Category: II Corinthians

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Can You See It?

Our sight is one of our strongest senses. We depend on it for so much of what we do. In fact, we go to great links to make sure we are able to see things clearly. We expend time and money on eye exams and getting our vision corrected. Lasix, contacts, glasses – all big business.

However, from God’s perspective, our physical vision isn’t nearly so important as our faith vision.

“Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That’s why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.” II Corinthians 4:18 CEV

Over the years I have learned to walk by faith, trusting God’s word more than I trust the things I can see with my physical eyes. To some that is foolish but we need to realize that we all trust things we cannot see each and every day. We trust that there is enough oxygen in the atmosphere for us to keep breathing properly but we’ve never seen the oxygen. We trust that there are sound and picture waves being transmitted but we can’t see them until we have the right receiver.

We experience gravity and thrust all without site. And electricity exists even in places where they have no power plants or knowledge of how to conduct it. You see there is so much in our lives that we “take for granted”. Why then, does it seem so far fetched to put our faith in God’s word and believe it even when we can’t see it?

“Our life is lived by faith. We do not live by what we see in front of us.” II Corinthians 5:7 NLV

Learning to live a life of faith in God is like learning to walk. No child ever just stood and moved across a room confidently, without wobbling, the first time they were upright. No, there’s the pushing up, standing for seconds then sitting down. This is followed up pushing up and holding on to something; then learning balance and after great encouragement from Mommy and Daddy, letting go and taking those first treasured steps.

Scripture tells us that faith is a continuous growth process. Faith comes from hearing God’s word.

“As you have put your trust in Christ Jesus the Lord to save you from the punishment of sin, now let Him lead you in every step. 7 Have your roots planted deep in Christ. Grow in Him. Get your strength from Him. Let Him make you strong in the faith as you have been taught. Your life should be full of thanks to Him.” Colossians 2:6-8 NLV

God operates in faith. Did you ever stop to think about that? He had faith that what he said would happen. Let there be light and there was light! Our faith pleases God and He rewards us for our faith.

“Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see. 2 God was pleased with the people who lived a long time ago because they had faith like this.3 Faith helps us understand that God created the whole world by his command. This means that the things we see were made by something that cannot be seen…6 Without faith no one can please God. Whoever comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who sincerely try to find him.” Hebrews 11:1-6 CEV

I’m going to tell you one story about a man who put his faith in God and it changed the world. This man’s name was Noah. God told him that he needed to build a boat. A huge boat. This was a foreign concept to Noah; he wasn’t an experienced seaman. And then the instruction continued; build the boat, gather the animals, it’s going to rain. The earth had never experienced rain at that time. This wasn’t just going to be a rain, it was going to be a world wide flood.

By faith, Noah built the ark. He and his family and the animals were saved.

“Noah was warned by God about things that he could not yet see. But he had faith and respect for God, so he built a large boat to save his family. With his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong. And he became one of those who are made right with God through faith.” Hebrews 11:7 ERV

I’m sure Noah was ridiculed by his neighbors for being stupid or senseless, an old fool, but he believed God’s word and was obedient.

When you believe God and have faith in His word there will be people that think the same of you but believe God anyway! You can trust Him just like Noah did.

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What’s Better Than a Mama Grizzly

I’m sure by now most of you have heard the term Mama Grizzly. It’s been used around quite a bit in the last few years. Of course the meaning can be construed to fit a number of situations and refers to taking a strong defensive stand.

I want you to look at it this morning in light of our relationship with the Father. When Jesus was on this earth he faced constant criticism from the religious leaders and rulers of his day. His own family didn’t understand Him. People followed him out of selfish motives; they wanted to see the next miracle and have a free meal.

No one other than Jesus has ever lived a perfect life. He was pure, even when angry he was righteous. He looked at people and was moved with great love. He championed the weak, healed the sick, brought comfort to those with broken hearts and restored relationship to those who had been outcast. He even forgave the ones responsible for his death. He came with a single purpose – defeat the power of sin, providing a perfect sacrifice for our forgiveness and restoration to God.

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

19 What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace.” II Corinthians 5:17-19 CEV

When things looked the darkest and hope was almost gone, God stepped in with the ultimate victory.

“We have seen and heard everything He did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And yet they killed Him by nailing Him to a cross. 40 God raised Him to life on the third day and made Him to be seen.” Acts 10:39-40 NLV

When we accept what Jesus has done for us personally is when we truly become God’s child and can call him Father.

“He gave the right and the power to become children of God to those who received Him. He gave this to those who put their trust in His name.” John 1:12 NLV

Once we are in God’s family he defends us, we can be confident of that.

“If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. 32 He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things. 33 Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one who makes them right.” Romans 8:31-33 CEV

God, our Father, makes it his personal business to provide for our well being and our defense. He will not, WILL NOT, leave us to struggle through things on our own. It’s his promise!

“’The mountains may disappear, and the hills may become dust, but my faithful love will never leave you. I will make peace with you, and it will never end.’ The Lord who loves you said this.” Isaiah 54:10 ERV

Our loving Father is the one who kept Noah safe in the ark; gave David victory over Goliath; delivered Daniel safely out of the lion’s den; and sent an angel to release Paul from prison. He protects and provides for “his kids”. He’s much better than a “Mama Grizzly”.

One last verse.

“You can go to God Most High to hide. You can go to God All-Powerful for protection. 2 I say to the Lord, “You are my place of safety, my fortress. My God, I trust in you.” 3 God will save you from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases. 4 You can go to him for protection. He will cover you like a bird spreading its wings over its babies. You can trust him to surround and protect you like a shield.” Psalm 91:1-4 ERV

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Building Trust – Piece by Piece

Our daughter recently completed a half marathon. She has been competing in this particular event for the last 8 years. Each year the finishers medal is shaped like the piece of a puzzle. When she completed the race this year she was able to join the pieces together and the puzzle was also complete.

That’s how I feel about the verses we have been studying in Psalm 119. Each segment is building upon the last. We are almost finished and each day, piece by piece, we are beginning to see the completed picture. A picture of trust, God’s word does not fail!

After reading through this morning’s verses, I began to imagine what it must have been like for David to “Study” the word.  All that was written of the Bible during his time was Genesis through Deuteronomy, Joshua, maybe part of Judges, Psalm 90 and Job.

Now I love Genesis, Exodus, parts of Deuteronomy and Joshua but find it a bit more difficult to get through Leviticus, Numbers and Job.  So when David says he got up early and stayed awake at night to think on God’s word, I wonder where  he spent most of his time?  I’m sure he spent time in Leviticus, the book filled with the laws God gave, because he, David, was always talking about “thy laws”.  And he probably spent time in Numbers; being a military man how many could be called to battle when needed.  As a king, ruling over a vast nation, I’m sure he spent time studying the geographic divisions in Joshua so that he would know the borders of the lands allotted to each of the tribes and also know the enemy nations that they had been commanded to drive out.

And as he studied, I’m sure his heart was stirred to praise and give glory and honor to his God. I’m sure that’s how the Psalms were written. That’s really important! When you read something in the Word that speaks to you personally, take time to pause and review it over and over, let it sink in to your heart and create a stirring in soul, let it renew your mind, giving you God’s thoughts to replace those of your own. And when the word sinks in, it will take root and begin to grow, just like a seed (hmm, I think I remember Jesus teaching about something like that), and it will bring a harvest of fruit in your life.  And when it takes hold it becomes so real, it brings a time of praise to God, that He would share something so precious, so marvelous with you and make it real to you.

“Lord, I call to you with all my heart. Answer me, and I will obey your laws. 146 I call to you. Save me, and I will obey your rules. 147 I get up early in the morning to pray to you. I trust what you say. 148 Late into the night I stay awake to think about your word. 149 I know your love is true, so listen to me. Lord, you always do what is right, so let me live. 150 Here come those who have evil plans to hurt me. They live far away from your teachings. 151 But you are near me, Lord, and all your commands can be trusted. 152 Long ago, I learned from your rules that you made them to last forever.”  Psalm 119:145-152

Recently I had opportunity to look at some physical circumstances that didn’t appear to be too pleasant. In fact, they could have been downright discouraging if I had allowed them to be but you know what God brought to my heart? Psalm 112  – the righteous man’s Psalm – and I refused to let my heart be afraid over evil tidings and had it firmly fixed on God’s word.  Then instead of fear, faith came! God’s word is sure and certain, every other thing – circumstance or report, is subject to change.  God’s word stands forever.  His promises will not fail; written thousands of years ago they contain the same God-breathed power today that they had at their penning.

“We never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day. 17 These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. 18 Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That’s why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.”  II Corinthians 4:16-18

I am sure that David was fully acquainted with Moses writings to the children of Israel and that is why he made it his life’s goal to know God’s word and keep it close. Once again, using my imagination, I can see King David up early this morning and reading…

“11 “This command that I give you today is not too hard for you. It is not a secret hidden in some far away land. 12 This command is not in heaven so that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and bring it to us, so that we can hear and do it?’ 13 This command is not on the other side of the sea so that you should say, ‘Who will go across the sea for us and bring it to us, so that we can hear it and do it?’ 14 No, the word is very near to you. It is in your mouth and in your heart. So you can obey it.

15 “Today I have given you a choice between life and death, success and disaster. 16 I command you today to love the Lord your God. I command you to follow him and to obey his commands, laws, and rules. Then you will live, and your nation will grow larger. And the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take for your own. 17 But if you turn away from your God and refuse to listen, if you are led away to worship and serve other gods, 18 you will be destroyed. I am warning you today, if you turn away from God, you will not live long in that land across the Jordan River that you are ready to enter and take for your own.

19 “Today I am giving you a choice of two ways. And I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses of your choice. You can choose life or death. The first choice will bring a blessing. The other choice will bring a curse. So choose life! Then you and your children will live. 20 You must love the Lord your God and obey shim. Never leave him, because he is your life. And he will give you a long life in the land that he, the Lord, promised to give to your ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”  Deuteronomy 30:11-20

 

This day – today – let the Word of God bring you life and blessings!!!

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The Hope at Sunrise

Each morning God gives us proof that He can be trusted. The sunrise reveals God’s consistent, actually eternal, promise of provision and care. Since the beginning of time God has faithfully delivered a sunrise to remind us that we have a new opportunity to walk in His love.

“Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.” Isaiah 58:8 NLV

The theme or focus of today’s verses seems to be righteousness. Righteousness is an old English, religious word but it  can be defined as right standing with God.  Do you see yourself as righteous? Ponder that for a moment. If you’ve answered no – then I trust that today’s teaching will open your eyes to the wonderful power of God in your life.

“You are righteous, Lord, and Your judgments are just. 138 The decrees You issue are righteous and altogether trustworthy. 139 My anger overwhelms me because my foes forget Your words. 140 Your word is completely pure, and Your servant loves it. 141 I am insignificant and despised, but I do not forget Your precepts. 142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your instruction is true. 143 Trouble and distress have overtaken me, but Your commands are my delight. 144 Your decrees are righteous forever. Give me understanding, and I will live.”  Psalm 119:137-144

There’s that word “understand” again. As David grew in the word he grew in understanding. He experienced firsthand the faithfulness of God’s righteousness.  He knew that he was in right standing with God because he was devoted to God’s word.

Genesis 15 says that “he (Abraham) believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness”.  That’s where righteousness was birthed, in believing God. David followed the example of righteous Abraham and he believed God.  If God said it, that was good enough.  In Psalm 23, David said that the Lord leads him in paths of righteousness. And he willingly followed His shepherd.

As an old man, David penned in Psalm 37 “I have been young and now I am old; I have never seen the righteous  forsaken or his seed begging for bread.”  In Psalm 112, which I call the righteous man’s Psalm, David describes the life of the man who lives righteous. This is God’s inspired word and so I am willing to live the truth of this Psalm in my life.

“Praise the Lord! How happy is the man who honors the Lord with fear and finds joy in His Law! 2 His children will be powerful in the land. Each family who is right will be happy. 3 Riches and well-being are in his house. And his right-standing with God will last forever. 4 Light rises even in darkness for the one who is right. He is kind and has loving-pity and does what is right. 5 Good will come to the man who is ready to give much, and fair in what he does. 6 He will never be shaken. The man who is right and good will be remembered forever. 7 He will not be afraid of bad news. His heart is strong because he trusts in the Lord. 8 His heart will not be shaken. He will not be afraid and will watch those lose who fight against him. 9 He has given much to the poor. His right-standing with God lasts forever. His horn will be lifted high in honor. 10 The sinful man will see it and be troubled and angry. He will grind his teeth and waste away. The desire of the sinful will come to nothing.” Psalm 112 NLV

We can’t be “righteous” on our own. It’s just not possible, no matter how hard we try. We are influenced by our prejudice and judge situations from our limited scope of understanding. While God on the other hand sees all things through His eyes of unconditional, unprejudiced love and judges justly in every situation.

“But God has a way to make people right, and it has nothing to do with the law. He has now shown us that new way, which the law and the prophets told us about. 22 God makes people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. He does this for all who believe in Christ. Everyone is the same. 23 All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness. 24 They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ.” Romans 3:21-24

Some of you may ask why I am spending time on this this morning. Simply put, if you can be convinced you that you aren’t righteous, then it’s easy  to steal God’s word and His promises from you because you feel unworthy.  I know – been there, done that, hated it! But once the Lord showed me that He considered me righteous, not because of what I had done but because of who I am in Christ, my life of defeated Christianity turned around and I began to face every giant, physical, mental and spiritual, with the same confidence and conviction that David had when he faced Goliath.

Standing complete in my righteousness in Christ turned conflict into conquest, battles into blessings and struggles into success.

So I’ll ask you again – are you righteous?  Let me give you this answer.  “Christ never sinned but God put our sin on Him. Then we are made right with God because of what Christ has done for us.” II Corinthians 5:21  NLV

Yes, yes you are if you are in Christ!

“Lord, I don’t want to live a defeated life. I want to have the kind of life that is described in Psalm 112. Show me who you made me to be. I want to live to my full potential. You made a way for me to be right with you – I choose Your way. In Jesus name. Amen.”

 

 

 

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Stability in the Storm

Recently Dave & I were watching television and it really jumped out at us how the commercials are depicting parents as out of touch, uninformed and down-right stupid. I know this will sound old fashioned and it is but I had a great respect for my parents and whether I agreed with them or not, I was obedient because they were my authority. TV shows like Father Knows Best, Leave it to Beaver, Bonanza, and then later, when my kids were growing up, The Walton’s, Little House on the Prairie, The Brady Bunch, etc. taught kids responsibility, right from wrong and showed parents who loved their children.

Let’s look to see how this is reflected in today’s verses.

“I hate those who are double-minded, but I love Your instruction. You are my shelter and my shield; I put my hope in Your word. Depart from me, you evil ones, so that I may obey my God’s commands. Sustain me as You promised, and I will live; do not let me be ashamed of my hope. Sustain me so that I can be safe and always be concerned about Your statutes. You reject all who stray from Your statutes, for their deceit is a lie. You remove all the wicked on earth as if they were dross; therefore, I love Your decrees. I tremble in awe of You; I fear Your judgments.” Psalm 119:113-120

This first verse is the one I was referring too in my opening comments. In another version it says “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.” Vain thoughts have no real value : idle, worthless – according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. King David was drawing a line of distinction between man’s thoughts and God’s. Man’s are idle and worthless and have no eternal value if they aren’t established on God’s word. So much of what we see on television and read in the paper falls into this classification.

In the book of James, we are instructed not to be double-minded, or vain in our thinking because a double-minded man is unstable. Jesus said that a man who stands on the word is like a man who builds his house on a solid rock. In a storm when the rain and the winds come, that man will be stable, firm and his house won’t be destroyed but the man who doesn’t build on the word will have a foundation of sand and in times of storm he will come crashing down. We can’t afford to fill our thinking with vain or worthless thoughts. We need to stand firm.

“ Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom. But when you ask God, you must believe. Don’t doubt him. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is blown up and down by the wind. People like that are thinking two different things at the same time. They can never decide what to do. So they should not think they will receive anything from the Lord.” James 1:5-8 ERV

Verse 114 was the theme verse of a woman named Corrie ten Boom. She survived the German concentration camps of World War II, this is the verse that she based her survival on. In the King James version it says, “thou art my hiding place and my shield”. Her testimony is one to draw from; she lived through the hell of the German concentration camp and came out with a love for her abusers and a solid, unshakable faith in the Lord.

In a sense we need to be “brain washed” – no, I’m not talking about the kind of mind control that manipulates but I am talking about being single-minded, our thoughts washed free of anything that would go contrary to God’s word. The Apostle Paul says we are to have our minds renewed or we are to be single-minded. When we’re singled minded we are grounded and unshakable.

“We tear down every proud idea that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.” II Corinthians 3:5 ERV

The Apostle Paul said that we were to “cast down” every vain imagination and take captive every thought that sets itself above the knowledge of God. These vain thoughts will destroy godly thinking if they are allowed to go unchecked. In turn, they will rob our hope. King David knew that his hope could only be in God and His word. Relying in anything or anyone else could bring you to shame.

There are so many in life who are hopeless. They are without God and without hope and it leaves them grasping at straws. We need to be a light and a show them that they can put their hope in God and He will not fail them! Wrong thinking is as deadly as a physical enemy with swords and arrows.

God’s thoughts and ways are so much higher than ours. David had walked with God and had seen God’s heart – he trembled or was in awe of just how amazing God was and is. This type of relationship with the Lord isn’t just available to King David, it is available to us as well. The Apostle Paul instructs us to renew our minds so we can know the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. That’s available to us as we focus and apply God’s word in our lives.

“Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.” Romans 12:2 ERV

I desire to “tremble in awe” of the Lord as I focus on His thoughts today!

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Waiting During Construction

If you read my posts on a daily basis, you’ll remember that a few weeks ago I asked the question “what do you do when God seems silent”? David is dealing with that very thing this morning in the verses of this segment.

“I feel weaker and weaker as I wait for you to save me. But I put my trust in your word. 82 I keep looking for what you promised, but my eyes are feeling tired. When will you comfort me? 83 Even when I am like a dried wineskin on the trash pile, I will not forget your laws. 84 How long must I wait for you to punish those who persecute me? 85 Proud people have tried to trap me and make me disobey your teachings. 86 All your commands can be trusted. Those people are wrong to persecute me. Help me! 87 They have almost destroyed me, but I have not stopped obeying your instructions. 88 Show me your faithful love and let me live. I will do whatever you say.” Psalm 119:81-88

Personally we waited on the Lord to change a situation for almost 7 years. I know what it’s like to tell the Lord – “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” but we WILL continue to trust you! There were days when I felt things would never change and that’s when I would have to remind myself that God is faithful and He will keep His word and bring it to pass.

I can get a real sense of David’s heart in these first verses – he’s tired, he feels like he is drying up inside but he will continue to trust. You may have been waiting now for a very long time, waiting to see a promise that you have from the Lord come to pass. I want to share with you some of the verses God put in my heart to encourage me.

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Wait – something we don’t do well for the most part but this verse isn’t talking about a passive action of sitting back; it’s active, like a waiter or waitress, this wait means to pay attention too, to actively participate in meeting the requests of others. So we are told to “wait on the Lord”. During this time, I try to keep my focus on the Master and His desires, not mine. There’s a promise attached with waiting, my strength will be renewed. I will be able to soar above the storm clouds, I will be able to run with race with endurance. Yes, I will learn to wait!

Another verse that ties into this one is Isaiah 26:3 “3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in Thee.”

Staying focused on God and His word will keep me in a place of peace. When I find that I am anxious or upset, weary or weak; I realized that my focus has changed from being on the Lord to looking at the circumstances. In times like that I must return to focusing on God and His word. Because His word says…

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” I John 5:14-15

God’s word is His will so if we are asking for things that He has promised in His word we know that we are asking according to His will and can have confidence that He not only hears our prayers but answers them. We are then able to go from a place of continually asking to asking confidently and then begin to thank Him for the result we know we will see. It’s hard to be discouraged when you are saying thank you.

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ…” II Corinthians 1:20-21

God is the one that confirms His word by promising to watch over it and perform it; our job is to trust Him. This is something that I have considerable experience with. These are just a few of the verses that the Holy Spirit has confirmed to my heart when it comes to waiting for answered prayer to come. If our focus is distracted we will become like a dried up wine skin, good for nothing but when our hope and trust is in God we will continue to live fruitful lives during the wait.

Verse 88 is the kicker in this segment. Show me your faithful love, in the King James version that word is “lovingkindness” and it carries the meaning of a blood covenant or what we know to be “blood brothers”. When a blood covenant was struck between two people or two nations, it meant you have available to you all the resources that I have and vice versa. I give God all that I have (which compared to Him is seriously lacking) and He gives to me all that He has; His strength, His power, His promises, His provision, His life eternal! That’s what David was talking about – he had entered into covenant with God. This is why he could say I will do whatever You say because he had willingly entered into a relationship with One so much greater than he was. He was willing to do whatever the Lord had to say because David knew it would be the right way to go.

Look at waiting like you do building a house or doing a remodel. We said at the beginning of this study in Psalm 119 that God’s Word is our firm foundation that makes our life unshakeable in the storm. Prepare while you’re waiting for the construction to be complete. Live expectantly – pick out the flooring and the paint for the walls. God is building your life and you can trust Him to make it wonderful!

Again today, I reaffirm “Show me your faithful love and let me live. I will do whatever you say.”

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The Gift of Salvation

Merry Christmas to one and all.

The house is quiet except for the little boy I hear talking softly in his bed. I’m not sure what time he woke up but he has been talking to himself since I got up, or maybe he’s talking to Jesus.

I know that first Christmas night was probably filled with activity. Shepherds coming and going, a baby to nurse and then so much for Mary to go over in her mind.

What an occurrence! God became flesh and came to live on earth with us.

I guess I could have entitled this The Gift of Self Sacrifice for that’s what Jesus did. He left heaven, He left all that was comfortable and majestic to become a child. He has been at the creation of the world, the parting of the Red Sea, He had given the tablets of stone to Moses and now here He was, a small baby dependent on human parents to provide for his every need.

How odd – he had always been the provider and protector. He had always been self-sufficient and now He required the watchful care of a young woman and her betrothed.

“The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.” John 1:14 ERV

He gave us the splendor of his heavenly home to live here on earth and it was all for us.

“You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know that he gave up his heavenly riches for you. He gave up everything so that you could be richly blessed.” II Corinthians 8:9 CEV

He set aside all that He had a God so that he could prove that as a human we could be victorious in life if we committed to following God’s word.

“We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. That is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. 15 Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:14-16 CEV

Christ gave up everything so that we could gain everything.

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

19 What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. 20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. 21 Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.” II Corinthians 5:17-21 CEV

As you open gifts this morning, open the greatest gift you have to offer, open your heart to Christ. We can’t be good enough to earn salvation, it’s a free gift. If you’ve never prayed before pray this morning and thank God that Jesus came in human form to restore relationship between Him and us. Tell him you accept His wonderful gift and ask Him to make you new. He will do it gladly.

Merry Christmas – welcome to new life in Christ.

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The Gift of Generosity

Giving and Receiving!

These two actions account for most of the stress during the Christmas season. “I have to make sure I’m getting them something they REALLY want… I don’t have the $ to get them what they want most.”

“What if they get me something I don’t REALLY want. How do I seem gracious and not disappointed?”

Oh yes, I’ve gotten those gifts that you want to “re-gift” or had the thought, it probably would have been better if they hadn’t gotten me anything at all. Wrong on my part and I will be the first to admit it. I needed a gracious heart to receive because they gave out of love.

But I want to focus on what I’m giving this year and not what I’m getting. The Lord has blessed us so much that the thing I find I desire to give most is more of me. My desire is to have a generous heart – it truly is a gift.
“Lord show me how to live less for myself and more for others. Let me hear your voice more clearly so that I am obedient when you ask me to reach out to help others. More willing to sacrifice my own desires to see others obtain theirs. But most of all to be your hands and feet to those around me. ”

Dave and I have a friend who lived a life of generosity. His first question in any situation was what can I give – how can I express my love in a tangible way. He believed in honoring people, making them feel special. After being around him for a while the generosity he displayed became contagious and we found ourselves looking for ways to give. Sometimes what we gave was nothing more than a smile or a kind word but at other times it has been finances, a meal, clothes, gifts for children and even a car of two. But what we learned is it isn’t the size of the gift, it’s the heart attitude.

“Each one of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give. You should not give if it makes you unhappy or if you feel forced to give. God loves those who are happy to give. 8 And God can give you more blessings than you need, and you will always have plenty of everything. You will have enough to give to every good work. 9 As the Scriptures say,

“He gives generously to the poor;
his goodness will continue forever.”

10 God is the one who gives seed to those who plant, and he gives bread for food. And God will give you spiritual seed and make that seed grow. He will produce a great harvest from your goodness. 11 God will make you rich in every way so that you can always give freely. And your giving through us will make people give thanks to God.” II Corinthians 9:7-11 ERV

Giving is an outreach of God’s heart. It was God the Father who gave the first gift on that Christmas Day. He gave from his heart; He gave his Son! The bigger blessing is in the giving than in the receiving. That’s what God the Father did, He gave His only begotten Son, so that we might have relationship with Him. He gave what He treasured most because of His love for us.

It’s good to give from the heart but this year I desire to give my heart with greater abandon, all of me, to the One who gave all for me!

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The Gift of Potential

Have you ever noticed how God seems to take the unqualified, the uneducated, the common and uses them to accomplish great things? He took Noah, as an old man and made him into a master ship maker. David was just a boy watching sheep and he became a giant slayer. Moses had a speech impediment and he spoke before the pharaoh and delivered the Israelites from Egypt. Peter was a fisherman and he became one of the foundational pillars of Christianity.

“My dear friends, remember what you were when God chose you. The people of this world didn’t think that many of you were wise. Only a few of you were in places of power, and not many of you came from important families. 27 But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame.

28 What the world thinks is worthless, useless, and nothing at all is what God has used to destroy what the world considers important. 29 God did all this to keep anyone from bragging to him. 30 You are God’s children. He sent Christ Jesus to save us and to make us wise, acceptable, and holy.” I Corinthians 1:26-30 CEV

When our kids were little we taught them a song. Had it on cassette tape and would play it over and again while we traveled up and down the road. It was a song that reinforced the potential that we’ve been given by God.

“I am a promise,
I am a possibility
I am a promise with a capital “P”;
I can be anything, anything God wants me to be…

You are a promise!
You are a possibility!
You are a promise with a capital “P”!
You are a great big bundle of potentiality!…

So keep on list’ning, you’ll hear God’s voice,
And keep on tryin’, He’ll help you make the right choices —
You’re a promise to be anything He wants you to be!
I’m a promise to be anything God wants me to be!
You’re a promise to be anything, anything He wants you to be!”

We taught our kids that God has designed each one of us perfectly and that He has a plan and a purpose for our lives. That is so true! But it’s not just a concept that we wanted our kids to embrace, it’s one that we must never forget! At times, we are overwhelmed by what we see around us and amazed that God still has so much in store for us, we just have to listen and follow His plan.

I will continue to pursue the course and plan that God has for me. It’s a gift that is designed specifically for me. Something that might be similar to what He has designed for someone else but this plan has my name on it; it has been custom-built just for me by the Father and I won’t give up until I know that I have accomplished all He has in mind.

He has placed His power within me and it’s my prerogative to release that power or thwart it. Like the electrical switch in my kitchen – I can turn the light on or work in the dark. But when I allow God’s power to work the results are far above anything I could ask for. I see it this way, the Lord is the power source and my potential is the light bulb. It can be small and insignificant like a night light or it can be as brilliant as a flood light. But whatever the wattage, it’s His power that causes the illumination.

“ God once said, “Let light shine out of the darkness!”[a] And this is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts to let us know that his own divine greatness is seen in the face of Christ. 7 We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us.” II Corinthians 4:6-7 ERV

Open the gift of your God given potential today!

“So I bow in prayer before the Father. 15 Every family in heaven and on earth gets its true name from him. 16 I ask the Father with his great glory to give you the power to be strong in your spirits. He will give you that strength through his Spirit. 17 I pray that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. I pray that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. 18 And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. 19 Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you.
20 With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. 21 To him be glory in the church and in IChrist Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21 CEV

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The Gift in the Plain Wrapping

Have you ever bought a gift, the perfect gift, and had to keep it hidden away in the closet or under the bed so that it wouldn’t be found until just the right time? This has been THE most special, spectacular gift ever. You may have even started dropping hints like “you are absolutely going to love the gift I got for you”. The excitement was building! You could hardly wait, the anticipation of giving this wonderful present filled your every thought! But because the gift was so special you knew it didn’t need fancy bows or brightly colored paper, simple and plain was the best – it wouldn’t detract from the gift.

If that has ever been your experience then you know just some of the joy and anticipation that God the Father was feeling on that night when He sent the angels to the fields outside of Bethlehem to herald the news, His gift had arrived!

“That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. 9 All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. 10 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. 11 This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. 12 You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.” Luke 2:8-12 CEV

Enter Jesus, the best gift ever!

“God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” John 3:16 CEV

God had been waiting to give this gift, wrapped in the body of a human baby, since way back in the Garden of Eden. God had enjoyed his relationship with Adam and Eve and would walk and talk with them each day until they sinned and broke that bond. From that time forward God the Father began working on a plan that would restore that relationship.

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

19 What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. 20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. 21 Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.” II Corinthians 5:17-21 CEV

Jesus restored us to the position that we had before Adam sinned. In Christ we are a NEW CREATION – a new creature – like the one that God created in the Garden. Jesus restored us to our place of being created in God’s likeness.

“But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. 5 We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.) 6 Yes, it is because we are a part of Christ Jesus that God raised us from death and seated us together with him in the heavenly places. 7 God did this so that his kindness to us who belong to Christ Jesus would clearly show for all time to come the amazing richness of his grace.
8 I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. 10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” Ephesians 2:4-10 ERV

In Christ we have been made new. It’s not something we work to earn but something we receive freely by grace. Just as Adam, created man, was God’s idea and he did nothing to deserve or even request his creation, it was God’s plan; so is salvation and the restoration of man to a living and loving relationship with the Father God.

So since it’s Christmas, I give you permission to open the best gift you have ever received, the One that came wrapped in muslin cloth and was placed on a bed of hay in a manger – the gift of salvation, of renewed life and relationship with the Father. Open it now and share it with others!

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