A Little Humility

Ephesians 4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience bearing with one another in love.

I had a interesting & very humbling experience today. I tried to tackle installing a replacement faucet in the kitchen. I looked like a simple project. I have replaced other faucets in other houses I have lived in. The problem is being, this is not a simple faucet and we have a few complicating factors with the existing plumbing. So, the plumber is now here solving the problems.

There is joy in serving the Lord. Occasionally we can actually say we are having a fun time serving the Lord. Serving others can be similar in nature to serving the Lord. There is the ability to have joy, fun, and many other emotions. There is also one very important aspect of being a Christian that goes along with the joy ministry. That aspect is humility. Humility is a vital characteristic of a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. We need look no farther that the life of Jesus to see why this is important. Beginning with the very beginning of the life of Jesus. The Son of God, a full member of the trinity, humbled himself and took on flesh. This act of humility was for the purpose of saving a bunch of sinners from the death they deserved (and we deserve). He lived a humble life on earth, not a life of opulence and excess. He hung out with the common people, not the royalty. He healed the sick, the lame, the blind. He drove out demons without regard to the place in society of the person possessed. He suffered the humiliation of the mockery of a trial, scourging, rejection by those closest to him. And finally, he suffered the humiliation of the cross. Never once placing his needs above others. True humility was his life style.

We serve in humility because our role model served in humility. We put others ahead of ourselves in our service. We serve, rather than being served. And we love others because we are loved by none other than the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let humility and gentleness be our mantra as we remain in patience bearing with one another in love.

PRAYER: Lord, we need look no further than the cross to see humility. The sacrifice of Jesus for all mankind is a reminder that we are loved beyond comprehension and beyond comparison. Help us, as we go about our lives to be humble, gentle, and patient. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, who with the Father and the Spirit are one God, now and forever, amen.

Through the Holy Spirit

Romans 5:5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Making a Christmas gift, versus buying a gift, can be very satisfying for the giver and the receiver. It shows the receiver that the giver cares enough to not just go out a buy a gift. It shows that the giver cares enough to give a part of themselves in the love and care that goes into making the gift. One of my most precious Christmas gifts is a simple little pillow made by my children when they were much younger.  Each child lovingly helped to make the pillow and signed their names in their little kid handwriting.

A recipe, as defined by Webster’s dictionary is a set of instructions for making something (as a food dish) from various ingredients.  Many times when we combine ingredients we cannot tell what ingredients went into the mix because they lose their distinct appearance amongst the other ingredients. At other times it is very easy to tell what the component parts are in a recipe because of their unique physical properties. We pour the ingredients together as called out in the recipe and we hopefully achieve the desired results.

As believers, we are the result of a recipe created by God. And in making each of us, God added the ingredients He saw were needed to make each of us the individuals we are. In doing so, he poured out his love for us into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. He did this once, and continues to do so.  This act of love by God our Father gives each of us the faith we need in our lives to endure whatever trial or tribulation may enter into our lives. In addition to pouring his love into our hearts, the blood of Christ was poured out on the cross so that we would be saved. That gift of grace, which we sorely do not deserve but are given freely, is our most precious gift from our Father in heaven. All other gifts pale in comparison. The love, sacrifice, caring, and compassion poured out on that cross are comprehendible because we have been given faith by God our Father. Each time we kneel at the communion rail and receive the body and blood of Christ we are reminded of the love and sacrifice poured out for us because the “love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”  It is not simply bread and wine, it is the body and blood of Christ. We know this to be the case because Christ said so. This gift of salvation did not come wrapped up in Christmas wrapping paper with ribbons and bows. Yet this gift is more precious than any we will ever receive from anyone else. It is the gift that keeps on giving. The next time you receive communion, stop and think about the gift you are about to receive. It’s a fantastic gift, which does not have to be placed under a Christmas tree to be great.

PRAYER: Lord, Your strength comforts and fortifies us. Your Spirit gives us the faith to overcome our trials and tribulations. Help us dear Lord to remember that Your love for us is boundless. Let the peace that flows from You to keep our hearts free from fear. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen

The Glory of the Son

Matthew 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

I learned a phrase many years ago in the Navy that has stayed with me. “Mill about smartly.”  It was used to give direction to a group of sailors who had nothing purposeful to do. This group, being given direction, could not be seen to just be sitting around doing nothing. Nor could they be given the chance to leave the work area (to go on liberty.)  They had to look as if they were really doing something useful, without really doing anything useful. In civilian terminology it’s “look busy.” 

In serving the Lord, have you encountered a time when you felt as if you were a sheep without a shepherd? Perhaps after spending considerable time, effort, and possibly serving in a specific ministry for a prolonged period of time you might have stopped to ask yourself the big question. “Where is this ministry going to?” It is nothing to be ashamed of, it happens. We all reach that point where we just have a question about the relevance, direction, purpose, etc. It happens to all believers. We may reach that point because in carrying out our ministry tasks we are even being challenged or harassed by others. Sadly, this really does happen, even among believers. In either case we hit a point where we are looking for direction, guidance, affirmation, or something to let us know we are going in the right direction. Fortunately we have Jesus as the head of the church.  He is the good shepherd we need to follow. In serving the Lord we need to ask honestly of ourselves if Jesus is really the one being served, or are we serving someone or something else? It is a tough question, but it is a worthwhile question to periodically ask of ourselves and our community of believers. It is too easy to fall into the trap of serving ourselves, or an institution, and not the Lord.   We serve to bring glory to the Son, not glory upon ourselves.  We must seek out in prayer the will of God before we begin serving, during our service and after we are done serving. We need to keep focused on what the Lord would have us do. We need to be aligned with the will of God if we are to succeed. And often when we fail to keep in touch with the will of the Lord we find ourselves at cross-purposes with the Lord. Often we have the “I am pushing a rope” feeling that leads to despair and discouragement. Friends, we have a Savior who has compassion for us because we are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” We have the good shepherd we need to guide us, protect us and sustain us. We have Jesus, and that is all we need to see us through to the end of our journey.

PRAYER: Almighty God, creator of the universe. We serve You O God in all that we do. We seek to bring glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We seek Your will in serving and ask Your blessings upon all that we do in serving You. Help us to avoid the trap of pride in ourselves. Help us to not become self-serving in our serving You. Let humility be our watch-word in all that we do. This we ask in the name of the good shepherd, Your Son and our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Glory of the Lord

Luke 2:9-10 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

Here we are, on the cusp of Christmas day. My e-mail in-box is being bombarded with last minute offers of free shipping, fantastically reduced prices, etc. Each advertisement is heralded as being vital to my Christmas shopping.  It’s as if they think I had been hiding in a closet and did not know that Christmas was just a scant few days away. One more gift and I am done!

Can you think of something you have seen that was so absolutely beautiful, so brilliant, so stunning that it took your breath away? And oh-by-the-way you cannot take the easy road and say it was your wife/husband/child/significant other. I am talking about something that almost defies description.  If you have, then congratulations are in order. If not, then welcome to the club. The glory of the Lord, in my mind, would be something that is not just seen. It is more along the lines of something that is experienced. It would be, as described in Luke 2:9-10 as an experience so overwhelming that it causes a strong emotional response. It’s an experience that goes to the very core of our being. The angel appearing in the presence of the shepherds and immediately reassuring them with the words, “fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.”  Thinking about the message and the bearer of the message.  Which to you would have been more profound in nature? My vote is the message. Sure, an angel showing up is significant. But the news that a Savior has been born in Bethlehem was the real news. The news of a Savior was, and still is, a complete game changer not just for the shepherds but for all mankind. And the brilliance of that same message shines even today. Christmas is a time for being reminded of the Son of God coming to earth in the form of a newborn baby. The gift of salvation for all mankind is the gift that has been delivered. It is also a gift to be shared with all who do not know of Jesus. Please, share the most stunning news of all with family, friends, and those who do not know of the gift of grace. That is the breath-taking glory of God which all need to see this Christmas.

PRAYER: Father we thank You for Your Son. We thank You for the baby born in a manger. In a world where the birth of a simple child is often taken for granted, we cherish the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Help us to share the good news of Jesus with all who are in need to hearing of Your Glory. We give You thanks in the name of Your Son, Jesus, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit are one God, now and forever. Amen

Will Be A Light To Me

Micah 7:8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.

Have you ever experienced thunder snow? Thunder snow is a phenomena where in the midst of a very, very heavy snow storm, lightning and thunder occur. The location where thunder snow happens is usually experiencing a tremendous rate of accumulation of snow. And the snow flakes are huge! It is something to behold and one of the many wonders of creation. In case you are wondering, it’s very dark at where thunder snow happens. Even in the light of day. 

Ever been in a situation where you were down, and there seemed to be people who were kicking at you while you are down?  There may be times when it seems as if our enemies have the upper hand and they are not satisfied to just have the upper hand. There can be a particularly cruel streak in people to try and make sure someone who is down does not get back up. That is just a facet of the sinful world we live in. It happens when people listen to their hearts and not let the light of Christ shine in their lives. Gossip is probably one of the most understated, yet cruelest practices of kicking someone when they are down. Gossips fit in with the lowest of characters.  The Apostle Paul reminds us of how evil gossips are in Romans 1:29-31. They are filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. There it is, right in the middle with all the other characteristics of those who have fallen from the light. Do you gossip? Do you spread stories that do not lift up others? Do you “innocently” spread stories you do not know to be true? If that is the case, please do one thing. STOP, IT IS WRONG! Stop kicking someone who is down. There is no need to gossip. No one is served by gossip, short of Satan. It has no place in a Christian congregation, nor in a Christian life style. If someone chooses to share gossip with you, you need to correct that behavior. Please do so in love.  For those who are the victim of gossip, there is great comfort in the words of Micah 7:8. Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. Stop and think.  Do you really want to aggravate the Lord by being an enemy of someone? When you put gossip into the proper context, right up there with slander, murder, and haters of God it takes on a whole new perspective.  If you have been a gossip, and most of us have at one time or another, repent. Stop, and know that you are forgiven. Yes, Jesus died on the cross so that the sins of all, even gossips, can be forgiven.

PRAYER: Our Father in heaven. Mighty is Your strength. Help us to find within ourselves the discipline to keep our mouths shut and not gossip. Guide us to share words of kindness about other. Help us to shut out the temptations, and the darkness so that we might be able to focus on the light that is the life of all men. Help us to fix our eyes on Jesus. Amen

On Them Has Light Shined

Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.

In a previous devotional I mentioned that I enjoy boating at night. When I was growing up back in Michigan we had a lighthouse, the Tawas Point Lighthouse, we could use to help navigate. It worked really well as guide when the stars were obscured by clouds. It was a constant source of a fixed point to navigate towards or away from, unless a fog set in while you were out on the water.

Can you really grasp that in the bright light of daytime that we are all walking in the darkness?  Odd as that may seem, it is truly the case. We are surrounded by darkness. I know from personal experience that in some places the darkness that threatens to engulf us is more easy to see in the light of day. Yet the really difficult places of darkness are the places we chose to deny as being darkness. The land of denial is a very comfortable place to reside. Life is good, there are no real problems to give you pause. But the land of denial is a land riddle with false hope and bad risk perception because we trivialize our sins. The land of denial is a land of shadows and lots of things hide in the shadows. There are many rocks lying on the ground hiding many unhealthy things. The bottom line my friends is the land of denial is not a good place to be. In the land of denial we walk in the darkness. We choose to not look at the great light from Isaiah 9:2. When we know full well that we are in the land of denial, and deliberately chose to ignore the light, we set ourselves up for failure. The problem is the land of denial is difficult to leave. There is a huge temptation to just stay there and ignore the light. There is an element of fear we do not want to address. But my friends in the Risen Savior, we must leave the place of false comfort. When the rocks are overturned, the ugly creatures living under the rocks are exposed to the light and the shadows are driven away by the great light. The sin we sequester under the rocks and in the shadows of our lives must see the light. We can survive because we are already forgiven. We can pray for faith to overcome the sin we seek to hide. And we must come to realize that we are foolishly trying to hide sin from God. Come on now, just how foolish are we? He is God and he knew us before we were even born. Just who are we trying to deceive? He is God not some foolish friend we can deceive. But when we, the people who have walked in the darkness have seen a great light we can continue to walk in the light. We can put aside our fears and leave the land of denial and come to live in the real world surrounded by fellow refugees from the land of denial. We can live in fellowship with those who have seen the light and are drawn to the great light that is Jesus Christ. There is no denying this, Christ is the way, the truth and the light. And all who believe have the life eternal that is in Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Father, we ask for something simple today. We ask for the faith, strength, and courage to leave the land of denial that we can hide our sins from You. Help us to shine the light of Jesus in all aspects of our lives. We ask this in the name of the one true light, Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Stronghold Of My Life

Psalms 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

I am unashamedly a Tolkien fan. I have enjoyed reading the Lord of the Rings books for many years. The story is interesting and has more than just a small a few Christian applications. One of my favorite scenes is the battle for Helm’s Deep. Helm’s Deep was the stronghold of the Rohirrm (some of the main characters in the Lord of the Rings.) It was a place to make a final stand in the face of evil.

What are you afraid of? It is a question we all should ask ourselves. We all need to know what drives fear into our heart in our waking and sleeping hours. It may be something tangible or intangible. We may a fear of flying, or a fear of heights, or of wild animals or any number of things. The fear of clowns for one person may seem absurd to another person.  But then again their fear may be just a absurd to the person afraid of clowns. There is a nothing to be ashamed of by having a fear of something. At times our fears can be healthy fears that keep us from harm. But they can also be unhealthy for our lives too. It really boils down to not so much of what do you fear, but whom do you trust? Do you really trust the Lord? Do you really trust God with every aspect of your life? Or are you holding something back? Let me elaborate using the Lord of the Rings. The story has the “good guys” falling back to Helms Deep to make a stand against the pervasive evil that was threatening to engulf their entire world. Evil could approach down a narrow valley straight into the doors of Helm’s Deep and with their backs against the wall, the good guys could fight the good fight. They could make a last stand in the face of overwhelming odds because they were fighting in only one direction. That direction was straight at the enemy. And that is just how it is for us each and every day. The Lord is my light and my salvation . The Lord is the stronghold of my life.  When we have God as our stronghold we can face the enemy, Satan, and make a good fight. God will protect us. He gives us the strength, the faith and the stamina to endure all that can be thrown at us. When we hold back part of our life from Him, it becomes a gap in our armor, the armor of Christ, Satan can exploit.  The Father gives us the faith, through the Holy Spirit, to continue to fight in the face of insurmountable odds. And he gives us the assurance of eternal life that cannot be taken away when we keep our faith in Jesus Christ. And he gives us fellow believers to stand along side us in battle. 

Let God be the stronghold in all aspects of your life. Let Jesus be the light that guides you and illuminates your path. Let the Holy Spirit fill you with faith and remove all the doubt to continue onward into battle. With God as our stronghold we really have no one, or nothing to fear. Onward Christian Soldiers!

PRAYER: Lord, You are our rock and our salvation. Your strength comforts and fortifies us. Your Spirit gives us the faith to overcome our fears. Help us dear Lord in our times of struggle and trials. Let the peace that flows from You to keep our hearts free from fear. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen

Fellowship With One Another

1 John 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.

Winter driving offers all the opportunity to drive in less than ideal conditions. My least favorite is driving in a snow storm at night. Following the tail lights of the car in front of me in the desperate hope that they can see the road in front of them is not pleasant.

I’m okay, you’re okay was the popular belief of the culture a few years back. It seemed to rely on the principle of a collection of friends being more or less ‘normal.’ A collection of friends is chosen because they are ‘normal.’ This works until you really consider the standard of measurement being used. Here we are, flawed, imperfect sinners saying that we are okay because we look at other flawed imperfect sinners as our standard for acceptance.  I would offer this is just-plain-nuts. We can fall into the trap of comparing the group, or even the church, we belong to in this same manner. If our standard for comparison is imperfect we achieve imperfect results. I have heard this described in mathematical terms as error carried forward.  What are we to do?  I would offer a suggestion of keeping our eyes on the “true light of the world.”  The 1 John 1:7 passage reminds us that if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. When we examine this we can come to two conclusions. The first conclusion is if we walk in the light of Christ we will have fellowship with Jesus. That is to say we as individuals will have that fellowship in our relationship and our lifestyle. The second conclusion is if we as a body of believers walk in the light of Christ, we as a body of believers will have fellowship with Jesus. How does that shape our activities as a body of believers? Mark 7:21-23 has some strong cautions on how far astray we can go when our standard of acceptable behavior is the human heart. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these things come from within, and they defile a person.  The standard for acceptable behavior should not be the person next to us. Rather we should be looking to that bright morning star we know to be Jesus Christ. Achieving perfection is simply beyond our frail human capabilities. But to recognize that and just roll over and go on sinning is wrong. We look at the law because it convicts us. We look at the Gospel and know that we have forgiveness. Knowing the above we try with the help of Christ to do what is right in His eyes and not our own. Having fellowship with He who is in the light guides us to a better life and life eternal. This Advent season, take the time to share fellowship with Jesus and encourage others to do the same.

PRAYER: Almighty God, creator of the universe. We sing praise, honor and glory to You O Lord. In sharing fellowship with Your Son, Jesus Christ we have fellowship with You. Your Son reminds us that unless we know the Son we do not know the Father. We ask dear Lord that You would continue to give us the faith to stay in fellowship with Your Son when the world around us screams to do otherwise. This we ask in the name of the light of the world, Your Son and our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

Kings To The Brightness Of Your Rising

Isaiah 60: 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

 In my time serving in the Navy and in the working world, I have had the privilege of working for people who were very good leaders. I have also had the opportunity to work for some who were poor leaders. In all cases, there have been opportunities to learn from the experiences both good and bad.

One of my least favorites times is approaching. The season of politics is rapidly advancing towards us. It is a time when ‘we the people’ are exposed to vile accusations, the most difficult of scandals, and the grit that is life of humans in this dark world. We are exposed to the imperfect lives of politicians. It seems as if those covering the elections have one goal in mind. The goal of tearing down anyone who seek to lead our country consumes them. But time and again people will stand up, take a shot at this honor, and endure the pain that goes with it.  We as the electorate have the opportunity to pass judgment on another human being. We will have to sift through all the information, positive and negative, about the candidates and render an opinion when we cast our vote.  But what of the candidates we vote for? I will attempt to share something without endorsing any candidate.

My purpose is to illuminate how believers have more to consider than non-believers. We need to be able to take a look at the moral underpinnings of all candidates. We need to have an assurance that the candidate we are voting to lead our country shares a belief system we find acceptable. This is not a matter of do we agree on the tax cut program of candidate “A” over candidate “B”. This is a matter of looking at what does the candidate really believe in. Where do you place faith in Jesus Christ in your selection criteria? Do you consider being a strong Christian as a deal breaker in giving a candidate a thumbs up or thumbs down? My point is that you need to take time, study the word, pray, meditate, and make the right choice according to what your prayers tell you. When we vote for a candidate on a single issue, we should not be surprised when we are disappointed at what happens with the other million issues encountered. Sometimes we seem to be confronted with the lesser of two evils in making a choice. The problem is that the result is still an evil. We should look for someone who is drawn, as we are, to the brightness of the rising of the Savior of the world. We should look for someone who is not out for their own glory, rather to glorify God. If we expect our nation to come to the light of Christ, we need to participate in that process by choosing those who will.  We have an opportunity to set an example for other nations to follow in coming to your light that is the light of Christ when we make the correct choice of who will lead us.

PRAYER: Father we thank You for Your Word. Our world is a dark place. We desperately seek a guiding light. Your Word stands out, just as a lamp brings light to the darkness. Your word gives our leaders a light to follow. Help us in choosing our leaders that they may follow Your will. We give You thanks in the name of Your Son, Jesus, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit are one God, now and forever. Amen

The True Light is Already Shining

1 John 2:8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is
true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already
shining.

About this time of year, myself and my fellow workers at the Idaho National Laboratory enter
what we lovingly call the “dark ages.” We leave home and arrive at work in the dark of early
morning. Then we leave work and arrive home in the dark of early evening. This period of darkness
is longer and longer until the arrival of the Winter Solstice (December 22.) The Solstice signals to
all that the period of darkness is going to start becoming shorter and shorter until we actually see
daylight when arrive at home. As the days get longer we have the opportunity to see some spectacular
sunrises and sunsets during our commute.

There is something about a sunrise that really appeals to me. Granted, working a 4 X 10 schedule I have many opportunities to see sunrises. The trouble is that on my days off my internal alarm clock goes off early in the morning and I am up to see the sunrise.  I used to fight this until I discovered that the rising of the sun was actually the best time of day for me to spend in study, prayer, meditation and writing. I have a picture of a chair that is beachside at a resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  During my last vacation there I enjoyed the early morning hours reading the bible, praying, meditating and writing. I guess you could call it my happy place. That picture is now the background on my work and home computers. The picture serves as a daily reminder to me of the importance of the need to return to that place. Even if it is only in my mind, it is important.  For in that place three very important things happened. First, the rising sun reminded me that Jesus is returning. Secondly, with the dawn of day comes the ability to see clearly the beauty of God’s creation.  And lastly the beauty of the seaside, and serenity found in that chair by the sea, allowed me to connect with God in a manner that I seldom find in my busy world. The opportunity for me to study the bible, pray, meditate and write was golden and I cherish it deeply. For me Cabo is not just a place to party, vacation and have a great time. It is an awesome place for quiet reflection and study. 

Do you have what equates to my chair by the seaside in Cabo? Do you have a place where you can go to be still and know that He is God? (Psalms 46:10) If not, I suggest that you need to set about finding that place. We all need to find the opportunity to come to our Father in study of His Word, to pray to Him, to think, and reflect. We need to be able to look with anticipation to the rising of the sun and the return of the Son of God. Friends, please do not put this off. Just go do it!

PRAYER: Our Father in heaven. Hallowed is Your name. Mighty is Your strength. Help us to find within ourselves the discipline to keep You first in our thoughts of our day. Guide us in our studies of Your Word. Help us to shut out the distractions, and the darkness so that we might be able to focus on the light that is the life of all men. Help us to fix our eyes on Jesus. Amen

Light Shines in the Darkness

John 1:4-5 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Boating at night is really a very fun activity. Being out on the water, and away from the
lights of the shore allows for one to see so very many stars. I personally enjoy night-time
boating. But not every boater does. Because, unless you have charted your course and
know which light from shore is the marina you want to return to, it can be a stressful time
on the water. I always carry a GPS, and a compass so that I do not stress.

Have you taken the time lately to really analyze the news we are being fed of late? Unrest
in the middle east in the form of “Arab Spring,” the rising prospect of civil war in
Afghanistan, continued stalemate in Washington, escalating violence along the
US/Mexican border all point to a world that is definitely not at peace. Stories of
corruption in government and in corporations let us know that greed has a big place in the
life of many prominent members of society. Scandals are splashed across news
corporation websites and on the front pages of our newspapers. All the above tells us that
we live in a world filled with darkness and sin. And to think that what we see and read is
just the tip of the iceberg. What can be really disturbing is how our society and media
treat people when they show their faith. The ranting and railing about how people should
keep their expression of faith out of the eye of the public leads me to believe the ranters
and railers just do not get it. Instead of showing the people expressing their faith in a
positive light they are being ridiculed. In some cases the ridiculing is being carried out
by members of their own faith. The darkness is certainly trying to overcome the light of
Christ in our modern society. At some point we have to say enough is enough. At some
point we should take to task those whose choice is to ridicule those who celebrate their
faith. We all should be making a strong statement of faith in all that we do. If we hide our
faith then we perpetuate the false belief that our faith expression belongs at home or
church only. That is not what Jesus was all about. It is not what we who are following the
light should be about either. Friends, let’s celebrate our faith in public and not just in
private. Let the whole world hear and see that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the “life and the
light of men”. And let the world know that “the darkness has overcome it.” The world
needs to know that the darkness cannot, and will not overcome His light in our lives.

PRAYER: Father, we ask for something simple today. We ask for the faith, strength, and
courage to display our faith in Jesus Christ in public. Help us to shine the light of Jesus in
all aspects of our lives. We ask this in the name of the one true light, Jesus Christ, Amen.

To Testify to You

Revelations 22:16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for
the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

Do you remember who first testified to you about Jesus Christ? Was it a parent, a
grandparent or maybe a sibling? Was it a Sunday School teacher? Do not be too
concerned if you cannot remember. What really matters is that someone did testify to you
about Jesus Christ.

Are you feeling angelic today? How about yesterday, or even the day before yesterday?
Even if you have not felt angelic, you may have been angelic. Where I am going with this
little Q&A is to make a point that when we share Jesus with someone we are in essence
acting as the angel from Revelations 22:16. The angel testified to John, and John
testified to the churches. We testify to others about Jesus in a number of ways. We
testify in our lives and how we live our lives. We testify in the words we use. We also
testify in our actions. Remembering that we are saved by grace through faith and not
works, still our actions can speak volumes about our faith and what our faith is based on.
We are followers of Jesus Christ, the bright morning star. We follow the bright morning
star. The coming of the morning star was prophesied in Isaiah 11:10 and we know that
the root of Jesse (Jesus) “shall stand as a signal for the peoples.” And from Isaiah 11:11
we know that the Lord will “extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant
that remains of his people.” We know the joy of salvation by grace. But many others do
not. Many others do not know that Jesus was born, lived, suffered and died on the cross
so that all would be reconciled with the Father. Our hope was born in a manger in
Bethlehem. And our sins died on the cross. That is the message to be heralded by all
God’s angels. If you do not stop and take the time, then who will?
Follow the bright morning star, is the message to proclaim to the world. Jesus saves, plain
and simple. Please, during this Advent season, invite a friend to join you at one of our
worship services at Grace. Be an angel.

PRAYER: Lord, You set the sun in the sky, and the stars in the heavens. Your Son lived
among us and His sacrifice saved us from the horrible death that comes from sin. Help us
to share Your message of creation, love, and forgiveness with others in our lives. Give us
the words to speak through Your Holy Spirit. Help us to be Your hands and feet here on
earth. We ask this in the name of the bright morning star, Jesus Christ, Amen

The Sons of God Shouted for Joy

Job 38:4-7 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you
have understanding. Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who
stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when
the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Being “called on the carpet”, “standing tall before the man”, “taken to task,” all describe
a similar situation. The time for being held accountable has arrived and the news is being
delivered in a very stern manner. Been there, done that, and I have a closet full of those t-shirts.
These experiences hurt, but they build character.
In researching the scriptural references to “morning stars” I found (or more likely was
pointed to) the Job 38:4-7 reference. The context of the passage is God, instead of
answering a question from Job, decides to humble Job. The whole point of this humbling
session is if Job did not understand the workings of creation, how could Job possibly
understand God’s mind and character? And we, as Job before us, beginning from a point
of ignorance would surely become lost. God uses this opportunity to educate Job, for God
loved Job as He loves all of us. God wanted Job to succeed, just as He wants you and I to
succeed. His love for each and every one of us is profound.

God uses the creation of the earth to help illustrate how vast is Job’s, and by extension
our own, lack of direct knowledge through direct observation of the creation of the earth.
We have many theories, but only God was there to speak creation into being. And what a
joyous event that truly was. Forming the earth was the beginning of creating the highest
point of creation – man. Man needed a place to dwell, and that was the earth. The stars
sang and all the sons of God shouted for joy because this was the whole purpose of
creation. Giving man life was the focus of all this effort. The best was saved for last.
And one could also argue the worst was saved for last. For the first thing that the first
man created (Adam) did was to disobey God. Sin began with the first man. And the death
from sin died with the death and resurrection of the true morning star, Jesus Christ. The
Son of God died to end what Adam started. We too shout for joy in the season of Advent
for we are looking forward in celebration to the birth of the Christ Child. Jesus is born
again in each of our hearts every year at Christmas. Let’s take this opportunity to join the
sons of God in singing with praises to God during Advent. And remember, if you can’t
sing well, at least sing loud!

PRAYER: Almighty God, creator of the universe. We sing praise, honor and glory to
You O Lord. You spoke creation into being. You formed man from the dust of the earth
and breathed life into his nostrils. We ask dear Lord that You would continue to breath
life into us through Your Word, and Your Sacraments. Help to stay focused on You. This
we ask in the name of the Morning Star, Your Son and our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Morning Star Rises in Your Hearts

2 Peter 1:19 And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will
do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 

In my past I have been offered what some would call “sage advice.” This advice
sometimes came in the form of stories of how something something similar to what I was
considering did not worked well for the person offering the advice. I am probably batting
in the low 300’s for following “sage advice.” And that means I am batting in the high
600’s for having interesting experiences.

When being offered advice there are a couple of criteria that should be used as filters for
accepting, and then acting on advice being given. The first criteria would be to look
carefully at the person offering the advice. For instance accepting advice on your
marriage from a person that is not married, or has been divorced seven times, seems risky
at best. This would fall in line with doing an objective review of the advice. The second
criteria would be “does the advice ring true?” This second criteria is more subjective in
nature. And since it is subjective in nature, there is an element of uncertainty which
usually requires more investigation before rendering a decision.
The author of 2 Peter 1:19 (Peter) is one of the original disciples. His advice is to pay
attention to the prophetic word much as you would to a lamp shining in a dark place.
Using our criteria we have the person who is giving the advice being highly credible.
Peter has an experience base with not paying attention to the prophetic word from Jesus.
Remember Matthew 26:34 when Jesus predicted Peter would deny Him three times
before the rooster crows? We also know from Matthew 26:75 that Peter remembered the
prophetic words of Jesus after denying Him three times. He learned how important it was
to pay attention. The second criteria can be used to evaluate “” We can look at Psalms
119:105 and find the justification we seek. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to
my path.” I conclusion, we would do well to pay attention to those words from Peter
because the advice also rings true.

PRAYER: Father we thank You for Your Word. Our world is a dark place. We
desperately seek a guiding light. Your Word stands out, just as a lamp brings light to the
darkness. Your word gives us a light for our path that we may follow You. We give You
thanks in the name of Your Son, Jesus, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit are one
God, now and forever, Amen.

A Child of Compassion

Matthew 25: 34-36 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'                                                                  

Advent is the time of year when we often hear the phrase “It is better to give than to receive.”  When my children were much younger they were very diligent in assembling their Christmas Wish List. I think they wanted to help me with the giving part.

In addition to being the time of year when our kids and spouses help us with determining what gifts to give to them at Christmas, Advent is the time of year to remember others in true need.  We are frequently reminded by the bell ringers at the Salvation Army red kettles in front of stores of the need to give.  We are reminded in a barrage of commercials to help children in need. We frequently receive solicitations in the mail to share our riches with those who are in need all over the world.  And at Grace Lutheran, along the back wall of the sanctuary, are pictures of children our congregation we support through Compassion International. In addition to the food and clothing given, there is a Christian education element involved too. So the daily bread of food and scripture is given to each child in need. Compassion International is a wonderful organization that I encourage all to participate in, in what ever capacity. But first, examine in your heart why you are giving.  Give yourself a gut check, sanity check, or whatever. Ponder the words of Ephesians 2:8-9 For grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  We should not be trying to earn grace. That marvelous gift has already been given. And Matthew 25:34-36 is a very good reminder that we who have much need to also give much because there is so much need out there. We who are not in need should reach out to those in need because it is the right thing to do.  We do these things out of love for our fellow man. It is all part of sharing the love of Christ that was so generously poured out upon us on the cross. We who are set free, are now free to give out of a sense of love and not out of obligation. So, take the time, pray about your giving, and reach out generously to those who are in need. And if you are wondering what we are doing at Grace Lutheran that you can contribute to, we have Hands for Uganda, Angel Tree, Christmas Food Boxes for the needy to name just three. Remember the words of Matthew 6:3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know that your right hand is doing…

PRAYER: Lord of all creation, we who are blessed richly ask for Your eyes in giving. Help us to see what is needed. We need Your hands in our giving. Help us to reach out where You want us to give help. And Father, we need Your words when we speak. Give us Your words so that Your love flows from our lips to all who need to hear of Your love for all mankind. Praise be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. One God, now and forever, Amen.