“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8, ESV)
The Apostle Paul had one all-consuming passion: to know Jesus Christ more. This one passion fueled everything in his life. He was willing to sacrifice his time, energy, and body. He was willing to go wherever he needed to go and do whatever needed to be done. He was willing to trade everything–recognition, applause for his accomplishments, favor among his colleagues–all for the sake of Jesus.
If you were to boil it down, what is the one thing that is driving your life right now? What is the purpose that defines your life?
If an alien from another planet was to investigate your life closely to try to determine what you care about, why you get up in the morning, and what you might even die for, what would it be?
Although there are one thousand and one things we should care about and are important, what if God wants your life to be driven by one thing? And, yes, there are a million and one habits you and I could work on, but if you could name one discipline in life right now that God wants you to practice, what would it be? I think it’s important to focus on that one thing, because otherwise it could be crowded out by the host of distractions that are going to come your way today, tomorrow, and every day after that.
But imagine for a moment where your life might take you in the next five or ten years if you put into practice this one thing on a daily basis. Whatever it is–ask God to empower you by His Spirit to commit to this discipline. And when you do that, you’re living by faith because you’re trusting that God will bring the results if you don’t neglect this daily habit. What is that habit?
Sit with that question for a bit. Let it marinate. Imagine what your life might look like if you lived with single-minded devotion for Jesus Christ above all else. What would you need to sacrifice? What would you have to let go of? What would you have to do? Ask God to show you what one thing is critical and might just transform the trajectory of your life, making you into a more loving, joy-filled, purpose-oriented person. Whatever it is, you’re not going to find it in your past. God is holding out to you something in your future.
“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:12-14, NLT)
Father, You bring light and life to all who commit their lives to follow You. I pray that both the person reading this and I would be fueled by one great passion: to glorify Jesus Christ all our days. Would you work in our hearts and empower us to live this journey of faith with eyes on Your Son, Jesus. It’s in His Name I pray. Amen.
Are you interested in learning more about Jesus Christ and what He’s done for you? I’d love to hear from you!
Nearly every Christian I’ve talked to would like to grow in their prayer life. And who better to learn from than Jesus of Nazareth? He wants us to pray with greater passion, persistence, and expectancy. According to Jesus, this kind of effective prayer can be learned. That’s why Jesus once told His disciples, “When you pray, say this…”
“Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” (Luke 11:2-4, ESV)
Persistence in Prayer
I once read about a prayer adventure related by Doug Coe, who has a ministry in Washington DC. Doug tells about a time when Bob, a brand new Christian, came up and said, “Hey, I’ve been reading the Bible and I found where Jesus says, ‘Ask whatever you will in My Name, and you shall receive it.’ Is that really true?”
Doug said, “Well, it’s not a blank check. You have to take it in context of the teachings of the whole Scripture on prayer. But yes—it really is true. Jesus really does answer prayer.”
“Great!” said Bob. “Then I gotta start praying for something. I think I’ll pray for Africa.”
Doug said, “That’s kind of a broad target. Why don’t you narrow it down to one country?”
“All right,” Bob said. “I’ll pray for Kenya.” Bob didn’t know anyone in Kenya. He just wanted to pray for Kenya. So Doug made an unusual agreement. He told Bob that if he prayed for Kenya every day for six months straight and nothing happened, Doug would pay him $500. And if Bob did not pray every day, the whole deal was off.
Bob began to pray and for a long time nothing happened, but he kept at it. One night, he was at a dinner in Washington. He met a woman who helped run an orphanage… in Kenya. Bob really wanted that $500, but he just couldn’t keep it to himself. He said he had been praying for Kenya. He showed so much interest that the woman invited Bob to come visit the orphanage in Kenya.
Bob was appalled at the poverty and lack of medical supplies he saw. So Bob continued praying. He then wrote to as many pharmaceutical companies as he could, reminding them that they throw away a lot of unsold medical supplies. Bob asked that they instead send those supplies to this orphanage in Kenya.
Months later, he learned that the orphanage had received over a million dollars worth of medical supplies. All because Bob committed to pray for Kenya every day for six months.
What’s something that could radically change in your life if you committed to pray every day for six months?
Jesus’ Theology of Prayer
One thing I’ve learned about prayer from what Jesus says in places like Luke 11 is that the way you pray says a lot about what you believe about God. In fact, I think this is at the core of what Jesus teaches us on prayer. Our prayer life is a barometer of our theology. What we believe to be true about God will show up in the way we pray.
Something that is clear to me is that if we want to have effective prayers, then we have to be willing to learn from Jesus. A man I look up to told me, “Everyone prays in their own way.” And on the one hand there’s some truth to that. We’re all unique individuals. But what’s also clear is that effective prayer must be learned.
The reason I know that is because in this passage, Jesus says, “When you pray, say this…” Now, I don’t think that means our prayers must always match this prayer word for word. In Matthew 6, the other place Jesus gives what we call the Lord’s Prayer, He even says, “Pray then like this.”
So, if Jesus says, “Pray like this,” that tells me that there is a right way to pray, namely by following the model of prayer Jesus gave us. Granted, we see various kinds of prayers in Scripture. And I don’t think Jesus was emphasizing rote memorization over heartfelt passion. But I think there’s incredible value, if we want to grow in our prayer life, to try and learn to pray as He prayed. And most often those other prayers in Scripture follow the same basic pattern of beginning with an exalted view of God Himself.
What if there are times our prayers are not very effective because we aren’t praying in line with what Jesus taught us? Isn’t that what James, Jesus’ brother, was getting at?
“You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:2-3)
I don’t want to oversimplify this. Answers to prayer come in all sorts of ways. But Jesus is our Lord, and so it only makes sense that we would want to learn how to pray from Him.
I love the concept of prayer as conversation with God. It’s intimate and relational to think of prayer that way. However, I do think that Jesus was showing us that our prayers need to be focused on God as the Holy One, the King of the universe, and that a kingdom mindset should shape our prayers. When we pray, we should remember that we are part of something far bigger than ourselves. What if you followed Bob’s example and focused on praying for one nation or community or church for a set period of time?
Jesus taught us to keep short accounts, confess sin, forgive others, and see prayer as a way to depend on God for everything in life. But He begins by acknowledging the greatness of God. When we address God in prayer–just as we would in any conversation–we need to be thoughtful about to Whom we are talking.
God is holy (Isaiah 6:3). God is love (1 John 4:8). God is righteous in all His ways (Psalm 145:17). When you pray, you are talking to the One who holds all creation in the hollow of His hand (Isaiah 40). No space can contain Him. No challenge is too great for Him. Everything was created by Him, through Him, and for Him. He can do all things, and it’s impossible for Him to fail in what He sets out to do! This is the God to whom you pray, and He never changes. He is close to those who recognize they need Him. So, pray with this God–your Father–in mind.
This is why reading great books on God’s attributes like The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer and Knowing God by J. I. Packer is important. Or, start with reading Isaiah 6 or Isaiah 40 or Psalm 139. Your prayers will be powerfully shaped by a deeper knowledge of God and His majesty.
Who is this God we are talking to when we pray?
Jesus would want us to think deeply on that question.
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
“Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.” (Proverbs 3:7, ESV)
As long as we are still here on this earth, we need reminders. I’m 37 now, and I can still remember a conversation with one of my high school teachers twenty years ago that has stuck with me. I think it stuck with me, because overall I thought of myself as a good student. But during that time, I was facing some challenges and not making the best decisions.
He told me he noticed that during the first part of the school year, I was doing well in class, but lately, it seemed like I wasn’t really taking the subject seriously. Initially, I wanted to brush him off. Why is he picking on me? I’m a good student, after all!
I think he recognized something was off. When a student has done well consistently throughout the year, but they suddenly bomb an assignment–and then another one–the issue is probably the student, not the teacher. For me, it was an issue of teachability. His words stuck with me: “I’m saying this to you because I know you’re capable of more.”
Ouch. Those words stung! It felt like he was calling me lazy. And you know what? He wasn’t wrong! For various reasons, I had stopped putting in the effort. And he noticed and told me as much.
It can be hard to receive counsel from others. We tell ourselves that we know what’s best for ourselves. On top of that, we live in a culture that says you should trust your feelings above all else. Christians need to remember we are in a battle with the ideas, selfish desires, and spiritual forces that oppose the gospel (commonly called “the world, the flesh, and the devil”). And part of that battle is remembering how easily we can fool ourselves. That’s why we need to hear instruction and counsel from others.
The wise king Solomon taught: “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment” (Proverbs 18:1).
In other words, the one who refuses the counsel of others is instead surrounding him or herself with bad thoughts. The man who doesn’t let others speak into his life or hold him accountable is ultimately the fool headed for a train wreck. Whether he realized it or not, my teacher’s words to me were like a wake-up call: “Don’t be a fool!” Or said in a slightly nicer tone: “Don’t waste what God has given you!”
Wisdom begins with recognizing how much we need it and how following our own desires and impulses can so easily lead us astray.
Solomon also said:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-8, ESV)
How teachable are you? Do you let people speak truth and wisdom into your life? Do you let Scripture direct your paths and shape your thinking–or is God on mute in your life?
So often we refuse to listen to our critics or those who disagree with us, believing we already know best. But what if God is sending such people to get our attention?
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest source for humble teachability. It tells us that we have all made a mess of things through our sin, but at the same time, we have a God who loves us unconditionally–and proved it through the sacrificial death of Jesus. Knowing you are so easily swayed by sin creates humility. You can no longer believe that you can’t be deceived or led astray. At the same time, because God so dearly loves you, you have every confidence to confess where you’ve been duped or made bad decisions, knowing He forgives and restores.
We have all been in that place. So, know that your sins and mistakes doesn’t disqualify you from God’s love. If we are rooting ourselves securely in His love, it can become the very thing that opens us to receive instruction and correction.
So let me encourage you to make a commitment to be teachable this coming week. Listen to those who want to provide godly counsel.
Is there anyone who you need to talk with that you have been avoiding?
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
One of the most familiar metaphors in Scripture is walking with God. From the earliest pages, we learn that Adam and Eve would walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). We read about many faithful people walking with God–including Noah, Enoch, and Abraham.
Beyond those early examples, we read about this same theme consistently. In Micah 6:8, we are urged to “walk humbly with your God.” Living faithfully in God’s presence is described as walking in His ways, walking in the light, and walking in the Spirit.
The Apostle Paul writes, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16, NIV).
This concept of walking with God teaches us that faith is a journey. Your relationship with Jesus is taking you somewhere; we aren’t meant to live spiritually stagnant lives. If there is a destination, that means there’s a clear path for us to walk on. Granted, not everyone’s journey is going to look the same. And there will be times we will stumble over something in our path, or sin will sometimes lure us off the path in the wrong direction.
The important thing is that this is a journey “with God.” He empowers us to walk by His Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16), live faithfully and pursue His glory as our greatest good in life. It also means we need to humbly walk with our God, not run ahead of what God wants to teach us. We never want to forget that life is about enjoying God and embracing His love for us.
Lastly, because our relationship with God is a journey, there is always going to be a next step. And the question you and I need to be asking in our times alone with the Father is: “What is the next step You’re calling me to take?”
Ask the Lord for clarity, wisdom, and motivation to take that next step.
Maybe it’s serving at church in a new way you’ve never tried before. Maybe it’s intentionally forming relationships with a couple of your neighbors. Maybe it’s making a commitment to lead your family in prayer and worship at home. Maybe it’s choosing to intentionally spend more time with your wife or husband. Maybe it’s about looking for ways to take the next step in your career. Or maybe God is calling you to lead in an area you haven’t before or mentor someone new to Jesus. Maybe it’s about reading a biblically solid book that will challenge you personally. Maybe you need to encourage a friend or family member who is struggling in their faith by taking them out for coffee or lunch.
God is going to lead you into that next step, but it does require something from you: faith. Every next step in your journey with the Lord is a step into the unknown. It requires trust and courage to take that next step and be open to ways God might be wanting to stretch you, grow you, and take you outside your tidy comfort zone.
At times, our next step is a step away from disaster. It might be getting back on the path with Jesus, which is always just one step away. It could be leaving behind an addiction, a time-wasting habit, or a harmful relationship. Severing old ties can be painful, but if they allow you to get back to walking humbly with your God, they are both necessary and beneficial.
The thing to remember is that as you walk with the Lord and humbly seek His wisdom, that next step is always going to be taking you on a journey of deeper trust and joy in the Lord.
So, let’s do this! One step after the other. What is your next step?
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
Americans are reportedly lacking in joy. A recent survey found that young Americans (under 30) have especially seen a decline in happiness. While nearly everyone would say they want to be happy, most people claim it’s something that seems to be just beyond their reach.
People want to know: What’s the secret to a joy-filled life? People want more than just a hit of dopamine; they want to know how to be happy for the long haul. A number of books have hit the New York Times bestseller’s list in the last several years which try to answer that perennial question, “How can I be happy?” Is it a romantic relationship? Is it success in your life or career? Is it money?
One Harvard professor said, “We think money will bring lots of happiness for a long time, and actually it brings a little happiness for a short time.” Many people have concluded that lasting happiness is ultimately elusive. It’s something we constantly pine after and dream of, but never actually attain. And I’d say if they are looking only to this world for ultimate happiness and joy, then they are right.
C. S. Lewis put it this way, “I cannot find a cup of tea which is big enough or a book that is long enough.”While it’s true that ultimate happiness cannot be found in the things of this world, that’s because we were made for eternity. At the same time, in Scripture God tells us He wants us to know joy in every situation we face in this life, in every hardship and every trial.
The man who wrote the treatise on joy is the Apostle Paul. That treatise is the Letter to the Philippians. As you read this short letter, you find that when Paul talks about joy, he’s not some schmuck who has it easy, telling people, “Turn that frown upside down!” He’s someone who has been through the wringer. He was horribly treated countless times and was persecuted for the gospel in ways we can barely even imagine. In fact, he wrote this very letter to the Philippians from a Roman jail cell, chained to a Roman soldier. So, he really does have credibility when he talks about having joy in every situation.
He says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4, ESV).
Joy in Jesus: that’s the main theme of this little letter to the Philippians. God wants to encourage you to know that there is an unbreakable joy that comes from knowing Jesus. It’s not the fluffy kind of joy or happiness that bubbles up and evaporates. It’s the kind of deep-seated joy that wells up in the soul of the believer who knows their Redeemer well and is captivated by His love. Jesus wanted us to know the fullness of His joy (John 15:9-11).
Feeling a bit like your emotional tank is empty and the orange light has come on this week? Take inventory of your soul. It’s not good to stuff our emotions just so we can keep chugging along. God hardwired us to have emotions. Jesus expressed His emotions. You have been designed to “feel the feels.” So, what’s going on in that heart of yours? Is something weighing you down? Take it to Jesus. Tell Him about your struggle. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with the joy of Jesus.
Lastly, let me encourage you to spend some time reading through Philippians. Read it slowly. Soak in all that Jesus wants you to know about the joy of knowing Him.
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
It’s hard to trust every promise you hear these days. Most of us have had the experience of someone breaking a promise they made to us.
I remember a time early in our marriage when Whitney was away at a women’s Bible study one night, and a man selling vacuum cleaners came to our house. I told him right away at the door that I’m not interested. He said, “Oh, I’m not really needing to sell you anything. All I have to do is get enough demonstrations done, and then I get paid for that.”
“Really?” I said. “You mean you get paid just for coming into my house, vacuuming my carpet, and then leaving without me spending a dime?” “That’s right,” he said. So, I reluctantly agreed, but I made him promise that he wouldn’t try to sell me anything.
As it turns out, his demonstration included telling me about every part of the vacuum cleaner. I listened respectfully as he explained the marvels of every brush, wand, and hose. He finally got to the point where he demonstrated the vacuum cleaner’s power, but not before dumping some dirt on our carpet. No, he didn’t ask first. Just dumped some dirt and said, “Watch this.” Apparently, he only planned to clean up the mess he himself was going to make.
After about 15 minutes into this demonstration, he said, “You know, you seem like a nice guy. I want to tell you about an exclusive sale we’re only allowed to give to a few.” Oh boy, here it comes.
No, I didn’t buy the vacuum cleaner. And no, I wasn’t impressed with the fact that he broke his promise and tried to sell me something.
We all know what it’s like when someone breaks his or her promise. It’s irritating in cases like my encounter with the vacuum salesman, but in other cases, it can be devastating. We hear politicians make promises they can’t keep. We hear bosses make promises and then forget to keep them. Husbands and wives make vows and then break them. And so, because there’s a sour taste in our mouth from all the broken promises, sometimes it’s hard for us to believe God when He gives us a promise.
But not all promises are meant to be broken. Some are so unbreakable that they are rooted in eternity. God is a good Father, and a good Father never wants His children to doubt His love for them. He wants them to know they are His–not just for today, but forever.
Something every Christian wants is assurance of eternal life, but we will never have it until we learn to look away from ourselves to Jesus Christ as the Author of our salvation from beginning to end.
The Apostle Paul delivered this promise in Romans 8:
“For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.” (Romans 8:29-30, ESV)
The phrase “those whom” occurs four times in these verses. The reason for that is to emphasize he is describing the same group throughout this whole section. Also, note that God is the main Actor here. God is the One who works all things together for good (v. 28). God foreknows, predestines, calls, justifies, and glorifies.
Those Whom He Predestined, Called, Justified, and Glorified
Predestination means “determine before” or “mark out for a destination.” In other words, God marked out this group ahead of time. Calling means God supernaturally called you to Himself through the preaching of the gospel. Third, justification means God declares you to be right with Him. That happens at faith (Romans 5:1). The moment we trust in Jesus as our Savior, God wipes out our record of sin. Essentially, God takes your record of sin and puts it through a cosmic paper shredder. And then He burns that. There is no longer any legal record of your sin debt in God’s courtroom. But on top of that, God credits us with the perfect life of Christ. That’s what it means to be justified. To be glorified means to be made glorious, brought into the glorious presence of God. It is to be brought home to glory in Heaven to be with your Creator for all eternity.
It’s essential to understand that God can legally and righteously do all this because of the cross. It’s like this. We were on death row, ready to face execution as a penalty for our sins. We broke God’s Law, and we offended His holiness. But then—glorious good news!—Jesus came and took our place on death row and endured the penalty for our sins. He stepped in and the hammer of judgment fell on Him, not us. So when we put our faith in Christ’s sacrifice, God can legally declare us just, holy, and righteous, because Jesus willingly exchanged our record for His. He got our sin; we get His righteousness.
Please notice from all this that our legal status as being right with God had nothing to do with how good we were. We all like to say to ourselves, “You know, I’m not perfect, but at least I’m doing better than that guy.” We love to compare ourselves to others.
Surveys show that nearly every American thinks that he or she is morally better than average. But, if you do the math, you can’t have 98% of people doing better than average. It just doesn’t work.
My Only Boast: The Cross
The more you understand the gospel, the more you see that our confidence before God can’t come from looking at ourselves. Our confidence has everything to do with the fact that our sins could only be paid for one way. There was only one way we could escape judgment—not by works, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Only Jesus could expunge our record of sins. Only Jesus could rescue us. Our confidence is in Him.
Paul said, “The only thing I have to boast about is the Cross. That’s it! Otherwise, I’ve got nothing!”
So often Christians struggle with assurance, because they look first at their own life. They think, I haven’t lived the life God wants me to. I haven’t lived up to all the things that the Bible calls me to be. My life doesn’t always perfectly show the fruit of the Spirit. So am I really saved?
There is a place for considering your own life. The Bible does say to examine your life and consider whether you are loving Jesus and seeking to honor Him as Lord of your life (2 Cor. 13:5). Because if you have no signs of repentance, that’s a serious concern. James says, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).
But the problem is that your works were never meant to be the basis of your assurance. If they were, you would never be confident of salvation. You would always see there was work to be done and changes that needed to happen. Because we aren’t perfect. No, the ground of assurance is not in looking to yourself but looking outside yourself to Christ on the cross and then the empty tomb and then seeing Him right now at the right hand of the Father interceding for you. It’s about letting the truth of the gospel wash over you again and again.
Those with true, saving faith don’t become bored with the gospel. If you’re bored with the gospel, then the fullness of the gospel hasn’t sunk in. Because the glory of God’s grace, the beauty of Christ’s personal love for you, and the joy of forgiveness are never boring.
Take this promise of Jesus to heart.
“Those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40, NLT, emphasis added)
Let me encourage you to come back to this promise over and over and plead with the Holy Spirit to drill these truths into your heart until you can say, “Yes! That’s true of me! I have come to Jesus in repentant faith, so God has promised eternal life to me.”
This same security is found here in Romans 8:
"And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.” (Romans 8:30, ESV)
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
“The sheep follow the shepherd, for they know his voice.” (John 10:4)
One of my spiritual mentors who has discipled me while I was still in seminary is my good buddy, Matt MacCollin. He and I went through a book together called A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller. One of the things that stands out from that little book is a danger unique to sheep called being “cast” or “cast down.” He described it this way:
“….even the largest, fattest, strongest and sometimes healthiest sheep can become ‘cast’ and be a casualty. The way it happens is this. A heavy, fat, or long-fleeced sheep will lie down comfortably in some little hollow or depression in the ground. It may roll on its side slightly to stretch out or relax. Suddenly the center of gravity in the body shifts so that it turns on its back far enough that the feet no longer touch the ground. It may feel a sense of panic and start to paw frantically. Frequently this only makes things worse. It rolls over even further. Now it is quite impossible for it to regain its feet.”
As you read the book, you get the sense that sheep are pretty pathetic creatures! Without a shepherd, they really are helpless. Particularly when you think of flocks of sheep in the first century context.
Shepherds spent all their lives with their sheep. In many ways, it was a lonely existence—just you and these wooly creatures 24/7.
Today, shepherds generally agree that sheep are both stubborn and jumpy. They can be frightened by the smallest thing. And yet, they also can be stubbornly resistant about moving when they need to.
God as Shepherd
In John 10, Jesus identifies Himself as the “Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for the sheep.” That’s a powerful image.
God knows that we need pictures in our mind. God is invisible. And sometimes when we just rattle off God’s attributes, like “God is all-powerful,” “God is holy,” “God is love,” we can struggle to fit it all together. So God gave us pictures or illustrations of what He is like.
One of the most pervasive themes in Scripture is this concept of God as Shepherd.
Jacob, whose name was later changed to “Israel,” was a shepherd. And he was the first to call God his “shepherd.”
Probably the most famous psalm, Psalm 23, begins:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. (Psalm 23:1-3, ESV)
My dad encouraged me to memorize this psalm when I was still a little guy. I can remember reciting it over and over. And for that reason, this psalm has probably spoken to me more than any of the others. I can still remember a time when I was off at camp and feeling homesick, and I just started quoting Psalm 23 over and over. And it gave me peace. The image of the Lord as our Shepherd is powerful.
Sheep Know Their Shepherd’s Voice
There are many other times we see this same image of God as our Shepherd:
He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:11, ESV)
In Ezekiel 34, when God uses this image of a shepherd as an indictment. He says that He made the kings of Israel to be like shepherds over His people. But instead of being faithful shepherds who cared for the ill or hungry sheep, they instead fed themselves and ignored the sheep entrusted to their care.
So how does God respond?
“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.” (Ezekiel 34:11-12, ESV)
Think about how this image of a shepherd seeking out his sheep captures the heart of Jesus for lost sinners.
And of course, if God is our Shepherd, then we are His sheep. That might not be the most flattering image for us. If you’ve been around sheep for any length of time, you’re not really struck by how intelligent these creatures are. Nevertheless, it seems to be one of God’s favorite descriptions for us.
Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. (Psalm 100:3, ESV)
We have to ask ourselves not only Why is the Lord compared to a Shepherd? But also Why are we compared to sheep? In John 10, Jesus explains how vulnerable sheep are and how they need protection.
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (John 10:1-2, ESV)
In ancient times, a sheepfold was basically an area enclosed by a rock wall. Because the gate to the sheepfold was usually guarded, the thief would have to sneak in over the wall to snag a sheep. So the thief had to be sneaky under the cover of darkness, but Jesus makes it clear that a shepherd is known by his sheep.
To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. (John 10:3-4, ESV)
In ancient times, a shepherd spent so much individual time with each of his sheep that he really did name every one of them. There was this intimate bond between them.
An outsider coming up on his flock might think that they all look and act the same. It just looks like a bunch of random sheep. But the shepherd knew his sheep. He could tell you each of their names. If one was falling behind or had wandered off, the shepherd knew which one was missing. He knew the traits and temperament of each one.
Sheep Are Dependent on the Shepherd
Keeping in mind that Jesus is really talking about Himself here, this image helps us understand the heart Jesus has for us individually. To Jesus, you’re not just one more face in a crowd. Jesus knows everything about you. He knows what causes you fear. He knows every hair on your head. Our Savior is our Shepherd.
Jesus says, “The sheep follow the shepherd, for they know His voice.”
And sheep really are dependent on their shepherds. Especially back then, there was the constant danger of predators rushing in and dragging off one of your sheep. A shepherd had to be vigilant. I remember one professor saying that sheep are irrefutable proof that Darwinian evolution isn’t true, because they never could have survived on their own. In any case, the fact that sheep are so helpless without their shepherd teaches something about us.
The image of sheep pictures how dependent we are on the Lord who knows each of us intimately.
And as we hear Christ’s voice in Scripture, we know it’s His. We can follow Him, because we recognize His voice. How are you doing at listening to the Shepherd’s voice?
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
Modern Americans aren’t as fascinated with genealogies as ancient Jewish people. It’s true that many have done ancestry research. My Grammy Smith did some pretty extensive research into our family’s ancestry, and I learned some cool things about my ancestors from her. But the majority of Americans can’t even name all of their great-grandparents.
Ancient Jewish people, by contrast, kept meticulous records of ancestry. Part of this has to do with the laws regarding tribal distinctions and inheritance (Leviticus 25:23; Numbers 36:7).
Many Christians are tempted to skip right past the genealogies when they come to them in their Bible reading. After all, we figure, what could all these hard to pronounce names have to do with me? That’s a fair question. However, every word of Scripture is God-breathed and recorded for a purpose (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So, even if there is no apparent reason for a particular passage in Scripture, it’s good for Christians to assume that there is a less obvious reason for it that might require some investigation.
For one thing, Jesus’ genealogies demonstrate He was a real man in history and that His contemporaries could even trace His lineage back thousands of years. Just imagine if you could trace back your ancestry that far. Suddenly, those unknown names might carry more significance for you!
Careful readers of the Bible have noted discrepancies between Matthew’s genealogy for Jesus and Luke’s. Some have wondered, Why do they seem to contradict each other? Did one of them make a mistake?
Matthew was a former tax collector who was accustomed to keeping careful records of names and dates. We shouldn’t assume he blundered in his genealogical research. And Luke was a medical doctor and careful historian. When put to the test, even skeptics have been brought to faith through their historical inquiries of Luke.
The one-time skeptic, Sir William Ramsay, a highly decorated historian in his own right, was originally skeptical of Luke. He thought the miracles recorded in Luke’s Gospel ruled it out from being true history. But then he investigated all the people, places, and events in Luke and Acts (the two books penned by Luke). It slowly dawned on Ramsay that Luke was no amateur historian.
On every point, Ramsay found Luke to be completely accurate. Even in the areas where he initially doubted Luke’s accuracy, he later found that it was him not Luke who was mistaken. Ramsay eventually concluded: “Luke’s history is unsurpassed in regard to its trustworthiness.” This led Ramsay to give his life to Jesus.
But is it possible Luke fouled up Jesus’ genealogy? For many reasons, the answer must be no. First of all, the discrepancies between Matthew and Luke primarily come between David and Joseph. The differences are too vast to attribute to a scribal error or minor mistake. For example, they even list a different father for Joseph, something that would have been very easy to track down (Matthew 1:16; Luke 3:23). In his genealogy, Luke works backwards, beginning with Jesus (a practice common with ancient Greeks like Luke). Matthew, a Jew chronicles his genealogy beginning with Abraham, the first Jew, and ends with Jesus (the common practice for Jewish people).
Luke makes it clear that he was aware of previous records of the life of Jesus, and he’s likely including the Gospels of Matthew and Mark in that reference (Luke 1:1-4). So, let’s give Luke the benefit of the doubt that he wasn’t a complete buffoon who couldn’t spot the differences between his genealogy and Matthew’s that modern day readers spot right away.
Furthermore, Luke had his own reasons for creating a more expanded genealogy, not just a facsimile of Matthew’s genealogy. He wanted to trace Jesus’ genealogy not just back through David and Abraham, like Matthew did, but all the way back to the very beginning. To Adam. And that’s Luke reminding us that Jesus came for the whole human race, not just descendants of Abraham. Jesus came for you!
The genealogies especially diverge between David and Joseph. Biblical scholars have come up with all kinds of possible reasons for the differences.
Some have argued that Matthew gives the physical descent for Joseph and Luke gives the royal descent for Joseph. On this view, the discrepancies are due to the fact that Joseph was a legal descendant of Heli, but a physical descendant of Jacob. This view invokes the law of Levirate marriage, that allows for a deceased man’s brother to father children for him through his brother’s widow (Deut. 25:5-10).
While possible, it should be noted that Levirate marriages were somewhat uncommon based on historical records, and it would seem odd for this to be the explanation for so many generations, and for these to all happen between David and Joseph.
I think a better explanation is found in the more traditional understanding that Matthew provides Jesus’ royal ancestry through Joseph, and Luke provides Jesus’ physical ancestry through Mary. By adoption, a more common method of becoming someone’s father, Joseph became the legal father of Jesus. Thus, the royal line was continued through Jesus, the firstborn of Mary, his wife. This fits with Matthew’s emphasis on Joseph in his birth narrative.
On this view, Luke, who has been focusing on Mary, is giving us Mary’s ancestry through her father, Heli. Luke can call Joseph “the son of Heli,” because if a father had no sons of his own, he would often adopt his son-in-law as his own son. Alternatively, Luke could be just calling Joseph the “son-in-law” of Heli, because genealogies typically focused on the males only (Matthew’s genealogy is an exception for including several names of women). This makes sense, too, because there was no Koine Greek term for “son-in-law,” so this would have been the best way for Luke to record Mary’s ancestry while only including male names.
Interestingly, this conclusion fits with other historical records, as even the Talmud mentions that Mary’s father was Heli. So Matthew traces Joseph’s royal ancestry, and Luke traces Mary’s royal ancestry. Either way, Jesus is the Son of David, both biologically and by royal adoption.
Jesus was the head of a new humanity, redeemed by God, set free from the curse pronounced on Adam, the former head of the human race.In this way, Jesus fulfilled every promise of a coming Messiah. Jesus came as the descendant of David who will sit on his throne, the Ruler promised to Judah, the Seed of blessing promised to Abraham, and the Snake-crusher promised to Adam (2 Samuel 7: 12-13; Genesis 49:10; Genesis 17:7; Genesis 3:15).
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
This is the question lurking just below the surface in every human heart. Have I done enough? Do people accept me for who I am? Am I good enough?
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the most stunning message in history. It’s the message that God saves us by sheer grace, but it starts by telling us what we don’t want to hear. It tells us that we have come up short. That we came into this world needy, desperate, and hopelessly lost in sin. That we are by nature in rebellion against the God who made us. I know that sounds harsh. It flies in the face of our culture’s messaging and much of what we were told since we were little.
We’re told “You are enough,” “You have what it takes,” and “You’ve got this.” Apparently, we are mind-blowingly awesome in every single way just the way we are. Sound familiar? It’s interesting how often we have to tell ourselves (or be told) we are awesome.
According to Christianity, we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” and we need to know how valuable we are as God’s image bearers. But the Bible never encourages us to look within for a boost of confidence or tell ourselves, “I don’t need outside help.”
I recently saw a school sign that read, “It’s easy to forget, so here’s a little reminder: You’re Awesome!”
Isn’t it a little strange that we are so incredibly awesome, and yet we have to be told that repeatedly? (I also find it a bit ironic that when someone actually seems to believe this and starts boasting about how awesome they are, we call that person a narcissist).
Brené Brown tells us, “We live in a culture of scarcity, of never enough. There is only one way out of scarcity – and that is enoughness. At some point we need to say: I am enough.” We look at that quote and think, Yes, I am enough. But somehow we struggle to believe it. If I really am good enough, smart enough, and have enough “enoughness”… why do I need to keep hearing this from people like Brené Brown?
The truth is that Brown’s counsel only leads to greater self-obsession, which is ultimately exhausting and joy-sapping. Self-validation is a weighty burden the human soul was never meant to carry.
I have a theory. I think the reason we crave words of approval is that deep down, we know the truth: Something is deeply wrong inside. I’m not everything I should be.
The Bible basically says, “Yes, there really is something wrong with you. Only…it’s worse than you think. But the good news is that if you can believe the hard truth about how bad you really are, you are finally ready to hear the good news of grace.”
The Bible tells us that hard truth we so desperately need to hear. Now, I’ll warn you, it can sting a bit to hear this for the first time. Just remember what Jesus said: “The truth will set you free.” You’ll be ready to receive the cure, only if you’re willing to hear the diagnosis.
On your own andapart from Jesus Christ:
You’re not righteous or good. (Romans 3:10)
You’re dead in your sins. (Ephesians 2:1)
You’re selfish by nature. (Romans 2:13)
You’re caught in a web of self-deception. (Romans 3:13)
You’re prone to bitterness, anger, and hatred. (Romans 3:14-17)
You don’t fear or revere the God who gave you life. (Romans 3:18)
You suppress the truth about God, because you don’t want to be accountable. (Romans 1:18)
And because of all this, you deserve the just and holy wrath of God. (Romans 1:18; Ephesians 2:3; John 3:36)
Ouch! But as much as that might hurt to hear, remember the Bible doesn’t create sin in our hearts; it simply shows us what’s already there. We will never look for the remedy until we understand we have a spiritual disease called sin, and this disease will kill us unless something drastically changes.
Very often, people new to Christianity and the church will hear this much and tell themselves, “Okay, if that’s true, I better change my act.” This is our default setting. We tell ourselves that if we have gone astray, then we must simply get back on the right path. If we have become morally filthy, then we must clean ourselves up.
The problem is that we are trying to atone for our own sins, and that will never work. What we need is the atonement of Jesus Christ. And until we know what Jesus went through for us, we will never understand how deeply God loves us. Without the cross, God’s love will always seem like a shallow idea rather than a soul-transforming reality.
The gospel explains that we could never be good enough, but Jesus was good enough for us. As the Son of God, Jesus lived the perfectly righteous life we should have lived. And He died the death we deserved in our place as our Substitute.
The culture is constantly trying to build up my self-confidence, but confidence in myself is not the answer. My confidence is this: At the Cross, Jesus bore all my sins and fully paid for them. He endured the punishment that was coming to me. He paid the debt that I owed because of my sins. My confidence is His blood and righteousness.
Or, as Paul put it:
“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which[b] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14)
On our own, we could never be good enough. Only Jesus is good enough. And through faith in His righteous life and substitutionary death, we are forgiven of all our sin and reconciled to a holy God. God declares us to be as righteous as Jesus. This is the doctrine of justification. Faith unites us to Christ, and then His righteousness is imputed to us. Once we are in Christ, God the Father sees us clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
I am not enough. Jesus is enough.
To be justified by faith in Christ means you are no longer looking to your own moral performance for your standing with God. You can be honest about your personal shortcomings and sins, because you stand righteous (or infinitely good enough) in Jesus Christ. Your confidence isn’t in your awesomeness; it’s in the awesome love of God.
But here’s the radical truth: God loved you and me when we were everything on the list above. You and I were once as lost as can be, and yet God loved us even at our lowest. Knowing this love personally will give you all the confidence you need to face life’s various challenges. God is now for you. Who can be against you? (Romans 8:31)
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
Many Christians are disheartened when they look around at how our American culture has become more secular and, in many ways, anti-Christian in everything from its views on sexuality to public policy. In this cultural moment, it’s easy for Christians to not only feel like outsiders, but victims.
I find it interesting, however, that Scripture never encourages us to play the victim card. Instead, we are called to see ourselves “overcomers,” who are always victorious in Christ (see Romans 8:37).
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 John 5:7, ESV)
Some renowned Christian preachers from the past have said things like, “Trying to make a difference in the culture is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.” While we are called citizens of Heaven, we are still citizens of our nation. One truth does not cancel out the other.
Thank God that people like William Wilberforce, the Christian abolitionist who was instrumental in ending the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, didn’t take such a view. He believed that the God of Heaven had called him to take a stand for truth, justice, goodness, and beauty in the culture he inhabited. Wilberforce urged his fellow Christians to not shrink into the shadowy margins of society with a private faith, but to boldly and publicly profess their faith in Jesus along with all the implications that come with that.
Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth and commanded, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
In his great book, Real Christianity, Wilberforce writes:
“What a difference it would be if our system of morality were based on the Bible instead of the standards devised by cultural Christians.”
Wilberforce was confronting those who want to claim the name of Christ, but deny that Christ’s Lordship has the power to transform both individuals and whole societies. He wondered why so many professing Christians seemed embarrassed by the Name of Jesus and would only be caught uttering His Name in the safety of a house of worship.
As I read Wilberforce, I feel like he’s talking to Christians today–like he’s talking to me! The same struggles with fear and shame that he addressed so boldly are found among churches today. Brothers and sisters, this should not be.
Consider how Jesus called us to take our personal faith in Him public:
“What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” (Matthew 10:27, ESV)
Knowing we would be tempted to keep our faith private, Jesus said:
“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33, ESV)
Jesus was speaking to His twelve Apostles, but notice how Jesus uses words like “everyone” and “whoever” to make the point. In other words, speaking about Jesus publicly is not something reserved for trained evangelists or those gifted in evangelism. Jesus is saying that our willingness to speak His Name in public is an accurate gauge of our relationship to Him. I don’t know about you, but I want Jesus to acknowledge me before the Father. These words should motivate us to boldly take the next step of faith in our relationship with Jesus. When we do speak openly of Jesus, the response will always be mixed. Sometimes, we may feel like we did a poor job of representing our Lord or didn’t say everything we could have, but again, speaking of Jesus is something to which “everyone” is called. And we can depend on the Holy Spirit to give us the words we need (Luke 12:11-12).
Unless people hear the message of Jesus, their hearts won’t be regenerated. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17, NIV). If we care about cultural renewal, we need to first care about renewal of hearts.
Christians should not intentionally be antagonistic toward others. We should use wisdom and seek to listen well before we speak. At the same time, we should be known for both what we believe and Whom we believe in. Both visibly and audibly, it should be plain to others that we belong to Jesus.
Jesus told Paul, “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent. For I am with you and no one will lay a hand on you, because I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10, BSB). He told the other Apostles, “Go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life” (Acts 5:20, BSB).
Jesus called us to be salt and light in a culture shrouded in spiritual darkness and decay. We are called to take our faith public, and above all, to live with hope.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to live with hope in dark days. Help me be the light you call me to be by the power of the Holy Spirit. On my own, I know I have very little to contribute, but with Your enabling power, I can reach others and make an impact in my generation. May this generation experience a reawakening to Your power, wisdom, and love. I ask this in the mighty Name of Jesus.
Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!
