For the last months the news has been inundated with Tiger Woods and his numerous affairs…if you haven’t heard any of it, you have been in a third world country with no electricity. I would have hoped we would have left him alone to work out his personal life but since that isn’t the case I will use his situation as a warning to me about how I too could plummet into sin. I am not immune so I must be aware of how satan works!
How did Tiger fall? The same way we all do…with one little compromise. No thinking person dives into sinful behavior full force, it is small steps; like the popular Christian song says, “it’s a slow fade.” We start with one small compromise and soon find ourselves fully engaged in an affair, fixing the books, or other equally heinous activity we never dreamed we would be involved. The Bible is NOT silent on this. One of the greatest men ever to serve God discovered this; his name was King David. We find his story in II Samuel 11-13. How did this “man after God’s own heart” fall? It was with a single step…not being where he should have been, on the battlefield with the rest of his troops. Our fall often starts when we allow ourselves to be in situations that are not “right”-- engaging in relationships that have consequences beyond what we ever imagined. Christians are not immune! Many are caught in compromising situations and just as Tiger Woods, lose their families. It all started with a lunch or a phone call where the lines of right and wrong were blurred. Excuses like, “I was ministering to him/her.” Or “He/She needed a friend because his/her wife/husband doesn’t understand.” These excuses are the foothold that satan looks for to destroy the witness of a Christian.
All of us have times when our marriages are not going great guns and that is the exact time when satan, a roaring lion, pounces. He whispers, “You deserve more.” And then someone comes along who looks and acts like just what we need. Satan had it all planned…for your destruction! What begins as an innocent lunch ends in a bitter divorce. Lives are wrecked so we offer excuses…Tiger’s excuse was he was bored with his wife and he felt that gave him permission. We need to be aware of when we are “excusing” sin in our lives. Believe me, I know…I have been tempted and had it not been for my godly accountability partner, I shutter to think where my life would now be. Friend, we need boundaries to keep us from the wiles of the lion who is seeking to devour us, our families, and our ministries.
David could see sin in other’s lives but was hesitant to admit it in his own! We are often like that and so we need a “Nathan” in our lives…someone who will tell us the truth and to whom we will listen. When we engage in sinful behavior, the last thing we want is someone pointing it out but that is exactly what we need if we are to gain victory over sin.
David often told the story of killing a lion with his bare hands when he was younger but as he grew spiritually complacent, an even greater lion overtook him, resulting in actions, which David never dreamed he would participate. Many of us have been strong in the faith and have slain many lions but we have become complacent…our walk is not as close as it used to be and that is a dangerous place to be. We need to get back on our own battlefield against our great enemy. We need to stay fresh! May I present you with a dare for this New Year? Find someone to whom you will be accountable to for your actions, to whom you give permission to snatch you from potentially dangerous situations. We are in a great battle and we need each other to keep us “honest!”
I pray for each of you this year that you will remain faithful! Use this thought: There is a Lion…remember Tiger…and take the Dare! Oh, my. Victory is in our reach!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Hey Stranger!
So how is the first week of 2010 going for you? I am still wondering if I am going to say, “twenty-ten” or “two-thousand ten,” but I digress!! I spent the first few days of this year at our son and daughter-in-law’s home. They have two little boys who are an absolute hoot! The older one (nearly 3) is asking some questions I need to ask myself more often, like, “Mom, what does God do?” The more I think about that question, the more I find comfort in the answer! It is a deep question and one that requires time to consider.
Some would say that God created everything and now just sits back and leaves us to our own devices. Others believe He died in the last century and so doesn’t do anything anymore…that we are in charge. Still others believe God is always trying to punish and keep us from “fun!” So, what does God do? To answer that we cannot rely on our feelings or emotions…we must look into His Word…we find that He created but He is very much involved with His creation. He desires relationship with us! He loves us…He protects us…but He also hates things that will hurt and destroy us…He judges the unrighteous things out of His absolute holiness. A great summary of what God does can be found in Isaiah 40:21-31. (Please take time to read this!) In short…He is God!
But knowing who God is and what He does is just academic if we don’t live out the facts of what we know! Because God is who is says He is, we should live differently…we live in victory even when things are falling down around us because He says that He will never leave us, or forsake us. God knows that we are going to have struggles in our lives…Jesus said it best when he said, “In this world you are going to have troubles, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!” John 16:33 He has warned us but given assurance at the same time.
Our daughter-in-law was doing some Christmas shopping with her oldest child and while standing at the counter paying for her purchases, she warned him of not leaving her side since there were “strangers” all around who might want to hurt him. When she felt that her message was received and understood, she paid for her purchases and they continued to the next store. Holding to his mom’s hand, William entered the next store, looked up at the first person he saw and said, “Hey, stranger!!” and waved happily! Now, while we might think he didn’t understand the warning, what William understood was the very thing God wanted us to understand…yes, there are going to be things that will hurt us in this life…they are all around us…but as long as we are holding on to the hand of the one who loves us most, we can wave and smile in the face of it all.
I have thought of this in my own life and for this New Year, I want to live in victory. I don’t want to cower in fear or despair about the world’s situations. I want to hold tightly to His hand and when those things happen, I want to wave and say, “Hey, recession!” “Hey, sickness!” “Hey, world leaders!” I want to live in the assurance that He is there with me…for that is what He promised. I don’t want to despair as the disciples did when they were in the boat and a storm came. They just knew that Jesus didn’t care because He was asleep but the fact was, they were okay! Jesus, the one who created the sea, was in control even if it didn’t look like He was! The words Jesus spoke to them should ring in our ears when we are losing confidence in our storm, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? Mark 4:40
So, in this year, (20-10; 2000-10???) I am going to resolve to hold tightly to His hand, knowing He loves me with an everlasting love. I resolve to walk closely by His side, listening to His voice! I resolve to, when faced with the “strangers” in life, to lift my hands in praise and shout, “Hey stranger! My God is an Awesome God!!”
Some would say that God created everything and now just sits back and leaves us to our own devices. Others believe He died in the last century and so doesn’t do anything anymore…that we are in charge. Still others believe God is always trying to punish and keep us from “fun!” So, what does God do? To answer that we cannot rely on our feelings or emotions…we must look into His Word…we find that He created but He is very much involved with His creation. He desires relationship with us! He loves us…He protects us…but He also hates things that will hurt and destroy us…He judges the unrighteous things out of His absolute holiness. A great summary of what God does can be found in Isaiah 40:21-31. (Please take time to read this!) In short…He is God!
But knowing who God is and what He does is just academic if we don’t live out the facts of what we know! Because God is who is says He is, we should live differently…we live in victory even when things are falling down around us because He says that He will never leave us, or forsake us. God knows that we are going to have struggles in our lives…Jesus said it best when he said, “In this world you are going to have troubles, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!” John 16:33 He has warned us but given assurance at the same time.
Our daughter-in-law was doing some Christmas shopping with her oldest child and while standing at the counter paying for her purchases, she warned him of not leaving her side since there were “strangers” all around who might want to hurt him. When she felt that her message was received and understood, she paid for her purchases and they continued to the next store. Holding to his mom’s hand, William entered the next store, looked up at the first person he saw and said, “Hey, stranger!!” and waved happily! Now, while we might think he didn’t understand the warning, what William understood was the very thing God wanted us to understand…yes, there are going to be things that will hurt us in this life…they are all around us…but as long as we are holding on to the hand of the one who loves us most, we can wave and smile in the face of it all.
I have thought of this in my own life and for this New Year, I want to live in victory. I don’t want to cower in fear or despair about the world’s situations. I want to hold tightly to His hand and when those things happen, I want to wave and say, “Hey, recession!” “Hey, sickness!” “Hey, world leaders!” I want to live in the assurance that He is there with me…for that is what He promised. I don’t want to despair as the disciples did when they were in the boat and a storm came. They just knew that Jesus didn’t care because He was asleep but the fact was, they were okay! Jesus, the one who created the sea, was in control even if it didn’t look like He was! The words Jesus spoke to them should ring in our ears when we are losing confidence in our storm, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? Mark 4:40
So, in this year, (20-10; 2000-10???) I am going to resolve to hold tightly to His hand, knowing He loves me with an everlasting love. I resolve to walk closely by His side, listening to His voice! I resolve to, when faced with the “strangers” in life, to lift my hands in praise and shout, “Hey stranger! My God is an Awesome God!!”
Monday, December 28, 2009
Letting-go Resolution
It is again time for New Year’s resolutions. While some might dread this, I love the thought of new beginnings! As a child, I looked forward to buying new pencils, notebooks and paper when school began because I just knew this was the year I was going to actually “get” math! This weekend I did my yearly cleaning out of my closet and dresser drawers and now I find myself opening the closet doors often just to see how neat it is! Newness and freshness is what most of us look forward to this time of the year so we tend to make decisions to start a diet, exercise, complain less, pray more or get closer to God… You can add your own desire! We start well but most of us barely make it past January 15th! I have been thinking about this and I had an epiphany. Perhaps we cannot keep our resolutions because we are holding on to something in the past! A love for food or unhealthy habits overtakes our resolve to do better! It is like being tied to a wall by a huge rubber band…we try to go forward…and can for a little while, but eventually we will snap right back to where we were! What can we do?
The Bible talks a great deal about letting go and going forward. I guess the most dramatic incident happened to Lot’s wife as she was escaping the doom of Sodom…something inside her would not allow a complete letting go, so she looked back and turned into a pillar of salt! (Genesis 19:15-26) When we hold on to things that are harmful, obviously the results are going to be dire. We often are hurt but others might be hurt as well. In this incident a family was left without a mother and there were horrible results for the whole nation of Israel!! The choice Lot’s wife made was her choice and the hope of a new life was thwarted by not letting go of things in her past.
Another choice was given in I Kings 19:19-21. Even those who want to follow God with all their hearts are not immune to the desire to hold on to things they think are important…as in the story of Elisha and Elijah. The difference between Lot’s wife and Elisha is that Elisha wanted to follow God more than to hold onto the things from which he drew comfort…job, family, and routine. That spoke worlds to me. The things Elisha wanted to hold onto were not bad things but they kept him from going forward.
So what can we learn from this? First of all, admit that there are things that are holding us back from becoming all of what God wants. We must decide to cut that rubber band and go forward with no holding on. Let go of yesterday…good or bad. I know people who still want to live in high school or college…reliving that touchdown or that academic accolade because that was when they felt life was best! (Was it???) Others are stuck in sadness…a death, a broken relationship…and have become bitter and angry…they are not willing to give life another chance! They have found an unhealthy comfort from this “pit of despair.” Then there are habits that have become a part of our lives…like complaining, negative thoughts, laziness and the list goes on. You can fill in the blank from your own life but if you want to move forward in victory, you must make a decision to cut away and let go of things that are keeping you from making your resolutions a reality.
God has promised us the strength to do what He has called us to do but we must take hold of that promise and quit making excuses for not living in victory. Our resolutions can become reality but we must “press on toward the goal to win the prize.”(Phil. 3: 14) Pressing on means pushing…an intentional decision to go forward. Paul began this statement with the words, “Forgetting (Letting go) of what is behind straining toward what is ahead!” So, before you make any resolution this week, first decide what needs to go...clean out that closet and those drawers of your life and you will find yourself opening the door waiting to see what God has prepared for you that is fresh and new! Happy New Year!!!
The Bible talks a great deal about letting go and going forward. I guess the most dramatic incident happened to Lot’s wife as she was escaping the doom of Sodom…something inside her would not allow a complete letting go, so she looked back and turned into a pillar of salt! (Genesis 19:15-26) When we hold on to things that are harmful, obviously the results are going to be dire. We often are hurt but others might be hurt as well. In this incident a family was left without a mother and there were horrible results for the whole nation of Israel!! The choice Lot’s wife made was her choice and the hope of a new life was thwarted by not letting go of things in her past.
Another choice was given in I Kings 19:19-21. Even those who want to follow God with all their hearts are not immune to the desire to hold on to things they think are important…as in the story of Elisha and Elijah. The difference between Lot’s wife and Elisha is that Elisha wanted to follow God more than to hold onto the things from which he drew comfort…job, family, and routine. That spoke worlds to me. The things Elisha wanted to hold onto were not bad things but they kept him from going forward.
So what can we learn from this? First of all, admit that there are things that are holding us back from becoming all of what God wants. We must decide to cut that rubber band and go forward with no holding on. Let go of yesterday…good or bad. I know people who still want to live in high school or college…reliving that touchdown or that academic accolade because that was when they felt life was best! (Was it???) Others are stuck in sadness…a death, a broken relationship…and have become bitter and angry…they are not willing to give life another chance! They have found an unhealthy comfort from this “pit of despair.” Then there are habits that have become a part of our lives…like complaining, negative thoughts, laziness and the list goes on. You can fill in the blank from your own life but if you want to move forward in victory, you must make a decision to cut away and let go of things that are keeping you from making your resolutions a reality.
God has promised us the strength to do what He has called us to do but we must take hold of that promise and quit making excuses for not living in victory. Our resolutions can become reality but we must “press on toward the goal to win the prize.”(Phil. 3: 14) Pressing on means pushing…an intentional decision to go forward. Paul began this statement with the words, “Forgetting (Letting go) of what is behind straining toward what is ahead!” So, before you make any resolution this week, first decide what needs to go...clean out that closet and those drawers of your life and you will find yourself opening the door waiting to see what God has prepared for you that is fresh and new! Happy New Year!!!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Mary Christmas (part 3)
As we end this three part series of the Mary’s in Jesus life, we come to Mary Magdalene a woman whose past is only mentioned once (and then only in passing) in Luke 8:1-2, for I believe her past was not as important as her future! (The same is true with us…God is more concerned with our future…He doesn’t dwell on our pasts.)
After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out…
There it was…she was a woman who was completely bound by demons and Jesus had released her. She had been freed from whatever had been controlling her and she could do nothing less than follow Jesus, helping to support Him and His disciples out of her own means. To clear up some misconceptions, this was not the woman who was caught in adultery or even the prostitute at Simon’s home…those women were never named. This Mary was a wealthy woman of the area who had “issues” of being controlled by something externally. She had discovered that her wealth could not bring her freedom from the demons of life…only Jesus could. Once freed, she spent the rest of her life following and ministering to Him. She was there through the good times and the bad….at the healings and miracles, at the trial, at the cross, and finally, at the tomb. I am sure she thought it was over as far as the ministry was concerned but her love for the “teacher” went beyond what He could do for her…it had become what she could do for Him.
Oh, from what has God delivered you? I know He has given me absolute freedom from the many things that had controlled me for most of my life. I wish I had time to tell you of my freedom in detail but know that I can do no less than praise Him for all of it! I consider it a privilege to follow Him wherever He leads. We can be bound by many things…but there is no doubt that He wants us to be free!!
Mary’s “rest of the story” is found in John 20:10-18. Her faithfulness was rewarded by a most wonderful privilege-to hear her name spoken by the risen Lord and to be the first to see Him in His resurrected body. She was overwhelmed by seeing this resurrected Jesus, and wanted to stay in that state of wonder so Jesus’ warning “to not hold on to Him” was similar to the statement God made to Peter on the Mt. of Transfiguration…to get to the work of being a disciple...later you will dwell with Him completely but now you must tell others. Jesus told her to, “go and tell the brothers.”
In order to be prepared for this season we also must first see the LORD and tell others that you have seen Him. What are you telling? Perhaps what we bought, who is coming and sometimes about the baby born in Bethlehem, the Shepherds, and the angel’s rejoicing are our glad tidings. While this is good and necessary, how many of us will include our personal encounter with Christ---when the LORD showed up and spoke our names? The angels rejoiced then, too! So, this Christmas we must tell the brothers (and sisters) about the Living Christ.
I know most of you are finished decorating but may I suggest a three more decorations?
◊ A magnifying glass to remember to magnify the Lord.
◊ A pillow to remind us to rest at His feet in worship
◊ A megaphone to remind us to tell the Good News of our own freedom story because of Christ.
Please, do not under any circumstance go into this season without knowledge of who this season is about. Ask Him to be more to you than a baby in a manger! If there is a coldness in your heart reconnect to Him now and do whatever business you need to do so your hearts and homes will be prepared for this CHRISTmas season.
Mary Christmas! May you have a wonderful New Year!
After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out…
There it was…she was a woman who was completely bound by demons and Jesus had released her. She had been freed from whatever had been controlling her and she could do nothing less than follow Jesus, helping to support Him and His disciples out of her own means. To clear up some misconceptions, this was not the woman who was caught in adultery or even the prostitute at Simon’s home…those women were never named. This Mary was a wealthy woman of the area who had “issues” of being controlled by something externally. She had discovered that her wealth could not bring her freedom from the demons of life…only Jesus could. Once freed, she spent the rest of her life following and ministering to Him. She was there through the good times and the bad….at the healings and miracles, at the trial, at the cross, and finally, at the tomb. I am sure she thought it was over as far as the ministry was concerned but her love for the “teacher” went beyond what He could do for her…it had become what she could do for Him.
Oh, from what has God delivered you? I know He has given me absolute freedom from the many things that had controlled me for most of my life. I wish I had time to tell you of my freedom in detail but know that I can do no less than praise Him for all of it! I consider it a privilege to follow Him wherever He leads. We can be bound by many things…but there is no doubt that He wants us to be free!!
Mary’s “rest of the story” is found in John 20:10-18. Her faithfulness was rewarded by a most wonderful privilege-to hear her name spoken by the risen Lord and to be the first to see Him in His resurrected body. She was overwhelmed by seeing this resurrected Jesus, and wanted to stay in that state of wonder so Jesus’ warning “to not hold on to Him” was similar to the statement God made to Peter on the Mt. of Transfiguration…to get to the work of being a disciple...later you will dwell with Him completely but now you must tell others. Jesus told her to, “go and tell the brothers.”
In order to be prepared for this season we also must first see the LORD and tell others that you have seen Him. What are you telling? Perhaps what we bought, who is coming and sometimes about the baby born in Bethlehem, the Shepherds, and the angel’s rejoicing are our glad tidings. While this is good and necessary, how many of us will include our personal encounter with Christ---when the LORD showed up and spoke our names? The angels rejoiced then, too! So, this Christmas we must tell the brothers (and sisters) about the Living Christ.
I know most of you are finished decorating but may I suggest a three more decorations?
◊ A magnifying glass to remember to magnify the Lord.
◊ A pillow to remind us to rest at His feet in worship
◊ A megaphone to remind us to tell the Good News of our own freedom story because of Christ.
Please, do not under any circumstance go into this season without knowledge of who this season is about. Ask Him to be more to you than a baby in a manger! If there is a coldness in your heart reconnect to Him now and do whatever business you need to do so your hearts and homes will be prepared for this CHRISTmas season.
Mary Christmas! May you have a wonderful New Year!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Mary Christmas (part 2)
The next Mary in or three part series of Mary Christmas is Mary of Bethany which will be found in Luke 10:38-42.
This story is very familiar to most of us type “A” people. To set the stage it is about two sisters who were cooking for a big bunch of men including Jesus. Hard work for two but when one sits down and leaves all the work for the other, sparks are going to fly. Most of us know the story but the last time I read it I noticed something I had not noticed before: Let’s re-read verses 38-39:
As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman NAMED Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister CALLED Mary….
Did you catch that? A woman named Martha had a sister called Mary. I looked at that verse in several versions and they all said the same thing. Everywhere a person is mentioned in the Bible it says their name was…but here it says she was “called” Mary. There must have been a reason and so I looked up the definition of the name Mary. There were four definitions: 1. One who is loved by God. 2. Plump one! 3. Long-awaited child. 4. Rabbi’s understood it to mean “bitter.” So, why was she called Mary? Could it be that she was called bitter? We don’t know but we do know that she was single living with her sister and brother. Did she ever have a husband? Was he dead? Was she jilted? Was she angry at the lot of her life? We don’t know. But if we surmised that she was called “bitter” how would that enhance the story?
Many of us enter this season with great bitterness in our hearts. The reasons vary. Perhaps a loved one is no longer here to celebrate with you for one reason or another. Divorce or death entered you life and so you have divorced yourself from the celebration. Perhaps there is a great hurt in life from which it appears there is no way of forgiving. Whatever it is, you enter this season with bitterness in your heart. You see the laughing faces of others and find yourself angry, envious, or depressed. Could it be this was the way Mary of Bethany came to Jesus? Maybe tired of the pain, she saw an opportunity to be free and sat His feet drinking in everything that He had to say! She brought all of her hurt and bitterness and laid them at His feet. In that very act of sitting there she saw the Master and fell in love with Him resulting into her bitterness being replaced with peace and joy. As Martha complained to Jesus about Mary’s lack of helping, Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one things is needed. Mary (I believe it was now definition #1) has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.” Martha also had “issues” but chose to “do stuff” instead of admitting her true need. This season, we can choose to admit our need or get really busy and avoid it. What had Mary chosen? Oh she chose to admit! Simply put, she put all of her bitterness at the feet of Jesus and He took care of them.
Dear one, are you entering this season with bitterness? I suggest that before you go a step further in preparing to choose what is best, and sit at His feet until all the bitterness is taken away. Oh, rest at His feet this season.
This story is very familiar to most of us type “A” people. To set the stage it is about two sisters who were cooking for a big bunch of men including Jesus. Hard work for two but when one sits down and leaves all the work for the other, sparks are going to fly. Most of us know the story but the last time I read it I noticed something I had not noticed before: Let’s re-read verses 38-39:
As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman NAMED Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister CALLED Mary….
Did you catch that? A woman named Martha had a sister called Mary. I looked at that verse in several versions and they all said the same thing. Everywhere a person is mentioned in the Bible it says their name was…but here it says she was “called” Mary. There must have been a reason and so I looked up the definition of the name Mary. There were four definitions: 1. One who is loved by God. 2. Plump one! 3. Long-awaited child. 4. Rabbi’s understood it to mean “bitter.” So, why was she called Mary? Could it be that she was called bitter? We don’t know but we do know that she was single living with her sister and brother. Did she ever have a husband? Was he dead? Was she jilted? Was she angry at the lot of her life? We don’t know. But if we surmised that she was called “bitter” how would that enhance the story?
Many of us enter this season with great bitterness in our hearts. The reasons vary. Perhaps a loved one is no longer here to celebrate with you for one reason or another. Divorce or death entered you life and so you have divorced yourself from the celebration. Perhaps there is a great hurt in life from which it appears there is no way of forgiving. Whatever it is, you enter this season with bitterness in your heart. You see the laughing faces of others and find yourself angry, envious, or depressed. Could it be this was the way Mary of Bethany came to Jesus? Maybe tired of the pain, she saw an opportunity to be free and sat His feet drinking in everything that He had to say! She brought all of her hurt and bitterness and laid them at His feet. In that very act of sitting there she saw the Master and fell in love with Him resulting into her bitterness being replaced with peace and joy. As Martha complained to Jesus about Mary’s lack of helping, Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one things is needed. Mary (I believe it was now definition #1) has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.” Martha also had “issues” but chose to “do stuff” instead of admitting her true need. This season, we can choose to admit our need or get really busy and avoid it. What had Mary chosen? Oh she chose to admit! Simply put, she put all of her bitterness at the feet of Jesus and He took care of them.
Dear one, are you entering this season with bitterness? I suggest that before you go a step further in preparing to choose what is best, and sit at His feet until all the bitterness is taken away. Oh, rest at His feet this season.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Mary Christmas (a series of three)
In my hometown there was a girl whose name was Mary. While that was not unusual, her last name happened to be Christmas! I am sure her parents thought it was cute at the time! I often thought how horrible it would to be named Mary Christmas. What would her mother do when she got angry? Yell, “Mary Christmas!!!!” We laugh but then I begin to think how more and more we have begun to do the same thing with Christmas. We have become so full of “things to do” and “stuff to get” that many of us are yelling, Merry Christmas to each other. A simple look at the faces of those in the mall or my favorite place, Wal-Mart, is evidence of this. Last Christmas, I made a concerted effort to smile at people as I shopped. You would not believe the angry looks I got in return, Christmas glad tidings? I think not!
I began to think of the name “Mary” again and God led me to look at the Mary’s in Jesus’ life as He walked this earth. What could I learn from them? How would they treat Christmas? With that thought, I want to share a three-part series I call the “Mary Christmas” lesson, or how to bring Christ into our hearts and homes this holiday season.
Luke 1: 46-48
The very first Mary in Jesus life was His mother. Who was this woman? We know very little about her other than the fact that she was a virgin, and that she had found favor with God. History indicates that she was a good Jewish girl, from a good Jewish family. They lived in a little town and probably didn’t own many worldly goods. In short, she was a “nobody” whom God chose to do an incredible thing. Some of you are thinking you are just a “nobody.” You have quietly served God all these years and you are just living out the years. Oh, listen to the lesson of this Mary. God wants to do an incredible work in your life if only you do one thing! What did this Mary do?
My soul glorifies (in KJV it is magnifies) the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant!
Friend, the first thing we need to do this season is to “Magnify the Lord” through all we do. There is a tendency to put Him on the back burner while we are making the gravies and sauces for our dinners but to have a true Christmas He must be bigger than life. One year as I was decorating for Christmas…BTW a task I hated and dreaded every year---I put on some music to get me in the mood. I couldn’t find any Christmas music so I settled for a Praise and Worship CD. Paul Baloche sang as I halfway listened, reluctantly hanging garland on one of the fireplace mantles. All of a sudden I clearly heard the words of one of the songs in a way I had never listened before. The words were:
You are the One, You are Holy.
You are the One. You are Worthy.
You are the One.
You are the One I will worship….
You are the one.
I fell on my knees with tears streaming down my face at my sin of thinking this was all about me and all that I had to do. This was a time of remembering HIS birth, which resulted in MY salvation. Oh, when I got up, I began decorating with a new vigor. With every decoration I realized HE was the ONE!!
Oh, this Christmas with all your heart, Magnify the Lord…for He is the One.
I began to think of the name “Mary” again and God led me to look at the Mary’s in Jesus’ life as He walked this earth. What could I learn from them? How would they treat Christmas? With that thought, I want to share a three-part series I call the “Mary Christmas” lesson, or how to bring Christ into our hearts and homes this holiday season.
Luke 1: 46-48
The very first Mary in Jesus life was His mother. Who was this woman? We know very little about her other than the fact that she was a virgin, and that she had found favor with God. History indicates that she was a good Jewish girl, from a good Jewish family. They lived in a little town and probably didn’t own many worldly goods. In short, she was a “nobody” whom God chose to do an incredible thing. Some of you are thinking you are just a “nobody.” You have quietly served God all these years and you are just living out the years. Oh, listen to the lesson of this Mary. God wants to do an incredible work in your life if only you do one thing! What did this Mary do?
My soul glorifies (in KJV it is magnifies) the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant!
Friend, the first thing we need to do this season is to “Magnify the Lord” through all we do. There is a tendency to put Him on the back burner while we are making the gravies and sauces for our dinners but to have a true Christmas He must be bigger than life. One year as I was decorating for Christmas…BTW a task I hated and dreaded every year---I put on some music to get me in the mood. I couldn’t find any Christmas music so I settled for a Praise and Worship CD. Paul Baloche sang as I halfway listened, reluctantly hanging garland on one of the fireplace mantles. All of a sudden I clearly heard the words of one of the songs in a way I had never listened before. The words were:
You are the One, You are Holy.
You are the One. You are Worthy.
You are the One.
You are the One I will worship….
You are the one.
I fell on my knees with tears streaming down my face at my sin of thinking this was all about me and all that I had to do. This was a time of remembering HIS birth, which resulted in MY salvation. Oh, when I got up, I began decorating with a new vigor. With every decoration I realized HE was the ONE!!
Oh, this Christmas with all your heart, Magnify the Lord…for He is the One.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Perspective
I have been reading, Andy Andrews, an author who is new to me…He is not a “Christian” author but his works are definitely Christian. In his book, The Noticer, the overall theme is perspective. This idea, although not new, has been thought-provoking in this season of my life. What is perspective? I guess it is best described by the story of a fly that lighted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Glancing at the crowds who were amazed by the ceiling’s beauty, the fly looked at what he could see from his vantage point and said, “They all came for this?” The fly could only see one tiny part of one minuscule brushstroke in the millions upon millions that make up the entire ceiling. His perspective was indeed limited.
I have been thinking about this since before Thanksgiving. What we focus on, brings our own perspective to situations. If we focus on what we don’t have, our perspective will be bleak and we will become depressed. However, if we focus upon the things we do have the perspective changes! Some examples: “Oh, no, I have to go back to work!” vs. “I am so glad I have a job in this economy!” You get the idea…but what about the whole of life? Perhaps you are going through a very difficult time…how do you get proper perspective? For the Christian, it is called faith! Often we are like flies on ceilings wondering what is going on, when all along God is working out a great plan in our lives or the lives of those we love. We can’t see the whole picture but we have to trust that it looks better from far away than it does in the midst of it! I can give lots of testimony that that is true in my life…once I stepped away from the situation, I could see the bigger picture.
A great example was while in college, I knew I had met the man of my dreams. Plans to marry were made and life was great when all of a sudden the relationship ended…and not well. I became distraught and angry. “Why would God take this person away from me for we had such a great ministry ahead?” I could only see my pain and my will. These long years later, I see clearly that God truly knew what He was doing…(thank God for unanswered prayers!) My perspective changed…I saw more of the picture and because of that (and countless other examples) I have learned that God is trustworthy. Samuel called this his Ebenezer! (I Samuel 7:12-13) He was in a fierce battle with a familiar enemy of God’s people…the Philistines. He wasn’t sure about what the future would hold for him but He knew God was in control! To show his faith, Samuel lifted a large stone, naming it “Ebenezer” which means, “Thus far the LORD helped us!” He didn’t know what was to come but “thus far” and God never changes!!
That is what I have been reflecting upon, as things in life change. “Thus far, God has been faithful,” has become my perspective. Disease enters? Thus far! Child rebels? Thus far! Job loss? Thus far! Friend, I have been on this journey long enough to know that when our perspective remains upon God’s mighty power and everlasting love for us, that we can make it! I challenge you today to remember a powerful victory God has given you in the past, find a stone, label the victory on the stone and call it your Ebenezer! I can assure you that your perspective to the situation you currently are in will change.
I love each of you so much! Focus on Him and let your perspective be, “thus far!”
I have been thinking about this since before Thanksgiving. What we focus on, brings our own perspective to situations. If we focus on what we don’t have, our perspective will be bleak and we will become depressed. However, if we focus upon the things we do have the perspective changes! Some examples: “Oh, no, I have to go back to work!” vs. “I am so glad I have a job in this economy!” You get the idea…but what about the whole of life? Perhaps you are going through a very difficult time…how do you get proper perspective? For the Christian, it is called faith! Often we are like flies on ceilings wondering what is going on, when all along God is working out a great plan in our lives or the lives of those we love. We can’t see the whole picture but we have to trust that it looks better from far away than it does in the midst of it! I can give lots of testimony that that is true in my life…once I stepped away from the situation, I could see the bigger picture.
A great example was while in college, I knew I had met the man of my dreams. Plans to marry were made and life was great when all of a sudden the relationship ended…and not well. I became distraught and angry. “Why would God take this person away from me for we had such a great ministry ahead?” I could only see my pain and my will. These long years later, I see clearly that God truly knew what He was doing…(thank God for unanswered prayers!) My perspective changed…I saw more of the picture and because of that (and countless other examples) I have learned that God is trustworthy. Samuel called this his Ebenezer! (I Samuel 7:12-13) He was in a fierce battle with a familiar enemy of God’s people…the Philistines. He wasn’t sure about what the future would hold for him but He knew God was in control! To show his faith, Samuel lifted a large stone, naming it “Ebenezer” which means, “Thus far the LORD helped us!” He didn’t know what was to come but “thus far” and God never changes!!
That is what I have been reflecting upon, as things in life change. “Thus far, God has been faithful,” has become my perspective. Disease enters? Thus far! Child rebels? Thus far! Job loss? Thus far! Friend, I have been on this journey long enough to know that when our perspective remains upon God’s mighty power and everlasting love for us, that we can make it! I challenge you today to remember a powerful victory God has given you in the past, find a stone, label the victory on the stone and call it your Ebenezer! I can assure you that your perspective to the situation you currently are in will change.
I love each of you so much! Focus on Him and let your perspective be, “thus far!”
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