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Dec

30

All things new

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Another new year is on the horizon. Happy to say, it’s one day closer to Jesus’s promised return to the earth.

This time of year leads many to make a New Year’s resolution. Lose weight, stop bad habits, cut carbs, etc. are usually on the to-do list come the first of January. Out with the old and in with the new. Yet how many times have these pledges dissolved by the first snowfall? Our spirits are willing, though our flesh is weak.

There are some who vow to become a better person in the New Year. They’re committed to turning over a new leaf. Start anew. Change. This is an admirable goal to achieve, yet by true grit and their own strength, they will often miss the mark.

Sinners, as we all are, need not turn over a new leaf—but a new heart. We can’t use the stuff of flesh to make better flesh; we need the Holy Spirit to accomplish the work. It’s not about you or I becoming a better Joe, Jane, or John. It’s about becoming more like the savior of the world. We can do “all things through Christ” who strengthens us by his spirit.

May this New Year be your opportunity to yield to God not just some but all of your heart’s goals, hopes, and dreams, so he may mold you into the image of his son. When you delight in the Lord, he will give you the desires of your heart. That is…because they will be His desires, too, which are ultimately what is best for you.

Happy New Year!

Dec

23

The greatest gift that keeps giving…

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The moment in time when baby Jesus arrived in Bethlehem, he was on a mission. That he would leave heaven for earth boggles the mind, and to come in the humblest means possible to begin his life in a feeding trough in a lowly stable is unfathomable.

Out of his humble estate, the baby grew to become prophet, priest, and King of Kings. His thirty-three years on earth created a mark in history that would be forever a turning point. For everything vile, despised, and eschewed by man, Jesus, our Emmanuel—God-with-us—gave his life. He became the sacrifice to bring all who believe in him into an everlasting fellowship with the Father. A gift to all men…and one that keeps on giving.

We celebrate the savior’s birth this season and in our hearts all the year through. Like the angels sang in their celebration on that fateful, joyous day, we, too, rejoice. “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

Dec

15

Footprints in our heart

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God’s ways are certainly not our ways. The more we dwell in his word and contemplate his birth, the more we can appreciate the sacrifice of the suffering servant, who came to fulfill his father’s wishes—to save the lost and dying.

How unfathomable to comprehend the path Jesus took to reconcile us to the Father. What a marvelous mystery that he would condescend to earth, but to come here in the form of a man and live among us? Is not his glory too superior?  He left paradise for this?

When the season is glistening in a blanket of whiteness, may we understand that because of Jesus’s blood, a believer’s sins are even whiter than the brilliance of the snowfall.

May every step you take be with the Lord…walking close enough to see his footprints in your heart.

Dec

09

Whom do you please?

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Some people are men pleasers–showing deference and kindness and expecting to be recognized for it. It’s the way the world is. Give and take. Nothing horrible about it but it’s kind of shallow to need praise from men. What is man that we should be inclined to derive our self-worth from him?

King David derived pleasures not from man but from God. Even his prayers were in deference to his Lord –not just asking for things, but making sure his heart was in the right place through praise and thanksgiving.

King David showed a keen humility in his Psalm 19:14 prayer by saying, “Let the words of my mouth…” along with his thoughts as he dwelled on the Lord, “and the meditations of my heart…” for which he anchored himself as a barnacle to a boat, “be acceptable in thy sight…”

When we understand our place in the world with respect to God, our thoughts, prayers, and reflections on the Lord will take on a different perspective. For he is our ultimate strength and our redeemer…worthy to be honored and not just a dispenser of goods.

Prayer is not always about asking for things as much as it is the opportunity to have our heart’s desires line up with God’s.

 

Dec

01

Highway to Heaven or Hell

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Life is a highway, so goes an old song lyric. And it’s the longest one we’ll ever travel. Along life’s highway, we’ll encounter many side roads, and some of them will lead to the wrong destination. There will be battlefields along the way between good and evil. A wrong turn on life’s highway can not only get us lost, it may cause us danger.

Physical danger is nothing to scoff at. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time is scary stuff, but spiritual danger is by far worse. The impact of death, if we know the Lord, leads to a better place; the impact of not knowing the Lord, can lead to a tragic outcome.

While we travel through life, it’s a marvelous blessing to be able to walk and talk with Jesus, to seek the paths he would have for us. Just for the asking, we can know we’re traveling where we belong because our Lord wants what is best for us.

Should danger follow us? It could. Though, we ask ourselves this:  If God is for us, who can be against us? And why would we care if we have the Lord?

Jesus would never lead us down a dark unknown alley to purposefully cause harm. We lead ourselves there and often call for help. Our faithful Lord and master will surely comfort, protect, and never abandon our cry to save us. There is no pitfall along the roadway of life too deep for God to rescue us. He’s already encountered death and rose back to life. The victory is already ours—in Christ.

Life is a highway, so goes an old song lyric. And it’s the longest one we’ll ever travel. Along life’s highway, we’ll encounter many side roads, and some of them will lead to the wrong destination. There will be battlefields along the way between good and evil. A wrong turn on life’s highway can not only get us lost, it may cause us danger.

Physical danger is nothing to scoff at. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time is scary stuff, but spiritual danger is by far worse. The impact of death, if we know the Lord, leads to a better place; the impact of not knowing the Lord, can lead to a tragic outcome.

While we travel through life, it’s a marvelous blessing to be able to walk and talk with Jesus, to seek the paths he would have for us. Just for the asking, we can know we’re traveling where we belong because our Lord wants what is best for us.

Should danger follow us? It could. Though, we ask ourselves this:  If God is for us, who can be against us? And why would we care if we have the Lord?

Jesus would never lead us down a dark unknown alley to purposefully cause harm. We lead ourselves there and often call for help. Our faithful Lord and master will surely comfort, protect, and never abandon our cry to save us. There is no pitfall along the roadway of life too deep for God to rescue us. He’s already encountered death and rose back to life. The victory is already ours—in Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nov

25

A word of thanks…

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With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us, we, as a nation, celebrate all that is important to us. While gathered around the table with family and friends to feast on food and fellowship, let’s take time to remember the ones who are suffering for their beliefs and pray God would abundantly bless them with his power and presence in their midst.

When we stop to think about all that we’ve been blessed with as believers, the list should begin and end with Christ. Having Jesus as our Lord and Savior is our fruitful bounty. Everything else is a side dish. For the Lord is our everything, and all that we have stems through his love and mercy—his grace to us.

With thanksgiving in their hearts, the early settlers gave praise and honor to the Lord for many things…most notably, a liberal harvest. William Bradford wrote:

“…And afterwards the Lord sent them such seasonable showers, with interchange of fair, warm weather as, through His blessing, caused a fruitful and liberal harvest, to their no small comfort and rejoicing. For which mercy, in time convenient, they also set apart a day of thanksgiving… By this time harvest was come, and instead of famine, now God gave them plenty … for which they blessed God.” 

Have a lovely Thanksgiving Holiday!

 

Nov

18

A story of greatness

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In ancient days, the passing down of stories and teaching about God were ordinances to be practiced faithfully. The oral traditions of the early Hebrews were something to keep their past alive. Adding to the tradition, acts of worship and praise were adopted through songs that preserved the tradition of both God and family. Through them, each generation kept the past ever-so-present to remind their families of the Lord’s protection and how far he took them to overcome their days of slavery and suffering.

As with anything great or special, we tend to want to promote it. If there’s anything noble or worthy of bragging about, it would be the Lord, Jesus Christ himself—the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who dethroned himself to become one with man for a time of 33 years and then died a gruesome death, so that man may have a bridge to the father once again.

That kind of love is worthy to be shouted from the mountains and rooftops. The honor that he deserves is beyond a mere nod of observance; it should be the first thing we think of upon arising and remain a steady, persistent thought all throughout the days of our lives.

May the spirit of the living God thrive in our hearts forever…until he comes again. Maranatha!

Nov

10

Veterans’ Day Thanks

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This Veteran’s Day, we salute the courageous men and women who fought to preserve our nation and its sovereignty. America is fortunate to have a unique position in the world through the sacrifice of so many patriots who’ve bled and died defending America’s liberty. One nation, under God, indivisible…

There’s another who gave up his life sacrificially and shed his blood for our liberty. Jesus committed the highest act of sacrificial love for not just America but for the world. He came to earth from his heavenly home to bridge the gap between his father and sinful man. His battlefield was the cross, and he died there to pay the high cost of our sins in order that we may have freedom and liberty in Him forever.

The land of the free and home of the brave is the only one of its kind and was established first and foremost on the principle that only God holds the reins of power. This nation was established to be under God always.

Thank you, Vets, for your strength and bravery. Thank you, Lord, for your selflessness in battling the war we could never fight alone. To God be the glory.

Nov

03

Gratitude is the best attitude

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Thanks. A simple one-syllable word. It comes in handy when someone does something pleasing and when credit is due. It’s not hard to say, and while only a word, it’s meaning encompasses so much. When we thank people, we’re expressing not only our appreciation but also our heart’s gratitude.

If there’s one entity in the world that deserves our utmost thanks, appreciation, and gratitude, it’s our blessed Creator. When things go swimmingly for us, of course, it’s easy to express thanksgiving. When God chastens or chastises us or allows something to occur that is not of our choice, the thanking may grow quiet.

Some would say they cannot thank God for the storms in their lives. However, if God allows “all things to work together for good to those who love him…”, then he is there in the midst of the storm and allowing it for a purpose. Out of love for us, God works in ways that are beyond our comprehension. We thank him for being in control of the storm and for sustaining us while in it.

There have been scientific studies, including one from Harvard, indicating that giving thanks and having gratitude lends positively to human lives. As Christians, we already know this. Giving thanks is rewarding not only to the recipient but also to the giver.

Oct

28

Lead me…

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King David had it right when he sought the Lord at the hand of his enemies. The wicked wanted him killed, and by the grace of God, he was brought to safety. That’s the way it is for all of God’s people; we are the devil’s prey.

So many evil plans are tied up and convoluted. Like a spider’s web, the tangle becomes so twisted the deeper the lie, as in the old saying, “Oh, the tangled web we weave when at first we practice to deceive.” As for David, he asked the Lord to show him the straight path—the plain one. There’s only one true way to go and that is upon the straight and narrow road where the Lord is our guide.

The wicked will always seek to turn us away from the way we are to go. Like David, we may find ourselves asking the Lord for help and guidance, particularly if we’ve strayed from the path. There’s one way back, and God is sure to be there to take us by the hand and lead us, once more, to safety. With a repentant heart and a humility to understand that God’s ways are higher than ours, our paths will remain straight and will not turn toward evil as we yield to the Lord.