Focus On What Never Changes

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” – Psalms 90:1-2.

We live in a world of constant change. People change. Seasons change. Relationships change.  Circumstances change. Things change. But amid all the changes, God never changes. The circumstances or influences that cause change in your life have no effect on God. Life and its uncertainties may shake you, but God does not move. Unlike His creation, God is immutable—He does not change.

The Bible is clear that God does not change. God himself says, “I am the Lord, and I do not change…” (Malachi 3:6)  James writes, “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” (James 1:17) Psalm 102:25-27 says, “Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment  and discard them. But you are always the same; you will live forever.”

We should find extreme comfort in God’s unchanging nature. Every created thing in this life will let you down at some point in time. Whether it is circumstances, relationships, health, career, children, technology, etc. However unstable I or the circumstances around me are, God never changes. The God we serve today is the exact same God we served prior to COVID-19. He is the same God today as He was the day He raised Jesus from the grave. He is the same God today as He was when He spoke the world into existence. He is the God who saves and He is the God in whom you can place your hope. If God never changes, then that means His love is forever. His forgiveness is forever. His salvation is forever. His promises are forever. Yet, we have a tendency to focus more on outcomes and results than on God.

Outcomes can and do change. Our perceptions of outcomes can change. If we’re focused on anything other than God, we can expect shifting and instability. That is why we can’t let our perceptions and expectations overwhelm our focus on God. If your world is spinning, think about riding a carousel as a child. While you are circling about and moving up and down and the world seems to be moving, every few seconds you looked over and saw your parents standing still in the same spot and it comforted and reassured you.

Life is constantly changing and often bumpy. Whenever we have questions, fears, trials, temptations, sufferings and problems to solve, God is always there for us. Don’t let your fears, your heartaches, or troubles overwhelm you – focus on the One who has control over everything. 

Discussion Questions: 

  1. When you are facing relentless change, what do you focus on? 
  2. How can focusing on God’s love, God’s truth, and God’s plan and purpose provide you with hope and peace.

What Is On Your Faith Bucket List?

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth..” – 1 John 3:18 (NIV). 

Life is short as we discover daily. It’s a popular trend these days to create a bucket list; a list of things we would like to do before we die.  The usual suspects that make up these bucket lists include running a marathon, going skydiving, dive at the Great Barrier Reef, hiking through the Himalayas, going on a wildlife safari, or meeting a certain celebrity to name a few. Some have philanthropic goals added to their lists but most lists are made up of things to bring personal pleasure or thrill to your life while you still have it.   

It brings up the question, what is on your spiritual bucket list? There are plenty of things that God has told us to do before we die and there are certain other things that would be good for our spiritual development. People have all kinds of things on their spiritual bucket list: Go on a short-term mission trip; read the whole Bible; be bold, be selfless, be loving to name a few. What about you? Do you have such a list?

One item that should be on our list is to show Christ through your actions. If people want to know what we believe, they look at our actions. What we do speaks with a powerful eloquence about what we believe.

So what are our actions saying? What do you do when you are alone, or when your plans are interrupted, or you are disappointed, or your weakness is exposed, or you’re tempted to fear, or someone else prospers or excels you, or you’re called on to help meet someone else’s financial need? When those who are closest to you are honest, those who observe you in your unguarded and unexpected moments, what do they hear from your actions?

1 John 3:18 is such an important verse to know, which says, “let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”  According to this verse, the best way to love someone is by loving them through actions. This verse shouldn’t diminish the fact that words have power and are important, but it does point out that it isn’t all about words, because it takes actions too. Practically speaking, in addition to loving someone by words, it means making sacrifices by meeting the needs of others, being generous with your time, helping financially, and serving others when it is needed.

The Message translation says, “My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love.”  Don’t be all talk and no action. And don’t be all action and no talk. Love others as the bible has called you to do. Don’t just love others by speaking in love, but love with actions too. Make it part of your bucket list if you are not already doing it. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are some things on your spiritual bucket list? 
  2. What can you do to “practice real love” today?

What Questions Would You Ask Bible Characters?

“This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.” – Genesis 6:8-9.

It would be fascinating and highly educational if we could ask Biblical characters some questions. There are so many choices. For example, can you imagine asking Adam and Eve what they were thinking when they were hiding from God? Or ask Methuselah what kind of aches and pains he had in the latter part of his 969-year life? Or ask Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego what it was like in the fiery furnace? Or ask Peter how he balanced his faith with his impetuousness. Job, Abraham, and Joseph from the Old Testament are others. Then there was Noah; so many questions come to mind. 

When God called Noah to build an ark, think of the questions he was asking himself.  Can I pull it off? Just think of the complexity of what God was asking him to do. He would have to source the right trees, prepare them to be worked, measured, cut, and sealed by the skin of his hands to build a 137 meters long (450 foot) boat. Don’t forget Noah was 600 years old when the flood came.  He would have had to become a designer, engineer, carpenter, and zookeeper that has never been or ever will be matched throughout history. The boat would contain two of every animal; lions, tigers, snakes, scorpions, spiders, wolves, and the list goes on. What was he thinking when he started? Not only did he have to gather at least two of each animal, but he also had to look after them, feed them, water them and clean up after them. How was that all going to work? It took Noah somewhere between 55 years to 120 years to build the Ark.  

Even though I could guess the answer I would love to ask Noah how he reacted to the people around him. You can imagine that people were looking on and mocking him. Can you imagine the jeers, the laughter, the strange looks at year 60? Aren’t you done yet, Noah? The water is that way? “Here it comes now!” Despite the strange looks, the laughter, the jokes, even when people would mess with him, Noah “…did everything exactly as God had commanded him…” Everyone else was living large and doing whatever they pleased, Noah was spending his days working hard and sawing wood. I would ask Noah how he had so much faith, that in a time in history it never rained that he was building a huge boat inland because God had told him to do it.

I wonder if Noah ever got discouraged and what he did to encourage himself? It must have been disheartening at some point that no one wanted to listen and believe what he was saying. It took courage to keep on preaching for all those decades when the only people who believed his message was his family (see 2 Peter 2:5). Nevertheless, Noah’s faithfulness to God’s calling saved his family and ultimately the human race.  

Many stories in the Bible come to a crossroads because of a decision to obey God at all costs. Noah’s relationship with God gave him the faith to trust God and build the ark. Noah feared God and chose to listen to God rather than ignore him.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What Biblical character would you like to ask questions? 
  2. How can we apply Noah’s faith to our own lives this week? 

A Letter To My Younger Self

Note: If you wrote a letter to your younger self, what would you say? What advice would you give? There are so many things you would want to tell your younger self, that it would be hard to know where you start. Would you confront your mistakes, write about what bothered you, what you wish you had done, and where you ended up in life. Maybe the letter would be something like this:            

Dear younger me,

May I say you (me) are looking good in that suit. You may not realize it, but you are about to embark on an amazing journey where you will learn to live the faith-filled, joyful life God has planned for you. You are loved. God accepts you as you. He loves you even at your worst. And trust me, some worst has already occurred but some worst lies ahead. 

You must wake up every morning with the right sense of purpose. Your purpose is not to compete with others. Your purpose is not to bring down others. Your purpose is to touch lives with the talents you have. Your purpose is to give as much as you can. Your purpose is to love unconditionally. Your ultimate purpose is to draw people to God through everything you do. Remember that you are part of God’s unfolding story. 

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31) The Holy Spirit needs to be a big part of your life. His work is good. His acceptance and counsel will set you on solid ground. It will prepare you for truly loving others. His work is good for you today and in the future. Get to know God through prayer and talk to Him often.  Don’t forget to listen to Him, too. Prayer changes our hearts and allows us to be in the presence of the Lord wherever we may be.

God is still in the business of changing lives, but it is a process.  As Christians, we are forgiven immediately when we invite God into our lives, but old habits can be hard to break.  Give yourself grace and trust that God will grow you to look a little more like Him. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  The more we grow in faith, the more questions we have.  

Whatever you do, don’t go it alone. You will fall short of your potential if you will not leverage the wisdom and insights of others who are further down this path than you are. Seek out older, wiser mentors and those who are modeling the life you want to live. Seek them out and ask for their guidance. You will be amazed how many will jump at the chance to pour into someone like you. Follow their advice, regardless of the discomfort or difficulty. Living life with friends who are like-minded Christians will help spur you on and lead you towards God in your walk with Him.

Always remember that being a Christian, a follower of God isn’t easy. It takes effort, failures, struggles, setbacks, pain, and a lot of prayers, but I can promise you that you will never go through any of that alone. God will be with you every step of the way and lead you in the direction you should go.  

See you in the future. You may want to bring a mask and some hand sanitizer. 

 Discussion Questions: 

  1. What would you include in a letter to your younger self? 
  2. What would you include in a letter to your future self?

It’s All About Attitude

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” –  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

The last thing you expect when you walk into a store is an employee with a bad attitude. Bad service, left unchecked, can drive customers away, because consumers associate employees’ attitudes with the business. If service is great, people think it is a wonderful business; if service is slow or sloppy, they think the business is to blame. Obviously, the way to fix that is to adjust the attitudes of any negative employees. The question is does God need to adjust our attitudes. 

We go to church because we want to approach God, to enter into His presence. The Scriptures tell us that God’s response to us depends on our attitudes in approaching Him. Just as poor attitudes are hard to respond to in a business, so God has a difficult time responding to the wrong attitudes in His people. 1 Thessalonians 5 gives us some advice on attitudes. 

First to be joyful. Verse 16 says, “always be joyful” Joy is not always a feeling, but a way of living. “Always” is tough. It was Paul’s word to the church at Thessalonica, Philippi, and to us today. “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). How can you always be joyful when everything is not joyful? It is a choice. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “…the joy of the Lord is your strength!” Joy is the fruit of the Spirit.  Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” (John 15:11). Joy is found in Jesus. We can be joyful in Him, even when our circumstances are not good. We are not always going to feel it, but we have to choose to rejoice. 

Second, “never stop praying.” Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” Prayer is not to get God to move toward you but to get you to move toward God. Continue praying throughout your day. Stay in constant communication with God. Prayer is the difference between what we can do and what God can do. There is a connection between prayer and praise.

Third, be thankful: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (vs 18)  The Bible has a whole lot of verses that tell us to be thankful. Colossians 2:6-7: “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” It’s not always easy to be thankful but notice it does not say to thank God for all things but in all things.

Our attitudes are an outward display of what’s taking place in our hearts. It is time to take control of your attitude. Dr. Charles Swindoll said, “I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.” 

Discussion Questions: 

  1. Our attitudes are an outward display of what’s taking place in our hearts. Agree or disagree and why?
  2. What can we do this week to be joyful, praying and being thankful? 

Can Bad Be Good?

“Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.” – Ecclesiastes 7:14.

It is a familiar axiom: if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. But can you flip that to suggest that something that is bad, really bad be in any way good? Scripture says the answer is yes.  At the center of our Christian faith is a radical paradox—the most horrible thing that ever happened was the most wonderful thing that ever happened; the cross of Jesus Christ. 

If you were Jesus’ followers or family, the crucifixion makes no sense. The world is out of control. The bad guys have the final word. Darkness is winning the day. There is nothing good about being betrayed and abandoned by those closest to you. There is no good in enduring whippings that by the time Jesus hangs on the cross, his flesh is so ripped and mangled, his wounds revealed bone. Few would have survived the original beatings. Fewer still could have made the walk from the place of original torture to the cross. It’s difficult to visualize Christ, the Son of God, the Lord and Savior of the world, bleeding profusely and being mocked by the crowd as He walked toward Calvary on Good Friday. It is even harder to think that Jesus allowed nails to be driven into His wrists and on top of His feet. On the surface, it is hard to see or to spin Good Friday as a good day. But the fact of the matter is, it was a very good day. 

The cross is where we see the convergence of great suffering and God’s forgiveness. The wrath of God against sin had to be poured out on Jesus, the perfect sacrificial substitute, in order for forgiveness and salvation to be poured out to the nations. Jesus was faithful to the events on this Friday, and He knew the good was getting done through Him. The results of Jesus’ death are very good because He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. Because of the cross, all those that believe in Him have hope and life. And that is very good. 

John Piper said, “Life is wasted if we do not grasp the glory of the cross, cherish it for the treasure that it is, and cleave to it as the highest price of every pleasure and the deepest comfort in every pain. What was once foolishness to us—a crucified God—must become our wisdom and our power and our only boast in this world.”

Sometimes it is not easy to make sense of our life. But what looks like a disaster may, in fact, be grace. What looks like the end may be the beginning. What looks hopeless may be God’s instrument to give you real and lasting hope. God is committed to taking what seems so bad and turning it into something that is very, very good.

The same God who planned Good Friday rules over every moment in your life and can take what seems so bad and turn it into something that is very, very good.

Discussion Questions: 

  1. Do you believe that good can come out of bad? If so how do we practically apply that to our lives? 

 What Does God Require Of Me?

“No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8 

How do you define character? A person with “good character” acts, thinks, and feels in a way that matches some commonly accepted “good” traits, like being honest, respectful, responsible, caring, fair. 

The truest manifestation of our character is what we do with the mundane, the every day. Character is walking in integrity, not while being watched, but when in our own space, when no one of apparent authority is present. True character is acknowledging and living in a way that is pleasing to God, not just every once in a while, but at all times and not just when it makes us look good. 

God absolutely cares about character, so much so that it could be said that the Bible is a character textbook. It is filled with instructions on what it means to live righteously, that is, in a “godly” and upright manner. The Bible is also filled with stories of men and women who have done it right, and many who have not. These are for our learning so we can benefit from the examples of others.  

In Matthew Chapter 6, Jesus talks about the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the law keepers and “religious” leaders in that culture. They were all about being seen. They were all about making an impression. They loved the limelight. Giving to the poor, giving their offerings, saying their prayers, and fasting so everyone around them could see it. They wanted the attention solely on them. They even brought with them men who would blow a horn to announce what they were doing. They wanted to be seen and noticed—and Jesus called them out for it. Obviously, that is not what God expects, so what does God require of us?  

Micah 6:8 gives us the answer: “do what is right…to love mercy…and to walk humbly with your God.” That’s it in a nutshell. God is more concerned about our character and conduct. Our ‘”character’” defines who we are and our ‘”conduct” defines what we do. God is not waiting to hear us blow our own horn—He sees everything in secret. He simply wants us to do what is right, love mercy and walk humbly with Him. He will take care of everything else.

Does all this sound nearly impossible? These three things all involve action.  The good news is that God enables us to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him.  When we are in a personal relationship with God, He helps us, empowers us, and leads us. We need to remember that God’s character is always right, always fair, and always kind.

What does the Lord require? He wants us to express those qualities in our lives to those around us. In this way, we can point others towards God.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you ever think about what God requires of you? 
  2. What can we do this week to tactically do what is right, love mercy and walk humbly with our God? 

Thirsting For God

 “Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” – John 4:13. 

What is the first thing that pops into your head when you are thirsty? Cool water. You can’t help it. It’s instinctive whether it is a hot day in Florida or you are walking in the desert. The thirstier you feel, the more water dominates your thoughts. You begin to think about where you are and where you can get a cool drink of water. 

The question is to do we thirst for God? In the 63rd Psalm, David the shepherd king expressed his desire for God: “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)

When we’re thirsty, we crave water. Do, we crave Jesus? Jesus declares that anyone who is thirsty can come to Him and drink (John 7:37-39). He tells us our souls were created to need God, to desire Him, and to thirst for Him.

Jesus has given us a tangible way to reflect on our soul’s reliance on Him. Our daily need for water acts as our reminder to drink deeply of Jesus every day. He doesn’t have what we need. He is what we need. Knowing this, we can also rejoice in the fact that Jesus doesn’t just give us a drink to satisfy us in the moment, but He gives us an eternal fountain of living water. We will never run out of His grace, His love, His freedom. “Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied!”  (Matthew 5:6 AMP)

Whatever we are hungry and thirsty for is what we will seek to satisfy that hunger and thirst. If we are hungry for God, then we will seek after Him and His righteousness, His salvation, and His wisdom. In the same vein, we should thirst after the living God. He is here and now. Jesus is Emmanuel—God with me. He is not in a land long, long ago, or far, far away. He is present in the wind that creates waves in the Gulf and He is in the midst of our daily circumstances.  

My prayer is that we thirst to be in His presence. That we are hungry for a vital encounter with the Living God. He is all we need. Today, let’s pause and let God know how very much we thirst for Him.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you felt distant from God because of something you did (sin, busyness, etc.)? How did it impact your relationship with God? 
  2. What can we do this week to thirst after God?  

Having An Attitude Of Gratitude

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.” – Psalm 100: 4-5.             

Thanksgiving is a good time to reflect on what God has done for us, positive memories, blessings, and just things in general for which we’re thankful. It’s easy to be grateful when circumstances turn out well, but thankfulness doesn’t have to be limited just to the good times.  

 What makes gratitude so beautiful is its rare combination of humility and joy. Like real love, real thankfulness displaces human selfishness — it’s impossible to feel conceited or conniving and feel truly thankful at the same time. When it comes to God, few realities fan the flames of our love for and worship of Him like gratitude. That’s why thanksgiving is talked about so often in the Bible:

Psalm 136 stands out as it repeats a continual refrain, “Give thanks to the Lord,” and then lists many different things for which the psalmist was thankful. Giving thanks is so much more than saying “thank you” when someone does something nice for you or working up feelings of gratitude. Giving thanks is directly tied to your relationship with God.

We see this exemplified time and time again in the New Testament. From the “sinful woman” who put oil on Jesus’ head and poured perfume on His feet as an expression of her thankfulness (Luke 7:36-47) to Zacchaeus paying back fourfold from what he took from others (Luke 19:3-6), thankfulness and gratitude became a hallmark of their life. Then there is Paul. One of the most common characteristics we find in the apostle Paul’s letters is the number of times he gives thanks to God in prayer. The opening of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is an example of this: “I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly.” (Ephesians 1:16)  And Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”

When we pause and reflect on all that God has done for us, a mere “thank you” doesn’t seem enough. How can we ever be thankful enough for the cross?  How do you respond to the general grace that God gives all of us? How do you respond when God blesses you specifically – when He answers prayer? How do you respond when He provides healing, or He supplies your needs in a way only He can?  While our thanks may seem unworthy, we should be thankful because God is worthy of our thanksgiving. It is only right to credit Him because every “…good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father,…”  (James 1:17).  

All of us have a lot to be thankful for this time of year. But not only should we give thanks during the holidays, but we should also give thanks to God every day of the year.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How is it possible to give thanks even in hard times?
  2. Does thanking God lead to praising God in your life?
  3. For what are you most grateful today?

Focus On Loving God

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first.” – 1 John 4:18-19. 
 
As a Christian, I know that the most important part of my life is God. But with that being said, I am easily lured away from focusing on what is important. Daily living catches my attention and my mind wanders off a rabbit trail of distractions.

Trying to think only about God is basically impossible. Think about it. We can barely make it through our morning cup of coffee before we are distracted by something. But it’s not just that we’re ADD. There are legitimate duties of life that demand our attention. You’ve got to focus on work. You’ve got to focus on your spouse and kids. Life is not all that simple today. There is a lot going on.

The secret to permanent focus on God is to fall more deeply in love with Him. We need to turn our focus from our pain to God’s love. We need to switch our attention from focusing on our problems and our pain and pressures, our difficulties, and focus on God’s love. And even though we may be mad at God, we need to remind ourselves that His love isn’t based on what we do or what we say or what we focused on a particular day. God’s love is unconditional. God is love. We can’t make God stop loving me.

Such love is beyond our ability to grasp with our minds, but it is not beyond our ability to experience with our hearts. The more we study it, the more we understand it, the more we realize, we will move steadily beyond our understanding. But it does not mean that we cannot have confidence in the fact that God unconditionally loves us. Know it, cling to it, and remember it; don’t underestimate the love of God for you.

Spend some time focusing on loving God. Once the heart falls in love, that love continues even when your mind is occupied with something else. When you fall in love with your spouse, it becomes the foundation. You don’t stop loving your spouse just because you’re focused on mowing the lawn or watching a child’s baseball game. True marital love is always present. It’s the same in our relationship with God. It’s love that creates constant contact with Him.

Loving God with all your heart means to love God with your entire being. Truly loving God with all your heart means at all times. To put it another way, love God even when it seems He’s a million miles away even though He never is. God doesn’t leave our side. Love the Lord with all your heart means to love Him even when your prayers aren’t answered as you hoped they’d be. Continue to love the Lord when He says yes, no, and/or wait. Last but not least continue to love God even though bad things are happening and your circumstances remain unchanging.

Discussion Questions: 

  1. What is your definition of “unconditional love”?
  2. How often do you try to grasp the love of God?