefore, their feet would have been caked with a combination of sweat, dirt, and defecation when Jesus sat to wash their feet. It was gross! Jesus was trying to teach his disciples, including you and me, a big lesson. There is no one too dirty, to gross, too far gone, to be washed clean by Jesus. In addition, we, as followers of Jesus, need to do the dirty work of reaching those who believe they are. We must humble ourselves, get past our own hang-ups, and serve them. As Jesus stated, “And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet.” In other words, it is in humility that Jesus serves us, therefore, we must humble ourselves and serve others, no matter the dirt and filth which have ruled their lives. So, today, and every day, humble yourself and serve. Look for those who Jesus calls you to encourage. Help those who need to be washed clean by Jesus Christ.

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. ~ Ephesians 5:2 (NLT) Have you ever been stuck in a room with someone who had really bad body odor? It's pretty gross. I had an employee at one point in my life who had it bad. And, as a result, the other employees were in revolt, demanding that I punish this other employee for his stench. So, there sat John (not his real name) in my office. The odor in the room grew stronger by the second. I tried to figure out a nice way to tell John that he was grossing everyone out without hurting his feelings in the process. I decided to be direct (as I'm prone to do). I said, “John, the other employees are complaining about your body odor. What can I do to help you with that?” It sounded like a pretty good opening statement. Except, John's reply was not what I expected. He said, “Well, what you can do about it is to tell those other employees to shut up and mind their own business.” He didn't want to address his own issues. John lost his job that day. I often wonder how our lives smell to God. I'm not talking about our real body odor after exercise. Instead, I'm wondering: Do the things we do in this life, the actions we take, the words we speak, the thoughts we think, glorify God as an act of worship? As the apostle Paul put it, “Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” The phrase, “pleasing aroma to God” is a reference to the Old Testament sacrificial system. The sacrifices that were burnt on the alter in the tabernacle for the forgiveness of sins were said to have a pleasing aroma to God. Why was it pleasing? Because it pleased God to forgive sin. It pleased God to see people desiring a closer relationship with Him. It pleased God because it demonstrated the importance He played in people's lives. Do you choose to live a life that is a pleasing aroma to God? What does your life smell like? Are you living a life of sacrifice and surrender for God's kingdom? Do your words lift people up, or does your breath stink? Do your actions help others, or do they smell like b.o? The wonderful thing is that we have a Savior who can wash us clean when we turn to Him. As one of our amazing worship songs states, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. ~ Romans 5:8 (NLT) I often times have an exercise I have people work through in a bible study or bible class. It shouldn't be difficult, but it turns out to be. It's actually quite simple. I have the attendees spend five minutes writing everything about themselves that they don't like. Generally, they start writing immediately and come up with many examples of things they wish they didn't have in their life. Sometimes it's cosmetic stuff like their weight, height, eye color, hair color, jawline, big ears, or a hundred different body parts. The other items generally deal with their personality, and, sometimes, their addictions. The list can get pretty long. After the five minutes are up, I ask them to now spend the next five minutes writing about the things they like about themselves. This often causes people to stare at the wall, or their paper, for a good bit before they actually begin writing. The list develops at a much slower pace, in the end, it is usually less than half the length of their list of things they don't like about themselves. Why is it that it is so much easier for us to spot the negative things about ourselves than the positive? Why do we generally see ourselves in a negative light? And, if we see ourselves that way, why doesn't God? You see, God knows our thoughts, He knows our negative concepts, He knows our sin. Yet, He doesn't dwell on those things. In fact, He looks past those things and sees the person behind it all. And, when He focuses in on you and me, He only sees somebody He truly loves. In fact, it was that love that carried Him to the cross and through the grave. As the apostle Paul stated, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” In other words, Jesus didn't say to Himself, “Well, maybe they'll stop sinning someday and I'll die hoping that's true.” Instead, He knows the pain in our life, the sin, yet can't stop Himself from loving each one of us so much that He chose to lay down His life in our place. God sees you as a positive, not a negative. He sees you as His amazing creation. His list of positives regarding you would be so long it would wrap around the universe. Never doubt the love that He has for you. Never doubt that His sacrifice was for you. Never doubt that God actually likes you. And, never doubt that God will save you when you accept His sacrifice.

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” ~ Luke 9:23 (NLT) “Work smarter, not harder.” It's a saying that I've heard from business executives for decades. The idea is that we need to think creatively about the problems a particular business faces to find a solution which doesn't just add up to more work for people. For example, my friend works for the State of Oregon. She was recently hired to help manage their data, which is kept in Excel spreadsheets. She was given a project to re-sort all of the data in a very large spreadsheet based on a particular criterion found in one of the cells on the spreadsheet itself. Her boss and coworkers thought it would take her weeks to complete the project. It only took her about 10 minutes. How? She did some training in Excel in the past and knew that there is a tool in Excel which allows you to automatically sort data based on a set of criteria. She worked smarter, not harder. Had her coworkers stopped to even Google how to sort data in a spreadsheet, they would have known it was a simple task. Instead, for the past few years, they had been hand sorting everything by copying and pasting cells and rows. (BTW, if none of this makes sense, start learning Excel. It will help you when you get out in the real world. Unless, of course, you're retired. Then, carry on!) Unfortunately, we often times don't take the smart route when it comes to our faith journey. As our verse today states, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” This is Jesus' way of telling us to live our lives smarter by doing things His way. Why? Well, because He is uber smart, infinitely smarter than you or me. He knows everything about everything. He can see every angle of every situation. And, He always wants the best for each one of us. So, His way is always going to be the best way to do things. Want joy in your life? Focus on the goodness of Jesus, not the negativity of this world. Want to experience true love? Then give love. Want to experience peace? Stop trying to work harder. You can't fix the sin that is inside of you or in this world. Want to experience community? Invest in your church – not just pew sitting, but volunteer, serve, give. Want to experience salvation? Surrender your way of doing things and embrace the way of Jesus.

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. ~ Ephesians 5:2 (NLT) Sorry, teens. But your generation has been labeled as “entitled” by countless scholars, teachers, and pastors. You may be wanting to push back against that label, but let's examine what it actually means. To be entitled means that you basically believe you should get what you desire. A prime example: Nearly every high school student has a cell phone. It's considered a right of passage. When you reach a certain age, you get a phone. And, for the most part, they are nice smart phones. And, as I hear the stories, most of you teens didn't buy them. Someone else used their hard-earned cash to get it for you (and pays the service on it). You genuinely believe you deserve it. Y'all feel entitled to your electronic ball and chain. Ok, enough bashing on the teens. Adults, are we really that much better? My phone is generally no more than a foot away from me at all times. I digress. Here's the issue. We often times feel entitled to the blessings of God. Now, hear me out. God wants to give us blessings, and He does give us blessings. But, when we think we've earned them or somehow deserve them because of who we think we are or because of what we've done, we are entitled Christians. So, when the blessings don't come, we get upset and begin to question God like a kid who didn't get the phone they wanted. Let's be clear. We've earned nothing. However, Jesus tells us our lives must not be lived in entitlement. Our lives are to be lived in sacrifice. The Apostle Paul writes, “Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” So, what does sacrifice look like? It's pretty simple. Sacrifice requires us to give up something. As Christians, our lives shouldn't be filled with wants, it should be filled with gives. (Horrible grammar, I know) If we are to follow the example of Jesus, then we must be willing to sacrifice everything. Our finances, our friendships, our families, our careers, our academics, our athletics, our music, our entertainment, and, yes, our electronics, when God calls us to do so. So, here's your gut-check moment. What have you sacrificed for God's kingdom today?

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. ~ Romans 8:28 (NLT) If I can be completely honest with you all today, this verse was tough for me to swallow. Why? Well, as some of you know, I had a health scare a few years back and went to the emergency room with symptoms of a heart attack. To say that is was traumatizing would be an understatement. Having to tell your kids goodbye in the middle of the night and praying that you would actually come back to see them again is not something I wish on anyone. The good news is that all of the medical tests came back normal – my blood work, my EKG (they check the heart rhythms and circuitry to make sure it's all working correctly), my pulse, my lungs, my arteries – everything checked out as OK. So, it was a medical mystery at the time. To try and keep this story short, let me summarize the rest of the week. I continued to have symptoms for many days after my visit to the ER. Finally, God revealed to me that the issue was demonic – Satan's minions were screwing with me. So, I changed my prayers from healing to deliverance, and the symptoms cleared up. Praise God! It's the aftermath from all of that which was tough. I have had anxiety ever since. Sometimes I can't seem to get out of my own head. If I feel a twinge in my chest, or even for a moment feel lightheaded, my mind starts racing. The unfortunate reality is that this can occur on a semi-regular basis. I manage it through prayer, and some grounding, but it's still there. Why then did I choose this verse that Paul wrote over 1,900 years ago? Because I am claiming this promise, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” You see, I love God more than anything, including life itself. And though times can get tough, I know my God, my friend, my savior, is going to see me through. And now, I'm going to use this story to give Him glory. It's one more piece of my testimony about how amazing our God is and how trustworthy His promises are. Perhaps you can relate to what I've been through. Maybe you've had anxiety for years. Claim this promise today. And, if you're willing, share with me or someone else so that we can lift one another up in prayer. God will come through.