Category: Mindful Bible Reads

Author: Pastor Andrew

There are two characters in the Bible that I can relate to the most: Jonah and David. Their stories resonate with me, not because of their major successes, they had. Relatively, I see a lot of myself in their struggles. Each man had to stop and refocus on God because he had veered off track.

King David, whom the Bible calls a “man after God’s own heart,” made some mistakes. Long story short, he wanted a beautiful, married woman for himself. So, he had the woman’s husband sent to the front lines of battle to get killed. Don’t get me wrong. I have never done something like that. But, I have let my selfish desires cause me to act against God’s character. In a sombre moment when he realized his need for God, David prayed, “I am completely discouraged. Revive me by your word.”

Jonah was a man whom God asked to do something crazy. He asked him to go to Ninevah, a city with unbelievers, to preach a one-sentence sermon: “In forty days, Ninevah will be destroyed”. As all of us would do, Jonah ran far away from Ninevah to get far away from God’s call on his life. God didn’t let Jonah run for long. In a moment of clarity and a realization that he should stop running, Jonah said, “When I have lost all hope, I turn my thoughts once again to the Lord.”

Why can I relate to these guys? Because there are many times in my life when I have to stop what I’m doing and refocus on God. There are times when I have to be revived by God’s word. Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? Are you in one right now and course-correct? If so, what I want you to do over the next couple of minutes is repeat Jonah’s words out loud:

“When I have lost all hope, I turn my thoughts to the Lord.”

Refocus your mind and heart on God today. It’s never too late. After all, look at David. If He can find a way back to God, anyone can!

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:2)

Author: Pastor Andrew

Let’s get real for a second. Do you have a grudge against someone? Maybe it’s a person who bullied you when you were younger. Or it’s a co-worker, family member, or former spouse. Is there someone in your life who you try to avoid at all costs because of something they did to you a long time ago? Keep that person in mind for a moment.

It’s easy to hold grudges against our enemies. And if we’re honest with ourselves, it feels good to hate them. In a way, we attempt to get back at them for what they did to us.

I want to challenge you today with a hard truth. God doesn’t see our enemies as His enemies. He sees them as lost people, created in His image, who desperately need to come home. In Jesus’ longest sermon, The Sermon on the Mount, He tells His disciples to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Is Jesus saying we’re supposed to love the people who hurt us? Is He telling us to take time to pray for the person we never want to see again for our entire life? Yes!

To be clear, Jesus isn’t telling you and me to stay in an abusive relationship. If you’re in one right now, get out. Those people we consider enemies are the very men and women He died for. He could care less about our grudges and care about them finding the fullness of life that comes from following Him.

Today, as hard as it might be, I challenge you to pray for that person I asked you to think about at the beginning of our time together. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you get over your grudge and start to grow more into the person God created you to be.

If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. (Proverbs 25:21)

Author: Pastor Andrew

There are some people that are just hard to love. Think about the manager who never thanks you for your hard work or the family member who makes every holiday get-together about them. Jesus said it’s easy to love people who love you in return and to be kind to people who treat you fairly. It’s a different story, though, when you have to love people who don’t return the favor.

Recently, God taught me the importance and power of love to break down walls and build His kingdom on earth when I spent a day with a family that’s hard to love. From the start, they didn’t really want to be around me. It was Obvious with their short remarks and cold shoulders. “I have to do an entire day of this?!” I thought. But, I decided in that moment to love them and not to correct them. I let them be who they were going to be.

The most amazing thing happened. They started to open up and invite me into their lives. By the end of the day, they asked me to stay longer and wanted me to come back for another visit.

That event taught me that unconditional love, the same kind Jesus showed on the cross, has the power to break through cultural or personal differences. And it taught me three truths about love I want to share with you today:

Love is patient. The Bible knows what it’s talking about! The firmest people to love are the ones who need it the most.
Love is a seed to be scattered. Even though we don’t know how it’s going to go, God wants us to love the people in our lives and let Him do the rest.
Love is long-suffering. It will take time to see the impact of our love for others. So, anything of value takes time.

As you go about your life today, think about the people who are hard to love. What is God telling you to do for them? Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. God’s unconditional love has the power to transform anybody.

Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. (1 John 4:8)

Author: Pastor Andrew

Yesterday, we compared our relationship with God to a garden. It’s a perfect metaphor because our soul needs to be cared for and cultivated by planting good seeds and watering them with life-giving water.

Today, let’s talk about weeding.

We all hate to pull weeds. If we’re honest with ourselves, we don’t like them because they create too much work. Bending over hurts our backs, the sun makes us sweat, and the fact that they just grow back makes us feel like we’re wasting time.

The truth is that a lot of Christians feel the same way about pulling spiritual weeds. It’s much easier to pretend they don’t exist, to think that they don’t have to put in a lot of effort to grow the way God wants them to grow. Before they know it, the enemy has grown roots in the garden of their soul so deep that it’s hard to know which plants are healthy or sick.

The enemy creeps in by telling you two lies:

God is not enough.

You’re not good enough.

His ultimate goal is to convince us that those two things are true. But, it’s ultimately our job, as people who are cultivating our relationship with God, to guard our heart so strongly that the enemy can’t get inside. How do we do that? You can start with two simple steps:

Get rid of distractions – What makes you lose focus? What causes you to prioritize the wrong things? Is it your relationships? Netflix? Work? Whatever it is, you need to pull the weeds because they will give the devil an inch. And, you know he’ll take a mile.

Get rid of idols – An idol is something that keeps God’s love from getting to your heart. What in your life take the place of God? What do you devote your time, energy, and money toward that isn’t your heavenly father? Get rid of it as soon as possible.

It’s tough work to guard your heart. It’s the part of following Jesus that nobody wants to do. But, it’s the most necessary.

Today, what step can you take to start pulling the spiritual weeds out of your life?

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)