What Do You Say About Yourself?

"And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself? He said: "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord,"' as the prophet Isaiah said.""
John 1:21-23 (NKJV)

John the Baptist was a man sent by God to help prepare the way for Jesus.  When John the Baptist started his ministry there was some natural curiosity about him; who is this man and why is he doing what is he doing?  People heard John speak and they saw what he did but they wanted a direct answer from the man himself.  The religious leaders of the day sent a group to John to ask him, "Who are you, what do you say about yourself?"  This is a good question for us today as well.

When John the Baptist gave the answer about who he was, notice what he did not say.  John did not talk about his family background, his financial status, his level of education, or his life experiences.  When John responded to the question about who he was, John focused on what he was doing for God.  John had the emphasis in the right place; he realized that his relationship with God and what he did in his life for God was the most important thing.  It is also interesting to see that John connected what he was doing with something from the Bible; it is good to find our identity and purpose from God and His Word.

What you say about yourself is very important and it identifies who you are.  What others say about you and what others think about you does not matter as much as what you say and think about yourself.  Our question today is the same question that was asked of John the Baptist, who are you and what do you say about yourself?  The devil will try to stir up problems in our life and confront us with questions about our identity of who we are and what we are doing.  Knowing the answer to these questions will help us succeed in life; we need to know who we are in Christ.

With God, It’s Not Where You Start, It's Where You Finish

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
2 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV)

When I was in high school I used to compete in various running events.  There were always three parts to the race, the start, the actual race, and the finish.  When they lined everyone up at the start of the race, some people were in better positions than others but I don't remember anyone ever crying because of where they started.  Even during the race itself, someone might not have been in the best position in the middle of the race but that did not really matter either, what mattered is where you finished the race.

The Apostle Paul did not start out well; he was actually fighting against God's plan and the spread of the Gospel before he became a Christian.  When he wrote his second letter to Timothy, Paul knew that the end of his physical life was near.  Did Paul talk about his regrets from the past and all of the mistakes he had made?  Did Paul say that he wished he would have been born into a better situation or that he could not succeed because he did not have some advantages that others had in life?  No, Paul talked about how he had finished the race God had given him to run, even though he did not start out in the best position.

No one starts out in a perfect situation with every advantage in life; no one has a problem free existence.  We should not look back at our past but instead realize that no matter where we start, or even where we are now, we can finish strong.  We may have come from a bad family or a bad economic situation, but we don't have to stay there.  It does not matter where you were born, what matters is that you were born again and that you have a loving heavenly Father who wants to help you.  Do like Paul did and fight the good fight of faith and overcome all of the obstacles in your path so that one day you too can say that you have finished the race God gave you to run.

Are You Like The Bereans Or The Athenians?

"Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or hear some new thing."
Acts 17:10, 11, 21 (NKJV)

In Acts 17 there is a story about two groups of people, the Bereans and the Athenians.  Both groups had the opportunity to hear the teachings of the Apostle Paul.  The thing is that each group seemed to have a different way of doing things and I think that both groups are similar to what we see with Christians today.  One group, the Bereans, received the word with all readiness and searched the Scriptures to see if what they heard was accurate.  The other group, the Athenians, spent all their time either telling or hearing about something new.

It is a sad but true statement that many Christians are more like the Athenians than the Bereans.  So often Christians are more interested in hearing and telling about some "new" thing than they are about searching the Scriptures daily to see if what they hear is true.  It is interesting to see that the people who were diligent to search the Scriptures to check the validity of what they were hearing were the same people that the Bible describes as being ready to receive the Word of God.  It would seem that the more you are focused on God's Word the more ready you are to receive what it has to say.

If all we do is look for what is "new" we will get into trouble.  Our goal is not intellectual stimulation but spiritual growth through the truth of God's Word.  We may hear some things that are new to us but if they are right and true we will find the basis for these "new" things in the written Word of God.  Don't just go after whatever seems to be new and exciting.  Be like the Bereans and make sure to check up on what you are hearing, is it really teaching and truth from the Bible or not?  If we keep ourselves firmly grounded in the Word of God we will stay stable and steady in an ever changing world of "new" ideas.

What's So Good About Good Friday?

"And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center."
John 19:17, 18 (NKJV)

Today is known as Good Friday, it is the day Christians celebrate as the day Jesus died on the cross.  The question is, why is Good Friday so good?  Looking at the day and the things Jesus experienced it was not a good day for Him, being executed is not something that a person would be very happy about.  But the Bible does tell us that Jesus endured the cross because of the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2); Jesus understood His place as the sacrifice for the sin of mankind but it was still not something He did because it was such a great experience for Him.

Good Friday was not a good day for the devil.  The crucifixion of Jesus meant the defeat of the devil and the end of his dominion over mankind through sin.  The devil must have thought that he had won the ultimate victory when Jesus was crucified.  But it turned out to be the worst day of all for the kingdom of darkness because through His death and resurrection Jesus triumphed over the devil and the principalities and powers of darkness (Colossians 2:14, 15).  Jesus died on the cross and took our place so we would not be ruled by the devil and sin but so we could reign in life (Romans 5:17).

If Good Friday was not a good day for Jesus and especially for the devil, what about us?  What do the events we celebrate on Good Friday mean for us?  Good Friday is a great day for us because it means that the price for sin has been paid!  We had a debt of sin we could not pay but Jesus died in our place.  Good Friday is a day that we can rejoice because it was not the end of Jesus but just the beginning of His work for us that brings us into a right relationship with God through the blood of Jesus.  Good Friday is a good day for us because it is all about our redemption and freedom from sin and all of it effects.  So when you think about Good Friday, realize that it is a day of liberty for us that we can celebrate all year long!

God Is A Good God

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."
Psalm 107:1 (NKJV)

If you took a survey and asked people who God is and what He is like you would probably get many different answers, depending on who you asked.  Some people have a view of God that He is an old man with a long white beard just passively sitting up in heaven barely aware of what is happening on the earth.  Some people would probably tell you that God is powerful and just and ready to punish people for their sin.  But what is God really like?  The best place to find out what God is like is from the Bible, God's Word.

God is a good God, plain and simple.  While this seems to be a concept that should be easy to understand many people do not really know that God is a good God.  Often people have had a negative experience with organized religion of some kind or a strict authority figure in their life and they transfer that experience into their understanding of who God is.  Then, because of this wrong belief these people have difficulty expecting God to do anything good for them or even approaching God at all.  God provided a way through Jesus for us to have a relationship with Him, not based on our goodness but on His.

If we want to have a right relationship with God then we have to have a proper understanding of who God really is.  If we don't know about how good God is we can end up trying to earn His favor, His help and His blessings; we need to get to know God for who He really is.  We can't base our understanding of God on our past experience or what others might say; we can only learn who God is by looking into His Word.  God is a loving heavenly Father who wants to do good for His children, once you understand that it is easier to get to know Him, receive from Him and do His will.

Back To The Basics

"Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits."
Hebrews 6:1-3 (NKJV)

The Bible is a pretty big book; there are 66 books contained in one volume divided between the Old and New Testaments.  But although the Bible is so big there are several main themes we can see repeated over and over again, these could be called the major Bible doctrines or even Bible basics.  If we want to do well in life and have success we need to have a good foundation and that requires learning the Bible basics.  Too many believers do not know and understand the basics of the Bible enough that they are successful in their own lives and effective in teaching and helping others.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews points out in chapter five that the people being written to should have already been teaching others, but they still needed someone to teach them the "first principles" again.  Then in chapter six we see a list of six "elementary principles" of Christ, these could be called Bible basics.  The idea given here is that if you don't know the basics you can't go any further, this is an area of difficulty for some Christians.  Too often Christians chase every new or seemingly exciting doctrine and these really just lead them away from the Bible basics.  The solution for many Christians is that they need to get back to the basics of the Bible.

As we learn and get a good understanding of the basic Bible doctrines we can continue to move on to what is called "perfection" in Hebrews six.  That word does not mean being flawless but being complete and mature.  If we don't understand the basics we will stay where we are spiritually until we do learn them.  This could be compared to studying a subject in school, you don't go on into advanced mathematics until you really know and understand the basics of math.  Until we know the Bible basics we will be limited in the amount God can use us due to our spiritual immaturity.  Let's build ourselves up on the Bible basics and go on with God to spiritual maturity and maximum spiritual effectiveness.

Trust In The Lord

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
Psalm 18:2 (NKJV)

People put their trust in many things but the Bible tells us that we should put our trust in God.  What exactly does it mean to trust God?  The word trust here in Psalm 18 means, "to flee for protection".  In Proverbs 3:5 it also tells us to trust in the Lord and the Hebrew word used there that is translated as trust means "to run quickly for refuge".  What this shows us is that God is the One we always need to turn to in every situation; we can be confident that God will help us in our time of need.

However, trusting in God is not something that we automatically do just because we are Christians.  When a problem comes up do we talk to God about it and see what His Word says or do we talk to our friends to see what they have to say?  Do we put our trust in God to meet our needs or do we trust in our job and our own ability?  What do we do when we are put under pressure, who do we turn to and where do we go to first?  The answer to that shows us where we place our trust and what we have confidence in.

What do we do if we find ourselves relying on something or someone else when we should rely on God?  The answer is simple; we need to get better acquainted with God, we only trust someone that we really know.  We need to get to know God better through His Word and by spending time with Him in prayer.  As we continue to develop our relationship with God our trust in God will grow.  Then when a problem comes into our life we will go to God to get our answer and His plan about what to do.  Trust in God; He is our rock, our fortress, our deliverer, and our strength!

What Are You Building?

"And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it. But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house ..."
1 Kings 6:38, 7:1 (NKJV)

In the Old Testament we read how Solomon built a temple for God; it took Solomon seven years to build the temple.  The temple Solomon built was magnificent and I am sure it was quite a sight to see.  The thing to notice is that Solomon spent twice as much time building his own house as he did building God's house.  It was certainly not wrong for Solomon to build his own house but what does it say about Solomon in that he spent twice as much time building his own house as he did building the temple?  It seems like Solomon's priorities were out of balance.

Solomon built the temple based on the plan that he had.  We need to have a plan for our life but we don't want to have a plan that puts twice as much emphasis on our own life as it does on what God has planned for us to do.  We need to ask ourselves, what are we building, what is it that we are investing ourselves and our money in, and does what we are doing go more towards building our own life or are we helping to build the Kingdom of God?  By asking these kinds of questions and taking an honest look at our life we can see what we are really focusing on.

It is easy to get wrapped up in what is happening in our own life and to neglect what God has planned for us.  Make no mistake about it, God wants to bless us and give us good things.  But should we really spend twice as much time "building our own house" and focusing on our own plans as we spend following God and doing His will?  Nothing will satisfy us like doing the will of God and following His plan.  If we keep our eyes first of all on God and what He is directing us to do we will fulfill God's will for our life and also find out that it is easier for us to accomplish our own personal goals.

Let God Direct Your Steps

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."
Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)

We all have goals, plans, dreams, and desires.  The saddest people in life are the people who have no goals, plans, dreams, and desires.  The next saddest group of people in life is the people with frustrated goals, plans, dreams, and desires.  So then the question we could ask is, "How do we make these things that we want in life become a reality?"  The book of Proverbs in the Bible is a book filled with wisdom from God; God knows the best way to do everything!  If we want to succeed in life we have to do things God's way.

We may find some temporary success and victory by figuring things out on our own, but for true long term success we have to allow God to direct our steps.  We can have some plans and desires in our heart but how they come to pass is best left in God's hands.  By that I don't mean that we sit idly by and just wait for something to happen.  What I do mean is that when we have some goals, plans, dreams, and desires we go to God with them and allow Him to give us direction in how we can make our dreams a reality.

Too often people get in a hurry to do something because they have a great idea.  We can have many plans in our heart that may never come to pass if we try to make it happen our way and in our time.  We need to allow God to show us His timing and His methods to bring to pass the things that we have in our heart because the majority of the time they coming from Him.  If what we have in our heart is not coming from God at all then it is extra wise to talk to God about that and let Him show us the difference between our desires and His desires.  God will give us goals, plans, dreams, and desires and if we allow Him to guide our steps He will lead us in the way that will help bring all of those things to pass.

Learning To Feed Yourself With God's Word

"Your words were found, and I ate them. And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts."
Jeremiah 15:16 (NKJV)

Going out to a restaurant that has a great chef who can prepare a wonderful meal for everyone to enjoy can be very nice.  There are many kinds of food you can find in restaurants that you can also make at home, even though they may be a little bit different than what they would be like in a restaurant.  God's Word is a lot like this, you can go and hear a pastor or minister who can teach and preach God's Word and it is great, but the really great thing is you can feed yourself with the same truth at home, whenever you want!

We know from the Bible that God has gifted some men and women to teach and preach God's Word, these people are like the chef in a restaurant.  Food is not limited to restaurants because you can also prepare your own food at home.  In the same way, God is not limited to speaking to us and revealing His Word to us only through ministers, we can take God's Word for ourselves and read it and God will talk to us!  Bibles are available in many stores today and you can also find the Bible on the Internet and there are Bible Apps for Smartphones so there is no reason for anyone to not have a Bible to read for themselves.

Many Christians do not know how to feed themselves on God's Word and they spend their life relying on others to read and study for them and to explain the Word of God to them.  This is good to a point, but we have to realize that no person should be our source for truth from God's Word; Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is our teacher and He will lead us into all truth.  So, don't just rely on other people to feed you God's Word all of the time.  Start reading the Bible for yourself and ask God to help you understand what you are reading and how you can apply what you are reading to your own life; learn to feed yourself on the truth of God's Word and let it be the joy and rejoicing of your heart.

Staying On The Right Path

"Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil."
Proverbs 4:25-27 (NKJV)

Proverbs chapter four has a lot to say about our life.  There are several things in this chapter that when applied can help to make our life, our path, much better.  We are told not to enter the path of the wicked; that the path of the righteous is like a shining light that gets continually brighter; and that we need to ponder the path we are on.  So many times people have problems in life that can be traced back to the path of life they have taken, it is vitally important for us to stay on the right path.

First, Proverbs 4 tells us to stay away from the path of the wicked, in other words we need to keep ourselves out of obvious things that will lead us into trouble.  Some people are not really even paying much attention to the path they are on now, they are thinking about the path they took to get where they are today and often they are wondering about the path they will take in the future.  If we are not putting the proper focus on the path we are on now, if we are getting distracted, it will be easy for us to stray from our path and get into trouble.

Proverbs 4 also tells us that the path of the righteous is like the shinning sun that shines brighter and brighter while the path of the wicked just gets darker.  Immediately after this we are told that we need to focus on God's Word, that is a good way to help us stay on the right path.  Next we are told to put away, to get away from, the wrong kind of words; we need to avoid the words that will lead us down the wrong path.  Finally we are told to keep our eyes looking forward and not to go aside to the right or the left, this is how we ponder, or literally, prepare our path in life.  Saying the right things, focusing on God's Word, and not being distracted from what we are doing now will all help us to stay on the right path and have success in life.

Why Do You Do What You Do?

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."
Colossians 3:23, 24 (NKJV)

There are a lot of things that motivate people: popularity, money, guilt, needs, and even fear.  But what should our motivation be for the things that we do?  Should we just do something because we can or because someone else wants us to do it?  Should we do something because it will make us popular with other people or just because it will be beneficial for us?  Colossians 3:23, 24 gives us the proper motivation for what we do; everything should be done for God because ultimately He is the One we serve and He will reward us for our work.

Sometimes people want us to do things, and they may even try to pressure us into doing something because there is a need or they might say if we don't do it something bad will happen, but again these are not reasons we should do things.  Or if our motivation is simply one of personal gain we can be sure that there is not going to be much reward from God in that.  Certainly God wants to bless us and give us good things but if we are selfish and only thinking about ourselves then we have the wrong motive.  Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13 that if what he did was not done in love it meant nothing and he gained nothing.

God has a plan and a purpose for each and every person and we are at our best when we are following that plan and purpose.  We can always start with the general will of God that we find in the Bible and from there we can go on to the specific will of God, this is where we get our motivation.  God will show us what we need to do to fulfill His will and He can also show us what we should not get involved in.  If we follow God's plan and allow Him to direct us then we will live a life that is focused on God and doing His will, this is the best motivation and it brings the best rewards!

Keep God And His Plan In First Place

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)

Many people live life with their ideas, goals, and desires in first place trying to find happiness and success without ever considering God and His will.  One thing that will help us greatly is if we put God and His plan in first place in our life and we pursue that.  Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 that if we put God first then God would add all of the things we need to our life.  You could say that if you put everything else first God won't add the things you need to your life; you will have to do that yourself.

We need to trust God with everything in our life and let Him guide us.  We sometimes get the idea that we are so smart and we have it all figured out as to how we can get all of the things in life that will satisfy us and make our life complete.  The sad truth is that we can pursue our own desires for our entire life, and wear ourselves out doing it, and still never really get to the place of having a satisfying life.  God is a lot smarter than we are and if we would put Him first in everything and trust Him He will guide us along the best path that will bring us joy, peace, and contentment as well as everything else we desire.

Jesus said it was the people who did not have a relationship with God who were always concerned about the daily needs of life.  People who don't put God first are relying on themselves to meet their own needs, as well as their desires, and this will never work.  When we learn to relax and trust God and stop trying to do things on our own it is amazing how well things will work out.  God is a good God and He will always take care of His children.  We all need to put our trust in God and put God and His plan in first place in our life; He will fulfill the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4).

God's Word Never Changes, It Is Always True

"Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven."
Psalm 119:89 (NKJV)

There are many things in life that are subject to change.  The weather changes from day to day, technology progresses and changes, political leaders change, economic conditions change, styles change, and opinions change.  There are a lot of reasons that things change and often what was once widely accepted changes and is now no longer relevant.  A good example of this is when was the last time you listened to your favorite music on a record or a cassette tape?  Many things in life change but one thing that never changes is God's Word; His Word is forever settled!

Many people are confident that God's Word is it true and wonderful as long as everything is fine and they feel good.  But then, something happens, something changes in their life and a problem comes that they did not expect and their confidence is shaken.  Too many Christians believe God's Word is true up to a point but then they are not so sure; we are sometimes so used to things being subject to change that we take this same view about the Word of God.  No matter what the situation, no matter how we feel, no matter what others might say, God's Word is always true regardless of our circumstances.

We need to settle it within ourselves that no matter what comes our way and no matter how we feel God's Word is settled and it will not change.  One reason we are sometimes not as convinced as we need to be about the truth and validity of God's Word is because we do not spend enough time with it and we do not know God's Word like we should.  Make it a regular practice to spend time reading and studying God's Word and in every situation instead of first checking your feelings, circumstances, or even what other people say, find out what the Bible has to say.  God's Word never changes, it is always true!

What Do You Do When You Don't Know What To Do?

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
Proverbs 3:5, 6 (NKJV)

At one time or another everyone has had the experience of not knowing what to do.  There are several times I can think of where I was at a loss for what to do next, I needed some direction but did not know which way to go.  Not knowing what to do can be very frustrating but how we deal with these situations can mean the difference between coming through to victory or going down deeper into confusion and defeat.  The good news is that there are some keys to successfully coming through these challenging times of not knowing exactly what to do.

First of all we need to be patient; often in this kind of situation we feel pressured to do something but that can be the very reason we are in our current situation!  We need to find God's direction for every area of our life and not just move for the sake of moving.  Secondly, we need to listen and find out exactly what to do so we don't do something that just creates a bigger problem.  Instead of panicking and getting frustrated, get quiet and spend some time with God to see what He has to say about what is happening. Thirdly, we should take a look around and see what we can learn in our current situation.  Why did we get into this?  What can we do in the future so we don't end up here again?

It is good to remember that everyone deals with these situations.  It is also good to realize that God is ready and willing to help us with whatever we may be facing, even if we are the reason the problem developed.  If we put our trust in God and seek His wisdom then no matter what situation we are in He will help us take the right step, in the right direction, at the right time.  Don't just try to figure everything out on your own, look to God and the guidance He will give through His Word and the Holy Spirit; this is the best thing to do when you don't know what to do.