John 21:19

“Follow me.”

The resurrected Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him…and each time Peter told Jesus that he did. Each time…Jesus told Peter that if he loved Him he would feed and tend his sheep. Then Jesus simply said to Peter, “Follow me.” We sometimes get caught up in all kinds of religious rules and regulations…but when you get down to it…Jesus simply asks each of us to follow Him. We do this by following his example…surrendering our wants…and reaching out to the needs of others.

John 17:22-23

“And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.”

Jesus is attempting to put into words something that is beyond our ability to grasp. He wants us…ALL of us…including those we don’t like…including the people in every nation…to be ONE…as Jesus is ONE with God! Jesus wants all of us to be encompassed in Him…as ONE body. God loves you so much…that Jesus was willing to go through all that He went through…just to show you that love. How can we…show that same love to the world?

John 17:14

“I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.”

What “world” do you belong to? Do you live your life to achieve power, prestige and wealth…or do you aspire to be an instrument of God’s love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion? The first is the world’s method of living…the second…God’s method. Jesus told us that we would not satisfy the desires of our heart by the world’s standards. Dear God, help me to listen attentively to the words of Jesus.

Acts 20:24

I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the gospel of God’s grace.

What ministry did you receive from the Lord Jesus? If you don’t know…you will no doubt find clues by looking at your deep interests…passions…and talents. How will you use those…to spread the good news of God’s unconditional love, mercy and forgiveness? Take some time in silence to allow God to speak to your heart.

Psalm 47:2

All you peoples, clap your hands; shout to God with joyful cries. For the Lord, the Most High, inspires awe…

There is much to be grateful for…to be thankful for…to be in amazement over. God’s love is amazing. Take a moment to praise our Creator!

Acts 1:3

He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Jesus’ resurrection changed everything. It validated everything he was about…and that was bringing about the “kingdom of God.” The “kingdom” of which Jesus speaks is one where love, mercy, forgiveness and compassion are the keys to living…not power, prestige, wealth and domination. Moments after Jesus made the above statement, his followers asked if He was going to “restore the kingdom to Israel?” They still didn’t get it…and 2000 years later…the world still doesn’t. Are you living for the kingdom of God…or the kingdom of the world?

Acts 17:26-27

“…he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us.”

Sometimes God seems so far away. Other times, God’s presence fills us as we experience a joyful smile…a beautiful sunset…a selfless act of kindness or a loving hug. God is a mystery…way beyond the grasp of our minds. But the love of our Creator is such that God has placed in us an intense yearning and longing to know Him…to grope for Him. Could it be that God might be yearning to be with us as well…but that we are too busy…and aren’t resting in the peace and quiet of each moment…where God is waiting to embrace us? Take a few minutes of peace and rest today…to simply “be” in the presence of God.

Psalm 138:8

The Lord is with me to the end. Lord, your love endures forever.

When we realize how fragile life really is…how precious…how the material things eventually lose their luster and crumble…how even relationships change and sometimes wither…how wonderful it is to know that God never changes. God’s love is constant…deep…and eternal. Put your faith in that. How might we be instruments of such love?

Psalm 57:9-10

Awake, my soul; awake, lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn. I will praise you among the peoples, Lord; I will chant your praise among the nations.

For me these verses take on a literal meaning. It wasn’t until my soul was awakened…that I started writing and singing songs about my spiritual journey and praise to God. Is your soul awake? Are you listening to the gentle nudges of God in your heart? What unique gifts do you have to offer the world from your awakened soul? I once heard this piece of advice: Do not die with your music still inside you. What is your “music” that is meant to be shared with others?