Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”   Luke 22:19

Communian services at our church are a wonderful blessing to me. As my thoughts focus on Christ’s sacrifice, my heart is filled with thankfulness for God’s amazing grace. Usually, after receiving Communion, I sit with head bowed and eyes closed, continuing in prayer while others are being served.  However, I have discovered a second blessing within the Communion service. After a brief time in personal prayer, I look around to see my brothers and sisters in Christ as they take Communion and pray. They represent a wide spectrum of ages, social status, and occupations. Some I know well; I know the joys and burdens they carry. Others, I do not know by name.

As I watch, I realize the double blessing of Communion: I am blessed by an overwhelming sense of being among family. I pray silently for each one as they partake at Christ’s table. For these moments, we are a family gathered together, experiencing God’s grace. What a foretaste of heaven it is!

“After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.” Matthew 14:23

It was a drama-packed day. Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, was dead because a drunken king chopped off his head. Jesus tried to get away to deal with the news, but crowds of people called his name.

 Heal me! Feed me!

 He healed the sick. He fed over 5,000 people with a few fish and loaves of bread. These miracles caused the crowd to press in closer, to shout louder and to demand more from Him. It also caused conflict.

 He’s our new king!

No; he’s dangerous; kill him!

 Sometimes life gets complex. Many times we just keep on going even though we are pulled between the demands of the people we love – Feed me! Love me! – with those feelings festering just under the surface.  But what happens when you arrive at ground zero emotionally because of loss or pain or fatigue?  What did Jesus do? When His day was finally done, Jesus hiked into the mountains to pray. He needed strength. He needed guidance. He needed to be refreshed spiritually and physically. Jesus settled in to talk to His father.  

I’ll be honest. When I’m at that place, the temptation is to wrap up in my favorite blanket, turn on a mindless TV show, and veg.  But what waits for me in that alone place with God?  He knows us better than anyone else. He’s willing to carry our burdens, soothe our hearts, and that prayer time becomes a shelter, an oasis where we are revived.  At that point it’s not about the time we spend, or even the words that we say, but what we discover when we settle in.  Prayer becomes our heavenly GPS system.  An earthly GPS system contains atomic clocks that are accurate to a billionth of a second!  No matter where you are, it can find your location and give you direction.  Think about this: The God of the Universe is greater than any earthly GPS. God knows where you are, where you are headed emotionally, and how to recalculate so that you can find your way back to sanity, peace, and even to joy.

 Dear Jesus, You know what it is to be emotionally and physically spent. You know what it is to hurt, to grieve, to long for quiet and peace and healing. Thank You that You understand how I feel, and that You carry my burden when it’s too big for me to carry alone. I adore You.  In Your Name, Amen.

Jesus said, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”   Matthew 28:20

WHEN I was a boy we used to sing a chorus in church that included the lines, “My Lord knows the way through the wilderness; all I have to do is follow.”* The Lord led the Israelites through the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land. A pillar of cloud led them by day, and a pillar of fire led them at night. The Lord provided food for them, sending them manna from heaven.  Still today God’s people walk through wildernesses of many descriptions. Our wilderness might be a rough country of trial or disappointment, or a wasteland of sorrow and suffering. But regardless of the situation, we are not alone. Jesus has promised always to be with us, and he will see us through our hard journey. As God provided for the needs of the Hebrews coming out of Egypt, so God will give us what we need for our journey. God comforts. God provides. All we have to do is follow.

O Lord, thank you for being with us on any road we must travel. When we come to a wilderness, guide us. We trust you to keep us strong until the journey is through. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure…  James 3:17

When you wake up in the morning, one of the first things you do is look in a mirror. You brush your teeth and comb your hair. But no matter what, people don’t typically leave the house until they’re confident that all basic grooming behaviors have been covered. The goal is to have that polished look—clean, spotless, pure.  It’s ironic that we can spend so much time trying to perfect our outward appearance, yet neglect our most important feature—our hearts.  No matter how well put together we may be on the outside, we will constantly find our lives in disarray if we lack God’s wisdom and guidance in our hearts. Without that, our hearts become dusty, dirty, unkempt, creating a less than desirable living space for the things that matter most.  Spiritually, God is the only one who can make us clean. And when we seek His wisdom, the “wisdom that comes from heaven,” we are seeking the one thing that can truly make us pure—inside and out.

Dear God, I know that the only thing that can make me pure is You. Help me each day to look into the mirror You have provided, the Bible, to find that wisdom, direction and hope as I keep my heart and life pure for You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?” (Acts 9:21)

The mere mention of the name Saul of Tarsus would send chills down the backbones of the believers of his day. His conversion was such a shocking, headline event that it’s mentioned three times in Scripture. British agnostic Lord George Lyttelton certainly couldn’t imagine such a transformation, and set out to prove that Paul was really never converted. He felt that if he could disprove the conversion of Paul, then he could essentially undermine the entire Christian faith. So he went to work on his treatise, entitled Observations on the Conversion and Apostleship of St. Paul. But a funny thing happened. He ended up meeting the same God that Paul had met. He had set out to disprove Paul’s conversion, but ultimately became converted himself after honestly looking at this amazing story. Lyttelton concluded, “Paul’s conversion and apostleship alone duly considered are a demonstration sufficient to prove Christianity is a divine revelation.”

In Saul, we see a man formerly controlled by hate who became controlled by love. In fact, this notorious persecutor of Christians wrote one of the most beautiful passages on love anywhere in literature, and one that certainly stands out in the pages of Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13.

After his encounter with Jesus, Paul blazed a trail that left behind many churches and converts. He preached to philosophers, Pharisees, rulers, soldiers, sorcerers, sailors, slaves, and probably to Caesar himself.

Paul wasn’t some superhuman who was above temptation or incapable of falling. But he was a man who dared to follow Jesus Christ wholeheartedly as both Savior and Lord. And history has shown us the amazing results of that loyalty.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.  James 3:9-10

Most of us have been guilty of it at one time or another. One minute we’re sitting in church, singing praise songs, bowing our head in prayer. The next minute, we leave the parking lot and begin arguing with our spouse, yelling at the kids and cursing at other drivers.  The Scripture above reads, “My brothers, this should not be.” Whether it’s your spouse, children or a bad driver, they all have been made in the likeness of Christ. And we are called to express love to everyone, in every situation. We have all been given grace and unconditional love through God’s son, Jesus Christ, and it is our responsibility to be consistent in how we share this love with others. 

Whether we’re at church, at work, at a ballgame or driving during rush-hour traffic, we represent God. But consistently displaying God’s love through our words is not a naturally given trait. When we allow God to guide our every word, he will consistently use us to bring others to him, taking us to a whole new level of living.

Dear Lord, It can be so easy to share words of love and praise with you, only to turn around and curse out or demean the people around me. During those times, remind me that each person I see is someone who has been made in your likeness, and help me to communicate only words of love to them. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.

“So commit yourselves completely to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again.” Deuteronomy 11:18-19

People sometimes ask me to sign their Bibles, which is not something I like to do, because I didn’t write it! But when someone insists, I usually write this inscription in his or her Bible: “Sin will keep you from this book, and this book will keep you from sin.”

I have found that sin will always keep you away from the Bible, because the devil wants to keep you out of God’s Word. He doesn’t care if you read magazines, watch television, or read the latest novel on the bestseller list. But the minute you pick up the Bible and crack it open, you’d better believe that he will try to distract you with everything he has. He doesn’t want you to read it.

On the other hand, if you follow what the Bible teaches, it will keep you from sin. That is why we need to know the Word of God and study it. While it’s a great idea to carry a Bible in your briefcase, pocket, or purse, the best place to carry it is in your heart. Know it well. Fill the memory banks God has given you with Scripture, because the devil will attack you in the realm of your mind. The best defense is a mind that is filled with God’s Word.

And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30)

Many of us are afraid to ask someone if they would like to give their life to Jesus Christ for one simple reason: We’re afraid the answer will be no. And it just may be. But there are those wonderful times when someone will surprise you and say, “Tell me more.” Or maybe even, “I want to give my life to Jesus Christ.”

Many years ago, I had the opportunity to be reunited with a man, when I was a young boy was the last time I had seen him. Years later, when I had an opportunity to preach on the East Coast, he invited me to stay at his house for the weekend.  After dinner that night, his wife said, “Tell me about how you came to put your faith in Jesus Christ.” As I shared my testimony and what Christ had done for me, my friend sat there listening with his hands folded. I thought, He’s not buying this at all. But later that night, he asked me to go walking with him the next morning.

As we walked out into the cold morning air, he said, “I was listening to what you said last night. I want to know what I need to do to give my life to Jesus Christ.” He made a commitment to Christ that day, and he faithfully served the Lord for the remaining fifteen years of his life.

Sometimes, when you share your faith, you don’t think you’re getting through. But you never know. That is why we need to simply “throw out the net.” We need to give people the opportunity.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  James 3:7-8

“A restless evil, full of deadly poison”—sounds like a poisonous snake, doesn’t it? Snakes are ruthless, wild and deadly, just like cruel and bitter words. And both can sneak up out of nowhere, attack and leave victims scared, hurt and confused.  If the truth were known, a lot of people act just like that: verbal vipers. They specialize in gossip and secrets and slander. Instead of listening to others as they speak, these verbal vipers are only building their verbal arsenal, preparing to strike. We can all have a tendency to act this way. It’s part of our human nature to exhibit our selfishness through harmful, untamed words.  But there is hope—if we surrender our words and our tongues to God. Although we can’t tame our tongues on our own, he can. So when you feel the tension rising and you catch yourself coiling up, preparing to attack—stop and call in reinforcements! Ask God to take control of the situation, and he will do a mighty work in your life as he begins taming your tongue. 

Dear God, When I feel the temptation to sting others with my words, help me to call on you to help tame my tongue so that I won’t become a hazard to those around me. Also help me as I deal with the verbal vipers in my life, and allow me to be used to bring them closer to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.  James 3:2

As children, many of us said: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” But as we mature, we realize that words can often hurt us even more.  Our words are powerful indicators of our spiritual maturity. And according to the Scripture above, if we could control the tongue, we would be well on our way to accomplishing the mandates that God has laid out for us.  Each day, as you encounter people, focus on using only words that point to God. God wants you to keep your mind, emotions and words—your whole body—in check. Because as you do, you will find that you stumble less and less as you mature more and more in your spiritual walk with Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord, I know that the words I say are part of living out my faith in you. So as I go through each day, help me to speak only those words that honor and glorify you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.