I was recently asked to lead a staff prayer devotional at the church that I am working at. At first, I was apprehensive. That pesky Satan loves filling my mind with whispers of inadequacy, but the Lord is faithful and by the Holy Spirit, I gave my YES!

I wasn’t sure what I was going to offer to our staff. But on my ride home that afternoon, the Spirit put the entire devotional on my mind, brought forth Scripture into my memory, and impressed it deep into my heart so that I knew it was from Him.

This was originally for our staff, so the Lord put it on my heart to address Christian Leaders, but as I contemplated it, the message relates to us all as Christians. Reader, I pray that you are encouraged, convicted, and drawn closer into community with our Lord Jesus Christ. To Him be all honor and glory forever and ever.

Amen!

Up.

The first place that our eyes should be is UP.

Up, feasting on His glory. Up, beholding His majesty. Up, basking in the Light, the TRUE Light that is Jesus! Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the…

When we cast our eyes UP to Heaven, we are setting our countenance on the source of our lives. We are like plants who, in the shadows, know to search for the sun and grow towards the radiance of life. God is the source of life!!! Jesus is the living water! Jesus is the bread come down from heaven!!! He doesn’t just talk about the water, or the bread… He IS the living water and the Bread of Heaven!!!

Where else can we go for life? To whom shall we go? He has the words of eternal life! Where else could we cast our eyes to secure our lives??? Only on Jesus. Where else could we look but to the foot of the Cross where our salvation was secured!!! In who else could we find life??? Only Jesus!!!

Our gaze as Christians must begin by setting our eyes UP… for everything that defines our lives starts first with God.

Christian, come boldly with your eyes set towards Heaven. Jesus, the Great High Priest and Prince of Heaven is not ashamed to call you brother, to call you sister! Come boldly through the blood of Jesus into the throne room and SOAK in the Glory of the Almighty Creator! Feast your eyes on His grandeur. Be swallowed up in His Presence. Cast your eyes up to the Heavenly places where GRACE abounds and life flows abundantly into the souls of believers!!!

Oh that our faces would GLOW like Moses as he came down off of the mountain after being with God. Oh that we would SHINE with the radiance of afterglow of our Lord! Oh that the world would look upon us with wonder, curious of what this brightness could be?? Oh that they might wonder what it could mean for them if they could just get a taste?? Oh that sinners would be led towards Christ because they sense even just a singular ray of the Glory that we bask in when our eyes are towards Heaven!!

Come Christian, get your eyes UP.

DOWN.

We must not tarry in one place too long, especially on the Glory of God, lest we become like Satan, puffed up and without humility… (1 Timothy 3:6)

Satan beheld the glory of God, too… but He never humbled himself before the Lord. Rather, he took it in and puffed himself up in pride desiring to be like God. Christian, may we not fall into the snare of the devil. We are not God. This is why our eyes must move down.

Our eyes down almost assumes that our bodies are prostrated down. Our posture ought to be one of worship and reverence… awe, and fear of the Lord Almighty who can destroy both body and soul in Hell.

While Jesus is not ashamed to call us brother and sister, we must never become too casual with God. He is GOD! He is ALMIGHTY! He is beyond our comprehension!!! We must accept knowledge of Him only by acts of merciful condescension and revelation! What a friend we have in Jesus, YES! But also, what a God we have as Lord and Creator.

Moses, who wanted to behold the full glory of God was quickly humbled by God in Exodus 33:20. He was told… you will die if you behold my glory. In Revelation 1:12-20, Jesus is described and John said…

We are not His equal. He is CREATOR! We are mere creature. He is LORD! We are but unrighteous sinners saved by grace. He is IMMORTAL and POWERFUL! We are limited and weak. Christian, we need to remember this. We cast our eyes UP for life and to behold the outstanding beauty of God, but we must make sure that our eyes go DOWN in humble submission to God as LORD.

Christian, get your eyes DOWN. Worship God. Humble yourselves before God. Remember who you are… compared to the GREAT I AM! Never be puffed up with pride, or conceit, or ego! Remember what God said to Job when Job dared to challenge God… (go read Job 38-42)

Job responds correctly…

What about Isaiah??? In the temple?? In Isaiah 6?

Only the smallest part of God’s robe was seen in the temple and it OVERWHELMED the temple with glory and Isaiah said… WOE IS ME FOR I AM A MAN OF UNCLEAN LIPS!!!

Oh Christian! That we would mimic these men. Oh that we would remember that from dust we are created and to dust we will return. Oh that we would abhor ourselves in the presence of the Holy God. Oh that we would repent!!!!!! Oh that we would understand how utterly HOLY God is and never be mistaken by the conditioning of this world to think that we are anywhere close to God’s Holiness.

Christian, prostrate yourself before the Holy God. He alone is worthy to open the scroll. He alone is worthy of praise. He alone is worthy of adoration!!!!

Get your eyes DOWN.

IN

We look UP for sustenance and life. We look DOWN in humility and worship.

But, Christian, we must not neglect to look IN.

When we look inward we examine ourselves for patterns of sin, or more accurately… when we ask the Spirit to come into our hearts, HE examines us, in Truth, and brings light to the darkness that is hiding in every corner of our souls!

May we echo David in saying…. Search ME, Oh God (Psalm 139) and Create in me a clean heart (Psalm 51). We must not neglect the INWARD gaze, else we neglect the cleansing power of the Spirit!

Christian, what good are we in the Kingdom if we are not actively asking the Holy Spirit into our hearts to convict us of our sin??? Will not this sin create a barrier between us and the Lord of Light who is pure and Holy?? Of course it will. Will not this sin stain our relationships with those who we are commanded to love? Of course it will!

Oh thank GOD that He has an interest in washing us, healing us, and curing us of the sin that infects our souls. Run to His cleansing LIGHT! Bring the darkness to the True Light so that it may be overcome!!! Do not tarry! Pray that the Holy Spirit would come in and clean the mess so that we would be effective in our calling and not bogged down by sin. Pray that the Holy Spirit would rush on to the scene and stop the bleeding of our souls so that we might live fully into that which the Lord has furnished us for!

Christian, after you have cried out to the Holy Spirit “God, I have sinned against you alone, forgive me! Wash me!” then take note of the inner change that has happened. When we look inward, it is not only to acknowledge the darkness, but also to appreciate the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and to GIVE THANKS.

Where we used to be impatient… He has given us His attitude of long-suffering.

Where we used to be angry… He has softened our hearts.

Where we used to be apathetic towards people… He has given us hearts of compassion.

Yes, invite the Holy Spirit in to cleanse you Christian…Lord knows that we all need it. And also, take notice of the work that He has done in You. You are a NEW creation… Give thanks, honor, and praise to the Lord who loves you enough to heal you, cleanse you, and perfect you in His image.

Christian, set your gaze IN.

OUT.

We look UP for life. We look DOWN in humility. We look IN to acknowledge our sin and sanctification. But, Christian, we could not end there… for Jesus calls us to a life lived out in love for others. Christian, set your gaze OUT.

We set our gaze OUT so as to accomplish His Great Commission which is to bring the world His Gospel message! We are called to go into the world and baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, making disciples of the nations (Matthew 28:16-20)!

We set our gaze OUT so as to fulfill the Greatest Commandment… to love God, and love one another!

We set our gaze OUT so as to follow in the model-ship of our sacrificial Servant King, who washed the feet of His disciples, fed the people, comforted the lonely, ate with the outcasts, healed the sick, and loved all… even those who would betray Him and ultimately kill Him. Wow…

We set our gaze OUT so as to take care of His Bride, the Church, as well. And might we take this very seriously… for anyone who does not take care of my bride would be in deep waters with me… but how much more so will it be for the ones who do not take care of Jesus’ Bride!

Oh Christian, that we would have a LOVE FOR PEOPLE like Jesus! Oh that we would look to the crowds and have compassion as our Lord did. Oh that we would see God in every single person and care for them as Jesus did. Oh that we would be rooted, like a strong aged tree, in His pure and living love. Oh that we could even understand a sacrificial and dying love like the love of our Savior!!!

Christian… get your gaze set OUT.

Final Thoughts and Warnings

Christian, none of these are complete without the others.

Woe to the Christian who looks UP, but never DOWN. They, in their folly, will be puffed up with pride and will fall like lightning from glory. But woe to the one who never looks UP to gaze upon the Cross and live in the joy of their Salvation… one who only eats dust and is too pious to understand the intimate love of our Brother-Lord.

Woe to the Christian who looks IN, but never looks OUT. They, in their folly, will be concerned only with themselves… self-righteous and self-concerned but hardly seeing the ethic of love for others that was so central to the nature of our Compassionate Lord. But woe to the one who never looks IN and always looks OUT. Their Kingdom work will soon be stifled as sin corrupts their hearts and the hand of the Lord’s blessings leaves them.

Christian, this is a “wash, rinse, repeat” cycle.

UP. DOWN. IN. OUT. UP. DOWN. IN. OUT. UP. DOWN. IN. OUT. UP. DOWN. IN. OUT. UP. DOWN. IN. OUT. UP. DOWN. IN. OUT. UP. DOWN. IN. OUT.

Until we get to glory!!!

These cannot be out of balance, else our walk with Christ will experience instability.

So much more could be said about each one of these gazes… and so much more could be said about their application in our lives.. but alas, this is a devotional, not a book. I pray that the Spirit will guide you Christian. I pray that by the blood of Jesus you will look UP. I pray that in humility approaching the Holy God, you will look DOWN. I pray that the Spirit will search you as you look IN. And I pray that you will live into the calling of the Trinitarian God as you look OUT.

Amen. And, amen!!!

Recently, every Friday on my way home from school, I drive past a group of protesters holding signs asking for honks of support. These signs usually range from “No Kings” or “F—- Ice” etc. If you live in America, then you most likely can picture this in your head easily.

I live in a county that is very rural, conservative, and struggles with many pockets of poverty even sometimes right next to large amounts of wealth. Some people classify our area as the “Boonies” or “Hicksville” though not everyone might. There are lots of trucks, farms, churches, and the like, around where I live- though there are also pockets of affluence. Nevertheless, it takes some gumption to stand on the side of the road with these kinds of signs.

Typically when I pass, I look at them and try to read whatever sign they have this week, but I never engage. I look at the demographic standings there (older white people) and I wonder many questions in my head. Why are they out here? What do they hope to accomplish? What do they think about the world? What do they base their morality on?

Then I keep on driving and carry on with my day.

I make a lot of assumptions about these people. Who doesn’t make assumptions about people that they do not know??? You do too. Admit it. Some of these are harmless, but some are admittedly not.

I have asked the Holy Spirit to help me keep these thoughts in-check because they can certainly lead to hatred and we dare not give Satan a foothold in our lives. But, this past Friday was different. Maybe it was the nice day, maybe it was how good my lunch was… I am kidding! It was the HOLY SPIRIT who led me to go park my car, and get out and walk towards them. In my head I was thinking… WHY LORD? To debate them? To show them that their view-point epistemology was holding them back from experiencing the objective truth of the Gospel? To decimate their worldly presuppositions? To preach Jesus to them through the Power of the Spirit!?!

He responded to me, by placing an impression on my heart… “To listen.”

Listen, if you know me or have read ANY of my posts… you know that I am not lacking for words! (That’s the kind way of saying it…)

Talking is one of my favorite activities! I am a teacher for crying out loud- I get paid to talk! Ask my wife and she will tell you that when I say I have a short story it means that the next three hours are about to be overcome with sounds flowing from my mouth. When I go to leave a friends house, I seem to always leave 30 minutes to an hour after when I say “Alright, thanks for having me over” because something else comes up and then I go on and on about it!

Funny aside: My wife actually has a rule about how much I am allowed to expand on a subject after 9:00 p.m. hahaha! She did pray, back in high school, for a husband who would love to talk to her all the time… something that I remind her of FREQUENTLY ;)

But seriously… Lord… I have prepared for these moments! I have read the Scriptures. Dismantled the presuppositions. Practiced apologetics. Listened to the debates. Studied the arguments. AND, I have the invincible power of the Holy Spirit within me. Lord, are you sure that you are sending me to LISTEN?!?

Send me to SPEAK.
LETS GO.

But, it was undeniable: “To listen”

I felt like Zacharias at the beginning of the Gospel of Luke when his mouth was shut by the Angel Gabriel for his lack of faith.

The Lord told me to keep my mouth shut. So, I did. I listened to my Father, though I was not entirely in agreement that this was the best way. Christian, have you been there??? Please tell me that you have… where the Lord directs you somewhere or gives you a directive that is contrary to what you feel is what should be happening! It was a Jonah moment for sure.

But, this is where I was. And, I only had about 45 seconds left of walking before I would be in the “belly of the beast” as it were. So, I prayed. And, I went over.

Talking with the Protesters:

I had two conversations with two individuals; Leslie and Connie. Both of these women were over the age of 65 and they were both holding signs and very passionate about what they were doing. Each conversation was cordial and respectful, calm and sensible. The Lord blessed these encounters for sure, and I think that some other things may have happened as well.

I walked up to Leslie and said… “Okay I am here to learn. What are you all up to here?”

She quickly explained her positions and why they were gathered in protest. I asked her questions about her experience with people driving by and the responses that they got. They got honks and kind words, but also middle fingers, and expletives shouted at them.

I asked her about her experience over the past 60 years living in America. She was holding a sign in Spanish because she thought it might make others uneasy and that was her point. We talked for probably 10 minutes before she said “so what do you think about all of this?”

I could feel the Lord holding my lips shut. I told her that I was a Conservative, but that I was here to listen and learn and experience not to talk about my arguments or cause a disruption. I told her that I came to have a peaceable experience.

She opened up about her son who is also Conservative and who is the age of 25. She recounted how he is passionate about starting conversations with others whom you disagree with and she explained how she felt this was needed in our Country today.

I explained to her that I really believe when we look someone in the eyes we see their humanity (their IMAGO DEI) and our hearts soften. We gave each other a hug and I went and spoke to one more woman, Connie.

My conversation with Connie was very similar, though Connie’s energy was a little more reserved. I did ask her what her moral beliefs were based in and she responded that she was a “casual Christian” and then attempted to quote some Scripture about “loving your neighbor” and such.

I saw that Jesus was trying to make His way into that experience- thank you Lord.

Not only that, but the wind blew and took her sign half-way down the street into traffic and I ran down and got it for her. I did curl it up, as I did not want to be seen holding this sign that I vehemently disagreed with, but she was 67 and there was no way that she was getting her sign back unless a young chap got it for her. By that time in the conversation, she knew I was a Conservative- so I was hoping that she might have left that encounter at least knowing that all Conservatives are not inherently evil because they view issues differently.

Truth and Love:

Listen, I disagree with their ideologies. Trust me. I will stand for the Truth of God until my dying breath, at any cost. My wife and I lost our ministry jobs and half of our income for standing up for the Truth of Scripture against a compromised “pastor.” I have lost friends, relationships, and I am sure I will lose much more (all to His Glory)… BUT, part of that Truth that Jesus calls us to, is not just doctrinal correctness or theological musings… but, He calls us to see the Image of God in every single person.

Pardon me ahead of time for speaking now in generalities… You see, God’s Holiness really offends the ideology of the Left. They really cannot seem to submit themselves to the Lord’s sense of Holiness. They would much rather have their own. They strive to be their own gods with their own sense of “truth.”

But, the Right also can feel the offense when we are asked to Love those people just like Jesus does. When we are asked to not cast them off as if they are all “insane” and “not worth our time.” Remember, generalities… don’t sue me.

Rather, look inside of your heart and allow the Holy Spirit to convict you- that is what I am doing at least. I stopped talking for 20 minutes. I stopped driving by and making assumptions. And, instead, I prayed for them. I listened to them and showed them common decency. I looked them in the eye and recognized that they are Image-Bearers of our God.

And, it reminded me that Truth and Love can never be separated. Jesus was, and is, the perfection of Truth and Love. His Holiness offends us because it requires us to give up all of our commitments to other “gods” in our lives. His Love offends us because it requires us to bless our enemies. In His ministry, Jesus never shrunk away from the Truth even when it was entirely offensive to all around Him even His disciples. He also never shrunk away from Love, even when it was offensive to His followers as He ate with tax collectors and sinners.

As people spit at Him, hammered nails into His holy hands, smashed thorns into His skull, and hung Him to die on the Cross— the Lord asked the Father to forgive them… He loved them. If we cannot see this when we look in the eyes of another, His love is being blocked, restrained, by something else in our lives. Some other commitment… Noble or not, it will never be better than the love that Jesus calls us to.

A Call to Love:

Christian, love those around you. Love them. Look in their eyes and see the Father’s Image. Pray for their souls. YES… speak out against errors and evil (even though I was not called to do this in THIS particular situation).

Hate evil, but show mercy. Despise gross distortions of the Truth in these baseless ideologies, but weep for those people who have been captured by them. SHOW them the love of Christ, do not merely speak of it as John tells us in 1 John.

1 John 3:18 (KJV)

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

He is a LION! But, also a LAMB. He brought a SWORD and division, but also gentleness and mercy. Oh that we could hold both of these ideas as perfectly as our Lord Jesus. Oh, Christian, if only we could bear His Truth without falling into self-righteousness and contempt for others. If only we could bear His Love in perfection for our enemies when we are spit upon and cursed. If only we could love like the Father loved us from before the foundations of the world… As the Son loved us on the Cross…As the Spirit loves us every day that He indwells our pilgrim souls with His comfort and sustenance. If only we could be more like Jesus.

I left that encounter feeling more love in my heart for others. I felt closer to my Lord, and closer to others. Even though I will vote against them in the voter booth, and I will speak against their ideologies with my every breath… I must love them. To fulfill the Law of my Lord— I must love God with my whole being, and love others.

May we love like Jesus.

Amen.

Share

Whoever you are reading this… you matter. You have worth. Actually, infinite worth. And not because I say so… but because God says so. Every single human on this Earth, past, present, and future, has infinite value because they have been made in the IMAGE of the Holy God. Hear what the beginning of Scripture has to say about this…

Genesis 1:27 (NKJV)

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

This doctrinal truth is known to Christians as the “Imago Dei.” It means that you carry the “image of God.” You were made in His likeness- unlike any other creature in the universe; you were made in God’s own image. A bird, while it does not go unseen by the Father, was not created in the image of God. My cats, while they are precious to the Father as part of His Good Creation, were not created in the image of God. But YOU were! You have a value that is above all other creatures. You bear the image of the Holy God of the Universe. What a beautiful thought to meditate on.

Subscribe now

Unfortunately… if you keep reading a little further in Scripture you will soon find out that our “Imago Dei” is corrupted by the introduction of SIN into the world. While we still carry God’s image as humans, something devastating has happened to our “Image”… it has been stained, corrupted, defiled. We no longer reflect the Father and His likeness as we used to. We now are depraved, lacking, and inclined towards immorality. This was NOT our original design. We now have what some have called a “fallen Imago Dei.” And as we look around today… it couldn’t be easier to see.

There is a warrant to look at the sin in our own lives… how easy it is for us to sin. How attractive sin is to us. How we even desire sin! Gossip. Slanderous thoughts. Lust. Pride. Lying. Jealously. Gluttony.. and all the rest. But, in this post, I want to actually call attention to the ways in which our society is actively raging against the “Imago Dei.” How our society is actively setting “it’s face” against human worth that is rooted in God. And how the current ideologies of many are a hand-maiden for the god of this age, Satan.

Christian, it is far past time that we, in the boldness of the Spirit, call out these attacks on human worth. Pastors/Churches are scared to do it for fearing of losing money… But the Law of Christ (loving God and each other) depends on it. We cannot love others and allow these attacks on their “Imago Dei” to stand without contest.

Spiritual Warfare:

My friends, we are engaged in a Spiritual warfare over our very Image. God, in His design gave us His likeness… but Satan is always on the prowl looking for any way to distract us, or temp us towards sin. The questions that we should be asking is: Who do we belong to? Whose image do we carry? Who are we obedient to?

God’s??? Or, Satan’s?

Not only does Satan celebrate when those who were made in God’s image are corrupted and fall further and further from Him… but, even our society is now celebrating the distortion of human dignity which is based in our likeness of God. Paul gives us a clear idea of what this distortion looks like, and even mentions at the bottom that there will be others who APPROVE and PRACTICE such things.

Romans 1:28-32 (NKJV)

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”

Welcome to our society today. We not only have groups of people who actively sin under the lordship of Satan, but we even now have other groups of people who cheer them on! Think about all of the Pride Parades, Abortion clinics, mutilations of children in the name of transgenderism— these are ALL celebrated day-in-and-day-out by individuals, institutions, companies, and an entire political party. Lord, help us.

These are all distortions of our God-bearing Image. We were designed male and female for one another. We were given life. We were even given the correct body. But today, we are told that men and women were not exclusively made for one another. We are told that life does not matter and if someone is in a womb we can indiscriminately choose to kill them off and tear them limb from limb if we so choose. We are told that we should chop off healthy parts of a child because they are going through a natural and confusing time of their lives. And God weeps.

Satan has convinced our society to go on a mission to distort God’s Image and harm His image-bearers in every conceivable way. We have women who “shout their abortion” and feel excitement at the fact that they quite literally murdered their child. We have doctors who have sworn to protect children telling them to go cut off their genitals and take life-altering medication that does irreversible damage to them before they even can drive a car. And Satan laughs.

The Father put to rest the lie that humans are worth less in the womb when He sent His only begotten Son into the world through the womb of Mary. Imagine if Mary was as depraved as so many today… imagine if she aborted Jesus. Thank GOD that did not happen. The sacrament of Satan, abortion, has been silenced by the INCARNATION of our Lord Jesus Christ! God in human form… specifically… a BABY.

This BABY is the Savior of the World. He is the only way towards restoring our true image…. UNION with JESUS. He has put to death all of these lies from Satan. And for those who have experienced the sin of murder through abortion, there is forgiveness for you. The shame and guilt that you feel deep down inside for murdering your baby- Jesus paid that sin on the cross for YOU with His own life. Jesus’ blood is powerful enough to wipe away the stain of sin that surrounds homosexual lifestyles, or the support of the mutilation of children through Transgender ideology. He took Paul, who murdered Christians, and made Him the greatest Evangelist in the world, outside of Jesus Himself. There is forgiveness for you. Come to Jesus.

If you are someone who supports these heinous ideologies- there is forgiveness for you. Come to Jesus. He loves you. He wants only to give you His grace. Turn from these evil ideologies and set your eyes upon the Lord who gave His life for you.

Many will not turn. They will stand on judgement day and “shout their sins” to a Holy God… and to them I speak in unison with God and say “Turn… why perish?”

And, before the attacks come, and I am sure they will. Jesus said that the truth will divide and that the world will hate us because we proclaim Him. This is NOT about hating people who have been tricked by these demonic ideologies of sin. No… we are called to LOVE people. These people, no matter how much we disagree with them, are also Image-bearers who have been BLINDED by Satan to believe lies and perpetuate confusion.

Christian, we need to pray for these people. We need to speak boldly, hence this post… but we also need to pray for them and love them. Be bold, but also lead them to Christ who can truly set them free from their Spiritual blindness. Remember Christian, if you harbor hate for another in your heart then eternal life is not within you. We must love. We must never, for a second, hate our fellow image-bearers. We must look at them as God looks at them- with LOVE. We must despise Satan. We must hate sin. But, we must weep on behalf of others who have been convinced of evil. Pray earnestly that the Lord might save them.

Father, help those who are lost and blinded in society to see you and the Truth that you have set before us in Your Son Jesus Christ. May we as Christians stand boldly against sin, and may we love, even more boldly, those around us. Amen.

-Chase

Psalm 34:4

“I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.”

Jeremiah 29:12
“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”

1 John 5:14–15
“If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

This is my dog, August. He and I have lived life together for 12 years now and throughout that time he has been a faithful pup. Over that span of time, I truly feel that he has taught me many simple lessons about living…maybe that is another reason that God gives us certain animals as companions. He has taught me how to let go of human cares that stir up my anxiety. He has taught me the power of a good mid-day nap. He has taught me to not be so worried about getting my “paws” dirty if adventure is on the line. And, much more.

August has cancer and he will soon be departing us. Actually, he is living on “borrowed time” right now, which we thank God for constantly. But, with getting older and being sick many extra needs come about. He has trouble just getting up off of the floor. Travel is nearly impossible with him anymore. He is undoubtably in pain so there is a decent amount of whining and the pressure of the tumor on his stomach and bladder create other situations outside of just pain. The most difficult need has been his new schedule throughout the night. With the exception of 2 or 3 stray nights, I don’t think that I have slept the entire night through since October. I can imagine this is what new parents feel like, in a sense.

He is still well enough for us to feel comfortable with him living on. He is eating, he will play with his toys every once in a while. He still gets excited to see us when we get home even if he can’t always get up to greet us. He can still use the bathroom. He seems to enjoy, outside of his pain and needs, the life of a simple and faithful doggo.

But, through all of this, he is teaching what I believe to be one last lesson. This time, the lesson isn’t about me, but it is about God. The Lord put this teaching on my heart last evening when I was woken up from my sleep at 1:34 a.m. (and then again at 4:44 a.m.). August wakes us up with a soft whine/cry. He will lay there in the middle of the floor and softly whine indicating that he needs something. As soon as we hear this tiny cry, we instantly wake and attend to His needs. The Lord said to my heart last evening…

This is how I hear you.

_______

I know, it seems kind of weird. But, the Lord speaks in our lives in the way in which the Lord speaks. Who am I to question? It’s the middle of the night and there are no distractions, so maybe He has a point by speaking then. With my body being tired, and this interruption to my sleep, it is easy for the heart to become bitter in taking care of August. But, the Lord softens the heart towards COMPASSION and LOVE. And, it was in that moment that the Lord helped me to understand deeper what the Scriptures above really mean… what it REALLY means for the Lord to HEAR us!!!

The smallest whine… the smallest cry. God is instantly aroused, if we can use such imaginative speech. He hears us, and He comes to meet us in His Perfect Way… albeit, this way of His may NOT be the way we hope that God encounters us, but nevertheless, He answers.

The Lord responds to us in compassion. He does not think to Himself—- “ugh, yet again they need me!” “Don’t they know it’s the middle of the night?!” No. He delights in our full need and reliance of Him. He never tires of being our Sustainer. He never gets frustrated when we cry out to Him for help. When He hears “Lord help me… I am weak, but You are strong. I don’t know what to do. I can’t do this anymore. I am lost. I am so terribly sad and I need hope” that is music to His ears! Not because He revels when we are in pain, but because He LOVES us and He knows exactly how to cure and restore us. God is LOVING towards us in our need. Even for an Infinite God, there is no need too small or too insignificant. Don’t believe that your problems are too “under” God… give it all to Him. He will hear you and answer.

Psalm 34:4

“I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.”

Even better yet, unlike me, God never sleeps. There is never a time where our cry goes unheard because of sleeping ears. Sometimes August cries out for minutes before I wake up (my wife lets me know haha!) or before I feel inclined to get out of bed… sometimes I hope he will just stop and I can go back to dreaming! (Think again Chase… haha)

Psalm 121:3–4

“He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.”

The Lord is steadfast. The Lord is constant. The Lord is ready to hear our cries, and ABLE to address them in His Sovereign ways. To go another step further… the Lord even hears our cries before we cry them. Nothing takes Him by surprise. Nothing stirs up anxiety within Him where He would ever think to Himself “I am not prepared to handle this need… I didn’t see this coming. I need some time to think about how to address this correctly.” Nope. He is ready, able, and compassionately waiting for us to thrust our lives unto Him at any moment, with any sized problem, again and again and again.

The Lord spoke clearly to me last evening. Oh what a blessing it is to hear the sweet voice of Him who loves us. Him who hears us. Christian, do not forget to thank God for hearing you today. Unbeliever, He hears you too. Won’t you cry out to Him???

Maybe you have a pet and you have experienced these exact moments. Maybe you are a parent and you have dealt with crying children night after night. Maybe you are older and you are responsible for taking care of your own parents. Pray that the Lord allows you to be “ME” in this story… that the Lord reveals to you lessons in these moments. Pray that the Lord reveals how He is encountering you in the ordinary responsibilities, in the middle of the night, or by interrupting your sleep. Do not harden your heart, but delight that God is revealing to you more and more WHO HE IS.

Lastly, remember that you are always “August” in this story. You are heard by God. Cry out to Him with a humble heart. Give Him nothing but yourself, and He will never turn you away. A God who spared not His own Son on the cross… withheld not even His most Beloved, will He not freely give all things? Will He not hear you in the ordinary?? Yes. He will. He does. Cry out to Him.

Amen.

Today, our world is FILLED with feel-good-sayings, positive affirmations, and self-help books. You will not make it far in the real world or the social media world without seeing things like “Choose yourself,” or “Be your authentic self,” or “You are enough,” or my least favorite of them all, “Live your truth!”

While these sayings may seem comforting at first, they are just trendy sayings designed to fill an emptiness that can only be filled by— you guessed it… Jesus!!!

Today, I am focusing this post on the saying “You are enough" or “You are good enough” (these are used interchangeably) and how this growing narrative is in direct opposition to the Bible’s presentation of human nature and salvation.

Simply stated: You are NOT enough. But, Jesus is!

This topic recently came up in a conversation with a family member and my heart sank… The dreaded sentence…

“I believe that I will go to heaven because I am a good person”

Unfortunately, if you are a believer, you will instantly recognize this kind of conversation in your own life. It is all too common. Where does it come from??? Well, it comes from a level of spiritual immaturity and a fundamental misunderstanding of what Christianity teaches about humanity and the Work of Jesus Christ. This misunderstanding of what Jesus did on the cross leaves a GIANT hole in the story of salvation, one that Satan is all too happy to exploit and fill with the idea of…

YOU!

These ideas that are so wildly popular in our culture today have captivated the hearts and minds of non-believers and forced them further and further away from the NEED for Jesus. Not only this, but these sayings have crept into the lives and minds of good-meaning Christians, consequently watering down the Gospel.

These sayings have replaced the Work of Jesus on the cross with the dangerous idea that all you need is YOURSELF. YOU are good enough… good enough to fix yourself! Good enough to break your own chains! Good enough to save yourself! Good enough for heaven, even! These ideas are so strong in our culture today that those who espouse this are essentially saying: “God, you OWE me heaven because I am good!!!”

I imagine unbelievers on the Final Day using these “affirmations” and it frightens me. Unbeliever, is this what you believe will happen to you???

When you stand up and give an account to God on the Final Day, you imagine that you will have the constitution to stand, confident, not trembling before the Great One and you will speak without wavier in your voice— speak of all the good you did and why God owes you heaven. You will boast in your good works. You will boast in your kindness. You will boast in your charity. You will boast in how you volunteered. You will explain to God that sure you sinned, but you were a good person more than you were not, and that is what REALLY matters. Instead of trembling in fear and reverence, you will put your face boldly towards the greatest and brightest Light and proclaim how much light YOU brought to the world. You will stand up and say to the Definition of Good, God Himself, how YOUR goodness was beneficial to others on Earth during your life. You will puff up your chest, smirk a smug smirk, and raise your voice a little louder and bellow how virtuous you are quite literally from the heavens! You will give testimony after testimony after testimony of your many accomplishments here on Earth and how very great you are… you’ll give evidence of all of the praise that you received, and the accolades. You’ll reference the thank-you cards, and texts that prove that you were GOOD! You will tell God all there is to know about how YOU are GOOD ENOUGH for Heaven. It was obvious! You’ll finish with a comparison to other people that you watched and learned about through all of life. You’ll exclaim that you were never like Hitler! You never killed anyone. You lied from time to time but that is harmless. Yes, you lost your temper here and there but EVERYONE does that, so what? You never raped anyone. You never hurt children or the elderly. You are a GOOD person. Other people you knew… well, you will gossip to God all about them. They were evil people, really… and everyone knew it. They judged other people, and they were always just mean people. They attended church with you and always caused problems, but you did not! You kept your mouth shut and rocked no boats. Finally, you will end and say… God, if you ARE good, you will realize that I too am good. Even though I messed up here and there, I was good on Earth. I was enough. I did what I could, and isn’t that REALLY what it’s about, God??? Just being myself. You will tell God that THIS is how he created you, so I just lived my truth and did my best. Then, you will rest your case.

And, God, GOD, the Ultimate Reality, will say to YOU… Yes, Creature, you are right… you are right! You deserve Heaven! You deserve saving! You deserve my palace! You deserve my eternal life! You deserve my Light! You deserve my crown! You deserve my robe of righteousness! You deserve to hear my Angels’ never-ending song fill your ears! You deserve it all! You have proved yourself so well! Your good deeds have proved your worth. You are certainly better than most others and with this I am most impressed! You never hesitated to be who you were, and live your truth. I am indebted to you! It would be wrong, even immoral, to deny you anything less! You have EARNED my favor! You have earned the right to demand these things- and these things will be granted to you dear Creature! Welcome to Heaven.

Oh Dear Unbeliever… while this sounds wonderful and while it IS what our culture has convinced you of, it is simply not true. You are not enough… only Jesus is. In fact, on the Final Day, without Jesus, you will NOT have that experience. You will have quite another experience…

Jesus will say to you… depart from me, I never knew you (Matthew 7:23) and you will be cast away from His Glory.

Unbeliever, do not perish. Come to Christ.

What IS the Reality?

The fact of the matter is that by nature, we are Children of Wrath (Eph 2:3), not Children of Mercy. The fact of the matter is that we completely misunderstand the weight of sin. Let me demonstrate what I call “sin-math.”

There is a grave misconception about what sin is and how terrible and offensive it is. The hit TV show, “The Good Place” (highly recommend by the way, for entertainment, not theology!) demonstrates what most people today believe about sin as it concerns salvation. The idea is that you stock up “good” and “bad” points and if you just have enough good points you get to go to a paradise. This is a very basic idea of sin. It is nothing like that. Sin is not just some negative point on God’s “Heavenly Rap Sheet.” Sin destroys lives. When it is conceived, James tell us, it brings about death. Don’t believe the TV fantastical version for a second. Here is a better explanation rooted in who God is and in His Holiness.

God is infinitely Holy. He is completely perfect and un-changing in His Holiness.

When you sin… you sin not only against someone else but against an infinitely Holy God. Imagine the whitest version of white. How clean and pure it would look. How insanely bright it would be! Our sin is a dark black stain against that incredible whiteness.

Here’s the “math” if you will… When you sin against God, it is not mere addition, it is more like 1 times infinity. Your 1 sin is multiplied against the Infinity of the Holy God. When you sin against God, it is counted against His perfect eternal unchanging Holiness. The weight of your sin is infinity. The debt of your sin is infinity. Imagine if you had to pay in dollars for your sin. It’s not 1.00 for your sin. It’s 1.00 times infinity. You owe infinity dollars for every single sin that is committed… and you and I commit a lot of sins, let’s be honest. But even if you committed but only one sin… that one black speck against the whitest white that white could ever hope to be… well, it would be so incredibly offensive that we can’t quite understand, and shouldn’t understate it.

Only the blood of Jesus (The Blood- song to listen to) can pay for it. This is what the Bible insists on. His life was sinless and His death was worth infinite value… a value that can pay for our sins. A value that can wash it all away. As my Pastor says… “one drop of Jesus’ precious blood could wash infinite universes of sin.” You see, JESUS IS ENOUGH. He is INFINITELY enough. We are not. Don’t believe it for a second that you are enough. Only Jesus.

The fact of the matter is that we simply do not recognize the full Holiness of God. The fact of the matter is, we are not enough!

Without Jesus, you are facing a chasm so large that nothing within your power can get you across. You are in a plane experiencing a nosedive. You are drowning in the middle of the ocean in a storm at night. You are stuck with your arm trapped between two immovable rocks with no hope of leaving, eating, drinking water, and seeing your loved ones again. You are not making it out on your own merit, by your own strength, because of your own goodness, or your ability. You need a SAVIOR. Not only this, but even these analogies fall short because they assume that you KNOW that you are in need of help— this is not the condition of our hearts because Satan blinds us even to the knowledge that we are in desperate need!

Hear the Words of Scripture, given by Paul.

2 Corinthians 4:4:

“whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”

Our natural condition is one of total blindness until God intervenes in our lives and sheds His Mercy through the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He shows us how much trouble we are in! While we were on the plane going down, we were just watching our movie as if nothing was happening. While we were in the middle of the ocean, we were just floating along not understanding that the waves would crush us. While we were trapped between the rocks, we were blissfully unaware of our eventual death that is to come if we do not eat and drink.

God opens the eyes of our hearts and terrifies them by showing us what path we are truly on… a path of destruction, a path of death! We WAKE UP from our spiritual blindness. We look around and say… OH MY GOODNESS! WE ARE FALLING!!! HELP US GOD!!!

When we truly realize our condition of sin, we humbly reach out to the only thing that can save us… the only Person… the Person of Jesus. Not ourself. That is the danger of our world right now… not only are we blind in our natural state, but the world is comfortable telling people— the plane is going down, but you are enough! You are sinking in the ocean, but choose yourself! You are stuck with no hope of escaping- live your truth! And trust me friends, many people ARE, in-fact living their truth. They are happily living into the fallacy that they are generally good people so all is well. They are happily living into the lie that if you just go to church, glance at your Bible, and do good things, you will enter into His Peace on the Final Day. Going to church (a faithful church I might add) is important- actually, it is commanded. Reading your Bible is important-- actually, it is commanded! But, these ACTIONS will not save you. ONLY JESUS CHRIST CAN SAVE YOU. Being in UNION with CHRIST.

This is demonstrated SO well in the life of Susie Spurgeon as she went from a “Cultural Christian” to a true Follower of Christ.

“Constrained by His love,” she later wrote, “that night witnessed my solemn resolution of entire surrender to Himself….”

Like so many in the well-mannered and religious English culture around her, Susie had spent her first twenty-one years within an assumed Christianity, reading her Bible, praying, and attending Church. The rest of her Christian life would be very different…

YOU are not good enough. But Jesus is! Make Him your Lord! Give Him dominion over every single thought, every action, every decision. Only THEN can you be saved— you will never be able to save yourself. Your Bible reading cannot save you, only Jesus. Your church attendance cannot save you, only Jesus! Your doctrine cannot save you, only Jesus! Obedience to the law has been tried, and only accomplished by one man, Jesus Himself… put your faith in Him, not in your works!

As one of my favorite teachers and preachers, Dr. Voddie Baucham said:

“Obedience does not produce faith. Faith produces obedience.”

You cannot do anything to deserve heaven. You cannot save yourself. Sinner, you cannot save yourself. You cannot demand of God. But, He has laid down His life for YOU… will you come? Will you realize the path you are on??? Will you open your heart to God??? Will you ask Him to open your eyes??? The best church attender might be squirming in Hell by tomorrow. Without a TRUE Union with Christ, nothing else will do. Susie did not suddenly become MORE obedient and God FINALLY saw how GREAT she was! QUITE THE OPPOSITE! As it is with all of the True Saints, we realize how utterly lost we are, through tears, and a heart that is SCREAMING LORD JESUS LORD JESUS OH LORD HELP ME! PLEASE LORD PLEASE LORD! SAVE ME! Susie heard the words of Scripture and her heart was MELTED instantly and she recounts hearing the Lord saying “Give Me thine Heart” NOT, DO BETTER. Obey better. Do more good works, then I will love you. Memorize more Scripture, I will give you my gift of mercy. No. No. No!!! She realized, despite her best attempt at piety, her best attempt at obedience, and her best attempt to look like a Christian, that she was incapable of even GLANCING towards Heaven without the divine intervention of Jesus Himself. There was an ENTIRE SURRENDER. Her heart was given to Christ. Her heart!

Believer, have you given Christ your HEART? Have you ENTIRELY surrendered? Is Christ everything? Do you hang off of His Words as if they are the only thing that life is about? Do you LOVE Him, intimately? Do you KNOW Him as your Lord??? Does He order your life? Does He take the first spot, every single time??? Or, is Christ important to you only on Sunday for one hour? Is He just a thought? Is He just a cultural obligation? Do you stand in church counting down the seconds? Or thinking of your grocery list? Do you forsake Him if your favorite football game is on? Do you cancel meeting with God when something better comes up as if He was just another appointment on your schedule? Be honest with yourself… God knows your heart. Everyone who knows Jesus know His voice.. do you hear His voice??? If not, you carry only the title of a believer, but not the heart. YOU live as Lord, while the real Lord has been usurped.

Believer- you are NOT enough, and you know this. If you are a true believer, you know this. But you need to be reminded. I need to be reminded… lest we puff up and believe that our lives are dictated by our good-enough-ness. This is a trap that Satan will often use to pull away from the GRACE of God. Remember, it is the Holy Spirit that empowers us, it is Christ in us— not us. We are not good enough. We are not enough. Only Jesus.

Jesus IS good enough. Jesus IS enough. Believer, you know His voice! You are no longer lost, you are FOUND, and hidden, may I add, in Him. Worry no more!!! Cast all worries at His feet. Walk boldly into His throne room as a Child of the Most High. Give every trial to Him. Praise Him with spiritual words given by the Spirit. Do not look back. Look only to Him, the prize of your life. You need no more assurance than what you have already been given in Him. You are His, and He will never lose you.

John 6:39:

“This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.”

There is no room for thoughts of “am I good enough?” “am I loved?” These questions have been silenced once and for all through His blood. When we wake up, we are covered by the dew of his fresh mercy (Lamentations 3:22). God dealt with these matters on the cross and has applied that assurance into your soul through the power of the Holy Spirit. When Satan comes to whisper lies into your ear, look back at him in his ugly bloodshot eyes and say— my Lord has dealt with you! Depart from me! My assurance is on the ROCK. I am standing on a solid foundation. I am not wavering to and fro with every wind of doctrine- but I am listening to the voice of my Shepherd who says “You are mine.” I am no longer putting my confidence in myself. I do not stand on my own understanding, or my own strength.

Satan, I AM fragile. Satan, I AM weak. Satan, I AM NOT enough. Your lies cannot penetrate the bulwark that God has put around me. No weapon that you form will prosper against me because I do not rely on my own strength. Your spiritual games are frail compared to my Lord’s Spirit that dwells with in me. Your arrows are quenched by His armor that I wear! Where shall you go to erode me away, I am covered on ALL sides!

Christian, put away all thoughts that lead you away from full assurance in Christ. Ask the Spirit to mortify and crucify the remaining parts of you that rely on yourself, that still believe in those small moments that you are enough. Those moments when you get puffed up and you start to feel good about yourself and who you are… fall down on your knees and beg Him to show you mercy and destroy those feelings of pride in SELF. You are not enough, and you were never designed to be. Jesus is. JESUS is!!! He is enough. He is infinitely worthy. He is MORE than enough. We cannot even grasp how “enough” He is, but this is not for us to fully know. We will, Christian, spend eternity realizing deeper and deeper how “enough” He has always been as we join the eternal song, “Holy Holy Holy!”

Unbeliever, you TOO are LOVED by Jesus. Won’t you come and join in the family??? Confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your heart and He will not cast you away. He will welcome you as Co-heir of the Kingdom of God. He will give you His Spirit. He will change your heart. He will break your chains. He will deliver you from the path of Death in your sin. Lay down your Lordship of SELF. Lay it down. Give Him the crown, He deserves it, not you. You are not enough. But He is.

REBRAND:

Choose Yourself —> Choose God

You Are Enough —> He is Enough

Live Your Truth —> Live His Truth

Final Thoughts

If this statement “You are enough” is true, then you do not need Jesus. By claiming this statement, you make Jesus obsolete. You make His death meaningless.

If you were good enough- if you could work your way to Heaven by being “a good person,” then Jesus simply did not have to come and die.

But the Good News, the Gospel is this… Jesus IS Worthy. Jesus IS Enough. Jesus DID come and die for the sins of the entire world.

Where we deserved Justice… we were given Jesus.

All glory to be to the God who is enough.

Amen.

-Chase

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

It was 4:30 p.m. It was 20 degrees outside. Other than the fact that I had stayed late at the school to run a rehearsal with my choir students, it was an ordinary Thursday. I walked out of the building and was instantly assaulted with harsh brisk air. Luckily, I only had to walk 20 seconds to my car. My friend at the school was brushing off his car as mine was heating up. I waved to him and started to head out.

I pulled out of the school parking lot, put on some worship music until my wife called, and headed on my way home just like normal. Only about 3 minutes into our conversation I told her that I needed to go.

I spotted a man walking on the side of the main road- in flip flops. Meet Bruce.
What was this man doing??? It’s 20 degrees out and windy. This is a main road with no sidewalk. He was carrying a pizza box and a briefcase??? No gloves. I was confused.

My heart was instantly filled with compassion inspired by the Holy Spirit. I passed him and pulled over about 40 feet in front of him and I saw him frantically waving his hands as if to signal me. He came up to the door, I opened it, and he asked if I was there to pick him up. I told him OF COURSE GET IN BROTHER.

He said that he thought his feet and hands were frost-bitten. He LOOKED cold. You know that look, especially if you live up here in the north.

He told me that he had been walking for about 5 miles. Later when I took the trash down the driveway, my hands were tingling in pain from being outside and exposed for 10 minutes… I thought back to that moment that he told me he had walked for 5 miles. He said that he was dropped in the middle of the road by a girl. This was a girl that he had moved from another state to be with. My heart broke. I cannot imagine being dropped by someone I loved in the middle of the street. The feeling of sadness, brokenness, loneliness.. all of it. Let alone… it was cold and he was entirely unequipped to be in the cold.

He was distraught, yet grateful to be in a warm car with heat. He was broken, but trying to hold it together. He kept mentioning that he did not want to open up to a total stranger- which makes sense. I asked him if he had a faith practice, if he knew God. He said he grew up Catholic. And then he started to cry uncontrollably. I reminded him that God draws near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). He started opening up and shared other things that I do not feel led to share here.

I took him home. Before he left, I prayed for him. We held hands and I put my other arm on his back and we spent time talking to Jesus. After this, I asked him if he needed anything else before he left. He said that he did not.

He got out. I honked and waved as I drove away. And, that was Bruce.

Later that night I thought about him. My wife and I also prayed for him throughout the evening.

The Spirit reminded me of His sacred words in James about being do-ers of the Word. Do not be mistaken—there is no patting myself on the back because “I am virtuous.” That is not what this is about. I am NOT virtuous, but the Lord IS- through me. And, it is His Spirit that moves us to LIVE His words when these opportunities show up in the “wild".” This wasn’t at church. This wasn’t with people that I already knew and am comfortable with. This was a drive home. It was in the mundane with a stranger.

Maybe next time it will be at school. At a family gathering. On vacation. In the store. Who knows where God will call us to LIVE His Word, to be DO-ERS. We do not know… but we do know that He WILL put those opportunities in front of you and I in our lives to LOVE and to EXERCISE our faith. In other words, to live lives worthy of our calling in Jesus Christ through the power of His Spirit. It is not enough to know doctrine. It is not enough to only pray for others, like Bruce. We need that… don’t be misled. But, listen to God’s wisdom to us when we want to rely on being exclusively “spiritual” in a world that has physical people with physical needs.

Thank you Lord for giving me Your boldness. Thank you Lord for answering prayers to serve You in greater ways— even in moments that I would not have envisioned. Lord, please work Your Good in the life in Bruce to draw him to You- may he deeply experience Your love. Believers, please join me in prayer for Bruce.

Believers, pray that the Spirit would give you boldness and compassion for when you encounter your “Bruce”

-Chase

Subscribe now

Share

“A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t”

-Charles Spurgeon

It is January and you know what that means… NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS! For some, the beginning of the year brings a renewed sense of inspiration into their lives and helps drive them towards change. For others, the idea of resolutions is just plain bothersome and annoying. Personally, I have drifted in and out of both of these camps. I have sometimes set very specific goals, and sometimes aspired towards more general life principles with varied levels of success for each. Now, I am more in the "general life principles” category with my focus being on “Strong Faith, Strong Mind, Strong Body.” (More on this in another post!)

You’ll hear about the new diets that everyone is pledging and the weight they want to lose. You’ll hear about the must-see movies of 2026 (who’s excited for Avengers Doomsday?!! ME.) You’ll be inundated with the newest fleet of fancy cars and the zero-interest payments for 60 months! You’ll be pressured by advertisements or social media influencers to buy the newest clothes because they are “in” (whatever that means). You’ll be encouraged to make preparations for upcoming sports events like the Superbowl and Winter Olympics! Reading lists will come out from Oprah and other “high-profile” individuals with books that you MUST read this year!

It all brings a sense of excitement as the “new” is ushered in. But, the aspirations fade. The diets are interrupted by holiday celebrations. The movies and sports come and go. And, Oprah’s list is sadly missing the most important book of all time. (Hint hint…) None of these things last because they all miss the point of living, the most fundamental part of being human, and that is being in relationship with our Creator, Jesus Christ.

There are many ways to grow closer to Jesus. Christian community, admiring His Work of Creation, Prayer, Almsgiving… all of which are wonderful and I hope that the Spirit leads you to them… But, one would be remiss if they neglected partaking in the Words of Life written in the Holy Bible. This is what Christians call “Special Revelation.” It means that God, in His mercy, intentionally made Himself known to us in a specific and special way—beyond what we can see in creation or feel through our moral awareness.

God inspired a library of books known as the Bible for us to get to know Him PERSONALLY.

So, if I could… I would like to invite you into one resolution whose effects will not come and go. I would like to add the most important book to Oprah’s book list. I would like to encourage you to find real change within something that is not “new and trendy” but rather is breathed out by God Himself (2 Tim. 3:16).

Together this year, let’s:

Read. Our. Bibles.

The Warrant for Reading Our Bibles:

Whether we want to admit this out loud or not, we are all looking, searching, yearning, and seeking for LIFE. We want to be fulfilled. We want to have purpose. We want the answers to the deepest questions concerning our existence. Why are we here? What is this all for? What is the meaning?

The Bible answers all of these questions.

Unfortunately, instead of turning to the Bible, the Words of Life…We pour our lives into our work hoping it will fulfill us. We scroll endlessly through social media under the guise of “community” seeking to belong. We acquire new gadgets, items, and clothes with wishful thinking that the more we have the more we will be satisfied. We volunteer and give of ourselves to others thinking that good works will save us.

None of these things are inherently bad. We were created for work. Social media… well… it is quite literally designed to exploit the worst of human nature, but that is a post for another day! Getting items and clothes can be a great benefit to our lives. Volunteering is a beautiful expression of compassion and love. But, these are only good if they are kept in their proper place. Sean McDowell, a Christian apologist, demonstrates this idea very well by using an analogy about fire. (Paraphrased)

Vocation. Social media. Items. Good deeds… none of that was designed to SAVE US. Only being in Union with Jesus can do that— and we learn of this saving grace only through His Word. THIS is why it is of paramount importance to read His Word.

Come to His Word, my friend. Drink from the fountain of Salvation. Soak up every single word that comes from God’s own mouth. He has purposed these words for you. To reveal to you His greatest revelation- Jesus Christ!

But don’t take it from me… listen to God’s own words on how important Scripture is!

Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two–edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart

From my own personal experience I have found this Scripture to be true. When I read God’s Word all the way through… my life changed. I had never experienced the full power and weight of His Word even at church. The small snippets never came together… never seemed to solidify. Most of what I knew was from the lectionary or from what I had heard a pastor preach on. In other words, my Biblical literacy had giant gaping holes in it, and it was filtered through someone else’s interpretive lens.

Friends, go to your Bible and read God’s Word for yourself. Yes, listen to faithful pastors! Yes, read other books about God. Yes, go live life and experience what the Spirit has purposed for you. Of course! But, do not neglect to read the first-hand account! Go straight to the source! How many of us understand plainly that hearing a story second-hand is fine and all, but being there ourselves for the story is so much better! Who wants to look at a picture of a stunning piece of art when they can go right to the art and admire it in person? Is listening to a recording of a symphony ever going to eclipse hearing the sweet harmonies vibrate your real ear??? Can the sounds of recorded waves bring such joy as hearing the roar of the vast ocean??? So it must be with reading God’s Word for yourself. The others will do, and they must do in so many cases. So many of us cannot live near the ocean, nor can we attend a symphony every evening. But, we can pick up our Bibles every morning and every evening. So what gives? Why don’t we?

Let’s be honest… so many people today scroll through social media for HOURS. My question for you is…Do you HONESTLY feel better after that? Do you feel more whole? Do you feel more complete? Do you feel as if you have used your time on Earth in a life-giving way???

If you’re a Christian, do you feel more Christ-like after scrolling through your feed??? Or, do you feel more judgmental? Comparative? Jealous? Hateful? Empty? Lacking? Anxious??? Does it stir up within you feelings of contempt for your neighbor? Hate of your perceived enemy? Is this REALLY community? Is this REALLY life-giving? Is this REALLY Christ-like?

No matter how people spend their time, hobbies, social-media, watching movies…people will often still say… Well, I just don’t understand the Bible! How can I read what I do not understand? And to this I will say, you do not understand because you do not read! God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33) and while there are a great many mysteries that held up in the secret councils of God, Scripture was written to make us wise unto Salvation (2 Timothy 3:15). It was once described like this:

“Scripture is simple enough for a child to understand, yet so deep that the greatest theologian could study it for a lifetime and never reach the bottom.”

Even Jesus spoke of this idea in (Matthew 11:25–26) and refutes the idea that lack of understanding due to complexity is a worthy excuse!

I have often heard another excuse: TIME.

“I don’t have time to read my Bible.”

You are lying to yourself. Quit it. I know many faithful people who have far less time than the common person, who get up early in the morning to feed on His Word. I used to use this excuse in my head as well. I was lying to myself. I had to quit that! And, I had to pray that the Spirit took hold of my heart and drew me into His Word. I had all the time in the world, and honestly, so do you.

It isn’t time that you lack.

It isn’t understanding that you lack.

It is desire.

It is the position of your heart in reference to God. Paul exclaims:

It is desire! Our sinful condition bends us away from God. Haven’t you heard of the term “hell-bent?” This is the natural state of “man” in his sinfulness. In the totality of our depraved hearts we will seek quite literally anything over approaching the life-giving words of God. We know that the light would break into our hearts through these powerful words and the darkness within us could not comprehend it. We would have to lose ourselves if we read these words and obeyed them. We would have to admit we aren’t that great. We would have to leave behind our vices, and the caricatures of who we are, for something greater. We would have to bid farewell to our most beloved secret sins that have given us so much pleasure over the years. We would have to love instead of hate. Forgive instead of hold a grudge. We would not dare read these words- because we would have to die.

Matthew 16:24–26 (NKJV)

Then Jesus said to His disciples,
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

You may well be reading or listening to this and thinking to yourself… darkness? Dying? This is foolish and silly. To this I would reply: Turn on the news. Our fallen world is filled with darkness. But, one might reply: “But that’s not me. I am a good person. That is some evil person somewhere else.” To which I would reply, in tandem with Paul in Romans 3:

Not only is our natural condition against us coming to the Word of God, but we have been so overwhelmingly convinced by the World and our Society to do ANYTHING but go and read the Word of God. It is not fashionable. It is not reasonable. It is not “worth our time.” This is what we have been convinced of. But, all the while we are convinced that looking at someone's exaggerated version of their supposedly squeaky clean, picture-perfect life IS worth it? THAT is better??? Oh, friends… we have been deceived, and Satan laughs.

We have been utterly convinced that posting pictures of ourselves and filling our hearts with pride as we metaphorically scream “please like me! please think highly of me! please desire my life! please see what a wonderful and virtuous person I am!” IS BETTER than receiving the Living Word of God?!?!? Yes, I am sure that our society will say it is so. I am sure that many people who are reading this are, at this very moment, being convicted by the Holy Ghost, only to return back into this rhythm of desperation. I pray that it would not be so. You have the time. You have the ability and intelligence. Pray for the desire. Seek to humble yourself before God, not exalt yourself before man. True life is found in the words of Scripture, given by the Author of Life! True virtue is found in a humble and contrite heart that is obedient to His Word.

Come, and be fed.
Listen to these beautiful words of LIFE. Meditate on them. Pray over them. Memorize them and repeat them in your head moment to moment. Draw near to them.

Lamentations 3:22–23 (NKJV)
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.”

1 John 4:9–10 (NKJV)
“In this the love of God was manifested toward us…
not that we loved God, but that He loved us
and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Zephaniah 3:17 (NKJV)
“The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Exhortations:

Christian, if you are not reading your Bible and interacting with God’s Word, how can you claim that Jesus is your Lord and Savior? What Jesus? You know almost nothing about Him— nothing more than generalities probably influenced by culture and misunderstandings. You do not know Him personally, nor do you know His commandments, so how can you live in obedience to Him? How can I claim to be a husband if I only have surface-level understanding of my wife? I am no husband! I am husband in title only. How much more then can I claim to be a follower of Christ, a Christian, if I do not know about my Lord and Savior? He is “Lord” in title only. I am a “Christian” in title only, unless I live in obedience to His Word, every jot and tittle. I once was this “Christian” and I had a “Lord” who I did not know and I did not obey. The title was convenient, but alas, it could not save me because I was not in Union with Christ. Not until I read His Word, learned about the Person of my Salvation, and consequently received and was adopted by His Spirit.

Unbeliever, how are you to be saved apart from reading the saving Word of God? Some of you do not believe because you have not heard! Paul explains this clearly in Romans.

Romans 10:14-15 (NKJV)

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher?
And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Christian, how are you to take the Word of God to unbelievers?? How are you to help save their souls if YOU YOURSELF do not know His precious Words??? Some of you will say “that is the job for the pastor- not mine” Shame on you. Jesus condemns this thought outright.

Matthew 28:19–20 (NKJV)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Do you think this is said ONLY to “pastors?” If you do, you are mistaken and you are in violation to a direct command from Jesus. Repent of this thought- read your Bible, and go spread His word, faithfully.

Even so, some of you will say “I don’t want to be too forward. It is awkward” Shame on you. The Scriptures condemn such a thought as this as well. We are to be ready, and not only ready… but we are not to be ashamed of His Word for it is the POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION!

1 Peter 3:15 (NKJV)

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.

Romans 1:16 (NKJV)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Christian, you are wholly unequipped if you do not draw near His Word. Unequipped to “love thy neighbor” for you cannot give them the greatest and most loving gift of all… the sharing of the Gospel that will point them to Christ so that they may be saved.

Warnings:

I would be remiss I did not include warnings as we approach God’s Word together this year. God is very serious about His Word being taught faithfully and without dilution. Hear these brief excerpts on the topic:

Deuteronomy 4:2 (NKJV)

“You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.”

Proverbs 30: 5-6 (NKJV)
“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.”

2 Timothy 4: 2-4 (NKJV)

“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”

Be careful not to despise any parts of the Bible. The Book of Life makes no exceptions for our modern sensibilities. One cannot approach the Holy God and His Holy Word and say “I do not like this part, therefore it is not true.” This is a trap that many today approach the Bible with.

Either the Bible is correct, or it isn’t. It is either the Word of the Perfect and Most Holy God, and therefore it is perfect and true- or it isn’t. It either contains truth, or it does not. The Holy Spirit will lead you towards His Word… But if you decide to let your presuppositions (already held beliefs) effect your reading of the Bible to where you reject certain parts— know that you are rejecting the very word of God. Be careful. Many modern readers of the Bible, maybe even yourself, will read passages such as John 3:16 with glee when God proclaims His love for the World. But in the same breath, they will reject scriptures such as Matthew 3: 11-12, where John the Baptist talks about Jesus saying:

Matthew 3:11–12 (NKJV)
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

They will scream…NO! No judgement! I don’t like judgement, therefore I reject the Author’s Words!

Many a person in today’s society will come to Scripture under false pretenses- namely, they do not read with the desire that God’s Will be done, but they read with the desire that their will be done. They imagine a world in which the Almighty God caters to them. They conjure up ideas of the “Great Uncaused-Cause” bowing down to the idols of the 21st Century- all the while re-interpreting His Holy Word to suit their fancies and sinfulness. They believe, in their heart of hearts, that when God speaks against homosexuality, or says that a Husband is the head of his Wife, or that Hell is a real place that sinners (we) deserve and will go to unless they repent and turn to Jesus… that all is just a farce!

They will not stand for it! They will not hear about it any more! Only a generic version of “love.” Not defined by Love Himself, but by feelings and cultural narratives. Only “acceptance.” Not of what is good and right by what the Moral Law-Giver has spoken, but by society’s ever changing definitions. They put their fingers in their ears and scream “NO NO NO NO NO. I won’t have it!" Take these words away. Take it all away and do not speak them to me again!”

God does not care for your particularities. or your presuppositions. He has spoken, will you listen?

Friends, I pray that you will. The Bible is true because the Author is Truth. Our “job” is obedience to His Truth. Do not be deceived, lest you fall into the hands of Satan. I can speak of this personally; I lost my job over obedience to His Word, and I would never turn time back and do it any other way.

Finally, one last exhortation, lest anyone, including myself, be led astray. Salvation is a PERSON. Salvation is through Union with Jesus Christ, period. Reading your Bible does not save you in and of itself. Many people read their Bibles and are not saved. For example, Dr. Bart Ehrman the New Testament Scholar who knows the New Testament better than most of the world… He is an atheist/agnostic. If simply reading your Bible was all it took for being saved, we would be in a wonderful position. But alas, it far greater than all of that. Salvation is a PERSON who died for you, who lives now, and who you must “put on” as the Bible describes. You must be adopted by the Holy Ghost, put in Union with Jesus Christ, imputed His righteousness, and be “born again” as Jesus told Nicodemus. It isn’t that reading is a meritorious act, whereby God owes you salvation due to you doing your homework, but rather the Word of God is a gift, an invitation to know Him in a way that we as humans can understand and grasp. It is a history of faithfulness, God’s faithfulness. It is useful and necessary for us to understand WHO our Salvation is. But be not mistaken— I am NOT promoting Bibliolatry (the worship of the Bible over all) but rather, a worship of JESUS over all- which can only be found in the means that He has prepared for us; His Word.

Practical Tips:

Okay now for the practical! These are things that Lauren and I practice in our every day lives.

1. Get a Bible!

   1. I recommend NKJV, ESV, NIV, NASB… but honestly just get a Bible.

      1. For the love of God though, please use caution using “The Message” and “The Passion Translation” and the “Good News Translation”

         1. These are not considered to be translations that one should consult as a matter of first… or second… or even third consideration… nuff said.

   2. If you want help understanding what you are reading get a STUDY Bible.

      1. They will provide commentaries on the side to help you understand deeper content.

2. Download a Bible app!

   1. Less preferred to a physical Bible, but it can be helpful.

   2. I recommend the Blue Letter Bible (app)

      1. This allows you to peer into the Hebrew/Greek too if you want to nerd out like me :)

3. Keep a Bible around you!

   1. Lauren and I have a Bible in practically every single room of our house. No matter where we go, we can whip out a Bible. Take THAT Satan! By our beds, on our dinner table, all over!

      1. Build your reading habits around what you already do every day!!!

   2. I have a Bible in my book-bag that goes with me any time I am mobile. We also keep them in our cars and on our phone, of course.

4. Post Scripture on your mirrors/walls!

   1. We have started to write Scripture on notecards and hang it in place that we see every day. This helps us constantly come back to Scripture while we brush our teeth, wash our dishes, drive in our car.

5. Work on Memory Verses!

   1. Take some verses in the Bible and work on memorizing them. If you can memorize an entire song on the radio because you listened to it so many times… imagine what you could memorize from God’s Word!

6. Listen to Biblical music!

   1. Speaking of music…one of the best ways to get Scripture deep within you is to listen to music that contains it. I find myself humming these melodies which lead me back to His Word ALL THE TIME.

7. Listen to the Bible read aloud!

   1. I often listen to the Bible while I drive so I can hear His Words spoken over me over and over again.

8. Read Scripture and then pray over it!

   1. I can’t tell you how much the Spirit has moved in my heart and taught me after I read His Word and then went directly to pray over that Scripture in my life. Yes, you can open your eyes during prayer and read the Scripture as you have a conversation with God!!! The Scripture sticks so much when you take the time to pray over the Scripture.

9. Find Biblical friendship/community!

   1. When you are around faithful Christians, Jesus comes up naturally. You start speaking a spiritual language and Scripture appears throughout the conversation. This is such a blessing.

10. Find a Biblical church!

    1. This is SO important. When you attend a faithful and Biblical church, you will hear Scripture preached faithfully. Do not be deceived… just reading a lectionary and then hearing a joke and feel good story is NOT BIBLICAL PREACHING. Biblical preaching is EXEGETICAL. It carefully goes through the Scriptures, word by word, and pulls it’s meaning in the original language and teaches both the original intent of the author and the application in our lives- typically with exhortations for both Christians and the Unbeliever. You will learn Scripture in your heart this way… not just hear Scripture.

And finally, I would also like to share a post from Natasha Crain, who is a Christian Apologist (one of my favorites, I might add!). She gives some reasonable and practical advice on reading our Bibles this year. I hope you enjoy!

Conclusion:

Friends, I will leave you with this. It is a simple analogy that I shared with a dear friend over coffee. Her phone was sitting on the table and we were talking about the need for reading the Bible to understand Truth.

I could keep going on and on and not because I like to blabber on (which I do) but because we are talking about the endless well of God’s Holy Word. All of eternity would not be enough time to say all that needs to be said about His splendid Word. But alas, I want you to quit reading this and GO READ YOUR BIBLE. I will do the same.

But, before you read, pray that the Spirit would open your heart to receive, truly receive, His Word so that you may know the Person of our Salvation; Jesus. You will be amazed at what consistently reading His Word will do in your life this year.

Blessings my friends, and happy reading.

-Chase

Share

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Since this Substack is rather new I thought it would be good practice to create a short write-up of what one might expect as a Subscriber!

I do not consider myself a writer, but then again, Moses did not consider himself a speaker and he was nevertheless called to speak.

Exodus 4:10:

“Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent… I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

Therefore, I have decided to lean faithfully into this new directive from the Spirit to share the Gospel through writing and song. Recently, I have been blessed with recording equipment which gives me the ability to record music at my house so that I may share it with the world. I am so excited to share what the Spirit has been placing upon my heart.

Here is what you can expect from my Substack.

1. FREE Biblical Content:

   1. My content will be free. I understand that not all “Substack-ians” carry this philosophy, but I do. The Gospel should be free and accessible to all people- no pay walls. God’s grace is free to all men who call upon the name of the Lord— shouldn’t spreading His message be? There is nothing exclusive on my Substack. You get it all. Music. Writings. All of it.

2. Honest and Faithful Content:

   1. One of my biggest issues with the modern church is the idea of "pleasing people” and “filling pews.” In the tireless endeavor to please people, keep the pews full, and keep the budgets balanced, many churches and pastors forget their true commission… to please GOD! In so doing they water down the Gospel, forsake parts of Scripture that are controversial, and run a business instead of a ministry… this doesn’t create disciples, it creates deception. People truly believe that if they show up to church, laugh a little bit, feel good about themselves, sing some songs, listen to a “how to be a better person” speech posing as a sermon, and leave within the hour—- that they are United with Christ. (This is NOT the case for everyone who goes to church, but it is too often the case not to mention it). I am not writing for the pleasure of any readers. I have no pews to fill and no budgets to balance. I am writing for God out of obedience. This means that I will not shy away from tough topics that are presented to us in God’s Word as so many do today. I will not shy away from topics that society says are “taboo” or “controversial” just because they might offend someone’s modern sensibilities. If you do not like what I share from the Bible, take it up with the Author. If I am in error, correct me. I am here to share BIBLICAL TRUTH and that may conflict with what you believe to be true. All I can say is… if what you believe to be true is contrary to the very words of The Author of Creation then there are some serious things you need to re-consider. I will not water-down the truth, as so many do, to appease an audience. If you un-subscribe, so be it. It will not offend me, do me any harm, or make me change my content.

3. Medium Form Content:

   1. Expect “medium-form content” What does this mean? Well, it is not short- form content… like a tweet or a “note” on here. But, it is also not long-form content that would take 1-2 hours to consume. It will be somewhere in the middle. Yes, it might take 20 minutes to get through a post. This may disrupt the average person’s shrinking attention-span… but I bet it will be worth it. Read/listen, meditate on the words, pray, and God will not disappoint you with what He is able to work in your heart.

4. Audio/Written Versions:

   1. I will be writing posts but also recording using my studio microphone an audio version! Shout out to my wife for this idea! That way, if you prefer to read it, you can read it. If you prefer to listen to it while you drive or exercise, you can do that too. The option is yours.

      1. Additionally, I will try to push out posts weekly or bi-weekly as schedules, and the Spirit, permit.

5. Original Music:

   1. You will hear my original music! This is gift that the Spirit has given me and I will continue to use it for His Glory! It will take me some time to get some more of my music recorded… so please be patient. In the meantime, I will either share other recordings that I have or I will write on other topics. But, original Christian music is coming :)

6. Topics of Interest:

   1. If you have topics of interest you can simply reach out to me and express them. I will pray about them and if the Spirit leads me to write about it, either words or music, I will do so!

      1. Examples: Christianity and politics. How to understand the Old Testament law? Why is Christian music today so meh. And, other topics ;)

7. Support:

   1. If you are looking for Spiritual support - I am here and I will pray for you. I will also encourage you to find a faithful, Biblical church, with a faithful and Biblical pastor who can shepherd you. And, to have a community of Christian brothers and sisters that pray for you and walk alongside in life with. But, in addition to those things, I am here to pray for you.

8. ____________________???

   1. I left this intentionally blank because I do not know where the Spirit will lead me. Maybe this Substack will change over time and offer something new! A podcast! A video aspect?! I do not know. I will pray and discern as the Spirit leads me and continuously seek His Will.

If you would like to catch up on my first two posts you can find them here. I pray that they will be a blessing to you

My prayer is simple:

I pray that the Holy Spirit would work through this Substack to call people to Jesus Christ.

It might be someone who is already a Christian who is called into deeper relationship. It might be someone who goes to church but doesn’t really have a true relationship with God. It might be someone who is so vehemently against God, but they hear/read His Word here and their heart is turned. Maybe someone will read it now and the Spirit will work in their lives instantly! Maybe the Spirit will work over years and years. Maybe someone will find this in 7 years and go back and read a post filled with Scripture and and the Spirit will go to work.

I do not know. It is not my place to know. But rather, my call, our call as Christians, is to be faithful to God. To love God, love others, and spread the Gospel to the world. This is the point of my Substack. May the Lord Jesus Christ be praised!!!

If you find it to be meaningful to your life, then I pray that you will continue to follow along and even share it so that others can be edified also. Sometimes it is hard to have a conversation that focuses around God, but maybe someone in your life would READ or LISTEN to something that you sent them? I pray they will.

May we all, myself included, plunge into the depths of our loving God, Jesus Christ, through this Substack.

In God’s service,

-Chase

2025 is coming to a close and in God’s providence He led me to read and meditate on Psalm 25— coincidence? I think not!!! If you’re a Christian reading this… I am sure that you have had countless experiences where God’s Word comes EXACTLY at the time that you needed. This was one of those times! Psalm 25 had me reflecting on this past year and it also prepared me for this upcoming year.

This year (2025) has truly been the hardest year of my life. From being fired from my church ministry job for faithfully following the Bible, to learning that my childhood pet has cancer and will soon die, to intense spiritual battles in my personal life, to being hated over the Gospel, and other personal tragedies that I am not ready to publicly share… this year has been, by almost all accounts, terrible. But, what is meant for evil, God means for good (Gen. 50:20).

God has a way of taking situations that we think are irredeemable, and working them for our good. The question is… do we have the faith to see that, or not? Often times, we do not.. at least, not at first. We are typically so caught up in our pain, our confusion, our anger, our self-centeredness, or our reliance on self, that we often miss what God is doing in our lives. This is why Godly reflection can be so powerful. That is why I love this time of year. It is a time to reflect, exercise our faith, and see how God has worked in our lives over the past year.

When we humble ourselves before God, He oftentimes opens our eyes to see how His plans were working through all of these experiences in our lives. What a blessing when He leads us in His Truth. We can learn, we can grow, and we can further trust in Him, especially in the midst of future chaos that will inevitably arise in our lives.

Let’s walk through this Psalm together, reflecting on this year, and looking forward to 2026. I pray that the Spirit speaks to you through this Psalm, just as He spoke to me.

David begins where we should all begin; lifting our soul to the Lord. Our soul is our very being. Our jumping off point should be lifting our very being to the Lord in humble submission. We do this because, as David says, we trust in the Lord. He is Faithful and worthy of our trust. Maybe this is not where your 2025 started, but it should surely be where your 2026 begins.

Moving on: The word “ashamed” here means to be "put to shame” or “disappointed” or in two other places in the Bible it can even be translated “become dry.” David is saying… now that we have bore our soul to the Lord, the One in which we can trust… let us not be disappointed, or put to shame. Let us not “become dry” but rather be filled with the Living Water- quenched and ASSURED in whom we place our Faith. David even extends this for all believers— which reminds us… have we been praying on behalf of our brothers and sisters? This is an area that the Spirit helped me profoundly this year. I pray that the Spirit helps us all to remember our brothers and sisters in our prayers this upcoming year.

David continues with a warning against those who “deal treacherously without cause.” Their path is destruction for they will be put to shame by the Righteous God. They will be disappointed. They will “become dry” in the end. Reader, if this is you, and you have not put your trust in Jesus Christ, be assured that your well WILL run dry and you will be put to shame without the Living God. Put your faith in Christ! He is the only One worthy of trusting your life with!

Show. Teach. Lead.

Just read the first words in the first three lines and you will get a sense of this section.

Father, thank you so much for all the ways you have shown up, taught us, and lead us this year. May we have the courage to seek Your Will, the humility to see Your ways, and the boldness to walk the paths that You set before us this year.

As we look backwards, in hindsight, I am thanking God that He did not let my will be done. So many instances through this year I cried out in prayer to God that He would answer my prayers in the ways in which I wanted. Looking back… if He would have allowed that, my life would have been significantly worse!!! He has yet again shown me that HIS WAY is better. He has taught me, yet again, that His path is the true way- even when I think I am right! What a mercy. This is why we cannot put our faith in ourselves, but rather we must wait on the Lord; the God of our Salvation.

At the beginning of this year we were all a little younger. Ouch. I know. That hurts a little bit. The older we get the less we want to think about the passing of time. But, it happens! The hope is that as we grow older we grow in CHRIST. We become more like Jesus. We mature in our faith, understanding, and wisdom. This section of the Psalm is a reminder of that progression from our youth to our “growing-up".” David asks the Lord to not remember the sins of his youth, his ignorance. I am sure this is a prayer that we can all pray.

But, when I read the third line, I did not think about the sins from when I was 12, I thought about the sins of when I was 27 (this past calendar year!) I thought about my recent youth, and I THANKED GOD that He dealt with me according to His Mercy, and NOT according to His Justice. We have a loving God, who desires for us to be saved, and who loves us. He is FULL of mercy and grace. Grace upon grace upon grace. Out of His goodness, His mercy, His perfect love, He deals with us (Christians) tenderly and remembers our sins no more for they were paid upon the Cross, by Jesus. Every ounce of wrath that was DESERVED for our evil were paid by His precious blood. His agony. His physical pain. His separation from His Father by taking on our sin. THANK YOU LORD for paying the price of my sin upon the Cross.

Christian, take a moment and think about the sin of this year… if you haven’t already, repent of it with a true and humble heart. Despise it. Change your mind about it. Ask the Spirit to cleanse you of it. Take it as seriously as God takes it, and through the power of the Spirit, mortify it in the flesh. Then, thank God for dealing with you according to His Mercy and not His Justice. Lastly, pray for the unbelievers that they might be saved by the adoption of the Spirit. If we aren’t praying for them… who is?

Unbelievers, do not be deceived. God is love, but God is entirely Holy as well and sin must be punished for His perfect Justice and moral character to remain intact. Since God is Good and Upright— He demands payment for evil. Without Jesus, you stand accused in the cosmic court, in God’s court. As Jonathan Edwards once said, and I paraphrase, some of you may be in Hell before tomorrow. Sinner, if you died right now… where do you think you would go? I will tell you. You will go before the Holy God of the Universe and give an account of your life. Every word. Every thought. Every action. Every moment. All on display, and your mouth will be shut. You will stand alone, without Jesus beside you… you will pay the price for your evil. Your only hope is to be in Union with Christ. Call out to Him so that you do not perish. Cry out to Him. Beg Him to send His Spirit to you. If you do this, He will never reject you. Read His beautiful promise:

Romans 10:13 — “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” Proverbs 9:10. (And other places!) The meaning of “fear” in our world today is about being terrified and being overwhelmed by terror. But, fear in this context is about “awe” “reverence” and “honoring.”

“Who is the man that honors the Lord, as Lord? Him, shall He teach in the way”

This is our lesson— wisdom comes from placing the Lord AS Lord in our lives. This is the only way to be taught in His ways- when He is front and center in our lives. Prosperity in 2026 will not come from eating pork and sauerkraut (though I do love eating those!! Especially my mother’s cooking!!! YUM!) but rather, it comes by fearing the Lord and putting Him front and center in our lives.

My favorite part of the Psalm is in verse 15. “My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net.” Write this on a notecard and tape it on your doors or mirrors where you will see it. Memorize it. Pray over it. Because this Word from God is SO sweet. It is the comfort to weary souls. Cherish it. Keep your eyes on the Lord… this is where we will be saved. In prosperity and in testing… keep your eyes on the Lord.

Hymn time. A personal favorite of mine. The text is so rich and it has been more than just text in my life… but truly a reality. The things of this world HAVE grown strangely dim. I remember the words of the Spirit through Paul in Philippians 3:7-8:

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of Earth, will grow strangely dim, in the light of His Glory and Grace.”

As we come to the final part of this Psalm, we are given beautiful imagery by King David. He, who has been persecuted and run out of town, turns to the Lord and asks Him to turn towards Him. For the Christian, there is nothing more exquisite than turning towards God only to realize that He has already turned towards you, in His mercy. In fact, the only reason that we can even turn towards Him and break free from the power of sin and death is, in fact, because He has already turned towards us!

David cries out to the Lord about his afflictions and sins. He cries about his enemies. And he asks the Lord of Mercy to do what He is best at doing… delivering. Christian, what do you need to ask the Lord to deliver you from??? What sin is still rearing it’s ugly head in your life? Give it to the Lord. You will not be ashamed when you place your trust in the Lord this year. You may be tested. You may experience what you feel are set-backs. You may not get your way… but you will not be ashamed when you place your faith in God.

I am looking back on this year realizing all of the “enemies” that Jesus has, in His power, mortified in my life. The chains He has broken from my wrists. The weight that He has lifted from my weary soul. HE DELIVERS. TRUST IN HIM. I pray that you feel this liberation that only comes from Jesus.

Unbeliever… if you are struggling to find hope in this world and none of the positive thinking is helping. None of the anti-depressants are helping. None of the alcohol is helping. None of the staying busy and achieving is helping. None of the climbing of the social ladder is helping. None of the gossip is helping. None of the false religions are helping. There is an answer… Jesus. Place your trust in Jesus. You will have to lay down your heart, your commitments to other authorities in your life, your pride, and your love of the world, but you will gain everything. Hope. Peace. Freedom. Love. Life. Every day without the Lord in your life is another day of perishing. Why perish? The Lord loves you. Come to Him. He is calling out to you. He died on the cross to demonstrate His love for you. He is here if you pray, “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Maybe 2026 will be the year that the Lord saves you. I pray it is so.

Now that 2025 is coming to a close and as I look back on what God has called us to and brought us through- and I am so grateful. To be known by the God of the Universe, upheld by His hands, brought through trials by His mercy, sustained by His faithfulness, and drawn into His presence… well THAT is a blessing. He has kept my soul and delivered me. I have not been made ashamed by the Enemy because of Him. He has redeemed me, my experiences, my tears, my pain, and given me His righteousness through the blood of Jesus. In every painful and confusing moment, God was before it, in it, and after it. And, never have I felt so close to God… weird… the “worst” year yet and I have never felt so blessed. THIS is how God works and it is why we can HOPE and TRUST in Him.

Christian, give praise to God for every trial. Give praise to God for every blessing. Give praise to God in the lion’s den, in the belly of the whale, and on the roaring sea. Give Him praise in every moment.

Our trials are future testimonies.
Our pain is redeemed as purpose.

To end this reflection please enjoy a new song by Elevation Worship that sums up so much of what I have been feeling lately… <3

If any of this message touched your heart you can subscribe for free. This is a ministry that I hope touches the lives of many people so that they can hear the Gospel. If you know someone who needs to hear the Gospel, please send it their way.

-Chase

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

I was recently scrolling through Substack, learning and experiencing the different functions of the platform. Since I am new to Substack and do not follow many people, my feed was infiltrated by random posts generated by whatever algorithm dominates this social media application. On it, a certain woman popped on to my feed. I do not remember her name, but my heart remembers her profile. She had a provocative “note” (I guess it’s called on here) about God and her distaste for Christianity- specifically the parts about judgement and wrath (more on those subjects in future posts). I clicked on her profile only to find, unsurprisingly, that she proudly claimed that she was “deconstructing since 2021.”

For those of you who do not know what that term (deconstructing) means… in short, it is a process where individuals who once held to orthodox Christian beliefs begin to leave The Faith as they find it to be “oppressive” or not aligned with their newly held worldview. Though I am sure that there are probably some conservatives who have deconstructed their faith, this movement is primarily a consequence of a liberal worldview and is typically started over issues concerning feminism, LGBTQ+, justice theories, etc. etc. 

For an INCREDIBLE reference on this topic... read "The Deconstruction of Christianity" by Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett. 

As I gazed more upon her page… my heart sank. Post after post her brokenness leapt off of the page and more and more I could feel my heart crack. I felt like I was watching a virtual meltdown. One post in particular struck me as especially desolate. She mentioned how she was going to buy a journal and IT would save/fix her. This was followed by another post where she posted a picture of that journal and confirmed that it was saving/fixing her. What a sad, sad reality.

Only Jesus can save.

Unfortunately, this woman has given up the ONLY thing that can truly make her whole… save her, and fix her… for a piece of leather and some paper bound together and made haphazardly in a factory in China. A blank book sold for $11.99 at Dollar General is her supposed saving-grace.

Is this not the experience of so many people though??? Is this not what we see when we all look around??? Broken people who desire so badly to be saved and who look in all the wrong places to find wholeness. People try desperately to fill the space in their souls that has been designed to only be filled by God with quite literally ANYTHING else. Liquor. Career. Friends. Pornography. Drugs. Social Media. Hobbies. Reputation. Gossip. Staying busy. Sex. Food. Good Works. You name it.

None of these will save you. Only Jesus can save. And, He WILL save. Let’s take another look at the Scripture.

Matthew 1:21 (NKJV)

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Many plain lessons can be taken from this Scripture alone, but many of them will not be covered in this post. I would encourage you to prayerfully meditate over it and allow God to continually grow your wisdom concerning His Word. For our purposes, we will focus on 4 major ideas

1: There is only ONE name that can save… it is JESUS.

2: He WILL save (it’s not that he just can save)

3: He will save HIS PEOPLE

4: He has come to save you FROM something

1: There is only ONE name that can save… it is JESUS.

First, there is only ONE name that can save… and it is Jesus. And how sweet His name is… how RICH His name is! God, the Son incarnate. The “Deus Homo” God-Man. The Anointed One. The Word made flesh. Our Wonderful Counselor. The Image of the Invisible God. The King of Kings. The Prince of Peace. The Head of the Church. Our Bridegroom. The Author of Creation. The Perfecter of Salvation. The Good Shepherd. The Lion of Judah. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The Resurrection and Life. The Firstborn over creation and the Firstborn from the dead. The True Light. The Way. Our Master. Our High Priest. Our Propitiation/Mercy Seat. Our Firm Foundation and Cornerstone. The Alpha and Omega. The “I AM.” The Bright Morning Star. The Triumphant King! The Heir of ALL things. The Bread of Life. Our SAVIOR!!!

What a NAME!

As the old hymn states… there’s just something about that name! If that name doesn’t roll off of your tongue with a sweetness that eclipses that of honey… then you haven’t the slightest idea of who He is. If this name bores you then you haven’t drank from His Cup that runneth over. If saying His name around others makes you feel weird or uncomfortable then it’s possible that you haven’t the Holy Ghost within you.

At the sound of His powerful name life-long chains break off of sinners hands and feet—- crushed under the undeniable weight of His mercy. At the sound of His name sinners fall to their knees with tears in their eyes feeling the weight of their sin bearing on their hearts… only to, in the next moment upon looking up at His cross, feel it all fall off forever. At the sound of His Authoritative name, the demons tremble and hiss because the radiance of Him is too much for Hell and Evil to comprehend. At the sound of His name Angels sing in eternal harmony “Holy Holy Holy.” Nothing is so sweet than the name that saves sinners from eternal damnation. When the Holy Ghost convicts the world of sin within one’s heart and they feel the full weight of both God’s Holiness and the impending Hell that awaits them without the saving Hand of God… NOTHING is sweeter than the heart hearing the name; Jesus.

Nothing else will save you. You cannot save yourself. No one else can save you. No activity can save you. No amount of money can save you. No gadget or technology can save you. No false religion can save you. No philosophy can save you. NOTHING. Only Jesus.

If you are reading this and you do not know His name… and I don’t mean recognize His name… I mean fall to your knees, tears in your eyes, living your life in obedience to, loving and desiring, sacrificing for, are hated on behalf of, are crazy about… HIS NAME… then you are hopelessly lost.

Come to Jesus. Throw yourself before His heavenly throne and cry out to Him “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!”

2: He WILL save (it’s not that he just can save)

Jesus does not just make it possible to save you through His blood, but He actually accomplishes what He set out to do. Scripture overwhelmingly tells us that Jesus came to save sinners, not just make it possible for sinners to be saved.

This is a doctrine of high importance for it allows us to ground our salvation in the work of Jesus upon the Cross. Growing up in churches that were strictly Arminian, I really struggled with the idea that Jesus actually saves us and not just makes it possible for us to be saved until we decide, in our high intelligence and stellar moral hearts, (I’m being facetious by the way) to choose Him. I have thought about this issue over and over again. I have spoken to my Pastor about it many times, going back and forth and asking so many questions. I have read the Systematicians and Theologians— but most importantly I have read the Scriptures, the Word of God… and Scripture’s testimony is that Jesus saves us. This is different than what is espoused by Arminians. While I believe strongly that our brothers and sisters in this camp are wrong, they are nevertheless our brothers and sisters and we are free to disagree. As Charles Spurgeon says:

“We say Christ so died that He infallibly secured the salvation of a multitude that no man can number, who through Christ’s death not only may be saved but are saved, must be saved, and cannot by any possibility run the hazard of being anything but saved. You are welcome to your atonement; you may keep it. We will never renounce ours for the sake of it.”

What does the Scripture above say…. “He WILL save His people from their sins” It does not say “He will make it possible for His people to be saved.”

Before the foundation of the world, The Father chose us IN HIM, in Jesus. He came on a rescue mission for His Sheep and His Church. Not all will be saved— only His Children.

3: He will save HIS PEOPLE

This is a point that our culture often makes mistakes about. Often. I have heard many times, in reference to human beings, that we are ALL “Children of God.” No where does Scripture espouse such a claim that every human is a “Child of God.” And actually, this is a damning thought to believe for those who have not been adopted by the Spirit of God— for they convince themselves that they are saved as they walk towards the gates of Hell, unknowingly. We do no favors to anyone by making them “feel good” and giving them a title that they are not entitled to. This is a misunderstanding of the “Imago Dei” mixed with the cultural lie of Universalism influenced by inclusion.

What DOES Scripture teach…

We are all made in the IMAGE of God. We are the “Imago Dei.” This is why we have inherent worth. We are created in the image of God- in His likeness. This is diametrically opposed to secularist who believe that we have value…. just because… they say we do? Until someone says we don’t… then I guess we don’t? I don’t know. Their position is so indefensible that it is hardly worth the time speaking about. Nevertheless, Scripture teaches us that we are made in the image of the Triune God, but we are not all “Children of God.” We have been estranged from our Father through the stain of sin on our hearts. This sin has created a chasm between the Holy God and us. We are His image, but estranged from His family… THIS is why we need God.

A child belongs to their Father— but not all humans belong to their Father. Actually… many people do not want to belong to their Father. They hate Him. They despise His Goodness. They hate His Church, His People, His Word, and His Name. They roll their eyes when they hear “Jesus.” They change the conversation as quickly as possible. They avoid Christians. They avoid church. They cannot bear to even hear His name. They commit sacrilege against the holidays. They replace Christ’s birth with a fat red man and Christ’s resurrection with a bunny. They have ripped Christ out of education. But, worst of all… they have rejected Him in their hearts. No, these people will not be saved because they are not adopted into the family of God. Christians, PRAY for them. As my Pastor always says… Pray with tears in your eyes over these people. Pray that the Holy Ghost will fill them and adopt them so that we may call them brothers and sisters in The Faith.

Jesus will save His people. His Church. His Children. His Elect. If you are reading this and you are wondering if you are a part of this… go search the Gospel Accounts and pray that God will save you. He is FULL of mercy and desires for you to be saved.

4: He has come to save you FROM something

This Scripture establishes that it is JESUS who saves. He ACTUALLY saves, not just makes it possible. He will save HIS PEOPLE. And finally, He will save His people from THEIR SINS.

Sin is the terrible darkness that rips us from the loving arms of our Creator. It is the ick that infects our soul and sows destruction in our lives. It is the cause of our broken image in God, our fallen “Imago Dei.” It is what prevents us from fully communing with our Heavenly Father. It is responsible for death itself. It is sickness. It is bleak. It is despairing. It is the vile rot that fills our minds. It is a weighty darkness that hangs over us, around us, and on our backs weakening our wills and inclining us towards evil. Sin is disgusting. It is foul. It is hideous. It causes us to feel embarrassment. Shame. Guilt. It manifests in addiction. It shows its face in everything good and spoils it in totality. Sin is serious. Though our society has been actively endorsing sin, promoting sin, encouraging sin, and laughing about sin, it is nothing to be joked about. Read Paul’s words.

Romans 6:23 (NKJV)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Christian, you have been saved from sin. You have been saved by the gift of life in Christ Jesus our Lord. You have been saved, rescued, as one who was drowning in the deep turbulent water of sin. You were saved FROM sin. Delivered. Given away to Grace and no longer a slave to the Will of Satan, but rather, you are now a slave to the Will of God. What a beautiful gift this is…

Some of you have been saved from gluttony. Some saved from gambling. Some of you have been addicted to pornography for longer than you can remember- but now, you are SAVED. Some of you spent your divine gift of your lives, drunk… and now, you live unto Christ. SAVED.

And what does this mean??? It means that God, in Jesus, has restored your true Imago Dei. He has called you and established you back into the family as an adopted Child of God. It means that your life has it’s priorities straight- your eyes are fixed again on Jesus. It means that your will is no longer bent towards iniquity, but towards unity with God. You no longer desire sin. You desire Holiness. You no longer despise His name, you can’t say it enough. You no longer are too busy to care about Jesus, but you wish for MORE time to worship Him. You are in relationship with LIFE itself… you have never felt more alive!!! You have never been more grateful. THIS is what it feels like to be saved. Saved from Sin… Saved FOR Him. All Glory to God for His Mercy and His Grace.

If you have no idea what I am talking about… or you think this is all crazy and way too much… I am most convinced that you are not in unity with the living God. I beg of you… call out to Him. Go read the Scriptures. Pray, fervently. Seek Him and His perfect Will. Your life depends on it. If your life is dictated by your patterns of sin… you are on the road to Hell and there is no more plain way to tell you this. Turn. Repent of your sins. Come and be saved… why would you die?

Matthew 1:21 (NKJV)

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Mary brought forth a Son with the sweet saving name of Jesus. He WILL save His people from their sins. Believe in the name of Jesus and you will never be the same. I have never been the same after putting my faith in Him and becoming obedient to Him, and neither will you. And, if you are a brother or sister, then thank God that He sent His Son and saved you from who you used to be. Take time and reflect on what God has done in your life, for your good, and for His glory.

Merry Christmas brothers and sisters. May Christ richly bless you and yours. Draw near to Him today, with a sincere and contrite heart, and experience the Good News that He brings.

Finally, please enjoy this wonderful hymn.

There's Just Something About That Name

-Chase