Daily Thought: Underwhelmed by Jesus

"Many of us are underwhelmed about the gift of forgiveness and eternal life we have received. We are not graceful people. Knowing Jesus is not nearly so special as it was to these men (the disciples). Meeting a movie star or a sports hero excites us more." ~ William Pile; What The Bible Says About Grace

Daily Thought: Strength to be Faithful

"Hope is anticipation of good not yet here, or as yet 'unseen.' It is of course inseparable from joy. Sometimes the good in question is just deliverance from an evil, which is here. Then 'we are saved by hope' (Romans 8:24; PAR) and 'we rejoice in hope (12:12, PAR), because 'if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it' (8:25).  That eager anticipation strengthens us to stay faithful to God and to stay on the path of what is right." ~ Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart, p. 129

Daily Thought: Seek With Your Whole Heart

"The impotence of the church is greatly due to the fact that this cross-bearing mind of Jesus is so little preached and practiced.  Most Christians  think that as  long as they don't commit actual sin, they are at liberty to possess and enjoy as much of the world as they please.  There is so little insight into the deep  truth that the world, and the flesh that loves the world, is enmity against God. Consequently, many Christians seek and pray for years for conformity to the image of Jesus, yet fail so entirely.  They do not seek with the whole heart to know what it is to die to self and the world." ~  Andrew Murray, The Best of Andrew Murray, p. 111

Celebrating One Night in Bethlehem Day 12

 At Just the Right Time

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:6-8; ESV

One night over 2,000 years ago in the small village of an extraordinary event happened.  In some aspects it didn’t seem very extraordinary, a mother giving birth to a son.  It is something that happens every day. Yet there were some things which marked this event as special and unique.  There was the angel’s message to a young girl that she would give birth to a son, there was the angel army’s proclamation of peace on earth, and the bright star in the sky which led a group of foreign scholars to see and worship this special child.

That one night in Bethlehem still has significance for us today.  It is the birth of Jesus that provides us with evidence that God loves us and that He cares about the circumstances of our lives.  In Jesus we know that God has not abandoned us to the consequences of sin, rather He has orchestrated the events of history to bring restoration to His creation.

As we conclude our Christmas journey I want us to reflect for a moment on the phrase: at the right time Christ.  You see Jesus wasn’t God’s back up plan to rescue a world gone wrong, He was the plan from the very beginning.  God’s choice of Abraham, His guidance of Israel, His call of Zechariah and Elizabeth to be John’s parents, and His choice of Mary and Joseph to raise Jesus are all part of God working through history to restore His fallen creation.

I think at Christmas we can take great comfort in the fact that God is not some distant god who demands our worship or he will send us to hell.  Instead God is very concerned about us and desires that we have a relationship with Him.  In spite of our rebellion God took the initiative to do what was necessary to rescue us from Satan, sin, and death.  When the time was perfect, when the world was ready to receive her savior, God set Jesus to us.  Jesus came not to condemn us, but to save us.  What a glorious thought that is for us.

Before you close this short devotional take a moment to approach God in prayer.  Confess the sin that is holding you back in your walk with Christ, humbly offer yourself to Him as a living sacrifice, and thank Him for not giving up on you and sending Jesus to rescue you from sin.  What a reason we have for celebrating Christmas!

Here is the point I want you to ponder today: Christmas is a time to worship the God who did not give up on us, but took the initiative to save us for sin.

Daily Thought: To Make Dead People Live

"Jesus did not come into this world to make bad people good.  He came into this world to make dead people live.  Those who were dead to God were to be made alive to Him through the work of the Holy Spirit." ~ Ravi Zacharias, Cries of the Heart, p. 112

Celebrating One Night in Bethlehem Day 11

 God With Us

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
Matthew 1:23; ESV

In a world filled with sickness, starvation, murder, violence, abuse, war, death, and all sorts of other evil it is easy to wonder: Where is God?  When life doesn’t turn out according to our plan it feels like God has abandoned us.

That certainly was true for the nation of Israel.  They were God’s chosen people, but because of their repeated disobedience God abandoned them and allowed them to be conquered by other nations.  Israel lived through a period of exile, and even hundreds of years later , during the time of Jesus, they were still controlled by the Roman Empire.

In the midst of exile God inspired the prophet Isaiah to write a prophecy about a special son.  A son who would show Israel, and the world, that God had not abandoned them.

This is the message that we still need to hear.  Jesus is the evidence that we need to show us God continues to be with us.  Yes, there are tough patches and things don’t always work out the way we would like them to, but God is still at work in this world.

How is God working in this world today?  God is working through the body of Christ.  One of the images of the church is that of the Body of Christ.  A key feature, according to the New Testament, about Christ’s Body is the presence of the Holy Spirit.  God is still with us, working in this world, through the Church.

One cool night in Bethlehem God became a man and dwelt among people.  This event opened the way for Holy Spirit to come and the Church to be established.  These two realities ensure that God continues to be with us throughout the centuries.

Here is the thought for you to consider today: Christmas is the celebration of the reality that God is with us.

Celebrating One Night in Bethlehem Day 10

A Journey of Worship

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:1-2; ESV

One of the truths that the Christmas story points to is the truth that Jesus is the King of all the world.  Jesus is not limited to being the messiah, the king, and the savior of the Jews; but he is the king of anyone who will seek Him.  The wise men stand apart from the other people in the Christmas story because they undertook a long journey to find and worship Jesus. 

We face the danger of having the events of Christmas, and even Jesus himself, become so familiar to us that we miss their importance.  Isn’t that what happened to Jews of Jesus’ day?  They had access to the Scriptures that told of the coming messiah, but not only did they miss Jesus’ birth, but they missed Jesus.  The religious leaders were so familiar with the texts and the explanations of those texts that they were unable to see those text being fulfilled right in front of their eyes.

The wise men were not familiar with the Scriptures, but somehow and someway they were looking for something special and God allowed them to make a connection between the star they saw in the sky and the birth of Jesus.  These Gentile scholars may not have been familiar with the Jewish texts, but they were on a search for truth, and that search lead them to Jesus.

As we prepare our hearts for Christmas may the wise men remind us to seek Jesus.  Don’t be so familiar with the story that you miss out on Jesus and what God is doing in the world.  Take some time today to pray.  Ask God to lead you on a journey to see the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done for us.  May we look at this familiar story with fresh eyes and hear it with clear ears.

A second reminder that the wise men give is to remind us that Jesus is the savior of the entire world.  I urge you to pray for a missionary working in another part of the world, a country that might be hostile to Christianity, or a people group that needs to hear the good news of the Gospel.  May we not hoard Jesus rather let us share Him with the world.

Here is the thought I would ask you to consider today: Christmas provides us with an opportunity to seek Jesus in truth and love.

Daily Thought: Forgiveness is Freedom

"Forgiveness is the only cure for wrong.  And hand in hand with 'sense-of-injury' always walks the weak sister-demon 'self-pity,' so dear, so sweet to many.  In short, forgiveness is freedom, forgiveness is liberation of the heart, mind, and soul." ~ George MacDonald, p. 41, The Best of George MacDonald

Daily Thought: We are Helpless

"And so faith always means helplessness.  In many cases it means: I can do it with a great deal of trouble, but another can do it better.  But in most cases it is utter helplessness; another must do it for me.  And that is the secret of the spiritual life." ~ Andrew Murray, Humility and Absolute Surrender, p. 142

Celebrating One Night in Bethlehem Day 9

 The Pondering Heart

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Luke 1:19; ESV

Much had changed in the life of young Mary.  It began with a visit from Gabriel who had the message that she would become pregnant with the Son of God.  The change continued with a visit to her relative Elizabeth who was also miraculously pregnant.  The change climaxed with the birth of Jesus and the events which surrounded the birth: a stable, shepherds, and angels.

In the midst of this change and the flurry of activity around her Mary paused and reflected about the events that had happened in her life.  The shepherds knew something great had happened and they praised God for allowing them to experience it.  The people in Bethlehem that night didn’t know exactly what to do with the shepherds’ story and they returned home puzzled.  Mary understood the events of that night to be a great treasure.  This was a treasure she would continue to return to as she reflected on what God was doing in the world.

Christmas can be a very busy and chaotic time of year.  The programs, gifts, parties, and special worship times can be overwhelming at times as we are tempted just to go through motions of the Christmas season.  Perhaps this year we need to follow the example of Mary and pause to ponder the events of Christmas.

Here are a couple of suggestions to help you reflect on the true treasure that Christmas is to the world.  Make an iTunes playlist of your favorite Christmas Carols and as the songs play think about the meaning of the words being sung.  Music has the power to direct and influence our thoughts, and so we should use it to direct our hearts to think about the true meaning of Christmas.
A second suggestion to help you reflect on the meaning of Christmas is to carve time out of the day, about fifteen to twenty minutes, and read through the first two chapters of Luke.  When you are finished take a few moments to think about what things must have been like for  Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, and finally Jesus (who left the glory of heaven to be born as a human child).  Try to put yourself in their shoes as you reflect on the importance of that one night in Bethlehem.

It is easy to get caught up in the events that surround the Christmas holiday, and that is why it is so important that we intentionally make the time to ponder what happened that first Christmas day. 

The point I want you to remember today is: Christmas provides us with a chance to reflect on what God is doing in the world.

Daily Thought: Our Adventure Begins with the Word

"Don't miss the point: God has not remained silent. He has spoken both through the Word, who has walked among us, and through His Word that He has written to guide us. The adventure begins here." ~ Erwin McManus, Seizing Your Divine Moment

Celebrating One Night Bethlehem Day 8

Peace on Earth

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Luke 2:13-14; ESV

A group of shepherds were watching their flocks on the hills outside of Bethlehem when they were greeted by an angel.  The angel’s message  was to go into town and find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manager.  The angel declares that this baby, born in humble circumstances, is the long awaited Messiah.

If a visit from a lone angel is not enough the sky is suddenly filled with a host of angels singing about God’s peace to the world.  What is interesting about this is that this is not an angelic choir, instead it is an angelic army.  The Greek means, when literally translated, “heavenly army.”  So the picture of the angels’ visit to the shepherds is that of angelic warriors coming, not to make war on humankind, but to declare peace.  The enmity which existed between people and God because of sin was now going to be dealt with and the relationship between the Creator and the creation would be restored.

Part of the good news we receive at Christmas is that God is the God of grace and not vengeance.  He was within His rights to destroy us because we sided with His enemy Satan to bring chaos and destruction to His creation.  We rejected His Kingdom, His ways, and His purposes in order to pursue our own selfish interests and the result is the sinful and messed up world in which we live.

Thank God that He is compassionate and through it all He desired to have a relationship with people.  He did not give up on us, even though we may have given up on Him.  So instead of sending His army to destroy us He sent them to tell us that God was reaching out to us in peace.

It is impossible to avoid conflict in life.  We have had disagreements and fights with people and the result is that the relationships have been strained.  As we prepare for Christmas one of the things that we need to do is reach out to those people who have hurt us.

Take some time today to pray for those people who have hurt you and ask God to help you forgive them.  I would also suggest that you take it a step further and send them a Christmas card, acknowledging  that you have had differences in the past, but you want to put those differences in the past.  Let them know that you will pray for them through the Christmas season.  Christmas should be a time that we reach out to others in peace and in love.

The point to ponder today is: At Christmas we celebrate the reality that we have peace with God by extending peace and forgiveness to our enemies.

Celebrating One Night In Bethlehem Day 7

It Happened Unexpectedly

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luke 2:8; ESV

The night Jesus was born was an ordinary night.  I am certain that the shepherds watching their flocks of sheep outside of Bethlehem were not expecting anything unusual to happen that night.  Most likely they were expecting a night like a hundred other nights they had experienced out in the fields around Bethlehem.

These shepherds were living out their lives totally unaware of what was happening.  They didn’t know about the birth of a baby boy in town, let alone the significance of that birth.  So these ordinary and unsuspecting shepherds were given the shock of their lives when the angel shows up with a message.  Then to add to the experience the army of angels that show up and begin to sing.

That seems to be how God works.  He comes when we least expect and while we are doing the ordinary tasks of life.  That was true with Moses who was spending another day watching sheep when he encountered God through the burning bush. 

Another example would be Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, who was doing his duty as a priest when God sent an angel to talk to him.  Zechariah was not seeking a supernatural encounter, but rather he was being faithful in the role God had given him to play.

Not only did these three encounters all happen unexpectedly, but each also left the people involved in the encounter with a choice to make.  Moses needed to return to Egypt.  Zechariah needed to raise John according to God’s instructions, and the shepherds needed to go into Bethlehem to find the baby Jesus.

God continues to encounter us.  Sure these encounters maybe more subtle than a choir of angels or a burning bush, but God will still communicates His will to us.  These encounters continue to happen in ways and at times that are unexpected. The most important part of an encounter with God is how we respond to His call.  Will we respond like the shepherds who left their flocks in order to search for and worship Jesus? Or will we follow our desires? Each one of us have that choice to make.

The point I would like you to ponder today is: Christmas is a reminder that God shows up unexpectedly to provide guidance for our lives.

Celebrating One Night In Bethlehem Day 6

Obedient Faith

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.
Matthew 1:24; NLT

The one person who I think gets overlooked at Christmas is Joseph.  One reason for this is because we live in a different time and culture than the time and culture of the Gospels.  The result is that we don’t understand the sacrifice that Joseph made to become the husband of Mary and the father of Jesus.

Joseph was a righteous man and therefore he lived his life  according to Scripture.  In the religious culture of Joseph and Mary this made Joseph accepted by the community.  The problem for Joseph came when Mary became pregnant without being married to Joseph.

The punishment for such a thing according to Scripture was stoning, but Joseph found it his heart not to do that to Mary.  He decided he would break the engagement.  Engagement in Joseph and Mary’s culture was a huge commitment, and to break that engagement was a big deal that was equated to getting a divorce.  This solution would enable Joseph to keep his reputation as a righteous man and would allow Mary to keep her life.  Though she would still be shunned as a sinner by the community.

God had not only chosen Mary to raise Jesus, but He had also chosen Joseph.  In a dream an angel told Joseph to marry Mary because she was not a sinner, but was miraculously pregnant by God.  On the basis of God’s request Joseph took Mary as his wife and prepared to help her raise the child.

The result of marrying Mary would be that Joseph would lose his standing in the community as a righteous man.  He would now be labeled a sinner and he would be shunned by the community.  Life would become difficult because the righteous people of the village would not hire the sinner Joseph to do work for them.  The life that Joseph wanted fell apart when he obeyed God.

One of the difficult lessons of Christmas is that a life of faith is not an easy life. There is no doubt that following Jesus is the best way to live, but it is not a guarantee that we will be insulated from the difficulties and pain of life.  It isn’t always easy to follow God, but it is always the best way.  I am willing to bet that Joseph never regretted the decision to marry Mary and help raise Jesus.

The truth I would like you to meditate on today is: At Christmas we are reminded that obedience is often very costly.

Daily Thought: An Act of Wickedness

“To receive the grace of God and yet treat others ungraciously is an act of wickedness” ~ Erwin McManus, Stand Against the Wind, p. 41

Celebrating One Night in Bethlehem Day 5

God can do the Impossible

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Luke 1:37; ESV

One of the facts of life is that nothing creates nothing.  You cannot take nothing and create something out of it.  In other words it is impossible to create using nothing.

Science tells us that our entire universe came into existence with an event called the Big Bang.  The interesting thing about this event is that before it happened it appears nothing existed, not even time, and yet all of sudden everything needed for the existence of the universe and life appeared.  While science has yet to explain how this happened we know that the Bible says; “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1; ESV).

The creation of the universe confirms the truth that the angel Gabriel told Mary: nothing is impossible for God!

Sarah, the wife of Abraham, was 90 years old when she became pregnant with Isaac, the son God promised to the elderly couple.  Age was not a barrier to what God wanted to do.

In the same way Elizabeth became pregnant with John even though she was no longer able to have children.  What appeared to be impossible to people was not a problem for God.

Mary was a young girl and she had never been with a man before, but God put Jesus inside of her to grow and develop like any other baby.  Experience tells us that there needs to be a father and a mother for a baby to be born, but this was not an obstacle for God, the Creator of humankind.

We shouldn’t find it surprising that the Creator of the universe is able to do things that we cannot explain; things that we consider to be impossible.  That is part of being God.  The God we worship is the God who specializes in doing the impossible.

Here is the thought I would like you to consider today: At Christmas we celebrate the impossible actions of God.

Celebrating One Night In Bethlehem Day 4

A Moment in Time

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
Luke 2:1

We like a good story. There is nothing like a good movie to transport us to a different time and place. Many of the stories we like are fiction, and so no matter how realistic a movie seems we know, in the back or our minds, that it isn’t true. 

The Christmas story can, at times, seem like a fictional story.  We may be inspired by it, but it doesn’t seem to have very many implications to our lives.  Luke reminds us that the story of Christmas is not fiction, that it actually happened at a specific time in history.  A significant event happened one night in Bethlehem; an event that would go on to change the world.

Take some time today to examine a nativity scene.  It may not be historically accurate, but each of those figures remind us that the events of Christmas happened to real people who lived in a real place.

Think about what it must have been like to have been Mary, a young girl who was given a huge responsibility.  Think about Joseph, the young man who had his world turned upside down by the announcement that his wife-to-be is pregnant.  Real people who had their lives affected in real ways.

It is easy to hear the Christmas story and forget that is an actual event and something that real people experienced.  The reason this is important to remember is because the fact that it is true is what makes the biggest difference in our lives.  That moment in time changes all the moments after it.  Without the stable in Bethlehem we don’t have Jesus whose life, death, and resurrection are the foundation of our faith.  We also don’t have the 12 apostles, the Church, or the New Testament.  In short, without Bethlehem we are without hope.

Our God is not a god who sits in heaven watching passively the events that happen here on earth.  Our God is the God who intercedes and acts on the behalf of His creation.  He directs the course of history in order to restore that which He loves so much.

The thought to meditate on today is: Christmas is a celebration of the God who intercedes in human history.

Celebrating One Night in Bethlehem Day 3

Day 1: He Loves Us

Day 2: Promise Keeper

Ordinary People

And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”

Luke 1:18

We don’t value the same things that God values. We value things like wealth, beauty, talent, and success. God values things like love, faith, hope, and joy. I think that is one reason we are surprised at the type of people God uses.

Take David for example. He was the youngest son of a large family, he was small for his age, and his brothers seemed to have him beat in the talent and looks department. When the old prophet Samuel came to name the next king of Israel David wasn’t even called in from the field. The one God had chosen to be king was left outside watching over the sheep, because no one on earth considered him to be king material.

The old priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were ordinary as well. There wasn’t anything special about them. They were from a small town, were not wealthy, and did not have any children. Yet, it was this old faithful couple that God chose to raise the prophet John, whom we know as John the Baptist. John was God’s chosen instrument to prepare the way of Jesus.

Joseph and Mary were ordinary as well. They did not have great wealth or power, but rather they came from an extremely small village that other Jews overlooked: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46). Yet, it was this young but faithful couple God chose to raise Jesus.

I think this is part of the Christmas story that should give us a lot of I think this is part of the Christmas story that should give us a lot of hope.  When we evaluate ourselves against the standard the world uses we realize that we are not superstars.  There are people who are more attractive, have more degrees, have higher IQs, and have more money.  According to the world’s estimation we don’t seem to be very suited to make a difference in this world, but God sees us in a different light.  He doesn’t look at what we have to offer Him, but rather He looks at our heart. God desires people who live by faith and seek to serve Him.  God wants to use ordinary people, people like you and me, to change the world.

This is the point I want you to ponder today: Christmas reminds us that God uses ordinary people to change the world.

Daily Thought: We are at War

“Friends, we are now in the midst of an epic battle, a brutal and vicious war against and Enemy who knows his time is short.  Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not.” ~ John Eldredge

Daily Thought: Being Fully Alive

“When the Spirit of God envelops your soul, your spirit comes alive, and everything changes for you.  You are no longer the same.  And to those who cannot see the invisible, to those who refuse to believe it exists, the path you choose, the life you live, may lead them to conclude that you are not simply different but insane.  People who are fully alive look out of their minds to those who simply exist.” ~ Erwin McManus, The Barbarian Way, p. 69

Celebrate Jesus

As a Christian Christmas is both a wonderful and dreadful experience. It is wonderful because of the reality behind the celebration. It is dreadful because of the pressure to buy gifts, not because we want to, but because it is expected. Too often, as it has been said time and time again, the wonderful part of Christmas is overlooked and consumed by the dreadful part of Christmas.

The question I often ask myself is: Is it worth it?  Is it worth dealing with the long lines at the mall?  Is it worth worrying about the perfect present?  Is it worth it wondering if you should buy a gift for this person or that one?  Is it worth going to party after party?

Lets face it the things of Christmas often become the focus of Christmas, and when this happens I have admit that it isn’t worth it.  Going into debt to buy presents isn’t worth it.  Running ourselves to the point of exhaustion isn’t worth it.  Standing in line after line isn’t worth.  When we make the things of Christmas the point of Christmas, this holiday just is not worth celebrating.  When Christmas becomes about decorations and gifts then the point of celebration is gone and we might as well forget about this wonderful holiday.

A part of me wouldn’t mind forgetting Christmas altogether.  Jesus didn’t tell us to remember Him by celebrating His birth.  Part of what Christmas is is an example of Christians redeeming a pagan holiday to worship Jesus. 

Since there isn’t a Biblical mandate to celebrate the birth of Jesus means we don’t have to celebrate Christmas.  So I want to give you permission not to feel guilty about not living up to expectations of the holiday.  We don’t have to celebrate Christmas and we can be good Christian people even if we decided not to celebrate the holiday.

With that being said I do think Christmas is an important holiday to celebrate. One of the reasons I feel this way is because of the fuss that was made over Jesus when He was born.  Let me give you three examples of what I am talking about.

The first example is found in Luke 2:8-20.  There were some shepherds out in the fields watching the sheep, and then an angel shows up and tells them about the birth of a special baby in Bethlehem.  Then, and here is when it gets interesting, the armies of heaven show up, praising God.  This really is significant when we connect this to Revelation 12 where John tells us about a woman giving birth and the dragon who tired to destroy her son as she gave birth, and that there was a war in heaven and Michael and his angels defeated Satan and his demons.  A great spiritual war surrounded the birth of Jesus.

The shepherds, only aware of what the angel said, found the baby boy just as they were told. They worshipped Him and then told everyone they met what had happened.  Though because they were shepherds they weren’t trusted (shepherds were considered to be untrustworthy).  A fuss was made over Jesus when He was born.

The second example is found in the rest of chapter 2 of Luke.  According to Jewish custom the baby Jesus needed to be presented at the Temple and be dedicated to the Lord.  Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the Temple and they encountered an old man.  This old man was named Simeon and was a very righteous man.  God had revealed to him that he would not die until he was able to see the Messiah.  When he saw baby Jesus he took Jesus from the arms of His parents and praised God, saying:

29 “Master, now you are allowing your servant to leave in peace
according to your word.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you prepared for all people to see—
32 a light that will reveal salvation to the Gentiles
and bring glory to your people Israel.” (ISV)

Mary and Joseph were amazed at what was being said about their child, but if that wasn’t enough there was also an old lady named Anna.  This lady was a prophet and basically lived at the Temple.  And while Simeon was praising God for Jesus Anna began telling people about Jesus and how He was the Messiah, the long awaited king of Israel.  A fuss was made over Jesus at the Temple.

The last example is found in Matthew 2:1-18.  Some wise men from the east saw a star.  Because they had study some Jewish teaching they connected this star with the birth of the Messiah.  They began to travel west in search of the promised King.  They could have been traveling up to two years in search of this special child.  When they finally found this small family in Bethlehem they presented the tiny King of Kings with special gifts.

Angels, shepherds, special prophecies, a long journey by gentile scholars, and expensive gifts are but the tip of the iceberg of the fuss that have been made about Jesus.  From the Biblical text it is apparent that a fuss was made about Jesus at His birth because people believed He was special.  I believe that the same is true today.  The only way we will cut through all the distractions of Christmas and focus on Jesus is if we believe He is worth the effort.  If not we will continue on with the traditional Christmas rush and wonder why we even bother.

Daily Thought: Having a Close Walk with God

"This is how he honors us.  When God created each of us, he gave us a will, and that beautiful and mysterious inner life we call the soul.  Just as you would want to give your growing son or daughter room to make his or her own decisions, God steps back a bit to let us make ours.  These simple moments of decision are filled with significance.  When I choose to avoid whatever it is God has brought up, something in me weakens.  Something feels compromised.  It is at least a refusal to mature.  But it is also a refusal to step toward God.  Thankfully, the opposite is true.  When I choose to face the uncertain, admit the neglect, or enter into my fears, something in me grows up a little bit.  I feel strengthened.  The scales tip toward a closer walk with God."~ John Eldredge, Walking with God, p.65

Daily Thought: The Problem Begins with Us

“The salvation of the nation has little to do with Washington or Hollywood—it has to do with the people of God! If God’s people do not sense that the problem is with them, then America does not stand a chance of revival or survival.” ~ Henry Blackaby, Holiness, p. 21

Bringing about Change

Influence is the way we help to bring change about in the lives of other people. This is true not only for us personally but also for communities and nations. The change we long to see happen in the lives of other people, in our communities, in our churches, and in our nation begins with our influence.

One of the killers of influence is power or authority. When we seek to bring about change based on our power or the position we hold we will ultimately fail to see the results we hoped to have. People may adhere as long as we are there to enforce obedience, but they will not comply when our backs are turned. A change of heart can't take place by force and resentment quickly replaces any influence we may have had.

Looking at the life of Jesus we notice He sought to bring about change based on influence. He is the one person who could have rightly demanded obedience and yet He sought to influence people by showing them respect and compassion and then providing them with a choice.

Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the apostles, and Zacchaeus (just to name a few) are people who were influenced by Jesus and decided (except Judas) to give their lives to Him. By showing them respect and compassion Jesus was able to allow these people to discover who He really was.

What we find in Jesus in in stark contrast to what we read in the Old Testament. The Ten Commandments and all the other laws given to direct Israel's daily life could not bring about change. These people continually turned away from God, even after witnessing awesome displays of His power.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons the writer of Hebrews wrote: If the first covenant had been faultless there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it (Hebrews 8:7; NLT). This doesn't mean that God made a mistake by establishing the first covenant. One of the things it does mean is that God was trying to show us the inadequacies of the ways we want to do things. Law cannot bring about salvation and Power cannot change a person's heart. God wants us to realize that every other way is inferior to the way of Jesus.

Jesus' way to bring about change is not about power, but humility and service. It isn't about authority but about influence. It is the way of the Lion who became a Lamb who was Killed (Revelation 5:5,6). Jesus gave up His power and gave His life away in order to influence people so that they might choose to change.

Change is not going to happen as the result of laws and political power, but through the influence brought about by humble and compassionate service. We will only see the change we want to happen in this country when we trust God enough to do it His way. The way of the ballot box and political clout is the way of the world, the path of Jesus is influence due to giving our lives away.

Daily Thought: Someone We Can't Manage

"The search to discover God requires that we abandon ourselves, that we give up control of what matters most, and that we place our confidence in Someone we cannot manage. These requirements are as vital as they are difficult." ~ Larry Crabb, Shattered Dreams, p. 107

God Uses Our Pain

We have heard it said that every thing happens for a reason. While I don't know if that is exactly true I am certain that any circumstance we face can be used for good. If we allow God to lead us He will redeem even the worst experiences of our lives.

That is the example we have with Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers and then imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. After he became second-in-command in Egypt and help save thousands of lives by preparing for the drought God told him would come. In this same way he was able to save his brothers. Joseph told these men; "But don't be angry with yourselves that you did this to me, for God did it. He sent me hear ahead of you to preserve your lives" (Genesis 45:5; NLT). God used the evil actions of Joseph's brothers to get Joseph right where Joseph needed to be.

Joseph was able to see how God continued to work through the evil in his life to bring about God's plan. Yet Joseph only experienced this wonderful blessing because he continued to obey God through it all. Joseph would have missed the "reason" for his suffering if he did not remain faithful to God.

When we are faced with evil circumstances in our lives we have the option to give up and participate in the sin which we find all around us or we can resolve to go with God no matter what happens. The problem with the second choice is that it could take years before we see the light at the end of the tunnel, and along the way there will be many more opportunities to give up.

This is why it is so important to have people in our lives who will encourage us and help us along the right path (one reason I find Joseph so amazing is that he remained faithful to God even though he lacked the support system of other God Followers). The writer of Hebrews reminds us:

Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God
can be trusted to keep his promises. Think of ways to encourage one another
to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting
together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near (Hebrews 10:23-35; NLT).

In this evil world bad things happen, dreams shatter, and hearts are broken. It is a reality of life and so we need to remember that God will redeem these thing if we are faithful to Him. He will use the worst and most painful experiences in our lives for good. God will not let the pain of His children go to waste.

Daily Thought: You are a Theologian

“Every Christian is a theologian.  Whether consciously or unconsciously, each person of faith embraces a belief system.  And each believer, whether in a deliberate manner or merely implicitly, reflects on the content of these beliefs and their significance for Christian life” ~ Stanely Grenz, Theology for the Community of God, p. 1

Daily Thought: Instruments of God's New Creation

"The point of following Jesus isn't simply so that we can be sure of going to a better place than this after we die. Our future beyond death is enormously important, but the nature of the Christian hope is such that it plays back into the present life. We're called, here and now, to be instruments of God's new creation, the world-put-to-rights which has already been launched in Jesus and of which Jesus's followers are supposed to be not simply beneficiaries but also agents." ~ N.T. Wright

Celebrating One Night In Bethlehem Day 2

 Day 1: He Loves Us

A Promise Keeper


Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12:1-3; ESV

One of the results of a promise is hope.  If a father promises his son that he will attend the son’s basketball game the son has hope that he will see his father there.  Promises give people hope.

This is very important to remember because life without God is a hopeless experience.  We live in a world that is messed up with evil, sin, and death.  In a world without God death is the ultimate reality for all of us, and that is true no matter how rich or how moral we are.  Death will eventually rob us of all that we have.

We have to understand the hopelessness of life to appreciate the hope found in God’s promise.  The promise God made to Abram (whose name was changed to Abraham) is that all the nations of the earth will be blessed through his descendant.  This was not a promise that was limited to a few people, but this was a promise for the entire world.

The Old Testament is the written account of God using one specific nation to bring about His promise.  A promise that God fulfilled one night in the small village of Bethlehem when angels proclaimed the birth of that descendant of Abraham through whom God promised to bless all the nations of the world.

The promise God gave to Abraham provided the people of Israel hope that one day God would come and make everything right. Even in exile there was hope because the prophets reminded the Israelites of God’s promise. 

The fact that God kept His promise by sending Jesus gives us hope that one day Jesus will return and we will finally experience life the way God intended it to be lived.

This is the point I want you to ponder today: At Christmas we celebrate the promise God kept.

Daily Thought: Working through Our Weakness

“Sometimes, when your worst fears of inadequacy are confirmed and you discover that you really are out of your league, you experience the liberation of realizing that it is okay to be inadequate and that God wants his power to flow through your weakness.” ~ John Ortberg

Daily Thought: At Just the Right Time

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.  ~ Romans 5:6-11; ESV

Celebrating One Night In Bethlehem Day 1

He Loves Us

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16; ESV

Why does one night, which happened over 2,000 years ago, in the tiny town of Bethlehem matter to us?

There is a lot of effort put into celebrating this event.  We put up decorations, buy gifts, attend numerous parties and events, and eat a variety of yummy food. I think we can agree that Christmas is a wonderful time of year.

The problem that many of us face is that with all the effort we put into the celebration and all the money we spend to show our love to friends and family the true reason for the season seems to escape us.  Year after year Christmas seems to become more about the festivities rather than the true purpose of the celebration.

Over the next twelve days I want to help you to be intentional about focusing on the reason why one night in Bethlehem is worth all this effort.  Christmas is not worth celebrating because we have the joy of giving and receiving gifts or because we have fun with friends and family.  The reason we celebrate Christmas begins with the wonderful reality that God loves us.

I know we have heard it a hundred different times, but it is true, and ultimately it is God’s love that is reason behind Christmas.

Imagine what it means for God to love you.  The image the comes to my mind is the image of God putting an arm around my shoulder and whispering in my ear, “I am proud of you!”

What is the image that comes to your mind?  Is it God inviting you to sit on His knee? Is it God running towards you with His arms open wide? How do you long for God to reveal His love to you?

The image of God’s love that we receive at Christmas is the image of God giving us the most precious gift, the one thing that we truly needed, His One and Only Son.  Jesus is the personification of God’s love.

This is the point that I want you to meditate on today: Christmas is a celebration of God’s love.

Daily Thought: God Will Work

"The cause of the weakness of your Christian life is that you want to work it our partly, and let God help you.  And that cannot be done.  You must come to be utterly helpless, to let God work, and God will work gloriously." ~ Andrew Murray

No One Like Him

{Mark 1:21-28}

And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God. But Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be silent, and come out of him!  And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him. And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

Living two thousand years after Jesus and in a totally different culture it is easy to miss just how amazing and different Jesus appeared to those who saw and listened to Him.  Sure we see Jesus as special, but He isn’t the radical and the pioneer that His original audience saw Him to be.

The validation for the teachings of the scribes and rabbis of Jesus’ day were found in the traditional teachings of Judaism.  They would constantly refer back to what the teachers of old had to say.  While there is a lot to commend about this practice, for it reminds us that those who have gone before us had wisdom, it can also lead us not to look at Scripture in a new and fresh way.

Jesus came preaching and teaching, and the people were impressed.  They weren’t impressed with His scholarship, sought validation for His teachings in the teachers of the past, but with His authority.  He taught and His teaching carried with it personal authority, as if He knew the meaning of the text, without the aid of the wisdom of the ages.  Jesus was able to teach with authority, because He knew the true meaning of the text, and so He was able to teach the truth of it rather than someone’s interpretation of it.

There were exorcists in Jesus’ day.  To deal with unclean spirits they used elaborate prayers, chants, and special instruments.  There was a certain ritual that had to be followed if a person was going to be free from the harassment of a demon,

Jesus comes along and He confronts demons.  He doesn’t resort to some ritual, but He simply speaks and the demon leaves.  There is something about Jesus which compels the demons to obey.  Jesus has authority even over the dark forces found in this world.

The Jews of Jesus’ day, if they heard His teaching and witnessed His miracles, understood that He was not an ordinary man.  They recognized that Jesus was a man of authority, and so many people labeled Him as a prophet, a man chosen and used by God.

On this side of the resurrection we recognize that Jesus’ authority came from the reality that He is in fact God in flesh.  That His authority of the text was the fact that He was God’s Word incarnate and that His authority of demons was due to the reality of being the Son of God.  The authority of Jesus is evidence that He was more than a good teacher, but that He was the Promised One.  There is no one that can match His authority of Scripture or over the spiritual world.  With that thought in mind I want to leave you with this question: Do you recognize Jesus’ authority in your life?

Daily Thought: Who We Are

"Actions are not impostions on who we are, but are expressions of who we are.  They come out of our heart and the inner realities it supervises and interacts with." ~ Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart, p. 39

A Prayer: Seek God's Kingdom

Matthew 6:33

Lord God
I pause right now to return my focus to You.  Life has a way of stealing my focus as I am distracted by responsiblities, entertainments, and emergencies.  Rather than seeking Your Kingdom and Your righteousness I seek after my own concerns.  Forgive me for not trusting You.

The reality is that it is impossible for me to seek after Your Kingdom.  I have not the dedication or the faith to follow after Jesus in love and obedience.  That is why I plead to You today to add to my belief faith and to my good intentions commitment and to my desire love.  I need Your help if I am to seek Your Kingdom and righteousness, I cannot do it on my own!  Guide me through this life and bring me into Your Kingdom.  That is my heart's desire.

Thank Your Father for Your love and forgiveness.  It is in Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Daily Thought: Quiet Power

"The quiet power of a life transformed by the grace of God is so explosive that it can redirect the course of human events." ~ Richard Foster, Life with God, p. 149

A Follower or Fan

Erwin McManus wrote:

"We cannot assume that we are living a life of genuine submission to God simply because we do what God says when we are in agreement. The real test of submission is when we disagree, when we don't like what God has said because it goes contrary to our personal interests or desires. If we find ourselves unwilling to submit to truth in those cases, then we are living by truth not because we agree with God, but because God agrees with us."

It is easy to follow Jesus when we agree with what He says. Many people who claim to be Christians follow the morality of Jesus, but they do not take the risks that God has asked them to make. Living a moral life is not following Jesus. There are many people in the world who live moral lives, but are not Christians. We can agree with what Jesus has said, but that doesn't make us His followers.

To be a follower of Jesus requires a submission to His will. It is not just about living a moral life and agreeing with His teachings, but it is about doing His will even when it makes no sense to us. Faith is not demonstrated merely when we do the things God has commanded us to do that makes sense to us, but doing those things God has said that makes absolutely no sense. Through this type of living we learn to trust God more than we trust ourselves.

As they were walking along someone said to Jesus, "I will follow you no matter where you go.

"But Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head."

He said to another person, "Come, be my disciple."

The man agreed, but he said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father."
Jesus replied, "Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead. Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God."

Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family."
But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of the God."  (Luke 9:57-62; NLT)

There were many people who wanted to follow Jesus, but Jesus reminded them what was expected of them. It wasn't just about following Jesus, witnessing miracles, listening to His teachings, and being part of a spiritual group. To follow Jesus meant to give up everything and do God's will. It is at this point that separates the followers of Jesus from the fans of Jesus. It is the difference between merely believing and faith.

To really have faith in Jesus means that we do the things that don't make sense to us. In no longer about our safety and dreams, but rather it is about doing God's will. When we learn to trust Jesus even when we don't understand the reasons or when we don't agree with God that is what faith is all about. That is when we are truly following Jesus.