We know that Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice of love on our behalf, giving His sinless life on the cross for us so that we could stand as redeemed men and women before our Heavenly Father. Motivated by that same love, Jesus rose to become our High Priest in Heaven, the One we turn to for understanding, grace, and mercy.
Fully God yet fully human, our Lord lived His earthly life as one of us, experiencing the temptations and sufferings of this life. To put it simply, He can relate to what you are going through. He truly understands.
We can take great comfort in the knowledge that Jesus Christ our Savior knows first-hand all that we go through. He is able to help us to resist and triumph over the temptations that threaten to overtake us. You and I are never alone when we call upon the name of Jesus.
Jeff Deal
Is it just me or are we busier than we’ve ever been? It feels like we are constantly chasing after our schedules and commitments and having less to show for it. Solomon is giving all of us permission to slow down and find some peace and leisure. Surveys have shown that the percentage of the amount of leisure time enjoyed by Americans is shrinking. We are caught in the rat race and don’t know how to escape.
Why have both hands full of profit if that profit costs you your peace of mind and possibly your health? It’s better to have gain in one hand and quietness in the other. The person Solomon is describing was productive in his work, but careful to take time for quietness. He did not run the rat race nor run from responsibility.
The best way to find quietness is in our unhindered time with the Lord. Make time today.
Finding that balance in Him,
Pastor Gerard Deleeuw
Christians are sometimes regarded as narrow-minded. We are those people who believe there’s only one way to God and the world doesn’t like that. What about all the other religions? Are they all headed to judgment? Jesus answers all of that in the above verse.
If you want to know the way to Heaven, it’s through Jesus. It was Christ’s death and resurrection that made the way for us. What kind of God would make the sacrifice of His only Son just one of various ways to Heaven?
Jesus is also the truth. He doesn’t hold back any punches and try to gloss over He’s the only way to eternal life. He says it over and over in hopes that all would turn to Him.
Finally, Jesus is the life. He doesn’t just want us to believe in Him because of a future eternal home, He wants to be our whole life now to help us through a hard and deceptive world.
If you haven’t accepted Jesus, realize how much He loves you, proven by His death on the cross, and pray to accept Him today.
Jesus is the only way,
Pastor Ron Kitchell
The Apostle John is in his 90s when he pens these three letters near the end of your Bible. He says something here to the third generation of Christians since Jesus ascended into heaven that rings true to this day and is supported by the scriptures: man becomes like His God. So for us saints, we know and believe that our God is righteous and holy and filled with love. How is that showing up in your day to day life? Growth would presume that we will be more like Jesus today than last week and we will be even more like Him by next month! It is good to measure our growth, it is His will we grow up into Him in all things.
Trying to stand tall by the doorframe,
Pastor Jack Abeelen
The Greek word for overtaken implies an element of surprise, therefore the type of trespass here is one that overtakes a person suddenly rather than one that was deliberately planned. We are to be constantly on guard in our Christian walk to avoid stumbling along the way, but when someone suddenly falls, God’s heart is one of restoration. The word for restoration means repair or mend so our mindset is supposed to be constructive in regards to a brother or sister who has been overtaken in a trespass. The spiritual are commanded to restore such a person because they have a gentle (Galatians 5:23) mindset just like Jesus did when He ministered and because they will be cautious and take heed lest they also fall into the same temptation themselves.
Do you know a sister who has stumbled and is going through a difficult season, perhaps absent from church lately? Do you know a brother who has stumbled and has had to even step back from ministry? Our job is to reach out to them, encourage them with scripture, pray for them, and pray with them. Meet them for coffee, send them a text, be an encourager, because the enemy wants them to fall by the wayside and be forgotten. God’s heart, on the other hand, is that the person is restored and built back up. As the Proverb states, “Iron sharpens iron,” but the only way that happens is if the sharpening iron physically comes into contact with the blade being sharpened. We can only working at restoring a person by being in contact with them.
Jeff Mericle
Waiting is not something that comes easy to most of us. We look for the shortest line at the check stand and the fastest lane on the freeway. We ask how long the wait is going to be at the restaurant as the deciding point of whether to stay. We microwave our food instead of using the oven. How about sitting in the doctor’s office? Let’s face it, waiting is not fun! Time is a precious commodity that will never return to us, so it’s no wonder we are taught by the culture around us to be impulsive and always in a hurry. Unfortunately, this can sometimes lead to making poor decisions, such as running stoplights, texting while driving, not reading the fine print before signing on the dotted line, or not considering the consequences of engaging in a particular activity.
The psalmist would instruct us to wait patiently on the Lord. Therefore, we must yield to the Father and be led in the truth…His truth! When the Lord has something to tell us, it’s worth our time to sit back and listen. The more time we spend in devotion to Him, the more He will have to say to us. Before you know it, time will have passed and it won’t even matter. May our scripture today teach us to slow down and be mindful of our thoughts and actions while seeking approval from God in the decisions we make. Believe me, the time spent with the Lord listening to His still small voice is well worth the wait. After all, time is in His hands.
Patiently waiting,
Tom Moore
I find this passage to be both humbling and encouraging. Humbling because there are times when I think my presentation of biblical truth is rock solid. I did my research, I thought it through, and I articulated the truth with great care and persuasion. I thought for sure this would have all listening and begging to know Jesus only to end up feeling like it fell on deaf ears. It’s quite the humbling feeling when you feel like you prepared a perfect 10 to walk away looking like you scored a goose egg.
I find this passage encouraging for the very opposite reason. You can come into a situation where you feel like you communicated yourself horribly, that you made no sense at all when speaking to someone about Christ. You walk away thinking about all the things you should have said feeling like a dope because you missed the opportunity. Then, to your surprise, you later find out it was that conversation that led someone to get saved or turn back to Jesus. You get reminded of the fact that God can work through the mouth of a donkey, and that is exactly what you felt like. And that reminder encourages me because it’s all about Jesus and the simple message of the cross.
For it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). Keep it simple and just share Jesus, and leave the saving up to God because that’s His department.
Pastor Jason Witt
God knows our hearts and if we, for some reason, think we can go before the King or before others and act spiritual, we are dead wrong. Right before Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray, He tells them what to do when they are about to pray. Go to their room and shut the door. You don’t have to impress God by using super cool words or stand in the streets to show people you are praying. Go, humble yourself, and pray to God.
If today you say to yourself, “But Joshua, I don’t know how to pray.” Good! God doesn’t have a prescribed method. Just go humble yourself before your King in your secret place and talk to Him. Tell Him what is on your heart. There is no need for secret code words or words with multiple vowels. Just give Him your heart and He will hear your prayers.
Joshua Navarro
The Lord intends to reign His love and mercy upon you and me. Why would we allow anything or anyone to stand taller in our view than Him? That’s a question we must ask ourselves today. What I regard is important, especially if it is taking up room in my heart that displaces the Lord. My idols (material possessions, self-pride, perfect health, that new [insert latest and greatest thing here], etc.) will bring nothing of eternal value to my life.
Today, let’s recognize this: Turning towards anything other than our Maker in the worship cathedral of our hearts leads to our own lack. We forsake the mercy He longs to provide to us. He is building us to last, and we need more of Him, not less. Thank you, Lord, for Your beautiful, satisfying mercy.
Jeff Deal
Fear is certainly something that everyone has experienced in one way or another. Sadly for many, fear becomes a paralyzing force that keeps them from realizing their full potential and keeps them from being all God wants them to be. That was the case here in Exodus 14 as God’s people were frozen with fear, with mountains on either side, the Red Sea in front of them, and Pharaoh’s army bearing down on them. God was taking them to the Promised Land but the fear of man stopped them in their tracks.
Don’t let the fear of the man or the circumstances you find yourself in keep you from accomplishing God’s will for your life today. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7 that, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” It’s God’s will and plan for you to live a life of victory over your fears as you trust in His ability to overcome anything that troubles you.
Be assured today, God honors those who believe Him enough to step out in faith. He is faithful and all-powerful and, if need be, He will part the sea for you as you simply fear not and put your trust in Him.
Pastor Doug Hardin
