Author: Seth Durham

Waiting.

I don’t know about you, but I hate waiting. Waiting in line, waiting in traffic, waiting for service… you name it. I get antsy when I’m just standing around waiting for things to happen. It drives me nuts. Unfortunately waiting is an unavoidable part of life, and like it or not, there are times when waiting is exactly what we are called to do.

Waiting for God’s timing.

When Moses went up to receive The Ten Commandments, the Israelites got tired of waiting for him to come back, and they made a golden calf to worship (Exodus 32).

Abraham and Sarah got tired of waiting for God to give them a son. They tried to take matters into their own hands, and the results were disastrous(Genesis 16).

King Saul didn’t wait for Samuel to offer sacrifices to the Lord, and wound up losing his kingdom (I Samuel 13).

In each of these examples, the people involved needed to do one thing: Wait! No action on their part was necessary or even desirable. They simply needed to trust that God would meet their needs in His time and in His way.

Maybe you’ve struggled with this. Have you ever gotten tired of waiting on God and decided to take action when you shouldn’t? How’d that turn out? I’m guessing, not great.

The important thing is to learn and grow from our mistakes. Odds are, you will face another situation in life where God says to you, “Wait. Be patient.” and you will have another opportunity to obey and see God work.

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

~Psalm 27:14

Waiting for help or healing.

Maybe you’re in the midst of a crisis, or you’re dealing with a serious illness. Your mind is racing, you’re looking for solutions, you’re trying to plan your next move…

Time out.
Pause.

God is in control; you are not. He knows what He’s doing. It may be time to wait on Him. It may be that you need to just let go and rest in His arms. Read the following verses, and let them encourage you to trust… and to wait.

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.

He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.

~Psalm 40:1-3

So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.

~Isaiah 30:18

The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.

So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.

~Lamentations 3:25-26

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.

~Psalm 62:5

Waiting for justice.

One of the areas I struggle with, in regards to waiting, is waiting for the judgement of the wicked. It’s hard to watch evil become more prevalent and the wicked prosper. This is nothing new. Thousands of years ago, Asaph struggled with this topic and wrote about it in Psalm 73.

But maybe it’s even more personal for you. Maybe someone has maliciously hurt you, and it seems as if they’ve gotten away with it! That’s tough to accept, and you may be tempted to take action when, instead, you should wait.

If you’re feeling impatient about injustice, read the following passages, and let them give you peace.

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.

Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.

For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone.

The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity.

The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance.

But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming.

~Psalm 37:7-13

Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.” Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.

~Proverbs 20:22

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.

~Romans 12:19

Waiting correctly.

If you read back through the passages above, you’ll notice a couple of adverbs that tell us how we should wait: patiently and quietly.

Patience means that we bear whatever provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain we are suffering without complaint, loss of temper, irritation or the like. This is not an easy thing to do, but if we keep our focus on God while we wait, and remember all the good things He has done for us, we can wait with patience.

To wait quietly means to be still and know that God is in control. We don’t need to scream to get God’s attention. He has heard your plea. He will answer your prayer (Psalm 6:9). When your mind starts to fill with doubts, be still, and let his comfort renew your hope and cheer (Psalm 94:19).

Waiting is hard, but it’s one way that we demonstrate our love for God and our trust in Him. Whatever you may be going through, just wait. God’s got you. Wait and see.

Give Credit Where Credit Is Due.

When King David was an old man, he wanted to build a temple for God. But David had been a man of war, so God told him that the honor of building the temple would go to his son, Solomon. David gathered a huge amount of materials for the construction of the temple. He donated all of his personal wealth to the project, and inspired the family leaders of the tribes of Israel to donate generously as well (I Chronicles 29:3-9). This is the context in which we find a special prayer of King David. It is recorded in I Chronicles 29:10-20, and there are many lessons we can learn from it.

Praise and recognition.

Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:

“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever!

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.”

~I Chronicles 29:10-11

David first focuses on God’s awesome nature. He ascribes to God the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. The use of the definite article, “the”, in these descriptions highlights the magnitude of these characteristics. It’s like saying that to God belongs all greatness, all power, all, glory, etc. David begins his prayer by acknowledging God’s supremacy, and praising Him for it. This is a great way to start a prayer!

The source of all things.

Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.

O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name!

But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!

~I Chronicles 29:12-14

David was no stranger to wealth, power, honor, and might. It must have been tempting for him to take credit for all that he had acquired and accomplished. After all, David was a man who had slain giants and conquered armies. But David recognized that it had all been given to him by God. He says plainly in verse 14, “Everything we have has come from you.” We would do well to remember this any time we start to think we have achieved something on our own.

A proper perspective and response.

We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.

O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! 

I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.

I Chronicles 29:15-17

Life is short. We’re here one day and gone the next. David understood that the most important thing he could do was to glorify the One who had given him life, wealth, and honor. He dedicated himself and his fortune to God because he had experienced God’s loving care all throughout his life. It pleases God when we recognize all He has done for us. We ought to willingly and joyously give back to Him.

Closing with hope.

O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes.

Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.

Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.

~I Chronicles 29:18-20

David finishes his prayer, filled with hope for the future. His thoughts turn to his people and to his son Solomon who will soon be crowned king. David desires that they will love and obey God so that they will enjoy the blessings that God has for them. In closing, he instructs the people to, “Give praise to the Lord your God!”

Now is a good time for some self examination. Do you thank God daily for all that you have? Do you give Him credit and praise for whatever wealth, honor, and power you possess? Take a lesson from David. Make it a habit to thank God for everything. It all comes from Him, so be sure to give credit where credit is due.

Sad For Solomon.

The life of Solomon is recorded in I Kings 1 – 11, and what an extraordinary life he lived. During his reign the nation of Israel enjoyed unparalleled peace and prosperity. Gold and silver flowed into his treasuries like water. He lived a life of comfort, pleasure, and ease. And yet, something went terribly wrong in Solomon’s life.

A strong start.

Solomon was a young man when he became king. Despite his youth, he had the humility and good sense to ask God for wisdom to rule his people.

“Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around.

And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted!

Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. 

So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies— 

I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have!

And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!

And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.”

~I Kings 3:7-14

Early in his reign, Solomon began construction on the Temple of the Lord. You can read about the Temple’s construction in I Kings 6, but to summarize, it was a magnificent building, made from the finest materials, and it took seven years to complete.

The Ark of the Covenant was brought to the temple, and Solomon praised God for His goodness and faithfulness. I Kings 8:22-53 records Solomon’s prayer dedicating the temple to the Lord. It’s worth reading the whole thing, but here are some of the highlights:

“O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below.”

~I Kings 8:23

“But will God really live on earth? Why even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!”

~I Kings 8:27

“Forgive your people who have sinned against you. Forgive all the offenses they have committed against you.”

~I Kings 8:50

This prayer shows Solomon at his best. He acknowledges God’s supreme authority, and he prays with humility. God is pleased, and He appears to Solomon a second time. This time God gives Solomon both a promise and a warning (I Kings 9:3-9). Unfortunately, Solomon fails to heed the warning.

Led astray.

Now we come to the sad part of Solomon’s story. Solomon had a weakness, and the powers of Hell knew just how to exploit it!

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites.

The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.” Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway.

He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.

In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been.

Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites.

In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he refused to follow the Lord completely, as his father, David, had done.

On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites.

Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.

The Lord was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command.

~I Kings 11:1-10

Solomon was a great man, by the worlds standards, and he accomplished many things. But in the end, he was a failure. Near the end of his life he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes where he concluded that despite all that he had accomplished, all that he had experienced, his life was ultimately meaningless. Power, pleasure, fame, wealth… it had all left him empty. A sad tale indeed.

Two takeaways.

As I was reading about Solomon’s life, two lessons jumped out at me:

First, no matter who you are, you are not immune to temptation. Whether you’re a pauper or a president, sin can pull you away from God, and rob you of the only thing that brings lasting joy.

Second, it’s better to have a rough start and finish strong, than to have a good start and falter at the end. It’s too late for Solomon to change course. As far as we know, he went to his grave with the same despair he expressed in Ecclesiastes.

So my encouragement for you is this:

1) Guard your heart. Don’t let the temporary pleasure of sin lead you down a dead end road.

2) Finish strong. No matter where you are right now, it’s not too late to turn things around. One day it will be. Make today the day you dedicate your life to God. Do that, and you will find the meaning and purpose that eluded the wisest man whoever lived.

Those Red Sea Moments.

Imagine you’re an Israelite at the time of the Exodus. Your people have been slaves for the last 400 years. Out of nowhere this guy Moses shows up, claiming God has sent him to set you free, and boy does Moses shake things up! You watch as God performs miracle after miracle, afflicting your oppressors with plague after plague.

Before you know it, a final plague hits, and the firstborn of all the Egyptians are killed. The Egyptians are so anxious to be rid of you and your people that they hand over their treasures and practically beg you to leave! You are now part of a massive group of people following Moses out of Egypt to an unknown destination.

It all happened so fast, so unexpectedly! You’re excited because you’ve witnessed God do all these impossible things with your own eyes, but also frightened and unsure about what’s to come.

No (human) way out!

Moses leads you to the edge of the Red Sea, and tells you to make camp along the shore. It seems like an odd spot. There’s nowhere to go except back the way you came.

The next day, you’re wondering, “What are we doing here?” And then, you see something in the distance that makes your heart sink. Egyptian chariots, hundreds of them, are kicking up dust as they charge toward your position. At the rate they’re moving, they’ll be on you by nightfall. You’re trapped! There’s no way out. Game Over.

You have some choice words for this Moses fellow!

As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord,

and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?

Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”

~Exodus 14: 10-12

From your vantage point, things look truly hopeless. You’re about to abandon all hope, but you listen to what Moses says in response:

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.

The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

~Exodus 14: 13-14

So, what do you do now?

One option is to give in to despair. You could accept that the Egyptians are coming, and you and your family will either be slaughtered or enslaved. This seems inevitable.

~Or~

You can think back on the miracles that God did to bring you to this place, and trust that He will somehow get you through this impossible situation.

That night, you witness one of the greatest miracles ever recorded. God parts the Red Sea, and you and your people walk across on dry land between walls of water.

At dawn, when the Egyptians realize something’s up, you are on the other side of the Red Sea. When they try to give chase, they get stuck in the middle of the sea, and the walls of water come crashing down on top of them. God has done the impossible. He has delivered you, just as He promised He would.

Why that way?

As I was thinking about this story (It’s found in Exodus 14, and I encourage you to read it for yourself), it occurred to me that God could have done things differently. He could have killed the Egyptians in a million different ways before they ever got close to the Israelites, or He could have prevented them from chasing after the Israelites at all. But He intentionally set up the scenario in this particular way. Why? So that He could teach Israel (and us) that He is able to do things that are impossible. That He is able to deliver us from any enemy. That He can make a way when there is no way.

Sometimes we face challenges that are terrifying and seem impossible to overcome. We wonder, Why, God? Why is this happening to me?

We don’t always know why, but God often uses these trials to teach us. He puts us in a position where there is no human solution so that He can step in and provide a solution so incredible that we can only stand in awe and say, That was God!

These experiences deepen our faith and help us to trust in God more. They give us confidence that God is good, that He is in control, and that He keeps His Word.

What about today?

We all face “Red Sea moments” in life. Times when we are trapped with no way out. What should we do in those times? Moses gave the Israelites the best possible advice:

Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today (Exodus 14: 13).

At some point, you will find yourself in a Red Sea moment. Maybe you’re in one right now. Don’t lose heart! Think back to the times when God brought you through difficulties, and trust that He will get you through this one too.

Changing Hearts.

I recently finished reading the book of Genesis, and this time through there were two stories that stood out to me. Both stories are about brothers in serious conflict that somehow manage to reconcile. The first is the story of Jacob and Esau, and the second is the story of Joseph and his brothers (especially Judah). In both stories we see that God can change even the hardest of hearts.

Jacob’s Trickery

Jacob was a bit of a snake. In Genesis 25 we read how he acquires his brother’s birthright. He took advantage of Esau’s famished state, and traded a bowl of stew for Esau’s birthright. Then in Genesis 27 Jacob tricked his father into giving him the blessing that rightfully should have gone to Esau.

It’s important to understand the value of the things Jacob took. The birthright entitled the firstborn son to a double portion of the inheritance and status as the head of the family when the father died. The blessing was a way of transferring God’s covenant promise (which began with Abraham) on to the next generation. Acquiring this blessing ensured that Jacob’s descendants, not Esau’s, would flourish and ultimately inherit the land that God had promised.

Esau was understandably upset. So much so that he planned to murder his brother!

From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because their father had given Jacob the blessing. And Esau began to scheme: “I will soon be mourning my father’s death. Then I will kill my brother, Jacob.”

~Genesis 27:41

And so, Jacob fled. He moved far away to live with his Uncle and begin a new life.

Going home.

Eventually God tells Jacob it’s time to return to his homeland (Genesis 31:3). Jacob obeys. He takes his wives, children, and everything he owns back home.

Some twenty years have passed since Jacob cheated his brother, but Jacob fears that Esau’s anger could still be raging.

O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children.

~Genesis 32:11

The last we heard of Esau, he was ready to murder his brother. We can easily imagine a scenario where Esau grew angrier and more bitter over the years. He had every right to hold onto his grudge and seek revenge. But somehow, Esau let it go.

Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed to the ground seven times before him. 

Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.

~Genesis 33:3-4

If you read through the rest of Genesis 33, you can see the extent to which Esau forgave Jacob. God had truly softened Esau’s heart.

Joseph and Judah.

Our second story involves the same family. The theme of brothers at odds continues with the children of Jacob.

Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.

But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.

~Genesis 37:3-4

Clearly Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him, and Joseph threw gasoline on the fire by telling his brothers about a dream in which he ruled over them.

One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever.

“Listen to this dream,” he said. 

“We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!”

His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.

~Genesis 37:5-8

The brothers hated Joseph enough that they seriously considered killing him.

At this point I want to focus in on one brother in particular: Judah. Note that it was Judah’s idea to sell Joseph into slavery.

 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime.

Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother—our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed.

~Genesis 37:26-27

Judah didn’t care what would become of Joseph, nor did he care about the pain that losing Joseph would inflict on his father. He simply hated his brother and wanted to be rid of him, no matter the cost.

Judah’s transformation.

The Bible chronicles Joseph’s journey from slave, to prisoner, to ruler. Because the story is told from Joseph’s point of view, we usually focus our attention on him. And Joseph’s story is truly an amazing example of how God can take things meant for evil and turn them into good. As we read, we’re encouraged by God’s care for Joseph, and we’re inspired by the way Joseph is able to forgive his brothers for what they did to him.

But I want to shift the focus a little bit and concentrate on Judah’s point of view. Go to Genesis 44, near the end of the story. Joseph is testing his brothers. He has accused Benjamin of stealing a valuable silver cup, and even had evidence planted to make Benjamin look guilty. The fate of Benjamin rests in Judah’s hands, and here’s what Judah says:

“Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 

One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. 

If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’

“So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, 

sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. 

Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’

“Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 

How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”

~Genesis 44:27-34

We see a transformation in Judah just as radical as the one in Esau. The same brother who had showed no regard for his father and was happy to sell his brother into slavery was now willing to sacrifice himself for the wellbeing of his father and youngest brother. A complete 180!

Application.

These two stories brought to mind this verse:

I [the LORD] will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

~Ezekiel 36:26

Take some time to examine your own heart. Maybe you can relate to Esau. Are you angry at someone who has wronged you? Have you let bitterness harden your spirit? Ask God to soften your heart and help you to forgive.

Or maybe, like Judah, you have been callous and cruel toward others who annoy you. Ask God to help you see these people in a new light. Ask him to give you a new spirit so that you can begin to show genuine love and concern for those around you… even the ones that get on your nerves.

God is in the business of changing hearts. Ask Him to soften yours, and He will.

Four Commands And A Promise.

Some verses in the Bible are so rich that they warrant special attention. II Corinthians 13:11 is one of those verses. Here Paul is closing out his second letter to the Corinthian church:

Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

~II Corinthians 13:11

In just a few, short sentences, Paul lays out four commands for us. He also tells us what the reward will be for our obedience. Let’s dig a bit deeper into this amazing verse.

Be joyful.

The first command in this verse is to be joyful. People often confuse joy and happiness. Happiness is a feeling that comes and goes with circumstances. Happiness is largely out of our control. Joy, on the other hand, is a choice, and it is always available to us.

Joy is deeper than happiness. It comes when we recognize that God is good, that He is in control, and that His love for us knows no bounds.

Joy comes from having a proper perspective: realizing that our time on this earth, and all that we experience here, is just a blip on the scale of eternity.

Joy comes when we believe the promises of God: that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord (Romans 8:28), and that one day we will enjoy eternal life with Him in a restored creation.

We lose our joy when we focus on the wrong things. When we doubt the promises of God. When we lean on our own understanding.

The Bible tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). If you feel weak and find your joy waning, check your focus! Put it back on God, and your joy and strength will be restored.

Grow to maturity.

Many Christians live in a state of spiritual infancy. They ask God for forgiveness, they go to church once in a while, but otherwise they go about their lives in much the same way the unsaved do.

Paul talks about this in I Corinthians:

Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ.

I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,

for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

~I Corinthians 3:1-3

So how does one progress from spiritual infancy to maturity? Paul uses the analogy of a baby transitioning from milk to solid food, clueing us in that maturity is a process. This process involves studying the Bible, grasping everything that you can, and continually coming back to what you don’t understand. Over time, with the help of the Holy Spirit, things become clearer. With diligence and perseverance, you begin to grow.

To grow spiritually, do three things every day: read, pray, obey.

Read the Bible and ask God to help you understand what you’re reading.

Pray for wisdom, trusting that God will give it to you.

Obey immediately and completely when God reveals a command from His Word that you’re not currently obeying.

If you do these three things every day, you will grow in Christ.

Encourage each other.

The late Robin Williams once said, “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” Boy is that true! Everyone struggles privately, every day, wrestling with demons that no one else sees. This is why encouragement is so powerful and so necessary.

There are many ways to be an encouragement to others. One simple way is just to offer a kind word.

Kind words are like honey- sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

~Proverbs 16:24

You can also encourage others by helping them in tangible ways, like bringing them a meal when they are sick, or offering to watch their kids when they need a break.

You can encourage others by telling them how much you appreciate them, by pointing out the qualities in them that you admire.

Your encouragement may be exactly what that person needs. It might be the thing God uses to spur that person on to great things.

And when we start encouraging others, something unexpected happens: we get a shot of encouragement ourselves! There is a blessing for both the giver and the receiver.

So if you need encouragement, don’t wait around for someone to give it to you. Instead, go out and encourage others. You’ll find that you get the encouragement you need in return.

Live in harmony and peace.

The fourth and final command in II Corinthians 13:11 is to live in harmony and peace. There are at least two major obstacles to living out this command: quarreling and grudges.

Here’s the dictionary definition of a quarrel: a heated argument or disagreement, typically about a trivial issue and between people who are usually on good terms.

Nothing damages harmony and peace like quarreling. Are you someone who has to be right about everything? Do you argue over petty details? Do you insist that others agree with your opinions? If so, you might have a problem in this area.

If you want peace, learn to disagree without being disagreeable. Learn to listen more and talk less. II Timothy 2:24 puts it this way:

A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.

~II Timothy 2:24

The second thing that wrecks peace and harmony is grudges. When people wrong us, our sin nature wells up with anger. It wants to see the other person pay for what they did. It wants them to feel the hurt we feel.

When we’re in that state of mind, we don’t even want to look at that person, let alone talk to them or fellowship with them. And the longer we hold onto that grudge, the worse it gets. Nothing good ever comes of it. The grudge is toxic, both to the relationship and to the individual who holds onto it.

Because we live in a fallen world filled with broken people, it’s inevitable that others will hurt us at times, and that we will hurt others. But rather than hold grudges, Christians are called to forgive.

Even when someone harms us intentionally, we are called to forgive. In those instances, Christ tells us to “turn the other cheek” (Mathew 5:39).

We must remember how much God has forgiven us, and extend forgiveness to others, whether they ask for it or not, and whether we think they deserve it or not.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

~Ephesians 4:31-32

So don’t quarrel. Let go of those grudges. This is the way to live in peace and harmony.

The payoff.

We’ve looked at the four commands in II Corinthians 13:11 (Be joyful, grow to maturity, encourage each other, and live in harmony and peace). Now we turn our attention to the final sentence of the verse, which begins with the word “then.” In other words, after you have obeyed these commands, then you will receive the promise. And that promise is:

Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

Here we have to let scripture interpret scripture. It is clear from many other passages of scripture that God is always with us (see Psalm 139, Psalm 16:8, Hebrews 13:5, Mathew 28:20, Isaiah 41:10, and many other passages). So this can’t mean that God is only with us after we obey these four commands.

What it is saying is that when we don’t obey these commands, we miss out on the love and peace that God has for us.

And of course that makes sense. How can we possibly feel God’s love and peace when we are not joyful, when we are not growing, when we are not encouraging others, and when we are not living in peace and harmony with each other? We can’t! On the flip side, God’s peace and love flows to us as a natural consequence of obedience to these commands.

I hope you enjoyed diving into this verse as much as I did. I’m personally challenged to do better in these four areas so that I can experience more of the love and peace of God. How about you?

Fragile, Clay Jars.

The older I get, the more I experience human frailty. My aches and pains, my worsening eyesight, my bald head. All remind me that my body is slowly deteriorating. I won’t lie and say that I like it. I’d rather be strong and healthy. But God has His reasons for allowing us to go through this process of slow decay, and we learn what those reasons are by reading His Word.

It helps us stay humble.

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

~II Corinthians 4:6-7

When we fool ourselves into thinking that we are strong and capable, we are tempted to take credit for the good we do.

But when we are keenly aware of our weakness, we are under no illusion that we can accomplish anything good in our own strength.

We must never forget that our very existence depends on God’s sustaining power, for it is in Him that “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Everything we have, everything we are is a gift from God.

It ensures that God gets the glory.

God often uses the weakest, most unlikely people to accomplish great things so that there can be no doubt that He alone deserves the credit.

When God chose Gideon to rescue Israel from the Midianites, Gideon said:

…“how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”

~Judges 6:15

When Samuel went to the house of Jesse to anoint one of Jesse’s sons king, Jesse thought so little of his youngest boy, David, that he didn’t even bring him before Samuel initially. But God rejected the older sons who were big and strong and confident in their own strength, and instead chose the shepherd boy who understood that true strength comes from the Lord.

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.

Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 

God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 

As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

I Corinthians 1:26-29

God uses the weak and frail so there can be no doubt that the power does not come from the person, but from God.

It allows us to experience God’s grace.

The Apostle Paul knew what it was to suffer weakness. He didn’t much like it either, and he asked God to intervene. But God had other plans:

even though I [Paul] have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 

That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

~II Corinthians 12:7-10

We are naught but fragile, clay jars, but that is by God’s design. Rather than despair, rejoice that though you are weak, He is strong. If you remain humble, and give glory to God, He will make His light shine in your heart, and He will do mighty things through you, in spite of your weakness.

Good Fruit, Bad Fruit, No Fruit.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

~Psalm 1:3

Many passages of scripture liken people to fruit-bearing trees. I’ve been watching and listening to how people are reacting to the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk, and I have observed fruit of all kinds.

Charlie’s widow, Erika, has shown incredible strength, courage, hope, love, and forgiveness in the midst of great pain and loss. I can’t think of a better example of a tree producing good fruit.

On the other hand, I have seen people almost gleeful as they celebrate Charlie’s murder. People who call evil, “good” and good, “evil.” There’s been no shortage of bad fruit on display.

Still others are apathetic. They are unfazed, concerned only with their personal lives, unwilling or unable to produce any fruit at all.

Let’s look at what Jesus had to say on the subject of fruit:

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 

You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.

A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.

So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.

Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

~Mathew 7:15-20

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.

Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.

Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

…

In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.

Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

~Mathew 11:12-14 & 20

Now is a great time for self examination. Are you producing fruit? Is it good? How about the people you hang around with. The fact is, one day we will all give an account before God for the fruit we produced in this life (Romans 14:12).

Consider this sobering truth:

Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

~Mathew 3:10

And if you want to know what good fruit looks like, here you go:

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

~Galatians 5:22-23

So what kind of fruit are you producing?

Plant yourself near the river of life. Spend time in prayer and reading God’s Word to nourish your spiritual life. Gather together with Godly people who encourage and inspire you. Produce good fruit!

Near And Far.

“Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away?”

~Jeremiah 23:23

I’ve been thinking about the above verse a lot lately. Is God nearby? Far away? Is He both near and far? What do near and far even mean in this context?

To get a better understanding of what this verse means, let’s first conceptualize God as being “far away,” and then we’ll think about God as being “nearby.”

Far.

In many ways, God is unfathomable. Consider for a moment the first words of Genesis:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

~Genesis 1:1

Once, there was no universe. No people, planets, stars, or galaxies. There was no time, space, matter, or energy. But there was God. Self-existing, self-sustaining, eternal. Not just a being, but Being itself! God spoke, and the universe began to exist. That kind of power is far beyond human understanding.

The following verses give us further glimpses into God’s greatness and power. As you read them, think about the vast differences between us and God.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

~Genesis 1:3

Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command, and they came into being.

~Psalm 148:5

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

~Isaiah 55:8-9

Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

~Romans 11:33

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.

I Chronicles 29:11

These are just the beginning of all that [God] does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?

~Job 26:14

This is but a small sample of what The Bible tells us about God and His nature. When I consider God in light of verses like these, I feel very small indeed. I wonder how you or I, insignificant as we are, could possibly matter to God. King David wondered the same thing when he penned these words:

What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?

~Psalm 8:4

When we begin to understand who God is, that He is so far above us and greater than we can comprehend, it should fill us with awe, wonder, and reverential fear. It should bring us to our knees in worship. One should never lose this view of God. A God who is powerful, mysterious, awesome… far away.

Yet, while this is an accurate picture of God, it is incomplete. As we will see from other verses, though God is great and powerful beyond our comprehension, He is not an unknowable, untouchable, impersonal force.

Near.

There are two verses I memorized recently that, for me, really encapsulate the idea of God being nearby:

I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

~Psalm 16:8

Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.

~Psalm 73:23

There is incredible intimacy in these two verses. How comforting to know the God of the universe is with me. Right beside me. Holding my right hand.

These verses remind me that He’s here, now, ready to help and to heal. Ready to listen and to guide.

It’s incredible that the same God who created and sustains all things, cares for me personally, but it’s true! God desires to be near us, to love us, and to bless us.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

~James 4:8a

The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.

~Psalm 145:18

Perhaps the ultimate example of God’s “nearness” is His Holy Spirit living inside those of us who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.

 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.

He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.“

~John 14:16-17

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.“

~John 14:26

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

~Romans 8:26

He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.

~Titus 3:5

Both.

To sum up, Scripture teaches that God is simultaneously far away and nearby. As we think about God, we should strive to maintain balance between these two views. If we overemphasize the far away aspect of God, we miss out on the intimate fellowship God desires with us. On the other hand, if we stress God’s nearness to us, we forget who we’re dealing with, and fail to show proper adoration and respect. We have to remember that while God is our friend, He is also our King. Thank God for all that He is, and all that He does!

Worth The Cost.

When we think about what it means to be a Christian, we often think about the free gift of salvation. And, yes, salvation is a free gift. It is an act of God’s grace, received through repentance and faith in Christ. This is clear from the following verses:

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 

Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

~Ephesians 2:8-9

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

~Romans 6:23

Given that salvation is a free gift, it might seem paradoxical to say that being a Christian has a cost, but Scripture teaches this as well.

Counting the cost.

In Luke 14:28-33, Jesus cautions anyone who wishes to be His disciple to carefully consider the cost. Just as a builder plans ahead for the cost of a new building, or a king carefully assesses the cost of going to war, so a follower of Christ must be prepared to pay a heavy price.

Let’s look at scripture to answer the following two questions:

1) What does it cost to be a follower of Christ?
2) Is the price worth paying?

It will cost you treasure.

To be a follower of Christ, you must be willing to part with your wealth. Don’t misunderstand. There’s nothing inherently wrong with having wealth, but if you love money more than you love God, you’re in trouble.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 

I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

~Mathew 19:23-24

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

~I Timothy 6:10

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.“

~Mathew 6:24

In Mathew 19:16-22, a man comes to Jesus and asks, “what must I do to have eternal life?” The man seems sincere. He tells Jesus that he’s worked hard all his life to keep God’s commandments. But Jesus knows this man’s heart. He knows this man’s true love is his money, so He tells the man, “give up your material wealth and follow me.” Sadly, this man was unwilling to pay the cost.

It will cost you relationships.

“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own household!’

If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.”

~Mathew 10:34-37

A follower of Christ must believe and proclaim that Jesus is the one and only way to Heaven. Many reject this truth, calling it intolerant, narrow-minded, etc., but this is exactly what Jesus taught (John 14:6). Don’t be surprised if friends and family members abandon you because of your faith. Some will. Love them, and pray that God will open their eyes to the Truth.

It will cost you comfort.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.“

~Mathew 16:24

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.

~I Peter 4:12

There is nothing pleasant about taking up a cross or going through fiery trials, but this is the reality of the Christian life. The good news is, you don’t have to do it alone. All throughout scripture God promises to be with you, and to give you the strength you need to endure.

It will cost your life.

“If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.“

~Mathew 10:39

To be a Christian is to surrender your life to Christ. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll die for your faith, but it means you’re willing to. It means you recognize that your life is not your own. You have been bought with a price (I Corinthians 6:19-20), and your life belongs to God.

So what does it cost to be a follower of Christ? In a word: everything!

Is it worth the cost?

What happens when you decide to pay the price, and you fully surrender everything to Christ?

For starters, God promises to be at your side through good times and bad (Psalm 16:8), and to provide for all your needs (Philippians 4:19).

As you trust and obey Him, you will find hope, joy, and purpose in life. You will experience a peace beyond understanding (Philippians 4:7). You will store up treasures in Heaven, far more valuable than anything you could ever attain on earth (Mathew 6:19-21).

And someday, when you die, you will go to be with the Creator in Paradise (II Corinthians 5:1).

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!“

~Mathew 13:44-46

In the parables above, Jesus is promising that The Kingdom of Heaven, His Kingdom, is worth everything you own and more.

So, is it worth the price to be a follower of Jesus Christ? Absolutely! Are you willing to pay it?

I leave you with this quote from Jim Elliot, a man who literally gave his life in service to God:

~He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.

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