Do you know the reason you’re not in heaven today?

30-Second Version For Busy People

I am guilty of making my relationship with Jesus more complicated than necessary. I am a systems guy, and if I could streamline discipleship to an automated system, I’d be tempted.

That might be why followership to Jesus is so unique from anything else in the world. You cannot systematize faithfulness. It’s inherently a slow, monotonous process.

Frustratingly necessary.

• Today’s Better Thought: Faithfulness is what God wants most from me.

• Today’s Better Action: Reply and tell me God's purpose for you.

Remember, better thoughts lead to better actions, and better actions lead to better results.

Full Version

I’ve never been to Yellowstone, but I’ve heard so many great things.

Here’s something I learned on an unprompted deep-dive: of all the geysers in Yellowstone, do you know which one is the most popular? Old Faithful: one of nearly 500 geysers in the area.

It’s not the biggest or most powerful geyser—others are taller and more forceful—but Old Faithful is seen by over 4 million people every year.

Why?

Because it’s faithful.

Guests know that it will go off every 63 to 70 minutes—predictable and reliable.

Think of that lesson: You don’t need to be the strongest, coolest, or most talented; you just need to be faithful.

BETTER THOUGHT

Today's better thought: Faithfulness is what God wants most from me.

Do you know why you’re still here, on earth, instead of in heaven?

If the only goal of salvation were to get you to heaven, then we’d baptize people, and they’d immediately fall over dead, and we’d bury them in the ground. But you’re here because God has more for you.

You were born at a specific time, in a specific place, to fulfill a specific purpose.

God saved you on purpose for a purpose. Your job is to discover that purpose and walk in it, not just to discover it but to be faithful to it.

BETTER ACTION

Today's better action: Reply and tell me your purpose.

God saved you for two main reasons:

1. Discover and use your gifts to build up the body of Christ. This means sharing your talents within the local church.

2. Reach out to unbelievers and bring as many to heaven with you as you can.

Let’s be faithful to both tasks. This week, commit to serving others in your church and sharing the hope of Christ with someone who doesn’t know Him.

To do that, you must be faithful.

BECOMING A BETTER CHRISTIAN

When Christians get better, everyone gets better. Here are a few ways I am getting better this week.

• I’m thinking about getting back into drawing. I used to do basic sketches growing up, but I never fully committed to it. If you’re into sketching, I’d love to hear your recommendations—what type of sketchpad and pencils do you use?

• Some exciting things are happening at the Christian Story Lab! If you're a Christian creator or communicator, the goal is to help you craft stories that resonate, not alienate. You can check it out here: Christian Story Lab.

• My church family is about to start a campaign called Who’s Your One. The idea is to pray for one person you'd love to see with you at a Sunday service. I haven’t decided on my “one” yet, but I invite you to join me in thinking and praying: Who is your one?

Hit "reply" and let me know what you're doing!