A New Year Weekly Text

 

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:11-12

Are you ready for 2024??? Do you have your New Year's Resolutions set? Goals? Bucket List? Are you excited about the prospects the New Year holds?

Whether you answer yes or no, allow me to put on my "Life Coach" hat and offer some some advice. Like my texts, it's free of charge. Remember, you get what you pay for!!🙂

When I read this passage the other day, I thought what a great set of resolutions for the year to come! Use your sticky notes, set reminders on your phone, tell Alexa, just get it before you as a constant reminder.

• Be diligent to the full assurance of hope
• Don't be sluggish
• Be a person of faith and patience that you might inherit the promises

Better than a "To-Do List" would be to use this passage as a filter for your 2024 goals. As you contemplate your goals, ask yourself:

• How will this help me be diligent to the full assurance of hope that I have in Jesus?
• How can this assist me in not being sluggish in my daily walk with the Lord?
• How will this grow my faith and increase my patience? Does this draw me away from the promises I have in Christ?
• In pursuing this, will I be worthy of imitation by others in their faith journey?

Finally, I would encourage you to incorporate the principles of these verses into your daily prayers, seeking the power of The Holy Spirit to imprint this focus into your daily life. I believe you could see significant growth in faith and holiness and more effective and worthwhile results from your resolutions. Aspire to the greater things that God has for you until He calls you home!

Happy New Year!! Bon Ane Nouvo!!

A Christmas Weekly Text

 

Simple & Ordinary In The Hands Of A Mighty God......

There's an old saying that "familiarity breeds contempt."  In the case of Christmas, familiarity may breed indifference.  It's not that the telling of the birth of the Christ Child has lost its power.  Neither are we ignorant of the "reason for the season" as we are often chided not to forget.  I believe, it's more that we fail to mine the depths of its significance or ponder the wonder of it all.

Why is that?

I believe it may have something to do with the simple and ordinary nature of it all.  Yet, that is exactly what we need to embrace.  The underlying message of the biblical account of the first Christmas is the "simple & the ordinary in the hands of a Mighty God."  

Think this through with me.

A carpenter and his teenage fiancée. A government ordered population count. Sold-out inns. Stables and farm animals.  Straw and swaddling cloths.  Shepherds and foreign academics.  

The simple and ordinary in the hands of a Mighty God..

It doesn't end there.

A move to Egypt. Then a return to Nazareth.  Living the village life. Learning the customs and faith of his people. Working in the family business.

The simple and ordinary in the hands of a Mighty God.

Twelve men from all walks of life.  Instructing them, and all who were willing to listen, in the deeper meaning of the Ancient Texts.  Loaves, fishes, mud, spit, dying fig trees all become tools to make miracles.

The simple and ordinary in the hands of a Mighty God.

Straps and ropes. Two wood beams and spikes.  A spear and Temple curtain. A loud cry.

The simple and ordinary in the hands of a Mighty God..

A cave. A rock. An empty tomb.

The simple and ordinary in the hands of a Mighty God.

And let us not skip over the symbolic gift given as constant reminder.  

The Bread and The Cup.  

Lifted out of a much larger and more elaborate celebration used to teach the saving work of our God.

A visual reminder of the sacrifice made for us. The means by which all who believe are saved.  The path by which faith, hope and love comes crashing into our existence; shining a bright light in an otherwise dark and sin-sick world.

The simple and ordinary in the hands of a Mighty God.

The Good News today is the miracles continue.  Take a look at those around you.  Better yet, look at yourself with your cell phone camera. 

May we all be counted among the simple and ordinary in the hands of a Mighty God!

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 9:6-7 (NKJV)

The simple and ordinary in the hands of a Mighty God.

Weekly Text 12/10/2023

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

The theme for the the 2nd Week of Advent is Peace. Of all the weeks, I think this is the hardest to present. As much as we try to explain it, we don't adequately capture the fullness of the Peace that Jesus Christ offers us. Our worldly perceptions of Peace--the absence or avoidance of conflict--falls dramatically short of Biblical Peace. Nothing in our worldly experience even comes close.

The Peace that Christ gives is the blessing of our Redemption. It comes as the separation of us from God is removed and grows into its fullness in direct proportion to the intimacy we have with God The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As our heart is sanctified and the corruption of sin is removed, Peace abounds. One day, we will experience a never-ending and complete Peace as the eternal blessing of our salvation.

This Advent Season, whether from a pulpit, in a small-group or personal conversation with family, friends and strangers, let's be sure to invite people to The Eternal Peace of Jesus Christ. It may be hard to explain or to understand but, it is certainly something all of us want to experience. My father-in-law, who preached often in local churches as a Lay Preacher and is now enjoying the beauty of Heaven, told me in my early days of ministry that whenever I preach or teach to make sure that I speak of the love of Jesus.

It remains great advice because receiving and experiencing the love of Jesus is the path to Perfect Peace.

Christ Has Come. Christ Is Coming Again!

Weekly Text 12/3/2023

 

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

In the rhythm of The Church Calendar, today marks the beginning of The  Advent Season.  Long celebrated by Christians of all stripes across the ages, it is a season of preparation.  First, for the celebration of The Messiah who has come and second, for His Return.  Each week is traditionally celebrated with the lighting of candles displayed in an Advent Wreath.  Each candle represents a different weekly theme of Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. Purple is the color of each candle to represent the royalty of Christ except for the third--the Love Candle--which is a pink or rose color.  Finally, sitting in the center of the wreath is the larger, white Christ Candle which is lit on Christmas Eve.  Churches and families are encouraged to read and share Scripture and Devotions around the theme of each week.  It is a wonderful tradition that passes on the central tenets of our faith--that our Redeemer has come, He lives and He will come again to fulfill the fullness of His Kingdom.  As faithful children of The King, we must prepare ourselves and focus our hearts to Celebrate this Truth, Live Out this Truth, and to Anticipate the Coming Truth of His Judgement and Final Restoration of His Kingdom. The season of Advent is offered as means of grace to that end.

Today, our focus is on the word HOPE.  Do you have HOPE?  More importantly, do you WANT to have HOPE?  Paul David Tripp, in his book "New Morning Mercies" (Crossway Books) reminds us that we "serve a dissatisfied Redeemer".  Jesus' goal is the "final renewal of all things". Our problem, is "we are all too easily satisfied".  We are satisfied with being a little bit redeemed, while Christ wants to complete His image within us. We are satisfied with stopping way short of the goal.  We also become enamored with the fleeting glories of this world.  To unwind our twisted thinking, Tripp reminds us, including me, that "Hope is not found in the places where our hearts look for satisfaction, but in the dissatisfaction of our Redeemer."

So as we begin The Advent Journey, let us center our hearts on our Redeemer and share His dissatisfaction with our current state and have Hope that we will "be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Blessings for a wonderful day!