​[Lord, teach me] (Read time ≈ 4 minutes)
Luke 11:1 (ESV)
1Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”
 
“Lord, teach us…” This is the posture we aught to have. Lord, teach me. We are so fast to do it. Go and do. Figure it out. Make a way. That we so quickly move forward without even once seeking the help of our Lord. Or we think we already have so much figured out. We think we know the way. We think our long time experience as a Christian will pull us through. Or we convince ourselves that if we just watch and observe all that is happening, we will pick up on the ways. The disciples had learned much from Christ and were continuing to learn from Him.
 
We can learn so much from such a simple phrase. “Lord, teach us.” We can try to go our way on our own. Or we can lean on Him. There is great revelation for you awaiting in the simple call to God in saying, “Lord, teach me.” This phrase speaks far more than three words. It is calling for instruction. But it also admits a need. It creates a vulnerability to Him. It is you, reaching beyond your natural understanding and asking for a supernatural impartation of His knowledge. We can watch and learn all we want. But when we say, “God, show me your ways!”, this is the way to personal revelation. As we desire to grow, we must ask our Lord how to grow. As we want to gain knowledge in the Word, we ask the Lord how. We want to love better, we ask Him. We want to understand, we ask Him. Are you continually in your life asking the Lord “how”? This week, ask Him how. How to apply this. How to learn that. How to understand. And just as He taught the disciples the pattern for prayer, He will teach you.
 
Lord, teach us your way for this day and this life.
Lord, teach us to desire Your understanding.
Lord, teach us to rely on you for all things.
Lord, teach us to be humble and seek Your guidance above all else.
Amen.
 

​Our Response to Pressure (Read time ≈ 4 minutes)
James 1:12
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
 
Life is full of pressure. Spiritual trials will have two effects on your life; make you or break you. Like many things in life, it is not about the circumstances you face, but HOW you faced them. You can be broken through “good times” just like bad times. The question is, do you have what it takes to endure the pressures of life. Pressure; it can burst pipes, or it can make diamonds. How will you respond to the pressures of life? Will you burst? Or will you be made into something good?
 
Proverbs 24:10 says, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.”. Are you feeling weak? Are you feeling like bursting? Are you feeling like “your strength is small”? Are you wondering, how can I “remain steadfast under trial”? How do I go from wanting to burst to becoming steady and firm like a diamond under pressure? The answer is found in your response to the pressures of life. Where do you turn for the strength to withstand? In your time of distress, call upon the Lord (Psalm 118:5)! And He will set you free! Free from the expectations of doing it on your own, free from the stress of it all, free from the unbearable pressure. And through that, He instills confidence in His ability to carry you through. You begin to believe, with God on your side, what can man do? You have no fear of the pressure (Psalm 118:6).
 
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him”. God does not only promise the reward for remaining steadfast, but He also promises the provision of strength to remain steadfast when we call upon His name and trust in Him. You cannot remain steadfast under trial if you attempt to remain steadfast under trial under your own strength. You are not strong enough on your own, and that's the point! We are strengthened when we admit our weakness and look to Him for strength (2 Corinthians 12:9) and our strength is found in the Lord. You cannot withstand the pressure of this life without the strength of the Lord within you. So, each day, we seek HIS strength, and we withstand the pressure and become a precocious jewel unto the Lord.
 
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​The Dynamic of a True Conversation (Read time ≈ 5 minutes)
Proverbs 18:2
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
 
A real conversation takes two to tango. While most people don’t generally enjoy being on the quiet end of a one-way conversation, the more verbally active side very rarely, if ever, benefits from the “conversation” (if you can call it that). Now, I’ll preface the rest of this to say, this is speaking about mutual conversation and of course does not fully apply to receiving council or advice from someone in headship or with good wisdom. Many times, in those scenarios, listening is your most crucial role.
 
So often, conversation can easily become one sided therefore, killing the real growth and understanding that can come from a mutual conversation that is full of real discussion, two viewpoints, a desire of mutual understanding and growth.  This thought has a wide application. Rather it be within a relationship of two people trying to sort out a conflict between each other or two people trying to understand challenging concepts within the Bible, within life, or anything in between. The dynamic of a true conversation is essential to the growth and understanding of both parties involved. Even in a situation where one party is more well versed or knowledgeable in the topic at hand, it does them well to listen and gain understanding of the other person to better understand the need of direction for the conversation.
 
The personalities of people involved play a big part in this. Some people are quiet and reserved and don’t generally assert themselves while others are louder and more outgoing and do not hesitate to speak up when thoughts or ideas come to mind. Neither one of these characteristics are a bad thing if that person understands their tendencies in conversation. Understanding yourself and how you operate, followed by understanding people around you and their tendencies in conversations will lead to more fruitful and beneficial conversations that result in growth for both people involved.
 
There is much to be gained from one another when we slow things down, allow our conversations to develop and most importantly, seek out intentional, real conversations about important topic that will bring mental, emotional, and most importantly, spiritual growth. If you tend to rule the conversation, slow down and ask questions and be sure to listen to the answer; seek out understanding. If you tend to be ruled over in the conversation, take your opportunity to step in and be heard but not for the sake of just being heard, but for the sake of understanding and growth. Sometimes, this means asking your talkative friend to slow down and listen (do it graciously, and I am sure they will allow it!). Ultimately, there is much we can learn from other people regardless of if we believe they are above us or below us intellectually; you may be surprised. Being quick to listen, you will even learn valuable lessons from a child, when you hear and seek to understand in all conversation.
 

​Where we belong (Read time ≈ 4 minutes)
Hebrews 11:10
For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
 
There are a lot of impressive skylines and architecture we could find in the world. Architecture that is highly acclaimed and broadly recognized but all the buildings and towers and such are designed and built by men. As impressive as they are, the best of the best are designed by men and their finite, limited minds. Go on a long drive and explore nature and you will find such a broad range of different scenic nature sites, incredible and unique plants, trees and flowers. Towering mountains, rolling hills, and remarkably flat lands. Rivers, lakes, oceans and more. You can find some combination of all of the previous mentioned filled with unique and creative wildlife. You will find complex ecosystems, creatures that can’t survive outside of it and elsewhere you will find creatures that can't exist inside of it who need their own ecosystems.
 
This verse says that Abraham “was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”. It’s amazing to consider this. The impressive and complex architecture that we have in this world will never compare to how impressive and complex God’s creation of nature is. But imagine, skyscraper built by God Himself? An entire city whose builder and designer is God! Consider the complexity and creativity that God put into this world and nature within it, is applied to structures and buildings within a city. It’s inspiring to say the least.
 
This city is our home, where we belong. This is our destination as believers. This is Heaven. That as we live on this earth, we are not looking for residency here, but rather we are just pilgrims passing through this land on our way to our real home. We don’t expect to stay here forever. We have something far greater to look forward to. Our homecoming into God’s City that He designed and built himself. A heavenly city that is lit by the glory of God (Revelation 21:23). This is my destination. This is my home. We are only here on this earth for a short time. Use that time to find your way to your true home, “the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”. Because He has prepared a place just for you (John 14:2-3), a place in this magnificent city that will be like nothing we could ever fathom here on Earth or in the depths of space. A place built by our Heavenly Father specifically for His sons and daughters to call home for all eternity. Make the most of your pilgrimage and be sure to make it Home.
 

​The helper and the helped (Read time ≈ 4 minutes)
Galatians 6:2
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
 
“Bear one another's burdens”. This can present challenges for us. Sometimes, the greatest challenge is getting someone to accept the help! Sometimes the greatest challenge is being the one who needs help. There are two elements to this equation. The helper, and the helped. Sometimes it can be hard to find good help; good relationships around us who we trust and can lean on. However, in the continuation of human error, often when we find a trustworthy relationship we still resist help. “Oh, brother, you need some help! I am there for you!” But when it is time to receive help, it’s another thing. “Oh, no worries, man, I can handle it! I appreciate the offer, I’m good though.” Meanwhile, no one, including yourself, is fooled; you can’t handle it.
 
It is our pride, and nothing else that holds us back from being helped. Is it that we fear humiliation? Pride. Is it that we crave privacy? Pride. Is it that we fear rejection? Pride. Is it that we feel the need to appear independent? Clearly, pride! The fact of the matter is that we cannot do this on our own. Of course, we need God! We need the infilling and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives! But also, God created us to need each other. Not only in fellowship, not only in communion of The Word, not only in partnering together to do the will of God; but we are designed to need each other and to need help from each other! The reality is, that God opposes pride (James 4:6) and one of the ways that he combats pride within us is by requiring us to require others. We take pride in bearing someone else's burdens. We shouldn’t, but we do. Because of this, God will be sure to cause us to require help with our burdens as well.
 
“Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ”. Here is the dynamic we may miss in this text. There are two roles to play in this. The helper, and the helped. If we resist help from a brother or sister in the faith, then we are resisting the effort and desire to obey Christ. Even more so, if we resist help from these, we are also not fulfilling the law of Christ. If you find yourself in a position to help, then by all means, help! And fulfill the law of Christ. It is without a doubt that we will all find ourselves in a position of needing help from others, and by all means, receive the help! Lay down your pride and lift up your hand to grab on to the helping hand extended out to you. The church helping the church, is one of the greatest miracles that takes place in the Body of Christ. Do not resist it... embrace it, “and so fulfill the law of Christ.”