China in the 19th century was as remote and mysterious a place as has ever existed. Its countless villages, mountains, and hidden places were a challenge for inhabitants.

Imagine what it was like for a small Christian woman from Virginia!

Charlotte Moon, who went by the name that would become famous, “Lottie,” was a missionary to the Asian country for 40 years.

Proverbs 31:25 says this of a godly woman: “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”

Walking here and there to share the love of Christ with people, and to meet their physical needs, she encountered outlaws, wild animals, and hostility to her faith.

She never once backed down.

Incredibly, by the time she died in 1912, Lottie Moon weighed 50 pounds. She had given most of her own money and food to those in need.

In reality, she was a very strong woman!

Let’s pray.

Lord, give us a heart like Lottie Moon’s. Make us determined to live only for you, for your glory. Amen.

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Do you remember the last time you laughed? Do you remember the last time you laughed from sheer joy?

Many of us don’t. The weight of life presses down on us. It weakens us.

Proverbs 31:25 says this of a godly woman: “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”

Did you know that God means for you to be strong? He wants you to have dignity. You are a child of the King. You are a woman of faith. You are a man who seeks Him.

That beautiful proverb reminds us that it is God Himself who dresses us each day with the respect He has for us as His creation. You can meet today with boldness in who you are, not shaking with fear or worry.

Today, as you head to work, take as your own promise that the all-powerful, true God made you to succeed and live life to its fullest. When the enemy tells you otherwise, laugh in his face.

Let’s pray.

Lord, we are better than what the enemy tells us we are. Thank you for clothing us in strength and confidence each day. Amen.

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With the tech boom has come concerns that we are being surveilled. That’s not conspiracy; it’s actually fact.

But no one in this world knows everything about us. There is still some privacy, some place we can go away from prying eyes.

Except.

Psalm 69:5 says, "O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you."

We know that we serve the one true God, the One that made everything we see. Part of His infinite knowledge is every single thing about each person. That’s a mind-bender and actually scary, but ultimately it’s for our own good. If we mess up, He is there to restore us and heal our shame.

While others gather data on us that could be embarrassing, God wants only what’s best for us. He holds us up to the light of His righteousness, and that reality should be all the motivation we need to live holy lives.

Let’s pray.

Lord, we can feel very, very foolish in your eyes. But we thank you for the accountability you give us, for our own good. Amen.

 

Have you ever noticed how much we love ritual and form in religion? We become so good at it, so obsessed with it, that we lose sight of the essence of what it means to be a Christian.

To know God.

That is the purpose of our journey, and it will be the end of our journey. It is so foundational to who we are as humans that even the great Moses basically begged God to let him see Him. So close were they that according to Jewish tradition, when Moses died, God drew his spirit from him with a kiss.

Isaiah 5:19 says, “Who say, ‘Let Him make speed, let Him hasten His work, that we may see it; And let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near
And come to pass, that we may know it!’”

The Bible is very clear that we can know God. As individuals, we can have relationship with Him, even the one Who created all there is.

The splendor of that reality should drive us to read His word and pray to Him , every day in our quiet time. It should be the longing of our hearts.

He knows.

Let’s pray.

Lord, your mercy in making yourself available to us is something we cannot fully understand in this life. But we thank you for it, and love you. Amen.

 

 

If you wonder what is the best way to share your faith and defend it in the modern world, it might help to look at past examples.

In the Bible, the husband-and-wife team of Priscilla and Aquila shared Christ with Apollos, who would become a famous early evangelist. In colonial England, the abolitionist William Wilberforce shamed his own government into freeing slaves.

Jude 1:3 says, “Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.”

Today more than ever, truly, it is really important that Christians prepare to defend our faith. The world is hurting and dying. People the world over desperately need the love of Christ, and they will have questions. They might wonder about the divinity of Jesus, or ask you specifically how to be saved.

Be ready to answer, and do so with a heart full of love and compassion. And don’t be afraid to be bold!

Let’s pray.

Lord, give us a spirit of courage in this chaotic world. Help us to love as you love. Amen.

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Defending the faith can sometimes be a subjective thing. As examples of extremes, we have seen the Crusades, and the modern form is perhaps an aggressive “pitch” to someone who isn’t a believer.

The thing is, it’s great to be zealous for our faith, but let’s also be disciplined. We don’t want to alienate a person who might otherwise listen. To put it simply: an angry Christian is usually a lonely Christian.

Jude 1:3 says, “Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.”

We can defend our faith in a strong way. We can be bold in what we believe, sure of our eternity with Jesus Christ. But our messaging is all-important. It could be that having a conversation with someone is the right approach. Don’t feel pressure. Don’t press. Jesus has the job of saving; we just have to be available to share about Him.

Let’s pray.

Lord, please always remind us to share the Gospel with love. Amen.

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In every generation, it falls to believers to spend some time in defending our worldview as Christians. Honestly, it’s not the nicest part of the gig, but it’s necessary.

Usually, it involves simply explaining what your faith is all about. Followers of other religions do the same thing, but for us, we are sharing the person of Christ with those who don’t know Him. That makes it a big deal.

Jude 1:3 says, “Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.”

It’s exciting that God has entrusted this to us. It’s a privilege. Even if you find yourself in an adversarial conversation, remember the main thing: you get to share your faith and see someone else find freedom in Christ!

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you that you allow us to tell others about you. Help us always be ready to give an answer when asked about our faith. Amen.

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Ever have the pleasure of waking up in a cozy cabin…after you’ve let the fire go out from the night before? If you don’t get out of bed and put more wood in, the squirrels or raccoons aren’t going to do it for you!

Much more serious is the tendency to get lazy about the fire inside us to share the love of Christ. After so many years of being a Christian—especially living in a free country—sharing the Gospel can be put on the backburner.

Romans 12:11-12 says, "Never let the fire in your heart go out. Keep it alive. Serve the Lord. When you hope, be joyful. When you suffer, be patient. When you pray, be faithful."

Do you see what God is urging us to do in Scripture? He says to never let the fire go out! Never doesn’t mean sometimes, when we’re tired or annoyed about something. This is too important to mess up. Remember that Jesus saved you. More than likely, through someone keeping their own inner fire going saw you through the eyes of compassion.

Let’s pray.

Lord, give us a passion for the souls of all people, at all times. And help us be ready to share Christ with them. Amen.

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Don’t you just love the diversity God put into the world? He created harmony and balance everywhere, including our individual “best time of the day” to be creative and productive.

Some are “up with the chickens,” as they used to say. Others burn a candle late into the night. Whatever time is your time to connect in positive ways, God made you to shine for His purposes.

Isaiah 60:1 says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”

And we are to embrace our uniqueness. Just because your eyes don’t focus until later in the morning—after cups, plural, of coffee—that doesn’t mean you won’t hit the mark today. You were built for this, to be a light to others and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

So rise up, whenever that is for you, and make a promise to God that you will get everything out of today that you’re supposed to.

Rise and shine!

Let’s pray.

Lord, you made us to be a light in a world that is dark too often. Thank you for the opportunities to make a difference for you. Amen.

 
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No matter who you are, there has been some time in your life that loneliness closed you in like dark curtains in a cold house.

Being alone can be healing, and it can be depressing. If you are experiencing the latter right now, we have good news for you. Your “alone” feeling is an illusion.

Psalm 139:7-8 says, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.”

God’s Word tells us that there is no place in the universe that is without His presence. That includes the terrible news you just got today. It also includes the severed relationships and any other depressing thing that can dog us.

He is with you, everywhere, and at all times. Best of all, you can call on Jesus to take away your feelings of being alone.

All day, and all night.

Let’s pray.

Lord, without you we are literally nothing. There is never a time you don’t hear us as individuals, and step in with your healing. Thank you for loving us! Amen.