Motivated

Heading to church this morning, I was thinking back on the week I had.  It was a week where I was not very faithful in spending time with the Lord, either in prayer or in His word, so I was contemplating why this was.  I had allowed busyness and other distractions to get in the way.  I asked myself this question: "Why am I not motivated to spend time with the Lord?"

Then I felt the Lord ask me a different question: "Why are you waiting for motivation?"  It hit me like a ton of bricks!

I am a weight watcher, still fighting to win that battle even after having "arrived" at my weight loss goal years ago, a place I unfortunately only visited for a while.  Anyway, not to digress, many people over the years have asked me, "How do you get motivated to lose weight?"  With all the health, family, fitness and other reasons to lose weight, I have always maintained a similar answer to that question.  I am most motivated when I make a decision to follow the program completely and then step on the scale a week later to see the results.  Doing it is really the best motivation.

Taking that thought process to this morning, I felt the Lord, through that question, reminding me that I should not be waiting for motivation to spend time with Him.  I should not be expecting some miraculous impartation  of desire.  Rather, I should be doing what a Christian should be doing on a daily basis.  I should be spending time with my Lord and Savior.

The word "disciple" comes from the same word as "discipline."  I need to make a decision to do what is right and stick to it, rather than allowing the ebbs and flows of emotion and energy to dictate my actions.

And so I am thus challenged this week to carve out time for the Lord and not let anything stand in my way.  Challenged to spend time in His word.  Challenged to spend time in prayer with Him.

I have decided.  Now my actions will get me motivated.

Worship

We had a wonderful time of worship at the Farmingdale Christian Church yesterday. But during the time of worship, a scripture came to mind. Romans 12:1-2, which says (NIV), "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." As I thought on this, while singing songs with words like, "I will worship..." and "I will bow down..." it really got me thinking.

"I" refers to the being that is me. All of me. In my entirety. And here I was singing, "I will worship." All of me? My whole self, as a living sacrifice, as Romans calls for?

What then came to mind is that my worship is far more than the words I sing in church on Sunday. It is as much, if not more, about the words I speak at home on Monday or at work on Tuesday. It is far more than raising my hands during service. It is about reaching out with those hands to touch the lives of those around me. It is more than bowing my knee for a song or two. It is about stooping down to help those around me who may need a hand up.

Please don't take what I am saying as if to say that our gathering as a Church in worship services around the world is unimportant, because that is not at all what I am saying. There is power to be found when God's people come together like that. What I am saying, though, is that our worship of our Lord Jesus needs to be so much more than a few hours on Sunday morning. It needs to be a whole surrender to Him, to be used for His good pleasure.

Great South Bay 5K

Today, I ran a 5K.  But really, that is not at all the story for today.

Today, while I was running the 5K, my beautiful wife and darling daughter both walked the same 5K as well.  For each of them, it was the first "event" they have walked in, and I have to say, I am so very proud of them.  They set a goal, when they agreed to do it, of completing the 5K in one hour or less.

The weather was absolutely spectacular, with not a cloud in the sky and a crisp 52 degrees.  The race went off at exactly 8:30AM and I said good-bye to them and headed out running.  My run was not bad, with a great first two miles and a struggle at the end, but I'm happy with my time, overall.

Once I got in, I rushed to the car to get the camera and get ready to catch their finish.  They called me with 0.5 miles left and I knew they were setting a great pace.

Well, they both met their goal IN SPADES!.  Faith trotted across the finish line in 52:43 and Christine came in just behind her in 53:20.

I just want to shout, as loud as I can,

I AM PROUD OF MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER!

To The End

That God is a faithful God is a fact that many people, myself included, can attest to.  It is often said that God is "faithful to the end."  While this is, in my mind, doubtless true, I posit that there may be meaning behind such a statement that you may not see at first glance.

God is always faithful.  He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deut 21:6,8).  He is faithful even when we are faithless (2 Tim 2:13).  The Bible also states that His love towards us is great and His faithfulness endures forever (Psalm 117:2).  But is there more to that phrase than just God's enduring faithfulness?  I believe there is.  God is faithful to the end.  His word declares that God has a plan for each of our lives (Jer. 29:11).  And to that plan, or to that end, He will always remain faithful.

Imagine a blacksmith, making a sword.  He has a plan, knowing exactly what kind of sword he is making.  He begins by plunging a raw piece of metal into a furnace.  It remains in there until the instant the smith knows it is ready.  Then, out it comes and immediately, the smith begins pounding it with a hammer.  Then, after the precise number of blows, into the water it goes, only to be returned to the fire yet again.

This does not sound comfortable from the point of view of the piece of metal.  Yet the blacksmith knows exactly what he is making and will continue to do everything necessary until that raw piece of metal becomes a finely-honed sword.  That blacksmith remains faithful to the end throughout the whole process, keeping the plan for the finished sword in mind the whole time.

In much the same way, God is taking these raw lumps of metal called "you and I" and He is forming something wonderful with us.  He has a plan in mind; He knows what He is making us into.  And He is willing to do what it takes to form us.  Even if it means plunging us into the fires of adversity or striking us with the hammer of trials.  He knows exactly what it needed, no more and no less, to form in us what He has purposed.

And I dare say that it is precisely because He is working in us to produce His plan for us that we can ultimately and entirely trust Him.  Because we know that He is in control and that He will work all things together for our good (Rom 8:28), we can yield to His process.  We can put our trust in Him, even through the trials and adversities we face, knowing that God is at work producing something beautiful in our lives and knowing that He will do exactly and ONLY what is needed to accomplish His purpose.

Yes, God is always faithful.  ALWAYS faithful to the end!

Are you "rechargeable" or "plug-in"?

These days, almost everything that requires electricity, you can get in a "rechargeable" form.  Vacuums, mixers, razors, circular saws, music players and telephones, just to name a few (obviously).  You plug them in for just a little while, then they run for minutes/hours/days from that one charge.  It's really an amazing convenience, no?  I mean, the freedom you get without a power cord hanging from your cordless sweeper is just grand.

Too many of us, quite often myself included, are treating our relationship with God as if we "rechargeable" beings, though.  Right about now, you're probably asking, "What is this guy talking about?"  Allow me to expound a bit.

You see, we go to church on a Sunday morning and plug ourselves in for a while.  We experience the joys of His presence in worship and praise.  We get encouraged by the preaching of His word.  In short, we get all charged up and ready to go to work.  Then we unplug and go home.  Too often, though, we expect to live off that "charge" for the rest of the week.

Jesus spoke these words in the book of John, chapter 15, verse 4:

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me." 

We need to continually abide in Him.  Not just for a while on Sunday morning.  Not even just for a few minutes at the start of each day.  But hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute and breath-by-breath.  He is our only source of power to live the life He has called us to.  If we have any hope of bearing fruit in this life that will last, we need to stay plugged-in to Him all the time.

Merry Christma(s)

Savior

Luke 2:11

On this day, we celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was born for an entirely singular purpose. That was, to be the Savior of the world. Jesus did not come only to show us the way to God. Jesus came to BE the way to God. He is our Savior.

The very term 'savior' identifies Jesus as more than a mere instrument of God. God said, through the prophet Isaiah (43:11), 'I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.' To declare that Jesus is Savior is to, in no uncertain terms, declare that Jesus is God Himself. This should come as no surprise, given that Isaiah also prophesied that Jesus was to be known as 'Emmanuel' or 'God with us.'

The Creator of the universe was willing to humble Himself as but a creation in order to bring about the salvation of the world. But even more than that, the God of all became a man to give YOU the gift of salvation.

Merry Christm(a)s

Announce

Luke 1, 2

When God was about to send His only begotten Son into the world, He used angels to announce it to the 'involved' parties (Zechariah, Mary, Joseph). These were, essentially, private meetings and/or dreams that were given to these people as a way to prepare them for what God was about to do through them.

When the Father saw the birth of His Son on that very first Christmas day, He was so overjoyed that He sent angels to announce it to some shepherds in a field. Heaven could apparently not hold the joy that flowed, and it spilled over into the earthly realms, as witnessed by these incredibly blessed shepherds.

God was overjoyed, not merely as a proud Father, but because He knew that the perfect plan of Salvation for the entire world was set in motion that very night. The prospect of the redemption of a people that God loved so very much filled all of heaven with such joy that it could not be contained. And that joy still flows over the new birth of but one of His children. Even YOU!

Merry Christ(m)as

Manger

Luke 2:7

What does the word 'manger' bring to your mind at Christmas? A nice, quaint stable with a cozy bed of hay for a baby to sleep in? A warm picture of tranquility? Not quite what I would imagine would have been the real story.

The mention of the manger is what leads most to believe that Jesus was born in a stable. In those days, stables were often caves dug out of earth, with the feeding trough (or manger) dug into the rock wall. It would have been a dark and dirty setting for the Son of God to make His entrance into this world.

This, however, is somewhat fitting, considering the rest of Jesus' life. Where there was filth, dirt and darkness, Jesus came to bring holiness, purity and light.

When I first met Jesus, my heart may have rivaled the manger, as far as cleanliness goes, but Jesus came to me just the same, and brought His life.

Merry Chris(t)mas

Tree

I know that the Christmas Tree is certainly not mentioned in scripture, and I know of the probable pagan beginnings of this Christmas tradition. Yet I also know that God can redeem and use anything for His glory, and I believe that He has done so for those who look at the Christmas Tree in the right way.

To me, the evergreen tree is a reminder of God's gift of everlasting life in His Son.

The lights on the tree remind me to always allow my light to shine before men.

The tinsel is reminiscent of the fact that we are only glorious when we reflect the true Glory of God.

And the star on top is a reminder of that wonderful night when God gave the true Light to this darkened world.

May the traditions you cherish at Christmas point you to Christ at every turn!

Merry Chri(s)tmas

Sign

Luke 2:12

The Angels had just told the shepherds the best bit of news ever told. A Savior has been born in Bethlehem. But they didn't stop there.

They went on to give the shepherds a sign to look for. They prepared the shepherds to know what to look for when they went to Bethlehem to meet the Lord. Bethlehem was a big city and it was very busy and crowded at the time. Without that sign, the shepherds would not have known what they were looking for. There may have been dozens of babies born at the same time, yet only one was wrapped in strips of cloth and was lying in a manger. They knew exactly which baby was the one they heard about.

God made sure that those shepherds were prepared to see the Lord, and in the same way, He wants to prepare us, and even the world, to see His glory yet again!

Merry Chr(i)stmas

Indescribable

2 Corinthians 9:15

Ever get that perfect Christmas gift that just left you speechless? Ever have that one special loved one give you something that was so right, so perfect, that there were just no words to describe it?

That is EXACTLY what God did almost 2000 years ago. He knew exactly what it was that we needed. He knew that we needed a savior. And He gave us that one perfect gift. He gave His one and only Son to the world, because He loved us that much.

Think back over your walk with Jesus. Can you describe, with words, what the gift of Jesus Christ has meant in your life? Can you really express all of what Jesus Christ has done for you?

I can think of only one word that captures it. INDESCRIBABLE!

Merry Ch(r)istmas

Receive

Romans 5:11

We have all heard the phrase, 'It is better to give than to receive.' It is a good axiom to live by. A noble thought indeed. I do not dispute that one bit.

But think about this. God knew that we could not GIVE Him what He desired, which is a people with whom He could have fellowship. He knew that we could not GIVE Him that because we were with sin, and He was perfectly Holy.

God didn't leave it like that. He GAVE His own Son so that we could RECEIVE the gift of reconciliation and righteousness. It is His earnest desire that we RECEIVE this gift, because it is only through RECEIVING this gift that we are truly able to GIVE from our hearts.

This is one case where it truly better to RECEIVE than to GIVE, because the gift we RECEIVE we can never repay! RECEIVE God's gift today!

Merry C(h)ristmas

Herod

Matthew 2

King Herod was an Isrealite. While he was not the rightful heir to the throne, he had taken power anyway. He was a ruthless, hard ruler who had personally benefited from the power of Rome in Isreal. But he was an Isrealite; one of God's 'chosen people.' He was seeking Jesus out of fear of losing his power.

The Magi were not Isrealites, but simply wise men and kings from far off lands who together somehow knew that God was doing something special in that time. They were seeking Jesus because they wanted to worship this child for whom they believed God had placed a new star in the night sky.

The Magi obeyed the revealed message of God in their hearts, revealed to them through a means they could relate to. Herod, on the other hand, was rebelling against God, although he had the written word of God at his disposal.

May we ever be like the Magi, seeking God merely to worship Him!

Merry (C)hristmas

Christ

Luke 2:11

The word 'Christ' comes from the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word for 'Messiah', or 'Annointed One.' Looking back over the Old Testament, we can see many scriptures that speak of the Messiah, especially in the book of Isaiah, where the Messiah is depicted in duality as both Sovereign Lord and Suffering Servant. The Messiah, or the Christ, was to be a man unlike any other man before or since.

This depiction is not missing from the story of the birth of Christ. We see the suffering in the humble, lowly accommodations given to this newborn child. We also see the worship of the wise men that followed the star to Bethlehem. Even as early as His birth, Jesus Christ filled the description that Isaiah, indeed that the whole of the Old Testament, gave in prophesy for the Christ, who is the Savior of the World.

Merr(y) Christmas

Yeshua

Luke 1:31

When we read that the Angel told Mary that her child was to be named 'Jesus,' we actually see a Greek word that has Hebrew origins. The Greek word is 'Iesous' which comes from the Hebrew word 'Yhowshuwa' from which we get the anglicized words 'Yeshua' and 'Joshua.' This was the name of Jesus.

The meaning of this Hebrew name is 'Jehovah is salvation.' I had always considered that Jesus 'brought' salvation to the world. But His name suggests a stronger correlation between Himself and our Salvation. He IS salvation. He did not merely bring salvation to us. He became salvation for us, in the incarnation and in His perfect sacrifice for sin.

This Yeshua, Jesus, still is salvation. He still is God's perfect plan to redeem a world destined for eternal separation from Him. He still is God's best gift ever to this world.

Mer(r)y Christmas

Room

Luke 2:7

There was no room for Mary and Joseph in the inn. The entire city was overcrowded, to the point that the only accommodations that could be found for them was in a stable. So often we have criticized the people of that time for not having room for Jesus in their city. But you can be sure that there were other pregnant women and other people in just as much need as Mary and Joseph at the time. And you can also be sure that they were not aware of who it was they were turning away or sending to a dirty stable. All things considered, they actually had a pretty good excuse.

Most of us have no such excuse. When we refuse to make space in our lives for Jesus every day, we know exactly who it is that we are shunning. When we relegate Him to a few short moments each day, we know exactly who it is that we are sending away.

At this time of year, and all year round, make sure you have room for Jesus in your life.

Me(r)ry Christmas

Rejoice

Luke 2:8-12, 20

The angels came to the shepherds bearing 'good news of great joy.' But those shepherds, after hearing the news, were probably somewhat confused, and perhaps still a bit scared and shaken by what they had seen and heard. Even still, they decided that they had better go see if what the angels said was true, so they headed for Bethlehem.

When they got there, they saw everything exactly as the angels had said it would be, with the baby Jesus lying in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

These shepherds apparently went away from that place different than when they arrived. They came in perhaps confused, but the left rejoicing in the things they had seen and heard. They allowed the gospel of God to produce joy in their hearts and they allowed that joy to overflow into praise and worship for God. What does the Good News of Jesus Christ do in your own heart?

M(e)rry Christmas

Emmanuel

Matthew 1:23

'God with us.' That is what 'Emmanuel' means. God with us. Just think about that. A holy, just and righteous God dwelling among a sinful and rebellious people. Looking back through the Old Testament, that is exactly what God had always wanted. In Genesis, we read that God used to walk in the Garden and would apparently fellowship with Adam and Eve somewhat regularly. But sin separated man and God.

To bridge the gap, God Himself had to come to earth as a man, in the form of Jesus Christ. During this time of year, and all year round, for that matter, we must realize what love is demonstrated in the fact that God cared enough about man that He would leave Heaven and come down and dwell among us, even become one of us, to make a way that we could dwell with Him for eternity.

(M)erry Christmas

Mary

Luke 1:26-35

In a time that God had been silent to His people for over 400 years, God sent the angel Gabriel to a young woman in Nazareth to deliver what could be considered the most unbelievable message in all of recorded history. This young virgin was told that she would bear the Son of God. Did she scoff at the news? Did she send this heavenly messenger away in disbelief? No. She put her trust in the God who said that she was the one He wanted to use to bring His Son into the world. She didn't understand it all, but she didn't have to. She merely understood that God wanted to use her to bring salvation to the world, and she was willing to be God's servant.

Are we willing to be servants of the Most High God and to bring the good news of God's Salvation through Jesus Christ to the world? If we are, the same God who kept His promise to bring life through Mary will also bring life to the world through us.

Merry Christmas Acrostic

Anyone who has known me for some time may already have seen this, but over the next 12 days, I will be posting a "daily devotional" thought in the format of an acrostic of the phrase "Merry Christmas." It is something that I originally did in 2001 and it can still be seen on my Bible Nuggets website, but I will be posting the entries one day at a time, starting tomorrow.

My hope is that it will be one more reminder to us that Jesus is the reason for the Season and that it will be a blessing to you.