August 05

Extravagant Love


… a woman approached him with an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume … and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head. Some who were there became upset and said to each other, “Why waste that perfume? It was worth a full years work….” Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you troubling her? She did an excellent thing for me….”

Mark 14:3-6 (NLT)


If I love Jesus Christ with all my heart, at some point, my love becomes extravagant. I will want to show my love somehow and the cost will not matter—whether its dollars given in His honor, or the troubling comments of those who simply don’t understand—it will be rewarded by Christ’s affirmation, His gentle, loving acknowledgement, “She did an excellent thing….”

Sometimes it takes a while for this love of Christ to hit the core of our being. For Mary, Martha’s sister, it happened soon enough, for the disciples it came later—but it did come. They paid the ultimate price—they gave their lives, quite literally, as all but one was martyred for their love of Christ.

His passion consumed their souls. Will it consume mine? Will it consume yours?


Lord, help me to love you like Mary did. Amen.

August 04

Know Jesus Better


As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life.

2 Peter 1:3a (NLT)


Oh, to know Christ! Oh to really know Him … to know Him better! Growing in Christ is a process and Peter knew only too well how slow that process can go. He spent three years walking with Jesus and it wasn’t until near the end that Jesus remarked, “Finally, you believe!” To really know Jesus we must believe in Him, we must trust Him. When we reach this point we understand the “more” of the life He gives us.

It’s what Peter eventually longed for in his fellow believers, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter3:18).

This is the point when worries melt away and a heart-ruling peace settles in. This is when we fully appreciate the divine power settling over us, the provision that takes care of our every need.

This is knowing Christ. This is life … abundant and … free!


Lord, fill our hearts that we may know You and walk in Your Spirit. Amen.

August 03

At the Crossroads


… be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)


When the people including the tax collectors, heard this, they all agreed that God’s teaching was good, because they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and experts on the law refused to accept God’s plan for themselves; they did not let John baptize them.

Luke 7:29-30 (NCV)


In her book, Right Words at the Right Time, Volume 2: Your Turn!, Marlo Thomas says, “There are times in our lives when the right words spoken at the right moment can transform us. They challenge us at a crossroads, carry us through times of sorrow or dare us to action.”

I face this challenge daily and so do you. We may not realize it, but God commands us to think differently by listening and by taking action. He invites us to live differently—His way and not our own.

Left to our own thinking, we will go our way, and we will conform to this world’s model of acute self-interest. But if we dare to break out of this restrictive cocoon by listening and daring to take action, our transformation will be like the butterfly’s—startling, beautiful, complete.

In Jesus’ day, it was the common people who listened and felt the power of God in their lives. Now Jesus challenges us: Will we listen? Will we break out of the world’s mold? Will we be transformed?


Lord, lead us into Your truth. Change our hearts, our minds, our lives … for Your glory! Amen.

August 02

Declaring the Truth On the Back Steps of Life


Don’t you realize how kind, tolerant and patient God is with you? Or don’t you care? Don’t you see how kind he has been in giving you time to turn from your sin? … But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and practice evil deeds.

Romans 2:4, 8 (NLT)


I read the first sixteen verses of Romans and I get this image of two kids playing on the back steps of their house. One child is disobeying his mother; the other child stands up—concerned his brother is going to get in trouble—and in righteous indignation says, “Stop! Mom will catch you and you’ll be punished for not obeying.”

But the mother has been patient, watching behind the screen door, giving the young lad a chance to begin doing what she asked. Unfortunately, the child doesn’t even begin to obey but continues in his selfish, disobedient pursuits. The camera retreats and the scene fades from view.

The simple picture is not far from our reality. We are called the children of God, and as his children we have choices to make—choices for good or for something less.

Too many, I’m afraid, are living like the wayward boy on the back steps. They play at life in their own selfish ways; they break His rules and think nothing of it; they hurt others and themselves and … over time they grow bitter.

Perhaps they will come to their senses, perhaps they will learn, but most likely they need an example and a voice. Who will win them over to peace with God?

Paul tried. Will you?


Father, give us wisdom, show us opportunities to share this truth: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen.

August 01

Doing Good from the Heart


Remind the people to … be ready to do whatever is good…. Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good … and not live unproductive lives.

Titus 3:1,14 (NIV)


Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them.

Romans 12:9 (NLT)


The clock on the wall ticked quietly. He leaned forward in his chair and looked at his group. “We need something more….”

“It’s great to be in the word,” one of the women on the couch responded, “I mean our meetings are wonderful … it just feels like something is missing.”

“Yes, we need to be doing something,” the other echoed. “You know, things that will impact our world.”

The first woman sat up, “That’s it, we need to make our love visible.”

The leader shifted in his chair. “Exactly! Guys and gals, we need to get beyond ourselves. This next week, let’s look for ways we can reach out to others and show them Christ’s love. But also, let’s think of what we can do together.”

The group agreed and moved on to a time of prayer. What they were feeling, we all feel as we grow spiritually. Maybe it’s the restless Holy Spirit churning within us, or the Word of God challenging us, but the reality is we want the peace of good works—the peace He gives as we follow His lead. We just know, there is synergy and power when we band together and do good things in His love. But the underlying truth is this: before it’s a group thing, it’s an individual thing. A thing of the heart.

When it comes to doing good, where is your heart?


Lord, show us Your works. Use us for good. Amen.

July 31

Traveling the High Road to Glory


Jesus looking at the man, loved him and said, “There is one thing you need to do. Go and sell everything you have, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.” He was very sad to hear Jesus say this, and he left sorrowfully, because he was rich.

Mark 10:21-22 (NCV)


Give me an eagerness for your decrees; do not inflict me with love for money.

Psalm 119:36 (NLT)


God loves us intensely and if we ask Him the way to go, it’s a pretty sure thing, in His time, He’ll show us! This is the way to His joy, but there are roadblocks. When we ask however, He is only too happy to show the way.

While prayer is a mighty thing for uncovering the will of God, it is in this example of the rich young ruler that we see where the joy of God’s will is found—it’s found in obedience. Look at the rich young man’s decision and you see the result of choosing our way over His—no happiness, no joy, only sorrow.

Interesting. It is one thing to uncover the will of God … another to grab hold and run with it! Prayer is the key and the psalmist gives us a clue. It is through prayer we have our best hope of removing the obstacles and distractions to find our way onto God’s pathway—the high road to glory!


Lord, give me a heart to pursue You relentlessly! Keep these distractions away so I may know and do Your will. Amen.

July 30

Encouraging Our Kids


As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower in the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

Psalm 103:13-18 (NIV)


My friend Roger was listening to his five-year old grandson go on and on about how he finally figured out what he would be when he grew up: a veterinarian!

Trying to encourage the boy, Roger responded, “Well, you know what? As soon as you become a veterinarian, I’ll bring my dog to you.”

To which the five-year old replied, “Don’t be silly, Grandpa. You’ll be dead!”

It’s a funny story but not far from the truth. Life is short regardless of how much we love our children and our children’s children. No matter how hard we want to support and encourage them, we have to face the truth: there will come a time when we can’t.

The best thing we can do for our children and grandchildren? It is to follow the Lord NOW—with all our heart!


Father, lead me in Your way, and help my children to follow. Amen.

July 29

Time Alone with God


He didn’t want anyone to know where he was, because he was teaching his followers.

Mark 9 :30-31 (NCV)


Time alone with God is so valuable. It is here He teaches His followers the deeper truths, the most important lessons, and the things that will help them most.

Just as Jesus took special care to shut out distractions and spend time alone with his disciples, so we should get away with Him, shut out our distractions and listen.

One thing to remember: in order to spend time with Jesus—when we disengage from the everyday world—there is a price to be paid. For when we take time for Christ, we take time from other activities—something or someone else goes short.

In the end, it’s worth it though, because the price we pay is an investment. It’s an investment with a rich reward. We learn; we grow; we become lovers of God and doers of good. Because His Spirit fills us and moves us, and His word challenges and motivates us, we become better servants, better stewards, wiser students of His good will.

So it is worth getting away with our Savior ... free from distractions.

It’s worth hearing His heart … even now!


Lord, open Your word to us, show us how to really live! Fill our lives with an intimate knowledge of You. Amen.