The Christ Candle

Today we light the fifth candle of the Advent wreath, the Christ candle.  This is the most important candle of all because, without Christ, we would not have the hope, peace, love, or joy represented by the other four candles.  All of these qualities originate in God and come to us through Christ.

We would still be in our sins, without hope for the future, had Christ not died so we could be forgiven and know that we have an eternal home in heaven.  Colossians 1:27 tells us,  "God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the HOPE of glory."  I Timothy 4:10 gives us these words,  "That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our HOPE in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe."  And Psalm 146:5 says,  "Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose HOPE is in the Lord their God."

Our peace comes to us through the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Ephesians 2:14a tells us of Jesus,  "For he himself is our PEACE..."  In John 14:27 we read these words of Jesus,  "PEACE I leave with you; my PEACE I give you."  In John 16:37a Jesus said,  "I have told you these things so that in me you might have PEACE..."  Isaiah 26:3 has this wonderful promise,  "You will keep in perfect PEACE those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."

We are able to love God and to love others with God's love, which comes to us because Jesus Christ died for us.  Romans 5:5b,  "God's LOVE has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."  When Jesus returned to heaven, He sent us the Holy Spirit, Who gives us God's love.

    Truly it is knowing Christ and walking closely step by step with Him that floods ours hearts with joy,  That joy nourishes our spirits and enables us to endure the trials and tribulations of life with full and grateful hearts.  We might each say with Acts 2:21, "You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with JOY in Your presence."

Everything we are and everything we have is a gift from God, given to us because of His precious, holy Son, the Christ of Christmas and of everyday.

Father, thank You for giving us hope, peace, love, and joy.  Most of all, thank You for giving us Jesus, through Whom You have given us so many good things.  Amen.

The Joy of the World

Nehemiah 8:10c,  "The joy of the Lord is your strength."

Every Christmas season my heart returns to the past, to the house where I grew up, and to the wonderful Christmases I spent with my parents, my brother, and the rest of my family.  I can still picture my Aunt Bill unmolding gelatin salads on a tray and piling the carved turkey high on a platter.  I still thrill with excitement when I remember my Aunt Johnny and Uncle Fred arriving from out of town with big smiles on their faces, hugs all around, and a car packed full of presents.

    The scene often shifts to the Christmases my husband and I spent with our children when they were growing up and Santa Claus was real to them.  I could barely contain my excitement on Christmas Eve as I laid out their toys and anticipated their reactions on Christmas morning.  These are such happy memories, and I yearn to relive those times and see those precious faces again.

    The Christmas season this year has changed for me and my family.  My children, and even some of my grandchildren, are grown, and there are seven great grandchildren.  Because there are so many of us, it is no longer feasible to gather the whole crowd at one time, so we are having several smaller Christmas celebrations.  It is not the same, and I miss our traditions.

    Christmas past and present can be bitter sweet, but the future holds only joy for those who will one day celebrate this holiday with its honoree, Jesus Christ.  Jesus came that we might rejoice in the sweet memories of the past and in His constant presence with us in the present, but, most of all, so we can rejoice in the eternal future which He has lovingly prepared for each of His children.  So there can be, and should be, joy even in the middle of our losses in the past and our problems in the present because of all that the future holds for us.  Rejoice!

Father, I rejoice in the sweet memories of the past, in Your constant presence with me now, and in the future You have prepared for us. Thank You.  Amen.

God's Love for Us

Romans 5:8,  "But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us."

    A friend of mine would say of certain people,  "They talk a good game," implying that their words were idle chatter, with no action behind them. James 1:22 admonishes us,  "Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says," and James 2:14,  "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?" and James 2:18b,  "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."  In other words, what we say should be backed up by our actions to prove that our words are true.  Today we have the saying,  "Talk is cheap."  Actions exact a price--sometimes in time, sometimes in energy, and sometimes we are required to make a sacrifice of money or something else material.

    God tells us over and over in the Scripture how much He loves us, but His words are not just cheap conversation.  He has backed them up by action after action.

    First of all, God created a world with air, water, food, heat--all the things He knew we would need physically--and He included beauty to minister to our hearts and souls as well.  Then He created us, breathing into our bodies the breath of life.  He sustains us and our world day after day.  Colossians 2:17b, speaking of Christ, says,  "In him all things hold together."

    Second, Jesus is our Emmanuel, God with us, and he has promised never to leave us nor forsake us.

    Third, God takes us to be His children just as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us like He finds us.  He is always working to make us more and more like His Son Jesus, and He never gives up.

    Fourth, our heavenly Father's ears are always attentive to our prayers.  He hears us and answers us.  He works all things that happen to us for our good if we love Him and are obeying Him.

    Most of all, God proved His love for us by the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  John 15:13,  "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

    Over and over God has proven to us, and continues to show us, how very much He loves us.  Celebrate His love this Christmas season.  Bask in it.  And pass it along throughout the new year.

Father, thank You for loving us and showing Your love to us in so many ways.  Amen.  

The Peace of the World

Colossians 3:15a,  "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace."

There are three kinds of peace discussed in the Bible.  The first kind, peace WITH God, is a prerequisite for the second kind, the peace OF God, and enables the third kind, PEACE WITH OTHER PEOPLE.  

The most important thing we celebrate at Christmas is peace WITH God, our salvation, the forgiveness of our sins and the assurance of heaven, all through Jesus Christ.  Isaiah 9:6,  "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 53:5c,  "The punishment that brought us peace was on him.  Ephesians 2:14a,  "For he himself is our peace."  Colossians 1:19-20,  "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross."  Romans 5:1,  "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."  

    We all seek inner peace in a noisy world where we are surrounded by problems and troubles and evil.  God can give us His peace in the midst of turmoil and chaos and opposition.  Jesus promised in John 14:27,  "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you."  Galatians 5:22 tells us that peace is a fruit produced in lives that are controlled by the Holy Spirit.  Romans 8:6 says it this way,  "The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace."  Isaiah 26:3 tells us that our part is faith, saying,  "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."

    To those who have peace WITH God and are walking in the peace OF God, the Bible gives exhortations to live in peace with other people.  Over and over Scripture tells us to live peaceful lives.  Psalm 34:14b,  "Seek peace and pursue it."  Zechariah 8:19b,  "Love truth and peace."  Jesus' words in Mark 9:50,  "Be at peace with each other."  Romans 12:18,  "If it is possible,as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

    As we worship the Prince of Peace this Christmas season, may we honor and glorify Him by sharing His peace with those around us.

My prayer for us all is found in II Thessalonians 3:16a,  "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way."

The Hope of the World

Hebrews 6:19a,  "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."

Hebrews 10:23,  "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

This week I was watching a boy at physical therapy as he sat on a rolling stool and pushed himself across the floor with his injured leg.  His progress was slow and laborious because a huge metal weight was attached to the back of the stool by a wide canvas belt.  As the young fellow struggled to drag that weight along, my inclination was to take scissors and cut the weight loose from the stool so he could move unhindered.  Then I thought of all the weights we drag around that hinder our progress, weights caused by problems and circumstances.  The therapists had a broad view, the big picture, of the boy's improvement in mind when they attached the weight to the stool, and God has our improvement in mind when He allows us to struggle with problems and circumstances.  The boy's leg needed to be strengthened, and our faith needs to grow stronger and deeper.  God's promise in Romans 8:28, that all things will work for our good if we belong to Him, gives us hope as we keep struggling against the weights in our lives.

    Christians have an even broader view, a bigger picture, than the therapists, because we have an eternal perspective.  Abraham as he rode swaying camels across dry, dusty lands and lived in hot, stuffy tents, had an eternal perspective.  Hebrews 11:10 says of him,  "For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."

    This life is not all there is.  Ahead of each Christian is a heavenly home where we shall see our Father face to face, be able to bow before the Lord Jesus in grateful adoration, and bask in the presence of the blessed Holy Spirit.  Heaven is a magnificent place, specially prepared with love by God for His children.  It is a place of no more sickness nor sin nor sadness nor sorrow, no more guilt or regrets, a place of eternal joy.  Because of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, there is help for the helpless and hope for the hopeless.  A glorious future is in store for us.  Let us place our hope in God, as Abraham did.

Father, thank You for all that You have lovingly prepared for those who belong to You.  May we always find hope in You and in our future.  Amen.   

God's Promise to Abraham

Genesis 12:2-3,  "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

God made some promises to Abraham, and He ratified those promises with a covenant ritual.  God promised Abraham that He would make him into a great nation at a time when Abraham and Sarah were old and childless.  Then God gave them Isaac.  Today the Hittites, Jebusites, Hivites, and all the other nations mentioned in the Old Testament, have melted into the pool of humanity.  However, there is still a distinct Jewish nation, descendants of Abraham and Isaac.

God promised to bless Abraham, and He gave Abraham great wealth as well as many descendants.  God promised to make Abraham's name great.  Not only Christianity, but also Judaism and Islam, claim Abraham as the founder of their beliefs.  Abraham is referred to 116 times in the Bible, and his life has been an influence to trust and obey God in every generation since he lived.  God promised Abraham that all the people on earth would be blessed through him.  Through Abraham came the belief in the one true God at a time when many gods were worshiped.  Abraham's descendants not only wrote most of the Bible, but the Jews also preserved it through hundreds of years.  And from the Jewish nation came the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for the sins of the whole world.  Truly all people on earth have been blessed by Abraham and the legacy of his people.  Where would we all be today if Abraham and Sarah had not chosen to trust and obey God?

We will see that everywhere Abraham went his life was marked by two special activities.  He built altars to worship God, and he dug wells which benefited the people in his vicinity.  Because of his faith and obedience he was a blessing to many others during his lifetime.  If we trust and obey God, He will make us blessings to those around us as well.

Father,  I pray You will bless my life in such a way that I will be a blessing to others.  Amen.

Four Men in Genesis

Genesis 15:6a,  "Abram believed the Lord....."

    The story of Abram occurs at the pivot point of Genesis, at the end of the beginnings.  The first part of Genesis covers hundreds of years and four prominent events--the creation, the fall, the flood, and the Tower of Babel.  The remainder of Genesis covers around 300 years and four generations.  It zeroes in on the lives of four men--Abram, who became Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.  These four men reveal much about human nature and much about God's attributes by their lives.

    Abram models faith and obedience.  Hebrews 11:6 tells us,  "Without faith it is impossible to please God..."  Hebrews 11:8, 9a, and 10,  "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents.....for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."  And believing Abraham found God to be faithful to His promises.

    Abraham is also a picture of our loving heavenly Father Who lavishes His gifts upon us.  Abraham lavished his great wealth upon his son, Isaac.  Isaac pictures those who have accepted Christ and been born into God's family.  He did nothing to deserve his father's blessings--he received them because he was Abraham's son, and God blesses us, not because we have earned it or deserved it, but because we are His children.

    In Jacob's life we see such human characteristics as cunning and deception.  But in his brother Esau, and in God's dealings with Jacob, we see God's lovely attributes of mercy and forgiveness.  In Jacob we see the repentant heart and humble spirit that must precede forgiveness.

    Joseph is one of the loveliest characters in the Bible.  He models integrity, perseverance in the midst of adverse circumstances, and a forgiving heart.

    If your life was also described in Genesis, what characteristics would you be modeling?  Are you reflecting God's attributes to a watching world today?

Father, may others see You in us.  May we model Your attributes well.  Amen.

The Call of Abram

Genesis 12:1,  "The Lord had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you."

    Anne Graham Lotz wrote,  "Almost from the moment that God let the world go at the Tower of Babel, He began unfolding His plan to reconcile it to Himself.  He did this by reaching down into the world of humanity that was in rebellion against Him.....down into one nation, one tribe, one family from which He chose one man through whom He would begin making preparations for sending the Redeemer."

    Why Abram?  Why did God choose him rather than someone else?  What was so special about this man?  As we study his life, we see that Abram TRUSTED and OBEYED God.  No doubt God knew Abram's heart and knew that when He called Abram, Abram would respond.  Also, it may have been that Abram was searching for the true God amidst the idols that were worshiped in his home town of Ur.  God gives mankind this wonderful promise in Jeremiah 29:13,  "You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart."

    God's call came to Abram when he was 75 years old.  Some people might think that a person that age is too old for God to use, but He can use us at any age.  I love what Charles Swindoll wrote, "If you can get up in the morning and breathe on a mirror and cause it to fog over, God still has a purpose for your life!"

    Abram was a city dweller. During his lifetime Ur was considered the most magnificent city in the world except for Babylon.  Ur was a bustling, sophisticated city with several universities, well stocked libraries, and advanced workmanship in silver and gold.  God called Abram to leave his home, his family, and his friends and strike out for an unknown destination, riding swaying, smelly camels; living in sweltering hot tents; and moving  from place to place.  Think how hard that must have been!  But Abram BELIEVED and OBEYED God.

    When Abram set out, others came along.  He was accompanied by his wife Sarai, his father Terah, and his nephew Lot.  Once we step out to follow God, we may well influence others to do likewise.

    Hopefully we will answer God's call on our lives with the same kind of faith and obedience that we find in Abram's life.  Are you obeying everything He has asked you to do?

Father, may I keep my obedience up to date, answering every time You call me with "Yes" and then doing what You have asked me to do.  Amen.  

Our Towers

Genesis 11:4,  "Then they said, come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

    Author Warren Wiersbe calls the tower of Babel "one of the most arrogant revolts against God anywhere in the Scripture."  God had commanded the people to be fruitful and multiply and scatter across the earth, but instead they moved to the city of Babylon with the intention of settling there together.

    The tower of Babel was the forerunner of modern day Humanism, which is the deification of man and the exclusion of God.  Anne Graham Lotz wrote, "The stated purpose was to make a name for themselves--to elevate man and his accomplishments above anything else."  Karl Barth, a twentieth century theologian, said that all religion is man reaching up to God in his own way, according to his own terms, on his own merit, in his own strength.  Christianity alone is God reaching down to man."

    The tower of Babel was built with bricks.  Bricks are made from hardened clay, a fitting symbol for mankind.

    In one sense, Pentecost was a reversal of the tower of Babel, because the people in Jerusalem that day each heard Peter's message in his own language.  One day all the people from every tribe and nation will praise God in heaven with one voice, and the judgment of Babel will no longer be in effect.

    There are people in every generation who build their own humanistic towers.  But, any person who rebels against God is fighting a losing battle.  As Thomas a Kempis wrote, Man proposes, but God disposes."  An expanded version of that proverb says,  "Man does what he can.  God does what He will."  Proverbs 19:21 underlines that thought when it say,  "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

    Are there any towers of rebellion or self reliance in your life today?  If so, what will you do about them?

Father, may my life be all about You rather than all about me.  May I tear down any tower of rebellion or self reliance that ever enters my life and depend completely and entirely on You.  Amen.  

The Rainbow

Genesis 9:13,  "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."

    Obviously, the rainbow is a symbol of God's promise that He will never destroy the earth by a flood again.  But it is also a sign of God's grace and mercy to mankind.  The story of the ark is a picture of God's provision for man's spiritual salvation.  The ark of safety in the flood symbolizes Jesus Christ, who is our Ark of safety from the punishment for sin that we all deserve.  Noah and his family had to enter the ark in order to be saved from the flood, and we have to enter into a covenant with Jesus, accepting Him as Savior, in order to be rescued from sin's power and eternal consequences.

    Rainbows appear after rainstorms.  God hasn't promised us that we won't have any storms in our lives, but the rainbow reminds us that our heavenly Father won't let the storms destroy us, nor will He leave us to face the storms alone.

    Rainbows are formed when the sun and the water droplets align under just the right conditions.  The colors of the rainbow reflect the sun's rays as they hit falling mist or watery spray.  When we reflect God under difficult circumstances, people will see in us something even more special that a rainbow.  Our lives will be a beautiful reflection of God's nature and faithfulness if we allow Him to shine through the storms in our lives.

Father, may we reflect Your grace, Your faithfulness, and Your glory through all the circumstances that come our way.  May people who see us be drawn to You.  Amen.   

A Righteous Man

Genesis 6:9,  "This is the account of Noah.  Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God."

Genesis 6:22,  "Noah did everything just as God commanded him."

    After teaching Bible studies and Sunday School for forty years, I would sum up the way to live the Christian life in this one sentence, "Choose to trust and obey, abide and pray."  If I were to distill the

instructions further, I would shorten it to "Trust and obey."  This is exactly what Noah did.

    When I was growing up, it was not so hard to be a Christian.  The same values taught in church were also taught in school and in most homes.  This is not so today.  Many parents fail to teach their

children about God.  The public schools no longer have prayer and Bible reading on a daily basis.  We live in the most technologically advanced and affluent era in human history.  Society in general promotes a selfish, self-centered, materialistic, and humanistic viewpoint and lifestyle.  People who want to please God today must swim upstream against a current of godlessness, much as salmon swim upstream to spawn.  Noah lived in an even more godless world than ours.

    The tasks that God assigned Noah must have seemed overwhelming. The ark was an enormous boat.  It was 450 feet (or 1 1/2 football fields) long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.  Until 1850 it was the largest ship built.  In addition to building the ark, Noah was instructed to bring aboard every kind of animal, male and female (or, as my granddaughter Heather once said, "male and email')  and 7 of each clean animal.  Don't you imagine Noah wondered how in the world he would ever be able to build a boat that big, much less get all those animals aboard?

    What did Noah do?  First, he shone like a star, lighting up a dark, depraved world by his righteous life.  He is such an influence for godliness that he is mentioned 50 times in 9 different books of the Bible.  Then he did what he could and trusted God to do the rest.  He trusted and obeyed God.  By those simple steps his life is a challenge to us to fulfill the Scripture in Philippians 2:15-16a which exhorts us to "become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..."

Father, may we follow the example of righteous Noah in trusting and obeying You and walking closely with You.  Amen.

The Green-eyed Monster

Genesis 4:4b-5,  "The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.  So Cain was very angry and his face was downcast."

     My little chihuahua, Honey, loves to jump up into my lap and nestle.  She considers that her territory.  My pomeranian, Missy, has a fat body and short legs and cannot jump that far.  But sometimes I pick her up and put her in my lap to pet her.  When I do, Honey goes into a frenzy of growling and snapping at Missy.  Honey is very jealous when Missy invades her territory and claims my attention.  So there is a kind of sibling rivalry even in the animal world.
     Anyone who has ever been in a family where there is more than one child has either participated in sibling rivalry or observed it.  When a new baby comes into a family where there is already another child, it is anticipated that the older child will have some feelings of jealousy toward the newcomer. I was the older child in my family, and about a week after my brother was born I asked my mother when we were going to take him back!  Jealousy is the nature of human nature.  But, while jealousy is a characteristic of the natural man, it is not a spiritual attribute.  It is not a lovely quality.  To be jealous is to be resentful and envious of something someone else has.  To be envious is to desire another person's advantages, possessions, or attainment.  It is to be discontented because someone else has something you lack but want.
     In the story of Cain and Abel we see jealousy taken to the extreme of murder.  While we would probably not kill someone because of envy, we may well harbor some dark, murderous thoughts that cause unrest in our souls and greatly displease God.  Discontentment with what we have been given is actually a criticism of God and His provisions for us.  It shows our dissatisfaction with our Heavenly Father to Whom we owe life and breath and every good gift.  It reveals a great lack of appreciation on our part.  If there is any root of jealousy, envy, resentment, or discontentment in your life right now, won't you ask God to clean it out and replace it with a thankful heart?

Father, may we have grateful hearts for all Your goodness to us.  Amen.   

In His Presence

Psalm 5:3,  "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."

     One of my daughters, Weety, was telling me what some of her grandchildren like to do when they visit her.  The two little boys--one three and the other almost three--like for her to play trucks and cars with them.   Her youngest granddaughter loves to play "babies."  She and Weety feed, bathe, dress, and rock her dolls.  In other words, these grandchildren just want their grandmother to hang out with them.  What they want is her PRESENCE.
      There is tension with many parents as to how much time and energy they should spend working to buy things for their children--to give them PRESENTS of all kinds, including the necessities of life--and how much time they should spend just hanging out with their children.  As much as young people love getting PRESENTS, often what they want and need most from their parents is just their PRESENCE.
     Our Heavenly Father wants us to spend time just hanging out with Him too.  He likes it when we spend time reading His Word and talking things over with Him in prayer.  He wants our PRESENCE.  Perhaps too often we allow the PRESENTS of our gifts to Him and service for Him to substitute for spending quality time with Him.  But there is absolutely no substitute for spending time in the PRESENCE  of our Heavenly Father.  That is where we find peace and strength and wisdom and all the other qualities we need to live abundantly.
Father, thank You that, as the song says, "In the PRESENCE of Jehovah, God Almighty, Prince of Peace, troubles vanish, hearts are mended, in the PRESENCE of the King."  May we make spending time with You our number one priority.  Amen.

In God's Image

Genesis 1:26a,  "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.....Genesis 1:27,  "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

    Possibly you also read this online:  When God created Adam, He looked at him and said,  "I can do better."  Then He created Eve!

    Mankind was originally created in the image of God.  Actually, even God couldn't improve on that!  But sin marred us all.  Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, every person is born with a sin nature.  We are not so much sinners because we sin.  We sin because we are sinners.  We are born into the world wanting our own way rather than desiring to do what pleases God, and we will do almost anything to get it.  A baby gets its way by crying until someone gives it what it wants.  People fight to have their way.  They scheme and manipulate.  We are all sinners through and through, bad to the bone.  Thankfully, God loves us the way we are, because otherwise our situation would be hopeless.  "But God"--what wonderful words!!!   When we acknowledge that we are sinners and accept God's Son as Savior, God forgives us and gives us a new nature, His nature, to reside within us.  However, there is a problem.  When God gives us this new nature, He doesn't remove that old sin nature with which we were born.  All our lives we will struggle because the two natures are in opposition to each other, and they both want to control us at the same time.

    God's purpose for each of us is to make us more and more like Jesus, to restore us to the godly state which we lost through Adam's sinfulness.  Oswald Chambers wrote,  "The expression of Christian character is not good doing, but God likeness."  The more we allow the nature of God, which resides in us in the Person of the Holy Spirit, to control our lives, the closer we will come to the image of God, to God likeness.

Father, make us more and more like You and Your Son Jesus through the indwelling presence of Your Holy Spirit in our lives.  Amen.

Lessons from Nature

Genesis 1:1,  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

     There are endless life lessons as we contemplate nature--God's creation.  As I suggest a few, I bet you will begin to think of many others.
     Both physical and spiritual life are totally dependent upon the Creator.  Without God, we aren't able to take the next breath nor can our hearts throb with the next heart beat.  Everything we have and are is a gift from God.  He is due all our worship and praise and gratitude.
     What we sow we will reap.  If we plant squash seeds, we will get squash.  We will never reap turnip greens from okra seeds.  The law of the harvest works every time, and it works in our lives as well as in our gardens.  If we have sown some wild oats, it won't do any good to pray for crop failure!
     We see God's incredible creativity in nature.  Each individual part of the plant and animal kingdoms has its own distinctions, attributes, and special purposes in the world.  We also observe God's amazing creativity in people.  Each person has his/her own distinctions, attributes, and special purposes in God's plans.  God doesn't expect or intend for any two people to live life the same way.  We are interdependent and need to help each other, just as the different parts of nature work together.
     The newly washed earth after a rain is a beautiful picture of the cleansing that takes place when we confess our sins.  The rainbow is a reminder of the truthfulness, the promises, and the faithfulness of God..
     Everywhere we look at creation we can learn lessons about living if we are open and sensitive to what God wants to teach us.  Have you already thought of some more lessons?

Father, thank You for filling Your creation with lessons and analogies for us.  May we be eager to learn everything You want to teach us as we walk through Your world.  Amen.

Consequences of Our Behavior

Galatians 6:7b,  "A man reaps what he sows."

Luke 6:31,  "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

        I have a brown Chihuahua named Honey.  She is tiny, with huge eyes and great big ears--cute as a bug but mean as a snake!  What she lacks in size, she attempts to make up in ferocity.  Not only does she bark incessantly at people she perceives as intruders, but also she is quick to bare her teeth and snarl and bite.  When we have company, my only recourse is to shut her up in a room by herself.  Because of her unfriendly behavior, she misses much companionship that she could have enjoyed.

        On the other hand, I have a very affectionate Pomeranian named Missy.  She gives a few warning barks when someone she doesn't know comes over, but very shortly she hushes and sidles up to any visitor, wanting to be petted.  Because of her sweet nature, she is allowed to enjoy lots of attention and companionship that Honey misses.

        If we want to have friends, we need to be friendly.  If we want to be loved, that is much more likely to happen if we reach out in love to others.  People respond positively or negatively to the kind of disposition we present to them.  How do you want to be treated?  How are you treating others?  Could your demeanor, your words and your actions, possibly be causing you to miss some companionship or opportunities you would have otherwise enjoyed?

Father, help me to remember that, if I want friends, I must be friendly.  If I want to be loved, I need to love others.  May I treat others the way I would like to be treated.  You have so many wonderful experiences and relationships for each of us in life.  I don't want to miss a one because of my bad attitude.  May I always walk in the power of Your Spirit of love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness. and self-control.  Amen.

Bible Stories

1 Corinthians 10:11a, "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings to us...." The King James Version says these things were written "for our admonition."


The Bible speaks of such attributes as love, obedience, integrity, faith, courage, and perseverance--characteristics in the abstract. But how can these qualities be lived out in our lives? God gives us many practical examples in His Word. There we see these attributes put into practice in the lives of the people we meet in the Bible. Many of the Bible stories are written so we can apply the attitudes and actions which God desires to see in us.

For instance, think of courage. Who comes to your mind? What about Daniel who refused to bow to an idol and faced a den of lions. And Queen Esther who approached the king uninvited at the risk of incurring the penalty of death in order to save the lives of the Jews. Imagine the courage and the faith of the lad David when he faced the giant Goliath with only a sling and five smooth stones as weapons.

Abraham is considered the prime example of faith and obedience. His life was characterized by trust in God and immediate obedience to God's instructions.

The example of Joseph, a young slave in Potiphar's household resisting the advances of Potipher's wife, speaks to us loudly of integrity. And Joseph's trust in God through trials and injustices show us how to maintain faith and perseverance. His forgiveness of his brothers who sold him into slavery shows us how to treat the people who have wronged us. 

Of course the greatest example of love and forgiveness occurred on the cross when the sinless Son of God gave his life for sinful mankind and said of his tormenters, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34.

The Bible stories are not written for our entertainment, but they are prime examples of how to apply spiritual principles, and they are written for us to study so we can go and do likewise.

Father, thank You for not only telling us how we should live but for showing us as well. May we follow the examples You have given s in Your Word. Amen.

In the Family

Hebrews 10:25a,  "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another....."

I Thessalonians 5:11a,  "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up...."

Hebrews 10:24,  "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."

Proverbs 27:17,  "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Psalm 68:6a,  "God sets the lonely in families...."

  As the song says,  "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God." God sets us in physical families when we are born physically, but, even more important, He makes us a part of His family when we are born spiritually.  God is the Father in this family, and He is a father who is everything a father should be to His children--loving, teaching, directing, disciplining, and encouraging.  Other Christians all over the world are our brothers and sisters in Christ.  God doesn't want any person to try to live the Christian life alone.  He knows how very much we need the love, the prayers, the encouragement, and the challenges that come from rubbing shoulders with other members of the body.  The quality of our walk with God is greatly enhanced by our interaction with those who are like-minded.  We do ourselves a great service when we walk side by side with other members of God's forever family and help each other grow.

Father, thank You for placing me in Your forever family and being my Father.  Thank You for giving me brothers and sister to help me learn and grow as I try to live a life pleasing to You.  Amen.

Doing Good in Spite of Circumstances

I Peter 4:19,  "So then those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator AND CONTINUE TO DO GOOD."

I have not only read I Peter 4:19 several times on my way through the Bible, but I have taught the book of I Peter at Community Bible Study.  And yet when I ran across this verse in my quiet time this week, it was as though I had never seen it before.  God is telling us that, whatever our situation or circumstances might be--even if we are suffering a grief or an illness or some other kind of infirmity--God expects us to trust Him and do good to others at the same time.  No pity parties allowed!  In fact, our circumstances may form the perfect background from which we can minister to others more effectively.

When people see Christians reaching out in love in spite of their own sorrows or struggles, it makes a great impact.  I think of Eric Liddell and Corrie Ten Boom who ministered to their fellow prisoners in enemy concentration camps.  When Eric Liddell died in a prison camp, one of the guards who did not even speak English but  who had observed his unselfish acts of kindness, said, "He was a Christian, wasn't he?"

Father, may we be available to You 24/7/365 regardless of our own griefs or struggles.  May we trust You to take care of us, and may we be channels You can use to care for others.  Amen.

Victory Over Sin

I Corinthians 10:13,  "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

    If we are to have victory over sin, we must first acknowledge our sin and agree with God about it.  It does us no good to try to cover it up, excuse it, or rationalize it.  We cannot get away with blaming our sins on other people or circumstances.  A Christian psychologist named Dr. Henry Brandt pointed out that "People and circumstances do not cause our spirits.  They reveal our spirits."  Matthew 12:34b-35 say it this way,  "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.  The good man brings forth good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings forth evil things out of the evil stored up in him."  In other words, what's in the well comes up in the bucket.
    Once we agree with God that we have sinned, we can repent and be forgiven according to I John 1:9, a verse that has often been called 'the Christian's bar of soap."  It says,  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  You might think, " I might as well do anything I like and then ask to be forgiven."  One problem with that philosophy is the fact that there are adverse consequences to sin even though we have been forgiven.  Also, sin grieves our Heavenly Father and disrupts our fellowship with Him.  So it is much better not to sin in the first place.
    How do we keep from sinning?  Our flesh is weak.  The pull of temptation is strong, and the enemy is tricky.  It's a matter of choice.  There is always a space of time, however small, between a temptation and sin.  James tells us what to do at the moment of choice in 4:7,  "Submit yourselves, then,to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."  We submit to God first so we can resist temptation in His power rather than fight in our own weakness.  A little girl gave me this excellent piece of advice.  She said, "Mrs. Eyster, do you know what to do when the devil knocks at your door?  You just send Jesus to answer the door."

Father, keep us from evil.  At the moment of choice between obedience to You and the temptation to sin, I pray that we will submit to you and resist the devil in Your strength.  Thank You that You have made a provision for us to keep from sinning.  Amen.
    

The Body of Christ

Romans 15:5-7, "May God...help you live in complete harmony with each other--each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified."

      Imagine yourself in heaven.  Picture the heavenly choir around the throne of God.  What do the members of the choir look like?  Are they "red and yellow, black and white," or do they all look pretty much like you?  In what language are they singing praises to God?  It is natural for us to think of other people in terms of our own appearance and culture.  But God created and loves all kinds of people.  While we may be prejudiced, He is impartial.

      Perhaps you have always worshiped with people who believe pretty much as you believe and have the same form of worship that you have. 

Maybe you feel uncomfortable around people who believe or worship differently.  But there are great diversities in the bod y of Christ. 

There are major doctrines about the person of Christ and the way of salvation which all must share to actually be Christians, but there can certainly be many ways to live out the Christian life.  In fact, every single Christian has a testimony that is unique--no two are alike.  For me, the bottom line is this: if God accepts a person, then how can I not accept them?  And worship and fellowship with them?

      The Christian experience can be so much richer and fuller as we rub shoulders with all kinds of other Christians.  I encourage you to be open and let your fellow travelers enrich your walk.

Father, You are so creative.  I revel in the differences we find between people.  May our hearts be open to love and embrace all fellow believers and reach out to all non-believers.  Amen.

Care Givers

Matthew 11:26,  "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

      A caregiver is a person who provides direct care for children, the elderly, and the chronically ill.  This is the definition of a person who cares for someone who isn't able to care for himself,

      The term "care giver" has taken on a much deeper meaning for me lately.  On the last Friday in July, I slipped down on my porch and broke my ankle in two places. One-footed definitely isn't the same as being sure-footed.  In fact, I have suddenly lost most of my mobility and independence.  I feel like a turtle on its back with its little stubby legs waving in the air,  trying to do the most basic jobs of getting around.  I am learning to appreciate the "little things in life."

      I had no inkling that I was about to fall on that Friday afternoon.  I began searching right away for a person with caregiving skills and a care giver's heart.  How fortunate we are that God provides such people in every generation.

      Caregivers model for us the kind of care we find available for us in the Trinity.  When we feel overwhelmed, we always have a place to go for helpl

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for always being available to Your children and for providing just the help we need.  Amen