Honest Reflections

Two-minute read.

Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Ephesians 5:19-20 

Filled with the Holy Spirit, songs of worship pour from the heart. When the worship band begins to play Sunday mornings, my soul rejoices as we praise the Lord. During my days, as I go about my work, playing worship music invigorates me as I thank God for my divine tasks. When we give our lives to the Creator, allowing His Spirit to fill us, we speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and praise. 

Paul’s theme in these verses concerns living as children of the light. Because of the light of Christ, we shine brightly in the world, as He did. When Jesus walked the Earth, people flocked to Him. The counter-cultural teachings of the Lord made people want to know more and live differently. Christ’s grace and mercy gave them hope. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He didn’t leave us alone but gave us the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. His eternal flame illuminates the world as we submit and follow the Lord. 

Let the Holy Spirit’s influence in your life flow. Sing songs from the heart, creating beautiful music as you praise the Lord for His mighty work. Each day, as we seek the Lord and His will, we find reasons to rejoice and praise the Creator. Through Jesus, we can live abundantly, knowing He paid the price we never could. In Christ, we have all we need. 

Praise: 

Praise God for His Spirit within us. 

Prayer: 

Lord, thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. Please let us become sensitive to His promptings, filling our hearts with joy and causing us to sing praises from our souls that honor and glorify You. 

IJNIP. Amen 

Two-minute read.

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 

Matthew 11:25 

Only with the Holy Spirit can we see the revealed truth of Jesus and His work. Once we place faith in the Savior, we gain a new vision. Looking through the lens of our heavenly Father, we find revealed truth. Like walking into a dark room, when you flip the light switch, you immediately see what the blackness hid; an awakening occurs. And once you know, you can’t unknow the truth. 

“Aha” moments happen all the time. Suddenly, you see something you never saw before, like driving down the road and noticing an old building you had never noticed before. How you missed the structure, you don’t know, but now that you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it. Biologically, the reticular activating system comes to life when you become aware of something you never noticed. I drive a white Subaru. Before I had the car, I had never noticed Subarus, but now I see them everywhere. 

Jesus reveals the truth of our sinful nature to us. Once we become aware of our human frailties, we can’t unsee them. Our imperfections require a Savior, and Christ reveals that truth to us. God reveals the sin in our lives and gives us the solution, Jesus. We must place our faith in Him, allowing the Lord to illuminate our hearts, lighting the dark rooms, and exposing our iniquities. When we do, God reveals truth to us we can’t deny, and only Jesus can fix it. In Him, we become new. 

Praise: 

Praise God for revealing our sins and giving us a solution. 

Prayer: 

Lord, thank You for Jesus and the truth He reveals to us. Please search our hearts and expose the sin within them, turning on the lights and eliminating our iniquities. Let us honor and serve You well today and always. 

IJNIP. Amen 

Two-minute read.

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. 

2 Thessalonians 1:3 

Paul feels obligated to thank God for the work Christ did and continues to do in the lives of his brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. As the apostle sees the church growing in maturity and faith, he feels compelled to praise the Lord. Paul witnesses their increasing faith and love for each other, which symbolizes the transformational power of Jesus. Change happens when we start living for the Savior instead of ourselves. 

Emotional responses can wreak havoc in my life. I respond differently by submitting my feelings to the Lord, letting Him transform me one incident at a time, one day at a time. Only by giving Jesus full access to our hearts and minds can we begin to grow and mature, leaving childish behavior behind and embracing the mindset of Christ. And as we see the Lord transforming other people’s lives, we should praise Him for His work. 

I often have difficulty giving people the necessary space to grow. We can’t save; we can only support, answer questions, encourage people on the journey, and applaud them for their efforts to transform. Submitting our will to God’s will requires a decision that causes action. Faith steps mean trusting the Lord will bless our efforts as we move forward, doing what He wants instead of what we want. The more steps we take, the more transformation will occur, and the more praises we will give God. Thank the Lord for our brothers and sisters in Christ, who, with us, allow Him to provide us with new life. 

Praise: 

Praise God for our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Prayer: 

Lord, thank You for giving us a spiritual family that grows and matures with us. Please help us support and encourage each other well, allowing You to transform our lives as we wholeheartedly pursue You. 

IJNIP. Amen 

Two-minute read.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 

2 Corinthians 2:14 

Because Jesus took on a battle not rightly His, we gain a victory nor rightly ours. Grace defined receiving what we don’t deserve. Paul thanks the Lord for the triumph Christ gave him, becoming a bondservant to the Savior and living for Him. As a result, Paul takes every opportunity to share what he has with everyone and anyone. But not all will listen. 

We gain freedom through the Cross, no longer slaves to sin, but instead, captives of Christ, who gives us a new way to live, one that goes against our human nature. I’m working through complicated feelings towards neighbors who have sabotaged a community event. Afraid of the unknown and change, acting like children with hypocritical words, righteous anger soars within me at the injustice of the situation. But I must take those negative emotions captive, give them to Jesus, and respond with forgiveness and grace as He would. Unfortunately, my flesh rebels against the spirit, and I must fight to win the battle; only with submission to Jesus will I gain victory. 

And so, I pray, “Lord, transform my heart.”  I ask others to pray for me, and I submit my life to Jesus, knowing His will matters more than mine. In Him, I find true victory. Dying to our fleshly desires requires a conscious decision that takes effort. But as we move in the right direction, the Lord strengthens us and gives us victory. 

Become captive to Christ today, allowing Him to transform your thoughts and actions. Through your words and deeds, spread the aroma of the knowledge of the Savior. 

Praise: 

Praise God for making us His captives. 

Prayer: 

Lord, thank You for giving us an undeserved victory through Jesus, who fought for us and gave us the win. Please let us live well for You today, obeying Your commands and allowing You to control our thoughts and actions. 

IJNIP. Amen 

Two-minute read.

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 

1 Timothy 2:1 

Listening to a message by Pastor Jon Tyson of Church in the City in New York City, he used the phrase “shepherded by the algorithm,” describing the media’s manipulation of people’s minds. In other words, strategic media posts play on people’s emotions, and they follow them rather than the Savior. My heart aches at how political parties use this tactic to cause division, particularly in Christ-followers who seem to forget Jesus, worshipping their political affiliation more than the Son.  

“When you think about people you know, don’t think about their flaws.  Instead, think about their strengths.  Think of the qualities that you enjoy in them, not the ones that irritate you.” 

Joyce Meyers 

As Christ’s followers, Jesus shepherds us, not the algorithm. When the media tries to play on our emotions, demonizing people because of their different beliefs, we must pray for them. If we can’t find qualities we appreciate, ask the Lord to give us eyes to see them. One such person in my life, who has dubbed himself a pastor, spreads hate because of his political views. When I read the quote from Joyce, I couldn’t find anything positive, so I asked the Lord to show me. Immediately, I recognized his passion as good and began praying that he would turn it towards the Lord instead of politics.  

We all share the same purpose, love God and others (Mark 12:30-31). When we find it difficult to love someone, we must turn to the Lord for help and pray for all people, no matter our differences. Jesus died for everyone, not just those who agree with us. We’re the saved, not the Savior. 

Praise: 

Praise God for the power of prayer. 

Prayer: 

Lord, thank You for listening to our petitions, prayers, and intercessions for others. Please help us focus on the positive qualities in people, not the ones that irritate us. Fill our hearts with love that overflows to all we meet.  

IJNIP. Amen 

Two-minute read.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1 Corinthians 15:57 

Without sin, death would have no sting. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians includes his argument for resurrection. Verses 50-58 draw the apostle’s conclusion: to inherit the kingdom of God and eternal life, we must gain an imperishable body through Christ. Our physical body will perish, but our souls, given to Jesus, will never die. When the Savior returns, we will rise with Him at the sound of the trumpet. What a glorious day awaits us because of Jesus’s work on the cross. 

Studying Leviticus, we just finished chapter fourteen, which details the cleansing needed for lepers after their healing. Jesus refers to the practice when He heals the ten lepers and tells them to show themselves to the priest for cleansing; only one returns to thank the Lord. As our High Priest, when we present our lives to Jesus, He cleanses us, washed by His blood. We no longer need to complete the Levitical cleansing, but we need to thank Him.  So often, we take the Savior’s grace for granted and forget to thank Him, like the lepers. 

Lepers lived as outcasts from society, unable to interact with people. When Jesus healed the ten diseased men, He gave them their lives back. And yet, only one thanked Him. Christ does the same for us, saving us from our sins and the rot and decay that comes with them. Thank the Lord today for giving you abundant life through His sacrifice on the cross. Let’s not take for granted what Christ did for us. 

Praise: 

Praise Jesus for giving us eternal life. 

Prayer: 

Lord, thank You for sending Jesus to heal us from our sins and give us new life in Him. Please let us not take for granted the gift You gave us in Your Son. Through Him, we find life. 

IJNIP. Amen 

Two-minute read.

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 

2 Corinthians 4:15 

Paul reminds the Corinthians why he endures the afflictions with resilience, not for his benefit but for theirs, and ultimately, to glorify God. As people witnessed the apostle’s life and reaction to it, they began to know Jesus. As Paul persevered in the faith, relying on God’s grace for the journey, the Lord’s mercy expanded to those who watched and learned from the apostle. Paul gave credit to God, praising Him and promoting the glory of our Maker. 

All for our benefit, God’s grace gives us a second, third, fourth, and as many times as we need chance to try again. People witness the renewal, which draws them to the Lord’s light in us. At first, they don’t understand, but as they ask questions and get to know the Creator through our testimony, they discover the grace we have. God’s mercy flows to all who receive it, submitting their lives to Him and trying again. 

“Thank God!”  Two words preach an entire sermon. People notice when we take the time to acknowledge the Lord and the help He gives us publicly. I’ve sometimes uttered those words and immediately felt tension from the people around me. Non-believers don’t know how to respond to the simple acknowledgment of the Lord.

Praising and glorifying God causes people to notice and keeps our hearts tuned into the right channel. Letting the Creator lead our lives gives us many reasons to overflow with thanksgiving towards Him, not to mention helping others learn about the never-ending grace He offers.

Praise: 

Praise God for His unending grace.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving me Your grace and opportunities to share it with others. Please help us live well for You today, honoring and serving You in all we do, letting Your grace fuel the fire within our souls.

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

In that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. 

Isaiah 12:4 

Power in the name of Jesus, when we speak His name, we call on the One True King who gave His life for us. The Savior defeated death, conquered sin, and gained victory over evil when He rose from the grave.  

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  

2 Corinthians 5:17  

Proclaiming Jesus’s name reminds us of our new life in Him. We no longer need to fear the powers of darkness because our Savior won the battle for us. Standing on the Rock when the storm winds blow will keep us secure and protected by the Lord. Our faith in the Son gives us victory, and we can shout from the rooftops what He did for us. Telling others about the impact of Jesus on our lives shares the Gospel in a way no one can dispute. Witnessing the change in us when we begin following Christ and applying His principles to our lives helps others experience the same thing.  

Jesus came so that none should perish. God loves everyone. He didn’t send Christ to condemn the world but to save it. Some choose evil, loving the darkness rather than the light the Savior brings into the world. The Lord gives us free will. Not everyone believes in His saving grace. For them, we should pray. And we should continue to proclaim God’s name to the world, introducing as many people as possible to the Savior.  

When Mary gave birth to Jesus in the manger, He came into a world of upheaval, much like today. Political strife, poverty, and inhumane practices all existed when Mary laid her baby in the trough. Christ didn’t enter a perfect world; He brought perfection to it and then showed us how to live. One day at a time, one person at a time, with one God we love. Jesus gives us everything we need to accomplish our mission; when we do, the Lord will call us home. But until then, we can proclaim His name, honoring and glorifying Him. 

Praise: 

Praise the powerful name of Jesus. 

Prayer: 

Lord, thank You for bringing light into a dark world and showing us how to live for You. Please help us honor and serve You well today as we proclaim Your name, giving You the glory. 

IJNIP. Amen

Two-minute read.

I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 

Psalm 9:1 

David, the author of Psalm 9, loves the Lord without reservation. Facing a distressing situation, David praises the Creator, anticipating victory through Him.  When we follow David’s example, thanking God for deliverance before it happens, we keep the Son in our eyes. Instead of focusing on the problem, we concentrate on the solution, which only the Lord knows. Backed into a corner, we may not see a way out, but God always has a plan, and in His time, it will unfold.  

Someone recently made an observation to me. He said we use the phrase “God has a plan” too much. In this person’s opinion, instead of offering help, we use those four words as a reason not to assist. Although I didn’t get to dive into the topic more with him that day, I have thought about it since. Maybe we do, I don’t know. But I believe God uses us to help His plans come to fruition, so while we wait for the Lord’s plan to unfold, we should ask what He wants us to do.  

Each day, I ask the Lord to direct my path and not let me miss anything He has for me. Partnering with God, I expect Him to give me divine tasks: love this person, help that one, share grace in this situation, and work on self-control in another. The list goes on while I wait to see the plan unfold. David trusted God for victory, but he also understood the warrior had to fight the battle, as do we.  

Trust God for the victory, praising Him for the wonderful deeds He will do. Then, ask God for your divine tasks and watch His plan unfold. 

Praise: 

Praise God for His wonderful deeds. 

Prayer: 

Lord, thank You for what You do in me and through me, producing wonderful deeds.  Please show us our part in Your story, assigning us divine tasks to complete.  Let us honor and serve You well today. 

IJNIP. Amen 

Two-minute read.

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High. 

Psalm 7:17 

In Genesis 14:18-20,22, Melchizedek, a priest of God Most High, interacts with Abraham, who also refers to God by this name, the first time we see Yahweh (“the Lord) referred to as Most High. Describing the universal rule of God, as Christ’s followers, our hope lies in the coming judgment when He will remove evil from the world. The wicked will fall, but the righteous will experience deliverance from God’s wrath, and we will have plenty of reasons to praise Yahweh.  

Looking back over my life, I can easily see times when the Lord rescued me from myself. Poor decisions led me to places I should never have gone, but God protected me. Where others fell, I miraculously did not. Only by the grace of the Lord go I. Each day, I recognize the gift God gives me to try and do better than the day before. Only by putting into practice the Creator’s commands can I become more like Jesus, leaving my selfish desires behind. God knows I fail more than I succeed, but each day, I improve.  

In tennis, I call this the 1% rule. Whenever a student takes a lesson, I pray they improve by 1%. If they take one lesson a week for fifty weeks, they’ve experienced a 50% improvement at the end of that period. In the same way, if we improve by 1% each day in our walk with the Lord, sharing His love, grace, and mercy better, receiving His correction, and remaining humble and hungry for more, at the end of a year, we’ve become 365% more like Jesus. As with tennis, we never arrive at perfection; we always have more work to do.  

Praise God for the work He continues to do in you, transforming you one day at a time into a better representative of Jesus. Becoming more like Christ helps us share the Gospel’s good news while loving God and others. 

Praise: 

Praise the Most High for His righteousness. 

Prayer: 

Lord, thank you for helping us become more like Jesus, one day at a time. Please help us represent and serve You well today and every day. 

IJNIP. Amen