1.8 BILLION Dollars!

This week someone in Arkansas hit the jackpot in the second largest lottery in US history. To receive the astronomical sum of $1.8 billion, they would have to take payments over 30 years. A one-time cash payment would amount to about $500 million after taxes are paid. I confess that those numbers captured my attention for a while as I dreamt about the possibilities that kind of wealth would create in my life. But …

It was not long before my sanity returned and I also realized that even that kind of money would never make my life more meaningful or make a pathway to eternal life.

All of us, especially those of us nearer life’s sunset, think about who we really are and why we exist on this planet. Some desperately try to outrun or ignore the nagging question – “does my life count for anything meaningful?” – by traveling, partying, or working long hours chasing only God knows what.

The wisdom of Jesus guides me. He counsels that “life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”  (Luke 12) In other words we are much more than our titles, our stuff, our home, or the car we drive! In another sermon He told us to “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”  (Matthew 6) “Set your focus,” He says, “on God’s rule of life, which is about loving Him and others above all else.”

We don’t have to be rich to love extravagantly! We can know genuine joy and contentment in our daily lives IF we will let go of our need to control everything and become humble people who serve God and others eagerly and without need for thanks or recognition.

Let me speak very personally by way of illustration of the importance of letting Him lead and choosing faith.

In early 2013 my late wife developed ovarian cancer, and we knew that apart from a miracle her days on this earth were numbered. The news was devastating and instantly turned everything upside down for both of us. She reeled under the double blows of emotional stress and physical suffering. As I faced a future that would take my love and my partner of 41 years from me, I was broken, truly crushed.

But we chose the way of faith while we coped with the unexplainable.

Those 20 months that we travelled that hard road with her proved to be some of the richest in terms of spiritual life and relationship. We wept and trusting our Father. We loved each other deeply, forgetting petty differences over which we once bickered.

Perhaps that sounds stupid or unreasonable to you, but I assure you it is the complete truth. Am I glad Bev developed terminal cancer? Of course not! However, I am glad that in the awful we found a way to live lovingly and, in that love, found some serenity.

When she died on December 29, I was once again faced with a choice – to walk by faith or rage at the seeming unfairness of life. By the grace of God, I chose Him – and a decade later I can say that I am whole and hopeful. Once again, I am not denying the reality of grief or those days when loneliness is crushing, but there are peace, hope, and joy.

Here at the end of 2025 if you are thinking about life and meaning, let me offer simple words of direction –Don’t fantasize about $1.8 Billion!

LOVE GOD.
LOVE OTHERS.
SERVE FAITHFULLY.
LIVE FULLY EACH DAY.

Life’s mysteries will never find full explanation this side of Heaven.
Your every longing will never find complete satisfaction in this world.
There will be people who fail you in ways you could not even imagine until it happens.
Disappointment will find you.

God loves you in all of that. He offers serenity and hope. He gives the gift of joy to those willing to receive it without precondition.

So, let’s head into 2026 with the desire to find life to the full in Christ Jesus. Can I get an Amen?

Here is a word from the Word.
“Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!
Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
Write them deep within your heart.

Then you will find favor with both God and people,
and you will earn a good reputation.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.

 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the best part of everything you produce.
Then he will fill your barns with grain,
and your vats will overflow with good wine.”
(Proverbs 3)

Lord let it so. Amen.

Happy New Year!

__________________

Video of this blog
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Morning Prayer 50

 

Abba, in the still of the morning I’m waiting … on You.  Quiet my mind and heart by the Presence of the Spirit. Speak “peace” to the thoughts that blow through the corridors of my mind making me anxious about so many things.

How I praise You that I am called a ‘child of God.’  

 This is my confession - Galatians 4:5-7 “God sent (Jesus) to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.”  Oh, what joy!

In these days when we remember Jesus’ birth and Isaiah’s declaration that He is the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace” – I pray to know You anew in these ways.

Let my soul be filled with the supernatural serenity that comes from the Spirit’s Presence, the security that flows from faith, and the wisdom only known in Your counsel. And, let me be a source of peace, hope, and wisdom in the world in which I live today, I pray.

Let Light overcome darkness – in me and through me in my world.

In the Holy Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

The BEST of Christmas

Christmas is JOY! The lights, the familiar songs, the decorations everywhere, the excitement of kids, gatherings of friends and family … it can all add up to a great close to the year -- except that it doesn’t for some. There are some choices to be made that will shape the holiday; that will certainly influence the way that you feel on 12/26!

How do we lay a foundation for joy?

First of all, deal with your expectations of Christmas!
It's just a day. No, I'm not Ebenezer Scrooge. I am as excited as I can be about seeing friends and family, heading to the beautiful Christmas Eve service, swapping old stories, and doing the “holiday stuff” however I must remember that when the party's over, life will resume. Christmas will not magically turn all the wrong into right, fix everything that is broken or disappointing.

If we put unrealistic expectations on Christmas day, the 26th will dawn with disappointment. Better to simply enjoy life as it unfolds and thank God for the serendipitous moments that find you. If you overload the day with lofty expectations, even one disappointment can obscure a hundred blessings.

Second, keep the focus where it belongs.
This is Jesus' birthday party. If we get trapped by a misplaced emphasis on the external stuff of Christmas and, in the process of getting our various 'to-do' lists checked off, we will live right through the holiday and miss the meaning.

It's a 'Holy day' primarily. Yep, Americans made it into a festival of consumption... too much food, too much fun, too much spending. The fat guy in a red suit, as fun as he can be, has sadly hidden the real message about the Babe in the manger for millions of people. Don't get me wrong! I like Santa Claus. The jolly old man is a myth that captivates me even now.

Who doesn't yearn for somebody to magically bring happiness, if even for a day, to all the kids of the world? But, even more, there is Wonder in the story of God giving the Gift of Himself to a broken world, changing sinners to saints, bringing alienated sons and daughters of God back home!

Third, be wise - financially, emotionally, spiritually.
Holidays always create stress.
Old family issues can bubble up to the surface as we rub shoulders with people that we do not see the rest of the year.
Obligations at home, work, and church pile up in over-crowded schedules creating exhaustion.
Most of us will feel some need to try to settle old debts or to balance the scales, especially the emotional ones.

There is a heart that beats in each of us that longs for love, and we'll try almost anything to feel the magic. Parties can set us up for mistakes. So, we will need insight, gentleness, and courage to navigate our way through these challenges successfully. If we don't, we may well wake up on the 26th missing the joy, with an aching head and a maxxed out credit card.

Finally, keep LOVE in focus.
Put people first. That is, after all, the meaning of Christmas! "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it." (John 3:16-17, NLT)

The Spirit of God is here, near, right now. Pray to be in a place where He can touch your life with Light. Set times of prayer and contemplation at regular intervals, moments when your soul can breathe in the Breath of God.

... And you will surely know more joy on the 26th!

Merry Christmas and thank you for letting me share thoughts with you throughout this year.  

__________________

Video of this blog

https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55