I am a believer and this morning, I am reminded as to what that means.

“⁸For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ⁹I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. ¹⁷Sancity them in the truth; your word is truth.” – John 17:8-9 & 17 (ESV)

Thank you Jesus for giving to me and accepting me and praying for me.

I have not been in this world long, but Jesus spoke to God on my behalf even before he was crucified. He prayed for my salvation. He prayed that I be spared. He prayed that I would be sanctified. He prayed for me as His brother. JESUS PRAYED FOR ME!!!

Thankfully I have heard the truth and believed. I was given an opportunity to listen to the Word of God and I still am able to study today. I have embraced the idea of understanding the Word of God and working to live out the plan He has for me, even though I do not have a full picture of that plan.

In verse 9 above Jesus was not praying for the world, he was praying for those in the world that have believed in the truth and follow the teachings of God. Jesus was praying for ALL those that believe in the truth. As I have believed in the truth, I have been accepted as joint heir with Jesus.

And even at the end of this prayer to God, Jesus continued to pray for me.

“²⁶I made known to them in your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them.” – John 17:26 (ESV)

Jesus prays for me even today that I believe in the truth and continue to believe in Him.

Have you heard the Word of God? Have you believed in the truth that is God? Are you able to be with Jesus through your belief in the truth?

I think of vacations and other trips or experiences where we have just gone and expected to be amazed, only to realize that we missed out. We would have had such a more robust and full experience had we been with a guide to point out and direct our attention to some of the more intricate items along our journey.

“¹³When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” – John 16:13 (ESV)

Jesus is speaking with the disciples here and laying out what it will look like once He ascends into heaven. Jesus makes it clear that they will not be left on their own to wander around and hope to keep things moving. They will have a guide, the Holy Spirit, to provide the path to accomplishing all that Jesus had for them to take on. They would be led to the right area, meet the right people, speak in the right audiences, witness to the right groups. The disciples would have a guide to direct their attention to some of the more intricate items along their journey.

And for me, the Holy Spirit is still here guiding me as well. I can certainly use the guidance along my path as I am so easily distracted by the shiny things in life and need some help getting back on the path God has for me. The Holy Spirit is here with me to allow me to take a few detours and experience on my own, but also to provide the needed direction so that I will find my way back to the path so that I can complete the journey. The Holy Spirit guides me to the true direction I am to be headed.

How do I know that the direction I am headed is the truth?

“⁶Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6 (ESV)

Not much clearer than that. The Holy Spirit is of Jesus and comes at His calling. As such the path we are guided on by the Spirit is the path of truth.

“¹⁴He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” – John 16:14-15 (ESV)

Jesus is the truth and the Spirit comes from Jesus and therefore the Spirit is truth and provides that truth to me each day.

Are you looking for the truth? Were you aware that the Holy Spirit is truth and is guiding you to that truth? Are you willing to follow the guidance to truth provided by the Spirit?

“¹⁹If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” – John 15:19 (ESV)

What a revelation for me to have received. I am hated in the world because I am now not of this world any longer. I have been chosen and adopted by God and am heir to all from God, the world no longer claims me and hates my very existence.

This should not be a surprise. The world likes what follows their line of thinking. When I go against the desires of the world, I am then considered the enemy. And as I am in the light, the world can see me and feels the need to push back and fight against that which is not like them.

I am to live my life according to the truth I receive from the Holy Spirit which is provided to me by the Father and the Son.

“²⁶But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. ²⁷And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” – John 15:26-27 (ESV)

Jesus is making it clear that I am not alone. I may be physically facing the world by myself, but I am not alone and the Holy Spirit if fact is working silently with me on behalf of the Father and the Son. And as the Spirit works silently, I am working physically to bring the truth to the world, with the protection and assistance of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

“⁹Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. ¹⁰Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. ¹¹But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” – 1 John 2:9-11 (ESV)

It is the truth that lights the world and that light is the enemy of darkness and will prevail.

Are you in the light or in the darkness? Will you stand in the light for Jesus? Are you able to be the truth, even knowing that you will be hated?

“¹³Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ – ¹⁴yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” – James 4:13-14 (ESV)

I do not know if tomorrow will even make it. I should not really look for what tomorrow holds. I should prepare for tomorrow, and spend my time doing the work of today.

Yesterday, Lori was so excited about completing her list of tasks for the week as she had some time for it whereas over the past few weeks, time has been in short supply. We had a good discussion about task lists and that it might be a good process to come up with a “today” list and a “this week” list. The “today” list would be for those items that MUST get done today, and the “this week” is for those items that are not overly critical, and as long as complete by the end of the week the target has been complete.

When I look at verses 13 and 14 above, I see those 2 lists. Today is for those critical must do items and our focus should be there as we do the work of God. Tomorrow is for those items that if not specifically done, really will not impact immediately the work we are doing for God.

I have to remember to turn my attention to the today and work the list of to do items God has for me to complete. Once I have completed that list, I can begin to prepare the list for tomorrow and work on those items that were not as critical for completion today.

We are distracted by many things and those distractions are usually items that are not as critical as they appear to be. What might be urgent for one person may not be as urgent or even as important for me. I have my own tasks to complete and have to avoid being dragged into things that take me away from those tasks.

I want to be careful in that I am not saying we are to help and serve others. What I am saying is that I have to be careful to put the tasks God has given me for today on hold. While I am working on the preparations for upcoming, I should absolutely step in and provide for those around me. I need to look at the item presented and use the wisdom and guidance and discernment provided by God to take the appropriate action in completing the work God has given to me.

I can prepare for tomorrow, and I need to work for today. As is written in verse 14 above, “you do not know what tomorrow will bring”. I have to work for today, doing the work of God today and allow tomorrow to take care of itself.

How much effort are you putting into the planning for and looking to the tomorrow? What about your work on today? Are you preparing for tomorrow, yet working on today?

Lori and I recently were informed that a home where we once lived was for sale and so we went on line to take a look at how things had changed. I almost did not recognize the place even looking at it from the street, and we lived there for seven years. The tree in the front yard is fully mature. The shrubs were grown and manicured. And when you looked at the pictures of the inside, well there seemed to be a complete transformation.

I know that I have remained basically the same over the years. I still approach things the same way, but as I have grown in my faith, adult life, and career, there are some noticeable differences. I spend time studying God’s Word each day. I have made it a priority to continue to learn and grow my knowledge and capability. I have become more assertive.

Things change, and whereas I have grown and changed in an effort to be more like Christ, He has not changed.

“⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8 (ESV)

What a wonderful thing that I can look to the unchanging guide for my journey. I do not have to worry if I will recognize things when I look for them. I do not have to be concerned with what version of Jesus I will come in contact this time. My focus can remain in the growth and learning phase and understanding, not deciphering the mood or temperament of my Lord and Savior.

Jesus wants only the best for me and the way He demonstrates that is through His consistent, genuine, steadfast love each day. And today is no different. Wherever I am, whatever my need, Jesus loves me just the same as he did 5 minutes ago, 5 days ago, 5 years ago, 5 minutes from now, 5 days from now, or 5 years from now. “Jesus is the same”.

For you, do you find yourself looking for guidance from something or someone that has/will change? Are you aware of the consistent, genuine, steadfast love that Jesus has for you each day? Jesus is the same today, will you look to Him for guidance?

I have to remember to take advantage of today.

“¹²Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. ¹³But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” – Hebrews 3:12-13 (ESV)

I have seen on a number of occasions in places of business the offering of “free” something “tomorrow”. And at first I bought into the phrase and got excited about the prospect of something free, all I had to do was be back tomorrow. And then it hit me that tomorrow never gets here and I would simply toil in perpetuity as I tried to get to tomorrow.

The writer of Hebrews explains that it is the duty of the Christian to care for and lift up fellow Christians today. I cannot wait until tomorrow or later, it is my responsibility today. And the writer takes it even further by saying “every day, as long as it is called ‘today’”, reminding that I have a responsibility every day, not just on the days when I “feel” like it.

When learning or preparing for something, there is a great amount of work that goes into getting ready. Once you have arrived, you can relax for a moment, but then it is back to work so that you can stay there and maintain. You may have heard it said, “getting to the top is the easy part, staying there takes work”. Becoming a Christian is the easy part, all you have to do is accept with your heart the gift of salvation that Jesus freely gives. But, that is just the beginning, as we grow in our faith there is more work to do and that work is done every day. Not Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but every day and every day begins and is focused on today.

I sit here each day and study God’s Word and work to apply His Word to my daily life. Am I fully seizing the day for Christ or am I simply going through the motions? Is every day today for me?

What about you, are you looking to do God’s will each and every day? Are you looking to continue growing your faith each day? Is every day today for you?

I am sure that the song and/or phrase, “This is the day” is one that most of us have heard before. Well this morning I read the passage in Luke 23 titled, “The Crucifixion”. This is Luke’s account of the crucifixion of Jesus. Reading this passage is not really much new. I have read before and know the story, but verses 39-43 were of specific attention this morning.

The verses describe the salvation acceptance of the one criminal crucified next to Jesus. This man was being put to death and found this opportunity to accept Christ as his personal savior through his faith.

“⁴²And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ ⁴³And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’” – Luke 23:42-43 (ESV)

See the ask from the criminal. He took the opportunity to ask and Jesus gave freely to him.

I teach sales and customer service on a very regular occasion and one of the concepts is that of asking. I teach that if you do not ask, you have no opportunity to get. There is a quote by an athlete, (some attribute to Wayne Gretzky and others to Michael Jordan) that you miss 100% of the shots you do not take. This criminal took his shot and asked Christ for salvation.

Jesus GAVE that salvation to the man as he had demonstrated true faith. The man knew that he was a criminal and did not ask to be saved from the death that he was about to experience. He only asked for Jesus to save his soul.

This criminal asked for salvation as he was dying and Jesus freely gave it to him. “This is the day” that was meant for the man to be saved. It was not too late for him and what a testament for me and you. It is not too late for each of us. We still have time, but just as with the criminal that day, our time is running out.

Are you running out of time? Are you willing to ask for the salvation that is freely given by God? Will today be the day?

“⁷I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’” – Psalm 2:7 (ESV)

I admit that reading this verse and passage was a bit confusing until I took the time to study and be reminded by the commentary. “You are my Son” was spoken by God, to the people.

Remembering that the Psalms are “songs and prayers offered to God by the nation of Israel” (The Psalms Introduction, ESV), helps to put things in perspective. When the verse says, “The Lord said to me”, the “me” is the people and not really any one person. As noted above, “You” is referring to the people and therefore the one spoken to would be the people as well.

Begotten: “brought into existence by or as if by a parent” – Merriam-Webster Online

See the definition above of the word “begotten”. As of God I have been “brought into existence” as a son of God. I have been made heir as a child of God. And all of this happened as of “today”, when I accepted Christ as my Savior.

Only God can make me His and with my acceptance of the gift of salvation He has granted me kinship as His child. Today I am a son of God.

Are you able to say that you are a son of God? Will you look deeper into what that means? Will you accept the gift of salvation and become a son of God today?

“¹⁴Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. ¹⁵And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, ¹⁶as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. ¹⁷You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. ¹⁸But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” – 2 Peter 3:14-18 (ESV)

I know that is a pretty long passage this morning. As I complete my study of the word “understand”, these verses is where I was brought. The specific verse was 16, although after reading through the entire passage I wanted to be sure and capture it all.

I believe, as you notice in my writing, in the idea of understanding and knowledge as opposed to information and repeating. I also believe in the spirit of the words and caution to live by the exact phrasing. In order to “understand” there is more to simply reading the words.

As I review the entire passage, I see the word “diligent” in verse 14 and “grow” in verse 18. Those words indicate more study is necessary as opposed to just glancing over. I take it all in from the beginning to the end and work to make sense of the passage and how it coincides with what I am reading.

Verse 17 is the verse that really brings things home for me and my approach to learning and growing. I know that things are going to be hard to understand and with that in mind, it is my duty to spend more time with them and be patient with my learning. I have to be “diligent” in gathering information and “grow” in that knowledge so that I may “understand” and gain perspective and wisdom in that subject.

As it comes to God’s Word, I have duty to dive in and grow diligently in my understanding and use that knowledge to avoid the pitfalls that come with cursory information. I will be taking what I know and applying that to the path I have been directed to take from God.

Are you looking to diligently grow in understanding? What is your approach with information that you receive? Will you use that understanding in your daily walk with God?

The title of the passage I read this morning is “By Faith” in my ESV Bible. And why not, that phrase is state 18 times to start a verse. My study for the past 2 weeks has been on the word understand and verse 3 is where I was led this morning.

“³By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” – Hebrews 11:3 (ESV)

I believe, as I have stated a number of times, that understanding should be a focus during interactions. Sometimes that understanding is not of logic but of something else. I believe that God created the heavens and earth. And I believe that He did so by speaking them into existence. Now, can science deduce the reactions and the physical way that all of it happened, yes, to a degree. I believe that God spoke and things happened.

Is this logical, no, not from an earthly sense. But when God is involved the earthly sense is not what matters. I am only here for a short while to take care of some business for God and therefore my final destination is heaven as I will leave this earth behind. When I look at heaven, I believe, “by faith” that I have a place and that it is beautiful and everything is wonderful and great.

There are those in the world that will argue the science of things and that we have no “proof” of heaven and how can one believe and understand without that “proof”. To that I say, the Word of God is all the “proof” I need.

I believe through study and that study leads to understanding and that understanding confirms my faith and therefore by faith I understand.

Are you able to understand? Will you study to believe and allow that belief to confirm your faith? Will you understand by your faith?