Your best help for 2024

It’s a new year! We are getting a lot of emails suggesting they have the corner on the market for shedding those extra holiday pounds. I can sum those emails up in one suggestion: Eat less and exercise more

We are getting a lot of advice and ads about simplification, de-stressing, getting organized, and living with more physical and mental energy. I would sum up most of those ideas by saying, “Put down the electronics and give yourself more time for chores and sleep.”

My helpful hint for 2024 is a bit different from a lot of those other articles. I would like to suggest that the best thing we can do for our lives in 2024 is to walk more closely with God led by his Holy Spirit. That one decision will do a lot to improve every other area of our lives.

How can we know we are walking with God’s Spirit?

It’s a common goal each January to make our spiritual lives a higher priority. Inevitably, life challenges that high priority. We can make every effort to walk with God’s Spirit, but we can know with certainty that Satan and his crew will be standing around a corner with an evil plan to trip us up. 

Our inboxes will be filled each day with helpful “advice” from Internet marketing and AI targeting. How do we discern which advice is consistent with God’s plans and which advice sends us in a different direction? 

I had to smile when I heard this from a friend. He was talking to my husband about discerning God’s wisdom when he said, “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting a tomato in your fruit salad.” That’s a good picture for a lesson to remember: Not every word of advice in this world belongs in our lives.

I want to offer you a daily help for discerning God’s wise priorities. I wrote and recorded Wisdom Matters and it is yours, free of charge. You probably won’t get to it every day of the year, but it is available to you each day. I use a verse of wisdom from God’s word to apply it to the various areas of our lives. If you have not signed up for that daily devotional, you can do that today

Scripture tells us that God’s word “is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, or joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). 

When we fill our lives with God’s word, the Holy Spirit will make God’s word alive in our lives and give us the wisdom and discernment to know what belongs in our fruit salad and what doesn’t.

What did Jesus promise us for 2024?

I was watching Anne Graham Lotz’s Christmas message and knew I would need to include her thoughts in this first blog post of the new year. I love it when I hear a message from God’s word and gain a new, profound truth!

Anne was talking about the verses in Luke, chapter 1, when Mary learned from the angel Gabriel that the “Holy Spirit would come upon her.” She, a virgin, would conceive and bear God’s Son. From those verses, Anne discussed her own salvation and then said something I had never considered before.

She referred to Jesus’ teaching in John 16 when the Lord told his disciples that he was going away. Jesus could tell the disciples were confused and concerned so he gave them a hope-filled promise. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7).

Anne went on to teach that when she became a Christian she, like Mary, conceived the person of Jesus in her life, through his Holy Spirit. That’s why the Bible teaches us we are “born again” or “made new” in Christ. The Spirit came to indwell us, much like Jesus came to indwell Mary. Jesus told his disciples that it was to their advantage that Jesus would be going away. We are better off walking with the Spirit of Jesus within our lives than those in the first century who walked with Jesus physically.

If you are a Christian, you have received the same Holy Spirit that Jesus promised his disciples. The Spirit of Christ has been conceived within you. We who walk in God’s Spirit, walk with a very great advantage in this world.

Hold Jesus close in 2024

Our best help for the coming new year is already living in our lives. We carry the actual voice of Jesus to offer us wisdom and direction. We walk with Jesus within us, which is more powerful to our lives than those who walked beside him on earth. We are God’s child because we have received his Son in our lives.

Jesus indwells our lives, our thoughts, our hearts. 2024 will be our best year if we choose to trust the power and guidance of God’s indwelling Son. Galatians 5:25 says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”

I hope you will allow Wisdom Matters to speak God’s word into your lives each day. I hope gaining a message from God’s wisdom will help you “keep in step with the Spirit.” 

These are changing times, and this year looks to be volatile, divisive, and could be filled with a lot of unknown dangers. God knows what we can’t and would whisper in our ears, “walk with me and follow my direction.”

Your best help for 2024 is already yours because of Jesus. We can look forward to this new year with his joy, his peace, and his promise of hope. This world may throw a few tomatoes our way, but with God’s help we won’t let them alter the fruits of his Holy Spirit.

Happy New Year!

It’s time to take time

Summer is almost here and it’s time to slow down, rest, and make plans for the remainder of the year. For the next several weeks, I will be taking a break from writing the blog so I can move into a new home, take a long-awaited anniversary trip with my husband, and tape next year’s Bible study on the book of Matthew. We will be highlighting some of my all-time favorite blogs over the years. I hope you will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them!

I love what I do. While definitely work, this work is also my ministry. I love the opportunities to serve the Lord by sharing his word with others.

Life has been complicated this past year as well as joyful, difficult, fulfilling, and blessed. Stepping away from some of my work to rest in the Lord and refocus my thoughts on the future is right and good.

A new self

I was reading some familiar verses in Ephesians when I saw the passage in a new way. If you have lived a Christian lifestyle for most of your life, this may give you some new thoughts as well. ALL of Scripture has purpose in our lives, and these verses spoke a word to me.

Paul was writing to the Ephesian church, encouraging them to move away from the sinful behaviors of their past, pre-Christian lifestyles. He said, “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:20–24).

I’ve taught those verses before, but usually from the perspective of first-century issues. In doing that, I applied these verses only to our lives before salvation. I want to be clear, that is what Paul was teaching the Ephesians. But are these verses only about that?

An old self, redefined

Most of my readers have been Christians for a long time. I was raised in the church and truthfully, my pre-Christian years weren’t dramatically different from the life I lived after choosing Christ as my Lord and Savior. Passages like the one from Ephesians kind of seemed like verses for someone else. 

But what if Paul wanted to teach these verses to people like most of us, who have lived as Christians for the vast majority of our lives?

Are there times we need to “put off our old self” too? There are times we step away from our “former manner of life” even if it isn’t necessarily “corrupt.” Sometimes our former way of life is simply outdated. There are times we need to step into a new day, a new calling, or new circumstances. Paul’s instructions are key for those moments as well.

When a renewed self is needed

I never want my relationship with God or my ministry to grow routine, uninspired, or stale. Teaching God’s word is always relevant and rewarding. But isn’t it easy to continue doing what we have always done, even when the Lord might want to plan a “new thing”?

Paul told the Ephesians that after they had stepped away from their “old self” there were things to do if they wanted to be renewed.

First: we need to be renewed in the spirit of our minds

We need to think differently, discover new ideas, and simply learn to know God at newer and deeper levels. We should never be finished “seeking” God. Our spiritual lives are eternal, and we can measure our success by our growth. We are not finished growing until we have become an eternal soul in heaven.

Second: we need to put on the new self

I know this originally meant to step into the life of a person who has been born again and filled with God’s Holy Spirit. We all remember the wonder of waking up with the knowledge that we had become an adopted child of God. But should our wonder fade? Shouldn’t we make the choice to put on our new self every day? 

Third: we should evaluate our spiritual lives by the standards of Christ

Our renewed lives should continue to make us more like Christ, with each passing year. We were created after the likeness of God. We were made to be truly righteous and live holy lives.

A new home, a new path, and a new heart

There is a LOT that is new in my life right now, and it is exciting. I have so much work ahead of me in the next few weeks, but I look forward to getting on a plane and leaving it all behind. I will enjoy as many sunsets on the ocean as I can before returning home to work some more.

I am taking my soul on this vacation and asking God to renew, refocus, and redirect my life – in whatever ways he would choose. It’s a new day, and I want to be whoever the Lord calls me to be for this next season of life. 

Whatever that might mean, I know this: I want to keep growing and keep serving the Lord. I want to be more like Christ next summer than I am this summer.

It’s time to take time

It’s time to take time to rest, think, pray, and respond to God’s guidance. I’m excited for a few weeks to “be still and KNOW” the presence of my Lord. 

Rest is good! I pray each of you will be able to find time to sit at God’s feet and “reason together.” Could God have a new plan for your life as well? One thing is certain, we are never finished growing into someone who is more and more like him.

I’ll be back soon…summer blessings!

The spiritual red zone

I’ve never watched so much football in my life! 

Last weekend my husband, Jim, and I decided to have a football weekend. We love the game of football and had a great time watching teams play at their highest levels because the entire season was on the line. 

Sadly, we gave up on the Saturday night game too soon! 

We had church in the morning and decided Trevor Lawrence was just having a bad night. He was down 27–0 at halftime and we just went to bed. When we woke up the next morning, we heard the reporters talking about the third-greatest comeback in playoff history! 

Trevor had played an almost-perfect second half and led his team to a 31–30 victory. The next morning, he got a standing ovation when he went to the Waffle House for breakfast! He is a good guy, and I’m glad his team is still in the running.

Jim was preaching Sunday morning and used an illustration that prompted the title for this blog post. Most of us who attend our chapel service are somewhere around our age. Jim used a PowerPoint slide with a picture of a football field and told us to judge our age as progress down the field. 

Most of us had passed the twenty-yard line and realized we are headed for the end zone! 

After church, I made a joke and said, “So, what you are saying is that you and I are in the Red Zone.” 

What is the spiritual red zone?

For those who might not watch football, the red zone is considered the part of the field between the twenty-yard line and the goal line. It is the part of the field where games are won or lost. 

It occurred to me that, in many ways, this season of my life is like the spiritual red zone. 

I want to win this game, don’t you? 

One of the games we watched was the Giants/Vikings game. The Giants won largely because of their talented quarterback and another player named Saquon Barkley. One of the best moments of that game occurred in the red zone. 

The Giants were lined up with only a couple of yards to go, the ball was snapped and handed off to Saquon, who literally ran hard, shoved, and carried a bunch of huge defenders into the end zone, scoring the TD. Jim told me Barkley is one of the strongest players in the NFL. I believe it! 

So, what should life in the spiritual red zone look like? 

The answer: a LOT like that Saquon Barkley goal-line play! 

His touchdown effort had help from a strong team, but, truthfully, it was his enormous strength that helped him cross the goal line with success.  

The purpose of life is to cross our goal line successfully. Death is guaranteed at the end of our lives. Salvation has been guaranteed at the end of our lives as well if we are Christians. John 5:24 is a promise from Christ. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”  

Some touchdowns this weekend were achieved more easily as the player caught a pass and ran over the goal line. Others, like Saquon’s TD, were a battle won with great strength. There is no way to know which of those scenarios will mark the finish of our lives. 

But, we are called to be strong and ready to cross the goal line, no matter what play the Lord calls. Philippians 4:13 reminds us that we “can do all things through him who strengthens” us.  

We have been given everything we need to compete in a spiritual Super Bowl if we will just play the game plan the Holy Spirit has laid out.  

Most of us are in the playoff season of our lives. Are we playing at the top of our game? 

Which team should we be playing for?

I’m a Cowboys fan, often reluctantly. Thankfully, Monday night they played a great game and they are still in the race! The team has a LOT of ability, but sometimes they don’t seem to have the heart or motivation to play their best game. 

Sadly, that describes a lot of Christians too. 

Those who know Scripture know they are guaranteed a win simply because of their salvation. 

But shouldn’t it matter how we play the game too? 

Romans 12:2 gives good advice for this game we call life. Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  

God has a game plan, a will for each of our lives. Success is playing on God’s team and following his plan instead of thinking our own plans will provide a better way to win. 

Are you in the spiritual red zone?

That question isn’t meant to be a sobering thought about your age! Instead, it should be a rewarding thought that says, “I’m in the game.” 

Consider it this way: If you are a Christian, you are going to win the game, and there is going to be a GREAT celebration after the clock runs out. There is going to be a trophy handed out as well. 

It is ALL good! 

But, keep in mind that there will be “stats” to consider at the end of the game. The team wins, but only some will have played in the game. The team gets a trophy, but some get an MVP award. I guess what I am saying to all of us today is that we should want to get off the bench and play in the game! 

Yes, you will probably take some hits on the field. Yes, you might drop a few passes or trip along the way. ALL good players have stats that include both successes and failures. But, that’s because they were in the game! 

My thought today is that all of us should take a moment to consider our personal stats. Our team is in the red zone, but are you on the field or cheering from the sideline? 

How do you get into the game?

Paul gives that answer in Philippians 4:8–9: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” 

The players who are able to play the game are the players who showed up for practice and participated in the workout so they could accomplish what they learned. 

If you have been sidelined, get back to playing the game. It’s a lot more fun to celebrate in the end zone after the battle than to just be included in the locker-room celebration at the end of the game. Christians are on the winning team, but why not shoot for one of those MVP awards at the end of the game?  

There are two more football weekends and then the Super Bowl. I’m hoping to root for the Cowboys but expect that I’ll be rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs on Super Bowl Sunday. 

In the end, winning is mostly about character and strength. We will see who has that in the red zone,  and we will see who goes to the Super Bowl this year. 

Finally . . .

Statistically, I’m in the red zone of life. Where are you?  

Spiritually, I’d like to be on the field and ready to run a game-winning play!  

Are you in the game? 

If so, stay strong because you will take some hits. 

If not, get back to the practices of your faith and you will soon be called off the bench and onto the field! 

The Holy Spirit has an affinity for those who are strong and ready to follow God’s game plan. 

Let’s all play in such a way that we are an important part of the win! 

It’s a new day. Are we ready?

My husband Jim sent me an article saying, “This is the best article I’ve seen.” Jim reads all the time so I knew I needed to read that article too. 

The article is titled “The New Cold War” and discusses what is happening in Ukraine and why those events indicate the world has entered a new day. The article is an intelligent look at why every country, but especially the United States, needs to get ready for the decades ahead. 

I’m a Christian believer and a student and teacher of God’s word. In addition, I work in full-time ministry. One of the consequences of my work life is that I view current events from the lens of biblical history. As I read the article it made sense to me from a spiritual perspective as well as from the perspective of history. 

My conclusion from the article: Change isn’t coming. Change is here. 

Are we ready?

Thirty-plus years ago, Jim and I were discussing another article he had read. We were living in Midland, Texas, and our kids were running through the house dressed like ninja turtles and asking for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Now, their kids are that same age. 

The author of that article was predicting what the American economy and culture would be like when our children became adults. I wish I could link that article today as well, but it was published pre-internet. I just remember it discussed things like gas prices, wages, the workforce, the number of people who would likely be on government assistance, etc.  

I remember thinking, Gas will never cost that much

That article stated that my generation would be the wealthiest in American history, and the generations that followed would not know the same kind of financial success. I was not inclined to believe the predictions because I didn’t want to. It wasn’t good news and wasn’t written by someone who considered God’s role in governing this world. 

Today, however, I think about that article and realize the economist was almost prophetic

As I think about what I spent yesterday for a tank of gas, I wonder what the cost of life will look like when my grandkids are adults. As I consider the increased threat from China and Russia and probably North Korea, I wonder what kind of world order they will inherit. As I have continued to learn and teach Scripture, I see similar patterns in history, and it is a word to all Christians today. 

God always blesses what he has promised to bless. The safest people in this world are those who have placed their faith in Jesus and live each day with the promise of heaven. But, nations and cultures rise and fall, and God will allow his promised consequences. His promises to judge sin are truth, as well as his promise to save. 

As I’ve said before, the third or fourth stanzas of those old hymns are truth as well. Why did we stop singing those words in church? 

Have we done our job as Christians? 

Have we told the world they need a Savior? 

Have we convinced our kids that there is a heaven? That there is a hell? 

Are we ready for the changes that many of our “thinkers” say are coming and for the changes that are already here? 

Biblical history is world history

The Bible gives a historic perspective to current events. That is one of the most important reasons to study God’s word. His word is pure and complete truth. God’s character is unchanging and, therefore, if we know what God has done or allowed in the past, we can expect him to do or allow the same today. 

God has held the same goal for human beings since those days he walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the garden. God made the first sacrifice by killing an animal in order to clothe, or cover, his children. He has been providing a way to cover sins ever since. God wants people to dwell with him in heaven. World history reveals that God has always been providing a way to bring as many people to himself as possible. 

Last week, I reminded my Bible study of Paul’s words in Romans 1. Paul told the church in Rome, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18 NIV). 

We don’t often hear verses like that preached anymore. We want people to be encouraged that God loves them and they can live eternally. But, all of God’s word is important. The key thing to note in the verse above is that God’s anger, or wrath, is against those who “suppress the truth” because of their wickedness. 

What is wickedness? 

I look at the millions of people fleeing Ukraine and think Putin is wicked for starting this war. I see the soldiers who are following his commands and know that some of them are involuntarily caught up in Putin’s wickedness. And I see the faces of the people who are fighting and fleeing and know that only some of them are spiritually innocent, forgiven of their own sins. I wonder how many on both sides are spiritually safe. 

In Scripture, wickedness can be defined as anything that suppresses God’s truth or purpose. Who is asking God what he wants to accomplish and how he wants to redeem the wickedness for his greater good? That is my prayer, for all of them. 

The question isn’t who is wicked because, by God’s definition, we have “all sinned and fall short” of God’s perfect plan (Romans 3:12). 

The question is: Are we teaching the complete truth about God’s goals by the way we live, worship, and evangelize?  

Are we ready for this new day?

I hope you all will take the time to thoughtfully read “The New Cold War.” It is an intelligent, important article, and I wonder if it is the article my kids will think about one day as they watch their grandkids playing. 

That article closes by saying, “This new struggle has been thrust upon us by Russia and China; there is no escaping it. Strength will be rewarded and weakness will be punished. The days of easy American preponderance have come to an end; for the next few decades we will have to work hard to keep the global balance of forces from turning against us. If history is a guide, the American people will rise to the challenge as long as our own national leadership is up to the task. As we judge those who seek to lead, this is the prime test we should put to all of them.” 

Change is coming because it always does. No one in the Apostle Paul’s day could imagine any nation would ever be more powerful than Rome. Rome had the armies and the weapons and had conquered the world. Interestingly, Christianity conquered Rome. 

Would Nero ever have imagined that in his capital city, at the very place he held his circus and had the apostle Peter crucified, a Vatican would be built and dedicated to the work of Christ? 

It’s a new day

It is quite likely the world is going to see great change in the decades ahead. I hope many of those changes will cause people to seek their salvation in Christ. It’s a new day, but God’s goal for human beings remains the same. He wants them to live eternally with him. 

Are we ready to serve God’s purpose by presenting ourselves as living sacrifices, “holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1)? Are we helping those we know and love to do the same? 

Change isn’t coming. It has arrived. 

Let’s walk with God and ask him how we can live his consistent truth as the changes unfold. We want our friends and family to be saved, strong in the Lord, and ready for whatever this life brings. We want them to live today knowing eternity is their promise. 

It’s a new day. 

Aren’t you glad you are ready? 

Let’s share God’s eternal goal as we serve others so they can be ready as well.

His most important book

My husband, Jim, and I were on our daily walk last summer when he told me he thought he had written his most important book. I asked him why.

The title of his book, The Coming Tsunami, surprised me, and we started there. 

I’m usually the one in our relationship who gets the most “worked up” over the evening news. There are days Jim walks in the back door and I warn him, “Caution . . . I’ve been watching Fox News for two hours.” (Yes, I confess, FOX is my network of choice these days.) 

Jim is the most objective Christian “thinker” I know. That’s why the title of his book surprised me. 

Why does Jim think there is a coming cultural tsunami? 

Who is the tsunami headed for? 

What is a cultural tsunami?

A tsunami is a massive wave caused by earthquakes far beneath the ocean floor. You probably remember the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean that occurred on December 26, 2004. 

The underwater earthquake registered an estimated magnitude of 9.1 and created waves more than one hundred feet high. Those waves reached the shores of more than fourteen countries, killing an estimated 227,898 people. That tsunami was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. 

Why does Jim believe we should expect a cultural tsunami in America?

He believes some significant happenings are going unnoticed or unreported that will create waves our culture is unprepared to escape. 

I asked Jim, “Do you think you might be acting a bit dramatic?” 

His answer: “Sadly, no.” 

He had my attention

I wanted to know what Jim believed was going to cause the incoming waves. He has prepared a press kit for those who will interview him about his book. This is how Jim summarizes the four earthquakes and the coming impact of the cultural tsunami: 

Caused by four cultural “earthquakes,” the cultural acceptance of four specific ideologies has seismically shifted our world. With the rise of a “post-truth” culture, the expansion of the sexual revolution, the attraction of Critical Theory, and the advance of secular religion, Christians are increasingly labeled as intolerant, irrelevant, oppressive, and dangerous—the antithesis of the life Jesus calls Christians to live. These tidal waves are threatening to submerge Christians in America and the biblical morality they proclaim. And the ultimate repercussions of these issues—the coming tsunami—have yet to be fully experienced.

What is our Christian response?

Jim gives those answers in his book. My point today is this: Are we, the body of Christ, ready for this? 

The most common question we have received from Spring 2020 until now is this: “Is the virus a sign of the end times, the last days? 

If you have read my blog for a while, you know I don’t spend much time speculating on the things Scripture has made clear already. Jesus told his disciples, “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42). The only people I’m certain are wrong about the timing of Christ’s return are the people who think they know when it will be. The point Jesus was making was to live “awake” to the reality it will happen. 

A lot of talk is going around about who and what is “woke” in our culture today. They are borrowing an idea from Jesus at that point, but not usually borrowing his message. 

I can honestly say, “Christians should be the most woke people in our culture, but not in the way that term is commonly defined.”  

A passage to ponder today

Paul, knowing he would soon die, sent Timothy a letter. He wanted his young protégé to be prepared. Paul’s words to Timothy should be God’s word to us today. 

He said, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people” (2 Timothy 3:1–5).  

The sobering truth of those words is that Paul wrote them about the false teachers in the church. 

False teaching was impacting the early Christians and threatened the advance of the truth of Christ, the gospel message. False teaching has always been the greatest threat, and it still is. 

If we don’t stand firm in the truth, the waves in the culture will knock us down and destroy our witness. 

How “woke” are you today?

Jesus’ words to his disciples hit home today. We own God’s word, his perfect direction, and you can probably glance at a copy from where you are sitting. You are reading a blog post that teaches God’s word. You obviously want to live “awake” to what God is doing and allowing in our culture. 

Is Jesus’ return imminent? 

Quite possibly. 

And my grandma, my great-grandma, and my great-great-grandma could have said the same. That really isn’t the point. The point is: 

  • Are we ready?
  • Are those we love ready?
  • Have we done all we can to help people get ready?

How “woke” are we, according to Jesus’ message? 

A book worth reading

Jim writes a LOT of books. I will be straight-up honest and tell you I have read a lot of what my husband has written. (I only wish right now I could have said “all.”) 

I’ve known since that walk last summer that I will read The Coming Tsunami. Jim has never before said, “I think this is my most important book.” Jim and I have been married forty-one years and I know that if he said that, he means it. 

You can pre-order the book here, or on Amazon, if you want to read it as well. Also, if you provide evidence of your pre-order at TheComingTsunami.com, you’ll be invited to Jim’s live digital book launch event on January 25 at 7 p.m. where he’ll discuss one of our culture’s hot topics: Is CRT biblical?

For all of us, let’s stay awake to all that God is doing and allowing in our culture so that we can do our part in this world. The last request Jesus made of his disciples before his ascension was to “go and make disciples” of others.  

To live a “woke” life as a Christian is to live aware of God’s presence in your life so that you are able to live your kingdom purpose in this world. The waves are coming, and some are already here. Let’s stay awake and stay prepared.  

We should be “about the Father’s business” until Jesus returns.

Our Highest Authority

Last week I shared a quote from A. W. Tozer on my Facebook page because it spoke a word of truth into the volatile week. This quote was shared often, so it seemed to resonate with many. A. W. Tozer said, “While it looks like things are out of control, behind the scenes there is a God who has not surrendered his authority.”

I’m pretty sure that however you vote, you would consider last week’s news to be difficult to comprehend. I think the only one who was not surprised and shocked by the news from Afghanistan was God. It gave me comfort to remember that God has “not surrendered his authority.” 

The righteous live by faith

The righteous have always lived by faith. Last week I read a plea from a missionary who is hiding in Kabul. She wrote that she didn’t think she would be alive in two weeks because she was being hunted by the Taliban. She is a missionary who teaches Muslim women to read and teaches them they have a God who loves them and finds them worthy in every way.  

In a couple of weeks, the Bible study I spent most of my summer working on will begin. I spent months learning how to understand and teach the book of Romans. I often call Romans “Paul’s masterpiece.” He wrote it near the end of his life and ministry after decades of missionary work. Paul spent his life establishing churches in parts of the world that were antagonistic to his teaching. 

The theme of the book of Romans is found in chapter 1 and is a theme I believe God is calling all of us to consider for our own lives and ministries. Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith’” (Romans 1:16–17). 

Christians like this missionary define what it means to live by faith, unashamed of the gospel. They know the gospel is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes. Those who have been made righteous will live by faith now, and eternally. Join me in asking the Lord to miraculously save the missionaries and enable their work to continue. 

Unashamed 

I believe in the power of the gospel too. But, I am blessed to accomplish my ministry safely. I can openly teach every verse of the book of Romans without fear of harm. In Afghanistan, those missionaries can be killed for doing what I am free to do in America.  

Teaching God’s word is my greatest privilege, and I am not ashamed to teach others what the Bible says is true. Not everything I teach this year will be considered “politically or socially” correct. But, I’m not ashamed to believe the Bible is the truth our culture most needs to hear. 

The righteous, in every country, live by faith. I will teach each word of Paul’s letter because in it Paul reveals the gospel message, which is the message of salvation for everyone. Next spring, I fully expect that Paul’s letter will have brought others to salvation in Christ, just as it has for more than two thousand years.  

A. W. Tozer said it well: “God has not surrendered his authority.” I am unashamed of the gospel message. I will not surrender God’s authoritative word to cultural opinions. 

You are invited

I recognize that I have been called to teach the Bible. It isn’t what I do; it is what the Spirit of God has chosen to do through me. Some will think that last statement sounds a bit arrogant, but the truth is exactly the opposite. The reason I teach is that when I get it right, I’m not the one teaching—the Spirit of Jesus is teaching. I can’t describe it any other way.  

I want to invite you to join our group in the study of Romans in a couple of weeks. You can sign up for the videos, and they are free. The book has a suggested price because we need to repay the ministry for the cost of producing, printing, and shipping it. It is our goal to give Bible study to as many as possible, even in places of the world that don’t encourage or support Christianity. 

I can’t think of a more important time to study Paul’s letter to Rome. We all need to remember we were called to be a holy people, made righteous through our faith in Jesus Christ. 

Trained in God’s authoritative word

I’m not sure how many of the Afghan refugees will live near you, but I know that Dallas, my home city, is scheduled to receive a crowd. In addition, our southern border has been a crossing ground for tens of thousands. 

Many despair that fact. At times, I have too. But, then I think about Paul and the missionaries who will likely die for teaching their faith. I imagine any of them would look at the comfort I enjoy as I teach God’s word to others and consider me blessed. I can hear Paul saying, “You mean God is bringing them to you?”  

Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power for salvation to everyone who believes.” I am privileged to teach Paul’s masterpiece, the book of Romans this year. I can honestly say that if you will study his letter, you will know what to believe and why to believe it. 

Are we willing to be God’s missionaries to the world, especially to the ones who are arriving in our own country, even our own neighborhoods? God is on his throne and has allowed things to happen as they have. Why? How does God plan to accomplish Romans 8:28 through your life? 

Who are His missionaries?

How could this country change the world? I think it’s important to remember God didn’t give a country that job.  

How could God’s people change the world? Just like Paul did—one soul at a time. 

We aren’t responsible for the thousands, but we are responsible to God for each person he calls us to. Some will be Americans and some will not. But, that isn’t the point. God didn’t call us to make more Americans; he did call us to make disciples of all nations. 

Do you feel unable to share your faith? Are you afraid you can’t answer people’s questions? Then come study the book of Romans. Paul answers almost every faith question in his letter. None of us are able to be missionaries apart from his Spirit. But remember: every Christian has the same Holy Spirit that God has given to those brave missionaries in Afghanistan and other parts of this world. Every Christian has the same Holy Spirit that empowered Paul’s ministry. 

Paul would say we are lucky to be able to share God’s word and still sleep safely in our beds each night.  

I pray that when next April ends and we have studied the final lesson from Romans, there will be an army of the faithful who are unashamed of God’s truth and ready to teach it when called. I pray that God will bless and protect the teaching of his word. The gospel message is the power of salvation to everyone who believes.  

It may look like things are out of control, but God has not surrendered his authority. Let’s not surrender our calling either. You are a missionary, and the need is growing. Choose today whom you are going to serve. Join with God’s people across the centuries who have said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lᴏʀᴅ” (Joshua 24:15). 

God is our highest authority. 

Our souls need a good trim too

Our yards have needed some extra work lately. That’s especially true for those of us in Texas. We don’t usually get snow, but this past winter was record-setting. For most of us, there are some plants that just gave up! Most of them needed to be really pruned so that the roots would be able to do their job.

After the tough season we have come through, our plants can teach an important spiritual lesson. Sometimes it’s best to submit our souls to that same process of pruning we apply to our plants. 

IF IT’S NOT GREEN, IT’S NOT GROWING 

Several of our plants looked bad after the freeze, but I waited for spring to arrive before choosing to remove them. I had hope for all of them, until it was obvious they didn’t make it. I snapped off a branch and realized it was brown all the way through. It easily broke in my hand because it was attached to dead roots. 

Those of us who live in Texas have learned that once April rolls around, if it isn’t green, it’s not growing. And so it goes with our spiritual lives. 

Sometimes we attach our hopes, even our trust, to something other than the true vine. This past year, we learned that those things don’t survive. 

What was growing in your life that didn’t make it through to the spring season? 

What things did you place your hope and trust in that didn’t prosper? 

Is it time to do some pruning?

Because if something isn’t green, or evergreen, it’s not growing. 

John 13–20 are some of the most poignant chapters in Scripture. Jesus’ beloved disciple records the lessons Jesus spoke during his last days on earth. In chapter 15, Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away” (vv. 1–2a). 

This past year, I think our heavenly Father pulled his pruning shears out in order to do a lot of work. Everyone’s life was altered in some way during 2020 and the winter that followed. Truthfully, no one is really certain the changes are over. But, there is a lot of hope. God will always be at work in the world, even on the hard days. 

THE ROOTS MATTER MOST 

I don’t think spring has ever felt like such a blessing! It was such a joy to worship God surrounded by people again. Easter Sunday felt like a time of rebirth and renewal. Joy always returns in the morning. 

It has been amazing to watch a rebirth in some of our plants too. I was just about to pull out a plant when I realized it was sprouting at the base. All it needed was the dead stuff cut off. Now it seems like that plant looks different every morning! 

That plant is what prompted this blog post. It has served as a parable to me this spring. The rest of John 15:2 says that “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Is that what God was doing in our lives last year? 

As I look back on 2020 and the winter of 2021, I realize I had put a lot of trust in things other than God. We all worried about politics, people, and possessions. There were a LOT of days it was tough to find anything that looked like it was going well. 

We had a year of quiet, and it was a great year to spend focused on him. Now, as spring returns, how will your life look different? 

Maybe it feels like you have been cut down to the roots. But under God’s care, your life could be changing daily, growing and becoming something changed and stronger than it was before. 

It’s the root of our lives that matters most. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). 

Everything we did last year that was Spirit-led will produce fruit. Everything that was born from a different root will not be worth keeping. A lot of artificial fruit looks really good, but, in the end, fake fruit doesn’t feed anyone. That’s a good metaphor for the fruit we produce in our lives. 

Real fruit is born from the real root, and Jesus said, “That’s me.” 

WATCH THE THINGS THAT COME TO LIFE 

Spring is a season of rebirth. How like God to make sure Passover, and then Easter, would be celebrated in the spring. Jesus died and rose again so that our souls could live eternally. The disciples thought Jesus had been “cut down,” but he was about to change the world. 

From the root of Christ’s work on earth, look at the branches! That growth is available in each of our lives as well. 

I’m still keeping my eye on a few plants. If they don’t grow, I’ll pull them. But, I have a new favorite plant now. It’s the plant that reminded me of an important spiritual lesson. We can come through hard times, better and stronger, if we just let our perfect vinedresser prune away the stuff in our life that is dead or dying. 

If the roots are good and the plant comes back to life, keep it. If there are things you have done during this past season that have strengthened your soul, keep those things and submit the rest, the lesser things, to the perfect vinedresser. 

SOMETIMES GOD USES SHEARS, OTHER TIMES IT’S THE LOPPER 

One last thought: the longer we let the bad stuff grow, the more difficult it is to cut. 

If God has come to you with his pruning shears in hand, be glad. He is just making sure your life can produce more fruit. But, when he has to reach for the loppers, pay attention. Sometimes we allow things to grow that never should have taken root in our lives. If God had to use the loppers, pay attention. Watch for the signs those things are starting to grow and weed them out early! 

I probably won’t replant the same plants that died this winter. They looked good, but they just weren’t strong enough for the tough times. The same is true in our lives spiritually. If God lopped it out of our lives, he didn’t want it there. On the other hand, nurture all that the Lord is pruning. 

Jesus said, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:7–8). 

ENJOY THE YARD WORK 

I’m going to spend this month writing about replenishing our souls. After a tough winter, our yards needed a little help and so do our souls. 

I know I have had a good time this year cutting some things back. God is always at work in our lives, using everyday lessons for his greater good.  

He really is the perfect vinedresser.