It’s amazing to see how God created earthly relationships to reflect the relationship we as Christians have with Him. So many times I can be distracted by my earthly relationships that I neglect the relationship I have with my heavenly Father. Isn’t it interesting that our most important relationship is all too often pushed aside in the wake of not enough time, sleep, spending time with friends, etc.

Romantic relationships are wonderful and can be a large source of encouragement. Isn’t it neat to look at a romantic relationship in the light of the gospel? What is the purpose of these relationships? Sure, companionship, pleasure, reproduction, helpfulness, love. Are those things the ultimate ends of a romantic relationship? When two people enter into a relationship together they intensely search to know the other better and be close to the other person. As more and more time is spent together, the two become endeared and desire to spend as much time together as possible. How is that any different than the way our relationship with Christ should be? Why do I tend to focus more on the relationships I can see physically than my relationship with Christ? Do I think that God is going to magically give me an amazing relationship with Him if I do nothing to get to know Him better? Christ desires to have a wonderful relationship in which I yearn to be with Him and spend time with Him. Christ wants to be the lover of your soul.

Tonight I was struck by the awesomeness of God constantly reminding us of Himself in this respect. His creation is constantly pointing back to Him. God has given us relationships, even romantic ones, to show us a small window of our relationship to Him. Christ is subtly saying, “I love you, see this picture of my love I have given to you? My love is even greater. I want to be your ever-burning passion. Pursue me the way you pursue a spouse. I shall be your all and you shall be my beloved.”

Be still and know that I am God.
I led Moses with my rod.
Your fear be great and ever-present,
Forget not the way my heart is bent.
For your best is my interest,
I will direct each detail down to the littlest.

Be still and know that I am God.
Do not follow the path well trod.
Trust me, I love you.
See the grace in all I do.
Follow me and you will grow.
I have more to show you than you even know.

It is understood that everyone is a sinner, but why do we react to other people’s sin as if it were unusual and completely unpardonable? As Christians, we know that God forgives our sins if we confess and turn from them, but why are we so surprised when we find out that others have sin in their life. Are you guilty of judging others with sin in their life? I know I am, I am guilty of being self-righteous without even realizing it. Sometimes it’s only “little things”, but more times than not I am more aware of it when people commit “big sins”.

As Christians we need to realize that our purpose is not to judge others who are dealing with sin. It has been said that the seeds of sin are in every person’s heart. This simply means that it doesn’t matter who you are, your background, or your status—we are all capable of committing any sin. We need to remember this when we discover that someone has allowed a sin to take root and grow. The sin needs to be confronted and we need to do what we can as brothers and sisters in Christ to help our “weaker brother” turn back to the cross.

When you address your brother or sister who is in sin, do you condemn them and make them feel bad for sinning or do you turn their sinful heart to focus on Christ? Condemnation doesn’t bring about change, conviction from the Holy Spirit changes hearts. Christ already bore the condemnation of sin for all eternity when He died on the cross.

Next time when you address another’s sin or simply become aware of it, check your thoughts. Are they thoughts of, “God, thank you for your mercy and sweet forgiveness that allows us to be made whole again in you despite of our short comings” or are they “God, thank you that you have not let me be like that person”?

There is nothing wrong with thanking God from saving or keeping us from sin as long as it is focused on giving God the glory and not focused on our current state in relation to others. The body of Christ is meant to build up and encourage one another, not point out and condemn them when they don’t measure up to our standards, much less God’s standards. Be mindful of your own shortcomings and how kind God was to you and brought you back to Him. Display Christ’s unconditional—even when someone does what you may consider the most grievous sin—love to others, especially when they need it most. The majority of the time an individual is aware of their sin. They don’t need you to tell them how horrible the sin is. What a person needs most when trapped in the snare of sin is tender care and love with the goal of restoration.

Love one another and when you are tempted to judge someone else, remember what Christ has forgiven you.

I struggle with this many times. I desire to have someone to take care of, to show affection towards, and to know that those same things are reciprocated back at me. These are good desires, yet Satan can use these desires to foster discontentment in our hearts. I can also end up being distracted by these desires. I can focus on not having anyone in my life and allow those thoughts to consume me rather than focusing on school or even building and serving in the relationships that I already have.

Now, the desire isn’t going to disappear overnight, in fact, it may not disappear at all. What we do with that desire and how we allow it to affect us is the real issue at hand. What is at the heart of our desire and at times, our wrong pursuit of a relationship? For me, it can be selfishness. I want to have someone to take care of, but at the same time I am looking at someone to fill my wants other than Christ. I am guilty of believing that a tangible form of care is better than God’s care. I hesitate to say His indirect care because it isn’t indirect. In fact, God can use a relationship to show His care for us. Keeping those things in the correct order is the difficult part.

But while you are currently in this state of singleness, use it to glorify God. Being single allows us to serve in a wider span of areas. Being single allows us to be more versatile, we can move wherever we need to and spend more time away from home serving and encouraging others. Being single frees us from the concerns and responsibilities of having a family to take care of. Get involved in your local church, be proactive in your search for ways to serve others, and when you are feeling the desire to be in a relationship, focus on others.

What can you be doing today to encourage others and bring glory to God? What are you doing to be others-focused and where are you putting your trust when all you want is to have a relationship with someone? As I said in the beginning, having these desires are not wrong and there is an appropriate time to pursue a relationship; asking God for wisdom to know when those times are and are not is important to keep in mind. You can be more–if not just as much–fulfilled by living for God as a single than being in a relationship.

Satan can use these times of uncertainty to attack me with disbelief in God’s promises. Satan not only preys upon the strong, but he loves to find the Christian who is already discouraged. This is one reason why Christ gave us the fellowship of believers. Christ knew ahead of time that we would need a physical manifestation of His love for us.

Trusting in Christ’s goodness and believing His promises can be difficult at times, yet it is powerful. We need to be constantly reminded that we cannot allow our minds to stray and allow the thoughts of “what if?” to distort reality. The reality that Christ is in control just as much through your struggle as when you are on that spiritual mountaintop.

Remember that Christ’s love for you is never any less. Unlike our human love which is difficult to do at times, Christ never has a hard time loving you. Christ loves His children unconditionally and He holds your future in His hands. Whether you lose your job, a loved one, or you simply feel like you are drifting. He is allowing everything to happen because it is going to draw you closer to Him and through all these circumstances He is continually sanctifying you and making you more like Him. Rejoice even when all you want to do is cry. Rejoice when the times of uncertainty leave you with the inability to do anything but lean on Christ. He is good.

There are times in life when it seems that even when we do our best to honor and glorify God, the wicked are the ones who prosper. Why is this? Well, sometimes the answer is because this world is all they have to live for. Their focus is not on the world to come, but rather what they can do to have the most money, the biggest house, the best family, etc. They end up missing out on many things because their focus is in the moment and what most benefits them. Psalm 17:14-15 says, “. . . from men by your hand, O Lord, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure, they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants. As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.”

This is particularly encouraging when things seem to be in favor of those who are not obedient to Christ. The fact of the matter is that this life is not what matters. The jobs, the money, the relationships are all temporal. When God made the things of this world for us to enjoy, He purposefully created them in a manner that would satisfy only to a degree. He designed everything to be lacking in ultimate fulfillment except Himself.

How amazing is it to think that our joy is not based on things that will pass away or can change? Our joy is in the Eternal Savior who is only now just starting to bless us. When our eyes close in death, it is not the end; we will awake to the glory of Christ. Instantaneously we will be in the presence of our God.

Whether you are struggling with discontentment or are having a hard time because of overwhelming circumstances, remember that Christ is sovereign over those circumstances as well. Remember that it may seem like you are not being rewarded for your perseverance at the moment, but that is not where your focus should be. Your focus should be on honoring Christ because of your love and thankfulness to Him rather than what you get out of it, even though I am just as guilty as the next person of thinking that way.

Christ will provide, Christ will not forget His children and He will one day reward His children for their faithfulness with an eternal reward. Be faithful now in the little things of everyday life and walk humbly before your God; forget not his many benefits. He is actively pursuing you and loving you. Do the same.

Last night I was at care group and I was struck by the blatant pride I had in my heart. During worship, there are times where if someone has a word they want to share from the Bible or something they want to encourage everyone with, they can do so. I wasn’t leading worship last night so I had a unique opportunity to think about something I wanted to read from the Bible. I had examined the passage to do my best to make sure it aligned with the songs we were singing and I believed it did and would be encouraging. So as we sang, I waited for the short break in which to speak up and share what I had been so blessed by. I will admit, I was excited to a degree because I had never had anything I thought would benefit the whole group.

Finally the time arrived and just before I could start speaking someone else in the room spoke up. I thought to myself, “Ugh, I wish I could have gotten the words out faster because I think it will have a great affect on the next song we sing. Oh well.” As this individual continued to read, I started to become annoyed at the length of the reading. “Come on, doesn’t he know other people may want to share and I don’t see any clear connection with what we are doing or talking about here tonight. WILL YOU PLEASE STOP?!” I don’t know what I looked like on the outside, but I thought I was keeping a pretty good game face on. After a minute or two, I was slammed into a brick wall with the realization that I thought what I wanted to share was paramount to what anyone else shared. I had to confess to God and ask for His forgiveness for my sinful attitude, even when it was me wanting to share something from His Word.

Does this ever happen to you? Do you get tunnel vision and only see your goals? What a small world we live in when we view life this way. Your initial intent is good, but when things aren’t going the way you think they should, suddenly, the heart of the issue is no longer good. Satan can use even the best of intentions to open a doorway to sin.

So what then shall we do? I think the answer is obvious; and yet like most things, the hardest thing to do. We must view others as more important than ourselves. Now you may be thinking, “Well great Josh, that’s easy to say but how do I do it?” This is where the hard part comes in. One way is to simply remember that we have no good thing and we are nothing apart from Christ. We would not even have the ability to live if it were not for the sustaining power of Christ.

If we simply keep in the forefront of our minds that all we have is Christ, we then have no room for boasting. Reminding myself of this is something I am by no means an expert at, but Christ’s grace and love for me allows me to fall and get back up again. When you are tempted to think that your task, your goal, or your opinion is more important than the people around you or the things others have to say, beware. Consider why you believe your message is more important than the souls or loving others around you. I think you will be freshly aware of pride that is growing inside you. Cut it down, do not let it take root and live. Pride will destroy your relationships with everyone. It is a subtle killer of the Christian message and heart.

With continued deliberations in congress about the new healthcare bill and the stated government control and overtaking of yet another large part of American society, fear can be in the hearts of many. Buying guns, seceding from the Union, and overthrowing the government are a few options that have been brought up with how to deal with the situation. The question I ask is, where is your hope and trust placed?

Undoubtedly, all these options will not solve the problems that are at hand. If there is any benefit at all, it will simply delay the impact of these issues. As Christians, what happens when we start to fear and treat God as though He is not big enough to handle all of our problems? What kind of message are we sending to those around us who have no certainty or hope?

Christ makes it evident that we cannot do anything on our own to be stripped from His hands or placed in a situation beyond His control. In fact, God is using these situations to grow trust and faith in us. The Christian life is not one free from pain and struggle. The Christian life is a life free from fear, even though at times, fear is allowed to creep into our hearts and take root.

When the world increases the pressure to “take matters into your own hands,” how do you react? When you haven’t had your devotions in the last week and you are growing faint, what do you turn to? Is it Christ or is it something that simply takes your mind off the issue at hand?

Regardless of the outcome of the future, Christ is in control and He is allowing these situations to occur because He loves you and wants to teach you something. God will not allow hard times to buffet you without teaching you and growing you at the same time. It’s difficult when we do not know the future and when have to simply rely on God’s goodness, bur it is also the most rewarding thing we can do. God doesn’t call us to know the future or have a fail-proof plan. He requires us to walk by faith and trust Him and that He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and obey Him.

The other day I was on my way to school and I couldn’t help but be amazed at the glory of God’s creation. As I drove in my beat up, 1979 Toyota Corolla Sport Coupe I passed by fields of tall grass that were accompanied by a light fog that wafted above the blades of grass. There was a slight bite to the morning air as I held my hand out the window. I couldn’t help but want to skip school for the day and just drive around the country. Later on that day, the temperature rose and I was reminded that fall is still just out of reach. I was not fond of the hot sun that made me perspire in the afternoon heat.

How often are our lives like the day I just described? We are relaxing in the cool of God’s blessings and grace. We are experiencing that spiritual high or just more aware of His abundant goodness in our lives at that moment. All of the sudden, an un-forecasted (I believe I may have just created a new word) dilemma or trial arises. It surprises us and causes our “Shire-like” Christian lives to suddenly become uncomfortable. At first it may not bother us, as time continues however, we grow more agitated with our circumstances and even at God. “God, why couldn’t things have continued being so amazing? I’m not really interested in learning anything new at the moment, I was enjoying the latest victory you had given to me.” That’s where the problem arises.

Christ did not come to earth so that Christians could live posh lives and bask in their own accomplishments. If truth be told, they have no accomplishments apart from Christ’s empowerment. “Well of course they don’t, Josh.” How guilty are we of forgetting this truth? I know that in my life I forget Christ’s complete involvement in anything I do more times than I credit Him. “So what is the point you are trying to make?”

The point is that we need to be thankful for the hard times even more so than the good. Christ gives us the good times and the opportunities to revel in His glory to recover from the battle of life and to show His goodness. Christ gives us the hard times to make those times of rest even sweeter and that we may have a greater appreciation of who He is. Without the hard times we would quickly lose sight of the reason Christ died for you and me. The hard times do more than build character, they draw us nearer to the Savior and that’s the best place we could be. That’s the place Christ desires for us to be.

So the next time you are floating on life’s magic carpet, remember, God in His love and kindness are allowing you to be where you are because He loves you and wants you to enjoy His goodness, but He is not through with you. The real times of growth and wonderful communion with Christ come in the form of suffering and diligence. Not a human self-effort, but a humble reliance that Christ will sustain you to the end and will supply your every need to remain faithful, even when your strength fails you, Christ will uphold you.

We all live a life that at some time is uncertain. It is when these circumstances arise and how we deal with them that is vital to our lives. We may not always see the great importance of the mundane in the grand scheme of life, but in these little moments is where our character is defined.

I’m guilty of living a life that is centered around me. When my plans don’t go accordingly I complain, whine (in a completely adult manner, of course), or take a woe is me approach to the situation. What does this have to say about me? More importantly, what does this have to say about my Savior? If my problems are larger than the grace and provision of my Savior, what kind of Savior is He?

The kindness of Christ working in our lives is evident through the hard times. You may be thinking, “What? That has to be one of the hardest and darkest periods of my life!” Something I’ve come to realize is that those darkest times are the beginning of the most wonderful and joy-filled times in our lives. Our comfort blinds us to the goodness of God. Only when we are on our knees, and our hearts are directed at God and knowing Him more do we find true joy–joy in our ultimate humility–one of the most detrimental things to the growth of a Christian is to be self-focused and proud. How many times do I find myself in that position? More than I would like to admit. I love being in control or at least knowing the entire plan of the one who is in control. God has not called me to be omniscient. God has called me to walk in faith and trust Him.

So when times are hard, life doesn’t make sense, and everything seems to be falling apart, look to your Savior. Seek Him early in the morning and cry out to Jesus. No amount of pulling ourselves up by our boot straps can replace the awesome power and work of Jesus Christ our Savior. I’ve tried it, over and over I’ve been shown the same message. Christ loves me and wants the best for me. My job is to be patient and walk in humble submission of the One who sustains my life and holds me in His hand.