Having It All

 "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things and at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

    Whenever my daughters have asked me for gift ideas, my go-to response has been, "World peace and dryer sheets." Though this is my way of expressing that I have all I need, I really did receive dryer sheets on at least one occasion. God will have to fulfill my other request.

    Did you receive all you wanted for Christmas? Were the gifts you gave received with joy? Sometimes it's hard to recall who gave what to whom and you can forget about trying to remember what you got last year, right?

    Though I understand the idea behind gift giving, that we are emulating God's generous gift to us which was wrapped in swaddling cloths, the materialism of the season has a tendency to rob us of our worship if we aren't careful. 

    Imagine with me you have no tree to trim, no money to spend, not even a friend or relative with whom to celebrate Christmas. No feast upon the table, steaming with delectable scents. You have no chimney by which to hang a stocking. Would Christmas cease to exist? Would your heart be void of joy?

    Put yourself in Mary's shoes. On that very first Christmas, she was far from home, young and inexperienced. In a little stable, she gave birth to the perfect and most priceless Gift that brought peace and salvation to any heart that would receive Him. The glory of the Lord provided the Christmas lights while angels sang the carols on high. Scruffy shepherds were her visiting kin. 

    Did young Mary have all she needed? "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." (Luke 2:19) 

    Now that Christmas is over, most decorations are stored away and the mailman brings boring tax documents and insurance claims instead of glittering greeting cards. The snow has melted and the festive lights no longer shine, but the true treasure of salvation warms my heart every single day. 

    Only in Christ do we have it all.

"Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." Psalm 34: 9, 10

    

My New Year's Resolution

 "I want to know Christ." Philippians 3:10

    On New Year's Eve, the question was asked of me, "Where do you see yourself at the end of 2023?" It was one of those questions for which the answer came slowly, a few days later.

    Initially, my mind pondered the temporal hallmarks of life. I have all I could ever need or ask - husband, home, daughters, granddaughter. My health is stellar. My job pays well and is in close proximity to my home. I have never been in want or neglect. I am content.

    Spiritually, however, I have not reached my goal, nor will I ever do so, because the work is never done! Like the Apostle Paul, I "press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." (Philippians 3:12) 

    My parents wrote the following verse inside the cover of the Bible they gave me: "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forevermore. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18) Looking over my shoulder, have I grown in my faith? Have I gotten to know Jesus, the One with whom I will spend eternity? Have I shared the gospel with others? 

    To answer the question that was asked of me, I resolve to see Christ more clearly, to be attuned to His guidance and to ponder His will for my life. Pray without ceasing, love because He first loved me and do all things through Him who gives me strength. "So we make it our goal to please Him." (2 Corinthians 5:9)

    This is my New Year's resolution.

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13, 14

Our Compassionate God

 "But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love." Nehemiah 9:17

    Sometimes, the best way to comprehend something is to consider its opposite.

    My eldest daughter and I were talking about things of the faith one day when she presented a new way of appreciating God. "I'm glad God is a good God," she said. "What if He were not?"

    Indeed! As I contemplated this, visions of a vindictive bully hurling hundred-pound hailstones and jagged lightning bolts at cowering people who ran for cover filled my mind. What if the sun rose and set at whatever times He got around to it? What if He decided to spin the earth a tad faster one day? 

    To further validate her point, I turned to the scriptures where I found at least eight verses that specifically describe God as gracious and compassionate. Isn't that wonderful?

    During a radio sermon, the preacher told of a farmer who noticed a flock of sparrows that were desperate to escape the inclement weather, so the compassionate man thought to lure the birds into the warm shelter of his barn. As soon as he approached them, however, they flew off, frightened by his size. He tried various ways to lure them, using food and what not, but they didn't trust him. The farmer thought, "If only I could become like one of them, then I could lead them into safety."

    This is an apt description of the incarnation, when God became like one of us. He leads us to the Promised Land of eternal life in Christ Jesus, hemming us in behind and before. 

    I jotted this down in my journal, not sure where I read it: "Jesus would come not just to fill me or support me. He would come alongside me as my ally to fight for me. He would come as my companion to go forward with me. He would come as my Redeemer to buy me back and take me home. In the raging of physical warfare, in the hidden torment of spiritual battle, or in my times of rest and peace, Jesus is 'God with me.'" 

"When He (Jesus) saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Matthew 9:36 

Wise Men Still Seek Him

 "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'" Isaiah 30:21

    Walking on a windowsill at my sister's home are three wise men perched upon their camels. Though they are faded and aged, they doggedly follow the star, year after year. These three had belonged to our parents and, though they didn't match the manger scene, we girls loved them best because of the one's malady: his camel had a wooden leg. At some point in time, this poor dromedary lost his limb but Dad repaired it with a match stick.

    To me, this has become a symbol of the frailty of man and the exhaustive journey of life as we follow the star to Jesus. Our once vibrant bloom pales, the petals of youth flutter downward as we fade with age. We may, in exhaustion, fall from the saddle, slipping from our mount, but we get back on because we have the hope of salvation. We pick up our cross daily and follow Him. When we, at times, feel like Elijah beneath the broom bush of discouragement, God sends an angel with the Bread of heaven and the Water of life to keep us going. Follow the star!

    When, at the end of our journey, the star stops, we will bow to the ground and worship Him. It will all be worth it in spite of (and because of) the brokenness along the way. When our weary eyes behold the Savior of the world sitting at the right hand of God, the Father, we will lay our treasures at His pierced feet in humble gratitude and victory. 

    We made it! We are home!

"So take joy in the journey, even when it feels long;

Oh, find strength in each step, knowing Heaven is cheering you on.

We are almost home, brother, it won't be long;

Soon all your burdens will be gone.

With all your strength, sister, run wild, run free,

Hold up your head, keep pressing on, we are almost home!"

Almost Home, by MercyMe

"After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the Child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh." Matthew 2:9-11

     

    

The Indescribable Gift

"Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

    There's a gift beneath your tree, gloriously wrapped in linen and tied with ribbon of pure gold. On the tag it says, "Especially for you, from God." What do you suppose is inside?

    Over lunch yesterday with my dear friend, Deanna, her eyes filled with tears as she told me of her youngest son, Kevin. After many years of kidney disease, Kevin had been granted a new lease on life through the sacrifice of an organ donor earlier this year. Soon, arrangements will be made to meet the family of the young man whose unexpected death gave Kevin new life. Deanna wondered how she can begin to express the gratitude that swells within her each time she sees her son, robust with good health. 

    We are all in dire need of a transplant, ever since that sly serpent seduced and sullied the human race with sin, for the bible says, "The wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23) When the angels made their heavenly birth announcement to the shepherds, our remedy is found therein: "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord" (Luke 2:11)

    That Baby was born to die as a sacrifice for all. "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28)

    So, getting back to that box, will you open it? How could you resist? Yet, sadly, many do. Here's a wise saying: "Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once." We, who are living and breathing, have all been born once but, like Kevin, we are suffering from a fatal illness, in dire need of a transplant. The box contains new life in Christ Jesus. 

    By accepting his free gift, eternal life has been given to you - wrapped with love and stained with the precious blood of the Savior. Listen to the words of Jesus: "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11: 25, 26)

    Your affirmation opens the box! Not only have you been spared from spiritual death and eternal separation from God, but you have been given the gift of his Holy Spirit who indwells each believer, providing guidance along life's way. Immanuel: God with us!

"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life." Romans 6:23

 

Great Joy

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.'" Luke 2: 10, 11

    Christmas brought great joy to me as a child filled with wonder and excitement, but as I grew, so did the responsibilities and pressures of the season. Buying, wrapping, carding, baking, decorating and socializing replaced my childlike emotions. Like rampant weeds, they threatened to choke the joy I once had. 

    Not everyone at that first nativity experienced great joy. Take King Herod, for example, ruler of Judea. When the Magi followed the star to his province in search of the new King of the Jews, Herod's heart would not bend the knee for One who was greater than he. His selfish ambitions flamed into a murderously furious rage as he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem, in hopes of snuffing out the Messiah.

    In great contrast, these Magi were the wiser men because they had come to worship Him. Matthew's gospel tells us, "When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh." (Matthew 2:10, 11) They gave the best of what they had, gifts of great value given from a heart of worship.

    As my husband and I walked in the silent night of our neighborhood, Christmas lights twinkled like stars beneath moonlit clouds as a peace that passes all understanding enraptured my soul. The wonder and excitement of Immanuel, God with us, bent my heart in worship. Jesus, my King, Priest and Redeemer is worthy of all that I have to give! 

    The great joy of which the angel spoke does not stem from the materialism of the season but it is born in bowed hearts who recognize their need of a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Join the throngs of heaven in great joy and worship the King:

"Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying, 'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!'" Revelation 5: 11, 12

    

     

Chosen by God

"I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand." John 10: 11, 27, 28

    What makes a person important? By the world's standards, a person makes the A-list if they earn mountains of money, hold esteemed positions or hobnob with the goober smoochers. Perhaps their talent is internationally recognized or they have patented an amazing invention or have their own reality show. But the majority of us fit the description of the insignificants. This is my category. Except to a few, my legacy will be overlooked as the sands of time blow across any imprints I may have left in life.

    In biblical times, shepherds were despised by their communities. Because their occupation's paths crossed with those of the Gentiles, they were considered ceremonially unclean, making them unwelcome at worship. Also, they were not permitted to testify in court because they were deemed unreliable as witnesses.

    Is it any coincidence that the shepherds of Bethlehem were the first to receive the Savior's birth announcement? They were out there one night, minding their own, when an angel of the Lord was dispatched to them, not to the Mayor of Bethlehem or the leader of the local synagogue. It delighted God to choose below-average joes to be the very first witnesses of the long-awaited Messiah. 

    When they bent the knee before Him to adore Him, did they know their eyes beheld the Good Shepherd who came to seek and to save the lost sheep? Though their names are never revealed, these unclean, unreliable men "spread the word concerning what had been told them about this Child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them." (Luke 2:18) 

    So, what makes a person important by God's standards? For the answer, read this:

"Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: 'Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.'" 1 Corinthians 1: 26-31