How Close Are You to Jesus?

by Catherine McDaugale | Sep 18, 2023 | Christian Living, Spiritual Growth

Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. (John 13:23 (NKJV))

How close are you to Jesus? Are you walking right beside Him?

When I was thinking about it the other day, I remembered a family I had seen walking to the park on a sunny afternoon. The parents walked steadily down the path. Yet, their kids either lagged behind, darted ahead, or ran all around them. At times, the kids were on the path. But other times, they were out in the field, pushing the boundaries of how far they were allowed to go.

It was apparent that each child was focused on his own agenda. Most of the time, they didn’t walk closely with their parents. And the farther away they got, the louder their parents had to shout so their kids could hear them.

Our walk with Jesus can be like that. We don’t always walk closely with Him. As God’s children, we can be like the kids in that family. Sometimes we get way out ahead of Jesus, slow way down, or go off the straight and narrow path, doing our own thing. The farther we get from Him, the harder it is to hear what He’s saying.

And God doesn’t shout at us. Instead, He usually speaks to us like He spoke to Elijah.

When Elijah ran away and hid in a cave, God told him,

“Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. (1 Kings 11–12 (NKJV))

God didn’t shout at Elijah. Instead, He whispered to him.

And God speaks to us in the same way. He often speaks to us in a still small voice. So, if we’re not close to Him, we won’t hear what He wants to tell us. If we don’t draw near to Him and pay attention, we won’t be able to hear Him whisper.

But if we’re like John, so close that we could rest our head on Jesus’ chest (John 13:23), or like Mary, sitting at Jesus’ feet (Luke 10:39), we’ll be able to hear Jesus whisper to us. We’ll be able to hear everything He says.

If you want to be close to God, He’s given us a beautiful promise. When we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). God lets you choose whether you want to be close to Him.

So, how close are you to Jesus? Are you close enough to hear Him whisper to you? If you’re not, take God up on His promise. Draw near to Him.

Spend time in His Word, the Bible, finding out what He wants you to learn.
Put on a worship song and praise Him.
Talk to Him all throughout your day.
Meditate on His power and might.
Keep your thoughts focused on Him.

Then, stay close to Jesus and listen for His voice as you walk by faith with Him.

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Relationship Then Works

by Catherine McDaugale | Sep 4, 2023 | Christian Living, Ministry

But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him [Jesus] and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” (Luke 10:40 (NKJV))

On the one hand, it’s easy to judge Martha. We can look on from afar – knowing Jesus’ admonition that Mary had chosen best by sitting at His feet and hearing His word (Luke 10:39, 41–42) – and quickly condemn Martha for not doing the same thing.

But on the other hand, could you imagine if Jesus was at your house for dinner? Wouldn’t you want everything to be perfect? You’d likely get out the pretty place settings and cook a delicious meal. You’d want all the finest for Jesus. Not to mention vacuuming, ensuring that the bathroom was clean, and picking up the toys that had been strewn all over the floor.

It’s important to remember that serving isn’t bad. And it wasn’t bad for Martha to want Mary to help her. Martha’s desire for Mary’s assistance – in and of itself – wasn’t wrong. Maybe Martha thought that, with Mary’s help, she’d be able to finish all that needed to be done so she too could sit with Jesus.

But the order Martha did things was wrong. When we’re serving Jesus, the order is always relationship first and then serving.

Without relationship, our works are meaningless from an eternal perspective. Jesus told us, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4 (NKJV)). Jesus taught us that we need to abide in Him because, without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

God has planned days for us (Psalm 139:16) and prepared good works for us to walk in (Ephesians 2:10). But we cannot know

what He has for us,
how He wants us to do the work, or
have the strength to do that work in His way

without abiding in Jesus. We need to start by spending time with our Lord and Savior, at His feet, hearing His word.

We can do a lot of things for Jesus in our own way and in our own strength. But those things won’t have any eternal value.

We see evidence that Martha was doing it in the wrong order. We know that she was serving in her own strength because she was complaining. She told Jesus, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?” (Luke 10:40 (NKJV)). In other words, “It’s not fair. I’m doing all the work!”

We also see that this happened with the church in Ephesus. They were doing a lot of works. But they were doing those works in their own way and in their own strength. It had become all works and no relationship. And Jesus’ response? He said, “I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4 (NKJV)). Ouch!

But Jesus gave them the remedy. He told them, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works” (Revelation 2:5 (NKJV)). He wanted them to remember the most important thing – their relationship with Him; turn back to Him; and do those things they did when they first came to know Him.

Remember when you first came to Jesus? You wanted to spend time with Him. You desired to be close to Him. And you were overjoyed at the opportunity to be in His presence and learn about whatever He wanted to show you.

So, let’s stay close to Jesus. Let’s keep the order straight in our lives: relationship then works. Spend time sitting at the feet of Jesus, hearing His word. Praise Him for who He is. Be present with Jesus and look to Him for direction as you walk by faith with Him.

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What Is Faith?

by Catherine McDaugale | Aug 21, 2023 | Bible Study, Christian Living, Spiritual Growth

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV))

What is faith? In our society, many use the words faith and believe interchangeably. If you believe in something then you have faith in it.

Although the word faith in Hebrews 11:1 can be translated as believe or belief, the way the word is used in that verse has more depth. In that verse, it tells us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) (emphasis added)).

So, faith has substance. It’s tangible. It’s something you can see. It’s not blind. And it’s not elusive.

I heard an illustration about faith that really made sense to me. And I want to share it with you.

In the 1800s, there was a man who decided to cross over Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Niagara Falls spans from New York to Canada. The tightrope he used was over 1,000 feet long, stretched between the two countries. And the man didn’t have a safety net underneath it.

Thousands of people gathered to watch the man. And on that first attempt, he successfully crossed over the waterfalls on the tightrope while holding a balancing pole.

Over the following years, the man returned to walk that tightrope multiple times. At different times, he crossed it with a sack over his body, depriving him of sight; carrying a table and chair, stopping in the middle to sit down and prop up his legs; somersaulting and doing backflips; walking backward to Canada and returning to the United States pushing a wheelbarrow; and carrying a man on his back.

Now, you could stand in the audience and say, “Yes, I believe that he can do it. I have faith that he’ll make it to the other side without falling.”

But the faith here in Hebrews 11:1 is if you volunteered to get in the wheelbarrow that he was pushing. Or if you agreed to let him carry you on his back as he crossed. By volunteering, your faith has substance. It’s evidence that you believe the man will safely push you in the wheelbarrow or carry you to the other side.

And our faith in God – to be true faith – should have substance too. As James told us,

I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is a God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:18–20 (NKJV))

James goes on to give us an example of someone whose faith had substance. He reminded us that Abraham lived out his faith when he was willing to offer his son, Isaac, on the altar when God asked him to (James 2:21–23).

And the Bible has many examples of people whose faith had substance:

Noah’s faith had substance when he obeyed God and built an ark, even though it had never rained before (Genesis 6).
Daniel’s faith had substance when he “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” by eating the king’s delicacies and by drinking the king’s wine because he knew God didn’t want him to (Daniel 1:8 (NKJV)).
Peter’s and John’s faith had substance when they refused to stop telling people about Jesus, even though they had been arrested and were told “not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18–20 (NKJV)).

So, can you point to the substance of your faith? As Paul exhorts us, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV)).

Your faith has substance when you rely on God for everything, trusting that He will help you. People can see your faith when you obey God and quit doing something that He wants you to stop doing. Your faith is tangible when you step out in faith to do something that you know God is calling you to do.

Take a moment and make sure your faith has substance. It will be obvious as you purpose in your heart to walk by faith with Him.

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Yes, You Can Live in the Present

by Catherine McDaugale | Aug 7, 2023 | Christian Living, Life, Thoughts

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13–14)

There was a time when I felt like I would never be able to live in the present. Like everyone else, I have a past. And like many others, I spent a lot of time looking back – thinking about things that had happened to me and regretting the choices I had made.

I was stuck. And I didn’t know how to change my thinking. I had been doing the same thing for years. It was like I thought I could solve a puzzle by replaying an event over and over in my head for the umpteenth time. But there was no puzzle to solve.

Then one day, I found the Biblical tools to help me. I was browsing in my church’s bookstore and saw a sermon series on CDs. (Remember when we still played CDs in our cars?) The series was called Free From Our Past. I bought it, thinking, Well, it couldn’t hurt.

And it turned out to be one of the best investments of my life. In the sermons, Pastor Ed Taylor teaches Biblical tools that can help you to walk in freedom. God used that sermon series to teach me how to let go of the past hurts and live in the present.

By living in the present, my relationship with God grew stronger. I could walk more closely with God because my mind wasn’t focused on what once was. Praise God for that!

And now, Pastor Ed has released a book based on that sermon series called Free From Your Past: learning to live the life you’ve always wanted. If you struggle with ruminating on your past or know someone who does, I encourage you to get a copy of his book (from Calvary Church’s bookstore or on Amazon) or listen to the sermon series on the church’s website for free.

So yes, you can live in the present. You can learn Biblical principles that you can apply to yourself. By applying God’s Word to your life, you can enjoy the time God’s given you today. You can stop wasting time and making new regrets.

In the Bible, Paul gives us a great example of letting go of the past. Before Paul started following Jesus, he persecuted the church. Innocent blood was on his hands (Acts 7:54–8:1). I’m sure he had many regrets. Yet, he was able to accept God’s forgiveness and live a life committed to doing what God had for him in the present. Paul purposefully forgot his past (the things that were behind him) and reached forward to what God had in store for him (Philippians 3:13).

Let’s commit to being like Paul – forgetting those things that are behind us (the past hurts and regrets) – and reaching forward to whatever God has for us now. God has fashioned days just for you (Psalm 139:16) and has prepared good works for you to walk in (Ephesians 2:10). Stay in the present, living in the days God has made for you and doing the work He’s prepared for you as you walk by faith with Him.

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How Do You Pray through the Bible?

by Catherine McDaugale | Jul 24, 2023 | Bible Study, Christian Living

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV))

Praying through the Bible is a powerful exercise. Why? Because God’s Word is powerful. And since all of the Bible was inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16), you can know that you are praying in His will as you pray through what He’s said.

So, how do you do that? Here’s an example from Psalm 139:1–2 to get you started:

“O LORD, You have searched me and known me” (Psalm 139:1 (NKJV)).

Prayer: Abba Father, It’s so amazing that You, the Creator of the whole universe and my Creator, would take the time to search me and know me. It makes me think of the verse that says, “What is man that You are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4 (NKJV)). And even more amazing to me, is that after You have searched me and known me, You still want to have a relationship with me. You know everything about me – the good, the bad, and the ugly – and yet, You still love me. I praise You for loving me that much!

“You know my sitting down and my rising up” (Psalm 139:2 (NKJV)).

Prayer: You not only know me, You know everything I do. You know when I sit down and when I get up again. You know when I’m being lazy or doing something I shouldn’t do. And You also know everything I do to serve You. Please help me to remember that You see all that I do. And please give me the desire to only do what will please You.

“You understand my thought afar off” (Psalm 139:2 (NKJV)).

Prayer: It’s astonishing that You not only know everything I think but understand my thoughts. I don’t even understand my thoughts all of the time. And sometimes I don’t even actively hear all of the thoughts rushing through my head. Instead, I’ll listen to the self-talk and believe everything I hear – thoughts that maybe You don’t really love me or care about me. Please help me to pay attention to those thoughts and take them captive. Help me to consider whether they are true or lies. Then, help me to replace any lies with Your truth – that You do love me. That You love me so much that You sent Your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins. I praise You for all You have done for me! In Jesus’ name, amen.

You can pray through any part of the Bible. And you can pray through God’s Word in different ways. For example, you can pray

as you read the Bible;
by meditating on a verse you have memorized; and
by listening to a Bible app as you take a prayer walk, playing a verse, and then pausing it to pray through the verse you just heard.

So try it for yourself. Start praying through God’s Word every day and breathe life into your prayers as you walk by faith with Him.

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How Much Are You Worth?

by Catherine McDaugale | Jul 10, 2023 | Life, Thoughts

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:13–14 (NKJV))

We like to place a value on things, don’t we? And that value can be affected by many factors. A huge factor in determining value is the item’s maker.

For example, a painting by me would be worth next to nothing. Whereas, a painting by Claude Monet sold last year for over $3 million. A pair of jeans sold at a department store may cost about $50. Yet, if you buy a pair with the designer label Khaite, it’ll set you back $440. And while a small Hermes handbag can cost over $22,000, you can buy one (and a well-made one at that) from other sources for less than $200.

So, how much are you worth? When it comes to people, our culture values them mainly by their looks, accomplishments, and possessions. Those who are homeless are often treated like they’re not worth as much. In contrast, an actor, a politician, or a savvy businessman will likely be placed on a pedestal.

Given our cultural standards, it’s common to compare ourselves to others. And when we do, we can end up devaluing what we think we’re worth. In a few moments, we may look at another woman and determine that we’re not as

pretty,
smart,
well-dressed, or
well-spoken.

Or we might watch someone’s highlight reel on social media. Her life seems perfect with flawless pictures of family, travel, and selfies. And after the comparison, we may decide we’re worth less or even worthless.

But your worth is not determined by how well you’re able to entertain, dress, or put on your makeup. It’s not dependent on whether you’ve been successful in your career. Instead, it’s based on your Maker.

You are valuable because you were made by God. He made you in His image (Genesis 1:27) and formed you in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). You are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). And you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).

Because you were made by God, you matter. He made you uniquely you for His glory. He even fashioned days for you (Psalm 139:16) and prepared works for you to walk in (Ephesians 2:10). Praise God!

So stop comparing yourself to others. Because, really, there’s no comparison. God only made one of you. Instead, ask Him to show you the days He has made for you and the works He has prepared just for you. Then walk in those days, praising your Maker as you walk by faith with Him.

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Can We Love Others Like Jesus?

by Catherine McDaugale | May 1, 2023 | Christian Living, Life, Ministry

Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34 (NKJV))

Can we love others like Jesus? Jesus commanded us to do so. And Jesus wouldn’t tell us to do something we couldn’t do.

Yet, it’s a high bar (to say the least). Jesus loved us (and continues to love us) with a perfect love. A love that is patient and kind. One that’s self-sacrificial. A love that’s a verb – an action – more than a feeling.

So, can we really love others like that? Let’s take a few minutes to look at just a few examples of how Jesus loved when He walked on this earth.

Jesus was available.

When Jesus heard that His cousin (John the Baptist) had been beheaded, Jesus “departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself” (Matthew 14:13 (NKJV)). It sounds like Jesus wanted to get away to mourn. But the crowds followed Him (Matthew 14:13).

What did Jesus do in response? Did He tell them to go away because He needed time alone? Did He hide and hope they would leave? Was He rude to them?

No. When “He saw a great multitude,” Jesus “was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14 (NKJV)).

Even in His grief, Jesus made Himself available to serve the people who came to Him. He set aside His own feelings and helped them.

Jesus was patient.

When Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, Thomas wasn’t with them (John 20:24). They told Thomas that they had seen Jesus. But Thomas didn’t believe them. He said, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25 (NKJV)).

About a week later, Jesus appeared to His disciples again. And this time, Thomas was there (John 20:26). Did Jesus rebuke him for his unbelief? Did He ask Thomas what his problem was or criticize him?

Jesus didn’t do that. Jesus was patient. He told Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (John 20:27 (NKJV)).

Jesus met Thomas where he was and helped him to believe. Because Jesus was patient, Thomas was able to come fully to Jesus, calling Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28 (NKJV)).

Jesus served.

The night before He died on the cross, Jesus got up after dinner, “laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself” (John 13:4 (NKJV)). Then He poured water into a basin and washed the disciples’ feet (John 13:5).

In Biblical times, people wore sandals. When they traveled, their feet would get dirty. So, each house you entered typically had a basin of water and towel ready for visitors to wash their feet.

And if you were wealthy and had servants, they would assign the lowest servant to wash peoples’ feet. As I’m sure you could imagine, washing someone’s feet wasn’t something you wanted as your occupation.

Yet, Jesus – God Himself – was willing to serve His disciples in this way. He likely got down on His knees, serving those who should have been serving Him.

Earlier in His ministry, Jesus had taught His disciples that, in order to be great, one needed to be a servant (Mark 10:42-43). He told them that “whoever desires to be first shall be slave of all” (Mark 10:44 (NKJV)). Jesus then revealed to them that “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 (NKJV)).

Jesus put His teaching into action. He showed His disciples that no task was beneath them. Of course, the next day, Jesus would demonstrate the greatest sacrificial love of all – when He died on the cross for our sins.

Can we love others in those ways? The answer is yes – and no.

It’s hard to love others as Jesus loved us. To be sure, it’s impossible without the help of God’s Holy Spirit. We need to ask God to help us. We need His power

to make ourselves available when we don’t feel like serving,
to be patient when others have a hard time believing, and
to serve in self-sacrificial ways.

So, we can love others like Jesus with God’s help. Take time to meditate on the ways Jesus loved. Decide to follow Jesus’ command. Then ask God to help you love others as you walk by faith with Him.

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Where Do You Live?

by Catherine McDaugale | Apr 17, 2023 | Christian Living, Life, Spiritual Growth

Jesus said, “I am the true vine . . . Abide in Me . . . .” (John 15:1, 4 (NKJV))

Where do you live? I’m not talking about your address. We can be in one place physically with our minds somewhere entirely different.

Jesus instructed us to abide in Him. Abide means to stay in a given place – to be present or remain. We should remain in Jesus. In other words, we should live in Him with everything we are, including our minds.

If we live with our minds focused on Jesus, we’ll be attached to Him. Jesus is the true vine. In the metaphor, the Bible compares us to branches (John 15:5). A branch must be attached to the vine to get the nutrients it needs to grow and produce fruit.

But we can only get that sustenance from the true vine. We can try to get it from somewhere other than Jesus. There are other vines. Yet, those vines won’t give us what we need. Only Jesus is the true vine.

When we connect to something other than the true vine, we end up empty. Unfulfilled. Depressed. The false vines are detrimental to us and poison our minds.

So, where do you live? Where is your mind most of the time?

Do you . . .

binge-watch tv shows or movies on Netflix or some other streaming service, numbing your mind to reality?
ruminate on your circumstances, replaying something that happened over and over again?
dwell on your finances, worrying about where the next dollar will come from, bills that need to be paid, or how to get more money?
obsess about your appearance – the clothes you want to wear, how to do your makeup just right, how to fix your hair, looking in every mirror you pass by?
constantly think about food, planning what you will or won’t eat, where you will get it, and how good it will taste?

To be clear, the Bible doesn’t say we should never think about these things. It doesn’t tell us it’s a sin to enjoy wholesome entertainment. Instead, those things shouldn’t consume us. They shouldn’t separate us from the true vine.

Examine yourself. Be honest about where you live. Is your mind immersed in those things? Or are you living in Jesus?

Are you . . .

reading the Bible and learning about the things Jesus wants to share with you?
talking to Jesus as you go throughout your day?
praising Jesus for who He is?
thanking Jesus for all that He’s done?

When we remain in Jesus, we’re in the best place we could be. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11 (NKJV)). There’s joy when we stay connected to the true vine. There’s a calm delight in being where we’re supposed to be.

So, I’ll ask you again: where do you live? It’s your choice. You can decide to live in the true vine, Jesus. Or you can waste your time on something that will have no eternal value.

Let’s choose to remain in Jesus so we can walk by faith with Him.

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What Have You Done for Me Lately?

by Catherine McDaugale | Jan 23, 2023 | Christian Living, Life

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35 (NKJV))

What have you done for me lately? Have you ever heard that song from the 80s? In it, Janet Jackson bemoans her boyfriend’s inattentiveness and his failure to do things for her. That idea is ingrained in our culture. You know, why should I do anything for you if you haven’t done anything for me?

It’s not uncommon to hear people say things like,

“What’s in it for me?”

“How am I going to benefit from it?”

Or, “There’s no point in doing it if I don’t get something out of it.”

It’s all about me, isn’t it? It’s about what I will gain from an interaction, a job, or a relationship.

Sure, maybe it’s not that overt. But I’ve heard women complain that their husbands never help out around the house with chores. And, I’ve heard them say their husbands can just deal with something on their own because they never help them with problems that arise. Essentially, they’re saying, “What has he done for me lately?”

Relationships can leave you feeling empty when the other person seems to only take and not give. Maybe it’s not a husband but a friend who’s only focused on herself. Or it could be parents who take more than they give. You’re their child, after all, so you wish for once they would focus on your needs instead of their own.

Relationships aren’t always trouble-free. We all have someone in our lives who can be difficult. It could be easy to start thinking, What have you done for me lately?

But it’s not about you. And it’s not about me. It’s not about what someone else should be doing for you. It’s about what Christ Jesus has done for each one of us.

As born-again believers, we’ve given our lives to Jesus. As the Bible teaches,

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 (NKJV))

Jesus died on the cross so our sins could be forgiven. When we were born again, we became His. Our lives belong to Jesus.

And Jesus wants us to love others. He calls us to live self-sacrificially. When we do, His love flows through us and impacts others.

Remember what Jesus’ love is like? His love

“suffers long and is kind”;
“does not envy”;
“does not parade itself”;
“is not puffed up”;
“does not behave rudely”;
“does not seek its own”;
“is not provoked”;
“thinks no evil”;
“does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth”; and
“bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

(1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NKJV))

So, instead of asking, “What have you done for me lately?” let’s love others like Jesus wants us to love them. Let’s show others that we are Jesus’ disciples as we walk by faith with Him.

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Are You in Love with the World?

by Catherine McDaugale | Jan 9, 2023 | Christian Living, Life

“If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.” (1 John 2:15-16 (NKJV))

When Jesus prayed for His disciples, He did not pray for God to take them out of the world (John 17:15). And before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15 (NKJV)).

We’re not supposed to isolate ourselves, go off the grid, or move to a remote area where there aren’t any people. Doing so would be contrary to Jesus’ command to preach the gospel to everyone.

In addition to staying in the world, Jesus commanded us to love others (Matthew 22:39). Yet, we’re not supposed to be in love with the world or the things in it.

If you’re longing for the things in this world, you’ll be distracted by stuff that doesn’t matter. Meditating on getting what you don’t have – like a new car, house, purse, or jewelry – will keep you from whatever God has for you. Jesus warned that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV)).

We see an example in Lot’s life of what can happen when you fall in love with the world.

Lot was Abraham’s nephew. He had been with Abraham for years before they separated. And, we know that he worshipped God because the Bible tells us he was a righteous man (2 Peter 2:7).

But Lot’s priorities got mixed up. He fell in love with the world. It started when he “lifted his eyes” toward Sodom (a picture of the world) and saw that “it was well watered everywhere . . . like the garden of the Lord” (Genesis 13:10 (NKJV)). Lot liked what he saw and wanted it for himself.

Then Lot’s actions followed his eyes. He “chose for himself,” moved, and “pitched his tent” near Sodom (Genesis 13:11-12 (NKJV)).

Lot did what he wanted based on what Sodom offered him, instead of asking what God wanted for him. He chose to be part of a place where the men “were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord” (Genesis 13:13 (NKJV)).

Later, Lot moved into Sodom and lived there (Genesis 14:12). Lot had fallen in love with the world and wanted to be part of it.

By the time God destroyed Sodom for its wickedness, Lot was “sitting in the gate of Sodom” (Genesis 19:1 (NKJV)). He had become one of them. As Jon Courson noted in his commentary on this verse,

Like every other city gate in biblical times, the gate in which Lot sat was a large area at the entrance of the city wherein the city leaders would give advice and render civic decisions. The fact that Lot sat in Sodom’s gate indicates he had become a leader of Sodom.

Lot compromised to get what Sodom offered. He didn’t make an impact on Sodom. Sodom impacted him. As the Bible tells us, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’” (1 Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV)).

Lot didn’t even influence his own family. When Lot told his sons-in-law to get up and leave because God was going to destroy Sodom, they thought he was joking (Genesis 19:14).

In the end, Lot didn’t gain anything from Sodom. It was all burned up when God “rained brimstone and fire on Sodom” (Genesis 19:24 (NKJV)). He even lost most of his family – his daughters and sons-in-law (who refused to leave) and his wife (who looked back intently toward Sodom and became a pillar of salt).

We won’t take anything with us either when we die. The only eternal difference we can make during our lifetime is to abide in Jesus and do His work.

So, don’t be like Lot. Don’t fall in love with the world. Instead, keep your eyes fixed firmly on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). Be set apart for God – in the world but not of it – as you walk by faith with Him.

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Do You Want All God Has for You?

by Catherine McDaugale | Dec 12, 2022 | Christian Living, Ministry, Spiritual Growth

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV))

Do you want all God has for you? God has fashioned days for you (Psalm 139:16). Although we’re not saved by good works, we are saved by grace, through faith, for those good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). God has prepared those works for you beforehand that you should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

God wants to do things in and through your life. But He won’t force you. He gives you the choice. Yet, when you say no, you miss out on so much joy.

So, I’ll ask the question again: Do you want all God has for you?

If you do, you will need to be persistent and focused. And you’ll have to watch out for discouragement. Unfortunately, discouragement can come from well-meaning sources.

Toward the end of Elijah’s ministry as a prophet, God told him that Elisha would take his place (1 Kings 19:16). So, Elijah went and threw his mantle – his garment or cloak – on Elisha (1 Kings 19:19). Elisha then followed Elijah and became his servant (1 Kings 19:21). By being Elijah’s servant, it prepared him to be God’s prophet.

Now, you may know that Elijah was one of two people in the Bible who never died. Instead, God took Elijah home to be with Him in a chariot of fire by a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). When it came close to that time,

Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Bethel.”

But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they went down to Bethel.

Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?”

And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent!” (2 Kings 2:1-3 (NKJV))

The same thing happened two more times when Elijah continued on to Jericho and then to the Jordan River (2 Kings 2:4-6). Yet, Elisha was persistent. Each time Elijah told him, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on,” Elisha declared, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” And he stayed with Elijah.

And even when others asked him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?” he kept on. He didn’t stop. Elisha didn’t get bummed out or sidetracked. He was focused.

If Elisha hadn’t remained persistent and focused, he wouldn’t have received all God had for him. After they crossed over the Jordan River, Elijah said to Elisha,

“Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?”

Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”

So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” (2 Kings 2:9-10 (NKJV))

Did you catch that? Elijah told him, “if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” That means if Elisha had gotten sidetracked or discouraged at any point and hadn’t stayed with Elijah, he wouldn’t have seen Elijah when he was taken up in the whirlwind. And then he wouldn’t have received a double portion.

It makes sense, doesn’t it? God won’t give you more to do when you’ve already decided to stop doing what He’s already entrusted to you. If you’re not faithful with what God’s already given you, He’s not going to add anything to your plate.

We see this principle repeated in the parable of the talents. The servant who hid his talent and didn’t even try had his talent taken away. But those who used their talents were given more (Matthew 25:24-28).

So, the question remains: Do you want all God has for you? Or are you only pursuing what God has for you halfheartedly? If you’re not all in, seeking all God has for you, you could miss out.

I know the path can get hard. Sometimes the circumstances make continuing on to the next place difficult. It can feel cold and lonely. But let’s be persistent and focused. Let’s choose to be women who seek all God has for us as we walk by faith with Him.

Photo by Meera Parat on Unsplash

How Do You Live for God?

by Catherine McDaugale | Oct 24, 2022 | Christian Living, Life, Spiritual Growth

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1 (NKJV))

How do you live for God? The Bible instructs us to give our lives to Him. We are to offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice.

What does that mean? Living for God is a moment-by-moment surrender to Him. It’s about doing things His way and not the way you think you should be doing them.

If you’re born again, you are indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17). God is with you every moment of every day and night. So, remind yourself of His presence. Pay attention to Him. As you surrender to God, listen for the direction He gives you.

For example, when you wake up in the morning, acknowledge that God is with you. Ask Him what He wants you to do that day. Sure, you may already know that you’re going to work. Or that you’ll be homeschooling your kids. Yet, God will guide you throughout your day.

When a thought comes into your mind that you should open your Bible and spend time with God, take the time to do it. Instead of checking your email or spending time on social media, use that time to seek God.

Before you begin reading, ask God to speak to you and teach you something He wants you to learn. Then when He shows you something He wants you to stop doing, obey Him and stop doing it. Likewise, if God shows you something you should be doing, obey Him and start doing it. If you ask God for help, He will help you.

As you go through your day, pay attention to the Holy Spirit as He guides you. When you’re talking to your colleagues at work and one of them starts gossiping about someone, you may start to feel uncomfortable. You know God doesn’t want you to gossip. If the Holy Spirit is prompting you to politely leave the conversation, obey His guidance and leave.

Then, that evening, maybe you start watching a movie you’ve been wanting to watch. Everyone has been talking about how good it is. But then you hear them use Jesus’ name as a curse word or there’s nudity. You think, I shouldn’t be watching this. God has said that I shouldn’t “misuse” His name (Exodus 20:7 (NLT)) and that I should abstain from sexual immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3). When you have that thought, obey God and turn it off.

God’s Holy Spirit will lead you all throughout your day. When you decide to live for God, He will guide you. Listen for His voice and obey Him when He speaks to you.

Change the station when a song comes on the radio that has profanity in it. Listen when He tells you not to send an email in anger. Repent when you realize that you said something you shouldn’t have said. Forgive someone who’s wronged you.

Living your life for God is a moment-by-moment surrender to whatever He wants you to do. It’s a choice to live a life pleasing to Him.

Can we do it perfectly? No. As Paul lamented, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate” (Romans 7:15 (NLT)).

But praise God because He is so gracious to forgive us when we mess up. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 (NKJV)).

So, live for God. Surrender your life to Him as a living sacrifice. Choose to listen to His voice as you walk by faith with Him.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

What Do Your Words Say About You?

by Catherine McDaugale | Sep 26, 2022 | Christian Living, Life, Spiritual Growth

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45 (NKJV))

Words are powerful. They can build one person up and tear another down. Inspire or crush. The words you say can make the difference between a great day with your husband or a cringeworthy one.

And your words reveal the state of your heart. As the Bible teaches us, “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person” (Proverbs 27:19 (NLT)).

Bitter people spew venom – words that sear and scald. And hurting people use caustic words that wound others. As they say, hurting people hurt people. Misery loves company, doesn’t it?

So, what do your words say about you? Do they reflect your relationship with Jesus? Can people tell from the things you say that you’ve been spending time with Him?

Listen to yourself when you talk. Do your words glorify God? Edify others? Or do your words reveal a heart problem?

For example, God commanded us not to take His name in vain (Exodus 20:7). God told us, “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse His name” (Exodus 20:7 (NLT)).

The word vain means empty, worthless. God’s name is holy. It is the name above all other names. It is far above “every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians 1:21 (NKJV)). When His name comes out of your mouth, it should be used with reverence and awe.

Yet, it’s common in our society to use His name carelessly, recklessly, or even as a curse word. The exclamation, “Oh my God!” or its shorthand “OMG!” falls out of kids’ and grownups’ mouths alike. When it does, the person usually has no intention of actually calling on Him.

And the speech of many is peppered with the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus without any respect for His beautiful name. You hear it on the streets, on colleagues’ lips, and in movies and television shows. It’s so commonplace that many who profess to be Christian don’t think twice about hearing it or carelessly saying it themselves.

As James taught us, “And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” (James 3:10 (NLT)).

If you notice that your words reveal a heart problem, pray to God. Ask Him to reveal the state of your heart. Bitterness often results from a lack of forgiveness. And careless words can demonstrate a lack of respect for God or an absence of love for those around you.

Once God shows you what you need to take care of, confess any sin. Then ask God to help you forgive whatever needs to be forgiven and to give you a greater respect for Him and more love for others.

We need to be careful with our words. Remember that the words you speak make a difference in the lives of those around you.

Let’s be women whose words encourage and bless the people in our lives. Let us use words that are “fitly spoken” – ones that are “like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Proverbs 25:11 (NKJV)). Let our speech glorify God as we walk by faith with Him.

Photo by Photoholgic on Unsplash

What Will You Be Known For?

by Catherine McDaugale | Aug 29, 2022 | Christian Living, Life, Ministry

God said, “I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all my will.” (Acts 13:22 (NKJV))

The other day, I was reading an article about Stanley Jenkins. I’m pretty sure you’ve never heard of him. I hadn’t either. Stanley lived from 1884 to 1967. When he died, he left no wife or children. He’s not known as a man who did something incredibly noble. Instead, he’s credited as the inventor of the corn dog. [1]

That’s his legacy – corn dog inventor. A man who obtained a patent for a machine to skewer and deep fry hot dogs dipped in a corn meal mixture.

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy a good corn dog from time to time. But after you’re gone, is that all you want to be known for?

It got me thinking, we only have one life. When your time is up, what will people say about you? What will you be known for? Inventing a food dish? Or someone who loved God?

David was known as a man after God’s own heart. He was known as a man who would do God’s will. Wouldn’t that be a beautiful way to be remembered?

It sounds like a high standard. Maybe you’re thinking that’s something you could never live up to. Yet, David wasn’t perfect. He made many mistakes. He not only committed adultery but tried to cover it up by having the woman’s husband killed (2 Samuel 11:2-5, 14-17). It wasn’t perfection that gave David this legacy. It was his love for God and his faith in Him.

When David heard that Israel was being taunted by one of the Philistine giants named Goliath, (1 Samuel 17:4-11, 23), he asked, “[W]ho is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26 (NKJV)). David knew that Goliath was not just challenging men, but God Himself.

So, when Saul told David that he wouldn’t be able to fight Goliath because he was just a youth, David assured him that the Lord – who delivered him from the lion’s paw and the bear’s paw as he shepherded his father’s flock – would also deliver him from the hand of Goliath (1 Samuel 17:37). David trusted God.

Not only did David openly trust God before all the people, he also expressed his love for God. When the ark of God – the place where God would meet the high priest once a year – was brought up to Jerusalem, “David danced before the Lord with all his might,” leaping and whirling before Him (2 Samuel 6:14-16 (NKJV)).

David gives us a good example to follow. We should aim to be known as women who love God and trust Him.

In your life, are you known as a woman after God’s own heart who will do all His will? Do those around you even know that you’re a Christian? What evidence is there of your love for God?

I’m not suggesting that you do things to call attention to yourself and what you’re doing so people will notice you. Jesus warned us not to be like the Pharisees who loved to “pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men” (Matthew 6:5 (NKJV)).

But if you live your life loving God, being sensitive to His Spirit, and willing to step out in faith to do the things He asks you to do, people will know you love God. As you abide in Jesus by reading the Bible, talking to Him, and worshipping Him, it will be evident that you’ve spent time with Him.

And as you live a life of obedience, your life will bless others. Don’t be afraid to pray with someone He asks you to pray with. Be bold to share with others what God is doing in your life. Make yourself available to serve those around you.

As we do these things, we will become known as women after God’s own heart. So let’s commit our lives to Jesus as we walk by faith with Him.

Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash

[1] Kerry J. Byrne, “Meet the American who invented the ‘clean, wholesome’ corn dog,” Fox News, Jun. 10, 2022, https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/meet-american-invented-corn-dog.

What Should You Do With Your Disappointment?

by Catherine McDaugale | Aug 1, 2022 | Christian Living, Life, Spiritual Growth

But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. (Psalm 71:14 (NKJV))

Most of us have been disappointed at some point in our lives. And as we get older, we’re likely to have more. It comes in many different forms. A failed or difficult marriage. Singleness despite a desire for a husband. Wayward children. No children. Or maybe your life just didn’t turn out the way you thought it should. If you could go back, you would have made different choices.

So, what should you do with your disappointment? Here are three things to help you with those nagging feelings:

1. Take it To the Cross

I love the expression, “Take it to the cross.” Yet, it can be thrown around too haphazardly. It’s what some would call Christian-eeze – language that only insiders understand.

But it simply means to talk to God about it. Pray. Tell God about your disappointment, and then give it to Him. Let Him handle it.

The Bible instructs us to cast all our care on God because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). The word “cast” means “to throw upon.” When you throw your disappointment to God, it’s out of your hands and in His capable hands. He will handle it for you.

I like Craig Groeschel’s suggestion of using a “God” box in his book, Winning the War in Your Mind.[1] You can use any box – one you buy that looks pretty or even just a shoe box. When you have a care, concern, or disappointment, write it on a piece of paper and put it in the box as you pray, giving whatever it is to God.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that the box is God or even a representation of Him. It’s simply a visual reminder that you’ve given it to God – that you’ve thrown it in His hands and have decided to trust Him with it. If you start worrying about it again, you have to go and take it out of the box. Anytime you do, it’s another visual reminder – this time, that you no longer trust God to handle it.

It’s a powerful thing because that’s exactly what we do when we say we’ve given something to God but then continue to worry about it. Stop doing that. Leave it in God’s hands. He knows what He’s doing. And He’s more than able to handle any problem you have.

So, take your disappointment to the cross and leave. . . it. . . there.

2. Remember that God’s Grace is Sufficient

The Bible describes how the apostle Paul had a thorn in his flesh that he “pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from [him]” (2 Corinthians 12:7-8 (NKJV)). We don’t know what the thorn was. But it must have been something that really challenged him if he begged God three times to take it away.

Despite Paul’s pleas, God didn’t take the thorn away. Instead, God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)).

At this news, Paul could have thrown himself a pity party. But he didn’t. He was likely disappointed to some extent. The thorn was something that had impacted him in a very real way, and He wanted it to be gone.

Yet, we discover in the next part of that verse that Paul didn’t allow any disappointment to keep him from doing what God had called him to do. He proclaimed, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)). Paul chose to trust God. He decided to believe that God knew what was best for him.

It can be difficult to do this. It’s not easy to choose to trust God when your feelings have taken your thoughts hostage. But God’s grace is sufficient for you too. Just like Paul, if you turn to God and trust Him – no matter how you feel – His strength will be made perfect in your weakness. God is enough for you.

3. *Enjoy Your Relationship wit**h God*

When you’re feeling disappointed, it’s easy to get focused on what you don’t have and forget what you do have. It’s so important to realize that, although very real, feelings can lie to you. You may not have everything you wanted. But if you’ve decided to follow Jesus, you have the best thing ever – God Himself.

God loves you. He’s promised never to leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). His Holy Spirit lives inside of you (John 14:16-17). He is with you right now.

Spend time getting to know God better. He has revealed Himself to us in His word, the Bible. Take a moment to contemplate God’s amazing love for you. Put on your favorite worship song and sing to Him, praising Him and thanking Him for all He has done. Talk to God throughout your day. Ask Him for wisdom and guidance. Live your life like He’s right there beside you every moment of every day because He is.

As you give your disappointment to God, remember that He is all you need, and enjoy the relationship you have with Him, God will help you through this time. Continue seeking His plan for your life as you walk by faith with Him.

* Photo by Eric Ward on Unsplash

[1] Craig Groeschel, Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2021), 178-179.

How Many Genders Are There?

by Catherine McDaugale | May 23, 2022 | Life, Ministry

“He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.” (Genesis 5:2 (NKJV))

The Confusion about Gender

The other day, I googled the question, “How many genders are there?” The search produced a variety of answers, many from medical-sounding websites. Based on the dates of those articles, it became clear that the number had been rising. Recently, people had come up with over 70 ways to self-identify.[1]

The idea that you get to choose your gender is becoming entrenched in our society. You’ve most likely heard about the effects, including

the ability to get a passport or a driver’s license without specifying your gender;[2]
discussions about the singular “they” to be used as “a generic third-person singular pronoun in English”;[3] and
confusion about the biological implications of being male or female, such as the introduction of a pregnant man emoji, the mocking of a state governor for saying men can’t get pregnant,[4] and the elimination of gendered restrooms.[5]

The movement has also targeted our children with picture books about their gender options and school districts “educating” them on that subject.

The Truth about Gender

In the midst of the confusion, it’s important to go to a reliable source for the truth. And there’s no better source of truth than God’s Word, the Bible. As we see from the verse in Genesis, God created gender. And God’s Word is clear – there are two. God made them male and female.

It’s no surprise that biology supports this truth. Our DNA shows this very thing. A person either has a Y chromosome and an X chromosome (a man) or two X chromosomes (a woman). A person can try to change his or her gender with clothing, hormone treatments, or surgery. But the person’s DNA remains the same.

The Bible teaches us that God made the first woman, Eve, from a rib in Adam’s side (Genesis 2:21-22). Man alone was not good (Genesis 2:18). So, God made Adam a helper who was comparable to him (Genesis 2:18).

Importantly, God loves men and women equally. He doesn’t love a man any more than He loves a woman or vice versa. Both men and women are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). Yet, equal doesn’t mean the same.

God made us differently. Generally, men are physically stronger than women. And women can bear children while men cannot. There is a purpose for our different reproductive organs. After God made Adam and Eve, He told them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28 (NKJV)). God made us male and female so the earth could continue to be populated.

In this upside-down world where good – God’s design – is now being called evil, it’s important to remind ourselves of this truth. Internalize it. Choose to believe the truth and not the lie. It’s not for us to decide how we were designed. That is within God’s purview. He alone has that authority.

If you struggle with this truth, meditate on what God has told us in His Word. In addition to Genesis 5:2, read Genesis 1:27, Matthew 19:4, and Mark 10:6. As our Creator, God defines who we are and how we’re made.

Talk to God about what you’re thinking and feeling. He won’t be surprised by what you say. Come to Him and ask Him to help you accept His truth.

Your Responsibility as a Truth-bearer

As a truth-bearer, you have a responsibility to “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him” (Colossians 1:10 (NKJV)). What does that mean in this context? Here are three things that will help you to “walk worthy.”

1. Remember Where You Came From

Don’t forget who you were before God saved you. We “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 (NKJV)). As Paul reminds us,

“Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people – none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NLT)).

Paul lists some sins that may have been a regular part of your life before you decided to follow Jesus. One that most, if not all of us, used to practice was the worship of idols. I’m not talking about a little statue that you call your god and bow down to like ancient cultures once did (and some existing cultures still do).

Worshipping an idol means that you have made something more important than God. It might be money, a job, power, family, or even yourself. These are things that many people commonly prioritize over God. If you’ve ever done so, that is sin.

And your sin is not any better than the sin of self-identifying as a gender that God has not given to you. It’s only by God’s grace that you were saved. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)). You were not saved by anything that you have done.

2. Consider God’s Love For that Person

Just like you, that person was made in God’s image. And God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for that person’s sins – not just yours. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 (NKJV) (emphasis added)).

God doesn’t love you any more than He loves that person. And He wants that person to come to repentance like you did. God is patient toward us, “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)).

3. Be the Hands and Feet of Jesus

If the gospel is offensive on its own terms, that’s okay. The Bible tells us that “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18 (NKJV)). But if you’re offensive, that’s another thing. In that case, you aren’t loving people like God loves them. If you’re obnoxious or hateful, you are misrepresenting God.

You can meet people where they’re at, just like Jesus did. You don’t have to get angry with them or tell them that they’re living in sin the first time you meet them.

As you get to know the person, you can share your testimony – who you were before Jesus, how God brought you into a relationship with Him, and what God has done to change your life since then. Tell the person about the work God is doing in your life.

Then, if you get an opportunity to speak the truth, you must do so in love. You can hate the sin without hating the person. Send up a quick prayer to God in your mind, asking Him to fill you with His Spirit to help you handle the truth well. Ask God for His wisdom and guidance as you share His truth.

Tell the person what God’s Word says about gender. However, don’t forget to share the truth about God’s love and all that He has done for him or her.

With these things in mind, let’s stand for the truth. But let us not forget where we came from. And obey God’s command to love others as you love yourself (Matthew 22:39). Love the people God has placed in your path with His love as you walk by faith with Him.

*Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

[1] Shaziya Allarakha, MD, “What Are the 72 Other Genders?,” Medicine Net, Feb. 2, 2022, https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_72_other_genders/article.htm.

[2] U.S. Department of State, “X Gender Marker Available on U.S. Passports Starting April 11,” Mar. 31, 2022, https://www.state.gov/x-gender-marker-available-on-u-s-passports-starting-april-11/; Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles, “Change Your Sex,” https://dmv.colorado.gov/change-your-sex.

[3] American Psychological Association, “Singular ‘They,’” https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/grammar/singular-they.

[4] Gabriel Hays, “Gavin Newsom savagely mocked as ‘disgusting transphobe’ for claiming men can’t get pregnant at abortion rally,” Fox News, May 5, 2022, https://www.foxnews.com/media/gavin-newsom-mocked-disgusting-transphobe-men-cant-get-pregnant-abortion.

[5] Kyle Morris, “Chicago Public Schools eliminating sex-specific restrooms to ‘increase gender equity,’” Fox News, Dec. 2, 2021, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/chicago-public-schools-moves-to-eliminate-gendered-restrooms.

Who’s on Center Stage in Your Life?

by Catherine McDaugale | May 9, 2022 | Christian Living, Life, Spiritual Growth

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and

all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 (NKJV))

By examining yourself, you should be able to determine if God is the One who’s on center stage in your life. To do so, ask yourself what you spend most of your time thinking about. Is it your children? Your husband? Or getting a husband? Maybe it’s not family-related but your job, a vacation you’re planning, or a fun night out with friends.

Now compare the amount of time you spend thinking about those things with how much you think about God. Meditating on His goodness – on who He is and all He has done. Thinking about things like how He created the universe by speaking it into existence and how that shows His power and might. About the promises He’s made to us and all He’s done for you.

If God’s not front and center in your thought-life, you may have relegated Him to that dusty supply closet backstage where you only go when you need something.

God wants to be the main thing in your life, for you to seek Him first. He doesn’t want to be an after-thought, the One we only think about when something bad happens. We shouldn’t confine God to our Sunday mornings. Of course, God also wants us to seek Him in those times. But He doesn’t want them to be the only occasions in which we come to Him.

Make sure you haven’t confined God to certain parts of your life. Instead, put Him on center stage. Give Him priority. Seek Him first, not when you get around to it. When you do, God has promised to provide for your needs.

Besides His promise of provision, there are other reasons we should seek God first. For one, God deserves to be on center stage in our lives. He is the One who created the universe – the One who made us (Genesis 1:1, 27). And Jesus is the One who sustains us. He is literally holding us together. The Bible teaches us that “He holds all creation together” (Colossians 1:17 (NLT)).

Moreover, God wants to have a relationship with you. But you can’t have a relationship with someone you’re not spending time with.

Think about the connections you have with your family and friends. They take time, thought, and energy. Without that investment, a relationship can become estranged. Or it may never form to begin with.

It takes time to develop a friendship – to get to know a person’s likes and dislikes, to understand what they think is important, and to learn how they feel about certain things. If you don’t make the time, you won’t get to know that person very well.

It’s the same with God. If you don’t spend time with Him, your relationship with Him won’t deepen. It won’t grow. You won’t know Him very well. And God wants you to know Him. He has revealed Himself to you in the Bible.

Isn’t that amazing? The all-powerful, all-mighty God wants to have a close relationship with you! He already knows everything about you. God knows what you do and what you think about. He even knows what you’re going to say before you even say it (Psalm 139:4). But He wants you to get to know Him.

So let God be on center stage in your life. Seek Him first today. That doesn’t mean you stop caring about other people or things. Seeking God first just means that God takes priority each day of your life.

Here are a few things that will help you to seek God first:

Read the Bible every day to discover who God is and His will for your life.
Meditate on what you read. Ask yourself what it means and how God wants you to apply it to your life.
Pray to God. Tell Him what’s going on in Your life. Ask Him for guidance and help with the decisions you need to make.
Be obedient to do whatever God asks you to do. If the Bible teaches you that you shouldn’t do something, obey God and stop doing it. Conversely, if there’s something God wants you to do, start doing it.

As you seek God first – putting Him on center stage, you’ll be able to walk by faith with Him.

* Photo by Barry Weatherall on Unsplash

3 Reasons You Should Forgive

by Catherine McDaugale | Apr 25, 2022 | Christian Living, Life

“. . . forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” (Colossians 3:13 (NKJV))

When someone has wronged you, forgiveness is likely the last thing on your mind. The pain cuts deep into your heart. Thoughts like, “How could she have said that?” or “How could he have done that to me?” run through your mind. You justify withholding forgiveness because you feel like they don’t deserve it.

Before we talk about why you should forgive, let’s start by defining our terms. Forgiveness means that you release the person’s debt – the debt that was created by the wrong. It does not mean that the person’s words or actions were okay. It’s only a decision to no longer hold that wrong against them.

Moreover, forgiveness is not the same thing as reconciliation. You can forgive without the relationship being restored. The trust that was lost is not necessarily regained. Depending on the circumstances, that person may still not be a part of your life and may not even know that you’ve forgiven them.

With that in mind, here are three reasons you should forgive:

1. God Told Us To

The main reason we should forgive is because God told us to. As we see from the above verse, God commands us to forgive. It tells us that we “must” forgive (Colossians 3:13 (NKJV)). The word “must” means that it’s mandatory. It’s not optional. We don’t get to decide if we want to forgive. The Bible doesn’t say, “You can think about whether it’s a good idea.”

Because God told us to forgive, we should be obedient to do what He’s asked us to do. Frankly, this should be enough. (Drop mic, exit stage right.) But if you’re still not convinced, there are two more reasons you should forgive.

2. You’ve Been Forgiven Much

Second, you should forgive based on the forgiveness you’ve received from God. Going back to the verse in Colossians, the Bible teaches that you must forgive “even as Christ forgave you” (Colossians 3:13 (NKJV)). When Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother, Jesus told him a parable.

In the parable, a king was settling his accounts with his servants and saw that a man owed him 10,000 talents (Matthew 18:23-24). That probably doesn’t mean much to you since we don’t have talents in our monetary system. But at that time, 10,000 talents would equate to payment for 60 million workdays.[1] Yes, million. If you divide that by 365 days in a year, you come up with about 164,383 years. Obviously, it would be impossible to work off that debt.

Because the servant was not able to pay the debt, the king ordered that the man, his wife, his children, and all his possessions be sold (Matthew 18:25). The man fell down before the king and begged him to have patience with him (Matthew 18:26). So, the king “was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt” (Matthew 18:27 (NKJV)).

The servant then went to a fellow servant who owed him 100 denarii (100 days’ wages), “laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying ‘Pay me what you owe!’” (Matthew 18:28 (NKJV)). When his fellow servant begged him to have patience with him, “he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt” (Matthew 18:29-30 (NKJV)).

When the king found out about it, he called the servant and said, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” (Matthew 18:32-33 (NKJV)). So the king “delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him” (Matthew 18:34 (NKJV)).

Jesus then said, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses” (Matthew 18:35 (NKJV)).

Like the servant in the parable, we have been forgiven much as believers in Jesus. The price of our forgiveness was costly because we have sinned against an all-powerful, almighty God. Jesus had to die to pay that price. He was brutally beaten and hung on a cross. Yet, Jesus willingly died because of His great love for us.

In turn, any infraction against us pales in comparison to our sin against God. Because we have been forgiven much, we should forgive those sins committed against us.

I’m not trying to minimize your pain. That pain is real. The offense may have been great. Your trust was probably violated. Relationships may have been ruined. But any sin against us is like the debt owed to the servant by his fellow servant. And our sin against God is like the debt the servant owed the king – one that we would have never been able to repay.

3. It’s Good For Your Health

Finally, you should forgive because unforgiveness is bad for you. It’s a heavy burden. Until you forgive, that burden is always with you. When you see the person or think about them, whatever they did comes to mind. Your anxiety rises as you dwell on it. You become bitter as you replay it over and over in your mind.

The anxiety you experience has an adverse effect on your body. As the Bible teaches us, “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression” (Proverbs 12:25 (NKJV)). Of course, medical studies corroborate the Bible’s claim. And I’m sure you’ve experienced anxiety at one time or another in varying degrees. It’s never a good thing. When you forgive, you feel lighter and your anxiety is relieved.

So let’s obey God and forgive those who have wronged us. God knows what is best for us. Let’s always remember how much God has forgiven us. You’ll reap the benefits as you draw closer to God and walk by faith with Him.

[1] Earl D. Radmacher, ed. NKJV Study Bible – Notes. n.p.: Thomas Nelson, 2019. Olive Tree Bible Study App Edition.

Are Biblical Genealogies Useful?

by Catherine McDaugale | Apr 11, 2022 | Bible Study

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV))

All scripture is profitable. Profitable means helpful or useful. That includes those pesky genealogies. You know, the Biblical family trees. The ones that seem to have an endless list of names we can’t pronounce and wonder why they’re there in the first place.

Yet, genealogies are useful. And they even contain hidden gems when we’re willing to take the time to look for them. For example, the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 includes some surprising names. One of those is Rahab. We know from Joshua 2 and 6:22-25 that Rahab was a harlot who God later spared when the walls of Jericho fell. Despite her past as a harlot, she ended up in Jesus’ family tree. It just goes to show you that God can work through your life no matter what’s in your past. God is amazing!

Another genealogy is useful to answer a question I received from one of you. Someone asked, “God made Adam and Eve. They had two sons. Where did all the other people come from?” That’s a great question. Before we get to the answer, let’s start with a little background.

On the sixth day of creation, God created the first man, Adam (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7). After Adam named all of the animals, he saw that there was no one comparable to him (Genesis 2:20). So God put Adam into a deep sleep, took a rib from Adam’s side, and created woman (Genesis 2:21-22).

God presented the woman, Eve, to Adam in the first marriage (Genesis 2:22). Then God commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28).

We are then told about the first two sons that came from the union between Adam and Eve – Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-2). After Cain murdered Abel (Genesis 4:8), Adam and Eve had a third son named Seth (Genesis 4:25).

We are also told that Cain “went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod” (Genesis 4:16 (NKJV)). Cain “knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch” (Genesis 4:16 (NKJV)). And Seth had a son named Enosh (Genesis 4:26). Where did Cain and Seth get their wives from?

We get our answer from the genealogy in Genesis 5. I confess that this particular genealogy was a stumbling block to me for many years. For some reason, I thought I had to read the Bible like other books – starting at page one through the end. In order. Because I could never seem to finish reading through this genealogy, I didn’t get very far in reading the Bible for a very long time. Of course, the Bible doesn’t actually need to be read like that.

Anyway, I later discovered that you can learn a lot from these genealogies. If we take the time to slow down and consider them, we can glean some really great information.

In this genealogy, we learn that Adam lived for 800 years after Eve bore Seth. During that time, “he had sons and daughters” (Genesis 5:4 (NKJV)). We don’t know how many sons and daughters he had because the Bible doesn’t tell us. But 800 years is a long time. Even if Adam and Eve only had children during a portion of that time, they could have had many, many sons and daughters.

We also learn that Seth begot Enosh when he was 105 years old (Genesis 5:6). Based on that fact, there would have been plenty of time for one of Adam’s and Eve’s daughters to grow up to be a marriageable age.

And yes, that means that brothers and sisters would have married at the beginning of it all and had children. While this practice is unacceptable in our society (and even by the time of Moses about 2,500 years later (see, e.g., Leviticus 18:6-18)), it was not a restriction at that time.

As AnswersInGenesis.org points out, when Adam and Eve were created, they were perfect. It wasn’t until after they sinned that “suffering and death affected mankind and every other living thing.” [1] One thing that came with sin was mutations in people’s DNA. But since Adam and Eve had perfect genes, their children would have had few mutations. It was only when those genetic mutations increased that the likelihood of inherited disease became so great that it was dangerous to marry a close relation.

So, the next time you come across a Biblical genealogy, resist the urge to skip over it. Instead, pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you something as you read through it. You may be surprised at what you learn.

* Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

[1] Dr. Georgia Purdom, “Where Did Cain Get His Wife?” Answers Magazine, July 1, 2014, https://answersingenesis.org/bible-characters/cain/creation-basics/.

Do You Have the Whole Picture?

by Catherine McDaugale | Mar 28, 2022 | Christian Living, Life, Ministry, Spiritual Growth

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV))

Have you noticed that God doesn’t usually give you the whole picture when He asks you to do something? It’s like putting together a puzzle when you don’t have the front of the box. You’re not sure what it’s going to look like when you’re finished. You can’t see how it will turn out.

For example, you may feel God prompting you to text someone a Bible verse but you have no idea why. You may feel uncomfortable because you’re worried what she’ll think. Later, she may tell you that the verse was exactly what she needed at the time. However, when you sent it, you didn’t have that insight.

Or God may give you a vision with just the first step. He shows you what He wants you to accomplish overall but doesn’t give you the details. Until you take that first step, God doesn’t give you the next one. You have no idea how God is going to take you from step one to the vision’s completion. You don’t have the whole picture.

A few years ago, God gave me a vision about writing a book about His faithfulness. I had never written a book before and didn’t have any idea how it could come to completion. God had only given me the first step. He wanted me to write about how He had been faithful to bring me through a difficult time. It wasn’t until I completed that first step that He gave me the next one. As I followed His direction, God guided me step by step, giving me everything I needed as I stepped out in faith to do the next part.

After the book was completed, I could look back and see the whole picture. I could see how God had met me where I was, each step of the way. And that first step – the one that was so hard to take – didn’t even make it into the book. It was necessary to start the process, and God used it for me personally. But the first step was never meant to be part of the book.

Each time God gives us something to do, we really want the whole picture, don’t we? We think it would be helpful to know all the details. We believe that we would be more confident if we knew each step we would need to take, what would happen in response to each step we took, and how God would work in each situation

Yet, if God gave us the whole picture, we wouldn’t be walking by faith with Him. Instead, we would likely move forward on our own.

Moreover, having the whole picture wouldn’t necessarily help. The truth is that we might not be able to handle the whole picture if God gave it to us up front. It might be too overwhelming for us to take it all in.

We see an example of this in Moses’s life. When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, He gave Moses many of the details about where He wanted Moses to go, what He wanted Moses to do, who He wanted Moses to talk to, what He wanted Moses to say, and how the people would respond.

First, God told Moses to go and gather the elders of Israel together, what he should say to the elders, and how the elders would respond (Exodus 3:16-18).
Second, God told Moses to go to the king of Egypt with the elders, what he should say to the king of Egypt, and that the king of Egypt would not let the Israelites leave (Exodus 3:18-19).
Finally, God told Moses that He would do the work so that the king of Egypt would let them go and they would leave with the Egyptians’ riches (Exodus 3:20-22).

In short, God gave Moses the whole picture.

When God was finished, we see that Moses was still stuck on step one. Moses asked God, “But suppose they [the elders] will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you’” (Exodus 4:1 (NKJV)).

God had just told Moses how the elders of the Israelites would react. God told Moses that they would believe him – that they would “heed” his voice (Exodus 3:18 (NKJV)). But Moses was focused on himself and his own abilities. It’s like he shut down after that first direction. Maybe he began thinking about it, trying to figure out how it would all work.

Did Moses even hear the rest of what God told him in that moment? We don’t know. But it must have been overwhelming to hear about it all.

How often are we like Moses? We also get stuck on the first step. Instead of trusting God and stepping out in obedience, we get anxious. We ask ourselves, “How could I do that?” Or we worry about what people will think. For that reason, it would be easy for us to get overwhelmed if God gave us more than that first step.

Rather than focusing on our own abilities – or lack thereof – we need to trust God. God is able to help us with everything He wants us to do. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way” (Psalm 37:23 (NKJV)).

So stop waiting for that step-by-step plan. Don’t worry about whether God’s given you the whole picture. Step out in faith when God gives you that very first step. Trust Him and see the amazing things that He will do.

*Photo by Benjamin Zanatta on Unsplash

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