Let's Work At It!

Life goes to ruin so easily, doesn’t it?  The lawn and landscaping at my home do not take care of themselves!  Keeping it looking good demands constant attention. If I decided to just ‘let it go’ for a month or two, the weeds would take over!  Choose not to maintain your home, your car, your physical health and what happens?  There are soon large messes, major breakdowns, and chronic illness with which to deal. Little problems in life will turn into major issues of dysfunction without discipline and attention, hence the important concept of preventative maintenance. The proverb warns about apathy - "A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber." (Proverbs 24:33-34, NLT)

Do you realize that spiritual health and vitality also demands our attention and effort? There are those who assume that since our salvation comes to us a gift of God, a result of His grace, received by faith, that there is nothing left for us to do.  This ignores the invitation Jesus gives us – “Come, follow Me!”  Every day demands that we choose our priority – will I serve myself or will I choose Christ?  And there is, for a few, the danger of ‘burn out,’ a real spiritual hazard to those who fail to understand the balance of work and rest or who throw themselves into every ministry that comes down the road, working without focus.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul says "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." (Romans 12:11, NIV)  A few months ago I met a woman who is 80 whose zeal inspires me. Along with her own family, she raised several adopted children who came to here with serious emotional needs.  After that season in her life ended, she responded to the call of the Lord to serve children in need around the world and continues to enlist people in the work of a world-wide ministry that educates, feeds, and loves children. She travels, every year, to visit a developing nation to see some of the children she is supporting financially.  All the while, she visits churches tirelessly promoting the work.  Did I say she is 80?

When Paul tells us to keep our ‘spiritual fervor,’ he uses a word that means to be ‘at the boiling point.’  Christianity is not intended to be a slow walk at the fringe of life or a few poems of inspiration read in a sleepy gathering on Sunday morning! We are to be engaged with the world in which we live, passionate about one thing above all others: serving the Lord! Are you?

Let’s not make the common assumption that we are being ‘good Christians’ as long as we show up in church once a week, while make sure that we do not lie, cheat, or steal.  Churches are full of good, moral people who are asleep in the Light, who are unconcerned about the souls of those who are lost in sin’s darkness, who are basically ignorant of their true purpose, spiritual gift, or place of service in the Kingdom. There is a kind of fulfilment to be found in engagement, in knowing the approval of God.

Zeal is not to be confused with just doing something for the sake of looking busy. There are zealots who are thoughtless, careless, or even just ignorant. They create nothing but chaos with frenetic and pointless activity. We are to be people led by the Spirit, equipped uniquely to do what the Lord desires us to do, and to develop those gifts so that we fulfill our calling with excellence.

Are you drifting along on the current of life?

Have you settled for a tepid faith, one that mostly avoids the call to ‘follow Jesus’ in any costly or committed way?

Prayerfully read this word from the Word. "Fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you … God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So you must never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for Christ. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the proclamation of the Good News." (2 Timothy 1:6-8, NLT) 

Zeal! Make it a word that leads you to deeper commitment, for the Lord’s sake.
________

 Set Me Ablaze
(a prayer for zeal!)

Set me ablaze set me ablaze

'Til it's all that I know

Set me ablaze set me ablaze

So  I'll never grow cold

Breathe come and breathe

On the coals of my heart

Let Your fire start

Breathe come and breathe

On the coals of my heart

Keep me burning

Breathe come and breathe

On the coals of my heart

Let Your fire start

Breathe come and breathe

On the coals of my heart (oh)

Set me ablaze set me ablaze

With a single obsession

Set me ablaze set me ablaze

With an endless passion

Wild fire burn brighter

Deep inside my heart

Consume me rage through me

I want all You are

Bryan Torwalt | Jacob Sooter | Katie Torwalt | Mia Fieldes

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Love, don’t fake it!

Paul’s words that I read this morning said “Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it.”   Romans 12:9 (The Message)  Bam! What an on point directive. Americans like to think that discrimination is just something that someone else does.  No one likes to think that they are prejudiced. But our history is full of tragic stories of discrimination, often with the cooperation of the law.  The awful sin of slavery blighted this nation, brought suffering on millions, and destroyed human beings. Though the Civil War officially settled the question of slavery, racial discrimination remains a real issue in our nation 150 years later! I find it tragic that our current political atmosphere is letting stereotypical images turn people into objects, so many speaking rhetoric that only feeds fear. Let’s not forget what fear did during World War 2.  Americans decided that being of Japanese descent was enough to make a person suspicious, and this land of the free, took thousands of its own citizens and locked them in internment camps. 

Christians are to really love ‘from the center of who we are’ because we are loved! Discriminating against others, turning them into objects of scorn, is a sin that is incompatible with the love of Christ Jesus. Have you ever felt shut out, like you didn't belong? Rejection is a painful experience. From the time of childhood, right through adulthood, we human beings have the awful capacity to scorn the person who is different - in color, in race, in religion, in language, even in ability. Why we do it this is complex but God’s desire is clear:  Love!

In the Gospel story of the Incarnation, we find fear, discrimination, and God’s answer! When Joseph found out that his fiancé, Mary, was pregnant he decided that he would break their engagement; quietly, without trying to publicly shame her. His heart was most likely broken by her apparent unfaithfulness, but there was another thread in the story, too.  His honor was at stake. When her pregnancy became obvious, there would be stares and whispers, those who would wonder if he had impregnated her, others who would think she had sought another lover.  In the middle of his thoughts, God sent an angelic messenger who assured him of Mary's fidelity.  The Lord asked Joseph to overcome his fear of discrimination. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:20-21, NLT) Stand with her Joseph! And he did! He was an obedient man who took whatever shame and criticism that she might have borne on himself.

God loved us when we were outcasts and rejects. The Bible says, "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!" He stood with us and now He desires that we love those who are rejected, identifying ourselves with them, standing with them. We are called to take up the cause of those that would be denied justice. It is what Jesus would do, and so must we. The Scripture says, "Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world." (James 1:27, The Message) God asks us to practice a costly love that sees the need of others and reaches out to meet that need.

We need to guard against a patronizing kind of assistance that reaches 'down' without really coming alongside of those in need. Much of the so-called care for the poor, the needy, the rejected is done from a distance without really becoming one of 'them,' whomever they are. Simply offering a meal or a word of concern or a check to help with rent is a nice gesture and relieves some measure of suffering, but such efforts do not change people's lives or show them God's salvation. Only if we are willing to get involved in a way that makes our lives intersect with those in need, can we hope to really make a difference. This is what Jesus did in the Incarnation! "The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish." (John 1:14, The Message) Christian, when it comes to those in need are you just sending a check, or are you presenting yourself? There's a big difference. Jesus said, "I'll stand with you." I hope you and I will do the same for those who are suffering, rejected, alone, or trapped by sin's consequences.

Would you ask the Lord to confront you with hidden prejudice, with those ways in which you are less than loving towards those who are different from you? I am because I want to please Him, honor Him, and obey Him when He says to me, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.”  

Here is a word from the Word, from the preacher Micah.  “With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:6-8, NIV)

_______________

A song of God’s love for us. Let it inspire love in you.

Rescue

(Lauren Daigle sings it beautifully!)

You are not hidden

There's never been a moment

You were forgotten

You are not hopeless

Though you have been broken

Your innocence stolen

I hear you whisper underneath your breath

I hear your SOS your SOS

I will send out an army to find you

In the middle of the darkest night it's true

I will rescue you

There is no distance

That can not be covered

Over and over

You're not defenseless

I'll be your shelter

I'll be your armor

I will never stop marching to reach you

In the middle of the hardest fight it's true

I will rescue you

I hear the whisper underneath your breath

I hear you whisper you have nothing left

Jason Ingram | Lauren Daigle | Paul Mabury

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How to find joy this Season

Her eyes sparkled, bright with excitement as she showed off the puppy that Santa had to drop off early before Christmas. Her joy was infectious, filling the hearts of a dozen of us standing around.  What a contrast with another man with whom I spoke earlier that day who was all cynicism and sadness. 2018 was not a great year for him. In our conversation he expressed the desire to make a quick jump forward, straight into January.  How does this Monday morning find you?  Are you prepared to find joy or will you let the ubiquitous bad news of life to weigh you down?

Before you explain your circumstances, I want to remind you that JOY is different from happiness. Happiness comes and goes like sunshine. We cannot control what happens around us, sometimes even to us.  Bad and sad things are ‘just life.’ Joy, by contrast, is an evidence of a heart that is trusting God, that is being infused with the life of the Spirit each day.  It is possible to know the joy of the Lord in the middle of some of the worst situations.

How? Let me make some practical suggestions for living with joy.

Make people your priority!  
Don’t isolate when you’re sad. The comfort of your couch and a blanket, with some mind-numbing TV will be tempting when your heart aches. Get up and get out.  Talk to people, really engage with them. Give another your full attention. If you at a gathering, or at the dinner table, or sitting with a friend;  don’t hurry or just try to 'get the program' completed. Enjoy the opportunity to be with friends and family.  If you’re hosting a dinner or a party, don’t make it about perfect preparations of food and décor. Those things will quickly fade into oblivion, but an evening of meaningful conversation creates a lasting memory.

Remember to include worship!
Believe me, if you will set aside 20 minutes each day between now and Christmas Day, to meditate, to pray, and to read the stories of Jesus' nativity from Matthew and Luke; the Spirit will meet you! Tell your family you will be going to church on Christmas Eve. Arrive early and sit with a listening heart, not one wondering, “when will this be over?”   "O come, let us adore Him... Christ, the Lord!"  Will you worship at the altar of consumerism with far more fervency than you worship the Lord Jesus? This imbalance in the use of our time and money reveals the identity of our true god. Keeping Christ in Christmas isn't just about putting up a crèche on the lawn at City Hall. It's about building an altar in our heart and honoring the One whose life is the cause for the celebration.

Give yourself away!
In Acts 20:35 (The Message) says, "I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, ‘You’re far happier giving than getting.’ ”  Give forgiveness. Give love. Give time. Give grace. Give away your expectations and receive what these days bring your way. Forget yourself. The paradox of joy is that it is never found in making self the center. Jesus says, “if you lose your life, you’ll find it.”  Sound like a riddle? It’s not. It is a life principle.

Recover wonder!  
Instead of asking, "How could this be?"  when you read about  virgin being with Child, God becoming flesh, invite the mystery of it all to whisper to your soul a new message about the depth of God's love. Let the sophisticates pretend to be bored by the holiday. Choose to be child-like (not childish!) in your wonder. I am not urging mere sentimentality. I am suggesting that we let go of our sophistication, our cynicism, our intense focus on now to hear God’s invitation to JOY.

You can come to New Year's Day with a renewed heart! Sure, you may be tired in body from staying up too late, going here and there, but you will have received Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And, He brings life.

Here's a word from the Word that sums up the story that we are celebrating this Advent - "The Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. ... We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us—one gracious blessing after another." (John 1:14, 16, NLT)

__________

Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne

Thou didst leave Thy throne

And Thy kingly crown,

When Thou camest to earth for me;

But in Bethlehem's home,

There was found no room

For Thy holy nativity.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,

There is room in my heart for Thee.

Thou camest, O Lord,

With the living Word

That should set Thy people free.

But, with mocking scorn

And with crown of thorn

They bore Thee to Calvary.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,

There is room in my heart for Thee.

Emily Elizabeth Steele Elliott | Timothy Richard Matthews

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