What's a next step you need to take?

That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.

Joel 2:12 NLT

Our time here is not infinite. Eventually our lives will end. That is certainly a thought that is none too pleasant for us to think about. If you are like me, you may be thinking my life can't end yet, I have so much to do. 

When I lived end, then what? As much as I do not want to admit it, life for others will go on. Family and friends will miss you, but their lives will continue. This can be a harsh reality for us. It wasn't all that long ago that I considered myself invincible. I lived life as if it would not end anytime soon.

The reality is we have no idea when life will end. All those things still on your bucket list will be left undone. In the Scripture above the Lord speaks to us with urgency. In it, the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts." (

Joel 2:12 NLT)

"While there is still time." Good wants us to spend eternity with Him. He doesn't want you to miss out. If we do not turn to Him before we die, it will be too late. 

I have heard more than once people's reasons for not believing. "There Bible is just a bunch of fairy tales." "If God is so good, then why is there so much evil in the world?" "Why would God let people die like that?" These questions along with many others will always be asked. Then there are all the different theories that people come up with.

The thing is, God does love us. He does see us. We do matter to Him. We live in fallen world. Not one He created. The world God created was perfect. Then sin entered the world. So what did or loving Father in Heaven do? He sent His Son to die for our sons so we could be righteous in His eyes. So that when our time here on Earth was over we could spend eternity with Him.

If you already have a relationship with Jesus, I challenge you to visibly live out your faith, not because you can earn your way to heaven. No, live out your faith so that others can see the hope that you have. The love that is yours from the Father. 

If you do not have a relationship with Jesus, believe me when I tell you that it is the best decision you will ever make. If you want to know more, let me know because I want to spend eternity in Heaven not only with God, but I want to see you there too!

When does the reality of God’s presence encourage you?

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.

Psalms 46:1-2 NLT

I would have to say that God’s presence encourages me all the time, but especially when I do not expect it. A couple of weeks ago I have having a difficult morning. I turned on the radio as I was driving to church to do our service on Facebook Live and heard a song. That song was “Breathe” by Johnny Diaz. The verses talk about how we race from one thing to another, but it is the chorus that God used to bring me peace (full video at end):

Breathe, just breathe

Come and rest at My feet

And be, just be

Chaos calls but all you really need

Is to just breathe

© 2015 Centricity Music Publishing (ASCAP) / So Essential Tunes & Not Just Another Song (SESAC) / Wordspring Music, LLC & Tony Wood Songs (SESAC)

Even when life is chaotic beyond what we think we can deal with, God is there. He is there to bring us peace. He is there to bring us hope. And He will do it in ways you cannot even imagine. God brings encouragement in so many ways.

Today as Diane and I were relaxing with a cup of coffee and enjoying the breeze coming through the windows she heard a dog bark. Then she heard the birds singing. Their song was beautiful and comforting. God was serenading us with His creation. A little later Diane showed me a video on Facebook of people driving parade style in front of someone’s home. She remarked that this would not have happened before this horrible virus got us all quarantined at home. People are taking time for other people. People are loving on other people.

This is a reminder of how God is encouraging us through others. This is God showing us how to reimagine church. This is God showing us how to be the church. This is what God is calling Grace Street Church to do.

Consider joining us tomorrow morning as we talk more about this in our Easter Challenge Sermon series. Click the link on our website, www.GraceStreet.Church and listen live at 11 AM.

What’s the next right thing for you to do?

The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices.

Proverbs 21:3 NLT

In the Old Testament, offering ceremonial sacrifices to the Lord was our atonement for sin. It is how we tried to make ourselves right with God for the things that we had done wrong.  Now think of this like a parent. Parents would much rather have their kids behave and do the right things than to punish them. It is the same with God, He is more please when we do what is right, so we do not have to offer sacrifices. Yet I think that there is more to this. What is the sacrifice that is offered Him was done, not to make things right, but solely for appearances? Then the motive for the sacrifice is wrong and another it becomes yet another sin against the Lord.

We need to live our lives for God with a pure heart. Yes, this can require us to sacrifice. The thing we must remember is that this kind of sacrifice is much different that the ceremonial sacrifices of the Old Testament. Think of it this way. We sacrifice for others. When I was young my parents sacrificed for my brother and I in ways I would not understand until I was a parent myself. I remember my mother using the coffee grounds more than once to make coffee. At the time I had no idea how much coffee cost. Nor did I realize that my mother and father did things like this so that we could have other things such as food, clothing, and a roof over our heads.

God sacrifices His own Son, Jesus, for our sins because He knew we would never be able to offer enough ceremonial sacrifices or be good enough. He takes care of us just like my parents took care of my brother and I. We need to respect and honor that love. It is only as an adult that I wish I had been a better son when I was a child. I can only wish I would have respected and loved my parents more. Better. I try to do that now with my father. My mother passed away in 2015 and I would love to still be able to show her my love and respect. To honor my parents, both my earthly parents and my Heavenly Father, I am willing to sacrifice to do better, to do what is right, just, good, and moral. We can all do this by doing what is right in God’s eyes even if the world says that it is wrong. The world may judge me, but that judgement does not matter. When it is my time, God will judge me. It is my prayer that when that time comes that what He says to me is “Well done good and faithful servant.”

What's something about God that comforts you?

Isaiah 41:10 NLT: ¹⁰ Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

As I think about the question "What's something about God that comforts you?" I am taken back to when I was a child. What were the things that comforted me when I was little? I can honestly say when my parents would pick me. There was something about being wrapped up in their loving arms that was very comforting especially when I was upset.

Fast forward to today. I am no longer that little child that my parents could pick up and comfort. Today, a good hug is always good.

It is those same feelings of being picked up as a child or getting a hug today that remind me of the comfort that we get from God. Granted He does not physically pick us up or give us a hug, but He is able to comfort us in other ways.

One of the ways that God comforts us is by the relationships that He puts us in. The people He surrounds us with. Now this may be family, or friends, or that special person that God has placed in your life. For me, God has brought me an immense comfort through my wife. She has shown me what godly love truly is. I am not perfect, but my wife loves me unconditionally. The love that my wife has for me is just as Paul describes it in 1st Corinthians 13. Her love for me is patient and kind. She is not jealous, or boastful, or rude. She keeps no records of my wrongs. Her love for me never gives up, it never loses faith, and I always see the hope in her eyes through whatever circumstance were going through.

So, my answer to the question for today of "What's something about God that comforts me?", that would be His incredible love for me.

What's something that sticks out to you about fear?

Psalm 56:3 NLT: 3 But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.

What sticks out to me about fear is that it can be paralyzing. Fear can stop us from doing so many things in our lives. For some fear is simply walking out the door of their home. For others it can be flying or driving. And yet for others it is interacting with other people. There are just so many things that cause fear in our lives and that fear paralyzes us. 

When I was young, I was on a campout with my parents at a park in Central Iowa and the weather turned very quickly. Ultimately, I watched a tornado pick up a 5th wheel and slam it down on its top. Just to the south of where that happened was a pup tent and two bicycles. The bicycles remained up against tree and the pup tent stayed standing. Our fold down camper, which was just across the road from the 5th wheel, had a tent stake stuck in the roof, no other damage. Something that was easily fixed with some caulk. 

Now I could have become just deathly afraid of storms. But today I must be reminded by my wife to come inside or to stay away from the windows during storms. Those storms can be very scary, yet there is something that I find incredibly beautiful about them. We can do the same thing with any of our fears. If we give them over to God, then we can see the absolute beauty that only He can bring about from those fears. 

With the current pandemic, there is a lot of fear out there. But by looking at the world through God’s eyes I am seeing nature healing. I am seeing families spending more time together, some whether they like it or not. Families are eating dinner at the dinner table with each other. We are slowing down and in doing so we are able to look at all the beautiful things that we have around us. Please, do not get me wrong, this pandemic is horrible; people are dying, people are deathly ill, and people are in harm's way daily because they have to work in this environment. We have to remember that this is not something from God because we live in a fallen world there will be things like this pandemic. But in all things God brings blessing. Give your fears to Him and watch the beauty He brings.

What's a way you can demonstrate your love for God?

Deuteronomy 6:5 (NLT)
5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.

Jesus expanded on this in Matthew 22:35–40 (NLT)
35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

God wants us to share that same love we have for Him with everyone including ourselves. If we are not sharing God's love; if we are arguing, fighting, disrespecting, etc with others we are not living out our faith. We are not sharing the hope that we have. We are not obeying or honoring God.

Take every opportunity to share God's love in any and every way possible.