'Tis the Season

The Season has arrived – in my humble opinion.  Although my house is not yet decorated, the 1^st of December heralds the time to bring up the boxes of decorations from the basement [Mr. Bill], put on the Season’s music and begin the wrapping marathon.  It’s also an extra special time to draw near – like the shepherds, like the wise men, like Mary and Joseph – draw nearer the Christ.  I treasure this reminder from Oswald Chambers: “There is only one relationship that matters, and that is your personal relationship to a personal Redeemer and Lord. Let everything else go, but maintain that at all costs, and God will fulfill His purpose through your life. One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes, and yours may be that life.”  Yes, yes, yes – do you understand [Christian friend]  the incredible wealth of this Season?  No, no, no – it’s not lights, parades, music, presents, gatherings, hot cider: it’s opportunities to focus, to ponder, to wonder, to draw near, to draw nearer to Christ. Oh, ‘tis the Season. Yes, ‘tis the Season.  ‘Tis the Season of the Savior!

Personal Passion

Who doesn’t love pizza!  Just don’t make mine a supreme; there’s way-way too many ingredients on it for my liking.  There is a rugged reality about New Testament believers: their faith wasn’t a devotion to a religion, a church, to service, to one another or to a personal experience.  All good parts of Christianity, but mere distractions: “The type of Christian experience in the New Testament is that of personal passionate devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ.” (Oswald Chambers).  Those wonderful parts afore mentioned – fellowship, service, prayer, study – are manifestations of true commitment to Christ.  John writes for us Jesus’ words: “But when He, the Spirit of Truth the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him] … He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.” (John 16:13-14, AMP).  Sadly, the average Christian becomes easily preoccupied with other things: “… Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us … looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross …” (Hebrews 12:1-2).  Whatever our personal passion is, in spiritual matters, our passion must rest solely in Christ and Christ alone!

Whole Again

Broken things are often discarded but few things around here get tossed – Mr. Bill is the original fixer upper of otherwise trashable things.  From the roof of his palace, King Nebuchadnezzar looked out over his kingdom and said, “Is not this the great Babylon that I have built as the royal residence and seat of government by the might of my power and for the honor and glory of my majesty.” (Daniel 4:30).  This is a classic example of "Hey, ya’ll, look what I did.”  From there, things began to deteriorate for the king.  Neither do they go-well for us when we glory in ourselves, the work of our own hands.  God’s reality check for the king went like this: “While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you.’” (V.31).  It's safe to say, the king was in a broken state for the next seven years, but God did not leave him that way. Verse 34 says, “I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding and the right use of my mind returned to me; and I blessed the Most High [God] and I praised and honored and glorified Him Who lives forever, Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion; and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.” It is a hard lesson: God shares His Sovereignty (supremacy) with no one! From King Nebuchadnezzar’s life we see how God makes whole things broken. He Who lives forever – the Most High God – longs to fix the our brokenness.  Give Him the pieces and be whole again.

Ready Answer

Game show contestants have mere seconds to give an answer. It’s exactly why I’d never make a good contestant!  How ready are you with an answer about your faith?  For sure, there are spiritual matters that require study and prayer but there are others to which we shouldn’t hem-haw or stutter.  Brought before the king to answer for their refusal to to bow before his golden image, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered: “… let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:18).  What we know of these three Hebrew men, I just don’t see them going into executive session or administrative conference to determine a resposne!  As seriously devoted followers of Jesus Christ, we are to “be prepared in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2).  Very simply, be ready at any time to give an answer about Him Whom we love.  Our loyalty to Christ should never be a matter for consideration.  Let us always have a ready answer and let that ready answer be one of genuine devotion to Christ alone.

Strong and Steady

What qualities would you want in a ladder: perhaps … strong and steady?  Do these two words describe you spiritually?  This I can say without reservation or hesitation: Satan’s strong-and-steady attacks often are spiritually unsettling!   Every circumstance of life is consistently inconsistent; how then do I maintain a constancy to God as He is to me?  Of the Apostle Paul’s strong and steady consistency in life, Oswald Chambers wrote, “he could let his external life change without internal distress because he was rooted and grounded in God.”  Our Christianity is not established in how deeply or regularly we dig into God’s Word, or how long or often we bow out heads in prayer, or how dedicated we are to Christ’s Church, or even how many times we share the Gospel.  No, the roots of our faith rest solely in “Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:21).  We boast in nothing else. “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ …” (Galatians 6:14).  There – and there alone – is the Consistency in and by which we live.  Deep roots – unwavering, stable, constant, steadfast.  Christ is the Strong and Steady in this weak and wobbly world.  There – in Him – let us live!

Real Thankfulness

There will be many words of gratitude spoken in the next few days, as there should be.  Yes, I have quite the list as well: life, family, friends, provisions, opportunities, etc.  Quite naturally and unconsciously, however, we associate gratitude with life's blessings.  The error of this is we neglect to acknowledge - and rightfully thank - the root cause of all blessings: Almighty God.  If you lost everything you held dear in a moment, how would our depth of gratitude fare?  Would the sincerity of our gratitude be impacted? Honestly, I'm not confident of my own answer to these questions. In his gospel, John  speaks profoundly of He Who blesses: "And from His Fullness we have all received, Grace upon Grace." (John 1:16).  The soul’s true gratitude rests in the One Who gives to each one "according to His riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19).  The "things" we see as objects of our gratitude - and yes, we are rightfully thankful - are temporal, one day and in a moment … gone.  Hence, I challenge you this Thanksgiving instead of giving your full attention to blessings, turn your attention to the Giver of all things - both physical and spiritual - and His Perfect nature.  God is the One Who numbers each hair on your head (Luke 12:7); Who catches each tear you cry (Psalm 56:8); Who has you engraved in the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16); Whose eyes are ever on you (Psalm 33:18); Who never sleeps nor slumbers (Psalm 121:4); Who promises to be with you in all circumstances and at all times (Matthew 28:20). This mind set has the potential to change your entire Thanksgiving holiday.  Experience it - real thankfulness.

The Open Heart

Being among those with heart problems was certainly not my choice!  The stark truth is everyone has heart trouble! “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).  That "who can understand it" question is worth answering: no one fully understands how deeply sick we are at-heart.  Unfortunately, a pill or two or even healthier choices won't fix the heart's spiritual disease.  One of my favorite Biblical accounts of man's confrontation with his sin-sickness is found in Psalm 51 when King David faced his wrongdoing.  Immediately and without hesitation, he sought the [only] One Who could forgive, heal and restore wholeness: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10).  Oh, in what grave danger we place ourselves when we neglect our waning hearts.  Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." Just like an unhealthy heart affects the physical, so a neglected heart impacts the spiritual.  By an act of my own will, I choose to open my heart for God’s inspection and to allow His work in it toward healing and restoration.  What's your choice?

Belly-Up

It’s that time of year when bugs are looking for shelter from the cold, and thanks to Mr. Bill we are a bug-free zone here: all bugs end belly-up. God calls for perseverance.  Sadly, many Christians don’t always persevere because Satan works [overtime] to cause us to  fall.  He’s pretty good at hitting below the belt – dangling in front of us the very sin that entices and entangles.  There’s few things more spiritually crushing to me than my weak link!  Oh, how sweet the reward of confession: God is faithful and just to forgive (1 John 1:9).  With Satan defeated, we can move forward in forgiveness and freedom but sometimes we’re hindered by the guilt cycle – forgiven but not forgotten, forgiven but not  forgotten, forgiven but not forgotten.  We can take this spiritual beating or we can rest in the forgiveness and Jesus’ words: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (John 8:11).  Mr. Bill’s trusty bug spray is potent; the power of God all-powerful against self-inflicted guilt of past sin.  To God, forgiven sin is forgotten sin – far as the east is from the west, in the past – that kind of forgotten!  That sin is belly-up!  Let us rejoice and live on in the light of God’s amazing grace!

A Closer Look

What is it about your favorite actor or actress that you like?  Like me, it’s  probably the character portrayed and how well he or she played their role.  One of the issues Jesus had with the religious leaders of His day was their obsession with keeping up appearances.  They were much more interested in their outward behavior than their inward condition.  In truth, they were excellent performers.  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees … you outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:27-28).  What would others see if they took a closer look at your life, at my life?  The Believer who is truly committed to a life of holiness will not be afraid or ashamed when their lives come under unexpected scrutiny.  Like that favorite performer, are you involved in spiritual role playing or do others see the real you?  May we all welcome and withstand a closer look. 

But God

It’s pretty amazing how one little word, a seemingly insignificant word, can change things.  Conjunctive words such as “however” or “if” or “and,” can significantly change the course of a sentence or thought.  In the Bible, the conjunctive clause “but God” changes everything!  In Psalm 52, Verses 1-4 you can hear David’s frustration with evil men, particularly Doeg the Edomite who ratted out his whereabouts to King Saul who was trying to kill David: “Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?” (V.1).  As I sat with a dear friend last night, our conversation turned several times to how often it seems the ungodly prosper while the godly struggle so.  It was enough to frustrate David – it’s enough to frustrate Christians today.  Then comes the conjunctive phrase that presents contrast-thinking: “But God will break you down forever … But as for me … I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.” (V.8).  God doesn’t just present contrast – He IS contrast!  Hope placed in God is hope well placed, securely and confidently.  Let us not be overcome when Satan whispers or evil looms. Whatever the threat, remember … but God!

Eye On You

Children do not fully comprehend their mother’s attentiveness to the whereabouts and behavior of their children.  Even the smallest detail rarely escape mother’s eyes or her "something is amiss" instinct. Scripture tells us “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3).  “Out of sight, out of mind” does not apply to El Roi - God Who Sees.  The eternal presence at creation of all three Persons - Father, Son, Holy Spirit – His all-knowing nature which is confirmed in His Word: “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16). Now, here's the most astonishing truth about God, Who created-established-rules all things: He is attentive to all (that’s myriads of) living souls.  Walk outside and look up into the evening sky and be amazed at God's handiwork then consider this same Creator-God wants a personal relationship with you!  He’s not some generic or one-fits-all spirit as many refer to Him.  Oh no!  He is the Creator Who is attentive to His very creatures He created - you and me!  He is The One Who identified Himself as “I AM WHO I AM” (Genesis 3:14) and self-declared "I am the LORD, I change not." (Malachi 3:6). A mother may [indeed] have a built-in instinct for her children and [if so] it's given to her by the One Who genuinely and completely sees all.  Trust the One Who has His eye on you!

Uncommon Sense

MORNING WITH BEVERLY: Thursday 11-09-2017

Common or Uncommon

A realty company describes its vacation rental locations as the “Uncommon Florida.”  A personal favorite vacation spot, I understand and agree with this: untouched and protected dunes, sea oats, sea turtle nests and limited commercialization.  Second Kings, Chapter 7 tells of four hungry lepers at Samaria’s city gate doing nothing except accepting life's fate for themselves. They began to say and consider among themselves, “why are we sitting here until we die?”  With death imminent, they began to consider their choices: death by disease or famine versus looking for food.  Christians should be characterized by both senses – common and uncommon.  One without the other is foolish: uncommon sense alone – faith – can disconnect us from life's reality while common sense alone can blind us to God at work.  We know God is always at work in our lives, working all things "together for good to them that love God." (Romans 8:28). Another danger of common sense by itself can lead us to be so practical in our approach to life that we explain away life experiences rather than exercise faith in God’s sovereign control.  Just recently I experienced a hiccup with regard to the date of my coming retirement.  The reality of it brought disappointment and self-pity to my doorstep but the belief in my Sovereign God chased away every spiritual threat.  You see, as long as we live in this world, we engage common sense but never dismiss uncommon sense -- faith -- in God’s Presence, Power, Portion and Protection.  He works in the common to bring rightful glory to Himself through the uncommon.  As uncommon as it may seem, faith is real and it is central to the life of the Believer; it is the "substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1).  We can all agree that to disregard common sense is foolish and even dangerous, but never take a breath without the uncommon sense of God's Presence in your life.  Have faith in God!

Heart-Call

Remember the interrogative – that word used in a sentence to create a question: who, what, where, when, why, etc.  When God asked Elijah, “why are you here,” the question introduced an opportunity for self-examination.  God knew the answer, of course, but He wanted Elijah to personally consider the why-of-where he was.  When we go to the doctor, it’s usually a what-is-it rather than a why-is-it visit; and, the remedy prescribed typically treats the symptom rather than the source.  Because God is always interested in us being spiritually well and whole, He will always press us – like Elijah – to consider the source of spiritual sickness.  Sin is the root cause of every spiritual disease: rebellion, complaining, deceitfulness, covetousness, criticism, slander, idolatry, depression – the list is endless.  Jesus came to bring deep genuine healing: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24).  Sadly, many people don't even realize they're sick, but no one is exempt from sin's infection.  What is your spiritual sickness?  The what-of-it isn’t as critical to our good spiritual health as the why-of-it.  Today could be the beginning of spiritual healing for you: ask The Father to show you the why-of-the-what then trust the Great Physician to make a heart-call and deliver healing.

Fear or Faith

Mr. Bill often tells me I ask too many questions; I tell him he doesn’t ask enough question, which explains why he's so often in the dark!  When God asks a question, you can count on it being probing and the answer revealing.  On the run and in hiding from the evil queen Jezebel, Elijah found himself a long way from home.  Twice during this time, God asked the prophet, “what are you doing here?” (1 Kings 19:9, 13).  O. S. Hawkins makes a valid points about Christian life: we often react in fear instead of respond in faith.  In the face of a life-battle – whatever it may be – it's particularly easy to forget God’s faithfulness and jump track, reacting in fear. Did you know the phrase "fear not" occurs in more than 100 verses in Scripture?  Paul wrote to Timothy making sure he knew God has not given us a "spirit of fear" but rather a spirit of power (2 Timothy 1:7).  Fear is a paralyzer and just like Elijah, if we're not careful, we'll find ourselves in a cave hiding out rather than facing our fears in faith.  Jesus said all the faith we need is the size of a mustard seed - and that's reallly really small - to overcome fear (Matthew 17:20).  If God is tracking your present location - aka "what are you doing here?" - consider it a probing question of fear or faith!

The Treasury

What fun it is to watch the Grands learn new things.  Our Ella-girl is learning to read; she began with short simple words then putting words together, she is now reading complete sentences.  When we read God’s Word – and I trust you do this regularly – we must approach this reading with an open heart and mind.  The psalmist wrote, “Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statues, and I shall observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law and keep it with all my heart.” (Psalm 119:13-14). I suppose everyone does a little reading-for-pleasure – reading that falls into the category of entertainment.  While we certainly should delight and joy in reading God’s Word, it is not mindless reading.  Rather, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  Once read, these words of Truth become Treasure within us serving divine purpose: “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11, NASB).  I wonder just how rich the deposits of Treasure are in the heart of the average Believer.  Let me encourage you to read-to-learn of God’s Truth.  Do so regularly.  Begin today to build the Treasury of His Truth in your heart.  The measure of return on each deposit is … truly immeasurable!

Know You Can't

Optimism and hard work are well illustrated in the 1902 children’s book, The Little Engine That Could.  The little engine’s oft repeated words, “I think I can” echoes still today to teach children (and adults) to persevere.  The principle behind these words doesn’t apply to those who seek to prosper spiritually.  The bootstrap mindset – relying solely on self-determination and inner strength – isn’t a model for spiritual success.  “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses ... For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10).  Acknowledging our weakness – the inability to persevere in personal strength – embraces the Godly attitude of humility then opens the door for God’s grace.  “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My Power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the Power of Christ may rest upon me.” (1 Corinthians 12:9). Of course, this principle isn't found on the best-seller lists nor does it line bookstore shelves.  Nonetheless, there is a sure and certain Confidence in this essential ground rule for Christian living: “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13).  The little engine’s determination isn't without positive merit, but let me remind you, Christian friend, to cling tightly to this profound truth:  Know you can’t but Christ-in-you can!