All sins separate us from God. One sin is not more important or worse than another. We tend to emphasize certain sins rather than see them all the same. We are all born sinners in a broken world because of Adam and Eve (The Bible. New Living Translation. Gen. 3: 1-24; Rom. 5:17). There is one sin, though, that we are encouraged to run from: sexual immortality (I Cor. 6:18) because it is against our bodies. Nevertheless, we are all traveling in the same boat in the same direction. Still, God’s grace is sufficient and redeems our sins when someone repents and accepts Jesus (Acts 3:19). This is because of His love for us.
Let us imagine for a minute that we are all on this proverbial boat I mentioned. We cannot navigate the treacherous waters alone. When we begin to sink, God’s love and grace, through His Son Jesus, throws us a life preserver. We can accept it, be saved, or reject it and continue to sail down the river of destruction in the boat of self-righteousness on a disaster course.
Once we repent of our sins and accept Christ, we are forgiven forever and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), who guides us for the rest of our journey. We still have the temptation to sin, but with God’s help we can overcome them because we are victors in Christ (Col. 2:14). We are not to continue in our old life or return to the boat but be renewed every day to the likeness of Christ (Rom. 6:1-2).
We can also experience joy and a piece of His kingdom while we wait for our eternal home, but we are not meant to pursue happiness in this life as a destination. C.S. Lewis put it this way, “If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction, and it’s not so bad” (Lewis 52). Happiness comes from our circumstances; joy comes from our relationship with Christ, regardless of our circumstances.
There are many different beliefs, and we do not all agree, but no matter what our neighbor believes, we are still called to love them (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:39; Rom. 13:8). In this way, we honor God. Above all else – we are to love God first. When our priorities are correctly aligned, it becomes easier to love others as we see them in God’s image (Gen. 1:27; 2 Cor. 3:18).
“We love each other because he loved us first” (I John 4:19, emphasis added).
Works Cited
Lewis, C.S., God in the Dock. Eerdmans, 1994.
The Bible. NLT Study Bible. New Living Translation Version. Tyndale, 2008.
As a child, I was terrified of thunderstorms, as most kids are. I knew someone a little older than me who loved to see a storm brewing in the midst. With nose pressed to the pane, he delighted in watching the strikes pierce the night as they danced across the moonless sky. But not me. I buried my head as deep underneath the covers as I could, no matter how hot. Mom hung blankets over the windows to block out the lighting, but that didn’t keep the thunder from penetrating my ears.
These days, I am more drawn to the window to see God’s handiwork. I welcome the storms, in a strange turn of events, especially at night. The flashes and rolling thunder remind me that God is in control, which comforts me. I no longer need to cover the windows. If I were the one in control, there would be reason to bury my head.
We can respond the same way when life’s storms come. Even as Christ-followers, we are not exempt from the pains in this life. Sometimes we want to bury our heads. But we can rely on God to see us through the storms because He is still in control no matter what happens. That brings comfort, even through fearful times.
He is a good Father who provides shelter, but He also disciplines us for our good and supplies us with a way back when we stumble. God is not watching and waiting for us to mess up so He can waggle His finger at us or punish us. He wants the best for us. He longs for us to come to Him.
He is our Rock, Fortress, and Deliverer (2 Sam. 22:2, ESV; Col. 1:13), Way-maker and Way-forward, Strength, Shield (Ps. 28:7), Rescuer (Acts 12:11), Shepherd (Ps. 23:1), Promise Keeper (2 Cor. 1:20), Redeemer (Job 19:25), Lord and Savior (2 Peter 1:11), Steadfast Anchor (Heb. 6:19), Hope in the dark (Rom. 15:13), Safe Haven (Ps. 36:7), and the Giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:12) and that is just the beginning. His arms are wide open, waiting for us to run into them with childlike wonder. It is there that we find complete rest.
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28, NLT, emphasis added).
(A time when conditions are right for accomplishing a crucial action: the opportune and decisive moment – Merriam-Webster)
I can look back over my life and see times when I was at a crossroads. These Kairos moments were critical. I could choose life or death. I didn’t realize they were such desperate choices then, but they were. There were two pivotal moments in my life when I could pinpoint where a decision had to be made – for the first one – the devil was in my ear. Newsflash – the devil is a liar! It coincides with the beginning of the year I had dreaded since childhood. Maybe God was trying to warn me, but I chose the wrong path and dove deeper into darkness: keeping secrets, telling half-truths (which are a lie), and panic attacks that took my breath in the middle of the night; I cried myself to sleep more times than I can count. Bottom line: I was miserable, and it only got worse.
I often chose the wrong path, which I now know led to a type of death – loss of self-worth, my identity, and self-control, and I took on lots of fear and shame because of it. It led to my darkest moments when I put a man in the seat only God is to hold in my life and heart. I now know my identity is only found in Christ as a daughter of the King. I have no reason to fear – perfect love casts out fear (I John 4:18, ESV).
I wasn’t rooted in God’s Word and steeped in His love then. But when I hit rock bottom – broken in every sense of the word – a broken heart, bones, mind, and spirit. That is when Crossroads # 2 presented itself, only this time – I chose God! It was the first time I asked God what He wanted. I surrendered to His will and went all in. It is the best decision I have ever made. I have repeatedly had to tell the devil to take a hike since. There is spiritual warfare and a battle that can only be fought with the help of spiritual weapons (armor of God), the Holy Spirit, and the mighty name of Jesus. I had to renounce soul ties, destroy strongholds, and claim my inheritance as God’s child. In the words of David, God’s Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path (Ps. 119:105).
Have you ever thought about the crossroads you met over the years? Maybe you are at one now.
What are three things you would tell yourself if you could? I would say to myself:
The devil is a liar (John 8:44, ESV).
Don’t settle for anything less than God’s best.
You can have a relationship with God and learn to put Him first.
Let’s take a moment to unpack those. First, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6, emphasis added). He tells the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32, emphasis added). They question him about being a slave. In verses 34-36, he explains that everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin, but the Son (Jesus Christ) can free you. The devil would like us to think the opposite. He can twist the truth to appeal to the flesh and make us feel free to do as we please with our bodies, which leads me to number two.
Not settling for anything less than God’s best means not compromising integrity for momentary pleasure. It is not worth it, and it leads to death. The Cambridge Dictionary defines integrity as the quality of being honest with strong moral principles. God always wants the best for us. God must be our biggest desire, which leads me to number three.
I always believed in God, even as a child. But I didn’t know how to have a relationship with God or understand how my little heart could love Him more than my family. Learning to put God first in my life was life-changing and improved all my other relationships. Because of my love for the Father and His love for me, I can love others better. When we align our hearts’ desires with God’s desires for us and not only believe but accept Christ as God’s Son and our Savior, everything else falls into place. There will still be pain and heartache (John 16:33), but Jesus Christ will be with us to help us through those times (Matt. 28:20). He sends the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts to comfort and guide us, a gift from God (Acts 2:38).
These two verses (Ps. 37:4; Matt. 6:33) go hand in hand: If we can learn to seek the kingdom of God first and foremost, our biggest desire is God, and our hearts are filled with His love, which leads to unspeakable joy. Even when this broken world delivers terrible news and death, there is always life-sustaining Good News that leads to eternal life as we wait expectantly for Christ to return.
When we seek God will all our heart, we will find Him (Jere. 29:13). Just as the Good News of Jesus is like cold water to a thirsty soul, a righteous person who chooses sin muddies a spring – evil pollutes a person’s way (Prov. 25:25-26).
We cannot keep beating our drums to the world’s rhythm and expect a new song to form in our hearts.
Next time you find yourself at a crossroads, I encourage you to choose the life Christ offers. It is worth it. You are worth it. Christ died so we could live.
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4, ESV, Emphasis mine.)
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33, ESV, Emphasis mine.)
I recently saw a flock of geese in full-on V formation flying overhead. There were about twenty of them. But, instead of continuing their current path, they managed to do a complete 180 and head in the direction they had just come from; they made a U-turn. I started thinking about the leader. Did he make a mistake in which direction he was taking them? As the rest of the clan followed the leader, how would they know they were on the right path?
This reminded me of my dad. When we went on car rides as a family, we quickly realized that he panicked easily if he thought he missed his turn. The first time we saw this in action, we were headed to the farm after supper, and Mom made a plate for our neighbor, Mr. Hall, something she often did. She told Dad to stop on our way so she could drop off the plate of food. His house was just around the curve from ours, but Dad had already forgotten. So, just as we began to pass up the driveway, Mom yelled that he missed his turn. Dad slammed on the brakes, and we were rear-ended. This is the first time I recall hearing the term whiplash after my sister Donna’s neck began to hurt.
My siblings and I were sitting in the backseat of our turquoise 1966 Chevy Impala, and with Mom in the front seat, we didn’t get the benefits of her instinctive arm that naturally came across the waists of anyone sitting in the front seat when she was driving. Mr. Hall’s supper ended up all over the inside of the car and us.
After that, Mom learned not to yell when Dad missed turns. The next time we were riding along, and he passed up our turn-off, I remember her calmly turning to him in a monotone voice, saying something like – I think we were supposed to turn there. Panic still ensued, but at least he didn’t slam on the brakes; instead, he began nervously looking for a place to make a U-turn.
As I meandered around the neighborhood, continuing my run that morning, I saw a neighbor walking their dog. When the dog saw me, it wanted to run with me, but the owner, not so much. She guided the dog back to their path with a slight leash tug.
We all go down the wrong path occasionally and make poor decisions, sometimes running off on a whim without consulting God about which direction to take. We may even panic when we realize we are on the wrong path and have made a mess of our lives and caused damage to ourselves and others.
God’s grace not only gives us the space to make a U-turn but helps us clean up the mess and offers complete restoration to heal any damage that occurred while on our hiatus from the path God intended. Thankfully, God is patient with us. We, too, need to be tethered to Christ and let the Holy Spirit guide our hearts instead of allowing our hearts to lead us. The ultimate healing is only found in a relationship with Christ. It is not too late to make a U-turn.
“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, ESV, emphasis added)
It’s not the back of the truck, but another fond memory on the farm with Dad. On the back: my cousin Debbie, sister Donna, and brother David (JD).
One of my fondest childhood memories is riding in the back of my dad’s truck. I remember being a lookout for a crop of tobacco I had spotted earlier that day, thinking Dad would like to see this field of tobacco. So, when he got in from work, I used my super girl skills to convince him to let me show him. The only problem was I couldn’t find it.
At the time, I was disappointed that something I thought I could connect with my dad was gone. But, looking back, I now have fond memories of riding in his truck, looking for the lustrous tobacco crop I could no longer locate. I now see that Dad took time away from resting after a long day’s work to appease my childhood whimsy.
He saw it as a time to spend with his kids.
My dad got up before dawn every day for 30+ years to drive an hour each way to work at IBM in Lexington. When he got home, he went to the farm to feed, water, and count the cows, besides whatever other chores I did not know about, such as mowing or grading the road with his tractor. And if we happened to be living at the farm (we had spent our summers there since I was nine), he still had to haul water down from our other house every evening because we didn’t have running water at the time. (We thought this was a big adventure – not seeing all the work Dad did to make it happen). I spent many days brushing my teeth with a cup of water and spitting off the side of the porch.
He wasn’t the only one who got up that early; for years, Mom got up with him to prepare a full breakfast before he left for work – at least until they changed their diet to heart-healthy oatmeal. I remember waking up many mornings to the sound of their not-so-quiet whispers in the kitchen. Perhaps the smell of homemade biscuits and gravy, sausage, and eggs awoke my senses to their breakfast chatter; either way, I see how they made time to spend a few minutes alone before we got up.
He did not have to get up that early. He could have grabbed something on the go and spent a few extra minutes in slumber, but he chose to connect with Mom during those early mornings, and she chose to get up with him and make breakfast and sip coffee from saucers in the wee hours of the morning. They found time to spend together in a five-room house full of kids. (Talk about tiny house living – we had no idea it would become popular).
It is those precious memories that aren’t soon forgotten. I think that is the most important thing God asks of us – to spend time with our heavenly Father. All He wants is to spend time with His kids – and we are better off for taking the intentional time to connect. Sometimes, that may mean getting up a little earlier and being still before the hustle and bustle of our day begins. It is allowing His whispers to seep into our heart and mind awakening us to the sweet aroma of the bread of life that feeds our hungry souls.
“Jesus replied, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’ ” (John 6:35, NLT, emphasis added).
“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10, Emphasis added).
Everyone can use a dose of encouragement regardless of age or how far we are on our journey.
One morning as I approached the mailboxes on the main street leading into my neighborhood, a gentleman stopped to make a deposit.
As I ran past, he kindly said, “Great job! Keep up the good work.”
I thanked him and gave a thumbs up. But, as most things do, this reminded me that whether it is running, another sport, or our faith walk with Christ, at the beginning of our training, or a seasoned vet, we can all use inspiration to keep on going, press on, don’t give up.
As I ventured further, I met two other women running in the opposite direction. As my route winds back around, our paths crossed again, only this time they were walking.
As if to justify themselves, one girl said, “It’s hot! We’re from Ohio.”
Oh well, that explains it all…buckeyes. Only kidding. I paid the encouragement forward. But this reminded me of my trip to Austria a while ago. Climate change can make you uncomfortable and disconnected when in unfamiliar territory. I was out of my comfort zone on that trip, so many miles away from home, unable to have my usual quiet time and space. I was trying to find my rhythm on a new route, with new people to meet and work alongside.
Before I left, God gave me a few images: a sundial and Russian nesting dolls. Strange right? It didn’t make sense until I struggled to find peace and saw these images in Vienna. In those moments, I knew God was still with me and that He knew I would need these reminders.
Another time, on a church summer camp excursion with middle school girls, I desperately needed some time away from the chaos to reconnect with God. So, every chance I got, I stole a few minutes away on the other side of the lake to reset, recharge, and refresh my spirit to tackle another night. We all need these times to give us the strength to pour into the lives of others and not get burnt out.
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength” (Is. 30:15, ESV, emphasis added).
“Encourage one another and build one another up” (I Thes. 5:11, emphasis added).
The platypus swam into my dreams a few years ago, leading me to research the creature. The design itself intrigues me. I decided to dig deeper into this bottom feeder and get insight into this remarkable mammal. Interestingly, according to LiveScience, their characteristics resemble that of many different species. Their bill and feet are like a duck, their tail is like a beaver, their feet, body, and fur resemble an otter, and their lizard legs sprawl out to the side of the body when they walk.
In addition, to this extravagant list, they are amphibious. When they are not using their webbed feet in the water to swim, they can retract the web exposing individual nails that allows them to run on land. They also lay eggs, one of only two mammals that do.
Although they do not have teeth and use their cheek pouches to hold food until they can mash it up and swallow it, they have sharp stingers on the heels of their rear feet to defend themselves, with a toxic venom that is quite effective when needed. They are non-life threatening but powerful enough to damage their victim significantly.
This hodgepodge creature has many features of other animals, but oddly enough, the familiar qualities make it unique and distinctly different from the rest. It can undoubtedly relate to the duck by how it uses its bill and webbed feet and the beaver by using its tail to maneuver through the water gracefully, and the otter and lizard by how it uses its feet to swim and run, awkward as it may be.
As children of God, we are given many distinctive qualities, although we can relate to one another because we are made in the image of our Creator. Each of us has gifts given especially to us. We have many of the same characteristics, and all of us, like sheep, have strayed away (Isaiah 53.6). God made us exactly how we are on purpose and saved us by His grace. We can accept everything just as it is – flaws and all. We see the blemishes through our eyes and want to make changes or compare ourselves with others. But if we could see ourselves as God sees us – through His love –we would be content with ourselves and thank God for each unique quality that makes us stand out from the rest.
Post a reminder on your mirror: God profoundly loves you as you are. No matter how we see ourselves, we can be confident in what God is doing in and through us. Obedience is key. We are protected by the armor of faith and love when we wear salvation’s confidence as our helmet (I Thes. 5:8, ESV).
My auto-immune and high cholesterol issues have forced me to eat the types of food my body needs for ultimate health to lower my bad cholesterol, raise the good, and get rid of inflammation. I use the word force, but I could ignore it and keep eating foods that worsen my condition. The way I see it, food is fuel for my body. When I don’t eat healthy, I feel it. It’s like putting diesel fuel in a gasoline engine – it shuts off and sometimes causes significant damage.
Fasting is for God – eating is for us.
When God spoke to His people through the prophet Zechariah, He asked them if their fasting during the seventy years of exile was for Him. The Israelites had lost their sincere desire to have a loving relationship with God. Zechariah told them they needed an attitude adjustment – their fasting was not for repentance or worship. They weren’t thinking of God or the sins that caused their exile in the first place (Zech. 7:4, New Living Translation, Chronological Life Application Study Bible).
This passage challenges us today to ask ourselves if we have lost our zeal for God. Are we going to church, praying, and having fellowship with others out of habit or just the experience we get out of it? Does our attitude of worship reflect a genuine desire to know and love God? If it doesn’t, it will lead to ruin (Zech. 7:5-7).
Sometimes we eat junk food out of habit and don’t think about what we put in our bodies or how it will affect our overall health. It’s the same thing for what we put in our minds and allow our eyes to see. In today’s culture, we need to fast from social media and too much TV and instead spend time in God’s Word to feed our minds something healthier that will sustain us and not cause damage –not merely to memorize verses or check a box but with a genuine desire to know and love God more.
Today more than ever, kids have everything at their fingertips on their phones. Social media, internet sites, and video games have explicit content and violence. We need to protect their minds, especially at tender ages, but some of what’s out there is not fit for anyone at any age. Are we honoring God with what we put in our minds? What we read, watch, and saturate our minds with matters because it affects our hearts. Our mind, body, and spirit all work together; if one is off-kilter, they all get out of whack. God can help us re-align and add the right fuel for optimal results.
“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matt. 6:21, NLT, emphasis added).
I woke yesterday morning at 3 AM to a loud pop followed by no electricity. As I lay in the dark, I thought of everything I couldn’t do when I got up – like making my usual oatmeal in the microwave and mixing my protein drink in the magic bullet. I began to wonder what I was going to eat for breakfast.
We sometimes take for granted things like electricity that make our lives easier every day until it’s not there. My strawberry jam sandwich didn’t quite satisfy like my normal oatmeal. Dressing in the dark can become guesswork in whether you put your shirt on backward until you get in the light.
When we unplug from God’s Word, we don’t realize how far we stray from His presence and light until we awaken in the dark. We can substitute the life-giving manna – the bread of life (John 6:48, ESV) – for our own concoctions that don’t satisfy or sustain us. We don’t always realize our dependency on God until we don’t feel His presence and feel like we are in the dark.
Like dressing in the dark, we can’t see how backward our ways are to God’s until we return to His light and let Him lead us and our hearts. In Isaiah 55:8, the Lord declares, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” For this reason, we need to abide in Him (John 15:4, ESV) and lean not on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5, ESV). This is a good reason to be still, listen to His voice, and ask for discernment and direction from the Holy Spirit.
At the break of dawn, as I ran through my neighborhood, I realized the power issue was isolated to just a few houses, and others around me had power. When we go out on our own without consulting God, we can feel isolated and alone, but the truth is that God is always with us. We must plug back into His wonder-working power and acknowledge that we need Him every moment.
I had the opportunity to thank the repair crew working to fix the issues – how many times do we remember to thank God for what we have instead of focusing on what we don’t have, which can lead to self-pity or complaining? We will probably not receive more until we are grateful for what we have now—just food for thought.
“I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent” (Rev. 2:5, ESV, emphasis added).
That can’t be a good thing.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Christ to remove the light within me because I did not hear and heed His warnings to repent.
The book of Revelation holds many mysteries and sometimes seems scary to read, but the book begins with the apostle John, who has been exiled to the Island of Patmos, recording letters from Christ to the seven churches.
Each letter has an “I know” statement from Christ, diagnosing the church’s condition, continues with a warning to hear and heed what the Spirit is saying, and then supplies a solution that graciously comes with a promise and blessings for those who persevere.
Christ invites everyone to examine themselves, considering these messages. We should make sure the light we think we have isn’t darkness (Luke 11:35). An excellent way to do that is to ask God to reveal anything in our hearts that is not of Him so we can declutter and make more room for the Spirit.
The repetitive message to each church is to listen to what the Spirit says – in other words, heed the warnings. Ephesus is warned to return to their first love; Smyrna and Philadelphia are only given praises and encouragement to be faithful to death while promised that faith in Jesus assures access to the eternal kingdom, even in the face of persecution; Pergamum and Thyatira are warned about false teachings and immoral deeds; Sardis is told to wake up and complete her works of obedience; and finally, Laodicea is told to turn from self-deception and repent of their lukewarmness.
Each end with a different promise, a blessing for those who conquer. I won’t list them all here, but I encourage you to reread these passages as if they are written to you personally. These letters may have been recorded to address issues in the churches of their time, but they are a single unified message to the church in all times and places. The state of the churches in John’s time is similar to today (Brand, 2015).
God still calls Christians to faithfulness and integrity. Those who heed the message will reap God’s promised rewards, and those who fail will be judged. I pray that our lampstand is not removed – I thank God for His mercy and patience. I am grateful for the Holy Spirit’s correction and guidance. In God alone, we can persevere and reap the promised rewards.
Cite:
Brand, C., ed., Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville: B & H Publishing, 2015).
Faith Walk Ministries, Inc. 