FOLLOWING JESUS – Part 2 of 2

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”  (Luke 9: 23)

The first two words of Luke 9:23 immediately stand out: “if anyone.” The word if leaves room for doubt. You certainly can choose someone or something else to follow. But that’s your decision, the promise of finding yourself with meaning and purpose doesn’t apply. If also indicates that every convert or new disciple must make the choice to follow Jesus. While we make that decision at the point of repentance and salvation, we also make it at crucial times in our lives and make it every day. That’s why Jesus used the word daily in verse 23.

Choosing the life that Jesus offers also involves choosing a way of life – a life of self-denial and submission... We don’t just amble our way into discipleship. We make a conscious decision to live by faith. We agree to join others who are committed to following Jesus rather than trying to lead Jesus. We fundamentally give up the right to run our own life. In other words, you can follow your heart, your dreams, your gifts, your personality profile, and seek the right fit. But all that is inferior to following Jesus. 

-- Bill Hull in “The Complete Book of Discipleship: On Being and Making Followers of Christ” 

#6465

 

FOLLOWING JESUS – Part 1 of 2

How do we know God lives and works in us? I think the answer comes from Jesus’ basic call to discipleship in Luke 9:23-25: “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for Me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”

Beyond calling us to follow, Jesus also described the nature of the commitment that we need to follow Him. My whole life is the answer to Jesus' call to follow Him. He calls and I answer, not just in words, but in the action of following. George MacDonald noted, “Instead of asking yourself whether you believe or not, ask yourself whether you have this day done one thing because He said, ‘Do it,’ or once abstained because He said, ‘Do not do it.’ It is simply absurd to say you believe, or even want to believe in Him, if you do not do anything He tells you.”

When I answered Jesus's call with my whole life, I make myself His disciple at once. Deitrich Bonhoeffer said, “Only those who are obedient believe and only those who believe are obedient. Faith is only real in obedience.” 

-- Bill Hull in “The Complete Book of Discipleship: On Being and Making Followers of Christ” 

#6464

BIBLICAL JOY

"The fruit of the Spirit is… joy…" (Galatians 5:22)

We live in a sad world -- a world of despair, depression, lack of fulfillment, and dissatisfaction. Man defines happiness as an attitude of satisfaction and delight based upon present circumstances. He relates happiness to happenings and happenstance. It is something that can't be planned or programmed. 

Biblical joy consists of the deep and abiding confidence that all is well regardless of circumstance and difficulty. It is something very different from worldly happiness. Biblical joy is always related to God and belongs to those in Christ. It is the permanent possession of every believer -- not a whimsical delight that comes and goes as chance offers it opportunity. 

A good definition of joy is this: it's the flag that flies on the castle of the heart when the King is in residence. Christians can know true and lasting joy. 

A Christian's joy is a gift from God to those who believe the gospel, being produced in them by the Holy Spirit as they receive and obey the Word, being mixed with trials with a hope set on future glory. 

-- John MacArthur (1939-2025) in a sermon entitled "Joy and Godliness: The Epistle of Joy"

#6463

OUR GUIDING LIGHT

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”  (Psalm 119:105 NIV)

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 NIV)

Jesus is the beacon of my journey through life. When fears and doubts, misunderstandings and rejection tend to darken my path, I can always depend on Him to be my guiding light. At times He guides me gently like reflectors on the road. At other times a low beam headlight will amply illuminate the way. Sometimes I will need the high beam for cosmic vision. Whichever way it is, no followers of Jesus will every walk in the darkness. Like David prayed, “make Your way plain for me to follow" (Psalm 5:8). He will surely show you His way if you ask Him to. 

-- Joseph Matthews 

#6462

TODAY’S TWO ROADS

Our daily map offers two roads: one of joy and one of worry. Both carry us toward the same destination -- the end of the day -- but they shape us differently as we travel. Worry fixates on what might happen, draining our strength with imagined futures and burdens we were never meant to carry.

Joy, however, meets us in the present. It doesn’t promise certainty or offer guarantees, yet it reveals itself in small, surprising ways -- moments of mercy, beauty, and grace that appear almost out of nowhere. Joy is drenched in possibility, inviting us to live the day we’ve been given rather than fear the one we cannot see.

Both roads lead to the same sunset. But only one allows us to arrive with a heart that has actually lived. And here is the quiet truth Scripture keeps repeating: God is found on the road of joy, not the road of worry.  Not because He abandons us when we worry, but because worry blinds us to His nearness.

Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow… each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34 NIV) He wasn’t dismissing our concerns -- He was inviting us to walk the road where He is most clearly seen.

-- Based on a quote by Ray Waddle in “The Upper Room Disciplines 2001”

#6461

 

 

A PERCOLATING FAITH

Editor’s note: I have a glass knob from my grandpa’s old percolator coffee pot sitting on my desk. I never connected it to our growth in faith until now. -- DW

A PERCOLATING FAITH

There’s something almost sacred about an old‑fashioned coffee percolator. Long before single‑serve pods and instant brews, coffee took time. Heat rose slowly. Water pushed its way upward into the glass knob. The aroma filled the room long before the coffee was ready. Nothing rushed. Nothing forced. It simply percolated -- moving, rising, transforming little by little until the whole pot was changed.

Our spiritual lives often work the same way. We want instant answers, instant growth, instant clarity. But God rarely works in microwaves; He works in percolators. His truth moves through us slowly, steadily, repeatedly -- circulating through our hearts until it becomes part of us.

Sometimes we don’t notice the change right away. We read Scripture, we pray, we show up to worship, we gather with others, and it feels small… almost too small. But like that old coffee pot, something is happening beneath the surface. God’s Spirit is warming us, stirring us, rising within us. His grace is moving through the places we thought were cold or empty.

And then -- often unexpectedly -- the aroma of transformation begins to fill our lives. Peace where there was anxiety. Hope where there was heaviness. Strength where there was weakness. Not because we forced it, but because we let God’s work percolate.

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion…”  (Philippians 1:6)

Today, don’t rush what God is doing. Let His Word circulate through your thoughts. Let His presence rise in your spirit. Let His grace percolate until your life carries the unmistakable aroma of someone being transformed from the inside out.

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™

#6460

ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE ACCEPTED

“To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”  (Ephesians 1:6-7 NKJV)

Paul Tillich writes, “You are accepted. You are accepted, accepted by that which is greater than you… Do not try to do anything now; do not perform anything; do not intend anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted!”

Accept that you are accepted. In the moment that grace strikes, grace conquers sin. Lingering guilt that has grown tumor-like for years in the dark recesses of a person's soul can lose its deathly power. Grace helps us face the truth about ourselves, to embrace it rather than run from it; and by embracing this truth and offering it to God, we discover that God will shape us from this day forward anew. God's been waiting for us, desiring us to let Him in. Can we accept that we are accepted? 

-- Robert Schnase in “Five Practices of Fruitful Living”

#6459

THE GRACE-DEFINED PERSON

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  (Ephesians 4:31-32 NIV)

Build a prison of hate if you want, each brick a hurt. Design it with one cell and a single bunk. (You won’t attract roommates.) Hang large video screens on each of the four walls so recorded images of the offense can play over and over, twenty-four hours a day. Headphones available on request. Appealing? No, appalling. Harbored grudges suck the joy out of life. Revenge won’t paint the blue back in your sky or restore the spring in your step. No. It will leave you bitter, bent, and angry. Give the grace you’ve been given.

You don’t endorse the deeds of your offender when you do. Jesus didn’t endorse your sins by forgiving you… Grace doesn’t tell the oppressed to wink at injustice. The grace-defined person still sends thieves to jail and expects an ex to pay child support.

Grace is not blind. It sees the hurt full well. But grace chooses to see God’s forgiveness even more. It refuses to let hurts poison the heart. “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Hebrews 12:15 NIV) Where grace is lacking, bitterness abounds. Where grace abounds, forgiveness grows. 

-- Max Lucado in “Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine”   

#6458

ETERNITY IN OUR HEARTS

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end."  (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV)

Have you looked at God’s stars and marveled as they lit the velvet-dark sky? Watched a sunset in which the sky is tinted in reds and oranges on the horizon to a deep tone of blue above and delighted in God’s paintbrush? Then you’ve seen Him make things beautiful in their time.

Though we appreciate our changing world, we only understand so much of it. Even the best scientists cannot describe every detail of our world, from its first day to the present. And if they could, they still couldn’t so combine it with beauty that we could appreciate both simultaneously. God is so much greater than we can be. None of us can fully aspire to His greatness.

Though we’re not up to the task of full understanding all He does, this glorious God still wants us near Him. We can’t meet Him on His own terms, yet He wants us so much that He offered us – through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross -- the great blessing of eternity in our hearts. Even the beauty of a magnificent world can’t fill our hearts and souls. God has given us the desire to spend all eternity with Him.  Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3 NKJV)

So while you’re gazing at the beautiful sky, don’t forget to praise the One who created it and you – and be thankful that you were one He decided to share eternity with. 

– Adapted from “Daily Wisdom to Satisfy the Soul,” published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.

#6457

OUR ESTEEM IS GRACE-ESTEEM

“Now God has us where He wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all His idea, and all His work. All we do is trust Him enough to let Him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving.”  (Ephesians 2:7-9 MSG)

The greatest need of any person is to be known and loved. The cry is strong; the human desire is deep. "I want to be somebody. I want my life to count." Closely related to the feeling of worth is the perception of who we are. When we esteem something or someone, we highly value it or the person. To esteem ourselves is to have high regard for ourselves. Many of the problems in human relations stem from a person's lack of self-esteem.

[However,]... our worth and value is given. We are called not to muster it up within ourselves, but to receive the gift given to us, a gift of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. God has declared our value. Our value is not rooted in self-esteem, based only on ourselves. Our value is discovered in grace, which is rooted in the greatness and graciousness of God...

God's love makes it possible to know we are valued. We cannot put ourselves down or debase ourselves. We can know our true worth because we are children of God. Our esteem is rooted in the amazing grace of God. Our esteem is grace-esteem.

-- H. Eddie Fox in “Grace-Esteem” 

#6456

A REMINDER ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11

Editor’s Note: While I have shared this quote in the past, it bears repeating as each new generation needs to be reminded of the truths that Billy Graham shared right after the horrific events of 9/11. -- DW

A REMINDER ON THE 25^TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 

No matter how hard we try, words simply cannot express the horror, the shock and the revulsion we all feel over what took place in this nation on Tuesday morning [September 11, 2001]… Today, we say to those who masterminded this cruel plot, and to those who carried it out, that the spirit of this nation will not be defeated… The Bible's words are our hope: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea" (Psalm 46:1,2)…

The lesson of this event is not only about the mystery of iniquity and evil, but secondly, it is a lesson about our need for each other… A tragedy like this could have torn this country apart, but instead it has united us and we have become a family…

Yes, there is hope.  There is hope for the present because I believe the stage has already been set for a new spirit in our nation.

One of the things we desperately need is a spiritual renewal in this country.   We need a spiritual revival in America.  And God has told us in His Word, time after time, that we are to repent of our sins and we're to turn to Him and He will bless us in a new way… And from the Cross, God declares, "I love you. I know the heartaches and the sorrows and the pains that you feel.  But I love you."…

But now we have a choice: whether to implode and disintegrate emotionally and spiritually as a people and a nation -- or, whether to choose to become stronger through all of this struggle -- to rebuild on a solid foundation.  And I believe we're in the process of starting to rebuild on that foundation.  That foundation is our trust in God…

My prayer today is that we will feel the loving arms of God wrapped around us, and will know in our hearts that He will never forsake us as we trust in Him. 

-- Reverend Billy Graham (1918-2018)

#6455

THE PRACTICE AND ART OF GRACIOUSNESS

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  (Ephesians 4:32 NIV)

Graciousness is not accidental. It is a practice -- a deliberate way of moving through the world -- and it is an art -- something shaped, refined, and expressed with beauty.

Paul’s words in Ephesians remind us that graciousness is never self-generated. It begins with God. We forgive because we have been forgiven. We show compassion because compassion has been shown to us. We extend kindness because kindness has already been poured over our lives in Christ. Grace received becomes grace expressed.

But this is where the art comes in. Because extending grace to others is rarely simple. It requires patience when someone is short with us. It requires humility when we feel justified in our frustration. It requires restraint when our emotions want to run ahead of our faith.

Graciousness is the quiet choice to treat others not according to how they’ve acted, but according to how God has acted toward us. As God had been gracious toward us in Christ, we should be gracious toward others.

And when we practice it -- again and again -- it becomes something lovely. A faithful witness. A sweet fragrance. A beautiful reflection of the God who has been endlessly gracious with us. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™ 

#6454

THE PRACTICE AND ART OF HOPEFULNESS

“For surely I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NRSV)

Peter Steinke’s book “A Door Set Open: Grounding Change in Mission and Hope” contrasts hopefulness and hopelessness. Hopefulness, according to Steinke, stirs imagination, expands horizons, influences events, energizes, and creates a sense of buoyancy. Hopelessness shrinks the radius of possibility, becomes apathetic, entraps, minimizes options, resigns to existing conditions, and loses heart. Steinke also writes that hopefulness remembers the future so that we will not remain trapped in the present arrangement of things.

Since reading Steinke’s book, the phrase Remember the Future has lingered in my mind. At first, the words are disorienting. Remember points backward, future looks forward. Yet in every discussion, deliberation, discernment, and decision, a leader must give deep and conscientious consideration to the future -- to the future of the mission, to future contexts, to future generations, to a future with hope. Hope carries us across the threshold of “can’t.” We must always remember the future. 

-- Robert Schnase 

#6453

THE PRACTICE AND ART OF CONTENTMENT

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”  (Philippians 4:11b–13 NIV)

Contentment isn’t passive satisfaction. It is the grateful, faithful, and fruitful use of whatever God has placed in our hands -- little or much. It is lifting the cup Providence gives us and calling on the name of the Lord. The contents of the cup are God’s provision; drawing deeply from it is the practice and art of contentment.

To refuse the cup because it is only half full, because its flavor is unfamiliar, or because someone else’s cup seems finer is to miss the goodness within -- and that loss is the quiet penalty of discontent. No one lives discontented who fully employs and fully enjoys what God has already given.

It may sound lofty to say we can have what we desire if we learn to desire what we have -- but this much is true: contentment is receiving the most and best from life by making the most and best of what God has entrusted to us in Christ. 

-- Updated and adapted from Maltbie D. Babcock (1858-1901) 

#6452 

SHARING SOUND BITES THIS LABOR DAY

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV)

Sharing SOUND BITES Ministry is one of the simplest ways to place hope, truth, and encouragement directly into someone’s day. These short, Scripture‑centered reflections meet people right where they are -- busy, overwhelmed, searching, or simply needing a moment of clarity. When you pass them along, you’re not just sharing a quote; you’re opening a door for God to speak into someone’s life in a way that’s accessible, timely, and genuinely nourishing. A small click or forward from you can become a big blessing for someone else.

Labor Day is an ideal moment to share SOUND BITES Ministry because people are already pausing to catch their breath -- reflecting on summer’s end, resetting routines and priorities, starting college, or simply preparing for the season ahead. It’s a natural hinge in the year when hearts are a little more open and minds a little more reflective. Offering a short, hope‑filled SOUND BITE during this transition can give someone exactly what they need: a grounding word of Scripture, a moment of encouragement, or a reminder that God is present in every new beginning. Sharing now helps others start the fall with clarity, comfort, and a touch of grace.

Thanks for sharing and encouraging others.

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson, SOUND BITES Ministry™

#6451

WHAT IS WORSHIP?

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24 NIV)

You will find throughout the Word, and then continued throughout history, that when a human heart truly encounters the love of God -- in essence when the created connects with the Creator -- the response is worship, or worth-ship, as we often say. Worship as a response to revelation is displayed through consecrated lives (Romans 12), through wholehearted songs of love and devotion (the Psalms), and by living lives of love and justice (Micah 6:8). Worship is required not in perfection by man's standards, but in truth, by God's standards. He has never been impressed by offerings that look good, but offerings that are good. As the worship of God continues to gather momentum across the earth, so too does the awareness of His power and presence, along with the understanding of the authority that comes with exalting the name of Jesus over all things.

And whether we follow or lead, the ultimate goal of all we pursue in worship is His honor… As Pastor Jack Hayford has said, "Where worship is released, God's presence comes to dwell, and where God's presence abides, there will be power." Let's be committed to seeing the fullness of this word "worship," so that it may reach its potential on earth as it is in heaven. 

-- Darlene Zschech in “The Worshiper Magazine” Summer 2008 

#6450

PEOPLE ON A PLANE AND PEOPLE IN A PEW

EDITOR’S NOTE: Recently I received this photo of my great-nephew in the cockpit of a commercial plane with the pilots behind him. It reminded me of this story from Max Lucado…

 

PEOPLE ON A PLANE AND PEOPLE IN A PEW

People on a plane and people in a pew have a lot in common. All are on a journey. Most are well-behaved and presentable. Some doze, and others gaze out the window. Most, if not all, are satisfied with a predictable experience. For many, the mark of a good flight and the mark of a good worship assembly are the same. "Nice," we like to say. "It was a nice flight / It was a nice worship service." We exit the same way we enter, and we're happy to return next time.

A few, however, are not content with nice. They long for something more. The boy who just passed me did. I heard him before I saw him. I was already in my seat when he asked, "Will they really let me see the pilot?" He was either lucky or shrewd because he made the request just as he entered the plane. The question floated into the cockpit, causing the pilot to lean out. "Someone looking for me?" he asked.

The boy's hand shot up like he was answering his second-grade teacher's question. "I am!"

"Well come on in."

With a nod from his mom, the youngster entered the cockpit's world of controls and gauges and emerged minutes later with eyes wide. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "I'm glad to be on this plane!"

No one else's face showed such wonder… I mostly saw contentment: travelers content to be on the plane, content to be closer to their destination, content to be out of the airport, content to sit and stare and say little…

Do you see why I say that people on a plane and people on a pew have a lot in common? Enter a church sanctuary and look at the faces. A few are giggly, a couple are cranky, but by and large we are content. Content to be there. Content to sit and look straight ahead and leave when the service is over. Content to enjoy an assembly with no surprises or turbulence. Content with a "nice" service…

A few, however, seek more. A few come with the childlike enthusiasm of the boy. And those few leave as he did, wide-eyed with the wonder of having stood in the presence of the pilot Himself…

"Seek and you will find," Jesus promised. (Matthew 7:7)

-- Max Lucado in “Just Like Jesus”  [2000] 

#6449

GRACE AND JUDGMENT: TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

“Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God…”  (Romans 11:22a)

Grace and judgment are not opposites in Scripture -- they are inseparable truths flowing from the same holy heart of God. Judgment reveals what grace rescues us from. Grace reveals what judgment would have rightfully required. Together they show us the fullness of God’s character: His holiness that will not ignore sin, and His mercy that refuses to abandon sinners.

Judgment is the honest naming of what is broken in us. It is God’s clear-eyed truth about the chasm our sin creates -- truth that refuses to pretend we are fine on our own. (Romans 2:5) Grace is God’s bridge across that chasm, built not by our effort but by Christ’s sacrifice. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Judgment says, “This is the reality of your condition.” Grace says, “This is the remedy I freely give.”

Without judgment, grace becomes sentimental -- kindness without meaning. Without grace, judgment becomes crushing -- truth without hope. But together, they form the gospel: God sees us fully and loves us completely.

The cross is where these two sides meet. Judgment fell on Jesus so grace could fall on us. (1 Peter 3:18) The wrath we deserved was absorbed by the One who deserved none of it. The mercy we could never earn was poured out by the One who earned all of it.

When we speak of grace, we honor God’s love. When we speak of judgment, we honor God’s holiness. When we hold them together, we honor the cross. (John 3:16)

And this is why grace changes us -- it doesn’t ignore the truth about our sin; it transforms us in spite of it. Grace doesn’t erase judgment; it fulfills it. Grace doesn’t deny justice; it satisfies it. Grace doesn’t lower the bar; it lifts us up to it. Let the cross remind you that both truths -- held together -- are the reason you are His. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™

#6448

WE ARE CALLED TO BE HOLY

“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”  (1 Peter 1:14-16 NIV)

Although our God is caring and compassionate, holiness cannot tolerate wrongdoing and evil. They simply cannot coexist. God’s indignation at evil is consuming and complete.

God’s anger with us is assuaged in Christ Jesus, yet we still are called to be holy because God is holy.

Is there anything in your life, past or present, that cannot dwell alongside God’s holiness? Is there anything for which you need to ask forgiveness?

As an act of confession, list your wrongdoings. Confess them to the Lord who “protects those who take refuge in Him” (Nahum 1:7).  Roll up that piece of paper, and throw it away or burn it. Experience the joy that comes from letting God cleanse you from all your sin.  

-- From “The Meeting God Bible (NRSV): Growing in Intimacy with God Through Scripture” 

#6447

HOLY IS THE LORD

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.”   (Isaiah 6:3 NIV)

The idea of holiness is so central to biblical teaching that it is said of God, “Holy is His name” (Luke 1:49). His name is holy because He is holy. He is not always treated with holy reverence. His name is tramped through the dirt of this world. It functions as a curse word, a platform for the obscene. That the world has little respect for God is vividly seen by the way the world regards His name. No honor. No reverence. No awe before Him. 

-- R.C. Sproul in “The Holiness of God”

#6446

WHEN GOD SAYS NO

“But [the Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”  (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)

There are times when the one thing you want is the one thing you never get…

All you want is an open door or an extra day or an answered prayer, for which you will be thankful. And so you pray and wait. No answer. You pray and wait. No answer. You pray and wait.

May I ask a very important question? What if God says no?

What if the request is delayed or even denied? When God says no to you, how will you respond? If God says, “I’ve given you My grace, and that is enough,” will you be content?

Content. That’s the word. A state of heart in which you would be at peace if God gave you nothing more than He already has. Test yourself with this question: What if God’s only gift to you were His grace to save you? Would you be content?

What if His answer is, “My grace is sufficient,” would you be content?

You see, from heaven’s perspective, grace is enough. 

-- Max Lucado in “In the Grip of Grace”

#6445

GOD’S WORD IN EVERYDAY LANGUAGE

“I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11 NIV)

Peter Waldo, a business-man in Lyons, France, in about A.D. 1170 became intensely curious as to the content of the Scriptures. But he could not read Latin, and so the Scriptures were a closed book to him.  However, he hired two money-minded priests, who, in violation of strict regulations, translated the Bible for him into Provencal, the language of southern France.  The content of the Word of God made such an impression upon this earnest man that he gave up his business, took upon himself a vow of poverty, and dedicated himself to the simple preaching of the contents of God's Word.

The Latin of the Church only mystified its hearers, [but] Waldo's humble preaching edified the souls of men.  His words were not spectacular but powerful, as he pleaded with them to repent.  Much of his preaching and that of his followers consisted in reciting long passages of Scripture in the vernacular.  Many of them could not afford an expensive handwritten copy of the Bible, and the ecclesiastical authorities could too easily rob them of such a book; but they could not erase the words which were treasured in the heart. 

-- Eugene A. Nida in “God's Word in Man's Language”

#6444

GOD HAS NO GRANDCHILDREN

“To all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”  (John 1:12)

Decades ago a pastoral colleague of mine shared in a sermon, “God has no grandchildren -- only children.” It wasn’t original to him, but it has stuck with me. Faith isn’t passed down like an heirloom; it’s born fresh in every heart by the Spirit.

That’s why watching my sixteen-year-old granddaughter declare her own faith this past Sunday and step into the waters of baptism filled me with such joy. She wasn’t leaning on her grandparents’ faith or her parents’ faith -- she was answering God’s call for herself. Paul wrote to the church in Rome, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-10 ESV)

Before she was baptized my granddaughter shared her faith journey and concluded, “My worth was no longer determined by how other people saw me, my worth came from who I am as a child of God and from knowing that I am deeply loved by Him… Today I am being baptized to show everyone that I have placed my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior because He died on the cross for me.”

One generation telling the next of God’s goodness and love, and each one making their own personal decision to accept the gift and become His child by grace. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)

The gospel moves forward not by inheritance, but by personal faith. God has no grandchildren – but I do! 

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson, SOUND BITES Ministry™

#6443

GOD IS LOVE

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we live in Him and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”  (1 John 4:8-16 NIV)

“God is love” is not the complete truth about God so far as the Bible is concerned. It is not an abstract definition which stands alone, but a summing up, from the believer’s standpoint, of what the whole revelation set forth in Scripture tells us about its Author. This statement presupposes all the rest of the biblical witness to God. The God of whom John is speaking is the God who made the whole world, who judged it by the Flood, who called Abraham and made of him a nation, who chastened His Old Testament people by conquest, captivity, and exile, who sent His Son to save the world,… and who would one day judge the world in righteousness. It is this God, says John, who is love. It is perverse to quote John’s statement, as some do, as if it called in question the biblical witness to the severity of God’s justice. It is not possible to argue that a God who is love cannot also be a God who condemns and punishes the disobedient; for it is precisely of the God who does these very things that John is speaking. 

-- J. I. Packer (1926-2020) in “Knowing God”

#6442

AMAZING, AMAZING GRACE

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

God’s grace is amazing because it meets us exactly where we are -- but it never leaves us there. Grace is God stepping toward us when we had no strength, no goodness, and no way to reach Him on our own. It’s the unearned, undeserved, unstoppable love of a God who refuses to give up on His people.

Grace is amazing because it is personal. God doesn’t offer a distant, mechanical forgiveness. He offers Himself. He draws near to the brokenhearted, lifts the weary, restores the sinner, and calls each of us by name. His grace doesn’t just clean the slate; it reshapes the heart.

Grace is amazing because it is constant. We fail, God remains faithful. We wander, He pursues. We fall short, He supplies strength. There is no moment when His grace runs thin or His patience wears out. It is new every morning, steady every evening, and present in every breath.

Grace is amazing because it is transforming. It doesn’t simply forgive what we’ve done -- it changes who we are. Grace teaches us to walk in freedom, to love boldly, to forgive generously, and to live with a hope that cannot be shaken.

Grace is amazing because it is costly -- but not to us. It cost Jesus everything. The cross is the clearest picture of grace: God choosing mercy over judgment, love over alienation, and redemption over ruin. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™

#6441

HONORING ONE ANOTHER

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”  (Romans 12:9-10 NLT)

We can honor others in one of two ways. One involves ulterior motives. We honor our bosses so they will reward us, our employees so they will work harder, the wealthy so they will contribute to our causes, the powerful so they will use their power for us and not against us. God’s way involves love. As Christians, we honor people because they have been created in God’s image, because they are brothers and sisters in Christ, and because they have a unique contribution to make to Christ’s church. Does God’s way of honoring others sound too difficult for your competitive nature? Why not try to “outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10 ESV)? Put others first! 

-- From the “Life Application Study Bible”

#6440

FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

One of the realities of my forty-five-year pilgrimage with Jesus is that the Holy Spirit tends to leak out of me. Take for example, when I’m driving down Highway 41 in Fort Myers, Florida, and all my friends from up north are visiting us during that time of the year we call “Season.” They have the audacity to drive the speed limit in the fast lane when I’m running late for a meeting to do the work of God, and sometimes in my frustration the Spirit leaks out, and then the words come out of my mouth that a follower of Jesus ought not to say. Am I alone? God wants to help the Holy-Spirit-leaking Christ followers like us.

I love this translation of Ephesians 5:18 from The Amplified Bible: “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him.” I think it’s awesome that the translation put the word “stupidity” in there. It’s like Paul is saying to us that there are two kinds of spirits, the spirits of wine and the Holy Spirit. We can choose to be drunk or intoxicated with either. To those being intoxicated with wine, he’d say, “That’s stupid.” Instead, Paul invites apprentices of Jesus who leak the Holy Spirit to be “filled with the Holy Spirit and constantly guided by Him.” 

-- Jorge Acevedo in “Everybody Needs Some Cave Time: Meeting God in Dark Places”

#6439

THE GENTLE NUDGE THAT KEEPS YOU IN YOUR LANE

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”  (Isaiah 30:21)

After a recent car accident, our car was totaled and we needed to get a replacement. We found that newer cars come with lane‑assist, something we had not had on our previous vehicle. It’s that subtle steering nudge when you drift too close to the edge of your lane. It’s not loud. It’s not dramatic. It doesn’t grab the wheel and take over. It simply reminds you, “Hey… you’re drifting. Come back to center.”

I have found that the Holy Spirit often works the same way. His promptings are usually gentle nudges -- quiet impressions, small checks in your spirit, a tug toward wisdom, a hesitation before a harmful choice, a sudden thought of someone who needs encouragement. They’re not meant to control you; they’re meant to guide you back into the lane of God’s will.

Lane‑assist doesn’t shame you for drifting. It simply helps you realign. The Spirit does too. He nudges because He loves. He corrects because He protects. He guides because He sees what’s ahead long before you do.

And when you learn to trust those small, sacred nudges, you begin to experience the peace of staying centered -- steady, safe, and aligned with the heart of God.

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson, SOUND BITES Ministry™

#6438

FOLLOW HIS DIRECTIONS

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

God never intended you to be broken and lost. He has specific directions for your life, and if you live according to those directions, life works and you experience life the way it was meant to be lived.

If we ignore or reject His directions, we do so to our own detriment, and we experience much less than He intended. As the psalmist wrote, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart.” (Psalm 119:2 NKJV)

God’s Word is like the markings on a highway. If we and other drivers drove within the proper lines and lanes, we are more likely to travel safely to our destination. If we go outside the lines, we do so at our own peril.

God did not just create you and me and plop us down here and say, “Happy birthday. Now guess your way through life.” He has given us roadway markings, directions that help to keep us safe on our journey through life.

Open your Bible and follow His directions!   

-- Anne Graham Lotz in “Fixing My Eyes on Jesus”

#6437

DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE FOG

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day -- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV)

Don’t make the mistake of Florence Chadwick.  In 1952 she attempted to swim the chilly ocean waters between Catalina Island and the California shore.  She swam through foggy weather and choppy seas for fifteen hours.  Her muscles began to cramp, and her resolve weakened.  She begged to be taken out of the water, but her mother, riding in a boat alongside, urged her not to give up.  She kept trying but grew exhausted and stopped swimming.  Aids lifted her out of the water and into the boat.  They paddled a few more minutes, the mist broke, and she discovered the shore was less than a half mile away.  “All I could see was the fog,” she explained at a news conference.  “I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.”

Take a long look at the shore that awaits you.  Don’t be fooled by the fog...  The finish may be only strokes away.  God may be, at this moment, lifting his hand to signal Gabriel to grab the trumpet.  Angels may be assembling, saints gathering, demons trembling.  Stay at it!  Stay in the water.  Stay in the race.  Stay in the fight.  Give grace, one more time.  Be generous, one more time.  Teach one more class, encourage one more soul, swim one more stroke. 

-- Max Lucado in “Facing Your Giants”

#6436

THE MYSTERY OF LIFE

"At present we are… looking at puzzling reflections in a mirror. The time will come when we shall see reality whole and face to face! At present all I know is a little fraction of the truth, but the time will come when I shall know it as fully as God now knows me!"  (1 Corinthians 13:12 Phillips Translation)

The Christian refuses to give their heart to the values or distractions of a world that is passing away. They freely enjoy what is good, beautiful, and true -- not only because God richly provides all things for our joy, but because every temporary pleasure hints at a deeper, lasting reality that will one day surpass anything imaginable.

Yet even with this hope, the Christian admits they do not fully understand the mystery of life. They walk with enough light for the next step, while much remains hidden -- and wisely so. When they say, “One day we will understand,” it is not a cliché but a steady conviction. Our present vision is limited, but when freed from the constraints of this life, we will know as surely as we are now known. 

-- Adapted and updated from J. B. Phillips in “New Testament Christianity”

#6435

THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL – Part 3 of 3

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:19-21 ESV)

In the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12) the man was keeping things to himself. Covetousness had conquered his heart. He was not generous, and he was not rich toward God.

If you haven’t noticed, the parable commends generosity. Why? Several reasons. First, it commends generosity for the simple reason that we can’t keep what we own. We can’t take it with us when we die…

Why else? Because generosity breaks the power of greed and frees our heart from covetousness. Holding our possessions tightly endangers our faith. It constantly temps us to transfer our trust from God to riches… The history of Israel, as seen in Deuteronomy 8, illustrates the truth of this. When Israel was blessed, it started to trust in blessings and not the giver of blessings… they forgot the Lord. They eventually pursued wealth as an end in itself. It became an idol. The longer and tighter you hold on to your possessions, the more covetous you get.

Why else does the parable commend generosity? Thirdly, because riches laid up in heaven are the most secure. They truly last.  D. L. Moody once met a wealthy farmer. Boasting, the farmer said, “Everything you can see for miles is mine. Look to the south. Look to the north. It’s all mine.” Moody pointed to heaven. “How much do you have in that direction?”

When we are rich toward God, what we have can never be taken away. 

-- Excerpted from “How to Finish the Christian Life: Following Jesus in the Second Half” by Donald W. Sweeting & George Sweeting

#6434

THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL – Part 2 of 3

What’s your attitude toward things? As we see in Jesus’ parable of the rich fool, one of the inclinations in the second half of life is to worry about security, to grasp and to stockpile. Many of us hold and store much. We may not have barns, but our closets, basements, and garages are full.

The rich man in the parable made two false assumptions. First, he counted on having many years -- which he didn’t. His life was about to abruptly end. Second, he supposed he could hang on to his stuff, which he couldn’t. God said, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (Luke 12:20 ESV)  The answer: not yours! They will pass into someone else’s hands within the next twenty-four hours. “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Vs. 21)

The man was stingy. He was keeping things to himself. Covetousness had conquered his heart. He was not generous, and he was not rich toward God.

-- Excerpted from “How to Finish the Christian Life: Following Jesus in the Second Half” by Donald W. Sweeting & George Sweeting 

#6433

THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL – Part 1 of 3

“Jesus said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’”  (Luke 12:15)

In Luke 12 we find the parable of the rich fool. A man comes to Jesus and asks Him to command his brother to divide their family’s inheritance. Jesus was reluctant to resolve this dispute, but He took the occasion to speak with them about how they handle their possessions. So Jesus interrupts their conversation to tell them to be on their guard against covetousness.

“One’s life,” He said, “does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” Luke 12:15 ESV). At this point He tells them a story about a rich man whose land produced a great crop. The harvest was so great that he ran out of storage. “What shall I do?” he thought. He then decided he must build bigger barns. He would store his produce, and then tell himself to relax, to eat, drink and be merry, for he had ample goods laid up for many years…

We accumulate and never feel we have enough. What we do have, we do not want to let go… What’s your attitude toward things?

-- Excerpted from “How to Finish the Christian Life: Following Jesus in the Second Half” by Donald W. Sweeting & George Sweeting  

#6432

WHEN WORSHIP SENDS US OUT

"Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:16)

Worship doesn’t end when we leave the sanctuary. In many ways, it begins there.

John R. W. Stott once wrote, “The loving service which God sends His people into the world to render includes both evangelism and social action, for each is in itself an authentic expression of love, and neither needs the other to justify it.”

That truth reminds us that worship is not confined to singing, praying, or listening. Worship becomes real when it shapes the way we live once we walk out the door of the church.

 Worship Sends Us to Speak the Good News

Evangelism is not a task for experts -- it is the natural overflow of a heart that has encountered God. When we leave worship, we carry the story of grace with us. We carry hope. We carry the name of Jesus into conversations, workplaces, neighborhoods, and ordinary moments.

Love speaks. Love shares. Love invites.

Worship Sends Us to Serve with Compassion

Social action is not an optional add‑on to faith -- it is an expression of God’s heart. Jesus healed, fed, lifted, and restored. When we leave worship, we step into a world aching for kindness, justice, and mercy.

Love acts. Love helps. Love restores.

Two Expressions, One Love

Stott reminds us that evangelism and social action are not competing priorities. They are two sides of the same love -- the love that first met us in Christ. One proclaims the gospel of grace; the other demonstrates it. Together they form a life that reflects the God we worship.  

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™

#6431

PREPARING THE HEART FOR WORSHIP

Worship doesn’t begin when the first hymn or praise song starts on Sunday morning. It begins in the quiet, intentional preparation of the heart. When we ready ourselves for worship, we’re not performing a ritual -- we’re opening space for God to speak, move, and transform. These five simple practices help us enter Sunday not as spectators, but as participants in the presence of God.

1. Pray for an Open Heart
“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law.”  (Psalm 119:18)

Before we hear God’s Word, we ask Him to make us receptive. An open heart is soft, teachable, and ready to be shaped. This prayer is a way of saying, “Lord, I’m listening.”

2. Pray for Your Pastor and Worship Team
“…that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.”  (Ephesians 6:19)

Your pastor doesn’t preach in their own strength, and your worship team doesn’t lead in their own ability. Pray that God fills your pastor with wisdom, power, and anointing -- and fills the worship team with joy, unity, and spiritual sensitivity. Their ministry becomes a conduit for God’s voice.

3. Put Away Distractions
"Therefore consider carefully how you listen…”  (Luke 8:18)

Worship requires attention. When we quiet the noise -- mental clutter, digital overload, anxious thoughts -- we make room for God’s peace. Stillness is not inactivity; it is receptivity.

4. Come Expecting God to Work
“He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”  (Hebrews 11:6)

Expectation is an act of faith. When you come believing God will speak, bless, convict, comfort, or guide -- you posture your heart to receive. Worship becomes a meeting place between your longing and God’s faithfulness.

5. Attend to Participate
“Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.”  (Psalm 100:2)

Worship is not a performance to watch -- it is a response to give. Sing wholeheartedly. Pray sincerely. Listen attentively. Engage fully. God delights in worship that is active, joyful, and genuine.

Preparing for worship is preparing for encounter. When we pray, quiet our hearts, expect God’s movement, and engage fully, Sunday becomes more than a service -- it becomes sacred space where God meets His people. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™

#6430

COMING CLEAN WITH GOD – Part 3 of 3

Don’t make this inward journey without God. Many voices urge you to look deep within and find an invisible strength or hidden power. A dangerous exercise. Self-assessment without God’s guidance leads to denial or shame. We can either justify our misbehavior with a thousand and one excuses or design and indwell a torture chamber. Justification or humiliation? We need neither.

We need a prayer-based confession, like David’s. After a year of denial and cover-up, he finally prayer, “God, be merciful to me because You are loving.  Because You are always ready to be merciful, wipe out all my wrongs. Wash away all my guilt   and make me clean again. I know about my wrongs, and I can’t forget my sin. You are the only one I have sinned against; I have done what You say is wrong. You are right when You speak and fair when You judge.” (Psalm 51:1-4 NCV)

David waved a white flag of surrender. No more combat. No more argument with heaven. He came clean with God. And you?...

“If we confess our sins, He will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done.” (1 John 1:9 NCV)  Oh, the sweet certainty of these words. “He will cleanse us.” Not He might, could, would, or has been known to. He will cleanse you. Tell God what you did. It’s not that He doesn’t already know, but the two of you need to agree. Spend as much time as you need. Share all the details you can. Let the pure water of grace flow over your mistakes.

-- Max Lucado in “Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine”

#6429

COMING CLEAN WITH GOD – Part 2 of 3

What would an X-ray of your soul reveal? Regrets over a teenage relationship? Remorse over a poor choice? Shame about the marriage that didn’t work, the habits you couldn’t quit, the temptation you didn’t resist, or the courage you couldn’t find? Self-imposed guilt lies hidden beneath the surface, festering, irritating. Sometimes so deeply embedded you don’t know the cause.

You become moody, cranky. You’re prone to overreact. You’re angry, irritable. You can be touchy, you know. Understandable, since you have a shank of shame lodged in your soul.

Interested in an extraction? Confess. Request a spiritual MRI. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties, and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)

As God brings misdeeds to mind, agree with Him and apologize. Let Him apply grace to the wounds. 

-- Max Lucado in “Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine”

#6428