years. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” Wow, can you imagine living for that long? As hard as that is to picture, the picture of Enoch talking to God as he was taking a Sunday stroll through the park here on earth (the strolling through the park is my visual, not scriptural) AND then instantly walking in Heaven with Him is mind-boggling. Enoch did not have to experience death and I’m all in favor of that!!
How do we live a life that is pleasing to God? The Bible is our guide in life. Through the pages from Genesis to Revelations we read about those things that please God. But it all starts with faith as Hebrews 11:6 tells us. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” So, the first question that needs to be answered is have you placed your faith in Jesus? If so, Hallelujah! If not, I pray today would be the day you’d put your trust in the Lord.
Lord, help us be more like Enoch and live a life that would be pleasing to You. Help us as we seek to learn more about You. Amen.
12…HE SET ME FREE
Good morning! “And the truth shall set you free” is a phrase most of us have heard many times, but did you know that it is more than a common phrase? It’s actually Scripture. We find it in John 8:32 through Jesus’ own words. “... and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” You know, sometimes life is just messy. We want to live in perfect harmony, but that’s not always the case. We want everyone to just be nice and kind, but that doesn’t always happen either. And then you turn on the news and wonder what’s wrong with people. Sometimes we just want someone to answer the question, “How did this life get so crazy???”
As I was searching to find the scripture about how truth can set us free, I found the answer to how things got so crazy. Earlier in John 8, a woman was brought to Jesus who had been caught in adultery. The Scribes and the Pharisees said that in the Law Moses had commanded them to stone such a woman. They were testing Jesus to see what He would say. It was in Jesus’ response that I found the answer to why everything has gotten so crazy. In verse 7, Jesus said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” And there’s our answer to explain why...sin. We live in a fallen, sinful world, and as a result, things like heartache and disappointment are just a natural byproduct of sin. As the story of the adulteress woman continued, no stones were thrown because none present were without sin. In verse 34 Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” Being a slave to sin is true bondage. But the good news is that we don’t have to stay in that condition because the truth that sets us free is found in Jesus. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, believing in who He is and what He did to set us free from the bondage of sin, we are forever freed from the penalty of sin. And when Jesus sets us free, we are free indeed!!
Jesus, thank You for setting me free! Please help me share that freedom with others. Amen.
13…PEACE OF GOD
Good morning! ‘Tis the season for “peace on earth and goodwill to men,” or at least that’s what the songs we sing this time of year say. But is that true? Is there peace on earth? Do we offer goodwill to men? One of those songs we sing directs us to how we obtain peace on earth. The lyrics will probably be familiar to you. “With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow: To take each moment, and live each moment in peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” Peace on earth begins with each of us. If we don’t have peace, we can’t share peace with others.
Lasting peace only comes from our Heavenly Father. Here are three of my favorite verses dealing with peace. John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled nor let it be fearful.” Another verse found in the book of John dealing with peace is John 16:33. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.” And then there is Philippians 4:6-7. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Isn’t the peace of God what we all want? Even though the world has gotten pretty crazy, these Scriptures remind us that we can still have peace … God’s peace. The peace that passes all understanding can be ours. My prayer for us through this holiday season, and always, is that we all might experience the peace of the Lord. Then we can truly live out the song lyrics … “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”
God, Your peace is what we all desire, even when we aren’t aware that’s what we are looking for. Allow me to help someone find that peace in You. Amen.
14…PICNICS
Good morning! As I was covering up this morning with one of my Boyd’s Bears blankets, I read what it said on this particular blanket. “Life is a Picnic.” My initial thought after reading that was that life is not always a picnic. But as I’ve sat here and thought about it for a bit, I think that saying is true. Walk through a picnic with me. When I think of a picnic I think of three main things: blue skies, good food, and time to relax. Try to picture this picnic in your head. It’s a beautiful sunny day and you’ve taken a blanket and spread it out underneath the shade tree and you pull out your food to have a nice little meal. You just want to kick back and spend some time with the person that you’re with and just relax. Then you notice that ants are trying to eat your food and you spend time shooing them away, trying to position your food so they can’t get to it. But they persist, and you find yourself not as relaxed because you’re constantly fighting them. And then the wind picks up and out of the blue it starts thundering and next thing you know it’s raining on your picnic.
Isn’t that how life is? As we try to feed ourselves with godly things, there are always things that seem to pester us, even when we’re trying to relax. And just when you think you can take a deep breath and exhale because life has settled down for you, another storm hits out of the blue. In Philippians 4:11-12, Paul tells us that he has learned to be content in whatever circumstances he found himself in and we can find that contentment, too. No, that doesn’t mean we’re going to enjoy those pesky ants and the different storms of life, but in the middle of those times, we can be satisfied that God is in control and up to something good in the midst of our troubles. And that’s when we realize what verse 13 tells us. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Here’s to always making sure that we invite God to our picnics!
Lord, please help me learn to be content in whatever situation arises. With You by my side, I can do anything. Amen.
15…SEND ME
Good morning! My mind keeps going back to something my pastor said on Sunday. A survey that he saw on Google indicated that two-thirds of all the people on earth are not Christians. That means that Heaven is not their forever home and they have not received forgiveness of their sins by the Lord. Those numbers are just so hard to comprehend. What can we, as Believers, do about that incredible number?
The answer to that question can be found in the last two verses in the book of Matthew. God gives us these instructions. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The Lord tells us that we are responsible for sharing the Good News of the Gospel. What we are not responsible for is their response. Salvation is an individual decision but those of us that have received this gift know that it is too great of a gift not to share with others. In the verses I referred to above, the baptism isn’t what saves you. Only Jesus can save you. But the water baptism is an outward sign of our repentance and forgiveness of sins through the gift of Jesus Christ. Matthew 10:33-34 sums it up this way. “Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in Heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before man, I will also deny him before My Father who is in Heaven.”
Let’s go back to that staggering two-thirds number. During the Christmas season, more people