Stay On the Path

I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.

– Isaiah 49:11

Rather than a sprint, a Christ-follower’s spiritual journey is much like a marathon — or better yet — a long journey along a winding road or a steep hike up a mountain. You never know what’s around the bend or over the next crest. And if you’re not careful, it’s all too easy to lose your footing and slip from time to time.

Speaking of cross-country travel, Crabtree Falls is a popular hiking destination in scenic Nelson County, Virginia, that also happens to be the highest vertical-drop cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River. The narrow, rocky trail that leads there leaves little margin for error. And there’s even a sign at the water’s edge that warns readers to stay on the path. It explains that careless hikers have died after slipping on the moss-covered rocks and tumbling over the falls.

Stay on the path is the same wise advice that the Bible gives us for our own faith journeys. Life’s hardships and tragedies await us at every turn. And it’s always tempting to take a shortcut or the easy way by doing what’s wrong or avoiding what’s right. But that route leads only to disaster:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it,” Jesus warns us through Matthew’s gospel. “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

The good news is that we worship a God who’s always there to pick us up and return us to the true pathway toward our eternal destination. So just follow His lead, and you’ll reach the goal. And rest assured that you’ll have an unforgettable trip along the way ... with a view that’s out of this world!

 

Rejoice

 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

– Isaiah 12:3

Inflation is on the rise, the nation is divided politically, and the average price of gasoline is approaching $4.00 per gallon. And if you ask the average man or woman on the street, there’s not much these days to feel happy or joyous about. But let’s put things into perspective. The fact is that billions around the world would do just about anything to trade places with us. That’s because even the poorest of the poor in the United States are considered rich (at least statistically) when compared with the rest of humanity.

But regardless of our bank accounts and the extent of our possessions, there are some things that money can’t buy, and joy is one of them. It’s that internal source of gladness and thanksgiving that helps us see clearly through the distortions of even the most difficult of circumstances. And as Christ-followers, our relationship with Jesus grants us access to our Creator — a loving Father who hears our prayers and looks for ways to bless us. So, no matter how dire the headlines, we already know that the story will end on a very positive note. The experiences of the apostle Paul richly illustrate this biblical principle: 

“Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,” he wrote in 2 Corinthians. “I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.”

That doesn’t sound like a fun-filled existence. Yet Paul wrote that he was joyful.

With so much negativity in the world today, what’s the secret for achieving a joy-filled, Christ-centered life? The Bible tells us to blend thanksgiving for our blessings and authentic, regular prayer with discernment — those ongoing intentional functions of living, thinking, and acting positively. Christ-followers should therefore make it a habit to look for the good and dwell on the positive.

When we have lives that are filled with joy, even the most unpleasant of circumstances can’t bring us down. Paul spent years in prison chained to his guards while under the constant threat of death. But he always prayed thankfully and joyously. And instead of feeling sorry for himself, he used his situation to change the lives of fellow prisoners and jailers alike — and all while writing much of what we today know as the New Testament. 

Yes, times are tough these days and the news is bleak. But Paul’s advice to today’s weary Christ-followers is all the more simple and profound:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Hurry Up and Wait

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

– Psalm 130:5

We live in a time called the Information Age. But it’s also the Era of Convenience marked by instant communications, DoorDash, apps, and microwave popcorn. And just about anything we want is just a screen-swipe or mouse-click away. But take another look and you'll discover that we're not always on the move. In fact, a 2022 OnePoll survey revealed that the average person loses 26 days each year doing nothing, and the biggest timewasters were waiting on hold on the phone, standing in line, and sitting in traffic.

It’s a rare soul these days who has the patience to wait. After all, multi-tasking — like texting while attending an office Zoom meeting — is a coveted life-skill. But patience doesn’t have to mean wasted time. In fact, the Bible tells us it’s one of the desired characteristics (a Fruit of the Spirit) that points to God’s work in our lives.

This concept might be difficult to grasp because the human viewpoint of time can oppose our Creator’s perspective. But it’s all very biblical. For example, Jesus waited about 30 years before he began his earthly ministry. And 40 years passed before Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt. As the Apostle Peter reminds us: 

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends, to the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day."

As Christ-followers, we must understand that what happens while we're waiting is often more important than what we're waiting for. Ask anyone who’s spent grueling hours at the hospital contemplating the health and future of a loved one. Did their soul-searching experience bring a closer dependence on God? It should have. After all, it's when we're so humbled and powerless that we realize we can do nothing on our own.

Developing the fruit of patience takes … patience! And it all starts with a sincere prayer for God’s help. Moreover, we need to be intentional about slowing down and detaching ourselves and our families from the world’s demands and urgencies. And as an extra step, we must establish accountability with other Christ-followers. If a trusted believer knows that you have trouble with patience, they can be there when you most need some perspective.

Patience — as the saying goes — is a virtue. And it’s no coincidence that counterintuitively, our non-stop, 24/7/365 world revolves around waiting. So, let's make the most of our time in God's Waiting Room — a place where we can look for ways and opportunities to say yes to him with a sense of expectancy and hope.

"Be still, and know that I am God," our Creator tells us through Psalm 46:10. "I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Benefit of the Doubt

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

– Matthew 14:31

It’s said that if you have enough faith to believe the first four words of the Bible (“In the beginning, God …”), the rest of Scripture is easy. Still, even the most seasoned Christ-followers can have their moments of doubt — particularly in times of crisis — when it comes to a job loss, a serious illness, or the death of a loved one. 

But trusting in God’s promises extends well beyond our employment, health, or relationships. His guarantees found throughout the Bible are eternal. And we can take them all to the bank because of our Creator’s proven record of reliability. For example, God promised through the Old Testament’s book of Amos that the city of Tyre would be destroyed because of its harsh treatment of Israel. And the armies of Alexander the Great would indeed level Tyre’s impregnable fortress walls. God also promised to reunite his scattered chosen people — the Jews — from around the globe. In 1948, he did just that through the birth of the State of Israel.

It doesn’t end there. J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy lists more than 1,800 promises from God. And no doubt the greatest was fulfilled — once again, as predicted centuries earlier — through the birth of the world’s Savior (Jesus) in an obscure outpost of the Roman Empire. It was then that God came to Earth to personally experience the human condition.

This realization of God’s promise was much more than a bookmark in history. Through Jesus, the devil was defeated and Christ-followers were given the power to live victorious, Spirit-filled lives. So, let’s consider these words of assurance that are still relevant 20 centuries after Christ’s death and Resurrection:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?” Jesus asked some of his earliest followers. “Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

That’s our Creator’s promise to you and me: That he cares deeply for us. And he also knows each of us intimately — even before we were born. In fact, the book of Isaiah tells us that our very names are written on the palms of his hands! 

As Christ-followers, uncertainties about our faith will come and go. But rest assured that we worship a God who loves us and has a wondrous eternal plan for our future. 

There’s no doubt about it!

Treasures in Heaven

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

– Matthew 6:24

What’s the best way to invest your money these days?

While a quick Google search renders a remarkable 452 million results, finance gurus are recommending everything from precious metals to stocks and bonds to Bitcoin. Perhaps considering the dire economic uncertainty that hangs over America (and the world, for that matter), it’s no surprise that it’s a question in need of an answer. 

If you're a Christ-follower, you've accepted God's offer to meet all your needs in every area of your life. That covers deeply intimate issues involving significance, happiness, value, and self-worth — and of course, money and possessions. Unfortunately, too many of us depend on the size of our bank accounts, 401ks and stock portfolios for security. We struggle for years to build a nest egg. But even when we make it to the top by the world's standards, our financial victory turns out to be a worthless idol once we leave this life.

The essence of being a Christ-follower is accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. So rather than following the world's wisdom about life, relationships, possessions, and money, Christ-followers see these things in a very different light. That's because our minds begin to transform as soon as we follow Jesus in earnest. What once seemed so valuable and desirable loses its luster and fades into oblivion. The world's silver and gold begin to rust.

So, how’s the best way to invest our money, time ... and stuff?

It's a question with eternal implications. After all, what we do with our God-given resources is an ongoing test of how we put the True Master first in our lives. Christ-followers are called to recognize that ultimately, everything belongs to God. We're simply caretakers while we're here on earth. And no matter the size of our bank accounts, we can't take even a dime with us. We must therefore ask ourselves if we're spending our money on the world's definition of success — or investing it toward his kingdom, where it will make an eternal difference.  

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal,” Jesus advises us through Matthew’s gospel. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Generous Toward God

A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

– Proverbs 22:9

Compared to most of the world's population, Americans are incredibly rich. When we're hungry for a snack, all we have to do is walk to the kitchen for some fresh fruit — or more realistically — a bag of chips. And if we're running low on supplies, a quick trip to the supermarket or Walmart fills up the fridge in no time. Even those of us who receive government assistance are rich by the world's standards. 

As Christ-followers (rich or poor), we're called to be generous with our possessions and resources. That’s because God blesses you and me in a myriad of ways, day in and day out. And since he's also the ultimate giver, and he wants us to be that way, too.

Think about the many blessings our Creator gives us every day. They vary, but likely include things like our health, job, home, family, friends, and church. And what about God's ultimate gift: forgiveness of our sins and an eternal relationship with him through our faith in Jesus?

God also wants every Christ-follower to abandon greed. But to do that, we must trust him rather than our riches. After all, bank accounts and retirement funds can shrink overnight through unexpected circumstances and economic uncertainties. Just ask anyone with a 401k.

As the apostle Paul explains in 1 Timothy, being generous toward God and his purposes renders much more than a warm feeling of self-satisfaction. Think of it as a guaranteed high-yield investment with dividends that you'll enjoy forever in the world to come. God challenges us to overturn our preconceived notions about money and possessions. It's through his design that giving generously becomes getting more:

"By doing that, they will be saving a treasure for themselves as a strong foundation for the future," Paul says. "Then they will be able to have the life that is true life."

It's every Christ-follower's mission to serve as God's hands and feet on earth by feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and housing the homeless. So, by making generosity a spiritual habit, we'll become more like him to help change our world for the better. Jesus sums it up through this reminder to us in Matthew 25:40:

"... 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

The Difference We Make

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

– Matthew 22:36-40

Have you ever wondered if Christ-followers really make a difference in the world? And would life be any different if Jesus had never been born?

The short answer is YES … the world would be a very different place. First, if Jesus had never been born, there would be no Church. This is the same Church that helped to stop slavery, cannibalism, and the killing of children — all permissible practices in their respective cultures. It’s also likely that the world would be less educated. Christian missionaries first put many of the world’s languages into print to help native speakers read the Bible. And all but one of the first 123 colleges in colonial America were Christian institutions. Harvard was even founded on this statement:

Let every student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life, John 17:3.

Consider also that had Jesus had never been born, the Church wouldn’t have been around to promote the biblical principles of free enterprise, private property rights, and the work ethic. It’s because the United States was founded primarily by Christ-followers that The Declaration of Independence cites self-evident truths and unalienable rights from the Creator. And our nation also recognizes the rule of law rather than the authority of man — a concept tracing back to the Old Testament and the Ten Commandments. Even the slogan embossed on the Liberty Bell comes from the Bible: 

“Proclaim Liberty throughout the land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof…”

The truth is that Christ-followers and the Church have made a big difference. And today, they continue to change the world in ways both large and small, such as by delivering meals to shut-ins and providing housing for the homeless. Samaritan’s Purse — the Christian relief organization headed by Franklin Graham — also distributes Christmas packages across the globe as a direct expression of Jesus’ love for children. Likewise, it also helps evacuees in the United States and abroad cope with manmade and natural disasters alike, everything from the war in the Ukraine to Hurricane Ian, which in September devastated parts of Florida and the East Coast.

Of course, Christ-followers — known collectively as The Church — don’t do any of this through their own power, resources, or initiative. Let’s never forget that the difference we make is possible only through our faith in Jesus:

“I am the vine; you are the branches,” he declares. “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”