This is a perfect sentiment for the end of some crazy weeks.
Hope you’re laughing and enjoy your weekend ahead!
Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27
When you are a truth speaker, you may not always be liked.
When you are a truth seeker, you may not always be loved.
But if truth is your cross to bear, it will always carry your weight.
The weight of your pain.
The weight of your burden.
The weight of your purpose.
It will not fail you. It will not falter.
Even when all assault you and leave you for dead.
Truth will pick you up, bind your wounds, heal your heart and set you free.
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:32
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
John 14:6
Our society is full of overrated success stories and braggadocios achievements.
Once you enter that arena, it’s hard to walk in humility toward your goals.
And in nanoseconds, the competition and back biting that occurs can reduce even your small beliefs of survival to an overwhelming feeling of defeat.
But if you’ll begin to build your world with the bricks of humility, determination, and grace,
You’ll get there, even if no one knows it.
And when you reach the top, you’ll have time to set your feet solidly in the accomplishments before the champion knows what has happened.
So, press on. Work on. Reach those goals.
And win.
You can talk all day and never be understood.
You can talk “till you’re blue in the face” and never have comprehension.
Oh, but when you have who someone who gets you,
When you have that someone who understands even without words,
That’s when the chaos is silenced.
That’s when the storms are calmed.
It’s not because the tragedies change or the situation miraculously alters.
It’s simply because that someone will speak to the depth of your soul and bring a peace within.
That is when your heart is understood.
You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.
Psalm 139:2
Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Romans 8:27
Warning signs and advice aren’t offered because someone is trying to be a killjoy.
Rules and directions aren’t given because someone is trying to restrict your freedom.
Boundaries are set for our safety.
Barriers are placed to protect others from recklessness.
Sometimes on rare occasions, there may be a person or organization that has become power hungry and feeds on the controlling of someone else.
But those tendencies can be easily observed through reputation, rapport, and the consistency of the restrictions.
But for the most part, when you see an attention getter, a show stopper, or a poised hand making you stop, there’s a rhyme for that reason.
And the reason could very well save your life.
So next time, take a minute to breathe. Step back and assess the situation. And follow the signs to a greater liberty than you once knew.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know thetruth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:32
My son, do not forget my law,
Proverbs 3:1-8
But let your heart keep my commands;
For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,
And so find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.
Somebody who is reading this right now needs to read that quote again:
Your worth is not determined by someone’s ability to appreciate it.
Too many of us live in a place of less than because we’re looking for someone’s approval, someone’s appreciation, even when we deny that reality.
We walk around every day stating we don’t need someone else’s admiration; yet, one slight deviation in their behavior, and we’re a wreck.
We puff our chests out like a peacock with the confidence to scale the highest height; yet, one small disagreement, and we melt under the weight of feeling we will never measure up.
So, if this is you today, scroll back up and read that quote one more time:
Your worth is not determined by someone’s ability to appreciate it.
I know. I’m still rereading it, too.
We will grow together. We will stretch together. And we will read this together until we get it.
Words often bounce around in the brain, and although, you’ve read them and comprehend the language, it might take longer to understand it within your heart.
You are enough.
You’re not too much or too little.
You’re not over the top or under the bar level.
You’re not pressing too deep or living too shallow.
You are enough.
And how do I know this?
Because He tells me so.
And that is enough.
Now, to just read that quote one more time.
I might truly get it this time around…
Your worth is not determined by someone’s ability to appreciate it!
For You formed my inward parts;
Psalm 139:13-14
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully andwonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
John Wayne once said, “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.”
That’s the success of life.
That’s true courage.
There are so many things that can hinder you, limit you or intimidate you.
And you can certainly let those things hold you back.
But you have a choice.
You get to choose whether you build a little cage around your life or set yourself free.
You get to choose whether every time something scares you, you set another bar in place till the cage has a lock and key,
Or whether you remove those bars of fear, intimidation and shame and loose yourself from that bondage.
I say, Saddle that horse and ride it.
You may not ride it too well.
You may bounce and jostle and even almost slip off, but just hold on!
Hold on and soon, you’ll be able to enjoy the ride.
And maybe later, you’ll be racing that horse through the country.
But you’ll never win if you quit, lay down or die.
So, saddle up! We’ve got a journey ahead of us!
You can do this thing!
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
Fear not, for I am with you;
Isaiah 41:10
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Life isn’t always easy.
Life isn’t always fair.
Life can change with one phone call, one conversation, one unannounced visit.
No one is guaranteed the next year, the next day, or even the next hour.
What you decide to do with that will determine your life’s trajectory.
Sometimes, it’s not talent or even skill that causes one to survive well.
Often, it’s just sheer grit that causes the survival.
It’s the simple will power to get up, to keep breathing, to continue one step at a time.
You don’t have to be perfection, just live.
You don’t have to be a huge success, just stand.
You don’t have to be the American hero everyday, just fight.
Fight to survive. Fight to live. Fight to win.
There’s always someone coming behind you who needs to see your achievement in real time.
It may be the very inspiration for their next breath.
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5:3-5
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2
Being in the church culture these days, I hear much said about what a Christian should or shouldn’t say, how a Christian should or shouldn’t respond.
There’s always a new vantage point, a new opinion they needs to be heard, and typically, there will be two or three in oration at various times, even if these are in opposition to one another.
So, who is right and who is wrong?
Who are we to listen to?
Who are we to follow?
Well, for Jesus followers, the answer is abundantly clear, or at least, it would be argued that it “should be.”
Yet, even in the Church Body, there are varying opinions, beliefs and denominations that cause us all to land at various points of standards concerning any one given “biblical rule.”
So again, who is right and who is wrong?
Who are we to listen to?
Who are we to follow?
We definitely need to start in the Word of God. If you claim to be a Jesus follower, that truly should be your book of preference for daily living and lifestyle.
And then, we definitely should start with the life of Christ. If He’s your main guy, then mirroring His examples will definitely be helpful.
And finally, starting with the specific things God loves (there are seven actually listed in specificity), and maybe the greatest commandments of which Jesus Himself spoke might be great beginning.
By the time I do these three suggestions to their fullness, it’s usually bedtime, and I don’t have a lot more time to add more opinions or fingers to point toward all the things everyone might be getting wrong.
Maybe we should all take a step back and begin again.
Maybe we should all take a moment in front of the mirror and take a really long, hard look inside.
Maybe we should grab His love letter to us and begin reading for what it has for US and to convince US instead of all it doesn’t have for THEM and has to condemn THEM.
And maybe, just maybe, by the time we do these three things, we will have given enough time for Him to begin to change us from the inside out.
And then, maybe there will begin to be a whole lot less wrong AMONG US, and we can become a whole lot more effective FOR HIM…
But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lordyour God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22:34-40
And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Matthew 7:3-5
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Matthew 7:15-20
There are moments in life when reality settles in. When the hard work of living pauses for just a moment, and you’re able to look back and recognize where you’ve been, what’s been accomplished, and where you’re going.
There comes a time when you realize some sacrifices were necessary to carry on; some were foolish, and still more were simply necessary for survival.
Then, there’s that season of recognition when the fear of the pain is passed, the apathy of the seared feelings has diminished, and all that is left is the confidence of your preservation.
When you’ve walked through the flames of life, innocence may be lost and intimidation may be vanquished, but the growth and strength that rises cannot be denied.
So, walk on, my friend. Walk on.
Be a flame walker. Take the fiery journey.
You can endure.
And then, go and rescue someone from that same inferno.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
Jude 1:20-23
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless
Jude 1:24-25
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
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