Had everything gone according to plan, I never would have come to Fresno.

It was the spring of my sophomore year of college—time to make summer plans. Internships were a big status symbol at my school, so I was eager to land a good one. Having spent the previous summer working in retail, I wanted something a little more aligned with my career aspirations. At the time, I was involved in multiple Bible studies and running an on-campus ministry, so I figured a church internship was the way to go.

For me, the logical choice was to intern at Stonebriar, the church in Dallas where I grew up. Stonebriar was a Bible-belt megachurch pastored by Chuck Swindoll, a well-known radio personality and author. Interning there would be great ministry experience.... and be prestigious enough to compare to my classmates’ law firm and D.C. internships. Plus, I had “unofficially” interned in the Stonebriar student ministry my senior year of high school, sitting in on staff meetings and helping plan events. I’d even won the church scholarship contest. After nailing my Zoom interview, I figured I was a shoe-in.

A few weeks later, I received a phone call from my old youth pastor. While he praised the strength of my application, I learned that Stonebriar had given the job to one of my old classmates in order to give “someone else a chance” (i.e. someone less sure of their ministry calling). I was disappointed, a little offended, and entirely without summer plans. I spent several days questioning this move by God: Lord, wasn’t this what you wanted me to do? Why would you close this door?
 
In my case, however, “when God closes a door, He opens a window” actually held true. Within a week, I was put in contact with an old friend of my grandparents named Jim Cecy. As it turned out, he had an opening in his church’s youth ministry and missions organization, so he invited me to intern in Fresno. Despite great misgivings about spending the summer in a place where I knew almost no one (AND that place being California, the butt of half the jokes my old friends in Texas made), I ended up accepting the offer.

The rest, as they say, is history. I interned two summers with Campus and JARON, then moved to Fresno after graduation. God did in fact use my internships to call me into vocational ministry. Not only am I serving as the student ministry director at Campus, but my “rival” who got the internship at Stonebriar is serving as their junior high pastor. Most importantly, I met a cute college student named Lauren during my first internship and married her a year and a half later. Our two children followed shortly thereafter.

I sometimes think back on that fateful rejection by the Stonebriar student ministry. I was so sure of what God’s plan for my life was and was so devastated when it turned out differently. But out of that painful circumstance came my calling, my current job, my wife and children. Maybe you can look back on a difficult circumstance in your life that God ended up using for good. Maybe you’re in the middle of a difficult circumstance and you’re not sure how God could use this for good. I don’t know what God has in store for me or for you, but I know his plans are better than my plans. Are we willing to trust Him?

"English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers."

I thought this was such a cool passage. The analogies of the weather and how His word melts and nothing can stand against it. But I think what I loved is how He related it all to the way He guides His people.. How personal it was for Him to relate it to Jacob. Not just the whole nation of Israel but He made it personal down to an individual…Jacob.

We could look at the melting as a negative but then He states that He doesn't deal with any other nations this way, only His chosen people, Israel. He cares about their relationship with Him, I think that's why he makes it personal to Jacob. Verses 1-15 shows us how he strengthens, blesses, makes peace and fills us. These come about as His word runs throughout the earth and works through the "weather."  Because we know His rules, His statutes, they are what strengthens, blesses, gives us peace and fills us.

This weekend is one of the hottest weeks forecasted this summer. Because of that we had to change some plans that required a lot of reworking. But on top of that the air conditioning in our house quit working correctly. I say it's kind of like having "luke warm/cool" air. So by the afternoon our house has registered 90 degrees the past couple of days. We are dealing with the process of getting it fixed and we are fortunate to have family nearby.

I know these are "1st world" problems. Nothing compared with other storms in our family. But it's still enough for me to see this passage in a personal way.

It's hard to look at the struggles of life… hard, hard times, illness, death, conflict; and imagine what it would be like to never seek the Word that strengthens, blesses, gives peace and fills us with His outlook. The "weather" will get us down. Our ability to live in a manner that expresses the fruit of the Spirit is hindered. WE HAVE to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. We need it to teach and admonish us to bring us to the place that we can sing with songs, hymns and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16).

I pray the "weather" isn't getting you down! If it is, run to the Savior. Can you put your name in the place of "Jacob" in this passage?

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:10-19

Other passages that may help when you're "under the weather…"
Isaiah 43:2-3 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the tire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

Psalm 61:2 "From the end of the earth I call to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and weak; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Psalm 121:1-2 “I lift my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.”

Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Exodus 15:2 "The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him."

Psalm 27:1 "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear: the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Years ago, one of the elders said something to me that has stuck ever since. It went something like this; “You know David, worship isn’t just people singing together in church on Sunday mornings. It’s what we do with our whole lives”. He was pointing out that worship isn’t an event, worship is a lifestyle.

How do I create a lifestyle of worshiping God? Let me make a list. Starting with singing together with others on Sunday mornings, I can add; praying to Him, works of service, studying His word, giving tithes and offerings, sharing the Gospel. This list could grow quickly, couldn’t it. However, without Joshua chapter 7, I may never have thought of including ‘confession’ as a form of worship.

Joshua 6 is about God giving Jericho into Joshua’s hand via an unusual process. The men of war marched around the city once a day for six days with trumpets blowing. Then seven times on the seventh day. After the seventh round, yelling and shouting was added to the trumpets. Not a typical battle strategy, yet the walls of Jericho fell down flat.

However, there was a problem. Joshua 7:1 says “But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban” (Joshua 6:17-19) “… therefore the anger of the LORD burned against the sons of Israel.” This verse tells us who violated the ban. Joshua was unaware of who at that time. God instructs Joshua how to find the guilty party, again, via an unusual process.

“So Joshua arose early in the morning and brought Israel near by tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. He brought the family of Judah near, and he took the family of the Zerahites; and he brought the family of the Zerahites by man by man, and Zabdi was taken. He brought his household near man by man; and Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was taken.” Joshua 7:16-18

Certainly, everyone in Israel must now know that Achan is the culprit. One would also think how this elaborate process would be more than sufficient to convict and sentence him. But Joshua, fully convinced himself, still wants to hear it from Achan.

“Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I implore you, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.”” – Joshua 7:19

Joshua doesn’t command Achan to confess, but endearingly draws it out of him. He starts off by calling him “my son”. He keeps it personal when he says, “tell me”, not ‘tell us’. Joshua then implores him in a way that shows Achan how his confession will give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him. Achan confesses, and hides none of it from Joshua.

Thus, I say confession to God is also worshiping God. Confessing our sin is agreeing with God, saying “I was wrong, You are right”, “My sin separates me from You, my confession lets me be rejoined to You.” The way Joshua handled this situation demonstrated godliness. I believe God endearingly calls us as His children to confess, wanting us to receive what He paid so dearly for; forgiveness and salvation.

“for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” – Matthew 26:28

I’m adding confession to my Lifestyle of Worshiping God list. How about you?

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9.

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

Do you remember the yearbook section that highlighted those who stand out for their superlatives? It was an exaggerated way to both recognize and celebrate people. They often say things like: Most Likely to Succeed, Most Likely to Invent the Next iPhone, Best Dressed, or Class Clown. Superlatives like these can set expectations for people who receive them, but what if those expectations feel too high? We may be expected to be the next big innovator or creative influencer, but all of that may seem like too much. In the midst of all that pressure, I’ve learned that I’d rather simply be known as the Most Likely to Follow Through.
 
In the story Jesus tells, the first son told his father that he would not follow his instructions, but after changing his mind, he did follow through. The other son said he would do what the father requested, but did not. The one who changed his mind, Jesus said, was “righteous,” or faithful, to what his father asked. He was the one who heard what the father was saying and actually did it. As we live for Jesus, like this son, we are called to be people who would follow through on our word. Jesus essentially says, “No matter how spiritual you seem on the outside, the thing that truly matters is following through on how God is calling you to live.”
 
Wise and righteous people are called faithful because they choose to follow through. Yet how many times have we told someone we would pray for them, and then forgotten? Or told a friend that we would text or call them, and never did? Or made plans and canceled without communicating beforehand? More often than I’m ashamed to admit. May we, in our desire to live as God has called us to, be more like the first son than the second. May we start thinking about ourselves as people who follow through on what we say we’ll do? May we act upon our opportunity to be faithful to how God calls us to live as we focus on the follow-through.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

I’ve been a pastor for many years, and I have seen it happen every year. Sunday morning church attendance drops in the summertime. People sleep-in and choose not to come. Or they say “I don’t feel like going today, let’s just watch on-line.” And as a result they miss the much needed in-person fellowship time with other believers who know and love them. Ministries try to line-up subs to help in nursery and kids ministry in the summer. And everyone knows that if you plan a Bible study in the summer, you better not expect many people to attend. Why is this?

Well, summer schedules are packed with vacations, weekend getaways, and backyard barbecues, making it easy to treat church as optional. There’s a break from school. And so it’s easy to think we can take a break from church. Yet consistent worship keeps our souls anchored in Jesus Christ. Gathering with believers at church on Sunday mornings reminds us that our faith doesn’t take a vacation. And it builds the habit of following Christ amid the busyness of the season.

Hebrews 10:23-25 – "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."

The lazy, hazy, hot days of summer bring a shift in our daily routines. The sun is up longer, trips to the beach call to us, and our weekends fill up with opportunities to travel. While it’s important to take some much-needed time to rest and recreate, the danger comes when our physical rest turns into spiritual complacency. Someone might say, “Well, the Bible says rest is important.” And I agree, God wants us to find time for rest. But if you look up Bible verses on ‘rest’, they all have as a context, resting in the presence of the Lord.

It’s easy to develop a ‘vacation mentality’ in the summer, treating church as an activity we attend only when it’s convenient. The writer of Hebrews tells us to not forsake our own assembling together, and to do it all the more as you see the day drawing near (which is the return of Christ). Why? Because the church is supposed to be more than a good way to kill an hour on a Sunday morning. It’s family. When you are present in person, your physical attendance is an act of encouragement to those sitting around you. Your presence reminds them that they are not alone, and neither are you. We are on this journey of faith together.

I get asked on occasion, “Pastor, do we have to attend church while we’re on vacation?” And on the one hand I think, “Why wouldn’t you attend a worship gathering at a church on Sunday while you’re on vacation?” And on the other hand I think “You’re not in your home church, where people know you and rely on you, so why not take a Sunday off to do something else?” So I go back and forth. So I would say, pray about it. See what God thinks.

There are a lot of great churches in this nation of ours. On a Sunday morning while on vacation, it might be a good chance to see one of them. Experience a different worship team. A different preacher. Meet some new people. Get the feeling of being new to a church. Maybe it will develop in you more sensitivity to new people visiting our church.

So this summer, as you enjoy a vacation from the rigors of the school year, prioritize your spiritual family. Let your faithfulness in the summer be a testament of your relationship with Christ. It isn’t bound by seasons. God doesn’t take a vacation from us, so why would we take a vacation from Him? When you do this, watch how He uses those Sunday gatherings to keep your heart anchored in Him.

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

When I was in the police academy, our instructors constantly reminded us that, statistically, the most dangerous thing we would do as police officers was also the thing we would do more than anything else in our careers…traffic stops.

They weren't wrong.

Throughout my career as a police officer, conducting traffic stops became one of the most common parts of my day. So, what makes them so dangerous?  It's a combination of frequency and uncertainty. Every time you approach a vehicle, you're walking to within a few feet of someone you know nothing about. You have no idea who they are, what they're thinking, how their day is going, or what you might encounter when you reach that driver's window. And odds are, they probably are now triggered into thinking that you are going to make their day even worse.

Now, were all traffic stops dangerous or life-threatening? Of course not. In fact, the vast majority ended peacefully and professionally. Some concluded with an irritated glare, a few tears, or a mumbled complaint under the driver's breath as I walked away, but most were routine.

And that’s where the real danger lies….the routine!

Traffic stops become dangerous because officers naturally let their guard down after doing them so many times. When hundreds of stops end without incident, it's easy to develop an expectation that the next one will too. That expectation can lead to complacency. We stop paying as much attention to officer safety, our positioning, constantly scanning our surroundings, and other habits that keep us alive.

Routine can create a false sense of security. If we're not careful, consistency breeds complacency…and complacency can kill (at least in the profession of law enforcement).

But routine doesn't have to breed complacency. It can also produce vigilance, excellence, and consistency. When I consistently applied the techniques I had been taught and remembered my training, I developed habits that kept me safe. Done correctly, those routines became muscle memory. But the opposite was also true…if I allowed bad habits to creep in, they too became muscle memory.

The same principle applies to our spiritual walk.

Routine can either breed complacency, or it can become a source of growth and consistency in our relationship with the Lord. Either way, routine builds muscle memory. The question is: What kind of habits are we creating?

Some of the most routine parts of our lives…spending time with friends, pouring ourselves into work, enjoying hobbies, investing in our families, and even serving in church, can slowly pull our focus away from Christ if we don't establish guardrails that keep us centered on God's will for our lives.

There's an adage I hear often and use frequently: "How you do anything is how you do everything."

In other words, the habits we form in the small things shape the way we live in the big things. When we pay attention to detail, follow through on our commitments, and strive for excellence in everyday tasks, we develop disciplined routines. But when we cut corners, hit the snooze button four times, run only two miles instead of the three we planned, or neglect simple responsibilities, we're also forming habits…habits of laziness and complacency.

The same is true in our spiritual lives, only with far greater consequences. When we neglect God's Word, go days without praying to our Heavenly Father, stop serving those around us, avoid sharing our faith, or withdraw from fellowship with other believers, those choices become routine. Over time, that routine becomes muscle memory, leading to spiritual laziness and complacency.

The routines we practice today will shape the people we become tomorrow. The question is whether those routines are drawing us closer to Christ or slowly pulling us away from Him.

Prayer Point:
Lord, help me to pursue You in everything I do. Develop in me a heart of discipline, consistency, and a deep desire for You until seeking You becomes second nature, spiritual muscle memory, and true passion of my heart. Guard me from becoming lukewarm like the church in Laodicea. Help be to not develop bad habits, bad routines.  Help me be faithful in the little things so that You can entrust me with greater things. May my daily routines draw me closer to You and reflect a life that honors You.
 
Proverbs 1:32
"For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them." (NIV)

Hebrews 2:1
"We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."

New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you ever wondered why people sometimes don’t get healed when we pray for them?  Especially in light of the promise in James 5:14: “the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”

In the context of this verse, there are a number of possible explanations.
 
Perhaps the elders praying didn’t have faith.

Perhaps the sick person concealed his sin and lacked true repentance. It’s clear in Scripture that sometimes sickness is a form of God’s judgment against sin (E.G. Jn 5:14; 1Cor 11:30).

Or perhaps the lesson is that this verse must be balanced with the rest of the teaching of Scripture: namely that God’s promises about prayer always presume we ask according to his will.  In my opinion, this is the overarching principle for making prayer requests.

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” (1 John 5:14-15)

If this is correct, here’s the point James is making.  When a believer is sick, sometimes God will give the elders a special leading, conviction or discernment that it is his will to heal.  He will give them a certainty of faith to heal, which James refers to as “the prayer of faith.”

But clearly that is not always the case!  (See Romans 8:26.)  Sometimes it’s not God’s will to heal miraculously, and this is evident from both personal experience and the express testimony of Scripture (2Cor 12:7-9; 1Tim 5:23; 2Tim 4:20; Phil 2:25-27).

So what do we do with a verse like Psalm 103:3, which states that God heals all our diseases?

Personally, I believe that statement is absolutely true!  But it doesn’t mean God always heals us when we expect… in the way we expect.  Sometimes he uses our natural immune system.  Sometimes he uses doctors.  Sometimes he uses advancements in medical technology.  And sometimes he chooses to take us home.
 
No matter how God chooses to work, as believers we can declare with the Psalmist: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:2-5).

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

As summer comes to an end, life starts speeding up again. Parents are buying school supplies, students are checking schedules, teachers are preparing classrooms, and families are squeezing in one last trip before the routine returns.

It’s easy to get caught up preparing for everything the new school year will bring. But before we jump back into busy schedules, it’s worth asking:

Have I prepared my heart?

After the disciples returned from ministry, they eagerly told Jesus everything they had done. There was still plenty of work waiting for them, yet Jesus had a message for them in Verse 31 :

Mark 6:30-32
"The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.' For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves." (ESV)

Even in the middle of important work, Jesus knew His disciples needed to pause. They needed time with Him before continuing the journey.

As this season of rest comes to an end, take a moment to reflect. What has been most important in your life this summer? Is there anything that needs to be brought back into alignment with God?

The school year ahead will bring responsibilities, opportunities, and challenges. Before the pace of life takes over, spend time in prayer and God’s Word. Ask Him to direct your priorities and strengthen your walk with Him.

The journey continues, but the best way to begin a new season is by first spending time with the One who goes before us.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”  James 1:17

Today we live in a world that is constantly changing.  Lynette’s grandfather would say, “Travel in my lifetime has gone from horse and buggy, to cars, to airplanes, to landing a man on the moon.”  Having been born in the late 1800’s he had seen tremendous change in his lifetime.  With all the changes we see going on around us today, I am glad that we have a God who never changes.  As I contemplate what that means in my life, I realize that I am so thankful that I have a God who is consistently the same day after day.  The fact that God is always truthful gives me a sure foundation when I live in a world that presents falsehood as truth and feels that if it is said enough times, I will eventually believe the lie.  Truth is found in God and in His Word.  The fact that God is always good, just, and fair gives me hope for today and for the future.
 
The Apostle James writes in this verse that there is “no variation” in God’s character.  He is telling us that, “God never changes nor is capable of changing.”   Because of His nature He consistently gives what is good all the time in every life situation.  The theological term is that God is immutable, which simply means He does not change.  Other scriptures speak of this truth:  

“For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.”  Malachi 3:6

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  Hebrews 13:8

I am so thankful today that I can trust God to always be the same.  Even when I do not understand what is happening in my life or why it is happening, I can trust in God’s consistency.  He always treats me the same and I can count on Him doing what He says He will do.
 
James goes on to say that there is in God “no shifting shadow.”  The sun and stars vary for a variety of reasons.  We often say that the sun is very bright today or that the stars seem so close tonight.  We are saying there is a change in how we perceive the sun and stars.  “No shadow of turning” alludes to change and variation.  God does not change or vary in His nature.  He is completely consistent and there is never an occasion when He will act outside of His true character.  In other words, in all history or even all eternity past or future, God has never changed nor will He in the future make a single change in His character.

Shadows change with the moving of the earth in relationship to the sun.  The first century readers of this letter from James would have been familiar with the sun dial and the moving of shadows.  The shadows change as the earth turns on its axis in relationship to the sun.  Shadows are not consistent; they are constantly changing.  God does not shift or change as shadows do.  He is consistently the same.

Principle:  Since God does not change, we can always count on Him to be consistent with Who He claims to be.  He is good so He will always be good.  He will always give what is right and beneficial.

Application:    We can count on God in every situation in our lives because He does not change nor ever will.  He will always be true to His character as revealed in Scripture.

There are four facts about God’s goodness…

• God gives only good gifts
• The way God gives is good
• God gives constantly
• God does not change

Two practical applications:

• Coming to know God as revealed in Scripture is essential to your spiritual well-being.

Not as you may conceive Him to be…

Growing in our understanding of God is very important as we face the trials and testing of life.  We may draw conclusions as to Who God is that are not based on Scripture.  These conclusions may lead us astray and far from the truth of who God really is.  These deceptions can be very destructive.
 
But as He is revealed in the Bible…

We must always trust the revealed truth of Scripture when we think of God’s working in our lives.  Circumstances must be understood in light of who God is as presented in Scripture.  Circumstances may appear to be different than what they really are.  They must always be interpreted in light of who God is as we clearly see what the Scriptures teach about Him.  We often do not see or understand the big picture.  When we cannot see clearly, we need to completely trust God and His character.


Prayer:  Lord, thank you that You are totally dependable and that I can trust you to always be the same.  Help me Lord to trust Your character and to know that You always have my best interest in mind.  Regardless of my circumstances, I choose to trust You completely.  Amen

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

July is when we celebrate our nation’s birthday, our independence. We make quite a big deal about independence, and liberty and freedom in this country, especially in July. But why is that? Why do we as Americans think so highly of freedom, and make such a big deal about emphasizing it? If you look around at other similar nations to us you might think that we all have freedom now, that we are all basically the same. And on the surface there is some truth to that. However upon closer scrutiny of their core laws, constitutions, or other guiding documents shows that the liberty we celebrate in our country is not codified in their laws, meaning it can easily be altered and taken away at the whim of the ruling government.

So what does this all have to do with this passage in Galatians? Well before we get to that I think it shows there really is still something for us to celebrate in this country. For all its failings, for all the sin that seems to abound around us, we truly are blessed to live in a free society, under a freedom that is codified and cannot be taken away so easily from the government we elect. But celebrate as we should, we also need to focus on what we do with that freedom. As stated in the passage above that liberty does not exist so we can simply carry on as we might and engage in all manner of sin, by no means. As a result of our freedom we are called to serve one another in love and good deeds.
 
Just as we have freedom in Christ, we are not to use that freedom to go around sinning as we would like, but rather to use that freedom to make ourselves more like Christ. And the freedom we have here in America affords us a tremendous opportunity to share the eternal freedom we have with others. When we think about our independence, remember that there are people in countries where they are forbidden to worship or speak about Jesus as they please. Imagine them seeing us, with the freedom to worship and share the good news with whomever we wish, and yet being silent about the hope that is in us. This July let’s remember and celebrate the freedom we have in this country and take advantage of that freedom by sharing the ultimate freedom that exists in Christ with those around us.

New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The first time I flew by myself was almost disastrous.

I was just shy of 15 years old, flying from my home in Dallas to Erie, PA, where I’d catch a ride to a Christian boys’ leadership training camp in upstate New York. I’d flown many times before, but never by myself. I remember the mixed feelings of pride in my apparent traveling abilities, excitement for my solo adventure, and anxiety about all the steps to get to my destination. There’s a lot of things to deal with when you’re flying by yourself as a teen.

At first, everything went smoothly. I dropped my bag at check-in, said goodbye to my parents, navigated through security, found my gate, and did a pre-flight pit stop at the nearest restroom. Sitting at my gate waiting to board, I went to double-check my seat number on my boarding pass and froze. My pocket was empty. No boarding pass. More importantly, no ID – my passport card was missing.

I refused to panic. In a flash of inspiration, I remembered setting my ID and boarding pass down when I had used the bathroom, about 20 minutes prior. They’re probably still there. I walked briskly to the bathroom and found the stall I had just used. Slamming open the door (the stall was, thankfully, unoccupied), I looked in the spot where I remembered placing my documents… and froze for the second time that day. They were gone. I hurriedly checked the rest of the bathroom, but my missing boarding pass and ID were nowhere to be found.

Now my brain exploded with panic. Who could have taken my stuff? How will I get on the plane? What happens if my identity gets stolen? How will I explain this to my parents? And on my first time flying by myself, too! In a daze, I slowly wandered out of the bathroom and back into the terminal, unsure what to do next. My prayers in that moment were exceptionally brief: “HELPPPP!”

In my dazed and confused state, I thought I heard my name. I paused to listen and heard an announcement come over the PA system: “Passenger Mark Tremaine, please report to gate ***.” When I got to the gate, the attendant handed me my boarding pass and ID with a slight smile. “Someone turned these in for you.” I mumbled a “thank you” and sat back down, awash in relief and more than a little embarrassment.

Some kind stranger must have found my documents in that stall, read the gate number on my boarding pass, and turned them there. To this day, I wonder if it was really the work of an angel. (Evidently, no one had found my documents in the twenty minutes I was waiting at the gate, but the documents managed to make it from the bathroom to the gate in the five minutes I spent looking for them.) In either case, I remember being overwhelmed by the realization that God was watching out for me.

The Bible abounds with verses about our sovereign God’s ability to help us in the midst of our troubles. He is our “refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Because God is at my right hand, I will not be shaken (Psalm 16:8). For those who love him, “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).

Does this mean that God will miraculously deliver us from every problem? No. God answered my prayer for help finding my documents, but did not miraculously intervene an hour later when a bad round of turbulence made me horribly airsick despite my fervent prayers. (I still get queasy during landings a decade later.) What God does promise is no matter what we face, He is with us. The Good Shepherd doesn’t keep the sheep from traveling through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4), but His presence and protection keeps the sheep from fear. I hope these verses and the story of God’s protection of a clumsy 14-year-old can encourage you with whatever you are facing.

"English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers."

Have you ever contemplated how you respond to the saying, "Living in the moment?" I think I have always thought of it as doing something risky or daring. But recently it has taken on a different meaning.

I've thought more about this because of other thoughts that have entered my mind and affect how I plan my life. Such as thoughts of looking back on things I've done, or decisions I've made, knowing if I had the ability to see what I see now I would've made those decisions differently. Or, I look forward to the future and try to plan my decisions according to where I hope to be or what I hope to be doing.

Most of those thoughts are usually based on  "big questions" or "big ideas." But a friend and I were talking about this and she shared with me how the Lord was teaching her about learning to "Live in the moment." About how to trust Him in the little moment by moment decisions that mean submitting to His way verses her own. An example was when she and her husband were taking a couple they were just beginning to know out on their boat for the day. On the way home the couple wanted to take them out to dinner.. She was tired and would've liked to be dressed more appropriately. She wanted to just go home. But she realized that the Lord wanted her to "Live in the moment" and put His desire for her to get to know the couple better above her discomfort.

Just that little story she shared shed His light on so many of those types of "Living in the moment" situations that come my way each day. Those "little" everyday moments when His ideas are contrary to what I feel like doing. It made me think that it could be those "Living in the moment" decisions that may someday change the "bigger picture" of my past or future into God transformation expressions.

Open My Eyes That I May See
Clara H. Fiske Scott

Verse 1
Open my eyes that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free

Chorus 1
Silently now I wait for Thee
Ready my God Thy will to see
Open my eyes illumine me
Spirit divine

Verse 2
Open my ears that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear
And while the wave notes fall on my ear
Everything false will disappear

Verse 3
Open my mouth and let me bear
Gladly the warm truth everywhere
Open my heart and let me prepare
Love with Thy children thus to share

Public Domain  CCLI Song #68003  CCLI License #144020

New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The apostle James in his epistle to the twelve tribes provides multiple instructions and advisements on how followers of Christ should interact with one another. Acting impartially, caring for the neglected, pursuing peace, treating each fairly, and exercising caution with your speech are among the topics in which James provides instruction. For any new believer, James is one of the best books to direct their bible study due to its brevity, clear instruction, and simplistic illustrations. Much of what James discusses in his epistle reflects and expands upon what Jesus taught about human conduct in Matthew Chapter 6 -7 and Luke Chapter 6.

The topic of speech appears throughout James’ epistle, with chapter 3 containing a section fully dedicated to this part of human interaction. James likened a person’s tongue to the rudder of a ship. Something very small, but it directs where a whole ship goes. He also called the tongue, “a fire”, pointing out that a small spark can set a whole person’s life ablaze. It is untamable, containing a whole world’s worth of iniquity in a very small package. With just a few words, the direction of a person’s whole life can be changed. Telling a crush that you like them could result in saying “I do”, as you commit yourself in marriage to that person. In the very same way, it could also result in the pain of rejection, embarrassment, and, depending on the context, social awkwardness if you share the same work or social environment. Committing perjury carries the weight of criminal liability for yourself, or if committed by giving false testimony in court, could result in an innocent person being falsely convicted.

“With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;” James 3:9

Just as much as our words can get us into trouble with the people we interact with, God, who sees all that we do, cannot be deceived by our words in the same way that a person can.  When Isaiah is taken up before the throne of God in Isaiah Chapter 6, he despairs over the state of his unrighteousness words by declaring that he is a man of “unclean lips”. Isaiah doesn’t despair over the unrighteousness of his hands or feet have, but over the unrighteousness of his words, which had to be burned away so that he could bear to stand in the presence of God.

Have just a few words gotten you into big trouble? Have just a few words destroyed old relationships or reputation? With just a few words I have destroyed good things I built, good things others have built, and most regrettably, good things our Lord has built. Graciously our Lord is long suffering, so before despairing, like Isaiah, stop, take a deep breath, and in just a few words say, “I’m sorry, please forgive me”. Then with just a few words, relinquish your tongue over to the Spirit today and everyday henceforth. Then observe as the Spirit turns that fire from being a source of destruction into a source of comfort and life, with patient ears, eyes that see, and a tongue that speaks healing truth in just a few words.  
 
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Watching the evil and the good. A soothing tongue is a tree of life, But perversion in it crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:1-4

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

I don't know about you, but I love pizza. The slow-fermented crust, the sun-ripened sauce, the fromage of mozzarella, and the delicate crown of toppings all assembled to create a decadent symphony of molten golden deliciousness…Mmmmm! If you didn’t know, it might be obvious now that my family and I might single-handedly be keeping the industry in business. Of course, I’m being a bit facetious, but we do have pizza almost every Friday night to go with the movie night tradition we started while my wife Alexis was going through chemotherapy.  Now this may sound strange to most, but whenever I have pizza, I’m reminded of God's care for His people.
 
In today’s passage, at this point in the Exodus story, God's people went from feeling like God protected and guided them to feeling like God had completely forgotten and abandoned them to wander alone in the desert. They were upset with Moses and Aaron because the provisions to survive the wilderness were not being met. They even longed for slavery back in Egypt because at least they had food to eat in Egypt. The feeling of being hungry and hot would compound if you also felt like the reason you were in the situation you were in is that God forgot about you or misled you. The journey in the wilderness shows us how God moved toward His people with compassion, hearing their frustrations and providing for them, once again giving them a food called “manna.” God's provision bolstered the faith of His people, encouraging them once again that they could trust God to come through. It might not look how we expect, it might not happen when we want, but God always keeps His promises even when we doubt.
 
Now, pizza didn't exist until long after the Exodus story took place, but manna was something readily available to God's people and a symbol of His care. Yet before His providing, the Israelites were probably thinking what many of us think in times of difficulty, “Does God even care about me?” “Is God going to come through for me?” “Has God forgotten about me?” The human element of the story should remind us that we’ve all been guilty of complaining to God while forgetting what He’s done for us. As God provided for His people daily in the morning, He reminded them of His faithfulness. For me, pizza will always be a reminder of God’s faithfulness because it takes me back to a time when I had my own doubts about God’s provision for me and my family. And while you and I may never have manna in our lifetime, maybe we can think of something else that reminds us of God's care. Maybe something as simple as pizza.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

When I was in fourth grade, my classmates came up with a nickname for me. They called me Teacher’s Pet. I asked them why they called me that. They said, “Because you are respectful to the teacher, you answer every question she asks, and you help substitute teachers when they come to our class.” I said, “I just hate getting in trouble.” They said, “That’s why you’re the Teacher’s Pet.”

At first that nickname hurt me. But then I thought about it and realized, it was really a privilege. I was already a Christian in fourth grade, so being helpful to the teacher, and setting an example of love and respect was what Jesus would do. I thought, “Call me Teacher’s Pet anytime you want. No problem.”

Well, the nickname the apostles gave Joseph was a great nickname, too. Son of Encouragement. What does the word encouragement mean? It literally means to “put courage into someone”. We all experience seasons of hopelessness. We need fellow believers to come alongside us, recognize we’re struggling, and help us stand back up. Barnabas didn’t seek the spotlight. He operated behind the scenes. He was the person willing to take risks to lift up people around him. He saw the potential in Saul of Tarsus when he wasn’t accepted into the early church because of his role in Stephen’s death, and his persecution of the church in Jerusalem. Later he gave John Mark a second chance after Mark deserted Paul on an earlier missionary journey.
To be a Barnabas, we need to be on the lookout for those who n
eed a welcoming hand, a second chance, or a reminder of God’s grace. Someone who sees the best in you. As a “son or daughter of encouragement”, you are called to speak life into those who are overlooked, to advocate for the weary, and in the process always point people back to Christ. Why? Because Christ is the ultimate source of all comfort.

What does encouragement look like? For one thing, it has to be active if it’s going to accomplish anything. Here are three steps to be a ‘son or daughter of encouragement’ today…

1. Notice the overlooked - Be aware of those here at church who might be struggling or feeling isolated. Reach out to them. Find out if they need anything. Be there.
   
   
2. Catch ‘em doing good - When someone does or says something that makes an impact on you, text or email them and let them know how grateful you are for them.
   
   
3. Help them - Those carrying a heavy burden need help with the load, offer practical help.
   
   

We all need brothers and sisters in Christ who won’t give up on us. People who will notice when we’re not around, and reach out to us. People who will come alongside new believers and welcome them into our church family. People who reach out to those who just need an ‘atta boy’ or ‘atta girl’.

Take a moment right now and ask God to soften your heart to those in need around you. Ask God to use you to ‘put courage into the hearts’ of those you encounter today.

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

I am a huge Christopher Nolan fan. If you do not know who Christopher Nolan is, he is one of the most acclaimed directors of the 21st century. To get ready to watch his newest release, The Odyssey, I decided to watch all of his movies. I rewatched his most popular movies, the Dark Knight Trilogy, which is his Batman trilogy, and one thing I started to wonder while watching it was: why do people do good deeds? I think that if you asked most people that question, you would get a wide array of answers. As a disciple of Jesus, my hope is to do good deeds because of what God has done for me. The reason why you and I should do good works is so that God may get glory for the good He is doing in our lives.

Doing good outside of that reason defeats the purpose of us as Christians being new creations wholly devoted in fellowship with Christ, as He bought us with a price. The reason why Bruce Wayne, Batman, does good in the Dark Knight trilogy is so that no one can go through what he went through, going down Crime Alley where his whole life was destroyed as his parents were murdered. The death of Bruce’s parents is the catalyst that leads him to become Batman. For us as Christians, the reason you and I should do good is that God has done unparalleled good in our lives by giving us His Son, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose from the grave so that we may have fellowship with God and with each other. Jesus is our catalyst for doing good.

In the movie Batman Begins, Bruce becomes Batman to become a legend and a symbol against crime. As Christians, we do good for others so that they may come to glorify God. We do not do good for our own glory, but for people to see God as glorious as we follow His Son Jesus as His disciples. Jesus is not just a legend or a made-up fairy tale, but the fullness of who God is as man (Col. 2:9; Heb. 1:3). Once we put our faith in Christ, we have become the righteousness of God by Jesus’s active work on the cross for us (2 Cor. 5:21). So, we are good because of what God has done for us, and we do good because of what God has done for us. This impacts our lives as we no longer live for ourselves, but for God.

Matthew 5:16 changes our mindset about doing good to prove we are good, shifting our motivation to do everything for God’s glory. We are not meant to be superheroes like Batman. When I have done things for my own glory or for other people to see me as good, I feel a certain amount of misery because I am not meant to be glorified; God is. There is a certain amount of peace I feel in doing things for God’s glory as I rest in Him, and the righteousness that He has bestowed upon me to do good. So, we, as Christians, should do all for God’s glory, as He is deserving of all glory.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Can you remember a time when you were a child and your parents disciplined you for doing something wrong?  For most of us, that would be a long list.  My mom was a softie when it came to discipline, but I remember smarting off to her one afternoon, and she dragged me to the bathroom and rubbed a bar of soap on my tongue.  That shut my mouth.  And you know what?  I don’t remember smarting off to her after that.  I learned from that experience and grew up a little bit.

Our passage today tells us that God disciplines every single one of his children, but sometimes we can miss the lesson he is trying to teach us.  We take his discipline “lightly.”  In other words, we ignore it, not realizing God is trying to get our attention.  Or perhaps we have the wrong attitude about it.  We get angry and pout.  We refuse to listen, learn and submit.

So here are a couple important things to remember.

(1) God’s discipline teaches us to respect him.  When my mom rubbed soap on my tongue, I learned an important lesson that day.  I learned that she’s not a patsy.  And neither is God.  He sees everything.  He knows everything.  And we can’t manipulate him, lie to him, deceive him, or escape his grasp.  Divine discipline reminds us that we can’t get away with anything, and it teaches us to fear the Lord.

(2) God’s discipline proves his love for us.  We may not always associate discipline with love.  But I assure you God does.  When I was a kid, my dad often disciplined me in anger.  But God never flies off the handle and loses his cool.  He always disciplines us in love.  And his discipline is, in fact, a sign that we are his children.  If God didn’t love us, he wouldn’t bother to correct us.  He wouldn’t care what happens to us.  He wouldn’t even waste his time by paying any attention to us. So discipline is a sign of his love.

(3) God disciplines us for our good.  Whenever we experience God’s discipline, it’s helpful to remember that he always has our best in mind.  He always has a good purpose.  And some of those purposes are stated in this passage: to share in his holiness (v. 10); to produce a harvest of righteousness and peace (v. 11).  Why does discipline result in peace?  Because it helps us avoid all kinds of mistakes that would wreck our lives.
 
The next time you experience the Father’s discipline, I hope these reminders encourage your heart.

The Berean Bible (www.Berean.Bible) Berean Study Bible (BSB) ©
2016, 2020 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved.

In the quiet but agonizing moments of Gethsemane, Jesus Himself modeled the deepest form of surrender. As He fell on His face before the Father, He prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). Luke records the same heart‑cry: “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:41–42). Even the sinless Son bowed to the Father’s perfect will. His example reminds us that surrender is not weakness — it is trust. It is the acknowledgment that God’s will is wiser, higher, and more glorious than anything we could design for ourselves.

Scripture consistently affirms that God’s will is not only good but sovereign. Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Paul exhorts us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). And Ephesians 1:11 reminds us that God “works all things according to the counsel of His will.” From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible paints a clear picture: God rules over every detail of creation, every moment of history, and every circumstance of our lives. Daniel declares boldly that none can stay His hand or question His authority (Daniel 4:35). His sovereignty is not partial — it is total.

This truth becomes especially precious when life feels overwhelming. The past months have been filled with challenges that would stretch any family: spinal surgery, nearly twenty doctor appointments a month, two high school graduations, a fifteen‑day hospital stay, months of preparation for a missions trip which concluded with a two‑week missions trip in Kenya, and even more sickness at home. Yet through every appointment, every hospital room, every moment of exhaustion, God carried us. Not because the path was smooth, but because His grace was sufficient. You can look back and say with confidence: Only by the grace of God did we make it through. His sovereignty was not theoretical — it was our lifeline.

Even our daily schedule reflects His sustaining power. From early‑morning swim practice and exercise, to shots and nebulizers, urgent care visits, orthodontist appointments, missions week transportation, medication pickups, and more rounds of nebulizers — our day is full, demanding, and relentless. And yet, God meets us in every hour. He provides strength when we wake, endurance as we move, patience as we serve, and rest when the day finally slows. His control over both the “minute” and the “enormous” things is not just comforting — it is essential. Without Him, the weight would be unbearable. With Him, the load becomes purposeful.

So you rightly ask: How does the world survive without You, Lord? Where is their hope? The answer is simple — it doesn’t. Not truly. Hope apart from Christ is fragile, temporary, and empty. But hope in Christ is steady, sovereign, and eternal. As you walk through each day, remember this freeing truth: God is in control of all things, and you are not. And that is the greatest mercy of all.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

God not only has fashioned us and put us together the way we are, but He also designs us to accomplish particular things for Him.  We are, “created in Christ Jesus for good works…”   God has planned for us to do good works. “Good works,” describes that which is good in its character and beneficial in its effect. It is morally honorable, pleasing to God, and therefore beneficial.

We are not in competition with one another in our service for God.  He has placed us here to accomplish certain works for Him. Not everyone will be doing the same thing. He has designed us and placed us into the Body of Christ to compliment one another. Our church is a local manifestation of the Universal Body of Christ. He is putting us together as a body or team to effectively serve Him. As we work together some of us will do children’s ministry, some will do visitation, some will do acts of service, some will be greeters, others will be adult teachers, etc. No one ministry is more important than another, but together they make us effective in reaching out to our world and ministering one to another.

But just doing ministry and being busy is not fulfilling God's design for your life. Busyness is not the same as godliness or spirituality. We can be very busy doing the work of the church without living in God’s will or following His plan. One of the reasons we as Christians are not experiencing the joy and freedom to be all God saved us to be is that we are not living according to the way the Lord has uniquely created and gifted us. We will not sense fulfillment in our lives spiritually, unless we are involved in the ministry for which He has equipped us.

So often in life, we get busy doing things. Things that are often not wrong in and of themselves. These things may even be service and ministry oriented. We are busy and really not watching the leading of the Lord. He calls us to come stand by Him and rest, but we often refuse because we feel we are too busy. We tire of all the activity, but we keep going thinking surely God is pleased with our busyness and effort. But all this time He is continuing to call us to come stand near Him until exhausted we finally come.
 
Today we should allow the Holy Spirit to direct us in our acts of service.  Busyness is not our goal, but we should desire to do what is accomplishing God’s will for our lives.  The Lord wants our service to flow out of a growing relationship with Him.  Take time to stand near the Lord today.

Prayer:  Lord, I don’t want to just be busy doing things but I want to accomplish what You have designed me to do.  Help me to see how You have made me that I might effectively serve You.  Amen

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

July is when we celebrate our nation’s birthday, our independence. We make quite a big deal about independence, and liberty and freedom in this country, especially in July. But why is that? Why do we as Americans think so highly of freedom, and make such a big deal about emphasizing it? If you look around at other similar nations to us you might think that we all have freedom now, that we are all basically the same. And on the surface there is some truth to that. However upon closer scrutiny of their core laws, constitutions, or other guiding documents shows that the liberty we celebrate in our country is not codified in their laws, meaning it can easily be altered and taken away at the whim of the ruling government.

So what does this all have to do with this passage in Galatians? Well before we get to that I think it shows there really is still something for us to celebrate in this country. For all its failings, for all the sin that seems to abound around us, we truly are blessed to live in a free society, under a freedom that is codified and cannot be taken away so easily from the government we elect. But celebrate as we should, we also need to focus on what we do with that freedom. As stated in the passage above that liberty does not exist so we can simply carry on as we might and engage in all manner of sin, by no means. As a result of our freedom we are called to serve one another in love and good deeds.
 
Just as we have freedom in Christ, we are not to use that freedom to go around sinning as we would like, but rather to use that freedom to make ourselves more like Christ. And the freedom we have here in America affords us a tremendous opportunity to share the eternal freedom we have with others. When we think about our independence, remember that there are people in countries where they are forbidden to worship or speak about Jesus as they please. Imagine them seeing us, with the freedom to worship and share the good news with whomever we wish, and yet being silent about the hope that is in us. This July let’s remember and celebrate the freedom we have in this country and take advantage of that freedom by sharing the ultimate freedom that exists in Christ with those around us.

New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

There are many promises in the Bible that can comfort us in times of difficulty. God promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). And we are promised that “for those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).

Other promises in Scripture are... less comforting. Take the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:12: “All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Persecution is promised to all who seek to be committed followers of Jesus. Jesus Himself promised His disciples persecution on the night before His crucifixion: “A servant is not greater than his master... if they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Talk about a bummer of a promise! But these passages are clear that persecution should be expected as part of faithful Christian living.

But the promise of persecution is hardly emphasized by the American church. Even if we haven’t succumbed to the false gospel of “health and wealth,” we generally prefer a comfortable form of Christianity. We are willing to suffer for Jesus on occasion... the whispered remarks of our co-workers around the water cooler, the angry social media tirades, and even the forcing of our beliefs out of the public square. Hatred, discrimination, and tarnished reputations are still persecution, though less severe than imprisonment, torture, and death. But by and large, persecution is an anomaly for the American Christian’s lived experience.

Not so for many of our brothers and sisters around the globe. According to the Voice of the Martyrs, 1 in 7 Christians worldwide live under severe persecution. Or consider the World Watch List, published yearly by Open Doors. Huge swaths of the globe are colored red (extreme persecution) or orange (very high persecution), including China, India, Nigeria, and most of the Muslim world. Some other sobering numbers: more Christians were martyred in the 20th century than in all other previous centuries... combined. Last year, almost 5,000 Christians were martyred, most of them in Nigeria.

I’ve met men and women who live with this reality of persecution.  My grandfather Monnie, one of Campus’ supported missionaries, travels around the world training persecuted pastors and church leaders. I accompanied him 7 or 8 times in high school. I sat and listened to the stories of these persecuted Christians, their sacrifice of jobs, homes, families, and all the comforts of life that we take for granted. But the exuberant love they have for their Savior, for whom they have given so much, overflows with every word they share. To see such joyful eyes in such somber faces is convicting, to say the least.

These men and women have suffered so much and given so much, I ponder. Would I be willing to do the same for my King? Am I prepared to “suffer the loss of all things... in order that I might gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8)? To add to my reflections, the persecuted Christians I met repeatedly affirmed that the difference between those who endured persecution and those who shrank in its face was their attitude before persecution started. Those who endured decided beforehand that they would follow Jesus, no matter the cost.

I think the American church could learn much from the persecuted church. Their commitment to the cause of Christ is awe-inspiring. But they desperately need our prayers as well. Persecution may be promised, but that doesn’t make it easy. The Voice of the Martyrs has an app (search for “VOM App”) that gives you a different country to pray for each day, a country where Christians are suffering for the name of Jesus. It’s been helpful for me to pray for the persecuted church; maybe it will help you as well. And as you pray, let the courage of our persecuted brethren inspire us to face whatever forms of persecution might come our way.

"English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers."

I don't know why but whenever I think about dying I can get a little fearful. I'm embarrassed to admit that sometimes I wonder, "What if all I have believed in about death and going to be with Jesus doesn't happen?"

The other day I shamefully voiced this to a friend and she was a little shocked. It made me realize that I really needed to take this to the Lord in prayer. On my morning walk today I spent some time asking the Lord to speak to me and give me the assurance I needed to believe in my heart what I knew with my mind He has said, "I will be with you always even unto the end of the age." (Matt. 28:20)

Later in the day I was continuing my reading in Psalm 49. The Lord was exhorting me about trusting in wealth and riches, that "none of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him…For the redemption of their souls is costly…" In other words, we can't take our wealth with us and it can't be used to pay for the redemption of my soul or anyone else's. It is the Lord who redeems, He has paid the price.

Then the Lord gave me the assurance I had asked him for…"But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me. Selah" You know sometimes we can read a passage over and over and it not reveal the mystery of the message. And then one day you read it and it stands out with boldness! These words were the exact words I needed to hear! "He shall receive me." I have a perfect answer in my heart the next time that particular fear/doubt creeps into my mind.

Thank you Jesus that "You will perfect all that concerns me..." (Psalm 138:8)

Thy Word | Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith

Chorus 1
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path

Verse 1
When I feel afraid
And I think I've lost my way
Still You're there right beside me
Nothing will I fear
As long as You are near
Please be near me to the end

Verse 2
I will not forget
Your love for me and yet
My heart forever is wandering
Jesus be my guide
And hold me to Your side
I will love You to the end

©1984 Meadowgreen Music Company and Word Music, LLC
CCLI Song #14301  CCLI License #144020

Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.  Psalm 119:11

New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

In 2000, I joined a church-planting team in Tokyo. For two years, I struggled with a difficult team leader, wanting many times to give up and go home. During this challenging season, I wrestled with what God was doing in our lives and found myself consistently reminded of 2 Corinthians 4 which states "For God, who said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness'—He has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. 8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. 9 We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. 10 Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies."
   
My wife, Kathi, and I could deeply identify with verses 8 and 9 about being pressed on every side. We felt like we had been completely obedient to God’s leading, leaving our home and family even though it was so hard. On top of that, Japanese language study proved to be unbelievably difficult while managing a one-year-old and a two-and-a-half-year-old with no family nearby to support us. It was easy to feel crushed and perplexed.

But the scripture reveals the purpose behind this pressure: treasure. Usually, when we picture a treasure chest, we think of an old, rusty box where only the jewels and money inside hold value. But here we see truly valuable treasure within us as "the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus". This glory encompasses all of God’s beauty, majesty, and awesome power. When we truly see the Creator God for who He is and what He has done, we adore Him. Naturally, we do not adore Him because our hearts are dark with sin and selfishness; nevertheless, God shines His light into our hearts and causes us to love Him. This treasure is found entirely in the person of Jesus, and when we read about Him in the Word, we see just how precious and sweet He is.

Elsewhere, this treasure is compared to a precious ointment. Ointment was a rare, expensive kind of perfume rubbed over the body to make a person feel and smell better. The Scripture implies that the glory of Jesus is like a sweet-smelling ointment, highly valuable because it is so rare—there is only one Savior, and His blood cleanses us from all our sins.

Verse 7 explains that God has chosen to put this amazingly precious treasure into "clay jars," or what other translations call "earthen vessels." Clay pots are typically cheap, common, easily broken, and unimportant containers; it is solely what is inside them—whether plain water or expensive perfume—that matters. Here, Paul is telling us that our bodies contain the grace and power of God, which is exactly what gives them infinite value. God did not choose to put His fragrance into a beautiful flask or entrust it to angels; instead, He put it into fragile, sinful, and weak people like you and me. Because there are no impressive credentials necessary to be a clay pot, every single one of us qualifies.

Why did God choose to use clay jars? So that He alone receives the glory, as verse 7 notes: "so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us." God's chosen method for spreading the precious treasure of His fragrance is to crack the pot. When the pot has a crack in it, the sweet fragrance of His grace oozes out.

He uses the pressures of life—disappointment, sickness, and heartache—to reveal whether the ointment inside is truly from Him. When you feel squeezed by life and start to explode at your kids or other drivers on the road, it forces the question: Am I filled with myself, or am I filled with Him? If I am filled with Him, then when I break, He is the one who leaks out. His glory can handle any situation, but too often our jars are full of ourselves instead of His Spirit.

Looking back at our time in Japan, I have to admit that a lot of "me" squeezed out during that high-pressure period. I felt frustration that my team leader was so difficult, envy when I saw other missionaries accomplishing fruitful ministry, disappointment when my own ideas failed, and a distinct lack of faith when our finances got very tight. Yet, as I allowed Him to leak out of me, I witnessed incredible things—such as seeing Kimiko’s and Masanori’s lives completely changed. God faithfully gave me the grace to keep working under a difficult leader, and we ultimately saw God’s glory shine beautifully through us as cracked pots, as well as through each disciple we made.

New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Simone Biles had been a decorated gymnast for nearly her whole life, leading up to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. I still remember hearing the shocking news that she was withdrawing from the team and all-around competitions at the Olympics. At the time, I didn’t understand why such a decorated athlete would walk away from arguably the world’s largest competition stage. What I’ve since discovered is that she had a case of the “twisties,” which prevented her from competing. She essentially lost her sense of air awareness. There was a disconnect between what her brain was experiencing and the muscle memory of her body's movements. Obviously, it is pretty dangerous for an athlete to lose awareness mid-air during competition, but I imagine this was also devastating to her confidence. Even though her muscle memory knew what to do, her brain was telling her something completely different, making her doubt herself.

We may not personally know the intensity of getting the “twisties” at a moment like that, but in our own way, we all can feel like Simone. Most of us have been derailed by unexpected or undesired self-doubt at some point, and that’s not fun. I personally have had experiences where my doubt has gone beyond how I see myself. But I can’t be the only one, can I? Maybe you’ve thought, “Because of who I am, others see me as unqualified, too.” Maybe you’ve felt useless. Or maybe you think questions, insecurities, doubts, mistakes, or something that’s happened in your past have sidelined you forever. If you’ve ever felt like that, you’re in good company because I imagine that’s exactly how Moses felt. Yet God used him in some truly extraordinary ways.

At the time God called to Moses, Moses was a murderer, fugitive, and, dare I say, a bit of a coward. Moses tried to convince God that he wasn’t the man for the job. He told God he wasn’t smart enough. He wasn’t persuasive enough. He just couldn’t do it. But when Moses protested, God promised. God assured Moses when he doubted himself that He would be with him every step of the way. We see Moses doubt his own skills and talents, but that didn’t disqualify him from being used by God. What we see is God’s desire to use Moses and God’s ability to work despite Moses’ deficiencies. This is one of the reasons why I love the God we serve!!! Being used by God does not require an entrance exam, a driver’s license, a resume, or a high GPA. God only asks us to say, “Yes” to the call, and He promises to be with us every step of the way!

And notice that God doesn’t say, “Before I use you, I need your doubts about me to be gone.” God says, “I want to use you. I have your back no matter what. Will you take the first step?” God knows our feelings about ourselves. He knows our feelings about Him. Our doubts, insecurities, failures. Yet, He longs for us to say yes even amid doubt, failure, or hurt because those things don’t change the fact that God can use us to do amazing things! And just like God promised Moses, we can trust His presence will always be with us. Trusting in God’s presence is a powerful way to push past our mistakes, failures, sins, and doubts. He invites us to see that when we doubt ourselves, He can still use us.
 

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

When I was younger – and in much better shape – I used to go on solo backpacking trips in the Sierra mountains.  I would scour the map for a remote lake nestled in a forest and get away for a few days of solitude and prayer.

One year I remember lying in my tent reading through the Book of Exodus.  The warm glow of the sun cast a purple hue through the walls of my tent and I could hear the leaves dancing in the wind outside.  As I lay there in the wilderness, I read about God leading the Israelites through a different wilderness thousands of years earlier.  Coming out of Egypt and passing through the Red Sea, the Israelites were rejoicing.  But they were out in the middle of nowhere, trying to survive in the harsh desert, hungry, afraid, and uncertain about where to go or what to do next.  Except for the fact that God was leading them in a radiant cloud of shekinah glory by day and a blazing pillar of fire by night.
 
As I read about God’s presence leading the Israelites through wilderness, I sighed: “God, I wish I had that.”  But I sensed the Lord correcting me: “You have something better.”

Several years ago, it was trendy to play a game called “Would You Rather?”  People would ask each other ridiculous questions like, “Would you rather go without shampoo for the rest of your life or toothpaste for the rest of your life?”  Or “Would you rather have to speak in rhyme for the rest of your life or speak in riddles for the rest of your life?”

Let me ask you a more serious “Would You Rather” question.  Would you rather have Jesus standing in front of you or living inside of you?  Be honest.

I think most of us would choose option 1.  But in my tent, God showed me that it’s far better to have God dwell inside of us than beside us.

That’s exactly what Jesus told the disciples: “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7).

Believe it or not, when God led the Israelites through the wilderness in a pillar of fire, they took it for granted.  They grumbled and complained and threatened to go back to Egypt. They questioned God at every turn.  Even as Moses stood in the furnace of God’s fiery presence on Mount Sinai, the people partied at the foot of the mountain and fashioned a golden calf to worship.

No, it’s much better to become a living temple in which the presence of God abides forever.  When God comes to dwell in us, the Spirit raises us from death to life.  He breaks the chains of sin and circumcises our hearts.  He transforms us from the inside out and impels us rather than compels us.  He’s still a consuming fire, but now his fire cleanses and purifies.  His shekinah glory still leads us, but now it never goes away, and it shines through us, not merely to us.

As you go about your business today, ask yourself if you really believe this.  Ask yourself: “Would I rather have Jesus standing in front of me or living inside of me?”

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.