The Unexpected Gift

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son

that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

John 3:16, KJV

My Mama loved Christmas and loved getting gifts. Gifts, that is, she had asked for and expected to receive. When I was a teenager in the mid-eighties, I remember my Mama getting a microwave oven for Christmas. Microwave ovens during this time were finally affordable for average families. We thought it would be the perfect gift for Mama since she was always cooking for us. We thought she would love it because it would help make meal preparations so much faster. Boy, were we wrong! You see, Mama had not asked for a microwave oven and threw a complete hissy fit when she opened that gift.  

Maybe you are much the same way at Christmas. You expect one thing and receive something entirely different. But, sometimes unexpected gifts are the best kind.

 The Israelites had been waiting for over 400 years for a Messiah to come to save them. I am sure they were expecting anything other than what they got. I am sure they were expecting a royal king wrapped in a regal robe and riding in on a beautiful stallion. Instead, they received a lowly baby born in a stable to a young and unknown virgin. Who would imagine that a king would come this way?

 God in Heaven knew exactly what we needed. It was all part of His perfect plan set in motion before the foundation of the earth. God knew from the beginning of time we would need a Savior to save us from our sin. Who could possibly handle this seemingly impossible task? God knew that only He could save us, His creation, from eternal death. God sent His only Son Jesus wrapped in flesh, to show us how to live. He would live a sinless life to become the perfect sacrifice for us. God loved us so much that He used the unexpected gift of Jesus to bear our sin so we could have eternal life with Him.

There are still so many who are waiting for a Messiah not realizing that He is standing at the door of their heart waiting for them to accept His free gift of salvation. You may be uncertain of how life will change if you choose Jesus. Maybe you think that you can save yourself by getting a better job, making more money, buying the perfect house, finding the perfect spouse, or quitting some nasty habits. Trust me, there is nothing you can do that will save you from eternal damnation BUT JESUS!

 My mama finally gave that microwave a chance and found out it was an unexpected gift that made life in the kitchen a lot easier. I pray you will consider accepting the free gift of salvation this Christmas. This gift won’t necessarily make life easier for you, but it will give you a joy-filled life full of peace.    

The Greatest is Love

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV

There are many thoughts, philosophies, movies, songs, books, even religions based on love. Love is everywhere! Or is it…?

 How much does God love you? So much that He not only describes it in great detail here, but He demonstrated it perfectly through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This is no ordinary love; it is AGAPE love. The unconditional, sacrificial love that only God has for us, and only He can produce in the life of a Christian.

Before Paul tells what love is in this chapter, he explains what it is not. In verses 1-3, Paul does much like Jesus did in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus dismantles the Jews’ practice of giving, prayer, and fasting—not to dismiss these practices in and of themselves, but to show how meaningless they are when done in the wrong spirit. In much the same way, Paul begins to strip apart their religion—the outward ways in which they served God with their mouths, but not with their heart.

Paul specifically mentions speaking in tongues, prophesying, having ALL knowledge and understanding, and even having ALL faith. Imagine THAT worship service!! Then imagine it not even raising one hair on one eyebrow in heaven. Why? Because it lacks the one thing that makes it pleasing to God… LOVE. Don’t you see why we need God? Even our best worship can be freely expressed with the wrong heart. If you took away your “religion” this week, what would you be left with spiritually?

So now faith, hope, and love abide… and I sure do need all three to make it through the day! Won’t it be great when we won’t need the first two? One day I will not need faith. I will have no need for hope. And I will forever abide in His love.

Slow to Anger

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

James 1:19-21, NKJV

If I’m being honest, reigning in my temper has been a lifelong struggle. Alongside countless other young men, I spent the early years of my adult life attempting to prove to everyone that I was right rather than being righteous. Unfortunately, it seems what was once a young man’s ailment has become a plague on much of our world, regardless of age or gender. Disconnected screaming matches that once happened primarily online have spilled over into the real world and rage is quickly becoming a state of being rather than a temporary emotion.

 James provides the antidote for this disease of wrath in the passage above. He instructs his audience to listen more, speak (or shout) less, and to reel in anger because it is empty and shameful compared to the righteousness of God. He then goes on to share why this is so important. We have to cast off the wrath that is self-serving so that we can be humbled and transformed through the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. What it really points to is the same denial of self that Paul writes about in Galatians 5:17. We must set aside our sinful desire to seek our own glory rather than God’s.  

 Why fight when we know the battle is won by the resurrected Christ? Rather, our lives should be spent simply inviting those around us to share in the victory.

Do Not Love the World

 “Do not love the world or the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”  -1 John 2:15, ESV

The word love here is a form of the Greek word agape. It speaks of a love given over to another that springs from a heart of love. It’s the love that Jesus has for us. He has no reason to love us yet He does so unconditionally (Romans 5:8). We are not to have this kind of love for the world.

John is not talking about the literal world—the one of earth, wood, air, and people. John is talking about the spiritual world of the enemy. Remember what James 4:4 says, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

We cannot ever love the things of God and also the things of the enemy. They are two totally different world systems. One, the way of the Father, is that of love, justice, holiness, righteousness, truth, and life, to mention just a few. The way of the enemy is that of hate, lying, and death. Yet so often, the enemy makes the dying way, the lying way, seem so much more attractive to us. This is what he did in the garden to Eve, then to Adam as well.

The writer of Hebrews states that sin is pleasurable for a season (Hebrews 11:25), and oh what truth. But sin is totally against all that God is and against all that God stands for. Everything about this world is dying and nothing of it has eternal value. The things of heaven, the things of the Lord, are the things of eternal value; they will be with the believer for all eternity.

It’s easy to say we love the Father and not the world. Yet it begs the question, do we show this in our actions? Do we show this in our walk? Do we show this in our talk? If someone was to look at our lives, what would they deduce from it? Would they say we loved the world or the Father?

We need to look at our lives, look at where we spend our time and invest our time? Does more, much more, go to the Father, or to the enemy and the way of this world.

Where Worship Starts

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? - Romans 10:14, ESV

We can define worship as loving God back and giving Him the glory He deserves. We often think that corporate worship only involves the singing. But it also includes—and in fact even starts—with preaching the Word. Let’s look at why preaching the Word is vital to corporate worship.

Part of worship is knowing God; we cannot love Him and give Him glory if we do not know Him. We come to know Him by being under a pastor’s preaching and teaching. Yes, we need to have time in the Word every day, but reading and studying on our own does not replace being under a pastor. Romans 10:14 lays out the steps. In our corporate worship services, we hear the preaching and we come to know Him so that we can love Him back and give Him the glory that He deserves.

Another aspect of worship is delighting in God. Again, we cannot give love back to Him if we do not delight in Him. We cannot give Him the glory that He deserves if we do not delight in Him. We learn to delight in Him by hearing His Word preached in corporate worship. In 2 Timothy, Paul encouraged Timothy to preach the Word (2 Timothy 2:4). The Greek word used means to preach, to herald, to proclaim. We come into corporate worship and sit under a pastor’s preaching so that he can herald to us, “Come and hear what it says about the Lord.” It is proclaiming to us truths about God so that our hearts will then delight in Him.

We were made to worship God. We were made to love Him back and to give Him the glory that He deserves. We must not neglect the start of worship—the preaching of the Word.

The Anchor that Holds

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.”

                                                                                    - Isaiah 26:3,4, NLT

 An anchor is a heavy object that holds a ship in place on wavy waters. No matter what storms pass, that ship will not move. Trust in God is the anchor that holds the Christian’s life steady as the storms of life pass by. God is the steadfast Rock that will not be shaken by the things of this world.

 Is your life being tossed about? Are you riding the violent waves and losing control? Do you seek perfect peace in your life that seems out of reach? Isaiah informs us that God will keep us in perfect peace if we keep our thoughts fixed on Him. Once we choose to anchor ourselves to the Rock that will not be moved and stop anchoring our lives to things of this world, we will find that the storms are not as severe. The waves won’t take us off course.

 We must give up our selfish desires and our self-reliance and allow God to guide our lives where He desires. The seas won’t always be peaceful, but with our lives anchored to God, we won’t drift away. Our vessels won’t be shattered or sunk. Instead, we will overcome the storms that pass. We will stay on the course God created for us.

 If you are currently anchoring your life to money, a job, your family, drugs, alcohol, or anything else of this world; let today be the day you choose to cast your anchor on God, the Rock. He will hold your life together and not let it be torn apart.

Leaving a Legacy

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

Each day, as you start, pray: Ask God to give you an understanding of His Word through His Holy Spirit.

Each day respond in prayer: Write out a prayer in response to what you have read today.

MONDAY

Read & Meditate: Micah 6:8

Reflect: Often this verse is shortened to “Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly”. This is the life verse of my wife’s late grandfather, “GrandPap Ed”. Before I met him, I heard so many stories about how great of a man he was. After meeting him and spending time in his presence, I realized he was a person I wanted to be more like. I did not know why until I learned about his life verse, Micah 6:8. He lived this verse daily and was a man that was continuously seeking God’s heart. What is your life or favorite verse from the Bible? What does this verse mean to you? How do you try to live out that verse in your daily walk?

TUESDAY

Read & Meditate: Mark 12:30-31, James 2:1-13

Reflect: ACT JUSTLY – Do you love your neighbor as yourself, as Mark instructs in verse 31 of Chapter 12? If you do not love all your neighbors, how are you showing justice? James refers to Mark 12 in James 2:8. To act justly in the eyes of God, you need to know sin and evil from good and holy. How do you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in living a life in which you treat all people as God has commanded in His Holy Word?

WEDNESDAY

Read & Meditate: Luke 6:38, Matthew 5:7

Reflect: LOVE MERCY – How do you show compassion and forgiveness to others? As Christians, we have witnessed the greatest example of mercy ever shown: God allowing His sinless Son to go to the cross and die for the sins we commit. Reflect on how you may act toward someone that has wronged you, but God allowed His son to die for your sins! Where are the opportunities in your life that you can show mercy that you may not have done so before? Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you on this journey.

THURSDAY

Read & Meditate: John 13:1-17, Philippians 2:3-4, Psalm 8:3-4

Reflect: WALK HUMBLY – How is your current relationship (walk) with God today? To have a meaningful walk with God, you must have a teachable spirit and lack any self-pride. We must acknowledge the supremacy of God as King David does in Psalm 8:3-4. Jesus shows us the example of being humble by washing of the Disciples’ feet in John 13. Where in your daily walk can you humble yourself? Will you humble yourself in the presence of the Lord? How is the Holy Spirit speaking to you?

Why Endure Suffering

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing

with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18, ESV)

Thomas Watts said, " Christianity is not the removal of suffering, but the addition of grace to endure suffering triumphantly." Do our sufferings in life show we belong to Christ, or do we as Christians suffer as if Christ is not even in us?

 Persecution can be because of our own sin, stress, selfish desires, and bad choices (1 Peter 4:15), but it can also be trouble that occurs "for righteousness' sake" (Matt. 5:10). To be persecuted for righteousness' sake means you suffer solely for following Christ (Matt. 10:16-18, 21-22). The world is in rebellion against God and hates God. Jesus tells us the world will also hate us (John 15:20). The first followers of Jesus experienced suffering for following Him, and the persecution of Christians will only continue until Jesus calls us home.

 The FREE gift of salvation incurs opposition because being saved means we have to submit to God. People have always had a problem with submission. They want to be in control—decide what's best, right, or wrong. Opposition also comes because Christian behavior and beliefs make unbelievers angry and defensive.

Persecution is important in our Christian walk because it promotes character and courage, proves godliness, and produces joy and patience. It can even provide rewards. We should not reject suffering because we will miss out on blessings. (James 1:2-4) Persecution can mold us into who God wants us to be. (Romans 5:3-5) We can overcome persecution by being bold in our faith, proclaiming the truth of Jesus no matter the cost. We need to be like Paul, ready to engage in the conflicts. (Phil. 1:29)

 The call to follow Christ is not always an easy life, but God isn't working to make the circumstances we want. God is working in the circumstances to produce the character He wants. Suffering for righteousness' sake should be our honor, and it certainly pleases God. (Isaiah 53:10)

Fully Surrendered Faith

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8 NLT

In February 1952, Jim Elliot left a life of ease to go to Ecuador as a missionary. Four years later, while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people, he was martyred by the cannibal tribe. His last journal entry read: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Fully surrendered.                                            

Two years after his death, his widow, Elisabeth Elliot, obeyed God’s call to return to Ecuador to live with and evangelize the Huaorani. Many came to Christ including those who savagely killed her husband. Elisabeth wrote, “I know the truth of 2 Corinthians 4:17, ‘These little troubles (which are really so transitory) are winning for us a permanent, glorious and solid reward out of all proportion to our pain.’” Fully surrendered.

Our days are full of ‘worthless garbage,’ things we prioritize that have no eternal value but consume us, leaving us little time or energy to bow to His plan for our life. We choose to navigate our days with God’s will at a comfortable arm’s length. No inconvenience. No risk.

True faith compels us to live fully surrendered to God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we give up our right to be encumbered by the ‘worthless’ things of this life to passionately follow the Savior who gave His life for us. In unabashed surrender, we gain abundant hope. We find our God-given purpose. Our priorities align with God’s priorities. We experience unwavering courage and have a passion for both lost souls and His Church. We do not fear hardship, persecution, or death. We live in radical obedience, having the mind of Christ.

Father, help us to put the ‘worthless’ things of this life in proper perspective, to surrender to Your will for our lives. We acknowledge any amount of suffering or sacrifice is ‘little’ (momentary) in light of Your perfect plan and eternity. We choose You above all else. Amen.

The Lion and the Lamb

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals. [6] And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain…

Revelation 5:5-6a, ESV

We have all heard the old Farmer’s Almanac folklore that says, “March comes in like a lion, but goes out like a lamb.” Though in nature the two are set in opposition, in God’s character, we find a powerful and comforting set of complimentary characteristics. As the Lion of the tribe of Judah, God show us His strength, majesty and authority. As the Lamb, He shows us gentleness, meekness, and sacrifice.

The image of a lion brings to mind the complete power of our sovereign God. Like a lion, He is fierce in His protection of His people, guarding them from spiritual dangers and fighting battles on their behalf. The lion also shows us how He rules over all creation, reminding us that He is in control during every situation.

The image of the lamb reflects God’s love and mercy. Just as a lamb is innocent and gentle, so is God’s compassionate nature. The sacrificial lamb points us to the expression of God’s love through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We see His willingness to lay down His life for us because of the depth and love and grace He has for us.

As we walk through life facing trials and tribulations, we can take refuge in these two complimentary characteristics of God. We find strength in His lion-like protection and comfort in His lamb-like love. His roar assures us of His power, while His embrace reminds us of His love.

Let us approach God with reverence for His might and gratitude for His tenderness. He is the Lion and the Lamb. He is our protection and our salvation.

The Love of God

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:8 (ESV)

What’s love got to do with it?

This is a song made famous by Tina Turner. In it she asks, “Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?” The song takes the position that if you leave your heart out of your relationships, you won’t get hurt if the relationship fails.

While the song became one of Turner’s biggest hits, I would venture to say that the songwriter never experienced the love that Jesus extends to us, in a relationship that is infinite.

The Bible makes it clear that God is love (1 John 4:8). But it’s so much more than just His affection toward us — God is the very definition of love. Love is one of God’s attributes, one of the core aspects of His character, and He can never act outside His character. His love was demonstrated to us in both His creation of us and His death for our salvation.

Fortunately, His love is constantly extended to us even though we regularly fail at reciprocating love to Him and others. No matter what we do, God’s love never fails us. He tells us, “…My steadfast love shall not depart from you…” (Isiah 54:10) We can never love the way God loves us and the fact is we constantly fail in our relationships. Despite our failings, we can have the assurance that nothing can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39).

Aren’t you glad that God’s love is not dependent on the way we often treat Him? His heart breaks when we turn from Him. But we can always know that His love and His heart can never have more affection for us than it does right now.

The Belt of Truth

Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. 

All day long I put my hope in you.  Psalm 25:5 (NLT)

I have learned a lot while teaching children’s church.  Children love to talk, and they talk A LOT in children’s church.   They talk about what they ate for breakfast, which siblings got in trouble the previous week, their new baby doll or monster truck.  Yes, they talk.  But if you listen closely, they can also put things in perspective for you. 

Recently we had a lesson on the armor of God.  Every child had a drawing of a figure onto which they were to glue each piece of the armor of God.  When I finished reading Ephesians 6:13 – 17, we started gluing the armor to the figure.  Our first piece was the belt of truth.  I asked the children why they thought the belt was the first item listed.  One child answered, “To hold my pants up!”  We laughed at the answer but think about it… if we had to use our hands to hold our pants up, we would not have the freedom to do anything else.  The belt gives us freedom.

Jesus tells us in John 14:6 that He is “the way the truth and the life.”   We live in a world that tells us that truth for me may not be the truth for someone else.  Jesus makes it very clear in John 14:6 when He says, “I am the way, the truth and the life”.  God does not change, and His truth does not change.  Our belt of truth is consistent day after day.  By putting on the belt of truth every day we have spiritual freedom as Christians.  We have the freedom to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to love unconditionally, and  to know right from wrong.

I challenge you for 2024 to intentionally put on the belt of truth everyday and cinch the buckle tight so you have the freedom God intended.