Christmas Love

I had lunch today with three good friends of mine – all in vocational ministry.

One them is preaching regularly at a smaller membership church in rural South Carolina. Yesterday, he said, he preached on the topic of Christmas.

He said, “I told them that Jesus is not the reason for the season,” telling us that as he said those words the sanctuary got extremely quiet. What? You mean you don’t believe all those little stickers, signs and posters we Christians champion this time of year? Certainly, Jesus is the reason for the season!
My friend continued, “I told them that Jesus is not the reason for the season. You and I are the reason for the season; Jesus came for us.”

I like that.

You and I are the reasons for the season. Jesus came for us. He was and is the greatest Christmas gift there will ever be.

It’s like this:
Every man, woman and child is born separated from God and ticketed to a life and eternity apart from Him.

But, the Apostle John reminds us (directly quoting Jesus) in John 3:16-17 that “For God loved the world so much that He gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” (NLT)

I like to call this Christmas Love.

God loved us so much that He . . . gave his son. He loved and He gave out of that love.

Doesn’t that just drip with what we long for at Christmas – to love someone so deeply that we just give to them sacrificially?
We always ask our boys for their Christmas wish list, but the gifts that provide Vicki and me with the most blessing are those not on the list. Those are the ones given out of love rather than want.

God’s gift to us – his son Jesus – was indeed a gift.

We don’t earn it.

We don’t deserve it.

We can’t steal it.

All that we do is believe in the gift – Jesus - and that guarantees a peaceful journey on this Earth and an eternity with our God.

But, it’s that believing that often gets us in trouble.

You see many will say they “believe” in Jesus, but what they are saying is that they believe He existed. That level of belief is not what John 3:16-17 is asking of us.

No, many will believe Jesus existed, but will not spend eternity with Him.

Believing goes deeper than acknowledging existence. Believing means that we trust Him, love Him, serve Him, seek Him, cry out to Him, talk to Him, and have relationship with Him.

Here’s a way to look at it. I believe that my son Richard exists. I see Him. He exists. But, this past weekend I believed in Him. I gave him a list of errands to run, and trusted him to be on task and not waste time, to manage my money responsibly, to drive responsibly, and make good decisions. I believed in Richard’s character and I believed in my relationship with him. I didn’t just believe he actually existed.

God’s gift us to requires that we don’t just believe – we believe.

Make the most of this Christmas week.

Begin or renew your relationship with our Lord, Jesus.

Live out faith by loving and serving others without condition. Be kind. Be encouraging. Be supportive. Be forgiving.

Be prepared to tell someone, anyone and everyone about your faith.

Experience Christmas Love.

Hope is not a cliche

The three of us were actually talking football when she approached us with the dew of tears in her eyes.

On cue, we paused our trivial conversation and turned to her with concern.

She asked for prayer, especially for her family and most importantly for the redemption of her marriage.

Right there we prayed over her, asking the Lord to bring His will to her marriage and to fill her with peace, surrounding her with friends to lift her up.

And, then one of my friends offered this innocent cliché : “It will all work out.”

All who know me, and have known me, know that I have a problem with cliché. It drives me crazy – empty expressions we toss around without even thinking about the meaning the words might have.

While it is true, for believers, things do work out . . . ultimately, we get to heaven and live eternally with our Lord . . . things don’t always work out the way we want them to here on Earth, but they always work out according to God’s will for our lives and to bring glory and worship to Him. After all, at the point of salvation, we step from living for self to living for Jesus – we are born again to a new way of living and thinking. And, in that, we can know and expect that all things, according to His will for us, are possible for God. And, that lifting our prayers to Him, expectantly, and wholly trusting His plan for our lives will bring immeasurable peace and joy to our lives.

For me, that is Hope: The wiggling of my life deep into the palms of God to a place that I just know and expect Him to take complete care of my present and future while I put my life’s compass on loving and serving Him and others.

Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, the Jewish people expected a Savior. The prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 9:6-7: For a child is born to us, a son is given. The government will rest on his shoulders and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace . . . the passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” Do you see the confidence and the expectancy in those words? Think about it. The people who wrote and prayed that never saw Jesus, but they remained expectant and hopeful that God would hear them and answer them in His own good time and way.

Look what Jesus’ disciple, Matthew, later wrote in Matthew 11:3:  “John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah (Savior) was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “’Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting or should we keep looking for someone else.” You see, the Jewish people were hopeful – a Messiah had been promised, they expected it to come true, and it did.

Hope for believers is not simply that, ho-hum, “everything will work out” cliché but that as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “Three things will last forever – faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love.” In describing spiritual growth, Paul builds it around faith, hope and love. Hope is an attitude of faith and focus. Things don’t just “work out for me” – no – I KNOW they will work out for me. I KNOW that if I stay the course of faithfulness to the life God has planned for me – everything WILL work out. But, how I do know? Well, it’s about trust and faith, and I have that through my relationship with Jesus.

I know God does not want me to be lonely the rest of my life.
I know God will protect my children and point them back to the Godly home in which they were raised.
I know, if I am unemployed, that God has a plan to care for my family, to surround me with life preservers, and to call me closer to Him.
I know God has the power to restore relationships.
I know God has the power to restore and redeem my marriage.
I know God will bring me a peace as I minister to my aging parents, and protect relationships with my siblings.
I know God will get me through these painful holidays, which remind me of my loss column rather than my gain column.
I know God will point me to the best friend that I’ve ever had.
I know God can bind back Satan as He works to destroy my life through addictions.
I know God has the power to bring peace and relief to my physical problems, and to teach me about patience and kindness through them.
I know God has the power to mend my broken heart.
I know God has the power to bring a white, hot light to the darkness of my life, and cleanse me through a faith in Jesus.
I know God hears all of my prayers, and I know He will answer them in the way that is best for me.
I know God wants my lost family and friends to know Jesus, and I know that He is in the life-changing and life-saving business, and I know that He has the power to break and mend even the most lost heart.

Hope, for the believer, regardless of age or circumstance, race or pocket book, white collar or blue collar, GED or doctorate – Hope for the believer has, does and will always come down to this: An expectation that according to God’s will specific events can and will happen in my life. And, I can put my head on my pillow at night and put my feet on the floor in the morning, and KNOW, that God has control of my day – my relationships, my health, my finances, my spouse, my children, my parents and my siblings – every cell and fiber of my existence. God is in control. I can walk boldly and upright in this day with the Scriptural HOPE that God is in control of me.

In Mark 9:14-24, a man brings Jesus his demon-possessed son.

The boy’s father says, If you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.”
Jesus exclaims, “If you are able! – All things can be done for the one who believes.” (Jesus is saying that for those who believe in Him, they will have everything they need to serve Christ. God can do anything, and will do all things according to His will for us. But, even when He can’t or won’t magically give us what we desire, we will have peace over his response.”

When it's not a very Merry Christmas

I love Christmas. I really do.

You will never hear me beat on Santa Claus, Christmas presents, Christmas parties, Christmas trees and lights, Christmas cards, and even the wild shopping. I love every bit of it. I’m a player and a participant in all of it. But, I can distinguish between secular Christmas and the Christmas of my Savior. While the distinction blurs at times, they really are different approaches. And, it all becomes a suffocating blanket for many people (most people, really, at some point in their lives).

Many people use Christmas as a “me” holiday – drawing attention to self, wanting and wanting, and crying out for attention. You know that feeling you get when you’ve had too much sugar? You feel anxious. You feel empty even though you’ve eaten? You feel restless? Many people so over-indulge in the “me” of Christmas that they soon realize a desperate, hollowness around it all.

Many people are just weighed down by Christmas. Financial problems, strained relationships, the first Christmas without him or her, and isolation and loneliness engulf them. Some use Christmas as an ointment, believing the little song that goes, “Have yourself a merry Little Christmas, Let your heart be light, From now on our troubles will be out of sight.”

Many people have moved on to a darker place, realizing a little Christmas cheer isn’t going to make their problems disappear. Depression engulfs them.

The honest fact is that millions of people won’t experience “peace on Earth” this Christmas season. And, no matter how soon we start the celebration – October in big box retailers and playing radio Christmas music before Thanksgiving – Christmas as a secular holiday is not enough and will never be enough.

Only Jesus can bring peace to our lives, and that’s why His birthday is so wonderfully valuable to us.

As today, the world was a dark place on the night Jesus was born. People needed a Savior from the oppression of the Roman government and from their own leaders, who were “selling out” to the Roman government. And, at just the right time, God poured Himself into the darkness. God flipped a light switch through a beautiful star, and our Savior was born, and the opportunity for peace to one and all came into existence.

I know many, many people hurt at Christmas. I’ve been there. I know.

People don’t have the money they need to bless the people they love.

People are at odds with family, and they feel guilty over it.

People miss their loved ones; people miss Christmas “past.”

People are lonely. A single friend of mine said last week, “Being single is over-rated.” Everyone wants to love someone at Christmas. Romance blooms at Christmas.

People are sick and physically hurting.

People are realizing their grown children are moving on. They just don’t come around like they once did.

And, we cry out to Jesus, offering up our Christmas pain and problems made especially suffocating by all the lights, music, “pretty people” and excited rush around us.
And, Jesus hears our cries, but He has a different message for us than we might expect. In Luke 18:29-30, Jesus says this, “I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life and will have eternal life in the world to come.” (NLT)

Jesus, I believe, is saying to me, “Scott, don’t just bring me your pain and problems at Christmas. I want you – 12 months each year for the rest of your days. I want every cell and fiber of your being. I want you to unhinge from this world and hinge to me. I want you to reshuffle the deck of all your relationships so that I am at the top of the list. And, when I have you, completely, surrendered to my will for you, I will also have your problems and pains . . . and I will bring peace to your life. Your problems and pains won’t disappear, but your perspective of them will. And, I will surround you with people who can walk the journey with you and me, and as you live for me – loving and serving me and others – you will learn that the peace of today will be magnified through the eternity yet to come.”

Surrender your entire life to Jesus. He wants you before He wants your problems even though your problems may well open the door for you to embrace Him fully.
Instead of a “woe is me” Christmas, use Christmas to pour your life into the lives of others. The Christmas spirit is only caught by giving away self to others in the name of our Lord.

“All to Jesus, I surrender, All to Him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all;

All to Thee my blessed Savior, I surrender all.”
 ~ “I Surrender All,” music my Judson Van DeVenter and words by Winfield Weeden.

Confusing Joy and Happiness?

Joy is one of those words that has a different meaning for those who follow Jesus.
In the context of the dictionary, Joy is synonymous with happy, or even “happy-plus.”

But, happiness is short-term, happiness is dependent on circumstance, and happiness is rooted in temporary things of Earth. World Class Chocolate ice cream from Baskin Robbins makes me happy, but then the ice cream is gone. Happiness is gone with it. At Christmas, how many times have parents worked to find just the right gifts for their children, making them happy for a few hours on Christmas morning, and then watching as toys are never touched again? I know lots of people who are happy because it’s Friday, but then slip into dread as Monday approaches. Happiness is temporary.

When we sing of “Joy To The World” at Christmas, we aren’t singing about temporary happiness.
We are singing about an eternal Joy that comes from knowing Jesus as personal Savior. Romans 8:9 – and many other places in Scripture – reminds us that when we accept Jesus as Savior, we are “controlled by the Holy Spirit if you have the Spirit living in you (as believers do).” One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, as defined in Galatians 5:22-23, is Joy. So, for believers, Joy is not some fleeting emotion like happiness. No, Joy is a permanent seed of our new character brought about by a relationship with Jesus.

Just like fruit on the vine or the tree, the Joy within us must grow and flourish. How do we let the Joy in our hearts grow so that we experience it more and more and with greater consistency? We do what God wants us to do. The Holy Spirit is constantly whispering “do this, go there, say this, press forward, fall back, say nothing, encourage, love, be kind” and many of us ignore it or we are just too busy – too self-absorbed – to hear it. But, if we would hear God speaking to us, telling us to act in love and service toward others, the byproduct is that we are blessed and experience a growing Joy as we become more Christ-like. Joy comes from drawing closer to Jesus by putting feet to our prayers and action to our words, sacrificing self for others.

Yesterday, I had opportunity to visit someone in the hospital. I love my friends, but I found myself stalling. “Wait on the end of the Panthers game.” And then, “People don’t want to be bothered in the hospital.” And, then, “I’ll check in with them tomorrow when I’m near that part of town.” But, within my core, I knew. I heard. “Go.” And, so I went, and I was so very glad that I did. In fact, I was blessed by going because I did what God wanted me to do. I experienced Joy by going, and then I experienced happiness by getting World Class Chocolate ice cream afterwards.

This Christmas, experience Joy by listening to the Holy Spirit’s call to love and serve sacrificially as God sacrificed His son for us.
What is the Holy Spirit calling you to give away or give up this Christmas for the sake of serving others? Will you experience Joy this Christmas or just fleeting happiness?
When Christmas is over, will  you be sad that it’s over or will you be filled with a growing Joy that takes you into 2012 and beyond?
Will I really sing, “Joy To The World” as an expectant anthem that because of Jesus’ birth every man, woman and child can have the ability to experience Joy?

A Case For Believer's Baptism

• Matthew 28:18 – Jesus claims that all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Him. Jesus does not speak suggestively in his words to believers. He speaks with authority – His words are specifically instructional without room for question.
• Matthew 28:19 – Jesus says that disciples (followers / believers) are to “go” (directive) and make disciples, *baptizing* them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit . . . (This is not a suggestion – see above). The word baptism has its roots in the word Bapto, which means “dip” or “temporarily plunge something” or “temporarily immerse something.” Baptism is about going under water (immersion).
•  Matthew 3:13-16 – Jesus was baptized by John The Baptist. Jesus “came up out of the water.” Note that Jesus sought baptism – it was not something done to him until He first sought it.
• Acts 8:26-40 – The Ethiopian Eunuch asks Philip about baptism, and what he must do to be baptized. Philip says (Broadman translation – v. 37), “If you believe with all your heart you may (be baptized). And (the Ethiopian) replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Philip then baptized him – The Eunoch “came up out of the water.” This reminds us that Salvation is separate from Baptism, *and* must *precede* Baptism. Baptism, without salvation, will not “save someone” and ensure they live in eternity with Jesus. That’s why we must *never* talk of baptism as synonymous with salvation. Many people today, baptized or ceremoniously inducted into the church, may be living with a false assurance of salvation. Also, note, the Ethiopian sought baptism – it was not something done to him until He first sought it.
• Mark 8:34-38 – Jesus reminds us, “Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when He comes to glory.” Believer’s Baptism is a beautiful way to publicly demonstrate that you and I are not ashamed to say that we follow Jesus.

7.      Baptism allows us to literally follow Jesus’s example of baptism. Is there anything sweeter than knowing we shared the same experience as our Savior?

If someone says to you, “Baptism? That’s a Baptist thing.” Now, you can say, “No, it’s a Scriptural thing; it’s a Jesus thing. Baptists practice it, but it is not exclusively Baptist.”

Spiritual Vision

John Newton wrote these four lines of the powerful hymn, Amazing Grace:
“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me . . .

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now, I see.”

Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was amazing. It was grace (undeserved forgiveness) extended to every man, woman and child who would ever live. It was grace that when believed (mind, body, soul, heart), restores us to a relationship with God.  It was a grace that when believed, physically and supernaturally converted each of us from sinner bound to hell for eternity into a sinner bound to heaven for eternity. And, as we were converted – seriously, it was a supernatural conversion and not just words on paper – we went from being blind to gaining a spiritual “eyesight.”

As a baby must gain control of its vision, believers must gain control of this new vision that comes, spiritually, from being “born again.” Sometimes, as in my case, this new vision can take 25 years to come into focus. But, when we gain that spiritual eyesight – going from blind to “now, I see” – the world and our perspectives of it begin to change. All of the temporary stuff of this world – everything but human beings – just doesn’t matter like it once did. And, we begin to shake loose from the shackles of it. There is such a freedom and such a peace that comes from saying, “All I need is Jesus, and beyond that, all I need is the love and support of my family and my friends. Nothing temporary matters *unless* and *until* I can use it as a tool to reach people for Jesus and help people grow deeper spiritually.

•  The workplace becomes a mission field;
•  The newly renovated family room becomes a place for small group Bible study;
•  The vacation becomes a mission trip;
• The Christmas party becomes a place of Christian encouragement;
• The promotion becomes an opportunity to influence people for Jesus;
• The sports team becomes a mission field – a place to lead by example, take a stand for integrity, and connect with people.
• Church becomes a place to recharge – a place to encourage and to be encouraged among fellow believers.

You see – on the lost side of the cross, we have workplaces, homes, parties, vacations, influence, recreation and church, but on the *saved* side of the cross these things are now seen with our spiritual eyesight – provided by that Amazing Grace.

The best I can offer you is this: *Do not* wait 25 years to get all of this in focus. Do it now. I can’t put into words the freedom, the peace, the joy, the love, and the patience that comes from seeing the world as a temporary place, but yet a fantastic opportunity to point people “this way, this way, this way” to the cross. My marriage is better. My family life is better. My friendships go deeper. The bumps in the relational roads are just bumps rather than pot holes. Worry, frustration, depression, anxiety, and temper melt away at the cross.

Life's Dark Valleys

In Psalm 23, David, on the run for his life and in a dark place personally, cries out, (v. 1) “The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need” and (v. 4) “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.” NLT.

We are guaranteed of walking through dark valleys in this life. They come relationally, they come financially, they come physically, and they come spiritually. Often, they intertwine with one another to be even darker. Financial pain can lead to relational pain, and often to physical pain. We can even begin to question faith through it all.

But, we see David’s reminder that the Lord is with us, and that is all we need in the dark valleys of our lives. And, David reminds us that we are walking *through* dark valleys – that there is an end to them. And, that as we walk through the valleys, we can do so without fear because God is close beside us . . . and He (and He alone) has the flashlight.

Here are six things to remember about your journey through the dark valleys:

• Dark valleys are guaranteed and they come to all of us. They are a byproduct of our sinful world, and none of us are immune to them. Some will be short, some long, some really bad, and some not so bad. A benefit of daily, personal spiritual growth through prayer, Bible study and the fellowship of believers is that we will be spiritually prepared for the dark valleys when they come.
• God is always with us as we walk through the darkness. For those who know Jesus, God is always with us. He will not abandon us. One way that God walks with us is through the fellowship of believers like our Sunday School class and church. Stay close to other believers; we are family – brothers and sisters in Christ.
•  God permits the dark valleys and uses them to shape us into what He wants us to do according to His purpose for us. Why in the world would a God who loves us allow dark valleys to occur? Because He uses those dark valleys to teach us, to break us, and to mold us into the people He needs us to be according to His purpose for us. The Bible is full of men and women who went through dark valleys to learn of God and to do great things for Him!
• We will stay in the dark valley as long as we resist God’s leading in our lives. God will use the dark valley until we are broken to His will for us. A dear friend of mine was a very successful banker, but was miserable in it. He finally came to a broken place, where he surrendered to God’s plan for Him. Today, he grooms and cares for small animals and has used that little business to share Jesus, minister to families, and help people immeasurably. He has never been more at peace.
• There is an end to the darkness, but that end may be eternity with Jesus. We are guaranteed eternity with Jesus, and so regardless of the dark valleys we face or the number of them that we face, ultimately we escape the darkness of this world completely.

6.      God wants us to share in the light what we learned in the darkness. Matthew 5:15-16 reminds us to let our light shine as a praise to our heavenly father. I would love for some of you to share – even briefly – on Sunday mornings about your dark valleys and the lessons of faith and hope you learned there. That could be a great testimony to others! I’ll bring the tissue.