Be Thankful for the Christmas Season 

After recently reading several books that focused on deep biblical doctrine and theology, I decided that I should look for something lighter for my next read. I ended up pulling out my copies of the series of writings known as The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. It had been quite a few years since I had last read these enjoyable tales with their engaging analogies in relation to Christianity. In a short time, I have already completed six of the seven small volumes.

At one point in these stories, it pictures a world that is under the curse of an evil force. That place is described as a world in which it is always winter but without any Christmas. Even apart from the theological implications of such a circumstance, many of us would consider it to be unpleasant to live in such world. We are thankful for a Christmas season that gives us an occasion to celebrate in the midst of the harshness of wintertime. It is nice to see the holiday decorations brightening up what would otherwise be a rather drab landscape with its bare gardens and leafless trees. It is uplifting to view the holiday lights in the midst of the increased darkness of winter. Christmas fills this season with a hope and joy that would otherwise be missing. Even for those who may ignore the true meaning of the occasion, Christmas is a welcome respite to the cold months of winter.

However, for those who recognize the deeper significance of this holiday, there is even more reason to be grateful for its existence. It is more than simply a break from the winter doldrums. It is a recognition of the gift of God’s Son that brought light and life into our world. It is a celebration of God’s great love as He provided the means for our deliverance from the sin and evil that had imprisoned our hearts in its cold, harsh environment. It reminds us of the reasons we have to possess joy and hope in a world in which evil and suffering still exert a heavy influence.  

Imagine if we did live in a world where evil prevailed and Jesus had not been born to be our Savior. What if there wasn’t a Christmas? Without the coming of God’s Son in the flesh, there would then have been no miracle-working Jesus, none of His teachings for us to live by, and no sinless example for us to seek to follow. But most of all, there would have been no cross and no empty tomb – no sacrifice made for our sins and no glorious resurrection to verify it all. We would all be wandering aimlessly in the frozen tundra of our sins with no hope of anything ever changing. We would be forever bound in our winter prison.

Sometimes we may be tempted to view the Christmas season in a negative way due to the busy activities, the heavy traffic, the expense of shopping for gifts, the preparations to host gatherings, or even for theological reasons having to do with pagan practices and the likelihood that this wasn’t actually the time of year when Jesus was born. However, let’s not lose sight of the basic truth for which we should be thankful. Jesus was born. And it is an event worth celebrating because it is the beginning of everything else Jesus would do to provide for our salvation. Without the manger, there would no cross. Jesus had to be born in order to fulfill His mission.

So let’s be thankful for the Christmas season. Let’s be grateful that it doesn’t always have to be winter in our hearts. The Savior has come to bring us light and life.   

 

Be Someone Who Builds Up Others 

When some of our younger grandchildren were at our house recently, at one point they pulled out a bag of building blocks to play with. As several of them constructed towers, trains, and robots, our youngest grandchild had a different idea. As a toddler, he wasn’t very good at putting the blocks together. So his enjoyment came in constantly destroying what the others were trying to build. When he wasn’t being restrained from carrying out his mission, everyone had to be on guard to protect their projects from his clutches. One of the more humorous sights on that occasion was to see the toddler chasing one of his cousins throughout the house as that youngster was desperately holding onto his building project to keep it from getting torn apart.

Do we tend to be people who build up or those who tear down? There is an appropriate place and time for both activities. In that familiar passage in the Bible that talks about there being a time and season for everything, it affirms that there is “a time to break down, and a time to build up” (Ecclesiastes 3:3). Sometimes bad, inappropriate, or simply outdated things need to be torn down. In some cases they need to be removed in order to build something better. And we may find ourselves in positions of authority in which we need to be the ones to expose such matters and to offer correction in relation to such things in people’s lives which need to be removed. However, too many people have appointed themselves to be the ones who tear down. Some of them even seem to take as much pleasure in doing so as our young grandson did in dismantling the creations of his siblings and cousin. In many situations, the tearing down is better left in the hands of God. He is better able to judge not only the behavior of people, but their spirit and motives. Generally, we should leave the convicting of sin and carrying out of judgment to Him, while we can be there to help pick up the pieces and assist with the rebuilding.

The Bible advocates more for the act of building up as being our main concern and mission as followers of Jesus, especially when it comes to our relationship with fellow believers. Some translations use a form of the word “edify” to convey that truth. “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you are also doing” (I Thessalonians 5:11). “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification” (Romans 15:2). We need to be concerned about and actively seeking to edify or build up others.

Even those in leadership, those who may need to correct and rebuke at times, ought to keep edification in mind as the main goal. “And He gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Even when the Apostle Paul was disciplining a church, he saw the ultimate aim being to build up, not to destroy. “Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction” (II Corinthians 13:10).

Let’s not be those people who are best known for tearing down others. Let’s not be the ones people dread to see heading their way or entering their church doors because they are known more for their harsh judgmentalism and their tendency to cause division rather than for their love and unity. Let’s be the encouragers and the builders who are helping others grow in their faith.

 

Our Gratitude Should Not Be Seasonal 

My yard is covered under a blanket of leaves and pine straw calling out to me to get busy with my rake and leaf blower. It isn’t my favorite job to do, but I know that it always comes around this time of year. It is one of those seasonal tasks, the downside of having enjoyed all the beautiful colors of the autumn foliage in recent days. It is the season for other activities, too. It is time for many of us to thaw out the turkeys, preparing them for Thanksgiving dinner. It is the season for family gatherings, for starting to dig out the Christmas decorations, and for the heart of the football season.

It is also the season for gratitude. I have Facebook friends who follow the practice of posting an item for which they are thankful each day during the month of November. This is the time when we especially consider our blessings God has given us. Some of us will even take turns as we sit around a table filled with food choosing one of the many blessings in our lives to single out with a word of thanks. I am glad we have a season in which thanksgiving is given attention, in spite of it sometimes unfortunately getting minimized by the anticipation of and preparations for Christmas.

Nevertheless, while we take time to give our thanks, let’s not allow ourselves to become guilty of relegating it to merely a seasonal activity. Some things are confined to a certain time of year. I am thankful that I don’t have to rake falling leaves all year long, but only in the autumn months. I enjoy eating turkey on Thanksgiving Day, although I wouldn’t mind having it a little more often throughout the rest of the year. I am glad for special occasions when scattered families can come together to see one another. Many people enjoy the excitement of the football games this time of year. We enjoy seasonal things.

However, some things shouldn’t simply be considered seasonal. And the giving of thanks is one of those. While it is good to give special emphasis to our blessings this month, those same blessings are present throughout the year. It is good to acknowledge God as the giver of all good gifts as we sit around a Thanksgiving table. Yet that same God is active in our lives every day – on a frigid Monday morning in January, on a warm spring day, and while we are vacationing in the midst of summertime. God is there. And those blessings we count at Thanksgiving are there as well. The people we love. The provisions for us and our families. The health to be about our activities. The roof over our heads. The food on our tables. The peace of God in the hearts of those who have trusted Jesus as their Savior. The sure hope of a future life in heaven. It is all still there. “His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

If God’s blessings aren’t seasonal, neither should be our gratitude. He is worthy of our thanksgiving throughout the year. Yes, let’s emphasize it in the month of November. However, let’s not neglect it the other eleven months. Let’s cultivate a more consistent spirit of gratitude in our hearts and minds. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:16-18). Just as God wants our rejoicing and praying to be constant, He desires that our giving of thanks be an ongoing activity in our lives no matter when or what our circumstances are. Therefore let’s seek to make every season a time for gratitude.

 

Seek More than Just a Little Jesus 

During a recent road trip to preach at a church in another state, I stopped to fill up my vehicle with gas. While I was pumping the fuel, a lady walked by me, then turned around and spoke. She asked if she could give me a little Jesus today. In her outstretched hand was a tiny figurine created with all those features we commonly associate with the physical appearance of Jesus. I remembered seeing those small depictions of the Savior being promoted as a way to either begin conversations with people about spiritual matters or simply to leave one setting somewhere as a reminder to people of the presence of Jesus. I appreciated this woman’s boldness and effort to reach out to a stranger. I thanked her for the offer, but told her that I already knew Jesus and had Him in my heart, so maybe she could pass it along to someone else.

As I thought about that encounter later, another aspect of it came to mind. It had to do with the question she asked concerning “a little Jesus”. I understand and appreciate what she meant by that, but it also reminded me of something we need to be careful of concerning our relationship with the Lord. We all need Jesus in our lives. However, some people only want a little bit of Jesus in their lives. They want only enough of Him to get them into heaven. They want only enough of Jesus to have a measure of peace with God, but not enough to significantly alter their lives. They want just enough of Jesus that they can claim to be a Christian yet continue to live the way they want to live. They want Jesus to be in their life to some extent, but not be the One in control of their lives. They still want to call the shots themselves.

Jesus doesn’t intend for us to have only a little of Him. We need to have Him in His fullness. He is not content to simply be a guest in the home of our heart. He calls us to yield ourselves to Him as the Master of the house. He is not satisfied with being one of the various parts of our life that we value – alongside of our families, our careers, our sports teams, and other significant interests. He rightfully demands to be our one and only God. He is to be our top priority. We are not just to make Him and His kingdom one of the things we seek after, but we are to seek Him first, above all else.

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, you get no sense of believers only possessing a small part of Jesus. Paul’s prayer was for Jesus’ followers to “be filled with all the fullness of God” (3:19). A little later he states that part of God’s purpose for us is to attain “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (4:13). Paul also affirms that Jesus didn’t send His Holy Spirit into the world so that we could just get a taste of Him. No, we are told to “be filled with the Spirit” (5:18). 

If we are settling for having only a little of Jesus in our lives, we are missing out on the blessings of His fullness and we are failing to fulfill God’s purpose for us. It could even be an indication that we may not truly have Him in our lives at all. Some of us need to quit focusing on how little of Jesus we can possess while still being acceptable to God, and instead become intent on pursuing more of Him and everything He wants to do in our lives.

 

Truths in the Face of the Storm 

We were watching with great concern and interest as hurricane Melissa hit the island of Jamaica recently. One of our daughters, who is ironically named Melissa, and members of her family had gone on a couple of mission trips in recent years helping out at a Christian children’s home on the western side of the island. We were praying as that area seemed to take the brunt of the powerful storm. As word came out afterwards, we were grateful to hear that everyone at the children’s home survived. However, the property suffered extensive damage. From the appearance of the “before and after” pictures, it looks like it will be a long road to recovery and restoration.

As I was in my office thinking about the folks dealing with that hurricane, my attention was drawn to the two plaques my daughter had given me as souvenirs from their trips to Jamaica. They were each created on that island and contain Bible verses. One reads, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). Those Christians in Jamaica, as well as those of us who were praying for them, were trusting the Lord to be their protector and help through that storm. And we will continue to look to Him to give them strength as they move forward in their recovery efforts and in continuing the ministry God has given them. The other plaque reads, “In everything give thanks” (I Thessalonians 5:18). Maybe this command seems a little tougher under the circumstances. However, keep in mind that it is not telling us to give thanks for everything. That hurricane was not something to be thankful for. Nevertheless, we can give thanks in everything – in whatever situation we find ourselves in. There was still reason for thankfulness in spite of the hurricane and its aftermath. We can give thanks for the lives that were spared. And as bad as the devastation is, we can be thankful that it wasn’t even worse.

 Maybe we aren’t having to face any hurricanes today, but many of us are facing “storms” of various kinds in our lives. If we are not dealing with one today, there will be one coming at some point in the future. It is part of life. As we do, let’s keep the truths in those two verses in mind. God is our refuge and strength. He is our help in time of trouble. He is right there with us to see us through those times. Sometimes He diverts the storms from our paths. Other times, we get hit with the full force of its power. However, our God is faithful to protect us. And even if our lives get turned upside-down from such an encounter, we can trust the Lord to help us rebuild and to keep going.

We should also seek to have a spirit of thankfulness as we deal with our storms and their aftermath. No matter how bad it is, there are reasons for gratitude. Let’s not just focus on the negative aspects of our situation. Let’s not allow ourselves to get bogged down in the mire of what we have lost and the difficulties in moving toward recovery. We may need to grieve. However, we then need to realize how the situation could have been worse. Instead of letting worry and fear over the uncertainties ahead envelope us, let’s cultivate a spirit of thankfulness and trust as we move forward. Additionally, let’s be thankful for the opportunities these difficult circumstances present to us to manifest the spirit of Jesus.

I hope the believers in Jamaica will hold onto these precious truths that those plaques represent. And let’s do the same as we deal with our storms today and in the days to come.

 

We Are Weak Yet Strong in Jesus 

Last weekend we attended a fall festival with one of our daughters and her three sons at a shopping mall. The event culminated with a costume contest. All three of our grandsons entered the competition. Each one of them looked great, with the older boys decked out as Spiderman and a pirate respectively. However, it was our one-year-old who won a prize. He was awarded third place in his age group as he was dressed up in a Superman outfit. He was dubbed “Superbaby” by the moderator of the contest.

The concept of a superhero being a baby is especially intriguing. We usually picture infants as being rather weak and helpless. So the contrast of an adorable, innocent baby having big muscles and superhuman strength especially gets our attention and can seem cute or humorous - at least the judges seemed to think so.

We find ourselves in a similar situation when we put our trust in Jesus as our Savior. We are mere mortals, yet the Spirit of Almighty God comes to live within us. We who are weak, frail, and susceptible to sin find ourselves possessed with a supernatural power. The Bible proclaims that such believers are “more than conquerors” through Christ (Romans 8:37). We may not be able to fly over tall buildings or deflect bullets, but we can soar to spiritual heights, resist the attacks of the devil, and generally experience victory over sin and temptation.

However, we have to be careful that we don’t fall into one of two traps in relation to this truth. First of all, let’s not focus so much on our frailties that we lose sight of the power we have been given to be conquerors. We are weak and helpless, as far as being able to overcome sin and to deliver ourselves from its bondage. We all have sinned. We are finite, limited human beings. We are no match in our own strength against the evil forces in this world or against the sin nature within us that pulls us away from God and toward wrongdoing. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that we have to go through our time on this earth living in spiritual defeat. Not only do we have the ultimate victory of heaven to look forward to, but because the Holy Spirit lives in us, we can overcome evil in our lives right now. “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (I John 4:4). Jesus has won the victory and freed us from sin’s bondage. We have the Spirit of God to strengthen us and to help us not to continue to live in sin.

The other pitfall we have to guard against is attributing such strength and success to ourselves rather than to the Spirit of God dwelling in us. Let’s not get cocky about our spiritual superpower. Yes, we are more than conquerors…but only through Christ. It is not because of who we are. It is because His Spirit is within us and empowering us. He gets all the glory for it, not us. Let’s be careful that we don’t get to thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. We are conquerors, but only as we stay connected to the Lord and dependent on Him. Without Him we could do nothing.

So let’s try to maintain a balanced view of this great divine power that has been bestowed on us as followers of Jesus. In many ways we are like babies – frail, dependent, and helpless. However, we are also indwelt by the mighty Spirit of God. He can help us overcome our weaknesses and to live victoriously in this life, but it is all because of Him. We may be weak, but in Him we are strong.

 

Spiritual Practices: More than an Obligation 

Several times recently I have heard one of those advertisements on the radio that concludes with someone rapidly reciting some kind of legal statement or disclaimer. You have probably heard them at times on either TV or the radio. The spokesperson talks so fast that you can’t make out anything that is being said. The purpose of such a practice seems to be merely to fulfill a legal obligation or to guard against liability. The statement is included simply because it is required or necessary. Therefore it is done as rapidly as possible so as to take up the least amount of valuable time. It doesn’t matter to those producing the material if anyone understands it or not. The only concern is to meet a requirement. Television ads often accomplish the same thing with their extremely fine print at the bottom of the screen. No one can easily read it, but they fulfill their obligation by including it in the commercial.

 We need to be careful that we don’t fall into a similar mindset concerning the Lord, our acts of worship, and our service for Him. It probably didn’t start out that way. After putting our trust in Jesus for salvation, we likely were motivated to follow Him with hearts full of gratitude and love. It was a joy to get together with other believers to worship Him. It was an adventure to explore the truths of the Bible. It was exciting to come before an Almighty God with our prayers and to see how those prayers made a difference. It was a blessing to go out into the world to serve the Lord and be a witness for Him.

However, if we are not careful to cultivate that relationship, over time some of those practices can degenerate into little more than that hurried disclaimer at the end of a radio advertisement. We still perform the same actions, but for different reasons now. We go to church to worship not so much out of love for the Lord but because it is expected and we have responsibilities to fulfill there. We read our Bibles so that we can check it off our list that we have had our devotional time for the day. We say our prayers, maybe not reciting them as rapidly as those radio spokespersons, but hardly thinking about what we are saying as we try to get through it to move on to our other tasks for the day. We still are involved in some kind of ministry, but it seems like more of a burden to us than a privilege.

In one of his epistles, Paul confronted the Corinthian church about their practices regarding the observation of the Lord’s Supper. This meaningful ritual, along with the fellowship meal that often accompanied it, had been allowed to become no more than an occasion for people to overindulge. Instead of it being a reminder of the unity of the church, there was a spirit of selfishness prevalent that led to division within the church. They were still observing the practice, but not for the right reasons or with the proper motives.

Let’s take a look at our own hearts in connection with our spiritual practices. Are we simply going through the motions or is it a meaningful part of our life? Are we hurrying through our times of worship, Bible reading, and prayer just to meet God’s requirement? Are we watching the clock or thinking about what is next on our schedule instead of focusing on the Lord and our time with Him?

Maybe we need to reconnect with the Lord, renew our love for Him, and serve Him with gladness. Don’t just fulfill an obligation. Do what you do out of love for Him.