Christmas is all over. The baby Jesus has come. We've opened up our presents. We've started taking down the decorations. After the New Year, life will start returning back to normal...whatever that means!
Pretty soon we will be making our New Year Resolutions and in a few months lamenting that we couldn't keep our promises to ourselves this year. I often wonder why I can't follow thru on my promises to myself, to God, to my family. I wonder why I get distracted so much from my original focus and I get off track so easily.
This year, I'm not going to make a New Year resolution. Not because I don't want to disappoint myself again. Although, if I'm honest, there is probably a little inkling of that in my spirit. But, mainly because I have come to learn that growth in my life doesn't happen as much from the big promises I make, as it does with the little promises I make. You know, those every day promises that I am going to choose life over death. That I will celebrate abundance over scarcity. That I will choose love over hatred, grace over resentment, wisdom over folly, courage over fear, joy over sorrow, compassion over anger, patience over impatience. You see where I'm going.
These aren't big promises to make - these are every day promises. Promises I have to make to myself and God before I get up in the morning and with every step I take throughout my day.
We read in Philippians 2:12, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling...". I have heard the explanation that we can "only work out a salvation that God has already worked in." In other words, Paul was telling the Philippians that they ought to conduct themselves in a manner that was worthy of the gospel of Christ (Phlippians 1:27).
Since we have been saved, our lives should bear the fruit. Without getting into too much theological mumbo jumbo, we are called to take each day as a New Day, working out our own deliverance from the things that keep us from conducting ourselves in a way that honors our Savior Jesus Christ.
So, instead of a Happy New Year, I'd like to say to each of you, "Happy New Day" - keep trying, keep pressing on, keep putting one step in front of the other as you move closer to God and Jesus. Keep it up! Don't stop! With each new step you take, you will experience the newness that Christ brings.
Loving Jesus. Walk with me in each step that I take. May your heart, your mind, your eyes, your ears, your voice, be in me. When I misstep, forgive me and gently guide me on the path that leads to You. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
We've Got Company!
Good afternoon!
It is 9 days until Christmas and I still have 90% of my shopping to do! This is typical for me as my wife and I tend to wait until the last minute to get the perfect gift. There are other things "to do" of course to prepare for Christmas. I have had to plan 3 weeks ahead at the church so that I wouldn't have too much to do over the holidays. There have been school concerts and family get-togethers to get ready for as well. Needless to say, this time of the year is a time of preparation.
For some of you that time of preparation comes in preparing for company over the holidays. I remember when I was a kid how crazy our house would become when we were expecting company (whether for a day or a week, it didn't matter). All six kids had chores to do and when those chores were done we had other chores. The house was neat and tidy (and with 6 kids that takes some work!). We had to be on our best behavior. The preparation itself was so stressful it was sometimes too much to bear.
We can see this time of the year the same way as we prepare for company this Advent season. It can be stressful, almost overwhelming, as we prepare for the coming of Christ. But, let's not look at the outer preparations we need to make. What about the spiritual preparations we need to make for Jesus to truly come into our lives? Are we inviting Him for the next few weeks to stay a while, reside with us for a season, maybe even have some laughs with Him, commune with Him, until we send Him on His way, knowing that He will come for another visit next year?
Or, will we truly prepare our hearts and our lives to invite Him to live with us? Pastor Emily Earnshaw in her Advent devotion for yesterday said, "This year, as you prepare for Christmas, don't just prepare a path to be able to get through, create space in your life for the coming of Christ. If company comes, clear a path so they can see the house, but if someone is coming to live with you, you empty the room and dust the closet shelves. The whole world changes when a new resident is expected. What do you need to do to prepare for Christ to live with you?"
This year, may we not see Jesus as just company coming...because company eventually ends up leaving. Let's prepare for Jesus coming to live with us. Let's make room in our lives for Him to truly reside, transform, and make new our lives this season and into 2010.
Gracious God, help me make room for Jesus this season. Help me to empty myself of all selfishness and fill me with His spirit of humility and grace to welcome Him fully into my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
It is 9 days until Christmas and I still have 90% of my shopping to do! This is typical for me as my wife and I tend to wait until the last minute to get the perfect gift. There are other things "to do" of course to prepare for Christmas. I have had to plan 3 weeks ahead at the church so that I wouldn't have too much to do over the holidays. There have been school concerts and family get-togethers to get ready for as well. Needless to say, this time of the year is a time of preparation.
For some of you that time of preparation comes in preparing for company over the holidays. I remember when I was a kid how crazy our house would become when we were expecting company (whether for a day or a week, it didn't matter). All six kids had chores to do and when those chores were done we had other chores. The house was neat and tidy (and with 6 kids that takes some work!). We had to be on our best behavior. The preparation itself was so stressful it was sometimes too much to bear.
We can see this time of the year the same way as we prepare for company this Advent season. It can be stressful, almost overwhelming, as we prepare for the coming of Christ. But, let's not look at the outer preparations we need to make. What about the spiritual preparations we need to make for Jesus to truly come into our lives? Are we inviting Him for the next few weeks to stay a while, reside with us for a season, maybe even have some laughs with Him, commune with Him, until we send Him on His way, knowing that He will come for another visit next year?
Or, will we truly prepare our hearts and our lives to invite Him to live with us? Pastor Emily Earnshaw in her Advent devotion for yesterday said, "This year, as you prepare for Christmas, don't just prepare a path to be able to get through, create space in your life for the coming of Christ. If company comes, clear a path so they can see the house, but if someone is coming to live with you, you empty the room and dust the closet shelves. The whole world changes when a new resident is expected. What do you need to do to prepare for Christ to live with you?"
This year, may we not see Jesus as just company coming...because company eventually ends up leaving. Let's prepare for Jesus coming to live with us. Let's make room in our lives for Him to truly reside, transform, and make new our lives this season and into 2010.
Gracious God, help me make room for Jesus this season. Help me to empty myself of all selfishness and fill me with His spirit of humility and grace to welcome Him fully into my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
What a Character
Good evening!
I pray that all of you are able to connect with the power of God's presence in your lives this week as we get closer to Christmas and the New Year.
This week, our staff had our BIG staff meeting where all of the staff (part-time to full-time) come together. Our BIG staff meetings happen once a month and we have a word for the month. Our word for this month is: CHARACTER. Not necessarily the word you'd think you would find during the Christmas season. You might expect words such as: light, hope, peace, love, joy, Jesus. But, character?
Let's be honest, this time of the year we can find it a whole lot easier to be "Christian". We find it easier to be giving. We find it more fulfilling to be joyful as we whistle Christmas carols and old time Christmas songs through the halls of our work and homes. We enjoy decorating our homes to express the depths of our Christmas cheer. We like the idea of God coming into our world through a sweet, little baby. Yea, this Christian thing ain't too bad this time of the year.
But, what about the other times of the year. What about when the decorations are down, the presents are all un-wrapped, and the credit card bills start coming in? What about when others around us aren't as joyful or excited for the season (whether they are Christian or not)? It is easier to show our Christian character when things are going well. It is easier to worship our nice, gentle, sweet God when everyone else is more open to it. It is easier to give gifts when we believe there is a "reason" to do so. But, when things are just going along and life is ho-hum, or when things become challenging and difficult and maybe even downright nasty, does our Christian character come through then?
Jesus came into this world in a sweet and wonderful way. But, He came into a broken world. A messy world. A nasty world. And even in the midst of that world, He stayed true to His purpose among us. His godly character was revealed no matter the circumstances of life.
I got to thinking about my own Christian character in difficult times, when I came across the following article from Adrian Rogers called How God Develops Christian Character. It is a little long, but I'd like to share it with you:
And not only so, but we glory in the tribulations also: knowing that tribulation workety patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope. - Romans 5:3-4
When you receive Christ as your personal Savior, God begins to work in you. Nobody is born fully grown, so God has to build your Christian character.
The Bible says in Philippians 1:6, "...He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it..." When you are saved, God simply begins a good work in you. You are not a finished product. God will build Christian character, but first you must receive Christ. Some people try to develop character, but they have no foundation. And that foundation is Jesus Christ.
How does God build Christian character?
Pressure
God will allow pressures to come. The word tribulation literally means "pressure." It is a word that was used to describe crushing grapes in a vat for wine or crushing olives for oil. God wants the oil of gladness and the wine of joy in your character. He wants that which will sustain and give strength, but the only way that God will get it out of you is to press it out. Is something bad happening to you right now? Are you having trouble? Are you feeling pressure? These are not obstacles; they are opportunities! They are things that God has engineered to build character into your life.
You're going to have tribulation whether you're a Christian or not, but a child of God sees what happens and can "glory in tribulations."
Patience
The Bible teaches that God wants to work a character quality in your heart known as patience. The word patient here is not one of passivity. Actually the word means "endurance or constancy." What are some reactions when trouble come?
* Some may try to escape with a plane ticket, a pill, a bottle, a needle, or even a gun
* Others may even get cynical and shake their fist in the face of God
* Some may recognize that God wants to teach endurance and it is His way of building Christian character.
How do you respond? One of the greatest marks of your faith and your confidence in the Almighty is your endurance, your perseverance, and your constancy when trouble comes.
Purity
The word experience is translated in many Bibles as character and it has to do wtih the idea of purity. This word was used to speak of gold that had been put in the fire and refined until it was pure. It speaks of a character that has gone through the experience of tribulation and perseverance. And through them, God begins to burn out the dross.
Many of us don't want that, but I want God to continue to work in my heart and my life until He burns out that dross. They say that a refiner of silver or gold knows when the gold is pure when he can see his own face reflected in it. Our Lord wants to see His character reflected in us.
Have you grown in your Christian life when you were faced with trouble, heartache, pressure, pain, misunderstanding, or bewilderment? Did you grow when you had nowhere to go but to God, and you had to keep searching your heart and saying, "Oh God, what's wrong? God what are you trying to tell me? What are you trying to teach me? What do you want me to confess?" God uses those difficulties to produce growth in us.
Persuasion
We call this hope. Hope doesn't mean "to wish or desire." It mean, "a rock-ribbed assurance based on the Word of God and the character of God." When we go through pressures, tribulations, and afflictions and we come out the other side, we have learned that God is faithful. God saw us through and my friend - that is hope.
I want you to know that Jesus Christ is hope. Hebrews 6:19 speaks of hope when it says, "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast..." Let the storms rage, the waves buffet us, and the wind blow - for my Anchor holds.
If you don't have hope, you don't have anything. Faith believes, but hope expects. A person who lives by confidence in God alone and looks to God alone has Christian character.
Father God, continue to develop within me Your character. Forgive me of the ways in which I have tried to escape the pain and difficulty of this life. Thank you for reminding me that as I turn to You, You will do a mighty work within me and You, O God, will refine and make pure my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
I pray that all of you are able to connect with the power of God's presence in your lives this week as we get closer to Christmas and the New Year.
This week, our staff had our BIG staff meeting where all of the staff (part-time to full-time) come together. Our BIG staff meetings happen once a month and we have a word for the month. Our word for this month is: CHARACTER. Not necessarily the word you'd think you would find during the Christmas season. You might expect words such as: light, hope, peace, love, joy, Jesus. But, character?
Let's be honest, this time of the year we can find it a whole lot easier to be "Christian". We find it easier to be giving. We find it more fulfilling to be joyful as we whistle Christmas carols and old time Christmas songs through the halls of our work and homes. We enjoy decorating our homes to express the depths of our Christmas cheer. We like the idea of God coming into our world through a sweet, little baby. Yea, this Christian thing ain't too bad this time of the year.
But, what about the other times of the year. What about when the decorations are down, the presents are all un-wrapped, and the credit card bills start coming in? What about when others around us aren't as joyful or excited for the season (whether they are Christian or not)? It is easier to show our Christian character when things are going well. It is easier to worship our nice, gentle, sweet God when everyone else is more open to it. It is easier to give gifts when we believe there is a "reason" to do so. But, when things are just going along and life is ho-hum, or when things become challenging and difficult and maybe even downright nasty, does our Christian character come through then?
Jesus came into this world in a sweet and wonderful way. But, He came into a broken world. A messy world. A nasty world. And even in the midst of that world, He stayed true to His purpose among us. His godly character was revealed no matter the circumstances of life.
I got to thinking about my own Christian character in difficult times, when I came across the following article from Adrian Rogers called How God Develops Christian Character. It is a little long, but I'd like to share it with you:
And not only so, but we glory in the tribulations also: knowing that tribulation workety patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope. - Romans 5:3-4
When you receive Christ as your personal Savior, God begins to work in you. Nobody is born fully grown, so God has to build your Christian character.
The Bible says in Philippians 1:6, "...He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it..." When you are saved, God simply begins a good work in you. You are not a finished product. God will build Christian character, but first you must receive Christ. Some people try to develop character, but they have no foundation. And that foundation is Jesus Christ.
How does God build Christian character?
Pressure
God will allow pressures to come. The word tribulation literally means "pressure." It is a word that was used to describe crushing grapes in a vat for wine or crushing olives for oil. God wants the oil of gladness and the wine of joy in your character. He wants that which will sustain and give strength, but the only way that God will get it out of you is to press it out. Is something bad happening to you right now? Are you having trouble? Are you feeling pressure? These are not obstacles; they are opportunities! They are things that God has engineered to build character into your life.
You're going to have tribulation whether you're a Christian or not, but a child of God sees what happens and can "glory in tribulations."
Patience
The Bible teaches that God wants to work a character quality in your heart known as patience. The word patient here is not one of passivity. Actually the word means "endurance or constancy." What are some reactions when trouble come?
* Some may try to escape with a plane ticket, a pill, a bottle, a needle, or even a gun
* Others may even get cynical and shake their fist in the face of God
* Some may recognize that God wants to teach endurance and it is His way of building Christian character.
How do you respond? One of the greatest marks of your faith and your confidence in the Almighty is your endurance, your perseverance, and your constancy when trouble comes.
Purity
The word experience is translated in many Bibles as character and it has to do wtih the idea of purity. This word was used to speak of gold that had been put in the fire and refined until it was pure. It speaks of a character that has gone through the experience of tribulation and perseverance. And through them, God begins to burn out the dross.
Many of us don't want that, but I want God to continue to work in my heart and my life until He burns out that dross. They say that a refiner of silver or gold knows when the gold is pure when he can see his own face reflected in it. Our Lord wants to see His character reflected in us.
Have you grown in your Christian life when you were faced with trouble, heartache, pressure, pain, misunderstanding, or bewilderment? Did you grow when you had nowhere to go but to God, and you had to keep searching your heart and saying, "Oh God, what's wrong? God what are you trying to tell me? What are you trying to teach me? What do you want me to confess?" God uses those difficulties to produce growth in us.
Persuasion
We call this hope. Hope doesn't mean "to wish or desire." It mean, "a rock-ribbed assurance based on the Word of God and the character of God." When we go through pressures, tribulations, and afflictions and we come out the other side, we have learned that God is faithful. God saw us through and my friend - that is hope.
I want you to know that Jesus Christ is hope. Hebrews 6:19 speaks of hope when it says, "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast..." Let the storms rage, the waves buffet us, and the wind blow - for my Anchor holds.
If you don't have hope, you don't have anything. Faith believes, but hope expects. A person who lives by confidence in God alone and looks to God alone has Christian character.
Father God, continue to develop within me Your character. Forgive me of the ways in which I have tried to escape the pain and difficulty of this life. Thank you for reminding me that as I turn to You, You will do a mighty work within me and You, O God, will refine and make pure my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Take It All In
Good evening everyone!
It has been a couple of weeks since my last post and I pray that you had Thanksgiving celebrations that were filled with the joy of family and the wonder and awe of God's presence in your midst.
My son Ethan likes to watch ESPN when he wakes up in the morning (I love watching him grow up!). Two days ago they were running a special piece on a 7th grade boy named Jake. I came into the room in the middle of the segment. Apparently, Jake had to have one of his eyes removed due to a cancerous tumor earlier in life and he was now facing the realization that his other eye would have to be removed, rendering him blind for the rest of his life.
One of Jake's wishes was to be able to spend some time with his favorite college football team, the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans. They showed clips of Jake at practice over a period of time and visiting with some of his favorite players. They showed him giving the pep talk before a game and cheering on his favorite team. They had interviews with players on how much of an inspiration Jake was to them. The USC football team took this 13 year old boy under their wing and treated him as one of their own.
It was a touching story, but what touched me the most was the interview just days before his surgery. I watched as this courageous young man told the interviewer, and the millions of us watching, that all he wanted to do was "to take it all in". He wanted to take in the faces and mannerisms, not only of his favorite players and team, but more importantly he wanted to take in his dad, his mom, and his sister. He said that he wanted to be able to have their image in his head every time he heard their voice after his surgery. This young man knew he was going to be blind and he wanted to take everything in so that he would never forget.
Before his surgery, Jake broke down in tears. But the Jake that came out of surgery was still as strong as the days and weeks before. He was okay with what had happened. He even said that during one USC practice he heard a bone-crunching hit and that it was cooler to hear it than it was to see it! What a perspective from such a young man!
I got to thinking about Jake, and Christmas, and Jesus and I think there are some parallels to their stories. During Christmas we celebrate the fact that God came into our world in the child, teenager, and man of Jesus so that we could "take it all in". So that we could see, with our own eyes, what it meant to be in a perfect relationship with our Creator. Christmas is a time in which we confess our own spiritual blindedness and in this season of "seeing", we take in all of who Jesus was and is in our lives and in our world.
We take it all in so that when we cannot see Him, we will still know His voice when He speaks and know His touch when we near Him. We take it all in, so that in those times when He feels farthest away, we can close our eyes and have the comfort in knowing He is still beside us.
During this Christmas season...take it all in. Take in the traditions. Take in the many opportunities to be with family and friends. Take in the kettle-ringers and the Christmas music. Take in the crisp winter air. Take in the Star. Take in the faithfulness of Mary and Joseph. Take in their journey of heartache, pain, and rejection. Take in their experience of God. Take in the thought that God loves you so much that He was willing to come to your own messy, smelly stable to be with you. Take it all in. Take in JESUS.
What does His birth mean to you? How does His life affect your own? Have you been taking all of Him in, or just the parts you're comfortable with? Friends, take all of Jesus this Christmas!
Loving God, forgive me for letting a part of You into my life. Forgive me for showing a part of you to the world. Redeem me. Transform me. Make me whole again this Christmas so that ALL of You will come into my heart and my life. Amen.
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
It has been a couple of weeks since my last post and I pray that you had Thanksgiving celebrations that were filled with the joy of family and the wonder and awe of God's presence in your midst.
My son Ethan likes to watch ESPN when he wakes up in the morning (I love watching him grow up!). Two days ago they were running a special piece on a 7th grade boy named Jake. I came into the room in the middle of the segment. Apparently, Jake had to have one of his eyes removed due to a cancerous tumor earlier in life and he was now facing the realization that his other eye would have to be removed, rendering him blind for the rest of his life.
One of Jake's wishes was to be able to spend some time with his favorite college football team, the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans. They showed clips of Jake at practice over a period of time and visiting with some of his favorite players. They showed him giving the pep talk before a game and cheering on his favorite team. They had interviews with players on how much of an inspiration Jake was to them. The USC football team took this 13 year old boy under their wing and treated him as one of their own.
It was a touching story, but what touched me the most was the interview just days before his surgery. I watched as this courageous young man told the interviewer, and the millions of us watching, that all he wanted to do was "to take it all in". He wanted to take in the faces and mannerisms, not only of his favorite players and team, but more importantly he wanted to take in his dad, his mom, and his sister. He said that he wanted to be able to have their image in his head every time he heard their voice after his surgery. This young man knew he was going to be blind and he wanted to take everything in so that he would never forget.
Before his surgery, Jake broke down in tears. But the Jake that came out of surgery was still as strong as the days and weeks before. He was okay with what had happened. He even said that during one USC practice he heard a bone-crunching hit and that it was cooler to hear it than it was to see it! What a perspective from such a young man!
I got to thinking about Jake, and Christmas, and Jesus and I think there are some parallels to their stories. During Christmas we celebrate the fact that God came into our world in the child, teenager, and man of Jesus so that we could "take it all in". So that we could see, with our own eyes, what it meant to be in a perfect relationship with our Creator. Christmas is a time in which we confess our own spiritual blindedness and in this season of "seeing", we take in all of who Jesus was and is in our lives and in our world.
We take it all in so that when we cannot see Him, we will still know His voice when He speaks and know His touch when we near Him. We take it all in, so that in those times when He feels farthest away, we can close our eyes and have the comfort in knowing He is still beside us.
During this Christmas season...take it all in. Take in the traditions. Take in the many opportunities to be with family and friends. Take in the kettle-ringers and the Christmas music. Take in the crisp winter air. Take in the Star. Take in the faithfulness of Mary and Joseph. Take in their journey of heartache, pain, and rejection. Take in their experience of God. Take in the thought that God loves you so much that He was willing to come to your own messy, smelly stable to be with you. Take it all in. Take in JESUS.
What does His birth mean to you? How does His life affect your own? Have you been taking all of Him in, or just the parts you're comfortable with? Friends, take all of Jesus this Christmas!
Loving God, forgive me for letting a part of You into my life. Forgive me for showing a part of you to the world. Redeem me. Transform me. Make me whole again this Christmas so that ALL of You will come into my heart and my life. Amen.
Take Care & God Bless,
Pastor Don
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)