May 20

Living Proof

… all must turn from their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do.

Acts 26:20b (NLT).

Dear brothers and sisters, what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? I can’t see your faith if you don’t have good deeds. When will you ever learn that faith that doesn’t result in good deeds is useless?

James 2:14, 18, 20 (NLT)..


For so many of us, this is what is missing. It is the salt that goes with the pepper. It is the boxer’s effective right hook that completes a one-two counter punch. It’s what brings life to our faith.

Look. We are here to change the world—it’s what Jesus told us to do. The world is looking for the proof of our claims and, too often, we don’t deliver. They get the proof when we get serious with God and step out of our comfort zone by acting in obedience.

By pursuing the good works He has for us, we show we are different and He can make a difference.

As a follower of Christ, I need to make a difference in someone else’s life and so do you. So ... what about your faith? Is it strong? If so, who’s life have you touched lately?


Lord, help me find my niche in serving You and helping others—each and every day. Amen.

May 19

Finding Joy

God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.

Matthew 5:3 (NLT)


You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests….

Psalm 4:7 (NLT)


Are you satisfied with life? Have you found the real joy that comes from knowing God in a deeper way? These verses tell us where we can find greater joy in life. It comes from God.

In his devotional, Wisdom for the Way, Chuck Swindoll describes this word blessed or blesses as used in the original Greek language. Chuck says it was sometimes “used to describe the condition of the Greek gods who were thought to exist in an unbelievable state of well being, satisfaction and contentment….”

Jesus used this term with His ragtag collection of disciples to reveal how God has turned things upside down. The world values riches, fame, and success, but God treasures what is in the heart.

Somehow by filling our hearts with Him, with His desires, we end up finding what the world is really after: contentment, joy.

Have you found that deeper joy? In Revelation 3, Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock….” Realize your need for Him and invite Him in. Let Him fill your heart with greater joy.


Lord, come into my life and fill me with Your joy. Amen.

May 18

Life Change

And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told.’

Acts 22:10 (NAS)


Have you ever felt waysided by the Lord? Paul certainly was as God got his attention and then took his life in a whole different direction.

Sometimes the Lord needs to do something unique with our lives. For me, it came when the Air Force assignment officer told me I would do a one-year tour in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Whoa! Lord, this can’t be right…. But it was right. In spite of being separated from my family, in spite of the 130 degree desert heat, and in spite of all the trouble and turmoil of adjusting to a new culture and a way-different manner of life, God took me in a better direction.

He taught me the important lessons of life like trust. And in my absence, He gave my wife a new confidence in Him AND in herself. And He helped us all appreciate the value of home and close family relationships.

God brings life change for good reasons. He changed Paul’s life for the good of Paul, but also for the good of so many others.

I hope He will do the same with me. How about you?


Lord, thank You so much for the life changes that come from You. Use them to change me, and use me for Your good. Amen.

May 17

Caught in Prayer

… teach us to pray … keep on asking … keep on looking … keep on knocking … For everyone who asks, receives … Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.

Luke 11:1b, 9-10 (NLT)


When I was a boy, I was taught to pray. A prayer at mealtime, a prayer at bedtime—these were the routines of the early years—easy, memorized petitions. These prayers were foundational, and for that reason, important, but I have to agree with those who say the richest lessons are caught, not taught.

For me, my greatest lessons on prayer came when I was a teenager. Coming home from school in the middle of the afternoon, more often than not, I would climb the stairs, look down the hallway and see my mother on her knees, beside her bed, laboring in deep prayer. I wouldn’t think much of it, other than to move more quietly to my room, but I know it had an impact on me.

The unspoken messages were clear and simple: pray often, pray quietly, just pray. Now I am a middle-aged man and I pray too—so many times for friends and family—and God is opening my eyes.

Last night I came home and there was my teenage son … on his knees … beside his bed … praying.


Father, touch our lives, touch others’ lives, through prayer. Amen.

May 16

Then Heaven Opened

But John tried to stop him saying, “Why do you come to be baptized? I need to be baptized by you!” Jesus answered, “Let it be this way for now. We should do all things that are God’s will.” So John agreed to baptize Jesus.

Matthew 3:14-15 (NCV)


… let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

Romans 12:2-3 (NLT)


As Christians, our call is to do one thing: the will of God. Funny thing is, we don’t always understand what that is. A good way to determine God’s will is to get out of our mind and into His. By asking questions, by digging deeper, and by listening, we begin to understand what He wants.

Many times, as in the case of John the Baptist, it will blow our minds, and we will have a hard time with it. I can’t do that! I’m not that important. I’m not that gifted. I don’t have what it takes to do that! But you and I need to learn the lesson: a humble malleable heart will listen … and … do the great things God calls it to.

This kind of heart will respond as Jesus did—submitting, doing whatever needs to be done, no matter how difficult or how low it may seem. Remember how the night before Jesus was crucified, Jesus carefully washed the feet of His 12 disciples—including one traitor? Jesus went out of His way to do the Father’s will—in this case in serving and in teaching His closest followers.

Interesting. In our passage, both John the Baptist and Jesus did the will of God. Both men participated in Jesus’ baptism … then heaven opened.

How about you? Are you doing His will? Listen and hear. God has a great plan … just for you!


Father, speak to our hearts. Transform us. Give us the desire to serve You completely. Open the heavens for us in order to glorify Yourself in our lives. Amen.

May 15

Baggage (Lessons on Comforting Others)

Finally, all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.

1 Peter 3:8 (NLT)


Last night, I blew it. I said something I shouldn’t have. It didn’t seem so awful, but it did reveal something—a lack of sympathy, a genuine lack of humility, and anything but a tender heart.

Over the phone, my wife had been explaining her frustration with the airline that somehow lost her bag and now had no idea where it could be.

“Sweetheart, this is absolutely the pits,” she began. “They still haven’t found it!”

Over a thousand miles from home she was without a warm coat, a change of clothing, and all the wonderful gifts she had made for her dearest friends. More than a little insensitive, I chortled how funny it would be if it suddenly reappeared on the carousel here when she deplaned. Yuck, yuck!

Silence.

It wasn’t much of a dig perhaps but enough to hurt her and leave me thinking, Oh, no. What have I done now?

“I’m sorry,” I chimed. She continued our conversation, so I guessed it worked.

But later, it hit me: my wife needed encouragement I hadn’t been quick to give. I know I’m not the only one guilty of this. Paul reminded the Corinthians that God comforted them in their troubles so they could comfort others (2 Cor. 1:3-4). Hadn’t my wife comforted me so many times in the past? I should have done the same.

The lessons for me were these: listen before I speak, think of the other person and not my need for humor and attention, and finally, love others with a full heart and kind words. Really, it’s the least I can do. By the way, my wife did get her bag back ... and, oh yeah, I found my heart ... again....

Father, forgive my selfish spirit. Open my ears and my heart to better understand and share your love. Amen.

May 14

The Great Flip-flop

… the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD: … “The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my victory. He is my God and I will praise him: he is my father’s God and I will exalt him.”

Exodus 15:1a, 2 (NLT)


There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled … This place was known as the waters of Meribah [arguing], because it is where the people of Israel argued with the LORD.

Numbers 20:2,13 (NLT)


Have you ever worn flip-flops at the beach? The cool thing about flip-flops for the feet is you can take them off or put them on in a second. The ultimate in casual attire, they represent easy living and, for some, a nonchalant, I-don’t-care attitude.

While flip-flops are a must for trips to the ocean shore, they are a disaster for attitudes and actions. Believe me, you don’t want to be a flip-flopper.

Take the Exodus generation. They had one of the greatest flip-flops of all time. Excited and ready to follow the Lord when he rescued them from Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea, but totally opposed to Him in a dry and testy desert.

Our calling, like theirs, is to trust in the Lord regardless of circumstance (Proverbs 3:5,6).

Are you a flip-flopper? Don’t be. The Bible says a double-minded person is unstable in all their ways (James 1:8). Let’s be more consistent. Let’s be people of integrity, people of our word. Let’s honor God all the time.


Lord, encourage us to be consistent in our Christian walk. Help us to live in truth and love all the time. Amen.