“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.”
Isaiah 53:3 (NIV) If you woke up feeling lonely this morning, God has something to say to you: “I understand exactly how you feel.” God is with you during this difficult season. If you think Jesus doesn’t understand loneliness, you’re wrong. Jesus was despised and rejected by the people he created. He experienced loneliness throughout his entire life. During his final hours, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. This was an emotional time for him. He knew the very next day he would be crucified on the cross, separated from his Father. Since Jesus had a need for human companionship, he took his three best friends—Peter, James, and John—with him into the garden. He said to them, “I’m very sad . . . Stay here and keep alert with me” (Matthew 26:38 CEB). What did they do? They fell asleep! Jesus came back and said, “Couldn’t you stay alert one hour with me?” (Matthew 26:40 CEB). Jesus must have felt so lonely in that moment. The next day, he was nailed to a cross, where he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46 GW). Since Jesus was carrying the sins of the world, the Father couldn’t look at sin--at him. He was truly alone. Jesus knows what it’s like to feel lonely. And he wants to relieve your loneliness. He cares about you and wants to help you. Maybe loneliness isn’t an issue for you today. However, you might be surprised by who the lonely people around you are. Loneliness doesn’t care whether you’re beautiful, wealthy, successful, or popular. Even married people can be lonely; some couples never share any true intimacy, closeness, and fellowship. The pandemic has made it clear that no one is immune to loneliness. Eventually, each one of us experiences it. If you’re lonely today, Jesus understands and he wants to give you relief. The ultimate way that Jesus can relieve your loneliness is by making you part of his family. Through his own lonely death and then his Resurrection, Jesus made it possible for you to belong to God’s family. When you’re part of God’s family, you still may face seasons when you feel lonely. But you will never truly be alone again.
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“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV) The whole world needs Jesus. Jesus said this very clearly over and over, and in Matthew 28:18-20 he gave his followers the Great Commission: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (NIV). What is your assignment? “Go.” This is not a suggestion! It’s not optional. If you are a child of God, God expects you to go. What’s the task? Go and make disciples. A disciple is someone who does the five things we were put on Earth to do: know and love God, grow to spiritual maturity, serve God through ministry, share the Good News, and worship God with all your heart. What’s your authority? It’s not some government or political movement. It’s Jesus. What is your responsibility? Are you supposed to go and make disciples of some nations? No. All nations. Does that include nations that are outright hostile to believers? Yes. Countries where there is political turmoil? Yes. There is no nation that is off-limits. What does it mean for you? If the whole world needs Jesus, then you must share the Good News. If you knew the cure for Alzheimer’s, AIDS, or cancer, it would be inexcusable to not share it. But you have something even better than a cure for disease. You know the cure for the human heart and the deepest needs of mankind. They need a Savior. They need forgiveness. They need their past forgiven, a purpose for living, and a home in heaven. You can’t hold it back. You have to share it! John 3:17 says, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (NIV). I want to be like Jesus. I want you to be like Jesus. Stop worrying about what political party you belong to or how you can get ahead in life. Just get busy sharing the Good News. “For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory.”
Romans 11:36 (TLB) It’s not about you. It’s all about God. Those two go together. The reason it’s not about you is because it’s all about God. Until you understand this, life is never going to make sense. The goal of a Christian life is not pleasure, possessions, prestige, politics, power, or popularity. It’s not anything that the world values. The goal of a Christian life is the glory of God. Romans 11:36 says, “For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory” (TLB). Everything on the planet and in the universe was created for God’s glory. What’s the implication of that? If it’s all about God and it’s not all about you—or about making money or being popular or any of those other things the world thinks are important—then the implication is that loving God is your first priority. Jesus said it like this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38 TLB). Nothing tops this truth, folks! If you miss this, you’ve wasted your life. The most important thing in life is to love and get to know the God who created you. How do you do that? Start by reading his Word, the Bible. It’s not always the easy choice to make time for Bible study, but when you do, you’ll learn more about God and find your love for him deepened. And, as you start to understand that your life is about God, not you, you’ll find more joy in the pursuit of him. “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”
Romans 8:11 (NLT) As believers, we have hope because we are going to live forever. Death is not the end. There is more to the story! One day your heart will stop beating, and that will be the end of your body. But it’s not going to be the end of you. You were made in God’s image. You were made to last forever. This is not all there is. Why do we have hope? Because no matter how bad it seems on earth, it’s just for a while. When you have faith in Jesus, you know you’re going to spend trillions of years on the other side of eternity with no more sorrow, no more sadness, no more sickness, no more suffering. The Bible says in Romans 8:11, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you” (NLT). You probably know there's a difference between people with hope and those without when it comes to funerals. You can see it in their eyes, the terror in the eyes of people without hope. They’re thinking, “This is all I have. It’s over. I will never see this person again. It’s done. That’s all there is to life.” You might compare that to the people at funerals of a believer. They know this is just a transition step. Their loved one is entering real life! They’re going to be with God for eternity. There is grief, of course, but also hope, because they know they will be reunited one day with their loved one who followed Jesus. For a believer, death is not leaving home—it’s a homecoming. Do you have that hope, knowing you’ll spend eternity with Jesus Christ? If not, don’t delay. Make that decision today. “[God] speaks of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past.”
Romans 4:17 (TLB) Your words have enormous power. If you’re going to become a woman or man of faith, you have to change the way you talk. You have to announce it in order to experience it. Sometimes speaking in faith appears totally foolish, arrogant, and out of touch with reality to people who don’t understand faith. Abraham knew about this. God came to Abram one day and said, “Abram, I’m going to change your name from Abram to Abraham.” Abraham means “the father of a great nation.” There was only one problem: Abraham was 99 years old, and he had no kids. He was probably ruthlessly ridiculed for his name. But God says we don’t live in the world of human reality. We live in the world of spiritual reality. When you see the world with spiritual eyes, you see it not as it is but as it can be, as it should be, and as God wants it to be. Romans 4:17 says God “speaks of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past” (TLB). That’s called speaking in faith—you announce it in order to experience it. Yet you may hear some people say, “I just tell it like it is.” They criticize this and put that down. They can be fairly negative—because there are a lot of reasons in the world to be negative. That’s one way to do it. But there’s a better way. Instead of telling it like it is, you can tell it like it could be! Telling it like it is has never changed anybody. It only makes people defensive. For example, you could say to someone, “You’re a lousy father. You don’t spend any time with your kids because your career is more important.” But when you label someone, you reinforce it. Instead, you could say, “I see in you the potential for greatness. If you let Jesus Christ take control of your life, you won’t be perfect, but you can become a godly man of character that your kids admire.” That’s the kind of talk that motivates change! Remember—you don’t have to tell it like it is. Tell it like it could be, like it should be, like God wants it to be. Speak it in advance and in faith, and then watch how God works. “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”
Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) Faith is visualizing the future. It’s believing in something before you see it. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (NLT). A lot of people say, “I’ll believe it when I see it!” God says the exact opposite is true: “You’ll see it when you first believe it.” Many things in life must be believed before they can be seen. In the 1960s, the Soviet Union sent the first cosmonaut into outer space. He circled the earth, and when he came back down, he did a press conference and said, “I searched the heavens, and I looked for God, and I did not see him anywhere. Therefore, there is no God.” The Communists, an atheistic regime, concluded, “We now have scientific proof that there is no God.” About six months later, John Glenn, an astronaut from the U.S., went into space, circled the earth three times, came back down, and held a press conference. He said, “I saw God everywhere! I saw his glory in the galaxy. I saw his splendor in the universe. I saw his majesty in the stars.” Jesus said, “Unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3 NLT). Before there is spiritual transformation in your life, you’re too narrow-minded to see the possibility of what God is doing in the world around you. This is true of every person. Faith comes before seeing. It is faith that causes an architect to design a building, first believing it can be done. It is faith that causes an Olympic athlete to practice and go to the Olympic trials because she believes she can win. It is faith that causes the scientist to believe that we can put a man on the moon. It is a universal principle of life: You have to believe it before you see it. When you have faith, you will see the amazing things God is doing in you, through you, and around you. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:21 (NIV) The Bible says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21 NIV). So where is your heart today? It’s simple, really. Your heart is wherever you put your money and time. For some of you, your heart is in your home—because that’s where you put your money. Maybe your heart is in your boat. Or your cabin. Or the sport you spend your time and money on. Wherever you put your money is where your heart is going to go. Do you want to get interested in a particular company? Buy some stock. From the moment you buy it, you’ll be very interested in that company. But when your money—your treasure—isn’t there, you will likely never think about the company. Where you spend your time also reveals your priorities. You say you love your kids, but do you spend time with your kids? No? Then you don’t really love them the way you think you do. You can say you love to be in shape, but do you exercise? No? Then you don’t really love being in shape. You can say you love Jesus, but if you don’t spend any time with him, then you don’t love him as much as you think you do. Here’s how you know what’s really important to someone: Look at their calendar, and look at their bank statement. The way you spend your time and money shows what’s really important to you. You can say, “This is really important to me.” But what you say in this case doesn’t really matter. If you don’t spend time on it and you don’t spend money on it, then your heart isn’t really there. When you give to God, guess where your heart goes? It turns toward him and the things he loves. When you spend time with God, you become closer to him as you know him more. Giving God your time and money is an act of worship—it’s a way you align your heart with his. Where is your heart today? Where do you want it to be? Decide where you want your heart to be and start investing your time and money there. Soon you’ll find your heart there too. “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT) Happiness comes from harmony, and harmony comes from humility. Jesus is your ultimate example of humility. So if you want to be a happy, humble person, you have to learn to ask yourself: “What would Jesus do?” What would Jesus do in this problem? What would Jesus do for that person who’s hurting? What would Jesus do at the office, on the golf course, or in your marriage? When you ask what Jesus would do, your answer will always be a humble one that builds harmony and happiness rather than difficulty, defeat, bitterness, and resentment. So, what does it mean to act like Jesus? 1. Don’t demand what you think you deserve. Philippians 2:6 says, “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to” (NLT). Do you know how countercultural it is to give up your right to something? Yes, you have rights, but demanding your rights isn’t the best way to get your needs met. You can be tender without surrender; you can be understanding without demanding. 2. Look for ways you can serve. Philippians 2:7 says, “Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being” (NLT). If you want to be like Jesus, you have to learn to serve. If you’re uncertain how or where to serve, analyze your SHAPE and look at the needs around you. 3. Do what’s right, even when it’s painful. Philippians 2:8 says, “He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (NLT). Jesus is the ultimate model of humility. In fact, Philippians goes on to say that, because of Jesus’ humility, “God elevated him to the place of highest honor” (Philippians 2:9 NLT). When you follow Jesus’ example, God will honor your humility too with harmony and happiness. “You have left the love you had in the beginning. So remember where you were before you fell. Change your hearts and do what you did at first.”
Revelation 2:4-5 (NCV) At first glance you may not think the book of Revelation—with its images of beasts, lambs, and angels—has anything to do with romance and the kind of affection needed to sustain a growing marriage. But it does. In Revelation 2:4-5, Jesus used an analogy from romantic love to describe a church that had gone astray. Jesus said to the church of Laodicea: “You have left the love you had in the beginning. So remember where you were before you fell. Change your hearts and do what you did at first” (NCV). It’s not only churches that drift from their original love. Marriages and other significant relationships can drift away from the love that first drew them together. The four things that Jesus tells the Laodiceans to do can help you to recapture your marriage relationship too: remember, return, repent, and repeat. And if you’re not married, you can also apply these same principles to other relationships in your life, like your family or very close friendships. 1. Remember. Think about what you did in your first days together that made you fall in love. Think about the happy days. Stop thinking about all the problems you have now and remember how your love began. 2. Return. Return your focus to God. It’s easy to let your focus drift to your problems, pressures, stresses, and career. But if you want to return to your first love, you need to turn your attention back to God. 3. Repent. Choose to change how you think and act. Love isn’t a feeling, but it creates feelings—sometimes enormous feelings. Love is a choice. It’s a commitment to put someone else’s best interest over your own. Anything other than that isn’t love. If love were simply a feeling, God couldn’t command it. Yet God commands us over and over in his Word to choose to love others (including our spouses). If you haven’t been loving your spouse like Jesus would, make a choice to start doing that today—that’s repentance. 4. Repeat. Do what you did when you first fell in love. Feelings always follow actions. It’s easier to act your way into a feeling than to feel your way into an action. If you wait to feel affectionate and romantic, the devil will make sure you never feel it. Choose to act in a loving way, and the feelings will come back. The kind of affection that leads to a lasting relationship inevitably seeps out of almost every marriage eventually. The question is: How will you respond when that happens? Don’t continue to drift apart from the one you love. Instead, choose to rekindle your love as you remember, return, repent, and repeat. “Let the Spirit change your way of thinking.”
Ephesians 4:23 (CEV) Over and over again, the Bible illustrates this important truth: The Holy Spirit releases his power the moment you take a step of faith. When Joshua faced a seemingly impassible barrier, the floodwaters of the Jordan River receded—but only after the leaders stepped into the rushing current in obedience and faith. Obedience unlocks God’s power. In these situations, God’s power follows your action. But you don’t have to wait until you feel powerful or confident. Just move ahead in your weakness; do the right thing, despite your fears and feelings. This is how you cooperate with the Holy Spirit; it’s how your character develops and how you grow spiritually. The Bible compares spiritual growth to a seed, a building, and a child growing up. Each metaphor requires active participation: Seeds must be planted and cultivated, buildings must be built—they don’t just appear—and children must eat and exercise to grow. At least seven times the New Testament tells you to “make every effort” in your growth toward becoming like Jesus (Luke 13:24, Romans 14:19, Ephesians 4:3, 2 Timothy 2:15, Hebrews 4:11, Hebrews 12:14, 2 Peter 3:14). You can’t just sit around and wait for it to happen. You need to act. Paul explains in Ephesians 4 your three responsibilities in becoming like Christ. First, choose to let go of old ways of acting. “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires” (Ephesians 4:22 ESV). Your new life is based on God’s truth and living according to his Word. That means there may be some behaviors you need to change in your life. Second, change the way you think. “Let the Spirit change your way of thinking” (Ephesians 4:23 CEV). The Bible says you are “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2 NIV). The Greek word for “transformed” is metamorphosis. It’s used today to describe the amazing change a caterpillar goes through in becoming a butterfly. It is a beautiful picture of what happens spiritually when you allow God to direct your thoughts. You’re changed from the inside out. You become more beautiful, and you’re set free to soar to new heights. Third, put on the character of Christ by developing new, godly habits. Your character is essentially the sum of your habits; it’s how you habitually act. The Bible says, “Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24 NIV). Don’t just sit around and wait for spiritual growth to happen—it never will on its own. Instead, be obedient so that you can unlock God’s power in your life! |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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