Author: BJ Armstrong

John 14

“What do you love?”

You have to be careful with that question. If you aren’t, you’ll provide an emotional response. When we answer emotionally, we often name the things we want to love or believe we are supposed to love.

You’ll say you love your spouse because that’s what you’re supposed to say. Duh.

But reality may tell a different story.

Instead of sitting at dinner with her, you went to the bar with your buddies. Rather than engaging in a meaningful conversation, you lost yourself in the football game.

Is that love?

Love is revealed by what we consistently give ourselves to, the things that receive our time, attention, sacrifice, and obedience.

Consider that football game. There is absolutely nothing that will keep you from watching it. Will you be late? Not a chance. You’ll move every meeting and sideline every other commitment to be there.

Put into the language of Jesus: you obey what you love.

“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.”
—John 14:21 NLT

Make no mistake: your obedience gets results.

For the sports fan, it produces excitement and energy. There’s adrenaline in the competition, loyalty to the team, endless banter, bountiful statistics, and plenty of nachos.

Jesus promises something too:

“And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

Jesus will reveal himself to those who love him.

Is that a big enough reward?

Or are you looking for something more?

My mind goes to money first. How will seeing Jesus help me make more money? Will it make me more successful? More influential? Will Jesus reveal himself in a way that helps me accomplish what I already want?

But then, which comes first?

Jesus, reveal yourself to me, and then I will love you.

Or:

Jesus, I love you—now reveal yourself to me.

Perhaps both still make the revelation of Jesus a transaction. I’ll give him something if he gives me what I want.

Jesus offers a better way:

Jesus, I love you. Therefore, I will obey you.

Obedience does not purchase his love. It demonstrates mine.

And somewhere along that road of obedience, Jesus promises that I will see more of him.

The question is not simply, “Do I say that I love Jesus?”

The question is, “Does my life agree?”

Psalm 72

We are right to be wary of kings. Samuel warned Israel that kings take: they take sons and daughters, fields and vineyards, servants and livestock, only  to increase their own power. Kings often make rules that benefit themselves while burdening the people (1 Samuel 8:10–18).

Psalm 72, however, gives us a picture of a different kind of king.  This King we would gladly embrace.

He is filled with righteousness.
He rules with justice.
He brings prosperity to the people.
He defends the poor.
He delivers the needy.
He crushes the oppressor.
His dominion has no boundaries.
He subdues his enemies.
Other kings bow before him.
He rescues the weak because their lives are precious to him.
Under his reign, the land flourishes.
His name endures forever.
Through him, all nations are blessed.

Israel asked for a king like the nations. Psalm 72 teaches us to long for a King unlike any the nations have ever known.  A King of kings.

We have that King. His name is Jesus.

1 Peter 1

Peter says we can live with “great expectation” (1 Peter 1:3, 13). Are you?

Expectations matter. Great change is usually pursued by people who believe change is possible. Martin Luther King Jr. expected a future in which people could live with greater freedom and equality. That expectation shaped everything he did.

Guess what? Your expectations shape everything you do too.

My expectations aren’t always so great. When Monday arrives, I expect it to be miserable. By the time Friday rolls around, I’m not anticipating a meaningful weekend; I’m just expecting to unwind.

Our expectations are often shaped by our limitations. Intelligence, health, age, energy, experiences, and disappointments all play a role. We look at what we have, measure what seems possible, and adjust our expectations accordingly.

But what would happen if we allowed God to shape our expectations instead?

Moses expected God to lead His people toward the Promised Land because God had promised it. David expected an enduring kingdom because God had made a covenant with him. Neither expectation rested on personal strength. Both rested on the character and promises of God.

What did Jesus expect?

He expected rejection, suffering, and a cross. More importantly, He expected resurrection. He also expected a handful of imperfect disciples to carry His message into the world. He looked at something as small as a mustard seed and expected a kingdom to grow from it.

Do you think Jesus has expectations for you?

That is Peter’s invitation. Great expectation doesn’t mean expecting an easy Monday, a trouble-free life, or every personal ambition to succeed. It means expecting God to remain faithful—especially when life is difficult.

So, what do you expect this week?

Are your expectations being shaped by your present limitations or by the promises of God?

Are you living with great expectation?

1 Thesalonians 5

I pretty much slept through high-school.  As soon as I took my seat at my desk, opened the book and tried to listen, I got tired. It’s not because I was overworked or even overstressed. No, this was a different sort of tired. It’s marked by boredom and disinterest. This was true of most subjects but math and world history stand out to me. Funny thing is I knew that both were useful information. I actually enjoyed math, I even liked the drama of world history, even so, I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

I wonder if that’s what Paul is talking about in 1 Thessalonians 5. He warns us about two ways we go through our Christian lives sleepy, and drunk.  Sleepiness is what happens when I slowly stop paying attention to God. Drunkenness is what happens when I intentionally look somewhere else to satisfy or numb my soul. One is drift; the other is escape. Both leave me unprepared for the life God has called me to live. Sometimes, my Christian life is just like that world history class, unmotivated, disinterested, and disconnected.

The remedy, as Paul puts it, is to put on our armor. The breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation.  Remember your armor?  The faith that God is for you and a love that dies for you.  But don’t forget hope.  Remember the promise that he is coming?  A day is coming where sin, darkness and deception are gone.  These are not just our protection but also our motivation. 

Faith trusts God today.

Love serves others today.

Hope keeps our eyes on tomorrow.

Revelation 19

In Revelation 19, Jesus is called:

• “Faithful and True” (v.11)
• “The Word of God” (v.13)
• “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (v.16)

His names reveal who He is and how we experience Him. Yet even with all the names we know, there is still a mystery about Him. Revelation says He has a name written that no one knows but Himself (v.12). And even if we knew it, could we fully understand it?

Many of His names describe what He does for us:

• Avenger — He fights the battle against the enemy.
• Rescuer — He pulls us from the grip of evil.
• Conqueror — He defeats the beast and overcomes all opposition.
• Just Judge — He deals righteously with sin and unrighteousness.

His names aren’t merely titles; they are revelations of His character and His work.

The question for us is: What do you call Him?

Psalms 103

Last week, a friend reminded me of the benefits of a gratitude journal.  “Do it daily,”, she insisted.  It will change your life!

I believe that.  It will.  Gratitude re-focuses our energy, producing better results.  It’s been studied and documented, proven to be real.  Here is the formula:

Gratitude + Action = Results

“Shoot, that’s easy!  I’m going to try that,” is my response.

So, I do it.  And it works…mostly.  Something is still missing.  I don’t understand.  If I am grateful, my attitude has improved and I am getting better results, why is my life still dry?  Why do I feel just a little bit off?

The answer is simple, and obvious.  I saw it clearly in Psalm 103:1. David writes:

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.

Do you see it?  Twice he says it.  Praise.

The gratitude formula I was provided is wrong.  When I add action to gratitude, the focus is on me.  It celebrates who I am and what I have. I am elevated.  At the end of the day, however, no matter how thankful I am, I’m still haunted my weaknesses and limitations.  While I have better results, I still feel empty and dry.  What am I missing?  How do I overcome that?

 David shows us.  He uses a different formula.  It’s not gratitude + action, its:

Gratitude + Praise

Adding praise to gratitude shifts our focus from me to God. David’s praise is an external focus celebrating something outside of his own control. It’s the same for us.  With praise, we are eliminated from equation, and gratitude gets placed where it belongs, with the source.  God.

Another great thing about praise is that its not just past tense, its also future tense  Yes, we celebrate what God has done, but also get to celebrate what God is going to do.  Said another way, what God has done, God will also do.  Our weaknesses and limitations are no longer debilitating, they’re empowering.

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 (NLT)

There’s one more part of the equation that David get’s right.  The ending.  For David, gratitude and praise do not produce a bigger kingdom, more money, or a better family life; i.e. better results.  They are about joy.

Gratitude + Praise = Joy

Jesus says it this way:

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10

Yes, he deserves our gratitude, but he has earned our praise.

Exodus 34

A rich kid does not fear poverty, he mocks it.  He is shaped by wealth. It influences his decisions, behaviors, and attitudes. You might say a rich kid will never truly understand poverty.

In a similar way, I don’t know God without Jesus. For us, Jesus has always been God. He is about love and second chances, right?  Just as the rich kid cannot comprehend poverty, you and I cannot comprehend God without Jesus. But what if we try?

Exodus 34 is far from a comprehensive picture of God, but it’s a start. When I read it, I realize how little I’ve had to follow “the rules.” I eat what I want—bacon and lobster, for example. I work on Sundays. I say God’s name out loud when I stub my toe.

But freedom from the rules isn’t the only benefit.

Because of Jesus, we don’t have to slit the throat of a young goat or twist the neck of a calf so that our sins might be forgiven. I’ve never been kept from entering the Holy of Holies—the most sacred place, where God dwells.

You might say we are spoiled.

Spoiled people forget. They forget the cost and the sacrifice—the blood, sweat, and tears required to make this access possible. Maybe that’s why we have Good Friday—because there was a cost. A cost far greater than I can fully understand.

God made it clear that “no one may appear before me without an offering” (Exodus 34:20).

That offering was—and is—Jesus.

To be unspoiled is to be grateful. But we cannot be truly grateful without understanding the cost that made it possible.

James 3

You’ve probably heard the Tale of the two wolves. A man is telling his grandson about the two wolves that live inside of him.  One is good, and lives in harmony, but the other is angry.

Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, because both of the wolves try to dominate my spirit. says the grandfather.

Truth is, one of them is trying to dominate you too.  Do you know which one is winning?  Look no further than the words that come from your mouth.  Jesus said it best “for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:37 (ESV)

So, which is it?  Are your words clearing your name, or do they declare you guilty?

Rather than accept the condemnation headed our way, we look for solutions.  The easiest is to be more intentional.  “I’ll try harder,”  “I’ll do better,” we say.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t work.  No amount of self-discipline can control your tounge.  Only one thing can – your heart.

Psalms 51:10 (ESV) says The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 

Before you begin asking how to fix it, think instead about who can fix it.  That’s what David did.  Let’s pray his prayer:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalms 51:10 (ESV)

Seems like a good way to start the day.

Proverbs 6

My coach used to tell me, “You play with poop, you get it on your hands.”

Duh! Why would anyone want to do that?

Yet we do it all the time.
We convince ourselves we can get close to sin without getting dirty.

That’s a great question. So why do we do it? Have we forgotten what is right and wrong? No. If you’re a regular reader of BibleJournal, it’s probably written upon your heart and hung around your neck just as the Scriptures suggest.

Proverbs 6:16–19 (ESV)
There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.

It’s easy to sit back with relief and say, “Phew, I’m clear. I’m not any of those.”

But when you look closer, you’ll see that you might not be doing those things—but you are often standing right next to them.

It’s all around you.

We easily ditch our beliefs and engage with it, declaring it “innocent entertainment.”

It’s not.

You cannot play around with it without it shaping you. It’s true that when you play with it, you get it on your hands.

Proverbs 6:4–5

Don’t put it off; do it now!
Don’t rest until you do.
Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter,
like a bird fleeing from a net.

So how do you do that?

Think about Truth.
Delete that app.
Block that website.
Walk away from that conversation.
Remove yourself from the text thread.
Walk the other hallway.