Lean In To Jesus

Jesus didn’t just die for you; He wants to live with you.

Discipleship is the process of following Jesus to become more like Him. Spend time with Him. Watch Him closely. Lean in. Spend your life getting to know the King.

Jesus’ disciples are willing to follow him anywhere with joy. But that’s the challenge isn’t it? Deciding to follow Jesus is one thing. But how do you keep walking with Him when it’s hard, when it hurts, when it doesn’t feel like God’s plan at all? How do you stay close to Jesus when the circumstances just make you want to run away and hide?

When you commit, anytime, anywhere, at any cost, to do anything, you don’t just end up with the promise of the kingdom, you end up with the King. He didn’t just die for you; He wants to live with you. When it feels scary and uncertain, when you’re not sure where Jesus is leading you, get closer to Him. 

Jesus is always for you; he’s always leading you, always loving you. He is there to guide and correct, to encourage and empower you. If it feels like God is condemning you, take a closer look at that voice. God does correct us, but He always offers us a way forward. Sometimes it's hard to recognize which voice is God's. 

“For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:14)

When you don’t have the strength, the energy, the grace or the love to do what He’s asking you to do, rely on the Holy Spirit. Invite Him into your circumstances. Discipleship is the process of following Jesus to become more like Him. Spend time with Him. Watch Him closely. Lean in. Spend your life getting to know the king. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

 

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you." (John 15:16)

Whatever you ask the Father — in Christ’s name — it will be given unto you.

This is the method by which God supports Jesus’ disciples. 

Christ gives more specifics in Matthew 6:26-33:

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:26-33)

Within these verses, we find three powerful truths:

1. God is powerful to provide – He provides for the fowls of the air. Surely he can provide for us. He shares his beauty with the lilies. Surely he can give us that. He clothes the grass. Surely he can clothe us.

2.We are dependent on God – As the verse says, we cannot ‘think’ and automatically add ‘one cubit unto’ our stature. We have to work using our God given energy, breath and bodies to do anything significant. Therefore, even if we think we are independent, we still borrow our breath, bodies and capacity for movement from God. We are wholly dependent on him for just these gifts!

As we begin to recognize our dependence on God, will become teachable, obedient and forgiving. We recognize this easier when we feel vulnerable. Wealth and security–however–can give a false impression of independence.  If we start to feel independent, let us remember this one fact: We still come from dust, and that is where our bodies will eventually go. We are nothing without God.

3.He will bless his servants – As we learn to be dependent on Him, we pray more. We may even plead with God. Then, we feel the spirit more. We follow his counsel through the second comforter, the Holy Ghost. We are blessed with humility to follow God’s will. Our faith increases bit by bit, as a mustard seed grows.

These are some of the fruits talked about in John 15:16. As we go about his service, we can ask for anything and fully expect to receive. This is because our motives are aligned with God’s motives. This came about by yielding our hearts to him in part because we recognize our dependence on him.

Lastly, we must be careful not to ask in selfishness as warned in: 

“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” (James 4:3) 


As Christians, we are to reflect Christ, and one of the things that God emphasizes about Himself more than anything is that He is a God who keeps His promises. And don’t think that it was easy for Christ to keep His promise because He knew what it would cost Him. 

Remember the drops of blood in the garden? Remember that carrying through in a commitment that had unforeseen challenges in it demonstrates your trust in God seeing you through these challenges. There are times to apologize and admit your failure when you committed to something unhealthy or damaging in some way. 

However, we need to consider the beauty of Christ’s faithfulness in keeping His promises, what it would have meant for us if He backed out because it became too hard, and seek to follow in His footsteps.

After all, isn’t that what a disciple does?

The Lord is calling you to begin a deeper relationship with Him.

Today's Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for being 100% faithful in all of Your promises, so that we can trust all Your breathtaking promises for the future. Please help us to image You in our commitments to each other, whether big or small. Lord, I want to be a true disciple. Help me live with You every day. Amen.

Hope for the Broken

Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. (Psalm 71:20)

The Psalmist here conveys the one feeling that keeps believers going even when they face bitter troubles in their earthly sojourn - HOPE. 

The world is filled with broken people. Every one of us tries to avoid the things that involve pain, suffering, and sorrow. Some of us are better at hiding it than others, but if we’re honest, we all have shame. We’ve all been damaged in one way or another. 

Millions of people all over the world are searching for a ray of hope. 

I recently heard a desperate person say that in the midst of her suffering and pain, the only thread of hope she could find was to repeat over and over the name, JESUS.

Thankfully, our God is a God of restoration.

So, poor hurting soul, I offer to you the handiwork of Our Lord Jesus Christ. His message is alive and well in the hearts of countless numbers of His followers around the globe. His voice is demonstrated with every helping hand reached out to the desperate all around us. 
His message is seen in every soup kitchen, homeless shelter, and act of Christian charity. His life can be seen in the kind eyes and generous hearts of His devoted followers. 

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise  him, my Savior and my God”  (Psalm 42:5 NIV).

Isaiah spoke about Jesus hundreds of years before Jesus' birth. Isaiah put it this way,

 "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out" (Isaiah 42:3).

Jesus came to bring hope to the world. Hope is so often in short supply in our world. Fear and negativity can cloud our vision of the future. Jesus has come for those whose hope is failing.

Matthew quoted him,...
 "He will not crush those who are weak, or quench the smallest hope, until he brings full justice with his final victory. And his name will be the hope of all the world" 
(Matthew 12:20-21).

His name is not only the hope of the world at large. He is the hope for the weakest and smallest person. He is the hope for us all. He takes us, weak as we are, and builds on the smallest glimmer of hope.

No matter what we face today, Jesus is our HOPE. Even if we're weak and our hope is small, He has come to give us a bright picture of tomorrow. We can rest in that.

So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in Him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. 
(Romans 15:13)

We as believers in Jesus Christ can continually hope that God who has called us into fellowship with him through his son will surely deliver us, though we see troubles, many and bitter in our lives too.

We followers of Christ can offer HOPE  because of one man, one God, one Lord. 
- Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Jesus desires to enter into our brokenness and bring wholeness to all areas of life. He wants to restore the places where our sin has brought pain or lessened our joy. 

When Jesus walked the earth, He was “full of the Holy Spirit” (Luke 4:1). 

He fulfilled His Father’s purpose to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and heal the brokenhearted.

Without God, there can be no hope, no joy, no peace, and no true love. Without God, the world is bankrupt. And without His perfect love, the broken pieces of our lives will never be put back together.

You're not the only one who feels alone in your brokenness. Invite God to enter into your brokenness; He promise to bring peace and healing.

So invite Him into your brokenness. He wants to make you whole again.

Today's Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,
I invite You to come into the area of my life that has been completely shattered. Heal me, restore me, and give me the joy and peace that only You can bring. Amen.