Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking actual words of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

~1 Peter 4:11

Goals. We’ve all got them. Maybe you’re starting on a career path and have that metaphorical “corner office” in view. Or perhaps your current season is about how you can strategically exit the workforce sooner than later to put your time and energy into grandkids and travel. Some aspirations are physical—weight loss, eating better, race prep. Others are more nebulous: be kinder, serve at church more, pray more fervently. Sometimes, goal setting is much more granular: a work project complete, laundry folded, a whole book read, or ensuring you and your children make it through the day without too much screaming, crying, or blood (wait, maybe that was just me). 

At any and all levels, goals are good. But did you know that—for believers—every goal in this life is meant to be undergirded by one primary purpose? We are to glorify God in all things! All things. From our eating (1 Corinthians 10:31) to our suffering (1 Peter 4:16). Let’s explore God’s Word to discover how every goal must be a God-glorifying goal.

Let’s glorify God…

• In our words and actions (Colossians 3:17; 1 Peter 4:11; 2:12)
• In our service to others (Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 4:11)
• In our eating and drinking (1 Corinthians 10:31)
• In the way we use our body (1 Corinthians 6:20)
• In our work (Colossians 3:23)
• In our giving (2 Corinthians 9:13; Hebrews 13:15-16)
• In observing creation (Psalm 19:1; Psalm 115:1; Romans 11:36; Revelation 4:11)
• In seeing other image-bearers of God—including the one in the mirror (Isaiah 43:7; John 13:34-35)
• In our blessings (Psalm 86:12; Philippians 4:19; James 1:7)
• In our suffering and trials (Psalm 50: 15; 1 Peter 4:16; James 5:13)
• In the fruit we bear through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 15:8; Ephesians 3:20-21; Philippians 1:11)
• In our rescue and the amazing grace of our salvation (2 Timothy 4:18; Revelation 1:4-6)
• In knowing the Lamb who was slain on our behalf (2 Peter 3:18; Revelation 5:12-13)
• In God’s coming judgment (Revelation 11:13; 14:7)

So, friend, what are your plans, desires, and ambitions—for this year, this day, this hour? Whatever they are, at its ultimate achievement, will it be God-glorifying? Worth a gut-check, don’t you think? Also, the really cool thing is that placing God’s glory at the center—the foundation—of our goals gives us a deep and beautiful motivation to bring them to fruition. Doing all things for God’s glory may not make said goals easier…but we can step into each of them with a newfound joy of bringing delight and exaltation to our Maker and Redeemer.

Lord, please forgive me for grieving You in my pursuits of self or things of this world. May all my thoughts, words, and actions bring glory to You!

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5 

I’m no horticulturist—I don’t even “do” houseplants. (I will generally do them in if given the responsibility to care for them.) My dear friend Missy, though, she’s a gardening rockstar. In fact, as you walk to her front door from the street, it’s like traversing through a little piece of Eden’s Garden. A stunning quilt of various plant heights, colors, textures, and fragrances. 

Although I don’t share Missy’s passion for planting, I am definitely a great “hortappreciatorist”: an appreciator of all-things-cultivated. From intricately designed, other-worldly looking plants along Black Creek near my house, to the distinct aroma of ubiquitous jasmine in our ‘hood, to the juicy-sweet perfection of a freshly picked orange off my neighbor’s tree. (The branches hang over our fence, so those oranges on our side are technically ours, am I right?)

Think about it: Each indescribable color, surprising texture, and glorious flavor is a unique creation of our amazing God—the fruit of His earth. And, as astonishing as our world’s plants, trees, and fruits are, they are products of a fallen world—a world groaning to be renewed and restored to its original, perfect state (Romans 8:20-22). We (and when I say, “we” I mean people like Missy) can perfectly fertilize, weed, water, and prune, but the results—no matter how stunning—will always only be a shadow of what we’ll experience once the new heaven and earth come to fruition. 

Now, think about humans—man, woman, infant, elderly. Every one of us is a beautiful, womb-knitted creation of God. Each person’s beautiful shade of melanin, distinctive personality, and awe-inspiring story is a magnificent reflection of God. We are His image-bearers into whom He breathed life, intended to glorify Him. But whether we are far from God or saved and being conformed to Christ, we human beings are walking through a fallen world—a world whose god is our enemy, wanting only to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). And, if we admit it or not, we are all groaning to be renewed and restored to our perfected state (Romans 8:18-19; 23). 

Fellow believer, we can—and must—water and fertilize one another toward growth with words of encouragement, grace, and truth…with love in action because He first loved us. But, unlike tending to garden plants, there is only one Source of Life—Jesus, the Vine. It is only in staying connected to Him do we have the right nourishment (the Holy Spirit!) to empower us to bear beautiful fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). And there is One Gardener, God, who will do the necessary and perfect pruning to cultivate who He made us to be (John 15:1-8). (Note: We are NOT the pruners, friend, so let’s watch that scissor-sharp tongue, ready to cut back what we deem as weeds in another’s life.)

Don your gardening gloves! First, let’s introduce our fellow image-bearers to the Master Gardner and connect to our Life-giving Vine, Jesus, by planting seeds of the gospel—decay and death are certain otherwise. Then, let’s fertilize with a combination of truth and love, and water with words and acts of encouragement. We may be privileged to witness some glorious fruit in this life…but we know for sure that when this world and its shadows have passed away, we’ll see clearly the glorious reality of God’s heavenly harvest.  

Father God, let me look into the eyes of every image-bearer of You to see the glory of Your creation, seeing them as You see them—sowing seeds of the gospel and watering their spirit with hope and encouragement.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.       

~Romans 8:5-6

What is your mind set on—the things of this world or the things of God? Are you constantly pursuing the next dollar, promotion, or feel-good activity? Is the culture driving what you watch, how you interact on social media, and your water-cooler conversations? Or do you follow the directives found in God’s Word, from the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:2-7) to the Greatest Commandment (Matt 22:36-40)? Are you, as the Apostle Paul exhorts, keeping your mind on what is true, right, pure, and praiseworthy (Phil 4:8)?

How we answer these questions is crucial. Not just in determining our level of peace and contentment in this life, but also in deciding our eternal reality. 

Let me start with a story. I once heard about a man who was visiting Israel when he came upon sheep being herded across a pasture. The man asked his friend, “I thought shepherds led sheep, yet these are being driven.” The guide responded, “Oh, that’s not the shepherd. That’s the butcher.”

This is a perfect analogy for Christians. The Lord carries us and gently leads us (Isaiah 40:11), He leads us beside still waters of refreshment (Psalm 23:1-6), and He laid down His life for us (John 10:11-17). Once saved by grace through faith in Jesus, we are not left on our own to navigate our new life in Christ—to wander through this evil world whose god is the enemy of our soul. We are given the Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us. He gives us wisdom and counsel, and He convicts us when redirection is needed. 

But friend, we have a choice. We can ignore this gentle guidance. Instead, we can think, speak, and live as the rest of the world does—driven by the lusts of the flesh and eyes, along with the pride of life. Although we each are made a new creation at salvation (2 Cor 5:17), complete transformation is a lifelong process until ultimate perfection when we see Jesus face to face (2 Cor 3:18). This process (“sanctification”) requires that we constantly renew our minds (Rom 12:2) and not conform to the world’s quest to satisfy selfish desires of the flesh—things like sexual impurity, jealousy, fits of rage, ambition, drunkenness, and putting anything before God (Gal 5:13-21).

See, Satan (who is very real, by the way) hates you. He follows behind you, nudging you on with promises of fulfillment and selfish gratification. But he’s really only driving you toward your very earthly—and eternal—destruction.

Friend, it’s a real battle. We can be led by the Spirit or driven by the world. We can either give in to pride and the want for pleasures, or we can surrender to the Good Shepherd who loves us, giving up our old ways and giving Him our burdens. 

So, who will you choose today—the Shepherd or the butcher?

“Lord, You have given us all we need to live this life for You—the Holy Spirit in us! May we yield to Him with every thought, word, and action.”

You will make known to me the way of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.  

~Psalm 16:11

Do you ever send yourself an email or a note on your phone to ensure you remember some idea, to-do, or appointment—or is that just my own aging mind that needs this life hack? Well, lately I’ve needed a bit of reminding on some spiritual stuff, so I thought I’d share this “note to self” with you. 

This particular sermonette-to-self is about choosing joy. In the ESV translation of the Bible, “joy”, “rejoice”, or “joyful” appear over 400 times. Joy is not “happy”—happy is about happenings. Joy transcends our circumstances. As believers, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit (not our own strength) to experience joy in—and in spite of—pain and suffering. So, let’s begin with reminders from God’s Word of some joy-filled truths:

• Psalm 5:11 – But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.
• Nehemiah 8:10 – Do not be grieved, for the joy of Lord is your strength.
• John 15:11 – “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
• Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:8-9).
• May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you abound in hope (Romans 15:13).

Friend, joy is commanded throughout the Old Testament [Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalm 32:11)] and the New Testament [Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4)]. We’re to count suffering for the Lord as joy (James 1:2-3). Like Jesus, we’re to endure the distress, grief, and sorrow of this life for the joy before us (Hebrews 12:2). We’re to share joy with others by rejoicing with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15). And we’re to know that God finds joy in us (Zephaniah 3:17)—that truth alone is a mic drop. 

But the most powerful motivation for choosing joy is our salvation—we were dead and now we’re alive in Christ! We can rejoice in the now because of God’s grace toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). And we rejoice in the hope of our glorified future in heaven. In the madness of this world, the battle against the sinful desires of our flesh, and the constant lies of the enemy, we must hold fast to the fact that Jesus is victorious over it all. And, although the battle is constant, we’re fighting from that victory—not for it. So, circling back to Psalm 16, we find our “how” to joy: “In God’s presence is the fullness joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” We must abide in the Lord, keeping our eyes on Him—and on the One to His right…the exalted Christ.

The current cultural divisiveness, political vitriol, and economical stresses can make embracing joy a challenge (especially if you consume the news or social media). So, it’s absolutely vital that you and I remind ourselves—every single day—that the Lord has created us to be joyful in all circumstances. And He’s given us the indwelt power of the Holy Spirit to make that a reality.

Lord, may I keep my eyes upon Your heavenly throne, upon Jesus who has given me joy unspeakable through His victory over sin and death. In Your amazing grace and truth, may I always choose joy.

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 

~ 2 Timothy 3:12

Very recently in Scottland, new legislation has gone into effect. “The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act” makes it an offense to stir up hatred with threatening or abusive behavior based on characteristics including age, disability, religion, sexual orientation and transgender identity”¹. The legislation also creates a new offense of “possessing inflammatory material” ², and in the eyes of the law, the “insulting” action has to only be “likely”—not actually “intended”³. There is an interesting “protective” free-speech caveat: a specific guarantee that people can still “ridicule or insult” religion.⁴ (Um, ok.) One of the pastors at my church who goes frequently to Scotland for ministry, said that over 400 Scottish pastors are now on a watch list for this “hate crime” legislation because of the truths contained in God’s Word.

Why make a big deal out of this law way across the ocean? Well, there are two reasons: 1) freedom of speech in our nation is being rapidly chipped away, and 2) the Gospel of Jesus Christ—and Jesus Himself—is offensive (1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Peter 2:4-8). And it’s not just Scotland. In fact, there is more martyrdom around the world for the Gospel today than there has been in any other time in human history. According to a recent report from Open Doors, more than 13 Christians are killed each day for their faith. That is shocking enough…but simply for following Jesus:

• 4,125 Christians were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced, or imprisoned. 
• 3,906 believers were abducted.
• More than 3,200 Christians were raped, sexually harassed, or forced to marry non-Christians.
• 42,849 followers of Jesus were physically or mentally abused. 
• Nearly 300,000 Christians were forced to leave their homes, go into hiding, or flee their country of origin. 

And these numbers are likely underreported. Let that sink in. 

This persecution may not be on our own doorstep just yet. But it’s coming. Fast. So, my question to you—and me—is this: Are we willing to be “on the list”? Are we ready to stand firm in the face of persecution and threats to our own safety, family, and life? These warnings are not new. The Bible is full of exhortations to expect trouble and hatred (Matthew 10:22; 1 Peter 4:12-14; 1 John 3:13)—and to be watchful and stand firm (1 Peter 4:19; 1 Corinthians 16:13; James 1:12). But we’re also reminded that, despite our daily—and coming—trouble in this world, Jesus has already overcome the world (John 16:33). He is Sovereign. He is King. And He’s coming back to make everything right (Matthew 16:27; Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7). So, until then, friend, let us stand on the Rock that is our God, preparing for the promise of persecution.

Lord, You promise You’re coming soon. Come, Lord Jesus, come! Until then, give me the strength and grace to persevere what the world and the enemy intend for evil, but You intend for good—and for Your glory.

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”        

 ~Revelation 7:9-10

Family. It can be hard. Sure, we all know people whose immediate and extended families are super tight—they spend as much time as possible together, even live in the same area or neighborhood. That’s so beautiful. But more often than not, those bonds are frayed. Divorce, long-time hurt, unforgiveness, rivalry, and bitterness—sometimes just geographical distance—break apart family trees as if composed entirely of deadwood. 

Then there is our national culture—divisive much? I realize that every generation makes this claim, but in my 50-some years of life, I’ve never experienced such vitriol among people groups. Rage and lawlessness are in vogue. And the America-hatred sentiment being spewed from every corner of our nation is astounding. “United we stand” seems to be a forgotten platitude of the past.

And when you zoom out to the globe in its entirety, well…Jesus’ warning of “wars and rumors of war—nations rising against nation” comes right to mind (Matthew 24:6-8). There are highly publicized battles that are streamed to our screens. But the tumult extends in every direction, with at least 13 civil wars being fought at this moment around the world. 

Finally, even the Church—people and entities claiming to be surrendered followers of Jesus Christ—are skirmishing. We are forgetting the oneness we have in Jesus (Galatians 3:28) and quarreling about all levels of nonessentials, from rapture timeframes to carpet colors. (Now, there are recent splits occurring that involve true apostacy, with some “Christian” churches redacting or adding to God’s Word—but that’s not what I’m talking about here.) 

So, why am I setting such a dark stage with all the above observations? Because there is Light that shines into this blackness! There is truth, grace, and hope that causes the darkness to flee, revealing the God-intended glory of unity. This is the power and majesty of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! As I served on a mission trip in Poland last week, I was privileged to get a real-life glimpse of what John witnessed and wrote about in Revelation 7:9-10 (above). Although I still haven’t processed the full impact of this experience, I can share this much: The singular focus on the Lord and His glory has the power to dissolve fissures of disunity at every level. And I saw this power in real time. 

The power to heal marital wounds. To tightly bond local church members who had never met and, to the outsider, seem to have absolutely nothing in common. This local “church family” quickly and easily extended to others from multiple denominal congregations from around the US. No “us-them” differences…just glorifying God and magnifying His Son. This love of Jesus, pouring into and then through His people on mission in this one area of Poland, transcended language barriers and crossed thousands of miles. 

This all-too-short trip was a powerful celebration of the One who rescues us from the ultimate darkness (Colossians 1:13; John 8:12; Ephesians 5:8). It was over 150 people from different countries, states, ages, and walks of life—in tandem—responding to the call to “Send me” (Isaiah 6:8). It was a glorious family reunion that was merely a dim reflection of what is to one day come. 

Lord, for those who long to taste and see the goodness of the Lord, to experience a pure and undefiled unity that they don’t believe is possible…stir their spirit to “go into the world and proclaim the gospel” (Mark 16:15), that they may shine light into darkness—whether across the globe or in their own neighborhood.

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  

~ 2 Corinthians 4:4

“Satan hates you.” I’ve been using this statement quite a lot lately. Especially as I witness my brothers and sisters in Christ—who are glorifying God and pointing people to Jesus—embattled with the ruler of this world. Because, friend, if you are of the Kingdom of Light, rescued and redeemed by the finished work of Jesus (Colossians 1:13-14), the prince of darkness does, in fact, hate you. It’s true because Satan knows his time grows shorter every day. Shorter to accomplish what, exactly? To prevent people from leaving his losing team for the victorious one…and to keep those of us on Team Jesus from being effective ambassadors of Heaven. 

So, what am I witnessing that brings those words of fact to my lips? Well, I am part of a church family that is very much entrenched on the battlefield. Our pastor always reminds us that once we are rescued by Jesus, we are part of the rescue team—and our church responds. I’ve never been part of a church community that is so engaged in bringing people (all people) into relationship with Christ. Whether quietly serving every time the church doors are open, going onto the global mission field, working tirelessly to save babies, supporting first responders, or diving into the foster system to “care for orphans” as the Bible exhorts, these people are on fire. In fact, we just baptized 1612 people at the beach a few weeks ago. Can you imagine the joyful shouts in heaven? 

Ah, but for all that Kingdom-movement and throne-room celebration, there is the seething, vitriolic hissing of Satan and his minions.

The Bible is clear that Satan is after us (Peter 5:8; John 10:10; Ephesians 6:12). And he causes suffering! He can be behind physical suffering (Luke 13:16; 2 Corinthians 12:7), and he is the impetus behind Christian persecution (Revelation 2:10). Satan tempts all of us with fleshly desires, self-idolatry, and pride…all with the goal of us placing anything and anyone (even ourselves) above Jesus as the Lord of our life. He wants to distract us, hurt us, cause us despair. This great John Piper quote sums it up nicely: “Satan’s aim in causing suffering is to deceive us into believing that God is against us and not for us…Satan aims to undermine our faith in God’s goodness, or God’s power, or God’s wisdom, or God’s kindness. And if Satan can do that, we will be devoured.”

But always remember, beloved, that God is not only Good and Kind and Wise—He is Sovereign! Satan may be the ruler of this world (John 12:31-33; John 14:30), but he’s on God’s leash. And although we are fighting from the place of eternal victory, we still must fight! We must stand firm on the Truth of God’s Word. We must daily put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and resist our enemy (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Another reminder: If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, and Satan is not bothering you…well, consider why he is unconcerned with your activity. Instead, I’d rather get out of bed each morning, thank the Lord for giving me another day to glorify Him, and—with a nod and a smirk—know that my enemy is thinking, “Oh crap, she’s up.” How about it? Let’s look that nasty, smelly, darkness-loving loser in his hateful face and go shine our light.

Lord, let me not grow numb to the schemes of the enemy in my life, but stand firm against him in faith, in the knowledge of the Gospel, and with the Truth of God’s Word.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”          ~Isaiah 55:8-9

My dogs—Bella and Caroline—can spell. No, seriously. Saying the word “walk” would send them into a frenzy, so—years ago—we started spelling the word. And so did they. In addition to other words (like “cookie” and “car”) within their spelling vernacular, there is one that brings only fear and trepidation: V-E-T. Bella runs away to hide. Caroline cowers and starts shaking like a jackhammer. Although our sweet veterinarian has never tortured or tormented my dogs, they absolutely despise going to her office. These visits are always to either ensure the girls are healthy or to get them help to restore something that’s out of whack—whether they’re clearly in pain or just not acting like themselves.

The thing is, they’re dogs. Unlike us, their masters, they cannot grasp the concept that going to the vet is for their ultimate good. They don’t understand that the poking and prodding—no matter how distressing for them at the time—is from love and concern. And they do not realize that any uncomfortable (or even painful) prescribed treatment will lead to healing. Sometimes it’s a quick and easy fix—everyone involved is joyously relieved with little time, pain, and expense. But then my mind goes to that big head cone that each of my dogs has had to endure at some point. They absolutely hate it, but it keeps them from focusing on their pain, making an injury worse, or hindering restoration. Not a quick fix.

See where I’m going with all this?

As followers of Christ, we must see ourselves as the dogs in this scenario (not in a “furries” kinda way, mind you). There will be times throughout our walk with the Lord, when we will be hurting and out of whack—whether due to the consequences of sin, the fallenness of this world, or the enemy himself. We limp around, whimper, and cry out in agony. Unlike our pets who don’t entreat us to intervene, we do look to the Lord for help. We just want the pain to go away.

And here’s where the Bella-and-Caroline analogy really kicks in. Because God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9), He will address our situation according to His Sovereignty—for His purposes, His glory, and our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). But we won’t always like it.

Are there times when God instantly and miraculously delivers us from disease, distress, and danger? Of course! I’ve seen it in my own life and, just the other day, I witnessed a cascade of miraculous reversals of a friend’s suffering in a 24-hour period. More often than not, though, we are taken to the v-e-t, so to speak, in our anguish. We lift our eyes to our Master for relief but are met with purposeful discomfort and distress as He uncovers (for us, not Himself) what’s going on. He pokes and prods to shine a light on sin in need of repentance and to identify any eye-protruding logs. Sometimes, friend, He just needs to place a proverbial head cone around our neck, so we’ll focus on our relationship with Him and not the circumstances around us—because that’s where our true restoration is found.

In our walk through this world toward our heavenly home, we may not understand all the whys of our pain. But God, our Master, knows what’s best for us. We have to trust Him and not lean on our pea-sized-brain understanding (Proverbs 3:5). By keeping our eyes on Him, we will find perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3), whether He delivers quick relief, provides eventual healing, or just comforts us through long-lasting suffering.

I trust You, Lord—help me to trust You (Mark 9:24)! Reveal to me the truth of my pain, Lord. Be glorified through it and show me the good You have for me in it.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

~ Romans 8: 28-30

You’ve probably heard of the “3 Rs of learning” (well, if you’re over 40, that is). “Reading, writing, and arithmetic”—or “reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmatic”. (Yeah, I know, it seems a bit ironic, doesn’t it?) The concept of these education must-haves originated with St. Augustine in one of his writings from the fourth century. But the mispronunciation of this education triplet is thought to have been coined in a speech by Sir William Curtis about 1807.

1. Payment. At the very moment we surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior, accepting what He did on our behalf, the payment we owe to God is paid in full. Our sin is nailed to the cross of Calvary, and we are made righteous in God’s sight, clothed with Christ’s righteousness (Galatians 3:27; 2 Corinthians 5:21). We are forgiven, made new, sealed with the Holy Spirit, and heaven bound. In an instant, you and I are justified…and because of Jesus, God looks upon us “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned. And it’s one and done.
2. Process. This is sanctification. It’s a journey from that moment of salvation until we are in the presence of the Lord. And it’s not easy. Although we are brought from spiritual death to life at our moment of surrender, we’re still living in this fallen world, in this body of flesh. And the path onward is hard. It takes work, practice, and perseverance. Do not misunderstand, friend, we do not work, practice, and persevere to earn our salvation! We put in the effort to become more like Jesus day by day. We run toward the goal with steadfastness and joy. Sometimes we step off course, but we turn our eyes back to the cross and keep going. Switching analogies here to bring the point home…like a sculptor at work, the Holy Spirit and God’s Word chisel us to create the masterpiece we were meant to be (2 Peter 1:10; 2 Corinthians 3:18). 
3. Perfection. When are we fully transformed into that masterpiece? When we slough off this body of death and step into the presence of Jesus—this is glorification. And how do we know we will be perfected one day? Because it’s promised to us! The Apostle Paul says, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Not only will we have a new physical body (praise the Lord), but the very presence of sin will be gone (Revelation 21:27)! Today, as we walk through the world, it’s like living under the bottom of a tapestry. There are messy knots and broken threads that seem useless. But once in heaven, our perspective shifts to the top of the tapestry. We will see how every stitch has been purposeful…how every seemingly chaotic color scheme below actually fits into a meticulous design. On that day, we will know fully and see the perfected beauty of it all (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Lord, thank You for salvation, for paying the debt I owe but could never pay on my own. Thank you for the Holy Spirit working in me to transform my life daily to be more like Jesus. And thank You that one day I will be in Your presence forever and completely free from the very presence of sin.

And they were glorifying God because of me. 

~ Galatians 1:24

Let’s face it, people talk about other people. We gush over celebrities, comment on who’s doing what around us (and how they’re doing it), and we express disdain when we witness someone doing what we call evil. And although gossiping is clearly defined as a sin in God’s eyes (Psalm 101:5; Romans 1:29; 1 Timothy 5:13), we Christians are guilty of doing it…even sometimes under the guise of a “prayer request” on behalf of another. 

Yep, people talk. But we’re not going to address the negatives of using our tongue for slander and gossip—not this time, anyway. The fact is that every word we utter and every action we take combine to establish our reputation. This is true whether it’s a one-off interaction with someone at Walmart, or within a decades-long friendship. But we’re not even going to dive into how we must be motivated by what God, not other people, thinks of us—this, too, is a whole other sermonette (Galatians 1:10). Instead, let’s look at what people are saying about us…or rather, what they say about God because of us. 

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16; Ephesians 5:8). And by doing so, in word and action, we are to glorify God. Eating, drinking, working—everything! All for God’s glory (1 Corinthians 6:20; 10:31)! But as Jesus clearly states in Matthew’s gospel (5:16): We shine before others so that they give glory to our Father in heaven. Or, as the Apostle shoots it straight: “And they were glorifying God because of me” (Galatians 1:24). 

This is what the Christian life is all about, isn’t it? Giving God glory. But it’s also about ensuring that you and I live life so that others will glorify God because of us—our words, actions, and attitudes. So, let’s search ourselves, shall we? In the past week (or day even), how have we been responding to challenges, pain, disappointment? How have our interactions with others gone, especially with those whom we disagree (or drive differently from)? Attitude check: Have we been complaining, arguing, griping? And, yes, how have we been wagging our tongues about others? 

There’s so much division and anger and hatred fomenting today. Lies, fake news, social media vitriol. Not to mention, a whole lot of self-glorification. But, friend, within this darkness lies ample opportunity to shine. To do all things, always and only, for the pleasure of God and to magnify His glory…and to invite others to do the same. Because it just takes a tiny spark of light to chase away the darkness.

So, let’s commit to making a reputation for ourselves. To give off a sweet-smelling aroma and the warm light of love and grace, so that we leave people talking. Not talking about us, though…instead, let’s leave them amazed at the loving, grace-giving Lord we serve.

Lord, I will not fear (or care about) what people have to say about me—You are my Audience of One. And may I walk closely enough to you in this life that, like the Apostle Paul, others glorify you because of me.