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“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Ephesians 6:18–20

Corrie ten Boom once asked this question: “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” Prayer is meant to be a constant, ongoing, continual part of our lives day after day, yet too often we relegate it to a last resort that we only turn to once everything else has failed. Though it is certainly right and proper to cry out to God in moments of crisis and trouble, prayer should simply be an extension of the normal practice and pattern of our lives.

The instruction of Jesus that we are to pray for daily bread indicates the normal nature of consistent praying. We are to pray about the simple and basic things of life just as we should about the major issues. Just as our muscles grow through continued exercise, our faith and our praying is strengthened through repetition. Day after day as we go to God in prayer, we are building the strength of character and belief that will see us through the hard times when they come.

There are no men and women with powerful prayer lives who only pray in crisis. We are to be always praying. In addition to being required for obedience, this habit of prayer supports us in those moments when we have no place to turn except to God. The Christian with a strong prayer life, developed over time through daily prayer, is equipped to handle the difficult times. Daniel did not suddenly start praying when the law was passed forbidding it. Instead, he simply continued his habit of praying throughout the day.

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”

Matthew 3:16–4:1

Though Jesus was fully and completely God, He was also fully human. After the long walk from the northern part of Israel to where John the Baptist was preaching in the south, Jesus entered the Jordan River to be baptized. I’m sure it must have been enormously encouraging to Him to hear an expression of approval from His Heavenly Father. Jesus was baptized as an example, not because He needed to repent and show a visible outward expression of His repentance. He was completely holy and perfect.

Yet it was immediately after that moment of Divine approval, that Jesus faced a time of great testing. There are few times in our Christian life when we are more vulnerable to temptation than after a great victory. When we have seen God work in a powerful way, when great things have been accomplished, the natural tendency is for us to let down our guard. Satan knows this, and it is then that he often does his most effective work.

We see this vividly illustrated in the life of Elijah. Immediately following the great display of God’s power on Mt. Carmel with fire falling from Heaven, the false prophets being destroyed, and the prayers for rain answered, Elijah fled for his life because of a threat from Jezebel. He even asked God to kill him, thinking that his ministry had come to an end. The victory can be lost if we are not careful.

“And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.”

Mark 4:35–37

After a long day of teaching, Jesus told His disciples to sail across the Sea of Galilee. He was tired, and went to sleep in the back of the boat. During the night a severe storm arose, threatening to sink the boat. To understand this story we must remember that a number of Jesus’ disciples had spent their lives fishing on those waters, and they knew the difference between a little storm and a big one. These professional fishermen were terrified of the storm, thinking they were about to die. They awakened Jesus, and He calmed the storm.

Many times when we are enduring hardships and difficulties we think that it is because we have done something wrong. But while God does chastise and punish disobedience, it is often the case that we are facing storms, not because we are in the wrong place, but because we are doing what is right. The disciples were in the same boat with Jesus when the storm came. The devil does not spend much time attacking Christians who are doing nothing for God. They are not causing him any trouble. It is the committed, dedicated, consistent Christians who often face the worst storms.

In the moment of trial, we must never forget that God is faithful to meet every need. As one old preacher put it, “When Jesus says ‘pass over,’ you don’t need to fear going under!” A storm will never come into your life that is greater than God.

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.”

Psalm 37:3–6

Faith is ultimately only as good as the object of faith. No matter how sincere we are in our belief, if what we trust is not reliable, we will be disappointed. Many people trusted Bernie Madoff with their money only to find themselves with nothing. Because the Titanic was thought to be unsinkable, the great ship only carried enough lifeboats for half of the passengers. Many people thought that the sun would never set on the British Empire. No matter how sincerely these beliefs were held, they were proven to be wrong.

D. L. Moody said, “Trust in yourself, and you are doomed to disappointment. Trust in your friends, and they will die and leave you. Trust in money, and you may have it taken from you. Trust in reputation, and some slanderous tongue may blast it. But trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity.”

The only object of faith that has never failed is the eternally unchanging God that we serve. When we trust what He has promised, we will never find our faith unrewarded. “Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant” (1 Kings 8:56). No matter who else fails you or lets you down, you can always trust in God. He is ever faithful, and He never lets His children down.

“Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owner’s thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?”

Ecclesiastes 5:9–11

In his book, Salt Sugar Fat, Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist Michael Moss explains how the food industry gets us hooked on empty calories. He says companies spend an enormous amount of time and money developing irresistible blends that prevent “sensory specific satiety.” This fosters misdirected cravings that trigger greater food consumption. No matter how much of this kind of food we eat, we will never be satisfied. And that is by the design of the manufacturers.

Temptation works in much the same way. The devil tells us that if we just sin this one time it will make us happy and content. Yet there is no contentment or true satisfaction in the pleasures of the world. The more we indulge ourselves in sin, the more we want. And if we continue to sin, we simply go deeper and deeper into evil without ever reaching the state of satisfaction. No one sets out to lose a job through addiction or a family through immorality or freedom through embezzlement, but sin spirals and brings down everyone who comes into its clutches.

The illusion that we are in control of our sin is one of Satan’s most effective weapons. Like Samson assuming that he still had his power after his hair was cut, we think that we can handle sin and stop at any point. But sin always brings bondage in place of its promised pleasure and satisfaction. The only path to freedom is in promptly confessing, repenting of, and forsaking sin. The longer we continue in sin, the stronger the chains become.

“Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Matthew 4:8–10

I read about a group of online shoppers who suggest a technique called “cart abandonment.” You find an item that you’re interested in and put it in your shopping cart, but don’t make the purchase. They say that almost without exception in a few days you will get a coupon or a special offer. The sellers know that you are interested because you put the item in the cart, and they will try to do whatever they can to get you to come back and complete the sale. They don’t give up just because you didn’t purchase immediately.

The devil works the same way. Even though Jesus completely shut down his first two temptations, Satan still came back with a third one. Saying “no” to sin today does not mean that the temptation will not return tomorrow (or sooner). Sin is not defeated once and for all, but must be fought and resisted again and again and again. If Satan repeatedly tempted Jesus, we should not be surprised that he does the same to us.

We are instructed to be constantly on guard for his attacks. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan knows the effectiveness of repetition, and he uses it as a tool to wear down a person’s resistance toward sin. Alexander Pope wrote:

Vice is a monster of so frightful mien
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.

“And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him. But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.”

Judges 16:20–21

All of us are guilty from time to time of taking things for granted. We rarely think about the work that goes into making sure that the lights come on when we flip the switch, or the way that the shelves in the stores are refilled so that items are always available for purchase. It is usually only during a crisis or emergency, when things don’t happen as they usually do, that we think about what it takes to make them work. The same is true in our spiritual lives as well.

Often we just assume that the presence of God will be in our church or our home or with us as we go through our day. Yet while the Holy Spirit living within never leaves us, that does not mean that we are experiencing the fullness of His power—the power that we so urgently need to face the challenges and struggles of each day. Even Moses, knew that he was absolutely dependent on the presence of God as he prayed, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence” (Exodus 33:15).

We cannot rush from place to place and task to task without stopping to take time for God and expect the sweetness of His presence to be with us throughout the day. If we presume that He is helping us, we are likely to find ourselves facing a challenge for which we are unequipped on our own.

“Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him. For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be? There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.”

Ecclesiastes 8:6–8

It is a normal part of human nature to want to kick back and take it easy. Most people look forward to their vacations, perhaps even counting down the days until they leave the normal responsibilities of work behind and take some time off. While there is a time and a place for rest, and it is important to our physical and mental health, there are some responsibilities that never stop. One of those is the ongoing spiritual warfare that we face on a daily basis. The devil doesn’t take days off, and if we let down our guard and take time off spiritually, we will be defeated.

This tendency is what led to the greatest downfall of David’s life. “And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 11:1). When we are not where we are supposed to be, doing what we are supposed to be doing, we are in great spiritual danger. There will come a day in Heaven when we can lay aside our armor and all battles will cease, but until we stand in God’s presence, there will never be a discharge from spiritual warfare. Stay alert and stay involved in the battle to avoid becoming a casualty.

“For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”

1 Corinthians 14:31–33

Our society is filled with confusion. Truths that have been known and believed for centuries are being questioned and cast aside. Everything seems to be up for debate, discussion, or decision through a popularity contest. A good deal of this confusion is the result of a concerted campaign to blur the clear lines of truth and replace them with indistinct markers that can be crossed or redrawn at any time without consequences.

The reality is that no matter what the world around us may say, truth is eternal and unchanging. What God said in the past is still true today. Just as the law of gravity operates whether a person believes it or not, the laws God has given in His Word apply equally to believers and unbelievers. There are no exceptions—no special cases to whom the rules do not apply. And while we should always be gracious in our dealings with others, we should not allow the confusion that clouds the truth to infect our language or our thinking.

When God’s people abandon the certainty of truth, confusion always follows. We should not be surprised when the world blurs the lines. That process has been going on since the Garden of Eden. Our task is to take a stand on the truths God has declared in His Word and refuse all efforts to change or alter what He has spoken. Both the church and the world need the clarion voice of truth, more in this day of confusion than ever before. “For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” (1 Corinthians 14:8).

“Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.”

James 3:13–16

In Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan describes in vivid detail many of the people Christian meets as he travels from the City of Destruction to find salvation. Though a few of them are helpful, many hinder his journey. Among the first people Christian meets is someone called Worldly Wiseman who inhabits the city of Carnal Policy, and tries to soothe Christian’s fears about the state of his soul. Worldly Wiseman mocks the gospel message Christian has heard, and warns that if he attempts to follow that path, he will suffer greatly. He tries to divert Christian from the right path by offering alternatives to what God has declared. Only the return of Evangelist keeps Christian from being turned away from seeking eternal life.

The world is filled with voices that offer us advice that appeals to our pride, our intellect, and our appetites, but is contrary to God’s purpose and plan. Just as he does with so much else, the devil offers a counterfeit version of true wisdom, designed to lead us astray. Divine wisdom provides us direction and guidance for daily living in a way that is both pleasing to God and powerful in influencing those around us toward Him. “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time” (Colossians 4:5). One of the distinguishing characteristics that allows us to discern the difference between God’s wisdom and worldly wisdom is the focus. Worldly wisdom only cares about the temporal and physical, while God’s wisdom is concerned with the eternal.

“Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”

Psalm 84:9–11

The heart of Satan’s lure to Eve in the Garden of Eden was the false notion that God was unfairly holding things back from her. If she would just eat the forbidden fruit, then she would have greater spiritual knowledge and be more like God. That lie appealed to Eve thousands of years ago, and the devil is still using the same false promises today. It works because our selfish nature finds it easy to believe that people are withholding things from us, and we wrongly think the same of God.

If we properly understand His nature, we see that He is a good and generous God. In fact, nothing that we have is because we deserve it—every good thing we receive is because of His grace. Our pride does not like to admit that we are not worthy of God’s grace. We prefer to think that He owes us good things and that if we do not receive all that we want, we are somehow being cheated.

In reality, God does not give us what we deserve, and we should be extremely grateful for it. “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10). Rather than griping and complaining about not getting what we think we deserve, we should be thanking and praising God that we do not get what we really deserve. And when we look at life in that light, we will find it easy to be grateful Christians.

“And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 8:29–32

I read of a sociologist who was a committed atheist and hated religion. He traveled deep into the jungle in hopes of finding a tribe that had not been exposed to the outside world. He finally reached a group living in isolation. To his dismay, he found that a missionary had been there before him, and that the chief and many members of the tribe were Christians. Seeing the chief reading his Bible, the professor said, “That book is a worthless collection of myths.” The chief looked at him for a moment, then replied, “If it were not for that book, we would have killed you, and you would be in my cooking pot right now.”

The Bible changes lives because the Bible is the truth of God given to direct our lives. God never leaves us as He finds us. His purpose and plan is to mold and shape us into the image of His Son, and it is the power of the Word that works in our hearts and minds to bring about that transformation. It is not a one-moment event, but an ongoing process that lasts for the rest of our lives for us to be renewed and changed by the truth. Paul wrote, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). We do not hear the Word once, but over and over again, and in that process our faith is built and our lives are transformed.

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”

Ephesians 5:15–18

Timothy Treadwell loved wildlife. He spent summers in Alaska camping in the wild. Treadwell especially loved grizzly bears. He believed that he had a special connection and relationship with the bears, and ignored the warnings of park rangers and others who tried to tell him that the wild animals were dangerous. In 2003, Treadwell stayed in the Katmai National Park after the summer ended despite the fact that bears become more dangerous in the fall. In October, Treadwell was attacked and killed by a bear. He was confident that he had made friends with the bears and that they would not harm him, but he was tragically wrong.

The world is full of people who are living foolishly, and a number of them are Christians. Rather than walking according to God’s direction given in the Bible, they choose to go their own way, ignoring the fact that we do not have the necessary insight and wisdom to choose the right path on our own. “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

The wise walk is only available to those who are willing to walk in the Spirit—to trust God’s wisdom above their own and follow it. The will and purpose of God for our lives is not hidden, but shown to us in the pages of Scripture. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we have the ability to read and apply the truths of God’s Word to the daily decisions of life. We walk wisely when we walk obediently.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”

2 Corinthians 10:3–6

Anyone who has ever tried to drive a nail with the handle of a screwdriver or the heel of a shoe knows that it can be very difficult to do a job with the wrong tool. Sometimes it is impossible. There is only one tool that will work, and no matter how hard we may try, we cannot do the job without the right tool. Spiritual warfare is one of those areas. The tool that we have been given is the Bible. Nothing else will suffice.

Charles Spurgeon said, “‘It is written.’ Stand upon it, and if the devil were fifty devils in one, he could not overcome you. On the other hand, if you leave ‘It is written,’ Satan knows more about reasoning than you do. He is far older, has studied mankind very thoroughly, and knows all our weak points. Therefore, the contest will be an unequal one. Do not argue with him, but wave in his face the banner of God’s Word. Satan cannot endure the infallible truth, for it is death to the falsehood of which he is the father.”

Every day we do not use the Bible to respond to temptation, is a day when we will be defeated. The Lord has not called us to do battle with our own weapons, but with His Word. It is our protection, our strength, our guide, our wisdom, and the sole weapon with which we can resist Satan.

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

James 1:22–25

The Bible is not given to us as merely a source of information, though it is completely reliable in all the knowledge it contains. The Bible is given to us primarily as a source of transformation—it is meant to change us through the work of the Holy Spirit as we learn its truths and apply them to our life. Nothing in Scripture is meant to be read and ignored, but taken to heart and put into practice.

J. Vernon McGee said, “There is a difference between being a student in a class and being an auditor. I used to have quite a few folk who would audit my classes when I was teaching at the Bible Institute in downtown Los Angeles many years ago. I had more trouble with the auditors than I ever did with the students. Those auditors never had to take exams; they never had to make preparation; they never wrote any papers; they never got a diploma. They didn’t do anything. They just sat there.”

God does not correct us so that we know we are wrong; rather He corrects us so that we will change. The Bible is the standard by which we evaluate our spiritual condition. When the Word shows us a shortcoming in our lives, it also gives us the power to change that so that we come into alignment with God’s purpose and will.

“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:12–14

The collapse of the French defenses and the rapid advance of the Nazi armies in May of 1940 left hundreds of thousands of British, Canadian, and French forces in danger of being surrounded and destroyed. A desperate rescue effort was put in place called Operation Dynamo. British officials hoped to save at least 45,000 troops by using naval boats and fishing vessels to ferry them across the English Channel before the Germans arrived. The operation was a huge success, and in the end nearly 350,000 Allied soldiers were rescued. Many in England viewed it as a triumph, but Winston Churchill took to the floor of the House of Commons to point out a painful truth amid the rejoicing. “We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations.”

The direction of the Christian life is meant to be forward, not backward. Though we encounter obstacles and opposition, we must remember that retreat is not an option and that the victory has already been secured for us. “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). We are not to be constantly looking back either in regret for things done or undone, or with desire for what is in the past. Instead we are to be looking to Jesus and striving to accomplish all that we can for Him.

“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”

John 18:36–37

Social scientists tell us that one of the most common questions people ask is, “Why am I here?” Christians and the unsaved alike have the innate knowledge that we were created for a reason, even though some go to great lengths to deny even the existence of God. There is still something within us that longs for meaning and purpose in life. There was no question in the heart and mind of Jesus as to what He was meant to accomplish. He had the confidence in His mission that kept Him going in the face of obstacles and opposition. We need that same level of intentional living so that our lives are not wasted on things that do not matter.

Nearly twenty-five years ago, when our children were still young, Terrie and I wrote out a purpose statement for our family. When it was complete, each member of the family signed it. The Chappell Family Purpose Statement says, “The purpose of our family is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ through obedience to His Word, and by edifying and exhorting one another.”

You might not write out a purpose statement, but it is vital that you understand that you have a purpose, and that purpose is to glorify God with your life. It is easy to go through life aimlessly, unless we remember that God created us with a purpose to glorify Him.

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.”

1 Peter 4:12–14

Christians of the first century knew nothing of the religious freedom we enjoy in America today. When they faced persecution, Peter reminded them that being “partakers of Christ’s sufferings” is part of normal Christianity and should be expected.

Indeed, Christians around the world suffer for their faith on a daily basis. Even here in America, we are beginning to see Christians enduring both social and financial hardship because of their beliefs. Christian business owners who do not want to take part in homosexual weddings have been sued and fined hundreds of thousands of dollars. Churches have been told that any sermons preached must be available to be reviewed for discriminatory content. A Christian fire chief was fired because he wrote a book that briefly mentioned the Bible definition of marriage.

Our faith was never meant to be free. Jesus said, “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). While none of us are eager to sign up for persecution, we must be strong enough in our convictions and devoted enough to our Saviour to stand firm no matter what the consequences may be. The rejection we face from the world is the same rejection that Jesus endured, and it should not come as a surprise to us.

The government is charged by God to defend good and punish evil, but often they refuse that task, and instead become threats to those who believe the truth. Our job is to stand for what is right. Moral truth is not determined by popular vote or majority opinion. It is declared by Almighty God, and we must never falter.

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14–16

Christians are supposed to be different from the world. God’s design and command is for us to live in such a way that we are examples of His power to transform a life. Such a life glorifies God, and it also is a powerful witness to those around us.

A few years back, a man whose wife had attended our church for many years finally made the decision to trust Christ as his Saviour. When I asked him what brought him to that decision, he said, “It was seeing my wife get out of bed every morning to pray and read her Bible, and the way she lived as a Christian around me.” This was not a quick decision—in fact it took ten years of a consistent Christian testimony from his wife before he opened his heart to the Lord.

The tragedy of a Christian whose life does not match his message is illustrated for us in the story of the destruction of Sodom. After Lot (Abraham’s nephew) had chosen to live in Sodom for some years, his testimony seems to have completely disappeared. When God sent angels to warn Lot that judgment was coming, he tried to convince his married daughters and sons-in-law to flee with him. “And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law” (Genesis 19:14). If Lot had taken his example more seriously before the moment of crisis, his family and those around him would have been more willing to heed his message.

“And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him. But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:6–7

On a number of occasions over the years people have said to me, “God looks on the heart” as a way to justify an outward appearance in their life that seems to indicate they are not going the right direction. This use of that phrase, however, stands the original context of this statement on its head.

When God rejected Saul for his disobedience, He commanded the prophet Samuel to go on a trip to the city of Bethlehem and anoint one of the sons of Jesse to be the next king over Israel. When Samuel explained his mission to Jesse, the grandson of Boaz and Ruth, Jesse called all of his sons together (except for David whom he did not even consider as a possibility) for Samuel’s review. It was the impressive physical stature and outward appearance of Eliab that drew Samuel’s attention, but God was interested in the heart of the lightly-regarded David. And it was on that basis that David was chosen to be the next king of Israel.

Samuel judged that the heart of Eliab was right because the outside looked good, but God reminded him that it was what was within that truly mattered. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day were masters of presenting a good outward impression, but their hearts were hardened and closed to the truth, and they refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah. No matter how good we may look on the outside, if our hearts are not right, God will not be pleased with our lives.

“Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”

Job 2:9–10

When Satan came before God, God held up Job as an example of a man who truly loved and served Him. What a compliment that would be! Perhaps you know what it was like to be held up as an example of productivity at work or of success in some other setting. The difference here is that it was God saying that Job was righteous and true to Him. But Satan objected to God’s mention of Job; he pointed out that Job had been greatly blessed and argued that Job was only out for the good things serving God brought him. And so, God allowed Satan to take away all that Job had. But, as you know from the book of Job, Job still remained faithful and trusted God just as much in bad times as he had done when things were going well.

The faith that only works in times of abundance, success, and blessing is not a real and grounded faith. While God loves us and wants the best for us, there are many times when what He knows we need conflicts with what we would choose. I came across this prayer of submission to God’s will: “Lord, I am willing to receive what you give; to lack what you withhold; to relinquish what you take; to suffer what you inflict; to be what you require. And, Lord, if others are to be your messengers to me, I am willing to hear and heed what they have to say. Amen.”

The God who knows when a single sparrow falls to the ground and loves us as His children is not blind to our hurts, and His grace is always sufficient.

“And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”

1 Samuel 15:20-22

In 1886, a musician named Daniel Towner was taking part in a D. L. Moody revival campaign in Brockton, Massachusetts. He recounted an experience that took place during a testimony service. A young man described the struggles he had been facing. Towner wrote that he said, “I am not quite sure—but I am going to trust, and I am going to obey.” Struck by the turn of phrase, Towner wrote it down and sent it to a pastor named John H. Sammis along with the story. In a few days he received back the poem we know as the song “Trust and Obey.”

When we walk with the Lord in the light of his Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
When we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

There is no obedience to God without faith. If we do not trust Him, we will not obey what He commands and avoid what He forbids. We must believe God can be trusted. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4).

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

Jeremiah 17:7–9

Because we live in a world that is fallen and under the curse of sin, we have never known what it is like to live in an environment where things are balanced as God originally intended. Here in California we went through several years of extreme drought followed by periods of very heavy rain that produced serious flooding. The drought tested various plants. Those that had strong root systems could pull up water from deep underground, and were able to survive many days without rain.

Just as drought in the physical world stresses vegetation, in the spiritual world people face times when things are not going well—when there is a drought. The resources that we need in those situations are only available when we have strong roots. Those roots of faith allow us to tap into the vast and unlimited resources of God and remain fruitful.

When God commanded Abraham to offer his son Isaac, it was a time of severe testing. But in faith Abraham prepared to do as God said. Only after the altar was built and Isaac placed on it, did God provide the substitute. Because Abraham’s faith did not waver, he saw God’s power on display to meet his need. “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen” (Genesis 22:14).

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.”

Numbers 23:19–21

When Balak, the king of Moab, saw the vast host of the children of Israel moving near his lands on their way to Canaan, he was afraid. So he attempted to hire the noted prophet Balaam to come and pronounce a curse on them. God told Balaam not to go, but after Balak increased his offer, the disobedient prophet made the fateful decision to travel to Moab, although he warned the king that he would only say what God wanted him to say. Instead of a curse, Balaam pronounced a lengthy blessing on the Israelites, which also included some wonderful statements about God’s nature and the way He views us.

When Balaam said that God did not see any sin among the Israelites that was certainly not a declaration of their wonderful and sinless spiritual condition. The Children of Israel were constantly rebelling, disobeying, and complaining. They often angered God by their refusal to follow His commandments, and He often brought judgment on them. Yet God extended them mercy which changed the way He saw them.

Likewise, it is the mercy of God that keeps us from receiving the just consequences of our wrongdoing. It is the mercy of God that views us as righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ that is applied to our account. David wrote, “Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile” (Psalm 32:2).

“The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.”

Psalm 68:17–20

I read a beautiful story from a missionary who was working in a leper colony. During a worship service, he asked if anyone had a favorite song. He said that a woman stood who had the most disfigured face he had ever seen. She had no ears, and most of her nose and lips were gone as well. But she raised her fingerless hand and asked, “Can we sing ‘Count Your Blessings’”?

The ingratitude of the society around us has sadly infected God’s people as well. We have so much for which to be thankful, yet far too often we spend our time complaining about what we think we should have rather than rejoicing in the many undeserved blessings and benefits we have received. God does not owe us anything. Every good gift that comes from His hand is the result of His grace, not our merit.

There are few sins more damaging to our Christian life than ingratitude. Someone said, “If you woke up tomorrow with only those things for which you gave thanks today, what would you have left?” The benefits we receive from God deserve our sincere and continued praise. And because they come day after day, our thanksgiving should rise to Him day after day. The realization that it is God’s goodness that is at the root of our blessing should make us love Him even more.

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”

Psalm 62:5–8

At a time when very few people had any interest in missions, an English shoemaker named William Carey became burdened for the world. He hung a world map in his cobbler shop, and began to pray that God would stir people’s hearts to reach the lost. Before long Carey, known today as the father of modern missions, was on the field in India himself. He labored there for many years, seeing many people saved. When he neared the end of his life, Carey asked for the following inscription to be placed on his tombstone: “A wretched, poor and helpless worm, on Thy kind arms I fall.”

God is our only source of strength in life, and He is our only hope of salvation. No matter how many things we accomplish for Him, it remains all of Him and none of us. The physical strength and mental capacity that allows us to accomplish what we do come from Him. The air that we breath and the earth that produces resources for our needs are not our work but His. And the people with whom we work and minister are created by Him.

There is a great need in our day for a renewed focus on the power and majesty of God Almighty. We need to resist the culture that degrades Him and stand in awe of His glory. We have been given the promise of Divine protection and power. Why then would we rely on what we can accomplish on our own?

“Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.”

Philippians 4:14–17

When Paul was inspired to write his letter to the church at Philippi, he was in a jail cell in Rome. One of the primary reasons Paul wrote them was to thank them for supporting his work financially. Today we take for granted the ease of sending money quickly across the country or even around the world. But in Bible times, the roughly eight hundred miles between Philippi and Rome represented a long, difficult, and even dangerous trip. To be involved in Paul’s ministry, the Philippians not only gave—they made a serious effort to ensure that Paul received their gifts.

The topic of giving can be sensitive to people, but it should not be when we properly realize that everything we have belongs to God. When we cling to our resources, refusing to support the work of the Lord, we are missing out on so many good things. We miss the blessings of being part of reaching people with the gospel. We miss the opportunity to be part of a fruitful work, and forfeit the eternal credit that would accrue to us from giving.

God does not need our financial help to do His work. The investments we can make are insignificant compared to His infinite wealth, and He is not dependent on them. But God knows that we need to give, and so He commands and invites us to be part of the ministry of the gospel. We should not view giving as an obligation, but rather as an opportunity to take part in things that are eternal.

“Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.”

Matthew 26:36–38

In Bible times, the olive was one of the most important crops in Israel. The fruit of the gnarled and twisted olive trees provided food, medicine, light, and much more. Just outside the city of Jerusalem was a place where Jesus often went to pray. If you visit the holy city today, you can see ancient olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane. The word Gethsemane means “oil press.” Olive oil was squeezed by placing heavy weights on a stone which would crush the olives to release what was inside. It was in this place where Jesus went the night before He was to take on the weight of the sins of the world at His crucifixion. Jesus went there to pray.

There is a powerful example for us in this story. When we are under pressure, when the weight of the world seems to be bearing down on us, what is our first response? Some murmur and complain, declaring that it is not fair for them to suffer. Others lash out in anger, speaking against those who have wronged them or blaming God for what has happened. When Jesus, knowing full well the scope of what He was facing—betrayal by Judas, abandonment by the disciples, the physical and mental torture of the cross, and becoming sin—felt burdened, He prayed. There is no weight, temptation or burden we face that is beyond God’s ability and we must seek His face in prayer.

“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Luke 22:41–44

In Bible times it was customary to stand while praying. Yet when Jesus was facing His moment of greatest crisis, He was found kneeling as He prayed. His posture matched His praying, for He was not seeking His own will and preference, but rather the Father’s will. Prayer is not about us dictating to God what we want Him to do; it is about asking for His will to be done in our lives. It is not wrong for us to ask for what we want—the Bible tells us, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Yet what we want must always be submitted to what God wants. That is to be our highest priority.

It is interesting to me that this is not the first time Jesus knelt on this critical night. Earlier in the evening He had knelt before His disciples and washed their feet. This dirty job was one that none of them were willing to take on. Yet Jesus had no pride, despite His right to have all kneel before Him. So one by one He went to all of the disciples, even Judas, and washed their feet. In both His dealings with people and His interaction with His Father, Jesus modeled humility. He was willing to kneel. We must do the same.

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.”

1 Timothy 2:5–7

I read about a missionary who was witnessing to a Catholic lady and trying to show her the need for Jesus. The lady was very devout, and told the missionary that she prayed to Mary every day. “She is so close to Jesus, and she takes my prayers to Him,” the lady said. The missionary thought for a moment and then responded, “But if you were sick, would you call the doctor’s mother, or would you call the doctor?”

One of the great benefits that comes with our salvation is the ability to go to God directly. We do not need priests or intercessors. Christ Himself is our mediator and intercessor, and we need no other. We have been given the standing to come to God on our own. “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2). Grace has made us fit to be in God’s presence, not because we are perfect, but because Jesus is, and His righteousness is applied to our account.

The tragedy is that despite having been given this incredible privilege, many Christians do not take advantage of it. They go through life depending on their own resources and abilities rather than seeking God’s face and rejoicing in His presence. We rightly decry the folly of the atheist who denies the existence of God, yet some believers do not pray any more than an atheist does. We need to recognize what God offers us and regularly come into His presence.

“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Isaiah 53:4–6

The creation of the world was accomplished in just six days (and could, of course, have been done even more quickly had God not been establishing a pattern as well as creating a universe) by God speaking into existence everything that we see in the natural world today. Out of nothing, the words of God were able to bring about an entire complicated and interlocking ecosystem, with everything perfectly designed to support life. This is a powerful display of God’s infinite ability, but if we correctly understand what the Bible teaches, it is a powerful display of His love as well.

Because of His unlimited knowledge, God knew all about the fall of man and the effect sin would have on His creation. He also knew sin would require a Saviour. And even before He spoke, “Let there be light” and began to make our world, God had a plan in place to provide a means of redemption. “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).

While creation was easy (merely requiring a few spoken words) salvation was anything but easy. God’s grace provides salvation to us freely, but it was purchased at a great cost. The Saviour’s precious blood was shed because of our sin. That truth should make us love and serve Him even more.

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.”

1 John 2:1–3

The main duty of the high priest on the Day of Atonement in the Old Testament was to take the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkle it on the mercy seat—a thick covering of gold on top of the Ark of the Covenant. Only the high priest was allowed to go behind the curtain into the Holy of Holies, and that only happened once a year. Placing the blood on the mercy seat symbolized faith in the coming sacrifice of the Messiah as a permanent covering for sin rather than a temporary one. The mercy seat was the ultimate symbol of God’s forgiveness and grace.

The phrase the propitiation in 1 John 2 comes from the same Greek word also translated mercy seat. Jesus shed His blood for our sins and became our sacrifice. The sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross had to be accepted by God, and it was. Isaiah 53:11 prophesied, “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”

When we feel that we are not worthy of God’s salvation, we’re right! We do not receive salvation by merit, but by grace through faith. The price has been paid, the blood has been shed, and, when we call upon Christ for salvation, the sacrifice is applied to our account. It is settled forever, because of what happened at the great Mercy Seat, Jesus Christ.

“The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:”

Acts 1:1–3

The most important doctrinal truth of all is the resurrection. The fact that Jesus truly died and then came back to life is essential, because without that, there is no salvation. Paul wrote, “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). The Christian faith is utterly and completely reliant on the resurrection—if that were false the rest would fall apart. But it is not false, and we have, as Acts 1:3 says, “infallible proofs” so we can believe with complete and utter confidence that Jesus is alive. This is crucial to our salvation, and it is a vital part of the message of the gospel.

In his sermon “The Resurrection of the Dead,” Charles Spurgeon said, “Reflecting the other day upon the sad state of the churches at the present moment, I was led to look back to apostolic times, and to consider wherein the preaching of the present day differed from the preaching of the apostles. I was surprised to find that I had not been copying the apostolic fashion half as nearly as I might have done. The apostles when they preached always testified concerning the resurrection of Jesus, and the consequent resurrection of the dead. It appears that the Alpha and the Omega of their gospel was the testimony that Jesus Christ died and rose again from the dead according to the Scriptures.”

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”

2 Corinthians 9:6–8

The life of Harlan Sanders was certainly full. When he was a young man, he fed thousands of workers at the secret Oak Ridge nuclear weapons research facility during World War II. When he began trying to sell chicken in commercial settings, he struggled greatly financially. Then at sixty-five years of age he developed the franchise model that made Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants a fixture across America and around the world. After he sold his stake in the business, Sanders turned to philanthropic interests, establishing foundations that are still giving away millions of dollars each year nearly forty years after Sanders died. Colonel Sanders once said, “There’s no good reason to be the richest man in the cemetery.”

Each of us has the opportunity to make investments with the time, talents, and resources God has entrusted to us. We can do as little as possible, hoping to hang on to as much as we can. Or we can do as much as possible, hoping to make an eternal difference for God. The heart attitude that we have toward what we give to God’s work is the most important part—far more important than the amount of time or money we may invest. The Lord is looking for those who with a cheerful heart are sowing enough seeds to produce a bountiful harvest. These are the people who accomplish great things in the eyes of God, and live a life that makes a real difference.

“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

Luke 6:36–38

William Shakespeare’s play Measure for Measure features a cruel and corrupt judge named Angelo who is making life miserable for the people of Vienna and using his office to satisfy his selfish desires. The duke who rules the city appears in Angelo’s court in disguise to determine for himself whether the reports he has heard are true. When he finds that they are true, the duke arranges for Angelo to be exposed as a hypocrite who does not himself keep the laws he so strictly enforces on others. The unjust judge suffers the consequences of his evil deeds—receiving the same measure that he had given to others.

Each of us has the opportunity to choose the measure that will be applied as the standard for us by the measure we choose to apply to others. Those who give mercy, do not judge harshly, forgive willingly, and do not condemn will find their own faults and failings treated with mercy when the need arises. On the other hand, we should not be surprised to find mercy in short supply if we have shown none to others.

Of course we should not cover up wrong or enable sin to continue, but even in confronting sin there is a necessity for kindness and humility on our part. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).

“How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.”

2 Corinthians 8:2–5

On March 10, 1863, Edward Prince of Wales married Princess Alexandria of Denmark. The wedding was a major event in England, and the royal couple received thousands of presents. Commenting on the gifts and the motivation of the givers, Charles Spurgeon said, “The position of the Princess is such that we do not view it as any great liberality to subscribe to a diamond necklace, since those who give are honored by her acceptance.” The motive of our giving, rather than the amount, determines whether our giving is acceptable in God’s eyes. It is ultimately a matter of the heart.

When we give our resources, we may be doing right, or we may be seeking the attention or approval of others. But when we first give ourselves to God, the problem of motivation will take care of itself. When Paul described the members of the churches in Macedonia to encourage the Corinthian believers in their giving, he pointed out that these Christians, despite their great poverty, begged him to accept what they were able to give.

The view we have of our resources is shaped and formed by the view that we have of God. When He is high and lifted up, and we love and adore Him above all else in the world, we do not look at what we have as our own, but as His.

“And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD.”

Exodus 35:21–22

When God delivered Israel from their slavery in Egypt, He did not send them out empty-handed. The Egyptians gave the Israelites large amounts of gold, silver, and other valuables—in recompense for the many years of unpaid labor. All of this bounty was the result of God’s grace. He was the reason for their blessing, and because they recognized that fact, when the time came to give for the building of the Tabernacle, the people brought abundant offerings. In fact, they brought so much that they had to be told to quit giving. “And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing” (Exodus 36:6).

There is a direct connection between our recognition that all we have is a result of God’s grace and our willingness to give to His work. Those who are truly grateful for their salvation and for the many benefits we receive from Him each day will not have to search for motivation to open their wallets, checkbooks, and bank accounts for the cause of God’s kingdom. They will want to give in response to God’s great grace given to them.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Matthew 6:19–21

When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, He started with what was most important—the relationship of man to God. Jesus emphasized the first commandment as the most important when a lawyer among the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus into saying something they could use against Him. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). The first commandment is first because it is the one that matters most. If we love God as we should, we will find the other commandments are not difficult to keep.

Yet despite the repeated emphasis in Scripture on making God the priority of life, we struggle with the temptation to love other things more. Though this failing is widespread in our day, and sometimes even celebrated, it is hardly new. Hundreds of years ago the Puritan preacher Richard Baxter wrote, “It is a most lamentable thing to see how most people spend their time and their energy for trifles, while God is cast aside.”

The most accurate assessment of what we really love is the things to which we devote our time and resources. While many people say they love God and He is in first place, their lives do not reflect that. In any contest between what we say and what we do, actions are the most reliable indicator of true motives and purposes. The fact that many are focused on earthly treasure to the exclusion of heavenly treasure reveals a heart issue that must be addressed.

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.”

Genesis 17:1–4

The promise God made to Abraham that he would have a son through whom a great nation would be established must have seemed to be more impossible than ever. Nearly twenty-five years had passed, and both Abraham and Sarah were long past the age when having a child of their own was a realistic option. Yet when God appeared to Abraham again, He reiterated the promise and gave Abraham a guarantee—a guarantee found in His name.

The Hebrew name “El Shaddai” translated “Almighty God” is an expression of God’s power and ability to meet any need. He is the God who supplies the power, resources, wisdom, knowledge, and strength that we need to accomplish whatever tasks He sets before us. Though it seemed impossible for God’s promise to Abraham to be fulfilled, Abraham still believed, because he believed God. “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Romans 4:20).

Charles Spurgeon said, “I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need.” There are many times when we face challenges that are beyond our ability to meet, but we do not ever have to face those challenges alone. God has based His promises on His unlimited strength to fulfill and bring to pass all that He has declared. Because our faith is in Him rather than in what we can do, we need never lose heart no matter how hopeless a situation may appear to be.

“And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.”

1 Samuel 15:24–26

When God chose Saul to be the first king over Israel, He chose a man who was humble and was responsive to God’s Word through the prophet Samuel. Yet though Saul started well, he soon turned away from obedience to the Lord and began choosing to go his own way. In the verses above, Saul had not only stubbornly chosen to disobey the Lord, but he tried to blame his choice on other people.

Someone defined self will as, “To do something arbitrarily without divine permission; to act on one’s own decision rather than considering the needs of others and the purpose of God.” That would be the one-sentence summary of Saul’s years on the throne. He chose to go his own way rather than God’s way, and the entire nation of Israel suffered the consequences. As a result, God chose David to take Saul’s place.

When we choose to go our own way, we place ourselves under Divine disapproval. It should be the goal of every Christian to live in such a way that we will hear God’s “Well done” when we stand before Him. We should long for His approval and live our lives accordingly. God loves us unconditionally, but He desires for us to avail ourselves of the grace He provides to live for Him. When we seek His face and follow His way, we show our love and gratitude to Him.

“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.”

Ephesians 6:5–8

Over the years, one of the most common questions I get asked is from people who want to know what God’s will is for their lives. The reality is that all of us need guidance and direction, and that is why God has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit to help apply it to our circumstances and decisions. No one has ever gone wrong by following what the Bible actually says. That is because it is an infallible guide for life, containing all that we need to please God: “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3).

As we search for God’s purpose in individual matters, we must never forget that first and foremost, the will of God is about our hearts more than our actions. The focus of what God looks for in our lives is the heart. If the heart is where it should be, then we will not find it difficult to follow God’s directions in our decisions. But as Robert Robinson put it in the song “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” our hearts are “prone to wander.” The first question we should ask when facing a decision is not what God’s will is, but whether our heart is committed to doing God’s will.

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.”

Psalm 24:3–6

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day made a great show of outward compliance with the requirements of the law. In fact they specialized in adding to the law through their traditions, and going beyond what God had required. The problem was that they used their outward conformity as a way to cover what was going on inside. It is vital that we be right both without and within, but holiness and cleansing begins on the inside. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their hypocrisy in strong terms, pronouncing judgment on them: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess” (Matthew 23:25).

The reality is that all of us sin and need God’s cleansing. While some of these sins are visible to others, the majority are internal and not easy to detect, at least in the beginning. And those hidden sins, if they are allowed to linger, will do far greater damage in the end to our spiritual lives and those around us than immediately visible sins ever will. The devil tries to convince us that as long we are maintaining appearances on the outside, it is okay to harbor sin in our hearts. But God sees the heart, and He calls us to confess and forsake even those sins that only we know exist. We must abandon sin in all areas of life if we want to walk in God’s presence.

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

James 1:1–4

When Decius became emperor of Rome in 249 AD, he wanted to unify the vast empire and restore the power over his subjects that had been lost through the years. The plan Decius came up with was to require every Roman citizen to make a sacrifice to the Roman gods. Everyone was required to perform this offering before a magistrate, and receive in return a document certifying that they had complied with the emperor’s order. For those who worshiped many gods, it was a small thing to sacrifice to one more, but for Christians, it was a great test of faith. The penalty for disobeying the edict was death, and while some turned away from their commitment to Christ, many died rather than deny Christ. The Decian Persecution sorely tested the church.

Most of us have never faced a life or death choice to deny our faith, but many endure trials and difficulties. Rather than viewing these as unfair or surprising, we should recognize that faithfulness in a world opposed to God will produce trouble. We should recognize that God remains in control, and that there are rewards for those who remain faithful in the face of trials. “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:12). None of us are eager to volunteer for persecution, but when opposition and troubles come, we need to keep our focus on what God is doing, and ensure that our attitudes remain joyful rather than bitter.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”

Hebrews 11:17–19

On June 23, 1926, more than eight thousand young students gathered at three hundred test centers across America to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Commissioned by a group of colleges, mostly in the Northeast, the test was designed to measure both the educational achievement and the learning potential of prospective college students. The original test had sections dealing with definitions, math, antonyms, number series, analogies, and logic. Since then, millions of young people have sat down with a number two pencil and gone through page after page of multiple choice questions, fully filling in the circle of the correct answer (or at least what they hope is the correct answer). The test offers them a chance to display what they have studied and learned.

The tests that we face in life are designed by God as positive opportunities to display our faith in action. They are not meant to destroy our faith, though they may often be difficult. The example of Abraham preparing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, despite what that meant to his hopes and plans for the future, is one of faith that stood strong even in the face of a severe test. The reality is that God has never broken a promise or let down those who trusted Him to keep His Word. Yet because our experiences with people lead us to question and doubt what we are told, sometimes we fail to trust God as we should. He does not promise that we will not be tested, but that if we rely on Him, we will pass the test.

“And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.”

Genesis 50:19–21

The sufferings that Joseph endured because of the wrong actions of others is more than most of us will ever experience. His brothers hated him because he was their father’s favorite son, and they decided to sell him into slavery only because it was more profitable than murder. Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison. Even Pharaoh’s butler, whom Joseph helped and befriended in the prison, failed to keep his promise to help until years had passed.

How did Joseph maintain a right spirit and a close relationship with God despite all that injustice? Joseph believed that God was working. I’m sure he didn’t understand why things happened the way they did. There must have been moments when he questioned what was going on and if things would ever get better. But through it all, Joseph maintained his faith. It was so strong that he was even willing to forgive those who had done him wrong when vengeance was in his power. Later, Joseph issued a wonderful declaration (Genesis 50:19–21) that showed he saw God at work even in the dark times of his life.

When we struggle with unjust treatment by others, with difficult circumstances that come through no fault of our own, it is easy to forget that none of these things take God by surprise. He is able to use the very worst things that happen for our good and to equip us to do good for others as well.

“And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever. But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:”

1 Kings 12:6–8

I find it interesting that Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, had a council of advisers. Though God had answered his request for wisdom when he first took the throne, Solomon still did not rely on his own judgment in every case, but had trusted men whom he could consult to discuss issues and make sure he was reaching the best conclusion. None of us is so advanced in knowledge or wisdom that we are free from the need for advice.

Often the problem is not that we do not get advice, but that we don’t follow it. One preacher told about a man in a place called Town Bluff, Texas who was frequently seen wearing a favorite shirt. On it were these words: “Take my advice—I’m not using it!” Rehoboam came to the throne on the death of his father, and he received wise counsel from the men who had once stood before Solomon’s throne. Yet because the advice did not match what he wanted to do, he foolishly rejected it and the kingdom was divided.

Solomon wrote, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). But that protection is forfeited if, having sought out advice, we fail to follow it. Determination to go our own way places us in grave danger.

“But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness: Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 2:4–6

According to a Pew Research report, some six thousand churches closed their doors in America in 2015. That is a staggering number—more than one hundred per week over the course of the year. While many of these churches were not preaching the gospel or committed to truly following the Word of God, some were. Yet they struggled to continue. Although there are a number of reasons churches fail, the reality that they do should cause us to renew our focus on what God commissioned the church to accomplish.

Success in ministry (or any other aspect of life) is found in faithfulness to what God commands us to do. God does not measure success the same way that the world does. He measures it by our obedience and faithfulness to do as He instructed. He has commissioned us to proclaim the gospel—He put the gospel in our trust. To continue to proclaim it and to keep it as our center focus over the course of years requires persistence.

The tragedy is that many Christians and churches are existing without any particular purpose. They drift from project to event to program without focus. By contrast Paul accomplished much because he stayed on mission. “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,” (Philippians 3:13).

“These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”

1 John 2:26–28

When evangelist Curtis Hutson was diagnosed with advanced cancer, he made a conscious decision to use whatever time he had left to do all that he could for God. Although he had already served the Lord as a pastor and evangelist for many years, he determined not to let up just because of his diagnosis. He continued preaching as long as he could. I was in a meeting he preached just a few months before he died, and I remember how thin and frail he was physically, but how confident and full of grace he was in his message. Once he could no longer preach, he continued writing letters to encourage others. I still have in my files some very kind letters that he wrote to me during this time—one, even just days before he went to be with the Lord.

The reality is that all of us have a limited amount of time in which to serve the Lord. And when we see Him face to face, whether at the moment of our death, or at the Rapture, we will be ashamed if we have failed to abide in Him and use the time and talents He has entrusted to us for His glory. The way to be confident and rejoicing when we see the Lord is to live today in His truth. If we do that day after day, whether our lives are long or short, we will not be ashamed when we see Him.

“That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.”

Philippians 1:26–28

I read about a Sunday school teacher who was trying to make an impression on his class. Looking out at the young men assembled before him, he asked, “Why do people call me a Christian?” After a moment of silence, one of them said, “Maybe it’s because they don’t know you.” Those who know us best should have the highest view of our commitment to following Jesus Christ. Yet too often people live one way in public and at church, and an entirely different way at home or on the job.

There is no off switch for the Christian life. It is not a Sunday “thing,” but a lifetime, an every day complete surrender to God’s purpose. Jesus pointed out the level of devotion that was required to truly follow Him: “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

Our daily life should be a testimony to the power of the gospel to transform people into followers of Christ—not in name, but in action. In our day, the world desperately needs the influence of godly, consistent, loving believers. And it is up to those of us who love Jesus and know the truth to live in a way that lifts up the gospel.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;”

2 Timothy 3:1–4

When we read what the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write in his final letter, it seems like it was written today rather than nearly two thousand years ago. The description of a society that has turned its back on God matches what we see and hear playing out in the news day after day. We live in a culture that is devoted to evil. This should not come as a surprise to us, but it should motivate us to follow the Lord more closely.

Throughout history, God’s people have faced immoral cultures, false religions, and outright persecution. But outward forces have never destroyed the church. Even when it was forced underground by persecution, the church continued, and often saw a level of faith and commitment that grew despite the trials. The problem comes when the spirit of the last days, the spirit of selfishness and disobedience, comes inside the church.

Christ issued a stern warning to the lukewarm church at Laodicea that had adopted the spirit of the world around them: “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see” (Revelation 3:18). The sinfulness of those around us should not be a cause for despair. We must remember that the victory has already been won by Jesus Christ.