Come Forth As Gold .
Job 23

1. Then Job answered: 2. "Today also my complaint is bitter, his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning. 3. Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat! 4. I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. 5. I would learn what he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me. 6. Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No; he would give heed to me. 7. There an upright man could reason with him, and I should be acquitted for ever by my judge. 8. "Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him; 9. on the left hand I seek him, but I cannot behold him; I turn to the right hand, but I cannot see him. 10. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 11. My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. 12. I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured in my bosom the words of his mouth. 13. But he is unchangeable and who can turn him? What he desires, that he does. 14. For he will complete what he appoints for me; and many such things are in his mind. 15. Therefore I am terrified at his presence; when I consider, I am in dread of him. 16. God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me; 17. for I am hemmed in by darkness, and thick darkness covers my face.

You know the story of Job. He’s lost everything—absolutely everything—including his home and his family. He is being mightily tested. His “friends” are telling him to deny his God, turn away from him. After all, look what he’s done—they recount the disasters that have befallen Job. They remind Job how faithful he has been all his life. They tell him he doesn’t deserve what his God has done to him. And when we’re in the midst of a difficult situation, it’s so much easier sometimes to listen to those voices. It’s hard to keep the faith when we’re grieving, when we’re hurting, when we feel so far from God.

But Job refused to be swayed. He admitted he didn’t know why God had allowed him to suffer. He ardently desired the chance to confess any sins to God – recognized or not – perhaps he had unintentionally broken a law or commandment. He is willing, still, to take responsibility for his life and make any necessary amends. He questioned God – but not in a whining, self-pitying way, rather in a way that begs God to remove any sin, erase any wrongful thinking or deeds. He longs to re-shaped and refined to make himself acceptable to God.

He doesn’t know that God will eventually bless him with even more riches, more cattle and sheep, more children! He can’t possibly see into the future what God has in mind. But he is certain that God will sustain him and will not allow him to be lost forever. He trusts that even though he can’t “see” God right now, He is present and acting in Job’s life. Now that’s faith! That’s a faith I’m not sure I could actually muster if placed in a similar situation, honestly.

What is the lesson? Well, for me, the lesson is that God will bring you through every hardship, though every trial and tribulation. He will sustain you. He will watch over you. He has wonderful plans for you! You may not live out those great things in this life, but you will live them out--perhaps in the next! And that is worth any test, any hardship, any pain. The trick is to remember that in the midst of it all.

I hope you spend this last day of 2004 looking ahead to the wonderful plans God has for you in 2005! And that you remember every day, that today could be “the” day that you come forth as gold. Happy New Year!

Mary

  ¶ 10:09 AM

  Above All Other Gods .
Psalm 135

1. Praise the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord, give praise, O servants of the Lord, 2. you that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God! 3. Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious! 4. For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession. 5. For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. 6. Whatever the Lord pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. 7. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. 8. He it was who smote the first-born of Egypt, both of man and of beast; 9. who in thy midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants; 10. who smote many nations and slew mighty kings, 11. Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan, 12. and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel. 13. Thy name, O Lord, endures for ever, thy renown, O Lord, throughout all ages. 14. For the Lord will vindicate his people, and have compassion on his servants. 15. The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. 16. They have mouths, but they speak not, they have eyes, but they see not, 17. they have ears, but they hear not, nor is there any breath in their mouths. 18. Like them be those who make them! -- yea, every one who trusts in them! 19. O house of Israel, bless the Lord! O house of Aaron, bless the Lord! 20. O house of Levi, bless the Lord! You that fear the Lord, bless the Lord! 21. Blessed be the Lord from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem! Praise the Lord!

So . . . are we worshipping the gods we have created with our own hands? Are we holding out hope that the next lottery win, or the next raise, the next new car, or the next house, the next marriage, the next . . . whatever . . . will give us what we need and want and long for? Can any of our man-made gods make a thunderstorm? Can any of them grant us eternal life? Can they offer us grace, forgive our sins? Will they be faithful to us through every trial and tribulation in our lives? Will they last? Will they love us?

Well, I guess there’s not really much else to say! This is what I gleaned from reading this psalm this morning. And I guess I needed it, because we’ve been toying with the idea of moving. And it’s hard not to up that top dollar in the search, because 1 more bedroom than we can comfortably afford would be nice—one more feature, one more upgrade . . . And there are other areas of my life where I allow my idols to rule too readily—food, television, and others. I long for the things constructed by man. I desire those things that provide me with instant gratification. I wish for more than I have, and turn a blind eye to those who have nothing.

Do you? Have you? Maybe as we approach 2005, we can all re-examine how our lives are structured—how we plan our time, how we expend our energy, how we distribute our resources, and how often we go to God for the answers to our questions. He is the creator, the source, the beginning and the end. He is not constructed by human hands, conceived of by human minds, or controlled by human emotion. He is “I AM” Now. Forever.

This morning I thank Him for His mercy and for His grace. I thank Him for directing me to just the scripture I needed to read this morning to get myself back on track.

I hope today, you will turn to God who is above all other gods, master, creator, ruler and king. And that you’ll recommit your life to Him as the year draws to a close and a new year dawns on the horizon.

Mary
  ¶ 9:24 AM

  Strength of My Heart .
Psalm 20:7-9

7. Some boast of chariots, and some of horses; but we boast of the name of the Lord our God. 8. They will collapse and fall; but we shall rise and stand upright. 9. Give victory to the king, O Lord; answer us when we call.

Psalm 126

1. When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. 2. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." 3. The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad. 4. Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb! 5. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy! 6. He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 73:21-26

21. When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, 22. I was stupid and ignorant, I was like a beast toward thee. 23. Nevertheless I am continually with thee; thou dost hold my right hand. 24. Thou dost guide me with thy counsel, and afterward thou wilt receive me to glory. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides thee. 26. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.

The first conscious thought when I awoke this morning was, “Life after Christmas . . . how do I live like I embrace that baby in a manger?” In truth, it wasn’t nearly that articulate! I think it really ended initially after “Christmas!” But then I opened the subscription e-mail I receive every day with scripture passages and I was directed to Psalms. The theme of the e-mailed verses and what I focused on in each of these psalms, and several others I read is consistent: Rely upon God. He is all we need to live.

That’s pretty simplistic, and yet I find myself reassured by that! I very nearly bypassed Christmas this year! Were it not for the kids and Jim, and our traditional Christmas Eve open house, I wouldn’t even have put up the tree. I’m not sure if I viewed it as one more thing to do, or if I was feeling over run by the world’s view of Christmas. I kept hearing about the predictions for retail sales and what the hottest new gadget was, and what the stars were getting for Christmas, and it really just became a burden to even keep up! But Jim and I went to Vespers at St. John’s Church a couple of weeks ago. And then we participated in a candlelight walk to Libbie Hill and sang traditional Christmas carols. I got it then! I was like Scrooge after the visit from the three ghosts. I felt Christmas that night and thoroughly enjoyed the holiday and have savored these days following Christmas.

But what now? Next week I’ll be back at work. Each day beyond Christmas I am more and more challenged to retain that glow, that wonder, that quiet, still joy of the birth of a tiny baby who grew to be our Savior, Redeemer, God and man, Son and brother, fulfillment of the prophets of old and King of the World. So these psalms reminded me of those feelings. Quiet assurance that God is in charge and cares for me and watches over me, and I am calm within to know that God is the “strength of my heart and my portion for ever.”

I don’t like to make New Year’s resolutions, but I have made an after-Christmas resolution today! I am going to pray about how God wants me to live in the “after-Christmas glow.” I’m going to seek His wisdom and guidance as I plan out the year to come. I know for certain some of what He has tasked me to do. But there is so much that is uncertain—so many wonderful possibilities, and I am not a patient person. Jim has told me he thinks “You need to pray about all this and see what God tells you!” Yes, he is a blessing, but I just hate it when he’s so sensible and wise! I really want to be indulged and whine and wish I was in charge of everything! But, fortunately, God is His wisdom does not allow that to be the case!

I hope you’ll spend today contemplating life after Christmas—and perhaps reframe it to “waiting for Easter!”

Mary

  ¶ 9:58 AM

  Boldness of Faith .
Nehemiah 9:1-6

1. Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth upon their heads. 2. And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3. And they stood up in their place and read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; for another fourth of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God. 4. Upon the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5. Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, "Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be thy glorious name which is exalted above all blessing and praise." 6. And Ezra said: "Thou art the Lord, thou alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and thou preservest all of them; and the host of heaven worships thee.

The wall around the city of Jerusalem has been rebuilt under Nehemiah’s leadership. He was an amazing man! He prayed reverently and fervently at each step along the way for God to direct him – what he should say to the king so he could go to Jerusalem, how he should recall all the scattered tribes to come and help with the rebuilding; how he should conduct himself when the people came to him with a problem or a need. He just prayed and prayed and prayed! And after the wall was done, and the celebrations had ended, the Levites – the priests – called upon all of God’s chosen people—together again at last and having accomplished a great thing to offer prayers of thanksgiving and confession.

Imagine how different our attitudes about the routine of our lives would be if we spent a fourth of our day reading from the law (the Bible), another fourth in confession, and then exalted God, thanking Him for His many blessings! Wow! My attitude changed dramatically just from reading Nehemiah this morning. He never lost sight of his mission – and he knew his mission because God had revealed it to him. He was able to complete his mission, because he constantly sought out God’s wisdom and blessing. He was a true role model for his people. Stay in the Word, confess any sins, worship God – go to Him for everything.

It sounds so simple. I wonder if I could spend even one day a week reading the bible, confessing my sins, recalling and thanking God for the many blessings which He has bestowed upon me. Maybe 1 day a month? Even one day a year? I’m not sure God expects that of me or most of the rest of us. But I’m pretty sure he expects at least a part of each and every one of our days. He wants to reveal Himself to us through the scripture. He wants us to confess our sins to Him and beg His forgiveness – that’s how His grace is unleashed. He longs for us to praise Him and acknowledge His greatness – as an artist stands back to admire a work of art—he views us. He desires us to recognize and celebrate our own greatness—possible through the same disciplines that Nehemiah modeled and encouraged.

The Levites confessed not only their own personal sins, but recalled the sins of their ancestors, and of their brothers and sisters, and of their countrymen. They acknowledged God’s great mercy when His beloved turned away from Him in their arrogance and their pride. And they recounted the history of God’s mercy and love—right down to the present day – to each of them standing before their Lord. Likewise, we bear some of the burden of the sins of the world. The wars, the poverty, the child abuse, spousal abuse, addiction, every social ill, all are a part of us and our existence, and so we must accept responsibility for it all. That’s a huge burden to bear! But God is big enough to carry it for us, if we offer it up to Him.

Pray that He will continue to bless His children, his beautiful creations, and that we will spend our lives on the mission He has set before us—never wavering, never straying, never doubting His plans for us. Like Nehemiah, we must turn our lives over to Him and then get to work!

I hope today you spend time reading the bible, confessing the sins of this world, begging God for his continued mercy, and praising Him for his amazing grace. And that your attitude is like that of Nehemiah—trust, courage, boldness through faith in God.

Mary
  ¶ 9:15 AM

  Bread of Life .
Isaiah 11:6-9

The wolf will live with the lamb, the lion will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

I started out in John this morning, reading about Jesus being the “bread of life.” In John 6:35, I read: “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” How does this verse from John tie into the Isaiah passage? Well, it struck me that our faith—true radical, deep and active faith—can turn the world upside down! We can literally accomplish what the world considers foolish, impossible, implausible, crazy!

These verses from Isaiah are often depicted on Christmas cards, and at this time of year we focus so much on world peace. But I think John understood that we are to do more than imagine a world like the one described in Isaiah, we are to live it out and cause it to be! Wow! How in the world do we go about accomplishing that? Again, I go back to John: through faith in Jesus Christ. If we rely upon him and his message we can do anything! Anything?! Anything! Even bring about world peace! Even make our little part of our world a better place.

I wonder what would happen if every Christian on earth decided, universally, to declare, “Enough!” to the warlords and the mega-conglomerates and the politicians and decided to act in unison—call for a laying down of arms; call for peace talks—real peace talks, with wise and humble people as mediators. What if we said we don’t want to see twenty-something’s portrayed on television with multiple sex partners. What if we said we don’t want programs on television that laud winners who do the most disgusting thing, or try to put down competitors the most brutally? What if we said we won’t go to war—ever—for any reason? What if we declared that a new era has begun?

I know you think I’m dreaming! You think I’m being pretty unrealistic. What if families didn’t have to swap moms/wives for them to appreciate the person who cares for them and nurtures them and loves them. What if couples got married and decided that no matter what, divorce is not an option – except as a last resort (of course I exclude abuse and other issues). Gosh, I’d settle for every registered voter going to the polls on election days as a start!

World wide there are at least one billion—that’s billion!—Christians! What if there were some way we could get word to all of those Christians throughout the world, that we are now in charge!? What do you think the world would look like? What do you think would be on television, and in newspapers and on the radio? What music groups do you think would be popular and who would we admire and point to as role models then? I don’t think Isaiah’s world is so hard to imagine! I think about it often! And I long for it! My challenge is to work toward it even on those days when I’m running late, and the phone won’t stop ringing at work, and I’ve got meetings, and appointments, and . . . life!

I hope you’ll spend today feasting upon the bread of life that sustains and nourishes our faith. And that you’ll think, for just a minute, about what would happen if the world was turned upside down—even for just a day!

Mary

  ¶ 8:23 AM

  He Sent His Son .
1 John 4:8-10

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.

Merry Christmas!

Mary and family

  ¶ 5:55 PM

  The Reason for the Season .
Philippians 3:1-11

1. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not irksome to me, and is safe for you. 2. Look out for the dogs, look out for the evil-workers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3. For we are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit, and glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh. 4. Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If any other man thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5. circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law a Pharisee, 6. as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law blameless. 7. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ 9. and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; 10. that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11. that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Paul was the definitive Jew until Christ came on the scene! He was a “Jew’s Jew.” He could quote the laws verbatim, and brutally enforced them. He could recite the Old Testament prophets all day long, and prove his own knowledge and superior wisdom—before Jesus. He lived according to custom, and tradition, and the law, as a model of upright Jewish “royalty.” He served as an example to all on how to interpret and apply the laws of the day in his daily life—until . . . before . . .

Then everything changed! Paul was touched by God’s grace! Jesus and his teachings and his very life turned upside down everything, absolutely everything Paul had come to believe and live! And Paul was not a man to sit around and shake his head and think that all was lost because of the past error of his ways! No—he got to work! He became as outspoken, bold, and ardent a Christian as he had previously been a zealot! Jesus changed his life.

And you may be saying, “Of course he did! He changed mine too!” And mine is also changed! My internal barometer is on a whole new setting. And I try to practice the disciplines of faith. And I long for the day I’ll be in the presence of God, in heaven with all the saints who have gone before me! I do! I long for it! And every morning I re-commit myself to living as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

And then I walk out the front door, get into my car, drive to work, sit down in my office . . . OK, I think you can figure out what comes next. I have been off work this week and I have spent a lot of time and expended much energy trying to get my life refocused. I’ve been on the road a lot for work in 2004 – and I hadn’t realized how much of a toll it has taken on my family, and on me. I had forgotten how much they rely on me to keep things running smoothly – or at least running! I hadn’t realized how stressed we had all become. I needed this time to be reminded that I am, above all else in this life, a wife and mother. I kept saying it was so. And I value nothing more than serving in that capacity, and living a life with those two purposes as primary. But when you’re on the road, and have a lot of high-stress projects and tasks and duties and . . . OK, you get it!

I’m not beating myself up. I did what I had to do to for my job. I like my job—most of it! And my traveling will be minimized in the new year—I’m going to hire an assistant who will assume 90% of the tasks that require travel—someone at a different point in life than I am. And while I’m off next week, I’m going to bask in the wonderful holiday memories of 2004. This has been a great week! Both of my kids are off – my college-age daughter is home! We all have baked. We have shopped. We have stopped by Starbucks. We have baked some more! We have wrapped presents and decorated the tree. We have watched “Christmas Vacation!” And we have enjoyed being together. I have missed this. And I am grateful to work for a company, to have a boss who recognized that I needed to have more of this, and did something about it.

This is a lot about me today! But I’m hoping that in my story, you can see yourself, and your own story. We need to read Paul’s letter! He is so passionate! He is so focused! He is determined to make up for lost time! He is honored and humbled to serve as an example of what Christ can do when we invite Him into our lives. Jesus is the reason for the season. And He is the core of our lives. He gives our lives meaning and purpose and a solid foundation upon which to build our future. I am so grateful and humbled that we have been able to instill that truth in our children—now young adults—and that they have that foundation upon which to build their own lives.

We may just go through the motions sometimes and not realize that’s what we’re doing. Paul tells us that’s not good enough—not even close! We need to hope and strive for, like Paul, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

I hope today you may know Christ and the inestimable power of his resurrection, and that you become like him – through God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Mary


  ¶ 9:03 AM

  A Sign From Heaven .
Matthew 16:1-4

1. And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2. He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, `It will be fair weather; for the sky is red.' 3. And in the morning, `It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and departed.

Is this how our faith works? We “bargain” with God. We tell Him we’ll believe in Him, if . . . Or we look around us and see pain and suffering, poverty and crime, sin and evil. We hear about it on the evening news; we read it in the paper; we experience it in the grocery store and in the line at the bank. We look around us and all we see is what mankind has wrought. We can’t see past ourselves to see the signs from heaven!

This passage about the weather makes me chuckle as I think about the forecast for the Richmond area last Sunday night. The prediction was for a cold, clear night—perfect for the Living Nativity we conduct at our church every year at Christmas time—and Sunday is usually the “big” night in terms of number of visitors and money donated for the designated charity that year. Our family participated on Saturday night and on Sunday we drove through and then drove around the area to see all the Christmas decorations and “tacky light” houses—quite a big deal here in our area!

And guess what happened about 10 minutes after we drove through the Living Nativity? It started to rain. Then sleet began to hit the windshield. By the time we viewed two or three of the “usual” displays, a torrential snow storm had descended upon Richmond, VA! I mean, the wind was beating down, and the snow was so thick that we literally could see no more than 5 or 10 feet in front of us! And there was lightning! It was at the same time beautiful, funny, and a little frightening! Our friends at the outdoor Living Nativity said they also heard thunder during the storm. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time.

All this brings to mind our demanding signs from God of His existence. He defies the weather forecasters! He sends down snow and thunder and lightning on a clear and crisp evening in mid-December! He rules the weather. He rules the earth. And he is bigger than the war in Iraq, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Scott Peterson and the latest criminal prowling the streets of my neighborhood. He must look down at us and shake his head. He sent the Messiah! His Son lived and died and rose again. For you and for me. And still we ask for a sign!

The sign of Jonah. The sign of the Messiah. Three days buried, then a new existence. What other sign could we possibly need? What other sign would we dare demand? As we near Christmas day, celebration of the birth of the greatest sign of all history, I can’t help but feel both sad and hopeful. Sad that the world still doesn’t see the sign God gave us 2000 years ago. Sad that we ask for one more sign. Sad that the Christ is not all we need to live our lives. And yet, I am hopeful that as the new year dawns, we can begin anew to live out the promise of salvation. That we can find a way to present peace and harmony to a war-torn Middle East. That we can figure out a way to bring healing and comfort to the African continent. That we can feed the hungry and house the homeless; adopt the abandoned, abused children in this country, and find a cure for cancer.

All of these seem like great big, unconquerable obstacles! But Jesus told us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. He can use us to accomplish all of this and more. We only need to ask—and look to the one true, real, perfect sign God sent to earth to show us how.

I hope today you’ll see the signs of hope all around you and that you’ll spread that hope to everyone you meet as you finish up your shopping and run your errands. And that you’ll take a few minutes out of your day to thank God for the sign of all signs.

Mary


  ¶ 7:40 AM

  Kingdom Attitude .
John 3:31-36

31. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks; he who comes from heaven is above all. 32. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony; 33. he who receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for it is not by measure that he gives the Spirit; 35. the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. 36. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

50. I tell you this, brethren: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51. Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52. in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53. For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. 54. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55. "O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" 56. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

In the verses preceding those from John, John the Baptist has just expressed his delight and complete joy at the arrival of “the bridegroom.” He is satisfied to his core that he is in the role of “best man,” because he understands that Jesus is the One who has been promised! He recognizes Jesus as the God/man sent to earth to save us all! He is overcome with joy, and I imagine, relief! Because now He has tangible proof that He was right!

1 Corinthians goes into even greater detail on the subject. Jesus is God. Belief in Him equals eternal life. And not an eternal life at some point in the future—no, from the instant we believe, we possess it! Isn’t that remarkable? Right now, as a believer in the Risen Lord, I am assured that even if my body dies and lays to rest in the grave for a thousand years, that’s not the end of the story! I will receive a new, perfectly wonderful and glorious, heavenly body at the end of time! And even if the second coming occurs today, while I’m still alive, I’ll be transformed! And so will you!

Death is not the end! But sin is! Not that we are expected to be perfect, but that we recognize our imperfection. Not that we won’t make mistakes and turn our backs on the Savior, but that we beg forgiveness when we do err—actually even in advance: we know we will sin, and we beg God to forgive us in our imperfect human form!

So what’s the point? Believe on him! Look forward to eternity! Live today with that goal and promise in mind! I need to be the best person I can be—the most kind, gentle, loving, patient, generous and honest human being I am able to be. That’s not easy! I can be pretty prickly! Just ask my family! But I commit today to make this the beginning of a new attitude: a kingdom attitude! Will it last? I hope so! But I also am filled up with gratitude, awe and thanksgiving, because I know I am already forgiven, even if it doesn’t!

I hope you spend today living with a “kingdom attitude”—striving for peace, love, justice, and eternal life. And that you share the truth and joy of Jesus Christ with everyone you meet.

Mary
  ¶ 9:15 AM

  Make Love Your Aim .
1 Corinthians 12:4-5; 13:1-3; 14:1

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; . . . If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. . .
Make love your aim, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

I started out in Corinthians and Paul’s treatise on love – Chapter 13. Love—agape love—is the core of Jesus’ teachings. It’s beyond a selfless love, it’s a self-sacrificing, and self-effacing love. It’s a love that transcends human emotion and reaches a deeper level of care, concern, willingness to sacrifice all that is possible to experience only through the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit.

And that is how we are able to discover and activate our spiritual gifts! And this divinely received and accepted level of love is the attitude we are to adopt as we deploy our gifts. We are to desire the gifts so that we may be in meaningful service to others. We desire to discover, understand, refine and deploy these divinely chosen, imbedded, imparted mystical abilities, to build up the body of Christ. We cannot choose the gifts we receive. We can only choose to discover and use them. We cannot determine which gifts we will use, in obedience, we are unable to contain or confine the gifts! No matter how much we deny these divinely appointed gifts, eventually, we will find they burst forth from us!

Jesus, of course, possessed all of the various gifts—since He was God, they all originated from Him in the first place. But He came to earth, in the form of man, to demonstrate how they were to be used, and why; and to implore us to use them freely and out of deep, abiding, love for each other, and the unquenchable desire to serve God. What better way to serve Him than through using the gifts He has given us?

When love is our aim, as Paul tells us to do, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, in the form of our spiritual gifts, becomes a natural response. Through that love, our gifts are used to serve others in their place of greatest need. Through the healing they receive from us, they are able to discover and deploy their spiritual gifts. Through that deployment they are able to minister to others. Kind of sounds like the “circle of life” in the Lion King, doesn’t it?

This just demonstrates to me how smart God is! He places in a community of believers, those gifted with all the gifts that are needed for the building up of the community. Each according to his ability, gives to those in need. Some are ministered to by the giving, some by the receiving. It is just so amazing to me! God originates the gift, faith in Christ endows us with the love required to desire using the gifts and the Holy Spirit empowers and directs us!

Three in one. Unity. Strength. Wisdom. Power. And love is the aim, source, origination and purpose of it all. How can I express my love to my fellow man? By using the gifts with which I have been endowed. There are many other ways as well, meeting a need as it arises, often calls us to respond in a way other than only through out spiritual gifts. But the most perfect offering we can present, is the one we make through our giftedness.

I hope you’ll spend today praying for revelation as to your spiritual gifts, asking for wisdom in how to deploy them, and thanking God for placing you in a world that needs what you have to offer, and offers what you need.

Mary

  ¶ 8:37 AM

  He Will Give Us Rest .
Matthew 11:25-30

25. At that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; 26. yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. 27. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Jesus refers in verse 25 not to those who are uneducated or dense, but rather to those for whom “the law” or “the way of the world” have become their compass. Those he refers to as babes expresses an innocence of evil, those open and receptive to what Jesus is saying. Then Jesus reiterates that there is but one way to salvation – through the Father. And the only way to the father is through the Son. Jesus gives us all the same message, whether or not we accept and believe his message is up to us.

Jesus tells us that He is the source of refreshment, rest, and recovery from the slings and arrows of life. I think of a day at the spa when I read verse 28 (not that I’ve ever spent a day at a spa!). Jesus wants to take away all the physical, emotional and spiritual aches and pains, bumps and bruises and even the serious conditions that keep us from being whole. He is all we need, and our faith in him will sustain us.

I love verses 28-30. I long for the easy yoke and light burden of eternity in heaven! But these verses also apply to our time on earth. Living our faith is often difficult. People may not understand why we act a certain way, or live a certain way. We may be viewed as weird or different. People may have contempt for us, or worse, could hate us and persecute us for our faith. But our faith is what provides us with the strength, wisdom, courage and fortitude to bear it all. And to come out stronger, surer, with an even deeper faith.

In some ways, though, our faith makes our lives easier. Because whenever we have a decision to make, or two paths from which to choose, when we base our decision on what our faith directs, we can be assured of making the proper choice. The burden of living our faith is indeed light, in comparison to the alternative! Because of our faith we know how we are to treat others, to conduct ourselves, and to care for our world.

These last three verses are especially timely for me right now. It’s been a long, challenging, physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting year. Through it all, though, my faith has sustained me. The sacrifice of Jesus made my yoke easier and the burden lighter, even on those days when I didn’t think I could make it one more minute. And so . . . go to the one who is gentle and lowly in heart. He does not condemn or persecute us. Rather, he welcomes us with open arms. He pats our head and smoothes our cheek and murmurs, “It’s alright, I’m here.”

I hope today you take a few minutes out of the frenetic activity of this holiday season and allow Christ to comfort you. And that you’ll take on his easy yoke and light burden as you go about your day.

Mary
  ¶ 7:28 AM

  Grace Upon Grace .
John 1:14-17

14. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. 15. (John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'") 16. And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace. 17. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 2:1-6

1. First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, 2. for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. 3. This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4. who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6. who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time.

This morning I am having trouble getting Bernard Kerik out of my mind, because of a comment I heard on the news as I was coming downstairs to start my day. “A disgruntled former employee is blamed for Kerik’s troubles relating to his nomination.” I don’t mean to single him out, but I felt particularly disappointed and saddened as more and more revelations came forth of impropriety and potential illegal activities he has participated in at various points in his life. And I believe he is probably one of the most talented and knowledgeable individuals in the field of security and would have been an ideal choice for Homeland Security Chief. But . . .

So what does that have to do with these scripture selections? It is this: I would have been willing to consider Kerik as an appropriate selection for the position under the proper circumstances. Namely, if he had come clean. If he had said that in his past he had made some unfortunate choices; he had dealt with unsavory characters; he had done whatever he needed to do to “get the job done.” If he would have said he now sees the error of his ways, I could have lived with that! But he didn’t. Nor do many of the iconic figures in our society today. They don’t accept responsibility for their actions. They blame the people who exposed them! Perhaps those motives were not pure either, but that’s a topic for another day!

Through Jesus Christ, we are already forgiven for our misdeeds, criminal acts, and poor choices—in other words: sin. But to receive the grace upon grace to which John refers, repentance is required. We must first recognize and acknowledge that we have sinned, then ask forgiveness, then really repent—change our minds and our hearts—seek the grace and truth that came through Jesus Christ.

This country needs to be in prayer—serious, unrelenting, urgent and ardent prayer. We are in a spiritual and moral crisis! I’m not talking about abortion or homosexuality or any of the other “fake moral issues” that are meant to distract us for the real issues. There are very few leaders in our country today who possess strong moral fiber and the courage to speak the truth, act in faith, and live as Jesus has instructed us to live—more, he begged us, beseeched us! He so desperately wants us to choose Him—to choose eternal life with Him and His father in heaven.

He served as the mediator for our sins. He already paid the price. But he can’t erase our sins if we don’t acknowledge them. These politicians and corporate executives who commit crimes, pay off anybody who threatens their career, have affairs, even commit murder and get away with it do not represent the best and brightest this country has to offer! We need to pray for guidance and for wisdom to elect godly leaders. We are as much to blame as those acting inappropriately, because we allow them to blame someone else for exposing them—and don’t demand, as Christians, that they “come clean” and repent.

OK. I’m really on a soap box this morning. But I have two teenaged children and I have a huge issue with those who are supposed to be role models and representatives of my family, acting counter to everything I’ve ever taught my children!

I hope today you’ll join me in prayer, begging God to give us wisdom, insight and courage to stand up to a world that falls far short of the world Christ came to bring about at the end of time. And that you’ll thank Him for giving us yet another day to repent and turn to him for our truth. He is the source of everything good and right in our lives. God’s grace to each of us today.

Mary
  ¶ 7:38 AM

  Consuming Fire of God’s Love .
Hebrews 11:1-3, 14-15, 28-29

1. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2. For by it the men of old received divine approval. 3. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear. 14. Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15. See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" spring up and cause trouble, and by it the many become defiled; 28. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; 29. for our God is a consuming fire.

Grace is what it’s all about! Through God’s grace, we receive the gift of faith. Faith leads us to good works. Good works serve as testimony to our faith. It’s like a circle, one comes out of the other, and leads us back around to the beginning. Grace. Faith. Works. Our responsibility is to continue this cycle; to model how it all works for those who don’t believe or understand.

Verse 1 is my “life creed.” I hope for eternity in heaven, and through God’s grace, I believe I will spend forever there. But what is required in the meantime? We are to see to it that no one misses the grace of God and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. The verses between 3 and 14 recite all the faithful believers up to the present day (of Hebrews). Each of those mentioned stepped out in faith and did something counter to what the world expected, accepted, or understood!

And if we’re living as we should, “the world” will view us that way! Not that we are perfect, just perfectly faithful. Not that we are models of Christian faith, just a model of how to search for the heart of faith. Not that we have any of the answers, just that we ask the questions. And then we go one step farther. We offer acceptable worship, with reverence and awe. We throw ourselves into the consuming fire of God’s love, power, might, salvation, grace! Jump on in! Take your friend’s hand and pull them along with you!

Live rightly. Teach others. Show them the truth. Look around you and see this world that God created with a thought and a sigh. This same God offers us eternal life! Keep the faith! Because the same God who created the earth, watches over it, and all of us upon it. He rejoices when we bring another to Christ, and he weeps when one falls away. He mourns when we overlook an opportunity to make another disciple, and sighs in frustration when we refuse to live like we’re saved! But the good news is: Grace!

So how do we live grace-filled lives? How do we live so that others see us and want what we possess—not things, inner peace, ability to ride out any storm life presents us, power to love even those who hate us, desire to be thankful for the many blessings in our lives, which do not detract from our challenges and struggles. Rather we rejoice in them, because we know that God is working out our salvation through them. How?

Prayer, worship, more prayer. Read the bible, go to church, surround yourself with Christian friends. Take time out to be alone with God every single day. Get up a few minutes early, or stay up a little bit later, and just let God fill you with his wisdom and power and love. Easy? Nope. Worth it? Definitely! Live like you’re saved. Throw yourself into the fire! Live like you’ve got nothing to lose! Live fully every day! Tell the world whose you are! How? By faith! I want to be counted among those faithful on the judgment day! I want God to look at me and say, “Come on home.”

I hope you spend today celebrating this world created by God, rejoicing in the Son of God, who died for us through God’s will, and living like you’ve got nothing on this earth to lose!

Mary
  ¶ 7:52 AM

  Consuming Fire of God’s Love .
Hebrews 11:1-3, 14-15, 28-29

1. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2. For by it the men of old received divine approval. 3. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear. 14. Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15. See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" spring up and cause trouble, and by it the many become defiled; 28. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; 29. for our God is a consuming fire.

Grace is what it’s all about! Through God’s grace, we receive the gift of faith. Faith leads us to good works. Good works serve as testimony to our faith. It’s like a circle, one comes out of the other, and leads us back around to the beginning. Grace. Faith. Works. Our responsibility is to continue this cycle; to model how it all works for those who don’t believe or understand.

Verse 1 is my “life creed.” I hope for eternity in heaven, and through God’s grace, I believe I will spend forever there. But what is required in the meantime? We are to see to it that no one misses the grace of God and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. The verses between 3 and 14 recite all the faithful believers up to the present day (of Hebrews). Each of those mentioned stepped out in faith and did something counter to what the world expected, accepted, or understood!

And if we’re living as we should, “the world” will view us that way! Not that we are perfect, just perfectly faithful. Not that we are models of Christian faith, just a model of how to search for the heart of faith. Not that we have any of the answers, just that we ask the questions. And then we go one step farther. We offer acceptable worship, with reverence and awe. We throw ourselves into the consuming fire of God’s love, power, might, salvation, grace! Jump on in! Take your friend’s hand and pull them along with you!

Live rightly. Teach others. Show them the truth. Look around you and see this world that God created with a thought and a sigh. This same God offers us eternal life! Keep the faith! Because the same God who created the earth, watches over it, and all of us upon it. He rejoices when we bring another to Christ, and he weeps when one falls away. He mourns when we overlook an opportunity to make another disciple, and sighs in frustration when we refuse to live like we’re saved! But the good news is: Grace!

So how do we live grace-filled lives? How do we live so that others see us and want what we possess—not things, inner peace, ability to ride out any storm life presents us, power to love even those who hate us, desire to be thankful for the many blessings in our lives, which do not detract from our challenges and struggles. Rather we rejoice in them, because we know that God is working out our salvation through them. How?

Prayer, worship, more prayer. Read the bible, go to church, surround yourself with Christian friends. Take time out to be alone with God every single day. Get up a few minutes early, or stay up a little bit later, and just let God fill you with his wisdom and power and love. Easy? Nope. Worth it? Definitely! Live like you’re saved. Throw yourself into the fire! Live like you’ve got nothing to lose! Live fully every day! Tell the world whose you are! How? By faith! I want to be counted among those faithful on the judgment day! I want God to look at me and say, “Come on home.”

I hope you spend today celebrating this world created by God, rejoicing in the Son of God, who died for us through God’s will, and living like you’ve got nothing on this earth to lose!

Mary


  ¶ 7:50 AM

  We Have Found the Messiah! .
John 1:35-42

35. The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; 36. and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" 37. The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38. Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, "What do you seek?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39. He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40. One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41. He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ). 42. He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter).

We never really are told what Jesus did from the time he was 12 and his parents found him in the temple talking and asking questions of the elders, until he began his ministry. I imagine he learned Joseph’s trade and helped support the family, and then himself as a carpenter. All of the apostles needed to ply their trades as they traveled around, some with their families, so they could support themselves. I imagine that they were viewed by some in the same way we would view day laborers today! Isn’t that amazing? These rough, strong, rowdy, impulsive and rowdy men were tasked with spreading the Good News to all the world!

Then we come to Peter, the Rock, upon which Jesus builds His church – note I didn’t say the church! My bible notes indicate what scripture later relates to us: Peter was anything but a rock in his early years! He was, in fact, unstable and impulsive—hardly the type of person one would look up to and model their behavior after! But my notes go on to say the Peter was chosen by Jesus because of what he would become through God’s grace. That is quite daunting! To think that Peter was molded and shaped, taught and re-taught all the lessons Jesus needed him to learn so that he could become the pillar of the church after Christ rose and went to heaven!

And God does that with each of us! I’ve had several conversations with friends lately about this topic. All of us have things we’ve experienced in our lives that were unpleasant, painful, even almost unbearable! But each of us has said – some with substantially more grace than others – that if going through it all again was what was required to be where we are today – we would do it! Not that I am so devout, good, strong, righteous, or by any stretch of the imagination the kind of role model I should be for anyone! But that if I needed to be refined and molded and broken over my lifetime to feel the almost tangible presence of God’s grace in my life, then yes, I would do it all again!

Andrew “got it!” And he wanted to share “it” with his brother! He was bound to be overcome with excitement and hope and overwhelmed with the realization that he was chosen by The Anointed One! Each of is chosen too. We have the responsibility and the privilege to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, and to bring others to Him. And we are able to do so, not because of our own ability, skill, talent, education or training. No. We are able because, through God’s grace we are who and what the world needs us to be right now, today. We are Christ’s disciples. We are to be the rock of another’s faith. We are to be Jesus to a fallen world.

This isn’t really in the Advent theme, which is where my mind has wandered the past few days! But in a way it is. Because I am waiting to discover who God will make me! I long to know and become what He has planned for me next! I rejoice that I feel his tangible and unquestionable grace as if it were a living, breathing being! I embrace it! I rejoice in it! I am both convicted and washed clean by it.

I hope you spend today experiencing with joy and anticipation what God is doing in your life, and how He is shaping and molding you to become who and what you were meant to be. And that you will rejoice in his grace and love, the vehicles through which we are transformed.

Mary


  ¶ 7:30 AM

  Strong and Filled with Wisdom .

Luke 2:21-51

21. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22. And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23. (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") 24. and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." 25. Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27. And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, 28. he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29. "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; 30. for mine eyes have seen thy salvation 31. which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32. a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel." 33. And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; 34. and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against 35. (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed." 36. And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, 37. and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38. And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39. And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Luke’s gospel is the only one that “begins at the beginning.” It was written, apparently to an individual Roman citizen of some high standing, possibly his patron. And it’s contents were to be shared with other Gentiles. The Gentiles didn’t necessarily know the historical significance of every detail of the life of Jesus—even prior to his life—to the faith of his mother and of Joseph and how the prophets had predicted it all long ago!

I am drawn to these verses, because I ponder them through a mother’s eyes. We all are absolutely certain that our child is special—and each baby is! But Mary knew even before his birth, that this baby—her child—was “the one.” She must have been simultaneously terrified and overjoyed—overwhelmed with the “added responsibility” of parenting the Messiah and overcome with a mother’s pride as she heard the prophets confirm the angel’s message and watched her precious boy grow strong and wise and good-hearted.

Simeon realized that his waiting was over! He had held the promised one in his arms. He was old and probably tired of waiting and waiting. . . . and waiting . . . there must have been times he doubted he would really see the Savior before he died—awe and thanksgiving, relief and comfort, a sense of peace and a sense of accomplishment—he had lived his whole life waiting . . .

I wonder if God sent Simeon and Anna to Mary and Joseph to encourage them, to remind them of just who this child was? I wonder if, as parents, they lost patience with him and God knew they would need extra patience—extra strength and fortitude—to rear this extraordinary child? Of course Mary and Joseph believed the angels! They obeyed the instructions delivered to them through the Holy Spirit. But did they really understand the magnitude of it all? Or did they spend their days like so many of us rearing children—preoccupied with the day in and day out necessities of providing for the physical needs of their children—food, clean clothing, etc.?

I have no doubt that these parents – typical in so many ways – yet as extraordinary as the son – must have exchanged glances and wry smiles when Jesus made a comment full of wisdom far beyond his years, or performed some special act or deed of uncommon kindness and care. They must have loved him as much as I love my own children.

God is so good! He is so wise and so full of grace and mercy! This man/child sent to earth, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of a woman, nurtured and loved and cared for by a kind and faith-filled man, grew in wisdom and in strength to become the Savior; to fulfill history—no to make history, to change it once and for all—for all of us!

I hope you spend today feeling the joy of Simeon and, like Luke, spread the Good News to those who have not heard the truth!

Mary
  ¶ 7:26 AM

  The Wonder of it All .
Luke 2:8-20

8. And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; 11. for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!" 15. When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16. And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; 18. and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

These shepherds probably tended the flock of sheep raised for the temple sacrifices, so they were geographically near the town of Bethlehem. Normally, a shepherd would not leave his flock unattended, under any circumstances! Of course, an angel appearing to you—a host of angels!—doesn’t happen just any old day! That’s how amazing this was to them—they left their sheep unguarded to see for themselves the mighty savior for whom they had been waiting their whole lives—as had generations before them!

Wow! History culminating on this night—and the shepherds were the first to hear and witness it! The lowest form of humanity—smelly, dirty, uneducated, probably quite odd, from living in the fields with no company but sheep! God chose to reveal the truth to them first! Be not afraid indeed! I might have feared that rather than a Messiah’s birth being proclaimed, God’s messengers were coming to proclaim the judgment day! So Gabriel and his companions put their minds and hearts at peace—they brought news! Those shepherds must have wondered, “why us?” They must have been puzzled to have been chosen as the messengers to all around the town. Some may not have believed them. But they were so excited! They spread the joyous news around town and the countryside, and then returned—for one more look at this amazing creature—future conqueror and king of the Jews!

And what about Mary? She remembered what another angel nine months ago had proclaimed to her, surely. What do you think ran through her mind as those shepherds crowded into the cave to see her precious baby on a bed of hay laid in a stone trough? After she counted his fingers and his toes and stroked his soft cheek with her finger, I’m pretty sure she was just so busy cuddling him and holding him, and was somewhat put off by all the attention! I’m sure she believed what God had revealed to her through the angel! But on that first night, I bet she just basked in the glow of being a new mother!

An odd band of quirky men. . . a teenaged girl . . . a kind and gentle-hearted man—a carpenter who was faithful to that girl. . . humble beginnings for a mighty warrior, a powerful ruler, a Savior! On that night the scripture was fulfilled, just as the prophets had declared. On that night history was changed forever. On that night, the whole world stopped spinning for just a moment as a star shone over head and wise men from far away lands set out to find this future king. They must have done some running around themselves! Asking each other, “Do you think this is the alignment of heavenly bodies that has been foretold?”

And in the midst of shopping and baking and more shopping and going to holiday parties, and more shopping . . . we stop to ponder how God could be so good. How could he grant us hope in the form of an infant? How could he let us know that if he chose shepherds to be his first earthly messengers that each of us is worthy of salvation? How could he have this planned so long ago, and waited so long to send his Son to earth? How could he have allowed that Son to die on a cross? How? Why?

This Christmas season, I hope you’ll feel the excitement and awe of those shepherds, the joy and warmth of Mary, and marvel at the wonder of it all.

Mary
  ¶ 7:34 AM

  No Room to Talk 2 Corinthians 11:16-31

16. I repeat, let no one think me foolish; but even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17. (What I am saying I say not with the Lord's authority but as a fool, in this boastful confidence; 18. since many boast of worldly things, I too will boast.) 19. For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20. For you bear it if a man makes slaves of you, or preys upon you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21. To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever any one dares to boast of -- I am speaking as a fool -- I also dare to boast of that. 22. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one -- I am talking like a madman -- with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24. Five times I have received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25. Three times I have been beaten with rods; once I was stoned. Three times I have been shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been adrift at sea; 26. on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brethren; 27. in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? 30. If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed for ever, knows that I do not lie.

Paul is pretty fed up with “false prophets” as he views those who are trying to persuade the Corinthians away from the gospel of Jesus Christ! He’s taking the stand that if they can boast about how wonderful they are, about how pious and righteous they are, then “let’s see how you measure up!” And of course, there is no way any one of them could match Paul’s hardships item for item, beating for beating, and shipwreck for shipwreck!

At first it may seem wrong for Paul to resort to such methods. After all, as Christians we so often feel we should “suffer in silence” as we endure any hardships because of our faith. The world is not kind to those of us who try to live by our faith! But Paul is not bragging about himself! The Jews in Corinth are telling the Gentiles that they cannot be saved unless they are circumcised and adopt the religious practices of the Jews. After all, they say, look what the Jews have endured for centuries! How can the Gentiles believe they will be afforded salvation without suffering themselves?

These powerful Jewish leaders are doing everything they can to “convert” the Gentiles to their way of thinking. They bully them, threaten them, try to make them feel inferior and as if they must “suffer” they way the Jews do—with the same rituals, rites, and practices. Paul lets loose! “Look at what I have endured! But it’s not about me – any more that it’s about any one of these Jewish leaders! It’s about Christ! It’s about how we can endure torture, starvation, shame, anything at all that this world can throw at you, if you rely upon the power of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit!”

No human conditions can be applied to our salvation! No corralling and prodding and threatening can force one to be saved! It’s not through man – or any of man’s laws, rules, regulations! Paul’s saying, “Don’t you get it!? You’re calling ME a fool!?” Paul justifiably challenges them, “When one of you has endured and survived what I have lived to testify about here today, then we can talk. Until then, you better listen!”

We will probably (hopefully) never be asked or expected to endure what Paul did! But we do make difficult choices sometimes in how we’re going to live our lives. The world is not tolerant of anyone who doesn’t conform. People are not kind to those who don’t believe and act and live as they do. Paul’s point is we better not start throwing a pity party for ourselves. We better not back down or never even step up to the plate because we don’t think we could deal with the consequences – financially, emotionally, or otherwise! If Paul were alive today, he might tell us,
“Live like you’re saved. The Holy Spirit dwells within you. No power on earth is stronger, wiser, or more mighty. Go to God. Rely upon the risen Christ. Call upon the Holy Spirit. That’s the winning team in the race of life!” When you can match what Paul willingly and obediently subjected himself to, then we can talk!

I hope you spend today living like you’re saved, going to God for every decision, looking to Christ for the proper example, and calling upon the Holy Spirit for the strength, courage, and wisdom you need.

Mary
  ¶ 7:37 AM

  Yes, But . . . .
Ephesians 1:1-10

1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus: 2. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4. even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. 5. He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6. to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8. which he lavished upon us. 9. For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ 10. as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Ephesus was a thriving, vital city at the time Paul wrote this letter. I imagine it was the equivalent at that time of Washington DC or New York City today—vital, active, a seat of power, a symbol of strength—and everybody wanted to be there in the midst of things! Our family went to New York City over Memorial Day this year and it was so incredible! Everywhere we went we encountered a literal sea of human beings! People everywhere! It was fascinating and exciting and very alluring. We had more than one conversation about what neighborhood we’d like to live in and how much fun it would be to go to Central Park any time we wanted to and the museums. . . and the culture . . . and the people . . .

The Ephesians were busy people, too! And I’m sure there were days some felt that their world was just too big, spinning out of control. There must have been times when the problems they faced seemed insurmountable. It was hard to be a Christian too because so many pagan practices were still carried on—and later actually infiltrated the “formal” church services we are familiar with today. Things really haven’t changed too much, have they?

These verses offer tremendous comfort to me today. The holidays are, of course, a time for gathering of family and celebrations of life and love and the tiny baby who was born of woman but conceived of God. But I witness so much that is troubling. I heard on a news program not too long ago that the network that airs “Touched by an Angel” was pulling it off the air because God is mentioned in every episode! Athletes who are paid millions of dollars and worshipped as gods are proving to be merely human – full of rage, taking steroids, feeling a sense of entitlement and privilege they have neither earned nor learned to deal with.

Civil wars rage throughout the world. The population of the continent of Africa is literally being annihilated – either through HIV/AIDS, through massacre or through famine. The Middle East is just waiting to erupt in a war of biblical proportions – literally. I heard Billy Graham on television the other night declare he felt “this might be it” (meaning the end as described in Revelation!)

But I didn’t want to hear any of that this morning. I don’t want to think about it! I’m back from two days of travel for work, and I’m just glad to be home—with too much to do and too many hopes and dreams for the future, and too little time to accomplish it all! I needed to be reassured and reminded that I don’t need to stay awake nights worrying about all this – making it all my issue, my struggle, my focus for living. I am responsible for doing all I can to make the world a better place, don’t misunderstand my point! But God made this world, and he has the future of it in his control. His plans are already laid in place, and I can’t really change them.

So my focus today will be on being the best Christian I can – the most loving human being I can be. And I will try with all my strength to live like I’m saved by God’s grace—a beloved child, born of woman, conceived by man, but reborn in the image and likeness of God’s Son—through His amazing grace and love. The world may be spinning out of control. I may hear bad news everywhere I turn. But my comfort is that in the end, when it’s all said and done, I will be able to kneel at the feet of God in heaven and say, “yes, I am a sinner.” And He will say, “Yes, but I love you, welcome home.”

I hope today you look to the wonderful homecoming in heaven planned and laid out for you before you were born. And that you stop the world for a minute and ponder the tiny baby in a manger bed born 2000 years ago to change your destiny and mine.

Mary

  ¶ 1:40 PM

  Elevated Alert Levels .
Luke 17:20-27, 31-37

20. Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; 21. nor will they say, `Lo, here it is!' or `There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you." 22. And he said to the disciples, "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you will not see it. 23. And they will say to you, `Lo, there!' or `Lo, here!' Do not go, do not follow them. 24. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of man be in his day. 25. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26. As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of man. 27. They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 31. On that day, let him who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away; and likewise let him who is in the field not turn back. 32. Remember Lot's wife. 33. Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35. There will be two women grinding together; one will be taken and the other left." 36. 37. And they said to him, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

These verses bring to mind the on-going “terror alert level” we hear about every day. I wonder how they (whoever they are!) came up with that whole idea! It’s really pretty meaningless, isn’t it? Are we in any less danger now than we were before 9/11? Does anybody know what we’re supposed to do differently if the terror alert rises? Is there a ‘master plan’ I missed out on at some point? Do I need to know what the terror level is if I don’t know what it means to my life on a day-in, day-out basis?

The whole concept really goes counter to how Christ told us to live, doesn’t it? The end of the world isn’t going to come at some time we can determine based on what’s going on around us! The kingdom of God isn’t going to be in some country with the strongest army, fighting the hardest for “Christian values” and freedom for all mankind. And isn’t it just like man to think that we have any say in the day or time—or any of it!? We haven’t really changed that much since biblical times, have we!?

Isn’t this whole alert level thing established by the government really intended to make us uneasy? Isn’t it really in place so that they can do whatever they want, to anyone they want, and feel justified – and convince us they’re justified? I’m not trying to accuse anyone of anything! I’m just ‘thinking out loud’ here. Doesn’t man come up with all kinds of ways to try to seize control of their lives? Don’t we constantly try to take back control of our lives from God? Aren’t we always trying to find justification in our lives for not going that extra mile that our faith demands of us?

I’m not too concerned about the terrorism alert level I see on television! I’m more concerned about the state of my mind and heart and soul. Because if ‘today is the day,’ I’m in big trouble! I have so much work to do to get rid of the resentments I’m harboring and the sins for which I have not sought forgiveness, and for the million and one ways I’ve fallen terribly short of how Christ tells me I should be living.

If I’m going to be scared, it’s not going to be for some man-made, or man-imagined line of reasoning. I’m going to be afraid of falling short of God’s grace, of missing the mark of faithful servant-hood, of missing the boat on creating disciples of Jesus Christ. Iraq isn’t nearly as frightening to me as living in eternity without my heavenly father!

I know I’ve gotten pretty political this morning—it’s not about one party or another—it’s about a mindset. It’s about us giving away some of our power, and giving up some of our selves, for a higher good that we can’t name or define. I want to live with an attitude of repentance and love, forgiveness and gratitude. I don’t want to tune in each day to hear man’s version of when it’s all going to come to an end.

I hope today you examine your heart and mind and soul, and apply Jesus’ words to the level of alert you should have! And that you strive for and long for the day of Christ’s coming in everything you do and say.

Mary

  ¶ 6:20 AM

  Give Thanks to the God of Heaven .
Psalm 136

1. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever. 2. O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures for ever. 3. O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 4. to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 5. to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 6. to him who spread out the earth upon the waters, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 7. to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 8. the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 9. the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 10. to him who smote the first-born of Egypt, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 11. and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 12. with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 13. to him who divided the Red Sea in sunder, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 14. and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 15. but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 16. to him who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 17. to him who smote great kings, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 18. and slew famous kings, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 19. Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 20. and Og, king of Bashan, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 21. and gave their land as a heritage, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 22. a heritage to Israel his servant, for his steadfast love endures for ever. 23. It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 24. and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures for ever; 25. he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures for ever. 26. O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures for ever.

In my bible, each of these verses is set up like a litany, with “His love endures forever” as the response. So it looks like this when you read it:

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
For his steadfast love endures for ever
Etc.

I’ve heard and read this psalm before, but this morning it reached me in a new way. Maybe because of the holidays, this psalm made me think of my children and how much I love them.

I would throw myself in front of traffic to save their lives. I would work three jobs to feed and clothe them. I would do anything within my power to keep them safe. My love for them certainly endures forever! I got pretty pensive as I pondered this scripture. I thought of each pregnancy, and how much I absolutely loved being pregnant! I really did! I thought of each of my children when they were infants and of the sleepless nights I sat up rocking them and singing to them, comforting them and holding them close to me. It almost makes me cry to think of them so small and fragile and sweet.

And then my mind returns to the pages of my bible. For his steadfast love endures for ever, is more than a declaration of the love God has for each of us. It is a promise and a hope and comfort for all generations. I will take the memories of my children to the grave with me and into eternity. I will long to be reunited them in heaven and will wait with joyful anticipation for that reunion. And to think that God loved me and you and them long before any of us existed! He thought of each of us eons ago – before the first star was placed in the sky, or the first raindrop fell to form the oceans. And he waits for us in heaven. He longs for us with the same longing I imagine!

But God’s love is a hundred, million, billion times deeper and stronger than I could ever muster! That is a love that deserves abject humility and constant thanks and praise! Wonders, signs and miracles. Love and comfort. Eternal life through God’s grace. A savior on a cross—a child loved just as much as I love my children. It is unfathomable and I am so filled up this morning with the magnitude of it all! God loves me more than I love my own children. He saves and protects, sustains and loves me beyond time and space. I am filled up to overflowing!

I hope today you spend some time pondering a love beyond description or imagination. And that you lift a hymn of praise to the God who sacrificed his precious baby boy that we might believe and gain eternal life with him in heaven.

Mary
  ¶ 7:41 AM

  The God of Steadfastness .
Romans 15:1-10

1. We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves; 2. let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to edify him. 3. For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell on me." 4. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. 5. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6. that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7. Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8. For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9. and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will praise thee among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name"; 10. and again it is said, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people";

We are the “strong” referred to in verse 1. Our faith is strong, and so we are tasked with bearing in love those whose faith is not as strong—or those who have not accepted Christ as their Savior. We are to do more than tolerate them, we are to bear them in love. We are to steadfastly and with gentleness preach the word of the risen Lord to all we meet. We are to live our lives as servants of that word.

We will be criticized. We will be scorned. We may even be persecuted. But we are not to retaliate or lash out! We are to embrace those who strike out at us. It’s not always going to be easy. But when we remember what Christ bore for us – and for those who are yet to believe – we can find the strength and courage and endurance to live rightly and be a light to others.

Paul tells us in this letter that Jesus came to his own people, to teach them first, so they could in turn go out into the world to continue His work. That’s a tall order! But sometimes its even more difficult to hold fellow believers up in love! Sometimes we have disagreements and misunderstandings among ourselves. Sometimes we disagree on how to demonstrate our faith appropriately. Sometimes we just plain lose patience with each other.

But Paul compels us to not let that happen! We have a job to do; a mission to complete; a destiny to fulfill. We are saved through God’s grace, and we must bring as many others into the fold as we possibly can in the short time we’re on this earth! There is no time for arguing, fighting, angry, hurt feelings between members of the family of God! We must agree to disagree in love and then move on to the common task at hand!

Our focus should always remain twofold: praising God and bringing others to Christ! How we do it may not be the way our brother does it. The method our sister uses, may not be one that we are comfortable with. But the questions we must ask are: “Does this glorify God?” and “Will this help create disciples of Jesus Christ?” Beyond that, the rest is not within our control—or at least should not occupy our time and energy unnecessarily.

Love and encourage fellow disciples! Remain strong and steadfast in fulfilling your own mission, and offer a refuge to those who are struggling in their task. God sent Jesus to show us “how it’s done.” If we keep our eyes on the cross and our hearts focused on Jesus, we will accomplish our mission. Bringing others to Christ requires that we do more than say the right words. It requires that we live a life worthy of imitation.

I hope you are steadfast today in all your actions and that your words are so full of love and hope that others are drawn to you, seeking the source of your strength.

Mary
  ¶ 7:38 AM

  The Whole Earth is Full of His Glory .
Isaiah 6:1-4

1. In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. 2. Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." 4. And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

Revelation 4:8-12

8. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never cease to sing, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" 9. And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, 10. the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, 11. "Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created."

The twenty four elders in Revelation may refer to the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles, according to my bible notes. Holy, holy, holy – repeating the word three times emphasizes the importance of what is said, drives home the point intended. The similarities of these two scripture passages just fascinates me! They were written hundreds of years apart. Yet both of these men saw into the future – and caught a glimpse of heaven – and lived to tell about it!

Even the kings in heaven lay their crowns at God’s feet! These exalted saints in heaven prostrate themselves in the presence of the Holy One. And the seraphim. . . can you imagine a better reason for existing than to praise God!? Could there be any greater sense of fulfillment than to know you were created for the sole purpose of declaring God’s glory to all of creation – forever – before eternity began and on into eternity to come?!

Two of the wings of these creatures covered their faces. Even the heavenly beings are not worthy to look into the face of God. Is his face glowing so brightly that it would hurt their eyes? Or is he so mighty, so wonderful, so far beyond perfection that they will never feel worthy to have the honor of looking into those eyes? Is he so full of life-giving power and might that they tremble at the thought of gazing upon that face?!

During this holiday season it’s just too easy to get caught up in the secular hype. Retailers spend all year hoping for a good Christmas season. Merchandisers are constantly challenged to come up with the next best favorite gadget or toy or tool that will propel their profit margin to new heights. And we are under so much pressure to buy enough gifts to place under the tree so that no one will feel unloved or not valued.

But what if . . . just this one year . . . I don’t know – what if we all decided that this year we were going to give the money we normally spend to the Salvation Army, or to the Red Cross or to a mission project, or the local food bank. What if we celebrated Christmas in a way that gives God the honor He deserves – because of the gift he gave us 2000 years ago?!

It sounds good in theory doesn’t it? Maybe I’m crazy or unrealistic. Maybe I’m out of touch! But I’ll tell you this: I have never felt more loved and valued than the day we dropped our daughter off at college for the first time and on the way home my husband told me, “You did a wonderful job raising her.” That’s a gift I could not have purchased at any price! And it is still the best gift I ever received!

I hope that as your rushing from store to store and picking out the perfect theme for your Christmas decorations, and deciding upon which credit card to charge that latest, greatest invention, you’ll take some time out to declare to God, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of [your] glory."

Mary
  ¶ 11:08 AM