Turn from evil
1 Peter 3:8-12 (NIV) 8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For,
“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
When we read Peter’s instructions to the Christians scattered throughout Asia, how many of us relate to these words? As Christ followers, we are called to model our lives after Jesus, who knew no sin. Therefore, the idea that we should even consider speaking evil or returning insult for insult should be foreign to us. Yet, it is Christians to whom this letter is written.
We should remember that although we have invited the Lord of Lords to enter our hearts, we still live in a fleshly vessel. As such, we are subject to the same desires and temptations as those who have no relationship with Jesus. But because we have the Holy Spirit, we can overcome the world.
As Peter said, BE like-minded, BE sympathetic, LOVE one another, BE compassionate and BE humble. If we are to live as Christ lived, we cannot just think on these things, we must act.
May we keep the Word in our hearts and the name of Jesus on our lips so that we may not sin against God.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Blessed is the One
Psalms 1:1-4 1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Don’t you love how often God reveals through His Word the comparison between good and evil? And notice how God talks in terms of good vs evil rather than right vs wrong. Remember, right vs wrong are moral values and may shift over time, while good vs evil are godly values and therefore do not change.
The psalmist (David) goes on to be even more explicit in his warning—do not stand with sinners, nor walk with the wicked, nor sit with mockers.
Notice the progression of sin—first it seems casual as the godly man is warned against even walking in the vicinity of the wicked. Then the warning includes standing with the sinners—the godly man has progressed from walking in the general vicinity to lingering nearby and, finally, the godly man has taken a seat in the council. When we linger as Eve did near the forbidden fruit, the temptation sometimes becomes too strong to resist.
Instead we are told to meditate on the law. Another word for meditate is to ponder, or to think deeply about a subject. When we take the time to truly consider godly instruction, we will be less likely to stray from the pathway of holiness.
May we determine each day that there is only one way to walk the Christian lifestyle, and that is by staying so close to the Master that a detour is not even considered.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Real Freedom in Jesus Christ
2 Chronicles 7:14-15 14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
1 John 1:5-7 5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not telling the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Psalms 27:1 1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Yesterday, July 4, 2026, marked 250 years of freedom for the United States of America. The celebrations were replete with patriotic songs, speeches and of course fireworks.
I submit to you that as spectacular as these these events were, they are no match for the light that comes from the very throne of God. We all love the magic of fireworks, the way they light up the skies with colorful fountains of shimmering lights. Oh, but brothers and sisters, there is no comparison to the light that Jesus brings into our lives. After all, fireworks provide but a momentary pleasure, while the light of Jesus never dims, never fades.
May we pledge not to be satisfied with a pale substitute, but insist on the real thing, the freedom and light that can only be found in Jesus.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Being Thankful
Psalms 100:4-5 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Thankfulness: a posture of the heart that recognizes God as the ultimate giver of all good things, expressed through constant worship, trust, and obedience. Don’t you love this? It is when our heart attitude not only recognizes that God makes all good things, but we respond according to His will and not upon our feelings
I must admit when I was young the Thessalonians scripture made me quite uncomfortable. After all, why would God expect me to be thankful in all things when not all things are good. So I decided He must have meant I should be thankful in spite of all things.
It made sense at the time.
As I have matured as a Christ follower, I have come to learn that thankfulness depends less upon my circumstances and more upon the condition of my heart.
May we develop into the type of Christian who oozes with thanksgiving, knowing and believing that even in the direst of circumstances we can and should praise God.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
RADICALLY CHANGED LIVES
2 Corinthians 5:14-16 (MSG) One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.
16-20 Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. 21 How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.
2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (KJV) 14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Sometimes when we have lived a very long time and we have been Christians almost as long as we have been alive, I fear we can become enured to the wonderful workings of God. The truth is, if we do not continue to grow in our faith, then our faith becomes small and this is not part of God’s design. Remember, God did not send Jesus to sacrifice His life only to pay the price for our salvation, but so that we can live both reconciled with God and man.
Years ago, I remember saying, “It’s easy to love God, but hard to love people.” Those words had barely escaped my lips when the Holy Spirit nudged me not only to repent, but to ask God to change my heart. I asked Him to allow me to see people through his eyes, and He did.
You see, God not only desires a relationship with each of us, but He requires that we have a relationship with others. When the connection we have with others is modeled after the one we have with our Heavenly Father then we will be more fulfilled. When Paul said old things are passed away, all things are new, he was not just referring to old habits, he was pointing out the change that occurs once we surrender to Jesus.
May we, and all we meet,notice that we now have radically changed lives, not through our efforts, but through the amazing life-giving power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 