December 9, 2015

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." Romans 5:1-11

So, what have you done for me lately?

That's the world we live in, isn't it?

How often do you hear someone cry out to God in a desperate moment, "God, why don't you do something?" Maybe you have uttered that question before.

Christmas shouts back the answer, "God did something!"

In fact, God did everything! There is nothing more that He can do that He hasn't already done! He sent His ONLY Son to become a man, born as a baby of a virgin, to become the atoning sin sacrifice for your sins. That is all He CAN do. That is all He needs to do. He undid what the first Adam did. He redeemed us from the sins of our first parents. Through His death and resurrection He made it possible for us to be forgiven from our sins and cleansed from our sin nature. By ascending to His Father and sending the Holy Spirit He made it possible for us to live in spiritual power and purity. And, by fulfilling all these prophecies, He proved that the Word of God is true and reliable for you to live by. It is a life-giving Word.

So, as we approach Christmas God wants to ask, "What have YOU done for me lately."

December 8, 2015

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:1-11

Everything about the events of Christmas make the world a much better place.

Peace on earth is still an illusive dream but it is actually possible now through the Prince of Peace.

But I want to comment on an aspect of the story that would contribute to world peace even for those who are not very spiritual.

A message of Christmas is this: “give up your rights and take up your responsibilities”.

Think about how much of our culture is corrupted by people demanding that their rights be honored without taking responsibility for themselves or toward others. Can you imagine how quickly our culture would improve if Americans embraced this important aspect of the Christmas message?

Obviously, as this verse declares, Christ had more rights and privileges than anyone has ever had or ever will have! But He voluntarily surrendered His rights and advantages to assume the responsibility of becoming the Savior of the world.

But, Mary, also surrendered some rights and accepted a very heavy responsibility. Had she clung to her rights, she could not have known the blessing of bearing the Son of God.

Joseph, also, refused to cling to his rights and surrendered them to take on the awesome responsibility of parenting the Son of God!

What could happen in your life if you chose to focus on your responsibilities and not cling you your rights?

Choosing responsibility over your rights IS difficult because it means you have to give up something that is natural and live up to something that is supernatural. Taking responsibility means DOING right not having rights. That is why it is so powerful – and so rare.

How would it impact your marriage? How about your parenting?

What would it do for you in the workplace?

Can you imagine what it could do for your church?

If Jesus, Mary or Joseph had clung selfishly to their rights rather than commit to their responsibilities there would have been no Christmas.

Is there an area of your life where you are clinging selfishly to your rights and refusing to take responsibility? 

How is that working for you? 

What would happen if you changed?

December 7, 2015

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." I John 4:8-10

There are some things you never get tired of.

You never get tired of Christmas and you never get tired of hearing people say, "I love you."

Personally, I never get tired of butter pecan ice cream, but I probably could at some point.

If Christmas and expressions of love are two things you always look forward to, there is a reason. Those two experiences are inextricably connected.

Christmas means so much because love means so much. Love is what Christmas is all about. Love is why Christmas happened. Love is how Christmas happened. Christmas is what love looks like! The Bible makes that abundantly clear:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16-17

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Every celebration of Christmas is a reminder of God's love. Every thought of Christmas is a reminder of love. No wonder Christmas has such strong emotional implications! Christmas seems to bring out the best in everyone! Even people who are not people of faith, still love Christmas. People who are not ordinarily in a good mood are generally in a good mood at Christmas.

Retailers love what Christmas does for their bottom line, but beyond that, they find that customers are generally are in a better frame of mind.

Everyone loves Christmas because everyone loves being loved! And Christmas is all about being loved - unconditionally and extravagantly! Christmas brought love down to our level and lifts us up to a supernatural level of love!

You've got to love it!

December 6, 2015

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.” Luke 1:26-38

I had another thought on the “Mary moment” concept.

It seems to me that “Mary moments” can lead to “miracle moments”!

Surely it did in the first Christmas story! Perhaps there is a lesson for us today. Maybe we would see more “miracle moments” if we had more “Mary moments”!

All of us can identify with Mary’s question, “How can this be?” Everyone one of us have asked that, or at least thought that, when confronted by a challenge from God.

For the better part of four years I asked, “How can this be?” as I wrestled with God’s calling on my life.

You may be facing a difficult challenge and you are asking, “How can this be?”

Perhaps God is planting a new dream or a vision in your spirit that is so big it frightens you and you wonder, “How can this be?” In fact, I would suggest that if that stirring does not cause you to ask, “How can this be?” it may not be from God.

As important as it is to ask, “How can this be?” that was not the “Mary moment”. That moment is not found in the question but rather in her answer, “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” - THAT was the “Mary moment” that allowed the “miracle moment” to happen!

If you wish to see more “miracle moments” happen, make more “Mary moments” happen!

December 5, 2015

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:8-11

According to the Herald Angels, (and who wants to argue with them) Christmas is a season of good news and great joy. The good news has not changed, so where is the joy? The story is the same, our need is the same, our God is the same, the work of Christ has been completed and His Spirit is available and active in our world, so why is there so little joy?

Because this is such an important question I have given it some serious thought. It seems to me the best way to answer it is to consider why these shepherds found such joy. Once we understand that we can try tap into their sources of joy.

The first obvious answer is they heard from God.

Well, that makes sense, doesn’t it? God is the Source of joy so hearing from Him brings joy!

You may be thinking, “Sure, Brad, if I could hear from angels I would be joyful, too!”

I’m not saying it couldn’t happen but you have several other more practical options for hearing from God.

Prayer is a primary way to hear from God. The shepherds had angels but we have Jesus interceding for us as we pray and the Holy Spirit inspiring us and instructing us and interpreting for us as we pray!

If joy is missing from your life the first place to look is your prayers? Are you regularly communicating with God through prayer? Are you making your requests known to Him AND are you listen to His?

Bible study is another way of hearing from God. The Bible is the Word of God. Every time you read it you get a fresh word from Him. When you open the Word you activate Jesus, Who is the Word, and you activate the Holy Spirit Who inspired the Word, and you connect with the Father.

“But, Brad, I read the Bible a lot and I don’t hear from God,” you may be thinking.

With all due respect, it is impossible to read God’s Word and not hear from God. By it’s own testimony, God’s Word never returns void. It always has an effect on the reader or the hearer.

If you are reading the Word and finding no joy, ask yourself, “Am I reading it objectively and am I reading it obediently?” By reading it objectively I mean, are you reading with an open-mind ready to hear what God has to say through His Word? Or. Are you reading it with an agenda trying to justify a point of view or validate your own idea? If you don’t read it objectively and open to hearing from God you won’t hear from God. There is no joy in reading God’s Word to support you own bias.

If you are reading His Word with no intention of obeying it, you will not hear from God. Why should He dishonor His own Word by speaking to someone whom He knows won’t obey it.

The second answer is they hoped in God!

You could debate whether these shepherds heard from God because they were hoping in God or, if they were hoping in God because they had heard from Him. Maybe it was both!

Hope is rooted in the good news that God is still in control of this world and is working in this world to establish His Kingdom in you and through you. Hope is grounded in the reality of Christ not circumstances.

But joy is a result of hoping in God! The problems and perils and pain of everyday life will beat the hope out of you in a hurry if you do not have a reason to hope for a better day. The hope that brings joy is a hope borne out of a determination to believe in the goodness of God despite all evidence to the contrary. Hope is a decision to trust in the last Word you have heard from God until you hear a new Word from God. This hope is built on a foundation of God’s Person. It is never wavering in your belief of His holiness, and His goodness, and His power, and His purposes and His promises. Hope deliberating chooses to believe that what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal and defines reality by the invisible not what is seen.

When you go day after day in the same situation facing the same suffering and circumstances, it is easy to lose hope. But you can choose not to lose hope. Hope doggedly holds onto what you have heard from God until you hear from God again!

Hearing from God produces joy and hoping in God preserves joy!

December 4, 2015

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 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, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” Luke 1:26-34

Christmas makes it a little easier to believe the unbelievable.

However, we are looking at the incredible events of Christmas after the fact. It happened and it is recorded history.

Mary was called on to believe something that seemed unbelievable BEFORE it happened. God confronted her with the choice of believing beyond the possible. God was asking her to commit to something that had never happened and believe that it could. The fact that it was announced by an Archangel may have made it a little easier to believe, but it still required a big leap of faith.

No virgin had ever become pregnant before. Not only had she never heard of such a thing, such a thought had never entered her mind. It was a plan so incredible only God could have conceived it yet Mary was asked to believe it. God called her to believe the unbelievable and to disbelieve what she had always known to be true. She had a “Mary moment”.

We had Christmas and we have a Savior because she didn’t fail her “Mary moment”.

How well have you handled your “Mary moments”?

What do you do when God calls you to believe what He is saying rather than what you are seeing?

If you want to honor God you will have “Mary moments”.

If you want to change the world for God you will have “Mary moments”.

If you want to see God move in miraculous ways you will have “Mary moments”.

Mary was faithful in her “Mary moment”! The world has never been the same!

Will you STEP UP in your “Mary moment”? 

God may only be a few “Mary moments” from rocking your world!

December 3, 2015

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

How would it impact your job if you were never at your best? How far would your worst get you on a regular basis?

What would it do for your relationships if you always showed your worst side?

How would you feel about your worst moments? What if you judged yourself only by your really bad moments? How would that affect your self-esteem?

What would you get for Christmas if Santa made your list based on only your worst days?

Give those some thought and I doubt if your answers will be positive.

As you think about what results from your worst efforts and poorest attitudes in life, let me brighten your day a bit!

There is good news of great joy from the reality of Christmas! As this verse from Romans reminds us, God's response to man's worse was giving His best!

Who does that? Who would give his very best for people who are doing their very worst? Who would send the best they have to redeem those who have already seemingly wrecked their his dream? Who would do that?

Other than God - no one! But God did!

From the moment that Adam exercised his will against God and activated the sinful nature in the human race, God announced His plan to redeem the race. The only way that God could restore a fallen race and rescue it from its worst self was to send His very best!

That is exactly what He did!

Did we request it? No, we were clueless.

Did we deserve it? Not even close.

Did we need it? Absolutely! It was our only hope.

Why would He do it? Ah, that's the good news of Christmas!

It is called unconditional love! It is called grace! It is free - but it is not cheap. It cost God His best for a people at their worst!

Joy, to the world, the Lord has come!