The greatest joy in life is gaining what one can’t lose.

What are we truly willing to live for that doesn’t come through dying?

Without dying physically, we can’t taste the life that never ends. Without letting go of our goals, our visions, our wants, our desires, our way of living, and/or our way of thinking we can’t experience the life He has for us.

Yet, we fear what we don’t know. Jesus, though, knows what we fear and defeated it. The real question is, “Are we living to exist or existing to live?”

Jesus said whoever wishes to gain their life must lose it, and to those who choose to lose their life for Him will end up saving it. Seems like a paradox, but it’s the spiritual reality in which we live in.

We often live for what we can see, rather than for what we can’t. I once read that something doesn’t just happen and then we believe. No, belief comes first. Do we believe that through dying we gain something that we can never lose?

What is Jesus asking you to die to today in order to experience the life that He has for you? Salvation – a changed life now that enters eternity with us – will come.

It’s time to believe…first.

Seeds planted today bear edible fruit tomorrow.

I was recently on Kauai with my family. I sure miss the ocean. I currently live in the high desert where I am about 1.25 hours away from the beach. I miss watching the waves that mesmerize and calm me at the same time.

It was very cool to watch the swells roll in and finally see them form waves that surfers rode into the beach.

It was then the Lord brought me a message. Your life is like those swells. Storms miles away caused those swells where sometimes it only took days for them to hit a surface that allowed them to break into a ridable wave, the effect.

What you do today will be harvested – good or bad – tomorrow. What are the storms of your producing in you?

Keep in mind that God’s grace covers the ultimate consequence of our choices (eternal separation from Him) but not from all the consequences we might face here on earth.

Surrender to the Spirit and allow your life’s storms produce Christlike character in you.

God’s character is displayed on the canvas of His creation.

There are reminders all around us of the awesome God we lovingly serve. 

The created works of His hands implore us to praise Him for who is, let alone what He’s done. From the lush flora, deep blue sky, and tropical colors of each bird we can understand who He is (Rom. 1:20).

His creation also has colorful reminders of what the Father did to redeem what mankind did to His creation, including the humans He put here, the deep red blood of Jesus. 

Look around you. God’s fingerprints are clearly visible, if you’d only look. This looking keeps life about Him, not our challenges; about where we are heading, not where we are; and about His faithfulness not ours. 

He loves you. He made you His child through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ that brings forgiveness for all that we’ve done.

Smile today. There are reminders all around you that your God is ever present in your life. And be ready to turn that smile into sharing so others can come to know the Father personally by believing what Jesus did for them.

Love people and point them to Jesus when they ask why you care.

Are we trying to make good people or followers of Jesus? Put another way, can we love people in their broken and fallen state into a relationship with Jesus who will fix their broken responses and lifestyles; or, are we expecting people to change before coming to Jesus?

We must look in the mirror, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. There is a difference between a burnt offering and a sin offering. The former was for willful sin and the latter was for unknowingly committing sin. Don’t get me wrong. Either way it’s sin and separates us from the Father.

Both, though, are part of the seven sacrifices of Leviticus because both are needed! As Jesus followers, we are still in process of being transformed into the image of Jesus. In the meantime, the Father covers the parts of our lives that still remained unchanged and offensive to Him with Jesus’ blood.

Scripture tells us that Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith. It also says the Father, who began a good work in us, will complete it on the day of Christ Jesus.

Therefore, we should be careful on what we focus when sharing Jesus with those who still haven’t come to faith in Him. Spoiler alert!!! Non-followers of Christ will act like non-followers of Christ because they don’t personally know Christ, yet!

Let’s be humble and continue to share and make it about Jesus and what He did for them, not what they must do for Him. Let’s pray they choose to transfer their trust from themselves and their way of living to Jesus and what He has for them.

Scripture tells us the gospel will be offensive. Let’s make sure it’s the gospel that offends and not our approach to sharing Jesus.

Keep helping them on the journey to hear and follow Jesus’ voice, which is what disciple making is all about by defintion. He’ll know to change and when to change it. He’s God.