Always Know that You Are Loved   

When I grab my Fitbit activity tracker each morning to put in my pocket, it typically flashes some kind of greeting. It usually consists of a word or phrase offering encouragement, challenge, or affirmation. Some days it exhorts me to “Step it up”, while other times it simply starts my day with a “Howdy”. Every so often, as it did recently, it will communicate this message: “Luv ya”. Clearly, I have no illusions that my activity tracker really loves me. I realize this is just a phrase someone decided to include in its programming. However, the fact that it was deemed appropriate to include in the list of greetings points to the belief that we all could use a little indication at times that we are loved. Maybe it’s not that meaningful to receive such affirmation from an inanimate object that spends its day counting up how many steps we’ve taken. However, it’s often helpful and encouraging to be reminded that somebody loves us.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, it’s a good time for some of us to be on the giving end of that type of positive assertion. Who needs to hear those words from us? Maybe we don’t say it enough to the beloved people in our lives. Let’s use this opportunity to encourage a spouse, a parent, a child, a friend, or someone else in our lives with some form of that sentiment – “Luv ya”. Maybe they need to be uplifted and reassured by such a reminder.

We all need such affirmation at times. No matter whom you have or don’t have in your lives, you are loved. Whether or not you have a spouse, a boyfriend or girlfriend, or some other close relative or friend who lets you know of their affection for you, you can rest assured that there is Someone who loves you. If we’ll tune in to hear it, every day our Heavenly Father is declaring, “I love you!” Each moment Jesus, through the actions He took in dying for your sins, is loudly proclaiming, “I love you, and no one can love you more than I do!” “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).

You are loved by the Lord. No matter who you are or what you’ve done. No matter how bad you’ve been or how much you’ve ignored God or even rebelled against Him. You are loved. Nevertheless, don’t make the mistake of assuming God’s love for you means that there aren’t consequences to your actions. Don’t fall for the erroneous idea that a loving God turns a blind eye toward your lack of submission to the teachings of His Word. Don’t think that because the Lord loves you that He will not hold you accountable for any unrepentant sin in your life. Don’t wrongly surmise that since God loves you and doesn’t want anyone to perish that everyone will end up in heaven one day.

You are loved, but God loved you enough to give you a choice. He doesn’t force any of us to be recipients of His love and grace. However, it’s available to us if we’ll open up our hearts to it. A loving God is reaching out to us, if we’ll just reach out and take His hand. The loving Father is watching and waiting for his prodigal child, if we’ll just come to our senses and humbly return home to Him.

You are loved just as you are. But God loves you enough not to leave you there, but to enable you to become more what you are meant to be. So respond appropriately today to the amazing, never-changing truth that the Lord loves you.

 

Let’s Constantly Depend on the Lord   

One day last weekend we took a little trip to see our son and his family, including our youngest grandchild. This newest addition to our family is growing and changing so rapidly, we didn’t want to go too long in-between visits in order to make sure he doesn’t forget who we are. We also don’t want to miss out on witnessing the various stages of his development. Although he’s not quite eight months old, he appears to be about ready to start walking. He certainly prefers that method over crawling. Although he’s progressing in maintaining his balance, he still wants to grab someone’s finger with one hand as he takes his tottering steps. He often will look behind him to make sure that person is right there whom he can depend on to help keep him steady along the way.

In my grandson’s case, we’re encouraging him to let go and to try to walk on his own. Eventually he needs to quit depending so much on others and learn to toddle along by himself. However, his attitude of dependence and insistence on holding a hand at this point reminds me of how we should be in relation to the Lord. We ought to always be looking at Him with a sense of how much we need His help. I like the way the psalmist puts it: “My eyes are ever toward the Lord” (Psalm 25:15). A similar phrase is used elsewhere in scripture, not just to express seeing God, but looking to Him as the One who can supply our need or offer us assistance. We look to Him as our Helper – the One who holds our hand. Some of you may remember the old song that encouraged us to “put your hand in the hand of the Man who stilled the water; put your hand in the hand of the Man who calmed the sea…by putting your hand in the hand of the Man from Galilee.” We need to put our hand in the hand of the Lord and walk through life with faith in His presence and help. We need to let Him guide our pathway. We should be leaning on Him to hold us steady and keep us from falling. We don’t have to travel this road alone. The Lord is there if we’ll look to Him and reach out to Him.

As that song reminds us, the One we’re depending on is more than able to help us. This is the Son of God who calmed the sea when He and His disciples were caught out in the midst of a storm. His ability to do so resulted in His followers asking in amazement, “Who can this be, that even the winds and sea obey Him?” (Matthew 8:27). So let’s keep in mind who our Helper is. Whatever we may be going through today, we can grab hold of the hand that has power to calm our troubled waters. No matter how stiff the wind blows against us, we can lean on the One who is strong enough to hold us up. We can turn our eyes toward the One who promises to never leave us or forsake us. No matter where life takes us and what challenges present themselves, the Lord is able.  

A more modern song expresses well the attitude we need to maintain toward the Lord. “Lord, I come, I confess, bowing here I find my rest; without You I fall apart…Lord, I need You, O, I need You, every hour I need You.” Let’s not be ashamed to acknowledge how much we need the Lord today. Let’s keep our eyes looking toward Him while we keep holding His hand.

 

Is Godliness a Reality in Your Life?   

One of my friends and fellow-ministers does additional work at times in a school system as a substitute teacher. He recently told how he was called in to serve in that capacity on the 100^th day of the school year. The students and teachers were marking that milestone by dressing up as old people. From the types of clothes they wore to making their hair look gray, they attempted to put on the appearance of being a hundred years old. As my friend walked down the hallway that day, he encountered a student who cordially greeted him. Then the young elementary-aged student, observing the teacher’s naturally graying hair and beard, spontaneously added the comment, “Mr. _____, you didn’t have to dress up today, did you? You’re already old.” My friend took this statement good-naturedly and says he even considered it something of a compliment.

This reminds me of some of the people in Jesus’ day who put on the appearance of godliness and righteousness. They loved to play dress-up, putting on their religious robes and making public performances out of their good deeds. It seems that some even applied a degree of make-up to their faces at times in order to make themselves appear to be older, deprived, and gaunt under pretense of participating in a prolonged period of fasting (see Matthew 6:16).  They wanted people to think they were righteous and spiritually-mature individuals, when in reality they were more like those elementary school kids pretending to be a hundred years old.

   We need to seek more than just the appearance of godliness and Christlikeness. We ought to be letting God so work in our hearts and lives that it becomes reality. While others try to make it look as if they’re “good Christians”, wouldn’t it be nice if as people get to know us and observe our behavior and character that they would arrive at the conclusion, “You don’t have to dress up like a follower of Jesus, do you? You really are one.”

Godliness isn’t something we put on from the outside. It has to start on the inside as we put our trust in Jesus, enter into a personal relationship with Him, and allow His Spirit to transform our hearts and minds. We’re changed from the inside out. Anybody can make themselves appear to be good, godly people. However, what matters is what we truly are in our hearts and character. Such inner holiness will work its way out and affect our actions in many ways. People should be able to see a difference in how we live and what we do. But that outward righteousness isn’t just a show to win the admiration and approval of other people. It should be the fruit coming from a real relationship with the Lord.

Spiritual maturity doesn’t happen overnight. And we all still have a long way to go in our journey of becoming more like Jesus. We won’t fully reach that goal until we stand before the Lord once this life is over. So I’m not suggesting that any of us can rest in the idea that we’ve “arrived” spiritually. However, godliness and Christlikeness can be and should be becoming more of a reality in our lives. Let’s make sure that we’re not just putting on the appearance of spiritual life and maturity, but that we are truly being transformed more and more into the image of our Lord as the days go by.

In the midst of pretenders and wannabees, may we seek to be the real thing – someone who truly knows Christ, is following Him, and is continuing to grow toward spiritual maturity and godliness.

 

Go Beyond Simply Hearing God’s Word  

Last weekend many residents of north Georgia had to deal to some degree with the effects of a winter storm moving through the area. Some received a nice blanket of snow sufficient for sledding, building snowmen, and having snowball fights. Others got just enough of the frozen precipitation to be able to make a miniature snow person on the hood of a car or on the deck of the house. Others of us were able to enjoy the beautiful sight of snowflakes fluttering through the air, but the temperature stayed warm enough that the white stuff didn’t stick on the ground at all. In that case at least we didn’t have to deal with the negative fallout of slick roads and power outages.

The snowfall that didn’t stick reminds me of an all-too-common situation concerning how God’s Word is received. Some people enjoy hearing what the Bible says. They like to listen to those lovely, inspiring words floating down from the heavenlies. Maybe they can even quote some of its more familiar lines. They might go to church and bask in the beauty of those truths as they are read or proclaimed in worship services. However, they don’t let its truths stick to their own hearts and lives. They don’t mind it blanketing their neighbor’s yard, and can maybe even point out ways it needs to do so. But the temperature of their own hearts is such that they refuse to allow God’s Word to deal with their own needs and alter the landscape of their lives.

It's similar to what is said about how the people responded to the words of the prophet Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 33:30-33). They encouraged one another to go to him and “hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.” Ezekiel was told, “They hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them.” They heard God’s Word. They even enjoyed listening to it. But they refused to take it to heart and obey it. They and their hardened hearts didn’t let it stick.   

Jesus illustrated the various ways God’s Word can be received in the parable of the sower. He referred to how some people can hear the word but then have it snatched away by “the wicked one” (Matthew 13:19). While that is certainly true, let’s be careful that we don’t simply cast the blame on Satan for our lack of receptivity. We need to examine ourselves and be willing to accept some blame, too. Like those in Ezekiel’s day, too many may show some affection toward God and His Word, but are more concerned about their own agendas and pursuing their own gain. They want to be inspired, encouraged, and reassured by certain statements or promises from God, but they aren’t willing to make the changes it calls for.

Jesus declared, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15). The question isn’t whether or not we have the physical ability to hear. The issue is whether or not we’re willing to take those truths to heart and do what they say. Will we let it stick?

Let’s take a good look at our own attitude toward God’s Word. Are we hearing what He’s saying? Are we willing to receive it, obey it, and let it change us where needed? Let’s go beyond merely enjoying the beauty of His Word – let’s allow it to take hold in our hearts and direct our lives.

 

Seek the Power to Consistently Follow Jesus  

Last Sunday I told our congregation to ignore the clock in the back of the sanctuary. No, it wasn’t because I was planning on preaching a long sermon or because I felt the need to encourage some antsy people to quit focusing on how much time was left before they could head out to lunch. My suggestion had resulted from the fact that the clock was malfunctioning and was showing the wrong time. Throughout the morning I had noticed its inconsistency. It hadn’t completely stopped working yet. It ran a while, then the hands stayed in one spot for about an hour, then they started moving normally again. I recognized the sign of the battery running out, but didn’t have a replacement on hand. It reminded me that a clock doesn’t have to completely shut down in order to be ineffective. If it’s inconsistent and just running some of the time, you still can’t rely on what it says.

Inconsistency is a fault we should pay attention to as followers of Jesus. I’m not referring to those who have turned away from their faith or who have stopped trying to do God’s will. I’m talking about believers who walk with the Lord at times, but who just as often falter in their attempt to “keep on ticking” for Jesus. Don’t get me wrong, we’re all going to stumble on occasion. However, if we find ourselves consistently being inconsistent, we ought to be concerned. A constant stopping and starting isn’t the picture the Bible paints of the spiritual journey of a Christian. Some people like to point to Paul’s description in Romans 7 of someone’s struggles and inability to do God’s will as evidence that believers can’t help but live life on a spiritual rollercoaster. But if you read through the end of the chapter and into the next one, it’s clear that there can be deliverance from such an up-and-down journey. We can and should consistently walk according to the Spirit, which includes consistent obedience and victory over sin in our lives. We are “more than conquerors” through Christ.  

  The problem with the clock in our sanctuary was that its source of power was running low. I would suggest that if we’re suffering from the issue of an inconsistent walk with the Lord, maybe we need to consider the possibility of a lack of power being the cause. Maybe we’ve allowed our battery to run low as we’ve neglected to keep our connection with the Lord flowing and strong. Or maybe some of us haven’t ever fully hooked on to all the power that God has made available to us. Jesus told the disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8). This power they subsequently received on the Day of Pentecost was not only the power to do miracles and the boldness to witness, but it was also the power to follow Jesus and do His will more consistently. Just look at the difference in the up-and-down life of Peter before Pentecost and his more consistent walk with the Lord after that experience. Those disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, had their hearts purified by faith (see Acts 15:9), and were empowered to live a more godly, Christlike life.

Don’t fall prey to the idea that a spiritual rollercoaster is the best you can hope for in life. Or worse, don’t use that concept as an excuse for your inconsistent obedience to God’s will. Seek to be filled with the Spirit and to be endued with the power to help keep your clock running faithfully and consistently for the Lord.   

 

We Aren’t Going to Live Here Forever

Many were saddened to hear about the death of popular celebrity Betty White. As you probably know, she passed away just a few weeks prior to her hundredth birthday. There had been big plans to celebrate her reaching that milestone. Maybe some of those events will be transformed into memorial tributes instead. As I spoke to someone shortly after finding out about her death, this person asked me if I knew what she had died of. Although I knew she was asking about the official cause, I jokingly suggested that it was probably old age. In one sense, it shouldn’t surprise us when someone at ninety-nine years of age dies. Yet I heard another entertainer express shock at this occurrence. She said she had thought Betty White would live forever. Undoubtedly, she didn’t believe that to be literally true. However, it reveals how we sometimes take life for granted and lose sight of the inevitability of death, whether for ourselves or someone else.

     In Psalm 90 it refers to how quickly life passes by. It suggests that a thousand years in God’s sight is like one day. It pictures time sweeping by like a fast-moving flooded river. It compares the years of our lives to grass – “In the morning it flourishes and grows up; in the evening it is cut down and withers” (v. 6). This psalm suggests that we do well to see seventy years, and are blessed to experience the strength to reach our eighties. However, the most familiar portion of this passage is probably the twelfth verse: “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

There is wisdom in keeping a proper perspective concerning the length of our time here on this earth. It’s foolish of us to ignore the fact of our mortality or to act like we’re going to live here forever. There is great value in realizing that we just have a short time to accomplish what we’re going to do in our lifespan. Additionally, it is wise to prepare for what awaits us once this life is over. While we don’t live in this flesh on this earth forever, we need to come to terms with the truth that we will continue to exist in one condition or another. We will live forever, either in the glorious presence of God or in a tragic state of separation from Him while facing the consequences of our sin.

As we continue in the opening days of a new year, it can be a good time to regain such a perspective about life if we’ve strayed away from it. We think about people we knew who were here as last year began, but who were not still present by the time the year drew to a close. We don’t know how many of us will still be living the next time the calendar is turned. We don’t have to be in our nineties, or even our eighties or seventies, to realize that we don’t have a lot of time left. No matter how old we are, life is short and any of us could find ourselves face-to-face with our Creator at any time. None of us are promised tomorrow, much less another year.

I’m not suggesting that we become fixated with dying. We’ve got too much living to do. However, in order to live well, we need to stay aware of our limited time and make preparations for the life hereafter. Don’t take your life or the lives of those around you for granted. Whether we live to be as old as Betty White or die tomorrow, let’s live wisely.  

 

Are You Ready for the Trip into a New Year?

One of our daughters and her husband planned a surprise vacation for their family after Christmas. Their kids knew there was a trip coming, but didn’t know where they were going or exactly when. So on Christmas morning they unwrapped various clues until the details of their adventure was revealed, including the fact that they were leaving the next day.

We face a similar situation as we head into a new year. We know that we have a journey ahead of us. However, we don’t know where all it might take us. We may have some hopes and plans for the next twelve months, but if the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that our intended activities can be drastically disrupted by events taking place in the world around us. So although we know we have a trip to take in 2022, there’s much uncertainty about the details of what’s coming. So how do we get ready for such an unpredictable journey?

First of all, we should make sure we’ve packed our bags with the main items we’ll need no matter where that journey takes us. While there are many important items we could mention, I’ll narrow it down to the basic trio Paul emphasized to the church at Corinth. “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (I Corinthians 13:13). Wherever this year takes us, we’ll need to be grounded in faith. Our circumstances will require that we maintain a steadfast trust in the Lord. We will need to have faith that He is still in control and that He is the good God who loves us. A faith that stands firm in the face of an unbelieving world and fear-provoking circumstances will help keep our heads above water no matter what rivers we may be called upon to cross.

We also need to pack plenty of hope – not the wishful, uncertain hope we might have in people or in some concept of fate. We need to have hope in a faithful God. We will undoubtedly face temptations along the way this year to give in to despair. At those times, it will be important to remind ourselves of the sure hope we have in the fulfillment of God’s promises both in this life and in the life to come.

We will also need to be filled with plenty of love. Let’s not give in to the culture of hate and anger that is so prevalent today. That doesn’t mean we pursue the kind of love much of our society advocates, one that compromises truth and excuses wrongdoing. We need God’s kind of love that is both holy and forgiving. Pray that whatever you do this year will be done with a spirit of Christlike love.

In addition to those qualities, we’ll need a guide or map for this trip in 2022. We may not know exactly where we’re going, but all along the way we’ll need God’s Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show us the next step to take and which roads to avoid.

Probably the most essential aspect of this trip into the new year is to make sure we’ve got the right traveling companion. No matter what 2022 holds in store for us, we can face it if we know the Lord is right there with us as we make the journey. We need to make sure we’re in a right relationship with the One who promises to go with us over the majestic mountains and through the dark valleys. As one old song suggests, “If Jesus goes with me, I’ll go anywhere.” So go with Jesus in 2022, and you’ll be ready for whatever comes your way.