Greatest is least

Our culture teaches us that the way to get ahead is to be greater than those around you. From our first class in school to throughout our careers, we are often taught to climb the proverbial ladder, even if we climb over our classmates in colleagues. In Mark 9:35, Jesus teaches his disciples saying "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." Jesus teaches his disciples that the way up is down; to be great, we must humble ourselves and be servants, then Christ will raise us up in His time.

King of Glory

Trials and tribulations are simply part of every one's life. In Psalm 24:7, David encourages himself and his readers, saying "lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in. The difference between the believer and the unbeliever, is that we have the privilege of lifting up Christ, even in the midst of our trials, so that others may see the difference in our lives when King of Glory comes in.

Settling the struggle

At times, it seems as though our struggle is getting harder every day. Conflicts are part of everyday life; when those conflicts continue to grow, maintaining a joyful spirit can be a struggle. In Ephesians 6:12, Paul encourages his readers, telling them “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Be encouraged, our struggle is not with the people that we have have conflicts with from day to day; the struggle is a spiritual matter. Instead of prolonging and fueling the conflicts with people, take the authority of Christ over the spiritual forces that are working behind them.

Comfort in the storm

An old adage says "in every life, a little rain must fall." At times, it seems as though our lives are experiencing a torrential downpour. Thankfully, we serve a God who gives us the grace to bear all of the storms. In 2 Corinthians 1:3, Paul encourages his readers saying "praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." Even when the storms seem to be at their height, God is with us to comfort us. He doesn't comfort us just for ourselves, but He comforts us so that we can comfort others.

Think about it

Many people are going back to work this morning with a spirit of dread; some call it "a case of the 'Mondays." They dread going to work because of the many problems that they face on their jobs. In Philippians 4:8, Paul encourages his readers think about "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy." If you are dreading returning to work today, just think about the goodness of the Lord, his grace and mercy that provides for all of us, the great sacrifice on the cross for our sakes...think about these things, instead of the burdens that try to weigh you down.

Haters to elevators

Almost everyone in any position of power, authority, or prestige has their own set of "haters," people who are jealous of them, and in some cases, plot their downfall. David was no exception; he was constantly being pursued by those who hated him, hiding in caves, travelling in the night, to avoid contact with those who hated him. In Psalm 27: 6, David declares "my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord." Even through his trials, David kept his focus on the Lord, trusting that even in the midst of his enemies, that God would elevate him because of his great love.

Lift Him Up

In John 12:32, Jesus predicts his death, saying "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." Jesus was predicting his own brutal death on the cross; now that Christ has been crucified and resurrected, He lives within us. Now it is up to us, as Christ's disciples, to lift up Christ in all that we do. When we lift up Christ, in our hearts, our homes, and our lives, Christ will continue to draw all men to himself.

A Dream Deferred

In 1951, Langston Hughes published a poem titled Harlem, opening with a question of "what happens to a dream deferred?" Joseph was a man who was certainly qualified to answer that question. God gave him great dreams of being raised up so that even his brothers and his father would bow down to him. In Genesis 37: 19-20, his brothers plot to kill him, saying "come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams." Joseph was not killed, but he spent the next several years in slavery and prison, but God was still with him. In time, his dream became a reality. When a dream is deferred, it is not denied, it is simply delayed.

The company you keep

An old adage says that "birds of a feather flock together," which means that like-minded individuals tend to gather together. In Proverbs 3: 20, the Bible declares "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." If you want to be wise, or be considered wise, then surround yourself around wise people. The same is true when surrounding yourself with foolish people; whether you are wise or foolish, others will make assumptions about you based on the company that you keep.

Lord of our rescue

Sometimes we find ourselves in dire situations that we cannot get out of without a little help. Many people never make it out of dangerous situations because they panic and resist rescue attempts. In Jeremiah 15:19, the Lord declares " If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; verse 20 says "I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you," I will save you from the hands of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the cruel." The first step in being rescued is that we must repent; we all have sinned, but got is willing and able to forgive us; then we must surrender and let the Lord of our rescue save us.

Not Guilty

In John 8:1-11, Jesus tells a story of a woman who was caught in the act of adultery, and was about to stoned for her moral crime. Before her accusers throw the first stone to kill her, Jesus makes them consider their own sin; they all walk away, one by one, leaving her alone with Christ. In verse 11, he show her compassion and forgiveness, and tells her to "go and sin no more." Christ has the same compassion on all of us; He sees all, and even when he sees us in the act of our sin, He protects and forgives us, and declares us "Not Guilty."

Clean up

Families often share the chores in the household because cleaning up is constant cycle in a busy household. Just as a busy family constantly clutters and dirties the home, the same is true for sin in our spirits. In 1 John:8-9, Paul urges his readers If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." We all have sin, whether we realize it or not. Thankfully, we are able to confess our sins before Christ and allow him to purify us from our sins.

Do the right thing

A common criticism of Christians among unbelievers is that they lack consistency and credibility. They see the difference between the things that we preach about and the way that we live. In 1 Peter 2:12, Paul urges his readers to "keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. The world is watching us; they understand that there is a difference between the things that we do, and the life that we live, but what they don't understand is the gift of grace. Take an opportunity to witness to someone and explain that your good deeds have little to do with you, and everything the do with Christ.

Finish the race

It's easy to make a New Year's Resolution at the beginning of the year, but much more challenging to keep it. Resolutions often range from losing weight and exercising to praying and reading the Bible for a specified amount of time each day. In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul encourages his readers that he has "fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith." Even when we feel like giving up, remember that completing the tasks that God has given us is like a race, more of a marathon than a sprint. You will win if you just don't quit.

Need Direction?

If you have ever been lost on the road, you have a great appreciation in being empowered by your G.P.S system. The system operates on satellites that can pinpoint your current position, then navigate you to your desired position; truly a blessing for the directionally challenged. In Proverbs 3: 5-6, the Bible declares "trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." God's Word is much more powerful than any satellite, but it certainly direct you to your God-ordained destination; it can also redirect you when you navigate away from his path.

Choose to be blessed

God has set before us many choices, as so many of His promises are conditional. In Deuteronomy 30: 19-20, the Lord says "I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him." God has given all that we need to be blessed, and be a blessing to others, but we have to make the choice to follow God's plan to receive the blessings that He has in store for us.

Choice to rejoice

God has given us all a free will in our thoughts, actions, our responses to circumstances, even in our emotions. We have the choice be happy or sad, joyous or downtrodden. In Psalm 118: 24, the psalmist declares "This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." As the psalmist made the decision to rejoice, we should make the same decision to rejoice in any circumstance. We may not be able to control the circumstance, but we can certainly control our response in rejoicing.

Free in the Word

It's not uncommon for people to find themselves in some kind of bondage; some are in a physical prison, while others are bound in circumstances or addictions. In 2 Timothy 9, the Apostle declares "for that gospel I am suffering affliction and even wearing chains like a criminal. But the Word of God is not chained or imprisoned!" Even in Paul's bondage, he still preached the Word and encouraged others with whom he came into contact. Regardless of the kind of bondage that you may be in, the Word of God is forever free.

Guarding your promises

God has made so many promises to us as his people; he makes promises through his Word, he proclaims some promises through the word of a prophet, and he speaks his promises to us directly in the still, small voice of his spirit. In Genesis 15, God makes Abram a promise that he will have decendents that number as many as the stars. Abram sets up a sacrifice to worship the Lord, as the Lord commanded. In verse 11, the Bible describes the threat to his sacrifice as "birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away." Even through Abram had not seen his promise manifest, he trusted God's word and his promises, but he still needed to protect his promise by driving the birds of prey away from his sacrifice.

A fresh start

With each new year, we have the opportunity to make a fresh start. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the Bible declares "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." As all things have become new in the regeneration of Christ, we all have the chance to start off this year with a new attitude, a new heart, and of course, the new mercies that God blesses us with each day.