May 06

His Presence Makes All the Difference

You have shown me the way of life, and you will give me wonderful joy in your presence.

Acts 2:28 (NLT)


On the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came and filled the believers in Jerusalem, Peter preached his first sermon. In it, he quotes one of the most popular psalms of his day—Psalm 16—a Psalm of David.

Peter and David both understood the power of the resurrection, both knew of the joy of spending time with the Lord. Now I am learning this lesson too.

In the quiet morning hours, in the dark stillness before the dawn, He speaks to my heart; I ask questions; I seek His help and He hears me! He shows me the way of life. His word is alive and powerful and there is joy in His presence. Wonderful joy!


Lord, thank You for opening my eyes to Your abundant life, for filling me with Your Spirit and for giving me Your wonderful joy! Amen.

May 05

Facing Reality, Finding Our Focus

… you will weep and mourn … You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy when you see me … I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

John 16:20, 33 (NLT)


Jesus was wise to speak so plainly to His disciples. He was well aware of what lay ahead—the suffering and shame of the cross. The disciples had caught the other vision of the Messiah and they focused on it: Jesus the conquering king, His new kingdom, and themselves ruling right beside Him. They were about to get a rough wake-up call, so Jesus breaks the news, but in an encouraging way.

We’re not too different from these pre-crucifixion followers of Christ. We have our visions too—expectations that life will go better, smoother now that we have Christ in our lives. He will answer our prayers, right?

Certainly, He listens, but we forget—it’s not about us. It’s all about Him. Our lives are for His service—not for our comfort, not for our pleasure, and certainly not for our fame and fortune.

Our other reality is this: we too have a cross to bear. There should be no doubt; as we follow hard after Him we will experience trials and tribulations. But for all the hardship, we have something greater. We have His peace! And when we fix our eyes on Him, we have His joy—something the world can never give!


Father, heal our wounds and help us to serve … with joy! Amen.

May 04

The Creator’s Invitation

The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours—you created it all.

Psalm 89:11 (NLT)

Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord … Riches and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand….

1 Chronicles 29:11-12 (NLT)

Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.

Revelation 3:20 (NLT)


This truth is simple: everything is God’s. So why don’t our lives match this truth? Why doesn’t my life reflect this?

It’s not until we realize the futility of chasing after things, the meaninglessness of clinging to this world’s wealth, and the natural pain of pursuing the unimportant that we enter the zone of possibility. This is the potential of possessing real wealth, of finding real meaning in life.

Real life begins when we paupers surrender to the King of the Universe, when we open the door of our life to Him. We’re eating cold, stale leftovers and all He wants to do is invite us to His lavish banquet table … but we’re too busy ... scarfing down crumbs.

Lord, enter my heart and dine with me. Show me the abundant life You offer those who follow You. You are the King … of everything. Amen.

May 03

Jesus and Kids

He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn’t have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God.” Then he took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.

Mark 10:14-16 (NLT)

As a person who wants to be a good parent and teacher to my children, I find it quite interesting how Jesus connected with kids. In fact, as I read Mark 10, three truths leap out at me—three things I can apply right now.

Number One: Jesus was there for the kids. He was available. For us today, this is huge. The office, our personal schedules and desires, the world itself all seem to distance us from our children just as these insensitive disciples mechanically yanked the kids away from Jesus. Instead of allowing the urgent to set my agenda, I need to set it with my kids in mind. They need more of my time, not less.

Number Two: Jesus showed affection. He showed physical affection in a very positive way. He took them in his arms; He touched their heads. My children need my thoughtful, tender touch as well.

Number Three: Jesus chose His words with care—He blessed them. My words need to reflect a gentle, caring heart. My kids need to know I love them and have great confidence in them.

By following Jesus’ example—by being available, by showing genuine affection, and by blessing them with my words—I can make a powerful, and long-lasting connection with my kids.


Lord, help me connect with my kids the way Jesus connected with the children of His day. Amen.

May 02

Finding True Prosperity

People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful devices.

1 Timothy 6:9 (NIV)


This book shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Joshua 1:8 (NKJV)


For the past few days the Lord has been hitting me hard with thoughts of priority, using my resources wisely and … MONEY! And He’s done this for good reason, I think. Wealth and money, you see, tempt me. They easily fill my mind and occupy my time and lead me down that path to “foolish and harmful devices.” But God has a better way. He shared it with Joshua, and it’s ours for the taking!

His path is the way of true prosperity and true success. This way of life involves clinging to our Lord’s words and obeying them. Simply put, this is how He knows we love Him. Jesus said, “because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them … and we will come to them and live with them” (John 14:21, 23). Experiencing the fond love of the God of the Universe—what could possibly compare? Is there greater success than this?


Lord, teach me Your way. Amen.

May 01

Like Mary

Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with fragrance.

John 12:3 (NLT)


I want to be like Mary. I really do. I want to serve Him, love Him, worship Him like Mary—extravagantly.

Mary did quiet things deep from the heart and God has used her passion in powerful ways. Here, some 2,000 years later, her actions touch my heart and move me to a similar desire.

How did Mary become so focused on Jesus? It happened over time. A relationship was established, and then nurtured. Jesus was invited into the home and certainly there were some wonderful conversations, but Mary wanted more. She sat at the Master’s feet for hours soaking up every word, every truth, every thought. They became hers. And when trouble came, she ran down the dusty road to Jesus’ arms. And though she didn’t understand, she learned to trust ... as she saw the miracle only Jesus can do—bringing life to a cold, lifeless corpse. No wonder Mary was so lavish—she had found God!


Lord, bring our cold, lifeless hearts back to life. Warm us with Your love, with Your passion. May we worship You with all our being. Amen.

April 30

Shine!

And they gave glory to God because of me.

Galatians 1:24 (NLT)


Paul’s amazing turnaround from Persecutor of Christians to Preacher of the Gospel certainly got people’s attention. God can do similar things in our lives. Not the same things but similar things. The question is, why doesn’t He? Why aren’t more people giving glory to God because of … us?

Maybe we aren’t listening for God’s call, or maybe we just aren’t pursuing His will aggressively. Maybe. I say maybe, because I believe there are some who will serve God in special ways and their good work will never be known—at least not on this side of heaven. Most of us though have a light which is to shine bright—so bright, the people in our periphery will have ahard time ignoring it. It’s like the songs says, “Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m going to let it shine!”

How can Christ’s light shine through you today? Whose life will your light touch? And how will you show His love?

Lord, help us to figure this out! Speak to our hearts. Open the door of opportunity and walk through with us. Amen.