Sacrifice

"But whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” ~ Matthew 20:26-28

In the last days of his life, two of Jesus' disciples approached Jesus and asked Him if they could sit on his left and right hand in Heaven. Jesus replied, saying "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

Like those two disciples, we often want to achieve levels of success that we see others obtain. But often times, we have no idea what it takes to get there (or stay there). Being the best at something takes incredible drive, ambition, and hard work. But most importantly, it takes sacrifice, the likes of which most people are unwilling to make. It might require you to relocation from family and friends. Or to break up a relationship. Or it might require you to skip hanging out with your friends on the weekend.

Either way, success requires sacrifice. So, before you start envying the lives of others, ask yourself if you're willing to sacrifice to achieve it.

God bless,
J.W.

People Pleaser

"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." ~ Galatians 1:10 NIV

People-pleasing is a dangerous thing. It's a tiring experience. It often leads to stress and burnout in well-intentioned people. But even more than that, it's against God's will.

In Galatians 1, the Bible clearly makes the distinction between pleasing God and pleasing men. It suggests that it is impossible to achieve both. The choices we make on a daily basis may indirectly affect both, but our choices are always rooted in either one or the other. Fundamentally, we either act to please God or to please man.

Throughout your life, people will consistently tell you how to live yours. But who would you rather take advice from - a perfect God or imperfect man?

God bless,
J.W.

Primetime Player

"Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." ~ 1 Timothy 1:6-7

In sports, the best players step up when the game is on the line.

Growing up, I remember watching football on Sundays with my dad. One of our favorite players was Deion Sanders. His nickname was "Primetime" because he would always make big plays when his team needed him.

On the other hand, there was Vince Carter. His nickname was "Vinsanity" because he had amazing jumping abilities that allowed him to perform spectacular dunks. But Vinsanity would often disappear in big games.

So, which one are you? Are you like Primetime, willing to step up when God calls on you? Or are you like Vinsanity, someone with all the potential in the world, but too scared to step out on faith.

God is looking for primetime players to be on his team.

God bless,
J.W.