Life Is Simple (Part 2)

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." ~ Luke 22:42

Recently, my Pastor said something that stuck with me and it's this: if you take care of the things that God cares about, God will take care of the things you care about.

In Luke 22, we see Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, right before being apprehended and ultimately crucified, struggling between what he wants and what the Father wants. Ultimately, the Father's will wins out and as a reward, Jesus gets up with all power in His hands (Matthew 28:18). He fulfilled purpose and got to sit on the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 1:20-23).

So many times, we think the way to get what we want is to pursue what we want.

But in the Kingdom, the way to get what you want is to serve and be obedient to God, even if it's not in line with what you want (1 Samuel 15:22).

It really is as simple as this: do whatever it is He tells you to do.

God bless,
J.W.

Life Is Simple

"His mother said to the servants, 'Whatever He says to you, do it.'" ~ John 2:5

Humans are complicated beings. And as a result, we tend to complicate everything, often leading to confusion, stress, frustration, and ultimately stagnation.

But as complicated as we tend to make things, life really comes down to John 2:5: "whatever He says to you, do it."

That's why the Bible tells us that obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). God wants to know that He can speak and trust you to follow through.

It's also why the Bible tells us not to lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). He knows that sometimes you will have to disobey your own logic to walk in obedience with Him (Isaiah 55:8-9).

In all, life really is this simple: "do whatever He tells you."

God bless,
J.W.

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.

To Live Is To Suffer

How ironic is it that in order to live in Christ, we must die to self?

How more ironic is it that by Christ dying for us, we must now live for Him?

Most ironic, however, is that by Christ dying for us, we must now die and suffer for Him.

It’s not a message that is very popular in today’s society (in fact, most preachers won’t even preach on the subject), but it’s true nonetheless.

To follow Christ is to suffer with Him, to bear the cross, to walk the narrow path.

It requires sacrifice, obedience, and doing things you may not want to do sometimes.

But the thing about it is that the rewards you receive for your obedience makes it worth every minute of your suffering.

God bless,
J.W.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” ~ Matthew 16:24-25


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J0Pcy2GLMg

Love Series - Part 5: Sacrificial Love

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” ~ John 3:16

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ~ Romans 5:8


If we were to truly follow Christ’s example, we would notice what love truly is.

At the end of the day, love is both sacrificial and committal.

You must be willing to give something of yourself to another, no matter what you might get in return.

Otherwise, what you’re showing is not true love, but self-interested love, which really isn’t love at all.

What are you willing to sacrifice for love today?

God bless,
J.W.