Religion can be very different than enjoying a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Religions are man-made, and are developed on trying to get to God by way of rules, regulations, and works. [Man-made religions are founded upon an individual’s efforts in reaching God and being made right with Him] Through diligent service, self-motivation, and self-control many folks arrive at the destination of failure, apathy, and guilt. Being religious usually focuses on the externals. [Matthew 23:13-33]

God’s greatest desire for mankind is to have a close personal relationship. He desires an intimate friendship – to spend time with Him, communicate with Him, enjoy fellowship with Him, to trust and follow Him, to add meaning and purpose to your life. He wants us to ‘know’ Him – and – ‘be known’ by Him.

Do we understand the greatness of God and his mercy and his love? Are we stirred to gratitude? Do we sense a close companionship with other believers? Do we see them, struggling as we are, to work out various problems? Do we want to do all we can to encourage them and help them? Are we stimulated to do something practical this week to bring this all about, to help someone, to serve and to minister to those who are in trouble in this troubled age?

Man’s way to reach God is religion; God’s way to reach man is Jesus. Oswald Chambers once said: “It is a joy to Jesus when a person takes time to walk more intimately with Him. The bearing of fruit is always shown in Scripture to be a visible result of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.” As we grow spiritually closer to Jesus - - the more our lives become Christ-like.

I love you!

Stay faithful and finish strong,
dale

Most folks find themselves in some type of leadership role – and the vast majority are unprepared to offer guidance. As a leader, your words are powerful and have life-altering ramifications. It is your duty to insure these words have impact – for all the right reasons.

Everyone needs a cheerleader to urge them on, motivate them to be the best they can be, and to energize them to develop to their fullest potential. Encouragement is one of a leader’s primary roles.

Leaders who cheer others on leave an indelible mark in the lives they touch as they serve as mentor, teacher, trainer, guide, and confidant. Words of encouragement have the power to alter outcomes and rise above the day-to-day pressures of this world.

The apostle Paul wrote a note of encouragement to the people he led in a small coastal town and those words still inspire faith and hope in those who read them. “I thank my God every time I remember you” and later, “I have you in my heart.” [Philippians 1:3, 7] Paul’s words possessed the ability to spur teammates on to offer their best efforts. Those words still echo the same motivation to folks today.

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

Lord, May all of our efforts and encouragement to others have their beginning in You - - and may they be brought to completion by Your will. Amen.

I love you!

Stay faithful and finish strong,
dale

Jesus and His disciples knew the value of unity. While He was preparing His ministry, Jesus selected twelve interns to travel with Him and share in all His experiences. Twelve teammates – with unique personalities, customs, professions, dispositions, social status - - united in love and allegiance to Jesus [and the heavenly Father He informed them of]. In partnership, they journeyed the countryside impacting lives in every location they visited.

Early followers came together in order to receive encouragement and strength during a time of persecution and great hardship. The teammates were weak and vulnerable on their own, but together they were strong. United they were able. United they brought hope to those that were without hope. United they performed miracles [demonstrating God’s power] as they shared selflessly.

The principle of unity is still very important today. As we gather with other ‘teammates’, there must be a commitment to spend time together, listen to one another, and energize each other as we work together for the common good.

Unity is a component of our spiritual health that is similar to our physical health. A good diet and regular exercise lend themselves to a healthy body. In the same way, a steady diet of God’s Word and exercise in the spiritual disciplines of prayer, study, fellowship - - lend themselves to a growing unity with God and our teammates. To stay healthy – we must work at it. At the beginning, development seems attractive and exciting. But we soon realize that work is involved and we are tempted to slow down or look for short cuts. We must remain mindful that the benefits of unity far outweigh our momentary inconveniences.

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12

Dear Lord,
Help us remember that in Your world, relationships and unity are not everything; they are the only things. Help us remember that one’s net worth is determined by our heart’s work, especially with others - - in Your name. Amen.

I love you!

Stay faithful and finish strong,
dale

How many smart people do you know? You may be able to fill up an entire page of names. Now think about how many wise people you know. You are truly blessed if you are aware of more than a handful. While there is no shortage of intelligence or education - - why does wisdom seem to be in such short supply?

There are some folks that believe wisdom is to know. They consider amassing factual data as a worthy end in itself. To others, however, wisdom is not in the knowing but in the actual doing. And King Solomon knew this.

You may recall that God offered him a real deal, “Because you have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, I’m going to give you any one thing you ask for.” Solomon could have asked for anything – wealth, long life, prestige, you name it. But he was certain that it was not enough just to have something. He needed to know how to do something in order to lead a nation [Israel].

The book of Proverbs provides God’s wisdom on a whole host of topics that we encounter along life’s journey [money, friendships, work, our marriages, our children]. I define wisdom as knowing the difference between right and wrong – but doing that which is right.

Knowledge is instant, a by-product of our ‘microwave’ culture, which offers quick bits of information in five-minute bursts of the news. Our brains seem overloaded with the trivial and temporary. But pursuit of wisdom takes time. It’s like cooking a meal with a crock pot – it will not be ready in ten minutes. But when the time is right, and all the spices, flavorings, and juices have marinated you will have something that is really worth sharing.

In biblical terms wisdom may be defined as the ability to live skillfully from God’s point of view. It is an outcome of observing life from a ‘vertical perspective’ – and – acting accordingly. We must search after wisdom and humble ourselves [admitting our need while confessing our insufficiency], then ask God’s assistance.

Dear Lord, Thank You for teaching us that Your ways are higher than our ways. Thank You for challenging us not to take the easy way out - - not to just walk through any door that swings open, but to seek Your will and guidance in all things. Amen.

I love you!

Stay faithful and finish strong,
dale

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage and wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14

We are victims of the age of immediate gratification. Instant messaging. Instant replay. Instant oatmeal. Instant coffee. In today’s world, you can immediately obtain a photograph thru digital technology, a new pair of eyeglasses in less than an hour, or have a pizza delivered to your doorstep in less than thirty minutes. Folks today demand both quickness and convenience. However, these expectations should not overflow into our spiritual lives.

It should be understood that God does not work in accordance with manmade deadlines. His timing certainly isn’t our timing, but it is always perfect. He will answer, and you will have His answer when you need it.

No matter what you may be praying about, God hears your prayers. Sometimes His answer is ‘no’, sometimes ‘yes’, and even at certain times ‘wait’. You can rest assured that God will answer you according to His infinite wisdom, flawless timing, and limitless love.

When you perceive that God is offering a ‘no’ answer - - think about what He may be attempting to teach you. Think about the fact that what you want, may not be exactly what you need [at least at this present moment – because this seeming ‘no’ may well be a ‘wait’]. If that is the case, you will soon discover that the wait is truly worth it.

Lord, may we realize that You always have our best interests at heart. Help us be watchful for the unexpected ways that You may answer our prayers. Amen.

I love you!

Stay faithful and finish strong,

dale

Most of us have at one time or another misused faith. We often wave our faith in God’s face thinking that it is the means by which we get God to give us what we want. We treat faith as a ‘spiritual magic wand’ - which we wave and God does what we wish.

The problem is actually in our understanding of faith. We comprehend that faith is essential to living a Christian life. We are “saved by grace through faith.” “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” “The righteous live by faith.” But, faith is not the means to get what we want from our heavenly Father. It is not the spiritual token which we place in the ‘heavenly vending machine’ so we can make our selection.

As Christ followers, we must break free from the self-centered narrow mindedness of this world. We need to understand that our faith in Christ connects us with something far greater than ourselves. The individuals mentioned in this chapter died with a living faith, not fully realizing the promise but they knew God’s purposes encompassed far more than themselves and their own present situations.

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as: “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Faith sees what the naked eye cannot. Faith sees beyond the pitfalls and materialism of this existence. Faith has an eternal perspective. Faith is the assurance, the realization, the certainty of what is not seen by the human eye – yet is visible – through ‘faith eyes’.

When we follow Christ we are afforded such eyes. However, many folks have allowed this power to atrophy from lack of use. This function allows us to see the eternal rather than the temporary - - the real rather than the fleeting. This is why Paul advises us to: “Fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” [2nd Corinthians 4:18]

Faith is not mere belief; it is real, genuine, and authentic – that we are sure in Whom we trust and live for. May your faith be strengthened.

I love you!

Stay faithful and finish strong,
dale

Here we go again! The shepherds in their fields, the angels, the wise men following the star, ‘no room at the inn’, the child born in the stable, the carols being sung, and so on and so forth. What crossed your mind as December rolled around? Did you feel as if you had heard it all before? Because of the stress our culture exudes at this season – have you lost the enthusiasm of your youth?

I am convinced that these questions are worth considering because our answers can reveal a significant shift that has occurred in many folks. Change is difficult to observe when it occurs gradually. Some of our hearts have veered way off course when it comes to Christmas. It may have transpired so gradually that we haven’t even noticed it, but it has happened. We attend this performance or gathering, send the prescribed cards, and we purchase all the appropriate presents, yet something is a little off inside. Many act as if this is just another historic event, just another ancient superstition, or a leftover fairy tale from childhood. We are not connected to the reality who started all this. We’ve lost our grip on the real ‘Who’ of Christmas.

To everything there is a season, and this is our season to reconnect with the real ‘Who’ of Christmas. When God became human and humans were offered a way back to God. We need to reclaim the delight of just celebrating Jesus! I am awestruck at the wonderful gift God gave to us in eternal life – and the terrible price that was paid for it. I encourage you to wholeheartedly embrace the One whose simple presence brings triumphant praise. May we focus our energy on celebrating Him!

I love you.

Stay faithful and finish strong!

dale

Have you ever been asked to believe something that’s simply beyond belief? A situation that forces you to stretch way past what your senses can comprehend?

Think about the shock when Zechariah heard the angel Gabriel proclaim: “Your prayer has been heard.” [Luke 1:18] Prayer? What prayer? He had prayed like crazy while Elizabeth [his wife] was of childbearing age. For forty years or so he had prayed. But there comes a time when you must resign yourself to face the facts.

Did you ever wonder how long God had been sitting on those prayers? God had been saving that prayer request - - waiting for just the right time to answer it. If He had answered it any sooner, folks would not have paid attention. But this way – it was all about God.

It is the doubt and Zechariah’s questioning of God that should cause us to ponder momentary lapses of faith. You would think that the presence of an angel and the announcement of God’s promise would encourage Zechariah’s faith, but they didn’t. Instead of looking to God in faith, Zechariah decided the birth of a son was impossible. Why would he doubt God? Why do we sometimes doubt God? What God promises, he delivers! What He has said in His Word will always come true at the right time! Did he think that physical limitations would hinder Almighty God?

But before we criticize Zechariah too much, do we have confidence in what God can do for us? Do we trust in His promises? It is amazing that so many can be filled with unbelief, so immersed in the secular, scientific world-view, that they are unable to believe that God can work a miracle. Perhaps, we should recall what the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed [Jeremiah 32:17]: “There is nothing too hard for the Lord.”

We are disciples on a journey with Jesus. We have some faith slumps and some pretty rough edges. But as we walk with Jesus, He is refining and honing us to be worthy disciples. Remember that you are a representative of God here on earth. Can anything possibly give you more confidence than that? God has entrusted you to be His ambassador to the environment in which you work and live. Put aside doubt. Act with the authority that only a representative of God can command.

Lord,

Forgive us for our incidents of unbelief. Replace the suspicion and our hesitancy to step out on Your promises - with a special boldness and assurance. Amen.

I love you!

Stay faithful and finish strong,
dale