Author: admin

Can there be anything that brings us greater joy than knowing we are God’s children, He cares for us, and is preparing a place for us for the remainder of eternity? Such confidence enables us to face whatever challenges we encounter in life with confidence. It helps us keep an eternal perspective on our life. It gives us hope for the future. It enables us to face our inevitable decline and death with boldness.

God’s desire for us is that we have joy (John 15:11). He is not content with us being happy. It is not sufficient that we be somewhat joyful, sometimes. Those who truly understand and embrace the Christian life will be filled with joy. To live any other way is for us to resign ourselves to less than God intends. When you are joyless, it ought to alert you that something in your life is not as it should be.

That is why the apostle John wrote what he did. He wanted to provide you a basis for assurance of your salvation, so you might have joy. Have you been immersing yourself in Scripture? Have God’s words provided you confidence in His activity in your life? Have you claimed God’s promises by faith? God has provided His word so we can know we are Christians and so we can have joy. Abide in His word and live your life with joy.

There are some things we cannot know with certainty in this life. But there are others we can. The question: “Am I truly a Christian” is an inquiry that demands a definitive answer. Each person, ought to be able to provide clear, compelling evidence of their salvation.

If anyone knew what it took to be a Christian, the aged Apostle John did. He walked with Jesus personally. He was the longest serving and only surviving of the original apostles. His credentials were impeccable.

John also knew how important this issue was. If there was one question people needed the correct and definitive answer to, it was this one. Too much was at stake to get this wrong. This issue could not be consigned to guesswork or chance.

Over the next few days we’ll look at the evidence John said to look for. Interestingly, when John searched for evidence of someone’s conversion, he did not look backward, into the past, as we tend to do. He never said: “If you can remember the day, thirty-two years ago, when you prayed to receive Christ, then you are a Christian.” Rather, John looked to the present. He examined how people were living today, to reveal whether they were children of God. The question is: How far back do you have to look into your past, to find evidence of your conversion? Hopefully there is clear proof in your life from this week that testifies to a divine work of God in your life.

God did not save us from our sin merely to abandon us to struggle and suffer throughout the remainder of our life. He saved us from our bondage so we could live in freedom. He rescued us from death, so we could live abundantly.

God delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt so they could live a blessed life in the Promised Land. Instead, they settled for a miserable existence merely surviving in the wilderness. For forty years God’s people resigned themselves to living far below the level God saved them for.

God redeemed you for a purpose. It certainly was not so you could struggle the remainder of your life in defeat and purposelessness! God had a destination in mind for you. He had a divine purpose for your life. He intends for you to experience abundant life (John 10:10). Anything less is to shortchange you from God’s best.

Having God save you is the beginning, not the end. It introduces you to enormous possibilities. It removes the impediments to God’s will for your life. You may have trusted God for your salvation, but will you trust Him for an abundant life? Don’t be satisfied merely with being saved from Egypt. Keep trusting God until you are fully experiencing everything God saved you for.

At times we may assume that certain forms of immorality or violence are the most dangerous and despicable of sins. But the root of our offenses often can be traced to gods other than the true God.

Our god is whatever controls our devotion and guides our behavior. The world is filled with gods. They include the god of materialism, sensuality, power, fame, success, and pleasure. People spend their lives in pursuit of them. Everyone has a god in their life, whether they acknowledge it as such or not. People tend to follow some thing or some one. It might be an ideology or a worldview or an influential person or book. It might be the all-consuming pursuit of materialism. We are all motivated and influenced by some form of god.

The key is for the true God to use our lives to draw others to Him. As our colleagues, family, and friends see the difference God makes in our lives, they will be drawn to Him too. Unfortunately, too often the opposite is true. The gods of those around us begin to creep into our life as well. The gods around us can be seductive, offering us whatever we desire while placing few if any demands on us. These gods do not require accountability. They want us to be happy. They will gently lead us down the wide path that leads to our destruction.

The pivotal question is whether God is using you to make a difference in the lives of others, or whether the gods of those around you are having a greater impact on you.

When Jesus sought to train His disciples so they would turn their world upside down, He did not rely upon a spellbinding lecture or the writing of a definitive leadership manual. He spent time with them and modeled what He was talking about. He incarnated the truth He was proclaiming.

How is it we will exert the most influence? It will be as we teach and model truth as we go about our daily lives. Some parents think they can impact their children or grandchildren through regular lectures or diatribes. Some leaders think a well-written memo or impassioned speech will turn things around at the office. But those who exert the greatest impact are the ones who live out their convictions hour by hour. Whether they are eating a meal or traveling to their next appointment or walking down the hallway or even resting from their labors, they are communicating truth.

If God’s truth does not permeate every aspect of our life and schedule, we ought not to be surprised if those we lead choose to reject it. We never know when something we say may “click” with someone. It might not be during the staff meeting or the family get-together. It might be over a meal or at the end of a long day. We need to so incarnate God’s truth that to be around us, is to be seeing and hearing God’s word.

It seems ludicrous that our Creator, Savior, and Sustainer should feel the need to ask or command His creatures to love Him. You would think that loving the One who gives and sustains our life would be our natural response. Yet we are an ungrateful, self-centered species. We gladly receive every heavenly gift but then ignore the Giver. We cry out to God when we face a need or problem but then summarily forget Him once the crisis is past.

There are many forms of religion that place various demands on its worshipers. Even in the church, people are often taught that God loves them based on their performance. Some track their sins versus their good deeds, hoping God will be pleased with their piety. But God has been clear about what matters most. It is our devotion. There is no substitute for loving God.

Unfortunately, many professing Christians could readily admit to fearing God, or serving God, or believing in God. But they would be hard-pressed to acknowledge that they truly love Him. Leaders often find it easier to serve God than to love Him. Yet that is what He desires from us most. What is it about your life that clearly reveals your love for God?

God wants things to go well with you! It is in His heart to bless you. He loves you infinitely. But God loves you too much to bless you on your terms. It must be on His.

The good news is that God has clearly spelled out what He is looking for from you. He has told us how to treat our spouse. He has instructed us on how to raise our children. He has given guidelines on ways to treat our colleagues and staff. He has stated His expectations on how we are to relate to friends and people we encounter. He has also given ample instruction on how to handle our money and possessions. The Bible is filled with divine wisdom that leads to experiencing the life God intends for us. The question is: how well do we know those guidelines? How prominently do we keep them before us? Obviously we cannot heed something we do not know.

Most significantly, are we relentlessly and wholeheartedly obeying what we know? If God is not currently blessing your efforts, would it not behoove you to review His standards and expectations? Audit those things you know God has said to you and contrast that with what you are doing. Life is too brief and difficult to live it apart from God’s manifest blessing.

It is tragic that God has so much for us yet we settle for so little. God desires to pour out His love and blessing on His people. Yet we are continually distracted by the world’s enticements.

God wants to bless our marriage, yet we refuse to allow Him to make us into the man or woman of God who could be a better spouse. God desires to bless our children, but we are too busy and distracted to detect when God is seeking to guide us to effectively deal with our offspring. God intends to use our life to bless others in our workplace and to extend His kingdom, but we are too preoccupied with pleasing our boss to hear Him. Only heaven knows how much we forfeit because we do not have a heart that fears the Lord.

Fearing God does not carry the negative connotations we associate with fear in human relationships. It means that we take God and His word extremely seriously. It implies that we dread to miss His will or to displease or dishonor Him. It recognizes that He is the Creator and Judge of all humanity. It means we view Him too highly to argue with Him or to ignore what He says.

There are dire consequences for neglecting God’s word. Not only will we suffer, but our children and grandchildren will feel the impact. We simply can’t afford to ignore what God is saying.

How seriously do you treat God? You may have an exalted view of God in your mind but a low view of God in terms of your obedience. Is it not time to take God far more seriously than you have been?

One of the great mysteries people have dealt with through the ages is: does God speak to people today? Some Christian leaders vehemently exert that, since the writing of Scripture, it is no longer necessary for God to communicate directly with people. Others believe God communicates with people but they are unsure how to recognize His voice.

If Scripture is to be our guide (and it is), then it is clear that the Creator of the universe chooses to communicate His will with His people. When we read the Bible we find God speaking to His people in the book of Genesis and He is still speaking to people in the book of Revelation. We have no other guide for how to live the Christian life than the Bible. What is truly remarkable is not that God speaks, but that we can survive the encounter.

Consider for a moment who it is who is speaking to you. It is God. With one word, He launched a universe into existence. With a word He created life. His word will determine the eternal fate of every human being. It ought to make us tremble when God speaks to us! Are you reverently, expectantly, and submissively awaiting God’s next word to you?

Leaders recognize that their actions have far-reaching ramifications. Nowhere is this more evident than in God’s blessing or cursing.

God hates sin because it robs people of His best. Consequently, God punishes it completely and thoroughly. God seeks its consequences thoroughly unattractive. Perhaps sin’s most heinous consequence is its dire effect on our children and grandchildren. The sin of adultery in one generation can lead to grandchildren being faithless in their marriage in the future. Bondage to anger or pride in one generation can be passed down to descendants. How tragic that our unwillingness to let God deal with our stubbornness or anger or unforgiveness can cause immense harm to succeeding generations. That is why we must take our sin seriously. It not only harms us, and those we relate to; but it can also wound many people in succeeding generations that we may never know.

Thankfully, the opposite is also true. When we allow God to radically deal with our sin and to cleanse us and to forgive us, we experience the amazing grace of God actively working in our lives. But more than that, when we allow God to heal us of our anger, or greed, or pettiness, we bring blessing on our children. Not only do they benefit from having a godly parent, they also see how powerful God’s grace is to transform sinful flesh. As they embrace the life-changing God we serve, they are changed. And, as they are transformed, their children receive a blessing, and a model.

What a troubling thought to realize that sin, left unchecked in my life, could ultimately bring heartache to my grandchildren. But, what joy to know, that the same God that I eagerly embrace is fully prepared to one day bless my grandchildren, because of how I walked with Him. There is always far more at stake in the decisions we make with God than we realize.