Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 

~Acts 17:16

Although I’m abstaining from news (real, fake, deep fake, or otherwise), the 24/7 media bombardment in our society is very challenging to ignore. Especially as global and cultural upheaval continue to escalate the vitriol and division among our nation’s citizens. Unfortunately, the treadmills at my gym face a mounted line of giant televisions, most of which show talking heads spewing babble (which I thankfully cannot hear) with blaring headline banners (which I see) full of doom, threats, and dire warnings. Even the time change this Spring has been fear-mongering fodder: “The loss of one hour of sleep can result in car wrecks, heart attacks, and job loss! Beware!” Crises are everywhere, real or imagined. Today’s media—from news outlets to podcasters to social reels—is not to inform, but to provoke. They want to stir up negative emotion and incite action…to create fodder for even more bad news. 

As we follow Paul on his missionary journeys in the book of Acts, the Word of God makes it clear that this world should indeed provoke believers. Just not like modern media would have it. As Paul is waiting in Athens for his fellow missionaries Silas and Timothy to join him there, he got a chance to get a taste of this center of Greek culture. His response (which you can read in its entirety in Acts 17) provides us with a beautiful map for walking in our own cultural hub.

First, Paul saw that the city was full of idols (and idolators). Athens had literal statues along every street, reportedly in more numbers than the actual citizens. The people worshipped these gods-for-every-want, trying to keep them happy so they themselves could be satisfied. They chased after the things of the world and elevated created things. They were blind to the Truth, and Paul saw this. Then, “his spirit was provoked within him” (v16). His awareness of the broken and lost world around him stirred up the Holy Spirit within Paul to see these people as God sees them…people in need of a Savior. And so, he took action. He began reasoning with people in the marketplace and was even brought up to the public courts to further explain his new and strange teaching about the One True God and salvation through Jesus Christ. In Athens, Paul observed the lost, blind, and broken around him. His spirit was provoked. And he responded.

Beloved, we must live a provoked life! Not like the world, being prodded and incited by media outlets to become a keyboard warrior or screaming protestor, but as citizens of heaven who are ambassadors of the King of kings. Do we see the madness around us for what it really is—a lost, broken world full of lost, broken people? We must open our eyes to see what God sees! Then, the Holy Spirit living in us will reveal His grief to us, stirring us up to be grieved as well. The biggest question follows: Will we take action? Will we merely acknowledge that the world—and people—around us are fallen, maybe feel a twinge of “they need Jesus”…and simply go on about our day? Or will we, like Paul, reason with them and share the Good News? (Um, preaching to myself here with much chagrin.) 

Time is short, and the enemy has ramped up his efforts to steal, kill, and destroy—again, just look around. We are called to always to be ready to answer others, giving a “reason for our hope” with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:14-16). And we’re to exhort one another “as long as it is called today” against the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13), calling the lost to repentance and salvation (Mark 1:15; Acts 3:17-21; 1 John 1:9). So, let us all be kingdom-minded, yielded to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit within us. And may we take action, sharing the Way, Truth, and Life that is Jesus. 

Lord, open my eyes to see what You see. Provoke the Spirit in me and make me a bold ambassador for You—inviting the spiritually lame, blind, and lost into Your glorious kingdom.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

~1 Corinthians 19-20

My accountant contacted me the other day to let me know that my tax filing (which I quickly and diligently prepare annually by mid-February) was rejected by the IRS because I did not include a particular form related to “my” insurance through the government healthcare marketplace. Well, I’ve never had health insurance through said marketplace. Never. So, I wouldn’t have the form the IRS requires of me. After an hour on the phone with a sweet representative of healthcare.gov (to whom I was anything but sweet—but that’s another self-repentance devo in and of itself), it was determined that someone stole my social security number—my identity—to fraudulently use the marketplace for his gain.

Sadly, identity theft is rampant in our country and across the world. A quick search reveals that someone in the US becomes a victim of identity theft every 5 to 23 seconds. And those are just the reported incidents. With the 6.5 million fraud reports into the Federal Trade Commission in 2024 alone, many of you reading this are likely shaking your head right now in relatable disgust. And as AI technology advances, so do the tricks and tentacles of cybercriminals in pursuit of taking what’s not theirs.

Beloved, as followers of Christ, we must recognize that these trends of fraud and identity theft did not begin with the advent of computers or even when the government decided to parse out social security numbers. This is exactly what our spiritual enemy, Satan, has been doing since the Garden! Jesus states it plainly in John’s gospel (10:10a) by saying, “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy,” while the Apostle Peter compares the devil to a prowling lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Yes, he is in relentless pursuit of taking what’s not his, and with all his tricks and nefarious tentacles, he’s looking to steal, kill, and destroy you. Although he cannot take your salvation (John 10:28), he persistently tries to steal your joy and peace, kill your hope and generosity, and even destroy your very life on earth. He’ll also hiss in your ear that you’re the fraud, tempting you to second-guess your own, blood-bought identity in Christ. But he is a snake, a liar (the father of lies), a desperate criminal whose time is short. He knows that he’s already been convicted and sentenced—and when Jesus returns, that thief and his web of demonic underlings will burn for eternity. So, he’s ramping up his efforts to either keep people from salvation in Christ or keep Christians ineffective.

Oh, but there is good news—no, great news—for Christians! Upon salvation (our complete surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior), our identity is transformed. We are made new, brought from darkness to light and death to life, adopted as children of God…and our new identity is made totally and completely secure. We were bought with an unfathomable price by Jesus through His death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). And nothing—and no one—can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). In Christ, we cannot be lost, stolen, or forsaken (John 6:37-40; Hebrews 13:5-6).

Even though I’m now waiting for several government agencies to (a) collectively confirm that fraud was in fact committed for a thief’s gain and (b) free me from the negative impact on my identity, I get to remind myself of some God-glorifying truths: (a) I am accepted, chosen, redeemed, free, and complete in Christ; (b) my true identity is assured, established, and secure. And no one can take that away.

Lord, as the enemy, this fallen world, and my own fleshly desires combine to frustrate, steal, and thwart my walk with You, I praise You that my identity in Christ is secure.

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 

~Acts 4:13

The book of Acts in the Bible depicts the extraordinary transitional era bridging the Incarnation of Jesus to the Church Age—it’s the very birth of Church through the labor of a handful of men and women. And on the day of Pentecost, when the promised Holy Spirit fell to empower this Jesus movement, it was Peter who “took his stand” to preach the very first church service (Acts 2:14-41). 

There’s so much to be said about Peter—about his incredible leadership attributes and about his overly enthusiastic responses (aka, foot-in-mouth tendencies). But through the gospels we see how Jesus gently refines him through their time together to be transformed from “Simon” to “Peter”—the rock. One event that underscores this immense change is the first time Peter is arrested (with John) after a lame man was healed and Peter burst out with another fiery gospel message (Acts 3:1-4:4). And when Peter was placed in front of the rulers, elders, scribes, and high priest to be questioned, Peter—filled with the Holy Spirit—threw down the Truth to them as well, not only outright blaming them for the death of Jesus, but also extending to them salvation through the grace of that same Name.

But it’s verse 13 of chapter 4 that always strikes me to the core: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus“ (emphasis mine). Upon reading this line, my mind immediately goes back to another time when Peter was recognized as having been with Jesus…but his response was quite different. “And seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, ‘You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.’ But he denied it, saying, ‘I neither know nor understand what you mean’” (vs 67-68a of Mark 14: 66-72). In fact, this incident is described by all four gospel writers Matthew 26:69-75; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:15-27).

So, there are two key questions that arise here for us to ask ourselves as believers: 

(1) When people interact with me, do they recognize that I’ve been with Jesus? In other words, regardless of what they might think of my intellect, personality, etc., can they clearly acknowledge that I know and follow Jesus as Lord and Savior—whether they agree or not? Friend, once saved, we are new creations in Christ, citizens and ambassadors of heaven, light to shine in this dark world. Are we strangers (strange!) in the world, or are we so like the world that we’re “unrecognizable” believers?

(2) When I’m recognized as being a Jesus follower (“Christian”), what is my response? Am I like the “old” Peter, denying Jesus out of fear—or embarrassment or not wanting to be thought of as weird? Or, like post-Pentecost Peter, do I stand firm in the boldness of who I am in Christ, with the very Spirit of God living in me, unashamed of my relationship with Jesus? I wish I could say that I am this bold every day, in every circumstance. 

My prayer for us all is that we’re inspired by Peter—and Paul and Barnabas and James and John and the other amazing examples of gospel boldness we see in the Bible. That we don’t care what man thinks of our weirdness/oddity/other-ness, because all that really matters is what’s pleasing to God (Proverbs 29:25; Galatians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:4). And that we, like our early Church examples, live to turn the world upside down (Acts 17:1-9) with the God-glorifying, life-changing, heaven-bringing Truth of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father, empower me to stand boldly for Christ, recognized as being with Jesus—always unashamed of the gospel. 

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

~ 2 Corinthians 5:21

If you’ve been reading these devos through the years and have caught my written reflections of God’s grace, today’s inspiration (my dog Caroline) may seem familiar. The Lord has used this incredibly sweet who-knows-how-old former-street-thug rescue to show me different facets of His character—and what my own God-glorifying attitude should be (check them out here, here, and here).

To me and my husband, Caroline is adorable in everything she does. We ooh and aww and marvel over every little thing, whether she’s snuggling with us, lying in the grass basking in the sun, or excitedly jumping around when asked about wanting to “go for a walk”. 

She’s so lovely! And sweet. And perfectly perfect! Even though she’s not.

See, Caroline isn’t objectively adorable. She had a hard life before we adopted her six years ago, living on the streets for at least a couple years and “behind bars” for at least a year after that. Her back left leg hangs about three inches off the ground, having been broken at some point. She sports many scars on her face—likely from racoon or cat fights (or whatever hit her and broke her leg). Her teeth are all brown little nubs. She also had a couple of puppies while on the street, and not getting the “post-natal care” she would have in a loving home took a bit of a physical toll. Enough said there. Yep, most people might say, “Oh, she’s…um, cute,” but when we look at Caroline, we see absolute beauty.

Caroline is also far from perfect. As mentioned, she’s a bit gangster. (Just ask our once-Alpha dog Bella.) She basically does what she wants, and her daily habit of creating a “nest” on our bed would make most people cringe. She’s jumped through a screened window in our kitchen to get outside in hopes of getting to the neighbor’s dog. She tries to attack every truck trailer that drives by while we’re on a walk—especially ones with boats. And she loves to snack on cat poop, whenever possible, so we have to watch her diligently. Even when she’s being incredibly naughty, we can’t help but see her through the eyes of the absolute love we have for her. 

Oh beloved, I hope the gospel bells and whistles are going off in your mind, heart, and spirit! When we surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are in Christ—we become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9; Roman3:21-26). In other words, when God the Father looks at you and me, He sees total perfection and beauty. Even though we’re not (Romans 3:1-20). This is the amazing grace of God. We were depraved sinners, disobedient, dead, and destined for wrath. But God, rich in mercy and great love for us, made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10). And in our salvation, we are washed as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18; 1 John 1:9) and made new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)—we share in His victory over sin and death. Yes, even as we slog through this broken world in our ugly, sin-ridden, flesh-fighting sanctification journey toward Home, we are wrapped in the righteousness of Christ…slogging in victory, not for it. 

One day you and I will be perfect—no ugliness, no scars, no selfish behavior, no sin. Praise God! But, precious friend, please know that when you are in Christ, our heavenly Father already sees you as beautiful and perfect. And although we’re not yet what He sees, we will be (1 John 3:1-3). May the knowledge (and gratitude) of this astounding grace inspire us to pursue what we already have (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 1:6; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31). 

“Oh heavenly Father, thank You for the undeserved righteousness I have in Christ Jesus—that You look at me not how I am (a sinner deserving Your wrath), but who You’ve made me to be: a victor over sin and death…the very righteousness of Christ.”

“For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’…

~Isaiah 46:9b-10

Life is hard. We live in a fallen world full of sinners and broken people. Sure, we who are followers of Christ are redeemed—but we still fight against our sinful flesh and thereby contribute to the damaging stuff of life. Then there’s the world system (culture) run by the god of this world, Satan. He hates God, and he hates you. And he knows his time is short, so this father of lies has ramped up his campaign against us all. 

Now, I’m not a social media girl (thankfully, I avoid all those platforms). And I’m doing my best to disconnect from the growing madness in our country, although it’s a challenge to not see or unsee the relentless “news” reports. But the fact is that we don’t need media of any kind to recognize the truths of life’s trials, tragedies, trepidations, and terrors. A friend’s newborn in NICU. An aging parent with dementia. A neighbor’s body riddled with cancer. A brother at church without a job and about to lose his home. A sister struggling with infertility. The lonely young and the lonely old. Our lost loved ones. Our own physical pain or illness. Who needs CNN or FOX or X or Facebook to put life’s upheavals on blast? 

As Christians, we unequivocally know that we’re in a spiritual battle at all times in this world. And we know with all certainty that we’re fighting from victory, because Jesus conquered sin and death—at least I pray you know that! We probably even quote Genesis 50:20 and Romans 8:28 with much enthusiasm.

Yes, but. We can’t just ignore or deny the sorrow, suffering, sadness. Like David, we cry, “How long, Oh Lord?” We look up to the heavens with shouts of “Why?” and maybe even (kinda like Job), “I’m (They’re) righteous, holy, ‘good’ Christians, Lord! What did I (they) do to deserve this?” Our tears fall and anger rises.

Beloved, these are the very times to crawl up into the lap of God. Run into the Shelter of the Most High. Cling to the Rock. To give Jesus our heavy burden in exchange for His light yoke. And remember: God may not share with us His “why” anytime soon—but we can stand firm that He has one. And it’s always for His glory. Maybe He’ll give us insight to His purposes. Perhaps we’ll look back in a year or five to see it clearly. But maybe we won’t. As with Job, God may just want us to remember that He is God, and we are not. 

But before you get all, “Good grief, Julianne, way to encourage,” let me finish…Sweet friend, God is Sovereign—in control over everything. Every cell, every star, every move of the enemy. Creation, though, isn’t just about the Sovereignty (power/control) of God, but His sweet Providence. According to John Piper’s definition, Providence is “wise and purposeful sovereignty.” Why the differentiation? Because God is good (Psalm 34:8; Psalm 27:13; Nahum 1:7; James 1:17). His power is always and only for His glory…and yes, ultimately, for our good—even if we don’t see it until we’re with Him in heaven.

Here’s a historical quote from the Heidelberg Catechism in 1563 that beautifully defines God’s Providence: “The almighty, everywhere present power of God, whereby, as it were, by His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth with all creatures and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things come not by chance, but by His Fatherly hand.”

Father God, as Job answered You in his repentance, may I say with confident hope, “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.” May I hold fast to Your Providence. 

And opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most truly comprehend now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the one who fears Him and does righteousness is welcome to Him….And all the circumcised believers who came with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

~Acts 10:34-35; 45 (LSB)

The Apostle Peter is so awesome, isn’t he? He goes from vehemently denying his acquaintance with Jesus to boldly proclaiming that Jesus is God and saving Messiah—at the risk (and result) of beatings, imprisonment, and ultimate martyrdom. But even at the start of the Church, Peter and the other Apostles focused on proclaiming the gospel only to the Jews, believing they were the only ones worthy of God’s salvation promise. 

So, as the Lord was already pricking the hearts of non-Jews (aka, Gentiles), He needed to open the eyes of His church leaders. Which He did by giving Peter a rooftop vision and telling him, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” (Acts 10:15; 28). And when a prominent group of Gentiles wanted to hear from Peter, he confidently proclaimed, “I most certainty understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him” (Acts 10:34-35)! Ah, but when the Jewish believers got wind of the Gentile’s salvation, Holy Spirit indwelling, and water baptism, they weren’t exactly thrilled—that is, until Peter shared his vision, God’s word to him, and the glorious transformation of “those people” (Acts 11:1-18). Peter set down the new standard, so to speak, by saying, “If God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” And when the group heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well, then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life” (vs. 17-18). 

Today, we may read the response of those Jewish disciples, shake our heads, and think, “Well, duh, of course the gospel is for everyone! Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord (in repentance and surrender through faith by grace) will be saved!” But let’s do a gut check, shall we? Is that what we really think? Do we hold out trepidation for “those people” who come to our church, whether in searching, salvation, or baptism? Are we holding a proverbial clipboard with a list of “acceptable for salvation” and a list of “doesn’t count for them”? How does your church family react when a woman walks through the doors straight from her job at the strip club because she was driving by and stopped in as a final grasp at hope? What about that tattooed-face guy standing in the baptismal tub up front? Or that video testimony of the adulterous husband…drug-addled pastor’s son…imprisoned murderer? Do your church family members gasp and scoff in astonishment like the early Church Jews? Or do their cheers rival those of the angels in heaven? How about you?

Oh beloved, our attitude must be like the once-astonished believing Jews responded after Peter dropped some gospel facts on them: They GLORIFIED GOD and recognized that God grants new life to everyone HE (not you or I) chooses. There is no distinction other than lost and found, blind and seeing, dead and alive. We are all united IN CHRIST (Romans 10:9-13; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:9-11).

As followers of Jesus Christ, let’s remain in wide-eyed awe of God’s glory in His salvation for ALL who receive. No one is beyond God’s reach. There is no sin greater than the blood-bought grace of Jesus. Instead of looking behind “those people”, look ahead with them for expected transformation as a new creation in Christ. Replace that doubt with trust that God is doing something amazing. And celebrate with the angels.

Lord, forgive me for any judgments I cast on others who proclaim their surrender to Jesus in salvation and baptism. Bring to my mind that I was once Your enemy—lost, blind, dead—but now alive in Christ. If I am within Your reach…anyone is.

“We found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we had opened up, we found no one inside.” Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this.

~Acts 5:23-24

The guard and priests had recently seen the miraculous healing of the lame man at the temple, healed by the Name of Jesus, as well as hearing of thousands more believing (Acts 4:5-12). So, with so many coming to Christ and the reports of more and more healings, all the priests in the council surrendered their own lives to the Messiah! 

Nope. “But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is, the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail” (Acts 5:17-18).

That very night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, releasing the apostles and telling them to go back to the temple and preach the Good News of Jesus. So, when the officials went to get the apostles from their locked, guarded cells, no one was inside. As this was being reported to the captain of the guard and the chief priests, someone came in and said that those same men that should be in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people (5:19-25). Another undeniable miracle! So now, with this miraculous prison break, the guards and temple priests all believed that Jesus is the Messiah! 

Uh, sorry…no. The apostles were brought back in before the Council, where the high priest reminded them that they were given strict orders not to teach the name of Jesus. Peter and the apostles reminded them that they would continue to obey God, not men—and so the priests had the apostles beaten, once again ordering them to keep quiet about Jesus.

Because of the religious leaders’ pride, jealousy, and legalism, they missed the miraculous works of God.

Oh, beloved, does this cut you as it does me? How many daily miracles do I simply ignore because of pride, jealousy, or even just complacency? The indescribable hues of sunrise, uniquely painted by God each morning. The “lucky” or “coincidental” timing that either spared catastrophe or triggered blessing (when there’s no such thing as “coincidence”). Healing of a sickness through medicine or physician that we take for granted because of our modern normalcies (although it had to sift through God’s Providence). Or the raised hand in church of one (or 21 people) responding to the salvation call…is it “just another Sunday” or do we leap with the angels, praising the Lord for the dead who are now alive in Christ?! 

Are we, like the pharisees, missing the miraculous? As followers of Christ, are the miracles of God so commonplace that we look right past them, onto what’s next or, worse, what’s in it for me? 

Let’s begin today to open our eyes. Ask the Holy Spirit—who miraculously lives within every believer!—to reveal God’s glorious work around us and in our lives. Let’s amplify the awe factor from the moment we open our eyes with God’s breath in our lungs, which in itself is amazing. Observe the miraculous in Creation’s beauty, made by God for His glory and enjoyment, which we get the privilege of sharing in. See the very face of God in every person with whom we come into contact—the fellow believer with whom we’re united and made family by the Holy Spirit, as well as the lost, who is made in God’s image and is potentially one gospel conversation away from moving from darkness to light. Embrace deep gratitude for every blessing, no longer taking for granted what we think we “deserve” or is just “expected” in our particular time/place of life. When the prison doors open—for another or even in our own lives—let’s not give into jealousy, pride, or complacency. Instead, let’s celebrate the freedom found in our great God and the glorious name of Jesus. Let’s look for the miraculous and give glory to the Miracle-Maker.

Father God, You are Great and Awesome—showing up and showing off Your Glory constantly. Open my eyes to every miracle you set before me…may I not miss acknowledging Your hand in it all.

I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil. 

~Psalm 101:2b-4

Phones, tablets, smart watches. The opportunity in our day for visual and mental input is pervasive. Succomb to the tantalizing bait with a click, and the next thing you know, the algorithm starts feeding you similar content—whether you liked what you saw the first time or not. Search something on Google (or even discuss something with your phone in earshot) and relevant ads will flood your feeds. Then there are all those streaming tv channels…endless story options that seem interesting, perhaps even tempting a binge-watch because of the “character development” or good-versus-evil plot. Ah, but a few minutes into episode one (or in the first 15 minutes of a film), there it is: the world’s immorality, sin normalized with an underlying soul-numbing message of, “This is natural, acceptable—it’s the way of the world, nothing to get uptight about. You can still live the way you want. After all, this is just entertainment—no harm, no foul.”

Friend, don’t be deceived! These are hissing lies of the enemy. Modern algorithms and streaming shows are his tools to either hook you into sin and trip up your walk with the Lord (and potentially damage your testimony) or lull you into the sleep of ineffectiveness.

Before salvation, we were darkness—but, as surrendered followers of Christ, we are now light in the Lord. So, we’re called to take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness (Ephesians 5:3-17). We are to look carefully how we walk—and what we watch. These days are evil, and Satan knows his time is short. Are you (and I) making the best use of the time? By watching these worldly shows full of sex, homosexuality, cursing, and murder or doomscrolling for hours down dark holes of the same, we are acting like fools, partnering with the ungodly. In this, we befriend the world. But we need to recall the brutally honest exhortation of James: Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4).

“But this is just the way the world is! Am I supposed to give up my smartphone? My television?” (Well, the answer to that is, “Maybe.” It depends on the Holy Spirit’s conviction within you and/or your level of addiction to it all.) For all of us, though, it is about turning away from the dark and setting our minds—and eyes—on things above (Colossians 3:2). It’s about filling our ears, eyes, mind, and spirit with godly things. That which is honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). 

Beloved, let’s assess our input. The shows we stream and the YouTube channels we subscribe to (even the seemingly innocuous ones about health or home—they could be contributing to confusion, envy, fear). This includes our favorite podcasts (political, cultural…maybe even spiritual, if the host tends to drive wedges among the Body of Christ). Let’s make a shift and devote ourselves to quieting the worldly noise. (I’ve already started, and I can tell you that the level of peace and joy I am already experiencing is beautiful. And I haven’t had any social media in about a decade—so my cutting away has been primarily YouTube and tv shows. I recognize that socials have an entirely different level of pull, so eliminating this may hold much greater difficulty.)

My prayer for you and for me in this mirrors that of the Apostle Paul in his letter to Titus (2:11-14): “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.” Amen and amen.

…that you, being firmly rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge…

~Ephesians 3:17b-19a

God is beyond time—He created everything and has always existed (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-4). He is everywhere all at once (omnipresent), and He knows everything (omniscient). God holds everything together with His Word (Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:3)—He is all-powerful (omnipotent). He knew you before He formed you (Psalm 139: 15-16). 

And, no matter who you are, where you are, or what you’ve done, God loves you.

Maybe you’re running from God right now. You want to do life the world’s way, on your own terms. You’re confident that you can think, speak, and act outside of God’s view. Like a toddler who covers her own eyes and thinks she can’t be seen, you fully believe you can hide from God. Oh, but let’s look at the glorious words of Psalm 139:7-10: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I lift up the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.”

Sweet friend, God knows you. You cannot hide or run from Him. He created you for relationship with Him and wants You to be reconciled with Him. That’s why—while we were still running, hiding, sinning—God the Father sent Jesus, the Son who is fully God and fully Man, to live the perfect life we could not and die the brutal death we deserved, making the payment we owed. Then, when Jesus rose victorious over sin and death, we who accept that it counted for us, receive forgiveness and reconciliation with God by grace through faith. This is the love of God for you (Romans 5:6-11). You can stop running…you can rest in His love.

And, believer, what about you? Perhaps you are in Christ—surrendered and saved—but you feel alone, afraid, abandoned? Oh, beloved…it’s a lie from the enemy of your soul! We can never, ever be separated from the love of Jesus. In His victory, we are co-victors—but more than that, we are His children, one with Him and heirs of the Kingdom. More than conquerors. And because of this, nothing, no one, no powers-that-be can put a wedge between us and the love of God. You are not alone.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction, or turmoil, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were counted as sheep for the slaughter.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~Romans 8:35-39

Friend, may you and I root our lives in this truth! No matter what storms come against us (because they will). We are loved and known by God, and we’re made inseparable from the love of God in Christ. And what a mind-blowing joy to read the way Paul talks about this in Ephesians 3, as he’s praying for that church family. He basically says, “Friends, stand firm in knowing the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ’s love…and…rest in the fact that it’s too broad, long, high, and deep for us to ever know.” Amen!

Lord, may every person reading these words recognize the glorious truth of Your love. Love that saves by grace through faith…and love that never leaves or forsakes. And may we all rest in the unknowable power, presence, and vastness of You. 

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe.

~Acts 2:42-43a

It’s week two of the new year…how are your resolutions going? I heard a statistic recently that something like 88% of people who make resolutions have broken them within two weeks. Yikes. There are a lot of reasons why this happens: we set unrealistic goals, we have no strategy, or we simply abandon the initial enthusiasm of it all. 

In diving into the second chapter of Acts, within Peter’s first big sermon after the promised Holy Spirit came upon those gathered, some spiritual resolutions jumped off the page. Now, in addressing the crowd of new believers, Luke (who wrote Acts) didn’t call them “resolutions” per se…he spoke about how they “devoted themselves”. This is beautiful, isn’t it? Yes, we can “resolve” or make a decision to do something. But “devoting ourselves”…this connotes throwing ourselves fully into whatever it is we’re devoted to. As Luke describes the response of the 3000 newly saved, five areas of devotion are clearly defined. And before you think, “Well, these are for newbies in the faith,” let me say that we are never done maturing! From the moment we surrender to Jesus until we’re in His presence in glory, we must grow spiritually. We must devote ourselves to it!

So, what are these five never-ending to-dos from verses 42-43?

1. Savor God’s Word. Carve out time daily to delight in, learn from, and be convicted by Scripture. And sit under the teaching of a solid Bible teacher. And with podcasts, you can also hear from pastors from around the country (whether living and active teachers like John Piper, Ben Stuart, or my own pastor, Joby Martin, or those who have gone to be with the Lord, like John MacArthur and Voddie Baucham). Just be careful of the many popular heretics of our day, who are satisfying itching ears (Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Steven Furtick, to name a few).
2. Engage in fellowship (literally, “partnership”) and discipleship. We are called to not give up meeting (Hebrews 10:25) and to spur one another on as fellow believers (Hebrews 10:24). We’re to sharpen one another, as iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). We do this by being part of a local church community. (Again, online and podcasts are fine, but being present among a church fam is vital!) Maybe this year, you can find a younger believer (younger in the faith, not necessarily chronologically) to disciple. And (note I didn’t say “or”) find someone to mentor/disciple you this year—to keep you accountable and carry your mat when it’s needed (note I didn’t say “if”).
3. Participate in communion. Jesus instituted two ordinances for us believers: baptism and communion. It doesn’t matter how often your church body celebrates communion, as long as it does! Communion is the opportunity for us to remember the Lord’s sacrifice—to contemplate His death and resurrection, proclaiming the gospel through this action.
4. Pray. Without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18). We pray alone, with our spouse or mat-carriers, and in the church gathering. We talk with God, cry out to Him—or just cry to Him, praise Him, thank Him, beg Him. And we listen to Him, through His Word and through the Holy Spirit, our counselor.
5. Stay in awe (verse 43a). Do you “keep feeling a sense of awe” for what the Lord has done for you? For God’s creation? For the astonishment of our senses that point to heavenly reality? For the fact that we were dead, and now we’re alive in Christ? Sweet friend, this is one that I’m particularly focused on being devoted to (immersed in, constantly aware). May we never cease to glorify God for, well, everything.

If you’ve been a follower of Jesus Christ for a day or 50 decades, I challenge you (and me) this year to be devoted to the things that will deepen our relationship with the Lord and make us more like Christ.

Lord, You have given us all the tools we need—including the indwelling Holy Spirit—to be transformed into the likeness of Christ on our way to glory. May I continually devote myself to this purpose.