Charles Stanley New Year's Devotional

As the year draws to a close and you look at the possibilities ahead of you, what is it that seems impossible? What has the Lord called you to do that appears far beyond your ability to achieve? You may not see how it could ever work out, but God does. And He will assume full responsibility for your needs as you obey Him.

So how can you remain in the center of God’s will as you anticipate His provision?

First, seek the Father’s guidance and submit to His direction.

Second, keep your focus on the Lord’s character rather than your circumstances by recalling His victories. 

Third, cultivate a godly life by meditating on Scripture.

Finally, praise the Lord for His intimate involvement in every detail of your life.

Your heavenly Father wants the very best for you, and He will never lead you astray. So stay in the center of His will—watching for His activity and expecting Him to work on your behalf. Because with Him directing you, nothing will be impossible.

Lord, I know You will fulfill all Your promises to me. Thank You for leading me in the way I should go. Amen.

In His presence . . . expect His direction and provision.
    
~Every Day in His Presence - Charles Stanley.

Looking Toward the New Year

I just spent an inordinate amount of time searching pictures of people ignoring each other so I could share them with you . . . and then there's this summary statement:

 

As I'm looking toward the New Year, I'm thinking about what I'd like to see change in myself.  Of course I want to be transformed further into the likeness of my Lord, Jesus Christ.  Much of that is accomplished by God as I spend time with Him in prayer, and fill my mind with His word - we become like those we spend the most time with.  But there are also conscious decisions that I can make to emulate Him in my behavior.

One of my favorite observations of Jesus as I read the gospels happens whenever I picture His face in my mind.  Read an account of Him speaking to the multitudes, or addressing someone specifically;  where do you picture the focus of His eyes?  Directly on whomever He is listening or speaking to, right?  His full attention is given to the people He is with - they know that He sees them, that He is listening to them, that He is speaking directly to them.

What about us?  It is shocking how often we ignore each other even when we're right next to each other!  We don't look at each other, we don't speak to each other - it's as if we are pretending we don't realize the other person is there.  Do you sense the coldness of that?  The impersonality, the isolation, the unnecessary loneliness . . . the unspoken messages "you have no value", "I can't be bothered", "I don't recognize you as important to me"?  

Several years ago I began consciously to choose to look people in the eye and initiate conversation with them.  This actually started in the grocery store;  I began noticing older women, senior citizens, who were usually shopping alone.  I remember one in particular; she had carefully applied a pretty shade of lipstick, some blusher and pearl earrings.  I couldn't resist:  I said "That lipstick is such a pretty shade on you - it really picks up on the sparkle in your eyes!"  The radiance of her smile as she said thank you just flooded my heart.  How could I fail to continue to repeat this simple act of acknowledgement?  So now, every senior woman who crosses my path in the grocery store is certain to hear from me - about her scarf, the color of her coat, how beautiful her skin is, how nice it is to see her today.  Try it - you won't believe how pleasant it is!

Now I work at Panera, and I'm often at the cash register.  I am still surprised by how many people will order without even looking at me, or expecting me to look at them!  Now I pride myself on being efficient and taking people's orders quickly - I realize that they probably have a time limit and need to move along.  But there is plenty of time for me to look directly in their eyes, smile, offer a compliment or a pleasant word about enjoying their meal or the rest of their day.  

When we accept Jesus' gift of forgiveness of our sins and a relationship with God through Him, we become His dwelling place through the presence of His Holy Spirit.  We are now His hands, feet, eyes, mouth and voice - how can we help but use these to do as He would do?  To look directly at people, smile, speak with a warm and pleasant voice, walk alongside them and use a gentle touch to show them that they matter - these are acts of service to my God, honoring Him as I honor the people He has made, that He cares so deeply about.  

So as I approach 2015, I am recommitting to acknowledging people, making eye contact and simple conversation.  How about you?  Try compliments - nothing is easier!  I will add this disclaimer though - I save my sweetest, warmest compliments for women . . . I happen to love color, so sometimes I will remark about the colors or pattern of a man's tie, the brightness of his eyes, or the ease of his smile.  But 99% of the time when I compliment a man directly about himself, he's a senior citizen. For most other men, I try to compliment behavior - such as the gallantry or courtesy of holding a door for an older woman, or deferring to a mom with kids, allowing her to go before him in line.  Just sayin' . . . 

So brush up on your compliments and observations, and let them flow freely - you'll be pleasantly surprised, and those who encounter you will be glad that they did!  Offer this up as a gift to God of interaction with others and see where He takes you. 

On Living and Dying . . .

Two beautiful women that I know are suffering through terrible journeys right now . . . they are both walking through the valley of the shadow of death; one with her husband, and one with her son.  Both men seem too young, too full of life-force to be at this juncture, yet here they are, poised on that precipice between life and death.  Both men have placed their faith in God to heal them, and the time has come where it appears that God will heal them through translating them from this world to the next; they will receive no physical healing here on this earth.  

There is nothing poetic or metaphorical in their suffering; their bodily systems are shutting down, their organs failing to function, hospice is present with one as his time appears to be imminent.  My mind reels when I try to touch the edge of this reality with my imagination, my stomach jumps into my throat;  I grieve for these friends of mine as they watch their men slipping away from them.

I pray for God to strengthen my girlfriends as they tend to their loved ones, physical strength, emotional strength, mental strength . . . and strength of faith.  It all comes down to this for each of us eventually . . . it is appointed unto man once to die . . . but it seems that we spend our lives trying to avoid acknowledging this fact, making it even more difficult when the reality of it becomes unavoidable.

I simply cannot imagine preparing to lose my husband, or my son. And though I don't fear my own death, I wonder how I will be when I'm actually facing it.  Whenever I've thought of Sandy and Al or Suzan and Michael these past few days, I've tried to soften my voice as I speak to my loved ones, I've been more intentional in reaching out to touch them with my hands.  Though I am not walking their road right now, I want to honor their struggle by doing what I know they would do if they had more time, what I know they are doing with the time they have left.

Life here is short . . . too short to keep records of wrongs - real or imagined - in our relationships.  Too short for me to insist on having my way, or the last word.  Too short to make mountains out of molehills, catastrophes out of inconveniences, offenses out of oversights, biographies out of isolated episodes or permanent records of words spoken carelessly, or out of pain and anger.

We fail each other, we all do.  Humanly though, we are all we have.  God tells us to love each other as He loves us - completely, without reserve or hesitation, without regard for return on our investment.  We are not to sum each other up, nor render evaluations of one another - that is reserved for Him alone, for He alone sees clearly, without distortion, misinformation or misguided emotions.

He knows our frame, He remembers that we are but dust. The word of God refers to our life as a vapor, or as the grass of the field, here today and gone tomorrow.  Think of the millions who have gone before us . . . the many who will pass today . . . the transition from this life to the next is on each of our timelines . . . not having a specific date doesn't negate that it is there.

So spend some time today thinking about when you leave this planet; what will happen to you?  Can you know?  How can you find out?  Is there a God that you will answer to, and if so, what do you need to do to prepare to meet Him?  And how would He have you spend the time He has given you here?  Search out the answers - they are too important to ignore.  SO much more important than our many plans for our education, our prosperity, our vacations, our (fill-in-the-blank-here).  

And be gentle, loving and filled with grace as you touch the lives of the fellow human beings in your world . . . we're all trying to make sense of life as we go . . . let's try to help each other along . . . 

By the way, I love you, fellow sojourner.

The Lost Sheep

The Lost Sheep (Lk 15:3-7 / Mt 18:11-14)

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."  (Is 53:6)

Oh, we are sheep!  We wander ALL the time!  We follow others into dead ends, wasted time, endless pursuits of distraction and pleasure.  We get lost, we search to find our way until we are exhausted, then we plop down and bleat piteously.  Even our purposeful, intentional goals are often nothing more than wandering when considered in light of eternity!

What to do?  Through the years, men have developed standards and regulations in an attempt to gauge worth, to convince ourselves that we are indeed investing in things that matter.  All religion falls into that category.  Jesus challenged and shattered all the standards that we use - He routinely went against the religious thinking of His day when it came to choosing who He spent His time with. 

The story of the lost sheep was told in response to the charge that He spent all His time with sinners - with failures, people who weren't meeting the standards set by others.  Of course, those "others" were blind to the fact that Jesus Himself sets the only standard that matters, and they were failures too.  He was telling them that all men are like lost sheep - He has come to find each one of us, to bring us home and welcome us into His flock.  

So the first thing to consider is whether or not you have allowed Him to find you . . . have you responded to Him and allowed Him to embrace you, to forgive you, to cover your sin and give you new life with Him?  Have you surrendered to His care, accepting His leadership over you as your Shepherd?  If so, then rest in Him; rejoice in His goodness; enjoy His provisions for you.

Perhaps there is a day you can remember when you went from being a lost sheep to one of His sheep, but you have since wandered.  Have you chased after things outside the green pastures and still waters that He led you to?  Have you been deceived and followed the crowds into confusion, unable to find your way back?  He is your shepherd - His desire is to gather you back, bring you to safety, where He can once again provide for you and guide you.  Nothing you have chosen or have done is beyond the coverage He purchased at the cross, when all the iniquities of all of us were laid on him.  Don't let fear or guilt or shame cause you to delay even another second.  Call out to Him and you will find that He is right there with you!

Perhaps you have never come to the Shepherd at all - perhaps you have spent your entire life on your own, doing your best, or doing what you could, or simply wandering along.  You have a Shepherd who loves you.  You were never meant to be alone - He is not willing that ANY should live apart from Him in this lifetime or in eternity.  But you must be willing to come to Him - He does not force Himself on anyone.  Today - as you are reading this - you can call out to Him and He will be there.  You will be the lost sheep that He finds and rejoices over!  This Christmas, He will be your present and you will be His.  Staying lost is a choice, my friend.  Don't choose it.

(the link to the kid's post is:  http://elizabethtreger1.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-countdown-dec-20.html)

"I Am the Light of the World"

^{I Am the Light of the World}
  

^{We begin our lives in the dark, enclosed in our mother's womb.  When we make our entrance into the world, light crashes into our senses, and we squeeze our eyes tight against it - the darkness is familiar, the light foreign.  In the beginning, the world was shrouded in darkness, and God spoke "Let there be light."  Jesus came into the world, He is the light of life . . . and the darkness didn't comprehend or understand Him.  Our world is dark, filled with people and ideas that attempt to thrive separate of God, which is darkness.  Even as we follow Him, we can delude ourselves, be deceived or rebel and choose darkness rather than looking to Him to guide us with His light.}  

 

^{"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'" (John 8:12)}

^{Jesus speaks truth plainly;  the image is simple - He is the light, and if we follow Him we will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.  Clear, not complicated . . . yet difficult to live out, due to our tendency to choose the darkness.}  

^{Whenever we want to choose our own way, knowing that God wants something different for us, we choose darkness.  Whenever we choose not to ask, we choose darkness.  Darkness lets us hide; it suggests that we can do something and not be discovered . . . and we welcome darkness when we want to do things we'd rather no one else know about . . . especially God.  CRAZY how we delude ourselves, isn't it?  Even a child knows that if he's under a table God can still see him, yet we try to hide anyway.}  

^{Sometimes it's a dark area of activity;  sometimes it's a dark corner of our personality or our character, our emotions or our thought life.  Initially it seems that we can control this secret pocket; even maintain our relationship with God along with our secret.  Eventually, the darkness becomes too much - we hit that point where sin shows itself for what is really is; corrupt, empty, threatening to engulf our entire self in a void.  That's when we call out to God.}

^{Or perhaps you truly are walking genuinely and openly before God, when suddenly life around you seems to grow dark.  Your circumstances take a dive, and you can't see your way through.  People and things that you counted on turn out to be unreliable, even dangerous to your well-being.  That's when you call out to God.}

^{And the amazing thing is, the instant we call to Him, there He is!  His light permeates our darkness, and hope returns.  Maybe not all the details of how we will move from where we are to where He will lead us, but the certainty that He is there, that He has been all along, and that He knows how to guide us out of the darkness is undeniable.  Usually we can't help wondering why we waited so long to turn our face toward Him!}  

^{A speaker once asked us how much light it takes to dispel darkness - the truth is, not much.  Think of the comfort of lighting a single candle or turning on a flashlight during a blackout.  Think of the definition you gain from a soft nightlight when sleeping in a strange place.  Think of the difference between paralyzing fear when you're surrounded by darkness, and the immediate sense of readiness to move toward a light revealed in that moment.}  

^{Whether we bring on the darkness or life brings us to it, our answer is the same.  Jesus is the light of the world.  He is ever-present, ever aware of us, ever ready to illuminate our mind, heart and path.  All we need do is seek Him and follow Him as He leads us.  Thank You Jesus, for lighting our way.}

^{(the link to the kid's post is:  http://elizabethtreger1.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-countdown-dec-19.html)}

The Unforgiving Servant

The Unforgiving Servant  (Matt 18:21-35)

Peter had a question for Jesus - "How many times should I forgive my brother?  Up to seven times?"  This sounded good to Peter, as that was more than the law commanded.  But Jesus answered "Seventy times seven!"  Then He proceeds to tell them the parable of the unforgiving servant.  Basically , this servant owes the king more than he could ever hope to repay in his lifetime, and after begging the king for mercy, the king forgives the entire debt.  Then this servant goes out and finds a fellow who owes him a pittance, and though this fellow begs for mercy, the servant has him thrown into jail.  When the king hears about it, he delivers the ungrateful, unforgiving servant "to the torturers" until he can repay what he originally owed.  

Jesus ends the parable with these words, "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

I'm not going to writing anything new here, just reiterate what we already know, but often try not to think about.  If we have accepted God's forgiveness of our sins, we are OBLIGATED to forgive others.  We don't need to weigh the situation out, decide if they're 'sorry' or rationalize in any other way.  Being the recipient of God's extravagant grace means that I am now a dispenser of grace to others.  

God Himself will settle accounts with those that we forgive.  That's not our concern.  Our concern is to develop a lifestyle of forgiveness - seventy times seven!  That's 490 times!  If I forgave someone that many times, I think it would become second nature to me.  

My sins separated me from God - in this lifetime, and for eternity.  Jesus forgave ALL that debt with His blood that He shed for me.  How can I dare to imagine that any human being's offenses against me could outweigh my offenses against God Himself?  That's ludicrous.  

Forgiveness is not about feelings, it's not about settling a score, or deciding not to settle one.  It is stating that as a recipient of God's grace, I am granting grace to you.  Anything else that needs settling is between you and God.  Forgiveness stems from the overwhelming love I have for God in response to His grace and goodness to me.  In Luke 7:47, Jesus states that "she who has been forgiven much loves much."  This is the outward expression of my inward reality. 

I'm not advocating becoming a doormat to someone who continues to commit offenses against you, especially if the situation involves abuse.  Forgiveness does not mean that we stay present for repetitive, problematic behavior.  We can forgive and yet remove ourselves from an unsafe or unhealthy situation.  If you are facing issues like this, seeking counsel on how to protect yourself, and any children right away is what God would have you do.  Whenever we discuss forgiveness, it is necessary to note that forgiveness is NOT the same as reconciliation.  They are two separate acts, and while we are always to forgive, we may not be called to remain in relationship with harmful individuals.  

Not an easy truth, but one that Jesus leaves us no wiggle room on.  It's the season of gift giving - who do you need to give forgiveness to today?  Will you follow God's command in this matter?  You will not only be giving a gift to the offender, but to yourself and to your God, as well.  

(the link to the kid's post is:  http://elizabethtreger1.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-countdown-dec-18.html)

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers (Luke 17:11-19)

A little history on Judaism in Jesus' day will expand our experience of this story.  Due to the highly contagious nature of leprosy, the affected persons lived apart from the rest of the community.  In religious terms, having leprosy made a person 'unclean'.  They were not able to participate in religious services or any form of social life.  When these men found that they were healed on their way to the temple, nine of them found their desire to get to the temple to be ceremonially cleansed and get back to their lives to be absolutely irresistible!  They never looked back - they were healed, and now they wanted to get on with living!

One man, a Samaritan btw, when he realizes that he is healed, turns and runs back to Jesus, falls at His feet, glorifies God and says, "Thank You" over and over and over!  For him, life can wait - He has just met the Messiah!  Yes, he has been extraordinarily blessed by being healed, but right now, all he can think about is the Healer!  And what is Jesus' response?  He tells him "your faith has made you well."  

He was already healed, as were the other nine.  What is Jesus talking about?  I believe it is the distinction between taking whatever good God can give you and running with it, and recognizing the goodness of God, leading you to worship Him. All ten were healed of leprosy, but all ten would one day die.  I believe that only one was healed for eternity.  He recognized Jesus and worshiped Him; his faith in Jesus made his soul whole.  

When the townspeople saw these 10 men, they all looked the same:  healed, healthy, whole again.  When God saw them, He saw nine and one.  I Samuel 16:7b says:  "For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  

(the link to the kid's post is:  http://elizabethtreger1.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-countdown-dec-17.html)

"I Am the Door"

I Am the Door  (John 10:9, Rev 3:20)

I love that Jesus lays enormous truth on a low shelf, packaged in a simple illustration, so that we can reach it easily.  What could be simpler to understand than the image of a door?  On one side is one room, or place; on the other side is another room or place.  Open the door, cross the threshold and you have entered.  Jesus says, "I am the door.  If any man enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."   

Jesus is the door.  On one side of the door is being away from God.  On the other side is being with God.  Go through Jesus - the door - and be saved from being away from God, both now and throughout eternity.  Real life begins after that initial entrance through Jesus;  He says that now we will go in and out and find pasture, hearkening to our life as a lamb of whom He is our Good Shepherd.  

In Revelation 3:20, Jesus refers to us as having a door:  "Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and dine with him, and him with Me."  Both pictures describe the same truth:  Jesus is the entrance to life with God.  We enter God's presence, and God's presence takes up residence within us.  Just pause here, exhale, and ask Him to wash over you with the enormity of that truth. 

No longer are we isolated from Him, no longer are we facing life alone.  We are forgiven, reconciled, accepted and embraced by God Himself, because Jesus paid the way for us when He sacrificed His life to cover our sins.  Now the Holy Spirit of God Himself resides within us, opening our minds to understand His Word, empowering us to resist temptation and to obey Him, shaping us moment by moment, choice by choice, into His image, as He created us to be in the beginning.  Miraculous.  Undeserved Grace.  Unmerited Favor.  

Thank You, Jesus, for being willing to take on the form of man, to live among us, showing us what God is like, and then sacrificing Your life to pay for our sins.  Thank You that You are not willing that ANY should perish, but that all should come to You through faith.  Thank You for being the door that takes us into God's Holy presence.  Help us to honor, worship and praise You as is fitting as we approach the day we celebrate Your birth.

(the link to the kid's post is:  http://elizabethtreger1.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-countdown-dec-16.html)

The Feeding of the 5000

The Feeding of the 5000 (and the 4000!)  (Mark 6:30-44, Mark 8:1-9)

Crowds of people gathered to hear Jesus teach.  Many times they stayed all day long listening - no one had ever spoken about God, about themselves and about living life with such clarity, simplicity and authority before.  They simply didn't want to leave while He was speaking.  The gospel of Mark records two occasions where thousands had remained all day, evening was coming, and people were hungry for food.

The disciples, thinking like good event organizers, said to Him, "Send the people away so that each can buy food for themselves to eat."  Jesus, the ultimate event organizer, says "You feed them."  Don't you wish you could have seen the looks on their faces?  They follow Him, they are in awe of His teaching, they respect Him and believe that He is the Messiah . . . but now He says this?  Did they struggle not to betray on their faces what must have been going through their minds, or did they just let it show?  "No disrespect, Jesus, but what?" 

Jesus tells them to bring Him what they have, which turns out to be five loaves of bread and two fish.  "It's not enough.  Anyone can tell you that it's not enough."  "What is even the point?"  "We look like fools up here."  And then Jesus does what He always does . . . shows them that no matter how much they think they know about Him, or believe about Him, they've barely scratched the surface of Who He Is and what He is capable of.   Not only is everyone fed until they are full, but 12 baskets of leftovers are gathered up.

Oh fellow Christian, when will we understand Who we are following, and open our minds to what He is capable of?  We spend so much time thinking that life is too hard, ministry demands are too great, we are too insufficient for the task!  Yes, yes and yes!  But NOTHING is too hard for Him!  And we're not supposed to be trying to do anything on our own, apart from Him.  So our little plus Him means that if He's asked us to do something, there will ALWAYS be enough to get the job done, WITH LEFTOVERS!!!  Enough energy, enough provision, enough truth, ENOUGH!!!  

Embrace I Corinthians 2:9 today:  "But as it is written:  Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."  Open your mind, your eyes, your heart to expect to see God move in ways that only He can move.  Bring Him whatever you have, He will bless it, break it, and make it enough, and then some!

(the link to the kid's post is:  http://elizabethtreger1.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-countdown-dec-15.html)

Do Not Worry About Your Life

Do Not Worry About Your Life!

Matt 6:25-27  "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?"

Matt 6:32b-34  "For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

I wish my brain could function more like that of a bird.  I simply cannot imagine a bird wondering if the color and pattern of that other girl-bird's feathers are prettier than hers.  Nor if that other bird-couple's nest is bigger or fancier than hers.  Nor if those other birds got more to eat, or a tastier kind of seed than she got.  Do you hear the ludicrousness of that?  But that's how our minds are operating far too often!  

I also cannot imagine a bird worrying about where it will find some berries or some seeds to eat;  it simply flies until it finds them, and then eats.  It gathers whatever it needs to build a nest.  When its feathers fall out, new ones come in, without any effort or thought on the bird's part at all.  The bird occupies itself with what is before it in the moment.

We, blessed with a brain that has a much bigger capacity for thought, drive ourselves CRAZY with over-thinking, planning, comparing and then worrying that we forgot to account for something!  While I was writing today's companion post for kids, I found it a bit tricky, because kids don't naturally worry!  They learn to worry from the adults around them.  Kids trust that what they need will be there. . . or more accurately, they simply live in the moment.  They see what is in front of them, and they occupy themselves with that.  

Remember how earlier we talked about Jesus telling us to have faith as a little child does?  We can learn a lot from their simple, trusting approach to life.  We also will serve them and ourselves well by taking care NOT to teach them to worry!   This is trickier, because we don't come out and say that they should worry . . . they see us worrying, and they conclude that if we're worried, they should be too.  Jesus says simply "Don't worry about tomorrow."  As we read yesterday, He wants us to hear Him and then do what He says.

Now let's not go to extremes:  we must compare scripture with scripture.  We are told in Hebrews that "if a man doesn't work, he doesn't eat."  Jesus is not telling us to sit back and wait for God to hand-feed us, or for Him to print money in a backroom to slip to us.  Many principles are recorded in scripture that tell us God expects us to work, to plan, to save and to provide for our needs and that of our families.  If we are obeying Him, we are to be confident that He will meet our needs through those efforts, as well as by any other means He chooses.  It is an issue of having trust in Him as we live obedient to His instructions.

"Your heavenly Father knows what you need" also brings up the difference between needs and wants.  He also knows what we want - He promises to provide what we need.  Paul tells us we are to be content with God's provision.  Plenty to reflect on there as we're in the season where businesses spend the largest amount of their advertising budget to convince us we need more . . . 

I want to close with Matt 10:28-31  "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."  

Are you impressed with the way Jesus moves from the fact that God is "able to destroy both soul and body in hell" to "the very hairs of your head are all numbered" ?  We tend to gravitate toward certain verses, to enjoy the pleasant, loving, reassuring things that Jesus says; but He always reveals God fully.  God is indeed the Righteous Judge as well as the Benevolent Caregiver.  The same God who will one day send those who have chosen not to come to Him out of His presence for eternity also numbers the very hairs on your head.  He is intimately involved with each of us, and not willing that any should perish.  But we must choose to come to Him and to follow Him.  We are to have a healthy fear of God - a reverent awe for Who He Is.  That reverence leads us to repentance; from there He leads us to life.  And life is found in following and obeying Him.

So today, obey this:  Do Not Worry!  If you catch a worrisome thought going through your mind, ask Him to take it captive, and replace it with confidence in His ability, willingness and promise to provide for you. 

(the link to the kid's post is:  http://elizabethtreger1.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-countdown-dec-14.html) 

The Wise and the Foolish Builders

The Wise and the Foolish Builders

Matthew 7:24-27  "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."

It doesn't get much plainer than that!  You and I have a choice on how we build our lives, moment to moment, decision by decision.  Jesus is clear:  Hear Me and obey Me.  His words are eternal, His directions for living unchanging - He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  We can count on Him - He doesn't direct us to do one thing today and then change His directions to us the next day.  When we make our faith in Him and our obedience to His teachings the guidelines for our living, we end up with lives that stand up to whatever this world throws at us.  

The shifting sand, that is the changing mores, values and fads of collective humanity.  Whenever we are tempted to go with the crowd, forsake God's ways for whatever is currently in favor, or compromise our values based upon the average standards of our fellow men, we will find the ground falling out beneath our feet sooner or later.  God will not be mocked, and we don't have to live long to experience the truth of His teaching.

(the link to the kid's post is:  http://elizabethtreger1.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-countdown-dec-13.html)

 

"I Am the Bread of Life"

I Am the Bread of Life

Today's story takes place after Jesus performed the miracle of feeding over 5000 men, women and children - crowds of people went out of their way to find Him the next day.  He challenged them, stating that the only reason they sought Him out was because of what He did, NOT because they believed in Who He was.  Jesus told them not to chase after things that fade, even something that seems as necessary as food, but rather to seek food that gives everlasting life.  Then He said, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."  (John 6:35)  Further on in the chapter, He refers to the Israelites being fed manna in the desert (Ex 16:14-31) - food which God did indeed provide, but which only sustained them here on earth . . . they still eventually died.

It's amazing, really, how many times He takes us back to this same lesson - He alone can provide eternal life . . . life that truly matters here on earth, as well as life without end when we leave here.  And He provides it to those who believe in Him (John 6:40).  His message is simple, clear and consistent.  

In Exodus, we learn that the Israelites gathered, first thing in the morning, enough bread for that day alone - this was God's direction to them. Of course, some tried to save some for the next day, or just gather more than they needed, and it bred worms and stank.  When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He included "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt 6:11) - again repeating this same instruction:  God will provide what is needed for that day.  

This leads me to think about two things - first, how often I misjudge what I actually need, whether it's food, money, time, energy, talents, ideas, etc.  Learning to really pray for my DAILY bread, and to accept that what God has provided is indeed enough - that is an area with room for growth.  To know that whatever I have, though it seems inadequate or less than pleasing to me, is enough when I bring it to God and use it as He intends.  

Second, I'm shocked when I take inventory of how many things I still use to "fill" myself rather than turning and returning to Jesus.  It's like the equivalent of eating junk food when He's offering me the Bread of Life!  I often fill my time with things that are interesting or pleasantly distracting, but leave me wondering what I've done with my day.  I yearn to really experience Him as Bread to me - nourishing, energizing, growth producing, life giving Bread!  

Jesus, help me to think of You each time I go to eat something over these next few days . . . let me use those moments as opportunities to ask You to feed me in ways that only You can.

(the link to the kid's post is:  http://elizabethtreger1.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-countdown-dec-12.html)

 

The Draught of Fish

The Draught of Fish

In Luke 5:1-11, we read a thrilling account of Jesus' power over nature, and His first meeting with Peter, James and John.  The crowds are pressing in on Jesus, so He gets into Peter's boat and asks him to push out from shore, then  continues to teach from there.  After a time, He tells Peter to row out to the deep and let down his nets.  Peter and the other men had just spent the night fishing and caught nothing.  They were expert fishermen, having practiced their trade from their youth.  Peter tells Jesus the fish aren't biting, but that he'll obey Him and let down the nets anyway.  When he does, they are filled with so many fish that the nets begin to break and the catch threatens to swamp the boat!  Verse 8 reads, "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!'"  This catch was so clearly miraculous to Peter that he was overwhelmed to even be in the presence of Jesus!  

What a powerful demonstration Jesus gave to Peter!  I wonder how He summoned those fish . . . I wonder if Peter was thinking "oh brother!" in his head, letting down the nets just to humor Jesus . . . I wonder if Jesus' eyes had a twinkle in them when Peter realized the nets were full . . . SO wish I could have been there to see for myself!  And I LOVE the clear view we're given of Peter's heart for God - He recognizes Jesus as holy, and is immediately conscious of his own sinfulness in His presence.  

Here's another thought:  even though Peter was a master fisherman, Jesus was even better at it than He was!!!   No matter WHAT skills you and I possess, Jesus can do our job even better than we can!  I don't say this to intimidate, but to thrill and encourage us!  When we bring our work to Jesus and seek to do it to His glory, He will astound us with what He can accomplish through us.  

Jesus tells Peter, James and John that they will become fishers of men.  Flash forward to the days after Jesus' death and resurrection.  Peter had betrayed Jesus by denying Him, yet Jesus had mighty works He intended to accomplish through Peter.  Jesus has already appeared to the disciples, but Peter is adrift, unsure of what the future will hold . . . so he goes back to what he knows . . . fishing.  Read John 21:1-8.  Isn't that beautiful?  Jesus uses the same sign - telling them to cast the nets on the other side of the boat and filling them to overflowing with fish!  Peter jumps into the water and runs to Him - Jesus!  No matter his shame, he knows there is only one he can and must run  to - His Lord, His Savior.    Jesus restores Peter to leadership before the other disciples, and in Acts 2 and 4 we see Peter boldly proclaim the gospel, resulting in thousands coming to faith in Christ.  Just as Jesus said, Peter is now a fisher of men.

His path was not an easy one - but His path was charted by God Himself.  And even when Peter failed, God restored him and used him in mighty ways.  No matter how you have failed, your sins have not put you beyond the reach of Jesus' work on the cross.  He yearns to restore you to Himself - to proclaim before others that you are His, and He has purposes He intends to fulfill through you.  Recognize His power, your need of Him, and run to Him! 

(link to the kid's post:  http://elizabethtreger1.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-countdown-dec-11.html)  

Christmas Countdown - Dec 10

The Mustard Seed

Jesus told a parable about the Kingdom of God in Mark 4:30-32.  He likened it to a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds, yet grows into a great tree.  Scholars have said that Jesus Himself is the seed, and faith in Him results in believers, who make up the Kingdom of God.  This fits the analogy well: the mustard seed not only produces a great tree, but as the seeds drop into the soil they almost immediately begin producing new growth.  Due to this tendency to reproduce, the mustard plant is virtually impossible to root out.  This also represents Christianity - it continues to spread, even as those who don't embrace it seek to root it out and destroy it.  

The Lord also used the mustard seed to draw two different correlations between our faith and its potential impact.  In Luke 17:6 He said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."  In Matthew 17:20, Jesus said, "I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

Since I'm fairly confident that Jesus wasn't giving us instructions to reconstruct the topography or transplant trees, He must have been using these extreme examples to illustrate something else about our faith.  Here's my thought:  God's power is SO immense and limitless, even the tiniest bit of genuine faith will result in amazing results.  The emphasis is not on how much faith I can muster up; rather, on how much power is available from God to accomplish what He wants to do through me - my part is to believe that He is capable.  

In Mark 9:14-27, we read about a man who brings his son to Jesus to be healed.   "Jesus said to him, 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.'  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, 'Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!'" (v23,24)  I join him in his cry!  I do believe - but I also know there is SO much room for my faith to grow, especially where my belief in God's power is concerned.

My fancy sewing machine comes to mind . . . several years ago I invested in a sewing machine that basically has a computer in it.  It can embroider beautifully, as well as sew myriad stitches for regular sewing.  But truth be told, after all this time, I still only tap about 2% of what the machine is capable of!  I do a lot of straight stitching, zig-zagging, buttonholes and occasionally use decorative stitches.  However, that just scratches the surface of what this machine can do!  I have at my disposal the ability to do so much - but I under-utilize it due to my lack of knowledge and experience, which is directly related to the amount of time I've spent getting to know my machine!  I need to read the manual and then practice what it tells me to do, and then I could create amazing things!  But that takes time, and other things tend to get priority in my life over exploring my machine and creating things.

Of course you see where I'm going . . . God tells us all about His power, His abilities, how He has moved in the past, how He desires to move in the present, even some of what He will do in the future.  He promises that if we call to Him in genuine faith, He will show us great and mighty things, beyond all that we could ask, think or imagine!  But I'm busy straight stitching and occasionally zig-zagging . . . my life gets going on auto-pilot, doing what I've always done.  And here is my ENORMOUS God - full of power and might, yearning to reveal Himself to the world that He might draw all men to Himself; willing and able to use that power to enable me to do works that He designed for me to do from before the beginning of time!  

Oh God - I believe!  Help my unbelief!  Open my eyes to who You are, and help me to lift my eyes and my mind to whatever You may have me to do, confident that if I believe in You, You are able to accomplish anything You call me to!  Shake me out of my slumber, my tendency to sleep-walk through my days, and remind me that You are great and mighty, and want my life to be abundant and full of YOU!!!  Help me prioritize my time so that I am reading Your word, discerning what You would have me do, and then getting busy actually doing it!

(The link to the kids' post is: http://elizabethtreger1.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-countdown-dec-10.html)