The Narrow Way

““You can enter true life only through the narrow gate. The gate to hell is very wide, and there is plenty of room on the road that leads there. Many people go that way. But the gate that opens the way to true life is narrow. And the road that leads there is hard to follow. Only a few people find it.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:13-14‬ ‭ERV‬‬

I know you have read this many times. But read it slowly today and let the words permeate your mind. This road is not the popular or well chosen road. You will walk the opposite way of the world, definitely not the American road. If everything in your life looks likes the American way, stop and think, “Is there a problem with this?” 

We get so busy in life that we honestly do not have time to search for the narrow way. It will involve a sacrifice of time and maybe sleep and even food(if you want to fast to hear from the Lord). 

Everything I just mentioned is NOT something we want to give up...sleep, food and especially give up our time. We want to be in charge of those areas. But the rewards are incomparable! 

Let us find accountability to seek the narrow way. Let us have a desire to look for the narrow road. Let us have glimpses of the rewards that awaits us when we search for the narrow and not the wide, easy road. 

Jesus, you love us so much, you don’t water down your word and make it more palatable. Jesus, you say to follow you it involves everything we’ve got. But when we practice deferred rewards, we inherit the kingdom.  We don’t get all the promises now, but every single promise will be in our future! 

Humble Yourselves to Receive Wisdom

“Don’t fool yourselves. Whoever thinks they are wise in this world should become a fool. That’s the only way they can be wise.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭ERV‬‬

I was talking to someone this week and I shared that the only times that Mark and I “get it right” is when we admit we are fools. If you are struggling with a situation with relationships, finances, jobs or whatever...the best thing to do is to cry out to God and tell him how foolish you are.

We have cried out to the Lord and told him that we do not know how to be a parent(even now with grown kids). We have cried out to the Lord and confessed that we do not know how to be a good spouse. We have told the Lord that we do not have wisdom to handle our money. We confessed to God that we do not know to lead our community group at church. The list goes on and on.

When we do this, he says, “Finally you realize that. Finally you are ready for me to lead you and give you the wisdom you need to turn things around.”

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭16:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

He is waiting and looking for those of us who are running after him and depending on him and not ourselves. When he finds you on your knees, crying out to him, he is standing there ready to give you the wisdom you need. If you think you know it all, he will let you believe that.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
‭‭James‬ ‭4:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Seen by 17

Great Blessings

“Great blessings belong to those who don’t listen to evil advice, who don’t live like sinners, and who don’t join those who make fun of God. Instead, they love the Lord’s teachings and think about them day and night. So they grow strong, like a tree planted by a stream— a tree that produces fruit when it should and has leaves that never fall. Everything they do is successful.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭1:1-3‬ ‭ERV‬‬

We read in Psalms 1 the simple promises of a full and blessed life following the Lord. Is there anyone who does not want a life of strength and blessings? Why are there so few who find this? In verse 2 the secret is to love the Lord’s teachings and think about them day and night!

Are you willing to pay the price to inherit this? To live with no regrets? To face the future without fear of what it holds? Begin today, January 1, 2019. Do not go another day without running after the Lord. Commit to read his word everyday. If you haven’t read the entire Bible from cover to cover, what are you waiting for?

I'm reading the @YouVersion plan 'Eat this Book: One Year Bible with Daily Psalm'. Check it out here:

Eat this Book: One Year Bible with Daily Psalm

1 Year

Following aspects of the traditional Jewish order in the Old Testament, this plan offers a sustainable reading pace, allowing you to experience first the Old Testament and then the New Testament in one year. Each day, you’ll explore an average of four chapters, and you’ll close your time in prayer by reading a Psalm.


Eat this Book: One Year Bible with Daily Psalm

Suggestion...invite someone to join you on this journey. You Version has the option to invite someone to hold you accountable. You will change your life and possibly someone else’s. Happy New Year! Praying that 2019 will be the most wonderful year of your entire life.

Two Forks in the Road

“If you wander from the right path, either to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you saying, “You should go this way. Here is the right way.””
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30:21‬ ‭ERV‬‬

There are small forks on the road everyday, small choices. I think that these small choices determine what your future will look like. But it is a paradox. The wrong way is filled with flowers and green grass and laughter and it actually looks easier.

It involves sleeping later and having a day off on Sunday. It involves not giving away any of your money to church because you need that money for something else. It promises eating anything you want and however much you want. You can satisfy your sexual needs anytime you want. Instant gratification is there for the taking...no waiting.

God’s way appears to be the least attractive way. It seems to be harder. It requires sacrifice. It requires discipline.

However, let’s see what happens when you choose the easier way. After you have been satisfied momentarily, you realize that you have some consequences waiting for you. For example, if you are trying to eat healthy and you eat a dozen cookies one day and then a bunch of chips the next day and then three brownies the day after your clothes won’t fit anymore. Happens every time. That option looked good but it ended up bad. The opposite is true. If you eat healthy all week, you feel there is a better chance that you won’t die of heart disease.

Let’s say that you decide that you need a day off on Sundays and you never attend a small group and worship service. It seems like the best choice. You say, “I need my rest.” After a period of time, you wonder where your friends are...I mean good friends who will love you when you are not lovable and walk you through dark days.

Here is the good news. When you get into the Word and follow what God is saying, you start to notice that this was a good choice.

The Lord says, “I will teach you and guide you in the way you should live. I will watch over you and be your guide.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭32:8‬ ‭ERV‬‬

You start walking up the mountain and the view is phenomenal! You will thank yourself for choosing His way. You will begin to experience a more abundant life. You will begin to praise the Lord for how good he is!

It reminds me of my favorite verse.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

You will see that God wanted the best for you all along. He wanted you to experience the abundant life.

I have to throw this in. Many people think that there is a third alternative. The way that you have to make no changes whatsoever, but you will still see the Promised Land. There is no third alternative. Never believe that lie.

Begin everyday realizing that are always two choices to every decision. Think about want you want your future to look like. Depends on which fork in the road you chose.

Don't make up excuses to be the hands and feet of Christ

“He wanted to see who Jesus was. There were many others who wanted to see Jesus too. Zacchaeus was too short to see above the people. So he ran to a place where he knew Jesus would come. Then he climbed a sycamore tree so he could see him.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭19:3-4‬ ‭ERV‬‬

Good grief I love this story! Zacchaeus could have made up lots of excuses that he could not see Jesus. His was a legitimate excuse. He was too short. He did not have a lot of friends because he was a tax collector. But he “ran to a place where he knew he could find Jesus and then climbed a tree so he could see him.”

A lot of people have excuses that they cannot be more Christlike. They don’t say it like that. They use other words like, “I am too busy or I will one day when I retire or if my children are older or if I was married or if I was richer or etc.”

I met this guy named Jesse this week. My dad passed away on Saturday and this guy was one of the many people that were the hands and feet of Christ. He was a busy guy who worked at least two jobs. He was a person of another race. He was not married. However, he had no excuses to come and serve my mom who was a complete stranger to him.

He brought a pecan pie, chicken wings, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, greens(that’s a Mississippi thing and you would not understand), bucket of fried chicken, sweet potatoes, and carton of eggs. But this did not compare to what he did for Mimi. He had the biggest hug for her. He kept encouraging her that she would be okay. In a state that is plagued with racial issues, he never saw her color. He never thought that her house was nicer than his. He just wanted to be like Christ.

Somewhere along the way in Jesse’ s life, he decided that he would not use any excuses to “see Jesus.” He would do whatever it took to find him. And he found him.

Don't Cut with a Dull Knife

“But wisdom will make any job easier. It is very hard to cut with a dull knife. But if you sharpen the knife, the job is easier.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭10:10‬ ‭ERV‬‬

By this time in January, most people have forgotten their New Year's resolution. I hope one of your resolutions was to read God's Word everyday. If you are slipping, then there is something to consider.

Reading God's Word is not a checklist. Never was. Never will be. Instead it is a daily seeking the voice of all wisdom and power and pouring out your heart back to Him.

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

We all want wisdom. We want transformation in our lives. Gracious, we want weight loss. We want financial freedom. We want contentment. However, many of us want these things at no cost, instant results, no pain.

"If you sharpen the knife, the job will be easier." By reading God's Word every single day and pleading with God to change you, you are sharpening the knife. The change will not be overnight but it will be easier by using a sharp knife...the word of God.

The enemy wants to lie, deceive and trick you into thinking that a little more sleep is better for you than a quiet time with the Lord. Don't play his game. Don't listen to his lies. He wants to destroy you.

Be On Guard

““But be on your guard. Don’t let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping. Otherwise, that Day is going to take you by complete surprise, spring on you suddenly like a trap, for it’s going to come on everyone, everywhere, at once. So, whatever you do, don’t go to sleep at the switch. Pray constantly that you will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that’s coming and end up on your feet before the Son of Man.””
Luke 21:34-36 MSG

i love reading through the gospels and soaking in all the words of Jesus. I think about this one a lot. "But be on guard!" Jesus is saying that to us because he loves us and cares for us. He is clearly warning us that we will be caught off guard if we get swept away by things of this world. We don't like to hear this. I know most Christians close their eyes and ears and go to other topics like love, grace and sweet thoughts. .

I enjoy things of this world as much as anybody...eating, shopping, decorating(the house that will burn up), etc. But I want to maintain "a sharp edge of expectation." I want my thoughts to be laced with eternal things. If I warn my sons of something, I hope they have the good sense to listen. Jesus has put out a warning. I hope I have the good sense to listen.

Why did this happen to me?

“Some were laughed at and beaten. Others were tied up and put in prison. They were killed with stones. They were cut in half. They were killed with swords. The only clothes some of them had were sheepskins or goatskins. They were poor, persecuted, and treated badly by others. The world was not good enough for these great people. They had to wander in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the ground.”
Hebrews 11:36-38 ERV

Our pastor is about 6 months into the book of Hebrews. This was a verse from Sunday that may be the most important thought I have had lately. I had written about it yesterday morning and the IPad deleted it when I finished it. I always think that this is the enemy trying to delete a powerful message so I will try again. 

These verses were written about faithful saints...not the wicked. Let that thought sink in. This was taken from the "faith" chapter. How many times have you thought "why is this happening to me?" How often have you thought that the suffering that you are experiencing is unfair because you are a follower of Christ? We have this erroneous thinking that God owes us blessings because we are living right. On the contrary, with Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father, there are decisions made in heaven that confound us but should never cause us to lose our faith in the wisdom of God. 

The power of these verses is wrapped around this truth...heaven is NOT here on earth. These saints believed that their extreme joy was waiting for them in heaven and not on earth. A death, an illness, a divorce, a job loss, a wayward child are not a cause to doubt the love of a Heavenly Father. God has the best plan for us. You can't always understand it but you can trust him. His promises are ultimately seen and experienced in heaven. 

“God was pleased with all of them because of their faith. But not one of them received God’s great promise. God planned something better for us. He wanted to make us perfect."
Hebrews 11:39-40a ERV

Deal With Your Anger

Ephesians 4:26-27 ERV

“When you are angry, don’t let that anger make you sin,” and don’t stay angry all day. Don’t give the devil a way to defeat you.”God understands that we will get angry. We can get really angry. We can be disappointed. We can believe that life is unfair. But for our own good, we have to work through our anger and disappointment. There must be an end to the anger. Allow God to bring his perspective to our situation. Plead for his help in dealing with the anger.

Because if we don't...the devil will defeat us. We must realize that the enemy wants us to stay angry, to think that life is unfair, to think that God can not take care of us. The more we allow the anger and resentment to reside in our hearts, the more we allow a bigger foothold for the enemy.

I am thankful that God says in his word that "when you angry." I am always relieved that the book of Job is in the Bible. Job whined for about 40 chapters. But there was an end to it. There must be an end to our anger and bad attitudes-for our own good.

What does your soil look like today?

"Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams. (Mark 4:3 MSG)

One of my favorite things to do is to plant flowers! I love when it is time to go and buy some old favorites and try a couple of new kinds of plants, as well. I am saying the obvious when I state that the soil needs to be dark and rich and loose. You just know when you plant that flower in that rich soil,  that as long as you supply the water, it will be amazing.

God is continuing to throw out seeds(his word) to us. We read the Bible, we listen to podcasts, we buy books, we read devotionals, we hear great wisdom from friends...you name it. The problem is not  that the word is weak and powerless, but the soil is not the best. Sometimes I read the most amazing scripture in the morning and as soon as I read it, I do not even remember what I read. Other times, I read it and I am excited but my heart is gravelly because of complacency in my walk with the Lord and my lack of character. So it never puts down a root, when a difficulty arrives.

I especially saddened by the soil cast in weeds.

“but their lives become full of other things: the worries of this life, the love of money, and everything else they want. This keeps the teaching from growing, and it does not produce a crop in their lives.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭4:19‬ ‭ERV‬‬

I want to have the kind of soil that when I hear the word, and the word will be perfect and powerful and just and true, I want to embrace the truth and produce a harvest beyond my wildest dreams. The problem will not be with the seed but with my soil.

“But then a black mood from God settled over Saul and took control of him. He was sitting at home, his spear in his hand, while David was playing music. Suddenly, Saul tried to skewer David with his spear, but David ducked. The spear stuck in the wall and David got away. It was night.”
1 Samuel 19:9-10 MSG

If you remember the story of Saul and David, you will know that God blessed David and he became greater and greater than King Saul. The people praised him. His daughter loved him. His son, Jonathan, was his best friend. Saul was eaten up with jealously to the point where he wanted him dead.

Before we think this story has no application in our life, ask yourself this question. Is there any one person that you are jealous of their marriage or their physical appearance or their financial situation or their successful ministry or their life in general? Before you quickly say no, ask God to reveal if there are any friends at all that you resent their success.

What I have observed in my 60 year old life, there are always people who you tend to compare yourself to. You want to put yourself above them or below them. The comparison game is such a wearisome game where there are no winners and you are the loser. Saul lost everything when he compared himself to the successes of David. He could have been his biggest fan and helped him, instead of try to harm him.

The best way I have found to cure the jealously problem, is to be that person's prayer warrior. Pray for their success to become greater than yours. Jonathan could have been jealous of David's life. Jonathan was a smart guy. He wanted David to succeed more than himself. 

Finding Wisdom

"The first step to becoming wise is to look for wisdom, so use everything you have to get understanding.”
Proverbs 4:7 ERV

There is a decision to make in our lives...whether we want to become wise or stay foolish.

If you asked anyone which they want to be, all would choose wise. But there is a price to pay and most don't want pay the price. You have to use everything to find understanding...everything!

Take time to read God's word everyday. Read devotionals from godly men and women(notice reading God's word comes before reading the devotionals). Find friends to sharpen you like iron. Find a church that preaches from the Bible and be there every Sunday. Pray constantly for wisdom.

Search for wisdom as if it is the greatest treasure known to man, because it is. Slowly, but surely, you will begin to see that you are connected to the source of wisdom and you will want to stay there for eternity