Perfectly Imperfect Together

Before we react or respond to something someone else says, we need to take some time to ask the Lord to confirm it through His Spirit and His Word. If it is truly of the Lord, it will bring us peace. If it goes against the Lord and His will, He will let us know. The Lord will honor our obedience to His voice in our lives. He can and does bless obedience.

Because Jeroboam didn’t believe God’s promise given by the prophet Ahijah, he began to walk in unbelief and ended up leading the people into a false religion that could not save them. The religion he invented was comfortable, convenient, and not costly, but it was not authorized by the Lord. The same is true for all the false religions around us today as well.

To keep walking through the narrow gate, we have to renew our minds and hearts in Christ Jesus every day. We need His Word and His truth saturating our hearts so we aren't deceived by the things of the world. We are anointed to walk in the truth of Jesus, not the lies of this world. Jesus is more than enough to fill every crevice of our hearts and souls.

People traveled from all over to see Jesus and determine if He was legit. The only fault people could find in Jesus was that He healed people, but it wasn’t the right day for that. He committed no sin. He was reputable in every way. Jesus isn’t just a good example, He is our Saving Grace. Solomon’s fame was for God, but Jesus is God. No one changed history like Jesus. No argument has ended Jesus. He is eternal. His reputation lasts from generation to generation.

Solomon gradually became more interested in prices than in values, and in reputation rather than character, and in the splendor of the kingdom rather than the glory of God. He drifted away from the Lord, which led to his downfall as well as the downfall of the nation he was leading.

God wants us to draw near and enjoy fellowship with Him - our Heavenly Father. He sent Jesus to make it possible and we shouldn’t take it for granted. We have access to the Throne of God and His incredible presence, through Jesus. He died to make it happen and calls to us to draw near. It’s up to us to surrender all, bend the knee, and pursue His presence passionately.

As we rest and focus in God’s presence, we will experience true fullness of joy. We may look to things that sidetrack us in an attempt to find peace, but when it boils down to it, it’s only when we focus our mind and heart on Jesus that we find perfect peace. We need Jesus and we need to be intentional every day to remain laser-focused on Him.

Sin separated and still separates us from God’s presence. Jesus came into this world - God in human form, and the moment He left the heavens and broke the broken, sinful world we live in - He was swaddled. He was held. He was close to humanity. Jesus wants to draw us close - closer than ever before - to Him. He came to this world and died for our sins so we could draw near to Him and experience His glorious presence like never before.

Today, our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God dwells within us. It’s easy to insert personal preferences into what we believe is godly. The question we need to ask is how God wants to be worshiped, not how we want to worship. The Lord has not asked us to fix ourselves up on the outside to become pleasing to Him. He asks us to follow His ways. True beauty comes from within. A heart living in full surrender to the Lord is truly beautiful.

Compromising with the world and the world’s ways is not worth it - ever. The world is full of distractions. We need to stay laser-focused on Jesus. We need to stay on mission. No matter what happens here, the mission hasn’t changed. Spread the Gospel truth of Jesus and the testimony of His power working in our lives, and save souls for eternity. Nothing matters more.

Jesus did more than solve our problems. He cleanses sin from our lives and changes hearts. As Matthew 12:42 proclaims, Jesus is greater than Solomon. We can ask the Lord for more. We should be asking the Lord for more every day - more of His presence, more of His Wisdom, more of Him. Jesus loves us. He is for us. And He wants good things for us.

(2 Kings 18-20; 2 Chronicles 29-32; Isaiah 36-39)The Lord wants us to trust Him for every detail of every outcome of life. He wants us to call to Him, to cry out to Him, and to turn to Him every day. His ears are always open. No matter how big or little the need may be, the Lord cares. If it is important to us, it is important to God and He wants us to trust Him with it. He is always present and ready to lift us up and redeem every part of our lives. It’s up to us to run to Him in every moment of every day, abiding in Him with every exhale.

If you watch and read a bunch of information on how to eat healthy, but never do what the information tells us to do. You aren’t any healthier by consuming the information. You become healthier by actually applying the information. The same is true with God’s Word. God’s Word can only become beneficial and shape our lives if we apply it to our lives.

God delights in choosing the unexpected or unqualified. He delights in redeeming sin. God loves to leave us in awe of His greatness - His glory. He loves to blow our hearts and minds out of the waters. God has His best in mind for us. It's up to us to trust Him and receive it.

In spite of the evil leadership on this earth, God still keeps Himself and His government active and alive in the hearts and minds of His faithful remnant. God’s purposes will always come forth no matter what. Christ followers never have to fear or panic in response to anything happening in the world around us. God has revealed His plan for history in His Word. Knowledge of His Word and His eternal promises give us stability, peace, comfort, and strength regardless of the uncertain times all around us.

(Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13–53)The world is hard, but we have all we will ever need when we trust in Jesus with all our guts. Nothing in this whole world matters more. We just need to keep pursuing Jesus passionately and keep falling more and more in love with Him every day while we watch and wait eagerly for His glorious return.

(Isaiah 6) Jesus is returning - sooner today than yesterday - and there is an urgency in the Spirit to stand firm in bold faith and keep our minds, hearts, and lives laser focused on Jesus. We have to keep pursuing Him intentionally every single day and not be distracted by the temporary things of the world around us. Jesus wants His Kingdom full - nothing matters more than saving souls for eternity. It won’t always be easy, but it will be worth it for all eternity.

(2 Kings 5)There are many times in life that we need to swallow our pride, walk in humility, and simply obey what the Lord says. We need to humble ourselves before the Lord and just do it. Whatever we feel the Lord asking us to do, we can and should choose to walk it out in faith. He doesn’t ask us to be all fancy or get everything right, He just asks for humble obedience and trust in Him.

(1 Kings 19)We have to remember that God is God, God is good, and God is relentless in His pursuit of us and our good. Elijah was a hero of faith that struggled with faith for a season. Just like us today, Elijah had to trust that God is enough to carry us through the hard days. God has invited us into His eternal plan - and that’s pretty awesome. It’s something we should never take for granted.

(1 Kings 18)God will answer every prayer according to His Word and His will on this earth. We can be brave, bold, and willing to trust Him and surrender all of our hearts to Him. God is gracious to us. It’s up to us to surrender all and trust Him with every detail and every outcome every single day. It’s up to us to love Him with all our guts, pursue Him desperately, and worship Him with every last exhale. When we finally decide to go all in and all out for Jesus, we will truly be shaking the gates of hell.

(Psalms 100, 103, 107, 110, 145, 150)We never really adore Jesus until we arrive at the moment when we worship Him for who He is in Himself, apart from any consideration of the impact of His Divine Selfhood on our desires and welfare. It’s then that we are loving Jesus for Himself alone. Then we adore Him regardless of whether there’s any personal benefit or not. We adore Him because He’s God and He is worthy of all adoration.

(Job 1-42)God is capable of being in charge. He’s really quite good at it. We need to lay ourselves down and let God have control of every area of our lives and let His will be done through us. Wait on the Lord and let Him be God. When we catch just a glimpse of the almighty, all-powerful glory of God, we cannot help but stand in fear and awe of His Majesty. We can choose to humbly rest in the Lord, seek the Lord, and follow Him - heart and soul, with all our guts - every single day - no matter what.

(Proverbs 1:1-7; 3:1-12; 4:10-19)When we are living in the will of God, the path gets brighter and brighter, not darker and darker. God is able to keep us from stumbling if we’ll keep ourselves humble before Him. If we look around instead of up, we’ll end up on a detour God didn’t intend for us. It’s up to us to look up and choose Jesus every single day. His way is always worth it. He has our very best in mind. It’s up to us to trust Him in every step of the way.

The sun sets for us in this temporary world, but Jesus brings us the sunrise into eternity with Him. He gives us life now and forever. The light of Jesus shoots into the darkness and guides us out of the path of darkness and into life. The very Spirit of God comes to live in us and He renews our hearts. The grave is not the end, it’s only the beginning. That’s the eternal living hope we have in Jesus.

Jesus is leading us to a glorious eternity if we are willing to trust Him and follow His lead, and His will. We don’t know all things, but God sent His Son so we can know the One who does know all things personally and intimately. It's up to us to surrender all and give Him every last "yes" under the sun.

If we are willing to surrender all to God's will, He will lead our steps. He will guide us to our next best step, and He will carry us through the difficult and unfair times and seasons life brings. He will comfort us, strengthen us, and pour out His peace and mercies for us. He is ever-present and with us in every step. It’s up to us to surrender all control and trust Him in the seasons we are in and the steps ahead.

The question Solomon leaves us with in this chapter is, will we listen? Will we quiet our lives, and unplug our ears from the loud noises the world offers us? Will we allow the hope of our Savior, Jesus Christ, to enter into our difficulties and speak into them? Will we entrust ourselves to His mighty hands?

If we only look at life under the sun, we are left with uncertainty, randomness, and limited knowledge. We are stuck. When you look beyond the sun and see Jesus, you can lean into the future knowing that the future is secure in His mighty hands. Through Jesus, we have true and living hope.

God took the worst day in human history and made it the means of our redemption because the one-in-a-quadrillion Man showed up. Jesus is the Ladder past the frustrations of a fallen world into union with God and His presence. Jesus is true Wisdom. He is our Hope. Jesus pushes us to reach to Him - the one and only true source of Life that lasts.

We may not know what is coming next, but God does. He has been in every tomorrow. He sees, He hears, He knows. God gives us enough information to encourage us right when we need it most, but He doesn’t cater to selfish or idle curiosity. Who we choose to serve and surrender to here will determine our eternity.

Oppression ceases in the Name of Jesus, competition is no longer needed with Jesus, and isolation doesn't exist in Jesus. In Jesus, we finally have a love that won't ever and could never hurt us. The love of Jesus heals and makes us whole in Him. Jesus invites each and every one of us to come to Him, come near to Him, and receive His offer of eternal glory.

To find value in life, we need to focus on what truly matters. We need to stay laser locked on Jesus and not get sucked into the "rat race" of life in this temporary world. We need to know our value and worth in Jesus and follow His lead and wisdom every step of the way.

We can choose to look up and give thanks to the Lord in the middle of the hard and mundane as much as we give thanks for the laughter and dancing. We can choose to focus on eternity with our Savior and run to the feet of the One who runs it all. We are called to live, breathe, and have our being under the sun according to God’s will with a “beyond the sun” perspective.

Our ultimate satisfaction in life comes in the ultimate One who is not far from us. He came for us. He will take our work and our love and our relationships and He will anchor them into eternity. Our lives are filled to the brim with meaning when they are anchored to the One who is beyond the sun - when we are anchored tightly to the Son.

For the Christ follower, life is an open door - not a closed circle. There are daily experiences of new blessings from the Lord. We can't explain everything under the sun, but life isn't meant to be built on explanations. Life is built on God's promises. If we open God's Word - God's love letters sent to us straight from heaven - we will see thousands of promises from God that He wants us to trust and apply in our lives while we are here under the sun.

(1 Kings 3)Jesus is pleased when we want more of Him, and He will answer. He wants to bless us generously with His wisdom, His presence, and His love. He loves us. He is for us. He wants to be near us. And He wants good things for us. He created us for His victory. The victory Jesus died for us to receive. It’s up to us to surrender all, and trust Him in every step every single day. It’s up to us to keep falling more and more in love with Jesus in every exhale He gives us. 

(2 Samuel 11&12; Psalm 51)Like David, we need to choose to stop trying to hide and name the “thing” we are struggling with before the Lord. He loves us and wants to help us. God’s grace gives us the power to run from sin and the restoration we need when we blow it. We need to bring whatever it is we are struggling with from darkness to light before the Lord, confess it before Him, and let Him take the sin. He already has, but it’s up to us to choose to release it to Him.

(2 Samuel 7) God sees the future, He’s been in every tomorrow. His ways are higher than ours, and when we plan, God directs and re-directs. If we are questioning a plan or a change of plans, ask the Lord for confirmation. He will give His direction when we pause long enough to ask, and wait for His reply and direction.

(1 Samuel 16 & 17) The Lord wants to use our lives to magnify His great Name to all the nations of the earth. The Lord is with us and the victory belongs to the Lord. When you choose to repent and surrender your heart and life to Jesus as Lord of all, you are anointed with the power of His Holy Spirit. Through His power, we are able to overcome the giants we face. We need to shut off the worldly noise and the taunts of the enemy and listen to what God says. The battle belongs to the Lord and we can trust Him for every victory - always and forever.

(1 Samuel 8-10)The Lord left the perfect heavens and came in human form to our broken sinful world for us. He died a crushing, torturous death for us, offering us His life instead. We can trust that He not only wants good things for us, but that He will go all out for us if we are simply willing to trust Him, trust His timing, and trust His eternal goodness.

(1 Samuel 1-3)We are created in the image of God and are created to bear His glory to the world around us. We benefit greatly and eternally from God’s glory and His redemption plan for us, but we are not the focus or meant to be. We fall short of His glory and we desperately need Jesus and His glory. The spotlight belongs on God, not us. 

(Ruth 1-4) Our assurance is not in our feelings or circumstances or anything of this upside down world that is bent against God. Our assurance is in our Redeemer, our Savior, and His Word. Only the grace of our loving Father can save us. It’s only through Jesus we are saved and we all need Jesus desperately.

(Judges 13-16) God can handle our humanity and our messes. It’s never too late to cry out to God. God never stopped loving Samson and He will never stop loving any of us. He just wants us to faithfully trust Him, and keep running forward pursuing Him and His holiness in radical faith while pointing all those around us to Him too.

(Judges 6-8)Courage comes from faith. Courage is fear saturated in prayer as we move forward wholeheartedly trusting the Lord with all our guts. The way we grow in faith and courage is to hear God's Word, believe His promises, and obey what He tells us to do.

(Judges 4 & 5) We are called and commissioned to share Jesus with His authority and victorious power to give people the opportunity to be free from the bondages of sin and hell. The world around us may try to tell us we shouldn't, couldn't, or wouldn't. We need to hear and listen to God's voice and hush all the other noise. God wants every soul on earth to have the opportunity to hear and claim the victory of Jesus for their lives. Nothing on the face of this earth matters more.

(John 8:1-11)Jesus has us through everything if we are willing to trust Him with everything. He will lead if we are willing to listen and follow. Jesus wants a real and true and personal relationship with us. He wants to be close to us and wants us to draw close to Him. We don't have to try to do all the things or get everything right all the time. We just need to be desperate for Jesus every day, trust Him with everything, and draw close to Him.

(Judges 3:7-31)We are called to speak forth the Life of Jesus and the hope found in and through Him to a hopeless, defeated world. We are called to live out His Word and reveal to the world around us the reality of who Jesus is. The world is looking for better methods, but God is looking for men and women who understand the basics: the power of the Holy Spirit, wise strategy, and steadfast and radically faithful courage.

(Joshua 23 & 24) God doesn’t want us to just know His word in our heads. He wants us to let His Word sink deep into our hearts. The more we know God’s Word, the more we will know the God of the Word. God doesn’t want us to have big heads full of Biblical history, He wants us to have full hearts filled with His love and an understanding of His incredible grace.

(Numbers 22)God opened the donkey's eyes and vocal chords, and then He opened Balaam’s eyes. Even though he was living his life against the Lord, he bowed and fell on his face before Jesus. This is exactly what will happen when Jesus returns. EVERY knee will bow, because Jesus is King. No matter if you accept that truth or refuse it, the truth of Jesus and who He is remains.

(Joshua 2-4; 6) It was by faith and patience and trusting God at His Word that they were able to conquer Jericho. They marched in silent self-control trusting God day after day. God fought the battle as they trusted Him. God’s timing is always perfect. He knows what He’s doing. The key to the victory at Jericho was trusting God and faithfully obeying His direction - His Word.