Six-year-old Emma possesses a charming urge to give gifts. As a nature lover, her gifts are often like the one she presented me last week: a leaf.

But leaves don’t last, and that’s a hard lesson for little ones to learn. I suspect it’s a reality most of us adults struggle with, as well. Whether we’re blessed with little—or a lot—we want the good stuff to last forever. But…

• Leaves don’t last forever.
• Flowers don’t last forever.
• Looks don’t last forever.
• Dream jobs don’t last forever.
• Health doesn’t last forever.
• Houses don’t last forever. 
• Spouses don’t last forever—not in the earthly sense.

These are all wonderful gifts. But we love them too much when we love them more than God and insist they never go away.

We seek a “forever” quality in our gifts, but will find it only in the Giver. Consider, we are pilgrims passing through, not hoarders hanging on.

Our misshapen hearts, deformed by the fall, seek fulfillment in stuff that doesn’t last, rather than a Savior that never leaves. And the whispered refrain of our Heavenly Father is to love the Giver more than the gifts.

You want forever?

• Heaven is forever.
• Christ is forever.
• Souls are forever.
• The Word of God is forever.

Let’s learn to long for these—and not lesser gifts. 

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!   

–2 Corinthians 9:15

It was barely six o’clock in the morning, but the sun was so high—and the humidity with it—sunglasses seemed to beg for their own wiper blades.

Humid or not, Jack launched into his Scripture memory work. In his hand, he held a laminated card featuring the text of Psalm 27. He was working on verse eight:

When you said, "Seek my face," my heart said to you, "I shall seek your face, Lord.

Again and again, Jack worked that phrase over as he hoofed his way toward the office: “I shall seek your face, Lord. I shall seek your face, Lord.” And then a distraction seized his view—a very young, very trim jogger lady whose too-few clothes were too tight.

Jack said, “Immediately, this verse seemed to shout at me: “When you said ‘Seek my face,’ my heart said to you, ‘I shall seek your face, Lord.’”

Rather than linger or leer, Jack turned away and quoted the verse—out loud. And he did so again and again until the jogger had passed. Looking back on that moment, he quipped, "Ya know, it’s hard to quote Scripture and gawk at a jogger.” 

He's got a point! But not just ANY point. Jack was using the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God! It's for moments exactly like this that God has given us the Scriptures.

Ephesians 6:17 urges, "And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." We would not need a helmet or a sword if there were no battle. But fight we must because the war is on.

While it’s nice to celebrate Jack’s win, one victory is hardly the end of the conflict. Jack will surely need to reach for his Sword again. And so will you and I.

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11

Photo by Ricardo Cruz on Unsplash

Do you snack between meals? Probably.

Americans spend 135 billion annually on snacks—almost $500 per person. And get this—44% of us spend more on snack food than Netflix. Snacks account for more than a quarter of U.S. food and beverage spending.

As a toddler, our daughter Lynnette was the poster child for snackers. It got to the point where my wife set out a Cheerios-inspired yellow bowl with snacks to tame Lynnette's appetite. She snacked her way through the day. And so do many of us.

But are we that hungry for God's presence? How many of us PRAY our way through the day?

It was the old radio preacher Bob Cook who I first heard share that phrase, which is anchored in Ephesians 6:18,  "Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." In other words, this verse is saying, "Pray your way through the day."

Before you open the mail—say a prayer. (There could be good news—or bad!).

Before you answer the phone—say a prayer. (You don't know who might be on the other end of the call, desperate for encouragement).

Before you hit “send” on that text or email—say a prayer. (You might end up NOT hitting send!).

Before you walk in the door after work to greet your spouse—say a prayer.

(You don't know what they've been through, what comfort they need).

Yes, we need times of extended, quiet prayer with God—say first thing in the morning. But the temptation (for me at least) is to then “check prayer off the list.”  Instead, let’s learn to pray our way through the day.

I’m hardly a Jedi knight at this, but when I choose to live this lifestyle, I am…

         •        More at peace

         •        Less irritable

         •        More poised to notice others’ needs and encourage them.

Pray your way through the day. Try it! It feels like you're having an extended conversation with Jesus—like you never really leave his presence. Isn't that the way we're supposed to live the Christian life?

Thomas Watson reminds us, “The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel.”

Pray your way through the day!

https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/education/2024/state-of-snacking/

https://talkbusiness.net/2019/12/americans-spend-almost-500-annually-on-snack-foods/

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/44-americans-spend-more-snacks-130215223.html

https://www.marketplace.org/story/2024/02/09/many-americans-are-snacking-more-but-looking-for-bargains-in-the-snack-aisle

When it comes to antisemitism, the last 30 days have been ugly.

Justin Kron of the Kesher Project put together the following assessment of the last 30 days:

• Kanye West—an artist with a following of nearly 30 million people, more than double the global Jewish population—released a song and music video titled “Heil Hitler.” 
• Mosab Abu Toha, who denied that hostages were abducted on October 7th, won a Pulitzer Prize.
• A student at Temple University recorded himself ordering bar service with a sign that reads "F*** the Jews," which went viral on social media. After being publicly chastised by Dave Portnoy, the bar owner, somebody created a fund to help the student cover any legal fees he might incur in defending his "free speech."

• The premiere of Bring the Family Home, featuring Jewish rapper KoshaDillz and his efforts to encourage peaceful dialogue with anti-Israel protestors, is canceled by the host theater in Chicago just 3 hours beforehand due to "safety concerns." Thankfully, another theater quickly stepped up to the plate, allowing people to attend the premiere. 
• Tom Fletcher, the UN's under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, during a BBC interview, stated that "14,000 babies [in Gaza] will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them," which was entirely untrue. Nevertheless, multiple mainstream media outlets and social influencers, including former news anchor Katie Couric, quickly parroted the lie to millions around the world.

• Two days later, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, both Jewish followers of Jesus who were planning to get engaged the following week, were maliciously gunned down by a pro-Hamas terrorist from Chicago while they were walking out of an event at the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., for the ‘crime’ of being Zionists. Many then took to social media to defend the shooter's actions as justified resistance.

• Just last weekend, during a peaceful march in support of Israeli hostages at the outdoor Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado, Mohamed Sabry Soliman used a "makeshift flamethrower" and launched Molotov cocktails that burned twelve victims.

Again, all of this (and more) has happened in just the past month. Yet many in our country act like antisemitism isn’t a serious issue and that people like me are just being dramatic about it.

But Justin Kron reminds us it is a serious issue, and as followers of Jesus—a Jewish Messiah—and people called to love our neighbors, we must not remain silent. Let us not pretend that antisemitism is someone else's problem. The Church must stand up. Not only in our prayers but in our pulpits, classrooms, and daily conversations. We must teach our children, disciple our congregations, and challenge our culture to confront this evil.

One way you can step up is by getting the word out about the upcoming release of OCTOBER 7: BEARING WITNESS TO THE MASSACRE this September. I’ve seen the trailer—and it might just leave you breathless. Learn more at october7film.com.

The good news? Romans 12:2 assures us we can “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21) and truly make a difference. Why not start today?

Thanks to Justin Kron and the Kesher project for their tireless work. Visit kesherproject.com

Do you like to fish?

About 60 million Americans do—women and men. And we shell out a collective total of 115 billion dollars annually on fishing lures, fishing boats, and fishing trips.

I've been on four unforgettable half-day fishing charters. But could I be frank with you? I know very little about fishing—almost nothing!

However, I've observed that invariably, the captain knows the right place, the right time, the right bait, and the right technique! The captain scans for fish, baits the hooks, sets the downriggers—he does it all.

With a typical half-day morning charter, you get up at 4:00 am to drive to the marina, so you're already tired. Then you take some Dramamine to prevent motion sickness, and now you're trashed!

I’ve been so sleepy that I’ve dozed off standing on my feet, and the captain has had to yell out, “You’ve got a fish! Crank it in!” So, I wake up, haul in the fish, and feel like a hero for reeling in the “big one.”

But it really isn't me doing the work! I merely wind in the fish for which someone else did the prep work. The captain just lets me be part of the adventure.

That’s a pretty good picture of what God has in mind for you and me regarding making disciples. We can't save a single soul. But He knows the right place, the right time, the right bait, and the right technique. Better yet, He longs to have us join Him in His mission of fishing for souls.

On a fishing charter, the captain never uses just one pole. There are ten or more! Why? Obviously, you significantly increase your odds of catching a fish when you're casting for more than one.

Translation: If all you have is one unsaved friend, neighbor, or coworker, your world is too small! Let's build lots of friendships with lots of unsaved people. By all means, hang on to your Christian buddies—you need them to help anchor you to Christ. But your ocean must include unsaved folks, too.

Jesus called us to be fishers of souls. Who are you fishing for?

You don’t need to be great at it. But you do have to get at it!

Your Captain—and your adventure—are waiting!