Today as I wrote this, Wanda and I celebrate 50 years of marriage. There is much I can say about her, and I will, on my personal Facebook page. But since I know that everyone struggles with relationships (not just marriages), I thought I’d reflect today and share some of the most helpful lessons I’ve learned in the last 50 years. I hope these will be helpful to you.
Good relationships take hard work. Many people just decide to tolerate each other because listening, learning, growing, and changing take work. Make the effort. It’ll be worth it.
It’s usually me. I used to believe that people annoyed or frustrated me because they were flawed. I discovered that most of my relationship difficulties were because I was flawed, not them.
The Devil is at work. One of the greatest discoveries I made was how the Enemy tries to create division in my relationships by planting thoughts in my head. He’s a liar and wants to destroy everything beautiful in my life.
The best apology is changed behavior. I used to say I’m sorry a lot for making the same mistakes/hurts over and over again. God helped me understand that repentance is more than saying, “Sorry,” and expecting people to just get over it. It is a change in the way I live.
I’m the only one I can change. I spent a lot of time through the years trying to change other people. I finally learned I’m not responsible for them. I’m responsible for ME. And I’m the only one I can change.
Manage your stories. The most powerful story in the world is the story I’m telling myself. The stories I believe about myself and the stories I believe about others will shape how I relate to them. Tell yourself better stories, and you’ll have better relationships.
It’s okay to get help. God gave us people to help us figure things out. Pastors, counselors, coaches, and wise friends can sometimes guide us through relational issues we’ve wrestled with for years. You’re only alone in this if you choose to be.
Relationships are a skill. Some people are better at relationships than others. But I discovered that there are skills ALL of us need to learn and ANY of us can. Stop giving yourself an out by saying you “can’t.”
Forgive as you want to be forgiven. I have needed more grace in my life than I have a right to. I need to be as good at giving it as I am at receiving it.
I can’t do this without God. “Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain.” Wanda and I made it this far only by God’s help. I’ve discovered I need His strength, guidance, and compassion in EVERY relationship I have. He’s the glue we all need.
I encourage you to read our passage today and ask God to speak to you about YOUR relationships. Cherish those close to you. You never know how long you have with them. That’s God’s Word for you today.

Does today’s passage sound familiar? It should. It is the passage that Jesus read at the synagogue in Luke 4. After reading it, he stated, “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” The people who heard it were not just amazed, they were ANGRY! Jesus had just claimed to be the Messiah, and they weren’t having it. In fact, if they had gotten their way, the ministry of Jesus would have ended right there and then. Thankfully, that didn’t happen.
The angry people made a critical mistake that day. They were all in an uproar because they thought that prophecy was about the Messiah. They were wrong. The prophecy was about THEM. And about how much God loved them. You see, right there, in that passage, God reveals His Heart for people and how much He understands them.
Take another look at the scripture. What is it that the Spirit of God wants to do through The One God is sending? He wants them to hear the Good News that they can be saved—that those who are “poor in spirit” can be rich in the salvation of God. He wants them to know that they don’t have to bear their grief and sorrow all by themselves. There is a Comforter who will dry every tear from their eyes and bring healing to their broken hearts. And He has come to break every chain that binds them. No more shackles of shame, fear, loneliness, or worthlessness. No more living in prisons they have built with their own hands.
Who were these words for? Everyone in the synagogue that day who was under the sound of Jesus’ voice. Because every single one of them needed what Jesus the Messiah could do. Oh yes, the time of the Lord’s favor had come. But not for the Messiah. The time of the Lord’s favor was for THEM!
And that prophecy is for US as well. Jesus quoted those words to let us know what God wants to do for us. He wants to save our lost and wayward souls. He wants to heal our deepest wounds. He wants to comfort our broken hearts and dry our flood of tears. He wants to set us FREE. Don’t reject Jesus as those in the synagogue did that day. Open your heart to Him. Cry out to Him. The Healer, Redeemer, Comforter, and Liberator has come, and God’s love and power have come with Him. Make no mistake, my friend, those words were written for YOU! That’s God’s Word for you today.

If any of you are like me, this passage today is a great encouragement and promise. Many of us have sons and daughters, grandchildren, close friends, or family who are far from God. And sometimes, as we see them, our hearts grow heavy. Many may be showing no sign of turning or coming back to the Lord. Some may appear to be moving deeper and deeper into lifestyles that are taking them further and further away. We pray and pray, but we may not be seeing any results. It can be disheartening and discouraging.
But don’t give up! What I was reminded of as I read this passage today is that God desires freedom for those we love even more than we do. They were HIS before they were OURS. He created them. He gifted them. And He used us to plant the seed of His Word in their hearts. As we recently shared, God will not let His Word return void! Those seeds are being watered. There is movement beneath the surface that you cannot see. God is true to His Word, so this much we know: He will NEVER stop drawing them back by the power of His Holy Spirit. Wherever they are, no matter what holds them captive, God will never cease calling them out and calling them back.
Let’s agree in prayer today. “Father, we lift up those we love dearly who are being held captive in the Enemy’s camp. He has blinded them. He has placed chains of lies, addictions, and toxic thinking upon them. He has robbed them of the identity that you created them to have. But today, we believe that they are not beyond the reach of your arm or the sound of your voice. Call to them, Lord. Sing your song of deliverance over them. Let them be drawn once again to your love and grace and redemption. Remind them today of who you are and how great your love is for them. Remind them of our love and our open arms that would welcome them home. We stand in the gap on their behalf and ask that you, who began a good work in them, will bring it to completion. Greater are you, O Lord, than the one who is in the world. Reclaim them, restore them, renew them, we pray. Bring our children and loved ones home. In the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we ask. Amen.” That’s God’s Word for you today.

“We are the light that God is speaking into this world.” That was the epiphany that came to me as I read our passage for today. In the very beginning, when the world was dark and chaotic, God spoke and said, “Let there be light!” God has repeated that gesture again and again throughout history.
When the world became exceedingly wicked, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Noah was God’s one bright spot in a world that had become utterly dark and evil. Noah and his family became the new starting point to bring hope back to our fallen planet. Then God called Abraham to be the light. God established a covenant with him to create a lineage through whom God could reveal Himself to the world. Later, Moses became that light. He came to God’s People who were in bondage and became God’s light of freedom to lead them out of Egypt and back to the Promised Land that God had for them. Do you see the trend? Generation after generation, God spoke from Heaven and said, “Let there be light!” and He raised up leaders, kings, and prophets who kept illuminating the way back to God.
But darkness is relentless. And as the people chased after that darkness and abandoned the light of God, they found themselves in bondage once again. But God had not forgotten them. His promise in Isaiah is that they would return to Jerusalem and be re-established as the people of God. Through them God would reveal His light once more. And He did. He sent Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world.” He showed the way back to the Father, He demonstrated God’s great love, He offered God’s great grace, He illuminated this dark world with the holiness and righteousness of God. Then, before He left, Jesus turned that responsibility over to us. To those of us who wear His name and possess His Spirit, He said, “YOU are the light of the world.”
Don’t you see? Wherever we go today, wherever we find ourselves, no matter how dark or chaotic it may be, God is saying once again, “Let there be light!” If God’s Spirit lives in us, then His Light must shine through us. WE get to be the love of God, touching lives. WE get to be the words of hope, lifting those around us. WE get to be the ones speaking to those in darkness, “There is a BETTER way! There is a BETTER life! There is forgiveness and grace, joy and satisfaction, peace and contentment awaiting all who call upon the name of the Lord.” Listen to the voice of God today as He speaks over YOU. “Let there be light!” That’s God’s Word for you today.

It jumped out at me today as I was reading Isaiah 58. One word repeated over and over again. “Then.” In and around all of those “Then” statements were commands, corrections, and admonishments. God was reminding the Israelites of why they were in the predicament they were in and how not to let it happen again. They had forgotten something that we often forget. Our covenant with God is exactly that. A covenant. It is an agreed-upon contract between two parties. God reminded His People that He would do His part. But they had to do theirs.
Take a look at all God desires to give in the verses above. Salvation. Healing. Protection. Guidance. Answers to prayer. Refreshment. Strength. Life. Honor. Satisfaction. All wonderful things that come from His Hand. Things He loves to give. Things He longs to give. Things He promises to give. But His people have to do THEIR part. They have to be faithful. They have to seek Him first. They have to follow His lead and His commands. They have to love Him first and best and treat others the way that He treats them. The blessings of God flow out of our covenant with God. We can’t live however we want and expect God to just ignore it. He’s the King of the Universe. Not our Genie in a bottle.
God loves us. And like a good, good Father, He loves to bless and enrich our lives. But His primary goal for us is that we become like Him, holy and righteous. He’s not interested in us becoming spoiled children who believe they can do whatever they want, and He will clean up their mess and bail them out. He wants us to learn to love Him with all of our hearts as He loves us with all of His. As we do that, THEN He releases all of who He is to us. Covenants go two ways. God will do His part. Let’s make sure we do ours. THEN… That’s God’s Word for you today.

One of my favorite cartoons, which I relate to way too much, is a single-frame picture of a pastor leaving for church and his wife seeing him out the door. As she adjusts his tie, she smiles and says, “Today, let’s switch things around. How about if you’re grumpy at church and charming at home?” Ouch.
Today at church, many of us will say prayers, sing songs, listen to sermons, and maybe even take communion. All things that we intend to worship and honor God. But in the midst of all those wonderful things, some of us will also say hurtful things to our spouse, yell needlessly at our kids, gossip about someone, and be critical and petty about something that doesn’t really matter all that much. Do we really think God accepts our praise when we do such things?
Isaiah points out the Israelites’ fasting as an example of their religious hypocrisy. While fasting was supposed to be a way of drawing closer to God and leaning in to more of His holiness and righteousness, it wasn’t. More of God should make us nicer, kinder, more selfless, and more generous. Isaiah points out that people were being ignored, abused, and overworked instead. One commentator suggested that some people who were fasting assigned their workers/servants more work so that they wouldn’t have to exert themselves while fasting. Others most likely took out their “hangryness” on those around them. Really godly of them.
The fact of the matter is, as much as God loves our songs, prayers, praise, and preaching, He loves us living out His Holiness even more. When we treat our spouse with respect and gentleness, God is blessed. When we are patient with our children as our Heavenly Father is with us, God is blessed. When we hold our critical tongue, swallow our words of gossip, and extend grace instead of judgment, God is blessed. If we truly want to fast in a way that honors God, then we need to worry less about what we put IN our mouths and pay much more attention to what comes OUT. Because that’s the kind of worship that blesses God. That’s God’s Word for you today.

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” – 1 John 4:8 (NIV)

I was visiting with a man who recently lost his brother. His brother was a really good guy. He loved the Lord and was well-loved by the people who knew him. Most people agreed that he died way too soon. As I visited with the man whose brother had passed, I told him how sad I was and gave him a big hug. The man nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m sad too.” Then he got a big smile and said, “But he’s not sad. He’s up there having the time of his life. He’s up there dancing!” I laughed and said, “No doubt!”
He was right, you know. If the dead brother was full of joy and life on THIS side of heaven, we can’t begin to imagine how much fun he’s having now! Death may be sad for those of us who are left behind, but not for those who have died in the Lord. We may grieve. We may weep. We may have to fight the depression and darkness that seem to accompany losing someone dear to us. But everything we know about heaven tells us that people there aren’t grieving at all. In fact, they know joy in a way that they never had before. Please hear my heart. I’m not trying to minimize the impact death has on those of us who lose someone dear to us. But the problem is that we tend to look at it from a purely self-centered perspective. We’re focused on what WE’VE LOST, not what they HAVE GAINED.
That’s what Isaiah reminds us of today. He points out that people who die before their time are getting a gift from God. They get to be spared future evil. They don’t have to deal with pain, sorrow, struggle, sickness, or any of the thousand other evils that we experience here on earth. Maybe that’s why the people who have near-death experiences say that they didn’t want to come back. What they experienced after death was beyond anything this world could offer. And they knew that life was just a breath compared to eternity.
I share this to give you both hope and encouragement. If you’ve experienced a loss, you have every right to grieve and weep. Some losses leave big holes in our lives. But make sure you realize you’re grieving for YOU, not them. If they died in the Lord, they’re not weeping or crying at all. They just bypassed all the years of heartaches that those of us left behind have to deal with. So if you’re sad, it’s okay. Be sad for you or for anyone who is feeling the loss with you. But when you think of those you’ve lost, don’t be sad for them. Be happy. Trust me, they’re not depressed in death. They’re DANCING! That’s God’s Word for you today.

I wish I could tell you how many times I’ve preached and wondered after it was over if anyone was even listening. I’ve often wished I had pastored black churches. Those churches give you feedback! Instead, I see people smile and nod, and, if my people drank enough strong coffee that morning, the occasional “Amen!” But still, did it make a difference? Did God really speak through me that day, or was I just making noise? Honestly, it’s not always easy to know.
That’s why our passage today is really reassuring to me. I can’t control how people respond or don’t respond. I can only control how I listen to God as I prepare. God’s promise today gives me hope and peace. Read it again. “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
When I read this, I was reminded of the story of the farmer planting his seed. Some grew, and some didn’t. But as Jesus unpacked the story, He made it clear that there was nothing wrong with the seed, which represented the word of God. The problem was with the soil, which represented the hearts of people. God’s Word is Pure. It is Powerful. It is Life and Hope and Truth. Whether people are challenged, transformed, inspired, or untouched tells us more about their hearts and their openness to God than it does about God’s Word.
I write this to encourage those of you who, like me, have preached or taught or shared God’s Word and felt as if it did no good at all. Take heart from our verse today. God will cause His Word to prosper. It may take time. It may take some further watering or cultivating. It may take some of the soil of people’s hearts getting plowed a bit. But God will take care of all that. You just do what God calls you to do and spread the seed. He will take care of the harvest. That’s God’s Word for you today.

I remember some years ago when I was really disappointed in God. We were a church plant, meeting in a hotel, looking for a better, more permanent place. And I thought we’d found it. After a year and a half of searching, a school building became available. It was close, it had all the various types of rooms we’d need, and we were assured the school district would give us a good lease price. I was CONVINCED that this was our new home. That is, until I got a call from the school superintendent letting me know they were going to keep it. I was crushed. When I hung up the phone, I got on my knees beside my desk chair and said to God, “Are you SURE you know what you’re doing?” Ever been there?
A couple of weeks later, I got a call from one of our members who had heard about a church that had closed. I was so depressed, I didn’t even want to go look at it. But I did. That church ended up becoming our new home and allowed our church to flourish and grow beyond what we had ever imagined. Yeah, God knew what He was doing.
The Lord reminds us in our passage today that the reason we struggle so much with what God does or doesn’t do is that He doesn’t think like us. I love how He uses the word “higher” in describing His different view of things. God sees the big picture. He sees not only where we are, but also where we’re going. We see what we want. He sees what we need. We get stuck in the now. God sees with eternity in mind. Higher, deeper, broader, longer…you name it, God sees things that way.
God also THINKS differently than we do. God not only thinks about us, He thinks about everyone who is involved. He understands all the complexities that don’t even show up on our human radar. When I thought about that school, God thought, “Not bad, but I have something BETTER.” He knew the building would be better. He knew we’d be able to own and not just lease. He knew how receptive the neighborhood would be to us. He knew about the building up the street that we would end up using for our children’s ministry. God’s thinking was so many levels beyond mine that it made me ashamed for ever doubting Him. Our God is not only a GOOD God, He is a SMART God. You can trust Him. He knows what He’s doing. That’s God’s Word for you today.

Don’t you just love it when people get what they deserve? I mean, like in those “instant karma” videos on YouTube. A guy pulls up beside someone on the freeway and starts yelling at them for driving like a maniac. He then starts driving like a maniac and wrecks his car! Or when a couple of bullies try to rob an older guy who is getting money out of an ATM. They attack him, not knowing that he is a martial arts expert, and he ends up knocking them both out.
Things like that tend to appeal to our human nature. We enjoy it when people get what they deserve. That is, until WE are the ones getting what we deserve! That’s when we don’t want karma or justice or payback. We want GRACE!
Fortunately for us, God’s not like us. He doesn’t enjoy people getting hurt by their poor decisions. He’s not pleased when people suffer the consequences of their actions. Pain, punishment, and payback are not God’s desire for us. Grace is. Healing is. Redemption is. That’s why He sent His Son as a Savior, not an Executioner. “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to SAVE the world through him.” – John 3:17 (NLT)
Hundreds of years before Christ came, God revealed His plan through Isaiah. Take another look at our verse for today. “Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.” Can you hear the heart of God in that? He doesn’t want us to get what we deserve when we’re wicked or going our own way. He wants us to TURN. He wants us to CHANGE our ways. He wants us to REPENT, which means to change our minds. Because when we turn toward God, He RUNS toward us with mercy and forgiveness.
Listen to the heart of God today. He doesn’t want you hurt. He doesn’t want you to suffer. He doesn’t want you to keep on the path you’re on until you’re broken or crushed or humiliated. God doesn’t want you to get what you deserve. He wants to give you what you don’t deserve. Grace. Will you let Him? That’s God’s Word for you today.

One of the prayers I find myself praying these days is asking the Lord to help me be “immediately obedient” when He speaks. There are a few reasons why I’ve found this to be important on my own journey of faith.
One reason is that I’ve discovered how comfortable I can get with flaws in my life. God speaking to me about something that’s not as it should be is like walking into the bathroom and finding I have a crack in the mirror. The first time I see it, I think to myself, “What an ugly crack! I need to do something about that!” But I don’t. The next few times I see it, it’s a bit distracting, but not as much as at first. After a while, I don’t notice the crack at all.
It’s the same with God’s correction. The longer I live with the flaws that God shows me, the more comfortable I become with them. I go from “I need to do something about that,” to “Yeah, I probably ought to change that,” to “What flaw?” The dangerous part of growing insensitive to God’s voice is that the stuff God points out is always stuff that will erode my soul, cause problems/pain for me and/or others, and create distance in my walk with Him.
Another reason it’s important to respond immediately to God is that some doors close or opportunities are missed, and you may not get another chance. Or at least, not without some pretty severe consequences. I’m thinking of a friend I had in high school whom I convinced to go to Youth Camp with me. He wasn’t a Christian, and one night, he was under pretty intense conviction in a service to give his heart to the Lord. But he didn’t. He went home unchanged. I ran into him some years later, and we had lunch together. He told me he was on his third marriage in ten years and confessed that he knew he drank a whole lot more than he should. Though a functional alcoholic, he admitted his life was pretty much a mess.
When I drove away, I remembered that camp and the window that God opened for him to surrender his heart. I thought about how different his life could have been if he had just said, “Yes,” to God in that service. His entire life could have gone in a whole different way. Sometimes the consequences of ignoring God are bigger than we can imagine. That’s why our verse from Isaiah is such an important reminder. “Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.” Become immediately obedient to the voice of God. The life you save may be your own. That’s God’s Word for you today.

I just got back from preaching at a Campmeeting in Southwest Ohio. Wanda and I had a fantastic time. The theme for the week was “Made for More.” So I unpacked that theme each evening, looking at it from several different angles. It was a blast! But the one thing we kept coming back to was critically important. Being “more” is about who God is and not who we are.
You see, even in our walk of faith or our work in the Kingdom of God, it’s easy to make it all about us. Our talent. Our giftedness. Our abilities. You fill in the blank. But it’s not about us. It’s about HIM. Yes, God allows us to partner with Him. Yes, there is a surrender on our part, and an exercise of faith on our part, and a commitment to growth and learning on our part. But GOD is the one who does the heavy lifting. It is HE working in us, and it is HE working through us. Our becoming “more” is by allowing Him to possess more of us!
Take a look at our passage today. God tells His People how other nations are going to come running to them and be ruled over by His People. But notice how carefully God explains how that happens. He says it’s “because I, the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious.” It wasn’t about THEM. It was about HIM.
“Glorious.” What a great word. When we spend time in the presence of God, seeking His will and His ways, He fills us with His Glory. And it shines through. When Moses came down from the mountain, He was glowing with the glory of God. It was the confirmation that God had His hand upon Him as the leader. When we preach, teach, counsel, sing, or lead by letting God speak to us and through us, and it touches the hearts of people, it isn’t because we’re great at it. It’s because we’re “glorious”—God’s glory is coming through us. Only God can touch hearts. Only God can transform lives. Only God can bring conviction, save souls, or truly inspire. It’s God’s Glory that people are drawn to. And it’s that glory that makes us “more” than we could ever be alone.
Make this your prayer this week. “Lord, fill me with your glory!” Seek Him, surrender to Him, yield your will to His will, and ask His Spirit to fully consume you. It’s not more of you whom your family, your friends, or your church needs. It’s more of Him. So make sure when they see you, they see Him. Then you, too, will be GLORIOUS! That’s God’s Word for you today.

This verse really challenged me today. I have to confess that I’m not always a good listener. If someone’s trying to talk to me while I’m doing something else, I don’t always hear what they’re saying, even if I’m nodding my head as if I am. The problem for me is that I don’t multitask well. I tend to lock my attention on one thing and tune out everything else. My wife, on the other hand, can be doing six different things and seems to be able to focus 1/6 of her brain on each one. I guess I just don’t have enough brain to go around to do that.
That’s why the first part of our verse hit me so hard. “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life.” When I come to God with a distracted mind or with only a half-open heart, I’m not hearing all of what He has to say. And the stuff God has to say is REALLY important! The stuff He wants to share with us, point out to us, or have us spend some time with is stuff that brings us LIFE! It may be a promise that we really need to hear for the moment that we’re in. It may be the warning that we need for what we may be facing in the days or weeks ahead. It may be the correction that we need to receive to adjust an attitude or a behavior that’s not in line with His Character. It may be a person that He wants to lay on our heart to touch with a word of encouragement or comfort. If I miss THAT STUFF, I miss a LOT!
Process this with me today. What causes YOU to come to God with ears that are only half-open to Him? Is it when you are anxious or afraid? Is it when you’re busy and running at a hectic pace? Is it when you’re frustrated or angry with someone and you’re struggling to shift your mind from them to Him? Is it when you’re feeling a bit convicted, because you know there’s some stuff in your life that God’s not pleased with? Is it when you try to squeeze God into a busy or noisy time in your day when you’re surrounded by a bunch of distractions? All of these and more can steal an important moment that we may need with God. What’s really crazy is that these are the times we MOST need to hear from God!
I took a walk today in the woods. No phone, no people, no cars, no noise. Just me and God. And you know what? Not only could I express the deepest concerns of my heart without fear that someone else might hear, I was able to LISTEN. God confirmed His love for me. God confirmed His presence with me. God reminded me that I was His Beloved Child—flaws and all. As I shared some challenges, God gave me some scriptures and let me know that it was going to be okay. God has some AMAZING things to say. All we have to do is position ourselves to LISTEN. That’s God’s Word for you today.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm? 2 My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. 3 He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. 7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.
8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. 9 He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.
10 But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands. 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. 12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels. – Isaiah 53
Sometimes you just have to let the Scripture speak for itself about Jesus. I am one of those grateful rebels He interceded for. How about YOU? That’s God’s Word for you today.

Have you ever noticed how much bad news there is? We had the television on while I was checking my email, and it was one bad news story after another. The war in Iran. The Ebola outbreak in Africa. Another government official stealing millions of dollars. Even the commercials were political candidates taking shots at one another. It’s no wonder that the antidepressant drug industry is making billions.
That’s why I was so inspired by a story that was in my email about a woman in Vancouver, Washington, who did something incredibly kind. She saw an older man in her neighborhood who looked confused. So she went out to see if he needed help. She discovered that he was an 87-year-old DoorDash driver. As she talked to him, she found out that though he was retired, he had to have a part-time job to cover his medicine and pay off some debt. Her heart broke for the man, so she gave him $100 and told him to take the rest of the day off. She then started a GoFundMe account for him and is trying to raise enough money for him to truly retire. Are you getting this? She CARED. She SHARED. She ACTED IN LOVE. This woman’s story was a breath of good news in a bad news world.
I love how Isaiah describes “good news” people as having “beautiful feet.” In other words, they are the people you love to see coming. They are the people who bring you hope and encouragement. They are the people who lift and inspire you. They are the people who want to listen to you, pray for you, and help you if they can. They are the people who remind you that there is a God who loves you, a Savior who died for you, and a Holy Spirit who is there to guide you. They are the people whom you long to have with you, and you hate to see leave. They are the Beautiful Feet people.
You know what’s so cool about Beautiful Feet people? Any of us can be one! Any one of us can be bearers of Good News. Any one of us can be encouraging and uplifting. Any one of us can remind people that there is hope, help, and healing. Any one of us can share that there is a God who cares, loves, and saves. Any one of us can make someone’s day by reminding them that they are not alone. And do you know what else? Every single one of us has people in our world who need to hear these things. So what are you waiting for? Go out today and be one of God’s Beautiful Feet people. You don’t even have to take off your shoes! That’s God’s Word for you today.

Have you ever felt trapped? It’s funny how often I hear people use that word to describe their circumstances. I remember a guy talking with me some time ago using that word to describe his job situation. He had been trying and trying to get promoted to a higher level, but to no avail. He had become really discouraged. Finally, he decided to look for another job. One became available that he applied for. He so desperately wanted to get out of the job he was in that he BEGGED God to let him get it. He didn’t. And he plunged into despair.
He called me after the new job fell through and wanted me to tell him why God didn’t give him that job. I told him that I wasn’t privy to that kind of information. It was above my pay grade. But I did assure him that God knew where he was, how he felt, and what he needed. I prayed with him and simply asked God to guide, lead, and comfort him. I didn’t hear back from him until about six months later. That’s when he called to tell me that God had opened the door for him to get his “dream job.” It was a better job, a better environment, doing what he loved, for more money. He decided that maybe God knew what He was doing after all!
We sometimes forget that though people and circumstances can cause us distress and difficulty, only God controls our destiny. Read that last sentence again. What God says to His People in our passage today is an understanding that can help us rest and trust in His leading and His process. We don’t have to be afraid or discouraged. The same God who can free His People from Egypt and free His People from the Babylonians can free us as well. God is greater than the people who may be against us, greater than the circumstances that surround us, and greater than the chains that may bind us. My friend felt as if he was trapped in his job. He was wrong. He discovered that what we call a “struggle” is just a stepping stone that God uses to get us to where we need to be. People may control our jobs, but only God controls our destiny. That’s God’s Word for you today.

Every once in a while, Wanda and I will struggle with each other. I know that’s hard for you to believe, seeing as how I’m so perfect in every way, but we do. There are times when one of us will do something or say something that hits the other person the wrong way. Sometimes we hurt each other’s feelings. Sometimes we just get frustrated with life and get short or edgy. There are also times we get into fairly intense conversations that feel as if they will have no resolution. But there’s a truth about our relationship that we hold onto in those challenging moments. We always get to the Other Side.
I thought of that when I read our passage for today. God is reminding His People of that truth. He will get them to the other side. Yes, beautiful Jerusalem will lie in ruins. Yes, the Holy Temple will be ransacked and destroyed. Yes, they will live in exile and have to endure horrible treatment. But God assures them that their time of struggle will end. Their city will be rebuilt. They will worship once again in their temple. They will return to their homeland and plant again, harvest again, LIVE again. God will comfort their souls and heal their broken hearts. Their days of struggle will one day be over. He will see them through to the Other Side.
That may be a word of hope and encouragement that some of us need to hear. Maybe your world has recently fallen apart. Perhaps you're dealing with a death that has left you feeling lost and alone. Maybe you’re going through a long-term illness or struggle that has sapped you of all your energy, and you’re struggling just to put one foot in front of the other. Maybe you’ve been going through a relational crisis, financial crisis, or job crisis that has made you feel stuck with no way out. And maybe, in all of this, God has felt a million miles away.
Well, He’s not, My Friend. He’s right there with you every step of the way. He’s been helping in ways that you can’t even see and working in ways that you’ll never even know. And though He doesn’t promise you a quick fix or an easy road, He does promise you this: He’ll get you to the Other Side. One day, you’ll find comfort. One day, you’ll find relief. One day, this horrible moment you’re going through will just be a bad memory. One day, healing will come, life will be easier, and you’ll feel joy, peace, and gladness again. That’s when you’ll know you’re in that land God promised. That place of restoration, renewal, and rest. The place we like to call “The Other Side.” That’s God’s Word for you today.

My father used to love to tell us stories of how God showed up in amazing ways in his life. One story I remember was from when my dad was at work one day, and they had a crisis in his shop. They had a certain part that they needed to make, but there was a particular adapter piece that fit on the machine that was needed to make it. It was nowhere to be found. They were sure they had it, but after looking in all the places it could be, they gave up and decided that they were going to have to order a new one, which would take days to come in. That would delay the job they were being paid to do, and that would NOT make the company they were making the parts for happy.
My dad said that after they had all given up, he walked back into the shop by himself to pray. Going into an area of shelves of various parts, he bowed his head and asked for God’s help. He said, “Lord, I’m sure that part is here somewhere, and though we don’t know where, YOU do! It’s just a part for a job and not of any eternal consequence, but if you could help me find that part, I will give you all the glory.” My father said that when he said “Amen,” for some reason, he reached his hand up on a shelf where he couldn’t even see what was up there. He felt around and touched what he knew was the part they were looking for. When he walked out with it, he was the hero of the day. But Dad gave God all the credit, because God did what he could never have done.
That’s just one of many of the “stories from the quarry” of which I was mined. Those stories of faith, deliverance, and miraculous provision, along with the treasure trove of stories from the Bible that I learned, are from the “rock from which I was cut.” They became the foundation for my faith. They gave me a place to stand. They steadied me when I was fearful, overwhelmed, or when my heart began to doubt. God reminds us in our passage today to CLING to those stories. Recall them again and again. Hold onto the testimonies that have been shared with you. Saturate your heart and mind with the Word of God. That way, when life becomes a struggle, you have a quarry of your own to mine to give you the nuggets of faith you need to stand strong. Thank your father and Father for the blessing of your stories of faith! That’s God’s Word for you today.

Here’s a riddle for you: When is light not light and when is warmth not warmth? Answer? When the light you see is just an illusion, and when the warmth you feel is when you’re actually freezing to death. The crazy thing is that both of these actually happen!
A person who is dying of thirst walking through the desert can sometimes “see” an oasis just ahead. But it’s not an oasis. It’s an image that’s created by a combination of the reflection of the sun off the sand and the brain reacting to the body’s dehydration. In the same way, as crazy as it seems, people who are freezing to death can suddenly feel a burst of heat. It’s caused by the warm blood from the core of the body suddenly rushing back to the surface skin. Some people who experience this actually start pulling off clothes because it feels like they're having a hot flash, and their brain is delusional from the lack of oxygen. You can’t always trust how you think and feel.
That’s the point God makes in our passage today. The Enemy is a deceiver. In fact, Jesus tells us that when the Enemy lies, he speaks his native language. So the Enemy tells us to “trust our instincts” or to “follow our hearts.” But our “instincts” aren’t always healthy or good. How many of us have followed our own paths to find that they are dead-end roads? Or how many people do you know that have tried “get rich quick” schemes and ended up a lot poorer than when they started? “Instincts” sometimes just STINK.
And “following our hearts” is often not really following our hearts. It’s following our feelings. Following our emotions. Following our infatuations. I’m willing to guess there are a bunch of us who tried to “build our own fire” with someone trying to find the warmth of love, only to end up with a broken heart. Some of us have “followed our hearts” right into absolute disasters.
Isaiah reminds us to “trust in the Lord” and to “rely on God.” Make sure the path you're on is a God-led path. Run your “instincts” by the Holy Spirit and some good godly counsel before running toward your “oasis.” And make sure your heart is in tune with the Lord and that you’re seeking after Him BEFORE you follow it. Warmth that isn’t godly warmth could end up leaving you lost and lonely and out in the cold. So beware of the smoke and mirrors of the Enemy. Let God be your light and the fire of your heart, and you’ll be sure to stay safe and warm and on the right path. That’s God’s Word for you today.

I want to pull a sentence out of our passage today for you. “I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will.” Does that statement describe you and your walk of faith? Resolve is a characteristic that we desperately need. Resilience is the determination and faith to hold on and keep going—no matter what we’re going through!
Yesterday, I shared about Jesus’ suffering and crucifixion. He KNEW it was coming. Yet He went to Jerusalem anyway. When He came into the city, there were palm branches, coats laid on the ground, and people shouting, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” But as the week went on, things went south. Betrayal happened. Abandonment happened. And the adoring crowd became an angry mob shouting, “Crucify Him!”
But Jesus “set His face like a stone.” He didn’t come to just enjoy the good times. He was here for the long haul. He was determined with the very depth of His being to endure whatever He had to endure to carry out His Father’s will. Even when palm branches and praises turned to whips and jeering. Jesus was resolved to see it through.
I believe someone needs to hear this today. What I’ve discovered as a Christ-follower, and especially as a pastor, is that it takes commitment to keep going. It’s easy to follow Jesus when life is good, our bodies are strong, our bank accounts are solid, and our relationships are calm. But how do we do when the wheels come off in life? When our relationships are filled with drama, there’s no money in the bank, or our bodies are filled with pain? Can we keep going THEN? It’s easy to teach and preach and serve when everyone is nice, people are appreciative, and you see the fruit of what you’re doing. But how about when people start complaining or when we don’t see the return for our effort? Can we still be faithful and committed to our jobs THEN?
I want to encourage you to “set your face like a stone” today. I want to challenge you to lift your hands before God and tell Him that you will walk the path of His Son. That you will follow Him faithfully, serve Him wholeheartedly, and stay resilient in your walk with Him. Tell Jesus that you are as committed to Him as He is to you. All the way to the end. That’s God’s Word for you today.

“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 6:11 (NIV)

Spend a little time with this passage today. Reflect on the events leading up to the cross. Imagine the crown of thorns being crushed down upon Jesus’ head. See the blood running down His face. Picture Him as He’s forced to His knees, with His arms wrapped around a pole. Watch His body wince every time the whip straps, laced with hooks, snap across His back and rip out strips of flesh. Time and again, they strike until there’s nearly no flesh left. Then they force Him to stagger through the streets in public humiliation. People laugh and catcall as He passes. They spit in His face and mock Him. And they lead Him away to a waiting cross. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords is crucified like a common criminal.
As you imagine this, say these words out loud. “He chose to do that for me.” Isn’t that unbelievable? First, that He CHOSE it. Look again at what Isaiah reminds us about. “I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting.” “I OFFERED my back…I DID NOT HIDE my face.” Jesus didn’t have to go through any of it. He was clear about this when He said, “No one takes my life from me. I lay it down.” He reminded Peter and His disciples in the Garden that He didn’t need their protection. He was the Commander of the Armies of Heaven and could call legions of angels to defend Him. But He didn’t. Though He was powerful beyond measure, He willingly and thoughtfully chose not to stop what was happening or even resist. He chose it.
But He didn’t do that without reason. He did it for YOU. He did it for ME. When the crown of thorns pierced His scalp, when the whip shredded His back, when He tolerated the mocking and spitting, when He allowed them to drive spikes through His hands and feet, He did it with us in mind. His pain would be for our healing. His humiliation would pave the way for our glory. His blood would pay the penalty for our sin. And His death would give us LIFE! Say it again and let it humble you to your knees before Him today. “He chose to do that for me.” That’s God’s Word for you today.

Most commentators agree that these words in Isaiah are spoken about Jesus. It becomes especially apparent when you read the verses just after these. But it’s easy to see the connection to Jesus all through this passage. Jesus spoke the words that His Father gave Him, didn’t He? In fact, in John 8:28, Jesus says, “I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me.” He also certainly declared His ministry to “comfort the weary.” In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Jesus spoke the words that people needed to hear and lived with a compassion and empathy for people that brought people comfort, encouragement, and strength.
But sometimes we forget where the secret to Jesus’ impact on people came from. It came from spending time with His Father! Look again at what Isaiah tells us. “Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me, and I have listened.” His alignment with His Father became the conduit through which Jesus carried out His ministry. Mark 1:35 tells us “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Even when ministry got really busy, maybe ESPECIALLY when ministry got busy, Jesus made time to seek His Father’s presence and guidance. Look at Luke 5:15-16: “…vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.”
The secret to Jesus’ success is the secret to ours. We can’t speak God’s words to others until we’ve allowed God to speak to US! We need HIS wisdom, HIS insight, and HIS guidance. We also need His power flowing through us if we’re going to be His comforters, encouragers, and healers. It is our time WITH God that gives us what we need to live FOR God. Let the key to our lives for Christ flow out of the wisdom of Isaiah. “Morning by morning He wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me, and I have listened.” Amen. That’s God’s Word for you today.