Christmas

And she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7

When I was a boy in the early 1950s, we lived near the large VA hospital in Waco, Texas. It housed hundreds of veterans from WWII, many of whom would never be well enough to leave. These men, broken in body and mind, celebrated Christmas every year with a huge Christmas display in the front lawn that always included a manger scene as the center piece. It seemed like most of the town would come out every year to admire this wonderful display.
Though the world forgot these men and the sacrifices they had made, they made sure the most important part of Christmas wasn't forgotten.
I thank the Lord for those faithful ones who came before us, who have kept the flame of faith and freedom, so we can enjoy it's light today.

The Word of Our God Stands Forever

All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.
Isaiah 40:6-8

While the withering of our bodies is not a pleasant thing, it's a reminder that we are his creation, and while outwardly we are fading away, inwardly we are growing stronger in Him. "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and yes, forever."

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits.
Psalm 103:1-2

What are these benefits? pardon, healing, lovingkindness and compassion. That's enough for me.
Thank you Lord for your love for us.

Thanksgiving

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless his name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100: 4-5

Let us not be like the 9 out 10 lepers who failed to thank Jesus for healing them: let's thank him right now for saving us and making us whole in Him. Let's give him the sacrifice of a thankful heart.

Blest Be the Tie That Binds

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Apraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.
Gal. 3:26-30

Our Saturday Group just finished the study of Galatians, and it reminded me of a song we used to sing in church:

"Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

Before our Father's throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,
Our comforts and our cares."

I thank the Lord for brothers in Christ, who bring companionship and encouragement to life's journey.

Reconciled to God

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconcilliation. 2 Cor. 5: 17-19.

I think I get this now. The world doesn't really think it needs reconciling to God, because it doesn't want God. Amazingly we demand justice in daily lives, and can't stand any "sinning" against us in word or deed by anyone; and we won't be reconciled to our injurerer until they've completely made amends, and even then maybe not.

But when we sin against God, we don't feel that same obligation to be reconciled with Him. Apart from Christ's sacrifice for us, we couldn't offer enough righteousness anyway to gain that reconciliation. What possible gift can a man offer to a righteous God that can gain him communion with that Almighty?

Yet another thing to be thankful for! We are reconciled to God through Christ.

Contentment

Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance...
Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.
Psalm 55: 1-2,6

Thank you Lord, for making me thirsty for you. You have given to me abundantly all that I need. May I always feast at your table.

Trust and Obey

I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever; to all generations I will make known Thy faithfulness with my mouth. For I have said, "Lovingkindness will be built up forever; In the heavens Thou wilt establish Thy Faithfulness." Ps.89: 1-2

The Lord's nature is love, and all we have to do is simply act on that truth by trusting his word. Like the hymn, we must "trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

I am thankful today for His faithfulness and lovingkindness, that never changes throughout the years, it's forever.

Sunday October 11, 2009

¹²Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

I cannot improve on this. I just need to live it out, to clothe myself in compassion, and do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, who after all, was the kindest person ever to walk the earth. Whoever thinks kindness and gentleness is equivalent to weakness is deceived and doesn't understand the kingdom of God. We want a world that's kind to us, and expect heaven to be that way, but find it hard to be kind to others right here on earth? Today people laugh at the idea of sitting around the campfire singing "cum by ya" and think it's pretty pointless, but it's actually an example of what the scripture is calling us to do. No excuses about not being gifted in this area. Everyone who follows Christ has this gift.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow. James 1:17
The "Father of lights," illumines our life and shows us the path we should take. Without his light we couldn't see the blessings he bestows everyday. Today He gave us beautiful weather, an uplifting morning Bible study, and the time to communicate with Him.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Well, I'm thankful for the glorious day we had in Washington, D.C. I went downtown and put a gospel brochure in various museum cafeterias. Everyone was so happy and relaxed, enjoying the day with family, and luxuriating in the blessings of a free country. Americans have so much to be thankful about, and I guess the museums and galleries in Washington testify to that fact. Some of the greatest benefits of freedom are transparent--freedom from fear, the feeling of belonging, and the knowledge that as a citizen you actually are a part owner in this experiement in democracy. Thank you Lord for giving us such a great country.

Wednesday Sept. 30, 2009

I'm thankful for the simple fact that I can talk to God. Prayer is truly the most overlooked blessing of our life in Christ, and yet the most intimate and spiritually filling. Thank you Lord for listening...

Sunday September 27, 2009

It's okay to be joyful. I'm giving you official permission--a hall pass for just enjoying you life. It occurred to me that there's literally thousands of sites that just rant about what's wrong with everything in the world from politics to entertainment, but few devoted to the contentment and joy found in simply iving for Christ.
So I'm going to do something very simple. I'm going to share one joyful thought from the Bible everyday for a year. I read once about a terminally ill young boy who composed a "joy list" for his parents half a dozen sheets of paper with writing on both sides and said, "I want you to give this to my mom and dad after I die. It's a list of all the fun we had, all the times we laughed." This got me thinking about starting my own joy list of the simple good things that happen everyday.
My first one:

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. —John 15:11
Today I sat in church with my oldest daughter Anne, her husband Chris, and my mother-in-law Alva. In the nursery were my grandchildren Grace and Lily. What joy it is to be able to commune with God with your loved ones here on earth, and not have to wait til we get to heaven. I think we share a bit of God's joy with each other just being together. It's wonderful.