Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
So I got up early this morning to run out and get my sweetheart her favorite coffee and a bagel. I was hoping to give her breakfast in bed, but she was up before I got back! Anyway, on the way home from the bagel place I was listening to a radio station and the morning radio personalities were giving all kinds of Valentines Day statistics.
They were pretty much making fun of the day, and I wasn't paying real close attention as they were conversing about the most popular gifts, and how much chocolate is eaten. I'm not a big social media guy, but I found it interesting that apparently there is a 49% increase in relationship status changes on Valentines Day. One stat they gave as sort of a warning, and it did get me thinking. They didn't give any sources but they said, 10% of relationships that break up, do so on Valentines Day. Ouch, that seems cold!!
I guess Valentines Day might stir up some important questions, and make one wonder about key issues. Is he or she really my Valentine? Do I really love her, or does she really love me? If the stats I heard on the radio are correct, this day of romance causes a good number of folks to wonder about the reality of true love in their relationships.
This day may have you wondering too. You may be thinking about that one you love, or longing for a special someone to love, or according to statistics you might be breaking up with that not so special someone. If this day has stirred up some wondering about love, know that there is one love you need never wonder about, and that is the love that God has for you.
God has demonstrated His love for you in the cross, and that tremendous love for you has not wavered one bit, ever. On this day that love is celebrated, we of all people ought to be the most joyous, for in Jesus we have the assurance of the greatest love ever known.
Happy Valentines Day!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Be Faithful
"My soul is greatly troubled; but You, O Lord, how long? Psalm 6:3
There is a constant in life that we are all aware of, life will have its share of hurts and pains and sorrows. Whenever the hurt or pain or sorrow come we accept it as part of life, but we also want to know something very important....how long?
I have always thought it was funny that we classify our miserable flu bugs by hours, but it does help us bear the agony to know how long. Of course when it comes to how long, we will always choose the shorter rather than the longer. I don't think anyone if given a choice would select the 24 hour flu over the 12 hour flu.
Through my years of walking with the Lord I have grown in trusting Him, even in the seasons of suffering. There is one area I have struggled a bit in trusting the Lord, and that is in the area of timing. It seems His timing and my timing never seem to line up, and of course He always seems to choose the longer time, while I pray for the shorter.
I believe the key in endurance for us, is not to focus on the how long, but to focus on remaining faithful in the moment. If I focus on the clock or the calendar, counting hours and days, I am sure to lose heart. If my focus is on pleasing the Lord through the hurts, pains, and sorrows, He will give the daily grace and strength to see me through.
In reality our how long in not that long. The Lord requires of us that we are faithful to Him today, and not to worry about tomorrow. So if you are in a season that has you asking how long, the answer is today....you be faithful to the Lord today, and let Him take care of the results.
There is a constant in life that we are all aware of, life will have its share of hurts and pains and sorrows. Whenever the hurt or pain or sorrow come we accept it as part of life, but we also want to know something very important....how long?
I have always thought it was funny that we classify our miserable flu bugs by hours, but it does help us bear the agony to know how long. Of course when it comes to how long, we will always choose the shorter rather than the longer. I don't think anyone if given a choice would select the 24 hour flu over the 12 hour flu.
Through my years of walking with the Lord I have grown in trusting Him, even in the seasons of suffering. There is one area I have struggled a bit in trusting the Lord, and that is in the area of timing. It seems His timing and my timing never seem to line up, and of course He always seems to choose the longer time, while I pray for the shorter.
I believe the key in endurance for us, is not to focus on the how long, but to focus on remaining faithful in the moment. If I focus on the clock or the calendar, counting hours and days, I am sure to lose heart. If my focus is on pleasing the Lord through the hurts, pains, and sorrows, He will give the daily grace and strength to see me through.
In reality our how long in not that long. The Lord requires of us that we are faithful to Him today, and not to worry about tomorrow. So if you are in a season that has you asking how long, the answer is today....you be faithful to the Lord today, and let Him take care of the results.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Always New
Colossians 3:10 "and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him."
It's a fact of life, that all the stuff we have gets worn out with use and over time. My favorite jeans, shoes, t-shirt, whatever I have and use will eventually lose its newness and fade away. It's great fun having all of our post Christmas new things, but they aren't new for long. Nothing can be new forever, in fact the instant you first use it, it is no longer new.
You might be wondering if I'm depressed going on about everything getting old, and worn out, and faded....but I'm not! In fact my pondering the old and new has gotten me pretty excited.
My thoughts were triggered by the fact that a new year is upon us, and there is all the annual talk about resolutions and new starts, about getting rid of the old and beginning anew. Of course as I hear all of this, I'm reminded of what I already stated, what is new will soon be old. But the exciting part to me is this: There is one thing that never gets old and is in continual renewal, that is our relationship with the Lord.
How exciting it is to understand what a living and vibrant relationship with God brings about. Just think about all that is new in Jesus....we have been given a new song (Psalm40:3); we are given new mercies every morning (Lamentations 3:23); a new spirit (Ezekiel 11:19); a new heart (Ezekiel 18:31); we are new creations, and all things are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17); and this is all in Jesus, the new a living way Hebrews 10;20).
It is a fact of our spiritual lives in Jesus, that our outward man may be perishing, but our inward man is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). How great is it, that in Christ we aren't getting older, we are just getting newer everyday. Make it your resolution to work on your relationship with Jesus, which will forever be new. Happy New Year.
It's a fact of life, that all the stuff we have gets worn out with use and over time. My favorite jeans, shoes, t-shirt, whatever I have and use will eventually lose its newness and fade away. It's great fun having all of our post Christmas new things, but they aren't new for long. Nothing can be new forever, in fact the instant you first use it, it is no longer new.
You might be wondering if I'm depressed going on about everything getting old, and worn out, and faded....but I'm not! In fact my pondering the old and new has gotten me pretty excited.
My thoughts were triggered by the fact that a new year is upon us, and there is all the annual talk about resolutions and new starts, about getting rid of the old and beginning anew. Of course as I hear all of this, I'm reminded of what I already stated, what is new will soon be old. But the exciting part to me is this: There is one thing that never gets old and is in continual renewal, that is our relationship with the Lord.
How exciting it is to understand what a living and vibrant relationship with God brings about. Just think about all that is new in Jesus....we have been given a new song (Psalm40:3); we are given new mercies every morning (Lamentations 3:23); a new spirit (Ezekiel 11:19); a new heart (Ezekiel 18:31); we are new creations, and all things are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17); and this is all in Jesus, the new a living way Hebrews 10;20).
It is a fact of our spiritual lives in Jesus, that our outward man may be perishing, but our inward man is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). How great is it, that in Christ we aren't getting older, we are just getting newer everyday. Make it your resolution to work on your relationship with Jesus, which will forever be new. Happy New Year.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Joy To The World
Hebrews 11:13 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth"
The shock of the shootings in Connecticut hasn't worn off, and with every new story and picture the ache returns. The fact that this evil came upon little ones causes the grief to linger. I must keep reminding myself that our prayers for the families and people of Newtown are effectual, so it is important to keep praying.
I was talking to someone who said that the shooting had robbed them of their Christmas joy. I had to agree because I felt much the same way. Not long after that conversation I was in the car listening to a Christmas music station. I have to admit I was pretty numb to some of the old traditional songs, Frosty, Silver Bells, and Rudolph, didn't do too much for me. When I was about to switch stations the hymn "Joy to the World" came on and it set my focus right and the joy returned. It was the third verse that struck a chord within me...."No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground, He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found."
With all the evil that we are bombarded with we are constantly reminded that we are living in a fallen world that is under a curse brought on by our own sins. The words of that third verse reminded me why we sing Joy to the World. The world desperately needs a savior, and God sent us one, oh what joy, the Savior born in Bethlehem has come!
We often feel like strangers in this world, and I guess we should, because it's not our true home. But let's not get a hard heart toward the world. Just think of how much our perfect and holy Jesus was a stranger here, yet He gave of Himself completely for this worlds salvation. We have been given the only message of hope for this world, and now it rings more true than ever. Don't let evil rip off your Christmas joy, when it gets dark share the message that brings light, the Savior has come to end the curse and ban all evil. Joy to the World!
The shock of the shootings in Connecticut hasn't worn off, and with every new story and picture the ache returns. The fact that this evil came upon little ones causes the grief to linger. I must keep reminding myself that our prayers for the families and people of Newtown are effectual, so it is important to keep praying.
I was talking to someone who said that the shooting had robbed them of their Christmas joy. I had to agree because I felt much the same way. Not long after that conversation I was in the car listening to a Christmas music station. I have to admit I was pretty numb to some of the old traditional songs, Frosty, Silver Bells, and Rudolph, didn't do too much for me. When I was about to switch stations the hymn "Joy to the World" came on and it set my focus right and the joy returned. It was the third verse that struck a chord within me...."No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground, He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found."
With all the evil that we are bombarded with we are constantly reminded that we are living in a fallen world that is under a curse brought on by our own sins. The words of that third verse reminded me why we sing Joy to the World. The world desperately needs a savior, and God sent us one, oh what joy, the Savior born in Bethlehem has come!
We often feel like strangers in this world, and I guess we should, because it's not our true home. But let's not get a hard heart toward the world. Just think of how much our perfect and holy Jesus was a stranger here, yet He gave of Himself completely for this worlds salvation. We have been given the only message of hope for this world, and now it rings more true than ever. Don't let evil rip off your Christmas joy, when it gets dark share the message that brings light, the Savior has come to end the curse and ban all evil. Joy to the World!
Monday, December 3, 2012
Make Haste
Luke 2:16 "And they made haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger."
So it's December 3rd and we are now fully immersed in the Christmas season. I'm watching my calendar fill up quickly and already I'm feeling like the season will fly by before I can sit down and enjoy it. It's the season to hurry and make haste, but too often the haste is for the wrong reason. I think my tendency is to do Christmas stuff but miss Christmas.
On the very first Christmas the shepherds hurried and made haste like we do now, but they made haste for the right reason. They had been told of the birth of our glorious Savior and dropped everything and made haste to Bethlehem where the sought after and found Jesus. You will never miss the true joy of Christmas if you follow the example of the shepherds, and make haste to seek after the Lord.
It is still early enough in the season to set the right priorities. Make sure to set aside enough time to rejoice in, and glorify our wonderful King.
So it's December 3rd and we are now fully immersed in the Christmas season. I'm watching my calendar fill up quickly and already I'm feeling like the season will fly by before I can sit down and enjoy it. It's the season to hurry and make haste, but too often the haste is for the wrong reason. I think my tendency is to do Christmas stuff but miss Christmas.
On the very first Christmas the shepherds hurried and made haste like we do now, but they made haste for the right reason. They had been told of the birth of our glorious Savior and dropped everything and made haste to Bethlehem where the sought after and found Jesus. You will never miss the true joy of Christmas if you follow the example of the shepherds, and make haste to seek after the Lord.
It is still early enough in the season to set the right priorities. Make sure to set aside enough time to rejoice in, and glorify our wonderful King.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Fatih and Gratitude
Colossians 2:7 "rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving."
We are not naturally a thankful people. In fact our natural bent toward pride and being self-centered, makes us pretty cranky and ungrateful.
Notice in the above verse the connection between faith and thanksgiving. When one gives their life over to Jesus, and begins to live a life of faith and dependence upon Him, a supernatural change takes place, and one of the great fruits of that change is a heart of thanksgiving.
The more one is rooted, built up, and established in Christ, the more abounding in thanksgiving they will be. Thanksgiving is not a forced behavior, it is a heart felt gratitude, coming from a changed life and perspective because of Jesus.
The key for us this Thanksgiving is not to dwell on forcing thankfulness, but instead to focus on a solid loving relationship with Jesus, and as we do, we will abound with thanksgiving every day.
We are not naturally a thankful people. In fact our natural bent toward pride and being self-centered, makes us pretty cranky and ungrateful.
Notice in the above verse the connection between faith and thanksgiving. When one gives their life over to Jesus, and begins to live a life of faith and dependence upon Him, a supernatural change takes place, and one of the great fruits of that change is a heart of thanksgiving.
The more one is rooted, built up, and established in Christ, the more abounding in thanksgiving they will be. Thanksgiving is not a forced behavior, it is a heart felt gratitude, coming from a changed life and perspective because of Jesus.
The key for us this Thanksgiving is not to dwell on forcing thankfulness, but instead to focus on a solid loving relationship with Jesus, and as we do, we will abound with thanksgiving every day.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Election Day
"Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding." Daniel 2:20-21
Election day if finally here! No more ads, no more polls, no more debates, no more parsing every sentence from the candidates, and no one knows who will win today! Not matter which candidate you might be pulling for it has been a roller coaster ride the last couple of months. We have been bombarded by conservative and liberal pundits spewing out trends and numbers trying to predict the election outcome. And finally today it will be answered....we hope.
Though we don't know the results of the election yet, I have already set in my mind what I will do tomorrow. No matter who wins I will get up for my early morning run. While on my run I will praise the One and only King of kings and Lord of lords, who is seated upon His eternal throne, sovereign and powerful.
Isn't is wonderful that our hope does not rest in the outcome of elections or the government of man. Our hope is in our Lord Jesus, and all of history is moving toward, and lining up for His glorious return. Let's all find peace knowing that however the election turns out, it will fit perfectly in the sovereign plans of our gracious God.
Election day if finally here! No more ads, no more polls, no more debates, no more parsing every sentence from the candidates, and no one knows who will win today! Not matter which candidate you might be pulling for it has been a roller coaster ride the last couple of months. We have been bombarded by conservative and liberal pundits spewing out trends and numbers trying to predict the election outcome. And finally today it will be answered....we hope.
Though we don't know the results of the election yet, I have already set in my mind what I will do tomorrow. No matter who wins I will get up for my early morning run. While on my run I will praise the One and only King of kings and Lord of lords, who is seated upon His eternal throne, sovereign and powerful.
Isn't is wonderful that our hope does not rest in the outcome of elections or the government of man. Our hope is in our Lord Jesus, and all of history is moving toward, and lining up for His glorious return. Let's all find peace knowing that however the election turns out, it will fit perfectly in the sovereign plans of our gracious God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)