“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

An interest in life on Mars seems to run in cycles. At this writing, our nation has a new exploration robot prowling around and digging little holes in the dirt near the Martian north pole.

A few years ago, I was even interviewed for an article about life on other planets, I said, “I don’t see anything in the Bible that would indicate there is life on other planets, but if there is, God created it.” They closed the article with another of my statements: “Maybe we shouldn’t be so worried about life on other planets and ask ourselves the question, ‘Is there life on Earth, and are we living it the way God wants us to?’”  We often wonder if there is life after death. But is there life during life? That is a question we should all consider.  When I was seventeen, that was my question. I wasn’t so concerned with what happened beyond the grave at that age, because I thought I would live a long, long time. My primary concern at that time was, “What’s life all about? What’s the purpose of life?” I knew in my heart there had to be more than what I’d experienced to that point. I was desperately searching for some kind of meaning in life. I just had to know.  Thankfully, I didn’t have to look very far, because there was a group of very outspoken Christians on my high school campus. They practiced what they preached, and I was intrigued by them. So I began to watch them. I saw that they were experiencing a dimension of life that I had never known. Not long after that, I gave my life to Jesus and discovered the truth of Jesus’ great statement from John 10:10: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” That’s what I had been searching for, life during life.

Ask the Lord to point you toward someone today who may be searching for that very thing.

Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged.  James 5:9

When someone ambushes us with a bad mood for no apparent reason, we say, “He must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.” And if we’re honest with ourselves, we all experience days like that.  The common stressors and tensions of daily living can really wear on our emotions. And the evil one can sense it when we’ve been weakened by the trials of life. Once our bad attitude begins, Satan works hard at drawing us even further into our despair and uses our grumbling to bring others down with us.  But God knows Satan’s tactics and He warns us to be careful and not grumble against one another, or we will be judged.  As you go through life, don’t allow Satan to use your mood to push others away from Christ. If you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, choose to make things right. Don’t let your mood dictate your actions. Instead of grumbling, be thankful you have been given another day to show others the love of Jesus Christ.

Dear God, There are days when I use the excuse of a bad mood to wallow in my grumbling. I know that when I do this, I bring others down with me. Help me to replace my grumbling with a thankful heart so that I can instead reflect the love of Jesus Christ. In Your Son’s name I pray, Amen.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” (John 11:25)

The older we become, the more this question will gnaw away at us: Is there life after death? Sometimes we ask that question earlier in life, when someone close to us dies without warning, and we come face-to-face with the uncomfortable fact of death. This shouldn’t come as a revelation to you, but we are all going to die.

Some Christians will say, “I’m going to go to heaven, so when I die, don’t weep for me.” But death is hard for everyone, and there’s nothing wrong with feeling sorrow over the loss of someone you care about. Christians experience that sorrow, too. It’s a natural part of the grieving process. As the Bible says, there is “a time to weep, and a time to laugh” (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

Death even brought tears to the eyes of Jesus when His friend Lazarus died (see John 11:35). But, of course, we know there is life beyond the grave for Christians. We know that life is not limited to this time on Earth, and that our stay on this planet is temporary. Of course we will feel sorrow and loss for a Christian who has died. But as believers, we know we will see that person again in heaven. That is God’s great gift to us. His Son Jesus personally intervened and turned death into victory.

The writer of the book of Hebrews put it like this: “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying” (Hebrews 2:14-15, NLT).

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.  James 5:7-8

Maybe you can relate to me in this: I want things to go my way. Not some of the time. Not most of the time; but all of the time.  I want to be in charge of my life. I want things to work out according to my plan, my agenda. And because of that, I can sometimes grow impatient with God’s timing. I try to get Him to follow my timeline.  But nothing is more futile than trying to control God.  God has a plan for each of us. And the Bible says that His plan is much better than our own. We may not agree; we may not even understand it. But when we are patient in following God’s plan, as James tells us, we will come to realize that God only wants the best for us and that His timeline is perfect. 

Don’t grow impatient with God. Instead, trust in His plan, have patience and discover how truly valuable the crop is that God has in store for you.

Dear God, It’s so easy for me to grow impatient. I want to rush through each day, trusting in my own plan instead of Yours. Help me to be patient and to see that Your timeline for my life is perfect. And that when I follow Your plan, I will experience an abundant and full life like never before. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)

Jesus calls us His sheep, and we know that the Shepherd’s primary objective for His sheep is that they flourish. He wants His sheep to be well-fed, well-cared for, content, and satisfied. It is the joy of the Shepherd to lead His sheep to green pastures and still waters.

Jesus also has given His sheep a great promise. He said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28). There is great security in knowing that the Lord is our Shepherd, and that we are under His protection.

Did you know that God loves to bless you? Delights to pour His grace out upon you? Truly enjoys working in your life? He wants to bless you more than you want to be blessed! He wants to answer your prayers more than you want them answered. He wants to speak to you even more than you want to be spoken to. And He wants to use you even more than you want to be used. He loves you. Jesus said, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). It is His joy, His pleasure, to give you the kingdom.

And what is that kingdom? The Bible says the kingdom of God is “righteousness and peace and joy and the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). He wants His righteousness, peace, and joy to permeate every level of your life.

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

God has provided us with a radical contrast regarding the choice that we can make in life. Jesus has essentially told us, “Here is your choice: you can either follow the thief who wants to kill and destroy you, or you can follow Me, because I want to give you life. So here is your choice in life: you can have fullness or emptiness. You can choose life or death. As a result, you can face eternity in heaven or in hell.”  Yet it’s amazing to me how many people today are consciously choosing death. Not only do they choose a lifestyle that can lead to a premature death on Earth, but they also choose a lifestyle that can certainly lead to an eternal death.  People are choosing death, choosing to throw their lives away. And as society watches its so-called heroes destroying their lives, many people simply follow. It’s the blind leading the blind.

That is the devil’s plan for you. So if you want to do what everyone else is doing, then here is his plan—get ready for it: it is death. It is misery. It is emptiness. And it will result in a life of regret when you look back one day. Contrast that option with the promise Jesus made when He said, “A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of” (John 10:10, The Message).

Check that out….and choose life.

Just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.  Romans 5:18

One day I was cut off in traffic, disparaged at work, snarled at in a store, ignored in a restaurant, and told that I am an idiot. All of this affected my attitude. It wasn’t long before someone asked, “What’s wrong with you today?”  I thought about that. I thought about all those people who didn’t care about me and concluded, Why should I care about them? And then much, much later I thought about Jesus and how I’ve cut him off and ignored, spoken rudely to, and snarled at others. I thought about how Jesus’ forgiveness and grace saves us – from ourselves!

 Because of Christ’s sacrifice, God forgives us our sins, our pettiness, our acts of hurting others, our meanness, our stinginess, our self-centeredness and gives us the opportunity for eternal life.  Forgiveness costs little and provides much. It is an act by one that helps at least two: It purifies the giver and redeems the receiver(s). Now when I am wronged, I see the transgression as a signal from God that someone needs my forgiveness and love.

O God, help us to be grateful for opportunities to forgive — and give us the strength to do so. Amen.

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. (Acts 17:16)

Do you ever feel righteous indignation as you look at our confused society today? Righteous indignation is the result of seeing something that disturbs you deep in your soul.  Maybe you see something on television that is wicked and perverse. Maybe you see someone misrepresenting God, or a situation in which you realize that people are turning to false gods. It grieves you, and stirs something deep within you.  The Book of Acts tells us that when Paul arrived in Athens, he was grieved to see the absolute absence of the living God, and in His place, every conceivable substitute. Acts 17:16 says that Paul’s spirit “was provoked within him.” Another way to translate this is, “His spirit was exasperated,” or “He was irritated or aroused to anger,” or my favorite, “He was hot and mad.”

This doesn’t mean that Paul simply lost his cool; this was righteous indignation.  Does it grieve you inside as you see generation after generation going down the same path that leads to destruction, buying into the same lies the generation before them bought into? Does that concern you?  Here’s what it comes down to. We can take as many classes as we want on how to share our faith. We can memorize verses. We can prepare urselves. But unless we have a God-given burden for unbelievers, it won’t matter.

Paul said, “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). But if some Christians were honest, they would say, “Woe is me if I have to preach the gospel.” We need to ask God to change our hearts.

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6)

As you begin to know God’s love and purpose for you, you can live a life that overflows with purpose, peace, and joy. This is life as He intends you to live it, and this is exactly what David meant when he said, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).

Have you been able to say that? Have you been able to say, “Lord, if You want to give me more, fine. If You don’t want to, fine. I shall not want, because I have found my contentment in You.”

The apostle Paul found that contentment. He said he was content, regardless of his circumstances (see Philippians 4:11-12). But how many of us have thought, I would be content if I just had a little more money…if I could just land that promotion… if I could get married…. But somehow, we never quite reach that place of contentment. We’re always looking for something just a little beyond what we have.

There are certain things that only God can give. And when you are in a relationship with Him in which you say, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” you can say with David, “I shall not want.”

Our contentment doesn’t come from what we have. It comes from Whom we know. Hebrews 13:5 tells us, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

So when you get down to it, everything you need in life is found in a relationship with God.

What causes fights and quarrels among you?  James 4:1

Everyday, we find ourselves engaged in various forms of combat. One of which is verbal conflict. And if we’re not careful, when battling through those tough conversations, it can turn into a full-blown war.  Have you heard of the military weapon called the ‘smart bomb‘? It’s a bomb that is designed to hit a specific target.  Well, when we find ourselves immersed in verbal battles with people in our lives, so often our weapon of choice is a ‘dumb bomb’. We launch those vocal missiles to assassinate someone’s character or destroy their self-esteem. But unlike the smart bomb the military uses, our dumb bombs explode and not only damage the person we’re attacking, but also they end up damaging us.  God doesn’t want quarreling, back-biting or fighting to be part of our verbal arsenal. Instead, He wants us to use words that build others up. Life is too short for fussing and fighting. Instead, look for ways to bring peace.

Dear God, It can be so easy to launch verbal missiles at people I disagree with. Help me in those situations to create peace and understanding rather than dissention and destruction. Help me to communicate only words that will point others to You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.