Embracing Rest...

"I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me... I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." - Psalm 3:5; 4:8

During the nineteenth century Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published a vast number of fairy tales. One of the most well known is the story of Sleeping Beauty. A fair princess lies asleep for a hundred years until a brave prince arrives to kiss the sweet girl awake. The princess certainly didn't suffer from sleep deprivation. In real life many people lie down, only to toss and turn with worries and fears haunting them through the night. Rest evades them.

David wrote at a time when trouble and danger bit at his heals and yet he could sleep restfully. His faith in the Lord who sustained him was great. David found safety in nothing else other than the Lord and as a result he could sleep in peace. Rest embraced him.

Are you pressed and stressed in the night hours by anxiety? Are you so concerned about the problems of tomorrow that you can't find sleep for the here and now? How big is your God today? How focused is your faith in Him? Is God able to protect you and provide for your every need? Put your trust in the Lord, lie down to sleep and he will sustain you in safety, and then... Rest will embrace you.  

Prepared by fire...

"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry." - Luke 4:1-2

While in college I worked at a foundry that manufactured fire hydrants. The plant had three huge furnaces that melted down metal to be recast. Tons of steel would come into the yard by train and eventually be dropped into the fire. The furnaces would roar with heat as the purged molten steel would be poured into carefully prepared molds. The end product can be found on street corners throughout the country, prepared by fire to deal with fire.

Jesus was led into the fire of trials intentionally by the Holy Spirit. The trials were part of a process, preparing the Son of God for Gethsemane and finally the Cross. The desert experience of Satan's temptations did not come as a sudden surprise. These moments were planned by God to achieve his purpose and ultimate glory. Jesus was prepared by fire to deal with fire.

This year you and I will be led by the Holy Spirit into the fire of trials. We will be led by Divine design to prepare us for greater and more demanding moments ahead. Don't run from them; face them with the Word of God and the power of Christ, and be... prepared by fire to deal with fire.     

No Root... No Fruit...

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked. John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.” Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”  - Luke 3:10-14

When I was growing up, our family planted numerous trees around the house. One of those trees was a Mimosa tree. The promise of its unique beauty kept us in expectation, but after three leafless seasons, we concluded it was dead and dug it up. We were then shocked to find life in the roots, yet no fruit of leaves on the branches. How could there be root, but no fruit?

The Christian life is very much like a tree. When we're planted and rooted in Jesus, there is fair expectation of fruit. As John prepared the way for our Lord, he preached, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." (vs. 8)  When asked what he meant by fruit, John gave practical and individual instructions. If someone has come to Christ in repentance and faith, they become new creations, like newly planted trees in the God's garden. When there's spiritual root, there should be spiritual fruit.

As you continue into the New Year, what fruit will be seen in your life? If you are spiritually rooted, Jeremiah 17:8 says you will never fail to bear fruit. Yet, what will that fruit be? With each new day ask , “What should I do then?” I have root, what should be my fruit?

Ownership or Stewardship?

"She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" -- "Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid." - Luke 2:7/23:53

"Be the proud owner of ..." These words are heard and read in various ads for cars to computers. The most important part of the equation is ownership. We are driven by the need to be proud owners. The best commentary on this subject is the bumper sticker that reads: "He who dies with the most toys wins". It's OK to own, but never OK to be owned by what you own.

Jesus said in Luke 9:58, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” His comment was vividly seen in his birth and in his burial. He was placed in a borrowed manger at birth and a borrowed tomb in death. Jesus was a steward, not an owner. He used this world for one purpose... eternal values. That's where his heart was.

What are your goals for the year ahead? Will you be driven by ownership or be led by stewardship? Will you own more of this world, or will you use it to "store up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:20)? The choice is yours but ... "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)

Life, Light & Love...

"... to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” - Luke 1:77-79

The holiday season has now passed with all the joy and celebrations. The lights and decorations are being packed and stored until next year. Winter days are upon us with weeks of cold and cloud filled days. With all the parties, gifts, songs and laughter gone, is there any sunshine and joy for the days ahead?  The reality of life has set in.

A small but overwhelming ray of hope is found in the song of Zechariah. We have a God filled with "tender mercy" who brings "the rising sun from heaven to shine". When we know the Christ of Christmas as Savior and friend, we can have sunshine every day of the year. The reality of light has set in. 

My dear friend, please don't allow the hard winter days to get the best of you. Remember the One who loves you with a heart of "tender mercy". Jeremiah the prophet once said ... Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”  (Lamentations 3:22-24)  You can know peace and joy today because... The reality of love has set in.

Success is...

"... for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young..." - Proverbs 1:2-4

Who was voted "Most likely to Succeed" in your graduating class? Have they really made it big? What's the real difference between success and failure? Success requires more than just knowing what to do; it's all about doing what you know. Too many voted "Most likely..." are on the sidelines because they never put their knowledge into practice. Success is not just in knowing... Success is in showing and growing.

Solomon was a man of great wisdom, but he knew that successful spirituality would be seen in the everyday life. He didn't write just to create philosophers, but to produce "a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair" in his readers. Successful spirituality is more than a life challenged by the Word of God, it's a life changed. Success is not just in knowing... Success is in showing and growing.

As you begin the year reading the Scriptures, what are your expectations? Are you looking for greater knowledge of the Bible? Do you want to get a better handle on the Names of God? Or, are you trying to figure out God's prophetic program for the return of Christ? While all these may be worthy pursuits, how will they improve your walk with God? Spiritual success comes from reading the Word for change, because success is not just in knowing... Success is in showing and growing!

The gift that keeps on giving...

"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." - Psalm 1:2-3

One week has now passed since Christmas. You received various gifts from loved ones and friends that still work and give you a lot of joy. In a few months, those same gifts may still work and will give you a little joy. By this time next year they may no longer work and be nothing more than a faint memory. There is one gift though, given by our heavenly Father, that will keep on working and will bring great joy to your heart every day because it's a "gift that keeps on giving".

The psalmist found delight in the Word of God and thought about it day and night. As a result, every day was a fresh and fruitful experience. As he carefully reflected on the life changing message, he found ancient words with timeless insight. The wisdom of the ages became good words in season. The end of every year was better, brighter and more refreshing than the beginning, because he had a "gift that keeps on giving".

As you enter this New Year and begin afresh, take inventory of the gifts you have received. Which ones will give you what you need for the daily challenges? Which ones will be as beneficial for you next December as they are today? You will find the best gift is a simple love letter from God. He has written from his heart to your heart so every day will be better than the one before. Take time this year to find delight in the "gift that keeps on giving".