Living for the Day

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

Have you ever been afraid of what's going to happen to you? Well, I'm here to give you some good news today-God offers salvation so that no matter what happens to you, you live with Him.

It's win-win.

I remember when Bill Bright-the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ-asked me to come and visit him when he was on his deathbed. When I got there, he's hooked up to a bunch of oxygen tanks and he's got a mask on. I walked in the room and Bonnie was really sick at the time. We didn't know what it was-ovarian cancer or MS or something crazy.

He takes the mask off-the guy is dying-but he takes the mask off, looks at me, and says, Bob, how's Bonnie?

I just had to cry. I mean, it just shows the love that this guy had for others. And he knew where he was going. He didn't have any concern whatsoever. He was so at rest and at peace that all he cared about was how Bon was doing.

I remember another time we were at the hospital while Bonnie was running all sorts of tests to find out what was wrong and my cell phone rang. You're not supposed to answer the cell phone in the hospital rooms. I get that. Sorry doc. But it was Bill Bright calling us to check on her. You know why? Because he claimed our verse today and he said to us a number of times, Bob here is the reality of the story at the end of the day.

Listen, whether we wake or whether we sleep, we should live together with Him.

Bill Bright taught me very well at an early age, Bobby, it's a win-win. You either stay here and you live it for Jesus or you go home and live with Him in Heaven forever.

Gang, let's be honest. I don't mean to be overly morbid with you, but we're all terminal. We're all dying. So in this time that remains, whether it's a minute or a month or a decade, who are you going to live it for?

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You for giving Yourself so that I could be saved! Thank You for the hope I have in You that no matter what happens to me, I'm with You. As You gave Yourself for me, I give myself to You today.

Amen

Hijacking the American Dream

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8

Do you know that you can have more than one father?

Let's start with the obvious-you've got an earthly father. You can trace your ancestry all the way back to Adam if you got real serious about it. Hopefully, you have had the opportunity, and taken it, to build on the relationship you have with your earthly father, to deepen it and make it truly significant in your life.

But not only do you have a father in the flesh, I also hope today that you have a father of the faith-someone who led you to Christ or discipled you in your faith. You could trace this lineage, if you wanted, all the way back to Abraham.

Here's kind of the odd thing about that, though: Abraham was not only the father of the Judeo-Christian faith, but also the Islamic faith finds its father in Abraham. That's kind of confusing.

This is why Peter, in our verses today, would want for you to add to that faith. Okay? Add to your faith some virtue. Add to your faith some knowledge. Just don't say, Well, I'm one of the faith. Which faith?

Because now you have another father today who wants to be your Father of forgiveness. And that's what we all need is a relationship with God that allows for Him to not just be our Father of faith, but our Father of forgiveness.

For all of us, this takes us to a whole new level. But many of us limit our identity. Some of us are still limiting our identity to that fleshly father that we have, saying I'm the way that I am because of him, the genes that I was born with and the temper that came with it, or whatever the case may be.

We'll limit our identity, if we're not careful, to this fleshly father that we were born from here on Earth. Or, from a faith standpoint, we'll kind of cap it out there and say, Well, yeah, I have faith.

Everyone has faith. The question is whether your faith has now changed your identity. Have you made God your Father of forgiveness, confessing the guilt of your sin and allowing Him to wash you clean of it and come live inside of you?

Prayer Father God,

Thank You that You are so far beyond the example of earthly fathers that I have seen! You really are the perfect Father, and I need You today to become my Father of forgiveness. Take my sin away and live in me from this day on!

Amen

Better Jobs

Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. Daniel 6:3

What motivates you in the workplace? Is it your paycheck? Your work ethic? Your fear of losing your job?

We all know that it is good to be motivated at work. Whatever motivates you, I am glad for it, but I want to share with you the best motivator we can have.

All of the things I listed above can motivate us to produce good work, but they do not have the ability to set us apart from anyone else in the world. We can have these motivations, yet be no different than the non-Christian in the cubical or office next to ours.

The only motivator that can set us apart from the world is our relationship with God. This is what we can learn from our verses today, as they show us what distinguished Daniel above his peers in the kingdoms of Babylon and Persian-the excellent spirit in him.

We have an excellent Spirit in us, and by His work in us and through us we can be distinguished above all those who work around us on a daily basis.

How did Daniel set himself up for being distinguished because of his excellent spirit? He did three things:

First, he looked to God for answers whenever he faced a difficult situation. When his boss, the king, was in a tight place, he prayed to God for answers and then delivered a word of the Lord to the king that exactly fit the need.

Second, he refused to compromise his faith. His faithfulness to the Lord forged a deep relationship with Him on which He could rely in good times and bad. Also, because he was faithful to God, God multiplied what He had given Daniel.

Third, he worked his tail off. In the book of Daniel, we only read the exclamation points of his life, but this short book spans several decades. His faithfulness, hard work, and integrity sustained him in the right place in between the exclamation points so that he would always be in the right places at the right times.

It is also worth noting that Daniel served at least three kings in two different empires, which means that his employment endured drastic transitions. His faithfulness and integrity kept his job safe even during corporate buy-outs, mergers, and transitions of power.

Daniel was set apart because of his excellent spirit, found in his relationship with God. Can you say the same?

Prayer Holy Spirit,

Thank You that You set me apart! Please help me to be like Daniel in my workplace, so that I can glorify You and advance Your kingdom.

Amen

Overcoming Overwhelming Obstacles

And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands became heavy; so...Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. Exodus 17:11-12

The people of Israel were stuck. They had just marched from Egypt into the Wilderness. They were thirsty. They were tired. They had just contended with God and complained against Moses, even wanting to stone him. Finally, God rescued them by causing a river to pour out from a previously dry wall of rock.

Just when they thought things were turning around for them, the Amalekites came and surrounded them. The whole company of Israel-men, women, and children-was in deep trouble.

That's when Moses took action. He said, Joshua, you go fight. I'm taking God's staff up the hill and I'll watch.

Despite how it might sound, Moses knew what he was doing-he was putting his faith in God. He went up the hill and Aaron and Hur went with him. As long as Moses kept his hands raised, Israel won, but as soon as they fell, the battle turned against them. Because Moses couldn't keep his hands up forever, Aaron and Hur helped him, completing the picture for us of how we, too, can find victory in all the battles that the enemy brings our way.

Let me spell it out more clearly. Moses, here, points us to praise. The people want to stone him, so he runs to God. An army shows up to kill the people, so he runs to God. And there, in a position of praise, God brings deliverance.

Aaron, the high priest, represents prayer. This attitude of prayer keeps us close to the Lord, recognizing both our need of Him and His desire to deliver us.

Hur, we don't know who he is really, but his name in Hebrew means White. This means purity. If you want to see overwhelming victory over the obstacles in your life, then fight for greater praise, fervent prayer, and purity in your thoughts, actions, and life.

There's one other guy in this picture-Joshua, wielding a sword, which for us is a picture of the power of God.

Put these four things together-praise, prayer, purity, and trust in the power of Godand be victorious over the obstacles in your life.

Prayer Lord God,

Thank You that You help me overcome every battle that I face! As anything comes up to oppose me as I live for You, show me how to praise, pray, remain pure, and trust in You to be powerful on my behalf.

Amen

The Ultimate Threshold

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 Corinthians 5:1

Everyone is looking for a way to live a better life, and today I am going to tell you the best news for this you could ever hear. Are you ready?

This life that you have right now is temporary. The body that you have is just a tent, a temporary dwelling place that will not last forever.

Why is this such great news, you ask? It's great news because, if you believe in Jesus, then the next body you have will last forever. It will be a building, not a tent. And it will be in Heaven, not on Earth. You will not be longing for the camping trip to be done, because you will be living in the beauty of Heaven, the joy of God's presence, and a life-filled, uncorrupted body like you could never imagine.

When you get to Heaven, you will never ask, When are we getting out of here? You will never say that. Why? Because you've arrived! You're home! This body beats the heck out of my old body!

You know, part of what makes this such incredibly good news to me is that we will all have bodies. We will not just be dismembered spirits floating around in some nirvana state of soul sleep. And how do I know? I know because Jesus got a body when He rose from the dead! He did not rise up as a ghost, but He rose in bodily form, saying, Touch me, handle me, and hey, let's eat!

We will eat in Heaven. We will have bodies that are no longer held back or restricted by the things that afflict us now. This really is incredible. I mean, when Jesus rose from the dead, He wasn't just eating and letting the disciples touch Him; He was walking through walls and disappearing from one place only to appear miles away in another place! These new bodies we will have are amazing!

For the joy of what was set before Him, Jesus endured the cross. Sometimes the best news you can have about this life is that something better is coming, and it is a promise from God that no matter what affliction has a hold of you now, in Heaven you will have a new body that is glorified and free.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You that You give us Yourself as an example of what we will one day receive! Thank You that You will give me such a wonderful gift when I get to Heaven! As I wait for that day, I choose to live for You, with the hope of what is to come.

Amen

Driving in the HOV Lane

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all...But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:7,11

What is the greatest gift you have ever received? Really think about it. Think back to all the Christmases and all the birthdays and all the other times in which you have received gifts.

When I think back, I remember times when I've received gifts-and I've done this with my kids, too-where there was one big gift, but several other gifts that went along with the big gift. And whether you know it or not, you have received this kind of gift, too, at least if you know Jesus Christ as your Savior.

When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you receive the biggest gift possible. You receive a new life, forgiveness of sins, and everlasting life in Heaven. You also receive the Holy Spirit. All of this comes from the single gift of Jesus Christ!

However, when the Holy Spirit comes into your life and the presence of God enters your heart, He brings other gifts with Him. These gifts are never on the same level as the original, big gift-the gift of salvation-but they are very significant gifts nonetheless.

These gifts show us that God is a good God who desires to bless us. They tell us that salvation is not just a ticket to Heaven and life will be the same as before, but rather that salvation is the beginning of something new. It is the beginning of life in the HOV lane-the Heavenly Occupied Vehicle lane.

This is the life that is set free from the gridlock of the world, the breakdowns and frustrations and striving that we suffer when we try to do life on our own. It is the gift of going beyond our natural abilities, moving into dependence upon God.

And that is really where we can begin to use these gifts, in that place where we start putting more trust in the Holy Spirit's role in our life than in our own abilities, asking for His help instead of striving on our own.

Try asking for His help today. You might be surprised at what He does.

Prayer Holy Spirit,

Thank You for the supreme gift of salvation in Christ Jesus, and thank You for the many other gifts that You bring into my life to set me free! I submit my life to You today and let You have Your way. Please teach me to live life with the gifts that You give.

Amen

Living in the Strength of the Spirit-Filled Life

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Galatians 3:1-3

Stop. Go back. Read the verses for today. What you're reading is some of the harshest language in the New Testament.

Paul is making the point that it was our faith, not our works, that brought salvation and the Holy Spirit into our lives, so it is ridiculous to think that works, and not faith, will finish the work that God began.

If we want to live in the strength of a Spirit-filled life, then we should understand what the priorities of the Holy Spirit are. Here are His top five priorities, in order:

Number one-the finished work of Jesus Christ. The Galatians were beginning to add all sorts of requirements to the work Jesus had already done. Adding works puts the spotlight on us and takes both the Holy Spirit and Jesus out of the picture.

Number two-the truth of God's Word. If you put an overemphasis on either your pastor or the Holy Spirit as your only teacher so that you don't need the Word of God in your own life, then you have gone too far. The Holy Spirit doesn't contradict His Word.

Number three-to provide direction. If Jesus is your Lord, then you do what He says. All our decisions need to be biblically based, but the Bible doesn't say who to marry or whether to take a certain job. It gives principles to point you in the right direction, but not specifics on that kind of thing, so God gave us the Holy Spirit to lead us in His way.

Number four-unity. This only comes as we all recognize that we have died with Christ and it is now His life alive in and through us. Our pursuit of Christ in the truth of His Word by the power of the Holy Spirit is the only way we get to unity.

Number five-providing power. God has a standard for our lives, but we'll never reach it in our own power. We need the Holy Spirit to help us live in the reality that we were crucified with Christ and raised with Him through baptism. Our life is now His life in us, but only the Holy Spirit can make this reality an active truth in our lives.

Don't be like the Galatians today, trying to do life on your own. Instead, live in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer Holy Spirit,

I confess that I cannot do life on my own. I know that I died with Jesus, but I need your help to live out that reality. Come and help me! Make me into everything You want me to be!

Amen