GOD HIMSELF WILL BE WITH THEM

“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’”  (Revelation 21:3-5 NKJV)

Christmas is the promise that the God who came in history and comes daily in mystery will one day come again in glory. God is saying in Jesus that in the end everything will be all right. Nothing can harm you permanently, no suffering is irrevocable, no loss is lasting, no defeat is more than transitory, no disappointment is conclusive. Jesus did not deny the reality of suffering, discouragement, disappointment, frustration, and death; He simply stated that the Kingdom of God would conquer all of those horrors, that the Father’s love is so prodigal that no evil could possibly resist it. 

-- Brennan Manning in “Reflections of a Ragamuffin” 

#5762

BORN A SAVIOR

“Come, Thou long expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in Thee.
Born Thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever, now Thy gracious kingdom bring.”
(Excerpted from “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” by Charles Wesley)

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”  (Luke 2:11)

The whole life of Christ was a continual passion; others die martyrs, but Christ was born a martyr…  His birth and His death were but one continual act, and His Christmas-day and His Good Friday are but the evening and morning of the one and the same day. 

-- John Donne in his “Sermon of Christmas-Day, 1626”

#5761

THE HEART OF ABBA

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).”  (Matthew 1:22-23)

Is there anyone in our midst who pretends to understand the awesome love in the heart of the Abba [Father] of Jesus that inspired, motivated, and brought about Christmas?...

God entered into our world not with the crushing impact of unbearable glory, but in the way of weakness, vulnerability, and need. On a wintry night in an obscure cave, the infant Jesus was a humble, naked, helpless God who allowed us to get close to Him. 

-- Brennan Manning in “Reflections for Ragamuffins”

#5760

THE WONDROUS GIFT

How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is given;
so God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive Him, still
the dear Christ enters in.  (From “O Little Town of Bethlehem” by Phillips Brooks)

This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ. 

-- Frank McKibben

#5759

NO ROOM IN THE INN

Five little words in the Gospel of Luke say it all: "No Room in the Inn."

There is a certain pathos in those words. "No room for You here." That was the beginning of the Master's life. That was the very first thing the world said to Jesus Christ, and that experience would plague Him the remainder of His days on this earth, and, indeed, even to this present moment. "No room! We're just too crowded! Sorry, we're full up! No vacancy! Try again some other time. No room for You here right now. So, if you'll please excuse me, I've got a million and one things to see about. It's too bad, but there's just no room!"…

Harry Emerson Fosdick once put it like this: "The crucial difficulty of Christ's life which denied Him the service He longed to render, closed to Him the hearts He longed to change and brought Him at last to Calvary...was something so simple, so familiar, so little recognized as a tragic evil -- so universal among us all, that one almost hesitates to name it -- inhospitality. No Room!"

Let's be honest now. Isn't that our problem? Yours and mine? We get so busy, so tired, so preoccupied with the incessant demands on our crowded lives that we shut out the very birth of the Master we so long to know…

Won't you let Him in this Christmas? Won't you offer Him your warmest hospitality? Won't you welcome Him into your life this year with open arms? Won't you receive Him into your life as never before? Won't you make room for Him? 

-- Rev. Dr. James W. Moore 

#5758

A RENEWED APPRECIATION

“So it was, that while [Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem], the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger…”  (Luke 2:6-7a)

Each year when the holidays rush in, I feel like peace and joy lag a little behind schedule. Like a mirage, I see these wonders of Christmas shimmering in the distance, but I cannot quite reach them.

In this season, more than any other, busyness and distractions abound. With all the decorating, baking, shopping, wrapping, and mailing…well, it is hard for me to be still and quiet. When I do find a moment, my thoughts easily wander from the Christmas story to the troubles of our world.

Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is persistent with me. He keeps encouraging me to be mindful of Christmas and not let it slip away before pondering its celebration. So yesterday afternoon, as the snowflakes flew and the temperatures plummeted outside, I sat still next to the window and read once again about the Christmas miracle.

New wonders and knowledge come to mind every time I read Bible verses about the birth of Christ and the love He brings our world. My appreciation for the care we receive from our Heavenly Father is renewed. God’s peace and joy rise up through His Word and His presence. It’s never too late to usher in God’s peace and joy found in the true meaning of Christmas. 

-- Jamie Trunnel, from the blog “A Scriptured Life: Making sense of life through Scripture”

#5757

CHRIST IS OUR PEACE

“But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ. For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.”  (Ephesians 2:13-14 NLT)

In French you say it "paix."

In Spanish you say it "paz."

In Norwegian you say it "fred."

In Hungarian you say it "beke."

At work you say it in a job well done.

At home you say it with smiles and affection.

At church you say it in the words of the tax collector, "God, be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13, NKJV).

With enemies you say it in forgiveness.

With loved ones you also say it in forgiveness.

In your heart, you say it by surrender of all to Jesus Christ.

-- Mike and Amy Nappa in “A Heart Like His”

#5756

THE SOURCE OF OUR PEACE

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom He favors!”  (Luke 2:14)

People try to find happiness, joy and gladness in people, places and things and sooner or later discover that only God is the true source of such inner peace. Counterfeit claims of the path to peace abound. People attempt to fill that "God-shaped-void" with alcohol, drugs, people, power and all kinds of imaginable trinkets but nothing outside the love of God is lasting or even real. They might offer a temporary fix but the long-term solution is acceptance of a loving and caring Jesus – the Prince of Peace. 

-- Adapted from Pastor Gary Stone 

#5755

JOY IN THE DARKNESS

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,…”  (Galatians 5:22a)

Joy and peace come into our lives when we mind more about God than we do about ourselves, when we realize what the things that matter really are.  The Spirit clears up our problems about what we want or ought to be at, simplifies us and throw us back again and again on the deep and peaceful action of God.  Then, whether God speeds us up or slows us down, accepts our notions or sets them aside, gives us what we want or takes it away, gives us a useful job of work or puts us on the shelf, that serenity that is a fruit of the Spirit, a sign of God's secret support, does not fail us…

The point for us is that selfless joy has got to go on at times when we ourselves are in the dark, obsessed by the sorrow of life, so that we feel no joy because we cannot gaze at the beauty.  Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, not of our gratified emotions. "Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." (Psalm 30:5b)

-- Adapted from “The Soul's Delight” by Evelyn Underhill

#5754

JOYFUL ADORATION

“Joyful, joyful, we adore You,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow'rs before You,
Op'ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!”  (Henry Van Dyke)

God desires that our relationship with Him isn’t lived out of a sense of duty as much as a sense of joyful devotion. In other words, God longs for us to long for Him. In the beauty of His presence, we can’t help but find our affections set on God, our hearts captivated by His love. Caught up in the delight of God, powerful feelings of joy and gratitude swell within us and our natural response is worship -- words of thanks that roll off the tongue, songs of adoration that spring from the heart, or some other creative form of joyful praise. When we give back to God, the One who has gifted us with all good things, we reflect His beauty. 

-- Adapted from “Pursuing God’s Beauty” by Margaret Feinberg

#5753

PROMISED JOY

Jesus said, "I've loved you the way My Father has loved Me. Make yourselves at home in My love… I've told you these things for a purpose: that My joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature." (John 15:9,11 The Message)

Joy is promised to me. Do I have it? If my relationship with Christ is right, I do.

To me, joy is perfected in the full belief in the total sovereignty of God. Doubt dilutes joy.

For five years I… have attended a church that gave me one great blessing -- a firm belief in the sovereignty of God. I now totally believe that God doesn't need me, He loves me; and I don't work for Him to earn His love, I work for Him as a result of His love. He lets me work in order to mature me. That brings joy. 

-- Fred Smith, consulting editor of “Leadership” 

#5752

JOY IN CHRIST

The Apostle Paul reminds us that joy is at the center of the Christian's life… Writing from a Roman prison, a difficult circumstance that would cause most people to lose hope, Paul writes to the Christians in the church in Philippi, "REJOICE in the Lord always. I shall say it again: REJOICE!" (Philippians 4:4) Roman prisons were dark, dank places of death. Most prisoners died there. Yet, Paul found joy in his imprisonment.

In fact, in a letter from prison to the Philippians, rather than writing of his suffering and worries, Paul mentions his "joy in Christ" more than twelve times in just four chapters. That is worth hearing: Even in the most difficult times in your life, you can rely upon the deep, abiding joy that comes from Jesus Christ. The world and your circumstances may press in and seek to crush you, but a relationship with Jesus will grow a joy in you that cannot be squelched. 

-- Allen R. Hunt in “Nine Words”

#5751

STOP AND CONSIDER

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”  (Romans 15:13 NLT)

One of the more puzzling and abnormal aspects of the Christmas season, at least to me, is that people seem to be over scheduled. Just try to put together a meeting or work on a project in December, and people have a ready response: “I’m just swamped getting ready for Christmas,” they say. “Let’s do that after the holidays.” I hear this from people who are church members as well as from people who are not. Apparently, Christmas is an equal opportunity exhauster.

Maybe people feel that way because we have not collectively done Advent well. Advent is supposed to be a time of waiting, reflection, and penitence. It is a time for us to sort through what is most important as we prepare for the coming of Christ. Rather than rushing around, Advent calls us to stop and consider who we are and what we are to be about. 

-- Robert Kaylor in “Come to the Manger” 

#5750

BEING LOVED BY GOD

“God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love -- not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”  (1 John 4:9-10 NLT)

To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us. 

-- Timothy Keller in “The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God”

#5749

GOD’S WIDE EMBRACE

“God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus,
He came to love, heal, and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.”  (Bill and Gloria Gaither)

God, in Christ, embraces all the events and all the people who ever will pass before Him in the march of time. In that broad panorama, individual Christians may often feel so insignificant that they wonder to themselves whether or not even the most powerful microscope could find them! At those moments we need to rediscover the truth that God entered human history in the person of Jesus Christ in order to tie the poor threads of our scrap of time back into eternity. God's wide embrace includes you and me, for it was the lost of this world that God sent Jesus so that we and our moment of history's stage might be redeemed. You are locked into the embrace of God, an embrace that will never fail. In Jesus Christ, God said, "I love you. You are Mine." 

-- Paul K. Peterson in “Redeeming Love”

#5748

LOVE CAME DOWN AT CHRISTMAS

Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love Divine,
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and Angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,
Love Incarnate, Love Divine,
Worship we our Jesus,
But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.  (Christina Rossetti)

Love is a gift God gives to us in infinite measure so that our hearts can enjoy an endless supply. Let's tap into it. Let's lavish it on others. Let's fill our words and define our actions with it, and as we do, our hearts will reap God's abundance. Love will always find its purest expression through words and deeds -- as our heavenly Father exemplified through His gift of Jesus Christ. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV) He loved us completely and expressed it openly. Let's openly share the gift of His Son with others. 

-- Author Unknown

#5747

STAR TIME

Every year, when we put the nativity scene on the fireplace mantel, we hang a star above it on the wall.  This year, I had to move the clock from that location before I could hang the star.  I probably look at that clock a hundred times a day.  What time is it?  Is it time for the older kids to catch the school bus?  Is it time to take the youngest one to school?  How much time do I have to get something done?  Should the children be home soon?  Is it time to get the youngest?  What about those after-school activities?  Is it time to go?  How much time before my husband gets home?  Is it time to start dinner?  Go to sports practice?  Send the kids to bed?  Fall into bed myself?  What time is it? 

The first few days after I moved the clock, I instinctively looked to the usual place on the wall, only to find not a clock, but a star.  I was frustrated at first.  After all, what I really wanted to know was what time it was, not the location of an unusually placed star.  Then I slowly began to see an Advent message in the situation.  Two thousand years ago, God used a star to tell the world what time it is.  It is the time for hope.  It is the time for a new relationship with God, no longer barred by unforgiven sin.  It is the time for Christ, our Savior, who will someday come again!  That is what time it is. 

-- Anne Inkster Culver 

#5746

ADVENT HOPE SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE – Part 2

“The angel answered Mary, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.’ Mary answered, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.’” (Luke 1:35-38)

So often I stand on the edge of the light, afraid to act, afraid that this story is too good to be true. But then in my better moments, when I listen closely to The Story, move close to The Light, my fears seem to evaporate like an early morning mist, and I can believe again. I can believe that God who made all that is became clothed in our human flesh so that we might become clothed in God. I can believe that God claims me as a beloved child. I can believe that all my days are in God’s strong and tender hands. I can believe that life is good, beautiful, and eternal. I can believe that not only my days but all days are in God’s good and able hands. I can believe, rejoice, and wait trustingly and expectantly for the unfolding of God’s promise given in so many ways and most clearly in the Advent Story. Thanks be to God!...

God gives the promise and God keeps the promise. So even though it does sound too good to be true, it is true! Thanks be to God it is true! Two thousand years of Christian experience and testimony declare that the preposterous promise is true. 

-- Rueben P. Job in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”

#5745

ADVENT HOPE SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE – Part 1

“Remember Your word to Your servant, in which You have made me hope. This is my comfort in my distress, that Your promise gives me life.”  (Psalm 119:49-50)

“If it sounds too good to be true, it is.” We have all heard this with the warning about scam artists that are waiting to take our money and our property. And it is true that there are those who prey on the naïve, the trusting, and the innocent. Most of us can remember hearing about that seductive bargain that turned out to be a disaster. We have seen it happen and have promised ourselves it will never happen to us.

Because we see such deception in our world, it is not unusual that we guard ourselves against the truth of the gospel story. We are afraid that it is indeed too good to be true. What if we believed and then found out it was only myth and hype? Better to keep our distance. We listen to the gospel story, let it creep into the edges of our lives, but never can bring ourselves to embrace it fully. What if it is just another cheap commercial trick that has nothing to do with our need or destiny and everything to do with the storyteller’s need and fortune? Since it is better to be wise than to be a fool, we stand near the edge of the Advent story and keep all of our options open.

So often I stand on the edge of the light, afraid to act, afraid that this story is too good to be true. But then in my better moments, when I listen closely to The Story, move close to The Light, my fears seem to evaporate like an early morning mist, and I can believe again. 

-- Rueben P. Job in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”

#5744

WHERE IS OUR HOPE PLACED?

Have you ever noticed how disappointing placing your faith in human beings can be?  I confess that through the course of my life I have caught myself wrapping my hopes in various professional athletic teams.

When I attended Dallas Seminary, I got caught up in the Dallas Cowboys.  I attended their Tuesday luncheons.  I read every sports page about what was happening with the team.  I knew everything about every player.  I lived and died with the team.

Once they were in a crucial play-off game and, for some reason, the stadium hadn't sold out.  When that happens, the game is not telecast in the city.  Believe it or not, my long-suffering wife and I drove to Oklahoma and checked into a motel so we could watch the game from there.  That's how committed I was!

But it got worse.  In the early days of our family, I took my turn at cradling our small children.  [My wife] finally made me quit holding them during football games because a couple of times I almost used them to throw a touchdown pass.  I was really that wrapped up in the Cowboys!  I followed them all the way to the summit… and then they lost!  I was deeply depressed.  Finally, of course, they won it all.  But you know what?  Their victory left me surprisingly empty.  I was glad they won, but… what now?

It's so easy to get wrapped up in things that can never truly reward our fondest hopes.  Of course, I'm not for a moment suggesting that we shouldn't put our hope and trust in one another, that we should not bond strongly with our families.  But there is a hope beyond that -- and more important than that!  That is the hope we place in the eternal God through His Son, Jesus Christ. 

-- David Jeremiah in “Jesus' Final Warning” 

#5743

LET US PREPARE PROPERLY

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.”  (Malachi 3:1-4 ESV)

This passage tells us three things: First, God is tremendously concerned that the people of God be as fit and as holy as they can be, so concerned that God will send someone to get them ready for worship and for offering gifts to God.

Second, the passage tells us that we cannot simply anticipate and look forward to what God will do on our behalf. We are not mere spectators in this drama of salvation and the coming of Jesus Christ to this world… We are called to go to the core of our faith, especially during this season of preparation, and to ask for help in refining and purifying our lives, in living our lives as righteous and acceptable to God.

Third, in all of this talk about preparation and refining, we must infer from Malachi's words that, indeed, God is coming. We would have no reason to go through all the work of getting ready if there would not be a day in which we would enter into the presence of God in worship and offering. God is coming to us, so let us prepare properly for that coming. 

-- Randy Cross in “Born to Save: An Advent Study Based on the Revised Common Lectionary”

#5742

A TIME OF PREPARATION

The four Sundays of Advent are a time of preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ. The season of Advent is observed in the Christian faith as a period of waiting and anticipation for the coming of Christ. The four Sundays of Advent symbolize hope, love, joy, and peace, which are the four main themes of the Advent season. The Advent wreath is a centuries-old Christian tradition that holds four candles representing the four Sundays of Advent. The wreath’s circular shape and evergreen color represent God’s infinite and everlasting love for us.

The first Sunday of Advent represents hope, which is the hope of the coming of Christ. The second Sunday represents love, which is the love -- the amazing grace -- of God for humanity. The third Sunday represents joy -- not a superficial happiness but a deep-seated joy, which is the joy of the birth of Christ. The fourth Sunday represents peace -- a personal peace from knowing Christ, which is the peace that Christ offers to the world -- to all who will receive Him.

During the Advent season, Christians prepare for the coming of Christ by reflecting on the meaning of His birth and by engaging in acts of charity, kindness, and witness. The Advent season is a time of spiritual renewal and growth, as Christians seek to deepen their relationship with God in Christ and with one another. 

-- Source Unknown

#5741

CELEBRATING WHO WE ARE

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”  (John 1:12-14 NKJV)

Knowing the stories of our faith, and how they connect with our own life experiences, means that we can celebrate the faithfulness and grace-bestowing love of God that was given to Abraham and Sarah, to the Israelites in Egypt and in the wilderness, and to the disciples. We can celebrate what is given to us as we join others in claiming God’s purpose and rejoicing in God’s love as we gather at the Lord’s table. We can celebrate what will be given to us and to all creation in times yet to come because God is faithful and God keeps His promises.

We know who we are -- children of God loved and forgiven and called by God! And we know Whose we are -- children of God called to be witnesses to God’s love and care for all the world. We are therefore able to share in festivity that grows out of our shared stories and visions. Our identity as God’s children -- His beloved sons and daughters -- causes us to seek ways to celebrate and repeatedly affirm that we are who we are! 

-- Adapted from “Rituals for Resurrection” by Linda J. Vogel

#5740

ENCOUNTERING EVIL

In any encounter with evil, we must have love in our hearts and we must absolutely trust in the goodness of God and God's call.  We are enjoined by Christ not only to love God and our neighbors but also to love our enemies. This seems a hard enough task by itself, and it has led a number of people to believe that Christians should be nonresistant or even compliant with injustice in the cause of “turning the other cheek."  But if we are to try to follow Jesus' example as well as His words, it is impossible to remain uninvolved.  Jesus stood up to Satan, threw money changers out of the Temple, and stepped in to stop the unjust stoning of a woman.

Somehow, then, we are asked not only to love our enemies but to resist them while we are loving them.  I would propose that a partial answer to this challenge lies in a radical, absolute, and wordlessly contemplative trust.  It is, I think, something reflected in 1 Peter 1:13 (JB):  "Free your minds, then, of encumbrances: control them, and put your trust in nothing but the grace that will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."  It is only in such absolute trust that love can be fully energized for nondestructive action.

-- Gerald May in “Living with Apocalypse” 

#5739

GIVING THANKS TO GOD

“We thank You, O God! We give thanks because You are near. People everywhere tell of Your wonderful deeds.”  (Psalm 75:1 NLT)

The first American Thanksgiving was celebrated less than a year after the Christian Plymouth colonists had settled in the new land of America. The first Thanksgiving Day, set aside for the special purpose of prayer as well as celebration, was decreed by Governor William Bradford on July 30, 1623. There were harvest festivals, or days of thanking God for plentiful crops. During the Revolutionary War, eight special days of thanks were observed for victories and for being saved from dangers. On November 26, 1789, President George Washington issued a general proclamation for a day of thanks. Our national day of thanksgiving was proclaimed by President Lincoln in 1863 with these words, “a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father.”

Today we still celebrate this national and legal holiday, but are we celebrating in the right manner as Christians? Are we forgetting the main purpose of this day is prayer and thanksgiving as we feast and fellowship? The Lord is not opposed to our feasting and our gathering of friends and family to dine, but if our only prayer is to ask God to bless our food are we not forgetting the real meaning of this day? God delights in blessing us as His children. However, do we, as His children delight in blessing Him with our prayers and thanks? 

-- Betty Miller, excerpted from an article entitled “Celebrating the Thanksgiving Holiday: What the Bible Says”

#5738

REFLECTING ON OUR BLESSINGS

"I will remember the works of the Lord;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.”  (Psalm 77:11 NKJV)

Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff. To reflect on your blessings is to rehearse God’s accomplishments. To rehearse God’s accomplishments is to discover His heart. To discover His heart is to discover not just good gifts but the Good Giver.  

-- Max Lucado

#5737

THANKFUL FOR THE CREATIVITY OF GOD

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things.”  (Philippians 4:8 NIV)

The word lovely means not so much "pretty" as "enjoyable." We all love to enjoy things, to be entertained. To think about whatever is lovely is to let God entertain you. This may sound strange, because entertainment means sporting events, movies, television, plays, and concerts. But couldn't the greatness, the abundance, the gifts of God entertain you in a different way -- in fact, in a much greater way? I'm using the word entertain not in the lowest sense of the word but in the highest -- the sense of deeply enjoying something. If you can't enjoy God with your mind, you're never going to love Him with all your mind. We often fail to realize this truth. Whatever you're doing -- whether with your family or on vacation or at work -- enjoy the abundance and the goodness of God. When looking at a blue sky or at the clouds drifting across [or the end-of-the-day sunsets], take a moment to be entertained by the creativity of God. Enjoy who He really is [and be thankful].  

-- Tom Holladay in "The Relationship Principles of Jesus"

#5736

A CONSTANT GUIDING PRESENCE

Whenever I hear of a Christian copping out of some undertaking for God in order to wait to learn God's will for his or her life, I have to ask, "Where in the Bible does it tell you that God will reveal the divine plan for your whole life?  It seems to me that it's just the opposite.  The Bible lets us know that God keeps us in a constructive and spiritually edifying state of dependency.

"There are two ways I could tell you how to get to my house," I tell them.  "I could draw you a map, and you could use the map to figure out how to get to my house on your own.  You might or might not get there, depending on how good a mapmaker I am and how good you are at reading maps.  But better than giving you a map would be if I got in the car with you and guided you all the way.  If I showed you every road to take and every turn to make as we drove along, you would get to my house without any trouble."

I then go on to explain that God directs our lives by being a constant guiding presence, rather than by giving us directions to follow by ourselves.  We are not given a road map for the rest of our lives, because that would enable us to chart life's course without leaning on the Lord.  Rather, as it says in John 16:13, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to us with the promise that the Spirit will be a guiding presence in our lives. 

-- Tony Campolo in “Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God”

#5735

BESIDE US IN GRIEF

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 29:2 NKJV)

God does not cheapen Himself or us by offering us easy answers to the anguished, "Why?" that we who are human cannot help but ask.  The mystery of life and death and suffering remains a mystery in all human generations, and it is no less a mystery for us.  We don't get a quick fix from our faith.

But we do encounter a God who sits patiently beside us in grief, usually silently, like an orthodox Jew sitting shivah with his bereaved friend, offering no words to explain away a mystery that is beyond words.  God sits with us in our sorrow. In the days and weeks after a loss, as we sit together in the silence, something new begins to creep into our consciousness. The faith that has sustained our whole lives will begin to knot our sorrow over this death together with what we believe about the life to come [through faith in Christ].  Faith and experience will knit together like a broken bone knits together as time passes.  We begin to be able to see for ourselves what is already a reality for those who have gone on ahead of us, something the tears of early bereavement make it hard for us to see at first.  They begin to appear in our vision of heaven, taking their place in the communion of the saints. We begin to feel their presence, not just their absence.  Once again, the resurrection faith to which we cling gently bathes our hearts, and our hearts are healed. 

-- Bishop Edmund Lee Browning from "A Year of Days with the Book of Common Prayer" 

#5734

VITAL CONGREGATIONS

"Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." (Psalm 29:2 NKJV)

Show me a vital congregation and I will point to a church that gives faithful attention to its worship. And there is no litmus test for the degree of liturgy. Many churches that experience vitality, faithfulness, and growth are churches that have a high degree of liturgy, and others have hardly any fixed liturgy at all. (And I don’t mean by “growth” just numbers: I often make a distinction to my congregation between “growth” and “swelling.” One is a sigh of health, and one is a clear sign of illness.) Perhaps there are tests of the degree of congregational participation; the extent to which the Bible is used as source book, study book, and a book of enrichment; and the uses of music are, in fact, praise to God rather than a rehearsal for a concert hall performance. 

-- Zan W. Holmes, Jr. in “Encountering Jesus”

#5733

OPPORTUNITY, DECISION AND LEGACY

“Then Jesus said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.’”  (Luke 9:23 NLT)

In his classic book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” author Steven Covey begins by asking us, the readers, to imagine a series of our friends standing to speak at our own memorial service. The stories we would like them to tell, Covey suggests, and the achievements we would want to see referenced, amount to a good starting place when we consider our long-term goals.

It doesn’t matter if we are twelve, thirty-five, sixty-eight, or pushing ninety, each one of us has the privilege and the opportunity to engage the time we have available with the conscious application of meaning and purpose…

For me, three distinct certainties emerge: 1) Each moment holds the possibility of fullness; that is our opportunity. 2) Each day can be a gift we share with a needy world; that is our decision. 3) Each lifetime bears the fruit of those daily decisions; that will be our legacy. 

-- Adapted from “Get Real: A Spiritual Journey for Men” by Derek Maul

#5732

OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me.”  (Revelation 3:20 NIV))

Loving God is different from loving doctrine. Doctrine (true ideas about God and His ways) is important. It is crucial that our minds are as soundly converted as our hearts. But in the end, ideas are just ideas; whereas God is alive -- a flame of love, a presence, a power, a reality, a person. Ideas can be embraced, but God can be loved. Once ideas are accepted and one’s life is conformed to them, the matter is over. But when God becomes the center of life, the story has just begun. How will it unfold, where you will be led, who will play a part in your life, what task you will be asked to undertake, where you will go -- all of that will emerge in the context of your relationship with God…

The Christian life is no static holding action; it is an amazing, serendipitous journey. To live it out is our calling in life. As we do so, we become what we are meant to be: whole people, holy people, conformed to the image of Christ. This is our great and wonderful task in life. 

-- Richard Peace in “Learning to Love God”

#5731

GRACE MATTERS

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for Himself a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds.”  (Titus 2:11-14 NRSV)

Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then enables us to yield to its transforming power. Grace matters because Jesus matters, and it works because He does. Amazing hope and anticipation are in this for each of us; imagine how different our lives can be when entrusted to the hands of grace…

Heavenly Father, Holy God, thank You so very much for Your gift of grace. Not a day passes that I don’t need more of Your unending supply of grace. Remind me of Your goodness over and over so that I may live in the fullness of Your grace. Grant that I may be a model of Your goodness in all I do, every day, so others will be compelled to see and accept Your incomparable gift of grace. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. 

-- Max Lucado in “Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine”

#5730

INTERTWINED WITH GOD

“But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”  (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV)

The Hebrew language has almost 20 words for “wait” in the Old Testament (NASB). Often we think in terms of trust, hope, look for, expect. Another one of those meanings is to be intertwined. Think in terms of a three-legged race. You pair up with your partner, then tie one of your legs with one of your partner’s. Once you are intertwined, then you have to get in sync with one another to run the race.

I like that image. When you partner with God you are intertwined. When He pauses, you pause. When He walks, you walk. When He runs, you run. And it’s those who wait, who intertwine, who tie their life with God’s, who renew their strength.  

Another way to think of it is the image Jesus used in Matthew 11:28-30 – a yoke. Jesus’ invitation to take His yoke was an invitation to experience the grace of God. It was an invitation to participate in the rest Jesus would bring us. Jesus invites those who are burdened by the yoke of the law, other religions, or the challenges of life to come to Him, and He would give them rest. And then He tells us that when we take up His yoke, become intertwined with Him, we will find rest for our souls. 

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson, SOUND BITES Ministry

#5729

WALKING WITH GOD

“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”  (Ephesians 5:2 NIV)

If I love God I will give myself completely to Him, surrendering each person and each thing in my life to His care. I do not need to be afraid to do this, though, as I would if God were a human being asking me to make this sort of surrender. God not only asks me to give everything to Him, but He has already given everything to me, including His own Son; His love and commitment to me are far greater than I can ever imagine. Loving Him requires me to totally abandon myself -- but my life is completely safe in His hands. 

-- Elizabeth Prentiss in “Selections from Stepping Heavenward”

#5723

IN THE MIDST OF A STORM

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”  (Isaiah 41:10 NKJV)

One evening an exhausted Jesus was sleeping on the little seat placed at the stern of Peter’s boat when a sudden squall arose on the notoriously stormy Sea of Galilee. As the splashing waves broke upon the boat and the disciples found themselves bailing water, they panicked and rushed to the stern of the boat where Jesus was sleeping. Shaking Him violently, they cried out despairingly, “Master, the tempest is raging. The billows are blasting high. Don’t you care we are sinking?” Brushing off sleep, Jesus arose, went briskly to the side of the boat, stretched out His hand, and spoke peace to the storm: “Peace, be still.” (Mark 4:35-41)

What a magic moment! What a privilege to have witnessed one of the most spectacular miracles of Jesus’ ministry, His subduing the waves and wind with the mere sound of His voice. What a thrill to have been there for such an event. But then immediately Jesus turned to His disciples angrily and rebuked them: “Where is your faith!” They had missed the real blessing. What could have been more of a thrill than witnessing the miracle of Jesus calming the storm? The miracle Jesus wanted to show them was not the miracle of calming the storm, but of calming them in the storm.

…With Jesus in our midst, there is nothing to fear! 

-- Leonard Sweet in “A Cup of Coffee at the Soul Café”

#5727

THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”  (Ephesians 2:19-22 NKJV)

Some people feel the church is dying. Throughout the entire world, though, Christ’s church is alive and well, praise God! The church may be trampled, threatened, burned, blown up, misunderstood, mistreated, splintered, and ignored, yet her heartbeat grows stronger. The saints march forward and speak out for Christ more and more every day.

Although they are important, the church is not just things like choirs, organs, praise bands, sermons, and social activities. She is made up of servants of God, with Jesus Christ as her cornerstone. Every believer is part of the Body of Christ.

The church will never die. It is eternal. We, as part of the church, must step forth and share the good news of what God has done for us with everyone and anyone who will listen. There is an urgency in this, for life here on earth is short. This is our commandment: to tell the world about the love of Jesus…

Christ paid our debt of sin and gave all who accept Him the most valuable gift of all: an abundant, joyful life on earth and eternal life with God in heaven… Most incredible is that we can share this wonderful gift with those around us, so they may also receive Him. 

-- Adapted from “When I’m Praising God” by Anita Corrine Donihue

#5726

THE NATURE OF GOD’S LOVE

A little girl once prayed, “Dear God, I bet it's very hard for You to love everybody in the whole world. There are only four people in my family, and I can never do it!”

God's love is even more remarkable when you consider what David said in Psalm 139:1–2, “You have searched me, LORD, and You know me. … You perceive my thoughts from afar.” That psalm tells you God is familiar with all your ways. He's never surprised by what words tumble out of your mouth. He never misunderstands you. He knows what rules you walk by. He knows what end you walk toward. You're fully known by Him -- and still deeply loved.

God's great love for you is a love without conditions. He loves you not for being good, clever, or pretty, or for going to church. He loves you. Period.

How do you know God loves you? Because He came and died for you -- and not because you were a good or innocent person. In fact, your actions and attitudes led you to turn your back on God, and yet He loved you anyway. But that's the nature of love. Romans 5:8 tells us, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God's love is not about who we are but who He is. 

-- Jill Briscoe, from “Telling the Truth” Devotionals

#5725

JUSTIFIED BY WHAT?

“Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by His blood, effective through faith.”  (Romans 3:23-26 NRSV)

We all automatically gravitate toward the assumption that we are justified by our level of sanctification, and when this posture is adopted it inevitably focuses our attention not on Christ but on the adequacy of our own obedience. We start each day with our personal security resting not on the accepting love of God and the sacrifice of Christ but on our present feelings or recent achievements in the Christian life. Since these arguments will not quiet the human conscience, we are inevitably moved either to discouragement and apathy or to a self-righteousness which falsifies the record to achieve a sense of peace. 

-- Richard Lovelace in “Dynamics of Spiritual Life”

#5724

AMBIVALENT TOWARD HOLINESS

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning together as it suffers together the pains of labor, and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.”  (Romans 8:22-23 NRSV)

Human beings are ambivalent toward holiness. We are drawn toward these qualities exemplified by a St. Francis or by Mother Teresa, or by communities who witness to the gospel under sever persecution. Yet we find such qualities disturbing, too far removed from the way we must live our daily lives. Something deep within our existence creates a restlessness for God, yet we live and move and work in a culture of technology, efficiency, and the tyranny of the literal. The hunger for holiness coexists uneasily with the practical atheism of our way of life. Still, the deepest language of the Christian biblical tradition claims that the created world itself already reflects the goodness of God but also groans in travail for sanctification and recreation. The time and place where these tensions intersect is the gathered church at worship.  

-- Don E. Saliers from an article entitled “Sanctifying Time, Place and People” in “The Weavings Reader”

#5723

OUR MOST EFFECTIVE PRAYERS

Jesus said, “From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who He is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do.”  (John 14:13-14 MSG)

Healthy relationships are nourished by good communication, and good communication requires listening as well as talking. Relating to God is the same way -- it involves talking to Him in prayer, but it also requires listening to Him.

Our most effective prayers are those that we pray after having first listened to God. Our prayers are powerful when they are rooted in a knowledge of God’s person and based on His principles. Prayers that stake claim on God’s promises are full of promise, but prayers based on presumption profit nothing. Prayers that stipulate “Thy will be done” rise to heaven. Prayers that ask only “my will be done” fall flat. Prayers that embrace the diving purpose draw the petitioner into communion with God. Prayers that entertain only selfish interests draw little response from God…

Godly men and women guard their behavior and pray in keeping with what God has said. They can then claim God’s promises, pray with confidence, and anticipate the answers with uplifted hearts. 

-- Adapted from Stuart Briscoe in “Daily Study Bible for Men”

#5722

WHAT WE NEED MOST FROM FORGIVENESS

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23 NLT)

As we get older, we know what we need most from forgiveness is not suspension of punishment, but assurance that love is unbroken even when we are separated...  We must realize that God is against us when we are sinning; yet we dare trust that [in Christ] His gracious love reaches to us across the chasm which separates us from Him.  When we understand His loving attitude and accept His Grace, He releases His love in us.  By that love we are able to begin to keep His commands for us -- to love Him with heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  

-- K. Morgan Edwards in “Hoping to Be Somebody” 

#5721

THE GOAL OF FORGIVENESS

In December of 1997, fourteen-year-old Michael Carneal walked into the lobby of his high school in Paducah, Kentucky, and began shooting at a group of teenagers who had gathered early to pray. He killed three of those classmates and wounded four.

A day or two later, some students there did something they thought Jesus wanted them to do. With the national spotlight on them, they made up a sign that said, “Michael, we forgive you.”

Yes, Jesus tells us to forgive, but at that point, Michael wasn’t asking for anybody’s forgiveness. Offering him mercy did not help. Of course, those students would eventually need to let go of the hate and bitterness in their hearts, but extending mercy so quickly to one who had not asked for it, who had not repented, who had done something so terrible was surely not what Jesus had in mind. In fact, their actions could well have stopped the redemption process. Michael needed to come to terms with the terrible weight of what he had done. He needed to feel the horror of it, to confess and be changed because of it. Once that happened, it might have been appropriate to show mercy to him, although even mercy would not have waived the consequences of such an act.

Offering mercy before a person understands the need for it can diminish the gravity of the act. It gets in the way of the true goal of forgiveness, which is the redemption of the other person. 

-- Adam Hamilton in “Forgiveness: Finding Peace Through Letting Go” 

#5720