I’ll Be Home for Christmas

As in right here in my apartment.   It’s a bit odd that I don’t feel that bad about it.   I DO miss my kids and grandkids in Texas, but there is just no way I can swing a Christmas trip this year.  Other than missing them, I am good with laying low this year.

I have friends locally that are going to ask, “What are you doing for Christmas?”  and they might invite me by ’cause they feel sorry for me.  I appreciate it!  But honestly, I am good with some alone time.

It’s not usual, I guess, but I do very well in a crowd, one on one, and by myself.  When I first took the Myers-Briggs personality test when I was a teenager, I was right down the middle extrovert/introvert.  This surprises people I know, because when I am with people, the extrovert comes out.  However, I really need my alone time or I go a little crazy.  Of course, I need my hangin’ with the peeps time too or I go a little crazy.

I am looking forward to the two or three Christmas gatherings I have yet to attend in the next couple of weeks, but I am also looking forward to watching a little football Christmas Day and making some phone calls.  I’ll be home for Christmas.  Celebrating with my Savior on His Birthday observed :-)

Sacrifice of Praise

Hebrews 13:12-16
¹²Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

¹³So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.

¹⁴For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.

¹⁵Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.¹⁶And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

I was hiking the other day.  Actually, I’ve been hiking a lot lately.  I signed up for a 5.5 mile run on April 11th and I am going to be ready!  However, actually getting ready is WORK!  As I was huffing and puffing my way up the steep slopes this concept of “Sacrifice of Praise” came to mind.  I believe the Lord showed me something.  I’ll share it with you and you can decide if God is speaking to you too.

I know I don’t look like it so much these days, but in high school I was a pretty good athlete.  A sprinter, football player, one year of soccer even.  Games and meets and matches were fun.  Practice, not always.  It took work to get in shape, to train the God given abilities to be able to perform at a high level (hopefully) on game day.  Some of those practices were grueling.  Another set of intervals when you were ready to throw up.  More wind sprints after a hard practice with the coach blowing his whistle and barking at us to move it.  Needless to say, there were days I would have rather been doing other things.  The payoff was;  being in great shape, and running a good time in the 100, or making a big play to help win the game, etc.

As I was huffing and puffing up Pusch Peak and I was noticed that I really wasn’t in the mood for a hard hike.  I was tired.  It had been a long day.  I almost turned back, but I decided to press on.  To make a sacrifice!  With a payoff in mind;  get into great shape (someday, with consistent training), and be ready to run 5.5 miles on April 11th.  I was offering a sacrifice of hiking!  I ended up making really good time compared to just the week before.  My workouts were paying off!  But I don’t always feel like working out.

God started showing me the parallel.  Sacrifice of working out when I don’t feel like it builds discipline in my life and rewards here on Earth.  Spiritual sacrifice builds discipline in my life and rewards here, and in Heaven!  A win win!  That is so like God.

How many times in tough circumstances do we run to the TV, or comfort food, or our favorite sin, instead of thanking God in (not for, but in) the circumstance.  This is where the sacrifice of praise comes into play.  Instead of running from God, or ignoring Him, when the tough gets going, this is the time to run to God!  Consistently.  Especially when you don’t feel like it!  He is always there.  He loves us soooooo much!  He is close to the brokenhearted!!!  He desires for us to rely on Him and to trust Him all the time, not just when life is going well.

When we run to Him we receive all of His benefits.  We cry Abba Father to the caring Dad who has already met our needs forever through His Son Jesus and longs to meet them now!  Why do I cry in my beer when I can cry on His shoulder?  Especially when alcohol is a depressant!  No.  It’s the sacrifice of praise that will build spiritual discipline.  Not so much because our hard work brings us closer to God, but rather, the closer we stay to God the more His presence can change us!  Discipline is a fruit of the Spirit.  We can only bear fruit when we are connected to the vine.  Still, staying close to God can be a fight!

If working out brings a benefit, how much more spiritual discipline.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25
²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

²⁵Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Next time you are feeling down.  Like God has forgotten your name.  Run to His loving arms.  Praise His name for giving you life!  For giving you His Son as a sacrifice!  He hasn’t forgotten your name.  He has promised to never leave you nor forsake you.  Take Him at His Word, even though sometimes the going is very hard.

Psalm 126:5 & 6
⁵Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.
⁶He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed,
Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

Keep sowing good even when it feels bad.  It will pay great dividends!

Obedience

That’s a tough word.  Especially in this, “instant gratification isn’t fast enough” culture of today.  Marketers are taught, if you want to sell your product you have to convey to the customer, “what’s in it for me if I buy your product.”

That’s what I love, and hate, about Christ.  Jesus is always there to challenge the worldly culture and our selfish desires.  I hate it because I want what I want when I want it.  The world tells me, “Yeah.  You should have what you want when you want it.”  The problem with my selfish desires is they are selfish!  Someone else usually gets hurt.  In the long run, I usually get hurt too.

I love it because God knows best.  Duh!  He’s God!  He knows that to the degree that I’m able to obey Jesus, there is great benefit in it!  Not just for me, but for the people around me that I end up serving rather than hurting.

Jesus is our example and even He obeyed His Father all the way to the cross.

Hebrews 5:8 & 9
⁸  Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

⁹  And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

Jesus is leading us into obedience, not because He is on a power trip, but rather, He knows there is great blessing for us when we obey.

In the Garden of Gethsemane before Jesus was taken captive to be crucified He was talking to His disciples.  Those last moments with His disciples are so key.  The things that Jesus had to say about His ministry on Earth, His Father, The Holy Spirit that was coming, and His prayer for believers are so important for followers of Christ today.  It’s all there in your Bible starting in John 14 through His capture in John 18.

In John 14, Jesus talked about the benefits of obedience.

John 14:21-23
²¹  Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

22  Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

²³  Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  ²⁴  He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Obedience is hard.  I guess if it wasn’t, everyone would do it.  It’s tough because it takes faith in God.  We have to trust Him and not ourselves.  To be able to trust Him that if we do what is right it will turn out right.  Ever have pressure from a friend or a boss to do what you aren’t supposed to do?  It takes courage to say, “You know, I might be risking my job, or our friendship, but I have to do what s right.”  Jesus says if I love Him I will obey Him.  He won’t leave me or forsake me when I don’t, but depending on what I choose to do there may be consequences.  The Bible says that God disciplines those He loves.  But when I do obey, because I love God and I want to do what’s right, through that obedience He will reveal more of Himself to me.

Ever hear the Holy Spirit urge you to read the Bible when you get up in the morning?  There have been so many times that I have not obeyed that voice and logged on to Facebook instead.  Does God still love me?  Absolutely!  Is He still with me?  Sure.  But what would He have said to me through His Word if I had obeyed?  I would have been encouraged and better equipped to face the rest of the day!  Instead, in my disobedience, I don’t get encouraged.  That could lead to giving in to temptation, or not seeking His direction in an important decision, etc.  Disobedience quenches the Holy Spirit.  Instead of listening and obeying, I end up doing what I think is right, or sometimes, what I know is wrong.  When I listen and obey, I end up doing what God thinks is right!

As I obey, I become more like Jesus.  That’s an eternal benefit worth investing in.

Reminders for Life in ‘09

A friend of mine e-mailed this to me this morning.  I am reprinting it here and sharing it where I can, with her permission.  These are great reminders to have in the forefront of your thinking.  Get them in your heart so they will show up in your life!  May God richly bless you in the coming year and always!!!

I Can Change My Changing World Today!

My World…
Christians are supposed not merely to endure change, nor even to profit by it, but to cause it.  ~Harry Emerson Fosdick

My Priorities…
Resolution One:  I will live for God; Resolution Two:  If no one else does, I still will.  ~Jonathan Edwards

My Attitude…
The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes.  That’s the day we truly grow up. ~John Maxwell

My Mind…
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.  ~Philippians 4:8

My Plans…
People who are crucified with Christ have three distinct marks:  They are facing only one direction, they can never turn back, and they no longer have plans of their own.  ~A.W. Tozer

My Impact…
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.  ~Colossians 3:23

My Heart…
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  ~Psalm 51:10

My Relationships…
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  ~Philippians 2:3-4

My Circumstances…
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present our requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  ~Philippians 4:6-7

My Commitment…
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me.”  ~Erma Bombeck

My Focus…
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  ~Hebrews 12:2

My Pace…
The best things are nearest:  breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you.  ~Robert Louis Stevenson

My Determination…
The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.  It has been found difficult; and left untried.  ~G.K. Chesterton

My Faith…
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  ~Hebrews 11:1

My Perspective…
God never promises to remove us from our struggles.  He does promise, however, to change the way we look at them.  ~Max Lucado

Let God be the sign for 2009.  Be Blessed ~Heidi

Reason for the Season

It’s the time of the year when the world celebrates the miracle of the birth of Christ, who came to save the world!

John 3:16 & 17
¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁷ “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

My favorite account of that wonderful event 2000 years ago is found in Luke 2.  My favorite recital of that account is found in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”

Jesus came for a wonderful purpose. To live a sinless life and die for you and for me! Since we can’t attain perfection ourselves, God provided a way. We don’t earn our way into Heaven. We believe in the one who earned it for us! THAT is good news and worth celebrating!

Merry Christmas!

Going Vertical!

Going Vertical

There’s this mountain trail
I like to climb
to escape the world
with God to spend time

I pray before each hike
for protection from harm
not to slip and fall
and tweak my knee
or break my arm

My thoughts they wander
and my thoughts they race
my life I ponder
and my steps retrace

I think of where I’ve been
and promises yet to be
and my place in Christ’s body
and the way He set me free

There are places on the trail
that I like to stop and rest
and let my heart slow down
’cause it’s pounding in my chest!

and as I sit ponder
among the rocky crags
away from life’s problems
away from scalawags

I wonder “where do I fit in?”
“Should I seek a wife?”
“Why is life such a fight?”
“What’s up with all this strife?”

Then God reminds me
gently and warmly.
“Son, leave all of that to Me.”
“Seek ye first the Kingdom,
in due time you will see.”

“All of My promises are yes and amen
through my Son who paid the price.
I’ll never let you down,
but you’ll have to sacrifice.”

“I will do it,” says the LORD
of all that He made.
“Trust in Me and you will see
it’s not for naught,
or all in vain.”

The truth is plain
as I finish this simple rhyme.
God’s will WILL be done
in the unfolding of time.

Back down the trail I happily go
carefully watching every step.
Trusting God the best I can
He’s never let me down yet!

Bull Spiritual Market!

As I write this, the market futures have been frozen because they have fallen too much overnight.  All predictions are for a “brutal” start to the trading day, and maybe a “brutal” finish with “brutal” in between.

As we enter this global recession, with a really volatile stock market, jobs being lost and rumors of jobs being lost, and a lot of panic to go around, I’ve been thinking, “What does God say about all this?  How am I to respond?”

He’s been bringing a little story from the Bible to mind.  It’s in Genesis 26 if you want to read the whole thing on your own time.  There was a famine in the land.  Issac planted a crop and it yielded 100 fold!  Keep in mind, that would be an awesome harvest by today’s standards with our modern equipment!  100 fold back then was huge in perfect conditions.  In famine?  It was a miracle from God.  In hard economic times, God chose to bless Issac and make him exceedingly rich!

Does God will to do that in my life, or in yours, even in tough economic times?  I don’t know.  But it builds my faith to know that He can and has!  Ask Him and see what He says and does.  If He does, I believe it will be for a divine purpose. To use worldly riches for spiritual gain.  To bring more people into God’s Kingdom!

We are in this economic mess because we as a country have ignored God’s principles for sound financial living.  We have spent beyond our means and remember, the borrower is slave to the lender.  America is $10 trillion on debt and that deficit is growing fast.  We can’t sustain it.  A correction has arrived.  God isn’t punishing America in the sense that He hates us or is removing His hand of blessing.  However, God will not be mocked.  We will reap what we sow.  I believe we are simply reaping what we have sown.

So.  What is our response?  Repent and pray.  I have credit card debt.  I hate to admit it, but it’s true.   I need God’s help to pay that off.  I need to change my actions to line up with His Word.  I am asking for His forgiveness and His help to do the right thing with my individual finances.  God can bless me beyond what I can ask or imagine.  I will pray that He will, so I can be a blessing.

If I am blessed financially, I need to be thinking, “how can I be a blessing financially?”  Give to the needy and the poor and take care of widows and orphans for this is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God.  Use worldly riches to influence friends and enemies by being generous.  Show love with wisdom and use wealth to share true riches in God!

Of course there is an even more important way to be blessed to be a blessing.  If you are blessed because you know God and His Word, share that with everyone as the Holy Spirit leads you to share.  Preach the gospel.  Use words if necessary!  Be a shining light on a hill.  Let your light shine before men so they will give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.  Love God, love people!  Lather, rinse, repeat.

Tough times are likely ahead.  They are already showing up.  Stay close to God!  Seek His face and His presence so you can do His will;  those  good works that He planned in advance for you to walk in.  As hurting people seek comfort and answers, share the only answer that brings true comfort.  Jesus!

We all need Jesus and we all need more of Him.  Cast your cares on Him for He cares for you!  Those of us that already know Him, stay close.  For those who don’t, introduce them to Him!  For those who choose His gift of eternal life in His presence will never regret it.

In God’s economy, it’s always a bull market spiritually.  Just invest all you have in Him!!!

This is the Day…

Psalm 118:24 (NASB):

This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

If you are a Christian then you’ve likely heard this verse many many times. But in my humble opinion it is under applied. Not in frequency of application, but in actual application.

I do not disagree that the Bible has a lot to say about having joy in life. Having life and having it more abundantly. That each day is a gift from God. Yes, let us rejoice and be glad every day! Great idea! But if you stop there with this verse you are missing a wonderful blessing.

Let’s back up a few verses and reexamine what the Psalmist is getting at here. Let’s start in verse 20:

²⁰This is the gate of the LORD;
The righteous will enter through it.
²¹I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.
²²The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
²³This is the LORD’S doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
²⁵O LORD, do save, we beseech You;
O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity!
²⁶Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD;
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
²⁷The LORD is God, and He has given us light;
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
²⁸You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, I extol You.
²⁹Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

There is a lot there, so I’ll just get to the heart of it. In verse 21 the Psalmist says, “you have become my salvation.” In verse 22 “the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone.” Corner stone? That sounds familiar.

Ephesians 2:19-21 explains it very well:

¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,

²⁰having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,

²¹in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,

In the Gospels, Jesus also quotes from Psalm 118 when he tells the parable of the landowner. Here in Ephesians Paul spells it out. Jesus is the cornerstone! We (if you believe in Christ) are the living stones that are being built up on the foundation of the prophets and the apostles, with Jesus as the very cornerstone!

So. Back to Psalm 118:24. What is the day we rejoice and be glad in? The day that Jesus Christ became the sacrifice for our sins and became the cornerstone for us! It is the gate of the Lord that the righteous will enter. (verse 20) Not because of our righteousness, but the very righteousness of God that He gives us when we trust Jesus.

He has become our salvation! (verse 21) It’s the Lord’s doing. (verse 23) It is a gift we receive from Him. It is not deserved, but the benefit is HUGE! We become sons and daughters of God! We become co-heirs with Christ! We who come in the name of the Lord are blessed! (verse 26) God has given us the light of the world which is Jesus (verse 27) We give thanks to God because of His lovingkindness that will last forever! (verse 28 & 29)

So, yeah. I say rejoice in every day. It is a gift from God. But next time you hear someone say, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it,” think about what that really means. God’s only son who was God made flesh died for you so that you could enter into His presence and live there forever! The day that He did that for the whole world is worthy of our praise EVERY DAY indeed!!!

Partisan Press

Two nights in a row, “Special Report with Brit Hume” highlights how we got here.  Scary that those who caused the mess are the ones trying to fix it.  Sad that ABCBSNBC are so partisan that this is a story they will never tell.  Pray for the country, and trust in Jesus.  He’s the only one who will never let you down!

Three in One

“God in three persons, Holy trinity.” so the song goes.  God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.  They appear together two times in the scriptures.  The first time in the first few verses of the whole Bible!  Here’s Genesis 1:1-3:

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

³ Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”

In the beginning, God the Father!  And the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) was hovering over the waters. God said (Jesus is the spoken Word!) “Let there be light.”  That’s why John 1 says that nothing was made without Jesus:

¹ In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
² He existed in the beginning with God.
³ God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.

We are made in God’s image.  God is three in one and so are we.  We are Spirit, Soul and Body.  When we accept the awesome gift of God’s love and sacrifice through what He did for us on the cross, His Spirit comes and lives in us.  His Spirit is sealed in ours!   2 Corinthians 1:21-22:

²¹ It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, ²² and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.

Other translations say we are sealed with His ownership!  Awesome.  In our Spirits we are saved!   In our hearts (mind, soul and emotions) we are being saved.   One way is to quit living the way we were living and put on the new nature!  Ephesians 4:22-24

²² throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. ²³ Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. ²⁴ Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Wow.  You mean we can be renewed while we are on this side of Heaven?!  Sounds tough, but really, the key is to just keep your eyes on Jesus.  2 Corinthians 3:18:

¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Our minds, thoughts, emotions are being saved.

For our bodies, however, there is no hope.  Romans 8:10-11 (emphasis mine)

¹⁰ If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

We are getting new and improved bodies.  Awesome!  1 Corinthians 15:41-43

⁴¹ The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.

⁴² It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. ⁴³ Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.

So, yeah.  You are saved, you are being saved and you will be saved!  God is faithful.  He will complete the work He has started in you!

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