I’m a recovering sight-walker. Give me the plan. Give me the map. Tell me where we’re going, how we’re going to get there, what’s going to happen along the way, and what awaits us at our destination. While the Bible does give us the “big picture” view of these things, the everyday details of our individual lives aren’t specifically given to us in advance. It takes faith for us to follow Jesus into the unknown, uncertain and, often, unfamiliar spaces where He leads us. But our faith rests firmly in this: when Jesus calls us to leave our comfort zones, we can be sure He will always go with us and provide for us.
Short #5: When We Fail To Glorify God
We glorify God by thanking Him, trusting Him and treasuring Him as we live in loving obedience to Him. But, let’s be honest … oftentimes we’re not going to get that right. We’re going to disobey Him and dishonor Him. We’re going to fall. What then? Then … We fall into His mercy. In those moments when we don’t do the things that honor Him – because we are sinners – we repent and rest in the forgiveness and righteousness that is ours because of the work of Jesus and our faith in Him. And that glorifies Him too.
Short #4: Glorifying God
There is a way in which we can do everything in life so that God is honored through it. Namely, by handling everything in life in the manner that He intends. We enjoy the good things by expressing gratitude to Him and guarding against prioritizing them over Him. We endure the bad things by trusting Him as our all-powerful provider and looking to Him as our all-satisfying treasure. We experience all things with loving obedience to His commands as we follow His design for how and why and what we do with the lives we have been given.
Short #1: Conviction And Celebration
When reading the Bible, if you don’t experience both conviction and celebration, you’re not reading it correctly. On one hand, we should not ignore the places where God’s words challenge and correct the way we are living if we are disobedient to His commands. On the other hand, we should not isolate the places where God issues His commands so all we have is a list of “dos and don’ts”. A proper reading and understanding of the Bible should equip us to joyfully do as God intends and encourage us with all that Jesus has done, is doing and will do for us which makes it possible and makes it worth it.
It’s Okay To Not Be Okay – Part 2
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2
God means for us to share our burdens with others and bear the burdens of others. Yet, one of life’s biggest struggles for many people is to let others inside. We’ve been programmed to think we shouldn’t let people see our weaknesses. Or to believe that we are tough enough to take care of ourselves. Or to expect people to walk away if they get to know the real person inside of us. We drift from God’s design to the enemy’s desire for how our lives ought to be fashioned. We find it easier to ask for help carrying groceries into the house than we do in carrying the burdens of our hearts. We tend to talk about our fantasy football struggles, but not our marital struggles. We let people know our thoughts about the weather, politics, and workplace matters, but we tuck away our battles with depression, worry, fear, addiction, and overwhelm. Yet God sent Jesus as the ultimate burden-bearer to take on to Himself our sin and struggles. He lived the life we could not live, died in our place on the cross, and rose from the dead to secure both forgiveness and freedom for every place we are not okay. To those He called to be in the family of God, He also called to live as the family of God in administering His care to one another until the day comes when He will welcome us into our heavenly home, and there will be no more burdens to bear. Until then, it’s time to repent of thinking, believing, and acting as if you’re alone in the struggle. It’s also time to repent of leaving others alone in their struggles when God has called you to step in and offer His care. It’s okay to not be okay. It’s not okay to stay that way. Especially when God has equipped the church to take care of one another as we depend upon Him to graciously provide what we need in our time of need. The smartest thing you can do when you find yourself feeling overpowered, overwhelmed or overloaded is to ask for help. If it’s more than you can handle alone, that’s God’s way of saying He doesn’t want you to handle it alone.
It’s Okay To Not Be Okay – Part 1
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2
It’s okay to not be okay. It’s not okay to stay that way. It’s not okay to hide your hurt. It’s not okay to handle it alone. It’s not okay to refuse help. It’s not okay to keep silent. It’s not okay to withdraw. It’s not okay to settle. It’s not okay to lose hope. It’s not okay to push others away. Self-sufficiency was never a part of God’s design for us. From mankind’s beginning, He purposed that we would be a people who needed help. Help from Him. Help from each other. God did not give us the means to accomplish every task, satisfy every need, solve every dilemma, and fulfill every longing in isolation from other people. In reality, there is actually very little we can do completely on our own. There is no shame in admitting you need help. We are broken people living in a broken world, so of course, there is going to be an open-ended need for assistance in every category of our lives. To need help is simply to be human. You and I are not wise enough, strong enough, or resourceful enough to go at it alone. God never meant for us to. Instead, He made us to be a people who would look to Him for help. Of course, He sometimes delivers this essential aid through divine intervention. But many times, He works through divine community. He calls, gifts, empowers, mobilizes, and sends the church of Jesus to be His hands, feet, and mouth to people inside and outside the family of God. To care for His people and to care for others so they become His people. He made us to be interdependent upon each other as a means of being dependent on Him. Therefore, it is your responsibility to let me know when you’re not okay so I can do what God called me to do in providing you help. It is my responsibility to do the same in reverse. It is our mutual obligation to “bear one another’s burdens” by asking for care when we are in a place of need, and giving care when we are in a position to meet needs. This is God’s design for us. This is how God works through us. This is how God provides for us. #shareyourburdenswithothers #beartheburdensofothers
Battles, Fighting And Armor – Part 2
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. – Ephesians 6:10-13
God does not leave us defenseless or powerless against the enemy of our soul. Instead, He gives us His Spirit to go with us. God does not send us ill-equipped into battle against this powerful adversary who is seeking to devour and destroy us. Instead, He dresses us in His own armor. We cannot fight with our limited human resources, but we are more than conquerors through Jesus who loves us. (Romans 8:37) In order for us to fight the good fight of faith, we must put on the armor of God … ahead of time, in advance of the skirmish. We put ourselves and others at extreme risk if we wait until the battle begins to ready ourselves for war against sin and evil. The enemy does not allow us to call timeout or grant us a recess to gather our ammunition and put up our shield. This is why we should arm ourselves with a daily dose of God’s instructions and God’s truths and God’s promises found in God’s Word. It is for this reason that we should spend time praying for God’s power and God’s wisdom and God’s protection every day and throughout the day. We need to remember, rejoice in, and rely on the good news of Jesus in order to safeguard our heads, hearts, and homes. Knowing how the enemy works, let us be vigilant in our advance preparation for the battle and reliant on the armor and presence of God when the battle rages. Jesus is with us in the battle, giving us the courage, guidance, and strength that we need to conquer every foe. Make war! And if you go down, go down swinging, knowing that there is grace for every lost fight because you are trusting in Jesus, and Jesus has dealt a knockout punch to sin, Satan and death for you. You will rise again to fight again and win in the end. Because of grace we don’t give up in our fight against our spiritual enemies; by grace we get up and fight on!
Battles, Fighting And Armor – Part 1
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. – Ephesians 6:10-13
You may not realize the extent it reaches into your life. You may not grasp the effect is has upon your life. Perhaps you’ve dismissed it as a bad rap, bad influence, bad habit, bad luck, bad timing or bad news. Labels aside, there is something very palpable and perilous that is happening in our lives. The threat is real. The danger is imminent. The stakes are high. There is a battle that is raging in us, around us, and against us. The spiritual enemies of God are making war against the family of God. Just as God is advancing His kingdom, Satan and his allied army are intent on achieving their own objective. Namely, to stop God from advancing His kingdom. It is, of course, ultimately in vain, but in the time and space we now reside, there is conflict. The enemy forces will come at us in an all-out assault upon our faith and an all-out attempt to control, cripple, or crush us. Therefore, we must fight for… our marriage and family, thought life and beliefs, purity and righteousness, calling and purpose, loyalty to God, satisfaction in Jesus, God-given hopes and dreams, wise use of time, stewardship of money, delight for God’s word, devotion to prayer, dependence upon the Holy Spirit, next step of faith, stand against injustice, voice for the truth, platform to share the gospel, Christ-purchased abundant life and love for our heavenly Father. We cannot afford to yield ground in these areas. We cannot afford to be passive in the fight. We cannot be ignorant of or indifferent to the seriousness of the calculated aggression of our enemy. We cannot let the enticement, frustration, deception, opposition, confusion, distraction, or coercion of any enlisted person or power to convince us to settle for a cheap and comfortable substitution for God and His ways. The warfare comes in many different forms, but the endgame is always the same: to convince us to live as if we do not need God. Therefore, let us fight like our lives depend upon us depending on Him. Because. They. Do.
Are You Confident? Jesus Offers Assurance.
And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. – 1 John 15:11-13
There are some things you need to understand about good news. It’s only good news if it overcomes or obliterates bad news, if it applies to you personally, if it’s true and if you believe it. When one of those things is missing, it’s not really good news for you at all. The gospel checks those first three boxes; the fourth one is checked off when you put your faith in Jesus. The question is: how do you know if you really believe and are headed for eternal life in heaven when this life has ended? The Bible makes it clear that you can know. It’s called assurance, and it’s one of the many things that Jesus offers to us. You can know that you believe when you look back to see that your faith in Jesus has changed your life, and look around to see that your faith in Jesus is still changing your life. That is, assurance comes when you see evidences of the power of God at work in shaping who you are and what you do. It has caused to you hate your sin and fight against it, and love your Savior and fight for joy in Him. You’ll not always do this, but an evidence that you belong to Jesus is you want to do this, and you strive to do this. There is progress in your faith journey where your beliefs and motives and views and desires and attitudes and words and deeds become less like the world and more like Jesus. Not because you are trying harder to be better, but because the love that God has for you in Jesus has gripped your heart and is making you into someone who desires to know, trust, obey, enjoy and please Him. You’re not going to get this right all the time, so don’t let your assurance rise and fall on your fluctuating faith, desire and effort. There will be ups and downs, steadfastness and stumbles, progress and detours, but true believers will persevere because God finishes what He starts in our lives. That’s what genuine belief and assurance is all about: knowing that you’ll make it to heaven not because of what you are able to do, but because you are trusting in what Jesus graciously does on your behalf.
Are You Finished? Jesus Offers Endurance.
For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. – John 6:39-40
There are days when our faith falters, but Jesus does not abandon us. There are days when we feel like giving up, but Jesus does not let us. There are days when we are too overwhelmed to carry on, but Jesus does not move on without us. Jesus came from heaven to earth to make a way for sinners like you and me to go from earth to heaven. And every step we take together is assured because of His willingness and faithfulness to do the Father’s will: namely, to keep us until the end of this life and raise us up at the beginning of the next. Ours will be a journey full of mountains and valleys, victories and failures, eases and hardships, prosperities and poverties. Yet through it all, we will be empowered by His presence and encouraged by His promises as we rely on Him in faith to keep moving on to our eternal home. He will not lose us on the way. He will not let us lose our way. Through every sinful setback, every stagnant season and every stormy squall, Jesus remains faithful to get to heaven all those who believe in Him. We will keep going. We will endure. We will make it. Not because of anything we can do apart from Jesus, but because Jesus is a part of us, enabling us by God’s grace to persevere to the end. Until then, even when our days include struggles and our walk include stumbles, let us press on in joyful confidence that getting to our heavenly home does not depend upon us but on Jesus. He will stay right with us. He will do whatever it takes. He will provide all that is needed. He will take as long as required. Yes, we work hard by His grace to follow Him closely in loving obedience, but He alone will ensure that we are able to do so. Rejoice as you hold on until the end-before-the-beginning, knowing that Jesus is holding on to you. On this our eternal security firmly rests: We will remain faithful to Him because He remains faithful to us.
The End Of Your Story Is Written
…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith… – Hebrews 12:1c-2a
Our stories don’t always make sense to us. They don’t unfold the way we would have written them if it was up to us. They are full of unpredictable plot twists that catch us by surprise. They can be joyful one page and painful the next. God simply doesn’t do things our way. And that’s a good thing. For His ways are always good, right, wise, and loving. Yet as unforeseeable as how God works in our lives often is to us, there is also something wonderfully reassuring in the knowledge that He is indeed always at work. It’s like we’ve seen this all a thousand times before. Our hero rushes in at just the right moment to save the day. As unpredictable as it is, it is also anticipated. God has proven Himself faithful over and over again. As with any good narrative, questions unfold as the story does. How will God provide? What kind of people will we become? How will God work through us to help others? Where are we going in life? What good will come from this suffering? When will this trial end? Why is this so hard? Do we win in the end? How will this serve God’s purpose? How will my story tell the greatest story ever told? Who’s the real hero? Spoiler alert: That’s Jesus! We may not know how this chapter ends, and the next one begins, but we trust that God knows exactly what He is doing in every scene of our lives. By faith, we travel the course marked out on its pages, knowing that the end of our story has been written, and it’s wonderful. We don’t know what comes next with each turn of the page, and it won’t always make sense to us, but it doesn’t have to. Because our faith is in the One who does know the happily-ever-after ending to our story. After all, He’s the One who wrote it.
Are You Wronged? Jesus Offers Justice.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. – Romans 12:19-21
Actions will be unkind. Words will be unpleasant. Treatment will be unfair. Neglect will be unnoticed. Results will be unjust. People will be unloving. There will be things said and left unsaid, things done and left undone, which bruise and break our hearts and spirits. People. Will. Sin. Against. Us. It’s never a matter of will it happen, but when it will happen. It’s never a matter of will it hurt, but how much it will hurt. The question is: what will we do about it? The normal response is to burn with vengeance inside. The natural reaction is to bring on vengeance outside. When someone wrongs us, we often desire to make things right by making them pay for their wrongdoing, or at least we wish we could. But Jesus modeled a different way of handling the wrongs of others. The way of love. The way of forgiveness. The way of kindness. The way of good. The way of grace. Jesus knows what it is like to be beat down, mocked, betrayed, abandoned, lied about, crucified. He pressed on during the most difficult times anyone has ever faced, and this was His staggering kindness to sinners like you and me, overcoming our evil with His good on the cross. We. Have. Sinned. Against. God. And Jesus paid our debt. As a result, our role is not to mete out justice; our role is to model His grace. Conquering evil with evil would be to allow evil to conquer us, but we are commanded to release our instinct for revenge to let God judge, punish and make all things right in His timing and in His way. God will repay, either by accepting the payment made by Jesus on the cross should they repent and receive His grace, or by making them pay in hell if they do not. Therefore, let us overcome evil with good and leave it to God to do the work He means to do. We who have received grace should be the quickest to extend it.
Are You Vulnerable? Jesus Offers Care.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.” – John 10:10-11, 27-28a
The enemy of your soul doesn’t care about you. His only interest in you is as a victim. He wants to “steal and kill and destroy,” and the primary way he attempts to do this is by leading you astray. This is how he does it: by making sin look attractive and obedience seem restrictive. Deception, doubt, desire, disobedience and death … that’s his 5-step plan for us all. He wants you and me to believe that sin isn’t sin, that sin is worth it, that sin is better for us, that sin isn’t that serious and that sin won’t cost too much. The enemy doesn’t care about you; but Jesus does. One of the ways that Jesus shows He cares about us and gives His care to us is by establishing boundaries for us from God’s Word. So many people see His commandments as “restrictive rules” that are keeping the good stuff out of our lives instead of seeing them as “gracious guardrails” that are keeping our lives out of the gutter. He is our Good Shepherd Who protects us, provides for us, empowers us, refreshes us, delights us, guides us and delivers us safely to our eternal home in heaven. How? We hear His voice (the words of the Bible, the message of the gospel, the commands of the law, the plans of the Father, the counsel of the Holy Spirit) calling us into His care, and do as He says. He leads. We follow. That’s it. He takes care of us by taking care of all the rest. And if we are His sheep, we can be assured that when we do go astray, He will come after us with fierce love and unstoppable power to bring us back. He convicts us of our sin, corrects us in grace, and calls us back to abundant life in Him. Today, you will hear the convincing lies of the enemy inviting you to go astray and you will hear the sweet voice of Jesus calling you to follow Him in faith. Who will you believe knows best, offers what is best and is after your best? The one who wants only to steal and kill and destroy? Or the One who loves you enough to lay down His life for you?
Are You Weary? Jesus Offers Rest.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. – Matthew 11:28-30
There is something in our lives which weighs us down and wears us out. What is it? It is the burden of trying to be “enough.” That is, trying to be wise enough, disciplined enough, motivated enough, tough enough and strong enough to get what we want in life, and then at the end of our time on earth, good enough to merit heaven. It. Is. Exhausting. We cannot do what we are incapable of doing. We cannot control what is out of our control. And we will grow increasingly tired on the inside (lacking hope, desire, energy, well-being) until we lay down our attempts at self-rule, self-determination, self-sufficiency and self-righteousness, and rest in Jesus. We are not in charge; let’s not try to be. Jesus invites us to come to Him to rest in His righteousness to merit eternal life for us and rest in His sovereignty to manage everyday life for us. He is in charge of the results and outcomes. He controls circumstances and situations. He commands our future and eternity. What a relief, what refreshment and what renewal is ours when we embrace this truth: Jesus is enough. Resting comes from trusting as we take on the light yoke of following Jesus in faith to do what He tells us and leave the remainder and the results in His hands. No matter what we face today, let us remember that what happens in our lives is not ultimately decided by chance or luck, humans or demons, Satan or self. Things will work out as they should. Because there is a wise, powerful, loving Savior who reigns over all for the good of those who trust in Him. Things are out of our control. But they are never out of His.
Are You Struggling? Jesus Offers Deliverance.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. – Hebrews 4:15-16
There is a universal, everyday occurrence that is impossible for you and I to avoid: we will be tempted. Sometimes this will strike suddenly, and other times it will swell slowly, but there is never any time we are insulated from its inevitable presence in our lives. Sin always beckons, offering a persuading argument and an appealing promise for what we will gain if we give in and give up. Though it may deliver a temporary sweet taste, the lasting bitterness of sin will always soon follow. Still, it proves to be such a powerful adversary with such a powerful attraction that it is irresistible to us and impossible for us to withstand on our own. But praise God we are not alone! God sent Jesus Who “in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” We can go confidently to Him for help when we are tempted because Jesus understands our struggles, Jesus atoned for our sin, and Jesus offers us merciful and gracious deliverance in our time of need. For those who are trusting in Him, there is pardon for sin so that we bear it no more, and there is power available so we bow to it no more. Today there will be a tug-of-war for control of your thoughts, feelings, motives, attitudes, words and actions, pulling you in the opposing directions of what sin entices you into and what God invites you into. The enemy wants you to give in to a life of little or no thought of God and His ways, and give up on all the wonderful things that God has for you in Jesus. But you do not have to give in or give up! Look to Jesus for help and look for His help to arrive as a way to leave the temptation, the power to stay and say “no” to the temptation, a divine change in circumstances that removes the temptation, the arrival of someone He sends to help you through the temptation, and / or a promise of something worth waiting for that is better than the temptation. Never lose sight of this truth: You are never helpless against temptation as long as there is a throne of grace for you to run to for help.
Are You Discouraged? Jesus Offers Joy.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. – John 15:9-11
God wants us to be happy. He’s the Author of happiness. It was His idea. But if that’s true, then why are so many people discouraged and downtrodden… and so often un-happy? The problem is what we listen to that drives what we look to in order to find that happiness. The message of the world is to “do what you want to do and be who you want to be” and this will make you happy, and it plays on repeat in advertising, conversations, entertainment, politics, news, books, talk shows and in our heads all throughout the week. Only… It. Does. Not. Work. The reason we can’t stay happy very long is because we often look to something that was never intended to keep us happy very long. God alone knows how best to deliver enduring happiness, and He delivered it through Jesus. Jesus invites us into the same kind of intimate relationship that He has with our Heavenly Father, one that overflows with love and joy. He tells us to keep His commandments, not to rob us of happiness, but rather to remove the things that are in the way of our full and lasting happiness. His message is “do what I want you to do and be who I made you to be” and in doing so, we will experience His joy, and our joy will be full no matter what else is happening in our lives. Do you want to know how to be happy both now and forever? Receive, believe, trust and obey the words of Jesus. To the degree that we listen to and linger over and live out the encouraging, correcting, instructing, guiding, cheering, uplifting, promising, God-glorifying words of the Bible, we will experience the same joy that is shared by Jesus and our Heavenly Father. Today, and every day, set your eyes, heart and mind on the glorious gospel truths of Scripture. It’s the only message that will truly deliver the happiness that it promises.
Christmas Is The Gospel
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
We will often fail to live out our faith in Jesus and stumble in our walk with Him. We won’t always love Him most, love others best, and love rightly all the rest. Instead, we will make ourselves the center of our lives, make self-serving decisions as we plan our lives, and ultimately make a mess out of our lives. We are prone to wander. So, what happens when we don’t do all of the things that Christ-followers ought to do? That. Is. What. Christmas. Is. All. About. Christmas is about a gift of God’s Son, a gift of forgiveness, a gift of eternal life. Christmas is about grace. When you and I do things we shouldn’t do or fail to do things we should do, there is grace for us. Pardon for when we have said “yes” to sins committed and power to say “no” to sins not yet committed. Because of grace we don’t give up in our fight against sin and for holy lives; by grace we get up and fight on! Jesus helps those who are trusting in Him to live God-glorifying, joy-producing, onward-marching lives, and when we fail to do so, He makes sure we don’t stay down for long. He picks us up. He cleans us off. He sends us on. Today, let us not linger in our sin and shame and setback, but repent and rejoice in Jesus and restart moving forward in loving obedience by faith as the joyous strains of this song plays on repeat in our hearts: “Grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within; grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than all our sin.”
Restoring The Image Of God In Us
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. – Romans 8:29
Jewelry breaks. Toys break. Electronics break. You and I break. God made us in His image but our sin fractured our likeness to Him and our relationship with Him. But Christmas is for the broken. God loves the broken. He sent Jesus for the broken. The Son of God came to do what we could not do, and die for what we could not do, perfectly bear the image of God. Then, after Jesus did what was necessary to restore our relationship with God, God began to restore His image in us by conforming us to the image of Jesus. It is through our union with Jesus, because our faith is in Jesus, that we are made like Jesus. God will not stop until the good work in us is done, loving us just as we are, but never content to leave us that way. We are His beloved unfinished masterpieces, treasured works-in-progress that are always under the skilled brush of God who graciously, patiently adds His loving strokes to who we are so we can become who we were made to be. Though there are days when we look nothing like Jesus, God does not abandon us. Therefore, confident in this, let us repent of areas of un-likeness to God and say “no” to sin, remember the promises that are “yes” for us because of Jesus, and rely on the Holy Spirit to help us live happy, holy lives. Rejoice today! For the Christ Child left the manger and made His way to the cross where the Christmas Gift of God’s Son was broken for the broken so that we could be made right with God, made to look more like God, and made to live forever with God.
Christmas Is About Greatness
But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. – Mark 10:44-45
God wants you to be great. But your greatness will not be found merely in your personal achievements, resources, influence, popularity, or any other metric in which you strive to be first. Your greatness will come when you strive to put others first. God wants you to be great … as a servant. In the world we live in, the more people who serve you, the greater you are. But in the kingdom of God, the greater you are, the more people you serve. It’s not about getting more for yourself from others, but giving more of yourself to others. That may seem like giving up a lot. Until we consider Christmas. Until we think of Jesus coming to us and what He came to do. Until our hearts are moved by how much Jesus gave up to serve us. In light of all that we have gained, it doesn’t seem like giving up anything at all. He is a beautiful picture of both our model and motivation for the greatness that comes through serving. Jesus showed us what it looks like to have a servant’s heart and then melts our own self-serving hearts so that we can be great in His kingdom. We long to be first. We long to be great. God is in favor of both of those things. He just measures them in ways that are radically different than the world. He measures greatness in the finished work of Jesus and in every act of His children that expresses that same kind of servant love towards those in need of it. Christmas is a reminder that Jesus came to serve and calls us to serve. So… Be great today. Be like Jesus today.
Christmas Is A Declaration Of War
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. – Genesis 3:15
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Christmas is a declaration of war on everything that separates us from God and the life with Him that we were meant to enjoy now and forever. Satan deceived Eve, she and Adam sinned against God, and the perfect relationship they enjoyed with Him in paradise was fractured, catapulting all of mankind into sin for which there is no human-merited, human-earned, or human-devised escape. But God sent Jesus to be born, to live and to lay down His life in the fight for our salvation. He died in battle, but did not lose the battle, because in atoning for our sins and rising from the dead, He disarmed and defeated Satan. For those of us who entrust ourselves to Jesus, He forgives us and frees us from our sin and our enemy. Sin no longer separates us from God! Sin no longer has power over us! And until Jesus comes again to give us final deliverance from it, we expect, endure, hate, expose, resist and overcome evil, but we do not give in, give up or give out in our fight against it. We have been equipped with the armor of God, the Word of God and the Spirit of God to empower us as we fight our battles, secure in the truth that Jesus has already secured our victory. Today, by grace, through faith, for God’s glory… Fight against temptation; fight for holiness. Fight against despair; fight for joy. Fight against religious activity; fight for gospel living. Fight against lies; fight for truth. Fight against every form of evil; fight for every form of good. Never settle for less than God’s best for your life! Because of Jesus, make war not excuses.
