“When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, ‘Are you he that troubles Israel?’”
— 1 Kings 18:17

Sometimes the people of God are accused of causing troubles in this world. The reality is often the very opposite.

We see this in the example that occurs in the great encounter that takes place between Elijah and Ahab. Here was this wicked king, Ahab, who was in some ways a man who had done great things for Israel. But in spite of all of the blessings that he had brought upon the land politically, he was one who was bringing the nation ultimately into total destruction because of his furthering Israel’s apostasy. Because of that apostasy, God had caused a three-year drought, which He proclaimed through His servant Elijah.

Now Ahab meets Elijah again and says to him, “Are you he that troubles Israel?” How often down through history has this been the case—where ungodly magistrates or judges or kings have been confronted with the preachers of God, men of righteousness, who have preached the word of God in the midst of an ungodly time—and they have accused them of troubling the nation?

But Elijah said, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have followed the Baals.” Today, we have forgotten the Law of God and forsaken the God of Sinai who gave us the law and the God of Calvary who gave us His Son. The righteous are not the troublers of the land, but the unrighteous. We must pray for a great revival.

Heavenly Father, in this world which calls good evil and evil good, help us to be faithful to You who are truly good. Give us strength for today to do that which You call good…

BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE STAND FOR
HIM IN A WORLD THAT REJECTS HIM.

“…boast in Christ Jesus, and place no trust in the flesh.”
— Philippians 3:3

The Apostle Paul said he could endure all circumstances, good or bad, because the Lord strengthened him though it all. Through Christ, he could do all things. I want you to notice what Paul is not talking about—PMA, a modern term for “Positive Mental Attitude,” also described as “positive thinking.” There is a great difference between positive thinking and what Paul is talking about. Note what Paul did not say: “I can do all things through PMA.” One man thought he had seen a sign in an office that said, “I can do all things through coffee and donuts.” Not quite.

Let me point out to you that PMA, positive thinking, has many good things about it. It helps people to do a lot of things, but it only goes so far and then it fails because it is really a sin. That I am sure grabs some of you the wrong way. A sin? Yes. The Bible says, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart departs from the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:5). To paraphrase: “Cursed is he that trusts in self.”

Furthermore, it is really nothing other than trusting in self for your salvation. Paul did not say, “I can do all things because I have complete confidence in myself.” Rather, it was Christ who strengthened him. What counts is not positive thinking— it is Christ-thinking—resting upon His strength and not on our own. Then there is no limit to what that can do.

Dear Jesus, forgive me for trusting in me. Forgive me for short-circuiting Your power in my life through unbelief. Give me strength for today to truly trust in You…

BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN RELY
ON HIM AND NOT OURSELVES.

“He who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents.”
— Matthew 25:16

At the start of a new year, it is as if we have a blank slate in our lives. We have a new beginning and new opportunities. I suppose everybody has had dreams of a greater life. The problem is that we all as children dreamed dreams and had great visions, but alas, as we grew up, most of those dreams faded away. They are destroyed by that pesky voice in our ear that whispers, “You can’t do it.” “No, you can’t.” “You never have, you never could, and you never will.”

So like acid rain that falls upon our dreams, they slowly disappear. Our great visions fade, our ambitions corrode, and our future fades entirely because we believed the negative words of the devil: “You can’t, you can’t, you can’t.” And so, we invent all kinds of reasons why we can’t. We may not want to admit that there is something whispering in our ear, but that is really the problem.

But the Lord has told us in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25) that He wants us to take that with which He has entrusted us, whether great or small, and use it profitably in this life for His glory and others’ good.

We should strive to be like the first servant who received five talents and earned five more for his master. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is easy to lose sight of ideas the Lord may have laid on our hearts. Is there some dream He has put in your heart that just won’t die? Maybe this is the year to begin pursuing it.

Dear Jesus, I turn over to You the dreams I have. Guide me and use me so that I may accomplish those things You would have me do. Thank You for the opportunity to serve. Lord, give me strength for today to do what pleases You…

BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN FULFILL
HIS PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
— Philippians 4:13, NKJV

Question for you: What would you do if you knew that you couldn’t fail? Probably, it will immediately become clear that we set the bar too low. What most of us do is to do that which is easiest, but not necessarily best.

If I stated the question differently, I would put it this way: What would you attempt if you were given an absolute assurance of success? Well, you have that assurance. The fact of the matter is, you have a guarantee—a guarantee from God. The Apostle Paul, speaking for God, said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” There is the guarantee, and it is a tremendous one, indeed.

We were created by God to do great things, to soar high, and to make an impact upon our world for Him. In fact, most of the great men and women who have accomplished impressive things in this world have been men and women who have dreamed dreams—big dreams, great visions of what God, by His grace, could do in their lives.

The key to this whole verse is the second part: It is Christ inside us who gives us the strength. We may well be able to accomplish great things apart from Christ. But in the long run, they will not be of much heavenly use. But through Christ who strengthens me, I can do all things. Pray that this year God will you use in greater ways than ever before.

Father, at the start of this new year help me to realize that the greatest limitations to my serving You may well come from within. Thank You that with You nothing is impossible. Give me the strength to serve with all my heart…

BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN
SERVE HIM WITHOUT RESERVATION.

“What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?”

— Psalm 89:48

Tonight we say goodbye to the old year and usher in the new. It’s a special time of reflection and tradition, and perhaps tonight you’ll engage in your own celebration as this year passes into the next. Perhaps you’ll look back on favorite memories of the past year and anticipate some new adventures in the year to come.

But many will spend their New Year’s Eve getting drunk. Have you ever wondered why so many people feel the need to do that? Think about it. Is it just a tradition? Or is it something more?

Perhaps the Romans of old knew. They had a phrase for it: momento mori, a “remembrance of death.” The old year is frequently pictured in art as a doddering old man staggering his way into oblivion.

If you think about it, the picture is quite fitting. The Bible tells us that Satan has held the whole world in bondage through the fear of death. With that truth in mind, I can realize why the unregenerate, who have never been delivered from that fear, who do not have the blessed assurance of eternal life, feel the need to get drunk. If another year’s passing brings them that much closer to death, it’s no wonder they want to obliterate that reality with alcohol. It is really ironic, for the whole world prides itself on its realism and chides Christians for believing in “fairy tales.” Some realists! These people can’t face the greatest reality that every human being must inevitably face: the fact of death.

But that doesn’t stop some people from trying. If we go back to 300 B.C., we find the hedonist philosopher, Epicurus, who said that death doesn’t concern us, for as long as we exist, death is not here, and when death comes, we no longer exist. But that isn’t so. We cannot remove death through philosophy, science, or medicine.

It is only in Christ that our mortality ceases to be frightening. For only in Him do we know what awaits us after death or, more accurately, Who awaits us after death. Christians can echo the apostle Paul: “To live is Christ; to die is gain.”

Tonight, as you say goodbye to an old year and usher in a new one, rejoice that you’re one year closer to meeting our Father in Heaven. Death’s door holds no fear for you; you’re on your way to eternal life united with Christ. Now that’s something to celebrate.

“Not what we call death, but what [is] beyond death is … [what] … we fear.”
T. S. Eliot

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”

— Mark 8:36

“Show me the numbers.” This motto typifies our society’s attitude and focus. We’re driven by the financial “bottom line.” How much money can we make? How will our choices impact our bank accounts? But the true bottom line is the end of our lives, and when we get there, the amount of money we have won’t matter at all. Instead, the ledger either will or will not have our names in the “life given to Christ” column.

Will your name be there?

A little girl once asked her father, “Daddy, is your soul insured?” Puzzled, he responded, “No, darling, why do you ask?” She answered, “Well, you were just saying that your car is insured and our house is insured, and last week I heard Uncle George say that he was afraid you would lose your soul. Daddy, is your soul insured?”

Some people don’t think about their souls until they come to the end of their lives. Edward Gibbon, the author of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and a great skeptic, often attacked Christianity. But at the end of his life, he said, “All is now lost, irrecoverably lost. All is dark and doubtful.”

How can you lose your soul? You can lose it through rejecting Christ outright, or you can lose it by simply neglecting Him. Scripture asks, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3). I believe more people lose their souls this way than by outright denial—by simple neglect, by merely putting it off. To “insure” our souls, we must receive Jesus Christ as the Savior and Lord of our lives.

If we do, we’ll experience a great reward in the bottom line of life. When Phillip Jenks, a humble Christian, was asked, “How hard is it to die?” he answered, “I have experienced more happiness today when dying than in all my life.”

Don’t neglect your soul. If you haven’t already, give it to Christ. Whether you’re saved or not is the ultimate bottom line.

“He is no fool who gives up that which he cannot
keep in order to gain that which he cannot lose.”
Jim Elliot

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away …”

— Revelation 21:1

Many years ago I heard a man derisively described as someone who was “so heavenly minded that he was no earthly good.” We may hear that from time to time, but for every one person who fits that description, ten thousand people are so worldly minded that they are no heavenly good at all.

Where do your thoughts dwell: on the concerns of this world or in anticipation of eternity spent in Heaven?

Once I was in an unfamiliar building. When I was ready to leave, I opened a door, thinking it was an exit, but instead I had stepped into a tiny broom closet. Of course, I stepped out instantly and closed the door. I was probably in there only one or two seconds at the most. Now, wouldn’t you think it extraordinarily odd if I spent the rest of my life thinking about that little closet when I had spent such a short time in it? In the same way, why do we spend all of our time thinking about this “little closet” of earth that is but a fleeting moment in the framework of eternity? Many people spend more time preparing for a twoweek vacation than they do preparing for eternity.

The more we dwell on our final destination, the more we’ll be prepared to live eternally in Heaven, thanks to Jesus Christ, who has experienced and conquered Hell on our behalf. And in anticipating our eternal destination, we’ll experience a foretaste of Heaven in this life as we seek to know the Lord more every day.

I pray that you and I will live each day with eternity in mind. As you go through your day today, remember that there are eternal consequences to your choices. Dwell on Heaven today, and allow those thoughts to guide your actions. Thanks to Jesus Christ’s free offer of salvation, we can become both heavenly minded and earthly good at the same time.

“The created world is but a small parenthesis in eternity.”
Sir Thomas Browne

“The Sabbath was made for man …”

— Mark 2:27

At the end of a given week, do you often find yourself tired and weary from the toils of work? Are you ready to relax and give praise to the Lord? That is exactly what the Sabbath is for. We should reserve it as a day of rest and rejoicing. In fact, do you know why many churches (including the one I pastor) choose not to have kneeling benches? Because in the early church, Christians were forbidden to kneel on Sunday. They instead observed Sunday as a day of rejoicing in God for His mighty deeds.

The Sabbath is a blessed day, and so it should be, for even the Lord rested on the Sabbath after creating the universe. On this day of the week, we remember that God made us as special creatures, designed to lift our heads toward God, honoring Him for who He is and for what He has done. The Sabbath is a pledge of that eternal rest which is ours. Not only should we rest on the Sabbath, we should take advantage of it as family time. For those of us with children, we can take that day to spend time with our kids, to model rejoicing for them, and to teach them spiritual truths.

But we so often compromise the Sabbath. Amos castigated the ungodly people in Israel who eagerly awaited the end of the Sabbath so that they might sell their crops. In the same spirit as these sinful Israelites, many people today don’t even wait for the Sabbath to end before they engage in work. Some people may have to work on this day, but many without Sunday work obligations choose to work anyway. In doing so, these people demonstrate how far their hearts are from God. They dishonor God by not keeping His day holy.

This week, plan to set the Sabbath aside as a day to rest and rejoice in the Lord. Give your responsibilities to God, and allow Him to hold them while you enjoy Him and the day He has made.

“The stops of a good man are ordered
by the Lord as well as his steps.”
George Mueller

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain …”

— Revelation 21:4

When did you last think about how incredible Heaven will be? Often we take Heaven for granted. In fact, our culture—even our cartoons—trivialize it, and we buy into the watered-down images. But Heaven will be a truly glorious place. What a great promise we have in knowing we’ll spend eternity there.

Can you imagine a place where every house is a mansion or a palace? Every step a triumph? Every covering of the head a coronation? Every year a jubilee? Every month an enchantment? Every week a transport of delight? Every hour a paradise? Every moment an ecstasy? That is what Heaven will be like. Who can imagine it, and who can understand what God has prepared?

In Heaven, there shall be no entropy, where everything breaks down. For indeed, the Curse will have been lifted, and sin will be gone forever. We’ll have perfect bodies that shall never age nor grow sick, never weary nor grow weak, and never need sleep. We will know no grief or loss. We’ll experience the full love of others. We’ll all gather in fellowship; no one will feel rejected or snubbed.

Above all, we’ll see our Savior face to face. We will know Him, love Him, and enjoy full fellowship with Him. Our relationship with Him will go beyond anything we could ever imagine here on earth.

As you walk through your day, especially when circumstances get you down, turn your thoughts toward Heaven. Let the hope of Heaven buoy you up this day.

“The reward for serving the Lord might not be much in
this life, but the retirement benefits are out of this world!”
Anonymous

“… For the Gentiles shall seek Him …”

— Isaiah 11:10

Through the ages Israelites as well as people of other nations have waited for the promised Messiah. Many Gentiles had heard of the Messiah from the Jews in captivity. In Babylon, in Persia, in every place the Jews were taken, the message spread of the long-expected one, the Savior to come.

The wise men who followed the star of Bethlehem had heard the news in this way. Who exactly were these men? Contrary to some accounts, they probably were not kings. Most likely they were ancient scientists, perhaps astrologers or philosophers from Persia or Babylonia. These men traveled a great distance to find the Christ. They had received some sign of His birth, some clue, some message from that strange and singular occurrence in the sky. Why would these men set out on such a hard and hazardous journey? Why would they travel so far to find a new king?

I think the answer these men would give us is the very epitome of wisdom: Truly wise men will ever seek after Christ.

Did the wise men find what they sought? Yes, indeed. They not only found a way to God, they found the Way. They not only found some truth, they found the truth. They not only found life, they found the life. And they fell down and worshiped Him.

This beautiful saga has enshrined itself in the hearts of humankind as a permanent part of the Christmas story. The wise men were the very first of a vast host of Gentiles who would seek and find the Messiah. Most of us are like that … Gentiles privileged enough to come and worship at His cradle. Enjoy that privilege today; come and worship our Lord the Messiah.

“They followed what little light they had, and it brought
them at last into the presence of the living, incarnate God.”