For those abiding in God’s love, joy comes from growing deeper in our walks with Him and helping others to do the same. Conversely, when we don’t remain in His love, we’re not producing fruit–we’re trying to do things through our own effort to prove ourselves.
There is a person in my life that causes me great angst at times. She’s critical of everything about me, always noticing my flaws and mistakes. When I don’t measure up to her standards, she’s ruthless in her criticism. No matter how many positive things I’m doing, she always notices what I’m not doing or what I could be doing more. She’s impatient, jealous and judgmental. She constantly compares me to others.
As much as I’d like to cut this person out of my life forever, I can’t seem to shake her completely. By now you’re probably wondering: who is this awful person? Well, I call her “Old Me.” She’s the person I would be without God’s saving grace; she is my fleshly, worldly self. Sadly, “Old Me” looks a lot like “New Me” on the outside, but her interior life is another story.
“Old Me” seems to show up when I haven’t been spending time with God consistently and renewing my mind in the truth of His Word. She deceives me into thinking I can perform for God to win His favor. She focuses a lot on doing for God and not much on simply being with Him.
I was thinking about “Old Me” recently while reading Tim Chester’s book You Can Change. In it, he points out that many people change their behavior but are still not pleasing to God because their motives are impure. When I think about the person I used to be (and that I can still be at times) I see that many of the things I did seemed good, but my reasons for doing them had more to do with proving myself or pleasing others than anything else. Chester explains: “We don’t do good works so we can be saved; we are saved so we can do good works. ‘For by grace you have been saved through faith…not a result of works… For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.’ (Ephesians 2:8-10).”
“New Me” experiences joy by doing good things God has prepared for me– it’s about responding to His love, not dutifully checking a box to feel good about myself or to gain approval from others. In this frame of mind, my eyes are on God, not on myself. My desire is to please Him because I love Him, not because I’m trying to earn His favor.
One of the best passages that illustrates eliminating “Old Me” so that “New Me” can flourish comes from the gospel of John. In this passage, Jesus speaks to His disciples saying,
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” (John 15:5-9, NIV)
Remaining in God’s love impacts our perspectives and enables us to grow and thrive in our faith. The fruit He produces in us blesses and benefits others. (One of my pastors recently pointed out that a tree produces fruit for others to consume, not for its own benefit). For those abiding in God’s love, joy comes from growing deeper in our walks with Him and helping others to do the same. Conversely, when we don’t remain in His love, we’re not producing fruit–we’re trying to do things through our own effort to prove ourselves. For me, this is when “Old Me” tends to rear her head. In Jesus’ analogy of the vine, the withered branches represent “Old Me” and the only thing they’re good for is kindling.
This battle between “Old Me” and “New Me” happens more often than I’d like to admit. Maybe you can relate. We have a choice every day to abide with Christ, to remain in His love and to let Him renew our minds. The alternative is to do things our way. It boils down to a standoff between living in our flesh and living by the Spirit. Let’s not be deceived by our “Old Me’s” anymore. God has already won the battle and we can embrace the truth that we are living under His grace. We are holy, righteous and redeemed, no matter what our old selves may try to tell us.
Mercy Me has an amazing song that speaks this truth. Click on the link to be encouraged by “Greater.”
Chester, Time; You Can Change: God’s Transforming Power for Our Sinful Behavior and Negative Emotions; Crossway, 2010, p. 28
His bags were packed with clean, neatly folded clothes. Including sunscreen was perhaps overly optimistic, but I did hope the toothbrush and toothpaste would see a little action throughout the week. My thirteen-year old son was leaving for camp with our church’s youth group. If last year’s trip was any indicator, he’d come home wearing the same clothes and not having opened his toiletry bag even once. Personal hygiene issues aside, I was excited about his week away. For me, youth camps had always been a significant time of spiritual growth and good, clean fun.
My husband and I sat on the couch with our son a few minutes before his departure and tried to plant seeds for the week. “So, what kinds of goals do you have for camp?” His dad asked. “I dunno,” he said with a shrug. Trying to prime the pump, I threw out a few suggestions, “Maybe there’s one new activity you can try that you didn’t do last year. Or maybe you could make a new friend.” He continued to sit without a glimmer of a response. I forged ahead, trying to sound casual. “I think it’s great to make spiritual goals when you go to camp. Like, maybe you could try reading your Bible or praying every day.” Still nothing. Finally, my husband told him we would just tell God about our goals for his week. He was fine with having us pray for him, but didn’t want to chime in. I wasn’t disappointed in the least. I couldn’t be more pleased that he attends youth group, gets excited to go to camp and likes the Christian music we listen to at home. I know a spiritual foundation is being laid in him and he’s heading in the right direction. I certainly wasn’t mature in my faith at thirteen.
One thing I’m realizing about spiritual growth for people of any age is that it only happens when we position ourselves to receive God’s truth. This happens when we spend time in places and with people who value having a relationship with Jesus. Each decision we make brings us a step closer to God or a step farther away. The more we read the Bible and implement what we’re learning, the more we continue to mature spiritually and see the blessings of living aligned with God’s will.
It’s like driving on a winding road or over a bridge. We know the guardrail on the side is there to protect us from harm and make us feel safe, not to limit our freedom.
Similarly, spending time in places and with people who value God gives us spiritual guardrails that keep us on track in our faith journeys. For my son, it’s youth group, summer camp and parents who pray for him often. For adults I know, it’s participating in Bible study consistently, attending church, enjoying Christian friendship and spending time alone with God. These things keep our hearts teachable and our minds open to the ways God wants to stretch us.
The apostle Paul explains it this way:
“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.” (Titus 3:3-8, NIV)
Those who don’t know Christ live dangerously outside the guardrails that keep people pointed toward God. They are foolishly deceived by passions and pleasures, but think they are living ultimate freedom by giving in to their fleshly desires. Those in Christ, however, have become His heirs and have received the hope of eternal life. Because of this, followers of Christ devote themselves to doing what is good so that their lives bless others and honor God. The hindrances of sin no longer hold them back from living the abundant life God intends.
The ways we spend our time, the people we surround ourselves with, the things we watch, listen to and read all affect our view of God and His plans for us. How are you doing with living inside the protection of His guardrails? Are you pushing against them, enticed by the deceptions of our culture and its definition of “freedom”? What subtle influences pull you closer to Him? Which ones draw your attention away?
Every day the world bombards us with words and ideas that we can accept or reject in light of the truth of God’s Word. When we run towards Him, we remember we are beloved children of the King of Kings. Living inside the guardrails is exactly where I want to be.
Click on the link to hear the inspiring and upbeat song “Who I Am” by Blanca.
Our faith journeys always involve sharpening one another with spiritual truth. Sometimes we do this through sharing and encouraging, other times we do it through challenging others to reach higher or to confront a hard truth they’ve been avoiding.
Clutching the packet of paper-wrapped knives, I walked to my car. It felt good to get them sharpened—a task that had been on my “to do” list for far too long. As I’d chatted with the man who had done the work for me, I asked, “How often do you suggest getting knives sharpened?”
“Oh, I’d say every six months or so, depending on how much you use them and how well you care for them.” I smiled to myself realizing I hadn’t been quite that diligent. The last time I had my knives sharpened was sometime during George W. Bush’s Administration.
I’d heard for years that a dull knife was dangerous. With a little research I found out why this is true from the folks at America’s Test Kitchen. In a short demonstration video, kitchen tester Bridget Lancaster explains that a dull knife is “an accident waiting to happen.” She goes on to say, “A dull blade will require more force to do the job. That will increase the chances of slipping and missing the mark.”
Her use of the phrase “missing the mark” caught my attention since it is one of the definitions used for sin (taken from a term used in archery). The experience with my dull knives also reminded me of a favorite verse: Continue reading “Staying Spiritually Sharp”
I’m a big fan of closure. When I come to the end of something, I like to pause and reflect on all that I’ve learned and how it’s impacted me. With another year of Bible study coming to a close at Focused Living, it seems like a good time to take inventory of the major themes we’ve been studying since September.
I’m a big fan of closure. When I come to the end of something, I like to pause and reflect on all that I’ve learned and how it’s impacted me. With another year of Bible study coming to a close at Focused Living, it seems like a good time to take inventory of the major themes we’ve been studying since September.
If you attend Focused Living, you’ll see this post complements my teaching at our end of the year brunch. For those of you who follow this blog but don’t attend the study, you’ll find some good nuggets of truth. (You might even be inspired to try doing one of the studies). The passages we’ll use will help us to see what God calls us to do and how we can apply that truth to our lives. I pray you’ll be inspired to put the things we’ve learned into practice.
Children of the Day
Beth Moore’s study of 1 & 2 Thessalonians focused on the major them of living as “children of the light” based on this verse:
“You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.” (1 Thessalonians 5:5, NIV)
And what are we supposed to do as children of the day? Our answer comes a few verses later:
“But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8, NIV)
Using armor as a metaphor, the passage urges us to keep faith and love close to our hearts (the breastplate) and hope protecting our heads (the helmet).
This sounds great in theory, but how are we to put this into practice?
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV)
Rejoicing and giving thanks continually protects our hearts. These attitudes reveal faith and trust in God that goes beyond our immediate circumstances. Even when we don’t understand the things He allows in our lives, we know God is working them out according to His will and for our good. Similarly, praying continually protects our minds and helps us to keep hope central in our thoughts, no matter what we are experiencing.
I like using visual reminders to communicate themes. Because I don’t have any suits of armor handy, I’m giving you a more modern version of a helmet and breastplate (my son’s lacrosse helmet and chest pads). Let them remind you of the spiritual protection we need for our heads and hearts.
One in a Million
Priscilla Shirer’s study on the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land focuses on giving us courage in our journeys through the “wilderness” of difficult seasons in our lives. She encourages us to trust God in our hardships and to fix our eyes on the hope found only in Him. Continue reading “Tying a Bow on Three Great Studies”
The promise of summer ease and fun beckons us, but the lack of consistent fellowship can dampen our spirits after a while…Your spiritual life shouldn’t go on hiatus just because your Bible study isn’t meeting.
It only takes a spark to get a fire going
and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing.
That’s how it is with God’s love
once you’ve experienced it;
you spread his love to everyone;
you want to pass it on.
(“Pass It On” by Kurt Kaiser, The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 572)
If you grew up in the church or attended camps in the 1970’s and 1980’s, there is a good chance you’re humming the tune to the lyrics above right now. I can still picture myself sitting among friends at youth group swaying to the song and basking in the glow of deep friendship rooted in Christ.
The image of a campfire gives a great analogy for our walk of faith. Drawing near to the warmth of a fire on a dark night comforts and soothes us. Sitting side by side with others, we feel the blessing of fellowship and the joy of sharing a mutual love and desire for God. The darkness of the world is kept at bay as we circle the fire and delight in the light of God’s love. Each log thrown on stokes the flames, much like studying God’s Word fans the flames of faith in us. When we respond to God’s love by serving others, we build community and our faith grows, just as a fire grows larger as it’s fed by oxygen.
But what happens when it’s time to call it a night and head out into the dark? As people disperse, the circle of faces lighted by the dancing flames grows smaller. The fire that burned brightly eventually becomes no more than smoldering embers. So what do we do with all of those warm feelings and deep connections we’ve made around the fire?
If you’ve been attending the Focused Living Bible study for the past year, you know that is the season we’re entering now. With our last official meeting taking place this week, the circle of people around the campfire will scatter. The promise of summer ease and fun beckons us, but the lack of consistent fellowship can dampen our spirits after a while.
Ideas for Staying Connected
Although our regular Thursday meetings are coming to an end, there is no reason to let the fire go out. Yes, it takes work to keep the embers from growing cold, but it’s worth it. Your spiritual life shouldn’t go on hiatus just because your Bible study isn’t meeting.
There are many ways to stay connected with God, to be in fellowship and to study His word during the summer months. Take some time to pray and ask God to keep the embers lit during the summer months. Below you’ll find a few ideas to help you.
Engage this Blog Actively
An easy thing you can do is to follow this blog (Focused Living is taking a break but the blog will continue). Throughout the summer, I’ll explore new topics so you can continue learning and growing in God’s Word during our break.
If you’ve been relying on the weekly update e-mails from Focused Living to connect to the blog, you’ll need to look at the column to the right of this post and scroll down to the bottom where you’ll find the word “Follow.” Type your e-mail address in the blank field that appears and click “submit.” Once you’re following the blog, you’ll receive a copy of it automatically in your inbox each time I post a new one.
To engage further, click on “leave a comment” at the top of a post. Once you do this, a blank field labeled “Leave a reply” will appear at the bottom of the post. Start typing in the field that says “Enter your comment here…” This is where you can write your thoughts about it. (Ok, that might be obvious but I’m trying to be clear here).
The comment section is a place to ask questions, share insights or extend ideas further. This is a great opportunity to dialogue with others who are reading along too. Commenting allows you to continue sharing in community and discussing the materials with others no matter where you are. It’s a way to become an active participant instead of a passive reader.
Other Ideas for Staying Connected with God’s Word and Others
-Choose a Bible study book you can do on your own
-Find a friend or group of friends you can stay connected with for encouragement and prayer regularly (either in person, or by e-mail or text)
-Join a summer Bible study
-Open your home to meet with a small group for study and prayer
-Make going to church regularly a priority
-Visit different churches while you’re away on vacation
Hear Live Teaching Thursday, April 30
If you are a regular at Focused Living, be sure to attend our end of the year celebration on Thursday, April 30. I’ll be doing a short teaching to wrap up our entire year of study. (Yes, I’ll cram 28 weeks of meetings and countless hours of individual study into a twenty-minute talk). Check back here next week for notes on the talk.
Enjoy a Great Song
In keeping with the theme of “fire,” don’t miss this week’s inspiring song “Soul on Fire” by Third Day.
May this summer be one that your continued pursuit of God causes you to have a “soul on fire.” I can’t wait to hear about it.
In her Bible study “One in a Million” Priscilla Shirer uses the story of the Israelites traveling to the Promised Land as a jumping off place for inspiring Christians to experience God’s power and abundance. If you’re like me, you learn best by seeing the big picture before zeroing in on specific details. Since the study jumps into the story assuming you know what happened earlier, I thought putting the story into context might be helpful.
This week marks the beginning of a new Bible study for Focused Living at CPC. Priscilla Shirer uses the story of the Israelites traveling to the Promised Land as a jumping off place for inspiring Christians to experience God’s power and abundance. If you’re like me, you learn best by seeing the big picture before zeroing in on specific details. Since the study jumps into the story assuming you know what happened earlier, I thought putting the story into context might be helpful. In case you don’t have time to read Genesis, Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy this week, you’ll find a brief history of events summarized below with Scripture references included for you to read further. You might find this history helpful even if you aren’t doing Priscilla’s study.
Background from Genesis & Exodus
To understand the significance of the Jews’ wandering in the desert, we need to look at a brief history of the key people and events that led up to that time in their history. (Note: the names “Jews,” “Israelites,” “Hebrews,” and “Children of Israel” are used interchangeably here).
Abraham is known as the father of the Jewish nation. In Genesis 15 God made a covenant with Abraham telling him that he would be the father of a great nation and that he would give him a large portion of land (ie: The Promised Land). Side note: A covenant is a solemn promise or undertaking between two parties; a mutual understanding that binds the two parties together and agrees they will fulfill certain obligations. Sometimes God made covenant promises to people that did not require anything of them in return, other times He made them between people and Himself.
Many years later, Abraham and his wife, Sarah, had a son, Isaac, when they were 100 and 90 years old, respectively. (In a weak moment prior to this, Abraham also fathered a son named Ishmael with his servant, Hagar, but that is another story.)
Isaac married Rebekah and they had twin boys named Jacob and Esau. (Genesis 25:19-34)
Although he was the second twin born, Jacob became the patriarch of the family by tricking Esau out of his birthright (another story for another day found in Genesis 27). God promised that He would give Jacob many descendants and that the earth would be blessed through him and his offspring. God promised to watch over Jacob and never to leave him. (Genesis 28:10-19). God later changed Jacob’s name to Israel. (Genesis 32:28) This name is where we get the terms “Israelites” and “Children of Israel.”
Jacob had twelve sons with four different women (two of them were his wives, Leah and Rachel, and two were his wives’ maidservants, Zilpah and Bilhah). These twelve sons later became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. Their names were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph (his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh were heads of the two “half tribes”), Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher (Genesis 35:23-26).
One of Jacob’s sons was named Joseph. He was Jacob’s favorite son from his most cherished wife, Rachel. Because of this favoritism, Jacob was despised by his older brothers. (Part of his story is told in the Broadway musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat.” Part is also told in the book The Red Tent) Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery and lied to their father, telling him Joseph had been killed. Through a long chain of amazing events, Joseph ended up later in life being second in command to the pharaoh in Egypt. Joseph saved the Egyptians from a famine through God’s divine wisdom. During the famine, his brothers came to Egypt for food. They did not know Joseph was still alive or that he was second in command. Eventually Joseph revealed his identity to them and forgave them for selling him into slavery. He even noted how God had used their evil intent to bring good into his life and the lives of others. (Great story- check it out in Genesis 37 & 39-45). Eventually, with Joseph’s blessing, his eleven brothers brought their families and their parents to settle in Egypt. (Genesis 37-50 tells this story).
After Joseph died, a new pharaoh came to power in Egypt who did not know Joseph or the history of the Israelites. By this time, Joseph’s eleven brothers and all of their family members were growing in numbers. The new pharaoh feared they would become so numerous and powerful that they would overthrow him if given the opportunity, so he enslaved them and made them do forced labor building his cities. (God had foretold this to Abraham in Genesis 15:13). The Hebrews continued to bear children and grow in numbers, leading the pharaoh to command that all Hebrew baby boys be killed.
Finally, after about 400 years of enslavement, Moses was born. To prevent him from being slaughtered with the other Hebrew boy babies, his mother strategically placed him in a basket in the Nile River near the location Pharaoh’s daughter bathed. The plan worked and Pharaoh’s daughter rescued Moses from the river and raised him as her own in the palace. Moses’ mother even got to be his wet nurse. (Exodus 1 & 2)
Moses lived in Egypt as a son of Pharaoh for 40 years. At age 40 he killed an Egyptian slave master who was beating a fellow Jew. When the murder was discovered, he fled to the land of Midian, where he married and lived as a shepherd for the next 40 years. When Moses was 80, God appeared to him in the desert and spoke to him from a burning bush. He commanded Moses to go back to Egypt to ask Pharaoh to set the Israelites free. Moses was to lead them to the Promised Land, which had been promised to Abraham long before. (Exodus 3 & 4)
God promised He would be with Moses. God also told Moses that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart and that miraculous signs would have to be performed before Pharaoh would agree to let the people go (Exodus 7).
God sent ten plagues on Egypt, one at a time, to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. Each time, Moses warned Pharaoh in advance that God would send a plague, but he wouldn’t listen. The plagues were: 1) turning all the water in Egypt to blood 2) filling the whole country with frogs 3) filling the land with gnats 4) sending swarms of flies 5) sending a plague on all of the livestock 6) sending a plague of boils on people and animals 7) sending a violent hailstorm 8) sending a plague of locusts to ravage the land 9) sending darkness over the land for three days straight.
When Pharaoh still would not relent, God sent the final plague. This time, all the firstborns in every family would be killed. The Passover was God’s protection against this plague for the Israelites. (Exodus 12:1-30)
After the tenth plague, Pharaoh finally let the Israelites leave Egypt. (Later he changed his mind and pursued them into the wilderness. You may know it if you ever watched the animated movie “The Prince of Egypt” or the new movie “Exodus.”)
In Exodus 12:14-20 God commanded the Israelites to commemorate the Passover for the generations to come. The celebration was also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (This is the feast Jesus and His disciples celebrated together on the night before He was crucified.)
God led the Israelites as they fled Egypt and began their journey to the land He promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
After fleeing Egypt and passing through the Red Sea, on dry ground, Moses led the Israelites into the desert on their way back to the Promised Land. At the base of Mount Sinai, God re-established His covenant with the people, renewing what He established with their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
In Exodus chapters 19-24, God added further clarification to the covenant, which became known as the Sinaitic Covenant (because it was established at Mt. Sinai). One of the central portions of the covenant God gave was the Ten Commandments. These commandments explained God’s design to enable His people to have a right relationship with Him and others. (Exodus 20)
God promised that He would give the Israelites the Promised Land, but on the brink of entering it, they lost trust in Him. When the Israelites reached the border of the Promised Land, they sent spies to scout out the land and the people living in it. The spies reported that it was a good land that flowed with milk and honey. However, they also reported “The people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large…We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” (Numbers 13:28 & 31 NIV)
Joshua and Caleb were the only two of the twelve spies who disagreed with this assessment and encouraged the people to trust God and take possession of the land with God’s help. Ultimately, the people allowed their fear to consume them and refused to enter the land. (Numbers 14:1-24)
Joshua and Caleb were the only two people out of the roughly two million Jews who trusted God and believed He would deliver the Promised Land into their hands. This is what inspired Priscilla Shirer’s title One in a Million. The rest of the Israelites refused to trust God and carry out His plan. Once the people made this decision, God declared that they would be cursed to wander in the desert until they died. The ten spies who scouted the Promised Land and gave a bad report to the people were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. Only Joshua and Caleb survived. Because of this, the people changed their minds and tried to enter the Promised Land, although they no longer had God’s blessing. They were attacked by the inhabitants and turned away. (Numbers 14)
Because of their failure to trust God, the Israelites were cursed to stay in the desert for forty years until the entire disbelieving generation passed away. God would keep His covenant and go before them into the Promised Land, but only two members of the original group would enter the Promised Land: Joshua and Caleb.
At the end of his life, Moses spoke to the next generation of Israelites as they were on the brink of crossing into the Promised Land. All of them were born while their parents and grandparents had wandered in the desert for forty years. He laid out the blessings they would experience if they kept their covenant with God and the curses they would endure if they didn’t. (Deuteronomy 28-30)
Priscilla Shirer refers to different segments of this Bible story throughout the study. She also uses the parts of it as symbols for different aspects of our spiritual lives:
-Egypt represents times when we are/ were in bondage to sin.
-The desert wandering/ wilderness times symbolize seasons in our lives when we are trying to follow God’s plans but are unsure of where He is leading us. They can also be actual times of difficulty, such as dealing with an illness or financial struggles; emotional, such as dealing with broken relationships or grief/loss; or spiritual, such as struggling to figure out God’s plan.
-The Promised Land represents abundant life found in Christ (John 10:10). Reaching the Promised Land is about our attitudes changing as we choose to trust God. Our actual circumstances may or may not have changed, but we’ve experienced a personal and spiritual transformation that causes us to approach them from a new perspective.
Hopefully this summary will help you to have a sense of the context of the Old Testament references as you complete the study.
If you can identify with being in bondage to sin or wandering in the wilderness then you will find comfort and encouragement in Kari Jobe’s song “I Am Not Alone.” Click on the link for five minutes of great worship.
One thing I’ve learned is that it’s never futile to begin anew. Each time, we learn and grow in new ways.
Our car gleamed in the early morning light as we pointed it north and drove up the freeway. Freshly washed and waxed, the sun’s first rays reflected off the sleek surface as we began our ten-hour trek. It’s become a ritual in our family to begin a driving trip with a clean car. We even have a saying for it: “Clean cars run better.” It seems best to start a long road trip keeping this practice in mind. It’s never failed us yet.
Crossing the border from California into Oregon, a light dusting of snow began to fall. By the time we reached Portland, the grime of the road and the wet weather had dulled the sheen of the once-clean car. It was bound to happen, so why did we bother? Maybe it’s because there is something that feels good about starting fresh.
It could be the reason these words resonate with me:
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23, NIV)
Yes, the car got dirty after we washed it, but it was much easier to clean when we got home because the layers of dirt weren’t thick and hadn’t been there long. The same thing is true of our spiritual lives: every morning we get a new day to start again. God’s compassion for us is renewed and He shows His faithfulness. No matter how messy the day before was or how much we messed up, God lets us push the re-start button.
Maybe that’s why we celebrate a New Year. It’s why January First marks the day people resolve to start over and try again. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s never futile to begin anew. Each time, we learn and grow in new ways. Plus, it’s a chance to clear off the grime of past sins before they consume us. When we take time to do spiritual spring-cleaning, to examine our hearts and to receive God’s compassion afresh, we stay more closely aligned with His Spirit. The longer and further we stray, the harder it is to re-engage.
The beginning of a New Year is a great chance to regain lost ground and claim new territory in our walks with God. It’s the time to open a new devotional or to begin reading our Bibles daily. It’s a blank page, just waiting to be filled with new possibilities. If you’re a part of CPC’s Focused Living, you’ll be hearing much more about that as we begin our new study by Priscilla Shirer called One in a Million: Journey to Your Promised Land. If you’re a regular reader from beyond the group, I’ll be sure to keep it relevant for you.
I can’t wait to start fresh, and I hope you’ll come along for the ride.
Click on the link to be inspired by Lincoln Brewster’s song: “Made New.”
The person of Jesus is subtly or overtly woven throughout every plotline contained in the Bible. What a privilege it is to hold His Word in our hands and to be able to study it. What a thrill it is to realize again that His Word is living and active, always revealing new truths.
ΑΩ
I spent the fall leading a group studying God’s covenants in the Old Testament and how Jesus fulfilled them in the New Testament. Learning about the ways God’s plan unfolds through the centuries has given me an even deeper appreciation for why we celebrate the birth of Jesus. He was there with God at the dawn of creation and will be there in the earth’s last days. Jesus says it clearly in the book of Revelation:
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:13, NIV)
In spite of His lofty position, He was willing to become a baby and grow up in our fallen world because He loves us so desperately. He endured it all so we could be saved from our sins and so we could choose to have a relationship with Him.
As I’ve been reading daily advent devotions this season, a few have driven home this concept of Jesus as Alpha and Omega: the One who was there in the beginning and will be there in the end. I’d like to share two new things that struck me about Jesus and the Christmas story in a new way.
Old Testament Connection
Jefferson Bethke’s devotion Jesus, True Jubilee provides new insight on the lengthy list of Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew 1. He points out that the names are organized in six groups of seven names. The next name, Jesus, was at the beginning of the seventh group of seven names. The Jews reading Matthew’s gospel would have understood the significance of this this:
“The idea of 7 7’s had been in the Jewish world for hundreds of years, as the sign of completing and celebration. More specifically, it pointed to the party and celebration of Jubilee. The Jubilee year would be the completion of the sabbatical years. Every 7 years God commanded Israel to take an entire Sabbath year. Rest. Let the crops chill. Enjoy His presence. But every 7th cycle of 7 years (so every 49 years) Israel was to throw an incredible party that entailed a few things — large scale debt would get cancelled, slaves would be set free, and God’s presence would be particularly manifest in the year of Jubilee….
Now back to Matthew. You can see just how explosive the list of names now becomes. In a very creative and fresh way Matthew is saying that the entire year of Jubilee that the Old Testament laid down was simply an arrow or signpost pointing to Jesus as the true Jubilee. With Him beginning the 7th group of 7 Matthew is saying Jesus is ushering in the true Jubilee!
Our spiritual debts are cancelled. We as slaves to sin are set free. And God’s presence is particularly made manifest in the fact that God Himself, Jesus, is walking among us! …When He entered into our world, He was bringing with Him an entire world Himself — a new way to live, to act, to love, and to know God face to face.” (Jesus, True Jubilee, Jefferson Bethke, www.faithgateway.com)
New Testament Connection
I never realized the Christmas story is also told in Revelation from a very different perspective. Author John Eldredge describes it in a devotion I read recently:
“Contrast your associations with Christmas night to this description given to us from heaven’s point of view:
I saw a woman… She was pregnant, and she cried out in the pain of labor as she awaited her delivery. Suddenly, I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail dragged down one-third of the stars, which he threw to the earth. He stood before the woman as she was about to give birth to her child, ready to devour the baby as soon as it was born. She gave birth to a boy who was to rule all nations with an iron rod…
Then there was war in heaven. Michael and the angels under his command fought the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle and was forced out of heaven. This great dragon — the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world — was thrown down to the earth with all his angels… And when the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the child. But she was given two wings like those of a great eagle. This allowed her to fly to a place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time… Then the dragon… declared war against the rest of her children — all who keep God’s commandments and confess that they belong to Jesus. (Revelation 12)
Eldredge continues: “Startling. Vivid. Disturbing for sure. And an essential part of the story.
I would pay good money to have a nativity scene with this included. Not only would it capture our imagination, I think it would better prepare us to celebrate the holidays and to go on to live in the story Christmas invites us into.
Yes — Christmas is the glow of candlelight on golden straw, and a Baby sleeping in a manger. It is starlight, shepherds in a field and the visit of magi from the east. But Christmas is also an invasion. The kingdom of God striking at the heart of the kingdom of darkness, with violent repercussions.” (Remember the Dragon: Christmas Is an Invasion, John Eldrege, www.faithgateway.com)
God’s Perfect Plan
The more I study the Bible, the more I’m in awe of God’s perfect plan and the way it all unfolds. The fact that God’s instructions for the Jews in the Old Testament would connect to Jesus’ place in the genealogy shows His attentiveness to detail. The idea that Jesus’ birth is described in the last book of the Bible from heaven’s perspective leaves me speechless. Both concepts reinforce the fact that Jesus is the center of God’s plan to redeem people in every generation. The person of Jesus is subtly or overtly woven throughout every plotline contained in the Bible. What a privilege it is to hold His Word in our hands and to be able to study it. What a thrill it is to realize again that His Word is living and active, always revealing new truths.
I pray your Christmas celebrations are more meaningful as you consider Jesus, the Alpha and Omega who humbled Himself and came to earth for our sakes. What a blessing and privilege it is to be included in a love story that started when time began and will continue until it ends.
Click on the link for a Christmas worship moment with Chris Tomlin’s “Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy).”
The best way to keep Jesus in the center of the Christmas season is to keep Him central in our daily lives, especially when we feel too busy.
Jesus tells us: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) The many lights that twinkle during the Christmas season celebrate this truth. I like to believe that all lights people hang at this time of year give Him praise, whether they were intended to or not. However, as much as I love this season, I often take my eyes off Jesus. Sometimes the true Light is only in my peripheral vision as I let lesser lights guide me during this hectic time of year.
The Bible reminds us that God’s word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our paths. (Psalm 119:105) However, spending quiet time with the Lord can get pushed aside as other things vie for our attention. So many shiny lights blink with urgency that it’s easy to let them guide us in place of God’s Word.
One of the biggest pitfalls for us is the lure of meeting expectations that abound during this season. All of those real or imagined hopes we try to fulfill lead us down a path to exhaustion. We can spend the season trying to find the right gift, decorate the house exquisitely, bake everyone’s traditional favorites, wear the perfect Christmas outfit, or maintain cherished traditions. The season can become engulfed with fulfilling expectations. However, when we let them be the lamp to our feet and the light to our path, we often end up feeling physically and emotionally depleted.
Every day we have to make a conscious choice: we can choose to light our paths with the world’s expectations or we can choose to light our paths by spending time with the Lord in His Word. The light we choose to lead us influences the direction we go. One path leads to disappointment, the other to joy. The best way to keep Jesus in the center of the Christmas season is to keep Him central in our daily lives, especially when we feel too busy. Even if our formal Bible study groups are on a break for the holidays, our personal times with God can continue. It is the one thing that will keep us in alignment with Him during this busy season and into the New Year. Let’s not let the “urgent” tasks of the moment cause us to sacrifice what is ultimately most important.
Thinking about this reminded me of a letter my husband and I wrote to our boys last Christmas. We’d bought them new Bibles and wanted to explain their importance. Our goal was to help them understand the reason we make reading and studying the Bible a priority in our lives. Here is a short excerpt from that letter:
“Our hope and prayer is that as you get older, you will immerse yourself in God’s word and see that it is the jumping off place for everything in life. It will give you wisdom about your daily choices, your relationships, your future plans, and so much more. It will show you who God is and what He thinks of you. It will show you how to pray and what to pray for. It will equip you with the tools you need to engage in spiritual battle. It will give you confidence to obey God when it would be easier to follow the crowd. It will give you hope no matter what difficulty you find yourself in. It will tell you the truth when the world tells you lies. It will give you a firm foundation for making big life decisions. It will give you wisdom when you don’t know what to do. But, it will only do these things if you take the time to read it, study it, and talk about it with others. As you “marinate” in the Bible, the truth you discover will flavor who you are and impact the world around you. You will further God’s kingdom on earth as you live out the things you learn in the Bible.”
This Christmas season, let’s not let our Bibles gather dust on our shelves as we’re on a break from our usual routines and engrossed in the holiday season. Before you turn on your computer or tablet, check your phone, unfold the newspaper, or click on the TV, try sitting quietly with Him for a few minutes at the beginning of your day.
-Read through the Christmas story in Luke 1 and 2 and Matthew 1 & 2 and prophesies about Jesus in Isaiah 9:2-7, Isaiah 42:1-9, Isaiah 55:1-13 and Micah 7:18-20.
-Review your most recent Bible study workbook and complete the parts you skipped during the busyness of the fall.
-Write a short prayer. Commit your day to God and trust Him to guide you. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you.
The things that seem so urgent will still be there when you’re finished. The ones that need your attention will get done and the others won’t matter quite so much.
If these suggestions sound idealistic and unrealistic because of your hectic schedule, pray that God will multiply your time. He’s ready and waiting to spend time with you and will orchestrate your day to make it possible. All you have to do is ask.
Start a new tradition this Christmas and make time daily to let God’s Word light your path instead of letting expectations be your primary guiding light. Instead being disappointed and exhausted, you’ll find God’s Word leaves you fulfilled and energized. As His peace rests upon you, you’ll bless others in a way that outshines fulfilling even the grandest of expectations.
Click on the link to celebrate the true Light of Christmas with Chris Tomlin’s “Light of the World.”
Despite the deceiving allure of sin, a world without God’s love and goodness would be far from appealing.
“Yo, ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!” I sing and clap along with my seatmates as we float through the amusement park ride. Slipping past us are scenes of a seaside village being overrun by jovial pirates. On one side, a line of women tied together with a rope stands waiting for their turn on the auction block. A pirate auctioneer points out what wonderful “brides” they’ll make. Most of the women pose, smile and try to appear attractive. Further down we float past two drunken pirates recklessly shooting guns at one another while perched precariously on kegs of gunpowder. Describing these scenes without the catchy soundtrack that plays throughout the ride gives them a different feel. If we took the smiles off the characters’ faces, the playful nature would be gone altogether.
If I think about it, the scenes we’re witnessing in this ride are horrific. Marauding pirates are finding drunken pleasure in terrorizing a sleepy village while women are being sold to the highest bidder. Yet it’s depicted in such an appealing way that we laugh, smile, and hum the memorable tune as the ride comes to an end.
My example here isn’t intended to condemn the amusement park or the ride. However, it does provide a perfect example of how easily Satan deceives us by making blatant sin seem appealing, fun and harmless. We can be so absorbed by his lies that we fail to realize the sins we embrace or choose to overlook are meant for our harm, not our good: “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23a, NIV)
Maybe that’s why I like Paul’s clear words: “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3a, NIV) Our culture is full of deception as Satan lulls us into thinking of sin as fun and exciting while viewing righteousness as boring or unattractive. You don’t have to look very far in the world of advertising or entertainment to understand what I mean. We can easily be deceived into thinking that certain sins are “no big deal” or “all in good fun.” Rarely do we see the ugly consequences depicted later.
With our guards down we get lulled into complacency and compromise. Things that should upset us because they dishonor God no longer make us flinch. This is one of the many ways Satan deceives us and renders us ineffective as Christians. Jesus describes Satan as “a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44b, NIV)
Despite the deceiving allure of sin, a world without God’s love and goodness would be far from appealing. Beth Moore paints a vivid picture: “If the entire law of God hinged on love, swing your head the opposite direction and picture the exact reverse. In the light of that darkness, you’ll begin to formulate the basic structure of lawlessness. Feel the temperature of warm hearts plummet to frozen tundra. Picture a world where people couldn’t care less about their neighbor.” (Children of the Day p. 171)
A world devoid of God’s presence would be an awful place, even for those who do not acknowledge Him. The Bible tells us that God is good, God is light and God is love. He doesn’t just bring these things to earth; He is the embodiment of them. This means anywhere that light, goodness and love exist on the earth, God is present. I believe this is true even in places where people refuse to acknowledge Him. That is why “the hellishness of hell will be the absence of God.” (Children of the Day p. 172)
Let’s consider this for a minute with a few Scripture passages to help us.
God is Light
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.” (Genesis 1:1-4, NIV)
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.“ (1 John 1:5, NIV)
-Both passages above show that God created literal light and it is He who sustains it.
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12, NIV)
-Jesus is the light of the world and makes it possible for us to move from spiritual darkness into spiritual light.
“There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:5, NIV)
-In the earth’s last days when Jesus returns, God will be the source of all light.
God is Good
“You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.” (Psalm 119:68, NIV)
-Strong’s Concordance explains: “God is good in the very widest sense of the word including His nature, character, and actions.”
God is Love
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8, NIV)
-The Wycliffe Bible Commentary explains: “Love is not simply a quality which God possesses, but love is that which he is by his very nature.”
Can you imagine living without light, goodness or love? While some people may take them for granted or not acknowledge God as their source, we daily reap the benefit of their existence in our world.
As Christians we have to make a clear and intentional choice not to be deceived by Satan and his lies. Paul gives us the best remedy for this. “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15, NIV)
We have the honor of holding the Word of God in our hands and have the freedom to access it at any time. We can study it alone using a multitude of resources or gather with others to learn and grow. Current events remind us that this is not the case everywhere in the world today. Let’s not take this great privilege for granted. We must be on our guards to avoid being lulled into complacency by attractively disguised sins. Engaging God’s word daily is the best defense for keeping ourselves from falling prey to deception.
“Forever Reign” by Hilllsong is a fantastic worship song describing some of God’s attributes that were highlighted in this post. Click on the link to hear some Truth set to music.
