“My focus is not what was but what is, can be and what will be. Jesus Christ, the hope of glory, is my righteousness by His merciful grace,” wrote a good friend and colleague of mine on Facebook.
The Lord told me this right after a recent time of reflection on a tremendous amount of “stuff” that had been thrown my way, “Keep the wheat and let the chaff go.” The wheat kernels can be made into delicious bread while the chaff is just plain nasty tasting. When you harvest wheat both come; yet, one provides much needed energy and the other needless fiber.
Today can be a great day with and in Jesus, if we choose to separate the wheat from the chaff, the caste off from the keepsakes. Today is the best day you have, why waste it on junk that should be thrown away? Focus on what can be based on the truths Jesus gives you in His word…today.
S“E”t Free Nowww

I was having a conversation with a Millennial who stated he was a progressive. He talked about how society is currently going through a social experiment where all groups can believe what they want and that the “community” (whatever that meant, but I digress) would eventually correct itself.
I replied that I already knew where this experiment would end. He raised an eyebrow with that look, “Old man, you’re crazy. You can’t know what will happen.” I ignored his look and stated that this experiment is simply a retread. What’s happening today has already occurred where everyone did what they felt was right.
He gave me that “Really?” inquisitive look. I continued, “Yup, the Bible described this in the book of Judges and that experiment ended in chaos.” He blew me off at that point. But I said, “Think what you want. There is nothing new or progressive about people’s thinking today that God hasn’t already given us black and white pictures of where it ends up.” The subject quickly changed.
It’s been said that youth is wasted on the young. There are times when we wish we had the energy of our youth with the wisdom we now possess. Yet, this will always be true if we continue to run into the brick walls of the “living our way” experiment. We learn about who Jesus is, attempt to deny it by living our way, only to eventually surrender to it; and then, wish we had our youth back to enjoy the wisdom we now own. Don’t waste your hard earned wisdom. Surrender first, it keeps you younger!
S“E”t Free Nowww

I once heard a self-described ex-alcoholic say, “I asked God to take it away. He said, ‘No.’ I asked, ‘Why not?’ He said, ‘I want you to choose to stop.’”
A writer said it this way, “The reason God doesn’t give us a spiritual lobotomy the moment we believe is that God wants us to reacquire the authority He originally gave us. Remember, He created us to have dominion over the earth. He wants us to freely choose to be the administrators of His loving providence.”
We can not only think correctly, but we can also choose correctly. This is true at the moment of salvation because the Father gave us a new mind and a new nature – Christ’s. He put us back in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve before the fall. Yes, they eventually chose incorrectly, but they didn’t have to and neither do we.
Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey Me.” We show how much we love Jesus with every choice to listen to and follow Him. Your everyday choices reveal who you love more – you or Him. Stop just saying you love Jesus. Show it! You’re a secure child of God who can freely choose to love Jesus with each and every choice with the Spirit’s help. Here’s to your love meter going off the charts today!
“S”et Fre“E” Nowww

There seems to be a universal truth for all humanity: it takes pain to get us to grow!
This truth hit me like a ton of bricks while reading the Word yesterday. Abraham’s dad had to die to get Abraham to go where God told him to go – Canaan (Gen. 11-12). It took the discipline of a loving Father to get His children (Jn. 1:12) to move closer to Jesus (Heb. 12).
I can get very comfortable with hanging with Jesus, my friend. There are times, though; He will take a step forward, leaving me standing still. Scripture adequately describes the consequences of this choice – discontent and discouragement, which is exactly the opposite of what Jesus promises to those who stay in His presence – joy and peace.
We can choose to stay in our comfort zones with their consequences or use those negative consequences (aka pain) to move closer to Jesus where all the good stuff is found. The choice is ours – grow through our pain or stay in it. I recently choose the path of growth (Gal. 5:25); and hopefully, so will you.
Set Fre“E” Now“W”w

Cleopas. Probably not a name you would remember; but, we can learn a lot from him about peace in challenging circumstances.
He and a friend were leaving Jerusalem the day Jesus rose from the grave, which was three days after Jesus was crucified. They were having a discussion that was leaving them visibly shaken and down in the mouth. Their thoughts and words led them down a very dark path that took their emotions with it (Luke 24:13-35).
Why? They had forgotten what Jesus had taught them: He would die and rise three days later. Their disbelief ran so deep that they wouldn’t even believe what Mary Magdalene, Peter and John had told them about seeing Jesus and an empty tomb. They ended up depressed because they forgot what Jesus, the Word of God, had told them.
Scripture tells us that peace reigns when we stay focused on the truths the Spirit gives us in God’s Word. What truths will you focus on today? Now is the time to be in (reading) and with (walking with) the Word of God, Jesus. Your face and heart will look and feel much better if you do.
S“E”t Free Nowww