A Christmas Perspective

 "Open presents." "Santa comin' town." Simple words with a simple perspective on Christmas. Laurie may be 43 in chronological terms but from the time the first Christmas light appears, her anticipation level rivals any 3 year old's. 

Does she understand that Christmas isn't all about presents and Santa? Probably not but what impresses me every year is how pure her excitement is. She is not concerned about commercialism. She is not stressed over whether plans made are sufficient. She is not worried about paying off credit card bills because she overspent on gifts. 

Her wonderment is innocent. Her delight is simple. 

Every year I have to remind myself that Laurie's perspective is something to be admired. Something to be inspired by. Something to emulate. 

Jesus' entrance into this world was simple and pure, just like Laurie's perspective. Even though my focus may be on His birth, His sacrifice for my sins and His role as my Savior, being able to enjoy the season with pure joy and awe like she does is truly a gift. 

Merry Christmas everyone!

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given..." Isaiah 9:6

Comfort

 When someone is going through a hard time, it is common for us to pray that the Lord will comfort them. But what does that really mean? 

The word comfort means "to give strength and hope to." It seems like a big task to be able to give strength and hope when one is dealing with something so devastating. And if it were up to just us, it would be an impossible task. Thankfully, it isn't up to us. The comfort we request is the supernatural-beyond- understanding-impossibly-possible kind that can come from only one place: God's Word. 

In Greek, the word "parakletos" is used to identify the Comforter and means "to plead another's cause to one, an intecessor." It is used multiple times in the Bible in reference to the Holy Spirit. 

So go with me here on the brain train. When we pray for God to comfort someone in their trials, we are essentially calling for the Holy Spirit to intercede for them. Does this not seem appropriate when we don't know how to help the person? When there seems to be no words? 

So as much as we would love to give comfort in words or actions, the only true comfort has to come from the Holy Spirit. It must come from the only one who understands our suffering and intercedes for us. It comes from the one who is all powerful and not from our own strength and hope. Thank you Jesus!

Isaiah 49:13 "... For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering."

Believers versus Followers

 If I asked you if you believe in Jesus, most of you would respond with a yes. It's the question most often asked when someone accepts Christ as their Savior. "Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God?"

The definition of belief is to accept as true. Belief is easy.

But let's take this illustration a bit farther. Imagine a chair. It looks like it's a pretty sturdy chair. It seems to be made by a reputable company. You might even see other people sitting in one just like it. But you've never sat in this chair before so how do you know it will hold you? You can deduce the reliability of the chair from what you can see. 

However, to really test this reliability, you have to DO something. You have to actually sit in the chair. Only then will your belief become justified.

Belief is important. It's the beginning of trust. Jesus talked about it multiple times. But listen to what Jesus said when he started rounding up His disciples:

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Matt 4:19

Notice He didn't say, "Come believe in me." In fact, the disciples' belief actually came later, after they had been following Him for a while and had seen His miracles.

The definition of follow is to engage in as a way of life. Following requires action. It requires engagement. It requires a life style change. I can believe in that chair all day long but until I take some action, I can not show my full trust.  

Repeatedly Jesus indicates that following is what He requires Matthew 8:22 "But Jesus told him, 'Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead.'" Matthew 9:9 "...'Follow me,' he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him." Matthew 10:38 "and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Matthew 16:24 "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'" It's pretty clear that He expected action.

So how do we know if our belief has manifested into following? We have to know Jesus, trust Him, and show by our actions that we believe. Without a close intimate relationship with Jesus, we cannot be an effective "follower."

Following doesn't mean we have to be perfect. Jesus' disciples certainly weren't but when their belief caught up with their following, nothing could stop them from telling the world about Jesus.

The questions I've been forced to ask myself then is "What do my actions say about me? Am I just a believer or am I truly a follower? It takes courage to ask these questions and even more to listen to the answers.  

Choose Carefully

 I hate the Proverbs 31 woman. Okay, maybe hate is a strong word but most days she just makes me feel like a failure. Verse 10 does sort of give us an out though.

"A wife of noble character who can find?"

Apparently she's hard to find. 

But that's not what I want to talk about today. Let's take a look at verse 16.

"She considers a field and buys it..."

Consider means "to think about carefully." So why did she "consider" this field before she bought it? I can think of three possible questions she might have asked herself.

1. Can I effectively cultivate this field with my present resources?
2. Will I have the time and energy to manage more acreage?
3. Will this field allow me to bless more people?

Women are notorious for overextending ourselves. We try to be everything to everybody and wind up burning out and being no good to anyone.

I think the Proverbs 31 woman is trying to tell us that we need to carefully consider what adding more things to our plate will accomplish. We need to ask ourselves who or what might suffer by adding these extra responsibilities. 

There have been many times in my life where I really wanted to get involved in something but I had to weigh how taking up more of my time would affect my family. How much time away from home would this require? Would I have the energy needed to care for my kids? What would be the cost financially or emotionally? 

Often I had to wait years before being able to participate in some of the things I desired. There are still a few things on my bucket list and I am hopeful that I can accomplish some of them now that I have retired from the job that demanded much of my time and energy. God knows the desires of my heart. If I can wait until such time as these things can be excellent, instead of just good, God will be able to use it for His glory so much better. 

I'm still not ready to be best friends with the Proverbs 31 woman but I might take a closer look at her lifestyle now. Except maybe for that part about getting up while it's still dark to provide food for her family. I don't do breakfast...

Underrowers

Did this title peak your curiousity? Never heard of an underrower? Now you're really curious? Read on...

 In 1 Corinthians 4:1, Paul refers to himself and Apollos as "mere servants of Christ." The Greek word for servant used here is "huperetes." No, I don't know how to pronounce it but broken down it looks like this:

hupo means "under" and eretes means "rower." Huperetes literally means "underrower." 

Being the "word nerd" that I am, I wanted to know where this word came from and why Paul was using it to describe himself and his colleague. Here's what I found out:

It goes back to the warships of their time and referred to the men who were in the bowels of the boat, chained to one of several benches, rowing as though their life depended on it, In fact, their lives usually did depend on it. There are a number of things to note about the position these men held.

The lowest deck of the ship was not a pleasant place to be. It was dark, dirty and hot. They couldn't see where they were going and had to completely rely on the captain for direction. They had to row together and be perfectly in sync with the other rowers or they weren't going anywhere. 

Real world application? I believe Paul had a really good reason to use this particular word to describe our job as Christians. Whether it be our family, our job and especially our church, we are called to be "underrowers." I see three definite applications for us.

1. Rowers don't build up muscle by rowing downstream.
• Having to row upstream creates the strength needed to be an effective rower. There's going to be difficult times in our lives but this is how God builds our spiritual muscles. 
2. Rowers must be in sync with each other and that takes concentrated effort. 
• The "rowing master" shouted the instructions to the "bow officer" who relayed instructions further down the ship and the "piper" kept time by playing an instrument like a flute. If any of these positions failed in their duties, the ship was going nowhere. So it is with Christians. If we fail to do our part, the Kingdom of God goes nowhere. 
3. Rowers had each other's backs.
• There were usually 3-7 men to each oar. If anyone got sick or was weaker, the others could pick up the slack and keep going. As Christians, we are to be encouragers to each other so in times of weakness, our strength can come from "rowing" together for the cause. 

Being an underrower may not be pretty or easy but God never guaranteed us pretty and easy. Like Paul and Apollos; we are to be "mere servants of Christ." Underrowers. Grab that oar and let's start rowing!

Words to Live By

I was recently watching an interview that Andy Stanley did with his dad, Dr. Charles Stanley. He made this statement that stopped me in my tracks. 

"Obey God, leave all the consequences to Him." 

Words to live by for sure but read it again and let it sink in. I'll wait...

Sounds simple enough. But really?

Let's say you are doing what you believe God has called you to do when things start to take a turn for the worse. People are saying negative things about you and to you. The ripple affect seems to be getting bigger and bigger. You know in your heart that you have made the right decisions, said the truth, followed God's will so why does the future look so grim?

"Obey God..." But Lord I did what I believed was your will and look where it got me.  

"...leave all the consequences to Him." But Lord, what if those who have wronged me get away with it? How can I make sure the truth gets to everyone who has heard these negative things? 

"...leave all the consequences to Him." I heard you the first time but shouldn't I be doing my part to fix this? But, but, but...

It is our human nature to want to fix the wrongs in our lives. And being the created beings that we are, God knows that is our nature. He knows our instinct is to fight back, defend our reputations, seek revenge. 

How freeing would it be for us to fully embrace this concept of leaving all the consequences to Him? Imagine the peace we could experience if we truly believed all things would be made right by God alone, without our help or interference. 

Our world right now seems to be in a downward spiral. Truth has been turned upside down and we are constantly being pressured to accept what we know to be against God's laws as good and right. 

"The Lord is known by his acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands." Psalm 9:16

Some things might not be made right this side of heaven but I've read the end of the Book. We win. Our job is to obey; the rest is in His hands.  Amen!

When God is Silent

 A number of years ago, I had a bizarre episode with a headache that came on suddenly. It would intensify to a 10 pain level within seconds. At first, it would go away after a few minutes but this went on for a couple of weeks and the pain stayed longer and longer each time until I was completely incapacitated. 

The timing of these headaches was the worst it could be as it started the week before our teacher orientation days began and continued into the first week of school. This headache didn't have the same symptoms as a migraine so it was hard to find a treatment that worked. During those two weeks, I saw an urgent care doctor, a chiropractor, a massage therapist, my PCP, an ER doctor, a spine specialist and a headache specialist. I had a CT scan, 2 MRIs, a Botox injection in my neck, and a lumbar puncture. I tried six new medications and...

I tried to pray. 

I couldn't focus or concentrate so my prayers were pretty lame. Fortunately, I had others who were praying for me at school, church and my family. 

But God was not answering. And it was frustrating. Didn't He know that I was responsible for getting all these teachers and students off to a good start at school? I had a job to do...an important one I believed. 

Ironically, I had started a new Bible study around this time about discerning the voice of God. Ironic because God was being extremely quiet. Hearing His voice seemed impossible. This Bible study sent me to the book of Habakkuk. Who reads Habakkuk? Once I finally located it in the Bible, the very first verse caught my attention.

"How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?" (Hab 1:2a)

I might not have said those exact words but they were pretty close to what I was thinking. I had to look around for context and discovered that Habakkuk was complaining about the unchecked evil that was being allowed to go on around him.

Reading on..."Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds." (Hab 1:3)

There's a lot going on in the world right now that seems to be paralleling what Habakkuk was complaining about. That's why this episode in my life story caught my attention. Not because I need to complain but because of God's answer.

"Look at the nations and watch--and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." (Hab. 1:5) 

"For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay." (Hab 2:3)

Watch and wait. 

He may be silent but He is always working. And though it may not be obvious to us, He promises we'll be amazed. 

And just because you may be curious, the headaches mysteriously disappeared as mysteriously as they appeared after a group of my church girlfriends laid their hands on me and prayed. 

Amazing, right?

 

Questions

 Have you ever wondered how many questions you ask in a day?

Maybe it's just me but I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to trivia like this. Here's what I discovered:

Approximately 2 questions per minute, 40 per day and 70,000 per year. Unless, of course, you are a toddler, then the number jumps exponentially. 

We ask questions for various reasons: for knowledge, for clarification, for conviction, and because I'm an educator, to assist in learning. 

So let's talk about the Bible for a minute. The King James Version is home to 3,298 questions. Can you guess which book has the most questions? If you guessed Job, you'd be correct. Even though it is not the longest book in the Bible, it has the most questions coming in at 329. The others?

Jeremiah 195, Isaiah 190, Psalms 163, 1 Samuel 157, Genesis 149 just to name the top few. All four of the gospels together have 630 total. 

I'm sure some of you by now are saying, "So what?" 

If you have read the Bible at all, you may have noticed that God often uses questions as His primary source of imparting wisdom. Jesus himself spent a lot of time asking questions, answering questions and causing questions. God often asks questions He already knows the answer to. Case in point; Adam and Eve hiding in the garden. God obviously knew where they were but asked the question anyway (Genesis 1:9).

But let's get back to Job. There is one question in the very first chapter that causes the hair on the back of my neck to stand up every time I read it. "Have you considered my servant, Job." (Job 1:9) He is, of course, talking to Satan and effectively just put a target on Job's back. And Job's primary question is one that I'm sure we would all be inclined to ask given his same circumstances, "Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb?" (Job 3:11)

And then for 35 chapters, Job moans, cries and questions his very existence. Nowhere in those 35 chapters do we see God strike Job dead for asking questions. In fact, when God finally answers in chapter 38, he answers with questions...tons of them. God reminds Job of who He is through a series of questions that for the most part can all be answered with "Not me." "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?" (Job 38:4-5)

Although God's answer may seem like a reprimand, Job 42:12 says He blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. There is a difference between asking God questions and questioning God. God is not opposed to our questions. In fact, He welcomes them. 

How awesome is it that we serve a God that is so confident in His goodness, righteousness, blamelessness and integrity that His reputation isn't threatened by questions? Now that's a question I know the answer to. 

E + R = O

If you hate math, don't panic and don't quit reading. Here's the formula explained:

Events + Response = Outcome

Often the Events in our lives are beyond our control and sometimes they could be the result of our own bad choices. Sometimes the Es in our lives are good but we tend to dwell on the bad Es.  Unless you live under a rock and never come out, Es are going to happen. We can't change the Es.

Our Response, however, rests entirely on our own shoulders. We have complete control over our Rs so it behooves us to concentrate on that rather than our Es. The main reason being that our Rs determine the O (Outcome).

So what should our Rs be? Ephesians 4:31 gives us a list of inappropriate Rs:

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."

When you look at this list, it's pretty convicting. I doubt many of us have participated in "brawling" lately but what about the rest? 

Bitterness, rage, anger, slander. 

Who of us has not harbored bitterness and anger against someone who has wronged us in some way? When was the last time someone cut you off in traffic and you had a bit of road rage going on? Anyone guilty of gossiping about someone behind their back? 

Ouch, ouch, ouch and ouch. 

And what is usually the Outcome? Bitterness, anger and rage only hurts us in the long run, especially if the offending party isn't aware that we are upset. And slander brings us down to a level where no one really wants to be. 

Then what should be our R? The very next verse tells us:

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

And what will our O be if we do what this verse tells us?

Romans 8:37 Overwhelming victory; 1 Corinthians 13:12 Clarity; 1 Corinthians 15:57 Victory over sin and death; 1 John 4:4 A greater spirit

E + R = O 

A formula for success if we  allow God to direct our Rs despite our Es. 

On Purpose Thinking

What if I said to you, "Don't think about what you are going to have for lunch."

What's the first thing you are going to do? Think about lunch, of course. Our thoughts can be hard to control. Our minds are a battlefield and more battles have been won in our minds than anywhere else.
I can physically choose not to do certain things. I can choose not to drink or smoke. I can choose not to watch R rated movies. I can choose not to get that second dessert. But when my mind gets involved, it becomes much harder. "One drink won't hurt." "That movie only has a couple of bad words in it." "I exercised this morning so that second dessert won't count." 

We can justify just about anything if we think about it long enough. We can build up scenarios in our minds that may or may not ever happen. We can take a simple, insignificant issue and turn it into a major problem just by mulling it around in our minds for a few hours. Or sometimes, it only takes a few minutes to create a proverbial mountain from the proverbial molehill. 

Have you ever looked at your schedule for the day and decided it was going to be a bad day before it even started? Our moods are directly linked to our thoughts. And it can become a self-fulfilling prophesy. We'll have a bad day because we've already convinced ourselves it's going to be. 

So what are we to do with this runaway train we call our minds?

Our minds are a battlefield. If Satan can control our minds and thoughts, our actions won't be far behind. We have to choose our thoughts on purpose. If we don't choose our thoughts, the enemy will make the choice for us. 

Our words begin in our thoughts. Self-talk is a powerful thing. Let's say your spouse irritated you this morning and you think about that all day. By the time he/she gets home that night, you explode on them because you have moved from irritated to full blown mad based on your self-talk. 

This is why God gave us Philippians 4:8:

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

God has given us the ability to make choices about so many things in life, including our thoughts, and we must be responsible to make those choices carefully. 

On purpose thinking...controlled by the Holy Spirit. It is possible. 

2 Corinthians 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (emphasis mine)

God Nods

 Have you ever watched a movie where something major was about to happen and the leader would give his crew an almost imperceptible nod? Everyone on the team seemed to know that nod meant the plan was a go. The tension is high, everyone on alert, and that slight nod was all they needed to launch into some mission that no one but them was aware. 

I believe that God gives these almost imperceptible nods too. Things that could seemingly be inconsequential but when looked at through the lenses of God's control on our lives, can be just the validation we need to know we're on the right path. 

Case in point: John is scheduled to have knee replacement surgery this week. I got a call last week that Laurie had tested positive for COVID. Had the timing been any different, his surgery would have been cancelled because of his last exposure to her. However, and here comes the God Nod, when she was home last is beyond the period of contagiousness. With as much trepidation that John has had about this surgery, I believe God is giving the nod that the plan is a go. All will be well and the timing is right.

I can jump to this conclusion because I have seen it happen before. While waiting to have major surgery myself, a friend asked if we could house a family from China for several weeks just two months after my surgery. Although my first instinct was to refuse, I realized that this was God's way of letting me know that by that time, I would be ready and able to welcome this family into my home. And I was. And it was a blessing in so many ways. Blessings I could have missed.

Sometimes God has to slap us to get our attention. Sometimes He has to make things really uncomfortable. And then sometimes, He just looks at us and gives us that shake of His head. 

The God Nod. If you're not paying attention, you might miss them.