Archive - December, 2010

This is Love

December 24, 2010 in Growth, Hope with 1 Comment

Nativity scenes, holiday cards, and carols remind us of Christ’s descent to Earth. What is often missed in these Christmas novelties, is the fact that for Christ

the cradle and the cross are inextricably linked.

Not only did Christ give up heavenly blessings for Earthly travails, but He did it knowing that the end result would lead Him to a gruesome death.

We are hesitant to sacrifice when we don’t know what the outcome would be, let alone when we know there will be pain involved.

He lovingly give up all that was rightly His, even though He knew the end result would be bad for Him, because He knew the outcome would be good for us.

May we increasingly love like this.

May we sacrifice our convenience for another’s benefit. May we give up our rights for another’s blessing. And may we do what is best for others, even if it cost us.

For this is what Love did.


Ready to Obey

December 23, 2010 in Purpose with 0 Comments

During this time of year, it’s not uncommon to frequently hear the nativity story. This is s a good thing because it reminds us of the reason that we are celebrating and the sacrifices that Christ made in coming down to Earth. One of the participants in the story, however, often seems to be overlooked. Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, is the man who raised Jesus – a child who was not his own. While we often focus on Mary’s response to Christ’s arrival, how Joseph reacted is instructive for us as well.

When you think about it (and I mean really think about it), Mary knew that the Son she was carrying came from God and not from human conception. She knew where she had been, what she had participated in, and if she was pregnant she knew it had to be  the result of God’s divine will. Joseph, however, had to take this on faith. He had to rely on the veracity of both the angel’s testimony, and his finance’s word. Many of us, I’m afraid, would not have responded as obediently as Joseph did. We would have asked for proof – some sort of verification that Christ’s really was the result of divine intervention. But Joseph didn’t.  As Scripture tells us, he simply “he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife” (Matthew 1:24).

He obeyed, even though everything in his culture would say he shouldn’t, even though he was risking his reputation, his place in the community, and his family’s future, he acted in accordance with God’s Word.

And this wouldn’t be the only time Joseph readily obeyed. When an angel appeared to him, telling him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt, Joseph got up in the middle of the night and started on their way. He didn’t wait to figure out the best season to travel, or to take the time to consult relatives and officials.

When God spoke, Joseph did what He said without equivocation, without delay, and without consideration of how obedience would affect him and his dreams and plans.

May we all as readily obey what God speaks.


A Condition of the Heart

December 22, 2010 in Relationships with 0 Comments

If someone asked you what the best gift you ever received was, a few possibilities would probably cross your mind. Maybe you would think of that toy you longed for and finally got when you were a child, or the handcrafted present that your child left for you under the tree. For me, when I was asked that question, I realized that there was no physical gift that would suffice, however, the greatest gift I ever received was in the form of a lesson on giving. I’m thrilled to share this lesson on Jenni Catron’s blog today, in a post titled “A Condition of the Heart.”

You can read the complete post, here.


Waiting with Confidence

December 21, 2010 in Being Content, Hope, Purpose with 1 Comment

My dad was a huge fan of Christmas. Because of this fact, every year he had a contest with himself to see if he could outdo his gift-giving from the previous year. Now, before you get the wrong idea and start thinking that I was given ponies and other extravagant presents, his challenge wasn’t if he could give a gift of greater expense, but rather his goal was to somehow bless us to a further degree. Whether this was in the way that he surprised us with the present – hiding it until all the gifts were unwrapped  or in giving us something that we didn’t even know we wanted, he sought to demonstrate how much he loved his family by giving good gifts every Christmas.

Knowing this about my dad, it always made the Christmas season full of eager anticipation. We often didn’t know what blessing would lie in wait for us, but we knew that whatever my dad had plotted and planned, that it would be good. After all, he loved his family dearly and this is just one of the many ways he showed it.

In the Christian life, I think some of the most difficult times are when we are waiting on our Heavenly Father to reveal what good things He has planned for us. Like a child waiting for Christmas morning, we don’t know what lies ahead in those unwrapped boxes. Sometimes, we spend so much time worrying and struggling with the anticipation of the unknown, that we forget that we can approach those times confidently, just as my sister and I approached the waiting gifts underneath the Christmas tree. Because although we may have to wait to find out what’s in store, we know that our Father desires to bless us and give us good things (Matthew 7:11).  We also know that just as my dad plotted and planned for the perfect Christmas unveiling, that God is actively working to bring about His purposes in our life (Romans 8:28; Philippians 1:6) . Waiting then becomes not a time of frustration for the lack of clear direction, but a time of eager anticipation for the good gifts that God has in store. And when we take hold of this, we can wait with confidence knowing that when we unwrap the presents, we’ll find hidden treasures and blessings that we didn’t even know we needed.


The Great Exchange

December 20, 2010 in Hope with 1 Comment

A few years ago, I wrote about a trip to London and a moment that forever changed my view of Christ. Being an American, I did not grow up with the reality of royalty as a part of my everyday life. Kings and princesses were the things of fairy tales and Disney movies, and so many of the titles that we use to describe Christ weren’t as readily meaningful to me as they would be to someone who was accustomed to the presence of a monarchy. However, standing outside of Buckingham Palace and realizing that the King of the Universe had died for me, when normally it was the subjects who were sacrificed for the sake of the Ruler, it was as if a brick hit me:

The King was killed.

The One who ruled was slayed.

For me.

It’s a moment that I often come back to in my mind, and it seems that the frequency increases during the Christmas season. Perhaps it’s because I’m reminded that not only did Christ my King die for me, but He also gave up His royal throne so that I may be saved. He gave up power, for weakness; He gave up majesty for lowliness; He gave up prestige for disregard. He left a place where He would never get tired, never cry, never hungry and never be without, in order to enter a place where all that would be His in abundance. He gave up answering prayers from Heaven’s throne, to offering prayers from the dredges of Earth. And He became dependent, reliant on the care of His teenage mother when He could of had angels at His very command.

It wasn’t a fair trade -  especially if you look at it from His perspective. We often aren’t willing to give up our place in line for the sake of another who is deemed undeserving,  but He gave up everything for people that couldn’t offer Him anything of worth in return. He became a baby – with all the inconveniences of infancy – for our sake. He left the throne room to reside in a manger.

May we in turn give our lives back to Him.


On Deposit

December 17, 2010 in Hope with 0 Comments

My husband works in a bank. Part of his job is to help potential customers see how his bank might be able to serve their needs better than their current bank. It’s not an easy proposition. After all, the customers have a relationship with their current bank. They know and presumably like their current financial provider. Not only that, but their current bank literally has control over some of the business’ assets. There is a dependency there and it’s a hard bond to break.

As Christians, we also have been entrusted with a deposit. According to 2 Timothy 1:14, our deposit is the Gospel message which we have heard. The fact that this message has been given to us should strengthen our resolve to hold fast to the One Who’s message it is. In other words, just like a customer and a bank are inextricably bonded when the customer gives the bank some money to hold on to, because Christ has given us His message of salvation, we should more fully grasp on to Him.

The wonderful thing about this verse in 2 Timothy is that right before it, Paul is writing about all the suffering he has had to endure. Paul demonstrates to us that the reason he is able to suffer well is because of the fact that Christ entrusted him with the salvation message. It’s because of the Gospel that Paul knows that his suffering is not in vain. It’s because of the Gospel that Paul knows that the work he does here on Earth can have an eternal reward. And it’s because of the Gospel that Paul knows his suffering is temporary but his salvation is secured.

So it should be for us. We should suffer well, work hard, and proceed with confidence because we too have been entrusted with the Good News of Christ.

(And as a side note, we should recognize that when banks take a deposit from one customer then often turn it into a loan for someone else. May we similarly share the deposit that we’ve been given so that we can bless others and receive eternal returns.)


Feeding My Soul

December 16, 2010 in Growth, Purpose with 0 Comments

Years ago there was a series of books called Chicken Soup for the Soul. They may still be around, I really don’t know, but when they first came out, I loved them. The idea behind the books was that they were filled with inspirational stories that would inspire and uplift our hearts. As time went on the publishers issued every variation on the book that they could possibly think of (and so diluted the brand – but that’s a discussion for another day), and heartwarming tales abounded. The idea was that if people felt better about life, that they would then live better lives. The inspiration from the stories would encourage the reader to live a life that would inspire others.

Scripture teaches us however that the publishers wasted a lot of time and effort. If they really wanted to feed the souls of others, all that was required was that they teach others to obey Christ. After all, Jesus said that His food was to do the will of the One who sent Him (John 4:34). As we emulate Him that should increasingly be our fuel too. We wait around hoping that we’ll feel good about our relationship with Christ – that our hearts will tell us when we are closer to Him and therefore more like Him – but Scripture tells us that doing comes first. We obey  – then we feel satisified. We follow God’s commands – then we are energized in our relationship with Him. Feeding the soul isn’t something that we do in preparation for obeying God, obeying God is how our soul gets full.

May we all “go back for seconds” today!


A Worthy Manner

December 15, 2010 in Growth, Purpose with 0 Comments

Every semester I end my classes with a verse and an exhortation that my students may more fully live for Christ. This is one such message.

Philippians 1:27-30 says:

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

One of my prayers for you is that this verse would be true of you. That wherever God leads you that you would “conduct yourselves in a manner that is worthy of the Gospel.”

You have been given many blessings.

One of which is that you get to go to a school where you not only hear the Gospel message but that you are encouraged to grow in your faith.

Live a life that is worthy of that Gospel.

As Spiderman’s uncle told him “With great power, comes great responsibility.” You have been given this awesome opportunity to know the power of the Gospel and to allow it to penetrate your life. You are now to live a life that is worthy of such an opportunity. Do not waste it.

The later verses tell us that that this won’t be easy. Paul knew that the early Church would suffer, and in the same way, Jesus has promised that we will suffer. As Scripture says, “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33) Going out from here, with all your hopes and dreams, you need to know that there will be times when life will be difficult. The challenge is that even during those difficult times -  live a life worthy of the Gospel.

Suffer in such a way, that through your suffering you are bringing glory, honor and praise to Christ. When you suffer, when things are tough and people know that, people are watching to see how you will respond. Continue to give God glory. Knowing that in suffering well, you can point others to Christ.

I hope and pray that you are successful in this world, in whatever area that God guides your step. But beyond that, I know that the only things that really matter in this life, are those that also matter in the next so my prayer is that you are a success in God’s kingdom.

Live a life that’s worthy of the riches of heaven, regardless what may come your way, so that you will not only hear “well done” here on Earth, but you will hear it from our Father’s mouth as well.



Never a Slow Day

December 14, 2010 in Growth, Purpose with 3 Comments

I’m not sure how often I had been to a cemetery prior to the last year; if you included visits to memorial sites, like Arlington National Cemetery, I could probably still count the number of times on my two hands. Going to burial sites wasn’t something that I was used to, however after my dad passed away, this became a regular part of my routine. Some may question the usefulness of this but for me, it signified a way that I could still honor my dad – that I could let people know how important that he is – even though he’s no longer with us.

What I’ve noticed on these frequent trips to the cemetery is that the place is always busy. The first indication of this is the notification when you drive in of the services being held that day. As you continue, you can see the remnants of prior services that still linger, or the visitors slowly making their way to their cars after they’ve said good-bye. As quiet as it is supposed to be, the cemetery is a hotbed of activity.

It’s a stark reminder of how quickly life on this Earth can come to an end. I am sure that a significant portion of those visitors didn’t know that they wouldn’t see their loved one again when they last saw them in the flesh. We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow, and as I often tell my students, what counts then is what you do today that matters for eternity. We so often want to put off following God’s call, making the excuses that right now, life is just too hectic to do what He says. But soon, probably quicker than we realize, our bodies will be laid to rest at a place where it’s always busy. What a joy it would be if when we arrive in heaven, our lives on Earth will have been busy with the same things that will consume our lives there – bringing glory and praise to our Creator.


The Question of Purpose

December 13, 2010 in Purpose with 0 Comments

The question of purpose surrounds us. Whether it’s a best-selling book, a university marketing campaign, or the subject of the latest hit song or TV show, people wonder, and spend considerable time trying to figure out – “What am I here for?”

For the Christian, the “simple” answer is we exist to give God glory. But how do we do that? A song [affiliate link]by Chris August helps provide the answer. The artist sings “I’m giving my life to the only One who makes the moon reflect the sun. Every starry night, that was His design.” In other words, when creation does what it was created to do – when stars shine and the moon reflects the sun – it points us to the Designer. In a similar way, when we do that which we were created to do, our lives direct others to God. God did not accidentally make you an artist, or a skilled politician – but He has given you those abilities to be used by Him, for Him, in bringing about His purpose. When we use those talents, gifts, skills and opportunities that He has given us for that which pleases Him, rather than that which pleases us, we bring Him glory.

In a famous scene from “Chariots of Fire” [affiliate link], Eric Liddell tells his sister “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.” Although his family wanted him to be a missionary, it was running that allowed his life to be a representation of a Christ on a much larger stage than he would have conceivably otherwise experienced. May each of us also run in such a way – in whatever arena God has uniquely gifted us – so that we might feel His pleasure, and so that we might please Him.


Page 1 of 212»