“He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” — Psalm 40:2
 
How steady are your feet when life knocks you down?
 
Billy Sunday was a professional baseball player who gave his life to Christ. He worked with the YMCA for a while, and then God opened the door for him to become an evangelist all across our country. The crowds got so big that no church building could hold them, so they pitched huge tents and put sawdust down the aisles. When people came forward to give their lives to Christ, they called it “hitting the sawdust trail.” And Billy Sunday would sometimes make his entrance running down the aisle and sliding into the pulpit like he was sliding into third base.
 
He once said, “It is not how high you jump, but rather how straight and firm your feet land when you hit the ground.”
 
I love that. Many of us are impressed with the high jumps. We remember the mountaintop experience at camp, the conference that fired us up, and the Sunday we cried at the altar. Those moments are wonderful. But God is more interested in where your feet land on Monday morning.
 
David knew what it was like to be stuck in the mud. He says God pulled him up out of the miry bog and set his feet on a rock. Notice who did the lifting. David didn’t climb out on his own. God lifted him out and gave him somewhere solid to stand.
 
If you’re in Christ, God has already pulled you out of the pit. Now He wants you to walk steady. That’s what living to please God looks like. It’s less about big spiritual leaps and more about faithful steps, one after another.
 
So check your footing today. Where are you standing when things go wrong? If it’s on your feelings, your finances, or other people’s opinions, you’ll slip. Plant your feet back on the Rock, and take the next faithful step.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” — John 10:27
 
Whose sound are you marching to these days?
 
Years ago I used to snow ski, before I broke my legs snow skiing. And one of the songs I loved to listen to back then was one the Imperials sang in the seventies called “Trumpet of Jesus.” I loved it because it had a driving beat, but I loved the message even more. It was about tuning your ears to Jesus while the rest of the world listens to a different sound and wanders around.
 
That’s exactly where many believers are today. The world is loud. It’s got its own beat, and it’s playing all day long through our phones and our televisions. And the voice of Jesus can get drowned out.
 
Jesus said His sheep hear His voice. That’s the normal Christian life. You can’t follow what you can’t hear.
 
But I need to tell you something. Many of us aren’t hearing the trumpet call of God, and it isn’t because He stopped speaking. It’s because we’ve grieved His Spirit. We’ve excused our behavior, our tone, and our attitudes, and we’ve lost our sensitivity to His tug. He wants to tell us to stop and minister to that one person or pray for that one person, and we never hear it.
 
The greatest thing you and I could ever do is align ourselves with where God is going and walk with Him there. But you’ll never experience that if you can’t hear Him.
 
So here’s your assignment. Turn off the noise for a while today. No radio in the truck, no TV in the background. Ask Him, “Lord, what are You saying to me?” When He nudges you to call someone or pray for someone, do it right away. The more you obey His voice, the better you’ll hear it.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” — Psalm 51:10
 
What do you do when you can’t sense God moving anymore?
 
When Jesus was baptized, John saw the Spirit of God descend on Him like a dove. Now I don’t know if you’re familiar with doves, but it doesn’t take much to make them fly away. A little movement here or there, and they’re gone.
 
The Holy Spirit is the sensitive one of the Trinity. If you’re a believer, He lives in you, and He’ll never leave you. You got the full load the moment you were saved. But you can grieve Him so that you lose the sense of His presence, power, and leading.
 
And here’s what many of us do when that happens. We try to work Him up. When I was growing up in a liturgical church, we didn’t stand much except when the offering hymn came, so you could get to your wallet! Now everybody stands when we sing. Some folks think that if we really want the Spirit to move, we’ve got to lift our hands. Others think, “Man, we’d better start jumping.”
 
But He doesn’t come down because we worship harder. If we’ve grieved Him, jumping higher won’t bring the dove back.
 
David didn’t try to sing his way back into God’s presence after his sin with Bathsheba. He asked God for a clean heart. That’s the way back. We don’t need more of the Spirit. We need to stop offending the Spirit we already have.
 
Lifting your hands in worship is a wonderful thing. But it was never meant to replace repentance.
 
So before you walk into worship this Sunday, get quiet and ask the Lord, “Is there anything in me that has grieved You?” Whatever He brings up, confess it right then. Then go lift your hands with a clean heart.

“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” — Matthew 5:23–24
 
Is there someone you’ve hurt who you’re hoping will just forget about it?
 
Let me tell you something I’ve noticed. Many of us excuse our behavior. We speak to our spouses, our children, and the people who work for us with a harsh tone, and then we justify it. We tell ourselves we were just trying to motivate them, or that what we said was correct. And sometimes it was correct. But it wasn’t what we said. It was how we said it that created the deep offense.
 
Some of you run businesses or supervise people. You may get the job done by pushing hard, but your employees go home carrying what you said. Some of you have a son or daughter who’s grown now, and there’s a coldness between you that started years ago with words you’ve never taken back.
 
Jesus says that if you’re about to worship and you remember someone has something against you, stop. Leave your gift right there. Go make it right first, and then come back and worship.
 
That’s how serious God is about relationships. He’d rather have you reconciled with your brother than have your offering.
 
When I closed that service, I prayed that God would help us seek restoration with the spouses we’ve hurt, the children we’ve embittered, and the employees we’ve wounded by the tone of our voice. I meant every word of it, and I needed it as much as anybody in that room.
 
So who came to your mind just now? Don’t wait for them to bring it up. Call them, or better yet, go see them this week. Say it plainly: “I was wrong in how I spoke to you. Will you forgive me?” Then come back to worship with nothing standing between you.

“Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.” — Colossians 3:21
 
Do you have any idea how your tone of voice lands on the people you love?
 
On Friday nights, our five-year-old grandson usually comes to spend the night with Ginger and me. The next morning, he and I went into the kitchen, and I was in charge of breakfast. He wanted oatmeal. Now I didn’t make it from scratch. I poured the package into a bowl, added water, and stuck it in the microwave.
 
I had told him before, “Whatever you do, don’t open the door of that microwave until it’s completely through beeping.” I’d always thought radiation would come out if you opened it early. By the way, that’s not even true. Well, he opened the door before it finished. And I raised my voice. I didn’t yell, but I raised my voice just a little.
 
Immediately he got quiet. And then he said, “I want my mama.”
 
I asked him, “Do you want your mama because I hurt your feelings when I raised my voice?” He said, “Yes, sir.”
 
That little sensitive spirit picked up on my tone right away, and he wanted to be somewhere safe. I was concerned for him. My motive was right. But it’s often not what we say, it’s how we say it, that creates the offense.
 
Paul tells fathers not to provoke their children, because a provoked child gets discouraged. And I want you to notice something. The Holy Spirit is sensitive like that too. When harshness comes out of us, His sweet presence pulls back, the same way that little boy wanted his mama.
 
So listen to yourself today. Pay attention to how you speak to your kids, your grandkids, and anybody smaller than you. If you’ve been sharp with one of them, get down on their level, look them in the eye, and tell them you’re sorry.

“Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” — 1 Peter 3:7
 
Have you ever won an argument and lost the person?
 
I really wish that before I got married, somebody would have handed me a manual I could actually understand. I got married when I was 23, and Ginger was younger than I was. I figured that since we loved each other, everything would just kind of work.
 
Then one night we were playing Monopoly with some friends. I was the banker. And the way I played that game, the way I talked and pushed and went for the win, made her cry. I remember thinking, “It’s only a game.” But it wasn’t only a game to her. The way I did what I did hurt her deeply. I may have won the game, but I lost that night. You know what I’m saying?
 
Some of us are wired to win. We win at work, we win on the ball field, and we win at the kitchen table. But when you bring that competitive spirit home, the people you love end up on the other side of the board.
 
Peter tells husbands to live with their wives in an understanding way. That means you study her. You learn what wounds her and what blesses her. And look at what’s at stake. Peter says if you don’t, your prayers will be hindered. How you treat your wife affects how heaven hears you.
 
That’s true for wives too, and for anybody in a close relationship. Being right is overrated if you leave the person you love in tears.
 
Is there a game you’ve been trying to win at home? Maybe it’s an argument you keep replaying or a point you keep pressing. Lay it down today. Then go to your spouse and ask, “Is there anything I do that hurts you that I may not even realize?” Listen to the answer without defending yourself.

“I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” — Psalm 119:11
 
How long does it take for what you know to become who you are?
 
I told our congregation before I opened the Word that where we were going might sting. Can I warn you of that too? I’ve got skin on just like you. Sometimes I’ve got more skin on than at other times! And I’ve learned that just because you’ve walked with the Lord for decades doesn’t mean that everything you’ve learned in your head has gone down into your heart.
 
You can know the right verse and still say the wrong thing. You can teach a Sunday school class on patience and then lose your temper in the church parking lot. I’ve seen it, and I’ve done it.
 
The Bible is the manual for pleasing God. If you really want to know how to walk with God, you have to read the Word and find out exactly what He wants. But reading it isn’t the same as storing it up. The psalmist didn’t say, “I have stored Your Word in my notebook.” He said, “In my heart.” That’s the place where it changes what comes out of you.
 
Here’s the hard question. Does what comes out of your life line up with what the Lord has put in? When people bump into you, what spills out is what’s really been stored inside.
 
Living out the Christian life is a journey that’s going to take us all the way to eternity. Nobody arrives this side of heaven. But we can take one more step deeper today.
 
So pick one verse this week that stings you a little. Write it on a card and put it on your bathroom mirror. Read it every morning, and ask the Lord to move it from your head to your heart before the week is out.

“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God.” — Romans 5:9
 
When was the last time you were overwhelmed that Jesus loves you?
 
Most of us learned it as little children: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” We sang it in Sunday school without thinking twice. But as you get older and wiser in the Word, you realize what that little song actually means. Oh man, God loves me!
 
To understand how big that is, you have to understand what He saved you from. Our God is a God of love. Amen? But He is also a God of wrath. It’s been said that modern people take Christianity lightly because they take the wrath of God too lightly. God’s wrath is what happens when people refuse the love He has offered in Christ Jesus.
 
But God provided a way out. Jesus went to the cross and shed His blood to cover the sin you couldn’t cover. He died the death you deserved. He took the wrath of God so you wouldn’t have to. Paul says that if you’ve trusted Christ, you’ve been justified by His blood, and you’ll be saved from God’s wrath.
 
And He didn’t do it because you went looking for Him. Your salvation started with God. He drew you, He changed you, and He made you His.
 
I don’t know about you, but I’m overwhelmed that Jesus would love me. Why me? And I know some of you are looking at me thinking, “Yeah, why you?” Fair enough! But the real question is, why you? The only answer is that He loves you.
 
Don’t let that truth get old. Sing that little song out loud today, slowly, like you mean it. Then thank Him by name for the specific sins He’s carried for you, and live this day grateful that you’ll never face His wrath.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” — Ephesians 6:12
 
Do you know who you’re really fighting?
 
Nobody would ever walk onto a college football field without shoulder pads and a helmet. They know somebody on the other side is getting ready to hit them. And let me tell you something. Satan is getting ready to hit you. He’ll hit you at your weakest point, and he’ll try to hit you at your strongest point too.
 
That’s why Paul tells the Thessalonians to live completely suited up, with faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet. That’s a picture of someone ready for battle. The breastplate protects your vital organs. The helmet protects your mind, and you need to know in your mind that you belong to Christ.
 
But I want you to notice who the enemy is. You’re not at war with the Democrats, the Republicans, or the Independents. You’re not at war with the government or the neighbor who annoys you. Paul says we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood. Your battle is against the evil one, who will try to take you out at any turn in the journey.
 
Many believers spend all their energy fighting people while the real enemy walks right through the front door. We get angry at the person, and meanwhile the devil laughs.
 
So suit up. Guard your mind, because whatever you let into it will eventually affect what you do. Be careful what you watch.
 
Here’s your assignment. Think of one person you’ve been treating like your enemy. It might be a family member, a coworker, or somebody on the other side of a political issue. Pray for them by name today. Then look at your own life and ask, “Where is the real enemy trying to hit me?” Put on your gear there.

“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” — Hebrews 12:2
 
Where are your eyes fixed today?
 
Friday night I had the privilege of watching my grandson play football. He’s the running back for his high school team. Every time number 27 hit the field and lined up in the backfield, I was full-blown focused on him. I counted his first downs and his touchdowns. There were twenty-one other players out there, plus coaches and referees and a band, but I knew his number, and my eyes stayed on him. You know why? Because he’s my grandson. And by the way, he had a lot of yards rushing!
 
That’s how God wants us to live. Paul tells us to be awake and sober, living with our eyes wide open. And the writer of Hebrews tells us exactly where to look: at Jesus.
 
There’s a lot going on in the stadium of your life. You’ve got bills, headlines, health concerns, and family drama. All of it is competing for your attention. But when you know someone well and you love them, you know where to look for them.
 
Here’s the question I want you to ask yourself all day long: “Lord, the next step I take, will it please You? Will it honor You?” When I give financially, I ask, “Father, will You receive this as an offering of gratitude?” That’s what it means to keep your eyes on Him.
 
Jesus kept His eyes on the joy set before Him, and it carried Him all the way through the cross. Keeping your eyes on Him will carry you too.
 
So pick up your Bible today and read one of the Gospels for ten minutes. Watch Jesus the way I watch number 27. Notice what He does and how He treats people. The more you watch Him, the easier He’ll be to find when life gets crowded.

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.” — 2 Peter 3:9–10
 
Have the false alarms made you stop believing the real thing is coming?
 
When Ginger was pregnant with our third child, our daughter, she had a very difficult pregnancy. For eight months the doctor put her on bed rest because her body kept trying to deliver early. We had to rush to the hospital ten different times to stop the labor. The doctor finally told her, “You’ve broken all of my previous records!”
 
There were a couple of times I was thinking, “Come on, just let that baby come!” But the time wasn’t right. Then on the eleventh trip, the doctor said, “Yes, we can let this happen.” I’ll never forget driving through Houston traffic with great urgency, knowing this one was real.
 
Those of you who’ve had babies know about Braxton Hicks contractions. They’re the practice runs and the warm-ups. They say, “Something’s getting ready to happen.” Paul says Christ’s return will come like labor pains on a pregnant woman. And when it comes, it will catch the world off guard.
 
Some people have heard “Jesus is coming” so many times that they’ve stopped listening. They’ve decided the false alarms mean it’s never going to happen. Peter says otherwise. God isn’t slow. He’s patient, because He’s still giving people time to repent.
 
And notice when Paul says it will happen. It will be while people are saying “peace and safety.” Markets are up, people feel secure, and they get comfortable. That’s exactly when it will come.
 
So don’t let the waiting dull you. Use God’s patience the way He intends it. Who do you know who still needs to repent and trust Christ? Pray for them by name today, and look for a way to talk to them about Jesus this week while there’s still time.

“If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” — 2 Chronicles 7:14
 
Where are you putting your hope for our country?
 
I’m going to tell you to vote. As a child of God, you have a responsibility to vote your values, and those values come from the Bible. I heard a statistic that fewer than half of evangelical Christians in our country are even registered to vote. That ought to bother us. So get registered, and then go vote. How you vote is between you and the Lord. There’s my paid political announcement for the day.
 
But let me tell you something just as important. God is neither a Republican nor a Democrat. And He’s not an independent either. He is God.
 
Don’t ever think your vote will create a movement of God. That’s not how it works. The key to a real movement of God in our country is not the outcome of an election. The only thing that brings real change to a county, a state, a church, or a country is when God’s people do God’s business God’s way, seeking His face.
 
Notice who God speaks to in this verse. He doesn’t call on the government, the culture, or the other party. He says, “If My people.” The healing of the land starts in the house of God, on our knees.
 
I’m broken over what I’m seeing in our country and around the world. I pray that God would visit us one more time before Jesus comes. And that will happen when His children pray without ceasing.

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” — 1 Corinthians 13:12
 
Have you ever seen Christians argue more about the timeline of Christ’s return than they rejoice that He’s coming?
 
When I was in college, I thought there were only three views about the thousand-year reign of Christ. Premillennialists believe Jesus comes before it. Postmillennialists believe things will get better and better and then Jesus comes. And amillennialists say the thousand years shouldn’t be taken literally.
 
I asked one of my professors in front of the whole class which one he was. He looked at me and said, “I’m neither. I’m a pan-millennial. I believe it’s all going to pan out in the end. I’m on the welcoming committee for whenever Jesus comes.”
 
Now let me tell you where I stand. I take God’s Word literally unless God makes it clear that’s not what He means, and you ought to do the very same thing. Study it. Know what you believe and why.
 
But I’ve never forgotten that professor’s answer, because he put his finger on something. Paul says that right now we see in a mirror dimly. We know in part. Some of the details of the last days are a puzzle, and some brothers and sisters who love Jesus just as much as you do read them differently.
 
What we do see clearly is this. Jesus is coming, and it will be Jesus Himself. That’s enough to get excited about.
 
So don’t let your prophecy chart make you proud or quarrelsome. If you’ve been arguing with another believer over the end times, call him this week and tell him you’re glad you’ll be standing together on the welcoming committee. Then spend more time getting ready to meet Jesus than arguing about when He’ll come.

“So, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him.” — 2 Corinthians 5:9
 
Who’s in the back of your mind when you make everyday decisions?
 
I’ve got to be honest with you. I don’t like to shop. I’d much rather be in a deer stand or out on a boat fishing. But whenever I do shop, there’s one thought I can’t get out of my head. Every time I pick up a shirt or a pair of shoes, I wonder, “What would Ginger say about this?”
 
I want what I wear and how I look to please her. Now she weighs a whole lot less than I do, and she’s not as strong as I am. But her presence in my life affects me to the point that I line up my choices to please her. You know why? Because I love her. God brought her into my life, and I’ve got years invested in her. Besides, I can’t change models now. I’m already upside down!
 
That’s exactly what Paul is talking about. We don’t try to please God because we have to. We do it because we’re in love with Jesus. Paul says that whether he’s at home or away, his aim is to please Him. That means in the big decisions and the little ones too.
 
Pleasing God isn’t about a list of rules you’re nervous about breaking. It’s what love looks like when it gets down to the shoe store and the checkbook and the remote control.
 
So let me give you a question to carry around today, the same way I carry Ginger around in my head. Before you buy it, watch it, say it, or post it, ask, “Lord, would this please You?” If you love Him, you’ll want to know the answer, and you’ll find yourself lining up your life with what He likes.

"He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" — Revelation 22:20
 
Do you really want Jesus to come back today, or would you rather He wait until you finish a few things?
 
I remember being in college and thinking about the second coming of Christ. I believed it, but I remember praying, "Lord, I'd sure like to get married first." Then I got married, and I started thinking, "Lord, I'd really like to have kids before You come." And after a while, after having a bunch of kids, you're down on your knees saying, "Come, Lord Jesus, come!"
 
We laugh, but many of us are quietly asking Jesus to hold off until our plans are finished. We want to see the business grow, the house paid off, and the grandkids graduate. There's nothing wrong with any of those things. But if our hearts are tied down here, the promise of His coming starts to feel more like an interruption than a hope.
 
I told our congregation that I would love for Jesus to interrupt my sermon and come right then. I meant it. Nobody would be upset about the sermon being cut short, I promise you.
 
The very last prayer in the Bible is three words long: "Come, Lord Jesus." It's the prayer of people who know this world isn't their home. We sing a song here written by Stephen McWhorter that cries out those same three words, and every time we sing it, I feel my grip on this world loosen a little bit.
 
That's what Jesus wants to do in you. He doesn't want you to stop dreaming or planning. He wants you to hold those plans with an open hand, because the best thing on your calendar is His return.
 
Why don't you pray those words with me right now? Come, Lord Jesus. If saying them feels hard, ask Him to show you what you're holding onto. Then give it to Him and pray it again.

"Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, 'Engage in business until I come.'" — Luke 19:13
 
Is it possible to be so excited about Jesus coming back that you stop doing anything for Him until He gets here?
 
It happened in Thessalonica. Paul had taught them that Jesus was coming again, and a small group in that church decided there was no reason to keep working. They quit their jobs, sat on the sidelines, and let the generous believers in the church pay their bills. They acted like they were more spiritual than everybody else because they were waiting for Jesus. I call them Christian panhandlers.
 
Paul wasn't impressed. He told the church to warn those who were idle.
 
In the parable, Jesus pictures a nobleman who goes away to receive a kingdom. Before he leaves, he puts resources in his servants' hands and tells them to engage in business until he comes. The King James says, "Occupy till I come." He didn't tell them to stare at the horizon. He told them to get to work.
 
Some of us have a version of this problem. We're content to be saved. We've got our ticket punched, and now we're just sitting in the pew waiting for the bus. But God didn't call you to be saved and seated. He called you to be saved and serving.
 
The Thessalonians had the right doctrine and the wrong response. Believing Jesus could come today should make you busier, not lazier. It should make you want to finish well whatever He's put in your hands.
 
Maybe you need to repent today, not because you've done something scandalous, but because you've been living for your own agenda and asking God to bless it. Ask Him instead, "Lord, what do You want from my life?"
 
When Jesus comes back, I want Him to find me busy doing what He told me to do. Don't you?

"And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut." — Matthew 25:10
 
Can you borrow someone else's faith?
 
Jesus told a story about ten young women waiting for a bridegroom to arrive for a wedding. From the outside, all ten looked exactly the same. They all had lamps. They were all dressed for the occasion. They were all waiting. And when the bridegroom was delayed, all ten of them fell asleep.
 
The difference didn't show up until midnight, when the shout rang out: "Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him." Five of them had brought extra oil, and five hadn't. The five whose lamps were going out turned to the others and said, "Give us some of your oil."
 
And the answer was no.
 
Now, that wasn't selfishness. It was reality. Some things can't be shared, and a relationship with God is one of them.
 
You can't ride into heaven on your grandmother's prayers. You can't borrow your spouse's faith. You can't get in on the strength of your church membership or the fact that you grew up in a Christian home. I've heard it said that God doesn't have any grandchildren. Every person has to come to Him on their own.
 
Here's what sobers me about this story. The foolish ones weren't pagans who had no interest in the wedding. They were in the waiting crowd. They looked ready. They just never took care of the one thing that mattered, and when the door shut, it was too late to fix it.
 
So let me ask you, gently but directly. Is there oil in your lamp? Not your family's lamp. Yours. If you're not sure, don't let another day go by. Settle it with Jesus right now.
 
And if you do know Him, keep that lamp filled. Spend time with Him every day. Stay close. Because the bridegroom is coming, and when He does, you want to be ready to walk right in.

"But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober." — 1 Thessalonians 5:4–6
 
If Jesus came back today, would it catch you off guard?
 
A thief doesn't send a notice. He doesn't call ahead to let you know he's coming by on Thursday. Nobody who has ever had their home broken into has said, "I saw that coming." That's the whole point.
 
Paul says that for the world, the day of the Lord is going to come just like that. Sudden. Unexpected. But then he turns to believers and says, "Not you."
 
Now, that doesn't mean we get to know the date. Over the years, plenty of people have tried to set one, and every one of them has been wrong. Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour. So why won't it surprise us? Because we don't live in the dark. When you're a child of the day, you're dressed and ready whenever the knock comes.
 
Then Paul gives two instructions: stay awake and be sober.
 
Staying awake means not drifting into spiritual sleep. You can sit in church every week and still be sound asleep on the inside, just going through the motions and numb to the things of God. Being sober means keeping a clear head. It means not getting so intoxicated by this world, its money, its entertainment, its worries, that you lose sight of what's coming.
 
Here's the question I want you to ask yourself. Is there anything in my life right now that I'd be ashamed for Jesus to walk in on? If there is, that's a part of your life that's still living in the dark.
 
So, flip on the lights. Bring it to Him and confess it. Wake up to what He's doing around you. You're a child of the day. Live like it, and His coming won't be a threat. It will be the best day of your life.

"Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is." — 1 John 3:2
 
When you think about heaven, whose face do you look forward to seeing first?
 
Most of us immediately think of a parent, a grandparent, or a friend who went on ahead. I understand that, and that reunion is coming. But I want you to notice something about the way Scripture describes the Lord's return. The Bible says the Lord Himself will come down from heaven. He won't send a representative, and He won't send an angel to handle the details. Jesus Himself is coming.
 
And the first face you'll see is His.
 
Think about who He is to you. He's the One who forgave you when you had nothing to offer. He's the One who cleansed you and changed you. He's the One who gave your life direction when you were going nowhere. He loved you before you ever knew Him. On that day you're going to see Him as He is.
 
John says something else happens in that moment. When we see Him, we'll be like Him. The other night I saw an old picture of Ginger and me from when we were first married. I had long brown hair and a Fu Manchu mustache, and I just kept saying, "What happened?" Well, life happened. But one glance at Jesus, and everything this world has worn down in you will be made new.
 
Here's why this matters today. If Jesus is the One you most want to see then, He ought to be the One you most want to know now. Some of us are more excited about heaven's benefits than heaven's King.
 
So, spend some time with Him today, not just asking for things, but simply enjoying Him. Read about Him in the Gospels. Tell Him you love Him. Get to know the face you'll see first.

"Therefore encourage one another with these words." — 1 Thessalonians 4:18
 
When someone you love is grieving, do you know what to say?
 
Most of us freeze. We walk into the funeral home, and we don't know what to do with our hands or our words. So we say something awkward, or we don't say anything at all.
 
Look at what Paul does here. He has just finished describing the most dramatic event in human history. The Lord Himself descending from heaven with a shout. The voice of the archangel. The trumpet of God. The dead in Christ rising first, and those of us who are alive being caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air.
 
And then he gives an assignment. He doesn't say, "Now make a chart about it." He doesn't say, "Now argue about it." He says, "Encourage one another with these words."
 
The return of Jesus was never meant to be just a doctrine we debate. It was given to us to comfort hurting people. It's meant to be spoken out loud at a hospital bedside, at a graveside, and at a kitchen table when the chair across from you is empty.
 
And notice he says "these words." Not your words. His words. You don't have to be eloquent. You don't have to have all the answers about why it happened. You just need to point people back to the promise. Jesus is coming. The grave doesn't get the last word. We will be together again, and we will always be with the Lord.
 
Those are words worth repeating.
 
So, who in your life needs to hear them today? Maybe it's a widow who has been alone for a while now, and everybody else has moved on. Maybe it's a friend who just lost a parent. Call them. Write them a note. Read them 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17. Then just sit with them. God will use His Word to do what your words never could.

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep." — 1 Thessalonians 4:13–14
 
Have you buried someone this year that you can't stop thinking about?
 
Some of you have lost a spouse. Some of you have lost a mom or a dad. And some of you have had to do the hardest thing a parent can ever do. You buried a child, and it feels like everything is upside down, because they were supposed to bury you.
 
Paul doesn't tell you not to grieve. Grief is real, and Jesus wept at a graveside. But Paul says you don't have to grieve like people who have no hope.
 
Listen to how the Lord will come. The Bible says He'll descend with a loud command. In the Greek language, that's the very word a charioteer would shout to his horses: "Go!" If you're from Texas, you'd say, "Yah!" It's also the word used for someone calling out the cadence to men rowing a boat, keeping them all together. It's loud, and it's distinct, and nobody is going to miss it.
 
And who hears it first? The dead in Christ will rise first. The ones you laid in the ground will be the first to answer that shout. The grave can't hold a child of God when Jesus says "Go!"
 
Then those of us who are still alive will be caught up together with them. You don't even have to wait to get to heaven to see them again. If they knew Jesus, you'll meet them in the clouds.
 
I've never been to a family reunion. My family just never did that. But I'm looking forward to this one.
 
If your heart is heavy today, bring that grief to the One who died and rose again. Tell Him you miss them. Then lift your eyes and listen, because one day soon there's going to be a shout.

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need." — Philippians 4:11–12
 
Are you convinced you'd finally be happy if you could just get out of where you are?
 
I was speaking to a group of pastors recently, and during the question-and-answer time, one young man got honest with me. He said, "I don't like where I'm serving. I'm unhappy with how we do things, and I'm praying God will move me to another church."
 
I told him something I've learned over a lot of years: God will never make you happy somewhere else until you get happy right where you are.
 
I knew exactly how he felt, because I used to feel the same way. Everywhere I served, there always seemed to be somebody who was the proverbial thorn in my flesh. When God opened a door to another church, I thought, "Good. I'll finally get away from that person." Guess what? There they were again. The names and faces were different, but there they were.
 
That works in business too. You don't like your boss, your coworkers, your paycheck, or your benefits package. So you're always looking for the next thing, and you're all wrapped up around the axle. Friend, the job may not be the problem. The problem may be what's going on inside of you.
 
Paul wrote about contentment from a prison cell. He had learned a secret that didn't depend on his surroundings. Jesus lived that way too. Was Jesus ever anxious? He had only three and a half years of public ministry, and yet He moved from peace to peace. He would even tell His disciples, "Let's get away and rest together."
 
God wants you to live a quiet life, without all the drama. He wants to do a work inside of you before He ever changes what's around you.
 
So ask Him to settle your heart right where you are today. Thank Him for the place He's planted you. You may be surprised how differently that same place looks once He's done that work in you.

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." — Colossians 3:17
 
Is there anything in your life right now that you would be embarrassed to ask God to bless?
 
Here's a simple question I've learned to ask myself over the years, and it has saved me from a lot of foolishness. If I cannot ask God to bless what I am doing or what I am saying, maybe I ought not to be doing it or saying it.
 
That one question will clear things up in a hurry. Try it on the deal you're about to sign at work. Try it on the show you're about to turn on tonight. Try it on the text message you're about to send when you're angry. Picture yourself bowing your head and saying, "Lord, would You bless this?" If the words stick in your throat, you already have your answer.
 
Paul tells us to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. That means you're signing His name to it. When you represent a company, you don't sign contracts the company would never approve. And when you belong to Christ, you're representing Him in the boardroom, the break room, and the family room.
 
Many believers live with one set of rules on Sunday and another set on Monday. We come to church and sing about holiness, and then we go do business like everybody else. That's called hypocrisy, by the way. You can't live a splintered life without getting full of splinters, and splinters have a way of sticking other people the wrong way.
 
The good news is that this test also sets you free. When you can honestly ask God to bless what you're doing, you don't have to look over your shoulder. You can work with a clear conscience and a thankful heart.
 
So before you make your next decision today, stop and ask the question. Can I ask God to bless this? If you can, go for it with everything you've got. If you can't, let it go and ask Him what He'd rather have you do.

"Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.'" — Isaiah 6:6–7
 
How many of you have ever used a word of profanity? I'm not going to make you raise your hand. Well, maybe I will. How many of you have ever used one in church? Gotcha.
 
Profanity keeps getting darker in our culture. Words that never would have been said out loud are now acceptable everywhere. You can't turn on the television or scroll social media without hearing it. We've become so desensitized to sin that we don't even flinch anymore.
 
When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, he cried out that he was a man of unclean lips. There's your first cussing preacher right there. But I want you to notice what God did next. He didn't leave Isaiah undone. He sent a seraph with a burning coal from the altar, touched his mouth, and took his guilt away. And right after that, Isaiah heard God say, "Whom shall I send?" and he answered, "Here I am! Send me."
 
God cleanses the mouth He intends to use.
 
Here's what excites me. If you belong to Christ, the Holy Spirit lives inside of you, and wherever you go, He goes. When you walk into your office, your job site, or your classroom, His presence walks in with you. And His job is to bring conviction of sin.
 
I believe one reason we haven't seen real revival in our country, like the great awakenings, is that believers haven't taken their presence in business seriously. When coworkers notice you don't talk the way everyone else talks, they're noticing Him. That difference draws people to Jesus.
 
It doesn't take a crowd. All it takes is one man or one woman totally committed to Christ.
 
So, if your words need cleansing today, don't hide it. Take it to the altar. He'll touch your lips, take your guilt away, and send you back into your workplace carrying His presence.

"Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation." — 1 Peter 2:12
 
Have you ever thought about your workplace as a place God sent you?
 
I want you to say this sentence out loud with me: "My business is God's mission field for me." Say it again. You'll spend a great deal of your life at work, and God is going to bring people in and out of your life there, just like He does in your neighborhood.
 
Years ago a banker told me something I've never forgotten. He said, "People don't bank with banks. They bank with bankers. It's all about relationships."
 
Haven't you ever had a terrible waiter at a restaurant? It upset you so much that it affected how you felt about the whole meal, and you never went back. Maybe that waiter was having a really bad day. But it shows you how much one person's attitude makes an impression.
 
You may be thinking, "I can't make an impact. I'm just an employee." Oh, yes you can. How you work and how you treat customers and coworkers leaves a deep mark on them. Some of them will never set foot in a church. You may be the only Bible they ever read.
 
Here's where many of us get into trouble. We excuse our behavior by saying, "It's just business." Don't ever separate your spiritual life from your business life. The same Jesus who saved you on Sunday goes with you to the office on Monday.
 
And if you're a business owner, you may say, "Well, we don't talk about Jesus at work." You ought to. When you live differently, God will open little windows of opportunity. He'll tug on your heart to speak the name of Jesus to someone going through a hard time.
 
This week, walk into your workplace like a missionary walking onto the field. Ask the Lord who He wants you to notice. Then be faithful when He opens that window.