1 John 5:10-13 by Brandi Peters

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life." -1 John 5:10-13 ESV

There are a lot of speculations and opinions circulating in the world today regarding who is going to heaven. Many people are prone to question the salvation of others or even themselves. I know self-proclaimed Christians who, when asked about whether they're going to heaven, will say "I hope so." I know pastors who make a habit of preaching from Matthew 7 to spark fear about making sure you're in the kingdom.

There are many reasons to question salvation, some legitimate, but general fear and anxiety are not amongst them. Romans 10:9-10 tell us, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." This truth does not leave a lot of room for doubt.

As a believer, your faith should be as sure as the hands you've placed it in. It's not yours to doubt because you did nothing to earn it. It is your responsibility to believe and confess Jesus Christ as Lord. It is God's promise to grant eternal life. If you have believed and confessed, the rest is up to Him.

Yes, there are works involved. Yes, there is change to be expected in your life. These aspects are not to be ignored. They are however a byproduct of your salvation, not a way to achieve it.

Keep in mind, if you have true and lingering doubts about whether or not you are saved, consult a leader to ensure you have a full understanding of the gospel. This should not be a continual concern in the life of a Christian. If however, the enemy attempts on occasion to throw you off your confidence or keep you in a false place of humility where you can't speak what the Lord has done in your life, take heart. You can be sure!

Lord, thank You that my hope and my future are in You. I never have to question Your ability to bring all you've promised to fruition. Comfort and assure Your children in our struggles, in our human tendency to doubt. The depths of our heart trust You supremely. Thank You for that privilege. Amen.

The Prodigal Son or The Perfect Father? by Brandi Peters

"And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." -Luke 15:20 ESV

I'm not a runner. I don't enjoy running or desire to become better at it. I often joke with people that if I'm ever seen running, the police need to be contacted, because someone is chasing me. Then again, that's not entirely true. I am a runner. An excellent runner. I am good at running from God. I'm not alone in this talent.

Who doesn't love the story of the prodigal son? Who, in his own way, hasn't at some point in his life been the prodigal son? I am intrigued by the story because I relate to it. I can see the futility of the young son's actions, squandering his life and reaping what he's sown. I am aware he's getting exactly what he deserves, but still I am sympathetic because I know I have acted similarly. As easy as it would be to condemn him and leave him starving in the slop, I am secretly hoping there is some sort of out, not particularly because I have come to like him, but because I recognize his fate could be my own. I want to see him rise above this circumstance so that I can have hope in mine.

He hits rock bottom and finally comes to his senses. At this point, I've been wondering why it took him so long. He could've always gone home with his tail between his legs, right? I want to feel like this would've occurred to me before I got to the point of starvation, but that's probably an oversell.

He comes up with a plan, one that seems like a bit of a scheme to me. There's no justifying what he's done. He knows this. I picture him repeating the spiel to himself over and over all the way home until he's almost convinced it will work. That's where we pick up in verse 20, with a major shift occurring and it becoming evident that the story of the prodigal son isn't really about the son at all. It's about the father, who is a picture of God.

This focus is not on the knucklehead behavior of the son. It's on the perfect forgiveness of the father. The people listening to Jesus would've understood this, if for no other reason than this: the father ran. Respectable Jewish men did not run. It was considered unbecoming. This father would've been owed the graveling the son was about to give, that and much more. He asked for no payment though. He accepted the son's repentance and showed grace.

Why? He loved his son and desired a relationship with him, just as God desires a relationship with each of his children. God made a way for that when he sent Christ to bear the punishment for our sins. We can be encouraged by this as we approach the father. He's done all the work. We just need to turn toward Him in humility. Wherever we are, He will come running!

God, thank You that You are the perfect Father. Though we fall and fail, You are always patient and loving with Your children. Keep us close. Show us more of who You are and help us to honor You daily. Amen.

John 14:13-14 by Brandi Peters

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. -John 14:13-14 

“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” -Matthew 21:21-22 

I’m tired of the “Name it and claim it” gospel. This label is used loosely as it is really no gospel at all. The first time I heard “You would be healed if you had enough faith” was one time too many. The truth is one’s state of health or wealth is not a measure of his devotion to Christ. If it were, every celebrity in Hollywood would be a Christian superstar. 

We misconstrue Jesus’ intent when we read these as blanket promises. He didn’t mean anything we ask at all. He meant anything we ask in His name that aligns with His will, not anything we ask even in His name for our own sake. 

Now, why does it please Him to heal some and not others? I wish I could answer that. I wrestle with it in my own life and the lives of those closest to me. We have asked something good with right motive. We have sought Him with pure heart. Still, the healing does not come. The condition persists. Sometimes, it worsens. 

This is the point where this “gospel” falls short. If we were truly healed from all infirmity because of Christ and our power as Christians, we would not suffer the ultimate infirmity in death. But Christ never promised physical healing in this life. In fact, He makes perfectly clear that the Father “sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45).” He is sovereign and has the big picture in mind. He does not delight in our suffering or wish it upon us, but He will continue to use us if we draw near to Him. He will weave a tapestry from the tangled and broken strands of our lives. We have to trust, even in the darkest of nights, that He is good, just, and still in control. 

Lord, we need You. Every day. You tell us Your power is made perfect in weakness. Well, weakness we have. Shine in the midst of us and give us strength to remember who You are, the God that will dry all tears and right all wrongs when it is time. Thank you that as Your children we have that promise to look forward to. Comfort us in our struggles. Allow us to feel Your presence that we may persevere for Your namesake. Amen.

Psalm 46:1 by Brandi Peters

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

There are many world views of God that either discount His existence or at the very least His level of involvement in the earth He created. He is painted as a distant observer, a non-caring deity. This is a far cry from the God of the Psalms, the personal God who King David cries out to in times of prosperity and trouble.

This is my God. My God is present. He is here, near at all times. That doesn’t mean that He is an all-powerful genie sent to fulfill our every desire. On the contrary, He is Lord of all, ready to meet the deepest needs of His children as He uses us for His glory.

Lord, thank you for being near in times of growth as well as despair. You are the only true refuge. Trouble threatens to overtake us in this world, but we have strength in You. Help us rest in this truth. Amen

Matthew 6:34 by Brandi Peters

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34

I appreciate that Jesus addressed anxiety because it assures me that I am neither the first nor only to encounter it. It may seem such an ordinary thing, but Jesus thought it worth mentioning.

I struggle with being anxious. Why? Honestly, I like the idea of being in control. I want to take charge of any circumstance. I like to have a schedule and I want to keep it. Surprises of any kind are often a nuisance to me. I perceive myself as having a goal and continuously heading toward it. Perhaps you can relate.

Perhaps you can also relate to my honest admission that the way I’ve just presented myself is inaccurate. I do set schedules and wish to keep them. I am not a fan of surprises. I do have goals and am working toward them. However, my lofty intentions and reality are rarely aligned. I probably waste more time worrying about what I need to do than actually doing it. I tend to get way ahead of myself. I worry about a paper due in 6 weeks or needing to pack to move in 3 months rather than doing what today requires.

The key here is the idea of what is needed today. Every minute I spend worrying about things that may or may not happen in the future, I am squandering the present. This is by no means advocating for the disregard of preparation. I am sure God did not intend for us to be flippant about our responsibilities. Rather, it is about prioritization. I can’t pack my clothes today for my move in 3 months but I can read my weekly assignments and prepare for tomorrow’s classes. Worrying about either of these is not a valid alternative.

Seems simple enough, right? In fact, it must be too simple for me to take at face value. It just won’t sink in. I find that the older I get the more I realize I am in control of so few things. This “loss” creates more anxiety in me. If I cannot influence the outcome of situations or the choices of others, I cannot be sure of the things that will happen to me.

Where does this leave me? In reality, it leaves me right where I started. The only thing that’s changed is my awareness. I was never in control. Not knowing it made it no less true. What then can I do about this?

In my stubbornness I usually try several things that leave me more exhausted and frustrated, knowing all the while I should be turning to Christ. He is the only answer and the core of my heart knows it. Yet, I persist in my striving. I struggle with anxiety over control most often because I am attempting to take responsibility for things that are not my concern. I am attempting to work outside the scope of my position and influence. Inevitably I fail, which leads me back each time to the truth of the matter. I am not in control.

That’s right. I am not in control, but I know the One who is. I belong to Him and trust Him for my future, not only in heaven but in this life. This trust ranges from the biggest issues to the smallest.

Sometimes the best way I can demonstrate this is by simply giving all these racing thoughts to Him, asking that He only bring to mind those concerns He would have me focus on at the time He would have me focus on them. The principle is simple, but the practice is difficult for me. I need reminding. I need a lot of reminding. It is during these times of inner turmoil, when I cannot find calm within myself and am ready to give up that He nudges ever so slightly, prompting me to do as He commanded. “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Lord, help us. As your people we desire to follow You, but we are flawed. We put our own shortsighted understanding before Your unfathomable knowledge. In practice, we often want to be like You more than we want to have a relationship with You. Break our hearts over this and bring us back to Your saving grace on a daily basis. Show us how to be still so you can be God in our hearts and lives. Amen.

John 21:22 by Brandi Peters

Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”  John 21:22

Jesus’ response to Peter’s inquiry about what should happen to John is a reminder I need often. In my tendency to make Christianity all about me and the blessings I receive from God, rather than what He has already given, I have no way of gaging my life’s progress without comparing it to that of another.

It is true that Christ indwells each believer, but not in order to live out the same life in each of us. Even before we came to accept Him as Lord, He created us with different backgrounds, personalities, drives, and desires.  Each believer’s role in God’s ultimate plan is different, as are the blessings we receive and the burdens we bear.

This is not to sound isolating or alienating. Certainly, there are commonalities, but I cannot compare my life to another in order to objectively identify my standing. Christ is the standard. He is who and what I am to strive after.

As for the person (believer or not) who seems to be more blessed than I? If Christ wills that person to remain until His return, what is that to me? I should follow Him!