The Book

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%20119:18&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%20119:16&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%20119:97-105&version=NIV

Each year thousands and thousands of new books come out.  In all kinds of categories.  Romance novels.  Science fiction.  Self-help.  History.  Health.  Beauty.  Technical.  Then there are magazines.  And articles on the Internet.  The reality is that if you love to read (or even just look at the pictures!) this is the golden age for it.  Never has so much reading material been available to so many.

What do we read?  Well, it really depends upon the person.  Many of us read for our jobs.  Books, magazine articles, manuals.  Then we read for curiosity.  In order to learn more.  How many times have we read an article on the Internet just because it looked interesting?  Then there is what I call ‘recreational’ reading.  The kind of reading that is our passion.  This is the reading that we really enjoy.  My favorites are history and biographies.  Finally, there is the reading that is going to help us.  Help us with our thinking.  With our choices.  With life in general.

As an example of how much material is out there, just a couple weeks ago I purchased 4 new books to read.  As well as a devotional for the coming year.  This is in addition to the 3 books that I am currently reading.  (I like to multi-read!)  And 2 more that I have that I really want to read.  Plus 2 entire shelves of books that I haven’t read yet.  I confess!  It’s an addiction.  There are so many great books that I want to read, and they keep coming out with more, that I can’t seem to get ahead of the curve.  I buy 3 books and read 1.  I think I need help.  Maybe Reader’s Anonymous?

My personal dilemma underscores the problem.  With so much material to read and so little time to read, the question becomes, ‘What should I read?’  I can’t really answer that question for you.  But I can give you a good word of advice.  In all of your reading make sure that you read The Book.  You know, God’s Word.  The Bible.  Out of all of the billions of books on the planet, no book will help you as much as this one.  First of all, it is a supernatural book.  Dictated by God, Himself.  Ever wonder what God is like?  Or what His thoughts are on a particular subject?  Read the Bible.  It’s right there for you in black and white.  Among other things, the Bible tells us what God is like.  The background to the creation of our world.  How to enter a relationship with Him.  What His plans and goals are for the world.  And us.  In addition, there are found within the Bible’s pages words of hope, strength, comfort, peace and just about everything else that we could use in this life.  So let’s read it!  Often.  As often as possible.

If you haven’t already done so, you should make a commitment to read the Bible through in 2012.  I firmly believe that everyone should read the Bible through at least once in their lifetime.  It really gives you a sweeping overview of God’s plan of redemption and how He has worked in human history.  But even by making this commitment, there are plenty of options of how to go about this.  You can read the Bible in book form or on-line.  There are also One Year Bibles that are available for purchase that have each day’s reading conveniently listed for you.  This way you always know what you have to read. 

There are also different ways that you can read the Bible through.  You can read it straight through, Genesis to Revelation, or blended (some Old Testament, some New Testament, with Psalms & Proverbs each day), or chronologically (a unique Bible that puts everything in chronological sequence).

Now understand that it is going to take a firm commitment from you to accomplish this.  There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible.  Divided by 365 days that means that you have to read 3.2 chapters.  Every day.  Skip a day and you need to read 6.4 chapters that day.  Miss a week of reading and all of a sudden you are looking at reading almost 23 chapters.  And this is just to catch up!  So reading the Bible through is a daunting task.  Many people have attempted it but never accomplished it.  You will need to make a diligent effort (empowered by the Holy Spirit) to do this.  But you can!  I have done it.  And so have tens of millions of others.

Bottom line, whether you read the whole Bible through this coming year or not, whatever you do, just read The Book!  Let it permeate your thoughts and life.  Let it shape your decisions and goals.  Let it inspire, comfort, strengthen and encourage you.  Let it be The Book that you read.  Every day.

Lord, I thank you that I have Your Word available in my language.  That I can read it.  And by so doing understand more about You.  Who You are.  What You are doing.  What you expect from me.  In all of the reading that I anticipate doing this coming year, may I faithfully read Your Word.  And may it mold and shape my life.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Some Bad Advice On Personal Devotions

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Heb%2011:1&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%2042:1-2&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%2063:1&version=NIV

Many years ago, as a teenager, I read a tract or some article about personal devotions.  I can’t remember which it was.  But I do remember what I read.  The author stated that if you were doing your devotions (Bible reading and prayer) simply out of duty or habit you should quit.  I think what the author was trying to convey is that devotions is more about a relationship with God than it is about performance.  About checking something off of our daily to-do list.  I can appreciate that and will look at this further in a future post.  However, I think that the author could have given a better solution to this problem.  Anyway, the result was that since I was faithfully doing my devotions but didn’t ‘feel’ anything, I quit doing them.  For about 3 years.  Right when I was 18-21 years of age.  Right when I needed to be connecting to God more than ever.  As I have reflected on this over the years I have come to one conclusion: it was BAD ADVICE!

Yes, I understand the whole ‘connection’ thing.  Our relationship with God should be living and dynamic.  It is more than the sum total of what we do for Him.  But I also understand that feelings aren’t supposed to drive our lives.  We might not always ‘feel’ like going to work but we go anyway.  We might not always ‘feel’ like making dinner or doing the laundry but we do it anyway.  And we might not always ‘feel’ like following through on our spiritual disciplines.  But we should do them anyway.

As a pastor periodically I have people tell me that they no longer do their devotions because they don't get anything out of them.  That they were just going through the motions.  Or they felt like they were doing them for the wrong motives.  Not wanting to be a hypocrite, they decided to quit.  I suppose until such time as the feelings returned.  Guess what?  The feelings rarely, if ever, return!  Now God certainly wants us to do things, especially our spiritual disciplines, from the right motives.  But I would rather have people pray and read their Bible, despite not feeling like it, than not to pray and read at all.  The fact is that even if you do your devotions simply out of duty, at least God still has a chance to speak to you.  That opportunity is gone if you don't do your devotions at all.  The truth is that there have been many times in my walk with God when the last thing I felt like doing was my devotions.  But I did them anyway.  This is the nature of obedience.

Let’s face it.  The enemy (that would be Satan) will do ANYTHING to keep us from connecting with God.  This includes causing us to have no feelings when we are attempting to connect with Him.  So what?  As Christians, we are called to live the Christian life by faith.  Not feelings.  Faith is believing that God is still pleased with us.  That He is still working in our lives as we worship, pray, and read our Bible.  Despite the absence of feelings.  My personal opinion, is that if we do the right thing long enough (attending church, personal devotions, tithing, serving) the feelings will eventually come.  Again, the danger of not doing these things is that the feelings might never resurface!  Then where does that leave us?

So as you embark on another year of serving God I hope that you will make a commitment.  A commitment to have a regular devotional time this coming year.  To read a portion of your Bible and to spend some time in prayer.  Whether you feel like it or not.  Whether you see any fruit from it or not.

If you really want your life to count for God, if you really want to hear Him say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’, then you’ve got to be busy doing the right things.  Having our devotions, where we speak to God and He speaks to us, is one of the right things.  And doing the right thing always pays.  Now.  And for eternity.

Lord, how sad I feel that I wasted several years of my life not having my devotions, all because of some misguided advice.  Now I know better.  I know that You desire faithfulness and obedience in my life no matter how I feel.  Good.  Bad.  Or indifferent.  As I embark on yet another year I pray that You will help me to be committed to You in every area of my life.  Knowing that it will pay off.  That I will become closer and deeper in my relationship with You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

God's Word And A Yankee Bullet

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Eph%206:10-17&version=NIV

In every war there usually appears some stories of God’s Providence.  This one is from the American Civil War (1861-65). 

There was a man of Company A, 27th North Carolina troops named George P. Piner.  Piner was in a battle when a mini-ball shot from a Yankee musket hit him in the chest.  Ordinarily the shot would have killed him.  Instantly.  Instead Piner survived.  The reason?  Piner had a New Testament in his breast pocket where the ball struck him.  After recovering from the initial impact of the shot, Piner removed his New Testament from his pocket and examined it.  He found that the ball had penetrated as far as the 5th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, the 21st & 22nd verses.  It merely blackened the passage, still leaving it quite readable.  The verses said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou Shalt Not Kill, and whoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the Judgment, and whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of judgment.”  That day, the only thing that stood between Piner and death was God’s Word.  Fortunately he had it close to his heart.

As Christians, often the only thing standing between us and the attacks of Satan is also God’s Word.  When we are armed with God’s Word we can successfully withstand his attacks.  We don’t give in to the temptation to become worried.  Or fearful.  Or discouraged.  When we aren’t armed with God’s Word then we can become wounded.  We become worried.  Or fearful.  Or discouraged.  This is why it’s so important that we read the Bible.  And study it.  And memorize it.  And apply it to our lives.

As we head into yet another new year, give some thought and prayer about the place of God’s Word in your life.  When you are going to read it?  And how will you read it?  Will you read it all the way through?  The New Testament only?  Selected passages?  Will you join a Bible Study?  Or study it on your own?  Are you going to memorize any verses?  If so, which ones?

Whatever you decide, know that making God’s Word a regular part of your routine will make a huge difference in your life!

Lord, I thank you for Your Word.  I thank you for its ability to protect me from Satan’s attacks.  From temptation and my own sinful desires.  Guide me this coming year in helping Your Word become an important part of my life.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A Verse For The Year

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%20119:9,11&version=NIV1984

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%20119:11&version=NIV1984

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%20119:105&version=NIV1984

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%201:2-3&version=NIV1984

It was several years ago that I went to our District Men’s Advance in Billings.  (Since women have a ‘retreat’ us men have an ‘advance’!)  Our speaker for the weekend was Rod Handley, founder of Character That Counts.  It is a ministry that is primarily to men and whose purpose is to “communicate the unique and critical message of character, integrity and accountability, into our daily lives”.  At some point during the Advance, Rod mentioned that every year God gives him a verse.  A verse for the year.  It’s a verse related to some area that God wants him to work on for that year.  Rod shared several of those verses.  I forget what they were but it aroused my curiosity.  Unfortunately, I did nothing with it.  The next year rolled  around and Rod was our speaker once again at the Men’s Advance.   Again he shared the concept of a verse for the year.  This time it took.

When I returned home God gave me a verse for the year.  For 2010.  It was from James 4:4.  “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”  At that time (as I am currently) I was trying to understand how to deepen my relationship with God.  This verse says that I am as close to God as I want to be.  Ouch!  The Bible is pretty clear that God has initiated a relationship with me through His Son, Jesus Christ.  As I respond to Him I not only become His child, I can have an ever-deepening relationship with Him.  So, this was my verse for 2010.

Last year I was in Billings for a meeting at our District Office.  Somewhere in a conversation a verse was used.  I immediately knew that it was to be my verse for 2011.  The verse is from I Timothy 4:7 and says, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.”  So that has been my goal this past year.  In June I started to fast once a week.  I was inspired to do this by my good friend, Rev Tom Collins, who fasts quite frequently.  And by author John Ortberg, who recommends this discipline in his book, The Life You’ve Always Wanted.  In addition I have also tried to discipline myself in several other areas of my life.  Such as my speech.  Not gossiping about others.  Not making judgmental comments.  Thinking about why I am saying what I am saying.  The progress has been slow.  But there has been progress!

For this coming year, 2012, my verse is from 2 Corinthians 10:5.  “Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”  Incredibly, after all these years of being a Christian (over 45 at this point) I have found that my mind is very undisciplined.  At any point in time it can be consumed with lust, jealousy, envy, worry, unforgiveness, revenge, self-pity and more.  Who knew?  I certainly didn’t!  The problem is that I can be thinking of things that are not good for hours, or most of a day, and not even realize it!  Now, through the help of the Holy Spirit, I want to do something about my thoughts.  I want to have the ‘mind of Christ’ that the Apostle Paul talks about in I Corinthians 2:16.  So this is my challenge for next year.  A very daunting one indeed.  But with the help of the Holy Spirit I hope to make progress in this area as well.

So I challenge you to also have a verse of the year.  For 2012.  This gives you 3 days to come up with one.  Plenty of time.  Pray and ask God what area He wants you to work on.  It could be a bad habit that you are being controlled by.  Lust.  Worry.  Fear.  Or you might find that you complain too much.  Or aren’t thankful enough.  Or concerned about the lost.  Or maybe you need to pray more.  Or become better at worshiping God.  Or not spend so much time on the computer.  Whatever area God reveals to you, find a verse that speaks to this subject.  Then memorize it.  Put it on a small card and keep in your wallet or purse.  Put it on your bathroom mirror.  Or the dashboard of your vehicle.  The point is to allow the Holy Spirit to help you live out that verse during the coming year.

Try it.  Start now.  See what God will do!

Lord, I thank you for the power of Your Word.  Power to transform me into the image of Your Son.  May You continue to give me a verse each year that will help deal with an area that I need to grow in.  An area of Your choosing.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Gift Dissatisfaction - Of Others

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy+6:6&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20COr%2012&version=NIV

In thinking about gifts, it appears that not only are we often dissatisfied with the gifts that God has given to us (physical appearance, abilities, possessions), we are dissatisfied with the gifts that He has given to others.  Take marriage for example.

A couple gets married to each other.  At the beginning they are pretty happy.  Because they see the good qualities in each other.  The gifts that God has given them.  Compassion.  Being able to draw.  Or cook.  Or repair things.  Physical appearance.  Athletic prowess.  A sense of humor.  A carefree attitude.  Somewhere along the line their focus changes.  Instead of seeing the positives in each other they begin to see the negatives.  Instead of seeing the gifts that God has given them, they see the gifts that God has not given them.  If they are not careful they can become disappointed with each other.  This can then lead to some serious issues.

First, there are fantasies.  One or both spouses begins to notice and appreciate the gifts and talents of others.  John is so much more romantic than my husband.  Or Meghan is a much better cook than my wife.  These thoughts are generally not verbalized.  But they begin to imagine what their spouse would be like if they were different.  Or they simply imagine what life would be like with a different spouse.

Secondly, comes the makeover.  By now one or both spouses have been living with fantasies for so long that they attempt to make them come true.  So they begin dropping hints of what they’d like to see in each other.  “I wish you could take care of the children like Nicole.”  Or “I wish you could remodel our house like Kirk.”  After a while, these hints become more tangible.  So the husband buys his wife some sexy lingerie or the wife buys her husband some tools.  Now, what I’m referring to is more than the helpful suggestions of a healthy couple who are trying to bring out the best in each other.  What I’m referring to here is the manipulative attempts of a couple who are deeply dissatisfied with each other.

Of course, marriage is just one area where we can become disappointed with the gifts of others.  This can happen with our children as well.  “Why can’t my child look like, or be as smart, or be as athletic, or as kind, as the neighbor’s child is?”  We also do this with co-workers.  And friends.  And neighbors.  And fellow believers.  The point is that most of us have a little God-complex in us.  Meaning that we want to make others into our own image.  Or at the least the image we have for them.  Swap out the less desirable talents and personalities quirks for more desirable ones.  Presto!  Now they are the person we want them to be!

Yet while we think that this will solve our problem of dissatisfaction, it only makes things worse.  How would we feel if all the people around us were dissatisfied with the way we are?  And wanted to change us?  Make us over?  Re-create us?  I don’t think we would appreciate this at all.  We must remember that, on this side of Heaven, no one is perfect.  We are all flawed.  A combination of God-given gifts and a fallen, sinful nature.

The answer?  Accepting people for who they are.  Good qualities and the ones that drive us nuts.  Understanding that there is nobody in all of the world exactly like our spouse.  Or our parents.  Our siblings.  Our children or grandchildren.  Our co-workers.  Yes, as they cooperate with God, they can be transformed more into His likeness.  And we can assist in that process.  But the basic nature of others is pretty much set.  To a large degree, this is the way that God has made them.  Our choice is whether to accept or reject.  To appreciate or be dissatisfied.

So, once again, as we put away or exchange the gifts that others have given us let us treasure the people in our lives for who they are.  Not who we wish they were.  Once we do, we just might find that they really are the person we wanted all along!

Lord, I thank you for Your creative genius that I see displayed in my spouse.  My children and grandchildren.  My friends.  Others whom I know and love.  You gave each of them different gifts.  Some that You have given to me.  Some that You haven't.  Help me to appreciate their different-ness and uniqueness.  May You use them to further transform me into Your image.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Gift Dissatisfaction

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201:17&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20139:13-16&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%209:20&version=NIV

Today.  The day after Christmas.  The day that marks the beginning of a week or so when millions of Americans will begin making their way back to stores.  Stores?  Really?  After all the shopping that was done pre-Christmas?  One would think that most people would be all shopped-out and avoid stores like the plague.  The reason why people will be flocking to stores varies.  Some people want to purchase reduced-price Christmas paper and other assorted items that didn't sell at regular price prior to the holiday.  Others will want to use any gift cards that they received for Christmas.  Or money.  This way they can still snatch up a bargain.  Or purchase something that they didn’t receive for Christmas.

People will also be flocking to stores to exchange gifts.  Gifts that don’t fit, don’t work, are the wrong color, etc.  Unfortunately, there will be few people who return almost everything they’ve received for Christmas.  Practically every family has one of these.  No matter what you buy for them, they don’t like it.  So you learn to just do the best you can.  And include the sales slip with the gift.  Since you know that they are going to return it.  I can’t help but think of people such as this as being ungrateful.  And selfish.  After all, when it comes right down to it, the gift is from the giver.  Sure they want to give you something that you like and can use.  But when we receive a gift we receive a piece of the giver.  A little of their style.  Their taste.  Their heart.  I think we’ve probably all received gifts that we would never have picked out for ourselves.  But because it was given to us by a spouse, a child or grandchild, a special friend, we treasure it.  We wouldn’t think of exchanging it.  Or giving it away.

The fact is that while gift-giving can be an act of love and selflessness, gift-receiving can be an act of ungratefulness and incredible selfishness.  Who knew?  I don’t think I understood this as a child.  But I’m sure that my parents did.  I’m sure they were disappointed and/or hurt when they scrimped and saved in order to buy me a gift for Christmas.  And I didn’t appreciate it.  Worse yet, I complained about it.  Or shoved it aside never to use it.  Or play with it. 

Unfortunately, we do the same thing with God.  James 1 tells us that every gift that we receive comes from His creative genius.  His loving hand.  How do we respond to them?  Well, many of us act like spoiled children.  Who aren’t happy with very much of anything.  We don’t like our looks.  We want to be taller.  Or shorter.  Fatter or skinnier.  We don’t like our nose.  Our ears.  Our chin.  The color of our hair.  (Today that can easily be changed.)  Then there is the whole category of talents and abilities.  The person who can sing wants to be an artist.  The person who can repair things wants to be an author.  The person who can teach wants to be the CEO of a company.  Last, but not least, there are all the possessions that we have.  Not too many people seem to be happy with these either.  If only we had an iPad.  Or an iPhone.  Or a bigger house.  Or a different vehicle.  Or....  At times it appears that almost nobody is happy with the gifts that God has given them.  Poor God!  It is a wonder that He hasn’t just thrown His hands up long ago in disgust because He doesn’t seem able to keep a single person happy.  Much less billions of them!

Again, going back to what I mentioned earlier, every gift that we receive bears a piece of the giver.  In that case, everything that we receive in this life - our looks, personality, talents, and possessions - all contain a piece of the Ultimate Giver.  God.  If that’s the case then shouldn’t we be happy with what we’ve received?  Shouldn’t we use them?  And value them?  And be thankful for them?  I think you know the answer.

What a lesson to learn the day after Christmas.  To accept who God made us to be.  And to be thankful for all the gifts that He has given us. 

Lord, I thank you for Your many gifts to me.  Help me to understand that every one of them is directly from Your hand.  And bears a piece of You. May I appreciate them.  And use them.  For my own benefit.  The benefit of others.  And Your glory.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Merry Christmas

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%202:1-20&version=NIV

Merry Christmas to one and all.  I hope you had a wonderful day celebrating the birth of our Savior.  We had a great Candlelight Service last night and a wonderful Christmas Service today.  Then we came home and celebrated Christmas with our children and grandchildren.  I read the Christmas story to our grandchildren from the Children's Bible and we lit a single candle on a cupcake and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.  Then we opened our gifts, ate plenty of food, and shared a wonderful time together.  A person can't ask for any more than that!  Happy Birthday, Jesus!

The Power Of A Child - Part II

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%20127:3-5&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isa%207:14&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%202:21&version=NIV

In his book, A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens tells the story of a notorious miser named Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge has almost every dollar he’s ever earned because he seldom spends any of it. This stinginess is seen in the treatment of his lone employee, Bob Cratchit. After years of faithful and loyal service, Cratchit barely makes enough to live on. Cratchit has several children, the youngest of whom, Tiny Tim, is an invalid.

On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by 3 ghosts. The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present and The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. While all of the ghosts have an effect on Scrooge’s heart, it is The Ghost Of Christmas Yet to Come which makes the biggest impact. When Scrooge learns that Tiny Tim will die it does something to his cold heart. As Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning, he is a changed man.  He immediately sends the largest turkey he can find to the Cratchit house. And he promises to talk to Bob about increasing his meager salary. In the end, instead of dying at a young age, Tiny Tim will survive and grow into manhood. Though it is fiction, once again we see the power of a child to change the lives of others around them.

I wonder what it was like to be the parents of Jesus? What was it like to hold God in their arms that 1st Christmas morning and see Him smile? As Jesus grew what was it like to be hugged by God? To see the love in His eyes? To feel His kiss on their lips and forehead? To hear Him say with excitement and tenderness, ‘I love you’? I don’t know. But it must have been special indeed. A unique relationship that only Joseph and Mary were to have with God.

The Scriptures tell us that the very reason that Jesus came to earth that 1st Christmas was so that humankind could have a relationship with God. Instead of being enemies, Jesus’ death on the cross would pave the way for friendship between Creator and creature. Between God and humankind.

As we anticipate celebrating Christmas this year I trust that you have a relationship with God. No doubt many of you do. This is what makes Christmas so special for us. The fact that God loved us enough to send the very best gift He possibly could - the gift of Himself. If you don’t have a relationship with God, or if you’ve wandered far from Him, you can have that relationship. All it takes is repentance. A willingness to turn from your sin and selfishness and to put your faith in Jesus as your Savior. A determination to live for God from now on.

This Christmas season the baby of Bethlehem has the power to change your life. And your eternal destiny. What will your response be?

Lord, I thank you for the change that You've made in my life through Your Son, Jesus Christ.  May I continue to become more like Him every day.  And may I be a light that draws others to Him as well.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

The Power Of A Child - Part I

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%209:6&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2011:6&version=NIV

Children.  Most people love them.  Others tolerate them.  A few despise them.  Fortunately, most people are in the former category.   I think one of the reasons why so many people like children is their ability to love.  When a child hugs and kisses someone, whether it is an animal or another person, it is from the bottom of their heart.  It is a deep, powerful, selfless love that stirs up powerful emotions within us. 

Another attribute of children that adults love is their innocence.  While practically every child has his or her rebellious and selfish side, they are also pure in terms of motivation.  They haven’t yet developed ulterior motives.  What you see is what you get.  And that is that.  This is very refreshing in a world that is full of deception.  In a world where people often wears masks and disguise their true intentions.  Then there is the boundless energy that children have.  Which adult hasn’t seriously considered trying to get an infusion of that?  There is also a child’s enthusiasm.  And their love of life.  And their charm.  In short, there is an awful lot of upside to children.  That’s why we love them so much.

A little over a week ago I was privileged to go with the Transformation Kids from our church to a couple local retirement centers.  Both were only a block from the church and within easy walking distance.  Except I had my 2-year-old grandson with me.  At that age, he takes small steps.  That means we were slow in arriving.  To both places.

When all the children arrived we went to a common area where about 10 senior adults were already gathered.  They were waiting with great anticipation.  They wouldn’t have missed this for the world.  As the children filed in, the faces on all of the seniors told the story.  Happiness.  Laughter.  Beaming eyes.  Bright smiles.  Pointing.  Approving nods.  I think the children felt the energy, too.  Because they sang their little hearts out.  Not at first.  I think they were a little nervous.  But as the singing progressed they sang louder.  And with more feeling.  After they were done they were given a nice ovation.  And hugs.  And handshakes.  Or a simple pat on the head.  Chances are that these senior adults hadn’t seen that many children together at one time since last Christmas.  They love children.  And they were probably reminded of their own grand or great grandchildren.  Children they might not get to see very often.  If at all.  But on this night, these children belonged to everyone.

It is amazing to stop and consider the power of a child.  Most children can charm the socks off of someone with ease.  They can melt a heart with a beaming smile or the trace of a tear.  They also have this uncanny ability to work their way into even the hardest of hearts.   And they do it so naturally.  Seemingly without effort.  Just in being who they are.

I imagine that Jesus displayed some of these same qualities as a baby and a child.  The moment that mom & dad set eyes on Him, they instantly loved Him.  And that love only grew as He grew.  There was this innocence about Him.  This sense of purity.  Of being completely transparent.  He was so loving.  And so kind.  And so gentle.  Not only was He a child, He was a special child.  A very special child.

There are no doubt a lot of reasons why Jesus was born as a baby instead of instantly appearing on the scene as an adult.  One of those reasons has to be the power of a child.  The infant Jesus deeply touched the hearts of His parents.  And those of the shepherds.  And the child Jesus must have done the same to the Wisemen who visited some time later.  Seeing God in such a pure, innocent, vulnerable form must have made a deep impression.  An impression that stayed with each of them for the rest of their lives.

Lord, I thank you for the power of a child.  The power to enrich and touch our lives like few other things can.  The power to teach us about Your innocence, purity and capacity to love unconditionally.  May others see those same qualities in me.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Anti-Christmas

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rev+11%3A3-13&version=NIV1984

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians+8:7&version=NIV1984

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians+9:7&version=NIV1984

I am in the book of Revelation in my yearly read through the New Testament.  Right where I should be.  The other day I read a passage that reminded me of Christmas.  Sort of.  In an evil, twisted, perverted way.  (Some would say that this is the way our culture currently celebrates Christmas.)  Actually, to call it ‘Christmas’ is a misnomer.  A better name might be Anti-Christmas.  Let me explain.

In Revelation 11 there are 2 witnesses who appear on the earth in the last days.  At this point in time there aren’t very many godly people on the earth.  The majority of the world is mad with pleasure.  Rife with selfishness.  Full of rebellion.  Downright disobedient to God.  Into this very hostile and evil environment God sends these 2 witnesses.  They speak for Him.  Now while the text doesn’t state exactly what their message is we can figure it out.  It is of God’s impending judgment.  And a call to repentance.  This is the message that God always brings to the world when He is about to act.  Quickly and decisively.

Of course, the message of the witnesses isn’t going to be received very well.  But the witnesses continue to preach anyway.  They preach for 1,260 days.  Using the 360 days of prophecy, that works out to be 3 ½ years.  During this time, these witnesses perform great signs that will prove they have been sent by God.  Like Elijah, they will have the power to keep it from raining.  This will cause drought and crop failures all over the earth.  Also like Elijah they will have the ability to call fire down from the sky.  To consume anyone who tries to harm them.  Pretty impressive.  Also they have the power to turn water into blood.  Making it undrinkable.  Unusable.  Just like Moses.  This is where it gets interesting. 

At the end of the 3 ½ years, these 2 witnesses will be killed.  By the beast from the Abyss.   Their bodies will lie unburied for 3 ½ days.  During this time the entire world will be able to view them.  Meanwhile people will be so happy over the death of these 2 prophets of God that they spontaneously start giving gifts to each other.  Just like at Christmas.  Only this will be an anti-Christmas.  Instead of being overjoyed at God’s entrance into the world they will be overjoyed at God’s exit from the world.  That’s how twisted things will be.  Their joy, however, will be short-lived.  After 3 ½ days the witnesses come back to life.  And ascend to Heaven.  At that very moment an earthquake will occur destroying 1/10th of the city of Jerusalem.  The survivors will be terrified and give glory to God.

What can we take away from this?  That the act of giving gifts to others can be either good or bad.  Depending upon the motivation.  If we give from a heart of love and selflessness, to help others, to show our appreciation for them, then our giving is good.  If, however, we give gifts to others simply to impress them, or in an attempt to manipulate or control them, then our gift-giving is evil.  After all, what is a bribe?  A gift given with the wrong motivation.  An evil motivation to get one’s way.

So this Christmas season let’s focus less on the 'how' or 'what' of giving and more on the ‘why’.  Because when the motivation is pure, the gift will be as well.

Lord, I thank you for the great gift of Your Son that 1st Christmas.  Given with love.  For me.  As I give my gifts this year help me to focus on my motivation for giving.  The ‘why’.  May it not be from ritual or expectation but from a heart of love.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A Gift For The Person Who Has Everything

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+24:1&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012:1&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12:30&version=NIV

We all have them in our lives.  They are the person who makes Christmas gift-buying difficult for us.  If not impossible.  They are known as ‘the person who has everything’.  Yeah, you know the type.  They have everything.  Or about as close to everything as a human can get.

If they are female they already have all kinds of jewelry.  And clothes.  And shoes.  They have all the kitchen appliances, big and small.  And they have pictures.  And knick knacks.  And crystal.  And all the other household accessories.  If this person is a male they have all kinds of clothes.  And boots.  And a watch.  They have all kinds of sporting stuff.  Guns.  Fishing rods.  Skis.  Sleeping bags.  Backpacks.  They have tools.  And stuff for their desk.  Yes, these people have so much stuff that it is very difficult to find something that 1) they don’t have, or 2) we can actually afford.

However, when we think about the one person who really does have everything, it is God.  True, isn’t it?  He owns the entire universe.  And everything in it.  So, what kind of gift could we possibly give to Him?  To the one person who literally does have everything?

What do you think?  The only thing we have to give, the only thing that He truly desires, is us.  That’s right, you and me.  It is the only thing He really wants from us.  He wants our love.  Our devotion.  Our worship.  Our service.  And He doesn’t want to share us with anyone either.  Or anything else.  He wants all of us.  All of the time.

As our all-powerful Creator, it certainly would be within His right to demand that we give ourselves to Him.  Or maybe even to take it.  Without our asking.  But if God were to do either of these, what He had wouldn’t be a gift.  Because a gift has to be given.  Freely.  From the heart.  With no strings attached.

Unfortunately, the problem is, giving ourselves is the costliest gift for us to give.  This is the reason why God values it so highly.  It is of extremely great value to Him.  Yet since it is so costly, this is very reason why we resist giving it to Him.  It’s all we really have.

But God isn’t asking us to do anything that He isn’t willing to do Himself.  That 1st Christmas God gave the gift of Himself to humankind.  He held nothing back.  It was the costliest gift He had to give.  And He gave it freely.  Unconditionally.

So this Christmas, in the midst of all our gift-buying & giving, let us endeavor to give God the greatest possible gift we can.  The only thing that we have that is of any value.  Us.  Let us give ourselves to Him completely.  On a daily basis.  It is the only thing that we can give to the One who already has everything.

Lord, I thank you for the great example that I see in the Bible of giving.  An example that I see in Christmas.  And Good Friday.  When You gave, You gave the very best that You had to give.  Yourself.  How can I give anything less in return?  Take my life.  All of it.  Use it for Your glory.  Today.  And every day.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Christmas Expectations

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%204:8&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Haggai%202:7&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Eph%203:20-21&version=NIV

Our son, Luke, made it home for the holidays yesterday.  From Mesa, Arizona.  He is the only one of our 3 children who doesn’t live within 2 miles of us.  I guess you would say that we are fortunate in this regard.  Blessed.  Every Christmas Beth & I eagerly anticipate his return.  The spare bedroom gets a once-over.  Extra food is purchased.  Menus are planned.  Our vehicles are filled with gas.  Our other 2 children rearrange their schedules.  The nephews and nieces wait in expectation of when Uncle Luke is going to come home.  And they have visions of him playing with them quite a bit.

Expectations.  They generally run pretty high during Christmas.  Family getting together.  Driving or flying in from somewhere.  Perhaps from Iraq.  Or Afghanistan.  Expectations of gifts being given and received.  Expectations that everyone is going to get along.  That strained relationships are going to hold.  Maybe even improve.  On the other hand, some people have few, in any, expectations for Christmas.  No family.  No money.  Not many relationships.  Just another day.

I don’t know what the level of expectations were that 1st Christmas.  In theory, they were relatively high.  For untold centuries the Jewish people had been expecting the Messiah to appear on the scene.  No doubt every parent secretly wondered whether their son was The One.  Certainly they hoped that He was coming soon.  To free them from their hated Roman overlords.  To restore their nation to its former glory.  When Kings David & Solomon made Israel a country of tremendous blessing and national pride.

On a practical level, the expectations were quite low.  400+ years without hearing from God.  Using today’s date as an example, 400 years ago it would be 1611.  The year the King James Version of the Bible came out.  9 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in the New World.  Before the Revolutionary War.  And the Civil War.  And World Wars I & II.  In other words, a long, long time.  This was how long it had been since the last prophet had arisen in Israel.  So, no doubt much of life continued the same as it always had.  Hand-to-mouth.  Slaves to a foreign power.  Nothing much to look forward to except despair and death.  Yes, the Messiah was supposed to come.  But they had been saying that for centuries now.  No reason to get excited.

Perhaps this explains why there weren’t very many people present at the birth of Jesus.  In a village so crowded that Joseph & Mary couldn’t secure a room at the local Inn, the talk was of the current Roman census being taken.  So that Rome could levy even more taxes.  No, the future did not look very bright at all.  In fact, it looked bleak.  Immersed in self-pity and despair, the people of Bethlehem were inward-focused.  Completely unaware of what was happening right in their midst.  Just a couple of streets over.  In a manger. 

Fortunately, just when things seemed at their bleakest, a sliver of light, hope and optimism pierced the gloom.  The Desire Of Ages, the Anointed One, the Messiah, was born.  God had not forgotten His promises.  He was right on time in keeping them.  As Galatians 4:4-5 tells us, “When the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law.”  When people least expected it, God stepped into human history.  The Son of God entered the world.  As a tiny bundle of human flesh.  The enigma of this Child was that He would fulfill all the expectations of the godly down through the ages.  But He would also fall far short of the expectations of many others.

Such is the nature of Christmas.  Some people with sky-high expectations.  Others with none.  I don’t know where you are regarding expectations this Christmas Season, but let me offer that it has the potential to be your best.  Not just because family is coming home.  Not just because there are presents under the tree.  Not just because you have an income.  And health.  And many other blessings.  This Christmas has the potential be our best as we get closer to God.  As we deepen our relationship with Him.  As we begin to understand the significance of the events that were set in motion that 1st Christmas morning.

So, expect the best this Christmas.  Expect God to meet you in a deep and power way.  Expect Him to touch the lives of others as well.

Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus
by Charles Wesley

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,
Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art,
Dear Desire of ev'ry nation, joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver, born a child, and yet a King,
Born to reign in us for ever, now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit, rule in all our hearts alone,
By Thine all-sufficient merit, raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Lord, while I don’t want to have unrealistic expectations for this Christmas I also don’t want to have none.  Help me to have the expectation that You want to work in my heart.  To draw me deeper and closer to You.  To have the expectation that You are going to work in the hearts of others around me as well.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Ditto

http://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=enmity+with+God&qs_version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John+2:15&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+5:12-14&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jer%2029:11&version=NIV

Ditto.  A pretty unusual word, if you ask me.  Basically it means ‘the same’.  In writing, there is such a thing as ‘ditto marks’.  These are primarily used when there is a list that contains some of the same elements.  Such as in a recipe:

            1 cup flour

            1   “   sugar

            1   “   water

Here, rather than writing the word ‘cup’ each time, ditto marks refer to the same term above it.  In conversation, ditto has become the new urban slang of the younger generation for ‘I agree’ or ‘me, too’.  It can also be used when a person feels that they can’t improve on what has been said or written.  If it expresses their sentiments exactly.

I came across the following photo on facebook a couple weeks ago.  It is hilarious!  One family goes all out to decorate their house and lawn for Christmas.  Their neighbor just writes ‘ditto’ in lights.  You really have to appreciate their creativity.  Unfortunately, in this case, ‘ditto’ means that they don’t have the time, energy, money or desire to decorate their house in similar fashion.  And so it is that, in some instances, ditto is indicative of a deep problem in us and our culture.

One of the founding principles of our country is the value of individuals.  And thus the promotion of individuality.  People are different and they are free to express those differences in terms of speech, dress, careers, personal preference, etc.  It is this individuality which has made our country what it is today.  It has served to spark some of the greatest inventions of humankind.  It has also led to unique ideas, concepts and ways of doing things.  Thinking ‘outside the box’.  The promotion of ‘what if?’.

Ditto runs against all of this.  At its very lowest level, ditto is synonymous with laziness.  With unconcern.  Of being disengaged.  It is a distinct lack of effort which is OK with the status quo.  On a societal level ditto means that a person is content to go along with what everyone else says or does.  As if they don’t have a mind.  Or a will of their own.  Why try to reinvent the wheel?  Why think when you can just go along with someone else?  On a spiritual level, ditto can be dangerous in that it goes along with the world.  Why take all the time and effort to wrestle with Scripture and come up with your own Bible-based worldview when the world has a ready-made, pre-packaged one for you?

The fact is that ditto isn’t Scriptural.  Not in the least.  God didn’t come up with one plant, or one animal, and decide to clone it.  God doesn’t do cookie-cutter.  He doesn’t do ditto.  Look at all of the various plants, animals and insects that He created.  Vastly different in color, shape, size, instinct, etc.  He took the same approach with humankind.  He made each one of us with unique looks, talents, gifts and personalities.  And each person has a unique, personalized plan, designed by God, for their lives.  As such, God does not expect us to simply follow the crowd.  To mindlessly go along with the world.  To have other people do our thinking for us.  Instead, He expects us to use our minds, our intellect, our individual-ness, to accomplish His will for this world.  Yes, this can involve a lot of work and effort at time.  But it yields dividends that far outweigh the effort.

Don’t settle for average in life.  For the ordinary.  For the status quo.  Don’t settle for having other people think for you.  Of pre-chewing your thoughts.  Resist ditto!  Rise up and be all that God created you to be!  Put in the necessary prayer and Bible study into becoming a mature believer.  One who knows the mind and heart of God.  A person through whom God can accomplish great things.  Things that will have an eternal impact!

Lord, rescue me from ditto.  From sameness.  From laziness.  From being willing to do nothing more than mindlessly follow the crowd.  Give me zeal.  Give me passion.  Passion to follow You completely.  To use all of the gifts and talents You have given me.  To reach my full potential.  And in so doing, to bring out Your purposes in my life.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Paying It Forward

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=EPh%202:8-9&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rom%2010:13-15&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%209:15&version=NIV1984

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+3:6&version=NIV1984

The lesson for our adult S. S. Class this morning consisted of splitting up into several small groups.  Each group was given several newspapers.  And a pair of scissors.  Their assignment?  To clip out any stories involving good news.  As you can imagine, the bulk of the newspapers were left over when the challenge was done.  The fact is that there isn’t a lot of good news in the media.  So one of Friday’s news stories was a sight for sore eyes.  Or ears.

It seems that some generous individuals are paying off lay-aways for customers at various K-Marts throughout the country.  It is also happening in other stores, such as Walmart, but not to the frequency that it is occurring at K-Mart.  The thinking is that K-Mart has a long history of providing layaways for customers so they are being targeted more.  http://www.koaa.com/news/anonymous-donors-pay-off-strangers-k-mart-layaway-accounts/  It is reported that one Indianapolis woman, in her mid-40s,  paid off the layaway orders for 50 people!  Wow.  Extremely generous.  And touching.  Then, on the way out of the store, she handed out $50 bills and paid for two carts of toys for a woman in line at the cash register.  When asked why she did it she responded that it was in memory of her husband who had died recently.  Elsewhere other anonymous benefactors were paying off most, if not all, of the layaway balance for others.  Especially for those individuals who had toys for children on layaway.  What a great story.  What a great gesture.  Those who have much, helping those who have little.  Isn’t this the way it should be?  How inspiring.  I’m sure that these random acts of kindness will be remembered for many years by the grateful recipients.

This caused me to think.  What is the greatest thing that I can do for someone else?  What is the one thing that I have been given that I need to pay forward?  I don’t want to minimize what these anonymous people have done but, for me, the answer is simple.  The greatest single thing I can give to someone else is the Gospel.  The fact is that when you have Jesus, you have everything.  Everything.  Salvation.  Eternal life.  A relationship with the God who created you.  And all the blessings that flow from that relationship.  Someone who is worthy of our trust.  Our worship.  Our service.  Someone who loves us with an everlasting love.  Who blesses us in more ways than we can count.  Someone whom we get to spend all eternity with. 

Now, if knowing Jesus is so great, wouldn’t we want to tell others about Him as well?  Especially those who are struggling?  Struggling in a marriage?  Or with raising children?  Or with an illness?  Or making ends meet?  Those who are struggling with addictions?  Or guilt?  Or shame?  Those who have nothing to look forward to but an eternity of darkness, suffering, and regret?

Yes, salvation through Jesus is the greatest gift that we, or anyone else, could ever hope to receive.  And what better time to share that gift than now?  The Christmas season.  The time when God’s gift to human kind was unwrapped in human flesh.  The gift that will completely transform a person, from the inside, out.  The gift that has the potential to affect others in their lives as well.  The gift that not only helps now, but will continue to do so for all eternity.

There is only a week left before Christmas.  Shouldn’t we go one step further than the anonymous K-Mart layaway benefactors?  By giving something, rather Someone, of eternal value?  Someone who will change the entire course of their life?  So let’s pray and ask God to help us to pay forward the great gift that we have received.  To be used in such a way that others will never forget.  In a way for which they will be eternally grateful.

Lord, I thank you for day when I received the gift of salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ.  And for the incredible transformation that has taken place in my life since then.  I don’t deserve that gift of salvation.  I am humbled and honored to receive it.  Help me not to hoard that gift, or keep it to myself, but to pay it forward.  To be used by You to make an eternal difference in someone else’s life this Christmas.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Christmas Lamb

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1:29&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+22:8&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%201:18-19&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+5:12&version=NIV

We have a ceramic manger scene that we put out every Christmas season at our house.  On our coffee table.  Front and center.  It contains all of the usual pieces.  Stable.  Joseph, Mary & baby Jesus.  Angel.  Shepherd and sheep.  Cow & donkey.  Wisemen and camels.

A couple days ago, Beth noticed that baby Jesus was missing.  He’s rather small (after all, He is only a baby!) measuring about 1 ½ ” long.  We don’t know if He was misplaced by the grandkids a week ago Friday.  Or if He came up missing sometime during our Christmas Open House on Sunday.  On Wednesday, I enlisted our two grandsons, Brett, 5, and Jaydon, 2, to help me look for baby Jesus.  We were armed with flashlights (it was in the evening when we began our search) and a determination to restore baby Jesus to His rightful place.

Toward that end we checked the toy box.  Not there.  Then a large plastic container that holds an assortment of plastic food.  Not there either.  We then employed the flashlights to look under the couch.  Then the love seat.  Nothing.  I even shoved my hand down as far as it could go into the interior of the couch and love seat.  After temporarily getting it stuck, still nothing.  No sign of baby Jesus.  Not even a trace.  How could He have just vanished?

While I had my hand probing deep into the couch, Brett proudly exclaimed that he had found baby Jesus.  I knew he hadn’t.  I wish he would have.  What he had done was to substitute another figurine in baby Jesus’ place.  I turned to see where he was pointing.  Of all the figurines he could have substituted, Brett didn’t use the angel, shepherd or wiseman.  Nor did he use the donkey, camel or cow.  There, in between Joseph and Mary, he had placed a lamb.  A lamb!  I couldn’t believe it.  Talk about a God moment!  How appropriate.  How symbolic.  I started to try to explain the significance of what he’d done.  But I stopped short.  After all, how do you explain something like this to a 5-year-old?

It is interesting that God ordained that a lamb should be the primary animal used to take away sins.  Not a horse.  Or a cow.  Or a pig.  Or any other animal.  Now while goats, bulls and birds were used in various types of offerings, it was the lamb that occupied the special place of importance.  It was a lamb that was sacrificed during Passover.  It was a lamb that Jesus and His disciples sacrificed and ate the day before He hung on the cross.

Little did Brett realize the symbolism of what he'd done when he placed the lamb in the place of the baby Jesus.  As we now know, the importance of Christmas does not lie so much in the fact that God came into the world.  That is significant.  But what ultimately makes Christmas so special is Good Friday.  The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  The atonement, that no one else in Heaven or earth could make, was accomplished by Jesus.  The Lamb of God.  Who takes away the sin of the world.  Yours.  And mine.

I don’t know if we are going to find little baby Jesus.  I’m beginning to have my doubts.  Just the same, I’d like to keep our manger scene.  Because from here on out, every year that we set it up. I’m going to place the lamb in baby Jesus' spot.  Just like Brett did.  To remind me, and anyone else who sees it, of the reason for the season.

Lord, I thank you for how You often teach us spiritual truths through children.  I thank you for the part that Christmas has in Good Friday.  And Easter.  All these holidays are dependent upon each other.  Together, all of them make me who I am today.  Your child.  Thank you for the Christmas Lamb.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Christopher Hitchens

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2014:1&version=NIV1984

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+14:12&version=NIV1984

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2010:31&version=NIV1984

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Peter%203:9&version=NASB

Christopher Hitchens died yesterday.  He was 62.  Four months ago I wouldn’t have even known who Hitchens was.  Today I do.  The reason is that in August I was doing some research for a sermon on Antiochus Epiphanes.  I was preaching a summer series on non-Jewish kings of the Bible.  With each king I tried to select one word that summarized their life.  For Epiphanes it was the word defiant.  As I was looking for an illustration to introduce the sermon I came across Hitchens’ biography.  I knew right then that I had found the right illustration.  Hitchens was the personification of defiant.  He was defiant right to the very end.  He and Frank Sinatra would have been good friends.  Hitchens always did things his way.  No matter what others said or thought.

Having never met or known Hitchens I want to be careful with my comments.  All I know about him is what I have read.  This can be problematic depending upon the reliability of the sources used.  For this reason I will try to stick to well-attested facts.

Among other things, Hitchens was a self-proclaimed atheist.  Meaning that he didn’t believe in the existence of God.  Hitchens, however, preferred to call himself an ‘anti-theist’ instead.  The difference, Hitchens said, is that “an atheist can still wish that belief in God were correct.  An anti-theist, however, is someone who is relieved that there’s no evidence for such an assertion.”  OK.  At least he’s not like so many modern-day politicians who constantly change their views.  Or who purposely try to keep their views vague and imprecise.  Hitchens was very straightforward about what he believed.  And didn’t believe.

In 2007 Hitchens wrote a book entitled, God Is Not Great.  Once again, we see that Hitchens pulls no punches.  In his book he contends that “the real axis of evil is Christianity, Judaism, and Islam”.  He goes on to argue that the concept of God is a belief that destroys individual freedom.  And that free expression and scientific discovery should replace religion as a means of teaching ethics and defining human civilization.

This past April Hitchins was unable to address the American Atheists Convention due to his battle with esophageal cancer.  He sent the following letter instead:
    “Dear fellow-unbelievers, nothing would have kept me from joining you except the loss of my voice (at least my speaking voice) which in turn is due to a long argument I am currently having with the specter of death. Nobody ever wins this argument, though there are some solid points to be made while the discussion goes on. I have found, as the enemy becomes more familiar, that all the special pleading for salvation, redemption and supernatural deliverance appears even more hollow and artificial to me than it did before.”

I guess I don’t have much experience in dealing with atheists.  Or anti-theists.  I don’t think that I have ever heard of someone being so bold, so proud, so sure of their anti-God beliefs.  But that was Hitchens.  What he believed, he believed.  Unfortunately, like so many other people in our day, he refused to believe in anything that could be classified as ‘super’ natural.  He would only believe in what he could determine to be true with his physical senses.  As such he had no room in his worldview for God.  Or salvation.  Or divine justice.

That is too bad.  A man who was created by God, in His image, with the gift of such a great intellect, let it go to waste.  Instead of using his intellect to embrace God and to promote His reign, like C. S. Lewis did, he became Christopher Hitchens.  Atheist.  Rebel.  Defiant One.  The fact is that God gives each of us the power of choice.  The choice to believe.  Or not to believe.  But along with free choice the Bible teaches that we also have to live with our choices.  For all eternity.  Sadly, if Hitchens’ life and comments are any indication, at this very moment, he is living with his.

Lord, I thank you for the truth found in Your Word.  That You exist.  That You created all that exists.  That You rule over all that exists.  I thank you that You rule in my heart and life.  I pray for those who are blind to the truth.  For those who reject it.  For those who insist that the only reality is physical in nature.  Continue to give them light.  Be patient with them.  Keep on pursuing them.  May my life be used to direct those who live in the darkness of intellectualism and humanism to You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Words Not In God's Vocabulary - Overwhelmed

 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%204:35-41&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+32:17&version=NIV1984

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+91:14&version=NIV

Overwhelmed.  Ever been there?  Chances are you have.  I know that I have.  Many times.  More times than I can count.  More times than I care to remember.  What does it mean to be overwhelmed?  It means to temporarily lose control.  Control of the situation.  Control of oneself.  In my own mind I liken being overwhelmed to a huge wave.  The wave washes over me completely and unexpectedly.  I never saw it coming.  Or at least I didn’t think it was going to overtake me this quickly.  As it does, I find myself fighting just to survive.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.

Depending upon the person and the situation, it doesn’t take much to overwhelm us.  I picture a stay-at-home mom with 3 small children.  Two of them are fighting with each other. The third, a baby, is crying at the top of its lungs.  Meanwhile, the phone is ringing, someone’s at the door, and the toilet is overflowing.  Yeah, that’s what I would call overwhelming.  Another person works at a place that is seriously under-staffed.  Too much to do.  Not enough time to do it in.  Of course, overtime is out of the question.  So its do the work of two people.  Breaks are optional.  So, too, is lunch.  Boss breathing down your neck.  Thankless customers to serve.  Yeah, that has overwhelming written all over it as well.  Then there are things like cancer.  Alzheimer’s.  Accidents.  These by themselves have the potential to overwhelm anyone and everyone.

Unfortunately, this time of year also has the potential to overwhelm people.  Life is already hectic enough for us, then the holiday season arrives.  The season has enough activities to keep a retired person busy.  Let alone a person who already more than they can handle.  There are gifts to purchase and wrap.  Decorations, inside and out, to put up.  Food to bake.  Christmas cards to address and send out.  Plays, choir concerts and office parties to attend.  Whew!  I’m getting overwhelmed just writing about all this!

The good news is that God never gets overwhelmed.  Ever.  With 6 billion people to care for, with millions of prayers coming to His ears every second, with all the conflict and chaos in this world, God doesn’t even break a sweat.  Ever.  In fact, every day is like every other day for God.  Always in control.  Always.  Everything going according to His plan.  Always.  Able to sit back and take it all in.  And enjoy it.  Always.

How does God do it?  He’s God, that’s how.  He is unlimited in every facet of His being.  So He has an unlimited capacity to guide.  Strengthen.  Encourage.  Comfort.  Love.  Dispense justice.  And He can do it all at the same time.  Yet it doesn’t tire Him in the least.  And we wonder why some people want to become God?  Certainly there is a lot of upside to it! 

As humans, when we are overwhelmed, we immediately look for help.  I know that I do.  This help could be in the form of assistance from others.  Or escape from the pressure.  Or just plain old stability and sanity returning.  The amazing thing about God is that He provides all 3 of these things to us!  He is always standing by, ready and willing to help, at the utterance of a simple prayer.  He is the One who can provide us with an escape from all the pressure.  From the craziness of life.  And He can be the stabilizing force in our lives.  Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Is that a life-preserver when we’re about to go under or what?

While I wish that I never became overwhelmed (like this is never going to happen again!) the next best thing is to never being overwhelmed is to know Someone who is never overwhelmed.  Someone who can help us when we are.  Someone who will always be there for us.  Of course, that Someone is God!  What great comfort I take in the fact that He is never overwhelmed.  I can always come to Him, no matter how badly I am floundering, knowing that He has everything under control.  That with a simple command He can cause the angry sea to become instantly calm.  Or that He can lift me out from the billowing waves, and put me in a place of safety and security. 

What a great God we have.  A God who is never overwhelmed.  A God who can help those who are.

Lord, I thank you that in all the times that I have been overwhelmed in my life, You have never failed me.  Not once.  Even when the outcome seemed uncertain.  At least to me.  Every time You came to my rescue.  I thank you that Your Word tells me that when I place my hope in You I will never be disappointed.  You are mighty to save!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.