Month: December 2018

December 26, 2018 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Christmas Every Day

Christmas Every Day

We make a lot of Christmas each year, but for believers we celebrate the King every day. At least we should.

As you look back at Christmas, are you leaving Jesus in the manger? Think about how you can honor him as King in the year ahead. First of all, giving him your best time is a great way. Start the day with God, spending time with our Savior and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in your heart.

I’m finishing up a year-long study in Luke that I had thought would take three months. I’m racing to complete the final chapter by New Year’s Eve. I think I’m going to make it.

he point is this. Instead of rushing through the book and the study guides, I took as much time as God wanted me to. He had a lot to say to me this year through Luke. Giving Jesus time was a way I honored him as King. And I’ve enjoyed being with him each morning.

I’ve made my choice for 2019 and how I’ll start every day with God. I’m planning to explore prayer. Who knows how long it will take? I have 12 lessons in the study guide I’m using. It could take 12 weeks. Or 12 months! The guide is just a guide. I let God work in my heart free-form.

How will you honor Jesus as King in 2019? Our Savior went from the manger to the cross in 33 years. He did that for us. And when he rose again, he declared is rule of over all. Sin, death, Satan — everything. Let’s give him honor throughout the year ahead.

December 17, 2018 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Faith and Tests

Faith and Tests

“Jon, it appears that our website isn’t loading. I wonder if we got hacked.”

That’s the text that started my day this morning. As you can imagine, it woke me up in a hurry.  Indeed, our website was down. And still is.

I’m a spiritual superstar and a man of great faith, so I took it all in stride. Right? The truth is, I went into panic mode. Not crazy panic mode, but semi-panic. 

For the next hour and a half, I was in the middle of several text conversations with experts and colleagues, trying to solve the crisis. Considering I have no web talents, I was helpless.

Then it hit me. God is here. Now that’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?

Why is it when crisis hits, we usually turn to ourselves first, rather than to God? Where’s our faith?

I was at that crossroads this morning. Eventually, I stopped and called on Jesus, praying that he would step in. He is bigger than website crashes and unknown hackers. In fact, he’s bigger than the whole internet! Again,an obvious reality that gets lost in crisis.

God tests our faith and it’s almost always a pop quiz. You’ve rarely seen tests of faith coming, have you? Yet, you need to know the answer.

And that answer is Jesus. 

Oh, how liberating it is to know that this Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is always the answer. He is the Creator of the Universe, the One who set things in motion. He is the Almighty, All-knowing and Eternal God. He is the Savior worthy of my trust. 

When I put my faith in that Lord, my crises diminish in size and intensity. My spirit is calmed.  My hope grows. My faith is stronger.

I’m still the helpless webmaster, but Jesus is walking with me.

How do you handle tests of faith? Do you turn to Jesus right away or do you exhaust your own solutions first?

Let this passage run through your mind in preparation for your next pop quiz . . . which could come at any time.

“The Son is the image of the invisible God,the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him…” (Colossians 1:15-19 NIV)

From my new devotional, Your Life With God: 30 Days of Faith, releasing in January on Amazon.

December 10, 2018 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Building Strong Faith

Building Strong Faith

This is a world of instant results. However, some things are better with time. Take oatmeal, for example. There’s nothing like slow-cooked,creamy oatmeal. I don’t care for the instant variety.  It tastes a little like sand.

Our faith is like that. We want the satisfaction of an unshakable faith without the ingredient of time. Slow-cooked faith is the kind that becomes strong.

Look at the great men and women of faith in the Bible. The famous Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 speaks of Abraham, Noah, Sarah and other well-known Bible heroes.

We often focus our attention on the outcomes of their faith.God provided a ram for Abraham so he wouldn’t have to sacrifice Isaac. Noah built an ark which saved his family – and humanity.  Sarah gave birth at the age of 90. 

However, leading up to their faith victories, each one went through either long or agonizing experiences that built their faith. 

In the dramatic story told in Genesis 22, Abraham faced sacrificing his own son at the Lord’s command. Can you imagine the pain he was living within his walk to the altar with his son? Through the many years before that walk, Abraham had developed a relationship with God that caused him to be obedient when the stakes were high.

Even in his pain that day, he believed God for a miracle provision so he wouldn’t have to sacrifice Isaac. That kind of faith is not produced overnight.

Slow cooked. There’s no instant package when it comes to faith.

God provides events in our lives to strengthen our faith. Enduring difficult circumstances moves us closer to the Lord and makes our faith more solid. When we respond right.

Take an inventory of your experiences this past week. Do you recognize some of these as God’s ingredients to build your faith? They don’t all have to be major challenges or difficulties. Little things also build our faith.

How did you respond to these difficulties? Were you annoyed, flustered, angry and discouraged?  Or did you endure, trust, hope and see God in the midst of them?

The Lord desires to build your faith as strong as Abraham’s. Are you willing to be tested to the level it will require to get there?

Faith is developed in the real world with life’s challenges. May God give you his perspective today when you face faith-building experiences.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”  (James 1:2-3 ESV)

From my book Your Life With God: 30 Days of Faith, available in January on Amazon.

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