Get Up With God
highly caffeinated bible doses to help start your day off right

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
(Matthew 3:2, 4:17)

John the Baptist started his ministry with the above words. So did Jesus. In my book, that means we should probably pay attention.

What exactly does “repent” mean? Basically, it’s turning away from our sins and back toward God.

Here’s how it works in my life. God gives me pretty clear directions on where He’d like me to go. But sometimes when His way gets a bit narrow or rough I toss His directions aside and take a detour.

Usually, the road starts off nice and wide and inviting. So, I step on the gas. God posts warning signs approximately every fifteen feet, but I ignore ‘em. Red lights start flashing all over the dashboard and the car starts wheezing and shaking and smoking, but that just makes me stomp on the gas harder.

Suddenly, I realize that what once looked like a fabulous destination is actually the edge of a steep cliff. But just as I’m about to plunge into the abyss, God jams my foot onto the brake and we skid to a stop.

He then asks one simple question: “Ready to turn around?”

I take one last look into the pit, gulp and say “yes.” He places His hands next to mine on the steering wheel and together we execute a perfect U-turn and head back toward His narrow path.

Unfortunately, I find that I have to repeat that little lesson waaaaaay too often. But each time I learn that if I truly confess and turn away from my sins, God’s always there to forgive me and steer me back in the right direction.

Are you following God’s road map for your life? If not, repent NOW. Confess your sins, turn around and head back down God’s narrow path. His Kingdom’s a whole lot better than any other destination.

REPENT!

I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
(John 10:10)

I shared this last year, but I feel compelled to share it again. Chokes me up every time.

The following essay was written by a twelve-year-old girl named Brooke Bronkowski. Read every word.

SINCE I HAVE MY LIFE BEFORE ME

I’ll live my life to the fullest. I’ll be happy. I’ll brighten up. I will be more joyful than I have ever been. I will be kind to others. I will loosen up. I will tell others about Christ. I will go on adventures and change the world. I will be bold and not change who I really am. I will have no troubles but instead help others with their troubles.

You see, I’ll be one of those people who live to be history makers at a young age. Oh, I’ll have moments, good and bad, but I’ll wipe away the bad and only remember the good. In fact that’s all I remember, just good moments, nothing in between, just living my life to the fullest. I’ll be one of those people who go somewhere with a mission, an awesome plan, a world-changing plan, and nothing will hold me back. I’ll set an example for others, I will pray for direction.

I have my life before me. I will give others the joy I have and God will give me more joy. I will do everything God tells me to do. I will follow the footsteps of God. I will do my best!!!

Brooke didn’t just write those words — she lived them. She started a Bible study with her friends from school and spent all her babysitting money on Bibles to give away to others.

Two years later, when she was just a freshman in high school, Brooke was killed in a car accident while driving to the movies. But that’s not the end of the story. Far from it. In the words of her pastor, Francis Chan, in his book Crazy Love:

Nearly fifteen hundred people attended Brooke’s memorial service. People from her public high school read poems she had written about her love for God. Everyone spoke of her example and her joy.

I shared the gospel and invited those who wanted to know Jesus to come up and give their lives to him. There must have been at least two hundred students on their knees at the front of the church praying for salvation. Ushers gave a Bible to each of them. They were Bibles that Brooke had kept in her garage, hoping to give out to all her unsaved friends.

In one day, Brooke led more people to the Lord than most ever will.

Life is precious. Don’t waste a second.

LIVE YOUR LIFE FOR GOD

Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends.
(John 15:13)

 

The above painting has quite the story behind it . . .

In the 1490s, two struggling art students, Albrecht Dürer and Franz Knigstein, were having trouble making ends meet. Albrecht came up with a plan: he would work to support Franz’s studies and then when Franz had sold enough art to support both of them, Albrecht would quit working and go back to school. Franz liked the idea but insisted on being the first to work.

Albrecht became a highly skilled painter and engraver. When his art began to generate sufficient income to support the two of them, he returned to keep his part of the bargain. However, he was saddened to discover that Franz’s labors had left his hands too stiff and gnarled to hold a brush. Franz’s career as an artist was over before it had started.

Franz refused to be bitter. One day, Albrecht returned home to find him kneeling by his bed, his hands uplifted in prayer, asking God for continued blessings on Albrecht’s artistic endeavors. Deeply struck by his friend’s unselfish acts of love, Albrecht sat down and sketched what would become by far his most famous work — the “Praying Hands.”

This is how we know what love is:
Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
And we ought to do the same for our brothers.
(1 John 3:16)

Your way, not mine, O Lord
However dark it be
Lead me by your own hand
Set out the path for me

Whether smooth or rough
It will still be the best
Winding or straight it leads
Onward to your rest

Choose for me my friends
My sickness or my health
Choose my cares for me
My poverty or wealth

Not mine, not mine the choice
In things great or small
Be my guide, my strength
My wisdom and my all

(Adapted from a hymn by Horatio Bonar)

Q: Pound for pound, what’s the most powerful muscle in the human body?

A: The tongue.

I once lost a Trivial Pursuit game because of that question. I even researched it afterward to make sure I hadn’t been cheated out of a win. I found it on Wikipedia (so it must be true).

But I was surprised by something else my Google search revealed. It seems there are zillions of Bible verses warning about the mighty power of that seemingly innocuous pink flap of flesh. Here’s just a sampling:

• “The tongue has the power of life and death.” (Proverbs 18:21)
• “But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:8)
• “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.” (Proverbs 10:19)
• “[T]he tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (James 3:5-6)

What did Jesus say about the tongue? “I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)

Yikes. So, what should we do?

Clean Up Our Hearts. Jesus preceded his warning above with these words: “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) We need to let God into our hearts so that He can clean out all the filth and muck we’ve stored up there.

Be Slow to Speak. As my Nana always says: “God gave you two ears and one mouth — use them accordingly.” Or as James says: “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19)

When You Speak, Speak Good. The Holy Spirit appeared as “tongues of fire” when He first came to earth. God wants us to use our tongues to light up the world for good:

• “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.” (Proverbs 10:11)
• “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb; sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” (Proverbs 16:24)
• “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” (Proverbs 12:25)
• “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life . . . a man finds joy in giving an apt reply — and how good is a timely word!” (Proverbs 15:4, 23)

Our words can change the world. Let God fill your heart so that you can speak words of wisdom, love and encouragement to those around you. The world needs it.

USE YOUR TONGUE FOR GOOD

I did a Google search to see exactly what the world thinks of Christians. I typed in “Christians are . . .” and read the first few results. It wasn’t pretty.

That got me thinking. What if I searched the Bible instead to see how God describes Christians? Below is just a partial list. Kinda mind-blowing, actually.

CHRISTIANS ARE . . .

ONE
FREE
SAVED
CHOSEN
ACCEPTED
FORGIVEN
VICTORIOUS
BORN AGAIN
FISHERS OF MEN
NEW CREATIONS
BODY OF CHRIST
POWERED BY GOD
CHILDREN OF GOD
ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
SALT OF THE EARTH
LIGHT OF THE WORLD
CITIZENS OF HEAVEN
CHILDREN OF PROMISE
CLOTHED WITH CHRIST
BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST
GOOD SOLDIERS OF CHRIST
TEMPLES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
MINISTERS OF RECONCILIATION
SERVANTS OF THE MOST HIGH GOD

THAT’S WHO WE ARE. LET’S LIVE LIKE IT TODAY!

We’re counting down the top ten Bible verses of all time, based on an exhaustive study conducted by research scientists with very large brains (and apparently a lot of time on their hands) who determined how often each verse has appeared in print.

Drum roll, please. Here’s the absolute #1 most popular Bible verse in the history of the world. You learned it in Sunday School. You’ve seen it on banners at sporting events. Maybe you’ve even got it tattooed on your biceps.

But don’t let familiarity rob it of its power and truth. Pray through every single precious word right now with all your heart and thank God for his mind-blowing love.

For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him
shall not perish
but have eternal life.
(John 3:16)

BELIEVE!

We’re counting down the top ten Bible verses of all time, according to research scientists with very large brains who determined how often each verse has appeared in print.

Here’s VERSE #2 . . .

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
(John 1:1)

Many of God’s biggest mysteries are packed into this beautiful little verse. Let’s try and unpack ‘em a bit.

What — or who — is “the Word”? “The Word” is a translation of the Greek term logos. It had big-time meaning for both Jews and non-Jews.

To Jews, the Word signified a personal, divine communication from God to his people. To non-Jews, the Word was the impersonal “divine reason” that ruled the universe. John chose a term he knew would resonate with both audiences.

John used it here to refer to God’s ultimate living word: Jesus.

What does the rest of the verse mean? A very smart Bible scholar named Merrill Tenney says it speaks of Jesus’ preexistence, distinctiveness and deity. In other words, Jesus (1) was there in the beginning, (2) is a separate and distinct person from the Father and yet (3) is fully God himself.

LISTEN TO THE WORD

We’re counting down the top ten Bible verses of all time, based on an exhaustive study conducted by research scientists with very large brains (and apparently a lot of time on their hands) who determined how often each verse has appeared in print.

Here’s VERSE #3,  straight from the mouth of Jesus . . .

I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
(John 14:6)

Read the first line again. Notice that Jesus doesn’t say that he’s “a way” or “one way.” He is THE way and THE truth and THE life.

Read the second line again. There are no exceptions. NO ONE comes to the Father except through Jesus.

People often try to soften the starkness of Jesus’ words or to complicate the simplicity of his message. He made it 100% clear who he is: God’s only son and our only hope.

FOLLOW JESUS: HE’S THE ONLY WAY

We’re counting down the top ten Bible verses of all time, based on an exhaustive study conducted by research scientists with very large brains (and apparently a lot of time on their hands) who determined how often each verse has appeared in print.

Here’s VERSE #4 . . .

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
(Matthew 28:19-20a)

Those were among Jesus’ last words here on earth. That’s what the “therefore” is there for — it sums up nicely Jesus’ game plan for his followers. That plan?

MAKE DISCIPLES

I have to confess something right now: I’m a guy.

I don’t know about you, but most guys I know don’t get real real easily. I’ve been with lots of guys in lots of Bible studies over the years and, unfortunately, lots of our discussions go something like this:

Leader: How are you guys doing?

All: Great.

Bob: How ’bout them Packers?

All: Yeah.

Dave: Boy, it sure is cold today.

All: Yeah.

Fred: Pass the donuts.

All: Yeah.

Sometimes, it’s not until you meet one-on-one with a person that things start to open up a little. Have lunch with some apparently happy someone in your life and you may be shocked to discover that — just like you — they struggle with sin. People I thought I knew well have suddenly revealed that they face addictions, depression, anxiety, fear, loneliness, doubt, temptation, ethical dilemmas, marital strife – things they never disclosed during group get-togethers.

Heed Jesus’ call to action. Get off the couch and get in the game. Get real with the people in your life. Invite ‘em to breakfast. Treat ‘em to lunch. Listen to their stories. And then tell ‘em yours. Start making disciples today. And remember that you’re never alone in this endeavor.

Here’s how Jesus concluded his above remarks:

And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age.
(Matthew 28:20b)