The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“But whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant, and whoever desires to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

—Matthew 20:26–28

Can we choose to be servants and slaves? Can we lay down our lives in the service of Christ for the sake of others?

We want greatness to mean we are commended and comfortable.

In the kingdom of God, it often means we’re rejected and despised.

In 2 Timothy 2:10, Paul says, “I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.”

Paul endured beatings, nearly leading to death; thirty–nine lashes five times; beatings with rods three times; one stoning; three shipwrecks; being adrift at sea; danger from rivers, robbers, his own people, Gentiles, and from false brothers; much toil and hardship; sleepless nights; hunger and thirst; cold and exposure; and the daily pressure of anxiety for the churches (2 Corinthians 11:23–28).

No one could look at his life and say he was showered with praise or comfortable. Yet he is great in the kingdom of God.

We’re unlikely to live the depth of hardship Paul did, but we’re all called to be servants in the kingdom of God. 

We don’t have to grow bitter if others don’t praise us. We, like Paul, can “endure everything for the sake of the elect.” We, like Jesus, don’t have to be concerned with whether we are served by others. We can serve with joy and not expect servants of our own.

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Peace I leave you, my peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.”

—John 14:27

The world says peace is when there are no troubles, no fears, and no struggles in our lives, but that’s not how our Lord gives peace.

He gives the peace that comes from the Holy Spirit living within us—the peace that exists even when it sees all the pain and turmoil in this life. When we trust God, we have the ability to face the difficulty, the hurt, and the suffering—we know those things are passing away. We know the end of the story and that as believers, that end is eternal joy in his presence.

He gives us the peace that comes from knowing he will use all things for good when we are following him, even if the thing itself is terrible (Romans 8:28).

He gives the peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7) when the sufferings of this world come, because we know that our suffering here does not even tip the scales against the eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).

And as one of the fruits of the Spirit, he gives the internal peace that no law or power in this world can take from us (Galatians 5:22).

The world’s peace is a roller–coaster dependent upon circumstance, our moods, and the shifting opinions of society. The Lord’s peace is constant and steady, a solid thing, immovable, because it comes from him and depends on him. It is the unchanging constant throughout the course of time (Hebrews 13:8) and the only firm foundation (Matthew 7:24–25).

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not burdensome. For whoever has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

—1 John 5:3–5

Believing that Jesus is the son of God is the very foundation for overcoming the world. If we believe he is who he says he is, then we must also believe all he said and did as truth, and we will strive to live our lives according to those teachings.

When we’re young Christians, we often test his words like a toddler tests the “no” spoken as he reaches for a hot stove. He does not yet fully believe the words of his parents.

But as we grow in Christ, we should also grow in our faith in his commandments as truth—not as burdensome but for our good, because of his love. He does not want us to be burned.

Anything we do that ignores his commands is contrary to the belief that Jesus is the Son of God, and it will lead to us succumbing to the world rather than overcoming it, because that is not walking in faith.

Only the one who believes Christ is the Son of God will overcome, and that is through the active faith that leads to following his instruction.

We need to look carefully at our lives and take note of the attitudes, beliefs, thoughts, and actions that are not in line with belief in Jesus. Those are the things keeping us from overcoming the world.

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Allow the children to come to me; do not forbid them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’”

—Mark 10:14

Have you ever felt like someone blocked you from coming to Christ?

These days we can’t stand in front of Jesus physically, but it might feel like someone saying, “You’re too far gone, not important enough for him to bother with, too weak, or too bad.”

Friends, anyone who makes us feel like we can’t approach the King doesn’t understand the King at all. They have mistaken him for the ruler of an earthly empire, full of self–importance and ceremony—only to be approached by dignitaries and people dressed in finery.

Our King came for the weak, the wounded, the children, the poor, the sick, the downtrodden, the strangers, and the sinners. He came to heal and redeem the broken and help us out of our mess. He gives dignity to the lowly and strength to the weak.

We approach him as one of the weak or not at all. If we come dressed in our best, thinking we have a right to his audience—that we deserve to be in front of him more than others do because of what we can bring or make of ourselves—we don’t understand who he is or who we are.

We are all the downtrodden, the children, the humble, and the sick. And we can be thankful we are, because to such belong the kingdom of God. “I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners” (Luke 5:32).

The post August 2-Approaching the King appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“For this is what the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said: ‘In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.’ But you were not willing, and you said, ‘No, for we will flee on horses!’ Therefore you shall flee!”

—Isaiah 30:15–16

The Lord says we find our salvation in repentance, rest, quietness, and trust. How peaceful that sounds and how rarely we employ it!

When worldly troubles loom, our impulse is to grasp for human means to escape and solve. We trust our modern “horses”—money, insurance, retirement plans, public servants, governments, knowledge, talents, or appearance—to save us. 

When trouble comes, we rarely check that our hearts are right with the Lord, then turn quietly, restfully, and confidently to him. 

If we don’t have enough money in the bank, our protection is failing, we realize we’re somehow not enough for the people in our lives, or we’re not achieving what we hoped, we begin to feel the enemy’s breath at our backs, and we jump on our metaphorical horses, scrambling to find an earthly way to make sure the danger doesn’t catch us instead of repenting where there is something to repent of, following the Lord, resting quietly in him, and trusting his promises.   

While having horses—or any of these other things—isn’t sinful, trusting them for our salvation is, and if we choose to flee using earthly means, then fleeing becomes our fate. 

But when we’re walking with God in repentance, quietness, and rest, he is our salvation even when we see no way to overcome. We must trust in him instead of in the things we can see.

The post August 1-When I Want to Run appeared first on C. E. White.

The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

—Ephesians 6:11

The armor of God tells us what is needful if we’re to stand firm against the devil: 

We must consistently check whether we’re believing and living God’s truth and promises or the false beliefs of the father of lies (John 8:44).

We must seek righteousness above all (Matthew 6:33) lest we give the devil a foothold through our sin (Ephesians 4:27).

We must stand so firmly on the Gospel of Jesus Christ that no earthly circumstance can shake our peace (Philippians 4:7), and we must—as far as it depends on us—live at peace with all men (Romans 12:18). 

We must truly believe that God is faithful even in the dark times. Doubts about what God said and who he is will leave us open to the enemy’s darts. Those are the first lies Satan used to deceive (Genesis 3:1–5).

Salvation through Jesus Christ, as the helmet, is essential. Without it, we are vulnerable even if all the other armor is in place.

And the Word of God, wielded by the Holy Spirit within us, is our sword; it’s our only offensive weapon. With it, Jesus rebuked and triumphed over the devil. So can we. The Spirit will bring to mind what we have diligently learned and also teach us “all things” as we need them (John 14:26).

With this armor, we are truly able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be an implement for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond–servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition.”

—2 Timothy 2:21–25

Do we long to be vessels of honor rather than dishonor in the Lord’s house? Do we want to be prepared for the good works he’s laid out for us?

Then here is our to–do list:

Flee. Pursue. Refuse. These require action and intent.

And the order is not accidental; we must flee youthful lusts in order to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, and have a pure heart. We must refuse ignorant speculations and quarreling if we’re to be kind. We must be skillful in teaching the Word and patient with those who are in opposition if we want to correct them rightly and gently.

Many of us never make it past the first two. We are, as Paul says, still living as ordinary people—fleshly rather than spiritual and fed on milk rather than solid food (1 Corinthians 3:1–3).

May we turn our hearts from earthly pursuits to the inestimable task of becoming vessels of honor.

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor; for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up! Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.”

—Ecclesiastes 4:9–12

This is often taken to be a passage only about marriage, but shepherds, travelers, soldiers, and the like would all “lie together” at night to stay warm. This is about our need for community within the whole body of Christ.

We’re not made for isolation. We need others to help and work alongside us. We need support when we stumble, whether in body or spirit. We need a listening ear when circumstances are harsh. We need protection when we’re threatened.

True fellowship is difficult in our culture. We’re not encouraged to be honest about our struggles, ask for help, or reach out when others need it, but that’s what the church is meant to be. We’re supposed to love one another fervently, welcome with generosity even when it’s inconvenient, and serve one another in the ways God has equipped us (1 Peter 4:8–10). None of this happens by accident.

Finding this type of community requires stepping out of our comfort zones and facing rejection. We’ve learned not to prioritize this kind of life, and most of us are busy and stressed. That’s all the more reason to live this way; as we reach out, we’ll often discover we’ve built a deep fellowship that is also helping to bear our own burdens.

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the great and foremost commandment.’”

—Matthew 22:36–38

What does it mean to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind? 

God must be first in our emotions, our will, our motives, our desires, our thoughts, and our intellect.

Some try to love him with their emotions but not with their will. Some try to love him with their thoughts and intellect but leave those pesky emotions out of it altogether.

This commandment reminds us that all three aspects must be involved in order to love God with our whole selves. 

If we try to love him with our thoughts and emotions but aren’t willing to love him in our souls—the seat of our will, desires, and effort—our love will be incomplete. If we try to love him with our wills through obedience and our minds through learning but don’t train our emotions to line up with his Word, we cripple our ability to love. 

Leaving any of these things out is like tying one hand behind our back while building a house. We might make progress, but it will be slow, cumbersome, and much harder than it has to be. 

Even worse, we might be working against ourselves. Every time we get a truth nailed up in our thoughts, our emotions may take it right back down. 

When we engage all of ourselves, we train ourselves to think, feel, and act according to the Word of God. This takes time and intentional effort, but the outcome is not only loving God, but internal peace and healing. 

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The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“We have nothing here except five loaves and two fish.”

—Matthew 14:17

At Jesus’s instruction, the disciples went looking for enough food to feed five–thousand people. They came up drastically short.

When they told Jesus what they had, he didn’t tell them to try harder or go find more. He didn’t mock them for mentioning the meager amount they had. He simply said, “Bring them here to me.”

When Jesus asks something of us, our job is simply to do what he asks in service to him—to gather what we have and bring it to him.

What we give him will not be enough to make a difference in any earthly sense, but giving it means we get to be a part of what he is doing. He takes our not–enoughness and multiplies it to the Father’s glory.

He transforms it into enough. We should never be ashamed when we have less to offer than someone else. Whether it’s less talent, money, time, or intelligence, if we give it to the Lord, he multiplies and transforms it to his glory.

Jesus said that the widow who gave her two last coins gave more than all the rich people who had put in large amounts (Mark 12:41–44). It’s not about how much we have to give; it’s about giving what we have.

Let’s stop thinking we couldn’t possibly make a difference and remember that it’s not about what we can do; it’s about what God can do when we give where he asks.

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