Tag: Joy

A Home for the King

12/03/2013Gospel, Holidays, Sharing the Gospel, , , 6 Comments

nativity3
My brother, J.R., built this stable for me many years ago. It’s very special to me not just because he built it, but also because all of the materials were collected from our grandparent’s farm in North Carolina.

If you look closely, you’ll see that it’s just a few twigs, some bark, moss, twine, a few tacks and some glue. Things you’d find lying around. But when the right person sees these things; a person with an eye for creativity, and a plan to put them together just right, these pieces of debris become a work of art: a Christmas Stable.

Each year, when I take out my nativity set, and place the baby Jesus in this stable, these pieces of twigs and bark become sacred and command respect. Even children know to be careful. When our grandsons are over, they know not to touch. We hold a flashlight so they can look into all the corners and see everything that’s there.When God made man, he looked at the dust with an eye for creativity and a plan to fashion a human body. So God made man and woman in the image of God, and blew life into them.

Genesis 2:7 “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. But God made man in his own image, and man was special because of that.

We are made from dust and when we die, we will return to dust. But our hearts cry out for more! We want eternity! We want real life! We don’t want to exist as an ‘empty stable’; we yearn for purpose.

There is only one thing that can fill our hearts, give purpose to our lives, and make our ordinary bodies a sacred temple; and that is the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in us.

We forget that, though we are made in God’s image, we are born sinners in need of a Savior.   At some point in each of us will face a decision: Do you believe that the baby in the manger is indeed the man on the cross, the eternal Son of God, who died so that you might live?

John 3:17-17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

If you believe that Jesus died for you, and invite him into your heart as your Savior and your king, you will be saved and you will have purpose.

As you set up your nativity this year, if you have not yet done so, will you invite the Lord Jesus to take up residence in your heart and experience the true meaning of Christmas: Emmanuel: God with us!

Christmas Decorating Day!

11/29/2013Holidays, Spiritual Growth, , , , Leave a comment

With Thanksgiving behind us, it’s time to decorate the house for Christmas! Yes, it is a ton of work! And, yes, it’s usually a solitary job, but I love it!

What I really enjoy is unpacking the ornaments!

BabyFirstOrnaments

This is the ornament Brian and I got when we were first married in 1979, Danny’s first Christmas 1981, Bobby’s first Christmas 1984, and an ornament my mom gave me from her tree when I was a baby in 1956.

Every ornament has a sweet memory: The excitement and pride on the boys’ faces as they presented their hand-made masterpieces, the memory of a friend I haven’t seen in years, the heartache of a family member who is gone, the joy of a baby’s birth, or the thankfulness for a new daughter-in-law!

It’s not unusual, as each ornament is unwrapped and examined, to find some that didn’t survive their storage intact and need a bit of glue; while others seem prettier and shinier than when they were put away.

Just as we take the time to unpack the ornaments we use to decorate our homes, we should also set aside a time each year when we unpack and examine the ornaments God has given us to decorate our lives.

Galatians 5:22-23 “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

As we go through the box, each one provokes a memory…

Love – do you love unconditionally? Who needs to know that you love them?

Joy – when did you last experience joy? Have you brought joy to others’ lives? Have you lived joyfully in the midst of sorrow because you know the Savior?

Peace – are you living in peace? Peace with God and others?

Forbearance – have you practiced tolerance and restraint when you’ve been provoked? Have you shown patience with others?

Kindness – would others say you are kind to them? To yourself?

Goodness – only God is good – are you growing more and more like him each day?

Faithfulness – Would you say your faith in God is growing deeper? Stronger? Is it penetrating every part of your life?

Gentleness – Have your words and your actions grown in gentleness?

Self-control – where are you out of control? Where have you gained control?

As you cooperate with God, he will strengthen and grow this fruit. This is a promise.

Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

We can’t produce this fruit on our own.  It isn’t a matter of working to be good enough.  These ornaments belong to God; they are the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the by-product of God working in our lives through the Holy Spirit.

As we cooperate with God in the circumstances he allows in our lives, he continues the work of transforming us: “polishing our ornaments”.

It’s time to decorate! May the light of the Lord shine brightly through you this Christmas season!

Compelled to Share

10/18/2013Sharing the Gospel, Spiritual Walk, The Furrowed Brow, , 3 Comments

Hello. My name is Marcia. I’m a mall-walker. I’m not alone. There are many of us; we arrive before the stores open and we barrel briskly down the mostly empty hallways for exercise. The mall is great for walking, there’s security, heat in winter, AC in summer, it never rains, you don’t have to jump out of the way of a bicycle, and you’re never too far from a bathroom.

A few months ago my friend, who’s also a mall-walker, and I were speeding along when a young woman came into view heading straight toward us pushing a custodial cart. She made eye contact and with a huge smile on her face, as if she knew us, she headed in our direction. The second she was close enough to speak, she said, “I just got promoted! I’ll never have to push this cart again!”

We clapped! We hugged her! We congratulated her! We had no idea who she was! After a minute we resumed our walk; smiling and filled with joy. What a moment. She had great news to share and it didn’t matter who she shared it with. It was as if she was compelled by some inner force to share. We were privileged to rejoice with her.

I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul who said in 1 Corinthians 9:16, “For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” When it came to the gospel, Paul was like this young woman, he had to share. He had to preach. He was compelled by God’s Holy Spirit to share what God had put in his heart and mind.

Do you remember what it was like to feel that way about Jesus?  Can you recall when your salvation was new and your joy was overflowing and you just had to tell everyone about this great new adventure you were on with God?

What happened?  Did the walk with God grow old?  Did it prove to be more difficult than you thought?  Did other people’s reaction drain the joy out of your testimony? Did church get boring? Did Bible study fall by the wayside?

King David prays in Psalm 51, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.” Is that your prayer? Should it be?

Perhaps we’ve lost our joy because we misunderstood our responsibility. We are not to save others, but to teach them God’s ways. We learn God’s ways by studying his word and applying it. We teach others when we tell them what God has done in our own lives.

That’s what the young woman did. She inadvertently shared with us what God had just done in her life! It gave us all joy. What has God done in your life? Who needs to hear it?