Make Haste

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. Luke 2:15-16

This season be sure that your life is one that "makes haste" and finds the presence of the Lord Jesus in your life. It's so easy to not only be caught up in the busyness of the Holiday Season, but also to take for granted that we are Christians and be lackadaisical in our faith. Just as Jesus came and brought new life to a dying world, determine to find ways to keep your faith new and alive. Never stop discovering! Romans 11:33 says, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" Don't be satisfied with your life there's more there for you spiritually. Each and everyone of us has the power through the residing life of Christ to change not only our destinies but the destinies of those in need of the Savior.

Worship the Lord together this Christmas and thank Him for His "indescribable gift."

Rice Krispies and a Mother's Love

A Child's Dilema

One morning, when I was six or seven years old, I was eating Rice Krispies for breakfast with my parents. I must have been eating slowly because, as it tends to do, the Rice Krispies cereal became very soggy in the milk. I was no longer interested in eating it, and I tried to leave the table. My father objected and said firmly that I couldn't leave until I had eaten all the cereal.

The Waiting Game

Then began the long waiting game; I just sat there paralyzed, knowing that there was no way I could put another spoonful of that mush in my mouth. It was me against Dad, with Mom watching the drama unfold. Eventually though, my Dad had to leave the room for a moment.

Mom, My Savior

That's when Mom sprang into action. Understanding that I would probably die before I would eat that cereal, and that Dad would never give in, she took the bowl of pulp and ate it herself. As I viewed that display of love I was so happy. I was free! My Dad could keep me prisoner no longer! When he returned, Dad accepted that the cereal was eaten and I was delivered..

Laid Down Life

A mother's love is probably the closest thing on earth to the love of God. Just as my Mom did for me what I couldn't do, Christ came to earth and became a servant to us. He became obedient to death on a cross so that we could be free from the penalty of sin. My Mom did something that to her, I'm sure, was not pleasant, so that I would not have to suffer any longer. Just as my Dad accepted that the cereal was gone, our Heavenly Father accepts that our sins are gone because Jesus paid for them by dying in our place. "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the spirit" (1 Peter 3:18).

Remembering Mom

My mother is no longer with us, but I will always remember that day as well as other times when she put her needs aside to serve mine. "Thanks, Mom! You showed me the love of Christ through your constant example of sacrifice and protection. You were there when nobody else was. "Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." (Proverbs 31:30) Go out of your way today to praise your mother. Give her a call, make a visit. Remember, she loves you.

What Jesus Saw

 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Luke 19:41

A great crowd gathered when they found out Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. They cut palm branches and laid their coats on the ground for Jesus’ donkey to walk over. Praises were offered as He passed by. His disciples didn’t know what to make of it, and the Pharisees told Jesus to tell them to stop shouting.

The crowd saw the King who would reign in Jerusalem. The Pharisees saw a trouble making pseudo prophet. The disciples saw a man who was taking a big risk. Jesus saw something that no one else did; the cross.

The cross was like a beacon that drew him each step of the way. The triumph that He would win was something that no one could imagine. Who would think that to die would be victory? How could suffering be an expression of love?

Only One on earth could see the purpose that the Father had in sending the Son. When Jesus taught the disciples about His suffering and death they didn’t get it. Peter even rebuked Him in Matthew 18:22. Jesus though, was determined to obey the Father’s plan and be the “Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world.” John 1:29

Obedience to the Father’s plan was the only thing that would release the Father’s love for people who didn’t see it. Without appreciation Jesus saw what He had to do and did it.

Can we be obedient to God’s word? When there seems to be nothing in it for us can we serve others just because they need to be served. Can we do it even though they aren't thankful and they misunderstand our motives? What about when we are accused of being self serving when we only wish to help others? If we can, then we will understand a little bit what Jesus saw as He looked over Jerusalem and saw a place that would be destroyed and a people who would be scattered. He gave Himself to them anyway because love was His motivation.

Thank God He did

How Will This Be?

"The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:27-33

Though the Bible nowhere tells Mary’s age when the angel came to her, it is assumed that she was a teenager. If this was the case then it seems to be a very young age to have such a burden placed on her.

Imagine Mary’s state of mind before the angel spoke to her. She was engaged to a man named Joseph. She undoubtedly had plans for the wedding and to raise a family with her husband to be.

I remember the weeks and months before I was to marry many years ago. There were often doubts about whether I was doing the right thing. Can I love this woman for the rest of my life? Is she the right one for me? Is this all a big mistake? Two days before the wedding I told my best friend that I wasn’t ready for marriage. It would have been great in one sense for God to send me an angel and reassure me that this was the correct path to take.

The difference here is that no one ever came and threw a monkey wrench into my plans! It was very straight forward; prepare for the wedding get married and return to your life.

For Mary everything changed dramatically. What would she do? How would she explain this? Is this really of God?

When she asked the Angel, “How will this be?” he gave her the sketchy details. Mary didn’t pretend to understand it all, indeed she understood very little at that time. What she did know was that God was moving in her life, and all she had planned would change dramatically.

Was there a time in your life when things seemed to be moving along as expected and something abruptly changed? Perhaps you lost a close member or your family, or disease became the new reality in your life. How do we take it? In what way do we manage life’s sudden adjustments?

When Mary was confronted with this life transforming news she asked, “How will this be?” The answer from the angel was, “Nothing is impossible with God.”

Though our understanding is incomplete and the causes not always understood, rather than shrinking away into confusion and despair let our solution always be to trust God. 1 Peter 5:7 says that we can "cast all our anxiety on Him because He cares for us."

Carved In Stone

I saw a gravestone recently that had the name of a man with the date of his birth and death. His wife’s name and birthday was also on the tomb, and though there was yet a date for her passing, death is sure to come. The stone cutting tool is waiting to mark the day. The starkest reality in life is death. Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” The Apostle Paul puts it another way in Romans 6:23, where he says, “The wages of sin is death.” If death is going to happen to all men, why are we so afraid of it? I’m very careful crossing streets. I don’t go too close to the edge of a cliff. I always wear my seat belt and I never climb ladders.I can talk a good game and say death doesn’t worry me, but the truth is that we all wonder at times. We see a loved one pass suddenly or slowly, and it hits us in the gut. We wonder why, as we stand next to an open grave among loved ones weeping. In the gospel of John chapter 11, a good friend of Jesus died and was placed in a tomb. The man’s sisters, Martha and Mary, called for Him when their brother Lazarus was sick because they knew Jesus could heal him, but He didn’t come. In fact Jesus delayed his coming on purpose. He seemed to have wanted Lazarus to die, not so He could do a miracle and amaze everyone, but so He could demonstrate that He had power over death. It was not that Martha, Mary and the disciples were not aware of Jesus’ power. They had seen it first hand. This case though was personal. It was their brother. How often we are very brave in death when the dead person was not so close to us. When someone who means a lot passes away it’s another story which includes pain and grief. We are hurt deeply, as Jesus was when He wept. Here is the point: we trust in Jesus, therefore though our names may be written on a stone marking our physical end, we know, because of our faith in Christ, that this is just the beginning. Our names are written in a more permanent place than stone; the book of life (Revelation 3:5). Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26) Jesus is more than religion, and we are more than religious followers. Jesus is everything. We may fear physical death for others, and ourselves but the assurance we have is that the One who promised us eternal life rose from the grave, never to return to it. He was victorious over death.1 Corinthians 15:55 asks, "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The victory is in the empty tomb of Jesus. Yes our names may be one day written in stone, but be assured they are first in the book of life, if our trust is in its Author. That’s why Psalm 116:15 can say, precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints, for we go home to join the great reunion of saints and will live with Him and be used by Him in His eternal plan. Let our names be carved in stone to signify that our name will not die with our body, but it is right now written in the book of life.

Put A Sock In It

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Romans 3:19

There are a lot of mouths in the world. Paul the apostle speaks of every mouth being stopped that would try to justify itself by its owner’s ability to defend against the accusation of being unjust.

All people want to be accepted in their culture, to be respected and some to be looked up to as an example of goodness and moral virtue. One’s outlook on their personal life is always based upon the accepted norms of their society, and their relative goodness when compared with others possessing the same values. This was how people of the 1st century saw things, and not much has changed in the 21st century. We are taught throughout our lives that goodness gets us acceptance, and that acceptance produces peace.

Romans chapter 3 when properly understood quickly dispels this notion of peace and acceptance. Verse 20 says, “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” In other words our adherence to a set of principles, no matter how high the standards are set won’t make us accepted by God. The principles themselves prove in fact that we are unrighteous. The Jewish law could only do one thing. That thing was to show people that no matter how hard they tried to measure up, they were always at least and inch short, more often a mile. Trying to adhere to the law would be like a paper airplane trying to match the speed of an F-16 fighter jet, it’s not going to happen.

That’s why He provides another way for us to keep up. “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24) God justifies us apart from the law, apart from all of our efforts at self-righteousness. Justification is a free gift to those who believe. Make no mistake about it, God can’t not allow us to be accepted into His kingdom without us being just as holy and perfect as His Son, “whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed.” (Romans 3:25) The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross made it possible for those who would believe in Him to be released from the penalty of sin and be looked on by God as being as perfect and sinless as Jesus.

Romans 11:32 says it this way, “For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.”

Thank God that we were condemned in our flesh, and declared to be disobedient, so that we would be in a position to receive God’s mercy. This mercy was made possible only through the substitutionary death of Jesus on our behalf.

If you are trying to please God through your goodness, or attempting to make up for past wrongs by some sort of penitence or self-sacrifice you will never be satisfied with your efforts. Close your mouth. Put a sock in it! There will always be more to pay for. As the song says, “ It wouldn’t be enough to buy one splinter of the tree Jesus died on, and I couldn’t pay the price for one single drop of blood that was shed for my salvation.”

Let’s stop pleasing and start trusting in the grace and mercy of God. Then we can do the true work that God in Ephesians 2:10, has ordained for us to do.

Not Impressed

And he raised up the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the screen of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. Exodus 40:33



This short verse describes the last step in the completion of the Tabernacle in the wilderness by Moses and the children of Israel. The Tabernacle would be the place where the people would offer sacrifices to God for their sins and for thanksgiving for blessings. It was to be the heart of worship for all Israel.



The interesting thing about this place of worship was that it was so small. In American terms, the length of the place was only about the width of a football field, and the width only half as long. Considering that this was to be the home for the Almighty, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, it seems rather unremarkable. This point is especially magnified when you consider the place where Israel had grown into such a great nation, Egypt.



In Egypt there were huge pyramids and monuments and many gods embodied in stone structures. The places of worship were magnificent and awesome to behold, so I don’t think it is a great stretch to imagine that some of the Israelites may have been disappointed by the place that they were commanded to build. It seemed like a temple on the cheap.



“Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” (Exodus 40:34-35)



Imagine the shock and surprise that came upon the people as the saw this small structure transformed by the presence of God. This was something that in Egypt they never saw. They saw impressive temples yes, but even those great structures could not compare with the Glory of God.



What is the lesson here you may ask? It is this, God can and does use the most unlikely people and things to show Himself to the world. You may think you are not much to behold, that you have no special talent or gift to offer. This is where we err as believers.



“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22)



The Church of Christ and each individual believer is the temple of God (1Cor. 3:16; 6:19). We are the ones with all of our shortcomings and failures who God decided to put His home in. We may not be much to look at. People may even call us fools. Indeed we are, fools for Christ.



Don’t worry that you may not be the most likely character to show God’s glory to the world. You are a testimony to His grace and mercy to one who dared to believe in a Man whose greatest accomplishment was dying on a cross.