Dear Pastor, Preacher, or Bible Teacher –

Jesus gives us something to think about after a weekend of serving God and His people:

And Jesus said to him,
“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Matthew 8:20)

A scribe came to Jesus and said he wanted to follow Him. “Scribe” means that he was an educated, professional man – something like an attorney today. Maybe he looked at the unimpressive and uneducated men who made up the 12 disciple and figured he would be the natural leader among them – an impressive addition to team Jesus.

Jesus responded to the scribe, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. Jesus didn’t tell the man “No, you can’t follow Me.” But Jesus told him the truth, without painting a glamorized version of what it was like to follow Him.

There is often very little glamor and a fair amount of hardship in following Jesus and serving Him. I don’t think it is helpful to focus on the things we give up for the sake of Jesus and serving His people, but it is good to remember from time to time that it is normal. It doesn’t mean that we are failures or are doing it wrong.

Many pastors and Christian workers I know are exhausted. They have been giving their all in these strange times and have done so for a long time. If that’s you, please find a way to take some rest. In your time of resting (whether it is long or short), remember that a not-glamorous ministry is doing it just like Jesus did.

I’m sending this with a prayer for you and all who read this email!

Blessings to You in Jesus’ Name – David Guzik

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Dear Pastor, Preacher, or Bible Teacher –

I have in mind some special people for this brief word. I think of those who have worked hard to bring something from God’s word to God’s people and to all who will listen. Whether you speak to many or to few, you have a privileged place – to speak on behalf of the King of Glory.

With that in mind, think of this from Matthew 8:8:

The centurion answered and said,
“Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.
But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.”

When the Roman centurion asked a favor of Jesus, he asked it with great sensitivity towards Jesus. He knew that it was forbidden for an observant Jew to enter a Gentile’s house, so the centurion insisted it was not necessary for Jesus to come to his house. All Jesus had to do was speak a word, and the centurion’s servant would be healed.

The Roman centurion understood something that many people do not: that the healing power of Jesus was not some sort of magic trick that required the magician’s presence. Instead, he knew Jesus had true authority, and Jesus could command things to be done and outside His immediate presence – and they would be done!

The centurion showed great faith in Jesus’ word. He understood that Jesus can heal with His word just as easily as with a touch. The centurion knew that the authority of Jesus was at least as great as the authority of a commanding officer over the soldiers under his charge. When the commanding officer spoke, the soldiers were to respect his authority. When Jesus speaks, He commands authority over every created thing.

Dear friend who labors in the proclamation of God’s word: please remember that there is tremendous authority in the word of God. Your own authority or personality doesn’t really matter much; you are a messenger of the God of all authority! When you clearly explain and apply what God says in His word, you can be as bold as a lion. As you stick to God’s word, you have apostolic authority in the best sense.

Uncertain times call for clear words from our pulpits and places of Bible teaching. This isn’t a season for vain speculations; people need to hear the authority of God’s word. They need to hear it from people who are persuaded that the word of Jesus has authority. I hope you have as much faith in the authority of Jesus’ word as the Roman centurion did!

The authority of Jesus’ word has not weakened one bit in the last 2,000 years. Ask God to give you a fresh appreciation of the authority of the word of God as you present the message of Jesus Christ, the living word.

Blessings to You in Jesus’ Name – David Guzik

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Dear Pastor, Preacher, or Bible Teacher –

God be with you on this Monday! I don’t know if you preached or taught the Bible this last weekend, but I wanted to bring you this encouraging word from Matthew 8:12:

When He had come down from the mountain,
great multitudes followed Him.
And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying,
“Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

As pastors, preachers, and Bible teachers, we all know that Jesus did many amazing miracles. Today, think for a moment about this leper. We read here that he came to Jesus, he worshipped Jesus, and he asked Jesus to heal him.

Here is a simple thought: this leper came to Jesus despite many discouragements. Think about the reasons he had to be discouraged:

• He knew how terrible his problem was.
• He knew that other people gave up on him as having a hopeless condition.
• He came alone, having no one who would or could take him to Jesus.
• He had no previous example of Jesus healing a leper to give him hope.
• He had no promise that Jesus would heal him.
• He had no invitation from Jesus or the disciples.
• He must have felt ashamed and alone in the crowd.

This leper fought off all these discouragements and came to Jesus, worshipped Him, and asked Jesus for a miracle to meet his need.

As we serve God, there are many discouragements along the way. Sometimes I think that “discouragement” is the sharpest tool the devil uses against God’s servants.

But the next time you feel so discouraged, remember this leper who battled through every discouragement to come to Jesus, worship Him, and receive from Jesus. Then remember that you have many, many more reasons for encouragement than that leper ever had!

• You know how bad your problems are; you have also seen the power of Jesus win the victory many times.
• You know other people have given up on you; but you also know Jesus has never given up on you.
• You may feel alone in your problem, but you know Jesus is with you.
• You have many examples of Jesus powerfully working for His servants.
• You have many precious promises from Jesus to encourage you.
• You have an invitation to the throne of grace in your time of need.
• You have many others who know your difficulty and stand beside you.

Sure, you have reasons to be discouraged – but you have many more reasons to be encouraged. Lord Jesus, help us to walk in the strength of your encouraging promises!

Blessings to You in Jesus’ Name – David Guzik

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Dear Pastor, Preacher, or Bible Teacher –

Do you remember this event from the life of Jesus?

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1)

Immediately after Jesus identified with sinful humanity through His baptism, the Holy Spirit then led Him to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The Gospel of Mark says it even stronger, saying that the Holy Spirit “drove” Jesus to the wilderness.

As servants of the Lord, we all want to be led by the Holy Spirit. It’s one of our deepest desires. Just remember that the Holy Spirit made lead us to uncomfortable places with many challenges. For some reason, I sometimes think that if I’m really led by the Spirit, life will be a constant progress from one happy experience to another. Matthew 4:1 reminds us that the Holy Spirit has a purpose even in the challenges we face.

This was a remarkable contrast between the “then” connected to the glory of Jesus’ baptism and the “now” of His challenge in the wilderness.

Then, the cool waters of the Jordan; now the barren wilderness.
Then, the big crowds; now solitude and silence.
Then, the Spirit rested like a dove; now the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.
Then, the voice of the Father calling Him “Beloved Son”; now the hiss of Satan the tempter.
Then, anointed; now attacked.
Then, the water of baptism; now the fire of temptation.
Then, the heavens were opened; now it seemed that hell was open wide.

So, in the challenges you face right now – if the Holy Spirit has led or even driven you to them, then God will use them for good. Don’t lose heart. Don’t be afraid of the circumstances; if God is for you, who can be against you?

You don’t need circumstances on your side; you need God’s victory, and it is found in Jesus Christ. Remember that Adam failed in a beautiful garden and Jesus was victorious in a barren wilderness.

The same Jesus has filled you, called you, anointed you, and sent you the Holy Spirit – even if now it feels like you are in the wilderness.

Blessings to You in Jesus’ Name – David Guzik

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Dear Pastor, Preacher, or Bible Teacher –

I hope you had a great “Empty Tomb Day” – we probably won’t experience another one like that in our lifetime!

For so many pastors, preachers, and Bible teachers, they have never reached so many people before on a Resurrection Sunday. Instead of reaching them at a “regular” Easter Sunday service, they have reached out online and in other ways. It’s amazing how this strange season has led to tremendous opportunity.

Here’s a quick thought from Psalm 62:5:

My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
Psalm 62:5

In Psalm 62, David beautifully declared his trust in God alone. David spoke to himself (a good thing to do), telling his soul to submit to God. Then, Davide expressed the same thought in a different way: my expectation is from Him.

Dear pastor, preacher, or Bible teacher – this is the heart we need right now. In this season where we really don’t know what to expect next, we need to say, my expectation is from Him.

God has surprised us thus far, and there may be many more surprises to come. But when our expectation is from Him, we will never be disappointed.

Here’s a great prayer: “Lord, I often don’t know what to expect. Today I surrender all my expectations to You, and I agree with what David said in Psalm 62:5: my expectation is from You. I believe that what You have for me is better than whatever I could expect apart from You.”

That’s a great expectation.

Blessings to You in Jesus’ Name – David Guzik

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