Acts 2:42

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers.

I’ve seen many churches and ministries try to find plans to grow through different programs. The thought is, “If we have this kind of program, people will come.” Programs, however, don’t grow churches – people do. People want to be in a place where they feel connected and fed by the Holy Spirit. When those two things come together, you have potential for growth. Rather than investing in programs, you invest in people to multiply.

This verse reveals the formula used by the early church to grow. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (Bible study), fellowship, to the breaking of bread (meal), and to prayers. While this may seem too simple, it is what God used to multiply their congregation. These four simple things create an atmosphere of community, where people feel safe, loved, and accepted.

These first believers also shared with one another. They sold their possessions and distributed to all who had need. In other words, they took care of each other. They kept their lives simple and met together every day in the temple complex. They built real relationships with one another as a church family. The essence of community fostered their growth.

While it may be difficult for us to meet every day, we can build an atmosphere of family or community within our local churches and our ministries. We must simply devote ourselves to God’s word, to fellowship, to eating together, taking care of needs within the group, and through prayers for one another and for our ministries. When these things are present, God adds to the number daily. People are not looking for programs. They are looking for community and a sense of belonging, which can be especially hard in our world of computers, cell phones, television, and other things that just seem to isolate and distract. We don’t need more stuff; we need each other.

Pledge today to simplify your life as much as possible, and begin to invest in the people God brings your way. Pray for God to lead you to a place where you belong and empower you to help build a sense of community in that place for others. God reveals Himself through community and uses it to build and strengthen His people. You will soon find your life rich with people and enjoying more of what God has for you.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 3:3-6

But You, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts up my head. I cry aloud to the LORD, and He answers me from His holy mountain. Selah. I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the LORD sustains me. I am not afraid of the thousands of people who have taken their stand against me on every side. 

David was not intimidated by the large crowd that threatened to overtake his throne. His own son, Absalom, retaliated against him for the improper handling of the rape of his sister. David knew God had made a covenant with him and had placed him on the throne. If God put him there, no man, crowd, or angry mob could remove him. God would be a shield around him to protect His purpose and bring glory to what He had established. God is a jealous God who does not share His glory with another. To try to steal it would bring imminent disaster. Surely, those who plotted against David did not know with Whom they were truly fighting! 

No doubt, David was hurt by what happened. He was betrayed by his own son and by his own people. He did not desire a war with his son, whom he truly loved. Instead of retaliating, David chose to surrender his pain to the One who had the power to overcome his emotions and lift his head in victory over his feelings. He knew enough to cry out loud to God and that God would answer. His faith was in God and not his own power, authority, or position.

Notice the Selah between the verses. It is a musical pause. David cried out to God and paused for Him to respond. He rested in knowing that the battle belonged to the LORD and not to him. He chose not to worry, plot, scheme, or retaliate. He simply went about the business God gave him and rested in knowing that if God placed him on the throne, He would sustain him. 

The same is true for us. God saved us by His grace, and He will sustain us by His grace wherever He has placed us in life. We don’t have to worry about someone else stealing our position or taking what is rightfully ours. Turn it over to God and rest. Let Him fight your battle for you because it is really a threat against what He has already established.  If he established it, He can surely sustain it!

As for Absalom, he suffered a tragic accident when the mule he was riding ran under the tangled branches of a large oak tree, and his long curly locks – a source of vanity and symbol of strength – fell prey to the hooks of the closely knit branches while the mule kept running out from under him. The commander of David’s army went against David’s instructions and killed Absalom. Those who had abandoned David turned back, and David mourned the death of his son. God kept His promise. David kept the throne, but Solomon would rightfully inherit the kingdom.

Outright rebellion will cost in the long run. How tragic that Absalom could not learn from his father’s good example. His mistake came from trying to retaliate against David’s bad example as a father. Revenge cost Absalom rightful inheritance of the throne, relationship with his father, and his life. When facing hurt or disappointment, crying out to God and resting is always our best move while leaving revenge to God.

Today, determine to cry aloud to God regarding the things that threaten or hurt you. Know that retaliation and revenge are never answers from God. Rest in knowing that He has heard your cry, and let Him fight the battle for you. He knows how to shut the mouths of your enemies and to sustain that which He has established. Trust Him and rest.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 3:3

But You, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts up my head.

Psalm 139:5

You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me.

God encircles us as a shield of protection. We can both rest and rejoice in that fact. Regardless of which way you turn, the protective hand of God is there. He is with you and will not forsake you, working all things together for your good and His glory!

Have you ever had to make a decision and just didn’t know which path to take? Have you ever questioned a previous decision, fearing you made the wrong choice? We face many decisions in life that aren’t right or wrong. While they do impact our future to some degree, they are not beyond God’s shield of protection that encircles us. Whichever path you choose, God encircles you, and He has a good plan for you. Should you make a wrong turn, He is more than capable of redirecting your steps to the right path.

Don’t sweat over past decisions. Look to your future. God encircles you, and He is a shield of protection around you. He has your back, your front, and both sides! He will lift your head and encourage you when no one else will. He will help you when no one else will. Worship Him today. He is literally all around you!

Have a blessed day!

Luke 18:6-8

Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. Will not God grant justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay to help them? I tell you that He will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on earth?”

Jesus taught a parable about a persistent widow who cried out repeatedly against her adversary to an unjust judge. The unjust judge finally honored her persistent complaint because he became tired of hearing her. He was not concerned about her well-being or about bringing justice to her situation.  He merely wanted to get her off his back. If the unjust judge will eventually honor persistence, how much more will our holy and just God honor the persistence of His chosen people who cry out to him repeatedly?

To cry out repeatedly as she did, this widow had to have taken a stand. She would not allow her adversary to take advantage of her without a strong fight. She took her stand to the only person who could do anything about it – an unjust judge who did not care anything about her.

We serve a God who loves us so much He gave His only Son to die for us. We can certainly trust His heart toward us. When our enemy wages war against us, do we truly take a stand against him in crying out to God? This Scripture suggests that too many of us give in to the enemy when we don’t see immediate results.

We often think of attacks of the enemy as trials or problems. While the enemy can certainly cause problems for us, he most often attacks us in the form of temptation.

Instead of taking a stand against temptation, we succumb to it because we think God is not really concerned about our circumstances enough to intervene when we want or the way we want. If we are more concerned about meeting our current emotional urge than receiving God’s best in our situation, we will fall to temptation and fail to take a stand of faith.

Jesus questioned whether or not He would find faith on this earth when He returned. Will there be anyone still believing Christ will come again when He comes to rule and reign on this earth? Will there be anyone still fighting for the family when Jesus comes to restore it? Will there be anyone still believing in a dream when Jesus comes to fulfill it? Will we give up everything we’ve held near and dear and settle for the temptation the Devil hands us as an unfit alternative?

Dare to stand firm in your faith. Cry out to God, especially when the Devil attacks you with temptation. God has so much more for us, and any temptation the Devil sends your way is only a cheap imitation of something real God has in store for you. Press through with persistence, and allow faith to take you into the fullness of a loving, holy, and just God. His provision is worth the wait!

Have a blessed day!

Matthew 25:35-36

For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.

God is in the midst of situations all around us, and He is in the midst of our everyday lives. We never know when and where He is working, and He may give us a chance to be the provision to a prayer someone else has prayed. Do we recognize these chances or look at them as inconveniences?

Christ lives in His people through the Holy Spirit. When one of His own is suffering in some way, He suffers, too. That is why He describes Himself as the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned in these verses. When we minister to one of His own, we minister to Him.

We don’t have to look far to find these needs all around us. We need to minister the love of Christ to both believers and unbelievers. In doing so, we increase and strengthen the kingdom of God, and our faith increases in the process. In helping those in need, we build relationships and create bonds that help hold us together.

How you treat those who seem insignificant speaks of your character. Do you meet their needs when the occasion arises, or do you attend to things more convenient? You may be insignificant to someone else who has the ability to meet your need. God notices when someone helps you, as well. Take advantage of the opportunities He gives you to be a blessing to others. You never know when you could be the insignificant one, hoping someone else will stop to hear from God and obey. Everyone is significant in His eyes.

Have a blessed day!

1 John 3:19-20

Little children, we must not love in word or speech, but in deed and truth; that is how we will know we are of the truth, and will convince our hearts in His presence, because if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things.

We can tell a person we love him/her, but unless we follow it up with action, it is not real. God knows when we harbor bitterness or unforgiveness, and just saying that we love or forgive someone is empty. We will know we truly love someone or have forgiven someone when we can follow it up with our deeds in truth. God, who is greater than our hearts, knows all things and will judge what is in our hearts.

When we have loved with our words, our deeds, and in truth, we can stand with confidence in God’s presence and ask for anything we want in that situation. That is a heart God can trust because it is transparent before Him without sin. We all need this type of heart before God, and it comes when we can love with our actions, as well as our words.

Today, think about those who challenge your love or your patience. Choose to love and forgive with both words and actions. Don’t harbor bitterness because it will only hurt you. Love with your words, then follow it up with action. Go before God with a confident heart that He will give you whatever you need in the situation. He is greater than our hearts and is able to change them. He knows all things and can work them together for your good. That is His ultimate plan.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 69:13

But as for me, LORD, my prayer to You is for a time of favor. In Your abundant, faithful love, God, answer me with Your sure salvation.

David knew he had enemies who did not wish him well. They even ridiculed him and made fun of him. Instead of asking for revenge, he asked God for favor. While others did not approve of him, He asked for God to show His approval of him.

David also acknowledged his own sin before God. Much of the shame he encountered was from his own foolishness, but he still asked God for a time of favor. His desire was not to continue in sin but to overcome it. Unless God forgave him and approved of him, he would never overcome his own shame and would eventually turn to sin again. David needed grace, and so do we.

If you have blown it in life and have come to see the folly of your own way, now is the time to ask for God’s favor. When you feel the shame and rebuke from the world, your only hope to overcome the sin that led you to your lowly condition is the forgiveness and grace of God. When God raised Jesus from the dead, He proved to the world that He accepted His sacrifice and forgave our sin. The resurrection was God’s favor and acceptance upon Jesus, and it is the hope we have in overcoming sin in our lives. What we need is not to pay back what we’ve done because Jesus did that on the cross. What we need is a realization that the debt is already paid, and we are highly favored in God’s eyes.

Ask God for a time of favor today. Stop carrying around the shame of past mistakes, and begin to walk in the newness of the abundant life Christ died to give you. Your debt has already been paid, so believe God for favor to live according to His wonderful plan for you. His abundant and faithful love is with you.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 145:9

The LORD is good to everyone; His compassion rests on all He has made.

We should always remember that we serve a good God. Goodness is His nature, and He longs to be good to us. We are not, however, always good to ourselves or to each other. We often assume the worst and lose hope, forgetting about how good God has been to us in the past.

We live in a fallen world and are subject to a fallen nature. Therefore, we will experience bad things in this world, just as Jesus warned. We should never blame God for the bad things we experience because He has great compassion for us. If we are to ever overcome some things, we need a large helping of His grace and favor. Turning to Him is always the answer, rather than turning from Him.

I heard a story about a young man who led a sinful lifestyle and was an atheist. He refused to believe in God because if people believed in God, they would judge him. Little does he realize God is his judge and has great compassion for him, even though he clings to his sin. The very love he seeks is found in Christ, and he is missing the goodness that God longs to bestow in his life. He has bought the lie of the Devil that all he has is here and now, and true happiness is found in the fulfillment of temporary, fleshly desires. Christ died to set us free from such bondage, and true liberty is God’s great goodness toward us.

In whatever you are facing today, know for certain that God’s intentions toward you are good. He has great compassion toward you and has a purpose for you that is good. Don’t be afraid to turn to Him. He does not want to harm you, punish you, or reject you. He longs to draw you to Himself, and He sent His most precious possession to make it possible – His Only Son. Stop assuming the worst in your situation, and look forward to the good thing God has planned for you. Remember the goodness He has shown you in the past, and be assured He has good things in store for your future. We serve a good God!

Have a blessed day!

Romans 6:1-2:

What should we say then? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Paul explained to the church at Rome that the law reveals sin, and sin multiplies under the law. Grace, however, multiplies even more to cover our sin, and grace reigns in righteousness. In other words, the more sinful we become, the more grace is needed to cover our sins, and God freely grants us that grace. In this verse, Paul explains that God’s gift of grace is no excuse to remain in sin.

Grace does not justify our sin. Grace justifies us and cleanses us of sin. Grace does not give us the excuse to live with our sin; it empowers us to turn from the sin and live without it. In order to turn from sin, we must first recognize sin and acknowledge it as such. If we justify it or find no fault in it, we condone it and allow it to linger in us. God’s perfect will is for us to live free and untangled from the mess of sin. Why would we want to keep its chains?

God has enough grace to forgive all of our sins, regardless of how many or how gruesome they may be. Sin, however, has dominion over us as long as we insist upon walking in it. Grace can cover only the sin brought to it. If we hang on to sin, it is ours to keep.

If we have truly died to sin, we will no longer want it or the hold it has on us. We belong to Christ, and His Spirit within us will draw us away from sin by reminding us of who we are in Christ. Being a Christian does not mean we will never be tempted or experience weakness in an area. Christianity means we can overcome the hold sin has on us because God grants us the grace to get up and try again when we fall. Just like a baby learns to walk by trying, falling, and getting back up to try again, we will learn to walk out our Christian life by getting up and moving forward. Grace multiplies in our lives to move us forward.

If you’ve failed repeatedly, don’t give up. You can walk free from the sin that entangles you. Just get up and try again. Don’t excuse what holds you back in mediocrity. Grace is multiplied in your life to help you overcome sin and live a life of purpose.

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 55:9

For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

We’ve often heard the saying, “God works in mysterious ways.” Many people mistake the saying as a Scriptural quote, but the Bible doesn’t actually state that God works in mysterious ways. The saying does, however, resemble this verse. We don’t always understand what God is doing in our lives, and we have to trust that He is in control and working things together for our good and His glory.

This earth is temporal, and the life we have here is short in comparison to eternity. Heaven is much higher, and we should focus on accumulating heavenly treasures instead of earthly treasures, according to Matthew 6:19. In the same sense, God’s ways are higher than our ways. The work He is doing in our lives is for eternity, and we may not understand it in the backdrop of this temporary framework in which we live. We have a destiny. God is taking us somewhere, and He may do things we don’t understand in order to get us where we need to be.

Our thoughts are confined to the things we know and understand. We can only make assumptions and ask questions beyond that. God, however, knows the beginning from the end and everything that happens in between. He is the informed party, and He is in control. Trust Him.

If you are uncomfortable in your current circumstances, consider yourself blessed. If He has forced you into an uncomfortable or uncertain situation, He is taking you somewhere that has purpose. If you try to fight it and remain in your comfort zone, you will become stagnant in your mediocrity. Like a roller coaster at an amusement park, you need to just hang on and enjoy the ride because it won’t last long. Life is lived between destinations, and you don’t want to miss any of it.

Have a blessed day!