Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Wednesday, January 17, 2024
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus made it clear not only that He was a way to Heaven, but that He was the way to Heaven. Many believe in Heaven, but don’t believe in the one who told us about Heaven in the first place. Jesus insisted that His kingdom was worth giving up everything for, like a man who sold everything he owned to purchase a field with hidden treasure in it. There’s no material possession you can sell to earn Heaven; all Christ asks is that you give Him your heart. Trust Him with your life, and strive to live the way Jesus did, because no one comes to the Father except through Him.

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Jeremiah 17:5
Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.”

If you are the strongest and most reliable thing in your life, you’re up the creek without a paddle. Pride tells us that we can make it on our own, but you and I are flawed people, and we will always be flawed. God didn’t design you to have flaws, but you were born into a broken world where sin nature infects everyone. You were created as a masterpiece, capable of amazing things, but you’ll never become all that you were meant to be without God’s help. Put your trust in Him and give Him permission to shape you into the “you” He envisioned: the best you there could ever be.

Monday, January 15, 2024

Monday, January 15, 2024
Hebrews 13:6
So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against racial injustice and prejudice in a time when it wasn’t safe to do so. He understood that human beings weren’t the ones who defined right and wrong, it was God; the God who spoke the world into being and filled it with people made in His image. People who were made for a purpose, and whom Christ gave up His life to save, regardless of the color of their skin. Martin Luther King Jr. stood up not only for a race, but for God, and in the end, he paid the ultimate price for that boldness. But he understood that there was a kingdom waiting for him, and if Christ had already conquered death itself, what could mere man to do him?

Friday, January 12, 2024

Friday, January 12, 2024
Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

There are bigger things to live for than life. There is an eternal home waiting for you, and eternal rewards for those who serve the Lord faithfully in this lifetime. Eternal life is so valuable that Jesus said it was worth trading everything for. Like a man who found a treasure in a field and sold all that he owned in order to purchase the field, and obtain the treasure therein. Don’t put all your time and effort into this life; like a flower, it will grow, bloom and fade, and turn to dust. Instead, let Christ give your life purpose, and start living for Him, so that when you enter the Kingdom of God, you have the privilege of hearing the words “well done good and faithful servant.”

Thursday, January 11, 2024

Thursday, January 11, 2024
Hebrews 12:28
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.

Think about eternity for a moment. Ponder what it means to be saved by grace, and to have everlasting life. Through Christ, you have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and new life than cannot be taken. What a cause for joy! This short life is nothing compared to eternity in Heaven, and that ought to change everything about how you live. Let’s give God His due praise, not only for the paradise that awaits, but for the sacrifice that got you there. The Lord that you will enjoy Heaven with is the same Lord who bled and died to pay for the sins of the world.

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Romans 15:5
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus.

When Jesus ascended into Heaven, the community of believers here on earth became the “body of Christ” to continue His work until He returns. Talk about having the world’s best boss! And yet, because we’re human, our tendency is to bicker and disagree, letting pride trump over love. As Jesus’s representatives in this world, it’s our job to set an example, for believers and non-believers alike, of what Christlike love should be. It’s forgiving someone seventy-times-seven, blessing those who curse you, and humbling yourself enough to put someone else’s well being before your own. If we could all do that, there would be harmony on earth indeed.