There are many things in the Bible that are counter intuitive.

Proverbs 20:28 is an example of wisdom that sounds quite contrary to what a simple world view might believe. “Love and faithfulness keep a king safe; through love his throne is made secure.”

Intimidation and dominance will keep people following a leader when they are required to, but a leader who truly cares about, loves, his or her people will receive the same in return, and receive the allegiance and commitment from his or her team. There is no greater example of this than Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord, There is so much wisdom available to us in the Bible; Useful for us in our walk of faith, but also in how we live our lives in work, school, and family. Help us read and meditate on your word out of our love for You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the difficult instructions we have as Christians is to love our enemies, and particularly, we are not to seek revenge. It is difficult not to look for an opportunity to get back at someone who made a joke at our expense, cut us off in traffic, or got the promotion we were hoping for.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” As difficult as it is, we need to be kind to those who do us wrong, that is our part of the arrangement. Taking care of the offender is God’s part of the arrangement. Paul tells us in Romans 12:19, “for it is written: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” KJV in verse 21 he says, “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” NLT When we sink to revenge and vengeance, we are damaging our own character and bringing ourselves down to the level of our offender.

Dear Lord, Help us to stay above the evil around us, be kind and gracious to those who offend us, and pray for them. By being kind, we may be the tool you are using to bring that person to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

In John chapter 21, Jesus appears to several of the disciples including Peter. It is the third time the Bible records Jesus appearing to them after the resurrection. This appearance was several weeks after the resurrection and unlike the other appearances, was not near Jerusalem.

In verses 15-19, Jesus asks Peter three separate times, “do you love me.” When Peter says that he does, Jesus says first, “Feed my Lambs,” then “tend my sheep”, then “feed my sheep.”

I have read this text many times, and overlooked a message that seems significant and very clear now.

When Jesus appeared to the disciples this time, they were fishing. Essentially, they had spent the last three years following Jesus, listening and learning and coming to believe he was the Messiah. They saw him crucified, and then saw him alive after being resurrected. After all that, what did Peter do?

He went back to work as a fisherman.

What I think Jesus is telling him in this story, is, “You cannot go back to being a fisherman, you have the message of Salvation. Go and share it with everyone.”

The story also describes how after fishing all night long and catching nothing, Jesus tells them to put the net on the other side of the boat, and they immediately catch many fish; showing that he will provide what they need.

Dear Lord, We can all learn from this story that the important thing in our lives is you. We need to share your love and feed your sheep. You will provide for us when we keep your priorities our priorities. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

One limiting belief many of us have as Christians is that because we are not living a flawless Christian life, we cannot witness and evangelize. We think we have to have all the answers, and follow all the rules before we can be acceptable witnesses to lead others to Christ.

This is obviously not the case, and Paul makes it clear in Philippians 3:12-14 “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

It is not our “goodness” that saves people, but it is our witness that can open the door for the Holy Spirit to come to them. Our authentic enthusiasm for Chist is a better tool for evangelism than how good we are.

Dear Lord, help us always remember that we do not bring people to believe, we only bring them to the opportunity, and You save them. Our best witness is our joyful confidence in your guidance and protection, and our hope for eternal Salvation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I think we all encounter situations where people we know in our churches, workplaces, or family complain and expect the worst, using one small negative experience as an excuse to expect everything that follows to be terrible. I call it the Chicken Little mentality, after the children’s story about the chicken who was convinced that the sky was falling because one acorn fell on his head.

The solution is to put our focus and faith on God.

This situation occurs in the book of Exodus, while the Jews are leaving Egypt, and Pharaoh’s armies are chasing them. Exodus 14:11-14 says, “And they turned against Moses, whining, “Have you brought us out here to die in the desert because there were not enough graves for us in Egypt? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Isn’t this what we told you, while we were slaves, to leave us alone? We said it would be better to be slaves to the Egyptians than dead in the wilderness.” But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch, and you will see the wonderful way the Lord will rescue you today. The Egyptians you are looking at—you will never see them again. The Lord will fight for you, and you won’t need to lift a finger!”

The subsequent verses tell the story of the parting of the Red Sea and destruction of Egypt’s armies.

One leader, with his faith in God, overcame their Chicken Little mentality.

Dear Lord, help us be the faithful leaders in our churches, families, and workplaces that overcome the fears and negativity over others by putting our trust in you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.