Read through the Bible in 2 years: Job 20, Psalm 38
Do you not know this from of old, since man was placed on earth, that the exulting of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless but for a moment? Though his height mount up to the heavens, and his head reach to the clouds, he will perish forever like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
Job 20:4-7 ESV
Heavenly Father, remind me how fleeting the treasures and pleasures of this world are! They’re all going to burn up. I can’t take them with me.
But you remain. Your word remains. The treasures stored up in heaven, the work done for you, for your kingdom, for your name and glory, they will remain. Teach me to number my days that I may have a heart of wisdom.
In the Name of Jesus we pray,Amen
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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Job 8; Psalm 30
Pondering Job 8 and the very true words of Job’s friend Bildad – that God is just, that He will restore Job’s fortunes and bless his life, and that the godless will surely not prosper – reminded of Proverbs 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”
Were Bildad’s words fitly spoken? I think not. Why not? Because, like my dear friend Beth has often reminded me, “The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing.” Eloquent speeches about God’s justice and judgment are inappropriate to give to a friend who has just lost all of their children and possessions.
It reminds me of times when I’ve gone shoe shopping and have found the perfect shoes at the perfect price, only to discover that they don’t fit. No matter how beautiful those shoes are, no matter what a good deal they are, if they’re too big or too small, you shouldn’t waste your money on them.
If our words are to be fitly spoken, we must be careful not only what we say, but how and when. If our words are to be fitly spoken, they must be fit to the person, place, and time.
If our words are to be fitly spoken, we must be careful not only what we say, but how and when.
Please join me in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the joy of Your presence. You have indeed made me glad as I have trusted in You. You are always good. Make me more like You.Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Let me look upon Your glory and see Your face.
Give me wisdom and discernment in what to say as well as what not to. Help me see what words fit and what words don’t. Give me insight into what the circumstances demand. May my words be as heartfelt as they are true. Help me to speak the truth from a heart filled with humility and love.
In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen
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Read Through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 25, Genesis 49-50
His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.”
Joseph understood that his life was not his own. He recognized that his life was too be lived in service to his fellow man and his God. Whether refusing the advanced of his boss’s wife, interpreting dreams, obeying his father, or providing for the needs of the Egyptians or the brothers who has sold him into slavery, his life was lived as an offering back to God. Can we say the same?
Is your body “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God”? (Romans 12:2 ESV)
Do you see your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, whom you have received from God, such that “you are not your own,” … that you will live to “glorify God in your body”? (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV)
If your answer is “no,” let me make two simple, but not simple, suggestions:
You can’t live what you don’t believe. If you don’t believe God’s Word … if you don’t believe that Jesus is the perfect, sinless God-man, the spotless Lamb who died for your sins and was raised to life again … if you don’t believe that God is good and all-knowing and all-powerful over all things, then you won’t be able to trust God enough to surrender your life to Him. Start there. Start by simply reading His Word each day, while asking Him to help you in your unbelief.
You can’t give what you don’t have. If you don’t belong to God, if you’re not filled with His Holy Spirit, then you simply don’t have the power to live for Him. Surrender your life now to God. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn away from your sins and follow Him with an obedient spirit. Ask Him to change you from the inside out and fill you with His Spirit.
Please pray with me.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for Your forgiveness. Thank You for coming after me while I was lost in my own sins. Thank You for giving us the book of Genesis, that we can know how the world began, but also that we can know the true stories of ordinary men and women like Abraham and Sarah and Joseph who possessed extraordinary faith.
Help us to trust You more, to believe that nothing is too hard for You, that You have good plans for us and that You have a purpose for our lives. Make us pure and holy vessels of Your Spirit. Make us living offerings for Your glory. We love You. We trust You. Help us to love You more and trust You more, for You are worthy.
In the name of Jesus Christ who is our Savior and our Lord we pray. Amen.
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“I am Not my Own” Keith + Kristen Getty, Skye Peterson
In today’s reading, I kept thinking about how sometimes people will read a passage of the Bible and then take that to mean that it is the right way to behave. “Abraham lied, so it must be okay for us.” “Jacob had two wives, so that must be okay.”
When we’re trying to understand the meaning of a passage, we have to consider all of the scriptures from beginning to end. In this story about the defiling of Dinah, I don’t think that God is saying that Jacob should have passively stood by while Dinah was taken advantage of, or that his sons should have lied to Shechem and Hamor, or that Simeon and Levi should have killed all of the males of their city. In fact, Jacob addressed his sons’ sinful anger in his blessings over his sons, as recorded in Genesis 49.
“Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.” Genesis 49:5-7 ESV
Additionally, the Bible specifically tells us,
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
1 Thessalonians 5:15 ESV
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Romans 12:19 ESV
My heart was grieved reading the whole myriad of sins recorded in these two chapters, but the Bible records the good, the bad, and the ugly, as an example for us. May we learn from these truths, both in what to do and what not to do.
Let’s pray.
HeavenlyFather, we are surrounded by a culture that glorifies wicked, evil, selfish people. Let us be imitators of Christ and not imitators of the world. Father, help us to overcome evil with good. May we look more like Jesus and less like the world.
Help us to trust that You are a just God who is faithful to carry out the proper justice at the proper time. May we not envy the evil, but recognize that they are suffering for their sin – now in their heartsand someday in eternity.
Let us not be surprised at the terrible trials that we are facing in this dark world. May none of suffer as a murderer or thief or evildoer. Rather, may we suffer for the gospel, for righteousness and holiness.
To the glory and praise of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
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I’ve always liked the name Rebekah, so I was extra disappointed when I read her story in Genesis 27 and 28. Reflecting the meaning of her name, Rebekah is an ensnarer. She wants what she wants, and she is willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Jacob, her quieter son, the one who “dwells in the tents,” is her favorite. (Genesis 25:27-28) She deceives her own husband – and orders her son to do likewise – so that he will get his father’s blessing.
Adam foolishly listened to his wife, Eve. Abraham foolishly listened to his wife, Sarah. Now, the son foolishly listened to his mother’s voice.
But we can’t place all of the blame on Rebekah. Jacob chose to lie to his father saying, “I am Esau, your firstborn” and “the Lord your God granted me success.” (Genesis 27:19-20) Did you notice that Jacob said, “the Lord your God” not “the Lord my God”?
Jacob himself even went so far as to insist a third time. After his dad questioned him again, “Are you really my son Esau?”, Jacob answered, “I am.” (Genesis 27:24 ESV) Ouch.
When Rebekah finds out that Esau is so angry that he wants to kill Jacob, she doesn’t go to Esau herself and admit her wrong and seek to help reconcile her sons. Nor does she go beg her husband’s forgiveness and ask for his help. Instead, she calls Jacob to her again, telling him to obey her and flee to her brother, Laban and even gets Isaac in on her scheme to send Jacob away.
Sin begets more sin. Once you open up the smallest pinprick of a stream of deceit, it’s hard to stop the water from flowing.
But, do you know what really blows me away after reading all of this?
God STILL blesses Jacob.
God. Still. Blesses. JACOB.
Why is God so merciful and faithful?
Why doesn’t He take the blessing away from Jacob and give it to Esau?
Dear friends, if we truly believed that God is as good and faithful and sovereign as we say we do, then why are we willing to go to such great lengths to make our lives go the way that “seems right to us”?
God had already promised Rebekah that the older shall serve the younger, yet she still deceived her husband and made her son do likewise, in order to “make it happen.”
Maybe God hasn’t given us such specific promises for our children, but God has promised us SO much! He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He has promised to always be with us. He has promised to take care of us. Check out some of my recent blog posts like this and this for more encouragement.
Sisters, let’s not be ensnarers – or deceivers. Instead, may we “do good” and “not fear anything that is frightening” like we’re told in 1 Peter 3:6. Let’s be women who trust God with our lives and the lives of our children.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but it’s end is the way to death.
Proverbs 14:12
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father,
I pray that we would be women who trust You SO MUCH that we would not feel the need to take matters into our own hands. May we rightly fear You, Lord, that we would not dare to sin against You. May we trust that You are able to do more than we could even ask or imagine. May we trust that You are indeed for us, so we need fear no man or life circumstance.
Make us women of the Word. Make us women of faith. Make us women whose children can rise up and praise because we have faithfully trained them up in the fear of the Lord.
We love You, Lord. You are faithful even when we are faithless. Grow our faith, Father.
In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 13; Genesis 25-26
“And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, ‘For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.'”
Genesis 26:22 ESV
When I came to Genesis 26:22, I felt led to look up that word “Rehoboth,” in my Blue Letter Bible app. I learned it means “broad place,” and I wondered, “Was the first well, the Esek (“dispute”) well, not in a broad place? How about the second well, the Sitnah (“opposition”) well, was it actually located in a narrow place?Or did Isaac and his herdmen make a conscious decision to avoid a quarrel, choosing peace over strife?“
The Lord had given them all of this land, but Isaac and his men made an active choice to avoid a quarrel. (Read the story for yourself in Genesis 26:17-22)
Then I was reminded of 1 Timothy 3:2-3 ESV, “An overseer must be above reproach … gentle, not quarrelsome …” The NASB95 translation says, “An overseer must be above reproach … gentle, peaceable.”
That word that the ESV translates “not quarrelsome” and NASB translates “peaceable” is amachos (G269). a + machos = not + fighting, not + contentious.
Paul uses this same Greek word amachos in Titus 3:1-2 ESV, “Remind them (that’s everyone, not just overseers or elders. See Titus 2:15 for more context) to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one,toavoid quarreling (NASB95: be peaceable), to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”
We can’t possibly talk about quarreling without looking at Proverbs. (Proverbs has a lot to say about quarreling!) Here’s a sampling of verses from Proverbs of quarreling:
Proverbs 17:14 ESV – The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
Proverbs 19:13 ESV – A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
Proverbs 20:3 ESV – It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.
Proverbs 21:9 – It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
Proverbs 21:19 ESV – It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
Proverbs 25:24 ESV – It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
Proverbs 26:20-21 ESV – For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
Proverbs 27:15 ESV – A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike;
And how about a few verses from Romans 12,
“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:16-21 ESV
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father,
No matter how big or small my house, no matter how big or small my yard, no matter how many or few people I have to share my place with, You have indeed given me a wide place for my steps. The boundary lines You have given have fallen for me in pleasant places. I have a beautiful inheritance because You, Lord, are my chosen portion, and You hold my lot.
Whom shall I fear?
You are the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?
In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. I can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
I pray that so far as it depends on me that I will live peaceably with all. Help me, Father, to avoid quarrels, to keep a careful watch over my mouth that I may not sin with my tongue. Help me to guard my mouth with a muzzle, especially when the wicked are in my presence.
I pray that my mouth would be FILLED with Your PRAISE and GLORY all the day.
Please, Father, I pray that I would not be a quarrelsome or contentious wife. I want to be an excellent wife who does my husband good and not harm all the days of my life. I pray that I would open my mouth with wisdom and that the teaching of kindness would be on my tongue.
I pray all this to the glory of Your name and for Your Son Jesus Christ who gave Himself up for me to redeem me and to purify me, to make me a woman for His own possession who is zealous for good works.
Amen.
I love to pray scripture. This prayer was guided by Psalm 16:5-6; Psalm 27:1; Psalm 56:11; Psalm 118:6; Hebrews 13:6; Psalm 141:3; Psalm 39:1, Psalm 71:8; Proverbs 21:9, 19; Proverbs 31:12, 26; Titus 2:14
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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 2; Genesis 6-7
“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD…. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”
– Genesis 6:8, 9b
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”
– Psalm 1:1-4 ESV
“Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”
– Psalm 2:10-11 ESV
Like Abel found favor with God because of his faith, so did Noah. Noah walked with God, and therefore he lived a righteous life. Noah had reverent fear of the Lord, therefore he obeyed God and was saved. Like Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”
None of us can live a righteous life on our own. It is only in trusting the Lord that we are able to follow Him.
Think of how Noah must have felt to be told by God to build a boat in the middle of a desert. Think of how he must have faced ridicule. Peter refers to Noah as a “herald of righteousness.” (2 Peter 2:5). Imagine the animosity he must have faced, maybe even from his own family. Don’t forget what we just read about Cain and Abel – Cain hated Abel because Abel’s deeds were righteous (1 John 3:12).
As you read through Genesis, try to remember that these are real people living real lives in real communities not so much unlike our own.
I pray that the life of Noah will be an example for us of how to live a righteous life, delighting in God and His Word, serving Him with fear and reverence, even in the midst of a very unrighteous world.
Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father,
I pray that we would bind steadfast love and faithfulness around our necks and write them on the tablet of our hearts. I pray that we would trust You, Lord, with all of our hearts, leaning not on our own understanding. Help us to acknowledge You in all our ways. Let us not be wise in our own eyes, refusing to give way to cowardice and fear of man, living in reverent fear, knowing that You are the living God.
I pray that You will strengthen our husbands that they will walk by faith and not by sight all the days of their lives. Please, Lord, make my husband like Noah who walked with You, that he might be righteous and blameless. Give him strength to live for You and not for himself. Guard his heart from the fear of man.
I pray, also, for our children who are growing up in the midst of such a wicked generation. I pray that they will shine brightly for You, bringing You glory with their every word and deed. I pray that they will not forget what we have taught them – and that we, as their parents, would be faithful to train them up in the way that they should go.
I pray that You would lengthen our days and the days of our children, that we might accomplish all the works that You have given us to do. Add years to our lives, not that we might spend them in wicked, vain pursuits, but that we might have not opportunity to bring You glory, honor, and praisefor You are worthy!
In the precious name of Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord I pray, Amen.
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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 1, Genesis 4-5
We don’t really know exactly why God accepted Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s, but I think Hebrews 11:4 gives us some insight.
“By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.”
– Hebrews 11:4 ESV
Oftentimes, we want to do what seems right to us, rather than doing what God has said. We think, “What’s wrong with eating the fruit of that tree? It looks fine to me.” Or we think, “Why can’t I give God this fruit, I am a farmer after all?”
Yet, faith trusts God. Faith trusts that what God has said is right. Faith believes that God is good and all-knowing and that all His ways are right.
And like Hebrews 11:6 (explaining more about Abel and other men and women of faith) says,
“Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek him.”
– Hebrews 11:6
Who are we seeking? Whose reward do we desire? Who are we trying to please? Are we pursuing our own pleasure and comfort or are we pursuing the Lord?
It’s like the words of Christ that we read in John, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:25-26 ESV)
When we’re living for the Lord, we must expect the world to hate, rather than love, us In fact, Abel’s life is an example for us. “We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.” (1 John 3:12-13 ESV)
Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.”
– Genesis 4:13 ESV
Were you taken aback when you read this? I was. When I first read this, I thought, “No, Cain, your punishment is much too light! You killed your brother. You deserve to be killed.” (In fact, Genesis 9:6 says just that.)
But as I’ve pondered it more, I see the foreshadowing of Christ bearing our sins, from the largest to the smallest. Cain deserved death for his sin, and though I’ve never murdered anyone physically, I deserve death for my sins, too. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 ESV)
I couldn’t bear the punishment for my sins any more than Cain (or anyone else) could, yet Christ bore our punishment in our place, that we might be forgiven by a just judge.
“[Jesus] committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
– 1 Peter 2:22-24 ESV
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father,
We come to You with hearts of thanksgiving for Your grace that You have lavished on us. We confess the hateful thoughts that we have had in our hearts toward men and women created in your image. We confess that we have often been jealous of others – The relationships they have, the talents they have, the possessions they have, even the faith they have. We confess we have often gone our own way rather than trusting Your character and Your Word.
We thank You for sending Jesus Christ, the only perfect sin substitute, the Lamb of God who was slain for the sins of the world, including me.We humbly ask You to forgive us and cleanse us through the blood of Christ that was shed for us.
Please, Heavenly Father, give us the strength and wisdom that we need to live like Christ – not repaying wrong with wrong, not repaying reviling with reviling, but overcoming evil with good. Help us to entrust ourselves to You, the only one who judges justly. We pray that our lights would shine brightly – even when the world is yelling at us to turn our lights out. May we shine brightly for You.
In the holy and merciful name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 31, Genesis 3
My, my, how quickly things change! God creates a very good universe and in steps that crafty, cunning, shrewd snake, the devil. Like we read in John, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy… He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 10:10, 8:44 ESV).
While God speaks for man’s good, the serpent speaks for our harm.
The blame-shifting begins as soon as God speaks to Adam. Adam blames the woman, but also subtly blames God saying, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12) Eve then blames the serpent for her disobedience. (Genesis 3:13) Sadly, I relate all too well to this struggle. It is easier to blame others than accept responsibility for our own actions.
We need to be careful not to shift blame to other people, whether our husband, our children, the cashier at the grocery store, the customer service representative on the phone. Whoever. Likewise, we need to be careful not to shift blame to our circumstances. I was hungry. I was tired. I’d a long day. It was “that time of the month.” Whatever.
Adam and Eve may have spoken the truth, but their hearts were proud and stubborn. Yes, Eve did ___. Yes, the serpent did ___. Yes, your husband ____. Yes, your child ___. Yes, the driver in front of you ___.
Those blame-shifting thoughts and words may be true, but they are not helpful or humble.
Instead, let’s accept responsibility for our own sin, confess it to God, and repent of it. Don’t forget that repentance is more than just feeling remorse (feeling sorry that you did something bad). True repentance involves turning away from evil and turning your face toward God.
And, don’t forget what we read in 1 John 1:9-10 ESV, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” When we repent, we can be sure of God’s loving forgiveness.
Our choices (forgiven or not) still have consequences. Adam and Eve still had to leave the garden. They still had to face death. Yet, God is so full of grace and love. He Himself made garments to clothe Adam and Eve, and when we surrender our lives to Him, He promises to clothe us in pure white garments through faith in Jesus Christ who shed His blood to cleanse us of our sin.
For further study – read Romans 5:12-21; Romans 6:23; Revelation 3:5, 18 and Revelation 19:7-9.
Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father, We don’t want to be like that crafty snake. We don’t want to be deceivers or blame shifters. Please help us to accept responsibility for our sinful thoughts, attitudes, words and actions.
Thank you for sending Your only son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price for our sin, shedding His blood that we could be forgiven.
We confess to You how often we have chosen to follow our own selfish desires instead of following Your clear commands. Please help us to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.
Help us to trust You and lean not on our own understanding, but to acknowledge You in all of our ways. We pray that You would direct our steps in a way that brings You honor and glory and brings good to those around us.
It is in the holy and righteous name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, that we pray, Amen
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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 12; John 12
How often do you find yourself saying things to impress others or to look good while your true motives are all wrong?
Like Judas said when Mary poured out the ointment of pure nard, “Why was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?” (John 12:5) when really Judas just wanted the money for himself.
Like when the people were all crowding around Jesus crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel!” (John 12:13) But days later they will be crying out “Crucify him!” (John 19:15)
When I was an atheist, I took pride in standing out. I took great satisfaction in not following the crowd. I thought, “Those people are all gullible sheep,” yet my motives were still selfish. I loved people’s admiration of my ability to stand out and swim upstream.
But even in my attempts to “do my own thing,” I was still working for the approval of others. I wanted to look like my favorite band, Depeche Mode. I wanted to get good grades and win the praise of my teachers.
So often we are swayed by the approval of others, whether in “fitting in” or “standing out.”
But here in John 12 Jesus has some weighty words that are most worthy of our serious consideration,
“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”
– John 12:25-26 ESV
Now in my fifth decade of life, cresting the top of the hill and beginning my race toward the finish line, I want to live the rest of my days for the praise of God, my righteous judge, with my ears tuned to those most excellent words of praise, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:21 ESV)
Heavenly Father,
Help us to pursue You with single-minded devotion. We want to live for Your praise and Yours alone. Forgive us for all the times we give way to comfort and pleasure and ease, choosing the wide path rather than the narrow road. You know our hearts. We are laid bare before You. Create in us new hearts. Renew our spirits anew. Give us strength to continue on for Your glory, longing to one day hear you say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master.”
In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord we Pray. Amen.
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Teach What is Good 
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