Starting to Stop

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

I can’t help but think at the beginning of the New Year about my habits. Are there things I should stop? Things I should start? I already mentioned that I really don’t like to exercise. It’s not the physical movement, just the idea of having to do it. I have that same thought process with a lot of things. I don’t like to have to do it, I want to want to do it.

I felt the same way about “church.” After being raised as a Christian, for quite a few years I decided I was going to do something else. That something else included a lot of bad habits. I was pretty happy in this life-style (or so I thought.)

One day, I took my kids to church. Honestly, because I felt like I had to. As I was sitting there with them listening to the sermon, I heard “Why don’t you come back?” Funny, even though I was not used to hearing God talk, I knew that’s who it was. And I said, “No thank you. I don’t need the rules. Church is usually a bunch of people who judge you and it is not fun.” Again, I heard it and again I replied the same way. And then God did something I didn’t expect. He said, “Don’t follow the rules. Come get to know me.” Maybe because he surprised me with that, maybe because that intrigued me, I said “OK. What do I have to lose? But, I am not going to give up all the things I do and all the things I like.” And God said, “Just get to know me.”

I left church that day and started the very long journey of getting to know God. I started reading a little devotional in the morning. Took me five minutes. After a while, I started praying and talking to God. And the journey continued.

God often surprised me by the funny things he did. Like the time when I was trying to quit smoking. Do you see the irony in this? I was trying so hard. Every time I failed and smoked, I would stop talking to God. One day as I thought about praying but felt guilty about the smoking and decided against it I heard “You know, I can see you when you smoke so why are you not talking to me? It’s not like you’re going to hide it.” The tone of the voice sounded like the tone I used with my kids when they were trying to hide something. I laughed and started talking to him in spite of the smoking and every other growth area.

As I look back these many years later, I realize I actually have stopped doing a lot of the things I said I wouldn’t stop. Some of the things I thought I liked, I no longer care about. And some of the things I swore I would never do, like talk about Jesus all the time, I do.

I wonder if when God said “Just get to know me” he smiled because he knew that when I did, I would fall in love with him. I wonder if he knew that the friendship we’ve grown would become the most important thing in my life.

That list of things I should stop and things I should start? I don’t really have a formal list. But, I give the control of that to God. I ask him what he wants me to stop and what he wants me to start. Because honestly, after all these years I’ve learned that if it’s on his list, it will make me happy.

Whose Plan Is It Anyway?

We can make our plans,  but the Lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

I’m not really one for New Year’s resolutions. I figure if I want to start something, I’ll start it. If I want to stop something, I’ll stop it. It doesn’t make a difference what day it is and often putting off until a specific date what you should be doing now doesn’t seem logical to me. Take exercising for example. Not my favorite thing and it seems to be harder in the winter months. Honestly, I probably need a resolution to restart it every month!

But, I will also admit that there is something hopeful about the beginning of a new year. It’s a time to reflect on the past and the future. It’s a time for a clean slate and possibly some changes. This New Year, my focus seems to be on prayer. God started talking to me about this in November. And in my conversations with him, I decided to make this a 2019 focus. Not that I don’t already pray, but to dig deeper into it; to make it an anchor for my life.

So what will a deeper focus on prayer do for my life in 2019?

• It will move my plans to the side so God’s plans can take shape.

• It will help me stop saying “I can’t” because I will be reminded that God can.

• It will release the grip fear sometimes has on me so I can step out in boldness.

• I will learn to follow more through a constant conversation with Jesus and control less.

• Prayer will remind me to stop staring at my “old” and always be on the lookout for the “new” that God is doing.

• It will provide inspiration.

This list could go on and on. The only actual resolution I have is to dig deeper into prayer but look at all the possibilities!

Although your list will be very different than mine, I bet if you make prayer a priority in 2019, everything else on your list will fall into place.

Looking Forward

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NLT)

Each year I choose a character of God to try to understand him better. One year it was Joy. One year it was Power. In 2018 it was Glory. Usually, I go through the year and I look for God in these words and somewhere in the middle, I see him more clearly. Not this year. Glory was harder. One of the things that kept stumping me was when the Bible said we would share God’s glory. When I thought of God’s glory, I thought of how he showed up in the pillar of fire before the Israelites in the wilderness. And when the angels showed up and people dropped in terror. How can we share that?

At the very end of this year, it all came together. In Hebrews 1:3 it says that Jesus radiated God’s glory by being the very character of God (NLT), the perfect imprint (AMPC). Jesus was the essence of God.

In our text today, it talks about how when we choose God, we become more and more like Jesus. We are changed into his image. And as we do that, we share God’s essence, his character with those around us. We share in his glory. Sharing God’s glory isn’t about some bright power that appears with shock and awe. It is more about becoming his character and sharing who he is.

It is our responsibility to share that with others. And the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:15 that as more and more people experience him, there will be thanksgiving and praise and glory to his name.

I look back on 2018 and know that sometimes I shared God’s character and sometimes I didn’t. I know there were times when I really reflected him badly. I hate it when I do that. But, I am not discouraged by that. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says as we are changed into his glorious image. It’s a process. We will not be fully changed until we see Jesus when he comes again. The Bible also promises in Philippians 1:6 that God is faithful and will continue the work he started in us until completion.

So here’s to 2019 and beyond! As we continue to seek His face, as we continue to know Jesus more fully, may God change us to be more and more like him. May his glory be seen all throughout the earth!

Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
2 Corinthians 9:15 (ESV)

Happy Birthday Jesus
I'm so glad it's Christmas
All the tinsel and lights
And the presents are nice
But the real gift is you!

Happy Birthday Jesus
I'm so glad it's Christmas
All the carols and bells
Make the holiday swell
And it's all about you!

Happy Birthday Jesus
Jesus I love you
Happy Birthday Jesus
Jesus I love you
Written By Carol Cymbala

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Not As I Expected

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)

In the Christmas Story in the Bible, there are lots of characters. We tend to focus on the main actors like Mary and Joseph, the Wise Men, the Shepherds. But we don’t look too much at the other players.

Take for example, the Wise Men. When they went into Jerusalem, they were asking everyone where Jesus was. No one even knew he was there. He was not on their radar. Even the Scribes and Pharisees who had the Scriptures memorized missed his arrival.

And then there were the Shepherds. They were the lowest in society yet the Angels appeared to them and pointed them to Jesus. They went, found him and then went all around telling everyone that he was there. But the Bible doesn’t say there was an onslaught of people rushing to see him. There didn’t seem to even be a blip on the radar.

Why were the Shepherds, totally uneducated and unrefined, and the Wise Men, foreigners and non-believers, able to find him? Why did God chose to reveal his Son to these?

I wonder if it is because they were open to receiving him, even if he didn’t look like what they thought he would. The people of Israel were looking for a conqueror. When Jesus showed up as a baby, they dismissed him because he didn’t fit their preconceived ideas. They were not willing to accept him for who he was. He didn’t fit in their box.

Makes me wonder. Am I doing what they did? Do I miss Jesus when he shows up because I was looking for something else? Do I lose sight of what he is trying to do in my life because I am so focused on what I think should happen and am not on where he is working?

I don’t want to be like the other characters in this story. I want to seek him. I want to see him however he decides to show up in my life. I want to be completely bold and go out on a limb to follow him even if it looks different than I think it should.

How about you? Will you join me?

A Minute In It - The Christmas Story

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Take a moment to read the Christmas Story from the Gospels.

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month.37 For the word of God will never fail.”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. Luke 1

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
    She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
    which means ‘God is with us.’”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. Matthew 1

The Birth of Jesus

2 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

The Shepherds and Angels

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. Luke 2

Visitors from the East

2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
    are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
    who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. Matthew 2

The Faithful Gift Of Love

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
    His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
    therefore, I will hope in him!”

The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
    to those who search for him.
So it is good to wait quietly
    for salvation from the Lord. Lamentations 3:22-26 (NLT)

Jeremiah was prolific. So many times in the book named after him it says “This is what the Lord says” or “The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah.” And the messages weren’t pretty. They were messages of punishment and destruction because the Israelites refused to obey God. They continued to do what they pleased, when they pleased without regard for his wishes.

Jeremiah was punished by the people for his prophecies. He was treated harshly and ostracized by his community. Still he continued to relay what God told him. I am sure a life like this would be very discouraging. He probably felt like he was walking an uphill battle. Over and over again he said the same thing only to be shut down.

And then, Israel was taken into captivity. The horror of every prediction was coming true. And Jeremiah was lamenting about this. In the middle of pouring his heart out, Jeremiah writes today’s Bible verse. He turns from looking at the doom and destruction and focuses on God and who he is. He stops looking at the chaos around him and focuses on the love and patience of his King.

Sometimes the holidays can be super stressful and depressing. So much activity; so many expectations to be met. Or, if your life is not in the place to where you can enjoy these things, it can be very discouraging. Take a step back. Remember who Jesus is and why he came. Remember the gift that we have all received because of that love. I know it may not immediately change our circumstances, but it will remind us what we are supposed to be celebrating. It will remind us where our focus needs to be.

Decisions, Decisions

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.  Matthew 1:24 (NLT)

Engaged! I can’t believe I am engaged to Mary. God has truly blessed me. All of our friends and family are so happy for us. The entire village is ready to celebrate our union together. This is going to be the beginning of a great life!

Until. Until Mary told him she was pregnant. Until she tried to claim this was not her doing. Until she blamed it on God. What was she thinking? Did she honestly think he was that naive? She certainly wasn’t the woman he thought she was.

What was he going to do? He could make a lesson out of her lies. He could bring her before the Village Elders and make sure everyone knew that he did not do this. There was a knot in his stomach as he tried to process the circumstances that just turned his life upside down.

And oh how he prayed. He prayed that God would show him the best way to get out of this relationship. There was nothing in this mess that could be redeemed. He decided to quietly move on. No disgrace for anyone. Just cut the ties and move on.

As he lay down that night to sleep, Joseph tossed and turned. The weight of the decision he made weighed heavily on him. He was deeply troubled.

When he woke up the next morning, he remembered the dream. An angel came and told him to marry Mary. The angel said that what she said was true and that God was in the middle of this seemingly impossible situation. Joseph did what God asked him to do. He took Mary as his wife and became Jesus’ earthly father.

What do you think it would take to have that kind of relationship with God? The kind where you see the human side of things but follow the completely non-logical path like Joseph did. We might wake up after that dream and think we ate something bad the night before. We’d be discounting God. When God wants to get a point across to us, he’s not going to leave it up to our human faculties. It will be clear. And I think this does happen….more often than we think.

The question then becomes, are we going to follow?