234. He's Ready To Move Onto Something New

John 8:11

It’s the end of the year. You made it. Now, it would be extremely easy for you to look back over the past year and be really disappointed in yourself. It would be easy to think things like, “I should have gotten farther along in this area.” or, “By now I could have stopped this one thing altogether.” But those thoughts don’t help. No matter what it could have been or even should have been, this year is ending right here where it is. You can’t go back and change what it was. Most people look at that and then say to themselves, “No, but I sure can feel really bad about it.” You need to hear me on this: There is absolutely nothing whatsoever that is helpful or good about guilt. You feeling terrible about your past does nothing about your past, present or future. It only hurts. If you were to ask Jesus what you’re supposed to do with the guilt and the “should have beens” and “could have dones” of the past year, I think He might say something along the lines of what He told the woman caught in adultery. This lady was busted and couldn’t change it, but He said He didn’t condemn her and then said, “Go and leave your life of sin.” In other words, “You’re not in trouble. Now, let’s do something new.” Jesus paid for all your wrong, but He didn’t pay so you would focus on it and then feel bad about it. He paid so you could have a relationship with Him and you could move on to something else. It’s a new year. Let’s leave the guilt in the last year and do something new.

233. He Planned All Of History Around You

1 Peter 1:20

Do you ever feel pointless? Do ever feel so overlooked or ignored that you might as well be a ghost? Have you ever felt like an inconvenient accident - as if no one meant for you to be here, but now you’re here and taking up space? I know I’ve felt that way before and it sucks. It sucks to think that you don’t really fit and no one wanted you or planned for you. Here’s the thing, though: It’s not actually true. I know that you probably won’t believe what you’re about to read, but go ahead and read it anyway and at least leave room in your head for the possibility that it could be true. Ready? Okay, here we go: All of history was orchestrated and planned around you. Every single major event in the human story went down the way it did with you in mind. When you read the Old Testament, you find that God was always planning on sending Jesus. In fact, tons of the details about that first Christmas were already foretold hundreds and hundreds of years before they came to be, and lots of those details involved the political maneuverings of the most powerful civilizations in history. God moved the pieces around the chessboard to bring Jesus into our world on that first Christmas. All of history was being fine-tuned for the great Hero of Heaven to burst onto the scene. It was always going to be this way. 1 Peter chapter 1 says, “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.” In other words, that first Christmas was actually all about you. He came for you.

232. He's The One You're Waiting For

Luke 2:26

Let’s be honest, Jesus doesn’t always come through in the way you thought He would. Sometimes you ask the Lord for something and it doesn’t happen. Sometimes you are staring straight at a promise in the Scriptures, and then it doesn’t seem to come together the way you hoped it would. There are times when you assume Jesus is going to show up and work things out in this big, obvious, awesome way and then He doesn’t. Sometimes He comes through for you, but He comes through in small, quiet ways that would be easy to miss if not for the eyes of faith. On the very first Christmas, when our Lord was born in a stable, there was an old man named Simeon who had been given a promise by the Holy Spirit. He was told that he would not die until he saw the Lord’s Christ. Now, if Simeon was anything like me, he was probably expecting the Messiah to roll into the temple armed with might and power, flanked by innumerable troops. He probably expected to see some kind of mix between Aragorn, Bruce Lee and Thor. In his mind, there would be trumpets, parades, swords and banners. This warrior king would stride into the temple with fire in his eyes and thunder in his voice. But that’s not what happened. While Simeon was waiting, a poor, scared, teenage couple walked in with their helpless newborn. The Holy Spirit told Simeon, “Hey! There He is!” Jesus wasn’t who Simeon expected, but He was exactly who Simeon needed. This poor baby grew up and died for us all. Jesus doesn’t always fulfill God’s promises the way we think He will, but He always fulfills God’s promises. 

231. He's Not As Hard On You As You Are On Yourself

1 Corinthians 4:3

I think most people really believe that hating yourself because of your sin is the right thing to do. We think God wants us to beat ourselves up when we fall and fail. As a result, I think most of us believe this is not only the right thing to do, but we think it’s holy. We think that being hard on ourselves over all our years of piled-up wrong is us showing God how serious we are about sin. Here’s the thing: God doesn’t agree with any of that. God says our sin isn’t even piled-up anymore - it’s been totally dealt with! The truth is, most of us are way harder on ourselves than Jesus is when it comes to our past. We think it’s holy to grovel and grieve and be miserable about all our failings, but the entire reason Jesus came and died was to deal with sin once and for all. The most holy heart in the universe has declared me forgiven! If I’m still punishing myself for sin, does that mean I think I’m somehow holier than Jesus is? Do we think being sad all the time is taking sin seriously? Jesus took sin seriously. He died for it. He sacrificed Himself for sin to make it a non-issue in our relationship with Him. If you want to know the truth, I think He’s probably tired of hearing us talk about it all the time! In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul says a beautiful thing: “I care very little if I am judged by you or any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.” Now that’s a holy attitude. Try it out sometime. 

230. He's Going To Flip This World

Luke 1:53

You know that feeling where you just don’t have enough to make it, no matter how hard you try? Well, that’s all going to change. You know the feeling of unfairness you sometimes feel - like the world is stacked against you and you’re just set up for failure? Don’t worry, that system is going to crumble. Have you ever felt as though there’s no real point in trying because, although there are plenty of people who seem to be winning in this world, you’re just not one of them?  Have you ever looked yourself in the mirror and thought, I’m just one of the losers and that’s all there is to it? Hang in there, because your time is coming. In the first chapter of Luke, when the pregnant Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth, she sings this amazing song about how God has not forgotten about His people and how much His heart breaks and beats for the forgotten. Mary’s song hasn’t been totally fulfilled yet, but it will be. Jesus said, “The last will be first.” That wasn’t just a nice idea or a hippie pipe dream; it was a statement of cold, hard fact, and a prophecy you can bank on which was uttered by the Word made flesh. You may be sick, depressed, cast-out, broken-hearted, dirt-poor and at the bottom of life, but you’re not in Jesus’ world. If you love Him, He’s going to flip everything upside down. The last will indeed be first. The sick will be strong. The poor will be filled. The broken will be whole. Look to the One who came to the manger bed and will rule the universe as the Unrivaled, Eternal King. 

229. He's What God Is Saying About Himself

Colossians 1:15

What does God want you to know about Himself? What if you took a survey of tons of random folks and the question was, “What is the one thing God wants you to know about Him?” Would the answers be about love? Would they say He wants us to know He’s the one true God or something? Now, what if you took that same survey but only asked preachers and church people? They might say God wants you to know He’s ‘holy’ or ‘righteous’ or something like that, right? Here’s the really cool thing: You don’t have to ask anyone. When you look at the Christmas story, you have the answer. Paul says in Colossians 1 that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. One translation says it like this: “He’s the visible expression of the invisible God.” In other words, Jesus was God showing us God. He was telling us what God wanted to say about Himself. So, what was God saying? Well, Jesus wasn’t born in a palace with lots of money. He wasn’t born famous or in charge of anyone. In fact, when God came here, He chose to start and live 90 percent of His life with poor, nobodies that no one even cared about. He came to peasants, was visited by outcasts, lived with foreigners and was raised with a bunch of uneducated hicks from nowhere. If Jesus was the visible expression of the invisible God, then the thing God most wanted us to know about Himself is that He loves the people no one else loves. The people no one cares about. He gave His life to the poor, the hated and the ignored. God loves the nobody. Merry Christmas. 

228. He Paid For It

John 19:30

Why is it that when you screw up and sin in some way, not only do you immediately feel terrible about yourself, but you basically feel that this is the right response? It’s as if we truly believe the most Christian thing we can do in light of our own failures is to pile on the shame as thick as possible! When you sin, you put yourself in the emotional penalty box because you think that’s where you deserve to be, right? Why? Is it because you think if other people see you miserable and filled with regret then they know you’re on the right track? Do you think Granny is going to have hope for you if she sees you truly hating yourself over your wrong? Sadly enough, some of us have had people like that in our lives. Here’s the real question: Do you beat yourself up when you sin because you think God wants to see you miserable in the penalty box? If so, I have some really Good News. If you have believed in Jesus, He has forgiven you all the way. He has paid the penalty for all of your sin. He paid for the guilt you so easily feel when you mess up. He paid for the shame that weighs you down when you fall again. He paid for everything and He doesn’t want you to pay for it anymore. When you mope around ashamed of yourself, you ought to hear the voice of Jesus saying, “It is finished! I paid for that! Stop it, already! Let’s hang out! Let’s sing!” Jesus bought your freedom with precious blood, and He’s ready to get what He paid for. He’s ready for you to be free.

227. He's Coming Soon

Revelation 22:12

What if Jesus came back today? What if this were your very last day on earth? Wow. Just take a second and let that sink in... What if this was the very last day you had to put up with the misbehavior of people in your life who treat you terribly? What if this were the very last day you cried a tear over a broken heart? What if today was the last time you had to take medicine for that same old hurt? What if, in the blink of an eye, the sky split open, the clouds rolled back and the Author and Perfector of your faith stepped onto the stage and ended history with a blast from the last trumpet? What if today was your last chance to make a stand for Christ? What if today was your last opportunity to show the love of Jesus to someone lost, hurting, down and out? What if today was your last chance to forgive that one person and heal that broken relationship? What if these hours of daylight were the last hours that you ever had to fight temptation? After our Lord comes back to get us, there will be no more tears, no more problems, no more pain or wrong or drama. If this were our last day, this would be our last chance to fight the good fight! If you knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that this day would be your last day, wouldn’t you give it all you had? Wouldn’t you absolutely go for broke? Wouldn’t you pour out love and praise and service? Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming soon!” See, we don’t know if this will be the last day, but it could be. 

226. He's Making You A Deal

Matthew 26:28

Have you ever made a deal with God before? Have you ever said to Him, “Oh Lord, if you’ll just take care of this situation, I’ll never ask you for anything again.” or, “If you get me out of this mess, I will give up such and such for the rest of my life.” Most of us have done something like that in our hearts before, but we’ve all broken those promises. We’re not very good at keeping our word, and God knows that. In fact, He’s not upset about it. The truth is, He doesn’t even want us making any of those big promises to Him.  We don’t have to make deals with Him because He made a deal with us. On the night Jesus was betrayed, He took a cup of wine and said that it represented His blood of the covenant. The word ‘covenant’ just means ‘deal.’ Jesus was saying to His disciples and to us, “Let’s make a deal.” So, what are the terms of Jesus’ deal? He is offering you a chance to start over in life. You can be totally forgiven for everything you’ve ever done or ever will do for the rest of your life. He’s offering you a new heart that feels and wants new things. He’s offering you a restored relationship with God where you get to be His kid and He takes care of everything for you and He’s offering you a place in heaven forever. Wow! That’s a pretty good deal, but what is your part of the contract? Well, that’s the really great thing: Your part is nothing. Jesus paid for everything, and you don’t have to pay anything. This deal is an absolutely, eternally free gift.

225. He's Looking For Faith

Mark 2:4

What is faith? Is it just clenching your teeth and your fists and believing something really, really hard? Most of us probably think (or have thought) that faith is all about just ramping up the sincerity of what we believe to the max. Our mindset is, “If I just believed this thing is true, but believed it a little bit more, then God would respond and act.” Of course, the big problem with this mentality is that we’re not seven years old anymore and this isn’t the Disney channel. You can’t actually fly if you ‘think enough happy thoughts’ or whatever. One time, four dudes had a friend who couldn’t walk. They had heard of Jesus and the things He was doing in people’s lives; and when He came to their town, they got together, grabbed their paralyzed friend by the corners of his mattress and took him to where Jesus was. The place was jam-packed and there was no way in through the front door. These friends didn’t stop, though. They simply had to get him to Jesus. They managed to get this dude and his bed up to the roof of the house and just as he was probably thinking, “Now what?” they started tearing back the roof tiles till they made a hole in the house! The very next verse says that Jesus acted when He saw their faith. There it is - their faith! They knew they couldn’t do anything. They knew they needed Jesus, but they didn’t just sit around and ‘believe in Him real hard.’ They did whatever it took to get to Jesus. Faith changes you. Faith makes you dig and claw your way to the only One who can actually help you.

224. He's Looking For Gratitude

Luke 17:19

How does a person really change their emotions? What does it take to make a heart shift and feel new things that you weren’t feeling before? For instance, let’s say you’re really down and just sad - what’s the traditional wisdom on how to change that feeling? Change your circumstances? Fix the thing that was bringing you down in the first place? Well, I guess that sounds like it would work, but what if you have no control over those circumstances? What it the situation is out of your hands? Most people think that they way they feel is just an unchangeable reality you have to live with. They see their own emotions as an unassailable fortress that can’t be approached. I used to feel the same way until one little thing changed everything - gratitude. You may not believe it, but gratitude is the most powerful thing in your arsenal right now. Saying a prayer of thanks can change everything. Once, Jesus healed ten lepers with a word. He told them all to go show themselves to the priest, and as they went, they realized they had been cleansed. One of the ten came back to Jesus and thanked Him. Jesus said this man was ‘made whole.’ All were healed - but only one was made fully well. The gratitude did something for him that the healing alone couldn’t do. The thankfulness changed the way He saw Jesus, which changed and filled his heart with joy. When you’re down, you don’t feel thankful, so it seems hypocritical to pray a prayer of thanks, but try it anyway. It’s an easy prayer to say, and the more you do it, the more you will change. Gratitude is the most powerful emotion you have.

223. He Doesn't Make You Grow Up

Matthew 18:3

First you learn to use the bathroom by yourself. Then you start brushing your own teeth.  You buckle your own seatbelt, you dress yourself, you tie your own shoes. Before long, you’re opening up a checking account, changing the oil in your car, signing a lease and paying your bills. I still remember the day my mom taught me how to use the washing machine by myself. I can remember reminiscing back over all the years of not having to wash my own clothes and thinking, “Oh well. That was nice while it lasted.” It’s fun to grow up and to become more capable, but at the same time, there’s something hard about saying goodbye to the innocence of childhood and the freedom of not being responsible. It is right and good for people to grow up and mature and become more accountable for the moving parts of their lives; and yet, in the spiritual realm, there are ways in which we are never supposed to really ‘grow up.’ One time, Jesus’ disciples asked him “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” and to their shock, He didn’t tell any Bible stories from the Old Testament about Moses or David or even Daniel or Job. The disciples probably expected that kind of speech and hoped in their heart of hearts that they could one day be like one of those old heroes. Instead, Jesus held a little child in His arms and said, “See this child? Unless you change and become like a child, you can’t even get in.” Children are helpless, irresponsible and totally dependent. Jesus doesn’t want you to ever grow out of being like that. You don’t ever have to really grow up.

222. He Loves You When You're At Your Worst

Mark 10:21

What if Jesus was standing right in front of you? Most of us would absolutely love to be in that place right? I mean, how many times have you thought or said something like, “If only He just appeared to me and told me exactly what He wants me to do, then I wouldn’t have any problem doing it.” Here’s the thing: Jesus did a lot of that. He showed up and stood in front of people. He appeared in the flesh and told people exactly what He wanted and yet, people still disobeyed, turned their backs and even hated Him. Lots of Christians think that our big problem is that we’ve never had that “undeniable experience” type of moment. We’ve never had the life-changing, mountain-top experience, so we aren’t the saints we wish we were. If you’ve ever felt that way, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is, having a face-to-face with Jesus wouldn’t be the answer to your problems. You’d still be you and you’d still struggle and sin - even after that amazing encounter with the Lord. The good news is, it doesn’t really matter. Jesus still loves you, no matter what. One time the Lord of all stood in front of a dude and told Him one thing to do. This young man looked God Himself in the eyes and then turned and walked away. My favorite part of that story is that it says that Jesus looked at him and loved him. This man got to see the Maker of heaven and earth in the flesh and dropped the ball, but Jesus loved him at his worst. He feels exactly the same about you.

221. He Was Mostly Anonymous

Matthew 3:17

Tons of people think that in order to have a life that really means something, you have to be well known for it. They think you have to make your mark in an obvious and public way. In other words, we equate fame and celebrity with importance and meaning. Some people have even drawn this conclusion when looking at the popularity of Jesus’ earthly ministry. I mean, everywhere He went, there were crowds of people hanging on His every word, right? Well... not always. Did you know that the information we have about Jesus’ life only covers about 10 percent of His time on earth? He lived on the earth as a man for 33 years and His public ministry was only about 3 of those years. The rest of the time, He was a completely unknown, and totally ignored blue-collar peasant from a small, hick town. He didn’t deliver any brilliant sermons or perform any miracles. He just lived a normal, anonymous life, loving God and loving people right there where He was. The cool thing is, that when Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan river, God the Father spoke from heaven and said, “This is my Son, whom I love; With Him I am well pleased.” Up to that point in His life, Jesus had never done anything memorable or noteworthy, and yet God said that He loved watching our Lord live. You don’t have to be famous to be important. You don’t have to get a lot of attention or have a lot of followers to have a meaningful life. Apparently, you can live a completely anonymous life and totally please the heart of God. Even if no one else is watching, He is. 

220. He's Going To Win Your Heart And Will

Philippians 1:6

There are things in your life that Jesus doesn’t want there. That’s true about my life as well. There are attitudes, habits, motives and opinions in every heart belonging to Him that He wants to get rid of. That doesn’t mean He doesn’t love you, because He all-the-way loves you. That doesn’t mean that He doesn’t accept you, because you couldn’t be any more accepted by Him. That doesn’t change the fact that God has declared you totally and completely righteous in His sight, because if you have trusted in Jesus, He has most definitely declared you not only forgiven but completely righteous in His eyes. What we’re talking about here is the ground-level, everyday work of sanctification - which is just a big, fancy word to describe the process we are all in of being actually changed by Jesus into different people who are more like Him. He loves you just the way you are and accepts you totally today, but He doesn’t want to leave you there. One of the sweetest and most encouraging verses in Scripture is Philippians 1:6 which says, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Now, that is a beautiful and comforting promise that assures me that no matter what, God isn’t finished with me yet; but it isn’t just a promise. You see, it’s also a threat. Jesus isn’t going to let us stay the way we are. He’s coming after the hate, the prejudice and selfishness of my heart and yours. He will win and we will love the result. The only question is, how long and painful will the process be? 

219. He's Right Behind You

Mark 2:14

Have you ever heard someone say that you need to ‘follow Jesus,’ and then just felt a huge wave of guilt wash over you because, whatever that means, you're pretty sure you aren't doing it? Jesus is calling you to follow Him, But what does that mean, exactly? Does it mean you have to be perfect, or that you have to follow all the rules? Nah. There's no one like that. To 'follow Him' has to be something a real person can actually do, or else it just winds up being one of those things religious people talk about to make everyone else feel bad, but no one is actually doing, not even them. Whatever it means to follow Him, it has to be possible for normal humans, and it has to be something that happens in your will. When spiritual movements begin in your mind and heart and then come to life in your will, everything in your life begins to change. I think for a lot of folks, the command to follow Jesus is intimidating because, although they want to do that, they basically think it's too late. In other words, they think about following Jesus like a train that's moving down the tracks. Maybe at one point they were on it, but they messed up and a had a few bad weeks in a row. In their mind, the train is so far away now, they could never get back on. Here's the truth: You may have walked away, but Jesus isn't miles away down the tracks. He's right behind you. No matter what you've done, you can follow Him today. No matter how far you've run away, all you have to do is turn around. 

218. He Set You Free To Be Freely You

Galatians 5:1

I love when Paul says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” Dang! I love that sentence so much, it hurts. I love it because it feels so cheeky and sarcastic. It’s beautifully redundant and I imagine Paul smiling as he wrote it. I mean, he seems like he’s pretty upset for most of the book of Galatians, so maybe he scratched that sentence out in a fury of enraged quill and ink; but even if he was upset when writing this line, I think he must have been smirking. Whenever I read that verse, I almost expect to see it followed by the word, “Duh!” Here’s the thing: So many Christians are trying to simply ‘be good Christians.’ They’re trying to wear the most modest clothes. They’re trying to listen to the right music. They’re trying to raise their kids with the best values. They want to vote for the “right” candidate. I bet that if you time-traveled the Apostle Paul here and dropped him off in the front lobby of a Christian conference for 20 minutes, he’d stand up and shout, “Hey! What’s wrong with you people?! Why are you so obsessed with Christian values?! You’ve made up these rules! You’re trying to make everyone into the same person! No! Jesus set you free so that you could be fully free and completely and uniquely you!” If your Christianity is based on you keeping rules, you have missed Jesus completely and what you have isn’t real Christianity. Jesus doesn’t want you to conform to the rules and values. Jesus wants you to be free to turn into something that has never happened before in the history of the universe: You.

217. He Loves You When You Hate Yourself

Luke 24:34

Do you know what it feels like to hate yourself? Stop reading for a second and just think about that question again. Do you know how it feels to cross a line you swore you wouldn’t cross, then look your self in the mirror and just wish it hadn’t happened? Have you ever thought, “I would give anything to go back and erase that thing I just did?” Do you know how that feels? Of course you do. If you don’t know how that feels, you’re either lying or just really young. If you’re the latter, just wait, ‘cause your day is coming. For the rest of us who know what it’s like to hate yourself, I have some news for you: Jesus loves you when you don’t. Again, slow down for a second and let that last statement sink in. You see, on the night Jesus was betrayed by Judas, He was also betrayed by Peter. He denied three times that He even knew Jesus and then went out and wept bitterly. We’ve all been there. Peter couldn’t believe what had happened. He couldn’t believe who he had become. Peter was through with himself, but Jesus wasn’t through with him. When Jesus rose from the dead, before He appeared to all His disciples on the beach for that memorable breakfast, and even before He appeared to His disciples in the upper room in Jerusalem, it says that He appeared to Peter, alone. There may be have been tears of sorrow from Peter, but there were words of love from Jesus. He’s the sin-forgiver. He is love made manifest. Go to Him. Even when you hate yourself, go and find out how much He loves you.

216. He Gave Everything

Luke 22:19

Do you ever feel like God is holding back on you? Have you ever looked at your own life, then looked around at the other lives around you and thought, “Why is He so hard on me? Why don’t I have what they have? Why do things always work out for them? Why doesn’t God bless me like He blesses them?” I know I’m not the only person who’s ever felt that way, and to be honest, it’s easy to do! Comparison is the most natural thing in the world and yet it’s so dangerous. When you see someone with enough money, all you can think about is how much you need and how desperate your situation feels. When you see someone in a happy dating relationship or marriage when you’re not, all you can think about is your own loneliness. It’s the most natural thing in the world to feel like God is selling you short while He blesses everyone else, but the way it feels isn’t the whole story. It occurs to me that when I’m upset and stuck in comparison, I picture Jesus as a banker with huge piles of blessing like dollar bills, giving some people tons and giving me only a little bit, but that’s the wrong picture. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus took bread and broke it, saying, “This is me. I am going to be broken and poured out for you.” He gave all of Himself for me. He didn’t hold anything back. He has done everything possible to secure my eternal blessing, peace and joy. He laid down His life unto death for me and you because He loves us. He gave it all and the only thing left was love.

215. He's The Only Way

John 14:6

I hate backsliding. I hate the way it feels. I hate looking at myself in the mirror after messing up yet again. Thing is, I don’t hate backsliding for the same reasons I used to. I used to be afraid of backsliding because I thought that it meant I was disqualified from the love of God. I used to think that if I sinned enough or in bad enough ways that it meant God was through with me and I lost my place in His heart. I thought that I could somehow lose my salvation or out-sin His grace and forgiveness. I know now that’s not the way it is. Since I have trusted in Jesus’ offer of free grace, I know that I have forever been declared forgiven and righteous because of His work and not mine. I know I can never lose my place in His heart, but here’s the thing: I still hate backsliding. I just hate it for a different reason. You see, Jesus is clear about the fact that He’s the only way, and now I’m starting to see that Jesus being the only way goes deeper than me just getting saved. When Jesus says no one comes to the Father except through Him, I think He means more than simply being forgiven. I think He’s saying that the whole universe works according to His ways. He’s the only way to God, which means that any way but His takes me the other direction. When I backslide, I’m not losing my salvation, but I’m going against the pull of the universe. Any way but His leaves me desperate, lonely and dissatisfied, but walking with Him fills me with life and takes me to God.

214. He's In Charge

Psalm 2:6

As I type this little meditation, it is election season in the United States. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent. Tempers are flaring between families and friends. The tensions that divide this country are heating up to a boiling point and in the minds of some, the very fate of the world hangs in the balance. Well, here’s the deal: It does not. You see, the occupant of the Oval Office did not fling galaxies into orbit with a word. The next Federal Administration can’t still a raging storm by saying, “Hush.” The President of the United States of America is not God, and God has already cast His vote. In Psalm 2:6, the Father says, “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.” Isaiah 40 says that if you were to gather up all the might and money of every nation in this world together into one huge, cooperative conglomeration of global power, it would be less than one, little drop of water in a bucket. Jesus is the King of the Universe. One day He will step onto the stage of this world and take His rightful place. Jesus is in charge. So, am I telling you not to take part in the process in the meantime? No. Go ahead and read, learn and vote your conscience. You have that right. But remember who’s really in charge and let that temper your trust in this system. Let your faith in and loyalty to your King stamp out all your fears about this and every other election. Don’t be afraid. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” - 1 Timothy 1:7

213. He Wants To Solve Your Problems

Mark 16:4

Sometimes Christians say things that sound super holy, but don’t have the ring of authenticity and wind up not even being all that Biblical. For instance, I always hear Christians say things like this: “Don’t go to Jesus just because you need something and He can solve your problems. Go to Jesus because He’s worthy of worship. You should want to love Him only for His glory, not to sort out your messes.” I have to be honest here and admit that this kind of statement trips my ‘whatever’ meter. Nobody worships Jesus purely for the magnification of His praise. We need Him! We need forgiveness and grace and peace and help! Jesus Himself said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” The Apostle Peter said, “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” When Jesus rose from the dead, it wasn’t all about the exaltation of His glorious name. It was also about you and your little, everyday problems. Mark 16 says that women were on their way to the tomb early on Sunday morning to visit the body of Jesus and remembered on the way that there was a massive stone covering the entrance to the tomb. Bad planning on their part. How in the world were those few women supposed to move that thing? Check this: When they arrived, the stone had been moved. Who moved it? The resurrected Christ. Jesus solved the problem they didn’t even know they would have. Jesus is worthy of all your praise, but He’s also the Good Shepherd who watches over you and cares for you. Taking your problems to Jesus is Biblical, holy and good.

212. He Wants To Hang Right Now

Matthew 11:28

When you’re not who you want to be, you don’t feel like you should be around God, right? If you’re less or worse than the person you think you ought to be by now, you feel like you can’t really go to the Lord. You can’t pray, you can’t crack open your Bible and you don’t really want to be around any Christians. Why is that? We all feel this impulse, by the way. If you know what I’m talking about, (and you do) then you’re not alone. I was talking to a friend recently who said that he had gotten out of the habit of spending time with Jesus every day simply because he had sinned and was too ashamed of himself to face the Lord. Now, on the one hand, that’s the most natural thing in the world to feel; but on the other hand, it makes no sense. That’s a feeling that’s got to go. You see, if you think you have to have it all together to hang out with Jesus, you’d better get prepared for some massive disappointment. As long as you are breathing air on the green side of the grass, you aren’t going to have it all together. You are going to struggle, sin and fail. You won’t be strong enough to make it and you won’t reach your potential. That doesn’t mean you’re not changing and it doesn’t mean you won’t grow, but it does mean you need to learn to accept something true about yourself: You won’t go up to Jesus. He came down for you. He didn’t say, “Come to me, all you who are awesome.” He said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened.”

211. He Speaks Up For You

Romans 8:34

Sometimes Christians wonder if Jesus is disappointed with them because they did a certain sin, or because they did a certain sin again for the 400 thousandth time. Most of the time they feel this way because someone at church told them that this is exactly what it’s like. Folks start to get this image of Jesus as a kind of hard-line football coach who’s impossible to please. We picture Him ringing His hands on the sidelines, yelling at the players on the field and shaking his head in disgust at our performance. Sometimes you even hear Christians saying that they’re nervous about heaven and facing the Lord when they die because they suck so much at living this thing well. It’s like they think going home to perfect, painless paradise will be like going into the locker room when you’re losing by four touchdowns at half time. They think Jesus is gonna throw the clipboard, dump out the water cooler and yell and scream out his absolute disgust. Well here’s the deal: If anyone has ever made you feel that way about Jesus, they were dead wrong. The Bible says that Jesus intercedes for us. That is a word that had to do with lawyers in a court room fighting for their client. Jesus isn’t a frustrated coach who’s mad at you, He’s a brilliant lawyer giving it all He’s got to defend you! Jesus left heaven when He didn’t have to so that He could give His perfect life for you and save you and be with you forever and ever. Jesus wanted you because He loves you and He speaks up for you, vouches for you and fights for your freedom. He’s on your side.

210. He Knows You're Gonna Be Down Sometimes

Matthew 12:20

Have you ever just felt emotionally down for no apparent reason? Yo know what I mean, right? Sometimes you just feel low. Sometimes you don’t want to hang with anyone or laugh about anything. Sometimes you can feel the pull of depressed thoughts easing their way around you and the question is, what are you supposed to do then? Well, a lot of times the people in your life won’t have any patience for this kind of thing. Sometimes people in church will just tell you to pull it together because “your life isn’t all that bad and you don’t have any reason to be depressed.” Sometimes they’ll even list all the reasons you should be happy, but here’s the thing: These depressed thoughts aren’t reasonable, so reason alone won’t get you out of the woods. Sometimes church folks will tell you that Jesus just wants you to rejoice, no matter what and that He’s waiting on you to cheer up. It’s easy to feel as though Jesus is frustrated or upset about your depression, but He’s not. Jesus knows that sometimes you go up and down. Jesus knows this is only going to be a season. Jesus knows who you’re going to be when you make it through this. He isn’t frustrated with you and He won’t be hard on you. An Old Testament prophecy said, “When the Messiah comes, He won’t snap a weak twig just because it’s fragile. He won’t snuff out candles that are barely hanging onto their light.” In other words, Jesus won’t walk all over your feelings. Jesus wants you to have joy and peace in your heart, but He understands when you don’t and He knows how to be tender.

209. He Wasn't Good-Looking

Isaiah 53:2

Do you ever look in the mirror and just wish that the face looking back at you would change? Do you know that feeling when you see someone who is just extremely beautiful or outrageously fit and all at once you hate them and are jealous of them and want to be them and want them to not be? Maybe you know how it feels to think to yourself, “If only I could change this one thing about the way I look, I would be happy.” Maybe it’s your hair or your weight or your skin or your abs or maybe the list just goes on and on. You see, most of us really do think that good-looking people are better than the not-so-good-looking folks. We think that being beautiful or elegant or striking or sexy makes a person more valuable. Let’s get real: The social definition of what is beautiful only matters if you let it matter. Let’s take this thing one step further: Jesus wasn’t good-looking. Movies and paintings always portray Jesus as strong, well-built and attractive, but then again, they also always make Him a white dude (sometimes He even has blue eyes... what?!) The fact is, the New Testament actually never describes Jesus’ appearance. The only time the Bible describes the way Jesus looked is in an Old Testament prophecy which says “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him; nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.” Wow. Jesus wouldn’t have made People Magazine’s ’50 Most Beautiful People.’ Beauty doesn’t equal value. Beauty doesn’t make you great. The Savior of the world wasn’t beautiful, but He saved me and changed me, and I love Him.  

208. He Knows It's Hard

Matthew 14:13

Sometimes your life sucks. Let’s just go ahead and face that head-on. Are there people who are worse off then you? Probably. Are there people with more desperate and difficult circumstances than yours? I’m sure we could find someone out there, but that doesn’t mean your problems aren’t real and deep. It doesn’t mean that your life isn’t hard. The crazy stuff you have to face is frankly more than you can bear at times, and just because someone somewhere is worse off than you are, it’s still okay for you to feel that way about your life. Sometimes people look at you and say, “It’s not that bad. Come on, pull yourself together!” But that doesn’t help. What do they even know about it? They haven’t been through this! They aren’t feeling what you feel. They don’t know what it’s like! That’s why I love Jesus. Hebrews 1 says He’s the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of God’s being, sustaining everything by His powerful word, but chapter 2 says that Jesus became like us in every way so that He could be merciful. God stepped into the human experience. He was one of us. He felt rejection, pain and loss first hand as a real human. When John the Baptist (who was Jesus’ cousin) was executed by Herod, Jesus found out and tried to go away by Himself to mourn, but He didn’t get to do it. Crowds found Him and He ministered to them. It was hard, but in His pain, Jesus just had to keep going. Wow. God knows what it’s like to be us because He felt it first hand. Jesus knows your life is hard because He lived a hard life.

207. He Wants To Take Your Guilt Away

Matthew 14:2

Guilt is a trap. I mean, on one level, it feels really holy and good to hate yourself for your sin and wallow in your guilt, right? We think we’re somehow getting what we deserve, which will make us feel better about the wrong we did, right? Well, no. It won’t. It only makes everything worse. Feeling guilty doesn’t pay for your wrong, it doesn’t make you feel better and it messes up your understanding of Jesus. When people have really whacky views about Jesus, they’re usually trying desperately to cover up some guilt in their own heart. For instance, there’s this really weird place in Matthew 14 where Herod (the local governor) thought that Jesus was John the Baptist who had come back from the dead to haunt him. When you read it, you’re like, “What?! Where in the world did you get that?” Turns out that the prophet John the Baptist had called Herod out on the fact that he had stolen his brother’s wife. Herod had John arrested and wound up executing him. Herod felt so guilty that when Jesus showed up, he thought, “Oh no! It’s happened! John is back! I knew it!” Weird. Feeling guilty doesn’t solve anything, and it messes up the way you see Jesus. Here’s the deal: Jesus doesn’t want you to feel guilty or punish yourself for your wrong. He was punished for you so that you could feel forgiven, (because you are) free, (because you are) and loved (because you are). Jesus bore your guilt and He wants to take it away. When you let Jesus take your guilt for you and accept His grace every day, then you start to see Him as He really is.

206. He Sees You, Even When No One Else Does

Luke 13:12

Do you ever feel completely overlooked? Do you ever feel as though your friends get massive amounts of love and attention for things that never even get you noticed? I know that none of us would really want to admit this kind of thing out loud because we would feel silly, dramatic or even immature, but have you ever thought that nobody really cares if you’re around? I mean, we all have those friends that everyone wants to know and everyone wants to talk like and dress like, right? We all know those people, but we’re not really those people, are we? But hold on just a second. What if there’s someone who totally sees you? What if there’s someone who thinks you are infinitely fascinating? What if there’s someone who thinks you have measureless worth? What if there’s someone who thinks you are a priceless treasure and even when no one else notices, this someone always sees you? What if this someone who sees you is The Someone? What if The Someone who sees you is the One who made you and loves you more than anyone? Guess what -- He is. Jesus always sees the people that no one else notices, and He loves them! Jesus saw a woman at a well everyone else avoided. Jesus saw a man up a tree everyone else hated. Jesus saw a woman in a crowd who had been bent over double for 18 years! Jesus sees past cool. He looks right through pretty. Jesus peers all the way down into the mind and heart. Jesus sees you. He sees the real you and here’s the really awesome thing: He loves you. He sees and loves you. Really.

205. He Suffered Under Temptation

Hebrews 2:18

One of the reasons people give in to temptation is that they have bought in to a lot of mis-information about what temptation is and what it means. See, most people think that being tempted is the same thing as sinning, so when they feel really tempted to do something wrong, they think, “Well, I want to do that wrong thing, so since I’ve already failed the Lord, I might as well do it.” Here’s the thing though: Being tempted is not the same thing as doing the sin. The fact that you want to do something wrong is not the same thing as actually doing it. In fact, if you didn’t want to do that wrong thing, it wouldn’t be tempting and you wouldn’t ever do it and why are we still talking about it?! The Bible says Jesus was tempted. In fact, the book of Hebrews says Jesus was tempted in every way just as we are, yet was without sin. So, if Jesus was tempted and never sinned, then being tempted (and feeling tempted) isn’t wrong. Two chapters before that verse in Hebrews, it says that Jesus suffered when He was tempted! Wow. Do you realize what that means? It means that not only was Jesus tempted, but it was hard for Him! Most of us probably think of Jesus being this different kind of holy that wouldn’t even want anything bad, but the Bible doesn’t say that. It says temptation was tempting for Jesus. It was hard. He never gave in, but He suffered under it. Here’s what that means: Jesus understands how you feel. He knows just how hard it is to stand up under what you’re facing and He’s able to help you.

204. He Draws Us In

Hebrews 7:18-19

The reason religious people love rules and regulations so much is that deep down, we’re afraid of getting this thing wrong. We really want to know God, and we want to make sure we don’t mess that up, so how can we best guarantee that we do things right? Rules. Rules and regulations are like boundaries or landmarks that tell us where we are. We can measure them, identify them, keep them and break them. They make us feel safe and comfortable. Rules make me feel like I know whether or not I’m doing this well. The only thing is, God is mysterious and infinite and personal! Rules don’t actually get me all that close to Him. In fact, when I mess them up (which is all the time) I just feel driven further away! Hebrews 7 says that the old rules were set aside because they were “weak and useless and didn’t make anything perfect.” Rules may make us feel safe, but they don’t actually bring us to God! It goes on to say that Jesus is a better hope because He draws us to God. You see, we’re so afraid of getting this wrong, but hey - we’ve already gotten it all wrong! That’s the beauty of the Gospel! We were wrong, and God still wants us anyway! It turns out that the infinite, mysterious and personal God doesn’t want a bunch of little straight-laced rule followers - He wants friends. He wants love. Love isn’t always comfortable and it almost always breaks all the rules. When you love someone, you don’t always know where you are or if you’re doing things right, but you don’t care because you’re in love. Knowing God is about love, not safety.

203. He Was Amazed

Matthew 8:10

Can you imagine actually being there for some of the miracles of Jesus? Seriously, close your eyes for a minute and think about what it would have been like to watch a dead kid get up out of his coffin. Or can you imagine being there, watching Jesus actually multiply bread and fish for thousands of people from a handful of food? Wow. What about those times where Jesus healed every single person in the town? Or what about the time He instantaneously calmed a raging storm? I mean, that had to have been so freaky and stunning. We’ve all been in the middle of those kinds of storms where it feels like the whole world is buckling and tearing apart at the seams and Jesus just spoke into one of those, told it to hush and the world became instantaneously calm and still. Wow. When that happened, Matthew says the disciples were amazed. Of course they were! That’s amazing! Here’s what’s cool: Earlier in that same chapter, Matthew uses that same word to describe Jesus. Something happened that made Jesus feel just as blown away as the disciples did when He calmed the storm. So what was it that Jesus marveled at? A Roman soldier who asked for Jesus’ help because he had a sick servant amazed Jesus. Our Lord said, I’ll come and heal your servant. The soldier said, “No need. I understand authority. You don’t have to come. You’re in charge of my problems, like I’m in charge of my troops. Just say the word and this sickness will obey you.” Finally. Somebody got it. If you realize Jesus is over all your troubles and you simply trust Him to handle them His way, you’ll rock His world.

202. He Wants You To Keep A Secret

Matthew 6:4

Can you keep a secret? Jesus wants to know. He has stuff to tell you, and life-changing stuff He wants you to do. Thing is, He wants it all to be a secret. I know this sounds kinda weird, but it’s true and it turns out to be really cool and intimately sweet. You see, Jesus wants a relationship with you. He wants to be close. He wants you to talk to Him. He wants you to bring all your hurt, your confusion and your heartbreak to Him. He wants you to celebrate your victories and joys with Him as well. He wants to be your very best friend because He loves you more than anything in this world. And He has cool stuff for you to do for Him that will fill you up and build His kingdom. Here’s the thing: There are certain things about your relationship with Jesus that have to be a secret, or they don’t really connect you to Him at all. What I mean is, when you talk to Him and spend time with Him alone and read His word just to hear what He has for your heart, He doesn’t really want you to go around talking about that. When you serve Jesus, and give your time or energy for Him, He doesn’t really want you to tell anyone. Some people broadcast the fact that they hung out with Jesus that day, or that they did their ministry and somehow it cheapens the whole thing. Why do we do that? Do we want applause from others because we did something that was supposed to be a secret? If you love Jesus in secret, your life will speak for itself.

201. He Gives What You Can't Make

Matthew 5:20

Jesus said that your righteousness has to surpass that of the super-religious folks, or you can’t even enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoa. My righteousness has to surpass those guys? The super-religious folks?! We’ve all seen these people, right? They have it all together. They say all the right things. They read the right Bible. They listen to the right music. They vote for the right people. They don’t slip up, like ever. Their houses are always clean. Their hairdos are always in place. They smile all the dang time and they’re never, ever having a hard time like the rest of us. Wow. I don’t have any of that stuff figured out! I can’t match that - so how in the world am I supposed to surpass it?! Well, here’s the deal: All those things that the super-religious people have all figured out don’t actually have anything to do with righteousness. The truth is, those folks are trying really, really hard to make their own righteousness, but it’s just not working. Righteousness is a big, fancy word that simply means this: God and I are on good terms. We’re alright. God and I are cool. The problem is, no one can do that on their own. We can’t make ourselves okay with God. The only way we can be righteous is for God to just give us righteousness as a gift. The good news is that Jesus died for us and rose from the grave to give us that gift. You don’t have to have it all together. You don’t have to earn this gift. You don’t have to make it. All you have to do is open up your heart and take it. 

200. He's Trying To Give You Life

John 8:11

I think it’s weird that Jesus tells the woman caught in adultery to go and leave her life of sin. I mean, that story is the ultimate example of the mercy and grace of Jesus, but then it ends with Him just saying, “Okay, stop sinning now.” Doesn’t that seem strange? Who in the world can simply ‘stop sinning’ just like that? If we could just ‘stop sinning’ when Jesus told us to, we wouldn’t have needed Him to come in the first place! I can’t stop on my own. I need a rescuer. The message that says, “stop being bad and be good instead” doesn’t really do me much good. That is, it doesn’t do me much good unless there’s more to it than meets the eye. You see, when I look at that story and cringe at the fact that Jesus said, “stop sinning,” I’m really just afraid. I’m afraid that He’s going to tell me the same thing. I’m afraid that I have to be perfect. I’m afraid of life without my sin. I’m afraid of Him because it feels like He’s trying to take something from me that I think I need. Here’s the deal: Jesus isn’t trying to rob us. He’s offering us something better. I bet the woman caught in adultery didn’t go on to be spotless for the rest of her life. She probably still battled those old insecurities from time to time. Jesus knew that would happen. He was the One who first showed her mercy. It was a glimpse at what life with Him could be. When He tells me to stop, it’s not a new standard I can’t meet. It’s simply an invitation into something so much better.

199. He Loves To Win

Matthew 4:1

Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit of God on purpose in order to go toe-to-toe with Satan. His clash with the devil was no accident, but rather an appointment. It was a scheduled fight. Here’s the part that’s hard to swallow: He does the same thing to us. The Spirit of Jesus lives in the hearts of believers and He’s constantly taking us places we wouldn’t go on our own. One thing that’s staggering in the Scriptures is the fact that the Lord never really says He’s going to make sure we avoid these battles. He doesn’t promise that we will always get to dodge the devil and sidestep Satan. Instead, Jesus gives Satan permission to sift Peter like wheat and tells us how to fight him. In other words, the fight is going to happen. You are going to face dark forces of evil. Here’s the real question: Why is that? Why does he make us fight on purpose? It’s because Jesus loves to win. The enemy of our souls hates love and he hates Jesus. He thinks the Gospel is stupid. He thinks people can never change and will always want to be self-centered and wicked like him. That’s why Jesus loves to fight that old snake! See, the Gospel is working! You’re not who you were. Sure, you fall and fail sometimes, but not all the time. The fact is, you’re changing! You’re new! The love of Jesus is making you something Satan can’t stand... it’s making you more like Jesus. Everyday, you are going to have to wage war, but don’t be afraid. Jesus loves to watch you fight and He’s going to make sure you win in the end.

198. He Loves Like A Husband

Ephesians 5:25

How much does Jesus love you? What does that love look like? Well, let’s conduct a little thought experiment: I want you to think about the best marriage you’ve ever seen in your life. I’m totally serious. I want you to think about a marriage that flat-out rocks. Now, it may not be your parents or anyone in your family, but somewhere in your life, there’s probably a marriage that’s so cool, you want one just like it. Take a second and picture that couple in your mind. Maybe you have a few of them. I want you to focus your brain on the most devoted, the most tender and the most in-love husband you personally know and just think about that dude. What is he like? What does he do for his bride? What happens to his face when someone mentions her name or when she walks in the room? How does he serve her? How does he sacrifice for her? How does he protect and defend her? How does he strive for her happiness? Can you picture his face when they’re together? Can you hear him laughing at her jokes or see the pride in his smile when he introduces her to one of his friends? Think about that husband. Really close your eyes and take a moment... Now, here’s the cool thing: That guy is trying as hard as he can to be like Jesus is. Ephesians 5 says that husbands who are doing it right should be loving like Jesus loves you. They should sacrifice and tenderly care for their girl just like Jesus does for you. Multiply that husband a million times and then you’re starting to see how Jesus loves you.

197 He Offers The Gift

Romans 5:16-17

Have you ever done that thing where something bad happens to you and your first reaction is that you start trying to remember all of your sins from that week to see if you can figure out what God is punishing you for? I’m sure you know what I’m talking about... your car breaks down or you get a traffic ticket or you bomb some test and without even meaning to, you start to think about how you lied to your mom that past week or thought about that one particular someone in a sexual way. Before you know it, you’re thinking that God is up on high watching the world and your life and that when you do some sin, He deals out some little punishment to get you back. Now this, of course, is entirely inaccurate. God doesn’t operate this way at all. If you have believed in Jesus, you’ll never be punished for your sins because Jesus was punished for all of them - (and by the way, a flat tire or a pop quiz isn’t the punishment for even the smallest of sins) We see the world this way because we think the opposite of sin is living right. We look at our life on a scale with sins on one side and good works on the other, and we try to keep things in balance with good works tipping the scale, but that’s all wrong. We could never live right enough to overcome our sin. The opposite of sin isn’t living right. The opposite of sin is grace. The sin of Adam doomed all of us from the very beginning, but the death of Jesus offers us the gift of grace: The antidote of sin.

196. He Has People In This City

Acts 18:10

There are going to be times in your Christian life where you will feel totally alone. You will sometimes feel like you are the only person you know who loves Jesus and believes that God is real and good and in control of things. And look, it’s really easy for people to preach sermons about how important it is to stand alone and how you have to be bold and let your light shine even if you’re the only one shining, but the truth is that standing alone sucks. It’s hard to be the only person walking with the Lord and Christians were not made to go through life alone. Even missionaries don’t go alone. If you are having a hard time because you’re the only Christian in your school or town or dorm or office, it’s okay. I know that’s hard, and for what it’s worth, I don’t think Jesus would just tell you to suck it up and stop whining. I don’t think Jesus would just tell you to be more bold and fearless in standing alone. In fact, when the Apostle Paul went to a city where there were no Christians and the people were hostile to the Gospel, Jesus appeared to Paul and said, “Hang in there Paul, and keep speaking. I have many people in this city.” That city was called Corinth, and there weren’t any Christians there... yet. Jesus was at work and He was using Paul to change everything. Jesus knew Paul wouldn’t be alone for long. The Lord is at work where you are. He knows who will be His and He may be using you to bring them in. Hang in there. You’re not as alone as you think.

195. He Will End This World

1 Thessalonians 4:16

Did you see the headlines? Blood has been shed. People are dying. There is unrest, uncertainty and unkindness everywhere. Political candidates are tearing each other down, while aggressive nations are building up their arsenals. Children are starving and the rich have more than ever before. People are moving so fast, they don’t have time to stop and listen or even really think. The planet is sick and tired. The world is full of hate, hurt and hopelessness. And we can’t fix it. That won’t work. People smarter and more compassionate than us have tried and failed. Earth is a terminal patient. No matter where you turn, you can’t get away from this sad, broken world... or can you? You see, it won’t always be this way. One day the blood will stop pouring. One day the debates will end. Every mouth will be filled and every tear will be dried. One day the drama, destruction and devastation will come to a sudden and abrupt halt. Why? Because, one day Jesus will come back. We don’t know when, but we know it’s going to happen. It will happen all of a sudden - in an instant. One minute the world will be as it is - as we know it - full of strife, pain and trouble and then, Bam! He’ll be here! He will show up with a shout that every ear will hear. He will change everything, in a moment. He’s going to wipe every tear from every eye and make everything new. Thing is, since we don’t know when this will happen, the only way to be ready for it is to get ready now. Live every single moment waiting for that final, world-rending shout of the Savior.

194. He Goes Down Easy

Matthew 11:29

Did you know Jesus only described Himself one time in the Bible? I mean, Jesus said a lot of stuff about Himself as far as who He was and what He came to do, but He only described His own character one time in all of Scripture. Do you remember what He said? It might surprise you. Before I tell you what it was, think for a second about this: If you were to randomly ask people on the street to describe God, what kinds of words would they use? Some folks might say that God is loving while others might call Him severe or judgmental. Some folks might say God is unpredictable while others might just point out His attributes and call Him ‘all-knowing’ or ‘outside of time.’ The Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus was the “visible expression of the invisible God.” In other words, if you want to know what God is like, you simply need to watch Jesus live His life. When Jesus described Himself that one time, He said, “I am gentle and humble in heart.” The most important thing Jesus wanted us to know about the heart of God is that He is gentle. The God who crafted the universe by the power of His word is gentle. It’s a word that means ‘sweet.’ It was a word used of winds that were warm, not cold and biting. It was used of wine and medicine that wasn’t bitter but would go down easy. God is gentle. You can approach Him. You can go to Him without being afraid. Out of all the things Jesus could have told us about the heart of God, He wants us to know that He’s sweet, not harsh.

193. He Didn't Take Sides Like Christians Do

John 8:11

What would Jesus do? That question is not only the most over-used of any Christian cliche, but it’s also one of the hardest things to truly know the answer to. After all, when you really read the Gospels, Jesus surprises you on every page. He doesn’t act, react or speak in the way we assume He would. People are always looking for something to stand for, which is good; but what if they stand for the wrong thing? What happens when Christians take sides on an issue that Jesus didn’t take sides on? What does it mean when Christians fight over something Jesus never fought about? What do non-believers think of Jesus and His followers when we completely mis-represent His heart and His Gospel? Once, some religious folks brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. They wanted to trap Him. They forced Him to take sides. The choice was clear: Either you agree with the traditional view of marriage and we kill this woman, or else you are against God. But Jesus didn’t take sides. He didn’t fall into their trap. Instead, He trapped them. He said, “Whoever hasn’t sinned, you start the killing.” They realized they were as guilty as she was. They deserved the same sentence. Then Jesus didn’t sentence anyone. He trapped them and then let them go. The world is not black and white, and the heart of God is more nuanced than we know. Love doesn’t take sides. Love is above sides. Jesus didn’t condemn this woman and He also exhorted her to change. People need love. They need Jesus. He was filled with compassion, not judgment. If we stand, let’s stand like He did.

192. He Was Bound For You

John 18:12

How did they do it? How did they get away with it? How did regular, little, human people arrest the Son of God? The first chapter of John’s Gospel starts out talking about how Jesus (who was and is and always has been Almighty God) created everything that is. Now, in the eighteenth chapter, a detachment of temple guards is arresting Him? What?! How could a bunch of glorified mall cops tie up the hands of the One who scattered the stars? Jesus invented quasars, killer whales and auditory nerve cells. Thermodynamics was His idea! He not only designed the ball and socket joint, but He fine-tuned the manufacturing process that would keep it self-replicating in every appropriate vertebrate until the end of time. How could it be that the Author of Life who has boundless creative energy and power was bound by a bunch of frightened soldiers? The answer of course, is that Jesus allowed these guys to arrest Him. He willingly let them tie Him up. Temple guards could never have bound His hands unless He presented those hands for binding. Why would Jesus do this? Well, Jesus was taking our place. His mission was to become our Substitute. He died that we might live. He became guilty so that we could be forgiven. He took our punishment for our sin so that we wouldn’t have to be punished; but before He bled in our place, He was bound in our place. Maybe there’s something that has you tied up - a cycle of wrong or a certain sin you just can’t quit. Jesus took your place. He wants you to be untied for good. He was bound for you so that you could be free. 

191. He Wants You To Get Back Up

Luke 22:32

Let’s face it: Jesus knows you’re going to sin. He knows you’re going to stumble, fail, struggle and backslide. He knows you’re going to mess up about a kabillion more times before you’re finished with this life. Thing is, not only does Jesus know all that theoretically, but He knows it specifically. He knew every single sin you were going to commit before you were ever born. Jesus knows you’re not perfect yet, and that you’re going to be sinning the whole time. If you don’t know that about yourself, you’re the only one at that party. Here’s the really cool part of this seemingly bad news - Jesus is patient with you. He’s not mad at you, He’s not disappointed in you and He’s not shaking His head in disbelief, pointing His finger and saying, “You know, I really expected more of you.” This may come as surprising news to you, but Jesus doesn’t want to dwell on your sin. He wants to move past it. What Jesus is concerned about is not so much your sin, but the moments after your sin. Jesus wants to talk to you about that moment after you fall and fail. On the night Jesus was betrayed, Peter said He would die for Jesus. That wasn’t exactly accurate. Jesus told Peter, “You’re actually going to betray me three times.” But, before grief swept over Peter, Jesus said, “When you have turned, strengthen your brothers.” In other words, “I know you’re gonna sin, but there’s life after your sin. I have a job for you after you screw up. You’re going to fall. It’s okay. When this is over, get back up, because I love you and we have work to do.”

190. He Changes Your Relationship With God

1 Peter 1:17

There are people who want you to be scared. They want you to be afraid of God. They want to make sure that you understand how powerful and terrifying God is. They want to make sure you understand how serious your sin is. They want to make sure that you don’t simply walk around with your bare face hanging out forgetting that God has every right to judge and smite you right now. They don’t want you thinking grace is your right. They don’t want you laboring under the delusion that you earned forgiveness. Do me a favor: Don’t listen to those voices. If you see that crap in a book, close the book. If you hear it in a sermon, pick a new church. If you hear it in a song, change the radio station. Look, we all know that God is powerful and holy and has every right to judge sinners. We all get that we don’t deserve forgiveness and grace. But there is Good News. New information has come into the story of your life. Jesus let Himself be tortured so that you would never, ever have to face judgment or wrath! Jesus offers the free gift of grace to all who believe, no matter what. He declares believers just as righteous as Himself and He does something else that is amazing. 1 Peter chapter 1 says that Jesus changes our relationship with this holy God. He turns the judge into our dad. God, who is judge for some people is now your Dad who loves you. He’s the perfect Dad. Your Dad won’t judge you. Your Dad doesn’t want you to be afraid. Your Dad just wants you to enjoy being His kid.

189. He's The Lifeblood

John 15:5

Sometimes people include Jesus in a list of famous world figures by calling Him “one of the great religious teachers.” And let’s be honest, it’s a good thing He’s not simply a religious teacher, because if that’s all He was, He’d be a terrible teacher. You see, when you look at the teachings of Jesus, they’re impossible. No one could ever live them out and no one ever has. If the life of Jesus were only presented to us as a model or example to follow and live by, then the life of Jesus would have been a colossal failure. Here’s the thing: Jesus wasn’t just a great religious teacher and His life was not about simply giving us an example to live by. On the night Jesus was betrayed He told His guys that He wasn’t just a teacher or example, but the very fuel that makes life possible. He said He wasn’t just asking them to follow some principles, but that He was actually going to be connected to everyone who knew Him in such a real and intimate way that He would actually be the power behind their life. Jesus said that He is not only showing us what life ought to be like, but He wants His very life to flow through ours. He said, “I am the Vine; you are the branches.” In other words, if we are connected to Him, life and power flow into us and through us, but if we are not connected to Him, we are just dried-up sticks: Powerless and lifeless. We can’t reduce Jesus to a set of teachings. He is the Living Person we need in order to make it day-to-day. Without Him, we are nothing. 

188. He Became Our Curse

Galatians 3:13

The number one thing that keeps most people from growing in their walk with Lord is the fact that they are hiding. They pretend they are fine. We have all done it. I know how it feels first-hand, because I’ve done it. I’ve been that person acting like everything is great with me and I don’t need any help. Hiding comes natural to us humans. Adam and Eve started that little trend after the very first sin. We hide because we are afraid. And what are we afraid of? Rejection. We tell everyone we’re okay because we don’t want them to see the awful truth of our fears, struggles, sins and doubts and then drop us out of their lives. It’s like we have a curse on us. It’s a self-imposed curse. The curse is, if you tell the truth about who you are, they will all hate you. Your friends will reject you. God will reject you. But there is amazing news: Something wonderful has happened! Jesus became our curse for us! He took our wrong on Himself, as if He were the guilty one. He bore our shame and humiliation. They hung Him on a tree and He lived out our curse. People spat on Him and mocked Him. God the Father rejected Him and He died in disgrace. But He rose from the dead! Now, Jesus lives! Sin is defeated! Guilt is gone! The curse that made us hide has been endured and broken. Because Jesus became our curse and defeated it, you can now be honest about who you are and it doesn’t make you rejected. It works backwards! Honesty is the one thing that truly makes you free! Jesus has reversed the curse.

187. He Loves You When It Doesn't Look Like It

John 11:37

The Lord has probably broken your heart before. Chances are good that He has allowed something into your life that has been a devastating blow, a confusing turn or else just an out-right heartbreak. If it hasn’t happened yet, just keep on living and get ready, because it’s coming. The question is, why does Jesus do what He does? If He’s in control of every little thing, then why does He sometimes allow the one thing to happen that is simply the most gut-wrenchingly awful possibility? What reason could He possibly have for letting us experience the very thing we’re most afraid of? Well, the only true answer a human can give to that question is, “I don’t know.” If you’ve heard a person give you some half-baked answer, chock-full of theological gymnastics, you probably felt pretty unsatisfied. And you should, because they don’t know what they’re saying. The truth is, we don’t know why Jesus does the stuff He does. When He got news that his friend Lazarus was sick, Jesus had time to go there and heal him. He didn’t even need time. He could have healed him instantly, but He didn’t. Jesus allowed His friend to die. Lazarus’ sisters were bewildered, angry and confused. Some of the people at the funeral said, “Couldn’t He who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” All the fingers were pointed at Jesus, and what was Jesus doing? Crying. He was crying. Jesus was sobbing over the heartbreak of his friend dying. In the end, we may not know why Jesus does what He does, but at least we know that He loves us that deeply.