The Power of Words

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Ephesians 4:29

“Not that song!” I exclaimed as I jumped off the couch to grab my phone and fast-forward to the next song on the playlist.

“Wow, that really got a reaction out of you! I’ve never seen you move that fast!” laughed my wife. “Why don’t you like that song, anyway?”

“You know why.” I said. “It’s the song we were singing when I was in junior high and the choir director shamed me in front of everybody.”

My wife knows me well enough to just let it drop, as she had heard the story before, even if she didn’t remember which song it was that caused me so much pain. The truth is, though, that it wasn’t the song that caused the pain. It just caused me to remember the pain. Whenever I hear the first notes of the song all the embarrassment and hurt feelings just come flooding back as if it were yesterday. Even after 40 years and a lot of healing, and even though I can talk about it and even laugh about it now, there is something about hearing that song that brings it all back.

It all started when the new church choir director decided that us junior highers were going to sing this beautiful but hopelessly hard song to sing. None of us seemed to be able to get it right – the required range called for professionals, not junior highers whose voices were changing – and the choir director got madder and madder. He had a vision for what it would sound like, and we just weren’t measuring up to his high standards. I’m sure he felt pressure to get it right; he was newly hired and everyone was expecting great performances by the church choirs and musicians.

Anyway, for whatever reason, he got angrier and angrier until he finally blew up. Intense instructions and terse exhortations gave way to outright yelling at us. And then, to make it worse, he singled me out and screamed at me, telling me to try harder. We tried again, and I guess reality hit him or something, because then he simply told me to just pretend to sing, just lip sync while the others he selected sang louder.

I was so embarrassed I wanted to go climb under a rock and hide there for days. Remember, I was in junior high and kids that age seem to feel everything a little more deeply than everyone else. Sometimes something happens when you are at that age and it seems like your whole world is crashing in on you.

I somehow made it through the choir practice but I was never the same. I quit choir, avoided church and the choir director and even the other kids. I distanced myself from church and, in some ways, from God. In fact, I didn’t really have much of a relationship with Him again until I was 23 and had a life-changing event that made me think about eternity and spiritual things. I gave my life back to Him and have never regretted it.

It took me several years, though, of going to church and growing in Christ to get to the point where I could sing along with everyone else without fear of embarrassment. And when I felt called to the ministry and went to Bible college, it became apparent that I would need to be able to lead singing in small groups or classes even if I wasn’t a musician or worship team leader. So I talked to a trusted musician friend about it and he told I wasn’t tone-deaf, just tone-challenged! Just lead out, he said, and as others joined in the singing, let the better singers take the lead.

So I’m still not singing any solos in public, but I sure enjoy singing to the Lord in the car or wherever I can find solitude. And, believe it or not, He really enjoys it when I sing to Him. He created me, He is the one who made my voice the way it is, and since He likes to hear me, that’s good enough for me. And since I am secure in His love for me, I can start up a song in a small group or even a large group if the Lord leads that way. He has healed me from those wounds of so long ago and He has made me whole again.

The lesson in all this is twofold. First, the Lord really does enjoy it when we sing His praises. So don’t hold back. Whatever is in your heart, sing it to the Lord and enjoy being in His presence. Don’t worry about hitting the right notes or forgetting some of the words, just go for it and enjoy being with Him. Sing His praises, give Him thanks, and call to mind His faithfulness as you sing hymns, choruses and other spiritual songs. And don’t be surprised if He gives you some new words to a song or even a whole new song as you let loose and express your love and affection for Him.

The second thing I hope to have communicated is that words really do have power behind them. A poison tongue can inflict wounds that take years to heal. Harsh words, outright lies, hurtful put-downs, even a joke at someone’s expense can tear a person down and keep them from being everything God wants them to be. Uplifting and encouraging words, on the other hand, can empower, equip, and motivate a person to be all that they can be. So guard your tongue and choose your words wisely; you never know the effect you are having on those who are listening to you.

Let’s Pray Together: Lord, help me to guard my tongue and be a blessing to others, not a stumbling block. Help me to build others up, not tear them down. Forgive me for when I have fallen short and hurt others. I love you, Lord; help me to express my emotions for you in songs. I confess that I have felt shame in my singing or lack of talent; help me to get over that and sing wholeheartedly to You...(continue praying as you feel led)

Scripture – James 3:3-12, Psalm 96, Psalm 22:3, Psalm 150, Ephesians 4:29

Action Point: Make a plan for a time and place for you to have some alone time with God. Think about the songs you enjoy and want to sing to Him. Put some thought and effort into it – make a playlist if you want music to sing along with or print off some song sheets if you need help remembering the words.

The Command With A Promise

Then Jesus came to them and said, “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.” (Matt. 28:18-20)

I have a confession to make. Whenever I see an article like this that has the Great Commission at the top, I am tempted to quit reading as I think, “Here it comes, another guilt trip about missions. Another exhortation to go or give to someone who is going. I think I’ll pass.” And the funny thing is, I have always had a heart for the mission field and had prepared to go there when I was younger! If I’m tired of hearing it, I bet there are others who are tired of it too.

So you can rest assured that this isn’t another pitch for people to go to Africa or give to the mission board. On the contrary, our focus here will be upon the promise that seems to be overlooked in most sermons or writings on this passage – Jesus promises to be with us! Pause for a moment and let that sink into your heart and mind. Jesus, the One to whom all authority has been given, is with me! And He is with you as well! He is with all of us who have put our faith in Him!

This means that when I bump into my neighbor and make small talk, Jesus is right there with me to help me find the words to tell my neighbor how much I love God and the life He has given me. It means that when I’m locked in a struggle with a contrary co-worker, Jesus is right there to help me be kind and conciliatory. It means that when I am going the extra mile by giving someone a ride, He is right there between us, hoping to be a part of our conversation. Jesus is with me in my marriage, my parenting, whatever I endeavor to do, Jesus is right there with me, especially if I am being obedient to what He has told me to do.

So what, then, has He told us to do? It’s quite simple, really. We are to make disciples. That is the central command of the passage. As we are going, whether it be to the market, our job, or the mission field, we are to be making disciples who are dedicated followers of Jesus. We are to be leading people into relationship with Him and His church by baptizing them and teaching them how to be followers of Jesus. That’s it. Simple and straight-forward. The Body of Christ – all of us who follow Jesus – are to be making other disciples who obey everything Jesus commands us.

Discipleship, then, isn’t a program or a book where one person sits with another for one hour a week for a year and then he or she is officially a disciple and able to disciple someone else. There isn’t a hierarchy of whose discipling whom. And it isn’t only the clergy who are to be making disciples – it’s all of us who follow Jesus.

I hope by now that you are getting the idea that discipleship isn’t optional, for neither you nor I can say, “Discipleship isn’t for me. I just want to be a lone ranger Christian, listening to the sermon or getting my teaching online without getting involved in the lives of others.” The fact is that we need each other. We need other brothers and sisters in Christ to speak into our lives and pray for us and help us out when we need it.

And in like manner, there are others out there who need our input into their lives. There are people all around us who need the message of salvation or encouragement to live for Jesus. We can’t just leave it to the seminary-trained or the extroverts to get the job done. Jesus – the One who has all authority on heaven and earth, the One to whom we will all give an account – commands us all to be making disciples as we go through this life. We are to be bringing people into relationship with Him and teaching them to obey everything He taught us. It’s that simple. No excuses. So let’s get going on what He has told us to do.

After all, His command comes with a promise. He will be with us always – in the coffeeshop, in our workplace, at the supermarket, everywhere we dare to talk about Jesus – even to the end of the age.

Let’s Pray Together: Lord, thank you for your promise to be with us always, even to the end of the age. Help me to be faithful and obedient to the commands you have given us. Show me what my part is in the disciple-making process. Bring people into my life that can encourage me in the Lord and challenge me to live for Jesus more wholeheartedly. Lead me to people that I can teach and encourage in the Lord. I pray for this whole process of disciple-making and ask you to lead me in the following ways….(continue praying as you feel led)

Scriptures: 2 Tim. 2:2, Prov. 27:17, Ecc. 4:12, Heb. 5:12-14

Action Point: Begin thinking about who God has put in your life that you could ask them if they would like to get together to pray and talk about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Look for potential mentors as well as friends who would benefit from your input in their lives. Take the initiative and call/text someone and set up a time to get together to have some coffee and talk about these things.

Lord Remember Me

Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43)

Two criminals hung on crosses next to Jesus. Both witnessed first-hand the torture and execution of the Son of Man. They both saw the soldiers mocking Him, Mary mourning Him, the Man in agony as the wrath of God and the sins of the world came upon Him. Each of the criminals there, though in agony themselves, had a decision to make: Should I join in with the soldiers who don’t believe in Him and start making fun of Him? Or should I join Mary and the others who believe in Him? Or should I just watch from a distance and see what happens?

One criminal chose to mock Jesus and challenged Him to come down off the cross and save Himself and the criminals who were being crucified. The other decided to believe and he turned to Jesus and said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

The first criminal, by mocking Jesus and challenging Him, was basically saying, “I don’t believe you are the Son of God but I might believe in you if You do what I want you to do.” The second criminal, though, by asking Jesus to remember Him when He came into His kingdom, was acknowledging that Jesus was indeed a King and that he would submit to Him and be a part of His kingdom.

Catch the difference there? I hope so, for it is the difference between eternal death or eternal life. It is the difference between dead religion or a life-giving relationship with God through the cross of Christ. It is the difference between being separated from God forever or being with Him for all eternity.

And what it is that makes such a difference? It is the person’s approach to the Almighty. Do we mock Him, believing that we know best and declaring that if He does what we demand of Him, then we will put our faith in Him and maybe follow Him when it is convenient and beneficial for us? Or do we submit ourselves to Him, declaring that He is our King and the Lord of our lives?

Most all of us have been in the camp of the first criminal, telling God what He should do to make us believe in Him or to rescue us from the circumstances of our own bad choices. This is the wide road that leads to destruction and many people, even many church-goers, go down this road. They are the ones who Jesus tells, “Depart from me, for I never knew you.”

Only a few of us join the camp of the second criminal, accepting His lordship and entering into His kingdom by actively doing His will instead of our own. This is the narrow road that leads to eternal life, and few find it for it is the road of the cross. It is the road that requires picking up our own cross and following Jesus even when it costs us something. It is going the extra mile, turning the other cheek, giving to those who ask of us, loaning to the person who wants to borrow. It is loving people the way Jesus loved people and serving God sacrificially just as Jesus did.

The criminal on the cross who asked Jesus to remember him had it easy if you think about it. He died later that day and went to be with Jesus in Paradise even though he never did much for Him. He was like one of the workers hired late in the day who gets the same reward as those who worked most of the day. (See Jesus’ parable in Matthew 20 if you aren’t familiar with this story.)

Most of us are more like the workers hired earlier in the day; we give our lives to Christ while we still have some time left to serve Him. We tell Him, “Lord, I believe, remember me when you come into Your kingdom.” He replies, “My kingdom is upon you, go and spread the Gospel of My kingdom throughout the earth. Invite people to give their lives to Me. Pray that My will would be done on earth just as it is in heaven. Teach them to pray as I taught you. Proclaim freedom for those who are imprisoned by sins and addictions. Heal the sick, deliver the demon-possessed, and proclaim life to the dying. My kingdom is here now, starting like a little mustard seed or a little bit of leaven, and it will grow and fill the whole earth and you get to be a part of it! So go and proclaim My kingdom and make some disciples!”

I don’t know about you, but even though I have said it many times before, I am ready to say, “Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom in all its fullness. And remember me today as I endeavor to live for You, to do Your will here on earth just as it is in heaven.”

Let’s Pray Together: Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom and remember me as we go out into the world together. Help me to proclaim Your Good News boldly and faithfully. Give me faith to pray for people and to see Your kingdom and Your will be done. Give me strength and courage to live for You, to obey You even when it costs me something or I would rather not. You are my king and I gladly give You my life….(keep praying as you feel led...)

Scriptures: Luke 23:32-43, Matthew 7:13-14, Matthew 7:21-23, Matthew 20:1-16

Action Point: Respond to Jesus today. Get serious about making Him your King. Resolve to be a follower of Jesus, taking up your cross and laying down your life for the Kingdom and for the sake of others. Read Matthew Chapters 5-7 and other teachings of Jesus and ask Him how to live it out in our modern day culture.

This Is the Day

This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

This is the day that the Lord has made…..I will rejoice and be glad in it….the song kept running through my head this morning as I lay in bed waiting for the sun to come up. As I lay there thinking about the day ahead and contemplating whether the Lord was speaking to me about getting up out of bed, it dawned on me (pun intended!) that I had never fully grasped the full meaning of that statement.

This is the day that the Lord has made, I thought. The whole day stretches out before me. The sun will come up and light will burst forth and the sun will warm the earth as well as my aching bones. Joy really does come in the morning, at the beginning of a new day, when the night has past and the new day has come.

How many times, I thought, have I weathered through a dark night of the soul, a darkened path in my journey through life? And why didn’t I realize that there would soon be a new day dawning, a new season to be entered into, a new bursting forth of life and light? God created the night as well as the day and I will rejoice and be glad in it. Yes, sometimes it takes perseverance to get through the hard times but I will put my trust in the Lord that He will bring me through it to enter into a new day that He has made.

So then, in each day that the Lord gives me, I will rejoice in His faithfulness to me and to the whole world. The sun will come up; light will burst forth; He will provide for our needs; He will lead us through the day; He will be with us as we rest through the night and wait for the next day to begin.

He is so faithful to bring the sun and the moon to shine upon us each 24 hour period, why do we have such a hard time trusting Him to bring us through the dark days of the soul? After all, in both Hebrew and English we often use the word “day” to refer to a season of time as well as a 24 hour period. For example, as I write today (Nov. 22) I am looking forward to that day (season of time) when there will be no more tears and we will be dancing on streets that are golden and everyone will know the Lord.

Therefore, when I sing that this is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it, I can sing with a full understanding that whatever the new day, the new 24-hour period brings, I can rejoice and be glad that the Lord is on the throne of my life and I can trust Him to take me through whatever that day brings. Even if it brings me through the valley of the shadow of death or even physical death itself, I know that my God is faithful and He will bring me through to enjoy a new day, a new season, in Him.

No matter what happens – whether it be something fantastic or something terrible, whether I am victorious or humbled in defeat, whether I lose my job, go through a divorce, come down with a horrible disease, become disabled, go bankrupt – whatever happens, God is with me and He will bring me through it and lead me into a new season of peace, prosperity, and rest in Him. Sometimes we are blessed with a taste of this new season, a taste of heaven, here on earth. Other times we can only patiently wait, knowing that this is the day the Lord has made and there is also another Day that He has made that we can only look for and anticipate from a distance.

All of this, this Day of the Lord that Scripture speaks about and we look forward to, is reserved for those who call upon the Lord and put their trust in Him. They are promises made to God’s people, not to the whole population of planet earth. Even though all are invited, not all hear the Message and only a few accept the Lord’s invitation into His kingdom. Many are not willing to bow their knee and give Him the throne of their life. They miss their Day of visitation, the moment in time or even season in life when God is revealing Himself to them and calling them to lay down their lives and follow Him.

Wherever you are at in this process, whether you have been a follower of Jesus your whole life or whether you are just now considering if this might be the day God visits you and changes your life, please know this: God loves you and He has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. More than two thousand years have passed since the Light burst forth and marked the beginning of a brand new Day of the Lord. Those who receive the Light, who receive Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Savior, enter into a new day, a day where there sins are forgiven, their mistakes are forgotten, and they have the victory over sin and the grave. They will be with the Lord forever and ever, no matter what happens.

This is the Day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Will you join me?

Let’s Pray Together: Lord Jesus, this is the Day that You have made and I will rejoice and be glad in it. You have called me to Yourself in the past, You are calling me now, and You will continue to call me and lead me until that Day when I see you face to face and we are together for all eternity. In the meantime, today and every day you give me, help me to live for You. I give you my life and everything I have and everything that is within me. After all, You gave Your life for me. Thank you, Lord, and thank you for this day that you have made. Help me to enter into the fullness of everything You have for me today. Help me to be a blessing to others and to tell them about this Day that you have made….(continue praying as you feel led...)

Scriptures: 1 Peter 2:12, Psalm 118, 

Action Point: Take time today to thank God for this day that God has made. Thank him for the literal 24-hour day and rejoice that He will be with you throughout the day and that He will help you through whatever happens. Then thank Him for the this Day of the Lord that He has made and rejoice that your sins are forgiven and you will be with Him forever. Contemplate these things as you go through your day today.

God is Faithful

God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Cor. 1:9)

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil. 1:6)

The other night I was sprawled out on the couch with my kids cuddled up in my lap as I read them a book. This was a special time for us – the nightly ritual of reading books before bedtime. But this time became extra special as the Spirit of God led us to talk about something that I had not planned.

We were reading, of all things, a silly yet thought-provoking book by Dr. Seuss – Horton Hatches the Egg. It’s a children’s classic that showcases an elephant named Horton who gets talked into sitting up in a tree on a tiny nest while the lazy bird flys south for a holiday. It’s quite uncomfortable and after a few days Horton thinks about quitting and climbing down out of the tree. But instead he says, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant, an elephant is faithful one hundred percent!”

Winter comes and icicles are hanging from poor Horton as well as the tree and still Horton faithfully sits on the egg. Spring comes with thunder and lightening but still Horton is faithful to his task. Friends come and mock him, calling him crazy for acting like a bird, but Horton simply declares, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant, an elephant is faithful one hundred percent!”

Summer arrives and hunters stumble upon him. Instead of shooting him, though, they laugh at such a ridiculous sight and decide to cart him away and sell him to the circus. Of course, Horton won’t budge out of his tree so they ship him – tree, nest, and elephant – across the ocean where he continues to sit upon his nest. Eventually, after nearly a year of sitting on his nest, the egg hatches and an elephant-bird pops out and a new species is born. Horton, true to form, reminds everyone around that, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant, an elephant is faithful one hundred percent!”

The book, even with its silly plot, teaches many life lessons that my kids and I had talked about before – the benefits of being faithful, the rewards of hard work, etc. But this time I asked my kids, “Who else do we know that is faithful?”

We talked about mom and dad and grandparents and their faithfulness before they finally got my point: God is faithful one hundred percent! We talked about Daniel and the lion’s den, David and Goliath, the fiery furnace, and other well-known Bible stories. We talked about God’s promises to protect us and provide for us and how we can trust what He says in the Bible to come true. After all, He said what He meant and He meant what He said, for our God is faithful one hundred percent!

The kids went to bed feeling happy and secure, knowing that their parents and their God would watch over them and provide for them. My wife and I, though, settled down in front of the fireplace and began to talk about how hard it is to have that childlike faith. After all, I had been discipling a young man whose life didn’t have a storybook ending – he went back to his alcoholism despite all my efforts. Another dear friend died of cancer even though we fasted and prayed with everything that was in us. Was God still faithful? Had He let us down?

In the natural, looking at only the temporal things of life, it appeared that God did let us down. But as we talked about God’s perspective and started looking at things in light of eternity, we realized that He not only didn’t let us down, He had made provision ahead of time. Our friend who had succumbed to cancer wasn’t gone forever, for she is with the Lord and we will see her soon enough. Jesus died and rose again for that very reason – that we who believe would share in his victory over death and the grave. Cancer was not victorious; it was simply a method the Lord used to bring His daughter home to Himself.

And when it comes to people making bad decisions with their life, the world is full of them and God has made provision for them as well. Jesus willingly went to the cross for that very reason – so that people like you and me can have a second chance and find new life in Him. I don’t know if my alcoholic friend ever came back to the Lord and got victory over the alcohol, but I know that God is faithful and the seeds that were planted during that time of his life will bear fruit. I trust the Lord to call my friend back to Himself and to break the chains that hold him back from becoming everything the Lord wants him to be. After all, Phil. 1:6 promises that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Some people might say that I’m being naive or overly optimistic. I don’t think so. I think I am contending for that childlike faith that trusts in our Heavenly Father in the way that Jesus taught us. Remember, He meant what He said and He said what He meant. Our God is faithful one hundred percent!

Let’s Pray Together: Father God, help me to trust in You. I know that You are faithful; help me to rest in Your faithfulness. Help me to have childlike faith in Your protection, Your provision, and Your love for me. Thank you for Your mercy, Your grace, Your hand upon my life. Forgive me for when I have fallen short, and help me to get back up and live for You. Thank you that You are faithful even when I am not. I could use Your help in these issues I bring You now….(continue praying as you feel led)

Scriptures: Psalm 71:22-23, Psalm 98:1-3, Exodus 34:5-7

Action Point: Take time today to count all the ways that God has been faithful to you. Begin with the great eternal things He has done for all of us (salvation, forgiveness, interceding for us, etc.) and then make it personal, thanking Him for His help when you needed it, His provision at just the right time, His intervention in your life, etc.

Godly Contentment Brings True Happiness

But godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6)

Sometimes it seems like some of the best illustrations come from children’s books. For example, the other night I was suddenly awakened by a crashing noise coming from the living room. I quickly arose and went out to see what happened. It was completely dark, didn’t sense anyone else in the room, and as I peered around the corner to look into the room I remembered the Winnie the Pooh scene where Pooh, “being a bear of very little brain,” went outside to see what the disturbance was. In Pooh’s case, he got bounced upon by Tigger but in my case there wasn’t a burglar but only a picture that had fallen from the wall.

But it got me to thinking and I laid in bed for awhile unable to sleep as I thought about it. How many times do we humans, being “humans of very little brain,” open the door to look at something that seems interesting or attractive or even scary? How many times do we go places we shouldn’t and check out what something is like when we know darn well that we shouldn’t?

Think about it for a minute. How many times has the average man gazed upon forbidden images and fantasized about women that aren’t his to have, only to find that he opened the door to discontentment, sexual dissatisfaction, and even impotence? And how many times has the average woman read the romance novel or watched the soap opera and then found her man to be lacking in the romance department? She opened the door to marital dissatisfaction and relationship envy without a second thought to where it might lead.

And what about those of us who like to compare and compete? You know what I mean, as most of us have fallen into this trap one time or another. We look at Facebook or listen to some gossip and then compare our lives to those of someone else. We tell ourselves, “if only I had his job” or “if only I had her house” then I would be happy. If only I had a newer car, more money, better neighborhood, better opportunities, better family background, better education, better this that or the other thing, then I would be happy. And then sometimes it gets even more personal. If I was better looking, if I wasn’t so dumb, if I wasn’t so lazy, if I wasn’t so unlucky, if I was married to someone else…..the list goes on. We open the door to dissatisfaction by comparing ourselves to some idealistic idea of other people’s lives.

Think about it. How many times have you opened the door to jealousy and covetousness instead of closing the door by being thankful for what you have? How many times have you opened the door to stress and anxiety instead of closing the door by casting your cares upon the Lord and trusting in Him? How many times have you opened the door to addiction by looking for comfort or escape in a bottle or a drug instead of turning to the God who created you and loves you with an undying love? How many times have you opened the door to loneliness instead of forgiving others and working hard to have healthy relationships?

I could go on, but you get the idea. Most all of us have opened the door to many things that wind up being harmful to us. So don’t beat yourself up over it. Instead, resolve to not even open the door to those things that bring you harm. And if you think it is too late, that you opened those doors long ago, then ask the Lord to help you close the doors and keep them closed.

Change the way you think, the way you live, the things you choose to do. If television or social media cause your thinking to go in a negative way, avoid them. If logging on to your computer tempts you to look at porn, use software that won’t allow porn sites. If going to certain locations or hanging out with certain people stumbles you, don’t go there. For me, when I was a young pastor who didn’t have much money, something as seemingly innocent as going to Best Buy was a stumbling block. If I went and looked at all the new tvs and laptop computers, my stuff seemed archaic and I felt poor and inadequate. But if I didn’t go there in the first place, I could be content with what I had. By not going there I kept the door closed to a whole line of negative thinking about myself and what I didn’t have and what I couldn’t afford.

So then, close those doors that lead to dissatisfaction, spiritual sickness, and even death. Open those doors that lead to peace, joy, and eternal life. Choose to love God instead of the things of this world. Set yourself to serve God and not the sinful pleasures that lead to addiction and emptiness. Put the needs of others ahead of your own instead of continually chasing after your own lusts. Take time to talk to God in prayer and passionately pursue a relationship with Him. Read or listen to His Word and allow Him to shape your life and guide your steps and guard your lips. Let your mind be renewed by the Word and your life transformed by His Spirit. Let His life flow into you and out to others.

As you close the door to those things that quench the Spirit and open the doors to things that bring life, you will be changed. You will discover that godly living with Christ-centered contentment does indeed bring great gain. You will no longer be a “human of very little brain” that opens the door to gaze longingly at worldly pleasures but will instead be a Spirit-filled saint of the Most High God who lives in the abundant life that Jesus offers – a life of unending love, unspeakable joy, and indescribable peace.

Let’s Pray Together: Lord, I confess that I have opened the door many times to things that have done me harm. Forgive me, and help me to keep those doors closed in the future. Help me to stay away from lust, covetousness, jealousy, rage, hatred, addictions, and all the other stuff that pulls me down. Help me to change my thinking and be transformed through the renewing of my mind, by spending time with You and reading Your Word. Lead me as I think about some practical steps I need to take, such as….(keep praying as you feel led).

Scriptures: 1 Timothy 6:6-12, Romans 12:2, Rev. 3:20

Action Point: Identify those points in your life where you tend to open the door and go after things that will ultimately bring you harm even if they seem attractive or interesting at the time. Plan out the changes you are going to make in order to keep the door closed to things that are harmful. Set aside some time each day to spend time with God and invest in your relationship with Him.