Do not judge, or you too will be judged. Often the rally cry for tolerance and blind acceptance, this verse has led many Jesus followers to a place of cultural silence and fear. But when understood in context, Jesus is not saying to avoid judging. Instead, His charge is to judge rightly, with immense amounts of discernment and grace. It is a call to stop judging by what is seen on the surface, but to have a heart that desires to help others take their next step towards Jesus.

For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). This promise from God is one of the most quoted and most misunderstood verses of the Bible. From the context, this is a specific promise made to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, who were taken into captivity around 607 B.C. The danger for believers today is to read this passage as if we are the main character, making it false good news of joy without pain, blessings without trial, prosperity without challenge. The good news is that Jeremiah 29:12-13 contains a general promise that is applicable today: that God works in all things for our greatest good.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13). This verse is one of many that can easily be twisted and misinterpreted. It is not a promise that God will enable us to do or accomplish whatever we want whenever we want. But when this verse is understood in its proper context, and viewed in light of the rest of scripture, we come to see that contentment is possible in Jesus regardless of the situation. Even in the midst of the most difficult of circumstances, the grace of God can provide inexplicable peace and rest.

God wants to awaken in us His heart for all people. Just as the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, the Spirit in us empowers us as found people to find people. We are followers of Jesus because someone in our spiritual lineage courageously took the gospel to the ends of the earth. Now it is our turn to partner with Jesus to create His story in countless lives around the world. Would we let God awaken our hearts?

Found people find people. Just as Jesus came to seek and save the lost, we – as followers of Jesus – must do the same, even when it feels weighty and difficult. We partner with Jesus by praying for those we know who are lost, by inviting them into environments where they can encounter God, and by celebrating when they respond. Intense, immeasurable joy comes when the lost are found, when they surrender their lives to Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Savior.

God’s desire and will for us is to be continually filled with His Spirit. Unlike so many in our culture that foolishly seek to find joy – or to escape pain – in drunkenness, being regularly filled with Holy Spirit helps us experience the joy and life we innately crave. Those who have been filled with the Spirit pursue Biblical community, worship God extravagantly, offer exaggerated thanksgiving, and serve others with humility and honor.

In Christ, we are gifted. The Holy Spirit has given every follower of Jesus spiritual gifts and/or abilities that are to be used to encourage and to strengthen others. However, when it comes to spiritual gifts – especially the more unusual ones like prophecy, miracles, healing, etc. – many believers are either ignorant about them or believe they are no longer for today. Others see such gifts as weird and bizarre, or are hesitant because they struggle to believe that in Jesus they are indeed gifted. The truth is that we are called to know and to exercise our spiritual gifts because our purpose is tied to them, and God’s glory is seen when the body of Christ uses its gifts.

The Spirit-filled life is staying in step with the Spirit. Staying in step with the Holy Spirit – or walking by the Spirit – helps us accomplish the goal of our faith: to increasingly live free. This is what Jesus modeled by walking in complete obedience to our Heavenly Father. While we receive salvation by grace through faith, we are called to follow Jesus’ example of growth and maturation through obedience, even when it is difficult and challenging. Obedience, or keeping in step with the Spirit, activates understanding and unlocks freedom.

It’s time – it’s imperative – we reclaim our Bibles. Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth, and that His followers possess the ability hear and know the voice of God. The foundation and basis of God’s communication – His voice to us – is the Bible. We can discern what is true, and what is false, by regularly engaging God and growing in our knowledge of Him through scripture. Without this foundation, we are setting ourselves up to be deceived. When we engage the Bible, the Spirit can shape us and lead us to the abundant life God desires for us.