Balancing the checkbook

 

For many years I have used software called Quicken™ to manage my bank accounts. It makes a formerly dreaded task of month’s end - balancing the checkbook – a breeze. In the past, there was always at least one check or bank fee that I failed to enter or entered incorrectly, something that made the reconciliation process difficult. The only solution was to go back through my check register - line by line – comparing it to the bank statement to find my mistake. I learned that doing it every month was important because if I put it off the job would turn into a real bear!  Today, the process is a simple click of a couple of keys on my PC and I know exactly the balances in my accounts.

About 12 hours from this writing, we will be closing out 2020.  I believe we would do well to take some time to balance the books, so to speak.

Alone, with the Holy Spirit, there is benefit to some reflection.

What kind of questions form our reflection? Some suggestions -

-Am I a debtor to someone needing to ask forgiveness, offer thanks, or seek reconciliation?

-To whom should I speak a word of thanks?

-Am I cultivating habits that make me healthy in body and spirit?

-Do I give priority to my relationship with God, with regular worship, prayer, and spiritual disciplines?

-Is the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ in evidence:  “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control?” (Galatians 5:22)

-How did I succeed? ... or fail? ... and by whose measure?

I hope that your reflection is not a ‘once a year’ thing. The accounts of our lives can get awfully out of balance in 12 months. As Christians we ought to take a cue from Paul’s instructions about receiving Communion. He tells us that before we take the holy Cup and Bread, there is an important moment.  To avoid being an unworthy, out of balance Believer, he says, "examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking from the cup." (1 Corinthians 11:28, NLT)  "But if we examine ourselves, we will not be examined by God and judged in this way." (1 Corinthians 11:31, NLT)  It is to be a regular discipline.

Christians are blessed with a gift of God to facilitate the process of keeping life in balance. God, the Holy Spirit, lives in us. Of Him, Jesus said that He would convict us when we err, steady us with assurance, and remind us of our hope in things eternal.  In your reflection, take time to become God-aware, inviting the Spirit to speak.  When you feel His gentle urging to change, to make something right, to recalibrate your course – respond quickly, readily saying, “Yes, Lord!”

Most of make some New Year’s resolutions, don’t we? We declare that this year we will …  and you can fill in that blank. But, 99% of them are notoriously forgotten by the 2^nd week of January!  Christian, that is why we need to regularly enter the Presence of God and prayerfully receive His guidance.

I love Paul’s inspired counsel. "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV)  The most effective way to change  and to sustain that change is to involve others, to become accountable, to have support. That’s why AA is so helpful in the pursuit of sobriety, why Noom™ (an online plan for weight control) works so well. God has given us His Spirit and called us into His Church with the aim of making us into people who live for His glory even as we become ‘more than conquerors’ in this world.

As we leave this year behind, let’s raise our sights higher, pursuing God with passion and purpose.

Here's a word from the Word for us on the last day of 2020. May the Lord give us insight and wisdom to embrace the calling that is urged on us in it.
"I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish,

that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness,
which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ,
the righteousness which is from God by faith;...

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended;
but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind
and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:8-9, 13-14, NKJV)

Onward to "make a measurable difference for the kingdom of Christ."

(Video of this blog at this link)
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Build My Life

Worthy of ev'ry song we could ever sing
Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring
Worthy of ev'ry breath we could ever breathe
We live for You

Jesus the name above ev'ry other name
Jesus the only one who could ever save
Worthy of ev'ry breath we could ever breathe
We live for You
We live for You

Holy there is no one like You
There is none beside You
Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are
And fill me with Your heart
And lead me in Your love to those around me

I will build my life upon Your love
It is a firm foundation
I will put my trust in You alone
And I will not be shaken

Brett Younker | Karl Martin | Kirby Kaple | Matt Redman | Pat Barrett

© 2016 Kaple Music (Admin. by Bethel Music Publishing)

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Housefires Sounds (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Bethel Music Publishing

CCLI License # 810055

Grief and Hope …

 

In the ancient book of Job, the Bible’s story of one man’s terrible trials, there is this pithy observation - "People are born for trouble as predictably as sparks fly upward from a fire." (Job 5:7, NLT)  Simply said, loss and disappointment are included in this thing that we know as ‘being human.’  Today I remember loss with sharp pain of grief on this 6^th anniversary of my wife’s death. That has left a wound in my life that has not fully healed.

I do not write that in self-pity or seeking sympathy for I know that that all of us must cope with loss.  It finds us in so many ways – sickness, death, divorce, addiction, job loss, pandemic, war -  it’s a long list!  I hasten to add that life can be rich in joy and fulfillment, too. I have known countless blessings in my days for which I am profoundly grateful.

How can we live with loss, doing well in spite of the grief that will come to us all?

Life must be lived with realism and acceptance.

How quickly an illusion that we can control life will consume us. Blessed with strength, full of optimism, we set out on the adventure of life. Our marriage is going to be the best ever. Our job is going to be fulfilling and productive. Our friendships will be rich and last for a lifetime. Until … failure comes; sickness visits, a child dies, our spouse turns out not to be the angel we imagined but rather an ordinary sinner.  

Millions experience the death of their dreams and conclude it must be their fault. If only they were smarter, richer, or famous they could make their life work. Believing the lie so many turn in people filled with envy and bitterness. Others refuse to deal with life and work mightily to sustain the fantasy of unending youth to hide their pain, or the pursuit of ‘success’ to prove their worth, or sensual pleasure in an attempt to soothe a troubled soul. Some will turn to alcohol or drugs to mask the ache of loss.  The wise will understand what they can control and what they cannot and learn to accept each season as it comes.

If we realize that we are not just body and emotions, that God has made us with an eternal soul, we can find meaning and fulfillment that sustains us in those changing seasons, that equips us to kind of person that leaves a blessing wherever she goes.

Life is richest when we anchor our hope in the promises of God.

Solomon, the rich king of Israel, lived for himself, accomplishing much, experiencing every pleasure that could be known. As an old man, full of regret, he offered this wisdom to us. "Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and no longer enjoy living. It will be too late then to remember him, when the light of the sun and moon and stars is dim to your old eyes, and there is no silver lining left among the clouds." (Ecclesiastes 12:1-2, NLT) "Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person." (Ecclesiastes 12:13, NLT)

I listened to a man, 80 years of age, who has lived richly, a leader of others known world-wide, a godly scholar, talk about his recent encounter with cancer. He was not angry, nor was he bitter. He acknowledged that mortality crept up on him, surprising him. But, from the well of his relationship with God, he had drawn real and sustaining hope. “In my physical weakness, I have found my spirit growing stronger, my relationship with God deepening” he said. How can he face the limits of human existence with hope?  Because he knows his Creator through Christ Jesus and lives in faith that the grave is not the end.  

Paul, the apostle, tells us that he prayed for God to remove a troubling hardship. It did not happen. Rather God told him “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NIV)

Life need not be grim, nor must we surrender to the sorrow. But, if we would live well, we must look higher in faith. Don’t be taken in by that superficial and fake ‘faith’ that insists you can pray away every problem, claim health and wealth as your God-given right.  That is no faith, at all. It is simply an extension of human pride.  Real faith rests on the Person and promise of God Who has promised His Kingdom come to us all and assured us of that hope in the Resurrection of His Son, who overcame death, Hell, and the grave for us.

So, deal with life as it is.
Learn acceptance.
Pray for grace.

Grow deeper.
Keep faith and live in hope – that there more to life than we can see with our human eyes.

Here is the word from the Word. "So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ. Obey God because you are his children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God—who chose you to be his children—is holy. … 

Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God. … 

As the prophet says, “People are like grass that dies away; their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fall away. But the word of the Lord will last forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you." (1 Peter 1:13-15, 21, 24-25, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)
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Beneath The Cross Of Jesus (Saint Christopher)

Beneath the cross of Jesus
I fain would take my stand
The shadow of a mighty rock
Within a weary land
A home within the wilderness
A rest upon the way
From the burning of the noontide heat
And the burden of the day

Upon the cross of Jesus
Mine eyes at times can see
The very dying form of One
Who suffered there for me
And from my smitten heart with tears
Two wonders I confess
The wonder of redeeming love
And my unworthiness

I take O cross thy shadow
For my abiding place
I ask no other sunshine than
The sunshine of His face
Content to let the world go by
To know no gain nor loss
My sinful self my only shame
My glory all the cross

Elizabeth Cecilia Clephane | Frederick Charles Maker

© Words: Public Domain

Not feeling “Christmasy?”

 

 The woman looked weary.  “Tired?” I asked. Her reply was interesting.  “I just don’t feel very ‘Christmasy.’  Millions can identify with that feeling as we close out 2020 and come to the holiday.  We are weary of the Covid mess, exhausted by the strife that fills our land, and weighed by the uncertainty of the future.  Then, too, much more personally, many have allowed the chaos of Christmas to overwhelm them.  December’s calendar fills up with events, parties, travel, children’s programs, gift preparation, feasts, and family gatherings.

I celebrate the Christian season of Advent so that the wonder can gradually unfold as I intentionally make my way to the Day! Day by day, week by week, the season emerges as the words of the prophets, the songs of the Season, and the messages of the Gospels help me to prepare my life to celebrate the pivotal event of human history. Jesus entered Creation as a tiny Baby, a mysterious and miraculous coming that announced peace with God, the dawn of the Kingdom come and yet to come.

Dear friend, if we allow bright lights and festivities to steal the Moment, if we substitute mere parties for the substance of the Season, we will quickly grow exhausted, perhaps even Scroogish!  It’s not too late to capture the joy of Christmas.

There is a little phrase buried in the middle of Luke’s narrative of the Nativity that speaks of Mary’s response to the birth of Jesus, the angelic announcement, and the visit of shepherds with the wondrous tale. "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." (Luke 2:19, NIV) Treasured and pondered- the words that arrest me.  She took time to store the moments in memory and revisited them often. Why? Because they were precious, sweet memories for a mother? Perhaps. 

 More importantly, I believe she treasured and pondered knowing that His birth was the pivotal moment of her life, the reason for her very existence- to bear the Son of God.  I wonder if, as she stood 33 years later at the foot of the cross on that horrific day when her Son hung dying, if she retreated to that Holy Night and drew comfort from the knowledge of God’s plans?

Today carve out some time to treasure and ponder. Before you laugh at the suggestion as you look over your calendar, please consider that God’s gift cannot be found in a store, on Amazon.com, or the holiday music of SiriusXM radio. Oh yes, those parts of the holiday traditions will play a part in our celebration, but the amazing, restorative, joy-bringing love of God shown to us in Christ Jesus will be found in the quiet, where His Spirit can whisper to us about the wonder, the mystery of the Incarnation (God in flesh)! 

Treasure and ponder this familiar word letting become new in your heart - “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." (John 3:16-17, NIV)

Tonight I will gather with friends in the church (Faith Discovery Church, 7 PM) for my favorite worship service of the year.  It will be the first time in decades I will not be leading the worship, but rather sitting among the congregation. But, I am anticipating the opportunity to savor the Story, to sing the songs, and most of all, to treasure and ponder the message that makes all the difference for me and for any who will receive the Christ of Bethlehem.

Yes, I am pondering that momentous message - "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:11-12, NIV)

I pray for you a most blessed Christmas, a renewal of love for the Savior, a re-centering of faith on Him, and a recommissioning to service of the Baby of Bethlehem, now the Lord of Heaven and Earth, our King!

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Joy to the World,
The Lord is Come!
Let earth receive her King.
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,
And Heav’n and nature sing.

 CoffeeBreak will be back in a few days, Lord-willing!
I am taking my own counsel and hope to spend time treasuring and pondering the mystery of the Word become Flesh.

Merry Christmas!

 

Come on in!

 

 

Hospitality. What do you think of when you hear that word? I think of a home where guests are welcomed, where there is a warmth that makes them feel ‘at home.’  Over the years my experience of ‘hospitality’ has varied. Sometimes there are elaborate preparations but no personal welcome so it feels like being entertained rather than welcomed. How wonderful to be met with a real smile, invited in to sense that the hosts really mean it when they say “make yourself comfortable.”  There I find myself leaning back on the couch, settling in, and kicking off my shoes.

Today, we will go to the familiar text in Luke for our thought but first I want to ask –
Does the Lord Jesus find you hospitable and welcoming? 
Is He ‘at home’ in your life?

"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. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:4-7, NIV)  No room! Apparently nobody felt much hospitality in that inn, nobody who said, “Let the pregnant lady take my place here.” She was invisible, a nobody, unwelcomed. The Son of God entered the world without human welcome or warmth.

Hospitality requires intention and focus. When I feel that warm welcome to another’s home it is because they have taken time to think about me, not only to prepare their home, but to open their hearts. Real hospitality can create new relationships, extending our family connections beyond those created by shared DNA! 

Remember this - one does not have to openly reject another to fail at being hospitable!  Sometimes the failure results from distraction or issues that are going on under the surface. I have been invited to dinner and arrived to feel a ‘chill’ in the air only to realize that it’s not about me.  The hosts had a fight prior to my arrival and the emotions are still there.  When Joseph and Mary showed up in Bethlehem there was no hostility, just apathy. It seems that nobody really took notice, because they were just taken up with their own ‘stuff.’

As we celebrate the Incarnation, God come to us in flesh, let’s prepare Him room!  Let’s be intentional in our worship, focused on opening our hearts and minds to His Presence, ready to set aside our agenda and our needs to say “Come in, Jesus, and make Yourself at home in my life.”   

When invited to dinner I would much prefer a simple meal with a warm welcome over an elaborate feast with no real intimacy.  He, too, does not look for us to make a big ‘fuss’ or go through all kinds of ritual. He comes to those who desire to know Him. John writes "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—" (John 1:10-12, NIV)   

Did you see what results from recognizing Him, receiving Him in faith, making room for Him? 

He changes our identity, restores us to our place in God’s eternal family. 

Let’s make time to worship.
Let’s step out of the hustle of the holidays to meditate on His love
Let’s engage ourselves with God, the Holy Spirit, welcoming His Presence.  
Give Jesus room today.

The word from the Word is a promise for those who will open themselves up to the Presence of God.
"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.
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,
just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." (Revelation 3:20-21, NIV)   Amen!

(Video of this blog at this link)

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No Room

(a real old one but a good one!)

No room only a manger of hay
No room He is a stranger today
No room here in His world turned away
No room no room

Angels in heaven up yonder
Watch with amazement and wonder
To see the Son of the Highest treated so
No room no room no room

No room here in the hearts of mankind
No room no cheery welcome could find
No room surely the world is blind
No room no room no room

No room only a manger of hay
No room He is a stranger today
No room here in His world turned away
No room no room no room

John W. Peterson © 1958. Renewed 1986 John W. Peterson Music Company

CCLI License # 810055