“God has made humans to reflect Him, but if they do not commit themselves to Him, they will not reflect Him but something else in creation. At the core of our being we are imaging creatures. It is not possible to be neutral on this issue: we either reflect the Creator or something in creation.” Greg Beale

We are God’s masterpieces! We are created in His image and were designed to reflect Him and bring glory and honor to His name. But, unfortunately, it is not always like that.

Sometimes we let other things in life hold a higher value than God. God has blessed us immensely and instead of purely thanking God for those blessings, we start to focus on the blessings and make those the ultimate instead of God himself. We will all worship something, we have to choose what. (or who)

“And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles…They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.” Romans 1:23-25

We are not the first group of people to struggle with keeping our focus on God and not what he can give us. Paul revealed to the Romans that they struggled with this as well. The truth is, we all have a God-sized hole in our hearts and if we don’t fill it with Him, we will naturally fill it with something. Maybe it is money, possessions, relationships, fame, addictions, etc. When we aren’t filling out our identity with Christ and who He says we are, we will look to something else to identity who we are.

When we look to man-made things or things of this world or even the blessings that God has given us to fill the identity hole in our lives, we stop reflecting God.

So maybe today you are feeling unfulfilled. Maybe today you are having some sort of identity crisis and left feeling a little empty at the end of the day. It might be time to search yourself and analyze who or what you are giving most of your time and attention to. What are your pursuits? Where do you spend most of your money or time in?

Answering these questions will give you a good idea of what you may be trying to fill your life with instead of God. This will not be a one time decision. Everyday we have a choice to either keep God in the center of our lives or allow temporal substitutes creep in.

Keep God first. It will help everything else make sense.

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33 

Allowing our lives to reflect God is worth it. When we reflect God, we know who we are. We are filled with hope, peace, and joy. We can walk through life with confidence.

You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35b

We have all heard that verse or phrase that is better to give than to receive. And truthfully, as a child, I had very little understanding of this…most kids don’t. But as an adult and as a hopefully, ever-growing Christian, I see the power in this verse.

Lately, more than ever, I feel the Lord is cultivating my heart to be more generous. I can see it in my own life as well as my wife’s. Giving, however, doesn’t come naturally. I have to fight urges all the time to hold tightly to my “things”. That is not what God wants from us. Here’s the truth:

It’s all Gods.

Everything we have, own, want, need…it’s all his. It all belongs to Him. All our money, all our possessions, all our gifts and talents, and all our relationships are His. He created everything and therefore we don’t have actual ownership over anything. That is why I believe God wants us to hold loosely to our “things”. He wants a generous heart in all of us.

“Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:24-25

God does give us incentives in order to give, but it really isn’t about the incentive, it’s just about developing a generous and more Christ-like heart towards others. Here’s a lie people buy into: “I’ll be generous once I make just a little bit more money.” Ever heard that? Ever said that?

Here is the hard truth that a pastor friend used to say: “If you can’t be generous with $21,000, you won’t be generous when you have $41,000. And you can’t be generous with $41,000, you certainly won’t be generous when you make $141,000.”

We have to choose to be generous now with what we have now.

It’s amazing when you ask God to help you be more generous, how there are all of a sudden a bunch of random opportunities for you to be generous in. (By the way, this spirit of generosity isn’t just with money. A lot of times it is your time or a service, or a gifting or product that you offer.)

God has been definitely moving in my and my wife’s heart lately towards being more generous and more giving of our resources…cause the truth is, we are called to generosity.

How about you?

“Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.” 2 Corinthians 9:6

Has God been calling you to be more generous?

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” Psalm 37:5-6

God wants to bless you!

He is not a cosmic cop waiting for you to screw up so that he can zap you. He is not a cranky old man that you should feel like you are always bothering. He is friend, loving father, protector, Savior.

He is faithful and also unchanging. And being that he is unchanging, he has a perfect track record with keeping his word. He will make your righteousness shine… You may be thinking, “well that’s great, but, I don’t feel very righteous…I’m not good enough to be lifted up.” Thankfully, that is not the truth. The truth is, because of what Christ did on the cross, we are all counted as righteous!

As Christians, our works don’t determine whether or not we receive blessings. We can not earn any of that. Our belief in Christ, makes us children of God and like any parent wanting to bless their own children, God wants to bless us. It brings him joy.

So trust him. Because he is worthy.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary for these verse adds that, God wants to take care of your reputation, and bring you out of your difficulties. Not only with comfort, but with credit and honor.

“Open up before God, keep nothing back; he’ll do whatever needs to be done: He’ll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon.” Psalm 37:5-6 MSG

“When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 1:8

Ask yourself this question: Do I give God my best.

Honestly, I don’t always give my God my best. In fact, sometimes it is just scraps. Thank God for his grace and his love.

The verse above points to a powerful comparison. Now we are under a new covenant and so we are no longer sacrificing animals. Jesus become our ultimate sacrifice and forever covered our sins. But God does still ask us to offer our best to Him.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1

The truth is, we care so much more about giving our best to others than we do God. I know sometimes I do. We all try to make a great impression with people. We will put on the perfect outfit, a great smile, totally clean our houses (don’t look in the closets), go out of our way to be hospitable and make sure everything is in place. We want the person to feel loved, warm and welcomed. To show them respect, we want them to feel like they are getting our best.

But do we do that with our relationship with Christ?

I’m not sure if groggily reading the same line over and over again in our Bibles and try to pray to Him while slipping in and out of sleep is really our best. But sometimes that’s all I offer.

God deserves better. He deserves more.

If I’m going to give God my best, then maybe it means waking up a few minutes earlier in the morning so that I’m fully present in my time with Him. Maybe it means carving out specific times in the day and protecting those moments with Him like we would if it were any other person, appointment or meeting.

I can tell you that God will totally honor us giving Him our best. He loves blessing His children.

So today, think about what you’re giving God. Is it really your best or is it far from it. We are in no way ever going to be perfect with this but it is something worthy to strive for.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37

Are you giving God your best?

“I patiently waited, Lord, for you to hear my prayer. You listened and pulled me from a lonely pit full of mud and mire. You let me stand on a rock with my feet firm, and you gave me a new song, a song of praise to you. Many will see this, and they will honor and trust you, the Lord God. You bless all of those who trust you, Lord, and refuse to worship idols or follow false gods.” Psalms 40:1-4 CEV

Waiting on the Lord is usually not easy. We tend to struggle with the whole, “have patience and trust that He knows best” part. But truthfully, the waiting is important. The waiting is actually just as important as the other side of your situation. No one really enjoys this part of our journey with Christ but it is absolutely a necessary one. When life is heaving bombs at you, the last thing you want to do is just wait…but sometimes that’s exactly what we are supposed to do. Waiting, among other things, really has some benefits to it.

Waiting teaches trust and patience.

This is the most obvious one. Today’s culture is all about speed. How fast and efficient things can get done. We are insta-holics. If we can’t get what we want when we want it, we are out. Waiting, however, reminds us we are not in control, and forces us to face that reality.

Waiting reveals our true motives.

Waiting will reveal whether we are for real or not. Are we really willing to put in time and effort, the energy and trust, into what we are waiting for? Waiting will reveal whether what we are seeking is impulse or not.

Waiting is where growth happens.

It may seem slightly counter-intuitive but growth happens here. If life was always rainbows and lollipops, you would never need to trust in God. You wouldn’t really need to have faith in Him because you would just feel that you are doing a good enough job controlling your circumstances.

“Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14

Waiting builds your faith and confidence in God.

When God comes through for us, (He always will even if not in the way we were expecting) there is no greater feeling. As you put your full faith and trust in Christ during your waiting periods; and when you see Christ move in your life, that is such a confidence booster.

Whatever you may be facing today. Whatever trial or struggle you are going through, or whatever waiting room you find yourself in, continue to trust in God. Know that the season of waiting has a purpose and God has your best in mind. We are his masterpieces and he has promised to take care of us.

“May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.” 2 Peter 1:2

Sometimes we look at our situations, our circumstances, our past, our problems, our future and we become very uneasy. If we are honest with ourselves, sometimes we think that God just isn’t big enough to deal with all our troubles or worries. Sometimes we forget that he paid it all on the cross. Sometimes we look at our mountain and think that it is bigger than God.

Good thing that’s not the truth.

“I tell all of you with certainty, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ if he doesn’t doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.” Mark 11:23

The truth is God is big enough. He is capable and faithful to help you through any situation that will happen to you hear on Earth. I love what Craig Groeschel says in Altar Ego: “No matter what you have or haven’t done, God’s power is big enough to change you. There is no sin too great for God’s grace. There is no habit too big for his healing. There is no label too strong for his love…God’s power is bigger than your past.”

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Cor 12:9

Let that truth sink in.

Today, walk with this hope, God is big enough. In every single circumstance.

God is big enough.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ Matthew 22:37

Thank God for my relationship with Him, because I honestly don’t know how I would get through this life without His love, comfort, grace, peace, and joy. Being a child of God is a great place to be. We have access to unthinkable grace, unending love, unspeakable joy, and all the blessings of God. The only potential problem with being so blessed is our focus can get off of God and on what He can gives us.

I have been thinking a lot lately about my love for Christ. I wonder if nothing ever went “right” for the rest of my life…would I still love God just the same? It’s easy to love God when you feel life is great and things are working out the way you think they should. But what happens when problems arise? What happens when God doesn’t come through the way we think He should?

Do we love God just as much?

Do we still trust Him as much?

Is our hope in Him shaken?

Do we truly love God because He is God and totally worthy of our praise, or do we treat God as some cosmic vending machine and only love Him because of what we think He can give us?

“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.” Revelation 4:11

I know that I needed this reminder to love God regardless of what I think He can do for me.

Seek His face and not just His hand.

We all deal with coming up short in our lives. If you are human, you will fall short. We make promises, then don’t keep them. We say were honest, but, in fact, just lied. We struggle with vices, addictions, consumption, the list goes on and on. Basically we have a sin problem.

No matter how genuine we intend to be, we will fall short. But how we respond to our shortcomings, can be one of the most important things about us.

Sin tends to throw people into a spiral of guilt, shame, unworthiness, and a feeling of being second-rate. And that’s just where it intends to keep you. One of the biggest traps that sin uses is one to make you feel like you are stuck because of your sin. You can’t move on, forward, or past the mistake.

Let me say again that this inability to move on where you stay in a state of constant shame and regret of falling short is a powerful tool that the enemy uses on us.

But the secret that the enemy doesn’t want us to know, it that sin doesn’t have power in our lives. Sin doesn’t have to keep us grounded for very long. Repentance is key. And it’s important to know what repentance means to learn how to respond when we fall short.

“Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” Revelation 2:5a

I love what Stephen Furtick says about this verse. He adds,

“This verse helps me think about repentance in a brand-new light. God doesn’t beat the Ephesians into submission through shame and guilt…Technically, the New Testament term for repentance means to “change your mind.” To align your thoughts with the thoughts of God…But we see from Revelation that repentance also means to get back to the top. Back to God’s perspective. His ways. His truth. His high calling and perfect plan for your life.”

After we sin God doesn’t say, “Stay there and sulk. Think about what you did for the rest of your life.” God says to us, “Get back up!” Turn around and get back to where you were and keep walking with me.” The truth is, if we are always looking back at what we did, we will never reach our true potential or calling for our life. Don’t let sin stunt your growth or calling on your life.

“They [the righteous] may trip seven times, but each time they will rise again…” Proverbs 24:16

We are the righteous. We are redeemed. We are set free from the bondage of sin because of what Christ did on the cross for you and me. Don’t live sin conscious, but live conscious of the cross.

So whatever you may be going through, whatever you have done and feel stuck in or trapped by, get back up. Don’t let your sin define you, let God’s grace be your identity. You are forgiven. You are worthy. You are set free.

Get back up.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Cor. 12:9a

“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”  Psalm 37:23-24

This Christian walk is not always an easy one. Those who led you to believe that everything would be sunshine and ice cream when you accepted Christ were unfortunately wrong. We will simply will have troubles in this life (John 16:33). But it is within those troubles that our lives differ. We have a hope. We have an anchor, a refuge and shelter to rely on, run to and rest in. Do not let the circumstances on your life and the fear it is producing to stop you from trusting God and living a life of faith he has called you to live.

Fear often times is a choice we make. We allow the anxiety and worry to saturate our decision-making and   from there on, choose our steps based on that fear.

I want to encourage you today to jump! Push that fear and doubt aside.

Whatever that jump may be for you…jump.

I promise you that if you feel God called you to do something, he WILL be there with you to help you. Regardless of how scary and daunting your calling or situation may be, he is holding you up and ready to catch you if you slip. To jump takes trust, commitment, and faith. But truthfully, it comes down to if you actually believe that Jesus is who he says he is.

My wife and I have recently seen God move mightily in our circumstances and seeing it has really boosted our faith and strengthened our trust in him. We were experiencing a lot of worry and anxiety and fear about what our next step would be and how our needs would be met. But during one of my quiet times one morning, I felt the Lord say to me…”Do you trust me?” I sensed him say, “John, I want you to just focus on seeking me and not the outcome you want…just me. Just truly seek me and I will take care of your situation. I know your heart and I know your needs.” He also brought this verse to mind (Matt. 6:25-33)

The truth that God shared with me that morning, is the same truth for you…Just seek Him and trust that he will take care of the rest. Because he will. He knows your situation and your needs. I promise.

Jump. He will catch you.

Jump. He will not let you fall.

Jump.

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” Psalm 55:22

If you are in a place right now where the fog of your situation is clouding your view of clarity, Psalm 23 is for you. If you are in a place where you feel that one crummy thing after another keeps happening, Psalm 23 is for you. If you feel worn out and a little weary from your circumstances and low on joy…Psalm 23 is for you.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23

The truth is, we have a Savior that chases after us…He pursues us! We have a God that has a plan for our lives. He sees the big picture and connects the dots in a way we can’t imagine. We serve a God who tells us tells us it’s ok to be weak because that’s when His strength can take over. And with all my heart I believe that we have a God that, even in our darkest hour, through the most fierce storm, is still God and completely worthy of our trust.

Rest in who God is this morning.

Be encouraged.

“In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short.” Proverbs 24:14

We have an amazing gift at our fingertips…The Bible. Contained inside it is the wisdom, words, and character of our Savior. Every one of us wants a bright future and to go through this life with hope. In this book, we can find the answers to our questions. We can find how to have hope in the middle of a storm, joy in the midst of sorrow, and peace in the midst of turmoil.

For 2013, I challenge you to dive into this book more than you ever have. In this book you will find out God’s will for you life. You will discover the character of the God we serve and the type of person He is.

There is no downside to studying His Word. And the benefits can be life-changing.

Join me this year in discovering more of the riches in this book than ever before.

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!” Psalm 46:1-3

What an encouraging verse!

God is for you. He is always ready and willing to help you and give you exactly what you need. This doesn’t mean that God is always going to avert the storm around you, but through every storm, trial, sorrow, and challenge, He will be there with you. He will never leave you. Never forsake you.

And through every trial and storm, God is our strength. He is our hope, our peace, our comfort, and our joy.

Wherever you may be today, remember this verse. Find hope and comfort in it.

God is your refuge and He is your strength.

This is a quote that my pastor shared with us on Sunday. I thought it was a really unique perspective on being aware of God’s presence and being able to experience it even in the smallest of moments.

“The question is not whether the things that happen to you are chance things or God’s things because, of course, they are both at once. There is no chance thing through which God cannot speak — even the walk from the house to the garage that you have walked ten thousand times before, even the moments when you cannot believe there is a God who speaks at all anywhere.

We cannot live our lives constantly looking back, listening back, lest we be turned to pillars of longing and regret, but to live without listening at all is to live deaf to the fullness of the music. Sometimes we avoid listening for fear of what we may hear, sometimes for fear that we may hear nothing at all but the empty rattle of our own feet on the pavement.

He says he is with us on our journeys. He says he has been with us since each of our journeys began. Listen for Him. Listen to the sweet and bitter airs of your present and your past for the sound of Him.

Frederick Buechner from The Sacred Journey

Listen.

Today, wherever you may be, whatever problems you may be facing, listen for Him. Listen for the sound of his voice, for his peace, comfort, and joy.

Listen.

Have you ever let what happened in your yesterdays affect your outlook on your todays?

Of course you have…we all have. But I think the profound truth in this quote is that, I don’t think we should continue to carry the burdens of this life, by ourselves, day in and day out. I know that there are some of you going through massive struggles. I know that for some of you hard times, big decisions, heavy trials, is an understatement. But when you carry your circumstances from day to day, bring your burdens with you to sleep and wake up with all the weight still upon you, it chips away at your spirit. It tests your faith, steals your joy, and shakes your hope.

I want to be clear and tell you that I’m not saying that you have to solve every issue your are dealing with in one day and be done with it. That is not realistic or sometimes even possible. That is not what I am intending to get across. I’m more or less trying to uncover what is going on behind the scenes in these heavy life situations. I think it is important to figure out what is really going on with our hearts when we face “trials of many kinds…”

The truth is, God did not design us to carry burden. He designed us to have complete and total reliance on Him.

Do big things come up in life? Yes. Do unfortunate burdens, obligations, and trials happen to us all? Yes. But none of those things can affect our spirits unless we allow them too. That’s why, every single day, we need to cast our burdens, give up our problems, and release our frustrations to the Lord. And it’s ok to do that…He asks us to.

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7

He wants you and I to find rest, peace, hope, and comfort in Him. Because if we just focused on our problems and all the burdens of this life. We would have no hope, no joy, and no peace. That is no way to live. The neat thing is, no matter how much life keeps pressing on us and never seems to give us a fresh start, God does every single day.

“God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left.” Lamentations 3:22-23

So today, whatever you may be going through and whatever big decisions you have to make, give it up to God. Don’t allow all that life is throwing at you today, affect your spirit and outlook for tomorrow.

 ^“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’” Matthew 11:28-30

Here is how the Message Bible puts it:

“Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

What’s going on in your life? Anything I can pray for?