Seasons

Separation Precedes Elevation

“On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin — the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the Lord was on him.” – Ezekiel 1:2,3 The story of Ezekiel is an interesting one. Born a Levite and set apart by God to be a Jewish priest, his life turned out nothing like he thought it would. In fact, when he was just 25 years old, the Babylonians came and attacked Jerusalem. Though this was many years before the Babylonian exile, it foreshadowed it, and when the enemy armies ransacked the city, though they left it intact, they took a bunch of loot and a large group of Jews with them back to Babylon. One of their unlucky captives was Ezekiel. Now alone

July 17, 2021 No Comments

Life-Changing Shakeups

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:21 Many years ago, when I was a young teenager, I was living with my mom, stepdad, and siblings in the San Fernando Valley area of L.A. Early one morning, our house began to shake, and though it started as just a tremor, it soon became a jolting and violent roar. Turns out it was the Northridge quake of 1994, and it ended up destroying numerous buildings and killing 60 people. My parents owned a real estate appraisal company then (they still do, in fact), and after the quake, there was practically no business to be had. The property market came to a screeching halt, and it was as if time stood still in Southern California. Since there was little work for my folks, our family scrimped and ate soup for weeks

May 18, 2021 1 Comment

Quiet Waters

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” – Psalm 23:1-2 To those who feel alone, abandoned, or unseen, I want to remind you that God is with you. Even in stormy seas, when the waves of change and currents of difficulty make it hard to navigate, Jesus is in the boat. No mountain is too high, no valley is too deep, and no pit is too dark for His loving presence to reach. You see, as His children, regardless of where we find ourselves, our Savior promises to lead us beside quiet waters. In the middle of a mess, He lovingly shepherds us to a place of safe pasture, even if our circumstances remain unsettled. Psalm 23 reminds us that

March 23, 2021 No Comments

Prepare Your Mind

“‘Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 2:16 Since we’ve already established in previous devotions the importance of moving from a posture of waiting to one of preparation, the next logical question is how do we do it? For the next few days, I want to talk about four specific things we can do to get ready to receive God’s best for our future. Taken from the ancient Hebrew ceremonial cleansing ritual called Mikvah, which the Jews would undertake whenever they entered the temple for worship, I hope these practical steps will empower us to focus on actively preparing for our next season. The first thing we must do to set the stage for what’s to come is to prepare our minds. Just as Jewish worshippers would wash their heads as a way of

March 4, 2021 No Comments

Waiting vs. Grinding

“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.” – James 5:7 My dad taught me to surf when I was a teenager, and though I don’t do it very often and I’m not terribly good at it, I really enjoy it when I go. Interestingly, something a lot of people don’t know about surfing is that it requires a good deal of patience, because there are extended periods of waiting involved. When you first get in the water, you paddle like crazy to get out far enough to catch a set (which is a series of waves), and then you kind of just hang around and keep your eyes on the horizon until they swell. Once they gain momentum, you stand up and you either wipe out

February 25, 2021 No Comments

Born to Triumph

“Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’” – Revelation 5:5 Merry Christmas! Though it’s been an unprecedented and bumpy road that’s brought us to this December 25, today can be a milestone we’ll never forget, because when we walk through seasons of turmoil and loss, God brings our hearts closer to that which is eternal. While our focus in times gone by has been on entertaining, presents, and holiday “perfection,” this year has made it clear what’s most important. In 2020, none of us will take for granted good health, food on our table, a job that pays the bills, or the loved ones who surround us (even virtually). More importantly, we won’t forget the Guest of Honor at our Christmas

December 25, 2020 No Comments

A Glory Greater Than Gold

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” – Matthew 2:1,2 The Christmas story is full of unexpected encouragement, and though it’s become almost too familiar, its many truths take on new meaning in seasons of testing like the one in which we’re living. I believe this is especially true as we examine the gifts the Magi brought to Jesus — each one of them has the potential to help us as we sort through the 2020 experience. To offer some background, unlike traditional depictions of the nativity, there were probably a lot more than three “wise men.” In fact, the party that traveled from the east was more like

December 22, 2020 No Comments

Get Back Up

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9 When I finished seminary, the average time a graduate spent in pursuit of ministry was just five years. Even after countless hours of formal education and the sacrifice of months spent studying and training, the unforeseen yet inevitable challenges of doing the Lord’s work in a fallen world are too much for many. And unfortunately, this isn’t just true in ministry. Most people stay at a job for an average of four years before moving on in search of something better. And while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it speaks to the truth that consistency in any endeavor is hard, because it comes at a cost. In whatever we undertake, there’s a “honeymoon” period when things are new and exciting, and the

December 12, 2020 3 Comments

Embrace Change

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1 As humans, we don’t like change. Therefore, we often fail to recognize and embrace the necessity of endings. Yet the truth is that if we want to be people who constantly press forward and grow into the good things God has for us, we will be faced with transitions that require us to intentionally close our current chapter. Though this is a natural part of life, the shifting of seasons inevitably brings feelings of loss and anxiety, so many of us shy away from it. When we seize change — whether it’s switching jobs, joining a new church, or walking away from a toxic relationship — it causes mixed emotions. As Christians, we know that God is constantly making things new, so when He leads us forward, it’s exciting. On the other

November 28, 2020 3 Comments

Embrace Your Season

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 1:4-6

December 31, 2016 No Comments

Separation Precedes Elevation

Life-Changing Shakeups

Quiet Waters

Prepare Your Mind

Waiting vs. Grinding

Born to Triumph

A Glory Greater Than Gold

Get Back Up

Embrace Change

Embrace Your Season

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