Christmas Devotion

This will be the last devotion of this year. I wanted to tell you what a blessing it is to share God’s word with each of you. I know all of us have times in our lives that are difficult, uncertain and often burdensome. Yet God is always looking after us, teaching us lessons, and providing wisdom to face the next hurdle in life. We can always count on God, which is why I want to share the Christmas Story from Luke 2, verses 1-20.

Luke 2:1-20 New International Version (NIV)

The Birth of Jesus

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Many believe the Wise Men were also in attendance at the manger, but according to The Bible they came about 2 years after the birth of Christ and went first to King Herod, for who would know where a king lived, but a king. Then they went to the home of Joseph and Mary and this is where Joseph and Mary learned they needed to flee from their home and head to Egypt for Herod was displeased there was a king living in his land. This was all a part of God’s plan for us to know Jesus who would save us from our sin. Merry Christmas to all. May God bless each and every one of you!

The prophecy of the coming of Christ

Isaiah 7:14 New International Version (NIV)

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

This is the prophecy of the birth of Christ. The Israelites knew there would be a savior to come and this was the proclamation that one day He would arrive.

The magi—the wise men—were from modern-day Iraq. They knew the stars better than the backs of their hands. In the inky black Mesopotamian nights they had mapped the stars, planets, and comets. They had tracked the almost imperceptible trails for generations. They knew the characteristics and stories of the constellations.

Not only were they astronomers. They were astrologers. They believed the great God had diagrammed the grand workings of history in the stars. To study the stars was to to peer into the dark future. There was a large Jewish population in their area and the magi were very familiar with the prophecies in the Old Testament, like those of Balaam, Daniel, Isaiah and the others.

Then they saw something astounding. Was it a bright confluence of planets? A supernova? A comet? Biblical scholar Colin R. Nicholl has made a very compelling case for a great comet in his book The Great Christ Comet. He points to Balaam’s prophecy in Numbers 24:17, with which he believes the magi were familiar: “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” A comet was called a scepter star because of its tail. The Magi seem to have concluded that Balaam’s oracle in Numbers, about the rising scepter-star, was the key to interpreting the comet’s behavior.

The magi saw a star of some kind that so clearly signified to them the birth of the King of the Jews that they traveled some 900 miles just to bow before him. They said, “We have seen his star.” It wasn’t only a guiding star but a signal star, announcing the birth of Israel’s long-awaited Son of David. Only the great God could announce his King in the stars.

[Greg Cootsona “Comet of Wonder,” Christianity Today, (11-23-15), Page 42: submitted by Lee Eclov, Vernon Hills, Illinois]

Guidance

John 8:12 (NIV)

12 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.”

Jesus tells those who are listening to follow Him. It doesn’t matter what our desires are. It doesn’t matter the direction we want to go. Instead, we are to follow Jesus for we will always walk in light and not the darkness of evil.

Often I have not known where I was going until I was already there. I have had my share of desires and goals, but my life has come to me or I have gone to it mainly by way of mistakes and surprises. Often I have received better than I deserved. Often my faintest hopes have rested on bad mistakes. I am an ignorant pilgrim, crossing a dark valley. And yet for a long time, looking back, I have been unable to shake off the feeling that I have been led – make of that what you will.

[The Mystery of Guidance Wendell Berry, “Jayber Crow,” (Counterpoint, 2001), Page 133]

The music in out hearts

Colossians 3:16 New International Version (NIV)

16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

God’s message of salvation is given to lighten our hearts, to let us know we are from sin’s condemnation. Therefore let us sing in gratitude for all that God has done.

Christians have joyful, stirring songs that celebrate the wonder of our relation with God. This is especially true during the Christmas season with songs such as the spine-tingling Handel’s Messiah. In contrast to this, in 2011 comedian Steve Martin performed a song on The Late Show with David Letterman that he called “the entire atheist hymnal” (on one page of paper). He called it: “Atheists Don’t Have No Songs.”

Christians have their hymns and pages,

Hava Nagila’s for the Jews,

Baptists have the rock of ages,

Atheists just sing the blues.

Romantics play Claire de Lune,

Born agains sing “He is risen,”

But no one ever wrote a tune,

For godless existentialism.

For Atheists there’s no good news.

They’ll never sing a song of faith.

In their songs they have one rule:

The “he” is always lowercase.

Of course, his humor is meant to entertain us—and does. But what a contrast to a piece of music that moves hearts and masses across the board. Handel’s Messiah is arguably one of the most mellifluous expressions of Christian doctrine ever produced.

In fact, I think it makes all the sense in the world that both inexplicable tears and profound joy accompany the words and sounds of Handel’s Messiah. For this Messiah brings with him an invitation unlike any other: Come and see the Father, the Creator, the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. Come and see the Light, and the Overcomer of darkness, the One who wept at the grave of a friend, and the one who collects our tears in his bottle even before he will dry every eye. Christians, let’s sing our songs!

[Jill Carattini, “Random Hallelujahs,” RZIM: A Slice of Infinity (12-16-16)]

The sacrifice of life

1 Peter 3:18 New International Version (NIV)

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

Christ gave His life in exchange for the punishment our sins required. He did this for our sake so that we may become children of God.

In his recent book (2017) (Re)union, Bruxy Cavey writes:

The Victoria Cross is Canada's highest military honor, similar to the Medal of Honor in the United States. These medals are awarded for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. Of the thousands awarded to date, more citations have been bestowed for falling on grenades to save comrades than any other single act.

The first Victoria Cross of World War II was awarded to Company Sergeant-Major John Robert Osborn. The sergeant-major and his men were cut off from their battalion and under heavy attack. When the enemy came close enough, the Canadian soldiers were subjected to a concentrated barrage of grenades. Several times Osborn protected his men by picking up live grenades and throwing them back, but eventually one fell in just the wrong position to pick up in time. With only a split second to decide, Osborn shouted a warning and threw himself on top of the grenade. It exploded, killing him instantly. The rest of his company survived that battle because of Osborn's selfless other-centeredness.

I love stories of this kind of bravery and self-sacrifice. They give me hope for humanity and offer us all a glimpse of God's goodness reflected in his image-bearers. But no matter how beautiful that heroic act may be, through Jesus we see an even greater love at the heart of God. You see, soldiers who fall on grenades do so out of love for their friends while they are on the battlefield trying to kill their enemies. Jesus died for his friends, and his enemies, and for everyone in between.

Watching over the workers

James 5:4 New International Version (NIV)

4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

James reminds those who employee workers that God owns what they have and it is their responsibility to manage his assets correctly. Employers should ensure their workers are paid fairly and not taken advantage of for God hears the cries of those suffering.

There is, apparently, a stigma attached to carrying credit card debt. More than a third of Americans say they would be embarrassed to let others know that they are not paying off their credit card debt in full every month, more than 40 percent say they believe they will be judged by family and friends because of credit card debt. The surprising thing is that Americans' average credit card debt is $15,355. Talk about the elephant in the room.

An executive for the firm that completed the survey said, "It's no surprise that shame about debt isn't necessarily productive in preventing or eradicating it. … Shame doesn't guarantee success. The only way to pay off debt is to face it head on and make a plan to get rid of it."

[Paul Ausick, "Americans Are Ashamed to Admit Credit Card Debt," 24/7 Wall Street blog (1-19-16)]

A living Sacrifice

Romans 12:1 New International Version (NIV)

A Living Sacrifice

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

The apostle reminds us that as God’s children we are to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice that is hold and pleasing to God. Sometimes we forget to turn ourselves over to God, but then we are faced with uncertainty in life and we reach out to God for help.

In an interview for Rolling Stone magazine, U2's lead singer Bono talks about how he's learning to connect with David's honest laments and prayers from the Book of Psalms. Bono suffered several facial, arm, and shoulder fractures that required three metal plates and 18 screws after a bike accident in Central Park. He's also had serious back and vocal cord problems. He is now writing songs with deeper meaning: "I read the Psalms of David all the time. They are amazing. He is the first bluesman, shouting at God, 'Why did this happen to me?' But there's honesty in that too."

Bono recounts David's struggles with King Saul, especially during David's hideout in the cave trying to avoid Saul's attempts to murder him. "In a moment of demonic rage, Saul turns against [David], tries to kill him with a spear, and David is, in fact, exiled. He is chased, and he hides out in a cave. And in the darkness of that cave, in the silence and the fear and probably the stink, he writes the first psalm."

Bono concludes, "And I wish that weren't true. I wish I didn't know enough about art to know that that is true—that sometimes you just have to be in that cave of despair."

God's love for you

Romans 8:38-29 (NKJV)

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God’s love for us supersedes any and all things. There is nothing that can pry us away from the hands of God. His love for us is forever.

The following verses come from the song NO MATTER WHAT by Ryan Stevenson. They are a reminder that no matter what goes loves us and nothing can change that.

A lot of us grew up believing

At any moment we could lose it all

And at the drop of a hat

God might turn His back and move on

A lot of us feel like we blew it

Thinking that we're just too far gone

But I want you to know

There's still a hope for you now

No matter what you've done

You can't erase His love

Nothing can change it

You're not separated

No matter what

There's never been a better time to get honest

There's never been a better time to get clean

So come as you are

Run to the cross and be free

Oh, be free

No matter what you've done

You can't erase His love

Nothing can change it

You're not separated

No matter where you run

He's always holding on

You're still a daughter, You're still a son

No matter what

Our words

Psalm 19:14 New International Version (NIV)

14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart

    be pleasing in your sight,

    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Our words can heal or destroy. God intended for us to use our words to build up people, to teach them and to let them know God loves them.

Pastor Scott Sauls from Nashville spent five years working with Pastor Tim Keller at New York City's Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Sauls writes that there are many ways that he saw Keller model the gospel, but there is one thing that really stood out for him. Sauls writes:

Tim [Keller] is the best example I have ever seen of someone who consistently covers with the gospel.

Never once did I see Tim tearing another person down to their face, on the Internet, or through gossip. Instead, he seemed to assume the good in people. He talked about how being forgiven and affirmed by Jesus frees us for this—for "catching people doing good" instead of looking for things to criticize or be offended by. Even when someone had done wrong or been in error, Tim would respond with humble restraint and self-reflection instead of venting negativity and criticism. As the grace of God does, he covered people's flaws and sins. Sometimes he covered my flaws and sins. He did this because that's what grace does; it reminds us that in Jesus we are shielded and protected from the worst things about ourselves. Because Jesus shields us like this, we should of all people be zealous to restore reputations versus destroying reputations, to protect a good name versus calling someone a name, to shut down gossip versus feeding gossip, to restore broken relationships versus begrudging broken people.

[How to Live the Gospel: A Lesson from Tim Keller; Scott Sauls, Befriend (Tyndale, 2016), page 48]

God's gift to us

1 Peter 1:3 New International Version (NIV)

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Through the death of Christ, God has offered us a gift of a new life, a rebirth, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is for us to realize our sin, have the desire to turn from it and place our belief, trust and faith in God’s free gift to us.

 In his book Unbelievable, Justin Brierley writes convincingly that the resurrection is the only adequate explanation for the historical evidence found in the Gospels:

Mike Licona and Bart Ehrman are both New Testament scholars who have very different takes on the resurrection of Jesus. Ehrman let go of his Christian faith after encountering perceived problems with the New Testament. Mike Licona had a similar crisis of faith in the early years of his academic career when his study of the New Testament didn't match what he had been taught about it while growing up. However, whereas Ehrman's study led him away from Christianity, Licona's research convinced him that the resurrection was the only adequate explanation for the historical evidence he found in the Gospels.

Other pieces of the puzzle fell into place as Licona began to appreciate how the New Testament accounts reflected the literary conventions of their day rather than the modern standards often imposed on them by both Christians and critics. During one of his dialogues with Licona on the show, Ehrman rattled off a list of differences between the Gospel accounts of the resurrection, such as the number of women and the accounts of angels at the empty tomb.

He argued that these differences give reason to doubt the reliability of the resurrection story. Naturally, Licona knows these differences just as well as Ehrman but he didn't find that they count against the overall strength of the account, saying:

It is a bit like the Titanic. There were conflicting accounts from survivors, such as whether the ship broke in half before sinking or whether it went down in its entirety. But no one called into question whether the Titanic sank or not. It was the periphery details that were in question. It is the same thing with the New Testament. They are all peripheral details that have no impact on the fundamental truth of Christianity.

1 John 2:1 (NIV) The problem with sin

1 John 2:1 New International Version (NIV)

2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

John reminds us that like Christ we are to follow His example and stay away from sin. But if we do sin, Christ himself is our advocate with the Father saying this person is a child of mine and I have taken the punishment for their sin. Since Christ forgives us of our sin, we too are to forgive ourselves.

Professor Mary Poplin from Claremont Graduate School says she met Jesus in a dream. At the time, she was teaching radical feminism, multiculturalism, and postmodernism. As a devotee of New Age spirituality, she claims she was the poster child for "spiritual but not religious." She writes:

A central image in my life was the [New Age] actress Shirley MacLaine, dancing on the beach in free-spirited fashion. I was seeking happiness, self-fulfillment, and freedom from restraint, all the while deluding myself about my own "goodness." We were children of the 60s, products of the "I'm okay, you're okay" culture.

And yet in certain moments, she said, "I could see glimpses of who I really was. I was not growing freer. My heart was growing harder, my emotions darker, and my mind more confused." Then in 1992, she had an unshakable dream in which she saw Jesus at the Last Supper. "When I got to Jesus," she wrote, "and looked into his eyes, I grasped immediately that every cell in my body was filled with filth. Weeping, I fell at his feet. But when he reached over and touched my shoulders, I suddenly felt perfect peace!"

She reached out to a friend who suggested that she needed to read the Bible. Then in January 1993, she was sitting in a small church and received an invitation to come forward. She prayed, "If you are real, please come and get me. Suddenly I felt the same peace I had known in the dream."

"To clean up my soul," she said, "God taught me what a good friend of mine calls the 'bar of soap' passage—1 John 1:9 … But forgiveness wasn't always easy to accept. I had undergone two abortions, and over three long years of prayer, I doubted whether God had truly forgiven me. Some counselors and fellow Christians had encouraged me to 'forgive myself,' but the more I searched Scripture the more confident I was that forgiveness could only come as God's gift. Like Paul, I had to learn to '[forget] what is behind and [strain] toward what is ahead' (Phil. 3:13-14)."

[Mary Poplin, "As a New Age Enthusiast, I Fancied Myself a Free Spirit and a Good Person," Christianity Today (12-21-17)]

Destructive words

Ephesians 4:29 New International Version (NIV)

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Our words should be used to build people up, not tear people down. But it’s obvious in today’s political world that comments are meant to demean, damage, damn, and destroy.

Evan Williams, a Twitter founder and co-creator of Blogger—wanted to set everyone free to express their emotions and opinions on line. So how's it going? A recent (May 2017) article in The New York Times offered the following answer to that question:

"I think the internet is broken," Williams said." He has believed this for a few years, actually. But things are getting worse. "And it's a lot more obvious to a lot of people that it's broken."

[The article continued]: People are using Facebook to showcase suicides, beatings and murder, in real time. Twitter is a hive of trolling and abuse that it seems unable to stop. Fake news, whether created for ideology or profit, runs rampant. Four out of 10 adult internet users said in a Pew survey that they had been harassed online. And that was before the presidential campaign heated up last year.

"I thought once everybody could speak freely and exchange information and ideas, the world is automatically going to be a better place," Mr. Williams says. "I was wrong about that."

[David Streitfeldmay, "'The Internet Is Broken': @ev Is Trying to Salvage It," The New York Times (5-20-17)]

Little children

Ephesians 5:1 New International Version (NIV)

5 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children

Children are innocent and so easily pick up the examples of their parents. As children of God we are to learn from God our Father and follow the examples He has set for us.

My 4 year old granddaughter was watching TV with her other grandfather. Then something on the TV surprised her and she blurted out, “What the hell!” Her other grandfather said, Ava that’s not a nice word, where did you hear it? She replied, I heard mama say it.

Children absorb the examples of their parents. It’s why The Bible tells us to absorb the examples of God the Father. It’s also a good reminded for us as parents to be good examples to our children.

The light of Christ

1 Peter 3:8 New Living Translation (NLT)

8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.

Peter gives us a reminder to remember and sympathize with one another. We are to keep a humble attitude towards others using a tender heart to love and encourage each other. For many are standing in the dark and need to be reminded of the light of Christ’s love.

In his latest book, John Ortberg writes about our need to meaningfully connect with others:

In 2015, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley announced they would be part of a $100 million dollar project for space travel to see if there's intelligent life in the universe. The plan was to send tiny nanocrafts—like spaceship butterflies—traveling at one-fifth the speed of light to Alpha Centauri. Stephen Hawking expressed the purpose poignantly: "It is important to know if we are alone in the dark."

The folks at Berkeley are not the only ones who want to know. We're all constantly sending out tiny little probes, emotional nanocrafts, to find out whether we're alone in the dark. They travel at high speeds, and it's easy to miss them. They can be small: "Did you see the game last night?" They can be poignant: "I don't think I'll ever call my dad again." They can be deep: "I'm not sure my wife loves me anymore." They can be urgent: "I have no one else to talk to; can I speak to you confidentially?"

These emotional nanocrafts are what researcher John Gottman calls "bids" for emotional connection." We start issuing these bids before we can talk. A baby's cry is a bid to connect. As we grow older, these bids—or invitations—for intimacy take other forms. "A bid can be a question, a gesture, a look, a touch—any single expression that says, 'I want to feel connected to you.'" Intimacy of every kind is either built up or eroded, based on how well we handle the subtle little nanocrafts of relational life.

Christ with us

Matthew 28:18-20 New International Version (NIV)

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

In these verses Jesus speaks of His authority, both on earth and in heaven. And He speaks to us saying to make disciples of all nations in the name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. Then He gives us a promise, a promise that Christ Himself will be with us through life and death.

Most people know about the passion of Martin Luther King Jr. for racial justice and nonviolent resistance. However, some people aren't as familiar with King's deep personal faith in Christ. In his book Welcoming Justice, Charles Marsh describes one of King's profound encounters with the Risen Christ.

[In January 1956, Martin Luther King Jr.] returned home around midnight after a long day of organizational meetings. His wife and young daughter were already in bed, and King was eager to join them. But a threatening call—the kind of call he was getting as many as 30 to 40 times a day—interrupted his attempt to get some much-needed rest. When he tried to go back to bed, he could not shake the menacing voice that kept repeating the hateful words in his head.

King got up, made a pot of coffee, and sat down at his kitchen table. With his head buried in his hands, he cried out to God. There in his kitchen in the middle of the night, when he had come to the end of strength, King met the living Christ in an experience that would carry him through the remainder of his life. "I heard the voice of Jesus saying still to fight on," King later recalled. "He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone … He promised never to leave me, no never alone."

In the stillness of the Alabama night, the voice of Jesus proved more convincing than the threatening voice of the anonymous caller. The voice of Jesus gave him the courage to press through the tumultuous year of 1956 to the victorious end of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. More than that, it gave him a vision for ministry that would drive him for the rest of his life.

Red letters

John 14:6 New International Version (NIV)

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

These are the words of Jesus telling us directly his is the truth, the life and the way to The Father. Take these words and believe them.

If you own a red letter edition Bible the verse above is written in red. The red letter edition points out all the words Jesus spoke by printing them in red.

The inspiration for rubricating the Dominical words comes from Luke, 22:20: "This cup is the new testament in my blood, which I shed for you." On 19 June 1899, Louis Klopsch, then editor of The Christian Herald magazine, conceived the idea while working on an editorial. Klopsch asked his mentor Rev. Thomas De Witt Talmage what he thought of a testament with the Dominical words rubricated and Dr. Talmage replied, "It could do no harm and it most certainly could do much good."

Klopsch published the first modern red letter edition New Testament later in 1899. The first modern, fully rubricated bible was published in 1901. The rubricated bible instantly became popular, and is sometimes favored by Protestant Christians in the United States. Especially in King James Version editions, this format is useful because quotation marks are absent.

Romans 5:9 says, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” Jesus died to save us from our sin. He shed his blood on the cross. Red ran down from his body for our sakes. And for our sake His words are printed in red.

The invitation

Revelation 3:20 New King James Version (NKJV)

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Here we see an invitation given to the Church of Leodicia from The Lord. He states that if anyone hears His voice and opens the door He will come in and dine with them. It is a wonderful invitation suggesting warmth, intimacy and friendship. Have you heard The Lord and asked Him to join you?

In the Chicago Tribune Magazine actor Kyle Chandler was asked a series of finish-the-sentence questions.

One question was, "I'd give anything to meet___."

Chandler answered, "God Almighty. I'd like to share my favorite meal with him, and I'd let him do all the talking."

Such an offer is open to Chandler. Revelation 3:20 states: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

[Cheryl Lavin, "Fast Track," Chicago Tribune Magazine (March 2001); submitted by Lee Eclov]

Not only hear, but do

James 1:22 New King James Version (NKJV)

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

We all have a problem with our heart, not a physical one, but a spiritual one. Throughout The Bible, God has told us how to live our lives, yet we often ignore the words He has given us. In our disobedience, there are consequences we face. If only we would listen to what God has told us our lives would be much simpler.

A [2006] medical study reveals just how difficult change is for people. Roughly 600,000 people have heart bypasses a year in America. These people are told after their bypasses that they must change their lifestyle. The heart bypass is a temporary fix. They must change their diet. They must quit smoking and drinking. They must exercise and reduce stress.

In essence, the doctors say, "Change or die."

You would think that a near-death experience would forever grab the attention of the patients. You would think they would vote for change. You would think the argument for change is so compelling that the patients would make the appropriate lifestyle alterations. Sadly that is not the case.

Ninety percent of the heart patients do not change. They remain the same, living the status quo. Study after study indicates that two years after heart surgery, the patients have not altered their behavior. Instead of making changes for life, they choose death.

Change is that difficult. The majority of the heart patients choose not to change. They act as if they would rather die.

[Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger, Simple Church (B & H Publishing Group, 2006), p. 229]

Remembering God's Words

Psalm 119:114 New International Version (NIV)

114 You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

Remembering God’s words at critical times in your life can bring peace and hope you may have otherwise missed.

Scripture memorization is a great challenge to a modern day saints. But in the old days, many of the saints of God would memorize large portions of Scripture because they were devoted to God.

One such man was John Ruskin. He lived in the nineteenth century in Great Britain and was raised by a mother who was unsparing of herself and others. One of the things she made him do was memorize Scripture. He memorized Psalms 23, 32, 90, 91, 103, 112, 119, and 139.

Later in his life when he was writing some about some of his life experiences, he wrote, "It is strange that of all the pieces of the Bible which my mother taught me, that which cost me most to learn, and which was, to my childish mind, chiefly repulsive--the 119th Psalm--has now become of all the most precious to me in its overflowing and glorious passion of love for the Law of God."

Another man was William Wilberforce who fought slavery in London and was largely responsible for its downfall wrote in his diary in the year of 1819: "Walked today from Hyde Park Corner, repeating the 119th Psalm in great comfort."

Henry Martyn, a missionary to India, memorized Psalm 119 as an adult in 1804. He had an extremely laborious life but he wrote that it was the Bible alone that gave him the strength to keep on going. He died of exhaustion in 1812.

David Livingstone, the pioneer missionary to Africa, won a Bible from his Sunday school teacher by repeating Psalm 119 by heart when he was nine years old.

One Irish pastor out of the Keswick convention said that God did not call him to ministry but his mother did. I don't recommend this kind of calling but he said that his mother told him on her death-bed, "Derrick, my boy, you have the gift of gab. But you don't know the Word. If you'd learn the Word, the Lord might be able to use you." He took what she had to say to heart, determined to study the Bible, and within three weeks of his mother's death was preaching!

(From a sermon by Philip Harrelson, A Clean Life With a Hidden Deposit, 5/14/2012)

Conducting your affairs with justice

Psalm 112:5 New International Version (NIV)

5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.

God tells us to be generous and lend freely, but we are to do so as stewards of God’s money. For everything we have is of God and therefore we should treat it as God’s money.

The classic film It's a Wonderful Life celebrates the significance of one man's contribution to his community. George Bailey (played by James Stewart) consistently demonstrates self-denial and generosity. A proprietor of a loan institution, George helps families through tough Depression-era times.

Bailey's Building and Loan is put in jeopardy by George's uncle, who misplaces $8,000, and George realizes he could go to jail. He wishes he'd never been born. But Clarence Oddbody, an angel dispatched from heaven, shows George what the world would have been like had he never been born.

Early in the movie, George marries his sweetheart, Mary, on Black Tuesday in October 1929. The stock market has just collapsed. En route to the train station, the cab driver calls attention to a crowd clamoring for their money at the Bedford Falls Bank. Fearing a similar scene at the family business, George asks to stop by the Bailey Building and Loan.

George jumps out of the cab and finds a crowd of people waiting at a locked door. The stock market collapse has motivated his clients to try and withdraw their money. Though perplexed about what to do, George opens the door and lets in his friends, who demand their money at once. George attempts to calm the crowd, all the while knowing he doesn't have sufficient cash on hand to honor everyone's request.

George tries to calm the crowd, saying, "We can get through this thing all right. We've got to stick together, though. We've got to have faith in each other."

An elderly woman responds, "But my husband hasn't worked in over a year. I need money."

Just in time, George's new bride has an idea. Retrieving the honeymoon nest egg from her purse, she holds up the money and asks, "How much do you need?"

Immediately, George announces, "I've got $2,000. This should tide us over."

One man insists on withdrawing all $200 from his account. George pleads with him not to be greedy, so the money will go further. Several others ask for more modest amounts. As the time approaches 6 o'clock, George and Uncle Billy count down the waning moments that will close out the business day. "5…4…3…2…1…Bingo!"

Uncle Billy beams, "We're going to make it, George. They'll never close us up today."

[It's a Wonderful Life, (RKO Radio Pictures, 1946), rated G, written by Philip Van Doren Stern, directed by Frank Capra; submitted by Greg Asimakoupoulos, Naperville, Illinois]

The Gospel

Romans 1:16 New Living Translation (NLT)

16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

The gospel is given to free us from the condemnation of sin. It was given first to the Jewish people and then to the Gentiles. It is a freeing power to help us who are in sin move from sin to the better things God has in store for us.

JoHannah Reardon from Sycamore, Illinois; wrote the following newsletter in ChristianBibleStudies.com. When our children were young, my husband and I decided we wouldn't watch R-rated movies. We wouldn't allow our children to watch them, so we decided that to watch them ourselves would be confusing to them. We made this decision in good conscience and never regretted it. I found, however, that it made me feel judgmental toward other parents who watched R-rated movies. I began to feel they weren't fully committed to Christ because they watched things I'd decided not to watch.

Even as I write this, I realize how ridiculous it is to judge someone's relationship with God by what rating of movies he or she watches, but it was so subtle at the time. Since it was a sacrificial commitment for me, I instinctively evaluated other people's spiritual dedication when they talked about the latest movie they'd watched. As I made this judgment, I never thought about my own sin or all the things that person was doing right. Instead, I focused on this one thing I thought they were doing wrong.

The ability to see sin in others and ignore it in your own heart is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a Pharisee, and being a Pharisee is so easy. It's great to make rules to guide our own behavior, but when we extend those rules to everyone around us, we're in danger of becoming pharisaical.

A work in progress

Philippians 1:6 New Living Translation (NLT)

6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Sometimes we see nothing but a mess in our lives, but God sees something different. He sees a work in progress waiting to be completed.

Kellie Kutkey from Vancouver, WA writes in Today's Christian Woman, an article."Heart to Heart." We live in a small house, so even little messes seem big. Recently, I looked at my sewing projects and thought, If my child left this mess, I'd be mad. Then I realized I wasn't angry at myself because, in my eyes, I could see the finished product--to me it wasn't a mess at all! I'm thankful God looks at me the same way. He sees in me the righteousness of Jesus--and I can be confident that "He who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).

Praise His name

Isaiah 12:4 New Living Translation (NLT)

4 In that wonderful day you will sing:

    “Thank the Lord! Praise his name!

Tell the nations what he has done.

    Let them know how mighty he is!

The prophet Isaiah reminds Israel that there would come a time where the people would remember to praise and thank God for the things that had been done. It would be a time of true worship, praising His mighty name.

The praise chorus "We Exalt Thee" took on a whole new meaning when I heard my three-year-old daughter singing her version: "We exhaust thee. We exhaust thee, O Lord."

[Tammy Lindsey, Utica, New York. Christian Reader, "Kids of the Kingdom."]

It’s true, we probably often exhaust God in the things we do and say. But our purpose is to fellowship with God and praise His name. Hence, the words of the song actually go as follows:

I love you Lord

And I lift my voice

To worship You

Oh, my soul rejoice

Take joy my King

In what You hear

And let it be a sweet sweet

Sound in Your ear

We exalt Thee

We exalt Thee

We exalt Thee

Oh, Lord

Releasing the feeling of vengence

Leviticus 19:18 New King James Version (NKJV)

18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

God tells us we are to have within ourselves a spirit of forgiveness so we do not take vengeance out on others for the wrong done to us. Instead, we are to express love, a love that reaches out and forgives and embraces the person. Is there someone you are holding a grudge against or feel bitter towards? Pray God will release you from those feelings and instead fill your heart with love.

On July 12, 1986, Steven McDonald, a twenty-nine-year-old police officer on patrol in Central Park, stopped to question three teenagers about a bicycle theft. The oldest, a fifteen-year-old, took out a gun and shot him in the head, neck, and arm. McDonald was rushed to a hospital, where surgeons told his wife that he would be paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life. McDonald spent the next eighteen months in the hospital.

A few years later, McDonald made headlines again, this time because he publically forgave his shooter. Before his death in January 2017, McDonald explained why he forgave his shooter:

Looking back, pondering on my life since that time, it's clear to me that God was in charge. All he wanted was the opportunity to use me. He just needed my yes, and that was made possible by prayer. It's that simple, really. Through the family and friends that God put in my life, and their prayers, God spoke to me and said, "Will you love this boy who shot you?" And the best way that I could love him was to forgive him. Left to my own abilities, I don't think I would have done it. … And I know that I would have died a long time ago had I not listened to God, said yes to God, followed the example of his Son, and loved and forgiven.

Steven's son Conor McDonald, now an NYPD sergeant, recounted how his father would call him every day at 5:00 a.m. while he patrolled, just to wish him a good morning, and how during his college years his father would make a weekly trip to Boston just to have lunch together at Applebee's. "My father was always committed to me," Conor said, "He did more than most able-bodied fathers could ever do with their sons. … My parents created the most phenomenal life out of such darkness. It was due to their unmatched, unconditional devotion and love for each other, which I witnessed from the beginning of my life."

[Adapted from Sam Hine, "God's Cop," The Plough (April 2017)]

Trusting God and turning loose

Psalm 91:1 New Living Translation (NLT)

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High

    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

God who trust and follow God will find peace and rest in Him. Often we hold onto things we need to turn loose of. When we do God will be there to see us through.

One of the most difficult realities faced by most parents is the gradual "letting go" of their children—releasing the little ones from their protection and watching them make their own way in the world. For Tracinda Foxe, however, that "letting go" came much too early in her baby's life, and was much too literal.

In December of 2005, Foxe's apartment building in the Bronx caught on fire. With flames quickly engulfing her third floor bedroom, she was forced to contemplate the unthinkable. Outside, a group of onlookers had gathered some 30 feet below her open window, and they watched with growing concern as smoke billowed around the mother and her 1-month-old child. With no fresh air in the apartment, Tracinda leaned out the window with her baby.

Finally, with all other options exhausted, Tracinda let go. The infant tumbled three stories down into the waiting arms of Felix Vazquez, a Housing Authority employee and catcher on a local baseball team. A former lifeguard, Vazquez performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the baby until paramedics arrived, which saved its life.

Moments later, Tracinda was rescued from her apartment by firefighters, and was reunited with her child. Neither was seriously injured. Asked later about the painful decision to drop her baby from the window, Tracinda said: "I prayed that someone would catch him and save his life…. I said, 'God, please save my son.'"

[Catherine Donaldson-Evans, "The Good News of 2005," Foxnews.com (12-30-05); submitted by Bryan Latchaw, Oskaloosa, Iowa]

The Glory of God

Psalm 19:1-2 New International Version (NIV)

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;

    night after night they reveal knowledge.

Everything that is of this world was and is created by the hands of God. God placed marvelous things before us that declare his glory. In the skies we see the stars, the moon and the planets. on special occasions we see meteors falling and burning in the sky. God’s glory pours out during the day and again at night. May we stop and acknowledge God for all His glory!

Sue Monk Kidd wrote in Today's Christian Woman an article, "Heart to Heart." One August night, my children dragged me to the backyard to watch a meteor shower. I reluctantly joined them thinking, I have so many details to tend to before we leave on vacation. I don't have time for idleness. Suddenly, golden fire balls streaked across the blackness. "God made this," I whispered. It was a rare moment. Not because of the sight, but because I stepped beyond my familiar world into one of wonder and discovered the Creator in the midst. Could it be God filled the world with such beauty to lift people like me away from our obsession with details--to touch our lives with a magnificent awareness of himself?

Deep is God's love

Ephesians 3:17-19 New Living Translation (NLT)

17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

As we turn our life over to Christ to be Savior and Lord, the roots of faith will grow deep into God’s love and keep us sustained. We may never understand God’s full love for us, for it is wider, higher, and deeper than we have ever known. Let us use our faith to make our lives full of the power that comes from God that we may be made complete.

Two-time Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington is best known for his roles in Glory, The Preacher's Wife, Remember the Titans, and Training Day. But the Hollywood A-lister has sounded more like a pastor when has spoken at recent events. Washington has publicly stated that he reads his Bible every day and that he strives to consistently "get up and speak of what God has done for him."

At a November 2015 church banquet he urged his listeners to live in a constant attitude of gratitude for God's goodness:

Give thanks for blessings every day. Every day. Embrace gratitude. Encourage others. It is impossible to be grateful and hateful at the same time. I pray that you put your slippers way under your bed at night, so that when you wake in the morning you have to start on your knees to find them. And while you're down there, say "thank you." A bad attitude is like a flat tire. Until you change it, you're not going anywhere.

[Jeannie Law, "Denzel Washington: God Has 'Faith in Me,'" Christian Post (11-12-15)]

It is all God's

1 Chronicles 29:11 New Living Translation (NLT)

11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.

God is over all the things of the world he created. Everything is his. We own nothing, but instead we are entrusted with the things God has allowed us to have.

When we talk about personal finance, it’s easy to make plans about what we’re going to do with “our money.” But when we talk about “our money,” it’s important to understand what that really means. The money isn’t ours in the sense that we own it; it’s simply ours in the sense that we’re responsible for managing it.

Too often, though, we begin to believe that the things that we have are really ours. This attitude can get down into our hearts and cause us to become slaves to money. To break free, we’ve got to replace that erroneous idea with this true one: God owns it all.

When you think about it, the idea that God owns everything makes perfect sense. After all, God created us, and the earth that we inhabit. We had no inherent right to exist outside of His sovereignty; why would we think that we have an inherent right to own anything beyond what God’s sovereign will allows?

[God, Money & Me, Brian Jewel, https://godmoneyme.com/2012/03/27/god-owns-it-all/]

The one who helps us

Romans 12:10 New Living Translation (NLT)

10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Love and affection are the answers to helping people. We should take delight in others as God has taken delight in us. In helping people we should let them know about the love of Jesus who works in our lives to help us overcome any problem. We may struggle with the problem for a while, but sometimes that is God’s way of letting us sink to our lowest point so we know the only one who can help us is Jesus Christ.

Can alcoholics overcome their addiction? Seattle's Downtown Emergency Services Center doesn't seem to think so. It's spending $11 million on permanent housing for homeless alcoholics.

Seattle taxpayers were fed up with spending $50,000 per alcoholic, every year, on recovery programs, prison, and emergency room visits. The solution is 1811 Eastlake, a housing complex that accommodates 75 alcoholics. The residents are allowed to drink all they want, and they don't have to be in a recovery program—as long as they're off the streets.

Bill Hobson, the program's executive director, believes most alcoholics can't change. "Once you're an alcoholic, you're always an alcoholic," he says, citing the example of an alcoholic who got drunk 10 minutes after leaving a detox facility he had been in for two months. Hobson and his group reject the transforming power of Jesus Christ and believe some people are beyond hope and help.

[Chuck Colson, "Bottoms Up: Is Change Possible?" Breakpoint newsletter (12-15-06); submitted by Jerry De Luca, Montreal West, Quebec, Canada]

Consequences of Freedom

Galatians 5:13 New Living Translation (NLT)

13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

In Christ we have been given the freedom to live life without the fear of the penalty of sin, which is the condemnation of hell. So we are free to sin if we choose, but choosing to sin does have earthly consequences. So we need to be careful in our choices. If we are to use our freedom, use it to serve one another out of love for our Lord and Savior.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is the youngest signal-caller ever to win a Super Bowl. He is a rising superstar in the NFL and has been the recipient of a number of endorsement opportunities. However, as of June 2006, he also has a new perspective on freedom.

In July of 2005, ESPN reporter Andrea Kremer asked Roethlisberger to explain his decision to ride his motorcycle without a helmet:

ESPN: It's not the law in Pennsylvania to wear a helmet. Why don't you wear a helmet?

Roethlisberger: Because you don't have to. It's not the law. If it was the law, I'd definitely have one on every time I rode. But it's not the law and I know I don't have to. You're just more free when you're out there with no helmet on.

Unfortunately, Roethlisberger was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in June of 2006, less than one year later. When a 62-year-old woman failed to yield at a Pittsburgh intersection, Roethlisberger was thrown into the windshield of her Chrysler Town and Country. His bike was totaled, and emergency surgeons spent over seven hours repairing a broken jaw, a fractured skull, missing teeth, and several other facial injuries.

After being released from the hospital, Roethlisberger apologized to the fans, his family, and his team for risking his health (and life) unnecessarily. In another interview, he was no longer focused on taking advantage of his individual freedom: "In the past few days, I've gained a new perspective on life. By the grace of God, I'm fortunate to be alive." He also added that, if he ever does ride a motorcycle again, "it will certainly be with a helmet."

[David Slagle, Atlanta, Georgia; source: ESPN.com]

Questioning God

Romans 11:33 New Living Translation (NLT)

33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

The Bible tells us it is impossible for us to understand the decisions, actions, and ways of God. Yet we challenge God and call into question the things that happen in this world even going as far to say, “This has to be God’s fault.” We forget about our own sins. We also forget there is Satan who is out to destroy what he can of this world.

It is not uncommon for people to shake their fists at God in the midst of tragedy and suffering. The Bible includes the stories of righteous men who questioned God for what they considered poor management of creation.

But Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers has taken his complaints to court. In October 2007, Sen. Chambers sued God for "causing untold death and horror" in the form of "fearsome floods…horrendous hurricanes, [and] terrifying tornadoes." Furthermore, says the senator, God has wrought "widespread death [and] destruction" and terrorized "millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

Chambers filed the suit to make a statement about the American court system. Outraged by a recent lawsuit he considered frivolous, the senator intends to demonstrate that "anybody can file a lawsuit against anybody." His motion against God, then, is tongue in cheek; Chambers, who has a history of antagonism against Christians, has no vested interest in his suit against the Almighty.

Nevertheless, the case raises important questions about God's activity in this broken world. Is God to blame for poverty, warfare, and natural disaster? Chambers seems to think so. To him the facts are clear: there is suffering everywhere, and God is everywhere. Therefore, God must cause suffering. But God's not the only being who is everywhere. So are sinful human beings.

[Brandon O'Brien, assistant editor, PreachingToday.com; source: "Neb. state senator sues God in protest" (Associated Press) USA Today (10-08-07)]

Stepping close to God

Colossians 4:5-6 New Living Translation (NLT)

5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Our lives are to be examples to others. We are to live in such a way people recognize there is a difference in us and that difference is Christ living through us.

David Brainerd, the great missionary to the American Indians, was on one occasion witnessing to a chief, who was very close to deciding for Christ. But he held back; there was some pause or hesitation. Brainerd got up, took a stick, drew a circle in the soft earth about the chief, and said, "Decide before you cross that line." Why this passion and urgency? Because Brainerd recognized that at that moment, that chief was close to God. If he missed that moment, he might never be so close again.

[Bruce Thielemann, "Tide Riding," Preaching Today, Tape No. 30.]

Hope in God

Romans 12:12 New Living Translation (NLT)

12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

In this world we can lose hope when we think about the troubles we face, because we are often placing hope in ourselves. What we are to do is pray and keep on praying that The Lord would provide His hope to us. For it is hope in God that allows us to rejoice and be patient even in times of trouble.

Richard Halverson, former pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland and also the former chaplain of the United States Senate used the following benediction at the end of each service/message for many years in his ministry. It reflects his deep conviction that his church was not only where the congregation met on Sundays, but at each place where they lived and worked through the week.

A Benediction

Wherever you go, God is sending you.

Wherever you are, God has put you there.

God has a purpose in your being right where you are.

Christ, who indwells you by the power of his Spirit,

wants to do something in and through you.

Believe this and go in his grace, his love, his power.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Amen

Paid for with His life

1 Peter 1:18-19 New Living Translation (NLT)

18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

Christ gave of Himself for your sake. He was willing to take on your sin to save you from the condemnation of sin. It was His precious blood, the sinless blood of Christ.

 

Father Damien was a priest who became famous for his willingness to serve lepers. He moved to Kalawao—a village on the island of Molokai, in Hawaii, that had been quarantined to serve as a leper colony. For 16 years, he lived in their midst. He learned to speak their language. He bandaged their wounds, embraced the bodies no one else would touch, preached to hearts that would otherwise have been left alone. He organized schools, bands, and choirs. He built homes so that the lepers could have shelter. He built 2,000 coffins by hand so that, when they died, they could be buried with dignity. Slowly, it was said, Kalawao became a place to live rather than a place to die, for Father Damien offered hope.

Father Damien was not careful about keeping his distance. He did nothing to separate himself from his people. He dipped his fingers in the poi bowl along with the patients. He shared his pipe. He did not always wash his hands after bandaging open sores. He got close. For this, the people loved him.

Then one day he stood up and began his sermon with two words: "We lepers…."

Now he wasn't just helping them. Now he was one of them. From this day forward, he wasn't just on their island; he was in their skin. First he had chosen to live as they lived; now he would die as they died. Now they were in it together.

One day God came to Earth and began his message: "We lepers…." Now he wasn't just helping us. Now he was one of us. Now he was in our skin. Now we were in it together.

[John Ortberg, God Is Closer Than You Think (Zondervan, 2005), p. 103-104]

Death where is thy sting?

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 New Living Translation (NLT)

55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus took the sting of death for us that we may have victory over sin. For sin demands payment, but Christ payed the price for our sins with His death.

A boy and his father were driving down a country road on a beautiful spring afternoon, when a bumblebee flew in the car window. The little boy, who was allergic to bee stings, was petrified. The father quickly reached out, grabbed the bee, squeezed it in his hand, and then released it. The boy grew frantic as it buzzed by him. Once again the father reached out his hand, but this time he pointed to his palm. There stuck in his skin was the stinger of the bee. "Do you see this?" he asked. "You don't need to be afraid anymore. I've taken the sting for you." We do not need to fear death anymore. Christ has died and risen again. He has taken the sting from death.

[Adrian Dieleman, Waupun, Wisconsin. Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 1.]

Jesus make things right

1 Corinthians 15:20-22 New Living Translation (NLT)

20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. 21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.

Adam, a man, brought sin into the world, which affected every person. We all are descendants of Adam and carry that sin today. Jesus took those sins upon himself so that we could be given a life free from sin, a new life that would allow us to be with God at the given time. Jesus made things right with God. Then it's up to us.

In the movie The Words, a struggling young writer named Rory Jansen finds a mysterious manuscript stuffed in an old leather briefcase. Rory types the anonymous manuscript word-for-word and then submits it to a publisher pretending that it's his original work. To his surprise, the book becomes an instant bestseller and Rory wins literary acclaim.

Later in the film an old man confronts Rory and claims to be the true author of the book. The man informs Rory that he originally wrote the story in an attempt to deal with the pain of his child's death and his subsequent divorce. Tragically, his precious manuscript was lost.

Later on, Rory, wracked with remorse, locates the old man, who is working in a greenhouse tending plants. With the two of them alone in the greenhouse, Rory tells the old man, "I want to fix this."

"There's nothing to fix," the old man replies. "You just go and live the life you've made for yourself."

Rory tries to hand the old man a packet of money as he says, "This is all yours. I'm going to take my name off the book and tell everyone the truth."

The old man says, "Then you're even more of a fool than I thought you were."

**Rory asks, "What is this about then?"

The old man says, "It's about my life. It's about my wife and about my child. It's about the joy and the pain that gave birth to those words. You take those words. You take the pain. Why don't you buy a plant with that money?"

The old man shoves a plant into Rory's hands and says, "Take your plant and your money and get out of here." Then he pushes Rory away.

Rory counters, "Hey, I want to make things right!"

"You can't just make things right. Things are just things. Do you understand? No matter how you try to martyr yourself."

Rory pleads with him, "Sir? Sir? Please!" but the old man walks away without offering forgiveness.

[The Words. Directed by Brian Klugman. 2012; Submitted by Greg Asimakoupoulos, Mercer Island, Washington]

Believe, trust and obey

Romans 10:9-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

This is the command of The Gospel. Jesus died and was raised from the dead. It is by faith, believing in your heart that God gave up His only son so that you could be free from sin. For when you believe in the hope of Jesus Christ you are saved.

At the height of his worldwide fame, rock musician Alice Cooper drank a bottle of whiskey a day. But the bottle almost destroyed his marriage to Sheryl, his wife of 25 years. He started heading off to church with her and felt as if God was speaking to him every Sunday.

Now a believer, Cooper takes the opportunity to speak to curious fellow musicians about the reality of the Devil and the change in his life. "I have talked to some big stars about this, some really horrific characters, and you'd be surprised," he says. "The ones that you would think are the farthest gone are the ones that are the most apt to listen."

[Steve Beard, "The Way of Faith for Alice Cooper," Good News Magazine (May/June 2002) p. 29]

There is hope in Christ that cannot be found anywhere else. Believe, trust and obey.

The wrong side of life

Proverbs 17:9 New International Version (NIV)

⁹ Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,
  but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

God has told us to love one another and when we do the offenses we have committed are healed. However, if we fail to love we repeat the same mistake and separate ourselves from friends.

Flash of Genius is inspired by the true story of Dr. Robert Kearns (Greg Kinnear). After creating the intermittent windshield wiper, Kearns pitches his idea to General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. All three companies turn him down, only to steal his idea and add them to all their automobiles. Dr. Kearns decides to take on the Ford Motor Company in a legal battle that no one believes he can win.

At this point in the film, Dr. Kearns has not yet invented his famous windshield wiper. He is currently working as a mechanical engineering professor at Wayne State University. As the scene begins, Dr. Kearns is writing the word "ethics" on a chalkboard. His students enter the classroom. He turns, and says, "Morning, everybody! I want to welcome you all to the first day of the quarter for Applied Electrical Engineering. My name is Dr. Robert Kearns, and I'd like to start by talking to you about ethics."

"I can't think of a job or a career where the understanding of ethics is more important than engineering," Dr. Kearns continues. "Who designed the artificial aortic heart valve? An engineer did that. Who designed the gas chambers at Auschwitz? An engineer did that, too. One man was responsible for helping save tens of thousands of lives. Another man helped kill millions."

"Now, I don't know what any of you are going to end up doing in your lives," Dr. Kearns says, "but I can guarantee you that there will come a day when you have a decision to make. And it won't be as easy as deciding between a heart valve and a gas chamber."

Flash of Genius (Universal Pictures, 2008), directed by Marc Abraham;

We so easily step into the wrong side of life when we should be on the right path to loving others.