In Scripture the Lord invites us to call upon Him. Don’t ever think that your issue is too insignificant or trivial for the Lord to address. He wants us to “cast all our cares on Him.” (1 Peter 5:7) And He delights in coming to our rescue.
Astronaut Col. Michael Anderson died in the Columbia space shuttle tragedy. Mike’s death was a great loss to His family, friends, and this nation. His family has not only been comforted, but over the years, they have used this tragedy and their great faith to comfort others. Tragedy is inevitable in our broken, sin-sick world. But God uses tragedy to draw us to Himself and He offers us comfort and encouragement.
On what basis do we live our lives, conduct business, or engage in ministry? Do we live as though we’re confined and limited by our circumstances or by others? Or do we live and work knowing that our Lord possesses all authority and all resources? When I write about “living large,” I’m not writing about a prosperity gospel. I’m writing about trusting a BIG God for BIG results.
Grow old like Caleb— with vision and faith for what God wants to do. Following Jesus and trusting God doesn’t guarantee long life and robust health. But it does guarantee a life worth living, a life of meaning and purpose, a life devoted to serving Christ and others.
Just as a small rock can cause a landslide so applying compromise to our faith in Christ can be deadly. Jesus calls us to remain true to His Word and maintain our integrity in Christ.
We often suffer as a consequence for our disobedience, but to suffer for righteousness is a special blessing. Suffering for good, for obedience to God’s Word, can still be very difficult: we don’t get the promotion, we’re left out of a group gathering, or we’re mocked, simply because we’re trying to live a righteous life as a follower of Christ, but we know our Father loves us, especially when we suffer for doing good.
It is hard to call yourself a fisherman if you are not fishing. In a similar sense, it is hard to call yourself a disciple if you are not fishing for men. When Jesus said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men,” to a group of common fisherman, He ignited a passion for evangelism that still burns in the hearts and minds of His disciples today.
On a hike with his grandson, Jim’s friend Rob Fischer realized an important lesson: We can become so weighed down by all our stuff, and stressed-out our over-booked schedules that we become distracted and unfruitful. Read his insightful story.
Our societal norms have been adjusted to accept all kinds of behavior. Our moral compass is off. Still, as long as we’re in this world, we want to represent Christ well to others in hopes that they will come to the knowledge of the truth and receive Christ as their Savior. But we also know that those who thumb their nose at God or ignore Him will discover that God will have the last word. He will be vindicated.
Today, our culture says truth is merely what you believe it to be. We hear people say things like, “That’s your truth, but not my truth.” Jesus declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. As followers of Christ, we must not deny the truth but cling to it, stand on it, and proclaim it.
Living like Christ and leading others comes from devotion to the Lord, time in His Word, time conversing with Him, and spending time with others. Like any skill, we become better with practice. The daily practice of living a Christlike life will help keep us from having our intentions and actions thwarted by the evil one.
June 20, 2020 – Listen to this week’s ManUp! Radio show with host, Jim Grassi.