Tag: christianity

Seasons With God, My Days With My Savior Jesus, A Prayer of Surrender to Jesus’ Calling. Mark 8:34-38

Mark 8:34-38 New King James Version

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him

34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Preparing ourselves for the coming of the new year of 2024 …

As part of that preparation …

Have you ever prepared for and practiced the discipline of dieting?

Have you ever prepared for and practiced the discipline of fasting?

Have you ever prepared for and practiced the disciplines of self denial and of self sacrifice?

Have you ever prepared for and practiced the discipline of talking to God?

Although most followers of Christ agree that the discipline of prayer is a highly valuable practice, there’s some debate about the practicing discipline of fasting.

Fasting is the disciplined practice of refraining from normal activities to focus our full attention on God, the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Most commonly, fasting is about avoiding food for a certain period of time.

In today’s verses from Mark’s Narrative, Jesus tells his disciples that following Him will require His disciples to disciplined practice of self-denial and sacrifice.

We might be able to intellectually understand, agree with the call to self-denial.

We might be able to see the benefit of obeying Christ, even when it contradicts our better more worldly desires.

We might even sincerely pray we would have the self discipline, the strength to discipline ourselves to overcome our “not so glorious worldliness” to obey Him.

However, when that time and that season arrives, summoned by God, called our by Jesus, comes to lay aside our desires and obey God’s commands, we’ll falter.

If we would ever get around to telling ourselves the God’s honest truth, it is not easy to say no to our own desires, especially when we have the means to satisfy our whims – the discipline of fasting helps us practice saying no to ourselves.

We do not gain virtue points by saying no to wolfing out on our favorite foods or not eating gobs of chocolate during the season of Lent, but we do learn the habit of setting aside our desire to make room for praying for, pursuing of, God’s will.

Self-Discipline: Prayer of Surrender to Jesus’ Calling

Mark 8:34-38 The Message

34-37 Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?

38 “If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.”

Most days, my day to day life feels like a back-and-forth battle with control.

One day I’m easily relinquishing my own way in favor of God’s plan.

Other days I have to physically, spiritually, struggle to keep surrendering over and over because of my weakness, the pull of being in control is just too strong.

“Give up your own way…”

That phrase sounds ridiculously easy – some days even – embarrassingly easy.

Truth Be Told …

My Confession for today …

“Not so much … If at all …”

“Who am I trying to run a con game on today, who am I trying to scam?”

Those five simple words Master Rabbi Jesus spoke to the crowd are probably the very ones I wrestle with the most.

Even after my heart surgery, I get too attached to my own way of doing things.

Even so, too soon afterwards, self-sufficiency rises and I start making decisions in my own former strengths, I am trying way too hard, and wearing myself out.

I end up exhausted instead of welcoming the peace Jesus offers.

Surrender. 

34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Surrender is a hardcore concept to grasp because God gave us the will to choose.

Surrender means to give up complete control.

To yield to the power of another.

Surrender is an amazing gift offered to us.

Wouldn’t when we are at our weakest physically and spiritually, not rather hand over control of our lives to our Creator who literally holds power over all things?

Then why, in our great strengths, do we struggle to surrender when Jesus calls?

God designed us to hope, dream, create, and build.

Do not we long to do great and little things and make an impact on our world.

Do we not desire to great and little things, make an impact in God’s Kingdom?

So whether from our strengths or weaknesses, we must discipline ourselves to pray and find our purpose using the gifts God gave us, while daily surrendering, while daily disciplining our lives and daily subjecting our whole hearts to Him.

Mark chapter 8 tells us about Jesus’ ministry—from feeding four thousand people to healing one blind man.

After a private word with his disciples, Jesus turned to a crowd and explained how to surrender. Jesus said,

“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” (Mark 8:35-36)

In our efforts to do good, let’s not forget the presence of our Holy God.

Jesus is calling us to release control and follow His ways instead of our own.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Dear Heavenly Father,

I hear your precious son Jesus gently calling me, yet I realize I’ve let the temptation of control keep me from responding to his voice. Forgive me for trying to do things on my own when I know your ways are best. I resolve to surrender to Savior Jesus today.

Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to draw me back to you in those times when I’ve relied on my own strength. Your Word in John 14:26 says, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” Thank you for reminding me that if I want to follow Jesus, I need to release my own way resolve to surrender to my Savior.

I have felt the weaknesses in my own body mind, spirit, I have felt your Holy Spirit tugging at my heart. So I am laying down my own plans, desires, and goals. I replace those right now with total surrender to your will. I am grateful for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and that Jesus never stops pursuing a deeper relationship with me.

Your will be done in my life, Lord. I will follow where you lead me. In Jesus’ name,

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Seasons of Reflection: Seasons With God, Seasons Seeking After Our king or OUR KING, Jesus. Matthew 2:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12 New King James Version

Wise Men from the East

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, [a]wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the [b]wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Many people in ancient Judea were aware that the prophets of God had spoken of a Messiah who would one day come and finally, ultimately, set things right.

Most of these residents of Judea eagerly anticipated the wonderful things this Messiah would do for God’s people.

But, ironically, in the natural course of human events, most of them missed the arrival of Jesus – most had long since stopped praying with the expectation of their receiving an actual answer from God – actual physical, viewable, answer.

But far to the east there were Magi, scholars who studied the stars, and one night they noticed something new in their observations shining in the heavens.

Were they aware of prophecies about a Messiah?

Did they have the assumption that somewhere under that heavenly event, this promised Messiah, who would bring salvation for God’s people, had arrived?

To these scholars, a sign in the heavens meant something important, like the arrival of a new king, they started on a journey, a season of seeking after a star, a season of seeking God with inquiring minds to see what God might be doing.

Others Were Not So Eagerly Seeking Messiah’s Arrival

Matthew 2:3-6 New King James Version

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

Isn’t it ironic that we can think we have every intention to seek God, but we ultimately have ulterior motives for doing so and we miss what he is doing?

When Jesus was born, seven centuries after the prophet Micah had prophesied where He would appear, His arrival was met with a variety of different reactions—and those responses are much the same today as they were then: hostility, and jealousy – perceived threats to our power base, indifference, or no faith.

King Herod was the epitome of hostility toward Jesus.

He stands for everyone who says to themselves, “I don’t mind some religious person sitting quietly in the back seat, but I don’t want anybody driving the car of my life.” “I am the “king of the kingdom, the one who is in authority here!”

A “king of their hill” who keeps quiet is acceptable; the one who makes higher claims on any person’s life, does not agree with what they already think, is not.

King Herod did all he could to ensure there would be no other authority, no other king to rival him and his authority over his kingdom (Matthew 2:16-18).

And many do so still today.

Jerusalem’s religious professionals of the day responded to the arrival of Messiah with prophetic indifference – some with well established fears.

Fears for their lives and personal safety – fears for what Herod would do to anyone – man, women or child – to ensure that Herod would remain #1.

When King Herod asked them about the coming of the Christ, they were able to go to the temple search their scrolls answer his questions with great specificity.

They were aware Micah had prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem; but they were indifferent, they were so helpless to help, simply didn’t care.

Notice they wouldn’t make the effort, even take the time to make a six-mile journey to meet and worship the newly born, long-awaited King of the Jews.

They completely disregarded Him – perhaps in fear of him or to protect him.

Were they too busy with their religion to make time for their rescuing King?

Or were they welcoming and protective of the child, protective of the people?

Then there were the arrival of the wise men to the kings throne room, this group of foreign kings (?), astrologers who saw a star in the heavens, worked out what it was announcing, packed their bags, and responded to Jesus in faith.

What moved these powerful men who were authorities in their field, to presume on their king’s time, not to bow to him but to bow down at the cradle of a child?

How in these seasons of expectation and seeking a “king” does that happen?

How in these seasons of anticipation, of expectation and seeking “after one whose authority over a kingdom and its citizens is literally second to no one?”

Only by the power of God. And it was the wise, not Herod or the priests, who were the ones who “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Matthew 2:10).

There is only one true dividing line between people.

It has nothing to do with ethnicity, skin color, intellect, sexual orientation, or political correctness or social justice or social status, authority of government.

Which “king or KING” do we the people seek after?

1 Samuel 8:1-12 New King James Version

Israel Demands a King

8 Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. 9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”

10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. 11 And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

It is the chasm, the grand canyons, raging rivers, between unbelief—whether or not that unbelief manifests itself as hostility or indifference—and unbelief.

We may take note, make harsh commentary that the Western world grows in hostility to a God who insists on ruling His world, but we should also note that “religious” people are also at risk of unbelief: the unbelief of high indifference.

Proverbs 3:5-8 New King James Version

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall [a]direct your paths.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your [b]flesh,
And strength[c] to your bones.

Those of us “wisest of the wise ones” who have all heard the Christmas story countless times, who know our Old Testaments, and who are in church Sunday by Sunday are not immune to the indifference that is seen in a lack of joy over the Lord and a lack of response to His word when it calls us to change our plans.

And whoever we are, or however wise we believe we are if we won’t have Jesus as our King in this life, we won’t live in His kingdom on the other side of death.

If we choose to ask Jesus to leave us alone, either in our hostility or in our wise only and alone in our own eyes, religiosity, He will leave us alone—forever.

Our response to our seasons of seeking after Jesus has high eternal significance.

Look highly upon Him who came to die for hostile and indifferent sinners, then, and in that season of “king gazing” allow His great love to soften your heart so that you may respond to Him in real, joyful, obedient faith, today and every day.

Psalm 13 New King James Version

Trust in the Salvation of the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
4 Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

5 But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

We either seek after a king or we seek after a KING to have #1 authority over us.

But, will we recognize and acknowledge and confess we all know the difference?

We pray for healing but might not recognize healing that has already occurred.

We will ask for prosperity without pausing to give thanks for the ways God has already provided.

The good news of Jesus is far too magnificent to be contained, yet it can still be missed if we ourselves are complacent or indifferent in our search for our king.

The king of this world?

The KING of all the expanse of the heavens above, our hearts, the earth below.

But when we are open to seeing what God is doing, the wonder of his mighty acts can move us from seasons of being so very far away from his presence we are no heavenly good to seasons of our approaching him with sincere worship.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 27:1-9 New King James Version

An Exuberant Declaration of Faith

A Psalm of David.

27 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me
To eat[a] up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

4 One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the [b]beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
5 For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be [c]lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of [d]joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
9 Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.

Father in heaven, separate me from my wisdom, keep me from having such a narrow view of your saving grace that I miss the wonderful things you are doing. By my Jesus

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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A Prayerful Christmas Eve Reflection: Praying For A ‘Silent Night.’ Luke 2:9

Luke 2:8-20 GOD’S WORD Translation

Angels Announce the Birth of Jesus

8 Shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem. They were taking turns watching their flock during the night. 9 An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified. 10  The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. 11 Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city. 12 This is how you will recognize him: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, a large army of angels appeared with the angel. They were praising God by saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those who have his good will!”

15 The angels left them and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.”

16 They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph with the baby, who was lying in a manger. 17 When they saw the child, they repeated what they had been told about him. 18 Everyone who heard the shepherds’ story was amazed.

19 Mary treasured all these things in her heart and always thought about them.

20 As the shepherds returned to their flock, they glorified and praised God for everything they had seen and heard. Everything happened the way the angel had told them.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Silent Night, Holy Night is a beloved Christmas carol with humble beginnings which dates back to 1816.

It was written by a young priest in Germany after a longstanding war and fall in political and social status, this song was inspired when he took a long walk one cold winter night, noticing the cold stillness and peacefulness of his little town.

Since then, it has risen, been picked up by multiple composers and performed in a ton of churches all across the world, from quaint churches in small towns into the largest of majestic cathedrals, and even presenting it to the King of Prussia. 

All that to say, there is a beautiful message intertwined between the beautiful words in this song.

It touches each of us who sing it on a different level and in an intimate way.

Calling us to pause and reflect and take notice of what is a silent, a peaceful, and calm, in the ultimate revelation of the glory of God in the highest – a holy night.

In the midst of all the political ruckus, in the midst of a government census to raise more taxes, to gain more wealth and more prestige for the government,

In the midst of all the subsequent consequences – whole families are uprooted to travel vast distances to places where they were born as Joseph, Mary were.

All kinds of hoops to jump through at the very utmost inconvenient of times.

Mary is ready to give birth – how is it to ride on the back of a donkey, mile after mile, up and down as the donkey walks upon and over the sandy and rocky soil?

All this supporting the weight of a child in her womb, near end term pregnancy.

The weight of mine months weighing heavily already upon her teenage body.

Would Joseph had made her walk any of that distance leading the donkey as he sat on the donkey’s back – we would have a much different opinion of Joseph.

Up and down off the donkey so Mary could walk around all through the night.

The weight of all that responsibility upon both of their lives, generations more.

Can we read their minds right now – when will the night ever come to an end?

And just when they hope they have come to their desired end – a place of rest and a place where they could attend to the labor and delivery and care of their newborn son – what do they hear that night – “Sorry, but no room at the Inn!”

And somewhere off in the distance, in the middle of the night there are a bunch of shepherds going about their regular rotations of guarding someone’s sheep.

A quiet night for them – like any other night which has not created for them a regular routine – suddenly a host of angelic beings explodes great light into the darkness – praising God – bursting into song, singing loudly 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those who have his good will!”

How is that for a senses shattering wake up call in the middle of the night?

How does that put your “regular ho hum hum drum” routines on the edge of “Danger, Danger, and pending doom and all out “fight or flight” sheer panic?”

Then just as fast – the night settles down as the angelic hosts disappear.

And the shepherds are left wondering what just happened?

Wondering about the mysterious words the angelic host just left them with:

10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. 11 Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city. 12 This is how you will recognize him: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

So much to sort out – actually too much to sort out in the middle of what had started out to be just another quiet and relatively peaceful regular night shift.

Just another of those quiet and relatively peaceful regular night in Bethlehem?

A family in need of a place to bring their first born son into the world – but there is no place – there is no room in the inn – so they’re on their own to find a place.

The noise coming from the inside all of those occupied rooms in the at night?

An explosion of the brightest light anyone had ever seen, night eyes having to suddenly accommodate themselves to that light, ears which a long tuned into the long expected sounds of the silent darkness – on alert for all the dangers – now have been rocked, shocked by the songs of “Glory to God in the highest!”

Reading these words in the year 2023, it does something to our weary souls.

So, lets try to settle all this down “was it a silent night holy night?” a bit …

Just the words of the first verse sets the much needed, required tone for us all;

Silent Night. Holy Night. All is calm. All is bright. round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.

These words are so easy to utter, but truly being silent and seeking His holiness in a season that is wrapped and consumed with all the pressures and demands to do more, be more, get more, can drive us to a place of unforeseen busyness and even disappointment – unfortunately, the end result can steal our peace!

Stepping away from it all, recalling the history of this hymn reminds us to step away from all the noise, open our hearts in a way to receive the gift of stillness.

2. Silent night, holy night, shepherds quake at the sight; glories stream from heaven afar, heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born!

3. Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love’s pure light; radiant beams from thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

4. Silent night, holy night, wondrous star, lend thy light; with the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King; Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born!

1. In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Text: Christina G. Rossetti, 1830-1894

In the bleak midwinter, may you and I find time to seek the silent moments this season, where you and I are met with the very highest glory of our Holy Creator.

Let the sound of that “silent” beautiful interaction allow us to lean in and rest, prompting us to praise Him for His faithfulness and rejoice in His Son’s birth!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Father God,

We come to You with weary but humble hearts full of thanksgiving. You are a kind and gracious Father, with such unspeakable love for us, giving Your one and only Son to take on our sins so that we can have a life with You outside this one (John 3:16).

Lord, I lift up those that are in need of rest. Those who are craving a silent night. I lift up the mom who is striving to make special memories for her children, only to just become overwhelmed by the stress of it all. I pray for the parent rocking a fussy baby to sleep in the wee hours of the morning, in need of much physical rest. I pray for the dad crunching the numbers, wondering how he is going to financially afford all the items on his child’s Christmas list. My heart and prayers go out to the lonely grand parents missing their children and wishing they were closer – as you are close to us.

O Gracious not so silent God, You know each and every one of us intimately and our dire situations that pull us away from You. Please remove the distractions, heavy burdens, and demands, and grant us Your peace. Replace the fallacies with Truth found in Your Word. Give us grace and space in our schedules to meet with You and be refueled by Your tender love. Create vacancies, make room in our hearts to receive that precious gift of stillness, silence, born from a night of your glory being revealed.

In the coming stillness of the night, We stand upon Your promise to extend rest for not just our physical, mental, and emotional well-being but to meet us and grow us spiritually as well. This is not just a gift we want to receive at Christmas but year-round as You extend Your mighty hand to those in need, calling us to take hold.

Please make room open our hearts and minds to accept the image of Your pure rest when we fall into the patterns of this World and become consumed with things that keep us restless. Things that keep our minds swirling all night. When we do this, we fail to recognize the nature of Who You are, distracts us from the good You are doing.

Thank you, God, for offering us the gift of a silent night and a bright and brighter and holy night in the gift of the birth of Your precious Son, as well as an invitation to call silently upon You to meet with us intimately. You deserve all our thanks and praise.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Advent Reflection: Do We Know With a Certainty How Silent a Night it Was? Luke 2:1-7

Luke 2:1-7 English Standard Version

The Birth of Jesus Christ

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,[b] who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.[c]

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

“Silent Night” is a favorite Christ­mas song for many people around the world.

Its gentle swaying melody suggests a “heavenly peace” in which “all is calm.”

But let us listen again to this calmness

Do you hear what I hear? that our usual picture of Jesus’ birth is far from calm.

Above the fields near Bethlehem, sometime in the night, out of nowhere, an angel army disturbs the shepherds calmness, breaks into their evening, shocks them out of their senses, sings out, announcing good news – the glory of God.

The Good News: somewhere back in town, shepherds and wise men and sheep, cows, camels, and gifts are all crowded together around a family inside a stable.

And somewhere in the midst of all that burst of commotion is the baby Jesus.

Trying to stay warm in its swaddling cloths, trying to sleep with cattle lowing.

But hold on.

Let us take a step back for a “silent” moment to sort this exciting business out.

According to Matthew’s Narrative, the three wise men don’t show up until later.

So let’s take them out of the picture, along with their gifts.

And there’s no mention of a stable—just a manger, a hay filled feeding trough.

So there might not be animals making any of their natural sounds there either.

Now let’s back up to the first hour or two after Jesus’ birth.

Commotion will come later, when the shepherds find “Mary and Joseph, and the baby . . . lying in the manger” (Luke 2:16).

But for now, as lamplight flickers, all we can see is Mary, the baby and Joseph.

Hurting, exhausted, Mary is fast asleep. Joseph might be a bit tired too and perhaps, he is able to find somewhere where he can get warmed, and rest too.

Meanwhile, Mary’s snugly wrapped baby, now content from his first first life experience, feeding, sees light, shadow, and movement with his newborn eyes.

Let’s stay right where we are, “silent as the night with the newness of the light just born, shining brighter and brighter and brighter still, in the deep darkness.

And let’s pause here, for just as much time as is needed to take in that picture.

The God of all Creation is the Light – a newborn baby watching shadows sway.

Against What We May Call “Silent Night Holy Night”

Like most people, both believers and non believers, once or twice a year folks, I have sung “Silent Night” hymn many times, often on Christmas Eve in church.

Yet lately, since my open heart surgery, contemplating my life as I do now, the “silence” referred to in the iconic carol recently took on new meaning to me.

The word “silence” appears many places in Scripture.

https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=silence&version=AMP

but I found much more than just an absence of sound in several references.

STARTLING SILENCE

In Revelation chapter 8, silence creates a uniquely powerful scene.

John writes, “When he [the Lamb] opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about a half an hour” (Revelation 8:1 NIV).

While John describes many things, creatures and beings in heaven prior to this, it is suddenly unfathomable that it all goes silent as described in this moment.

In this silence is a depth of awe, deep reverence, reflection, and anticipation like nothing before, as the revelation of Jesus Christ is about to come to fulfillment.

THE PRAISE OF SILENCE

In the prophetic book Habakkuk, we see another reminder of the reverent place of silence – The Word says, “The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Habakkuk 2:20 NIV).

And in the prophetic book Zephaniah, we see “Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near” (Zephaniah 1:7 NIV).

There is mounting, maturing praise within the silence of a God-fearing heart.

A SILENT NIGHT?

Luke 2:6-7 Amplified Bible

6 While they were there [in Bethlehem], the time came for her to give birth, 7 and she gave birth to her Son, her firstborn; and she wrapped Him in [[a]swaddling] cloths and laid Him in a [b]manger, because there was no [private] room for them in the inn.

The popular carol declares that the night of Jesus’ birth was a “silent night,” a “holy night” with all “calm and bright.”

But, think about it has any woman ever given birth in complete silence or calmness, what would her smile sound like, her joy, her tears sound like?

It’s hard for me to imagine that the animals weren’t making their natural sounds, especially among the sudden unrest, unexpected commotion in the stable; the sound of a newborn crying or that Joseph wasn’t offering a word of encouragement, a prayer, or a declaration of praise as Mary was giving birth.

Was that ancient setting really like an inanimate, decorative tabletop nativity set that we are used to seeing in our homes, our churches, or live nativities ?

Knowing what is in my heart right now, rehabilitating from my heart surgery, looking even deeper than ever before into the eyes of my wife, listening to my dog barking -it seems unlikely that the momentous night was literally silent.

The lyrics of the song simply frame the event in wonderfully poetic terms.

Luke 2:6-7 Amplified Bible

6 While they were there [in Bethlehem], the time came for her to give birth, 7 and she gave birth to her Son, her firstborn; and she wrapped Him in [[a]swaddling] cloths and laid Him in a [b]manger, because there was no [private] room for them in the inn.

But perhaps what is true, what is hidden, waiting to be revealed in us, from deep within us, is that there was this ever growing and maturing holy atmosphere of silent praise, would be an indescribably raucous act of worship pleasing to God.

Realize: on that ancient night, in that ancient time, there was so much more to observe, to listen to, to speak of this particular silent night than a lack of sound.

A CHALLENGE

My challenge, then, as Christmas Eve, Christmas approaches, as we get all of ourselves ready to go to evening or midnight church, as we sit in all our pews is for us not to, as we hold lighted candles or even fake ones, sing “Silent Night” envisioning only a perfectly still and orderly scene with everyone comfortable and content – for in reality – comfortable and content were far from the truth.

Instead, let’s intentionally try to grasp deep in our hearts what was surely the ultimate awe, reverence, reflection, and anticipation that humankind had ever experienced as God Himself entered the world in human form – a crying child.

This Christmas, let us not be without praise even if we can somehow be without the usual noise and commotion – within the silent night, let us declare a godly silence as the true act of worship at the revelation of He who is worthy of it all.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 King James Version

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

1. Silent night, holy night,
all is calm, all is bright
round yon virgin
mother and child.
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
sleep in heavenly peace,
sleep in heavenly peace.

2. Silent night, holy night,
shepherds quake at the sight;
glories stream from heaven afar,
heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

3. Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love’s pure light;
radiant beams from thy holy face
with the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

4. Silent night, holy night,
wondrous star, lend thy light;
with the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

Text: Joseph Mohr, 1792-1848; trans. by John F. Young, 1820-1885 (sts 1, 2, 3) and anon. (st 4)

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Advent Reflection: The Wonder of All Wonders, Miracle of All Miracles, the One True Mystery of All Mysteries! ! Luke 1:29-35

Luke 1:29-35 Revised Standard Version

29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High;
and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever;
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” 35 And the angel said to her,

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born[a] will be called holy,
the Son of God.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Opinions? It is not Jesus’ birth which is so remarkable but His conception.

When the angel appeared before her, announced that although she was a virgin, Mary would have a baby who would rule the entire universe, she simply asked the most sensible question possible: “How?”

And with that single question of “How?” asked in the loneliness of the moment, the miracle, mystery moment, we arrive at the very heart of the Christian story.

How was this child to be conceived?

How was God’s own created and ordered human physiology going to be set aside – where a man and a women come together and have sexual intercourse and by God’s own mystery and miracle moment, one sperm enters one egg and conception happens, life begins and God goes to work to weave together a baby.

Psalm 139:13-18 Revised Standard Version

13 For thou didst form my inward parts,
    thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful.[a]
    Wonderful are thy works!
Thou knowest me right well;
15     my frame was not hidden from thee,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.
16 Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance;
    in thy book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are thy thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    When I awake, I am still with thee.[b]

God was going to make it happen.

By some unknowable miracle, by some unknowable mystery, He would do it.

The language of being “overshadowed” reminds us of God’s divine presence being symbolized to the Israelites by a great cloud pillar (Exodus 40:34-38).

The conception, in other words, would be miraculous, would be mysterious and would be undeniably supernatural too, able to be accomplished by God alone.

As Apostle Paul contemplated, pondered, worked through the theology of the incarnation, he wrote, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).

He emphasized that the Redeemer had to be human so that He would be of the same nature as those whom He came to save: a man dying for mankind.

But it was equally imperative that the true Redeemer should be perfectly holy, perfectly righteous because no sinful person could effect atonement for the sins of others – He had to be Immanuel—God with(in) us—and He had to be man.

The early Christians hammered out the incarnation’s implications and came up with ways to describe the one who was conceived by the Spirit in Mary’s womb, coming to the true convictions that have passed down to us in the early creeds.

Our spiritual forefathers identified the wonderful mystery of the incarnation, bowed before the mystery and miracle of it, and affirmed through the holy scriptures that indeed Jesus was, is, and remains, very God and very man.

The idea that God would supernaturally invade this world shouldn’t surprise or discomfort us.

Considering how hardcore sin is, it takes a supernatural invasion of God into individuals’ lives, after all, to bring them to living faith, just as God sovereignly wonderfully worked a miracle in Mary’s womb in order to bring us – Redeemer.

Jesus told Nicodemus that unless someone is born from above—a birth brought about by God through His Spirit—they would not see God’s kingdom (John 3:3).

If we have been brought to salvation, it is only because God alone has done it.

You did no more to save yourself than Mary did to become pregnant with your Savior – the “How?” of salvation is forever answered only by – “God did it.”

What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?

How is God calling me to think differently?

How is God calling me to be wonderfully, mysteriously, different?

How is God miraculously reordering my heart’s affections — what I love?

Ephesians 2:8-10 Revised Standard Version

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God— 9 not because of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

So, kneel today before the wonder, miracle and mystery of God taking on flesh.

And bow today before the wonder and mystery of God redeeming you – for that, no less than the virgin birth of the Son of God, is the supernatural work of God.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 139:1-18 Revised Standard Version

The Inescapable God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

139 O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me!
2 Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up;
    thou discernest my thoughts from afar.
3 Thou searchest out my path and my lying down,
    and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
    lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou dost beset me behind and before,
    and layest thy hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit?
    Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, thou art there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there thy hand shall lead me,
    and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Let only darkness cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to thee,
    the night is bright as the day;
    for darkness is as light with thee.

13 For thou didst form my inward parts,
    thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful.[a]
    Wonderful are thy works!
Thou knowest me right well;
15     my frame was not hidden from thee,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.
16 Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance;
    in thy book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are thy thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    When I awake, I am still with thee.[b]

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Advent Testimony: The Wonder and the Mystery of One Single Birthday. Luke 1:29-35

Luke 1:29-35 New International Version

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

There was a long time in my life where I severely doubted God’s existence.

I refused to understand or try to 1% understand how people would accept the existence of an all powerful divine being controlling everything in existence.

For thirty years – Sheer nonsense!

For thirty years – Utterly impossible!

Then one day I found myself in a place where I could not mouth one thing to one person, including myself, what exactly I believed about anything at all.

I was a completely blank slate – my soul was empty, my heart was emptier yet.

One day, I went to a church – not to a bar, not to a restaurant, not to a movie.

I ended up entering that church – sitting down in its rear most pew so I would not be noticed and could make a quick escape in case someone called out to me.

Over the next several months, I found myself moving closer and closer to the front of the church – to the front most pews – closer to their tall wooden cross.

I joined that church and enjoined myself to a “Friendly Men’s Bible Class” and began a time in my life when serious Bible Study, prayer became my #1 passion.

Now, twenty plus years later, all those negative thoughts of God > I could never understand how people could doubt the existence of God and of Jesus Himself.

2 Timothy 2:14-15 English Standard Version

A Worker Approved by God

14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God[a] not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,[b] a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Over those years it was many many hours of personal study of the Word of God.

I did not go to seminary or to any bible school or college - much too expensive.

Instead I devoted myself to study bibles, concordances, dictionaries, and long hours sitting in a Friendly Men’s Bible Class listening to experienced teachers.

Then all of that expanded when I became attached to online sites like blue letter bible https://www.blueletterbible.org/ – I could dig deeper into the languages.

Then the greater wonder of the Word of God was revealed and I looked into the deeper meanings gaining deeper understandings of what the original authors intended for all those generations of ancient and early readers and listeners.

Then the great bewilderment of asking how could God possible exist became even greater wonderment at how people could not possible believe in Jesus!

The Word of God reveals very clearly that thousands of years before the birth of the Messiah, the prophets wrote about this event – this first birthday of Jesus.

Isaiah 7:14: “Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him ‘Immanuel’.” GNB [Immanuel means ‘God with us’]

Jeremiah 23:5-6: “The LORD says, “The time is coming when I will choose as king a righteous descendant of David. That king will rule wisely and do what is right and just throughout the land. When he is king, the people of Judah will be safe, and the people of Israel will live in peace. He will be called ‘The LORD Our Salvation’.” GNB

Micah 5:2: “The LORD says, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times.” GNB

The words of the prophets, the prophecy was clear about the virgin birth, the place it would happen and about Jesus being special, someone who will change quite literally everything for Israel and for all of those who hear his teachings.

Even today, more than two thousand years after He walked the earth, people still adhere to diligently fellowshipping, to reading and to studying His Word.

It must all come together somewhere, for some much greater reason, to mean something more, don’t you agree, that His legacy survived for such a long time?

Why is it then that we still doubt? Have we become so consumed by greed and ego that we stopped looking to the One who created us and gave us a Savior?

John 5:44: “You like to receive praise from one another, but you do not try to win praise from the one who alone is God; how, then, can you believe me?” GNB

During this festive season, why don’t we try to remember the truth, the reason why we celebrate?

I know the actual birth date may be all wrong, but that is not the point here.

The point is finding wonderment in one day in the year when we can become still in front of God and thank Him for the wonderment of this one great gift.

This is the time to NOT DOUBT, but to wonder, believe in this Child’s greatness.

Forget about looking for that one perfect gift for that one single perfect person.

Forget about buying expensive presents.

Forget about impressing others with your grand trees and extravagant feasts.

Remember Christmas begins with CHRIST, and is indeed about a wonderful gift.

The ONE GIFT that has the wonder, power, to save us from eternal damnation.

Read the ancient passages of the Word of God to your family, to your friends on Christmas day – before you sit down to Christmas dinner and opening the gifts.

Read the ancient prophecies, study the ancient prophecies, pray the prophecies.

Read the Gospel Narratives of His birth being the fulfillment of God’s promises!

Study those Narratives of His birth being 100% fulfillment of God’s prophecies!

Pray to the Holy Spirit to make the wonderment of them all become 100% alive!

Accept them today, do not wait, do not doubt their truth, cease to wonder, just 100% enter into the light He provides and you will never be in darkness again.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 16 Revised Standard Version

Song of Trust and Security in God

A Miktam of David.

16 Preserve me, O God, for in thee I take refuge.
2     I say to the Lord, “Thou art my Lord;
    I have no good apart from thee.”[a]

3 As for the saints in the land, they are the noble,
    in whom is all my delight.

4 Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;[b]
    their libations of blood I will not pour out
    or take their names upon my lips.

5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
    thou holdest my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    yea, I have a goodly heritage.

7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I keep the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
    my body also dwells secure.
10 For thou dost not give me up to Sheol,
    or let thy godly one see the Pit.

11 Thou dost show me the path of life;
    in thy presence there is fulness of joy,
    in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Advent Reflection: While We Wait For Him, Do We Know How To Say Why It’s Important To Draw Near To Him? James 4:7-10

James 4:8-10 Holman Christian Standard Bible

8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow. 10  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

The Advent and Christmas seasons are a powerful and unique time of year to remember that Jesus came from eternity to make a way for us to be near God.

In his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus built a bridge between us and God allowing us to have continual, unhindered communion with our Creator.

But God can’t force us into nearness with him.

Even as believers filled with the Holy Spirit, we can choose to live as if God is still far off.

So this Advent, Christmas season, may we choose to open our hearts to the living God that we might experience fullness of joy in his loving presence.

Except, what do we do when we cannot find God?

The Christian author C. S. Lewis searched for God during the illness of his wife without finding him.

In his book A Grief Observed, Lewis wrote, “Meanwhile, where is God? … Go to him when your need is desperate … and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double-bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away.”

Both believers and non believers, sceptics and agnostics and atheist’s have searched for God without being able to find him.

David, who wrote of the wonderful comfort of God in Psalm 23, also cried out in Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Jesus said those self same words on the cross (Matthew 27:46).

If for some reason you can’t seem to find God, or identify with the voice of God calling them as Eli and Samuel, let God know you can’t find Him—then listen.

Listen longer, Listen harder, Listen hardcore, Listen continually, continuously, Listen repeatedly, Listen as if your very eternity (because it is) is at highest risk.

Psalm 139:23-24 Holman Christian Standard Bible

23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
24 See if there is any offensive[a] way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.

God is right where He always is.

The writer C.S. Lewis found that perhaps the volume of his own cries deafened him “to the [still small] voice [he] hoped to hear.”

He wrote later, “I have gradually been coming to feel that the door is no longer shut and bolted. Was it my own frantic need that slammed it in my face?”

Accept God’s invitation: “Come near to God and God will come near to you.”

Come as you are, empty handed, and with a simple prayer.

God is where we are.

Says Jesus in John 6:37, “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”

It’s a sure promise.

Try Identifying The Importance of Our Drawing Near

James 4:7-10 Easy-to-Read Version

7 So give yourselves to God. Stand against the devil, and he will run away from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. You are sinners, so clean sin out of your lives.[a] You are trying to follow God and the world at the same time. Make your thinking pure. 9 Be sad, be sorry, and cry! Change your laughter into crying. Change your joy into sadness. 10 Be humble before the Lord, and he will make you great.

James 4:8 contains a profound promise of God.

Scripture says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” 

For a while I thought this verse seemed backwards.

Does not God do the drawing?

Is not God the one who’s constantly pursuing us?

After diving deeper into the meaning of James 4:8 I discovered an important truth that’s foundational to living in communion with God: the door of God’s heart is always open to us, His love is always for us, presence always available.

At Calvary, The Father turned away from Jesus as ours sins rested squarely on His Son’s shoulders ensuring He would never ever have to turn away from us.

To draw near to God is to simply open our hearts to what was always available.

It’s not that God ever withholds his presence from us.

It’s that He never forces us to abide in Him.

If all us sheep want to go our own way, He willingly and patiently waits for us.

And the moment that we turn our hearts back to him, He is there to fill us with a grand celebration, revelation, of His loving nearness and unwavering devotion.

Luke 15:17-24 GOD’S WORD Translation

17 “Finally, he came to his senses. He said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more food than they can eat, while I’m starving to death here? 18 I’ll go at once to my father, and I’ll say to him, “Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and you. 19 I don’t deserve to be called your son anymore. Make me one of your hired men.” ’

20 “So he went at once to his father. While he was still at a distance, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son, put his arms around him, and kissed him. 21 Then his son said to him, ‘Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and you. I don’t deserve to be called your son anymore.’ [a]

22 “The father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let’s celebrate with a feast. 24 My son was dead and has come back to life. He was lost but has been found.’ Then they began to celebrate.

In his book, The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer describes two veils.

The first veil was the veil between the Holy of Holies and the world was torn at the death of Jesus, signifying the availability of God’s manifest presence to all.

The second veil is the veil of our own hearts, our decision to tear by God’s grace.

Whether it’s the effects of sin and shame or a lack of understanding what’s available to us in Christ, all of us have the ability to veil places in our hearts.

Like the Prodigal son while wildly spending our inheritance, all of us can shield our beliefs about our identity, our possessions, or all our relationships from the abiding presence of Jesus and live to live far apart from communion with Him.

We all have the ability at any given moment to go our own way and miss out on abundant life.

Isaiah 53:6 GOD’S WORD Translation

6 We have all strayed like sheep.
Each one of us has turned to go his own way,
and the Lord has laid all our sins on him.

But the truth is that the Christian life is not about our ability to abide in God perfectly, but about God’s grace to draw near to us in response to repentance.

Reading Scripture, God has no expectation that we would live this life perfectly.

He remembers our frame and knows we are dust (Psalm 103:14).

What God desires from us is to allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate any parts of our lives that are not His that we would be quick to repent, return to our right minds, renewing our worship, and enjoy his grace-filled presence once again.

God is not angry with us for veiling your heart.

He knows better than we do the reasons we are not letting him fully in.

His heart is filled with the fullness of compassion for us that we might all live to experience the fullness of His grace rather than strive, condemn ourselves for all of our bodily and sinful, spiritual failures and unchangeable imperfections.

While we wait for His Advent, our Christmas gifts, why not take some brief time today to rend apart the veil of your own heart, draw near to God, and experience the abundance of His glory, the nearness of His breath, His manifest presence.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s promise to draw near to you if you will draw near to him. Allow the truth of God’s word to fill you with faith to encounter God.

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

2. What parts of your heart seem veiled today? 

Where are you going your own way?

Where in your life are you not experiencing abundant life in God synonymous with communion with him?

3. Rend the veil over your own heart today and allow God to flood those places with his forgiveness and grace.  

Take time to allow him to fill you with a revelation of his love.

Psalm 139:23-24 The Message

23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
    find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
    get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
    then guide me on the road to eternal life.

“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:19-20

May Hebrews 10:19-22 provide joy and hope to your heart as you seek to draw near to your heavenly Father:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Lord our God, show us your presence in our lives. Help us to trust that you will never let go of us. As you have promised, you will never forsake us. In Jesus name, Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Advent Reflection: A Mighty God And Hardships, Peace of God in the Chaos. John 16:31-33

John 16:31-33The Message

31-33 Jesus answered them, “Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

I Will Lift Up My Eyes Praying for Peace in the Chaos

“If there is really a God you want me to believe in, why then is there always so much chaos, trouble everywhere we look, why doesn’t God just take it away?”

Standing in a super market check out line getting my groceries for the week, I got into a line where the customer ahead of me was trying to engage the clerk.

Her message was a simple one in this Christmas season – Happy Holidays and of course, Merry Christmas – but the cashier responded – not in my streets, not in my neighborhood, not in my city where I always read about someone killed.

The cashier’s experience was obviously very different and was far more tragic.

She then told the customer ahead of me that her neighbors son was just killed by someone- yet to be caught – who walked up to that teenager and shot him.

A Christmas Season now checkered, now colored, by that worst kind of chaos – the loss of a son who was out trying to shop for a Christmas gift for his mom.

Pick up any local newspaper, watch any local news channel, turn on your own computer or iPad or Smartphone and that kind of news is literally everywhere.

Your own life is moving along at its own good pace, in its own good place, in a state of relative peace and quiet and tranquility – then comes the belly buster.

The reality that not all is well, not all is peaceful, not “kosher in their kitchen!”

Things go real somber, sullen and quiet in your own heart in a real big hurry.

Just how fast can peace, joy and the good life life turn on the proverbial dime?

How fast can it turn into something we want to throw away as far as we can?

How does this truth color and checker our own Christmas experience realizing that the person or the people we encounter directly in front of us, the silent and quiet ones, are those whose place of peace, joy and goodwill is now, shattered?

Stop, and think about that today as you go about your day at work or in school.

As you smile, please quietly reflect, fervently pray for those who pass you by.

Reflect on today’s verse from the Gospel of John Chapter 16 verse 33, perhaps making a substantial effort to memorize it and then mightily pray it forward:

John 16:33 Amplified Bible

33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous  [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]

Pray it forward for the people on the highways and the streets you drive on as you go to work, or go to school, or go to the supermarket and get your groceries, for the strangers on the stores and in the streets, as you watch that daily news.

Keeping in mind that Jesus never promised His followers the absence of trouble.

Nowhere in any of His Gospel narratives does He teach to us, preach to us, that as a result of His coming, dying, rising, and ascending, the world is going to be that more peaceful place or that our place in it is going to be more comfortable.

In TRUTH, what He says to us is this: “In the world you will have tribulation.”

Sometimes we desperately want to import to now that which is promised only for then—that is, for the eternal future of peace of which Christ has assured us.

We might want to claim only for ourselves, just for today all those promises—of God, all the blessed assurances of Jesus’ salvation – wealth, healing, or absence of tribulation—that God intends to bring into fruition during the age to come.

Except, there is an important caveat which Jesus’ commanded us not to ignore:

John 10:11-18 Easy-to-Read Version

11 “I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. 12 The worker who is paid to keep the sheep is different from the shepherd. The paid worker does not own the sheep. So when he sees a wolf coming, he runs away and leaves the sheep alone. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 13 The man runs away because he is only a paid worker. He does not really care for the sheep.

14-15 “I am the shepherd who cares for the sheep. I know my sheep just as the Father knows me. And my sheep know me just as I know the Father. I give my life for these sheep. 16 I have other sheep too. They are not in this flock here. I must lead them also. They will listen to my voice. In the future there will be one flock and one shepherd.[a] 17 The Father loves me because I give my life. I give my life so that I can get it back again. 18 No one takes my life away from me. I give my own life freely. I have the right to give my life, and I have the right to get it back again. This is what the Father told me.”

There are a few others who are standing in front of us, working right next to us, driving and walking right by us, shopping in the same stores as us, in front of us in the super market check out lines, behind the cash registers serving our needs.

We do not know their stories, we are not privy to their lives at home or at work.

We know they have their stories, and blessed assurance, Jesus knows them all!

Yes, His kingdom has broken into our world with the advent of Christ.

But you, me, we, and all of those people around us, still await its full benefits.

And we “leave someone, their “known but to God” story behind, not prayed for?

And if we make the mistake of thinking that God has promised us today what He has in fact only promised us in eternity, then we will certainly be disappointed, and we will run the risk of turning our backs on Him on the basis that we did not pray for and deliver, He did not deliver what He had never actually promised us.

But though like Jesus taught in that Upper Room to His disciples, we can expect to encounter trouble and tribulation right now simply because we follow Jesus as our King, we’ll pray for others, we still have hope for true peace in this world.

Apostle Paul writes, “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1, emphasis added).

This is a peace with God that we can claim now as our own.

This is a peace with God we can, always should be, fervently praying forward.

For us and all of those who are around us, it is ultimate freedom from the fear of judgment and death, from recrimination, and from all the dredging up of all the vileness that Christ has already – once and forever – 100% dealt with at Calvary.

The true gospel is the “good news of peace through Jesus Christ” (Acts 10:36).

We still have trials.

We will groan, suffer under the weight of sin—both our own and that of others.

But in the good news of the gospel we have a true and steady peace, even in turbulent times.

“Let not your hearts be troubled,” says Jesus, “neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

We may not feel like it’s true today, but the #1 unchangeable truth remaining is our Lord and Savior Jesus has already overcome the world and all its troubles.

We await His second Advent, the day is not yet here when He will dry all the tears from your eyes, but you can know that that day will arrive, for there is nothing in all of the world that can prevent Jesus bringing His final victory.

In the meantime, you can know, we can know, you and I can share, we can pray it forward at every kingdom opportunity that Jesus always stands with you and me and everybody else, by His Holy Spirit, no matter what “trouble” meets us.

What tribulation faces you today?

What tribulation do we not face but others directly in from of us, assuredly do?

Be sure that Jesus is with you in it and that Jesus will bring you through it—that Jesus will bring them through it too for He has overcome the world! Take heart!

1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
(Refrain)

3. Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love.
(Refrain)

Blessed Assurance Text: Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915

This IS My Story: Blessed Assurance Jesus Is Mine

In that Upper Room, Jesus told the disciples that he, and they, would suffer.

And, even though the disciples would experience mourning and pain after Jesus’ death, the Holy Spirit would be sent, would come to comfort them.

Ultimately, the disciples’ peace would be in Christ; a peace which is eternal.

The unavoidable truth is that we all have trouble in this life, Christian or not.

But we also have a Mighty God who in the beginning spoke, brought order from the chaos, light from the darkness, creation from the great void of nothingness, who is with us-with that sacred and blessed assurance we are to be courageous, encouraged, no matter what we face as our #1 hope is Jesus who has overcome.

We can be at peace, can face anything; as we too have overcome because of Him.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 16 Easy-to-Read Version

A miktam of David.

16 Protect me, God, because I depend on you.
2 Some of you[a] have said to the Lord,
    “You are my Lord.
    Every good thing I have comes from you.”
3 But you have also said about the gods[b] of this land,
    “They are my powerful gods.
    They are the ones who make me happy.”

4 But those who worship other gods will have many troubles.
    I will not share in the gifts of blood they offer to their idols.
    I will not even say their names.
5 Lord, you give me all that I need.
    You support me.
    You give me my share.
6 My share[c] is wonderful.
    My inheritance[d] is very beautiful.
7 I praise the Lord because he taught me well.
    Even at night he put his instructions deep inside my mind.[e]

8 I always remember that the Lord is with me.[f]
    He is here, close by my side,
    so nothing can defeat me.
9 So my heart and soul will be very happy.
    Even my body will live in safety,
10 because you will not leave me in the place of death.
    You will not let your faithful one rot in the grave.
11 You will teach me the right way to live.
    Just being with you will bring complete happiness.
    Being at your right side will make me happy forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Advent Reflection: “Behold! God Sends His Messenger! Prepare Ye, Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!” Mark 1:1-8

Mark 1:1-8 New Living Translation

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.[a] It began 2 just as the prophet Isaiah had written:

“Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
    and he will prepare your way.[b]
3 He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
    Clear the road for him!’[c]”

4 This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 5 All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. 6 His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.

7 John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with[d] water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

A Message is Sent – “There Will Come a Fresh Start!”

After Israel’s long 40 year sojourn in the desert, God opened a way before Joshua for the people through the Jordan River and into the promised land.

The waters upstream “piled up in a heap,” perhaps like the “wall of water” on the right and left as the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 14:22).

Both stories say that the people passed through “on dry ground” (Joshua 3:17).

Although God had been faithful to Israel, keeping His promises to rescue them and bring them to the land He had promised them (Genesis 12:1-8; 15:13-16; 28:10-15; 46:3-4; Exodus 3:4-10), the people turned away and rebelled.

They did that again and again in a long history of unfaithfulness (Exodus 32; Numbers 14; Judges 2:10-23; 2 Kings 17:1-23; 25:1-21).

Eventually they were punished and sent into exile, but God, still ever faithful, brought them back again (Ezra – Nehemiah).

Nehemiah 8:1-11 New King James Version

Ezra Reads and Explains the Law

8 Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. 3 Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate [a]from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

4 So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.

Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. 8 So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.

9 And Nehemiah, who was the [b]governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the  Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.

10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”

The people who had been gathered in that place before Ezra and the Scribes had just just been read, had just received for the first time in who knows how long, a fresh reading and a fresh anointing from God’s messenger, of the Word of God.

Then they were sent on their ways back to their homes – to their families – to their friends – to their neighbors – to their neighborhoods – their communities. (Verse 10) “Be Still for the Day is Holy; Go and Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!”

Then, about 30 years after the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1; Luke 2), God called a man named John to again send God’s message before the people: prepare ye the way for the Messiah, who had come to be the Savior of the world (John 1:29-31).

John 1:29-31 The Message

The God-Revealer

29-31 The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out, “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I’ve been talking about, ‘the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.’ I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God.”

Now, here in the first 8 verses of Mark 1 we see John preaching in the wilderness, calling the people to gather, to repent and baptizing them in the Jordan River.

And here the people are called not to cross the Jordan but to be baptized in it.

God calls them back to receive a fresh anointing, to make a new start through repentance, seek forgiveness, prepare their hearts for the coming of the Savior.

God’s Messengers Are Still Sent With God’s Message

Christmas is always a time when everyone tries to give that special someone that perfect gift – that gift that genuinely says “I Love You and I always will!”

In these days when those perfect gifts are probably far too expensive to buy, but we still have the same heart to give that special someone a “100% perfect gift,”

I suggest that this year for Christmas, remembering that Christ comes first in the season of Christmas because that is the way it is spelled, the gift of a Bible.

Yeah! I know, another Bible … but this year make a plan to go beyond just the receiving of the physical book, but instead, enter into the messengers head.

The coming of the new year is always a great time to begin a new challenge.

On January 1st 2024, many of us make those self same automatic resolutions.

Some resolve to break bad habits, while others resolve to pick up good habits.

Others attempt to acquire a new hobby or even a new skill throughout the year.

Many Christians might even resolve to read the Bible daily or might challenge themselves (a bit self centered) with another reading plan throughout the year.

Here are 5 challenges for you to consider (selflessly this time) sharing in 2024.

1. Read through the Bible in a Year

The most basic challenge is to read through the Bible in an entire year.

There are 1,189 chapters in a typical English Bible.

Divide this by 365, that means you would need to read only a little over three chapters of the Bible each day to read through every word of the Bible in a year.

When you consider that some of these chapters are only a few verses long, that is not that daunting of a task.

But where do you start?

Is it always good to start in Genesis and read three chapters of every book?

That is one possibility, but my experience is that most people end up just like the Israelites – lost in the wilderness for 40 years inside the book of Leviticus.

Many give up these challenges when they have to trudge through the historical books of 1 and 2 Kings 1 and 2 Chronicles, then sort through the minor Prophets.

From all your Android and Apple smart phones, you can go to their respective “stores” and you can download many apps to assist with a Bible reading plan.

Many of these plans will have the reader in one chapter of the Old Testament, read a Psalm or Proverb per day, and a chapter or two in the New Testament.

2. Devote Your Year to Discerning God’s Wisdom

Reading through the Bible in a year can be incredibly daunting and rewarding.

You often “open your eyes” to see those things that you’ve never seen before.

But that can also be a bit like taking a road trip through a state where you only see the state through tinted windows while driving 70 mph to your destination.

You learn things and see beautiful sites, but you may not get the full impact.

Wouldn’t you know a state better if you decided to live there for an entire year?

What if you decided to spend an entire year in a book like Psalms or Proverbs?

Solomon’s wonderfully simple Proverbs is helpful because there are 31 chapters.

That corresponds to each day on the calendar – except in those months which only have 29 or thirty days and those years – like 2024 – which are “leap years.”

Pick up that nice monthly business planner with those individual days which are set apart by all those wonderfully convenient lines for the individual hours.

Look at your monthly calendar, spot the date, look for all of those wonderfully empty lines just waiting for a single entry and read that chapter of Proverbs.

Do that for every day of the year, with some Biblical text and the Psalms and you’ll be quite surprised at how much wisdom you glean from the Scriptures.

You can do the same thing with Psalms.

There are 150 psalms.

If you choose to dedicate the 31st of each month to working through the largest Psalm, Psalm 119, then that means you have 5 psalms you could read each day.

Simply take the day on the calendar and then add 30, 5 times.

For example, as today is the 5th, you could read Psalm 5, 25, 51, 10o, or 150.

3. Do Twelve 30-Day Challenges

This is the same concept as reading through Proverbs and Psalms.

Yet, here you would find twelve different 30-day Bible reading challenges.

Here you would challenge yourself to pick 12 books of the Bible and spend a month in each one, or seek, find, a topical 30-day challenge and conquer it.

You could take that challenge even further – add something like a chronological New Testament Bible Reading Plan to send this challenge to furthest horizons.

There is a great one at Bible Study Tools that you can use here.

They also have a 45-day gospel challenge that you might find helpful.

4. Deep Dive into a Topic

This one will be much more difficult to organize but might be one of the more rewarding yearly challenges.

Consider working with your Pastor’s at picking a point of doctrine or Christian living and deep ocean-diving into everything the Bible says about that topic.

You could do several of these as mini-challenges throughout the year as well.

Can you imagine how high your understanding would increase if you picked something like justification and studied it in the Scriptures for an entire year?

Years ago, I independently tried something like this with the attributes of God.

I meditated upon a particular attribute of God every month of the year and used these attributes to preach and teach the gospel to myself and to a legacy church.

It was incredibly daunting but also incredibly “eyes>ears>hands” beneficial.

If you decide to do this challenge, consider picking up a Strong’s Concordance to find out quite everything the Bible text’s says on a particular word or topic.

5. Pick a Person and Start Your Own Bible Fellowship

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 New Living Translation

9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Proverbs 27:17 Amplified Bible

17 
As iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens [and influences] another [through discussion].

2 Timothy 2:14-18 English Standard Version

A Worker Approved by God

14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God[a] not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,[b] a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth,  saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.

In fellowship together we are “as Iron” motivated when reaching toward a goal.

Our adrenaline flows, our creative juices churn, and our mind works overtime at solving the problems that stand in the way of achieving God’s vision for our life.

In the United States, where I live, there is an defeating, unhealthy trend toward mediocrity.

Recent sales of tee shirts; the most widely distributed logo in the United States is now seemingly “Undereducated and Underachiever and !@%$ Proud of It.”

I remember the days when the most popular shirt read, “We’re Number One.”

Even in our church today we can become more satisfied with less than our best.

Paul admonishes Timothy, faith communities, and the church community to “come together, to fellowship, do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman [a community] who does not need to be ashamed.”

Paul was not content with anything but the best. He valued repetition, valued community here now instructing Timothy to “keep reminding” his listeners.

Fellowship and Repetition through Bible study and prayer really works for me.

There are certain critically important messages I must hear over and over again. from someone other than “Me, Myself and I.”

My Mother’s favorite Proverb saying “the early bird gets the worm” nudges me out of bed each morning to feast on God’s manna.

I used to have a card in my wallet, “Prayer changes things,” moved me to pray before I attempted to fix a problem in my own malignant, selfish strength.

A sign on my wall once reminding me, “People are forever,” calls me to put people before projects no matter how inconvenient that may seem at times.

Repetitious Fellowship, Repetitious Bible Study, Prayer, produces excellence.

God has given us His permission to come together to create GOD opportunity.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Dear Lord, as I read these passages of scripture, show me Your truth and what you want me to learn. Pinpoint the things in my thinking and my life that aren’t right. Help me to remember that Your word is life and always true, whereas my ideas are often fleeting. Use the truth of Your Word to transform my limited thinking and behavior. Let Your truth inform my faith and let my faith guide my actions. Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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This Advent Reflection: About Being That Person With a Prophetic Vision of Our God In and Within Our Lives. Proverbs 29:18

Proverbs 29:18 Names of God Bible

18 Without prophetic vision people run wild,
    but blessed are those who follow God’s teachings.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

We serve a God of boundaries.

In God’s limitless capacity, endless creativity, and boundless existence God still chose to create boundaries which man cannot hope to pass. (Genesis 3:22-24)

Genesis 3:22-24 New King James Version

22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Even so, God still had vision for what was good, right, pleasing, and perfect.

And as children made in His image, we are to live, think, and create as he does.

In this time of year leading up to Christmas marked by busyness and infinite distractions from seemingly infinite opportunities to be more like our God, it’s important now more than ever for us to create boundaries, establish priorities.

May we find our vision of God, find freedom and joy these days ahead as we receive His vision and set boundaries under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

About Being The Person Who Sees What God is Doing

Proverbs 29:18 The Message

18 If people can’t see what God is doing,
    they stumble all over themselves;
But when they attend to what he reveals,
    they are most blessed.

The world we live in constantly bombards us with its attempts to define who we are and what we should do.

The internet and television are bombarded with advertisements hard selling all their products telling us why we fall short of expectations, sell us what we need.

Our jobs tell us how we should spend our time and find a sense of self-worth.

Our families and friends often define us by what we’ve done or said in the past.

And even our churches will sadly define us according to how we can best meet the needs of the worlds cultures rather than getting to know who God truly is.

TBTG, we serve ONE God who knows us even better than we know ourselves. 

Psalm 139:1-4 says, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” 

And then later in Psalm 139 verse 16 David writes, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

Then as we try to plumb the depths of God’s words, we simply have no concept so, instead of trying to reach the ends of understanding, grasping God’s Words,

David concludes with blessed words which accept His humanities limitations –

Psalm 139:17-18 English Standard Version

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    I awake, and I am still with you.

From the foundation of the earth, God knew He would make us.

On the day we took our first breath He already had perfect, pleasing plans for us.

He has known our every thought and looked upon our every action with grace.

We could not be more known than we are right now by our heavenly Father.

And there could not possibly be anyone better, Shepherd us through the chaos, morass, of this life than God, the Father and God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 23 Authorized (King James) Version

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Reading, envisioning those ancient words of Psalm 23, to be that person with healthy, life-giving, God first boundaries starts with being a person of vision.

And the only place to get true vision is from the only One who truly knows us.

God longs to be the true north on our compass.

The Word of God which stands as the only Global Positioning System we need.

Through His Words, He longs to give us honest insight into how He’s made us.

He longs to give us a prophetic vision of how He sees us and feels about us.

And in our receiving a prophetic revelation of who we are we will each be better equipped to envision God, follow his leadership into his perfect, pleasing will.

As we take the Word of God into the next week of Advent, proceed into this week of vision and boundaries by a fresh meeting with our heavenly Father in prayer.

From Alpha to Omega, Our God longs to help us see ourselves, this world, and vision opportunities before us, as He does that we might gain wisdom, insight.

We can choose to become more like God – become that person of Godly visions.

We can choose to pick our heads up and put on the lens of the Holy Spirit.

We can Ask God questions.

We can inquire of God about our vision of our life and our “God” opportunities.

In response God will provide the leadership we all need, exactly how we need it.

May we be overwhelmed by fresh revelation of how loved we are-just as we are.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

1. Meditate on the simple truth that God truly knows you. 

Allow Scripture to lead you to a place of faith, trust, in God’s knowledge of you.

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” Psalm 139:1-4

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”  Psalm 139:16

Psalm 139:17-18 Authorized (King James) Version

17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God!
how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand:
when I awake, I am still with thee.

2. Ask God to give you a revelation of how he sees you. Ask Him for a revelation of his nearness and love. Begin to talk to Him about any imperfections you have.

Psalm 23 Authorized (King James) Version

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31

3. Ask God for a revelation of what God has called you to. 

Ask Him about your role in your family and His calling on your life as a spouse, child, parent or grandparent.

Ask Him for vision for your work, for your roles with your co-workers and even with that “connection” those “relationships” you have with your Supervisors.

Ask Him for vision for your relationship with His Son – Journal His responses.

God my Creator, God my Father, pray restrain me to your will and vision for my life. Father I will wait expectantly for your vision and the steps I should take according to your will. I will go forth in faith as I step because I surrender my will to you. Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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