Abiding In Him Devotional Archives: Recent Episodes
Jimmy Larche
Text: James 1:22-25
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” —1 John 3:1 (ESV)
There is an extraordinary story told by a woman named Marina Chapman. As a young child in Colombia, she was reportedly kidnapped and abandoned in the jungle. According to her account, she survived for years among a troop of monkeys. She learned their behaviors, ate what they ate, slept where they slept, and gradually adapted to their way of life.
Then one day she saw something that changed everything.
She looked into a pool of water and saw her reflection. For perhaps the first time, she realized a profound truth: “I am not a monkey.”
She had been living like them. She had adapted to them. She had learned their habits and their ways. But her identity was something entirely different. That realization marked the beginning of her journey back to who she really was.
Just as Marina’s life changed when she saw her reflection and recognized who she truly was, James tells us that God has given us a mirror as well—His Word.
James writes, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.”
First-century mirrors were made of polished metal. The image they reflected was not flawless, but it was accurate enough for a person to see themselves as they really were. James says God’s Word serves as a spiritual mirror, revealing the truth not only about who God is, but also about who we are before Him.
The problem James identifies is not that the man never looked into the mirror. The problem is that he walked away and forgot what he saw. In contrast, the person who continues in God’s Word remembers. He abides. He allows the truth to shape his life.
The danger James warns us about is forgetting what God has revealed about us. We forget our identity. We forget whose we are. As a result, we spend years surrounded by the values of the world. We learn its fears, its ambitions, its priorities, and its ways of thinking. We are lured into its race for success, significance, and self-promotion. We compare ourselves to others. We seek approval from people. We define ourselves by our accomplishments, failures, wounds, or past mistakes.
But the mirror of God’s Word reveals a different reality:
“I am not who I thought I was.”
I am not merely the sum of my failures. I am not defined by my wounds. I am not the labels others have placed upon me. I am not my worst decision. I am not my greatest accomplishment. I am not what the world says I am. Through Christ, I am a child of God—chosen, loved, forgiven, accepted, and redeemed.
This is what happens when we remember who God says we are.
God’s Word does more than expose our flaws; it reminds us of our identity and restores us to it. The world says you must earn love. God says you are loved through Christ. The world says your value depends on what others think. God says your value was demonstrated at the cross.
The Christian life is a continual process of returning to the mirror of God’s Word and remembering who we really are. Abiding in Christ means returning again and again to the truth of God’s Word until our identity is shaped by Him rather than by the voices around us.
Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PrayerFather, thank You for revealing my true identity in Christ. Too often I allow the world, my past, my failures, or my fears to define me. Help me to return daily to the mirror of Your Word and remember who I am because of Jesus. When I am tempted to listen to other voices, remind me of what You have declared to be true. Teach me to abide in You and to live from the security of being Your beloved child. Amen.
Reflection Questions1. What voices or influences have most shaped the way you see yourself recently? 2. In what ways are you tempted to find your identity in accomplishments, failures, approval, or past experiences? 3. What truths does God’s Word reveal about who you are in Christ? 4. Are there any lies about yourself that you need to replace with God’s truth? 5. What is one practical way you can return to the mirror of God’s Word this week and remember who you really are?
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Text: Mark 2:1-12
“My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within me.” —Song of Solomon 5:4
Firemen carry axes with them, as well as water hoses. They know all too well that they may have to burst through a wall, or knock down a door in order to save the life inside.
When a house is on fire, no firefighter stands politely on the porch ringing the doorbell and hoping someone answers. The urgency of the situation demands action. If there is a life trapped inside, they will do whatever is necessary to reach that person. They break through barriers. They force open doors. They enter dangerous places because someone on the other side matters.
That image came to mind recently as I was reading Song of Solomon. Hidden within this beautiful love story is a remarkable picture of pursuit. The bride says, “My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within me.” (Song of Solomon 5:4). The beloved is not standing at a distance waiting to be noticed. He is reaching through the door. He is pursuing the one he loves.
Throughout Scripture, we find a God who does exactly that. He reaches into ordinary lives and interrupts comfortable routines with His divine purposes. Gideon was hiding in a winepress when God reached through the door and called him a mighty warrior. Nehemiah was serving comfortably in the king’s palace when news from Jerusalem reached his ears and awakened a burden that would change the course of his life. Simon Peter was casting nets on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus walked by and called him to leave everything and follow Him. Saul of Tarsus was traveling down the Damascus Road when Christ dramatically intervened and transformed a persecutor into an apostle.
Again and again, God reaches through the doors people have built around their lives. He disrupts our plans, challenges our assumptions, and calls us into something greater than we ever imagined for ourselves. What often feels like an interruption is actually an invitation. The unexpected burden, the loss, the difficult circumstance, the life-changing conversation, or the new opportunity may be God’s hand reaching through the door.
The challenge for us is not simply recognizing when God reaches through our door. It is also being willing to reach through the doors of others. The friends who carried the paralyzed man to Jesus understood this principle. When they could not get through the crowd, they climbed onto the roof, tore it open, and lowered their friend before the Lord. They refused to let obstacles keep someone from experiencing the healing and hope found in Christ.
There are people all around us whose lives are quietly burning. Some are trapped by fear. Others by loneliness, addiction, grief, shame, or hopelessness. They may never ask for help. They may never open the door themselves. Yet Christ calls us to love them enough to act. Not with judgment or force, but with compassion, courage, and persistence.
Jesus reached through the door for us. He entered our brokenness. He pursued us when we were lost. He came to rescue us when we could not rescue ourselves. And now He sends us into the lives of others with that same relentless love. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for pursuing me when I was far from You. Thank You for reaching through the barriers of my heart and calling me to Yourself. Help me recognize Your hand at work in my life and give me the courage to respond in faith. Fill me with Your compassion for those around me, and teach me to love others enough to reach through the doors that stand between them and the hope found in You. Amen.
Reflection Questions
- Can you identify a time when God unexpectedly interrupted your plans and used it to draw you closer to Him? What happened?
- Are there any “doors” in your life right now that you have been keeping closed to God? What might He be asking you to surrender or trust Him with?
- Who has God used to “reach through the door” of your life with encouragement, truth, guidance, or love? How did that person impact you?
- Is there someone in your life who may be hurting, struggling, or feeling unseen? How might God be calling you to reach out to them this week?
- The friends of the paralyzed man were willing to overcome obstacles to bring someone to Jesus. What is one practical step you can take to help someone experience the love and hope of Christ?
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“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” —Job 13:15
Teresa of Ávila once captured our human tendency to wrestle with suffering in a way that still feels refreshingly honest.
As the story goes, while traveling to one of her convents, she fell from her horse while crossing a freezing stream and was nearly swept away by the current. Frustrated by what felt like one hardship after another, she complained to the Lord. According to the story, Christ replied, “Do not complain, daughter, for it is ever thus that I treat My friends.”
With her trademark wit, Teresa fired back, “Ah, Lord, it is also on that account that Thou hast so few!”
In modern language: Lord, if this is how You treat Your friends, no wonder You have so few.
Her humor resonates because it exposes something deeply human. Many believers quietly assume that obedience should produce smoother roads, fewer disappointments, and easier outcomes. When suffering arrives, we can begin wondering whether God has forgotten us.
But the encouraging truth is not that God delights in making His friends suffer—it’s that He doesn’t waste suffering, and He does not abandon His friends in it.
That is why Teresa’s story resonates. She was not mocking God; she was demonstrating the kind of relationship where reverence and honesty coexist. Her words echo the language of lament found throughout Psalms and find deeper expression in Job.
Job lost his wealth, his health, his children, and his sense of stability. He sat in ashes scraping sores from his skin while trying to make sense of unbearable pain. Yet what makes Job remarkable is not that he remained emotionally composed. He questioned God. He lamented. He wished he had never been born. He demanded answers.
And yet he never fully let go of God.
Job shows us that authentic faith is not pretending everything is fine. It is bringing our confusion directly to God instead of running from Him. Job teaches us that grief and trust can coexist. Lament and loyalty can live in the same heart.
This matters deeply for our discipleship journey because many believers mistake honesty for weakness. They assume mature Christians should suppress disappointment and offer polished prayers and anything less is irreverent. But mature faith is not sterile; it can still limp with a laugh, or worship through tears. It can wrestle with God without walking away from Him. It can acknowledge pain while still trusting His character.
Following God does not exempt us from suffering—it teaches us where to take our suffering.
When life feels unfair, faith invites us to keep showing up before God with raw honesty and surrendered trust. Like Teresa, we can be honest. Like Job, we can endure mystery. And through both, we learn that God is still present—even when we do not understand what He is doing.
Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PrayerLord, thank You that You welcome honest prayers. Teach us to bring You our grief, questions, and disappointment instead of running from You. Help us trust Your heart when we cannot understand Your ways. Give us faith that can worship through tears, endure hardship, and remain close to You in every season. Help us abide in You today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Reflection Questions1. When hardship enters your life, what is your natural response—withdrawal, frustration, self-reliance, or honest prayer? 2. Have you ever felt pressure to present “polished prayers” to God instead of bringing Him your real emotions? Why? 3. What does Job teach you about the difference between questioning God and abandoning God? 4. Is there a current situation in your life where you need to trust God even though you do not understand what He is doing? 5. What would it practically look like for you this week to “worship through tears” and remain faithful in a difficult season?
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Text: Joshua 14:6–15
“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” —Isaiah 40:31
Fauja Singh didn’t begin serious running until his late 80s after moving from Punjab to London. While most professional marathon runners retire by age 40, Singh made his debut at 89. Then at 100 years old, he completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. It took him more than eight hours, but he crossed the finish line—proving endurance is often more about spirit than muscle.
That’s inspiration for those of us who haven’t even run our first 5K yet—or those who think cardio is jogging to the microwave before the popcorn burns!
While most people assume aging means slowing down, Singh became living proof that your later years do not have to be your lesser years. That same kind of endurance—though far more spiritually significant—shows up in Joshua 14. Caleb stood before Joshua at eighty-five years old and made one of the boldest declarations in Scripture:
“I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me… Now therefore, give me this mountain…” (Joshua 14:11-12)
That statement becomes even more powerful when you remember his story.
Caleb was forty years old when he first spied out the Promised Land in Numbers 13. While ten spies focused on giants, fortified cities, and fear, Caleb saw the same obstacles through the lens of God’s promise.
Scripture repeatedly says he “wholly followed the Lord.” He waited while an entire generation wandered in the wilderness because of unbelief. He watched people die who once mocked his faith. He lived through delays that were not his fault. Yet bitterness never poisoned him. Passivity never settled in. He never said, “I guess my opportunity has passed.”
Instead, he stayed ready.
He preserved his spiritual fire, physical strength, and sense of calling because he believed God’s promises had no expiration date on either his life or his assignment.
Many people grow old long before they grow older. They surrender their mountains through cynicism, disappointment, comfort, or distraction. They stop training, stop dreaming, stop praying dangerous prayers, and settle into spiritual retirement. Caleb did the opposite.
At eighty-five, he wasn’t asking for a rocking chair. He was asking for a mission field.
Caleb was still pursuing assignment. He wasn’t looking for the easiest land—he wanted the mountain where giants still lived. The place others avoided became the place he embraced because he believed God still had territory left for him to influence.
Age had not diminished his calling. Delay had not weakened his faith. Waiting had not convinced him that his most meaningful contribution was behind him. Caleb’s strength wasn’t merely about good genetics or military discipline. It flowed from a heart that remained aligned with God over decades. He kept himself strong because he lived like God still had unfinished promises to fulfill.
Caleb understood something many people miss: if God is still giving you breath, He is still giving you purpose.
There are still mountains to take.
There are still giants to face.
There are still missions to embrace.
There are still lives to impact.
For those who wholly follow the Lord, purpose does not retire. Faith does not have to shrink with age; it can actually be stretched. Are you maintaining your spiritual strength for future assignments God has not yet revealed? Are you preparing like there is still a mountain with your name on it? Are you living as though your most fruitful years could still be ahead—whether you are 25, 45, or 85?
The kingdom of God has no retirement plan for faithful obedience. In fact, those who abide in God’s promises often discover their greatest victories come after their longest seasons of waiting. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PrayerLord, keep my heart fully devoted to You. Guard me from settling into complacency, cynicism, or fear. Help me remain spiritually strong in seasons of waiting. Teach me to believe that Your promises are still worth pursuing and that my best days in You are not behind me. Give me courage to take every mountain You place before me. Amen.
Reflection Questions1. What “mountain” has God placed on your heart that you may have stopped believing for? 2. Have delays caused you to lose passion or expectation? 3. What habits help you remain spiritually strong over the long haul? 4. Where have you been tempted to settle instead of pursue? 5. If you truly believed your best days in God were still ahead, what would change today?
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Text: Luke 19:1–10
“I will never leave you or abandon you.” —Hebrews 13:5
Years ago, when we began spending Saturday nights inside a juvenile detention center with teenage boys whose stories had been shaped by abandonment, violence, addiction, and fatherlessness. Behind the hardened exteriors were young hearts starving for initiation—for someone to fight for them, believe in them, and show them that their lives were not destined to become the sum of their wounds.
One of the first boys to respond to the gospel was fourteen-year-old Ricky. After every Bible study, before we could even pack up our materials, he would run to the phone and call home to tell his family everything he had learned about Jesus. His younger brother, Reuben, listened quietly from the other end of those calls, watching a new story unfold in his brother’s life.
After Ricky was released, we took both brothers to dinner and a minor league baseball game. Somewhere beneath the stadium lights, with their feet hanging over the bleachers, Reuben finally voiced the question that had been stirring in his heart: “Why are you doing this for us?” Beneath that question was a deeper one many wounded hearts carry: Am I worth pursuing? Does anyone truly see me? That night, we told him about a God who relentlessly pursues orphan-hearted sons, and before the evening ended, Reuben gave his life to Jesus.
The truth is, Reuben’s question is the same question echoed throughout Scripture. It is answered scandalously in the life of Jesus, who continually moved toward the forgotten, the wounded, the wandering—and especially those pushed aside by self-righteous religious people—to show them they were deeply seen and fiercely pursued by the heart of God.
One of the clearest pictures of this is found in Luke 19. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector—wealthy, corrupt, and despised as a traitor to his own people. He climbs a sycamore tree simply hoping to catch a glimpse of Jesus as He passes through Jericho. But before Zacchaeus ever speaks a word, Jesus stops, looks up, calls him by name, and says, “I must stay at your house today.”
The religious crowd looked on with contempt. Why would a holy man associate with someone like him? Yet that is precisely the heart of Christ. He moves toward the people others write off. He pursues the overlooked, the morally compromised, and the spiritually restless. Zacchaeus thought he was searching for Jesus, only to discover that Jesus had been pursuing him all along—because “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
What Jesus did for Zacchaeus—and what He did for Reuben—is what He still does for us: He steps into our hiding places, calls us by name, and reminds us that grace is never earned by the worthy, but freely given to those willing to come down from the tree and receive it.
Some people wander loudly; others wander quietly. Some run toward addiction, destructive relationships, pornography, anger, or rebellion, trying to numb wounds they do not know how to heal. Others drift into quieter forms of exile—buried beneath shame, loneliness, anxiety, secret sin, disappointment with God, or the ache of feeling unseen.
Some have been wounded not by the world alone, but by religious people who pointed fingers of condemnation, offered rules without relationship, and made them feel as though their failures had placed them beyond the reach of grace. Some sit in churches every week feeling profoundly unknown. Others have walked away entirely, convinced they are too far gone. But wherever your wandering has taken you—into obvious rebellion or quiet despair—the pursuing heart of Christ has not stopped moving toward you. Not ever.
People may walk away. Man-made institutions will fail you. But Jesus is relentlessly faithful—unwavering in His mercy and unwilling to abandon the ones He calls His own.
The question is no longer whether Christ is pursuing you—the cross settled that forever. The question is how you will respond when His grace finds you. Will you keep hiding behind shame, cynicism, distractions, and self-protection? Will you remain in the tree like Zacchaeus, observing Jesus from a distance while guarding your wounds? Or will you come down—honest, surrendered, and open to the kind of love that can heal what you have spent years trying to outrun? Grace invites a response, and the safest place you can be is in the arms of the Savior who has already come looking for you.
Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Jesus, thank You for pursuing me even in seasons when I was running, hiding, doubting, or convinced I was too far gone. Thank You for seeing beyond my failures, my wounds, and the labels others have placed on me. Forgive me for the ways I have resisted Your love or tried to heal myself apart from You. Give me the courage to step out of hiding and respond to Your grace with surrender. Heal the places in my heart marked by rejection, shame, and disappointment. Help me believe that I am fully seen, deeply loved, and worth pursuing because of Your relentless mercy. Teach me to rest in Your love and follow wherever You lead. In Your name, amen.
Reflection Questions:
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In what ways have you identified with Reuben’s question: “Why are you doing this for us?” Have you ever struggled to believe that you are truly worth pursuing?
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Are there areas of your life where you have been wandering—through obvious rebellion, quiet despair, distraction, or spiritual distance from God?
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Have past experiences with religious people ever distorted your view of God’s heart toward you? How has that affected your willingness to trust Him?
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What “tree” are you hiding in right now—shame, fear, control, busyness, cynicism, secret sin, or something else? What would it look like to come down and respond to Christ’s pursuit?
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How might God be calling you not only to receive His pursuing love, but also to pursue someone else who feels forgotten, overlooked, or far from grace?
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Text: Isaiah 52:7–10
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” —Romans 10:15
Whenever I serve in cross-cultural mission settings overseas, I love gathering our team in a circle before we begin ministry and taking a picture of everyone’s feet—dust-covered shoes, worn sneakers, muddy boots, sandals that have walked village roads and city streets. To most people, it looks like an odd photo. But to me, it has become a quiet liturgy. Every pair of shoes tells a story of someone who came, someone who crossed borders, someone willing to carry good news. And every time I take that picture, I think of Isaiah’s words: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news.”
The beauty is not in the shoes themselves. It is in what they represent—ordinary people sent by an extraordinary God.
There are moments in history when one message changes everything. In Isaiah 52, Jerusalem sits in the ashes of exile, worn down by shame and captivity. Then comes the cry from the mountains: “Your God reigns!” It is the announcement of rescue before the full rescue is seen. This is a chapter of awakening. God calls His people to rise from the dust, shake off the chains, and clothe themselves again in dignity (52:1–2). Their identity had been buried beneath suffering, but God had not forgotten them. Redemption was coming—not because they earned it, but because the Lord Himself would act.
At the heart of the chapter is the beautiful vision of the messenger running over the mountains with good news of peace, salvation, and the reign of God (52:7). It is one of Scripture’s clearest previews of the gospel. Long before Christ’s earthly ministry, Isaiah saw the day when God’s saving rule would break into the world. And yet Isaiah 52 is not only about deliverance from captivity, but abiding in God’s redeeming presence. The call to “depart” and be holy (52:11) is not mere separation from Babylon; it is an invitation to walk closely with the God who goes before and behind His people (52:12). Abiding means trusting that the God who calls us out also surrounds us.
The chapter then turns toward the Servant (52:13–15), introducing the suffering Messiah who would accomplish redemption in a way no one expected. Exaltation would come through humiliation. Victory would come through sacrifice. The road to glory would pass through the cross.
What does this mean for us? We all know what it feels like to sit in the dust at times—bound by fear, regret, exhaustion, or disappointment. Isaiah 52 reminds us to rise in faith because God has spoken a better word over His people. It reminds us the gospel is not simply news we receive; it is news we carry.
To abide in Him is to live as people awakened by good news. It is to hear again, “Your God reigns,” when circumstances say otherwise. It is to walk free from chains Christ has broken. And it is to become messengers ourselves, carrying peace into wounded places.
Maybe your “beautiful feet” are not crossing oceans but walking across a classroom, a prison block, a neighborhood street, or into a child’s life who needs hope. The beauty is not in how far the feet travel, but in the gospel they carry. When we rest in Him, our lives bear “good news” fruit—not by willpower, but by His indwelling life. The exchanged life becomes the abiding life, and the abiding life becomes the fruitful life. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, awaken my heart again to the beauty of Your gospel. Help me rise from every place of fear or weariness and walk in the freedom You provide. Teach me to abide in Your reigning presence and make my life a bearer of good news to others. Amen.
Reflection Questions
- Where is God calling me to “rise from the dust” in faith?
- How does “Your God reigns” speak into a current struggle I’m facing?
- What chains has Christ already broken that I need to stop wearing?
- How can I carry the good news of peace into someone’s life this week?
- What does abiding in God’s redeeming presence look like for me today?
How to Talk about Jesus (Without Being That Guy): Personal Evangelism in a Skeptical World
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Abiding Beyond Our Boundaries
Text: Acts 11:1-18
“So if God gave them the same gift He gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” —Acts 11:17
A ministry leader once said, “We rarely recognize the sin of omission. We criticize the guy who fed too much sugar to starving children rather than criticizing the thousands who fed them nothing.”
It’s easier to critique imperfect action than to confront our own inaction. Easier to critique the method than to carry the weight of the mission. And sometimes, without even realizing it, we don’t just hesitate—we actually stand in God’s way.
In Acts 11, Peter returns after witnessing something extraordinary: God poured out His Spirit on Gentiles—outsiders—through the household of Cornelius. No conversion to Judaism. No adherence to cultural expectations. Just grace. Just Jesus.
But instead of celebration, he’s met with criticism.
Church insiders pushed back against his outreach to outsiders—not because they didn’t love God, but because they struggled to understand how God was moving beyond their expectations.
“You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
That was the issue—not the salvation of souls, not the evidence of the Spirit, not the hope of the Gospel crossing cultural lines. So Peter recounts the vision, explains the moment, and points to what God did. And then he says:
“If then God gave the same gift to them as He gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
That question cuts through everything—not, “Was this comfortable?” or “Did this fit our system or the way we have always done it?” but, “Is God at work—and am I resisting it?”
Abiding in Christ means we don’t just stay rooted in Him—we stay responsive to Him. Because when we’re truly abiding, we don’t guard boundaries God is breaking—we follow Him as He moves.
So where does this meet us today? In what ways do we stand in God’s way of reaching outsiders? When we prioritize comfort over obedience. When we measure people by background instead of grace. When we hesitate to engage the messy, the broken, the unfamiliar. When we critique methods more than we celebrate mission. When we build circles that are hard to enter but easy to stay inside.
Sometimes it’s not what we’re doing—it’s what we’re avoiding. The Gospel moves toward the outsider—no borders, no limits—and when it does, it stretches us, challenges us, and calls us beyond what feels safe. The question isn’t whether God is moving, but whether we’re willing to move with Him, because at the end of the day, we all have to answer Peter’s question:
Who are we to stand in God’s way?
PrayerLord, forgive me for the times I’ve resisted what You were doing because it didn’t fit my expectations. Give me a heart that is aligned with Yours—one that moves toward people, not away from them. Help me to recognize where I’ve stood still when You were calling me forward. Teach me to abide in You in a way that keeps me responsive, surrendered, and ready to follow wherever You lead. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Reflection Questions1. Where might I be more comfortable critiquing than stepping into action? 2. Have I ever struggled to recognize God’s work because it didn’t fit my expectations? 3. Who are the “outsiders” God may be calling me to move toward right now? 4. In what ways have I prioritized comfort or control over obedience? 5. What would it look like for me this week to stop standing still—and start moving with God?
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Rescued for Life: Resurrection Sunday Devotional
Text: John 11:25–26; Romans 5:8–10; 1 Corinthians 15:54–57
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.’” — John 11:25–26
On July 14, 2019, a dad from Tennessee named Fred Pepperman was on vacation with his family at Seacrest Beach, Florida. Out of nowhere, a riptide pulled his three daughters—Grace, Olivia, and Kathryn—out into the water. Without hesitation, he went after them. With the help of others, he was able to rescue all three and get them safely back to shore. But he had nothing left. He collapsed on the beach, received CPR, and passed away on the way to the hospital.
His last words to his daughter Kathryn were simple, but powerful: “I got you.”
That’s what love does. It moves toward danger, steps into the current, and gives everything it has to bring someone else back.
And that’s exactly what Jesus has done for us—only on a far greater scale. Every one of us has been caught in a current far stronger than a riptide—the pull of sin, death, and separation from God. We weren’t just struggling; we were powerless to save ourselves. So Jesus stepped in.
Romans 5:8 tells us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He didn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up or find our way back. He moved toward us in our worst moment and took our place.
But the cross wasn’t the end.
1 Corinthians 15 declares that death has been swallowed up in victory. Jesus didn’t just enter the current—He broke it. And in John 11:25, He says, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
In other words, the resurrection is Jesus looking at you and saying: “I’ve got you.”
Not temporarily. Not conditionally. But completely and forever. Sin doesn’t own you. Death doesn’t win.
Your story doesn’t end in the water. Jesus stepped into the depths, and when He rose, He broke the grip of everything that was pulling you under.
That means we can live secure—no longer striving for approval or just trying to stay afloat, because we are held. From that place, we live surrendered—if He gave everything to rescue us, we can trust Him with everything, loosening our grip on control and leaning into closeness with Him. And that kind of security produces courage—because if death itself has been defeated, what can this world really take from us?
The resurrection frees us to step out, speak up, and live boldly for Christ. It also compels us to live on mission—because there are still people caught in the current, and now we carry the message, echoing the very Gospel Jesus speaks over us: I’ve got you. And through it all, we live with hope—grounded in the reality that no matter what we face, this is not the end of our story; the resurrection has already secured what comes next.
Think about that as you abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Jesus, thank You for stepping into the current for me. Thank You that You didn’t just die—you rose again, securing my life forever. Help me to live like I’m truly held by You. Teach me to trust You, walk in courage, and carry Your hope to others. Remind me daily that I am safe in Your hands. Amen.
Reflection Questions
- Where in your life do you feel like you’re being pulled under right now?
- What does it mean for you personally to know that Jesus is declaring over your life, “I’ve got you”?
- How would your life change if you truly lived from that security?
- Where is God calling you to step out in courage?
- Who in your life needs to hear this same message of hope?
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Text: 1 John 4:7-21
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” — 1 John 4:18
We live in a culture that often runs on fear. Outrage, anxiety, and constant urgency seem to drive much of the conversation around us. Even the algorithms on our phones are designed to push content that triggers strong reactions—anger, worry, or conflict—because those emotions keep people engaged. It can begin to feel as though the entire system runs on provocation. Yet in a world fueled by fear-driven attention, the opposite response—joy, grace, and love—can carry a surprising weight of influence.
The animated film Monsters, Inc. captures this idea in a memorable way. In the fictional city of Monstropolis, monsters power their world by collecting the screams of children. Fear is the fuel that keeps everything running, so the instruction to the workers is simple: scare harder and never question the system. The leaders guard this arrangement carefully, convinced that fear is the only reliable source of power. But everything changes when Sully accidentally discovers that a child’s laughter produces far more energy than fear ever could. The very thing the system had suppressed—joy—turns out to be the most powerful force of all.
The story reaches its turning point when the old system collapses and a new one emerges. Instead of frightening children to harvest screams, the monsters begin collecting laughter. Joy replaces fear as the energy source, and the entire city begins to thrive in ways it never had before. What once seemed like the only way to keep things running is replaced by something far stronger—and far better.
Though I’ve used this imaginative story as an illustration in training youth workers about trauma-informed approaches to youth ministry, we all do well to recognize the difference between systems built on fear and a life transformed by love.
Many religious systems throughout history have operated primarily on fear. Their message often sounds something like this: perform well enough, do enough good deeds, and perhaps you will avoid judgment. The focus becomes constant effort—earn approval, meet the standard, maintain the system. Such systems can generate a great deal of activity, but they also create exhaustion. The energy produced by fear eventually drains the soul because it never provides the assurance the heart is seeking.
At its core, this kind of religion is also idolatrous because it distorts the character of God. As A. W. Tozer observed, “The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.” When God is viewed primarily as a distant judge to be appeased rather than a Father who redeems through Christ, the result is a system sustained by fear rather than a relationship sustained by love.
The message of the gospel is profoundly different.
The apostle John writes in 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.” John is not dismissing the fear of the Lord that Scripture calls the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10)—a reverent awe and humility before God. Rather, he is speaking about the kind of fear that lives under the shadow of judgment and punishment. His point goes to the heart of Christianity: the believer’s relationship with God is not sustained by terror of condemnation but by the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.
Through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, the penalty for sin has already been addressed. Believers are not left wondering if they have done enough; they rest in what Christ has accomplished. Obedience and devotion flow not from anxiety but from gratitude. Fear may motivate people for a time, but it cannot sustain transformation. Fear drives performance; love produces devotion. Fear creates distance from God, but love draws us near.
In this sense, the contrast seen in Monsters, Inc. mirrors a deeper spiritual truth. Fear can produce activity, but love produces life. Just as laughter proved more powerful than screams, the discovery of God’s love reshapes the believer’s relationship with Him.
Jesus said in John 15:9, “As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love.” When believers live from that place of abiding, obedience becomes the natural fruit of relationship rather than the burden of obligation. Love becomes the driving force behind consecration, worship, service, and faithfulness. The Christian life is not sustained by dread but by abiding in Christ—living as forgiven children who can come boldly to their Father. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, You are the God whose love casts out fear. Thank You for revealing Your heart through Jesus Christ and for providing the forgiveness we could never earn on our own. Forgive us for the times we try to approach You through anxiety, performance, or striving instead of resting in Your grace. Teach us to abide in the love You have already given through Your Son. Shape our hearts so that obedience flows from gratitude rather than fear. May our lives reflect the freedom and joy that come from being Your forgiven children. We ask this so that our lives would honor You and point others toward the hope found in Christ. Amen.
Reflection Questions
- Where do you notice fear shaping your relationship with God rather than love?
- What does 1 John 4:18 reveal about God’s character and His desire for His people?
- In what ways might you still be trying to “earn” what Christ has already provided?
- What rhythms or practices help you remain aware of God’s love throughout the week?
- What is one step you can take this week to intentionally rest in the finished work of Christ?
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From Failure to FormationText: Acts 13:13; Acts 15:36–40; 2 Timothy 4:11
“Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.” —2 Timothy 4:11
Early in the second half of a game in the early 1970s, Bengals tight end Bob Trumpy broke the huddle and lined up on the wrong side of the formation. In that era of the NFL, formations were rigid and motion was rare. Defensive schemes were built on alignment keys; if a tight end lined up left, it triggered one set of assignments, and if he lined up right, another.
When Trumpy realized his mistake and slid across the formation before the snap, it was legal—but unusual. The Raiders’ secondary panicked. Defensive backs flailed, collided, and scrambled to adjust because their system depended on predictability. The play itself lost yardage.
But later in the film room, a coach stopped laughing and asked, “Fellas, what would happen if we put Trumpy in motion intentionally and worked plays off it?”
In a league transitioning from static, run-heavy offenses to more creative passing schemes, that accidental shift exposed something: defenses were vulnerable when forced to adjust. A blunder became a breakthrough. Lost yardage became leverage. What looked like misalignment revealed a new way forward. What began as an embarrassing mistake became innovation—and it changed the game.
That pattern echoes in the life of John Mark. Acts 13:13 tells us that during the first missionary journey, Mark left Paul and Barnabas and returned to Jerusalem. Luke gives no explanation, but the impact was serious enough that when Barnabas later suggested bringing Mark again, Paul refused. The disagreement became so sharp that the team split (Acts 15:36–40).
In the fragile early days of the Church, reliability mattered. Mark’s departure exposed his immaturity—but exposure was not the end of his story. It was the beginning of his formation.
Years later, Paul wrote from prison, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me” (2 Timothy 4:11). The one who once withdrew became dependable. The one who faltered became faithful. Somewhere between departure and restoration, Mark grew—likely under the encouragement of Barnabas and in close partnership with Peter (1 Peter 5:13). Church tradition tells us he went on to write the Gospel of Mark, shaping how generations would encounter the story of Jesus.
His failure revealed weakness; his weakness invited growth; his growth produced usefulness.
Mark’s early misstep did not disqualify him—it developed him. Like Trumpy’s shift across the line, what first appeared to be a liability became a catalyst. Failure became formation.
For us, the question is not whether we have lined up wrong—we all have. The question is whether our failure will own us or grow us. Perhaps a season has exposed impatience, fear, or immaturity in you. That exposure may feel like lost yardage, but in the hands of God it becomes the very means by which He strengthens your character and shapes new vision for your life.
When we remain close to Christ, our failures lose their power to define us and gain the power to develop us. What once felt like defeat becomes the ground where His grace grows resilience. What seemed like setback becomes strategy in His hands. Failure does not have to finish the story—it can form it. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, when my weakness is exposed, keep me close. Guard me from retreating into shame. Use even my failures to shape my character and strengthen my faith. Form in me what could not grow without surrender. Amen.
Reflection Questions
- What recent “misalignment” in your life has exposed something deeper?
- Did that exposure push you away from Christ or toward growth?
- Where might God be forming character in you right now?
- Who has been a Barnabas helping you mature?
- What would it look like this week to let failure grow you instead of own you?
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Text: James 5:13-20
“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.” —James 5:17
Doug RM is a 1980 Boxomatic Coach RV in the Pixar film Cars, who resides in Redneck Hill. He is a Piston Cup fanatic, which means he knows a thing or two about racing. Toward the end of the movie, as Bob Cutlass and Darrell Cartrip are bewildered by the way hotshot rookie Lightning McQueen helps veteran Strip “The King” Weathers cross the finish line after getting wrecked, Doug RM says it best:
“Now that’s what I call racing right there!”
Now, wait a minute. They had already been “racing” for a long time. The entire event encompassed racing. But what made that one lap any different than the previous three hundred monotonous laps of “go fast, turn left” in the eyes of Doug RM? Something clutch was happening within the broader term of racing which signified RM’s concept of real heartfelt racing. In that last lap, there was an “animated” moment (no pun intended) of inspired racing which transcended the “predictable” routine of racing. So, there is the repetitive activity of racing, but then there is the rarer intensity of racing.
In Hebrew, repeating a word can often signify a strong emphasis. For example, “He prayed with prayer” is considered a Hebraism, which essentially translates to “he prayed fervently”—implying there is not just prayerful activity, but prayerful intensity. In James 5, this language is used to describe how “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man” can accomplish much.
James uses Elijah as an illustration of how “a man with a nature like ours” could have the powerful prayer life of “a righteous person.” In the context of a drought in 1 Kings 17–18, and a punishment on King Ahab and Israel for idolatry, Elijah “prayed fervently” that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. “Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”
Some English translations of the Bible say that Elijah prayed “fervently.” Others render it “earnestly,” or “intensely.” Then there are those who translate it from the Hebraism: “with prayer he prayed that it might not rain upon the earth, and it rained not for three years and six months.” The repetition itself signifies the intensity, somewhat like our fictional friend Doug RM can see racing within the racing, distinguishing the contrast of the activity itself with the intensity of the activity.
James wants his readers to be characterized by a prayer life of fervor and intensity, not just prayers that are routine, apathetic, or dispassionate. Thus, he chose Elijah as the model of an earnest prayer warrior who was answered by God. His effectiveness in prayer extended even to the weather! This shows that Elijah’s heart was in tune with God’s heart. He boldly prayed what he already understood to be the will of God. He prayed for the rain to stop and start only because he sensed it was in the heart of God in His dealings with Israel.
Fervent prayer is about knowing the heart of God and praying God’s will with confidence. Once Elijah knew the will of God, he prayed earnestly until he saw the answer. Like we might realize in our own experiences, Elijah knew that answers don’t always come immediately. But that didn’t dissuade him from praying with intensity. He knew that we must pray until we see the breakthrough.
What does it look like for you to pray fervently over every realm in your life—for your marriage to glorify God, for your children to walk with the Lord, for your church to penetrate the darkness in your community, for your everyday work to reveal a gospel-dominated faith and character, for your neighbors to come to know Jesus? What if you prayed intensely on the confidence that “the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9)? Think about that as you seek to abide in Him.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, teach us how to be a person like Elijah, with the kind of effectual prayer life that is in tune with your heart and boldly anticipates spiritual breakthroughs. Holy Spirit, mature our faith so that our prayers reveal more of Christ’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection and Group Discussion:
- Think about a time when God didn’t answer your prayers the way you wanted. How did it feel? Now, think about a time when God answered your prayer in a way that was better than you could have imagined. How did that feel?
- Read James 5:17-18. To fully understand the story of Elijah we must look back to his life. Take some time in your group to read 1 Kings 17 and 18. After reading these stories about Elijah, what most stands out to you about his life?
- James said that Elijah was a man just like us. Elijah prayed earnestly and God answered his prayers. How does Elijah’s prayer life encourage you? Are there times that you give up on praying and resign yourself to apathy in your prayers?
- The letter of James ends with a reminder to reach those who are living a life of sin. Read James 5:19-20. Share about the person who told you about Jesus. Who is God inviting you to share your faith with? What will that take?
The post Routine Prayers to Fervent Prayers appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Nehemiah 1:1-11
“O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” —Nehemiah 1:11
There is a dangerous prayer that will make you a threat to Satan’s dark schemes in the world today. It’s a prayer that will position you like an arrow in the hand of God, the perfect Archer, flexed with a readiness to make a mark in these times rather than missing your opportunity to make a difference. And it goes something like this:
God, break my heart for the things that break yours.
That is the number one qualification for the person God uses in unimaginable ways. Major spiritual breakthroughs always begin with one broken heart. There may be others who are more trained or more gifted, but kingdom advances that happen “on earth as it is in heaven” come to the heart broken for the things that break God’s heart. This has always been the catalyst for history-changing movements.
We see this in the life of Nehemiah, who had no idea how he was going to end up leading a missional movement to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and revive hope for a people whose heritage had been reduced to a pile of rubble. Nehemiah knew the bloodstained history of Jerusalem—the Babylonian invasion, the death of innocent children slain in the streets, the effacement of her moral and spiritual values, the killing of the prophets who tried to turn the people back to God. When Nehemiah gets the news that remnants of exiles are “in great trouble and shame,” he is a thousand miles away, nestled in the safest place in the world at that time—serving in the secure palace of the most powerful empire of that era.
Nehemiah could’ve “safely” offered a short prayer for the hurting souls and changed the channel. After all, Monday Night Football was about to start… or something like that. He sleeps in a five-star penthouse in the most secure quarters of the Persian Empire. As servant in the king’s palace, he daily feasts on the most delectable entrées and is the first to sample the finest wines each evening. He’s got a great job! Yet amid all this comfort, luxury, and security, Nehemiah’s spirit is crushed, and his heart is broken for what has broken God’s heart.
Henri Nouwen said, “Let us not underestimate how hard it is to be compassionate. Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to a place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken. But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering. What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick cure for it.”
In my book Shapers: Leadership That Restores Hope, Rebuilds Lives, I sum up the word “compassion” this way: compassion is letting God break your heart for what breaks His, and demonstrating a readiness to do something about it. We see this virtue woven in the threads of Nehemiah’s consistent prayer life and deliberate actions.
Little time in the prayer closet leads to small compassion. If you really want to be used by God, it all begins with the efficacy of your prayer life. The first thing Nehemiah did after his heart was broken wasn’t to call a committee meeting or plan a program. He says, “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”
Nehemiah prays to “the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments.” He goes on to confess the sins of his people, pleads for the outcasts of Jerusalem, and leans into God’s promise to bring them home from the uttermost parts of the earth. But the last piece of his prayer speaks volumes about Nehemiah’s real heart posture. He says, “give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight” of the king. He is praying for favor because he expects to get up off his couch and do something about it. His heart has been broken, and now he is about to act upon it.
If you know the rest of the story, God uses Nehemiah in a miraculous way to lead a mission movement that rebuilds the city walls in fifty-two days, restoring dignity to a disgraced people, reviving hope, rebuilding faith, resurrecting dreams, and rewriting futures —all while facing hostile opponents who even plotted an assassination attempt on Nehemiah.
If you want to leave a mark on the world today for the glory of God, you will also have a mark on you. That’s what makes this prayer so dangerous. Yet God’s promise is greater: “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, break my heart for the things that break yours. Give me real compassion for the brokenness, and the courage needed to act deliberately enough to make a difference. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- When has your heart been broken for someone else’s pain?
- How would you define compassion?
- What are some of your takeaways from Nehemiah’s prayer?
- What “sins of your people” can you confess to God?
- In what way do you sense God breaking your heart for what breaks His?
The post A Dangerous Prayer: Nehemiah appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Matthew 8:23-27
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” —Psalm 46:10
Dominating the box office since its release in mid-June, Inside Out 2 is now the highest-grossing animated film in history, perhaps most relatably as a story that puts anxiety in its rightful place among all the other human emotions. A teenager named Riley has her mind headquarters hijacked by a character named Anxiety, and a long battle to overthrow its dominion ensues.
There is a compelling scene in the film when “Joy” penetrates the command center in Riley’s head, seizes the control panel, looks Anxiety in the face and declares, “Let her go.” It’s a game-changing moment for the teenager.
In Matthew 8:23-27, we see a similar anxiety-led hijack attempt on the disciples as they navigate a great storm on the Sea of Galilee. Their boat was being swamped by the waves and the disciples were in legit panic mode, but Jesus is soundly asleep in some remote part of the boat. The Sea of Galilee is well known for its sudden, violent storms, and the severity of this storm was evident in the fact that the disciples (many of whom were experienced fishermen on this lake) were terrified. What a dramatic contrast—the disciples are freaking out while Jesus seems to be auditioning for a “but-I-did-stay-at-a-Holiday-Inn-Express-last-night” commercial.
Have you ever felt like Jesus was sleeping through your storm?
The disciples sure did in that moment. We can sense the distress in their cry as they shake Jesus awake, pleading, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” No time for empty phrases heaped up in some long-winded, protracted prayer. No margin for quoting extended scriptural references or laying out a lengthy foundational case for why it is “worthy” for Jesus to intervene, or how God’s reputation is on the line if He doesn’t. When the boat is sinking and the clock is running out, there’s no room for any kind of manipulation tactics in prayer—just a pure SOS distress call.
I love the prayerful simplicity of these six words: “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”
Those words moved the power of God in the storm, but not without a little rebuke first. Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” The Greek word here is not “no faith,” but “ineffective,” “defective,” or “deficient” faith. Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. Here we can appreciate Spurgeon’s observation: “He spoke to the men first, for they were the most difficult to deal with: wind and sea could be rebuked afterwards.”
The disciples marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” In the span of a few moments, the disciples witnessed both the complete humanity of Jesus (in His tired sleep) and the fullness of His deity. They saw Jesus for who He is: truly man and truly God. They knew that He personified Psalm 89:8-9…
O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.
Sometimes God isn’t interested in the multitude of our words. He simply wants us to “be still and know that He is God” (Psalm 46:10). Sometimes He just wants us to marvel, knowing that He’s got this whole world in His grip, and every little trivial detail of our lives as well. Sometimes the best prayers are short and simple: Lord, save me from my anxiety today!
What kind of storm are you facing today that needs to be met with the kind of marvel and faith that recaptures the control panel, and declares: Let him or her go, in Jesus’ name. God’s got this!
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we understand that worry is just misplaced worship, making much of the wrong thing. It’s focusing on the storm rather than focusing on WHO has authority over that storm. Help us to have an effective faith, one that marvels with a kind of worship that trusts Your character over our circumstances. This kind of worship will at times leave us speechless and still, with a calm that knows You got this. Lord, conquer our anxiety. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- What does your “Inside Out” experience look like? What emotions tend to be at the control panel of YOU?
- When have you felt that Jesus was sleeping in your storm?
- What can we learn about Jesus’ rebuke of the disciples and the storm?
- Where has worry been a form of misplaced worship in your life?
- What needs to happen this week for your worry to be overtaken with proper worship?
The post Inside Out: Putting Anxiety in its Place appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Matthew 6:5-15
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” —Matthew 6:6
The best coaches in life don’t just help people learn new things; they help people unlearn old things that could be impeding their progress.
When I was a little league baseball player, I learned how to switch hit—bat from both sides of the plate. I had always been a right-handed hitter but when I became a left-handed hitter, I became more productive and fundamentally sound in my swing. One of the reasons for that progress was that I didn’t have to unlearn the bad mechanics of “swinging wildly” from the other side of the plate, which I had picked up early on due to the lack of good coaching. My left-handed swing became a “sweeter” swing because it was built on the foundation of better “mechanics” without having to first spend time undoing or tearing down an old faulty foundation.
Those first disciples of Jesus had to unlearn ingrained religious mindsets and spiritual beliefs that were getting in the way of them becoming more conformed to the image of Jesus. For that to happen, they had to unlearn some things they had picked up along the way—particularly with notions about prayer. In Matthew 6, Jesus addresses these notions.
The hypocrites spotlighted a kind of prayer life that was about impressing others in the synagogues and publicly on the street corners (v. 5), but Jesus pointed his disciples to a “secret” private room of prayer that was “rewarded” by the Father (v. 6). It’s interesting to note that the Greek word for “room” in verse 6 is also translated “dispensary” (where medicines or supplies would be distributed) and “storehouse,” where hidden treasures would’ve been found. Prayer doesn’t just ask for things; it accesses God’s bounty!
The “babbling” pagans modeled a prayer life that used “vain repetitions” or heaped up “empty phrases” (v. 7), which comes from the Greek word battalogeo—meaning to repeat the same things over and over, or to use many idle words such as having the sense of “blah-blah-blah.” There was no power in any of these prayers!
Jesus made sure that His disciples unlearned the notions of religious zealots who made a lot of noise but whose hearts were far from God. Then, He coached them in a different way to pray. His model, known today as “The Lord’s Prayer,” was not to be misunderstood as a magical formula to be recited word for word, but a pattern to follow in finding God’s heart in prayer. This prayer has a beginning invocation and six petitions that give sacred priorities to our lives. The first three petitions focus on the preeminence of God, while the final three focus on personal needs in a community context.
The phrase “our Father,” or “Abba” in Aramaic, conveys the authority, warmth, and intimacy of a loving father’s care, while “in heaven” declares God’s sovereign rule over all things. Jesus’ disciples are invited into the intimacy of God the Son with his Father. The emphasis of this first petition is that God’s name would be hallowed—that God would be treated with the highest honor and set apart as holy. We should desire to guard His glory above our own reputations.
The second petition, your kingdom come, is about our hearts becoming aligned with the continual advancement of God’s kingdom in this world through the missional focus of our prayers and work. We need to keep this paramount in our lives (Matthew 6:33) and dominant in our prayers. The third petition speaks of God’s will being accomplished on earth, just as it is perfectly experienced in heaven. The fourth petition focuses on the disciples’ daily bread, a necessity of life which by implication includes all the believer’s daily physical and material needs, not their greeds.
The fifth petition forgive us our debts has to do with the restoration of personal fellowship with God when this fellowship has been hindered by sin (Ephesians 4:30). We need daily resilience in dealing with sin! When we receive grace, we must be eager to extend that same grace to others. The sixth and final petition, lead us not into temptation, addresses the disciples’ battle with sin and evil. The word translated “temptation” can indicate either temptation or testing. It’s a battle we can only overcome in the Lord’s might.
The Lord’s Prayer should be understood as an example—a pattern—of how to pray. It gives us the “ingredients” that should go into prayer. We need to be reminded that God isn’t impressed with the decibels, the vain repetitions, or the sophistication of our words in prayer. Additionally, the omniscient Father doesn’t need to be informed by our prayers; He is looking for childlike faith in worshipers who long to be conformed to Jesus in prayer. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- How would you define prayer?
- When has your prayer life struggled?
- Have you picked up some bad prayer mechanics (notions or practices) that need to be unlearned?
- How can Jesus’ prayer model coach us into healthier prayer patterns?
- In light of Jesus’ coaching, what is your prayer today?
The post Unlearning Bad Prayer Mechanics appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Philemon 1:1-25
“Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.” —Philemon 1:11
Last week at our summer camp for at-risk kids in East Tennessee, I was asked by a visitor what some of our greatest needs are in working with such children impacted by trauma and hardship. That’s a softball question for a person who has spent my entire adult life working with young people coming from hard places. The answer remains the same after 30 plus years of ministry:
Getting the Church to see the hidden potential and the God-given worth that is lying dormant in broken young people and to be committed to walking alongside of them for the long haul even if the desired spiritual results are not immediately evident. Young people need to know that mentors are not just in their corner for the sprint, but for the marathon.
The entire course of my life was changed when a pastor visited a Florida juvenile detention center and led me to Jesus when I was incarcerated as a teenager, which began a long-term mentoring relationship that was essential to my spiritual formation and discipleship journey. I’m convinced I would not have been serving in ministry all these years apart from that man’s influence on my life.
One of the most overlooked books in the Bible is the story of a broken and incarcerated youth who didn’t realize his God-given potential until a mentor invested in his life.
The book is about a young person named Onesimus who was the fugitive slave of Philemon and may have grown up subjugated to slavery his entire young life. From the text, we see that Onesimus had robbed his master Philemon and fled to Rome, a large city where he could easily hide. Undoubtedly, it was divine orchestration that Onesimus ended up in the same prison as Paul, where the latter had been jailed for preaching the gospel. It was here that Paul presumably leads this young man to saving faith in Jesus (Philemon 1:10), then has the boldness to write to Philemon and urge him to take Onesimus back, no longer as a slave, but as a dear brother in Christ. Paul uses a play on words in verse 11 that suggests Onesimus’ value has been underestimated, as the name Onesimus means “useful.”
This was a risky move of advocacy on Paul’s part, and perhaps an even greater risk for Philemon. Around this same time, all of Rome was shocked when a prefect of the city, Pedanius Secundus, was murdered by one of his slaves. Consequently, the Roman senate enforced a law already on the books and put to death 400 of the murderer’s fellow slaves—men, women, and children, even though they were innocent. Given the social and political climate, this was no time to be advocating for runaway, criminal slaves. Paul did it anyway and risked his own reputation on a young fugitive “thief.”
Paul urged Philemon to drop all charges, asked that he be exonerated of slave status, and much more significantly, esteemed as an “equal” brother in the faith. This request was unheard of in first-century Rome. What if Onesimus re-offended? What if he didn’t check all the “merit” boxes for church membership criteria? What if it took years to be rehabilitated from habits and manipulative survival schemes that he was forced to learn growing up in slavery? Was a runaway slave worth such a risk?
Did Paul’s risk pay off? Whatever became of Onesimus? The Bible doesn’t say. But Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, wrote a letter some fifty years later about a man who seems to fit the description of this runaway slave. Ignatius referred to him as Onesimus, Bishop of Ephesus! It sounds as if Philemon regarded the instruction of Paul and took a risk himself. What happened was even more unlikely than a slave becoming a citizen, apparently that slave went on to lead the church in all of Ephesus.
We have all in one manner or other been fugitive sinners in need of grace, forgiveness, and the freedom that is found only in Jesus Christ. We have all failed God, and at times fled from His presence, but aren’t you glad that God is willing to take a risk on you even when nobody else will?
It’s been noted that the story of Onesimus and Philemon is a beautiful picture of the distinction between law and grace. Both Roman law and the Mosaic Law of the Old Testament gave Philemon the right to punish a runaway slave. But the covenant of grace through the Lord Jesus allowed both master and slave to fellowship in love on an equal basis in the body of Christ. Paul’s payment of all of Onesimus’s debts parallels Christ’s payment for our sins. Philemon’s acceptance of Onesimus as a brother in Christ helped lay the foundation for the abolitionist movement centuries later.
PRAYER
God, thank you for loving me when I was a fugitive running from your love. You captured my heart at a time when my heart was wayward and bitter. You transformed that heart and made me a new creation in Christ. Help me to never take for granted the price that was paid to set me free from the law of sin and death. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- Who has been in your corner at a time when you desperately needed them?
- How does this story resonate with your life right now? How might it apply to the sociopolitical climate of our time?
- Is there a person God wants you to take a risk on—investing in them even if nobody else sees the value or worth in that person?
- What parallels does this story have with the Good News of Jesus and the merciful salvation He offers every one of us?
- Are there any spaces in your life right now that may be in a “fugitive” state with God? Is there a sin that needs to be confessed, a wound that needs healing, or a relationship that needs to be reconciled?
The post God Uses Broken People (Part 7): Onesimus appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Genesis 9:18-29, 2 Peter 2:5
“By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” —Hebrews 11:7
Noah is the first person mentioned in the Bible to get drunk.
What’s interesting is that his testimony isn’t the clichéd “I-was-once-doing-bad-things-but-then-Jesus-saved-me-and-now-I-don’t-do-bad-things-anymore” song and dance. It was quite the opposite… If Noah was sharing his testimony in a modern-day small group, or AA meeting, it might sound more like this:
“God used me in a mighty way to rescue my family from a sinful generation and preserve the entire human race… then I got drunk, and it had a consequential curse upon my grandson and all his descendants.”
That’s the unfiltered, unadulterated version of the story. No sanitizing the testimony. No narrative manipulation, and no damage control.
The Bible says that in a time when “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually… the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” Genesis 6:5-6
It was in the context of this generation that the Bible says:
- Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord
- Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation
- Noah walked with God
- Noah did all that God commanded him
It was after all these descriptors we read that Noah “became drunk,” and shameful things followed. In this we see that Noah was far from perfect. He was broken just like the rest of us. These are facts. What is a bit of a stretch is the popular stigma across the internet today that “Noah was a drunk.” In all its raw and unsanitized narrative of people, nowhere in the Bible is Noah defined as a drunk.
Rather, the last couple of accounts in the New Testament define Noah as “an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (Hebrews 11), and “a herald of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5).
We can learn from Noah that failures don’t define us. Regardless of how other people try to stigmatize us in our broken places, God never defines us the way people do. Google doesn’t get the final word on how Noah is labeled, and it is the same with you and me. When we allow God to define for us the story He is writing through our lives, it becomes irrelevant what any of the human commentators say or think. Their labels are finite; God’s opinion is infinite. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
God, thank you for the righteousness that comes by faith in Jesus—faith that acknowledges that HE alone is my holiness and redemption. Holy Spirit, empower me to live from my true identity in Christ, and disregard the stigmas of other people. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- How would you describe a “cliché” testimony?
- Have you ever felt stigmatized by others?
- What encourages you about Noah’s story?
- What is the Good News of Jesus (“the righteousness that comes by faith”)?
- Is there a sinful episode that you need to confess, repent of, and put under the blood of Jesus so that you can walk in freedom of new life?
The post God Uses Broken People (Part 6): Noah appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Luke 24:1-12
“Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.” —Mark 16:9
“You do not move ahead by constantly looking in a rear-view mirror. The past is a rudder to guide you, not an anchor to drag you. We must learn from the past but not live in the past,” wrote Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe.
We should learn from the past, but God never lets our past dictate our future. Jesus healed people whose lives were broken from the inside out, and Mary Magdalene was one of them. She was a woman whose inner demons had her tormented and incapable of living in meaningful and healthy relationships. Though her prison bars were invisible, she was no stranger to solitary confinement of the soul. Jesus didn’t just deliver her from one or two demons, but seven!
This formerly disgraced and stigmatized woman had her life radically changed when she encountered Jesus. Her story reminds us that God often uses people with a troubled past to boldly declare His wonders to others.
Mary followed Jesus faithfully from Galilee to Jerusalem. Her bravery is seen in her presence at Jesus’ crucifixion, while most of the men were fleeing to avoid arrest. She may have been scared, grieved, and heartbroken, but she was there, risking it all in her devotion to Christ. Then she was the first to visit the tomb on Resurrection morning, and the first person to whom Jesus revealed himself after the resurrection. God used Mary to go and proclaim to others that Jesus was indeed alive.
Mary Magdalene showed up, had staying power, and proclaimed that the powers of darkness had been defeated. She gives credence to Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Similarly, your past never intimidates Jesus. So don’t let it define you or dictate your future. In Christ, you are a new creation. And when God decided to save you, He didn’t ask for anyone else’s opinion. Let that embolden your decision to show up in God’s great big mission, to live in the power of the Holy Spirit, and to proclaim in word and deed that Jesus is alive, and that light always overcomes the darkness.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank you for saving me… despite me. Thank you for loving me when I was unlovable. By the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth that transforms, help me to never let the past dictate my confidence and hope in the future. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- When have your personal “demons” crippled you? What were the lies they spoke over you?
- What is the Good News about Mary Magdalene’s story? How does that Good News speak to your present trials?
- In what ways has your past been trying to hijack your future?
- Is there a sin, a struggle, or an oppressive spirit that has taken you captive that warrants Jesus’ deliverance today?
- To whom is God calling you to proclaim His Gospel, to testify that light indeed overcomes the darkness?
The post God Uses Broken People (Part 5): Mary Magdalene appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Luke 5:1-11
“but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” —Jesus (Luke 22:32)
In last week’s devotion, we talked about when God called you He already factored in your brokenness. He already factored in your weakness. He already factored in your scars, your failures, your dysfunction, your stupidity, and your foolishness. He even factored in your FUTURE failures. Peter’s relationship with Jesus is textual proof of this.
I travel on airplanes very often. I can tell you without a doubt that I have never boarded an airplane and proceeded to give the pilot a flight plan on how to execute his job. If I attempted to, I’d probably get escorted off the plane. Yet in Luke 5, we see a carpenter giving a professional fisherman instructions on how to do his job.
Peter tries to explain to Jesus that he’s already done his job, toiling all evening without a catch, and it doesn’t make sense to go back out. My speculation is that under his breath, Peter is questioning why a carpenter is trying to tell him how to do his job. Nevertheless, out of respect for the Rabbi, Peter does what Jesus tells him to and it is a humbling moment for Peter. The ensuing miraculous catch brings Peter to a life-changing encounter from which he will never be the same.
Jesus calls Peter to follow Him and the faith adventure is on. Over the next three years, Peter will get overconfident in his own strength, demonstrate impulsive behaviors, make promises he can’t keep, will attempt to cut off an officer’s head, and in three consecutive scenarios cowardly deny ever knowing Jesus. But do you know what this broken disciple had going for him? Jesus was praying for him (Luke 22:32), just like He is praying for you and me today (Hebrews 7:25).
After Peter denied Jesus, he relapsed and went back to his old ways. But Jesus never gave up on Peter. Jesus pursued him all the way back to where he found him the first time… fishing. It’s here that Jesus recommissioned Peter, reaffirmed his calling, and gave him a redirection to get back on the right path of loving people well and “feeding God’s lambs” (John 21:1-22). Jesus uses Peter to build his church and the disciple ends up finishing strong in his God-calling.
If you’ve been known to blow your witness for Christ a time or two, you’re in pretty good company. Your failures and frustrations over spiritual “Kryptonite” moments don’t push Jesus away, they are simply reminders that you can’t do this thing without Him. You need His grace every day to grow in Christlikeness, and to catch you when you are weakened. Jesus doesn’t run out on broken people, he pursues them, even all the way back to where he first found them, and recommissions them out of failure. Think about that as you seek to abide in him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, you have always used broken people to accomplish your purposes in a broken world. Help me to know that the only thing that is truly unbroken, is your constant love and steadfast faithfulness. Help me to find sufficiency in your grace, that even in weakness your strength would be made perfect. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- In what aspects of Peter’s life or character can you relate to?
- When has Jesus called you to do something that went against your logic or experience?
- When has God shown himself strong in your weakness?
- In contrast to Peter’s inconsistencies, what do we see consistent with Christ in this relationship?
- Do you need to confess a relapse in your faith so that you can be restored to a right path in your walk with Jesus?
The post God Uses Broken People (Part 4): Peter appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Genesis 50:1-26
“He has made everything beautiful in its time…” —Ecclesiastes 3:11
Kintsugi is a 500-year-old Japanese art with an interesting philosophy. In kintsugi, broken pottery is valued as a treasure rather than a piece of trash. The art treats breakage and repair as part of the esteemed history of an object—something of a redemptive beauty—rather than something to disguise, cover up, or replace altogether. That’s why in Japan, people will pay big money for the elegance and aesthetic appeal of “golden joinery,” the kintsugi method of mending a vessel after it has been fractured.
The brokenness of our past is an integral part of our unique story, and God’s glorious art of making beautiful things out of broken pieces.
We see this truth played out in the life of Joseph. As his story begins in Genesis 37, we see a “bratty” teenage boy with a world of opportunity ahead of him. Joseph has raw talent and a head full of big dreams. Though it’s evident to Joseph himself, his parents, and his siblings that there is something special about this young man’s gifting, the broken and painful process he must go through makes his journey look a lot like a fractured vessel in the hands of a masterful kintsugi Artist.
Joseph is nearly killed by his brothers before being sold into slavery. Sometime later he got a big promotion, and just when it seems like he’s on a path to brighter days, the boss’ wife falsely accuses him of sexual assault. Joseph is thrown into prison for some years. Later, when it appears he has someone who might advocate for him before the parole board, that person forgets all about Joseph… for two full years.
A dark prison cell housing a broken inmate might seem like a place of dead-end doom, yet it is often the place where God does some of His greatest work in the soul. I came to know Christ personally in a Florida juvenile detention center as a despairing teenager, where I initially thought my life was over. Little did I know it was just the beginning! Joseph also had no idea of what God was setting him up for.
When you read the rest of the story, we see how God raises Joseph up from that prison to become second in command over all of Egypt, successfully managing all of Pharaoh’s enterprise during years of famine, saving multitudes of lives. What’s more is that those cats in Joseph’s dysfunctional family who at one time tried to bury him, end up coming to Egypt to find food, and Joseph providentially secures a better future for all of them.
In the end, Joseph “spoke kindly” to his siblings with these comforting words: “Do not fear… As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” (Genesis 50:19-21)
In Joseph’s life we see that brokenness wasn’t working against his destiny, it was actually working in partnership with his destiny. What if you had a new outlook on your past relationship hurts? What if lies, slander, or false accusations about you were actually setting you up for something really big? What if the furnace of abuse or trauma takes you to a depth of empathy where the flames of fierce advocacy ignite you to make a difference in the lives of other hurting people? What if being forgotten for a season meant that God was sparing you from crowds that would’ve taken you down a path of regretful shame? What if loneliness meant that God is setting you up for an unimaginable position of servant, humble leadership? Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank you for the beautiful things you make out of broken pieces. You make all things new, and all things good for those who love you and are called according to your purpose. Help me to trust the Artist’s heart, even when I can’t see His hand. Help me to rest in the truth that you make all things beautiful in its time. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- What comes to mind when you hear the words “damaged goods”?
- How have you come to interpret the brokenness of your life?
- What is the Good News in Joseph’s story? In what way does Joseph’s journey prefigure Christ’s atonement, who secures and provides for our eternal salvation?
- In what ways might you need to re-imagine what God is doing through your brokenness?
- Is there a person you need to forgive, who has been part of your broken journey?
For further study on the story of Joseph, check out my book “Joseph the Dreamer: From These Ashes I Will Rise”, available on paperback or Kindle.
The post God Uses Broken People (Part 3): Joseph appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Joshua 2:1-24, Hebrews 11:31
“By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.” —Hebrews 11:31
To typecast someone is to repeatedly identify a person with a label or cast them as a stereotype. In Hollywood, typecasting is used to describe an actor’s natural look or typical character. Directors and casting agents routinely typecast actors, choosing them for particularly similar roles to play, usually because he or she is suited to that type of part. When an actor is typecast, they are locked into being cast for a certain type of character, always a version of the same thing.
But actors aren’t the only ones who get typecast. So do you, and so do I. Admittedly or not, people slap us with labels all the time of who they think we are, what they think about our identity, how our character should play out, and what our role is in this world. And if we are going to be honest with ourselves, we do the same to others.
Rahab was typecast too. If Netflix was doing a docuseries on the “red light district” of Jericho, this Canaanite woman would’ve likely been cast as the main character. Whether it was her primary work or a side hustle, Rahab worked as a prostitute in a corrupt, pagan culture. She was not highly valued by her people. She was an outcast—a throw-away person.
A woman of the night was far from the kind of “holiness material” we might assume would characterize those whom God would select to be part of the family tree that would ultimately give birth to the Savior of the world. Yet, God used the great faith of this broken and scandalous woman to receive the Israelite spies, save her family, and ultimately land a role in the lineage of Jesus Himself.
What I am reminded about Rahab’s story is that humans are not the only ones who typecast… so does God, and in ways that don’t always fit our criteria. Scripture tells us:
“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’” — 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
That’s right, God typecasts the weak, the foolish, and the broken people of this world to do mighty things in His name so that the glory will only go to Jesus, and those who boast, will only boast in the Lord. Even in our sinfulness, God finds us where we are. God not only saves the worst of sinners, but He also chooses to use them in roles that the world cannot understand.
In the New Testament, both James 2:25 and Hebrews 11:31 praise this Old Testament woman yet continue to identify her as “Rahab the prostitute.” You’d think that after hundreds of years this poor woman could catch a break from her shameful past and get a new label. Yet I believe this may be in the Bible to emphasize the fact that God still uses broken people even when other people refuse to release them from their past labels.
Rahab was forsaken by her own people, carried a stigma of shame, and yet against all of her community’s disdain for her, God still loved and wanted Rahab for His story and His glory. Like Rahab, we also might feel far too broken or unqualified for the story God calls us into. We might feel too overcome with regret or failure to think we fit the role. But God writes a better script than the fear and condemnation in our hearts. He casts a much better story than the one others might narrate about us—even hundreds of years after our death! Rahab is proof that God used broken people in the past, and still does today. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, your kingdom come, and your will be done in and through broken people. Thank you for demonstrating through Rahab the kind of love you lavish upon scandalous sinners, calling them to a better story, and writing for them a better script than one of shame and condemnation. Encourage every reader to know that you are a God who delights in using broken people. Help them to know that they are loved beyond measure and that justification comes through the blood of Jesus alone. In His name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- Be honest, if you were God, would you have chosen Rahab for this role?
- When has a stereotype been hurtful to you?
- Why does God choose the foolish things of the world to “shame” the wise?
- How would you explain the Gospel (Good News) through Rahab’s story?
- What takeaway from Rahab’s story is critical to how you will flesh out your faith this week?
The post God Uses Broken People (Part 2): Rahab appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
God Uses Broken People: MosesText: Deuteronomy 34:10-12, Hebrews 11:23-27
“And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face…” —Deuteronomy 34:10
I’ve been invited to a men’s conference in Kentucky to speak on the subject, “God Can Use a Broken Man.” It’s led me to begin writing a devotional series on the subject, and today I want to kick that series off by looking at the man, Moses.
Moses was a man whom God used mightily to bring life-change to millions of people. It’s far too easy to romanticize Moses’ great leadership influence and fail to see the broken parts of his life. We forget that he was a murderer, had a hot temper (even in the prime of his ministry), and broke faith with God, causing him to miss out on the Promised Land.
To say that Moses had marital tension with his wife, Zipporah, is to put it mildly. With that whole circumcision incident in Exodus 4, and the pain it must’ve caused their young son, she lamented bitterly that Moses was a “bridegroom of blood” to her. Got Questions notes that “in English this might be paraphrased as ‘a husband of horrors,’ ‘a mate of misery’ or ‘a groom of gore,’ with the sentiment being, ‘If I had not married you, I would not have had to do this awful thing to my son.’”
When I see Moses taking the calf those idolatrous Israelites had made (Exodus 32), burning it, and grinding it into powder, then forcing the people to drink it, I cringe a little. Actually, I cringe a lot. It’s not much different from Nehemiah’s approach to church discipline when he beat people, cursed them, and pulled out their hair for being unfaithful to God. Does anyone else see the spiritual abuse here? Somebody needs to unearth the “Twitter Files” on these guys!
Moses was the leader to whom God entrusted the Law, yet in Exodus 32 we see him flinging those tablets and shattering them in a moment of anger. Somebody needed a timeout… or perhaps a punching bag! Compare Moses’ unsanitized resume with the sanitized bio on the website of any church leader today, and you are sure to get two different pictures. It is doubtful you are going to find a ministry leader’s resume today that reads “murderer, gets angry, may break faith with God at some point, and is a ‘groom of gore’ to his wife.” But you will get a lot of things like Ph.D, D.Min, M.Min, etc.
I’m certainly not making light of a need for leaders to be well educated or demonstrate biblical qualifications for ministry, I’m simply contrasting how the Bible narrates and how our modern world narrates. One is sanitized, the other is unfiltered. And what I love about God’s Word is that it is explicitly clear from Genesis to Revelation that the LORD uses deeply flawed individuals to do incredibly great things. It’s not to justify or make much of Moses’ failures, it’s solely to make much of the God Who knows the depth of our depravity and yet still graciously calls us and uses us.
God didn’t revoke Moses’ calling because of his brokenness—He called him despite his brokenness. Jesus demonstrated that Moses foreshadowed His own work as the Messiah (John 3:14–15), and he is listed in Hebrews 11 as exemplary of faith. The fact that God Himself buried this broken man (Deuteronomy 34) with the following epitaph is quite encouraging for a man as deeply flawed as myself: “since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face… For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel” (Deuteronomy 34:10, 12).
With Moses we see the good, the bad, and the ugly. Or as Zipporah might add, “the bloody.” He was really broken when leading with meekness just as much as he was really broken while “seeing red” in killing that Egyptian or losing his cool with the Israelites. And so it is with you, and me. We are all broken. If you’re struggling with the idea of whether or not God can use you due to feelings of being a failure, being too flawed, or sensing condemnation from others, be encouraged: When God chooses to use a broken person, He doesn’t check with other broken people to get their opinion or approval. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, when I read about Moses, I am so encouraged by the entire narrative. You chose to use a man so flawed, so imperfect, and so raw, yet he remained faithful to the end despite having episodes of broken faith. Help every reader know that You are a God Who uses broken people without regard to the approval of others. There is none like You, showing steadfast love to undeserving sinners. Jesus, thank you for allowing your body to be broken, and your blood shed, so a broken man like me can be reconciled to a holy God. In your name I pray, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- When have you really blown it, to the point where you believed God was done with you?
- What things about Moses’ flaws resonate the most with you? Why?
- Why do we tend to let the opinions of others get in the way of how God wants to use us? How can you combat this in your life?
- What has been a “tablet shattering” failure in your life that needs confession, repentance, and restoration?
- Who is a person you can encourage this week who may be struggling with feelings of condemnation or unworthiness to God?
When God chooses to use a broken person, He doesn’t check with other broken people to get their opinion or approval.
The post God Uses Broken People (Part 1): Moses appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Exodus 25:1-40
“Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.” —Exodus 25:9
A “knockoff” is an unauthorized copy or cheap imitation of the original.
We live in a world where the temptation is strong to copy the work of others to get noticed, sell a product or service, or shortcut the growth process of getting established in our own identity. The problem with imitation is that the more we imitate, the further we get from the originality God has blueprinted for us.
So, it is with vision. It’s cheap to copy someone else’s vision and try to make it your own. It can also be hollowing and disappointing because you fail to find yourself in the process. Vision is not just about getting somewhere; it’s about finding out who YOU are in the process. Imitation hijacks this journey of self-discovery.
We fall well short of God’s pattern when we try to copy someone else’s vision rather than getting it directly from God. Vision should and must come from God. When God commanded Moses to build Him a sanctuary in Exodus 25, He gave him the detailed pattern for it and told Moses it shall look exactly like the pattern given. God was the Visionary and Moses was merely the project foreman. Moses didn’t try to engineer his own plan, he didn’t try to copy another person’s work, or get his model from something in creation—He went straight to the Creator.
Amazing things happen when we see our roles rightly in Yahweh’s great big Kingdom enterprise! When we get our marching orders from God instead of the beat of someone else’s drum, we are more in rhythm with God’s tune for our missional assignments here on earth.
There’s nothing wrong with being inspired by others or learning from them, but something is always lost when we copy someone else’s pre-existing vision. When God puts something uniquely in our hearts, passion and authority come with it. But passion will erode with the copy. With the original, we have a relevant voice. When we imitate, we lose our voice. A copied vision is also more prone to discouragement and easier to quit on because you have no clear reference point to stand on when the vision faces adversity.
We must do the hard work of digging up God’s unique vision for us, and then let it shape us. There may be a unique vision God wants to give you personally but cannot because you are too preoccupied with trying to copy someone else’s vision. Consider spending time with God in prayer, giving deep introspection to parts of your life that have been hijacked by a “knockoff” of the matchless vision and inimitable identity God has for you. You may need to repent of some cheap forms of imitation and begin to find “yourself” in Christ. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, you have such a satisfying original dance waiting to be discovered in every one of us. Reveal the knockoffs in my life, lead me to repentance, and empower me to get my vision and originality from you as opposed to some cheap copy of someone else. Remind me daily that this is where you get the most glory from my life—being exactly who YOU created me to be. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- When have you struggled to find yourself because you were too preoccupied with copying someone else?
- In what way was Moses able to hear from God and receive the unique blueprints for the tabernacle?
- What was God’s connected promise to these “blueprints”? (v. 8)
- What needs to be repented of in terms of copying others instead of being authentic in your God-shaped identity?
- How can you spend time this week capturing God’s unique vision for your life?
The post Don’t Be a Knockoff or a Cheap Imitation appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: 2 Samuel 11:1-27, Psalm 51:1-19
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” —Psalm 51:10
Cyclist Lance Armstrong overcame incredible personal adversity to reach the highest levels of success. Then, just as spectacularly, he fell from grace in a public scandal that destroyed not only his reputation, but also the reputations of many others who had devoted themselves to him—in the end, tarnishing the entire sport of professional cycling.
Amidst Armstrong’s “doping” years, he and others involved had rationalized that taking illegal performance enhancing substances was a “necessary evil,” whether it be to stay competitive in a sport where others were doping, to protect sponsors, or to sustain a “benevolence” movement that was giving hope to so many cancer survivors. But once you convince yourself that one evil is necessary, it always breeds a justification for the necessity of other evils to cover up the initial one.
That’s precisely what happened to David after he sought out an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. Once he discovered that she was pregnant with his baby, he went into full damage control mode rather than repentance mode, in which he attempted to cover up the scandal with a “necessary evil” of manipulating and deceiving Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband. When the manipulation tactic didn’t work, David used his power to engineer another self-protecting necessary evil—a murderous plot to take Uriah’s life, even though Uriah had been as loyal to David as any person could be.
Eventually David’s sin found him out, as it does with all of us. Though forgiveness and restoration in his relationship with God was realized, the terrible consequences of his sin impacted his house for generations.
I believe that every “big” scandal once began with a “little” evil.
I believe that every “big” scandal once began with a “little” evil. Forests of public shame were once tiny seedlings of secret sins. All the human suffering we see in our world today can be traced back to taking a small bite out of a little piece of fruit that God said was off limits. Every addiction can be traced back to one small decision to cross a line. Children don’t dream of growing up to become drug addicts, prostitutes, or inmates. A man doesn’t stand at the wedding altar, thinking, “I will one day betray my spouse.” No, that happens from repeated little glances, hidden fantasies, and slight flirts that all grow up to become big sins.
Maybe there is a sin in your life that once bothered your conscience but has now become acceptable. We don’t get to a place of having a “seared” conscience overnight, it is the result of calculated “little” sins getting rationalized over and over again as we get comfortable with them. We need to recognize the little evils for what they are, confess them, and repent of them before they take us further than we want to go and keep us longer than we want to stay.
Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” David acknowledged his sin in Psalm 51 and sincerely cried out to God for a pure heart. He asked God to restore the pre-scandal joy that once danced in his soul. The whole tone of this psalm is that all persons are sinners and need God’s mercy. The psalm intends to keep the entire congregation from ever presuming on God’s grace. Think about that as you seek to confront the little sins in your life and abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
“Heavenly Father, help me to see sin as You do. Protect me from rationalizing necessary evils or justifying so-called little sins in my life. Help me to see that no sin is little with you, and that my sin nailed Jesus to the cross to absorb your judgment and wrath. Holy Spirit, empower me to live a life of bold integrity in all of my pursuits, with a pure and clean heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- What public scandal has shocked you the most?
- In what ways is sin progressive?
- What can we learn about ourselves from David’s scandal and cover-up crusade? What can we learn about God from Psalm 51? What is the Good News here?
- What little sins, or “necessary evils,” have you grown comfortable with? What are you doing today that bothered your conscience in the past?
- Is there a sin that needs to be confessed? Is there a joy that needs to be restored? Is there an area of vulnerability that needs to be guarded with your integrity?
The post Lance Armstrong and Necessary Evils appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Ephesians 4:25-32
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” —Ephesians 4:31-32
It’s hard to forgive people who’ve hurt us. But unforgiveness leads only to a cul-de-sac of bitterness. And we all know that “cul-de-sac” is just a French word that makes a dead-end street sound a bit classier, though it’s still a dead end.
I’ve heard bitterness described as a rattlesnake which, when cornered, can become so angry it will bite itself with its toxic venom. What a picture of the self-sabotaging nature of anger! Holding a grudge has also been likened to holding a stick of dynamite after the wick has been lit. It’s only a matter of time until an emotional explosion causes further damage to the person holding it and anyone in proximity.
Paul had some wisdom for those struggling to let go of bad things that happened in the past. After warning the followers of Jesus in Ephesus to avoid letting their anger turn into sin, thus giving opportunity to the devil, he speaks of the need for grace-filled actions that are good for the building up of others. Anything short of this would “grieve” the Holy Spirit of God. Thus, he gives the command: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
The Greek word for “bitterness” here is used three other times in the New Testament. It is used by Peter when he reprimanded Simon the Sorcerer for being in the “gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity,” calling on him to repent of his wickedness (Acts 8:22-23). It is used in Romans 3:14 in the context of those with venomous and cursing lips, having not known the “way of peace.” And thirdly, it is used in Hebrews 12:15 in the context of those troubled by a “root of bitterness” who “fail the grace of God” and become “profane” and “defiled,” such as Esau who sold his birthright and found no place of repentance.
Bitterness is a treacherous cul-de-sac to land in. A good navigation point to examine whether we are on this street is if we strongly desire justice for others but mercy for ourselves. When we want forgiveness from God but fail to offer forgiveness to others, there is an indicator we need repentance to turn things around and get on the right road to recovery, where we can find healing and peace. We can do this by turning our thoughts, not just once, but again and again on the words “as God in Christ forgave you.” Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, your holiness demands that I extend the same forgiveness to others that has been mercifully extended to me through Christ. I cannot glorify Jesus while holding a grudge. Holy Spirit, reveal in my heart any inclination of bitterness, anger, or resentment that needs to be confronted. Show me what repentance from bitterness looks like, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- What makes forgiveness so difficult?
- When have you held onto a grudge, or allowed a root of bitterness to get into your heart?
- How has Christ’s mercy and forgiveness impacted your life?
- What needs to happen for you to desire mercy for others to the same degree you desire mercy for yourself?
- Is this passage evoking any need of repentance in your life?
The post Living in a Cul-De-Sac of Bitterness appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: 1 Samuel 30:1-31
“For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” —1 Samuel 30:24
My wife rarely gets the opportunity to travel with me to other countries due to her domestic responsibilities and other factors, yet Cindy’s piece of the missional puzzle is no less important as those with boots on the ground at the sports camps we facilitate overseas. Her gifts of administration back home have translated into tens of thousands of young people all over the world hearing and responding to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s why I was so tickled when an African pastor called her “the mother of nations” as his church sang Happy Birthday to her over an online video call.
My wife’s gifts, abilities, and often “hidden” contributions to the mission are just as valuable a part of the “sending” team as those who are part of the “going” team. That’s a principle we see illustrated in 1 Samuel 30.
Terror has struck in Ziklag. David and his men return home to find their homes burned, their possessions stolen, and their precious families taken captive. Greatly distressed, the men wept until they had no more strength to weep. All the people were bitter in soul, each for his kidnapped sons and daughters. David strengthened himself in the Lord, and after seeking out God’s counsel on what to do, his men set out on a rescue mission to reclaim what the Amalekite raiders had stolen. Four hundred men pursued the enemy while two hundred exhausted warriors stayed back with the baggage.
When they caught up to the Amalekites, they found them drinking, dancing, and enjoying the spoils of their victories. David’s men attacked them and recovered all that had been stolen from Ziklag—the goods, the women, and the children. When David’s 400 men returned to the 200 who stayed behind at the Besor brook, then came a quarrel. “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart,” said those who had gone up with David about those who stayed behind.
But David rejected their selfishness and instructed the spoil to be shared equally among all. “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” And David made it a statute for Israel from that day forward, that everyone’s contribution to the mission was equally valued, whether a soldier fighting in the trenches or an officer looking after the base of operations.
When the Lord gave David a great victory, he knew it was the Lord’s victory more than his own. From that perspective, he knew that every person mattered no matter what role they played. God rewards His hidden servants just as much as His prominent servants. Thus, David equitably declared an important principle that the supply lines are just as vital as the combat fighters, and God will reward both “soldiers” and “supporters” the same.
We have all been given spiritual gifts to use in God’s great big rescue mission. Some giftings are more visible than others, while others are essential in seemingly invisible, behind-the-scenes operations. Yet no gifting is more significant than others. We should never use our giftings to compare our value with others, which will always lead us down one of two dangerous paths—pride in thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought, or diffidence in thinking of ourselves too lowly than we ought. We should use our gifts to complement one another in fulfilling God’s work together. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace,” Peter wrote to the early church.
No matter where your gifts land you in God’s rescue mission, be content with who you are and the value of your contribution to His kingdom cause. Always flee the temptation to compare yourself with others. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank you for making me exactly who I am. And thank you for making others exactly the way they are. Teach us how to complement one another in ways that lead to bolder expressions of faithfulness in kingdom living and missional enterprise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- Who is an unseen hero in your life?
- When have you struggled with comparing your gifting with others? When have you seen your gifting complement others?
- Why is it such a fierce temptation to compare ourselves to others?
- In what way(s) is using our gifts to serve one another good stewardship of God’s varied grace?
- Do you need to confess a pride of thinking too highly of your gifting? Do you need to confess a diffidence in thinking too lowly of the gifting God as entrusted to you?
The post The Mother of Nations and Hidden Servants appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Just as natural fruit has a shelf life, so does the fruit of the Spirit. Humility is one of those fruits, and it does have an expiration date.
The post Humility Has an Expiration Date appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
A powerful prayer: “God, I am powerless against this great horde that is coming against me. I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on you.”
The post Courage to Cut Off the Tail of the Lion appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Instead of David building a house for God, God promised to build a house for David, which became realized in the form of a perpetual dynasty.
The post The House That God Built appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
There was a blind boy in New York City. Every day he would sit in Central Park with a sign that read: “I am blind, anything helps.”
The post A Blind Boy in Central Park appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Jesus didn’t heal a blind man just to have him crippled again by judgmental people who wanted to take swipes at his past.
The post Getting Past Your Past appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
The classic 70’s song “Simple Man” was written by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Jesus kept it pretty simple when teaching about the soul of a person.
The post Simple Kind of Man appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Jesus turns mourners into ministers and hurting souls into healing vessels. He turns their mess into a message.
The post Turning Mourners Into Ministers appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Idle time is the devil’s playground. That seemed to be the case with David as he got distracted by Bathsheba on the rooftop of his palace.
The post Getting Distracted from Your Purpose appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Those who don’t understand your pain will not understand your praise. When they don't know your hurt, they won’t appreciate your hallelujahs!
The post Despised for Dancing appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
One man refused to cower to the complacency of his time. He wasn’t going down without a fight. This man, Jonathan, was the king’s son.
The post Sometimes You Gotta Pick a Fight appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: John 5:1-18
“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” —Jeremiah 32:27
“Be stronger than your excuses.” Those words I saw on a coffee cup could be the motto of some of my friends in Ghana who train for Paralympic sports.
These dedicated athletes inspire with their passion and drive, while never letting their functional limitations or physical disabilities lure them into a state of victimhood. They play soccer on crutches far more effectively than I can play soccer with my natural limbs! When I watch them compete, I get deeply convicted about the excuse-driven pity parties that can so easily beset me when things feel unfair in my life.
If anyone deserved to throw a pity party, it was the man at the pool of Bethesda who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said asked him one question:
“Do you want to be healed?”
The “sick man” appeared to have a very reasonable excuse for staying stuck in his despair: “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” This was a fair assessment of his seemingly unfair predicament. The poor man had been paralyzed for nearly four decades and he just couldn’t catch a break for what must’ve felt like an eternity. Everyone else always beat him to the punch. But this moment was different. The Person standing in front of Him was much bigger than his excuses. Christ’s omnipotent “ableness” was about to hijack the disabled man’s self-pity and make all the difference in his life.
Without a test, there isn’t a testimony. Don’t overlook the fact that it says Jesus “knew that he had already been there a long time.” Jesus was long aware of the struggle in this man’s life. Nothing this man ever faced in those thirty-eight years was beyond the knowledge of God. God always knows our pain, even when it feels like we are all alone in the struggle. And Jesus, knowing the man’s plight, had a plan of healing and redemption that would be a testimony for the ages.
No matter what you might be going through right now, know this beloved: Jesus is bigger and stronger than any of your excuses. Just like Jesus did for the man at the pool that day, He wants to navigate us beyond victimhood. God is faithful to confront those things that are paralyzing us—our doubts, our self-pity, our failures, our fears, our regrets, and all that debilitating shame that screams inside of us that we are not worthy of His love or healing. We serve a God who isn’t going to give up on us even though we might’ve given up on ourselves.
You can overcome your excuses because Jesus is bigger than all of them. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank you for always seeing my pain. You know my struggle even more infinitely than I am capable of understanding it myself. And you always have a plan that is for my good and your glory. Holy Spirit, empower me to see the risen Jesus victorious over everything I am facing today. Help me to abide in faith, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Application or Group Discussion:
- When do you struggle with self-pity the most?
- In what ways can you relate to or empathize with the invalid in John 5?
- Where have excuses taken precedence over God’s presence in your life?
- What fears, doubts, circumstances, or situations tend to paralyze your faith?
- What excuses are standing between you and Jesus right now? Will you confess them, acknowledging that He is bigger and stronger?
The post Be Stronger Than Your Excuses appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: 1 Samuel 13:13-14; 16:1-23
“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outside of a person. But the Lord looks at what is in the heart.” —1 Samuel 16:7
Some sports journalists say it is “quite possibly the greatest walk-on story in the history of college football.” Brandon Burlsworth had one childhood dream. He wanted to play college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks. But all he heard was that he was too fat, too lazy, and too slow to make the team—even as an offensive lineman.
Brandon wasn’t offered a scholarship, so he decided to try-out as a walk-on. Though outwardly awkward, what nobody could see (and coaches couldn’t measure) is what was in his heart. He worked harder than anybody else. He was the first one to arrive at practice and the last one to leave. He studied diligently while teammates partied. During his freshman year, Brandon turned body fat into muscle and went from being one of the slowest runners on his team to being one of the fastest. After his freshman year, Brandon was granted a scholarship to finish the next three years at Arkansas where he earned a Master’s degree. His senior year, he became an All-American and was later drafted by the Indianapolis Colts. After the Colts’ mini camp, Brandon was already promised a starting position as a rookie but never got to play one game in the NFL. He was tragically killed in a car accident right after the camp.
In 2016, a movie was made about his life called “Greater.” In the movie, Arkansas Razorbacks coach Houston Nutt finds Brandon working out alone in the team gym and says, “Character is what you do when nobody is looking.” But Brandon had a bigger idea of character. He said:
“There’s always Someone looking, Coach.”
Brandon Burlsworth was exactly right. Someone is always looking. Someone always sees the heart. That Someone is God, who has a history of taking the most unlikely of people and turning them into heroes of the faith. When God decided to raise up a young shepherd boy to become king over all of ancient Israel, the Lord told Samuel: “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
God is not impressed with what may impress others. We may try to impress others with our talents, our résumé, our strong skills, being the life of the party, having nice things, or by showcasing our lives all across the world through social media platforms. But God isn’t impressed with those things. We may even try to impress God with religious activity. Jesus said of those in his day, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”
The heart is what God is after: “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds” (Jeremiah 17:10), and that’s why God gave us the command to “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Though David wasn’t a perfect human, God did see something in his heart that made him fit to be a king—“The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people.” David’s heart is what made a path for his destiny. He knew that Someone is always watching, even when he was alone tending the sheep.
Integrity means our outward life is consistent with our inner convictions. God is looking for people of integrity. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, you have promised to give strong support to those who have integrity in their hearts. Teach us through your word how to be blameless toward you with our hearts, and that our outward actions would consistently align with our inner convictions. Holy Spirit, reveal any unconfessed sin and enable us to live surrendered to you always. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Application:
- What comes to mind when you hear the word integrity?
- How would you describe a person who is “after God’s own heart,” such as David?
- Scripture teaches us to guard our hearts “with all vigilance.” What does that look like?
- What is your biggest takeaway from today’s text (1 Samuel 16:1-23)?
- Is there sin in your heart that needs to be confessed, or a vulnerable area of your life that needs to be brought to the Lord in prayer?
The post Someone Is Always Watching appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Acts 14:8-18
“We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.” —Psalm 78:4
When Damar Hamlin collapsed on Monday Night Football, the whole nation embraced a tone, if not a posture of prayer. Everyone was in agreement that the situation was dire and intervention was urgent. Yet isn’t it baffling how quickly people turned from a position of dependence on divine help to a posture of defiance after that man walked out of the hospital alive? Though Mr. Hamlin continues to give the credit to God for saving his life, many are offended by that and only want to credit the medical personnel who assisted the football player on the field. Many want to rob God of the glory He deserves, and the miracle He gave, as an entire nation seemed to be interceding for one man in a moment of crisis.
After a crippled man was healed at Lystra, the crowds began to worship (give all the credit) to Paul and Barnabas because they were the instruments God used to initiate the process. “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men,” they hailed. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them… for He did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” Yet even with this rebuke, they still couldn’t be restrained in offering praise to them.
God specializes in doing things thought impossible. But when our praise gets misdirected to the instruments of God’s sovereign dispensation rather than back to the goodness of the living God who has graciously performed the impossible, we stand in the same shoes as those in Lystra—whether intentionally or inadvertently, we can find ourselves in a place of robbing God of His glory. This is very fresh with me as I have received a remarkable healing from God just recently.
A year ago, I was diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency, a disease that medical professionals state, “can’t be cured,” only “managed.” The doctor advised me to consider getting stents immediately or in the near future. Though I was peacefully resigned to accepting this as my “thorn in the flesh,” many people around the world continued to pray fervently for my healing. And while in Korea earlier this year, I sense the Holy Spirit’s conviction to prepare for divine healing and to consider what it would look like to “steward that healing” well. I sensed God cultivating my heart to be “ready” to declare His praises and “record” of His deeds on the other end of that healing.
When I visited the vascular specialist last Friday, the test results were phenomenal. Last year my right leg vein had a 6.3mm opening when it was supposed to be 10-14mm. Today it is between 11mm and 15mm in various areas of blood flow. The doctor’s eyes got a little wider when she said “15.” I thought about that promise of Ephesians 3:20… “Now unto Him that is able to do EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE all that we ask or think”!!! That’s a God who can get us into the “15” range—ABOVE just the normal range. According to most medical professionals, that doesn’t just happen without surgical procedures.
I’m not one of those “name-it-claim-it” guys, but when God shows up big and does the apparent impossible, ONLY He is worthy of the glory. My doctors have been helpful. They have my respect and appreciation, but they won’t get the praise. My diet has been conducive to “managing” the situation, but that diet is not capable of reversing what God reversed. I love that this passage in Acts 14 was written by Luke, a physician who didn’t rob God of the glory He deserved. Neither will I rob Him of His goodness in my life!
Perhaps God has showed up big in your life in the past and you failed to honor Him with the glory He deserves. May I say that it is never too late to proclaim the excellencies and the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). It’s never too late to share with others the testimonies of all that God has done. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, may I be one who is always ready to declare the wonderful deeds of your majesty. May I always live to tell the miracles you have performed, that I would be a faithful steward of your grace in my life. God, thank you for healing me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Application:
- Why do you think people lean into God during desperate moments, yet are so quick to turn away from Him when the crisis is over?
- When have you received God’s providence in such a way that you just couldn’t help but to share it with others?
- When have you failed to steward God’s providence well?
- What is your biggest takeaway from this text (Acts 14:8-18)?
- In what way might the Holy Spirit be leading you to “steward” God’s grace well, or flesh out old or new testimonies in praise of His providence?
The post Robbing God of His Glory appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Romans 4:19-25
“No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God.” —Romans 4:20
When I played high school football, our coaches weren’t just watching what happened on the practice field when making decisions about who the starters would be. They also paid attention to the weight room. Coaches understand that serious athletes will also be dedicated in the weight room, working hard to get stronger. The athletes who really wanted to add more muscle were not content with lifting the same amount of weight every session, they constantly had to add a little more than they had previously lifted to achieve their goals.
I think Paul had spiritual muscles in mind when he said, “For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” That’s why he prefaced this “godliness-in-light-of-eternity” kind of living with: “Train yourself for godliness.” Training requires effort. It’s been said that grace isn’t opposed to effort, it’s opposed to earning. We can’t earn our position with Christ, but we are expected to put forth “effort” in our discipleship workouts if we want to grow. Plus, we have the best Personal Trainer we could ever imagine in the Holy Spirit!
God wants to build your faith muscles—the capacity to trust Him more than you’ve ever trusted Him, because “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6). God isn’t much glorified when you exercise yourself only on the basis of what you can see, what you can figure out, what you can pull off, or what you can explain only in the natural realm. God’s will requires moving by faith, which by His own definition is: “being certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).
So how does God help you build more faith muscles so you can win greater victories than ever before? By giving you something to lift that is heavier than you’ve had to lift before. Think about how God continually used Abraham as an example of a life of faith. He was seventy-five years old when the Lord promised to make him the “father of many nations,” and he was a hundred years old when Isaac—the child of promise—was born. Talk about adding weight to the bench-press of life in old age—God was defying all reproductive biology while ol’ Abe was already looking at brochures for assisted living facilities. God is never done building our faith muscles! NEVER!
Look at what God’s Word teaches us about Abraham’s faith:
“He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was ‘counted to him as righteousness.’ But the words ‘it was counted to him’ were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” —Romans 4:19-25
I love that Paul added that these things “were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also.” Faith-building isn’t just for the “father of faith,” but for all who will take up the journey of following Jesus daily. Like Abraham, we don’t deny the daunting realities of what appears impossible with our situation. But acknowledging those obstacles doesn’t diminish our faith, either.
You can trust the promise of your Personal Trainer. He will never give you more weight than you can handle. But He will give you something heavier than you lifted before, not because He is unhappy with you, but because He loves you enough to help you become stronger than you’ve ever been before. He’s growing your faith for something bigger. Think about that as you seek to abide in His weight room this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, you are faithful and true. None of your promises ever fail. I acknowledge the daunting realities of my current circumstances, but just like Abraham, that acknowledgement doesn’t weaken my faith. I believe you are still the God who saves, heals, delivers, provides, and shows up bigger than life. Holy Spirit, teach me how to abide in your weight room, as I exercise my faith amidst the daily stuff of life. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Application or Group Discussion:
- What is one of the heaviest loads you have ever had to carry?
- What is stirred in your heart when you think about the story of Abraham and Sarah?
- Abraham considered (faced the facts) of his old age and the barrenness of Sarah’s womb, yet still grew strong in his faith. What can that teach us?
- God has promised to never put on us more than we can handle. How does that speak to your circumstances right now?
- What might God be telling you to do right now that will require your faith muscles to be stretched in ways they have never been stretched before?
The post A Reason for Your Heavy Load appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Luke 18:1-8
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” —Luke 18:1
If you know of George Müller, director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, UK, you know that his life was characterized by depth and intimacy of prayer. One day he began praying for five of his lost friends. After many months, one of them came to the Lord. Ten years later, two others were converted. It took 25 years before the fourth man was saved. Müller persevered in prayer for some 52 years until his death for the fifth friend, never giving up hope for his friend’s surrender to Jesus! His faith was rewarded, for soon after Müller’s funeral the last one was saved.
In our nature, we are prone to give up on prayer when we don’t see the results we hope for—especially when it involves disappointment, loss, injustice, or suffering. We can get discouraged or distracted, and we can even struggle with disbelief. For this reason, Jesus told his followers a parable “to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1-8).
The parable spoke of a judge who neither feared God nor respected man and was hounded by a widow in the city who kept coming to him repeatedly and saying, “Give me justice against my adversary.” As a widow, she would’ve been marginalized in her society and a vulnerable target of oppression and fraud. Yet this poor woman’s persistence was the only asset she had in seeking justice from this “unjust” judge, as she kept coming to him day after day.
For a while the judge refused, but he couldn’t shake the woman’s resilience. He finally said, “Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.” That expression “beat me down” can be interpreted as “stun me”—a metaphor taken from boxers, who bruise each other. The Greek word hypopiazo literally means “to give a black eye,” “to give intolerable annoyance,” or to “wear one out.” The unjust judge finally acquiesced and gave the widow what she wanted because he was worn down by her importunity.
The point of the parable was clear—If an unjust judge finally grants the widow’s “prayer,” how much more will God answer the prayers of his elect? She petitioned an unjust magistrate. We petition a perfectly just King who can never be worn down by our coming. God can never be stunned by our pleading. He can never be annoyed by us employing the kind of bold prayerful persistence that Jesus himself taught us to have. From God’s perspective, justice will come to his elect speedily even when it seems delayed from a human perspective. The real question is, will He find faith in those He taught to be persistent? In other words, “will He find men and women who are still praying, who have not given up, who have not lost heart?”
Jesus taught his disciples to pray continually, to keep coming day after day, affirming that God rewards such bold persistence. Remember that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, you are a rewarder of those who seek you diligently and continually. Help me to never lose heart in the face of my struggles, my disappointments, and my setbacks. Remind me to be persistent in prayer through all the daily stuff of life, and to be filled with wide-eyed and wonder-filled expectation of how you are going to show up and show off. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Application or Group Discussion:
- In your own words, how do you picture this resilient widow?
- What can we learn about God’s character in contrast to the unjust judge?
- Why is it difficult to keep praying continuously when God’s response is delayed? What might be gained by praying continuously when the answer is delayed?
- Can you think of something worth a lifetime of persistent prayer and faith?
- What do you hear the Spirit saying to you, and what action should you take in response to Jesus’ teaching about prayer?
The post The Persistent Widow appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Luke 1:5-55
“For nothing will be impossible with God.” —Luke 1:37
When I was young, my mother taught me the importance of using my manners when asking for something. The “way” you ask is just as important as the “what” in your ask.
When the angel Gabriel showed up and told Zechariah, “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son” who would be the forerunner of the promised Messiah, the priest asked, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years” (v. 18). He was swiftly rewarded with a gift of muteness—a spiritual gift my wife is constantly praying for me to receive!
The angel told him “You will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” Yet just a few verses later when that same angel showed up and told Mary she would conceive and give birth to the Son of God, she asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Mary was gifted with the assurance of being filled and overshadowed with the Holy Spirit, and that “nothing will be impossible with God” (vv. 35-37)—or more literally translated: for no word of God shall be powerless.
Mary’s question was logical. She asked the same question Zachariah asked, but his question was asked in skeptical unbelief, and her question was asked in wonder-filled faith.
While Zechariah was overcome with muteness, Mary was “overshadowed,” which means “to cover with a cloud.” In the Bible, a cloud is often associated with the visible manifestation of the glory and presence of God, as in the cloud of Shekinah glory (Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 24:16, 34:5, 40:34) or the cloud of transfiguration (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:34).
Zechariah got stuck in his doubt, while Mary received in faith, “Let it be to me according to your word.” This is the right-sized response to all of God’s promises. Elizabeth, in recognizing her cousin’s active faith affirmed, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (v. 45).
It is reasonable to ask “how” God is going to accomplish something. But how we ask “how” makes a huge difference in what overcomes us in the process. We can ask in faith or we can become crippled by our doubts. Neither response changes Who God is nor what His promise has decreed, but the response will most certainly determine what overtakes us in the process. I don’t want to be spiritually mute or deaf this week, I desire to be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit as I take God at His Word over my life and trust that “nothing will be impossible with God.” Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, help me to be right-sized in my response to all of your promises. Help my unbelief, to exchange it for that wide-eyed and wonder-filled faith that Mary expressed from a heart of worship. You are a God Who is able, and I will ask you “how” in a manner according to your unlimited ability rather than my limited reasonability. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Application or Group Discussion:
- What important manners did you learn growing up?
- In what area of your life have you been wrestling with “how” God is going to show up?
- What can this passage teach us about the character of God? What can it teach us about worship and how we should respond to God’s promises?
- Are there any doubts, skepticism, or trepidations in your heart that you need to confess about God’s ability or trustworthiness?
- What specific attribute or promise of God needs an intentional response of “worship” from your heart right now?
The post How Are You Asking “How”? appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: 1 Corinthians 9:12-23
“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” —1 Corinthians 9:22
In this moment I am drinking a cup of coffee with olive oil and cream. I just wanted to taste it for myself after reading that the world’s largest coffee chain is launching a line of olive oil-infused drinks in Italy. Starbucks is among the major U.S. businesses that have faced obstacles as they’ve tried to expand into the Italian food and drinks market. Italy’s coffee scene is famous for its independent and often family-run cafes, so the brand is not easily accepted.
It’s a bold move to reach the coffee market in Italy. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz seems determined to make it a success. I can appreciate his approach in saying, “We are not coming to teach Italians how to make coffee. We’re coming here with humility and respect, to show what we’ve learned.”
Imagine what kind of influence followers of Jesus could have in their everyday mission field if they were as motivated to reach people with the Gospel as Schultz is to reach every tribe of people with coffee. Schultz seems to have that Apostle Paul-like “whatever it takes” determination and the humble approach that doesn’t come across as condescending to the people he longs to reach.
Consider Paul’s missional zeal in 1 Corinthians 9:19–23…
“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”
Paul sought to win people to Jesus Christ by being sensitive to them culturally and identifying with them in his Gospel appeal. Paul was willing to do whatever it takes to reach people with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. He also understood that our methodology is equally as important as the message itself. By accepting the fact that Paul appealed to different groups depending on the context doesn’t mean that we should assume he changed his doctrine. We know from his complete collection of writings that he was willing to offend people over the gospel, but only over the gospel, and not his approach or methodology.
Paul was free to do what he wanted (v. 19), but winning people to Jesus was far more important to him than using his freedom selfishly (v. 22). A condescending Christian isn’t going to have much influence in the world. Perhaps Paul would tip his hat to Mr. Schultz for his “all things to all people” approach. If he were going on a mission trip to Italy, he might even drink a cup of olive oil-infused coffee. Perhaps.
What might it look like in your life this week to be “all things to all people, that by all means” the people around you could have a viable opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Forget about all the cultural wars on social media, especially those sub-culture wars between Christians themselves arguing over which celebrity Christians are kosher and which ones need to be canceled, and just zero in on JESUS and the Good News He wants to emanate from your life. How is that to be fleshed out this week in you personally? In your day-to-day context? Think about it as you seek to abide in Him.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, everywhere I set foot is a mission field in which I need to be mindful about my approach in reaching others with the Gospel and appealing to them with the unadulterated Good News of Who Jesus is. Give me a passion for evangelism that is greater than Schultz’s passion to propagate coffee. Holy Spirit, empower me with boldness in my witness and guide me with wisdom in my approach, I ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Application or Group Discussion:
- Have you ever tried olive oil in your coffee? If so, what do you think about it?
- What similarities do you see with Schultz’s mission and Paul’s mission?
- How would you describe the passion of Paul, and why is it relevant to the church today?
- Why is it important to share the Gospel with humility, “gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15)?
- Have you lost your passion for the lost? Has “bad” evangelism diminished your enthusiasm for “pure” and biblical evangelism? How can you reclaim that missional passion for reaching the gospel-destitute around you with the Good News of Jesus?
The post Olive Oil Coffee and The Gospel appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Ephesians 4:11-32
“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” —Ephesians 4:15
I started eating raw garlic every day for its amazing health benefits. That statement alone might make you want to take a couple of steps back. But I have also discovered that taking raw garlic with lemon juice significantly tempers raw garlic’s pungency and biting odor, making the digestive process more receptable without diminishing its nutritional potency. It’s as if the two were made for each other.
Do you know what else was made for each other? Truth and love.
Truth can often have an unsavory bite to it. It can even be unbearable for some who don’t want to change their ways. “You can’t handle the truth” is a gem that many quote from popular film culture—and one that came to my mind when trying to chew on garlic without lemon juice! Yet truth was never meant to be digested apart from its counterpart, which is love. In the context of church unity and spiritual maturity in Ephesians 4, Paul has a strong admonition for Christ-followers. “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
When truth and love get divorced, the byproduct is Pharisaism. Paul knew that all too well, having himself been dramatically converted out of rigid adherence to Pharisaic “truthing” with no form of love attached to it. He wants the Ephesians to look more like disciples of Jesus than the legalistic crowd he used to run with. In addition to knowing and proclaiming the truth, the Ephesians must be a people characterized by love (John 13:34–35; 15:1–17). Paul understood that Jesus “came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), and that as His followers who are being conformed to His image (Romans 8:29), we should also have our lives characterized by grace and truth.
Some are all about love or grace without truth. “We just love and accept everybody as they are,” they say while never speaking any ounce of truth that transforms a person. That may have a pleasing aroma to it, but it has zero potency for growth or maturity. Imagine a doctor who knew the remedy for a debilitating disease but refused to prescribe it because it might be offensive to the patient. That isn’t a loving doctor. That’s a fraud being set up for malpractice.
We don’t truly love people if we don’t deem them worthy enough to know the truth that sets them free. We don’t truly love the lost if we are more concerned about them being unoffended than we are of them being born again. Gospel truth, motivated by love for God and love for people, seeks edification and maturity even when it requires the hard stuff of correction and discipline. This kind of self-sacrificial love works for the benefit of the loved one.
Several verses later Paul writes, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). Our conversations should always be seasoned with grace in a manner that clearly and unapologetically communicates both truth and love (1 John 4:10–12). What will that look like this week around your family meals or small group gatherings, conversations in the workplace, interactions with neighbors, or those debates with colleagues who have opposing worldviews? Think about it as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me with unconditional agape love. You have always loved me despite my mess, but loved me too much to leave me in my mess. Freedom, deliverance, transformation, growth, and maturity are all part of following the Christ who came in both grace and truth. Holy Spirit, show me areas where I need to receive truth for correction, and help me to walk in love as I share that truth with others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- When have you seen truth and love divorced? What have been the effects of that?
- What truths are hard for you to receive, even though you know they are good for you?
- From the reading of today’s text (Ephesians 4:11-32), how would you summarize God’s heart for the church?
- Are there experiences/episodes/seasons you need to lament, grieve, or even repent over failing to walk in truth and love as a follower of Jesus?
- How is the Holy Spirit leading you to speak the truth in love this week? Is there a difficult conversation you need to have with someone?
The post The Power of Garlic, Truth and Love appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Joshua 24:14-33
“Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” —Joshua 24:15
Last month, a speaker at my daughter’s college graduation observed that when we are born, “we look like our parents.” But as we get older “we look more like our decisions.”
As a responsible leader, Joshua urged the people in his realm of influence to be decisive in putting away false gods and be very intentional about choosing to serve the Lord.
“Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:14–15 ESV)
The people’s response was to decisively reject false gods and to serve “the Lord our God” (vv. 16–17)—which Israel did “all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua” (v. 31). Yet it is evidenced in the book of Judges that Israel’s subsequent generations tragically chose otherwise. Their decisions brought them low.
Regardless of how much the choices of past generations have affected us, we are only accountable to the Lord for the choices we make. By the end of this year, we will end up looking more like the decisions we made in 2023. With that end in mind, what decisions are you going to make that will sharpen the blade of your God-given purpose in life? What decisions will you make to improve certain life skills or relational intelligence that will enable you to serve others well? What decisions will you make for better physical health, mental strength, emotional wellness, and spiritual growth?
Your life is the product of choices. With every decision you make you are choosing a direction. Your choices become habits and your habits determine future outcomes. Perhaps today you will start with one simple decision to change something about your future. It’s been said that you’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret to your success is found in something you do routinely every day of your life. Find it. Decide upon it. And act upon it, as you seek to abide in Him this week!
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we cannot escape the outcomes of our choices. Teach us wisdom and discipline that we might apply our hearts to God-honoring decision making. Holy Spirit, empower us daily with the strength you give to follow through with those decisions. In Jesus’ blessed name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- In what ways have you been the product of your past decisions?
- What false gods are most enticing for people in our day?
- How would one go about identifying and the “putting away” of false gods?
- Are there false gods you still cling to when coping with life’s day to day stresses, challenges, or discomforts?
- What is one decision you can make as part of your daily routine that will conform your life more to the likeness of Jesus in 2023?
The post You Look Like Your Choices appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Isaiah 9:6-7, Luke 2:8-20
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” —Luke 2:14
This year marked the 30th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew, still one of the top five most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the United States. While I was working with a disaster relief team in Homestead, Florida, after the devastation caused by that vicious storm, I recall a resident whose home had been destroyed, taking a spray paint can and graffitiing the following words across the hollowed-out structure of his house:
“Know Jesus; Know Peace.
No Jesus; No Peace.”
I remember the wonderment I felt over the notion that one who had just lost everything could even find room in his vocabulary for the word “peace.” That imagery has stuck with me for over thirty years now. For a man who found himself homeless in the wake of a Category 5 hurricane in South Florida, peace wasn’t a method, a process, a notion, a distant reality, or some fickle emotion. His association with peace surely wasn’t just some glittery holiday card concept; Peace was an abiding Person—and his name was Jesus.
When Isaiah prophesied in ancient Israel about a future Messiah, or Savior, he declared:
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Advent reminds us that peace is the direct correlation of being in a right relationship with the “Prince of Peace.” As we look at all the war, violence, political discord, and the human suffering that is akin to our present world, it is important to remember that Jesus promised a peace that transcends the chaos (John 14:27) and surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). The embodiment of peace isn’t packaged in a pill or a bottle on some shelf at the pharmacy, but came to us as “a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” This newborn Prince was also called Immanuel, meaning “God with us,” and He came promising that He will never leave us or forsake us.
As shepherds flocked to that little baby, a multitude of the heavenly host appeared praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” This was peace incarnate. The Hebrew word for “peace,” shalom, is often used in reference to an appearance of calm and tranquility of individuals, groups, and nations, but the deeper, more foundational meaning of peace is “the spiritual harmony brought about by an individual’s restoration with God,” with Jesus Christ being the mediator of that peace (1 Timothy 2:5).
This Prince of Peace came to reconcile sinners to God, to make us a new creation clothed in His very own righteousness, and to establish His kingdom rule in our hearts and governing reign over our lives. This Prince’s reign sustains us when going through the storm, stabilizes us when the whole world seems to be falling apart, gives us a love that overcomes the hatred, and decrees hope even when things look impossible. This Prince never said that “peace” was synonymous with “easy.” On the contrary, He taught His disciples to expect tribulation (John 16:33) and various trials (James 1:2) that would test our faith and produce steadfastness.
Consider, beloved: Peace is the indomitable realm where the Prince of Peace has set up His rule and reign. It isn’t a byproduct of human will or having your circumstances turn more favorable; Peace is yours when you yield the throne of your heart to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. That isn’t so much about a decision you made twenty years ago, but one that you make with this moment. You can choose peace by relinquishing control. Advent brings us to a place of surrender… again. Will you go there today?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank you that there is a peace that surpasses understanding. You promised that I can know that peace, found in the person of Jesus. Prince of Peace, rule in my heart today. I relinquish control. I confess my sins. I surrender shame, guilt, regret, anger, depression, anxiety, and anything that rivals the peace you have promised. I receive your peace as a gracious gift, one that may well be the best gift I can receive this Christmas. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Advent Reading: Week 4
12/18 Sunday – Isaiah 9:6-7
12/19 Monday – Romans 5:1-5
12/20 Tuesday – Isaiah 26:3-13
12/21 Wednesday – John 14:26-28
12/22 Thursday – John 16:25-33
12/23 Friday – Romans 14:17-19
12/24 Saturday – Matthew 5:9
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is discord, union.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
Where there is injury, pardon.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.— Prayer for Peace of St. Francis of Assisi
The post Advent Reading Week 4: PEACE appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Isaiah 35:1-10, Luke 2:1-12
“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.’” —Luke 2:10
Hearing the words “Christmas is coming!” can evoke so many different responses in us: Stress—Ugh, there are so many activities this month and so little time to just be together as a family. Panic—I only have so many days to get my shopping done. Regret—Why did I volunteer to do that thing when it is going to require so much of me? Envy—My holiday “experience” is not nearly as impressive as that which my friends are posting about on social media. Or perhaps more tragically…
Grief—This will be our first Christmas without _______________.
Such a wide variety of sentiments can invade our hearts, occupy our thoughts, and hijack the joy of the Advent season. When Isaiah prophesied that an “everlasting joy” was coming to all who trust in God’s word (Isaiah 35), he pointed to the promised future that would be inaugurated in the first coming of Jesus Christ (Luke 4:16–21; 7:18–23) and fully consummated at his second coming (Revelation 21:4; 22:1–5).
The whole tone of Isaiah 35 is established by the verbs “be glad… rejoice… rejoice with joy and singing.” As God’s people once made their exodus through a desert, their final homecoming is through glorious abundance, exploding with joy! Isaiah portrayed a highway for God’s people that was clearly marked by joyful abundance—one of pilgrims singing their way into their eternal home (cf. 33:8; 34:10). The “redeemed” and “ransomed” of the LORD would obtain a “gladness and joy” that had once been out of reach (vv. 9-10). This hope inspires strength and courage for those feeling weak and unsteady as they find themselves in a time of waiting:
“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.’” (Isaiah 35:3–4 ESV)
The stabilizing anchor of hope that invokes real joy comes from the promise of God’s faithfulness to his people (“your God will come”). They will not be left alone. We know that His messianic promise was fulfilled in the person of Jesus, the “Christos” (“the anointed one,” or “the chosen one”) who takes away the sins of the world. We also know that, as the angel revealed to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth, joy is not just relegated to a select few, but a proclamation of Good News for “all the people” (Luke 2:10).
Consider this beloved: Advent is a time we can be reminded that we do indeed have the capacity to choose joy over all of our varying emotional responses. Joy is not some deluxe version of the Gospel, it’s included in the standard package! It’s about accepting that you do have a choice over your fickle emotions—that God’s truth can overtake them. Joy is trusting when you want to doubt. Joy is celebrating when you want to fear. It’s worshiping when you want to withdraw. Joy is listed as one of the “fruits” of abiding in the Holy Spirit instead of walking in the “flesh” (Galatians 5:22). In other words, it has a lot to do with where we set up the tent of our thoughts.
The Hebrew word translated for “rejoice” in Isaiah 35 means “to exult, to go about or to be excited to levity.” The word exult means “to leap for joy,” and it’s usually connected with a triumph of some kind. I can’t think of a greater triumph than what Jesus championed for us through his birth, death, and resurrection. What a reason to rejoice his Advent season!
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, may my mind dwell this season on the incredible gift of salvation through Jesus that is the source of all joy in this life and the life to come. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Advent Reading: Week 3
12/11 Sunday – Luke 2:1-12
12/12 Monday – Philippians 4:4-9
12/13 Tuesday – Romans 12:11-16
12/14 Wednesday – Romans 5:1-5
12/15 Thursday – John 16:22-24
12/16 Friday – 1 Peter 1:3-9
12/17 Saturday – Psalm 5:11
The post Advent Reading Week 3: JOY appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Have you ever found yourself guilty of judging who is worthy or unworthy of God’s love? I sure have been rebuked for this many a time. God can save even the most unlikely and unlovable of candidates, and He doesn’t need our permission to do so.
The post Advent Reading Week 2: LOVE appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
“Just because it's Christmas, doesn’t mean your heart don’t hurt.” It’s fitting to be reminded that everything in your world doesn’t have to be tidied up to worship the King. You don’t have to check your wounds at the door of the stable before coming in to bow down at that manger.
The post Advent Reading Week 1: HOPE appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: Isaiah 43:1-28 “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” —Isaiah 43:19 In the early 90s, I was preaching a series of youth rallies in West Virginia. As an adventure outing, some fellas...
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Text: Isaiah 28:14-22 “for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter” —Isaiah 28:15 Have you ever had a misplaced trust in someone or something? We have probably all been burned a few times from this. What about taking refuge in a lie, or looking for comfort in a false...
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Text: Isaiah 6:1-13 “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’” —Isaiah 6:8 Have you ever been in a situation in which you felt so much out of place you just wanted to get out of...
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Text: Ecclesiastes 5:1-20 “For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.” —Ecclesiastes 5:20 Hollywood celebrity Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the...
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Text: Matthew 7:24-29 “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” —Matthew 28:18 The children of the orphanage act differently when Pastor Pedro is in the room! His presence is a game changer in the posture and conduct of the orphanage residents. We have...
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Text: Ecclesiastes 10:1-11 “If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.” —Ecclesiastes 10:10 (NKJV) There’s an old story about two lumberjacks who had a contest to see who could chop the most wood. One was a young, strong man who could...
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Text: 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 “and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all…” —1 Thessalonians 3:12 It’s been said that John Wesley’s heart was “strangely warmed” in London but “set on fire” in Bristol. This past week we did a sports camp at the very location in...
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Text: Galatians 1:1-24 “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”—Galatians 1:23 “What’s your wish?” When the creator and co-founder of a nonprofit that helps fulfill the wishes of children with critical illnesses was asked that question, he responded: “To have my story told…” Wish Man, the...
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When Jesus rose from the dead, He didn’t give a sermon to the world, He went and made breakfast for His friends, and a disgraced Peter.
The post Feeling Like You Failed Jesus? appeared first on Jimmy Larche.
Text: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong…” —1 Corinthians 1:27 After winning the Breeders’ Cup Distaff two years ago, the horse “Monomoy Girl” was sold for $9.5 million. Another horse, Rich Strike, shocked...
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Text: Matthew 25:1-13 “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” —Colossians 3:4 My fourth great grandfather, Reverend Ulrich Keener, was a Methodist circuit-riding preacher and the first resident missionary to the Cherokee. He served the Echota Mission, a church-boarding school established in 1850 for Indians remaining...
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Text: 1 Chronicles 21:1-30 “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.” —1 Chronicles 21:13 The Dating Game was a TV show that initially aired in the 1960s. It can be remembered...
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Mary Dobkin (Aunt Mary) was the crippled immigrant woman who coached and guided thousands of Baltimore's poorest children.
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It was the quickest overtime game in NFL history. In January of 2012, Tim Tebow connected with Demaryius Thomas for an 80-yard touchdown
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It was in a dream by night that the Lord appeared to Solomon at Gibeon saying, “Ask what I shall give you.” Solomon asked for wisdom.
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In humility, whose interests do you need to look out for this week? Whose corner do you need to stand in this week?
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“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” A Leader Without a Title.
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I know I don’t look it but I’m beginning to feel it in my heart. I feel thin… sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.
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As Jesus came to the end of His earthly ministry and stood at the threshold of a looming crucifixion, He had a dying wish: Christian unity.
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John Newton's mother, Elizabeth Newton, was the one who modeled godliness for him when he was a young boy.
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Jonah was self-righteous, bitter, and lacking in mercy and compassion. The stubborn prophet had to learn a hard lesson about grace.
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The Sign of Jonah: Jonah was hurled into the sea to appease the wrath of God. Jesus appeased the wrath of God on the cross for our sins.
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“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us,” wrote A.W. Tozer.
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They called him “Wrong Way” Roy. His gaffe on New Year’s Day, 1929, is often cited as the worst blunder in college football history.
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When a humpback whale off Herring Cove Beach swallowed Michael Packard, it was utter darkness for the veteran lobster diver.
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C.S. Lewis said, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
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