For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him. 2 Chronicles 30:9b

There’s an old adage that goes, “Any time you point the finger at someone, remember, there are three fingers pointing back at you.” We find it so easy to find fault in others, and often absolutely refuse to see our own guilt.

The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. Proverbs 14:14

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17 However, the Word is clear: if you know better, and you still do it… it’s sin, plain and simple.

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Matthew 5:14 Our lives, in Christ, should stand out from the world, just like a light in the midst of a dark night. In a world filled with darkness and sin, if we are living lives close to our Savior we will be obviously different from the world we inhabit.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 1 Peter 2:9 Our relationship with Christ calls us to step away from the crowd. We are meant to live a life of holiness and by that life, shine light upon the One who ‘called us out’, the One who has sealed us for eternity.

Friends, we have the ultimate running partner. All we have to do is reach out and trust Him to lead us home.

The change in colors we see and love in the leaves each year is actually a sign of a loss of the color of growth, a sign of a loss of connection with the sun. When we fail to regularly connect with the Son of God, we too show signs of decay and death in our lives.

There’s a strange thing that happens, sometimes. We can see a need or sense a need, and yet, in our mind we can only get to: “Somebody should do something.”

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. Provers 22:1 Most of us find it hard to admit just how much we enjoy the attention we get on social media.

And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. 2 Kings 22:11 When King Josiah found the book and realized how far Israel had drifted from God’s plan, he was devastated. Lately, as I have attended services at churches around the area, I’m seeing a similar feeling in church members.

Sometimes, my battle to live a Christ-like life feels like a bit of a whack-a-mole game. Temptations and sinful thoughts pop up everywhere I turn, and the sheer quantity of them seem ready to overwhelm me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Romans 7:22-24

16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; And in thy book all my members were written, Which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! Psalm 139:16-17 So, how do we get ‘plugged in’ to God? The best way to get started is to unplug from everything else. Turn off the tv, turn off the radio, spend some time in quiet with God.

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24. For far too many of us, separating our secular life from our spiritual life has become so natural, that we don’t even realize we’re doing it. After all, we aren’t hurting anybody. Or are we?

I will trust Him to be my Father and provide my needs in His perfect timing. And while I wait, I will rest. Rest in the Lord, I will again allow Him to lead, and quit fighting his guidance: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matthew 11:29 I love the mental picture of a yoked ox, placidly going where he is led by the one holding the reigns.

Rising costs have us all taking a second look at our budget. How are we to manage skyrocketing costs at every turn, with our income failing to rise as quickly as our budget? Being a true disciple of Jesus has costs much higher than many of us expected. And yet, Christ very plainly explained the cost of becoming one of His disciples. In the 14th chapter of Luke.