And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. (Luke 2:18 NKJV)
It's amazing how a scripture we've read many times can unexpectedly take on new meaning. I was reading what I think of as the Linus monologue, Luke 2:8-14, and continued reading further in the chapter. When I got to verse 18, it struck me that everyone marveled at the message they received from the shepherds. I've heard teachings and sermons that talk about the low esteem attached to the position of shepherd. And that's easy to believe. We're told in verse 8 that the shepherds were hanging out with the sheep in the field during the night. That doesn't sound the least bit glamourous. I would imagine the shepherds didn't smell too good. Nevertheless these lowly shepherds were the first to receive the news about the birth of Jesus...from a multitude of angels no less! After they visited the Christ child, they went about sharing the message they received from the angels. And "all those who heard it marveled." The shepherds weren't anyone extraordinary, but they carried extraordinary news from an extraordinary God. And so it is with us.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
How Firm A Foundation
I said in one of my last few posts that I was going to stop deliberating so much and just write. That is much easier said than done for me. However I want to capture what is going through my head and heart right now, so here goes.
God often speaks to me through songs. A few minutes ago I was listening to a song that includes these lyrics:
I can sense in my spirit a blessing is coming and it won't be long.
I expect it any day now. It's on the way!
I can feel it down in my spirit...
That last line especially arrested me. I could almost visualize reaching deep inside myself, past the hurt and fear and pain, to a place of hope and trust in God. From there, I began to think about what was "down in my spirit" and another image formed. It was of a slab of concrete. That's all, a blank slab. But I knew the slab had once been a building. A storm had come, perhaps the destructive and devastating tornadoes of 27 April 2011. All that made the building recognizable was gone. No items to identify what the building had been or what rooms had been lost. No walls. No roof. But the foundation remains. In the foundation lies the potential to rebuild. It might be the same type of building again or something completely different, but as long as the foundation remains, the building can rise again.
And so it is with us. Our desire may be to avoid negative things in life, but that is not our lot. Troubles are a part of life. Sometimes God delivers us from hardships, but sometimes He delivers us in them, that is, He gives us the wherewithal to endure in the midst of the storm. And if like Job we lose everything, so too like Job we can be restored because our Foundation is sure.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8 NLT
So when the storms come in our lives, we must trust our Foundation. No matter how fierce the storm, our
Foundation is secure. All that we value - status, possessions, people, our health, even our life - may be lost. All, that is, except Christ. No matter our circumstances, He is with us. Even in death, He tells us in John 14:2, 3 that He has prepared a place for us and that He will take us there.
I've never been good with closings, so I'll stop abruptly :-) and conclude with these verses.
"We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—" 2 Corinthians 4:8, 9 NKJV
God often speaks to me through songs. A few minutes ago I was listening to a song that includes these lyrics:
I can sense in my spirit a blessing is coming and it won't be long.
I expect it any day now. It's on the way!
I can feel it down in my spirit...
That last line especially arrested me. I could almost visualize reaching deep inside myself, past the hurt and fear and pain, to a place of hope and trust in God. From there, I began to think about what was "down in my spirit" and another image formed. It was of a slab of concrete. That's all, a blank slab. But I knew the slab had once been a building. A storm had come, perhaps the destructive and devastating tornadoes of 27 April 2011. All that made the building recognizable was gone. No items to identify what the building had been or what rooms had been lost. No walls. No roof. But the foundation remains. In the foundation lies the potential to rebuild. It might be the same type of building again or something completely different, but as long as the foundation remains, the building can rise again.
And so it is with us. Our desire may be to avoid negative things in life, but that is not our lot. Troubles are a part of life. Sometimes God delivers us from hardships, but sometimes He delivers us in them, that is, He gives us the wherewithal to endure in the midst of the storm. And if like Job we lose everything, so too like Job we can be restored because our Foundation is sure.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8 NLT
So when the storms come in our lives, we must trust our Foundation. No matter how fierce the storm, our
Foundation is secure. All that we value - status, possessions, people, our health, even our life - may be lost. All, that is, except Christ. No matter our circumstances, He is with us. Even in death, He tells us in John 14:2, 3 that He has prepared a place for us and that He will take us there.
I've never been good with closings, so I'll stop abruptly :-) and conclude with these verses.
"We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—" 2 Corinthians 4:8, 9 NKJV
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Obey and Trust
When I take notes during the sermon at church, sometimes the Holy Spirit may press a point with me a little differently than how the preacher approached it. Such was the case today. This message wasn't stated outright in the sermon, but it is related to what the pastor was saying. He was talking about when Jesus prayed in Matthew 26:39: "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." So often we make decisions based on the expected outcomes. But as people of faith, as children of the Most High God Whose ways are far higher than our ways, and Whose thoughts are far higher than our thoughts, it is up to us to obey His will and trust Him for the outcome. When Jesus looked ahead and saw the suffering and shame and death He would experience, he could have just said no. But I am so thankful that He didn't because it was His suffering and death and resurrection that purchased our salvation. He blazed a trail through death for all of us to follow. With Jesus as our example, let us strive to more closely live our lives according to God's will and not worry about what will happen as a result.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
He's Present
When I was in elementary school, the teachers would call roll. When a name was called, that student would normally respond by saying, "Here." Sometimes instead of saying "Here" a student would say, "Present!" The meaning is the same. I am present. I am here.
Some of those same teachers taught us English, including the three tenses: past, present and future. Of course in that context, present means now.
Now think about Psalm 46:1: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." I haven't researched to see exactly what the Psalmist meant, but whenever I think about this verse, both of the definitions above come to mind.
Some of those same teachers taught us English, including the three tenses: past, present and future. Of course in that context, present means now.
Now think about Psalm 46:1: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." I haven't researched to see exactly what the Psalmist meant, but whenever I think about this verse, both of the definitions above come to mind.
God is our present help. He is here with us.
God is our present help. He is our help now.
No matter our situation, God is here with us now...and always. Amen!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Going forward
One of the reasons I don't post any more often than I do is because I am so worried about getting everything just right. It takes me forever to write even the shortest post. But God is indeed speaking all the time and often gives me things I want to share here, so with His help, I will overcome my perfectionist tendencies and post more often. As such, posts will likely be in a more rambling style, not well-organized or even well thought-out. Please let me know of any errors and account them to me, for there is no fault in the One who inspires me. "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:48 NKJV) But I'm not there yet. He's still working on me - and I'm glad He is! "...He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6 NKJV)
I hope this makes things legal: "New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version® is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000."
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14 NKJV)
I pray that all who read these pages will be blessed.
I hope this makes things legal: "New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version® is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000."
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14 NKJV)
I pray that all who read these pages will be blessed.
Friday, October 28, 2011
New Messages from the "Old" Word
I remember in Sunday school a few years ago someone commented that it was difficult to teach the Christmas story because it's been taught so many times and everyone knows it so well. I responded that the Holy Spirit often gives me new insight from a passage I thought I knew inside out. It's not always something I never knew, but it's often something I need right then - what is sometimes called a rhema word. It's the Holy Spirit reminding me of what God said (cf. John 14:26), bringing God's word alive in my life. I got such a word tonight at revival. Many times, tonight included, the lessons seems so obvious that I wonder how I missed them before. I think it's because the Word speaks to whatever we're facing, so our needs change as our lives change. I love how we can each get what we need from God's word, which might be something different for each of us from the same scripture, sermon, or lesson. Tonight's revelation was from Daniel 3, the passage popularly known by its setting, the fiery furnace. Pretty familiar story, right?
Once upon a time a king threw three men into a fiery furnace. When the king looked in the fire, he saw that the men weren't burning up, so he told them to come out of the fire. The three men came out and they were not hurt and they didn't even smell like smoke. The king praised the one true God that the men worshipped, promoted the men to better positions in his kingdom, and the men lived happily ever after.
Of course it's not that elementary, but sometimes we look at "the big picture" this way and miss important details. Think about how the story changes if you stop reading at verse 25, which says:
“Look!” [King Nebuchadnezzar] answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (NKJV)
What the preacher said tonight is that God delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego not from the fire, but in the fire. He didn't bring them out of their predicament, but He was in it with them. In verse 23 we learn that they were bound when they were thrown into the fire, but in verse 25 they are free. They were in a situation that had killed others and should have killed them, but they were unharmed.
God is able to deliver us out of the trials we face and sometimes He will do so, but He is also able to liberate us while we're still in the midst of trying circumstances. So whatever your fiery furnace might be, remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego and know that God is with you and that He gives you the power to live . . . unbound and unharmed, even as the fire continues to rage around you. Glory to God!
Once upon a time a king threw three men into a fiery furnace. When the king looked in the fire, he saw that the men weren't burning up, so he told them to come out of the fire. The three men came out and they were not hurt and they didn't even smell like smoke. The king praised the one true God that the men worshipped, promoted the men to better positions in his kingdom, and the men lived happily ever after.
Of course it's not that elementary, but sometimes we look at "the big picture" this way and miss important details. Think about how the story changes if you stop reading at verse 25, which says:
“Look!” [King Nebuchadnezzar] answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (NKJV)
What the preacher said tonight is that God delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego not from the fire, but in the fire. He didn't bring them out of their predicament, but He was in it with them. In verse 23 we learn that they were bound when they were thrown into the fire, but in verse 25 they are free. They were in a situation that had killed others and should have killed them, but they were unharmed.
God is able to deliver us out of the trials we face and sometimes He will do so, but He is also able to liberate us while we're still in the midst of trying circumstances. So whatever your fiery furnace might be, remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego and know that God is with you and that He gives you the power to live . . . unbound and unharmed, even as the fire continues to rage around you. Glory to God!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Matthew 10:30
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
What a great verse! Talk about attention to detail. It doesn't say our hairs are counted. It says they're numbered. If you see a few hairs in the brush, God knows exactly which ones they are. "There go hairs 27,950, 52,694, 84,103, and 90,293." (A quick Internet search says that most of us have around 100,000 hairs on our head.) God has numbered each hair on my head and your head. That tells us there's nothing He's not concerned about. So let your hair be a reminder of God's love for you!
What a great verse! Talk about attention to detail. It doesn't say our hairs are counted. It says they're numbered. If you see a few hairs in the brush, God knows exactly which ones they are. "There go hairs 27,950, 52,694, 84,103, and 90,293." (A quick Internet search says that most of us have around 100,000 hairs on our head.) God has numbered each hair on my head and your head. That tells us there's nothing He's not concerned about. So let your hair be a reminder of God's love for you!
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