“For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed” – Romans 15:18

The Apostle Paul certainly had an impressive resume. He could have talked extensively about himself, his credentials, and his accomplishments. The number of cities opened to the gospel. The number of converts made. The number of churches planted. The number of letters written. He could have been the most celebrated conference speaker of his day or the most boring and obnoxious person at any party. Thankfully, that wasn’t the example he set for us to imitate…

Paul only talked about those kinds of things when absolutely forced into it. Under normal circumstances, he wore humility like a cloak, as every follower of Jesus should. He pointed all the attention and glory to God. He emphasized that it was Christ and His Spirit Who accomplished all those great things through Paul. Paul was certainly a willing and submitted disciple, but the enormous fruit of his ministry was produced by Jesus living in Him.

Churches weren’t started because Paul was a talented and courageous guy. They were started because Paul abided in Christ and Christ abided in Him (see John 15). A skilled man didn’t turn the world upside down. Jesus did. That should be a great encouragement to you because Jesus still does…

Every follower of Jesus needs to embrace this reality. Jesus will accomplish everything of lasting significance we do as Christians. When we live by this truth, we get out of His way so He can produce lasting Kingdom fruit. When we still think it’s all (or at least mostly) about us, what we produce is frustrating, exhausting, and doomed to spiritual failure. We must stop trying to manufacture fruit and let Jesus grow the fruit instead. We need to acknowledge that is how Christ’s kingdom works. It isn’t about little old us. It’s about the glorious Son of God working in, and through, us. That’s a far more interesting story anyway! #FollowJesus

“For the Lord will not
cast off forever,
for, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love;”
– Lamentations 3:31-32

For those in Christ, even the hardest seasons of discipline and correction eventually end. The most intense refining fire eventually does its necessary work and cools. Even as Jeremiah lamented the smoldering destruction of Jerusalem caused by centuries of rebellious sin, he still had confident hope in the Lord. Why? Because He knew the Lord!

Scripture is clear that the Lord will discipline those He loves. He will correct those who need it. He will test our faith and strengthen it through those tests. Nonethelesss, God’s heart of compassion for His people is immensely greater than all that. His steadfast, loyal, covenant love is limitless in quantity. It is His fundamental nature and desire to express His love and compassion toward His people. We can be certain that He will.

He already did it for us on the cross, sparing us the righteous wrath and just punishment for our sins, placing all that upon our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ instead. Because He did, followers of Jesus can be certain that His compassion and love for us will never fail and never fade.

You may endure seasons in which it feels like God is distant and done with you. That is never the case. Those seasons serve to build your faith and correct any wayward paths you may be on. They are never the end in Christ! The Lord will always have compassion. He will always and ultimately express His steadfast love for you. These things are essential to Who He is and your sins will never derail that. Be faithful. Be joyful. #FollowJesus

“When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, and say, ‘Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall become exhausted.’” – Jeremiah 51:63-64

The timing of God’s detailed prophecy and promise of Babylon’s destruction is fascinating…. It came in the fourth year of king Zedekiah of Judah. In other words, Babylon hadn’t yet destroyed Jerusalem. It had been oppressing Judah for quite some time and had already taken the best and brightest citizens into exile. Nonetheless, it would be seven more years before Babylon would destroy Jerusalem altogether. It would be decades before the prophecy Jeremiah sent to Babylon would be fulfilled with its destruction by the Medo-Persian Empire.

That’s how God is. Time is dramatically different for Him than it is for us. He sees and hold all of time in His hand: past, present, and future. He is sovereign over it all. What lies decades or centuries in the future is already completely certain and accomplished from His perspective. Therefore, God is extremely, perfectly patient. Patient that more people would have the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel and be saved. Patient for believers to mature in Christ. Patient to allow others to dig themselves into still deeper pits of sin before answering for their sins.

On the other hand, we have cultivated impatience. It’s in our nature and our nurture. Impatience isn’t of God. Indeed, part of the Fruit of the Spirit Who lives in every believer is patience. The closer you walk to Jesus, the more patient you become. Not passive. Not lazy. Patient. Like the Lord.

If you’re a Christian but have no patience, something needs work in your spiritual life. Draw nearer to God in unhurried prayer and meditation on Scripture. Spend more time with Jesus in worship. Sit at His feet with no agenda and no rush to get on with the next thing. Allow yourself to be filled with the Holy Spirit and expect that through Him, you will grow more patient, just like your Lord. #FollowJesus

“At the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.” – Jeremiah 42:7

The prophet Jeremiah was given a very straightforward yes-or-no question to ask the Lord. Should the remnant of Judah flee to Egypt or stay in Judah? That’s it. That was the question. Should they stay or should they go? It doesn’t seem like it would be a difficult question for God to answer (and it wasn’t). Jeremiah took the question seriously and presented it to the Lord. Then it took 10 days to hear the answer. 10 days for one of the most prolific prophets in history to hear from the Lord! 10 days!

Think about that when you’re seeking the Lord’s wisdom and guidance for a decision, whether large or small. Because we live in the age of curbside pickup and overnight delivery we’ve become seriously impatient. The Lord hasn’t. We expect the Lord to answer us as quickly as our “friends” and followers on social media but that isn’t how God works. He will absolutely answer your inquiries, but it will be on His schedule. And He may well test your patience to see how determined you are to actually hear from Him.

So, when you seek the Lord, do so earnestly. Do so persistently. Do so unhurriedly. Do so with fasting and prayer. Do so with patience born out of the desire to truly hear from the Lord. Don’t expect God to answer in seconds or minutes. Be prepared for days or weeks of prayer before you gain clarity. Trust His timing AND His answer. They will both be perfect. #FollowJesus

“So the law is paralyzed,
    and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
    so justice goes forth perverted.
‘Look among the nations, and see;
    wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
    that you would not believe if told.
For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
    that bitter and hasty nation,
who march through the breadth of the earth,
    to seize dwellings not their own.'”
– Habakkuk 1:4-6

Habakkuk begins with a very ironic conversation between the prophet and the Lord.  It’s difficult to capture it in an abridged format like this.  Essentially, Habakkuk cries out to God about the widespread injustice in the world.  He complains about how long it’s taking God to respond to His people’s cries.

Then God basically replies by saying, “Good news!  I’m solving the problem by unleashing the Babylonian Empire to take over everything and destroy Jerusalem!”  Needless to say, the prophet is less than enthusiastic about God’s solution!  Nonetheless, that is exactly how God chose to deliver justice to a deeply corrupt and sinful nation.  And that is what God used to preserve and refine the faithful remnant who would carry on the faith.

God’s ways truly are bigger, better, higher, and yes, stranger, than we can possibly imagine.  He accomplishes His just and righteous will in ways that often make our jaws drop.  As a follower of Jesus, be diligent in praying for justice and righteousness to fill the earth.  But never try to limit God in how He accomplishes that goal.  Simply trust Him when He promises that He will. 

Understand that between now and the final judgment of the world by Jesus and the restoration of creation, there will be extremely difficult times.  They aren’t a reason to doubt God, they are the evidence that you can trust Him.  #FollowJesus