​30 March 2017
Weight of the World
Isaiah 53:3-4
He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!

Ever heard of  “carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?” This is where that expression came from. A person might use this expression to describe a tough day they’re having with all their responsibilities coming to a head at the same time. But Jesus is the only person who actually literally did this. He, indeed, took on everyone’s junk all at once and all on his own.

And he still does. He still invites everyone who is tired and has burdens to come to him and he will give us rest (Matthew 11:28-30). He tells us to cast our cares on to him because he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). And Psalm 145:14 reminds us that the Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads. How can he lift us up from out under our “loads” without lifting our loads too?

He is still carrying the weight of our weakness, our troubles, our mistakes, our anxieties and fears for us. He carried mankind’s sin once & for all in order to make a way for us to be right with God (see Romans 3:21-23).  But he keeps doing it for those who love and trust him so we won’t be overwhelmed in the meantime while we wait for his return.

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

TAKE HEART! Jesus has already overcome the world so we don’t have to “carry the weight” of it on our shoulders today. He does that for us!
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Dear God,
Thank you for the absolute relief you brought to us through your Son, Jesus, and that he continuously provides relief for us every day. I love you so much and thank you that you never intend for me to be weighed down by life. Thank you! I love you so much and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

​27 March 2017
Safe Space
Psalm 62:5-8
Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
    for my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress where I will not be shaken.
My victory and honor come from God alone.
    He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
O my people, trust in him at all times.
    Pour out your heart to him,
    for God is our refuge.

Pour out your heart to him... After years of pouring out my heart to people and coming away disappointed, I experimented on myself and began only pouring my heart out to God. One or both of the following always happen when I practice this method of expression. Sometimes, the person who is the object of my heart pouring actually changes, or, and this outcome more likely, my heart & attitude over whatever the situation is with that person changes. Only God can do that, and either way, I am not disappointed.

This passage from Psalm 62 is a clear indication that God intends for me to inhabit a safe space, for that is exactly what a refuge is. It is definitely not the same “safe space” coined by fragile, self-absorbed masses in the last decade. They mistakenly believe that other people and their words are their problem. But making demands on broken people will not help solve the problems of another set of broken people. Real safety, a place where I can experience real freedom, is only possible with God because his methods do not depend upon other people.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Including a safe spot in my heart for interpersonal well being. (Matthew 6:33)

Dear God,
Thank you for showing me that life is good, free, and even simpler when I remember to let you handle things for me. I don’t have to take charge, bust in, give everyone a piece of my mind and demand my own way. It accomplishes little and doesn’t give me what I really need. I love the invisible safe space you occupy in my heart where you teach me and help me and change my mind about people and things. I love you so much and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

​24 March 2017
Medicine for a Fatal Virus
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

I know lots of kind, beautiful, well meaning people who sincerely and seriously believe there is a God, and they also believe that they are going to heaven because they consider themselves to be a good person. They are sadly mistaken because of one simple and obvious fact: Morality doesn’t cure illness.

When a doctor informs a patient of a present illness, he also prescribes a treatment, an antidote, for their sickness. No doctor has ever said, “Hey you’ve got pneumonia, but just go volunteer in a soup kitchen, give a ride to a hitchhiker, and sponsor a starving child in a foreign country and you’ll be cured.” Good deeds and being a moral person doesn’t cure anything. A person dying from cancer needs medicine and a miracle not morality.

Consider what Ephesians 2:4-5 says:        
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,  that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

Everyone one sins. And the wages, the “grand prize,” what we earn for sinning is called death. And since everyone sins (Romans 3:23), everyone has contracted this fatal virus that leads to death (paraphrase of Dr. Stuart McAllister). And everyone needs a cure not a conduct critique.

Believers know that Jesus, not good moral behavior, is the cure!
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.  We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. (Romans 3:21-22)

Salvation, the cure for death, has nothing to do with how good of a person I can be; it has everything to do with how good Jesus is to us!

It’s really difficult to explain to good and moral people that they too have contracted this fatal virus that leads to death. People who are aware that they are not acting as evilly as they possible could act mistake that for being good when it is really only less evil – but still evil. A little bit of pneumonia is still pneumonia and still needs medicine not a moral code.

Everyone needs Jesus because everyone dies. Everyone will one day “catch” death like catching a cold during flu season; it’s inevitable. Jesus is the only cure. Being “good” as a strategy for eternity is about as helpful as helping an old lady cross the street to cure your cancer.
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Dear God,
Thank you for your Son, Jesus, who absolutely took the shame of sin and sting of death away from everyone who believes in him. Thank you so much that salvation is not based on what I can do because I can’t do much. Thank you so much for forgiveness, love, mercy, and eternal life. I love you and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

​23 March 2017
What’s Next?
James 1:12
God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

It is no secret that life is not easier for Christians just because they’re Christians. We experience the same troubles as everyone else, and we even get the occasional added trouble of being made fun of for our beliefs, and our counterparts in other parts of the world receive actual persecution for it.

It’s a mathematical fact that bad things are going to happen during our lives. Jesus fully disclosed to us in John 16:33, Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. And he is talking to his followers when he said this!

It’s true; God doesn’t whisk us away to heaven the moment we believe in his Son, Jesus. Rather, he uses our lives as testimony to show what going through troubles while trusting in Jesus looks like to an unbelieving world. Yes, we have troubles, but we go through our trials with God who enables, blesses, gives hope, heals, protects, provides, and sustains. This certainly gives the unbelievers something to ponder, doesn’t it? Hopefully, they will  join the group of Believers by witnessing our trust amidst our trials.

We don’t endure life for no reason like everyone else does. Living with our Savior forever (Revelation 21:3-4) and Eternal Life (John 3:16) is what’s in store for us! These are promised certainties. What’s next for those who endure life without Jesus? The answer to that question will NOT involve a crown of life.

Dear God,
Thank you for a reminder today to pray for my unbelieving family and friends. Help them to be thinking about their mortality right now even as I pray for them. They are not going to just cease to exist one day, and there is no reason to endure life with out the gracious, merciful, free prize you have in store for those who trust you. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for making him available to everyone at this time, and please use the trials in my unbelieving loved ones’ lives to turn their hearts towards you. Please use the trials in my life as opportunities for them to see how wonderful you are to save, heal, guide, protect, bless and sustain. I love you so much and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

​22 March 2017
Get Strong
Ephesians 6:10
Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

How? How am I to get this strength from the Lord? There’s no formula to consume nor ritual to perform. How does one access such strength?

There’s lots of verses about strength that are very helpful. According to Scripture, we access God’s strength by waiting (Isaiah 40:31), remembering (Deuteronomy 31:6), reading what has been written in his Word (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) and praying (James 6:16). But my favorite passage regarding accessing God’s strength is Nehimiah 8:10 – “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

I like to think about Jesus and all he’s done for me personally as well as everything he ever did or said. I have found that when I reflect on these things, I get happy. And when I think about him a lot, I get really happy, and really happy is also known as “joy.” And according to Nehimiah, joy in the Lord and strength in the Lord are related. Thinking about Jesus is a real and legitimate way to be “strong in the Lord.” It is also easy and quite pleasant to do!

I have witnessed firsthand that a weak, unassuming little housewife from Wildomar, CA can have the strength to do stuff like speak up, go against the flow in order to please God, serve others when I’m tired, not give up, and even just hope!

When I feel weak, tired, frustrated, hopeless, etc., I just turn my thoughts towards Jesus and what he has done in history, for me, and for the ones I love. I get little bubbles of joy from these thoughts, songs & Bible verses and then – BOOM! Strength. Works every time. I’m not saying I’m never sad or discouraged, but I am saying that sadness and discouragement do not have to overwhelmed me because I can rely on the  joy of the Lord for strength.
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Dear God,
I want to be strong in you. The rest of the world gives up on hope, love, righteousness, and even life. But you have made your people strong through the history of your faithfulness documented in your Word, through prayer, and even through waiting. But I love and appreciate how the joy we have in your Son, Jesus also enables and empowers me to have strength that comes from you to always, hope, always love, and always persevere because HE did! And that makes me very happy and strong. I love you so much and just can’t thank you enough for giving a weak little housewife amazing strength through, of all the things you could’ve used, through joy! Thank you! And I pray in the name of the One who is the Source of all my Joy, amen!

3.14 2017
Purpose Statement II
2 Peter 1:5-8
In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Yesterday, I thought about how my purpose in life is to be like Jesus. Maybe a lot of Believers don’t realize that is their purpose too because they have an important occupation or title. I used to be an elementary school teacher. But being a teacher wasn’t my purpose, being like Jesus is my purpose; I just happened to be a teacher while living my purpose. That means I use the opportunities and experiences of a school teacher to be like Jesus. I can demonstrate moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, patient endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love while I’m teaching.

Remember, God gives all those who believe in his Son, the same purpose:
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.  For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
​(Romans 8:28-30)

The Believer who is a doctor doesn’t have a different purpose than any other Believer. The doctor can grow to be like Jesus while doing doctor stuff. Same is true for the lawyer, mayor, trash collector, and mailman. These days I’m a homemaker. My purpose is to be like Jesus while I work at home not the other way around. I don’t plan my day and do my stuff & try & fit Jesus in if I get a chance. No. My plan should be to be like Jesus all day while I’m doing homemaking stuff.

Are you a school principal? Be like Jesus while you are principal-ing. Don’t do your job and then only pursue being like Jesus in your spare time. Are you a nurse? Don’t save being like Jesus for after your shift. Are you a hairdresser? Be the hairdresser who demonstrates moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, patient endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love while dressing hair.

The Believer who is accidentally mixing up their career with their purpose is an unhappy one. Our life will not feel fulfilled by what we accomplish because we chose to follow Jesus, and he changed our purpose for life. So those who believe in him but do not believe that living like him is their purpose will be sad and frustrated. Remember, the Rich Young Ruler went away from Jesus sad (Matthew 19) – and he had EVERYTHING – everything but his purpose.

Dear God,
Thank you for giving my life real purpose and meaning no matter what I’m doing. Help me to do everything pursuing that purpose. Thank you for your help enabling me to be patient with my kids, to share in ministry at church, to not be lazy, and to give you credit for all the good things you do. I love you and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

​13 March 2017
Purpose Statement
Romans 8:28
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.
This verse is not a license to sin and go nuts because God promises to magically make everything better. This is also doesn’t mean that nothing bad will ever happen to me. It means that God only causes everything to work together for the good for Believers who have genuinely turned to him. We are amazed to find that he sustains us as we suffer consequences, he protects us from things we thought we wanted, and he even gives us do-overs too. He is not a magic genie in a bottle, he is an amazing, generous and loving Father who helps me live my purpose even when there is interference.

What is my purpose?

Believers, actually, all have the same purpose – be like Jesus! God is able to use everything good, bad or otherwise to give me opportunities to be like his Son, Jesus. That doesn’t mean God is causing bad things to happen to me, rather, he steers me through.
 
If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (1 Corinthians 10:12-13)

God gives us a clear understanding that no matter who we are, what our station, status or personal preferences, our purpose is to be like Jesus.

 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. (Philippians 2:3-5)

Jesus elaborates on his attitude that we should share: 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)
He further discloses: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
And Jesus also makes us aware that following him (living our purpose) won’t always be easy: “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.” (John 15:18)

Be humble... Give up your own way... Serve others... Doesn’t sound like I’ll be very popular. My purpose isn’t to accumulate the most, be noticed the most, be the healthiest, strongest, or even the moral-est. God’s purpose for me is to remember Jesus everyday and be more like him.

 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.  For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. (Romans 8:28-30)

Dear God,
Thank you for making my purpose clear. I know lots of people who wander around from thing to thing wondering what their purpose is, trying to find it, or make one for themselves. But you give all who love and trust you the same wonderful purpose for life – be like your Son and be a part of your wonderful family! Everything else we do shapes us for this and not the other way around. Thank you for the meaning you give to life and for the ability to pursue my real purpose. I love you and thank you for your good plans, and I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

​10 March 2017
Ready?
1 Peter 3:15
Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.

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Sometimes Christians get carried away with their personal preferences and convictions that they mix those things into conversation instead of just conveying the Good News. If a Believer doesn’t own a tv, for example, it’s probably because they lack self control and the Holy Spirit has led them to get rid of things that would swallow up all their time and attention. A former alcoholic mostly likely has strong convictions about never entering a bar. Does that mean that all Christians should never drink a beer while watching tv? Is abstaining from various things for various reasons all that other people know about us?

I think that personal convictions are private. Like when Jesus was talking about fasting, also a private conviction, he said NOT to make a public spectacle of it.

 And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18)

You must worship Christ as Lord of your life... Convictions are not what we worship, and they are not what we are instructed to always be ready to explain. Explaining all your do’s and don’ts to unbelievers  will not invite anyone into a relationship with God.

 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?  (Romans 2:4)

Has God done anything amazing in my life? Has knowing Jesus changed they way I live? Does God’s Holy Spirit instruct and help me all the time? Yes, YES and YESSSS! That is what people should know about me. That’s what I must be ready at all times to share.

Believers don’t have to prep for debate with every encounter. What will speak the most to others is sharing our changed lives. Stuart McAllister says, “The person with experience is not at the mercy of the person with only an argument.” This means that no one can argue with your own personal experience. The man born blind whom Jesus healed was grilled for hours by the Pharisees, but his response to them could not be debated. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” (John 9:25)

That is our testimony too! I used to be this, but now I’m not. I used to be angry, and now I’m not. I used to hold grudges, and now I don’t. I used to lie all the time, and now I don’t want to. I used to be selfish, and now I help others... Whatever it is that changed about us since we encountered Jesus is what we should always, always, always be ready to share.
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Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for what you have done in my life! Over and over again you make me better and love me so much. I have hope, joy, and peace in situations where my unbelieving counterparts would have discouragement, anger, and dread. Let the changes you make in me be what people see. I am thankful for the personal convictions you bless me with to keep my mind on you; thank you so much for giving me so much personal attention. You are so good to me and I desire to remind people of your kindness and goodness every single day. And I pray in your name, amen.

​8 March 2017
The Comfort Cycle
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others... Mercy, compassion, comfort... These are all God’s design. It is no one’s default setting to express any of these wonderful things. God shows us mercy, compassion, and comfort and we catch on. Missionaries and Christian organizations, for example, bring aid, build schools, orphanages and hospitals in places absolutely no one wants to go. Lots of people, religious or not, participate in Operation Christmas Child these days, but where’d the idea come from? Christians in a church with some extra shoe boxes lying around.

Only God makes everything better. He does this by thinking of us. If I want to help make someone’s life better, I must think of them & their needs not my own like God has done for me. This is the cycle of comfort.

 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. (Philippians 2:1-5)
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Dear God,
Thank you for the comfort I have received from you and from others in my lifetime. Specifically, thank you for how my husband, our parents, my sister, my close friends, and even my kids who love me, are not selfish towards me and think of my needs and interests not only their own. Thank you for opportunities for me to treat others in this way as well so that I can take part in your wonderful cycle of comfort that is good for my heart and has truly made the world a better place. I love you and praise you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

​7 March 2017
Good Doctor Good Teacher
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
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People go to doctors to find out what’s wrong with them take classes from professors who give exams to find out what their students know. God does both for us. God knows what’s wrong with me because he can see my heart, my inmost thoughts & desires. His prescription for living, found in his Word, is the antidote for my anxieties. And for my benefit, he is also able to point out, through his Word and Holy Spirit, when I’m not living as he prescribes. He is a Good Doctor and a Good Teacher.

He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.” (Exodus 15:26)

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 God, not only gave us his Word and Holy Spirit, but he also gave us his Son, Jesus, who is the one size fits all solution for all of my anxieties and sin!

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
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Dear God,
Thank you for curing me and teaching me. Thank you that my life is not based on my circumstances but on how you show me to live in any circumstance. Your prescription for life doesn’t change, and I am thankful for your Word and for your Holy Spirit continually teaching me and guiding me & showing me what to do and say today. I love you. You really are my Great Physician in every sense. And you are my Good Teacher, for you guide me and do not shame me. You are kind and gentle in your instruction and I love you so much and pray in your Son’s name, amen.