JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Good News Focus is on Mark 10:44 and 45.
Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
James and John were two of Jesus’ disciples who were seeking a place of honor when Jesus’ reigns in His glory. Jesus showed the path to greatness through service and humility.
If we want to know anything about being great in the kingdom of God, we need to look at the example of Jesus. The king of heaven became a servant on earth. He washed His disciples’ feet using a basin and towel. Then, He went to the cross and gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins. He pursued the needs of others at a high cost. That is the expression of love to a great measure.
Jesus is our Source of Good News, leading us to a place of humble service in the Year of Vision.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Vision, today’s 20/20 Insight focuses on the heart of David to get right with God.
This happened in Psalm 51, after he was confronted about unconfessed sin in his life.
David humbled himself before God and confessed his sin to Him. In doing so, David had to face his character flaws and be honest about his sinful nature. It is not an easy thing to go there, but it is the path to a purified heart.
David said in verse 3, “I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” He sought God’s forgiveness by saying “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.”
He sought to change course when he said, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Psalm 51 is a good prayer for anyone who is seeking to get life back on track with God.
Focusing on God’s mercy to forgive sin gives us greater clarity for living out the Christian life.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Good News Focus is on Matthew 5:3.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus is pronouncing a blessing on those who recognize our need for God’s grace. We have come to a place where we understand that we are spiritually bankrupt because of our sin, and there is no way for us to pay back the debt on our own. We need the payment that Christ paid for our salvation when He shed His blood on a cross.
Poverty in spirit is a humble place to be. That is where God meets us in His graciousness. James 4:6 says, “He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says, ‘God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble.”
Jesus is our Source of Good News, leading us to the place of humility that is blessed by God in the Year of Vision.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Vision, today’s 20/20 Insight focuses on the freedom of serving in a spirit of love.
Along with freedoms come responsibility for the actions that we take. The opportunity to use our freedom for good or evil is found in Galatians 5:13 to 15-“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”
This is a good word for us today. We can use our freedoms and opportunities for selfish gain or we can use our freedoms and opportunities to represent Jesus. Selfish ambition leads to prideful actions that tear people apart. Love leads to humble service that inspires faith, hope, and love in the lives of others.
Focusing on the freedom of serving others gives us greater clarity for living out the Christian life.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Good News Focus is on Romans 12:3.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
Pride gets us into trouble, leading us to think of ourselves as better than other people around us and better than we really are. With pride in our heart, we are not willing to take an honest look at our character flaws to see where changes might be needed.
But if we see ourselves as God sees us, we will see ourselves as dearly loved by God, and at the same time, dependent on His grace. We will also see the need to be connected with other believers, who can speak truth into our lives and offer support for living the Christian life. Humility puts our heart in the right place for God to work out His purposes in our lives.
Jesus is our Source of Good News, leading us to a place of humble service in the body of Christ in the Year of Vision.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK -Today’s Good News Focus is on James 4:6.
“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’”
These are some of the qualities of a humble person. One quality is gratitude. A humble person acknowledges God as the source of blessing. Every day is an opportunity to give thanks to God for His good and perfect gifts from above.
Another quality of humble person is that they are teachable. They are open to the counsel of God and are willing to be corrected when they have made wrong choices.
Yet another quality of a humble person is that they respect God’s authority. James 4:7 instructs us to “submit ourselves to God.” This is a recognition that God’s ways are higher than our ways.
Jesus is our source of Good News, leading us to places of humility and grace in the Year of Vision.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Redemption, today’s Freedom Phrase is based on Philippians 2:5.
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.”
Being in very nature God, Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
The mindset of Jesus was not pride, but humility.
His mindset was to obey the will of His Father, and to die as a sacrifice for our sins. This is the way of Jesus, which transforms our attitude from having selfish tendencies to look for service opportunities. This holiday season, think about how to reach out to someone in need with the mindset of a servant. Then, go do it.
Through Jesus, we are set free to pursue the attitude of Christ in the way we handle relationships.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Eye on Integrity is based on James 3:13.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
Humility is a quality that recognizes our need for God’s grace and places value on the people God has brought into our lives. Whatever we do, let it be done with a spirit of humility. Then, people will be blessed and God will get the glory for what we have accomplished.
Walking in the way of humility is a virtue to embrace for our lives in the Year of Integrity.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Person of Integrity is the Apostle Paul.
According to Acts 20:19, he told the church leaders at Ephesus, “I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”
Here was a man who persevered through times of testing and tears in his ministry for the church. He stayed true to his calling and consistently preached the message of the Gospel to the crowds. For Jews and Greeks, his message was the same: Repent. Turn to God. Have faith in the Lord Jesus.
The faithfulness of Paul to the Gospel inspires us to stay true to God and live a life of integrity.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Trust, today’s Focus on God examines the attitude of Jesus.
According to Philippians 2:5, our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-even death on a cross!”
What we see in the attitude of Jesus is a humble servant who was willing to empty himself of His glory in heaven to display His love sacrificially for us on the earth. He did it by laying down His life for us to experience an extremely painful form of death.
Having the attitude of Christ will move us in the direction of humble obedience to the call of God on our lives.
The attitude of Jesus is a reason to trust in God for today and forever.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Q and A Segment explores the question, “How do I get ready each day to honor God with my life?”
We would not think of going to work without putting on clothing that meets the dress code at work. Nor would we think about going out the door without combing our hair, brushing our teeth, and in some cases, putting on makeup or shaving the face. These are some routines in the morning that make our appearance presentable in public.
The Bible talks about a dress code for Christians that can help us get spiritually ready for each new day to bring honor to God.
Colossians 3:12 says, “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
By spending quality time with God in His Word and in prayer, we will be reminded that we are made holy by His grace and dearly loved. Then, we will be prepared to clothe ourselves with the qualities of Christ in the Year of Exploration.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
