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In the message “When We Hear His Voice” we saw that despite many calls and pleas from Jeremiah, the people of Israel failed to repent of their sin and turn toward God. After many years of rejection, God finally turned them over to their own evil desires; “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people” (Jeremiah 15:1).

Jeremiah was in a very lonely position. He had faithfully preached God’s message to his fellow countrymen but received only rejection in return: “{I am} a man with whom the whole land strives and contends…everyone curses me” (Jeremiah 15:10). This rejection caused him to also feel rejected by God, so he tried to remind God of his deep commitment and devotion.

Jeremiah 15:15-16
“Do not take me away; think of how I suffer reproach for Your sake. When Your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear Your name, O Lord God Almighty.”

Jeremiah hungered for God’s Word and often thought of his next “meal” with the Lord. Though he was frustrated with his ministry effort, Jeremiah loved God and desired to serve Him. God saw the devotion in Jeremiah’s heart and encouraged him to continue the path of faithful service; “I will restore you that you may serve Me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be My spokesman” (Jeremiah 15:19).

What type of devotion and hunger does God see when He looks inside our heart?

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to take an extended hiking trip with my son. We hiked 120 miles in ten days and ate mostly nuts, raisins, and peanut butter. As we hiked along the beautiful trails of Northern Maine – through woods, across streams, and over mountains – I spent many hours thinking of scripture verses. But I confess I also spent many hours thinking about pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. By the end of the trail, I had a DEEP hunger for pizza; a longing that made my mouth water; a hunger which had to be filled…immediately!

We must approach God’s Word with this same anticipation and hunger. We must recognize the world’s diet as being filled with empty “snacks” which ruin our appetite for real Food! The Word of God is a nourishing and satisfying meal which deserves our full attention as well as our appreciation. We ought to sit down and eagerly clean our plates – not play with our food and nibble around the edges.

Many of us are spiritually starving and yet keep His life-giving Food sitting on the shelf! Let’s pray for an increased hunger – a focused hunger which is satisfied only in our Heavenly Father. Let’s commit to being a well nourished Child of God and passionately consume The Word.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “Look Back From Eternity” we saw how one day, when we stand with our Heavenly Father, we will see the awesome purpose in the path we have traveled. If we continue to trust and follow His leading, we will see how each twist and turn in His path was designed to navigate us through the jungle and keep us moving toward a closer relationship: “As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the Lord is flawless” (Psalm 18:30). His way is perfect and without flaw; but, by God’s sovereign will, we are given the freedom to choose whether to follow.

Many times we see what appears to be a shorter route, and we leave His path. These perceived shortcuts are filled with weeds that entangle us and slow our walk with Christ to a pathetic crawl; “But the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). All our time spent away from God’s path clearly hinders our relationship and diminishes our ability to produce anything of lasting value for the Lord.

Psalm 1:1-3
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His Law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.”

To remain on God’s path and continue to bear good and lasting fruit, we must be wise regarding the counsel we seek. Many people willingly give advice on following a “successful” path and yet ridicule any path directed by God. This counsel must be avoided since the very definition of success is in error! A truly successful path IS the path directed by God!!

Staying free of the weeds requires an active pursuit of God; “on His Law he meditates day and night.” If we do not consume ourselves with the ways of God, we will, by default, become consumed by the ways of the world. Jesus made a similar statement to His disciples: “I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit” (John 15:5). Remaining in the vine is a process of clinging to Christ and loving Him with ALL our heart. Our life then becomes defined and consumed by the life of the vine.

As we allow God’s Word to flow through our life – as we become planted by the stream of His water – we develop deep roots. These roots become a solid anchor which will not be pulled up during the storm nor dragged along by the swift currents of temptation.

God’s path is perfect and His burden is light; but remaining on His path and staying free of weeds requires commitment, perseverance, discipline…and a strong reminder that there are NO shortcuts!

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

Why are so many “believers” content to live a life of mediocrity in Christ – a life partially devoted to following God and partially devoted to following the ways of the world? Without question, some have only put on the face of a Christian and have never given their heart to God through a saving faith in Jesus. But others are true believers in desperate need of a spiritual kick in the pants!

Paul’s letters comprise much of the New Testament. They were written to give instruction on the Christian faith and to encourage perseverance through times of testing. Paul often wrote of the simplicity of the gospel message; “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). But he also wrote to encourage those who truly put their faith in Jesus to live a life of service, holiness, and unity.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we begin a new life. We are set free from the bondage of sin (Romans 6:22) and are called to follow Christ as we are conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). But Paul saw many believers sitting on the sidelines of the Christian life; “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1).

Paul gives encouragement by “urging” a life worthy of Salvation. This has nothing to do with earning our way to Heaven; rather, it’s a life lived in holy thankfulness for the gift we have received. The word Paul used for urge can also be translated as beseech, beg, implore, exhort, or challenge. He’s not giving a gentle pat on the back which says, “You’re doing well, keep running a good race.” Rather, Paul is presenting a firm challenge to draw nearer to God and give our lives more fully to Him. Paul used the same word in his letter to the Romans.

Romans 12:1
“Therefore, I urge {beg, implore, exhort, and challenge} you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”

We have been set free and made new! We are a new creation and CANNOT continue to walk with one foot on God’s path and the other being allowed to tiptoe along worldly desires. These simply have no place in the life of a worshipper of the One True God!

Today, we are being challenged to trust God more; to talk with Him more and seek His presence more diligently; to not get pulled away by the lies of the world! We are being challenged to love Him with ALL our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). As we face this day with its multitude of struggles, let’s live a life worthy of the calling we have received and forevermore answer the challenge!

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

How does (or should) a Christian live? We might say a Christian is “made” by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; and we might define a Christian as a child of God who will spend eternity in His presence. And while these are true statements, it still seems there ought to be something about a Christian that makes them different from the rest of the unbelieving world; “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The moment we truly believe in Jesus Christ and accept the forgiveness offered through His sacrifice, we are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit and become a “new creation.” But at the very instant of what we call our new birth, there is little recognizable difference between the old creation and the new. The transformation is done on our heart when we receive His Spirit, but there needs to be a process where we mature and allow this transformation to consume every area of our life.

Much of the letters written by Paul were devoted to this same subject. He spent most of his ministry preaching the good news of Salvation through faith in Jesus; but most of his writing was to Christians, instructing them on how they should live.

Ephesians 4:22-24
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

These verses are part of a three chapter passage (Ephesians 4-6) which begins with “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1) and includes teaching about unity, love, humility, anger, purity, husbands, wives, parents, children, slaves, masters, and the full armor of God – all teaching about what is meant by the new self! Some find it hard to understand that a Christian must be taught and urged how to live, but Paul understood. In fact, it’s clear in the original language that Paul is saying to put on the new self…and to KEEP putting it on!!

This is perhaps the most important, yet also the most neglected, teaching of the church today. We seem to have lost the understanding that the Christian life is designed to be a radical transformation which lasts all the rest of our days. The call to “come as you are” is also a call to prepare for, and expect, change.

The new life we’ve been given is not like the old – it’s “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Let’s rise up every day and be determined to put away the old and live according to the new. Let’s show the world that our walk is different – that we walk hand in hand with Jesus – that we have and will continue to put on the new self.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the last hours of His earthly ministry, Jesus spoke with His disciples and gave a command which was considered new: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).

Should this command really have been new? Shouldn’t the disciples have known they were to love one another? Or is it possible to spend three years with a Master Teacher and yet not understand that learning must translate to action, and that we teach truth by first being an example of truth? If we desire to teach love, we must first be loving; to teach the concept of grace, we must first be gracious; and in order to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), we must begin by first being a true disciple!

As I continue to study and learn the wonderful truths of God’s Word – and as I diligently try to teach these truths to others – I never want to stop at simply being better educated: “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22). I’ll be the first to admit that I fall short in many ways, but I sincerely strive to make His Word real and apply it in all areas of my life.

Our spiritual growth must never be measured by how much we know, but by how much we are transformed – by how much the Word penetrates to the innermost part of our heart. We have all been blessed by God’s love far more than we deserve. We must now better understand this love and then learn how to become His expression of love to others.

Ephesians 3:17-19
“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.”

The ultimate expression of love was that God gave His Son to an undeserving world so “that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This is a love we will never fully understand.

Paul had such a deep appreciation for the love contained in God’s plan of Salvation through the sacrificial gift of Jesus, that he was often completely overwhelmed; “When I think of the wisdom and scope of God’s plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father” (Ephesians 3:14 NLT). When we begin to truly grasp His love, all we can do is say, Thank You!

Let’s pray for a greater understanding of His love and then return His love through a devoted life of worship. Let’s make His love real by demonstrating love to those He places in our path. Let’s begin to grasp, and then give back and share, the true love of Christ.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

After wandering through the desert for forty years, Joshua led the nation of Israel across the Jordan River and set out to conquer the land of Canaan. Joshua had seen God lead the nation out of slavery in Egypt. He had witnessed the parting of the Red Sea and God’s provision of food while in the desert. As the Israelites were led into the promised land, Joshua and the entire nation saw God answer their prayers and give them many victories in battle.

During this time of conquest, the nation was relatively united as they worshiped and served God. This generation had first hand experience of His majesty and power, of His love and concern for His children. However, when Joshua and the current generation died, things quickly changed.

Judges 2:10
“After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel.”

In a single generation, the people forgot! In a single generation, the people lost their respect for God, their desire to worship, and their belief that the Lord was the one true God. How could a generation who walked in fellowship with God fail to transfer the message of truth? How could parents who knew God with such intimacy fail to teach their children who He was and how to love Him? How could an entire nation forget their purpose for existence was to honor God and be a light to the world?

We who have been brought into the Light of Christ must diligently share our faith with others; “Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation” (Joel 1:3). Our children and our friends will never receive the gift of eternal life because of OUR faith; rather, they must be told of God’s love and come to Him through a deep and personal faith in Jesus.

We all know specific individuals who desperately need to know of His saving grace. We all know fellow believers who need to be encouraged in their faith; “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). Our churches are often gatherings for the depressed and troubled who have forgotten (or never heard) of the miraculous and loving works of God. May we never become silent about what He has done and continues to do!

We must never lose the awe of the incredible gift we have been given in Jesus. His sacrifice radically changed our eternity! An understanding of this gift ought to so fill our heart that we are compelled to share His ongoing gift with those we love and those God places in our path. We who have begun our walk with Christ should continually share our walk with others. We serve an AWESOME God! Let’s be a light to the world and never let them forget.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries