The Thursday Update

JANUARY 23, 2025

Lakeshore Friends—

Have you ever watched someone do something and after seeing it say, “If I were him, this is what I would do…” Maybe you were presented with a hypothetical scenario and you responded with something like, “I would do this or that or the other” with absolute certainty. Or, perhaps, it could be that you heard about something that someone did wrong and you thought, “I’d never do that!”

It’s really easy to say what we would do in any given situation when we aren’t actually faced with it in real time and in very real circumstances. The truth is that sometimes we idealize ourselves in ways that don’t actually align with what we say and do. We can easily think that we are above the powerful “pull” of making bad choices. I know this is true for many reasons, but the one story that always sticks with me as prime evidence is Peter’s response to Jesus in Matthew 16.

Just after Peter made the profound declaration that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16), he made a “this is what I would do” declaration that revealed his idealized view of himself. In response to Jesus saying that he must go to Jerusalem to suffer and die (a reference to his crucifixion), Peter said, “I won’t let that happen. It will never happen as long as I’m around.” (Matthew 16:22). Jesus rebuked him strongly. And of course, as Jesus predicted would happen, Luke 22:54-62 tells us Peter disowned Jesus three times.

It’s so easy sometimes to say what we would do and yet so hard to actually do what we think we will.

The better thing to do is to humbly say that, by the grace of God, we would hopefully do the right thing (see James 4:13-16). Afterall, God knows our heart and it is only by Him and His grace that we can make good choices in hypothetical or future situations that we may face.

When it comes to money, this same challenge of what we would do with more of it always crops up. The good news is that God tells us how to be prepared in advance in the parable of the Shrewd Manager.

Let’s all do our best to be careful about what we say we would do by focusing in on what we are presently doing. Because what we are doing is the best indicator of what we will do.

Warmly,
Vince

JANUARY 16, 2025

Lakeshore Friends—

The multiple and separate fires that are taking place in Los Angeles are having a devastating affect on many homes and many lives. Entire neighborhoods are being devastated by it all.

Can you imagine if that happened to you?

I’ve heard lots of reactions from many people. How should we respond to this all? Here are a few thoughts that I have.

1. When other people are hurting, it’s an opportunity for us to show compassion. Rather than make judgmental comments about the government in California or Hollywood, let’s offer up prayers for the people who have lost so much.

2. Loss ultimately reminds us to appreciate what we currently have. In a culture where only “more” satisfies us (and by self-definition, it never will satisfy us because only “more” will), it takes intentionality to appreciate all that we have right now. Take time to thank God for all you have right now.

3. This incident reminds us that material things are never guaranteed to be ours forever. They will come and go, and we have limited control on “if” or “when” they will. So let’s be sure to accumulate the true wealth that Jesus talked about in Matthew 6:19-24.

Warmly,
Vince

JANUARY 9, 2025

Lakeshore Friends—

Life is filled with choices. 

From the moment we wake up, we are faced with literally thousands of choices as the day progresses.  Some are trivial and related to what we’ll wear, eat, and the like.  Some are more important and involve choices on how much money we’ll spend, where we will invest our time, and what we will apply our energies to.  But there is one choice that we must make every day that is more important than any other choice.  What is it?

Choosing who we will serve.

Some people reflexively respond that they are Christians and that they have already made the choice to serve God.  In a certain sense, they have a point.  In reality however, the decision to serve the Lord must be made every day— actually, every moment of every day— not just at some point in time in the past when they become a Christian.  The reason is simple: at any given moment we can easily choose to serve someone other than the Lord and that someone is usually ourselves.  It may be that we choose to serve our selfish desires, or our creature comforts, or our personal conveniences over serving the Lord, but whatever it is, choosing anything over the Lord at any given moment has consequences. 

At first, the consequences may be hard to notice.  Over time though, these choices will become detrimental.  Given enough severity, these choices could be really destructive.

That’s why Joshua says in Joshua 24:14, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”

Are you making the right choices these days?  Is the Lord your first choice more often than anything else?  Have you ever made the choice to make Jesus the Lord of your life by putting your faith in Him alone for eternal life?

The greatness of your life depends on it.

Warmly,
Vince