New Calendars

       I have my supply of calendars for the new year.  Many charitable organizations seem to flood your mailbox each year with new calendars and pictures of puppies, kittens, exotic animals, nature scenes and items from years past.  We usually try to find somewhere to give them away.  I have the calendar that I am going to use for the next year and gives me plenty of space to write down all of my doctor's appointments.  I don't write every detail in the little box for the date, but only that which is important.  Some things are just understood, like getting up, eating meals, and whatever else happens during my day.  There are some very important items however, that are not written down.  they become those things that have first priority in my life.  At least I like to think of them as having first priority.  Matthew 6:33-34 says, " But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.   Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."  
     We should ask ourselves the question, "Just what is important in my life?"   I usually reply by saying that Scripture and prayer are the things that are the most important for me.  I sometimes attribute that thought to my age.  Is heaven the only thing that old people think about?   I used to think that youth was wasted on the young.  God, heaven and living the Christian life are not just for "seniors."  It's for everyone.  Young families need to be putting God first in their lives in all areas.  The Biblical standards for men, women, boys and girls, husbands, wives, employers and employees should be the most important thing in all of their lives.  Is an appointment with God any less important than an appointment with your cardiologist?  Is time spent with God any less important than time at a bank to remortgage your house?  At first, we would reply, "Sure, time with God is extremely important to all of us."  Then, why don't we spend more time with Him?  Why are we not reading His Word?  Why are we not spending time in prayer?   Well, maybe it is because we think God is far away and not involved in our lives.  He is, however, very much involved in our lives.  The above passage reminds us that we should be putting God first in every detail of our lives.  So, what's important to you?  Praise God today that He is just a prayer away.

Snowstorms, Milk and God's Grace

       Everyone has their own opinion on what is enough for them.  Economically, most people want more and more which seems to be a characteristic of our society.  We don't seem to be satisfied with what we have but always desire to keep getting more and more as if we are not going to be able to get it anymore.  It was very difficult to purchase peanut butter in Spain.  Then, we came to a store that had six small jars of peanut butter.  At first, I wanted to purchase all six of them at once.  I then decided to purchase just one jar.  In the coming months, I still purchased all six jars as no one else seemed to want it.    Snowstorms in our day don't last too long.  The snow storm  tells us that we need to stock up on three things:  milk, bread and toilet paper.  They may lock some of us in for a few hours but we soon find a way to get out and then to get to the store.  However, when the warning comes of an impending storm, people will flock to the store to purchase those necessary "supplies" to last them through the storm as if it was going to last for several weeks.  When it comes to God's grace,  God doesn't stack up a supply of grace for us that is going to be over the need that we will have.  We often pray for more grace but God has already supplied what we are going to get.  Second Corinthians 12:9 says, "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."  
     This verse states that God's grace is sufficient.  It isn't too much nor is it too little.  It is sufficient.  That means that it is going to meet every need that we have.  It is going to be enough to get us through grief, pain, suffering,loneliness, worry and whatever emotion we might be having at the time.  It will always be there and we will always be able to look back and see just how God's grace met our need yesterday and all the days before that.  Therefore, will God's grace be sufficient for today's problems and for tomorrow's disasters?  Naturally, we can say, Yes, it will always be sufficient and it will always be there.   We could say that God's grace got us through yesterday and it will get us through today also.   Praise God today for His grace in your lives.

New Year's Eve Traditions

        New year's Eve probably has many different traditions for many different people.  We lived in the country about 2 1/2 miles from town.  We would stay up until midnight.  Once the final minute arrived, we would take the 12 gauge shotgun out and fire a round just to make a lot of noise.  The cornfield probably has a few pellets from the many shells that were fired over the years.  People have different traditions if you want to call them that. Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." 
      As you can tell by the traditions of my family, we were not doing anything close to being spiritual.  There were times however in some years where we would go to church for a special New Year's Eve celebration.  The night would have a Christian film, a lot of snacks and around 11:30 PM, we would gather for prayer.  Our intentions were to be in prayer as the new year arrived.  Other times, we might even have communion.  The arrival of January 1st would begin a new year and even a new year of goals.  Jeremiah here reminds us that we do need to "call upon the LORD."  He will show us great and mighty things we don't know anything about.  Your hearing and your vision are all affected by your mortal body which the older you get, the weaker it becomes.  The Bible gives us a glimpse of future things.  It whets our appetite so to speak, of things to come.  We look up at the universe from the hills of earth and see tiny lights in the sky.  The telescopes of today that roam about in space, however, give us pictures of scenes that cannot imagine exist.  Pictures of this earth would be fantastic but just imagine the pictures of heaven!  Perhaps, as you crawl into bed after having fired the shotgun or watching the ball drop, you might also say a prayer to God and ask Him to show you some of those great and mighty things.  It would be a great way to start the new year.  I am again reminded about Scripture and Prayer to conform us to the image of God.  May we all spend more time with the Creator both through the reading of His Word and in those times of prayer.  Praise God today that He speaks to us and does show us great and mighty things.

Chipping Away

     Do you have any unfinished projects around your house?  My wife and I have moved a lot.  Every now and then I meet people who have lived in a certain city or town all of their lives.  That was not the case in our lives.  When you think of the Navy, A. T. and T and finally, the ministry, we moved a lot of times.  I painted a lot of houses on the inside.  Sometimes, I just plain got tired of painting room after room, house after house.  The house in Mineral Wells, West Virginia never got painted on the inside.  To me, it looked good enough.  I may have had intentions of painting it but just gave up on it.  You could say that it was an unfinished item in my life.  I have a few here and there.  Philippians 1:6 says, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"
     The Christian life is often compared to a construction project.  God is actively chipping away everything in our life that does not look like Christ.  The above verse of Scripture is one that tells us that God won't give up on the project, no matter how hard or impossible it seems to be.  Our Christian life begins when we receive Christ as our Savior and Lord but we have a long way to go.  That then, is the building process that is taking place each day of our lives.  Oh, we will never arrive at perfection, but we are headed in that direction.  God just keeps working on us and some of the chipping in our lives doesn't feel too good, but it is necessary.   God never comes to a point in our lives and declare us to be impossible.   He is not finished with the project.  You could say that He has put some orange barrels around your life and that you have been declared to be a construction zone.   The exciting thing for me in this passage is the place where it says that He will complete the work.  Of course, when that happens, you will be in glory.  So, be patient today and in the days to come as God continues to chip away at your life.  You might say, He chips away because big chunks would be too painful for you to bear.  I am reminded about a phrase that was the purpose statement of a church which simply said, "Scripture and Prayer to conform us to the image of Christ.  Praise God that He is not finished with us yet.

Providence

        Some things in life just seem hard to understand or even hard to explain.  We might say that things happen or that there are coincidences that take place and we often are at a loss as to how to explain them.  In 1959, my course was set with the United States Navy and I was headed to Guided Missile School in Norman, Oklahoma.  My counselor at the recruiting office said I could go there or anywhere else I wanted almost because I knew which end of the hammer to use to drive a nail into a piece of wood.  So, I set out with that objective.  I would be changing from a music career to a career in guided missiles for the Navy.  Well, things changed.  The band marched by one day and i auditioned for the band thinking to just play in the boot camp band.  The audition was successful but the result was more than the boot camp band.  I was now headed for Washington, D.C. and the School of Music.  For some unknown reason to me, I was now headed in the opposite direction.  I have been reminded most recently of the affects of that decision.  My life would have been quite different had I gone to Norman, Oklahoma.   Proverbs 3:5-6 says, " Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." 
      At the time of my decision, I was not the person to whom could be said, he or she was following the LORD's direction.  Nevertheless, God was already working in my life just as He is or has been working in your lives.  Looking back, I can say that I did not understand God's leading nor direction so many years ago.  I was almost just "going with the flow."  Once you get into God's flow, you better just hang on because He is going to lead you in ways you didn't think possible.  I like especially the last part of the passage where God says, "...He shall direct thy paths."  He does that in a great and mighty way and the things that take place are amazing to think about.  In fact, it makes you realize that there is more to come.  He is not finished with us yet.  The pages of all of our lives are still being written and none of them are the same.  We are all different, going in different ways, having different friends, having more or less tears or laughter.  God simply reminds us to Trust Him with all of our hearts and forget about your own ideas or understanding because He is going to lead you into great and mighty things.  Praise God today for His working in your life.

Where Are The Wise Men?

     We often want to be a part of some big event.  I had my spot in many a cordon where the military would stand at attention waiting for the passing of some high ranking foreign dignitary.  We were to keep looking straight ahead as the motorcade would pass by.  During my first assignments, I would want to just get a glimpse of that dignitary.  Soon, the motorcade would come into view and we would all be standing in a row as he or she would pass by.  Matthew 2:1 says, "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,"  
      The Wise Men of old had another purpose in mind as they had set out to see what had taken place.   We think we know why they had the information that the did about the birth of a king and we think we know where they came from due to their connection with the prophet Daniel years before.  Matthew records the event which probably took a couple of years to come about.  The young Jesus was not in a manger when they arrived.  After questioning where this event was taking place the finally come to the right spot and pay homage to the Lord Jesus Christ with three gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh.  The words used indicate that they were "magi" or "wise men"  We, in our period of time, have latched on the word "wise" and made it a part of our culture.  We sometimes say that "Wise men still seek Him."  We use the phrase indicating that if a person has wisdom, then he or she is going to be looking for the Lord Jesus Christ.  Most unbelievers are  not looking for anything remotely resembling  anything that is spiritual.  Oh, we might stand in line to see a rock star, a person from Hollywood or a famous football player, but we wouldn't stand in line to see anyone religious.  We wouldn't stand in line to see them because we have no idea about the importance of the event that took place some 2,000 years ago.  Wisdom is that which come from God, so people who are not believers in the first place have no idea what or whom to look for.  The reality is that Jesus did come and was born of a virgin as the Scripture says.  The whole package reminds us that He not only came at that first advent, but that He was destined to live, minister, die and then be raised again from the dead.  So, the Perfect Gift that was given to us is far greater than we can ever imagine.  Those that are believers today can celebrate the season because they know Who it was that was laid in a manger.  Praise God today that He sent His Son in order that we might have eternal life.

The War on Christmas

       There is nothing new under the sun.  We were told that many years ago by King Solomon.  It hasn't lost any ground in the present time.  There is still a war on Christmas.  This was brought to my attention this morning as I went to Yahoo's web site to write the devotion for tomorrow.  The headline was that the young leader of North Korea had upped his war on Christmas banning singing and drinking during this time of the year.  He doesn't want any Christmas parties to be taking place in his country or if truth be told, probably in the rest of the world.  The war on Christmas is not just in North Korea, it's also here in America as various groups try to ban anything that might offend someone else so the ban on Christmas trees and nativity scenes continues to increase throughout the nation.  you can however, probably trace the war on Christmas even back to King Herod in the days of our Savior's birth.   Matthew 2:16 says, " Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men." 
      Herod was looking for where Jesus was born and it wasn't to come and worship Him.  The wise men were told this and so they skipped going back to Herod to tell him where the spot was.  Herod, then upped his war on Christmas, bay killing all the children that were two years and under in the city of Bethlehem.  Could anything be worse than that?  We know, however, that God had other ideas and that the Holy Family goes down into Egypt until Herod is gone.  There actually was no action that anyone could take to deter the First Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We can attest to the fact of the first advent by noticing the date on the calendar.  The year, 2017, refers to the year of our Lord.  So, we or at least many people in the world, try to ignore that.  Our war on Christmas has come to a transfer of our activities from worship to partying, drinking, malls, buying, and a lot of fictitious characters such as Frosty, Rudolph, Santa, elves and mother nature.  So the war on Christmas continues from North Korea to the USA.  No one, however, can tell you Whom to worship during this time of year.  Since God has given to us His Word, we know the rest of the story and in the end, Jesus wins the war on Christmas.  Praise God today that Our Savior is greater than all.

Keep The Faith

      It seems as if everyone wants to know how they are doing.  There are a number of organizations who are always putting out surveys to their customers asking how they are going.  Most restaurants have a "comment card" placed on or near your table.  You just fill it out and drop it off in the box as you leave the restaurant.  I have also attended a number of conferences where you have to fill out an evaluation sheet before you leave the conference.  This gives the leaders the opportunity to read suggestions and criticisms which may improve future conferences.  While in school, you receive grades which also are an indication of how well you are doing in each of your courses of study.  When the Apostle Paul was writing his second letter to young Timothy, he concluded with an evaluation of his own life.  Second Timothy 4:7 says, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:"   
     Paul would get an A+ for his Christian life.  You notice that there are three areas that Paul mentioned.  He had fought a good fight, he had finished his course and he had kept the faith.  When you think about it, this is all there is.  This includes everything that you could think of.  If you are able to say this at the end of your life, then you have done what you were supposed to do.  Fighting the fight is a life long project.  We are always involved in spiritual warfare and we need to maintain a constant vigil against the enemy as we go through this life.  Then, Paul said that he had finished his course.  He had done what God had called him to do.  He had finished it.  Finishing something is a big responsibility and often quite hard to do.  Some projects get bogged down and are often neglected and even dropped completely.  It seems as if they just involve too much effort and time.  Paul knew what he had to do and when he got near to the end of his life, he could say that he had finished his course.  Then, finally, he says that he had kept the faith.  There was no one who could call the Apostle Paul an apostate.  He kept the faith and he did not waver at any point.  He never questioned God nor did he doubt the doctrine that he taught.  He stood firm on the Word of God and he stood firm on his steadfastness.  He didn't waver.  So, when you think about it, this is all you have to do.  Be involved in a life long commitment to be faithful to God always, to finish what God gives you to do and be ready to stand up for truth while you battle that which is false.  That will keep us all busy.  Praise God for His faithfulness to us.  Are you standing firm in the Word of God today?

The Pegboard

      You never know when you are going to get that perfect Christmas gift that really captures your attention.  Maybe it doesn't take too much to capture the attention of a youngster, but I remember one Christmas when one of my gifts was a simple peg poard with a hammer and a bag of different colored pegs.  I recall getting up after the lights went out in the rest of the house.  It was around 2:00 in the morning.  I turned on my light, got my hammer and pegs and began pounding them into the pegboard.  It was all I wanted to do.  My parents didn't let it go on for too long a time.  Soon, I was back in bed, the lights out and the hammer and pegs were gone for the night.  But, I still thought about them.    Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."
      When something grabs your mind and it's all you want to do, that is the center of your life.  It could be pegboards, cars, some new tool, a new musical instrument or something else.  Just think however, how it was the first time you met the Savior.  Paul reminds the people to "Rejoice."  It's something that you just have to do because of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for all of us.  You can know about Christ and still not possess the joy that Paul speaks about in this passage.  What makes the difference is that personal relationship that comes about when we receive His payment for our sins and experience the hope and peace that only He can provide.  Christ begins to occupy all of your mind and all of your desires.  It is all that you want to do.  The perfect Christmas gift will only last for a short time and when the newness wears off, it gets put away and almost forgotten.  The Perfect Gift of the Lord Jesus Christ, however, grows sweeter  and sweeter every day.  When the Apostle Paul penned those words, "Rejoice in the Lord alway..."  it reminds us that we should be praising God day in and day out, in other words, continually.  This is the One Gift that never grows old, never fades nor never gets stale.  So, I have come to the conclusion, that the Lord Jesus Christ, is indeed, much better than a new pegboard.  Praise God for the First Advent of Christ.

Fixing Mondays

      There was a time when we were preparing to enter the mission field and we attended five weeks of classes on various subjects at the headquarters.  During on of the sessions, we were instructed on how to make statements that would not offend someone.  One thing that was mentioned was that we should not ask "why" to anyone.  To say, "Why do you do what you do that way?" implies that you have a better way.  You could ask the same question and be less threatening by saying it in a different way and by leaving the word "why" out of the sentence.  When you ask "why" you are implying that your way or idea is better than the other person's idea.  Sometimes I think that I will spend my last days just trying not to offend someone by doing or saying what I do.  Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "            
        Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,   Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."  The news that Mary had given to Joseph really impacted him.  He was ready to get rid of her and he would have done so if it had not been for the intervention of the angel.  Mary pondered many things in her head during the following months and there were probably a lot of raised eyebrows in connection with the event that was going to unfold.  It is fortunate for us that we are looking back and that we can affix out attention upon the author and finisher of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ.  God fixes Mondays.  He fixes Mondays when you may have said the wrong thing, irritated some person or another or not lived up to the expectations of those around you.  The above verse says that we can indeed look to Jesus and that He fixes things and lets us focus our attention on Him.  His work on the cross made it all possible.  Mary and Joseph may have been perplexed at what was taking place in their lives at the time, but just think of what took place at the empty tomb.  Jesus is indeed the Author and Finisher of our faith.  Praise God today that we can always look to Him when things get messed up.

What Are You Waiting For?

         Do you ever have to wait for something?  I may have mentioned before that I was one of the people who had requested a Lone Ranger Decoder ring many years ago.  It seemed as if it would never come.  I had saved up the required box tops which meant that I had to eat all of the cereal.  Then, I filled out the required information and sent it it.  I waited, and waited, and waited until the day that it finally came.  I knew it was coming but just didn't know when.  There is a hymn that has the title, "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus."  It has been around for a long time. God had promised to send a Messiah and the promise can be traced through the Bible. Genesis 3:15 says, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." 
     This is what started it all off.  From this point on, you can trace the prophecies that promise that a Messiah would come.  They were mounting up as time went on.  The manner of His birth was a prophecy as well as where it was going to take place.  Finally, we have the account of the announcement of His birth in the Gospel of Luke.  A Savior had been born.  Now, what does this do to your life?  God meticulously worked things out for over 4,000 years and brought it all to reality one dark night around 2,000 years ago.  God does that because He is God and is capable of doing it.  That does something to me and my life.  God works out the impossible or at least, what seems to be impossible in my life.  Quite often, many things seem impossible.  I don't know how things are going to work out but they do.  You often hear people say, "Well isn't that a coincidence?"  Well, not really.  You see, with God there are no such thing as a coincidence.  It is all in His plan.  As a kid, I had faith in the mail man and the Lone Ranger to send me my ring.  Today, my faith has been put in God and in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ because the Bible is filled with promises that He made and kept.  In Whom do you put your faith?  Praise God that He promised the sending of a Messiah and that He did it so many years ago.

Emmanuel

         Maybe i didn't come from a "religious" household, but there are some things I never questioned.  I wasn't about to say anything against the Bible or question why it was the way it was.  I never questioned the fact that there four gospels.  I didn't know why there were four of them and I never thought much more about it until years later when I found out the differences between the four of them and that meant.  Two of them, Matthew and Luke have genealogies and mark has no genealogy at all.  Of course, neither does the Gospel of John.  The Gospel of John had a specific purpose and was written to a certain group of people.  The gospel of John shows that Jesus is the Son of God.  The Christmas story is perhaps summed up in one verse.   John 1:14 says, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." 
      The first thirteen verses bring you up to the present time in a hurry.  It goes from "in the beginning" to "and the Word was made flesh..."  And that is, perhaps, the "First Advent" in the Gospel of John.  We look at the differences in the Gospels now and see that John's Gospel is telling the world that Jesus is the Son of God.  He is deity.  He is eternal.  Wow!  what else can you say about that!  The world, on the other hand, is quite accustomed to challenging every aspect of the First Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.  They doubt His ancestry.  They doubt His virgin birth.  They doubt that He is God.  They doubt His name.  So, then, what is Christmas to the world.  Well, it has been relegated the title of "happy holidays," Santa Claus, Papa Noel, and a host of other characters in red suits and beards.  It is trees, lights, snowmen, winter wonderland and a lot of gifts.  The more gifts the better.  So, we advertise and sell.   In the meantime, the simple sentence from John 1:14 goes unnoticed.  "And the Word was made flesh."    Does Jesus have first place in your heart today and especially in this Christmas season?  We would like to think, that as Christians, certainly He has first place, but maybe not.  Perhaps we are being caught up in the world's Christmas which is far from John 1:14.  Take a deep breath and hum "Silent Night" and think on the night so many years ago when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, heading for the cross of Calvary.  Praise God that He sent us His Son.

Shocking Headlines

       What excites you when you read the morning newspaper?  When there were really important things happening, the newspaper would use a very large type for the headline.   Headlines in the newspaper often include that which is sensational.  The more sensational it is the better according to most people.  It is true even in Christian circles.  The supernatural seems to take all of our attention.  At the same time, the simple truth of people becoming born again seems to make no affect on people.  It was true in the days when Jesus was instructing His disciples.  Luke 10:19-20 says, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." 
       The disciples were more excited over the supernatural ability that they had over evil spirits than they were over the fact that their names were written in the Lamb's book of Life.  It may have seemed as if the Lamb's Book of Life was far down the road for them and what they were doing in the present world for them was more important.  The same is true for us.  We can't see the affects of a person being born again as well as we can when God performs a miracle.  We look at "everyday miracles" and don't see the hand of God working in them as much as we do when God heals or causes things to take place that seemed to be impossible.  Jesus had a visitor one evening by the name of Nicodemus.  Nicodemus questioned Jesus and couldn't get the grasp of the new birth.  Jesus was explaining it to him and that it had to be "from above."  There are many people who don't have a clue, just as did Nicodemus so many years ago, about the new birth.  It has not happened to them.  To those that have been born again, the thought of the new birth often begins to fade as our attention is drawn to the more sensational things of the Christian life.  Simplicity sometimes makes things seem too easy.  But, that isone of the problems.  The greatest miracle of all has taken place in that your name has been written down in the Lamb's Book of Life.  It has been written down in heaven.  You have experienced the new birth.  The new birth itself is even more profound than the miracle of the physical birth.  As a believer, you certainly many things about which you can rejoice.  One of the most profound is that your name is written down in heaven.  Praise God for that today for the gift that He has given to you.

The Right Time and the Right Place

        One of the Christmas Carols that is popular, at least among older folks, is the one entitled, "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus."  Our bell choir performed this song at one of our more recent musical presentations.  Most of the carol is just five notes of music.  At one point, the sixth tone is added.  The words, however, remind us of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ  and they speak somewhat in a prophetical manner.  People were ready for the coming of the Messiah.  At least, some people were ready and the rest were left scratching their heads at what had happened.  Galatians 4:4 says, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,"  The Apostle Paul gives us a great statement, as all of his statements are great, but his one says that "at the fullness of time.."
      When things were just right, the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world and indwelt a fleshly body in order to accomplish the Plan of Salvation.  We might think that we are living in the best of times and that If Jesus had come today, He would have the benefits of technology.  He could communicate with every human being at once via satellite phone.  He could go from place to place quickly in a Boeing 747.  He would be able to have Public Relation people with Him to promote His visits and to stir up the crowds.  To God the Father, however, today is not the best of times.   When Jesus came to walk upon the face of the earth, times were right in every detail.  His coming was calculated from a certain event in the Old Testament.  The place was exactly where it was supposed to be.  The language used at that time was the one that would be able to express  His message to a lost and dying world.  After the first advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, there would come about His death on the cross at Calvary.  Prophecy after prophecy was being fulfilled even up to and including the account on the cross.  The manner in which He died would not be acceptable in the world today, but Christ, in His day was suspended between heaven and earth while paying the price for our sin.  The place, Jerusalem, was the center of the world.  It was the common point between East and West.  The news of the birth was overshadowed however in the resurrection that took place three days afterwards.  Satan had been defeated.  Truly, Christ came at the fullness of time.  God the Father had it all figured out.  Praise God today, that in this Christmas Season, we can trust Him with all of the details of our lives.

Joy

       What makes you happy?  Or, should I ask, "What is it in this life that brings you great joy?"  Webster, in his dictionary of 1825, defines "joy" as, "The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; that excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by success, good fortune,the gratification of desire or some good possessed, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits."  Wow!  That pretty well sums it up.  In his definition, Webster pointed out that joy was caused by success, good fortune, the gratification of desire or some good possessed.  That type of joy doesn't last very long.  Oh, it might be there for a short time but it can pass as fast as the wind drives a wisp of smoke from our vision.  In other words, "Poof.  It's gone."  I recall a musical Xylophone that I received one Christmas that was made of glass tubes.  High "C" lasted only one day.  No more music from that one.  There is, however, another source of joy that doesn't diminish with time nor is it affected by any outside influences.  First John 1:3-4 says, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. [4] And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."   
     As one of the Christmas carols says, "Joy to the world, the Lord has come.  Now, that sums it up a little bit better than what Webster did.  This is a joy that supercedes any joy that can be brought about by success, good fortune, the gratification of a desire or of some good that we possess.  All of those things can quickly pass away and in most cases, they do.  The joy that God gives us through His Son stays with us and never gets tarnished by the things of the this world or of the spiritual world.  This type of joy is always present.  Do we always share this joy in our own lives?  Not always.  You see, there are times when sin comes into our lives and our fellowship with God is temporarily broken until our sin is confessed (1 John 1:9).  This joy can be restored in our own being once we confess that sin that separated us in the first place.  The joy that God gives will always be present and it will always be full.  So, when you sing "Joy to the World" this Christmas season, remember the that this joy is because of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Praise God today for sending His Son to come into this world and to die for our sins.

Hope

        Every now and then you come across a person who just can't sing.  No matter how hard you try, they can't match even one note of music.  In essence, they seem to be tone deaf.  That is, they have no hope of ever being able to sing music.  Now, to their ears, they are singing just fine but in truth it is off pitch, off key and just plain hopeless as far as producing any listenable music.  No amount of training or assistance will ever produce good music.  That is, until they get to heaven.  Once they get to heaven, they will have a perfect sense of hearing and they will be able to sing just fine.  But, on this earth, we still look at him, shake our heads and say, "He's just hopeless."  But, that doesn't really describe them.  The word "hopeless" is best used to describe those who are without Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Ephesians 2:11-13 says, "Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."  
     The people described in these verses were absolutely hopeless because they were without Christ.  They had no hope.  Their pagan gods couldn't do a thing and could not appease any of their sins.  Hope, however, then came to them through the preaching of the Gospel and they discovered new faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Now, they have hope.  The same is true today.  The person who is without Christ is "hopeless."  When they hear the gospel message, then they move from having no hope to having hope through Christ.   We should always be reminded as to where our hope lies.  It doesn't lie in the things of the world which offer only material things in the forms of cheap therapy.  True hope only comes in the Lord Jesus Christ.  He can satisfy every longing that a person has.  So, if you are getting caught up in the affairs of the world and are beginning to feel "hopeless," just remember from where your hope really comes.  Praise God today for giving you hope in the midst of a hopeless world system.

Availabliity

       I remember I once had a neighbor who was a member of the local fire department.  He was a volunteer and had radio equipment that notified him when there was a fire.  He would turn on the red light in his truck and set off down the road heading for the fire.  You never knew when the alarm was going to sound.  One of the most important characteristics for a volunteer fireman is availability.  If you sign up to go to a fire when it starts then you best be ready when the alarm sounds.  God also looks at our availability.  Take the case of a young man who was asleep when God came to call upon him.   First Samuel 3:8-10 says, "And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth."   
     At first, young Samuel thought that it was Eli calling him.  Therefore, he would go out and ask Eli what he wanted.  After this occurring for a couple of times, Eli recognized that it was God calling and told the young Samuel what to say.  The innocent words of Samuel say it all.  "Here I am."  God had a job for young Samuel and all Samuel needed to say was, "Here I am."  When God calls, you need to be available.  You may never know when it is going to happen so you need to always be available.  It is like the volunteer fireman.  You might go on with your life as it is for a time and then God calls.  When He does, you need to respond with the same words the were uttered by young Samuel.  "Here I am."  Isaiah said the same words to God in Isaiah 6:8 when he also replied to God, "Here I am."  Then, in the New Testament, we read in Acts 16 of an evangelistic team that was inquiring of God where they should go.  The got a message from a man in Macedonia which said, "Come over and help us."  Paul and Silas headed to Macedonia.  They were available and God sent them on their way.  Are you available?  Be ready because you may have to say to God, "Here I am."  Praise God today that He still calls us.

Remember!

      There are various things in the world today that trigger a response from a person.  It might be an aroma or a sound or something that you see.  When you come across these things, they remind you of something or someone else.  I remember plowing a field on a cool fall day and the smell of the plowed ground, the exhaust from the tractor and aroma of the falling leaves mixed together to form  an aroma that reminded me of someone, if but for a moment.  As I sat down today to write the devotion for tomorrow, I typed the date and immediately there was a picture in my mind of Pearl Harbor.  At that time, I was only 3 years old but over the years I have come to meet some people who were there.  I have seen the pictures and the sounds of recordings and the words of the President of the United States as we declared war.  Some things, you just remember.   Psalm 143:5 says, " I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands."  
     The Psalmist remembers.  He remembers the works of God.  Pearl Harbor is something terrible that happened in 1941 but do we remember the things of God?  Do we remember the wonderful act of creation?  Do we remember the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ?  Do we remember the death, burial and the glorious resurrection of Christ?  You may say, "We were not there." We were not at Pearl Harbor either, but we still remember.  The Psalmist remembers the works of God.  We should do no less than to remember the works of God.  Just look around you and be amazed at the sunset, the stars the plants and animals of earth and be amazed at what God has done.  Certainly, we should also remember at Calvary.  It was there that my sin was paid in full.  It was an act that I could never even come close to fulfilling, but He Who loved me, died in my place on the cross.  I was not there, but my sin was there and Jesus paid it all.  So, as you perhaps remember Pearl Harbor, may you also remember what God has done for you.  Praise God today for His mighty acts.

The Savior

        During the month of December, we naturally begin to think about Christmas and everything that is connected with it.  I have mentioned before that our local newspaper in La Porte, Indiana would begin haveing the Christmas countdown.  The corner of the comics page would contain a little Christmas tree, some stocking hanging on a fireplace and the number of shopping days left before Christmas Day.  I don't know if they still do that, but it was always interesting to watch the days click down.  Oh, by the way, there wasn't any mention of Christ being born or a nativity as such.  It just reminded us about the days left in which to shop.  As you fast forward to the present day, you may ask yourself if things have changed that much since then?  Well, they seem to have gotten a little worse.  There might be those who would ask the question, "Do we really need a Savior anyway?   Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"  
     The natural answer to that question is "yes" we do need a Savior.  The problem centers around the area of sin.  Since sin cannot be allowed into heaven it has to be paid for.  The processes of redemption, justification, reconciliation, sanctification and such are indeed in motion and they all depend upon one thing and that One Thing is the Lord Jesus Christ.  He was the Perfect Sacrifice and because of Him there is a way of salvation made available to all who would believe on Him.  This little verse from the Book of Romans tells us that all are sinners and no one is exempt from the defilement of sin.  It doesn't matter if you are a pauper, the head of a large company, the president of a great country, royalty, and educator, a scientist or a lawyer.  The list can go on and on.  Simply put, it makes no difference who you are because the verse says plainly that all are sinners.  The word "all" includes you and me and everyone around us and everyone you read about in the newspaper and everyone that is in the world and everyone before us and those yet to come.  So, basically, "yes" we need a Savior and the Only One Who fit the bill was the Lord Jesus Christ.  His First Advent made it possible as did His death and burial 33 years later and it is guaranteed by the resurrection from the dead.  He paid the price.  He made the redemption.  So, you are saying a lot this year when you say, Merry Christmas.  We needed a Savior.  Praise God today that He sent His Son.

Small Town

      We are reminded at every Christmas season of the place where Jesus was born.  It was, of course, in Bethlehem.  It was foretold by the prophet Micah.  Micah 5:2 says, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."  
     What is significant about this fact is that Bethlehem was not a very big place.  As the verse says, it was "little among the thousands of Judah."  In fact, Judah didn't even consider it worthwhile to count.  It was located some six miles from Jerusalem.  People thought that the Messiah would have been born in the capitol but that was not to be.  Instead, God chose an insignificant, little town called Bethlehem.  Even King Herod didn't realize that The King of the Jews was being born in the very shadow of one of his huge fortresses called the Herodian located just East of Bethlehem.  What is significant today for us is the reminded that God often chooses the insignificant to accomplish His purpose in this world.  He chose Bethlehem instead of Jerusalem.  God today looks for vessels that are willing to be used in His service.  Sometimes, people are fearful that God will put them into some service where they won't be able to do it or they won't be too happy doing it.  That, however, isn't the case.  When God puts you into His service you suddenly realize that it is the happiest place to be.  It's always best to be in the center of God's will for your life.  Secondly, you also find out that not only does He put you into His service, He also gives you the skills to accomplish what He has for you to do.  God, throughout history, has used people like fishermen, a tax collector, shepherds and farmers to accomplish His purposes.  They never intended to be great but God made them that way through His power and not of anything of their own making.  Has God challenged you to do something for Him?  All you really need to do is to be willing and to submit to His leadership.  So, just as the announcement was made to shepherds, the place of His birth is likewise, not what you would have expected.  That should give us hope as we see God working in the lives of people even today.  Praise Him today for what He is doing in your life and what He will do in the days to come.

Amazing Events

       We have been speaking about "advent' at church.  The pastor will be leading us in the weeks before Christmas as we explore, hope, peace, love and joy and finally the Christ candle on Christmas Eve.  The purpose is to remind us of the first advent, or the first coming, as the word implies, of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Yes, even some Baptist churches have an advent wreath with all of the appropriate candles.  I like amazing things and this is one of the most amazing ever where the shepherds hear a special announcement.  How would you hve reacted to the announcement?     Luke 2:15 says, "And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." 
      The shepherds were going to put down what they were doing, which involved  the keeping of the sheep.  It was a special night with a special announcement.  Now, it is amazing because it all came down to Joseph and Mary, a decree from a Roman leader and an inn that was full to the brim with special travelers.  Each factor makes it more and more amazing.  You could mention all of the references from Genesis 3:15 the the singing of the angels as the shepherds stood in amazement.  God was working out a plan for our salvation and it certainly involved the sending of His beloved Son to accomplish salvation for us on the cross of Calvary.  Now, what good are amazing things?  The good in them is that because God accomplished the impossible at the Nativity, He accomplishes the impossible with us.  We may not see the plan but it is certainly developing day by day and the culmination will be just as glorious the the shepherd's experience that night in Bethlehem.  Yes, the first Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ does give us hope.  We have already begun the Christmas season with shopping, music, celebration, food and fellowship.  It is always a busy time of the year but may we be just as amazed as were the shepherds on that night so many years ago.  And may that amazement spring into hope, not only for the month of December but for all of our lives.  Praise God for the sending of His Son.  What an amazing event and an amazing gift.

Salt and Light

        When I worked on a farm as a youngster, I often watched the cattle as they would go up to the large  blocks of salt.  Their long tongues would come out and slide back and forth over the salt block, getting a big lick of salt.  That brings me to the former name of Roanoke, Virginia.  Years ago, it was called, Big Lick.  Apparently, the name came from the fact of deer coming to a certain place where they could find salt deposits which was in this area.  Historians tells us, "The town first called Big Lick was established in 1852 and chartered in 1874. It was named for a large outcropping of salt which drew the wildlife to the site near the Roanoke River. In 1882 it became the town of Roanoke.  Salt is attracting not only to animals but also to people.  There is, however, a different kind of salt than NaCl.   Matthew 5:13-14 says, "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid."  
     The Lord Jesus Christ, in His sermon on the Mount of Olives told the listeners that they were salt and light to the world.  There are several lessons and facts about salt and light that help explain the purpose of believers in the world today.  Years ago, Howard Hendricks asked a question in a course, "Why are we on this earth instead of in heaven?"  You may ask the same question and wonder why when you came to know the Lord Jesus Christ, you were not ushered into heaven immediately.  You are a testimony to the rest of the world and God wants you to have the properties of both salt and light in your present life as you conduct your relationships with people all around you.  As has been said, for some people, you are the only epistle that some people may read.  Think on the words that Christ uttered in this section and see if you are salt and light to those around you.  Praise God today for placing you and I in a place of ministry

Who is the Wise Guy?

      Have you ever found yourself in a bad situation?  Our pastor often prays that he should say what should be said and not to say what shouldn't be said."  It is a very good prayer and one that is necessary for all of us.  There are those things that should remain unsaid but that is not always the case.  There are those times in our lives when we just seem to blurt something out and then wonder why we said that and also, how we can get out of the possible repercussions.  Our tongues often gets us into trouble.  It should have been refrained but it just wasn't and now we find ourselves in a heap of trouble.  More than once, I have gotten myself into trouble at a church dinner right after I have preached or taught in the morning hours.  I become relaxed and just don't think before I speak and that's where the problem begins.  Proverbs 5:1-4 says, "My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.  For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil  But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword." 
      The writer of Proverbs brings forth a number of separate proverbs that certainly apply to our daily lives.  In the beginning of the book, the writer speaks much about wisdom and falling prey to sinful activities.  It seems that the person lacks wisdom and proceeds as the ox does when it goes to slaughter.  It just keeps moving along not knowing what's coming.   Sad to say, but the illustration fits most of us rather well.  It was said of a leader who had a bit of a problem in the sin area, "Never was so much given up for so little."   Perhaps we should read the first 10 chapters of the Book of Proverbs every month.  We are all going to be involved with interacting with people today and in the days ahead.  As we converse and exchange thoughts with one another, may we all think about wisdom as it is mentioned in this passage.  We should praise God today for the wisdom that He supplies. 

Warning Signs

       Have you noticed that once you get accustomed to something, that it's significance begins to fade away?  Even signs that express danger can finally have no meaning if they are overused.  While working in a certain company years ago, we were plagued with an abundance of warning labels and signs on the equipment.  Soon, the meaning began to be lost.  Each time a new warning label came out, it had to either be bigger or bolder or in a different color than the one which preceded it.  It is possible to see something and not take notice of it.  At the same time, it is possible to hear something and also not take notice of it.  Over the years, the old siren has changed into a chorus of loud sounds in order to be heard and recognized.  God used a similar illustration when speaking of the rebellious people of the nation of Israel.  Ezekiel 12:2 says, "Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house." 
      The Israelites had eyes, ears and a mind, yet they ignored the warnings.  They no longer had any meaning to them and they figured that they knew best and that God wouldn't do anything anyway.  They soon found out that God does mean what He says and that judgment will come.  The same can be said of us.  How often we see warnings in the Scripture and still ignore them thinking that God is not going to do anything about them.  But, God is not mocked and the warnings will be heeded either now or later.  This does have a flip side.  Since God is faithful in His judgments, it brings assurance that He is also faithful in His blessings.  All of the blessings that He has promised to us will also come to pass just as He said.  So, don't become numb to the sights and sounds of the Scripture.  Rather rejoice in what God is doing in your life each day and look forward to more new and wonderful things.  Praise God today for His Word and for both the blessings and the cursings.

Decisions

        As one might examine my personal life, they might say that I am not particularly good at making the right decision.  I seem to sometimes make the wrong choice.  Take for instance the man who drives up to my house and says that I am the last one to whom he will make this offer for a large container of meat.  He is supposedly on his way home and this is the last one he has to get rid of.  For this, he will cut the price in half.  The original price of $300.00 is cut down to $150.00.  Who could refuse a deal like that.  I should have, but eventually along with the story of his wife with a steel plate in her neck and thousands of dollars of hospital bills, I buy the meat.  They eventually come to around $18.99 a pound.  Yep, another stupid decision.  So, now, I have more decisions to make, some involving my future ministry and my track record is not encouraging.  Where do I turn for advice?  Proverbs 3:5-7 says, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil."
         I have to say that I totally want to depend on the LORD for direction.  I like that phrase, "...and He shall direct thy paths."  Yes, I like that.  That's what I need and what I desire.   I want to trust God for His leading and not depend upon my own leading.  My own leading or where I think I should go often turns up with a big question mark on it.  That goes back to that phrase in the above passage that says, "..Be not wise in thine own eyes' and "lean not unto thine own understanding."  That's where the difficulty often comes.  We often endeavor to make our own evaluation of something and end up going in the wrong direction.  God has the perfect path.  All I need to do and all you need to do is to follow His instructions.  Is that something that is easier said than done?   May we all pray for one another that we would indeed take heed to God's instructions.  Not only this passage, but many other passages reveal our own stubbornness  and often, our failure to take heed to what God says.  So, beware the white van with a freezer in the back and follow God's advice at all times and in all things.  Praise God that He knows the way that we should go.

Grace

       Everyone has to deal with problems in their life.  There are not many days where things go exactly as you expected them to go.  Problems are those things that want to deviate from the desired course.  You just can't keep on doing what you planned to do without having to deal with those little disturbances in your life that we call, "problems."   Problems can exist  of an unexpected injury or sickness or even a piece of mail that says you owe something to the government, a hospital, or an insurance company.  I forgot to send in the correct amount on my declaration of 1099's forms and ended up with an unexpected bill, which I had to pay because I did make the mistake.  Our problems, which can momentarily change our course, are significant to us, but may not be as bad as the problems of some of the people of the rest of the world.  Problems can also pop up in the life of even the best of people who are really doing what God intended them to do.  Take the Apostle Paul for instance.   Second Corinthians 12:9 says, "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."  
     Paul had a problem in his life and it was causing him considerable concern.  It was so big to him that he pleaded with God to remove it three times.  We would think that in the case of this great man of God, the problems would be solved as Paul wanted.  That's not what happened.  Instead, we find the above verse of Scripture.  In other words, Paul was going to have to forget that the problems was going to be removed.  Instead, he was going to have to  deal with it.  He was going to go on living his life with the problem still there.  Everyday was going to be the same.  The problem just wasn't going to go away.  Instead, God mentioned to Paul the greatness of God's grace.  God instructed Paul that God's grace was going to be sufficient to take care of the problem.  Yes, it was going to be uncomfortable but God's grace was going to be so great the sufficient, that life could go on just like the problem wasn't there.  When dealing with the problems in your life, have you considered that God's grace is indeed sufficient to take care of all of your needs?   John Newton wrote the hymn, "Amazing Grace" and one can see that John Newton was thankful for this wonderful grace.  How about you?  Praise God today for God's grace and how it is working in your life even today

Jeopardy Anyone?

       I was recently speaking to Cox Communications about my phone service and she asked me what I was using for television viewing.  I had cancelled my cable a long time ago and went with Direct TV for a period of time until they doubled my bill in the middle of a contract.  So, Good bye to them.  I replied that I was using the airwaves since we only watched the news, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.  Every now and then I get an answer right on Jeopardy and for the rest of them, I say, "So what."    I miss a few now and then and don't get the right answer.  It isn't any big problem for me since I'm not the one on the show and under the gun.  While the answer to literary and opera questions are beyond me, there are some questions that you had better get right as the consequences are a lot more serious than Jeopardy questions.    Ephesians 2:8-10 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." 
      I have a book by a famous person entitled, "Saved Without a Doubt."  The book takes you through the basic verses of eternal life and how to get there.  After all, you don't want to get this question wrong when asked, "How do you get to heaven?"  We know from the Gospel of Matthew that there are going to be many people who believe they are on the road to heaven who will eventually find out that Jesus will say, "Depart from Me, I never knew you."  That is going to be a very sad day.  They will try to argue the decision, but to no avail and will end up eternally lost.  We might well ask the question, "On what or whom are we depending for our salvation?"  For many, the answer will be that they are depending upon their good deeds and not the Lord Jesus Christ.  We have spent a lot of time these past few days speaking about thanks, thanks especially for the things that God has done in our lives.  John 14:6 reminds us that Jesus is the ONLY way for salvation.  This is one question that you don't want to miss and say, "So what!"  Praise God today that He is the Guarantor of our Great Salvation.

Thanksgiving

      Thanksgiving day was like a "marker" in years past.  It became the kickoff for the Christmas season.  It was also the day of a big feast in many homes throughout America.  After some years, a typical football game would come into the picture.  While the turkey would be cooking you would have time to sit down in front of the TV and watch the Macy's parade with reminders that Santa would be coming.  Our home wasn't one that centered on the religious time of the year, but more on the traditional with an emphasis on the meal itself.  It would take hours to prepare but was finished in about 15 minutes.  The bones would be picked clean and put aside for numerous meals in the days to follow.  Things are a little different in our present household.  We have chosen to move from the traditional to the religious in that the center of the days activities are upon what God has done for us and not what we have done for ourselves.   Psalm100:1-5 says,  " A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.  Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."  
     Thankfulness is more a manner of living throughout the entire year.  We soon realize that everything that we have is from the hand of God.  Bible accounts remind us of the situations where God blesses and where God takes away.  We can see the examples in Job and in the accounts of Joseph as he was sent by God to go ahead into Egypt and to prepare a way of providing food for the Israelites.  We see Moses leading a rebellious people out of Egypt and towards the "Promised Land."   We see the first advent of the Lord Jesus Christ as He came to live, minister, die, be placed in a tomb and then gloriously resurrected having made the payment for our sin.  At least, The American holiday becomes a reminder that it is God Who has blessed us and for that, we truly are thankful.  So, take a moment on Thanksgiving Day and pause to say, perhaps a special, Thanks be to God for so many blessings.  Praise God today and maybe you can say, "Thank you LORD for saving my soul."

God's Will

 

       Making decisions seem to always present problems of one sort or another.   My Mother and I were talking one day about my future and she plainly said, "You can do whatever you want to do, except be a truck driver."  You see, my Father was a truck driver in a tractor that beat his kidneys to death.  The job was dangerous back in the 40's and 50's.  Now, trucks are much different with comfortable seats, springs, automatic transmissions, computers, and even a kitchen sink.  I made a decision back then which was being a musician but things changed in the years that followed.   When you are young, you need to make decisions about what you plan to be when you get older.  It seems that every adult has a desire to ask a young child, "What are you going to be when you grow up?"  Their answer might change over the years but they still have to come up with a decision in regard to their future.  Then there are choices about schooling, vocation, finding the right mate and so on.  When a person becomes a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, some begin to think that the decision making process will become easier.  Now, all they have to do is be in the center of God's will in all that they do.  Finding God's will now becomes the top priority in the believer's eyes.  A number of books and seminars have been given on the topic, "Finding God's Will."  There is a simpler way to discover God's will.  Just turn to His Word.  First Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 

         This is only one of several different times in the New Testament that God makes it quite clear what His will is for you.  There are at least four Scripture references that speak of God's will for your life.  They are direct and certain.  You need no translator or mystical interpretation about what you read.  If you follow the command from those particular verses, you will find that you are doing God's will for your life.  This verse reminds us that we are to give thanks in every thing.  It was true for the church at Thessalonica and it is just as true for you.  No matter what the situation, the tragedy, the bewilderment or lack of understanding about the issue, you are to give thanks in every thing.  It means that you are giving God complete control of every area of your life and all that happens in it.  It means that you don't see the final chapter in your life that only God does.  It means that you won't be questioning God's judgment on any issue.  You simply need to bow in worship and say "Thank you." to God for what He is doing in your life.  Are you ready to give thanks in every situation.  Praise God and thank Him for the salvation that you now enjoy.  Also praise God today for His will revealed in His letter to us, the Bible.

One Lost Art

     Every now and then we will refer to something as being a "lost art."  It will usually be something that was done in the past but which is no longer done because it has been replaced.  Hence, we will say, "Well, that was a lost art."  There are some things in the Christian life that could fall under the same category.  Although, they shouldn't have been stopped, they just seem to fade away until they are no longer done.  I once did a sermon that I titled, "We Used to do That."   We used to pray all weekend, we used to witness more, we used to read the Bible daily, and the list goes on of things we used to do. One of the things in society that has changed is the simple courtesy of saying, "Thank you."  It seems to happen most when people think that certain acts of kindness are your responsibility, therefore, there is no need to say "thank you."  Second Corinthians 4:15 says, "For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God."   
      This verse reminds us that it should be a common practice for "thanksgiving" to redound to the glory of God.  This simply means that we should be "thanking" God for many, many things that go on in our lives.  It is an important part of what I call the "cycle of grace."  We can see it in this verse.  Grace is imparted to men and women from God and that causes joy in the heart of the believer.  Then, the natural thing to do, would be to over "thanksgiving" to God because of the grace and joy that we have already received.  A friend of mine and I were walking one day in a busy city.  We saw something that was not good in another person and the friend said, "There but by the grace of God, go I."  He wasn't the first person to have said it, but the impact was there.  Many times we see things going on that we could criticize and say, "I'm glad I'm not like that."  But, we should be saying, "There, but by the grace of God, go I."  The working of God's grace in our lives should cause us to naturally say, "Thank you" to God for what He has done.  Have you said, "Thank you" today?  While Thanksgiving is a one time a year day, the act of saying "thanks" should be going on every day and many times during that same day.  We recall that song that has a chorus that says, "Thank you Lord for saving my soul."  That is the first thing that we should be thanking God for.  Don't for get to say thank you to others, and certainly don't forget to thank God each and every day for His working in your  life.  Praise Him today for all of those things that He is doing for you even right now.

Thanks be to God!

        I am reasonably sure that there are times in each of our lives when we need help doing one thing or another.  There are so many different situations that are not covered by auto insurance, home owners insurance, health insurance, and road side assistance.  I have these fancy compression stocking that I wear.  I get them on with the assistance of a device designed for that purpose.  It is, however, difficult to get them off and for that purpose, my wife, Diane becomes the "sock lady."  Each night, she pulls them off and I hope I always say "thanks" for the help.  How many times do you need help in one thing or another?    First Corinthians 15:57 says, " But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
      The word "thanks" is used about 70 times in the Bible.  A lot of them occur in Psalm 136 but many books find the word "thanks" in them.  Giving thanks to God is the supreme example of what we need to do in our Christian lives.  There is that debt for which we can never make any sort of payment.  The only thing we can do is to say "thanks."   It is sad, but there are many who fail to say thanks for what God has already done, is doing, and will do in the future.  We still have knowledge of what He is doing, yet we seem to figure that it is what God does, and so we don't have to say "thanks" to Him. Who am I to never raise my voice in thanks to Him Who saved me.  There is a song that begins the chorus with, "Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul."  That certainly is a good place to start.  We should be echoing those words  each and every day that goes by.  That, however, is not all.  We can say "Thanks" for the daily provisions of life that we take for granted.  We can say thanks for the ability to even think about God and to realize His goodness in our lives.  We can say "Thanks" for the greatest of all hopes that we have in eternal life in a place called "heaven."   We often describe a "thankless" person who is void of gratitude for anything that takes place in their life.  How about you?  Do you say "thanks" in those countless occasions where you need help?  Praise God and give Him thanks today for His workings in your life.

How Much Did It Cost?

       Is the cheapest thing around the best thing to purchase?  Well, it depends on what you want out of it.  Some things that I have purchased at a cheap price don't work and end up In the trash.  I saw a saxophone on the internet that was cheap.  In fact the price was less than $200 while the Selmer Mark VI was selling for over $6,000.  I bought the saxophone and it now sits in the basement.  It wasn't to bad on tuning but one of the keys was too close to another key causing them to stick together every time you played an E flat.  Well, it was cheap.  Some people say, "You get what you pay for."  I saw a Lexus on the road the other day and one tail light was a different color due to fading of the glass, or plastic.  Sometimes paying a lot doesn't guarantee that the product will be great.  The payment for our sin, however was something beyond what we can ever think.   Second Corinthians 5:21 says, " For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 
       Erwin Lutzer made a comment which said,  "[Jesus] had to compress an eternity of hell into three hours. As best we can, we must grasp that this was infinite suffering for the infinite Son of God. There was no way to transfer sin without transferring its penalty. To put it plainly, He was receiving what was due us. The wrath of the Father burned toward the Son once the reckoning was made. Indescribable sin was in contact with infinite holiness and infinite justice."  We often read the account of the crucifixion and are through the verses in less than 5 minutes.  We often, however, fail to realize what we have just read and what took place during that time on the cross.  This was no cheap  payment that was made for us.  It was the most "expensive" of all payments ever made and mankind cannot come even close to matching the offer.  This was the price that was going to have to be made if we were to receive the "righteousness of God."   So, we can't even come close to paying for our own sin let alone the sin for the whole world.  Perhaps this is why men and women, boys and girls, have such a hard time "believing on the Son."  That, then is the wonder of grace.  You have the opportunity to get the best by the grace of God.  We should be in the business of praising God daily for this wonderful salvation.  Praise God today for the work of His Son on the cross at Calvary for sin.

ADHD?

       We hear much these days about both children and adults who have a difficulty concentrating on something for any length of time.  It is usually referred to as an attention disorder.  As one adult advertisement stated, "It is as if someone else has the remote and keeps flipping the channel."  Anyone can be plagued with this problem.  I sometimes think that I had this problem while in school but back then, I just got the ruler across the knuckles and my attention was focused until the next rap.  It is probably not a new problem since there are several references in the Bible to problems of the mind.  Both Paul and Peter spoke about the mind and how it should be renewed and brought under control.  Sometimes, it is referred to having your mind renewed.   First Peter 1:13 says, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;"   
       Peter here mentions that we are to gird up the loins of our mind.  The picture here is the one who would wear a long flowing robe and then, when needing to move quickly, would gather up the edges of the robe in order for them to move.  The robe would be gathered up allowing them more freedom.  The idea is more of control over one's thoughts and understanding.  Paul, in Romans 12:1-2 spoke of the renewing of our minds which was the only logical thing that we should do as a result of what God had done for us in the preceding 11 chapters of the Book of Romans.   In fact, in these verses, Paul speaks about the metamorphosis that takes place in the life of the believer when we are "transformed" by the renewing of our minds.  So, the Scriptures speak of the wandering minds or those that are out of control.  There are those minds that are off thinking about other things when they should be thinking about the things of God.  It is time for us to take control of the remote, as it were, and to focus our attention upon the things of God.  As Peter has said, "...gird up the loins of your mind..."  Praise God today that He has addressed this issue and that He has the answer.

Holiness

      Some things in life are resistant to change.  We always remark about our senior population and how they don't like change to come into their lives.  I have a routine that has been around for the past 50 years and so any attempt to change it makes me feel uncomfortable.  I am retired, so to speak, but still get up at around 5:00 AM.  Now, my body begins to ache if I remain in bed any longer than 6 hours.  I like my coffee a certain way, I like my food cooked a certain way and the list goes on of how I like to do things and how I like things to be in my  environment.  There is however, one thing that should be changing from day to day and that is our personal holiness.  Leviticus 11:44 says, "For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."  Peter also reminds us of this same verse in his quote, in 1:16  "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." 
     Holiness has a lot to do with our separation, but it is a two way street.  We should be separated from the things of the world and separated towards God.  This means that there are going to be certain things in my life that should  be changing, even though I am resistant to change.  I should be spending more time in my reading of God's Word and I should be spending more time in my private prayer life with Him.  It is when I endeavor to take a giant leap and choke on the amount that I tried to consume.  I can't go from 10 minutes a day to 3 hours a day.  I once heard of a devout believer who is an apologist who remarked how much time he spent in Bible reading and prayer.  It would take a giant leap for me to ever get close to that.  I should, however, be making some progress if only by minutes to be more holy.  We are not going to come to the end of our holiness in that we are going to be perfect, but we should be making some progress.  The word, "holy" is used around 611 times in the King James Bible.  That's a lot to say about being holy.  God has gone to great lengths to explain what holiness is and so we should be at least concerned with it in a greater way than we are.  Remember the basic definition of holiness and strive to be closer to God today than you were yesterday.  When six months passes, you may find that you are just a tad more holy now than you were before.  This is one change that should be taking place in your life.  Praise God today that He desires our fellowship with Him.

Pass It On?

       In years past, I recall a couple of times when my parents received an anonymous letter promising certain things if they would send it on to a specified number of people.  It was the dreaded "chain letter."  To fail to send it on, would result in "bad luck" or some other such thing.  Mom would make sure that she sent the letters out to keep the bad luck away from our home.  We do the same thing today especially on "Facebook."  If you are on this type of social media, you will sometimes notice an article that insists that you forward it on if you are a true believer, or a true friend, a disciple of Christ, and the list goes on and on.  No matter how great the article is and most of them I doubt their authenticity, I do not pass anything on.  My faith, my patriotism, my love for Christian values, will never depend upon "passing on an article" just to see how many "likes" we can get.  I had a professor that used the expression, "The proof is in the pudding."  The phrase means, "he idiom is usually stated the proof is in the pudding and means that the end result is the mark of the success or failure of one's efforts or planning. The phrase may also be used in the past and future tenses: the proof will be/was in the pudding."   John 14:21 says, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."  
      Whether you are a Christian will be measured by the above verse of Scripture.  It reminds me of the passage of Scripture in Ephesians 2:8-10 where we are reminded that salvation is a gift of God, but works will follow afterwards, because of our salvation and not "for" our salvation.  My salvation will not be dependent upon "sharing" a poem or picture or story on a social media, but the "proof in the pudding" is going to be how I live my life in the world today.  If I fail to love the brethren, pray for others, be concerned about the lives of others, offer praise to God, don't read my Bible, then there is probably cause to say that I probably don't love the Lord Jesus Christ.  My Christianity at that point, would just be "convenient".  the proof would not be in the pudding, so to speak.  I once heard a preacher say, "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"  Praise God that we have A Word from Him in the Bible and that we are not dependent upon sharing something on social media.

Perfect Instructions

       English composition was without a doubt one of my worst subjects in college.  Grammar was difficult in my lower education, but the college course in English Composition, was one of the worst ones ever.  I was struggling, and the assignment was to write a set of instructions on anything that we wanted.  I chose what I thought was going to be an instant "A" in the course.  I chose, "How to make a bassoon reed.'  It was something that  I knew how to do and I would go through the step by step process.  I started out, "First you take a piece of cane..."  The paper came back with a "D" on it.  The first comment on the page was, "Where do I get the piece of cane?"  Everything went downhill from there.  Instructions, however, are very important in our lives.  There are many things that take place periodically that demand to have some instructions attached.  Sometimes, the one who wrote the instructions, is from a different country and words or phrases are left out that would be helpful if they were in the text.  There is, however, a set of instructions that is needed by everyone and those instructions give us the way to live our lives.   Psalm 32:8 says,"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye."
       This verse includes two words that remind of of the process.  God says that He will "instruct" and then to "teach" us in our daily lives.  Both words give the same idea but the words are slightly different.  The word "instruct" has the idea of, "to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely understand, prosper."  To walk "circumspectly" is to have wisdom and to walk carefully taking great care in each and every situation.  God gives us that through His Word.  The Bible is probably the only book ever written with a perfect set of instructions for life.  When one considers that it was penned by around 40 different people, but guided by One Spirit, you have to come to the conclusion that God provided you with the perfect set of instructions.  There is no guess work, nor is there any detail left out.  There would be no question, where did God get the cane?  The Bible begins with the answer to that question,  "In the Beginning, God..."  From that point on, God gives you all the instruction that you need to receive eternal life in the end.  You have the instruction manual.  Now, the question is, "Are you going to read it and follow the instructions?  Praise God today that He is the Perfect Instructor.

Possessions

   One issue that seems to dominate our thinking is that of ownership.  Even young children begin to separate their toys and usually exclaim that all of them are theirs.  I can recall the peg board, two trains, one electric one and one wind up train, a Red Ryder BB gun, a Hawthorne Bicycle with lights and horn and the list goes on and on.    There seems to be  something within them that says that if someone else touches them, we will lose them forever.  The quest for things doesn't stop with children.  We also find that adults are concerned about accumulating things.  There was a bumper sticker that read, "He who dies with the most toys wins."  So, the thinking has gone from childhood through adulthood.  It does seem that with people, with human beings, ownership is important.  However, many of them do not realize that they do not even own themselves.  For the believer, they soon find out that ownership has been transferred to God.   First Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."   
     These verses teach us much but one thing that is important today are those words that say, "...ye are not your own..."  We do not even own ourselves.  We have been purchased and it was done by the Lord Jesus Christ when He died on the cross for our sins.  Since we are not our own, then it would seem logical that we would see what the real owner desires of us.  Of course, we are heading back to God's Word and there we find God's instructions for the believer.  We learn those things that we are to do and we also learn about those things that we should avoid.  We find our purposes for living and how we can prepare for dying.  Everything that is important for this life is found in God's Word.  God has made the instructions very clear.  So, the next time you begin to think about personal possessions just remember that you are the possession of another.  You are the possession of God.  Praise Him today for His goodness and His plan for your life.  We can praise God today that we are a possession of God.  Praise Him today.