Can we cross the bend in the road?

It would be very neat and tidy if everyone we spoke with came from the same context, background, and cultural setting as ourselves. But such is not the case and therein lies our challenge if we would be proclaimers of the Gospel. When Jesus called his disciples to reach Samaria [Acts 1:8], for instance, he exposed them to a challenging mission because the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans [John 4:9]. Can you imagine what this would have done to Peter or James and John? To obey the Lord, they must count as their neighbors those they were taught all their lives to hate! The Apostle Paul loved his own people, yet God sent him primarily to the Gentiles. This meant that Paul was going to have to cross the bend in the road from a total Jewish context and background. He needed to communicate to pagans in a way of thinking they could understand so that the Gentiles would "get" the Gospel message.
Tim Keller stated that "an absence of biblical literacy affects the way people hear our sermons." He gives the following example: "I spoke for a group of young people in the midwestern US in which I observed from the book of Acts that 'Stephen was stoned to death.' Murmers and smiles emerged; heads turned and eyes met. I wondered at the low rumbles of commotion. Then it dawned on me: when I said 'Stephen was 'stoned to death,' the young people heard the word stoned through their cultural contexts- the euphoric sensation a person on drugs experiences.  They heard "Stephen overdosed on drugs and died."  Our culture knows less and less of the Bible, so we are going to have to cross the bend in the road so that they understand what we are talking about.
Even more,  people must be around us for a while to get to know the reality behind what we say. With increased credibility of testimony we can cross the bend in the road.  Are you ready to cross the bend in the road?  Think it through!

Do you know if you are drifting?

Dave Harvey in his book Rescuing Ambition says "Drifters don't always know they're drifting."  Have you ever floated on the waves at the beach unaware that the tide is taking you out to sea. You don't see what is happening because you have been lulled into the rocking motion of the waves, just relaxing and letting go. Suddenly someone on shore calls out "Hey, you are drifting out too far." Sometimes people say to me that you don't have to go to church to be a Christian.  The problem with that statement is this: when you come to Christ, being with the church is a desire placed by the Spirit of God into your spiritual DNA. You just want to be with the people of God. That is one of the great "life-signs" of true converstion. No,  going to church does not save you, but it is one indication that you have the real thing.
When truly converted it is then that we learn that God has designed the church family in part to keep us from drifting. Hebrews 10:24-25 speaks of the necessity of gathering together so we can be encouraged, exhorted, and warned. Apathetic attitudes, cooled off passions, and casual approaches to the body of Christ all set us drifting toward the fringe and that can become a dangerous habit in our lives.
Now I am the first to admit that the church is not perfect and it will fail at times. But here's the thing. It belongs to Christ and is the only game in town for keeping us from the drift. It is there you learn the word of God. It is there you rub elbows with others on the same journey.
 Take a look at the shore. Are you drifting?  No drifting ends well. Stay connected and involved in the body of Christ.  Kill the drift.  Think it through!

Should I be concerned about my conscience?

Sometimes we believers easily dismiss the issue of our conscience because we know that it can be hardened [seared-I Tim. 4:2] and reshaped into something not reliable. The conscience can be ignored through shipwrecking the faith [I Tim. 1:19-20]. Yet Paul the apostle exhibited a great concern for his own conscience. He instructed Timothy to hold a good conscience as he stood firm in the faith. Paul taught that church leadership must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience [ I Tim. 3:9]. Yet for Paul it become more personal. He substantiated his own ministry by his conscience: "I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience" [II Tim. 1:3]. In Acts 23:1 Paul courageously took his stand before the Sanhedrin and while looking them straight in the eye, he declared: "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." In the next chapter [Acts 24:16] Paul while standing before Governor Felix confidently proclaimed: "So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. To the Romans Paul voiced his amazing affirmation of love for his people Israel as genuine because he spoke it with a clear conscience: "I speak the truth in Christ--I am not lying--my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit."

H. L. Mencken defined conscience as "the inner voice which warns us that somebody may be looking." Mencken missed something here. A godly man with a good conscience will do the will of God in spite of who is or is not watching and in spite of what people may or may not say.

It was David that prayed in Psalm 139 for God to search his heart and try it that there would be found no wicked way in him. He went on to pray that God would lead him in the way everlasting. The conviction of the Holy Spirit coupled with a tender conscience is a powerful force for godly living in an age of "hardened" consciences.

Have you prayed lately for a searching of the heart so that your conscience is clear? Is there something in your family life, or church relationships or vocational habits that is violating your conscience? Are you ready to "come clean"? Think it through!

Is Jesus someone with "Man-Skin?"

I was listening recently to a radio program in which the person of Christ was under discussion. The dialogue concluded that Christ was a person with "man-skin." I was greatly disturbed by that description of Christ because it diminishes the reality of Christ's true personality as taught in Scripture. Though I hope the people in dialogue did not mean to cloud the issue of who Christ really is, the expression of Christ as being a person with "man-skin" does not describe Christ at all in his humanness. Christ is not a man in disguise...a being with "man skin" on him. He truly became man [with no sin] without ceasing to become God. He was not masquerading as a man, as if you put on human flesh like a suit. He truly became man [Phil. 2:5-9]. The significance of Christ's coming as truly man has incredible redemptive implications. To represent me as my Savior, he must be fully man. To stand in the gap as man's sinful substitute before God, He must also be able to represent a Holy God [which he does because He is fully God as well]. The God-Man is the only way to describe Jesus. I think the terminology that depicts Jesus as a person with "man-skin" [though it may sound cute, clever, and catchy] does a great disservice to the person of Christ and all that the Scripture teaches about Him. We must be very careful how we describe the Son of God, our Savior. Think it through!!

Should I be worried about an idol in my life?

We need not wrestle with whether we have or have had an idol. Tim Keller in his book Counterfeit Gods defines an idol as "anything that becomes more fundamental than God to your happiness, meaning in life, and identity." He goes on to say that a fake god is "anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living." Keller sums up the power of an idol like this: "We do not control ourselves. We are controlled by the lord of our lives."
Are you feeling a bit uncomfortable about now? Yes, we have had idols. We fight idolatry continually. Our minds are drawn to what we make, feel, and see. G. K. Beale in his book We Become what we Worship observes that "All humans have been created to be reflecting beings, and they will reflect whatever they are ultimately committed to, whether the true God or some other object in the created order."
Why should I be worried about an idol in my life? For starters the Bible says that our God is intolerant of disloyalty [jealous]. Isa. 42:8 says ""I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images."
God views anything in my life that commands the major sum of my energies as a rival to Himself. Idols are distractions. But they are more than just distractions. They consume our money, energies, and our plans. God wants us to always make a distinction between himself as the Creator, and the finite creation that He has made. To run after the gifts and ignore the giver is to walk the path of idolatry. There is another name for what we are talking about. Idolatry sounds serious, but worship... that sounds like crossing the line. And that is the point of Ex. 20:3-5"You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image...You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God..."
What is it that rocks your boat, that makes you worry or become frustrated or angry? That is an idol because it is pulling you away from God and placing itself in God's stead in your life? Take the other side: What is it that makes you feel accepted, loved, even valued and temporarily, at least, happy? If it is not God, then you have an idol. Idols cannot stay. God will do surgery on us, sometimes without anesthetic. It is better that we throw out the "bums" and return to the only one worthy of God-status in our lives. Do it now. Think it through.

Can good theology save your life?

Strictly speaking good theology is what the Bible says about God and his will and his character. It was Jesus who said that the truth will set us free. Today our world follows what has been called the false trinity of tolerance, diversity, and pluralism. It is only the truth of God that sets men free. It is good biblical theology that speaks of God as holy and we human creatures as sinful. Good theology says that God has a plan to redeem men from their state of sin and that plan centers on the person of Christ and his redemptive death on the cross. Bad theology leads us to believe we are ok and that the cross is overrated.
After we come to Christ, Jude tells us in his letter in v. 20 that we are to build ourselves up in our most holy faith. Our faith is "holy" because it comes from a holy God. We do not have the right to change the Christian faith just because we find it uncomfortable or unpopular. To redress and modify God's truth will lead us into all kinds of harmful and dangerous practices. In fact it can be eternally devastating. God's truth protects us because it leads us to His perfect will for His creatures. Good theology says God is good and faithful. What is happening to me is not some slip in the cosmic fabric of the universe but the caring hands of my God molding my life for the greatest blessing of all. God has a purpose and God loves sinners in spite of their sin. That truth leads me to drop my defenses and embrace by faith God's invitation to be rescued. So many things do not last here, yet good theology says "God's mercies endure forever." That is what the Bible teaches and that's good theology. And it does save our lives! We need not live in despair, in doubt, in hopeless anguish, and in fear that nothing in this world is real. Believe the truth. Count on it. Good theology will save your life. Think it through.

Can we make it?

After going through a hard time, have you ever had anyone say to you words like "How are you making it?" or "Are you going to make it?" Those questions are meant to be supportive and emphathetic. But the reality is that we really can't make it on our own. Roy Lessin in one of his essays observed the following: "God knew we could never buy our way to Him---the COST was too great. We could never earn our way to Him-- the TASK was too great. We could never will our way to Him--the COMMITMENT was to great. God knew we could never come to Him...SO HE CAME TO US!" Life has been crippled permanently by our sin. We must deal daily with the fall-out of our wayward journey. The pains and wrinkles that creep up on us are constant reminders that we are not making it. The sorrows & set-backs slam us into the reality of helplessness. We curse, twist our hands, slam our fists into the invisible wall of hopeless inevitability The world is falling apart around us to varying degrees everyday and in spite of what the therapists tell us about reaching deep within our being to find solutions, we know that we are not going to make it ultimately. Someone else outside our framework must reach in and pluck us out of our dilemma. Enter...the Christmas story. God coming in Christ to people who could not make it...that's us! Christ came for the express purpose of bringing glory to God by doing His will in the matter of our rescue from sin! We were not making it, and He lifted us up by his own might and power through his death on the cross. Can we make it? Accept the fact you cannot. Only when one comes to Christ can anyone make it! "When we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly" [Romans 5:6]. Think it through!

Can you escape worry?

Worry really is saying "I don't trust God." It is "sheep that have become suspicious of the Shepherd." Jesus declares in Matthew 6 that you cannot serve [give all your energy to] God and money...or clothes, or food, or drink.... Serving must be an expression of trust. The one to whom you are devoting your time and effort is one that you can rely on implicitly. James M. Boice used to say that when we worry we have allowed ourselves to overlook the way God takes care of the rest of his creation. Jesus says take a look at the birds or the length of the hours of your life, or the wild flowers out in the fields. Who takes responsibility for all that transpires in creation? God. Does it make sense that if God created us and saved us that He will not care for us? James Boice also made the following observation: "The future is in God's hands and will be managed perfectly by God whether you worry about it or not." The next time you worry ask yourself...hey, what happened to trust? Just who am I serving? Think it through!

Irrelevant?

When Moses informed God that he could not possibly be the one to confront Pharaoh on the mission of demanding the release of the Israelites, his reasons ranged from "they will not listen to me" to "I am not eloquent...I have [lit] a heavy mouth & a heavy tongue [Exodus 3-4]. It is rather humerous to listen to Moses debate God rather eloquently and then see him advance an argument to God that he was NOT eloquent. In your Bible I would ask you to write the word "irrelevant" next to Exodus 4:10. God's response was that He made Moses mouth and would teach him what to say. The reality was that Moses took too much on himself to believe that his eloquence was the key to the release of Israel from their slavery. It borders on subtle insanity to think that our gifts are the key ingredient to the success of any task or ministry for God. Repeatedly God told Moses throughout his preparatory period that it would be God's hand and God's power and God's sovereignty that would force Pharaoh's hand (Exodus 3:7-8; 3:16-17; 3:19-21; 4:11; 6:1; 6:5-8; 7:1;7:4-5). Moses only had to obey God's commands to deliver the message.
God warned Moses that Pharaoh would not listen (Exodus 7:4). If you were informed that what you would do and say in your ministry to God would not be observed to be successful, the temptation to quit would be overwhelming. It seems Moses wrestled with that...especially when the burdens increased upon his people as a result of the first unsuccessful attempt to secure their release from Pharaoh [Exodus 5]. But back to that "irrelevant" thing. In your Bible I would ask you to write the word "irrelevant" next to Exodus 7:4a. The issue is not whether the outcome is successful. It makes no difference whether Pharaoh listens or not. The issue is...do what God says. That is where we all, as believers, must live! Our productivity and our success lies not in what happens after the fact, but what happens before the fact...obedience to His word... His command. Let that word "irrelevant" resonate in your minds for a while, espeically when you are tempted to trust your own gifts and abilities as those ingredients necessary to make the difference. Think it through!

Will you have a Christmas "break-through?"

Most believers do not need convinced that Christ himself should dominate all of our Christmas gatherings and Christmas plans. Yet even believers can become easily preoccupied. After all getting together with family, exchanging gifts, eating a great meal, and laughing, sharing, recalling memories of former Christmas gatherings, and just that wonderful sense of being together is part of what makes Christmas for us. Let me just raise some simple questions that may help us keep on track this year:
Do we have presence or just presents?
Christ is consciously present among us when we are made aware of him through prayer & time in the Word of God. When during your family gathering do you intentionally make time to pray together & share the word together? Your children will long remember those "set aside" moments during all the family gatherings when Christ was brought to the center. We can have "presents" w/out the consciousness of His presence.
Do we sing or just sting?
How many times do you hear of families that avoid one another during the holidays or do not speak or communicate. Even if they are together, sooner or later an argument or harsh words erupt. As believers we must find a reason to sing, instead of looking for ways to sting one another. If Christ is "the reason for the season" then we must find ways to model his presence in our lives. In every crowd that Jesus joined in the New Testament, even with the hostile, he made a difference for good in that setting. Our preoccupation with Christ's presence in us humbles us and removes the arrogance in our hearts as to who is right or wrong in the strained relationships. After all Jesus came as the healer of human hearts! And if we can communicate that with grace the sting will be replaced with a song. But remember, the change begins first in my own heart.
Do we have inward or just outward joy?
What is it that brings the real smile to your face? Is it what you received or gave? Is it whether all treated you well, or that you were able to share with others? Does the joy come from the reality that Christ came and set you free to live as God intended for you to live? Or does the joy come only when all the pieces are put together to your liking? Can you enjoy the things that do not go as planned, realizing God may have another, better plan than the one you tried to put into place? The angels told the shepherds in Luke 2 that the message they brought to them was a message of great joy...is it that to you? Or do you need another stimulus to create inward joy? Outward joy without inward joy is a short-lived sham. Gratitude coupled with grace...ie knowing that all we have been given in Christ has come as a result of grace...nothing we deserved but all given freely by this incredible God in Christ ignites inward joy that spills over into the real thing outwardly.
SO...will you have a Christmas "break-through?" Think it through.

Can you sin without suffering?

J. Sidlow Baxter, a godly pastor from another generation said: "We cannot sin without suffering." Yet we live in a culture that takes issue with that statement. If I fail financially, I have the right to be bailed out. If I fail morally, I have the right to a fresh start...no strings. If I lose my job through carelessness or dishonesty, I have the right to another job of equal qualilty and benefits. But the Bible paints an entirely different scenerio. Over and over again in Scripture we are confronted with the reality of sin followed by suffering. Elisha's servant, Gehazi, can testify to the truth of the sin/suffering syndrome. He lied to Naaman regarding the reason for taking money from him, falsely representing Elisha the prophet. He lied to Elisha about his journey to ask for money from Naaman. He ended up with Naaman's leprosy [ II Kings 5]. Suffering follows sin.
In every city in America there are signs of sin followed by suffering. We have hospitals, clinics, de-tox centers, and funeral homes. There are crimes of violence, murder, as well as stealing, cheating, & embezzeling...all leading to the suffering of victims and their families.
When God planned redemption for sinners, the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross was a necessity. Christ took our place, suffering for our sins for He had none of his own. The only way that the suffering for sin can be mitigated is through Christ Himself. Christ must save me from my sins. He alone gives grace for the consequences of sins committed. He alone atones for and removes the guillt and condemnation that my sin rightly deserves. Thank God for the cross! Can you sin without suffering??? Think it through!

Can you sin without suffering?

It was a godly pastor of another generation who said: "We cannot sin without suffering" [J. Sidlow Baxter]. Yet this present culture seems to take issue with that idea. There is a pervasive notion that you can sin and avoid all or most of the consequences. In fact if I make a financial mistake, I have a right to expect someone to bail me out. If I make a moral mistake, I have a right to a fresh start...letting bygones be bygones.

Where is it all headed?

Election time raises hopes and creates frustrations. To believe that one man at the helm can turn the ship of state all by himself is not realistic. To ignore the power of one man's ideas is also foolish. With the dire economic crisis continuing to dog our steps, and the uncertainty of the election's outcome along with the "grasping at straws" to return the stock market to a healthy status so we can all breath a sigh of relief...you get the idea that no one really knows what to do and that this whole direction is rather out of our hands. I am amazed to find even believers who are on the edge of panic about their retirement, investment portfolios, and even their future job security. Yes, businesses are taking a hit. The future may look different than anything we have seen in our lifetimes. We may have to get by on less [although that is a relative term when we look at 2/3's of the rest of the world]. Credit may become harder to get [not a bad thing judging by the mess this mind-set of borrowing has brought to us]. I am not making light of the struggles and pain many are in right now. BUT...isn't this just exactly the way things are going to go if the prophecies of scripture are to come to pass? We are desperate for answers...God says a man of sin will arise with answers and gain a following that will usher in a time of great trial and tribulation on this earth. God is setting the stage. He is moving history like clockwork right down the path He has predicted and planned. So...is it a time to panic, to bewail? OR...is it a time to rejoice. This is our hour. We need to be sharing the Gospel as the hope for mankind. The reversal of the stock market will not hold a man when he enters the waters of eternity. My anchor must be in Christ alone and His unchanging word! We must choose to either live in panic or praise!! [ Read Revelation 18-19 & I Thessalonians 5:1-11] Where is it all headed? Think it through.

Is it smart to dictate what you want?

C. S. Lewis used to write: "Be careful what you think you want." This comes from his famous book on miracles. His point is that every time in history there are miracles evidenced, there is also present a lot of misery & trouble. So if you ask for a miracle, you may also be laying yourself open for a context of misery in which God will grant the miracle. My question is then: Is it smart to dictate what you want? Israel in the wilderness begged for meat...oh, they really wanted that. But when God gave it to them, they didn't want it anymore. They got sick. The Psalmist said in 106: 13-15 "But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert; He gave them what they asked, BUT SENT A WASTING DISEASE AMONG THEM." When you forget what God has done for you and neglect to consult him on what HE wants for your life, you may end up dictating a "wanton craving" and put God to the test. I am not smart enough to dictate to God what He should give me. Maybe we should do more "fill in the blank" praying. Lord, you fill in my blank and I know that will be best for me. Think it through!

Are you believable?

Believability is a powerful instrument. Ask any political candidate running for office. Most of us take with a grain the wild promises most candidates make. They'll say anything to get elected it seems. But when it comes to representing Christ in our fallen world, believability is critical to our witness. I would like to suggest four factors that determine our believability. History is one of them. How many skeletons are in our closets? Is our salvation experience a sufficient contrast to our past offenses? Does the life-style we practice demonstrate a real life change in our thinking, attitudes, and actions? Are we known as people who admit it when we are wrong & take steps to make restitution and confession to those we have wronged? Another factor is that of Veracity. Do we consistently tell the truth? Is what we say reliable? Do others believe we are keeping our marriage vows [including your spouse]? Can we be trusted to speak and live out truth? I think still another factor that sustains believability is Duty. Do we follow through on our commitments? If we commit ourselves to a task do we finish it? Are we known as honorable workers? Lastly, and this one may surprise you, is Charity. Are the words we use about loving others backed up by actual practices? Will people see what we do as consistent with what we say about loving others? Do we serve others or ourselves? Remember what Jesus said: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven" [Matthew 5:16]. That sounds like believability to me. Jesus also said when people outside the family of God observe how we love one another, they will know we are his followers [John 13:34-35]. That too sounds like believability. So...are we believable? Think about it!

Is there a cover-up?

Shoveling snow in March...and not just a little. Services cancelled...and instead of preaching, I am shoveling. When taking a breather, I thought of all that the white snow had covered up. There were the dormant bushes waiting to pop out green again when spring finally comes. Then there is my less than perfect grass hiding under the blanket of white [with all the dormant weeds waiting to attack us again]. Snow is deceptive...because it gives the impression all is serene with the landscape...but underneath is the bare ugliness of winter's work. Sometimes that is like our hearts. Outside we throw a drape across the landscape of our lives, and pretend all is serene. But the Creator God looks at our hearts and sees the winter ugliness that sin has etched there. After all the Bible says: Man looks on the outward appearance, but GOD looks on the heart [I Sam. 16:7]. Yet there is a cure. Remember what the prophet Isaiah said in chapter 1 of his writing? He quotes God as saying to sinful people like Israel: "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow...though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." God can make the inside clean, so there need be no more pretense on the outside. It is when a person repents of sin & surrenders to Christ that real heart cleansing occurs. Snow is pretty white...especially when the sun [son] shines on it. Think about it

Why has the reality of hell & heaven dropped off the radar screen?

Most people would rather not talk about hell...and for good reason. Who wants to think of a literal place of eternal suffering for those who do not surrender to Christ? Many do not want to think about heaven either. They have it too good here. They just bought that new car or have dreams of that new house.
The thought of heaven and hell seems too disruptive to our lives. Thinking about either one tends to make us uncomfortable and we are all about comfort, right?
Aren't there many things that are true realities that we do not like to think of? I have a few...April 15th [income tax day] March [my 6 month dental check -up], the necessity of fixing the leaky toilet [& many of you know how much I LOVE plumbing], paying utility bills [it is so much more fun to buy a piece of furniture or a new book], the annual physical [I keep thinking of reasons to postpone the appointment]. Those are all realities. More stark realities include having to make funeral arrangements and making out wills...things we would rather not think of...but nevertheless just as real. God also speaks of realities such as heaven and hell. But we are reluctant to think of these. Some do not believe these places even exist. They take comfort in the fact that if..."I don't believe it, it does not exist." Others refuse to think or believe in these realities because if they are real...then life-changes will be required. They do not know if there is an after life and they are hoping if there is, they will go to the "up" place not the "down" place. There is even a reluctance to use the words "heaven" or "hell." But perhaps the real reasons we are not hearing much about heaven or hell these days may lie in the following:
[1] We are not ready to die ourselves, therefore we will not think about it and hope all will work out well in the end. [2] We have not been faithful in telling others of Christ and so we do not want to think of anyone we know ending up in hell. [3] We do not want to offend people's sensitivities. It makes us sound barbaric, uneducated, not loving. [4] We are too wrapped up in the here & now to think about the glory and joy of heaven or the tragedy and eternal suffering of hell. [5] To us it may seem to negate the "God is love" message, and we don't want to give a picture of God as a judge.
YET...the Bible speaks of both places as very real. Read Luke 16 & Rev. 21-22 and you will see how incredibly real heaven and hell are. Not symbolic icons, but real locations. And the Bible speaks of God as holy as well as love. According to the Bible man is sinful and God means business. That is the reason for the cross. Have you thought lately... about the reality of both places? ...about the reason for the cross? I think we need to speak more of these realities! Think it through!

Who celebrates Christmas?

Strange question isn't it? You might answer Americans. Or you might say just about everybody. Now let's think about it. People celebrate birthdays by honoring the one whose birthday is remembered. There are Christmas trees erected, lights put up outside and inside of homes, even schools and businesses "decorate" for what many are now calling the holidays. But who celebrates Christmas?
I guess we have to ask ourselves what are we celebrating? If Christmas is to mark the birthday of Christ, then those who remember Him, and praise Him, and really know Him, are the celebrants. The Bible says "To you is born...in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord [Luke 2:11]. If Christmas is to mark a time for family and friends to get together to eat, exchange gifts, get drunk, have family reunions....what are they celebrating? Good times, family togetherness, self-indulgent satisfaction, etc may be the real celebration occurring. Perhaps instead of saying "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays...those who really celebrate Christmas should say "Happy Birthday to Jesus." It seems that those who really celebrate Christmas are those who make Christ the heart of the whole month and do their best to showcase what He means to them. They celebrate Him best who think of Him most. What a time to talk of Christ to those who so desperately need Him. Think about it!

Who will touch our "bones?"

LAST WEEK...I listened with humility and gratitude to the many testimonies shared at my father-in-law's home going service. He made a wide impact. His influence will be felt for years to come. LAST WEEK... I was also reading in my devotions about a very bizarre situation in which another man of God's influence was felt very dramatically after his home going too. This incident is recorded in II Kings 13: 20-21: "So Elisha died, and they buried him." Nothing very unusual about that, is there? But read on..."Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet." What a scene! Some Jewish people are having a funeral service for one of their friends, and a bunch of thugs from Moab show up...these Jewish mourners drop the body of their friend and high-tail it out of there. When they dropped their friend, his body rolled somehow onto the grave of Elisha...and their dead friend came alive! I kid you not...that's what happened. Now can you imagine that group of friends coming back to finish the service, only to bump into their alive friend. I bet that story made the rounds for years to come.
But what really gripped me was the power of the man of God's life after he was dead and gone. Will your life and mine have that kind of galvanizing effect when people come into contact with us via memories of our lives, our words, our works? Are we living now so we can pass on a dynamic legacy for others to gain from? Think about it!

Getting near God???

It is easy to think of getting close to God like somehow getting close to a high tension wire...I get too close I might get electrocuted or worse! Getting near God can seem mystical or even a bit presumptious. Maybe it is just easier to let things be and keep my comfortable distance from God...not too far [that is scary too] and not too close. Yet is that a good solution?

Listen to what Asaph said in Ps. 73:28 "...it is good to be near God!" And James commands us to "draw near to God and He will draw near to you." [James 4:8] Hebrews 7:19 tells us the hope we have through Christ's death, resurrection, and present intercession for us enables us to draw near to God. ["(for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God."]

Perhaps the problem of getting close to God has to do with our "hunger pangs." It is amazing how close to the refrigerator or cupboard, or the fast food joint we get when we feel the rumbling in our bellies. And we are not just content to get close. I do not rub the walls of MacDonalds or caress my refrigerator. We must get connected with what is there by taking it in, and enjoying the effect of being fed & filled. Then we are able to go back to life's challenges refreshed and strengthened. Asaph had learned that God was his portion [Ps. 73:26]. Getting close to God has to do with recognizing what is "eating away at me." That is hunger pangs. No matter what may be "eating me up" or "causing my emptiness," getting close to God is the only solution. And then feeding on Him through His word and having our lives relieved through conversation with him in prayer.

Remember that God will not allow any human being to get close to Him apart from knowing and submitting to Christ. John 14:6 is very specific: "...no man comes to the Father except through me." But when you know Christ, you must recognize the hunger pangs...the symptoms of your "starvation" and draw near to God.

Getting any closer to God??? Starving and don't know it??? Think about it!