Scrooge - 12/21/07

Ecclesiastes 7:4, 10, 12, & 14, "A wise person thinks about death, but a fool thinks only about having a good time. Don't ask, 'Why was life better in the 'good old days'?' It is not wise to ask such questions. Wisdom ... can save whoever has it. When life is good, enjoy it. But when life is hard, remember: God gives good times and hard times, and no one knows what tomorrow will bring."

CHRISTMAS PAST: I confessed to Melissa the other day that I don't like Christmas anymore. It used to be a time of family and friends; the pressure and expense of gift-giving was balanced by the excitement over the one time throughtout the year that everybody gets together. It was celebration. It was family. It perpetuated the warm and fuzzy feelings from my childhood. Those were the "good old days" of Christmas.

CHRISTMAS PRESENT: That all changed with my mom's death. We had no idea at the time, but she was truly the "glue" that held our family together. I still see my family sporadically, but there have been divisions that prevent us from meeting as a group. Plus, my brother and I have since married, so our prioritites have changed. Christmas is no longer what it used to be and consequently, I don't care about it anymore.

CHRISTMAS FUTURE: This is the situation that came to mind as soon as I read chapter 7 of Ecclesiastes. The whole chapter is filled with great wisdom - as is all of King Solomon's writing. This particular book is full of wisdom gained after despairing over the trials and meaninglessness of life - and how that is all made worthwhile by the end in store for us. But, these lines in particular jumped out at me and spoke to my situation. That's one reason the Bible is called "The Living Word." Its verses seem to change themselves to reveal meanings that speak to individuals in their current situation.

The first line here says a wise person thinks about death, a fool about having a good time. At first, I thought, "Well, I lost my mom. Of course I'm thinking about death. Look how wise I am!" But, I was reminded of Christmas. I wanted only to have a good time - for the holidays to fit into my mold; my definition of celebration. That's not what life is about. We are to treasure what we have, not what we've lost, since we all die. I was not wise, I was a fool.

The verses emphasize we are not wise to ponder "the good old days." It continues to explain the importance of wisdom ... it can save whoever has it. Save us from what? I think probably depression. Anger. Sadness. Rash decisions. Regrettable words. Ourselves.

So in wisdom, we should remember what this verse says: "God gives us good times and hard times, and no one knows what tomorrow will bring."

Experiencing loss is an inevitability. It's bound to happen again. But tomorrow can also bring Great Joy, as the true meaning of the season emphasizes. Our Savior chose to come to the Earth and die to bring us eternal life. Not to give us meaningless gifts

So, it would be wise to enjoy what I do have, and not dwell on what I once had. In the end, we'll all be together anyway in celebration of our Savior!

How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
Oh, how marvelous! Oh, how wonderful
Is my Savior's love for me!

Give It A-Way - 12/20/07

Mark 4:21&24, "Then Jesus said to them, 'Do you hide a lamp under a bowl or under a bed? No! You put the lamp on a lampstand.' ... The way you give to others is the way God will give to you, but God will give you even more."

I think these two verses jumped out at me this morning as instructions from God on how I am to handle a situation at work.

One of our secretaries was gone for a week and a half - I didn't know why until I welcomed her back. It turns out, her mother passed away. She began telling me a little bit about her family, explaining that her mom was sick for six years before passing away.

My dear God...

I started telling her about my own mother, who was also sick for six years before Heaven became her forwarding address. As we were speaking, I kept thinking about the book Traveling Light by Max Lucado. This book is about the baggage we all carry around with us, and how we can give it over to God, one bag at a time. One piece of "luggage" in the book is the burden of grief - I think our secretary can benefit from it.

An interesting aside, however ... the book is called Traveling Light. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." He traveled around while teaching. He WAS Traveling Light. His teachings now travel around the world, giving light. And now, a teacher, who loves traveling, has purchased a copy to give to a person who needs the Light Of The World to help her "travel light." GOD ROCKS!

My original plan, before reading this scripture, was to anonymously place the book in her mailbox, maybe with a sticky note on the applicable chapter. I wanted to avoid potential controversy as a Christian teacher in a public school doing Christian things to people who may or may not believe. But, "Do you hide a lamp under a bowl? No!" I won't be as effective if I hide a book based on God's word hoping she'll read it.

Then I read the next verse, "The way you give to others is the way God will give to you ... but even more." So, if I am giving, but hide who the giver is, then God will give to me in the same way. I will still be blessed, but I won't have the awe-inspiring encounter with the Giver. And if I were to have withheld the gift entirely, God would have dealt with me in the same way.

Jesus also said, "I am the way." If He is, then try replacing the word "way" with His name in the scripture above. "The JESUS you give to others is the JESUS God will give to you, but God will give you even more." Ha ha! I love that!

If we freely give the Word - our God; pass along His Traveling Light to others, then we will receive even more of His word and presence. What an exciting way to live!

So, as a Christian state employee I will not anonymously hide the light for others to stumble upon, but let it boldy shine - so pray for me!

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Consider The Source - 12/17/07

John 3:31-32, "'…The one who is from the Earth belongs to the Earth and talks about things on the Earth. But the one who talks about Heaven is greater than all. He tells what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts what He says.'"

"Hindsight is 20/20." How true that adage is. When we look back on our life and on history, we can see perfectly what was done and what should have been done differently; we have the benefit of hindsight.

Fortunately, God's foresight is 20/20, while we are blind in that area. He can look ahead with perfect clarity and warn, direct, or encourage us. According to this scripture in John though, people didn't accept what he said. They killed him instead. Of course, after He rose again and proved everything He said, we believed. Hindsight is 20/20.

People who heard Jesus speak often did not consider the source of His knowledge - which more often than not surprised His listeners. As He taught, people would ask, "Who is this man who speaks with so much authority and knowledge?" He told them about Heaven because He is from Heaven. We talk about the Earth and the things in it because we are from there. We dwell on what we know - cars, books, people. When you listen to somebody, it doesn't take long to figure out where a person's experience lies.

So what if a man talks only about Heaven, God, spirituality, fulfilled prophecies, angels, and perfect living? What if our hindsight proves His foresight to be true?

Then we should consider the source. We should seriously consider the likelihood that great truths have been revealed by a man who experienced them firsthand, even had a part in their original design. We should also then make an effort to accommodate those truths in our lives - we should adjust our lifestyle accordingly. If everything that He prophesied would happen did in fact happen, save for a few last major events at the end, then our 20/20 hindsight should be enough to trust His vision of the future rather than our own. Consider the source of the speaker's knowledge - while also considering that the speaker perhaps is the source of all knowledge.

White Elephants - 12/15/07

Matthew 1:23, "The virgin will be pregnant, she will have a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means, 'God is with us.'" This fulfilled the ancient prophecy in Isaiah 7:14, "The Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son, and she will name Him Immanuel."

God is with us!
God is with us!
Think about that! Because for a long time, He wasn't. We sinned; our pride rejected Him and stained with our own rebellion, we were cast from His presence.

He returned to get the Israelites out of Egypt - He was with the Ark of the Covenant. But, anyone who came near to the Ark drew close to God's presence and, being stained with sin, risked death. Therefore, the Jews were given laws and rituals for cleanliness; blood sacrifice and atonement for sins.

But that was then. The blood sacrifice in the Old Testament temporarily satisfied God's law so we could in those moments enter into His presence. The willful sacrifice of Christ on the cross forever paid the debt caused by sin - fulfilled the requirements of God's law - and cleansed us permanently.

We no longer have to clean up and atone for our sins every time we want to talk to God because we're under grace, God is with us! We don't have to kill a red heifer to come to God, because He killed His own son so He could come to us. Such powerful, radical love!

And now, He is Immanuel. Immanuel. God is with us - Immanuel!

As soon as we sinned, God had a backup plan, and carried it out when His glory would be greatest, yet early on enough in history so His glory could be spread through generations and continents. Isaiah told us it was going to happen, Matthew told us how it did happen.

So now, during this time of year when we focus so much on worthless, trivial Christmas presents, we forget about God's presence - Immanuel. The greatest gift we've ever been given.
Everything else, from bookmarks to new cars, are the worthless gifts you'd see at a "white elephant" gift exchange compared to Immanuel - our true gift.

God is with us. Even now, while you read, God is with us - a privilege dreamed of by generations of people throughout history.

What are you doing with your life in the presence of Immanuel?