Author: Christine

Definition: the expression of approval, especially by the clapping of hands (Webster)

We clap for sports teams, at concerts, for our children. Why? To show our approval, for a job well done, out of love. As we minister to fellow believers, as we share the gospel message to those outside the family of God, as we teach others in Sunday School, what is our motivation? To hear an atta boy? To be noticed? When Jesus walked this earth, He was preaching, teaching and healing. He did not do it for applause or for the approval of men. Rather, He came to do the will of His Father. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

As we serve Jesus, let us humble ourselves as we encourage others, as we share the good news, as we teach others. For we do not do it for applause, nor for the approval of men. “ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

If you walk, run, swim, bike or watch sports that do these activities, you have heard the term, “bell lap.” You know a bell rings, signaling to the athlete, “one lap to go.”

In life, do we hear a bell? Do we know when we are on our bell lap? Since none of us know the future or can predict what direction our life will take, we need to live in the present. God tells us to plan for the future but to live for today, for we know not what tomorrow will bring.

So, let us live for today. Let us serve others with a joyful heart. Let us begin our day in the Word thanking God for today. Let us love God and love our neighbors. Let us submit our plans to the Lord today, and walk according to His will.

Good-bye summer. Hello fall. Taking children off to college. Relocating for a new job. Caring for a young family. Being there for aging parents. You get the point. We change. Out of duty. Or circumstances. Or choice.

As a Christian, are you seeing a change in our culture today? People more receptive to talking about Jesus, the bible, church? Praise God! The Holy Spirit, the third member of the Godhead, is reviving hearts and awakening darkened souls. Let us come alongside those who are returning to Jesus or believing for the first time. We welcome them into the family of God. Let us mentor them, counsel, pray, encourage. Saying Yes! to Jesus and following Him is a life altering, eternal destination change of address. So, as you see this wind of change happening, praise God and be about the Master’s business.

Romans 8:11 “ The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”

If you have ever done a conference call, you know it is a two-step process. You first have to add the second person to the call and secondly, you need to merge them together. If you add but do not merge, the second caller never makes it onto the conference call.

How many of us today have seen someone add Jesus, add church, add a bible study, add a daily devotion, but never hit the merge button. He/She/You are doing a good thing. It feels good, it looks good to the world, but what is the point? If you hear the words of Jesus and like them, if you go to church and hear a feel good message, if you participate in a bible study to add this to your week but you don’t merge your head with your heart, then it’s works without faith. Merging your life to Jesus means saying Yes to His plan of salvation. Your life is not your own anymore. The old you is gone. The new you is here. You are now “in Christ.” You now yield your life, your thoughts, your activities to Him. To follow His will for your life. Attending church now takes on new meaning as you praise and worship your Savior. Your bible study will now convict you, cause you to look internally, to dig deep as you seek to submit and obey His teachings.

Let us make sure our life lines up with our faith and our walk is merging with our Savior.

If you travel frequently by car, you probably have an “E” pass, which allows you to pass through toll lanes quickly, easily and without much hassle. We like shortcuts. We like easy. We don’t always want to slow down. We want to get to where we are going. But in life, we need to slow down. Take inventory of where we are heading: The path. The plan. The purpose.

As a Christian, the path is Jesus. When the path gets overgrown, full of weeds or blown out by trials and storms, pause on the path. Do you need to prune? Reroute? Weed out? Take stock of the path you are walking, beloved. Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

The plan, of course, is ordained by God. In the gospel of John, Jesus said, ““I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. “(John 14:6) When we walk according to the plan of salvation spelled out in the bible, when we read how to live a godly life in this world and carry out God’s plan for our lives, we have a peace and fellowship with our Savior.

When we walk the path, follow the plan, we have our purpose in God, which is the Great Commission. Matthew 18:19-20a “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” As Christians, we find out purpose as we walk a life pleasing to God and pointing others to Christ by Christ-like living.

Which path are you following today? Do you consult God as you make plans for the day, the week, the year? Are you living your life with a God-filled purpose? Check your route. Consult the bible. Pray for wisdom. In all things, seek God. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Ah! A nice story. A nice sermon. Feeling good, sitting here in this church pew. Singing some songs, shaking some hands. Same Sunday, week after week. Everything as it should be. Steady on. Don’t rock the boat. Don’t challenge me. I like where I am.

Sound familiar? Do you find yourself in a place of spiritual complacency? Are you self-satisfied, sleepy even? How did this happen? When did I stop reading the bible? Attending Sunday school or bible study? Why do I no longer want to hang around that group of people?

When we become spiritually complacent, we stop being alert, watchful. We start listening to so and so, rather than God. We start following the world, rather than the bible. We listen to the devil as he fills our minds with thoughts that are contrary to God’s word. What happened to being faithful and obedient to God? Is this where you are? If so, beloved, it is not too late. Praise God, your heart is reminded. Your eyes opened. Wake up! Remember! Hold it fast and repent!

Revelation 3:1-3 “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.  Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.  Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.

What is a rebel? Opposing or taking arms against a government or ruler. What does it mean to rebel? To oppose or disobey one in authority or control. (Merriam Webster)

Growing up, I thought of a rebel as one who wouldn’t conform to the rules of the school, a troublemaker. As I read and study scripture, I find that I should have been looking in at self. Separated from God, I was a rebel. I opposed His rule in my life. I was rebelling when I disobeyed God and His law. Isaiah 53:5-6 says, “But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.”

Ever since the first rebellion in the garden, God had a plan. To redeem sinners through His Son. Today, let us examine our own hearts. Let us confess any action or attitude that is in direct opposition to God’s word. Let us come humbly to His throne of grace, asking for forgiveness. Healing our hearts. Conforming our hearts to be in tune with Him. That our words, thoughts and actions are under His sovereign rule in our lives. “We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5b) So, take those rebellious thoughts, give them over to God. Turn to God’s word and ” set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above,” (Colossians 3:1-2)

Where are my glasses? Have you seen my phone? We all misplace things, search for items we know we have but seem to forget where we placed them. As humans, we are forgetters. Forgetting where we placed an important item, a scheduled appointment, a social engagement. And yes, we have paper calendars, digital calendars, apps, reminders- all helping us to not forget.

As a people, are we also forgetters of God? If we are forgetters of God, can we still call ourselves a Christian? Did we pray, make a profession of faith, attended church and have now walked away? Have we replaced God with other things? Are we trying to “gain the whole world yet forfeiting our soul?” (Mark 8:36) If we find ourselves away from God, repent, be restored to a right relationship with Him. Be a rememberer, a follower. “Give up your own way, take up your cross and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34)

Let us not live as forgetters of God but as those changed, transformed by the precious blood of Jesus. Then we can say, like David, in Psalm 9:1-2 “I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.” Be a rememberer!

Students graduating. Couples getting married. Babies being born. New beginnings. Exciting possibilities. Great expectations. What advice do we give them? Follow your heart. Pursue your dreams. Go for it. Nice words. Spoken from the heart. But let’s be real, too. Life is hard. Sometimes plans A,B, and C don’t work out. Work hard for a company and suddenly they let you go. We work hard, strive to do our best everyday. Toiling, raising a family, pursuing the American dream. It is hard. Exhausting.

What does King Solomon say in Ecclesiastes 1:2 ““Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” (NKJV) The NIV uses the word “meaningless” instead of vanity. ““Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

Life is meaningless, vanity, futile… unless you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Working for Him. Giving Him the glory. Thanking Him for all your blessings. Seeking His wisdom. Our life is but a vapor. Are we trying to collect the most material possessions, have the most followers on social media, be popular? Or, while we are here on earth, seek meaning beyond what we can see, feel, touch? As Psalm 119:37 says, let us “Turn my (our) eyes from worthless things, and give me(us) life through your word.”

And as King Solomon summed it up in Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

For those of us old enough to remember pulling up to the gas station, being waited on by an attendant and saying, “Fill up, please.” Cars, people all need a fill up. Gas, water, food. Yes, physical needs. But ask yourself, ” How is your spiritual well being?” Are you in need of being filled? Yes please! Dig into God’s word. Be reminded of his promises. Be steadfast in your prayer life. Walk according to the Spirit’s leading. God dependance each and every day.

I used to find it hard to understand why Elijah was afraid, in fear of his life after God’s great demonstration and power the day before ( 1 Kings 18:20-40). I get it now. As a human, I am weak. If I walk under my own power, I tire. I worry. I fear. But when I am in the word, being filled, encouraged, reminded, it is God’s power working in me to face each new day. So, yes please! Fill me up, Lord. More of You and less of me!

“Each day I pray for God to fill me anew as I spend time with Him.” (Rebecca Manley Pippert)