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“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” John‬ ‭15:15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Throughout life I have had plenty of associates and contacts. But not as many homeboys. As the Urban Dictionary defines it, a homeboy is “the epitome of a friend, a person who always has your back.“ I’ve been blessed enough to have more than one homeboy/homegirl in my life, those that I met in high school, college, and adulthood. And as tight as we are, and as much as I treasure them, there’s no homeboy like Jesus.

In this passage in John, Jesus is talking to the disciples about love and obedience. And He tells them that He loves them so much that He doesn’t just regard them as servants. He calls them friends. They are His friends because He loves them enough to share what the Father has made known to Him, because they keep His commandments and because they love one another. This is the blueprint for each of our friendships with Jesus. Jesus wants to be your friend too. And in order for that to happen, you must form a relationship with Him. Spend time with Him through prayer and studying. Learn His commandments and obey them. Love others as He loves you.

Think about your closest friends, what they mean to you and what they have done with you and for you. Now multiply that times a million. That’s the type of homeboy Jesus is to us. If you let Him, He will be the best friend you’ll ever have.

“You have wasted enough time doing what unbelievers desire—living in their unrestrained immorality and lust, their drunkenness and excessive feasting and wild parties, and their forbidden worship of idols. They think it’s strange that you don’t join in these activities with the same flood of unrestrained wickedness. So they slander you.” I Peter‬ ‭4:3-4‬ ‭CEB‬‬

On Lauryn Hill’s iconic album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, there’s a profound lyric in the song “Superstar.” It says “They’ll hail you, then nail you. No matter who you are.” It’s such a true statement, as often times in life the people who praise and support you one day will be the same people who criticize and oppose you the next. While that can be bad from a worldly view, it’s actually good from a Biblical view.

In the scriptures above, Peter encourages true believers who are facing slander from nonbelievers. In fact, the whole letter is written as an encouragement to those who don’t fit in anymore. He even opens by addressing them as strangers in their home lands (I Peter 1:1). As Jesus taught, when we are born again, we shouldn’t still look like the world. We shouldn’t continue to practice sin. As a result, those who used to love us hate us.

If the world loves you after you’ve been saved, it means they still view you as one of their own. If the world hates you, it means you no longer belong to them (John 15:19).

So let the world nail you now because you don’t do those sinful things anymore. It’s just further evidence of your growth in God. And if they still hail you, pray that God reveals whatever may still persists in your life that isn’t pleasing to Him.

“Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.” Psalms 119:104 NKJV

It seems that everybody at some point or another has been labeled a hater. I know I have been called one on many occasions. Hater has got to be one of the most overused and watered down terms in our vocabs today. The Urban Dictionary defines a hater as:

“A person that simply cannot be happy for another person’s success. So rather than be happy they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person.”

While I definitely wouldn’t call myself a hater by that definition, I do hope that I am God’s kind of hater.

In this passage in Psalms the writer says that he has learned God’s ways so much that he now hates every false way. The Bible instructs us to do the same, with instructions like “be ye holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44, I Peter 1:16). While there are false theologies out there that place a hyper focus on the love part of God’s holiness, they often fail to also focus on the things that He hates, which is why they’re false ways. The Bible indeed tells us what God hates in many places, such as Proverbs 6:16-19 and Psalms 5:5. And whatever He hates, if we are to be more like Him, then we must hate that too.

So, though I don’t live by the Urban Dictionary’s definition of a hater, I am definitely striving to be a hater according to the Word. Are you?

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:71‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

There’s been much debate in society over child-rearing, especially in the last decade or two. The new thinking seems to be that spanking children is akin to physical abuse. Though I never thought I’d say this, I am very glad I was raised in an era when parents spanked us. I learned and grew so much because of how I was reared. And in this current time, I definitely see a difference in my children (who were/are raised like I was) and some of the children of today.

As adults, we experience trials of life that kinda take over for the spankings we get from our parents. And much of this is allowed by God so that we can learn and grow. Don’t get me wrong – the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. But, as with Job (1:12), God will allow certain things to happen to us to test our faith. For if we never experienced tribulation, then we would never fully understand our faith or our God and His love for us.

Going thru pain and trials is never fun. But know that God never leaves us. And all things work together for our good. Even our trials. So, rejoice in sometimes having to learn things the hard way.

“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”
‭‭James‬ ‭5:19-20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

One of my favorite types of movies is the buddy cop genre. I love how two people, often from different backgrounds, can lay aside differences and work together to achieve a common goal. A great example is the Chris Tucker (Detective Carter) and Jackie Chan (Inspector Lee) duo in the Rush Hour series. While they’re from two different worlds, Carter and Lee make a formidable duo. There’s often conflict between them, but there’s also a strong bond. They quite literally fight back to back, each one protecting the other.

This is an excellent model for an important aspect of Christianity. God designed our faith to be relational. Countless times we are commanded to be there for one another for encouragement, support, and even correction. Hebrews tells us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together so that we can exhort one another (10:24-25). Ephesians tells us that God gave us certain gifts for edification of the entire body (4:11-16). And in the above passage from James, we’re told to turn one another back if we wander from the truth.

So be encouraged my brother and my sister. And take a lesson from Lee and Carter. Be there for one another – encouraging, supporting, correcting, fighting back to back, holding each other up until that glorious Day comes.

“And they glorified God in me.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1:24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

We all experience certain events that seem small but ultimately change the very trajectory of our lives. One of mine happened years ago when my roommate’s then-girlfriend called me out during a conversation. Somehow I mentioned that I was a Christian. She was surprised, and I was surprised that she was surprised. When I asked why my being a Christian surprised her, she said, “Well, you don’t really act like a Christian. You fornicate, you cuss, you go clubbin’. Basically you act like everybody else. So I just didn’t know you were a Christian.”

In Galatians 1, Paul recounted his former life of persecuting Christians, and compared it to his new life of converting people to Christianity. He says that the people glorified the God in him. Basically, he had the opposite effect that I was having. If people can’t see the difference between the old you and the new you, are you really different? They can’t glorify the God in you if they can’t SEE the God in you. As Matthew said, others should see your good works and glorify God (Matt. 5:16).

I’m so grateful that I was called out. I honestly don’t think I changed much in that moment, but it’s one of the key moments that led to my current life of striving to be more and more like Him everyday. I don’t want people to see me when they look at me. I want them see the God in me and glorify Him. Kirk Franklin says it very well in his song “Last Jesus”:

If I say I love Jesus

But you can’t see my Jesus

My words are empty

If they can’t see Jesus in me.”

Can they see Him in you?

“Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have never been a runner. It always amazes me how there are people who not only run regularly, but they even enjoy doing it! I understand all the health benefits and everything. But nope. Can’t do it.

However, in this passage Paul tells Timothy (and us) that we all run. To live a life that’s pleasing to God, we must run away from our old, sinful lifestyle and habits. And we must run towards righteous living. Take note that if at any time you run towards sin, though, you’re running away from righteousness.

So like it or not, we’re all running. Which way you going?

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

One of the benefits of social media is that it allows for everyone to have a voice and an audience. This is especially useful if what you want to say is helpful and uplifting. One of the drawbacks of social media is that it allows everyone to have a voice and an audience. That includes people who don’t desire to be helpful and uplifting, instead choosing attacks, criticisms, gossiping, profanity and the like.

As Paul advised the Ephesians, we should be mindful of what we say (or type). God wants our words to be seasoned and attractive so that we’re sending the right message (Colossians 4:6) Our words should also be encouraging (I Thessalonians 5:11), showing that we truly love our neighbors.

Take stock of what you say in person and online. Do you encourage? Do you uplift? Are your words helpful? Are your conversations free from anything that displeases God? If the answer to any of these is no, ask God for forgiveness and guidance on what you say and how you say it. Then perhaps what you say to your followers will better reflect the One you’re following.

“Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about all that silver I paid to hire the army of Israel?” The man of God replied, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this!””
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭25:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Has the Lord ever asked you to give up something that you truly treasured? It can be very hard to do, especially if it’s something you are very much attached to, or have very much invested in. Even when you understand that God has a plan, and even when you understand that you might not understand, it can still be hard to let go.

That’s how Amaziah was feeling in II Chronicles 25. He was busy building up the army of Judah, and had hired 100,000 soldiers from Israel to help him fight. However, a prophet warned him not to use the men from Israel because God was not happy with Israel at that time. Amaziah was hesitant because he had already spent so much money on them. But the prophet said something to him that we should all take to heart – God can always replace what we give up, and do even more, especially when we’re obedient. And whatever we’ve lost for God, even if it’s our former lives and/or other things we treasure, we always gain much more when we choose Him over everything (Matt. 16:25).

Whether it’s money or former habits or friendships or whatever, always remember, even though it may not feel like it, a sacrifice for God is nothing compared to what God can do for us and through us. His rewards far outweigh our costs.

“to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:22-24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The new year always bring with it an opportunity to renew who you are. People make resolutions to work out, eat better, learn new skills, earn degrees, etc. These are all admirable goals to set, as I even set some myself at the beginning of each year. However, the most important resolution you could make is to become more like Jesus. For the Word commands “be holy, for I am holy” (I Peter 1:16).

In Ephesians, Paul wrote that we should “put on the new self.” This is a wonderful verse to use as a goal for the year. And a great place to start is by evaluating where you are. Ask yourself, in 2021 did I:

• pray constantly (without ceasing)?
• study the Word regularly?
• attend church and fellowship with other believers regularly?
• witness to others regularly?
• minister to/serve others regularly?
• keep my thoughts, words and actions pure and holy?
• maintain spiritually healthy habits and relationships?
• rid my life, my house and myself of anything unholy?
• live a holy life that’s pleasing and acceptable to God in every way?

As you reflect on how you lived spiritually last year, and what you could do to grow even more this year, fast and pray to God. Ask Him for guidance on getting back on track, or growing even more if you’re on track. Then get moving, so you can truly declare “new year, new me!”