I’ve been thinking a bit about ol’ Job.  One moment everything was going well and, like the beer commercials I’ve seen in years past, he might have thought “it doesn’t get any better than this.”  Then, without any warning or explanation, he loses everything.  Family…assets…eventually even his own health and comfort.  All gone in a flash.

After the storm of such tragic loss and sorrow we find Job sitting on a pile of ashes scratching at the sores of his flesh with a broken piece of pottery. (Job 2.8)  Even his wife pushes Job to lash out at God and simply die.  If every there was a person who knew what it was to suffer loss it was this man.  If ever there was a man who know how to endure loss it was Job.  One of those verses that could be the testimony of Job’s life during this experience is this: Throughout all this Job did not sin in what he said.  (2.10b)

Job wasn’t “cut from a different cloth” than I am.  He felt pain…hurt…sorrow…and grief as I do.  I have certainly never experienced the sort of losses over the course of my whole life that this man did in mere hours.  However, the contrast is stark.  Job sat in that pile of ashes, covered with sores, having lost everything, and listening to his beloved wife tell him that he would be better off without God and dead.  In all of this Job didn’t sin.  He didn’t lash out at God.  Yes, in the next chapter we’ll hear some of Job’s sorrow spill out as he questions why he was born and regrets that he’s walking in the shadow of suffering.  But, he doesn’t lash out at God…and more importantly he doesn’t give up on God.  Hear these words he spoke a little later:

Job 19:25 “And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.” (NASB)

How humbling it is for me, because—sadly—it really takes so little at times for me to get discouraged, despondent, and depressed.  How swiftly at times I find my faith failing and I begin flailing about like a child in deep water crying out for rescue.  I enter into “Crisis Mode” with so little stimulus.  I wait with dread for the proverbial “next shoe” to drop.

• Loss of a job – CRISIS
• Bounce a Check – CRISIS
• Car Breaks Down – CRISIS
• Milk spoils – CRISIS

 

Now, honestly, at times I can weather things in my life like a champ, walking with God and trusting in Him completely.  Then there are times that the smallest thing will drive me to panic.  Since I don’t believe that God is any less powerful or present then He ever has been, the change has to be somewhere in me.  I think I have found what makes the difference in my reactions and experiences.  It’s about the preparation time before the storm hits.

• I need to spend time in prayer
• I need to spend time in the Bible
• I need to spend time in worship
• I need to spend time in meditation
• I need to spend time in fellowship

I NEED TO SPEND TIME WITH GOD.

See, what I have discovered is that preceding those times of uncontrolled panic in my life I have usually been neglecting my spiritual needs.  When I do not feed the spiritual aspect of my life the “non-spiritual” part of me can exert greater control on my feelings and actions.  This is not a cure-all for loss—they will still come into my life.  But I can be better prepared to deal with them if I don’t neglect this crucial part of who I am as God’s child.

If you need a clear picture of this, consider this very moving picture of Jesus in the garden.  It’s been captured in so many way by artists through the centuries.  The reason it is so captivating, I believe, is that it shows us the need that our Lord felt before the “crisis of the cross” to be prepared by spending time in prayer with the Father. 

If Jesus needed this time of preparation how could I ever think that I could do it myself?

I know that I will experience loss in my life.  I don’t like it, but it’s a reality of living here.  One day the Lord will welcome me home and there will be no more loss.  In the mean time I hope in Him, and that He will provide me with what I need to face and endure the losses of life.

Praying this helps you as you face difficulty and loss as well.  Look to Him.

 

It Happens

Loss, as stated before, happens in all of our lives.  A few years ago someone said that because I was encountering losses in my life I must not be spiritual enough or doing what God wanted.  I have to admit that blow really hurt.  It came at a very vulnerable place in my life when I had been going through a number of losses, and for weeks I struggled over that.  Could these painful and significant losses be a sign that I was not who or where God intended?  My faith was really rocked and I was on the verge of giving up. 

A deeper look at the Bible though, and the experiences of loss among the saints of old restored my faith and enabled me to have a different perspective on loss.  Most of the followers of Christ encountered loss.  The Old Testament heroes encountered loss.  Sometimes it was because of choices and actions they made.  Other times these losses occurred because of the course of the world we live in.  I realized that, even though the losses were hard and painful they were in fact a part of life.  I could let them rob me of joy, or I could seek to learn and grow through them.  I pray for the strength to choose the later.

Some Losses We Can’t Forget

The Loss of Death

As I have been looking and evaluating specific losses in my life I have experienced both a sense of nostalgia and at times a sting of pain.  It’s interesting the losses that I can remember so vividly from early on.  For example, death is a significant loss, and it has touched my life in a variety of ways.  I very vividly remember one of those childhood encounters with death as I watched my puppy, Pokey, hit and killed by one of our neighbors.  We had already had relatives die, and I know we had other pets that had gone to the great bone yard in the sky, but this death really impacted me.  It effected me so much so that now, some thirty years plus later, I can still recall it clearly. 

Death of loved ones brings loss.  It’s a hard thing to endure, but I have come to discover that these feelings and this loss are proof of our ability to love and be loved.  They are evidence of our connections with others, people and pets alike.  When you feel this loss through the death of a loved one, grieve, mourn, hurt, and don’t be afraid of these feelings, for they are the proof of love and the proof of life.

The Loss of Innocence

I would not have considered myself naïve or unaware of situations in the world around me, but I remember, again like it was yesterday, the moment that the darkness of lust and sin and adultery really slapped me in the face.  I was working with a small company of people that I had come to really like.  We spent a lot of time together and for a while we were pretty successful.  I was selling sweepers throughout Vermont and the surrounding states, and was doing fairly well with it.  Then one night I came back to the office to find the husband of one of our friends entangled with the secretary.  It crushed me.  Within in moments I discovered the owner of the company was having a fling with the wife of one of the other salesmen.  I left that night bewildered.  For these people it all seemed so nonchalant, but at home there were spouses who were totally unaware and I knew would be left devastated by this. 

I left the company that night and sought a new line of work.  But the greatest loss was not the job or the friends, the greatest loss was the sense that something inside of me, a sort of idealism I guess, was gone.  I knew that things like this happened, and not just on the soaps or in the movies, but it had never been as real to me as it was then.  In the wake of this loss of innocence I found cynicism and skepticism and a feeling of distrust that threatened to consume me. 

Forgetting is not Necessarily Healing

Forgetting is not healing.  People have told me that until I don’t remember pain of the past I won’t be healed.  I don’t believe that is accurate.  I do believe that if I am “consumed” by the pain of the past it is a sign that I’m not healthy, but not simply the remembering of the pain.  It’s part of who we are, and it’s among the things that help us grow and develop, even into the people God intends for us to be.  So, remember with respect and reverence the losses of our life, and seek God in the midst of those losses.  Perhaps we might even be able to bring some of the comfort of God we experience into the lives of those around us who need it.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4
³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. ⁴ He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

More to come.

Big D

Introduction

In the year 1620, how could 120 pilgrims safely sail to the New World? The answer lay in the belly of the Mayflower. In its hold there was a room full of oak barrels that had been filled with drinking water, then refilled with sea water.

The weight of these barrels provided the ballast that was essential for stability in the stormy waters of the Atlantic Ocean. There is ballast available for you to help you through the rough seas of the coming year, but it is by your choice that you will utilize it or neglect it. You can be certain that storms will come, the question is will you make the preparations now to be ready to face them when they do come across your horizon?

EARLY WARNING SYSTEM ACTIVATED!

· What storms can you see approaching on the horizon of your life?

· How will you prepare for the storms you see and the ones you can’t see?

Jeremiah 6:16

So now the Lord says, “STOP right where you are! LOOK for the old, godly way, and WALK in it. TRAVEL its path, and you will find REST for your souls. But you REPLY, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’

THE REQUIREMENTS

· Stop – before going too far

o We often see, but keep going

o RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!!

· Look – a path is already cut

o Lit. “Ask, Enquire” (Job 8.8; Dt. 32.7)

§ Father, Elders, Previous Generation

o The Path is Old – Established

§ We might walk a little different, but the path we travel remains the same.

o The Path is Godly – Holy

· Walk – move ahead on it

o We need to make a response

· Travel – Journey

o Implies a Length of time

o Implies a Distance of Travel

THE REWARD

· Rest – Rest area ahead

o A Place/Time of Rest is Coming

THEIR RESPONSE

· Rebellion

· Rejection

THEIR RESULT

· Ruin (see Jeremiah 18.15-16)

Jeremiah 18:15-16
¹⁵ Yet My people have forgotten Me. They burn incense to false [idols] that make them stumble in their ways— in the ancient roads— to walk on [new] paths, not the highway.
¹⁶ They have made their land a horror, a perpetual object of scorn; everyone who passes by it will be horrified and shake his head.

It’s Your Choice for 2012…Ballast or Bust

There’s no escaping the irony.  I start this series of BLOG postings on the subject of loss…I have a great conversation with a new believer last night about losses in life…and this morning my car leaves us stranded along side the road.  (sigh)

Couldn’t you just picture me pulling my hair out.  Believe me I wanted to…but… (For those reading this who don’t know me I am bald-so this is where you would chuckle at that thought.)  I’m not immune to discouragement, and honestly felt and feel a little discouraged and worried about what is broken and how we will pay for this.  However, let me tell you where my primary focus has been. 

On the Bright Side

I know, sometimes you just want to deck the people who always seem to be “looking on the bright side.”  However, I can see so much of the “bright side” this morning that it is inescapable how even in the midst of this trial and trouble God is taking care of us.  I don’t know a lot of things (what exactly is wrong, how we’ll afford the repair, what we’ll do for transportation, etc) but what I do know is that what we are experiencing right not could have been so much harder.  Here is some of the bright side.

First, let me tell you what happened.  We had stopped for a cup of coffee because we woke up later than we had planned and didn’t take the time to make a pot at home.  As we pulled back out onto the highway from the convenience store we heard a couple of loud pops under the hood, and then there was absolutely no steering!  I had no control over the direction the car was going.  in that context these are the “bright side” things I consider:

• We were only going a few miles per hour and not at highway speed.
• We were within a mile from home and not in some deserted place or somewhere between Danielle’s place in New York and home
• The timing of the steering breaking was such that the car simply drifted slightly to the right and we were able to safely pull off the road.
• There were no other cars immediately around us that could have been affected
• I was with Andie and she wasn’t on her own
• Pat was available and able to give Andie a ride home while I waited on the tow.
• A few years ago I signed up with AAA and the tow was free as a result.

Listen, I know that it is really hard to “look on the bright side” when you are going through the trial.  I know that I’m going to have plenty of moments where I wonder, question, doubt, and fret over this.  But, I’m glad that God gives us the possibility and choice—it is a choice—to decide to focus on the “bright side” when we face things like this. 

Here was my moment of real testing and choosing this morning.  After Pat had picked up Andie and I was left there alone to wait for the tow truck I got a special invitation to my very own PITY PARTY.  At that moment I started to slide down the slippery hill of discouragement and despondency.  However, a verse from my Bible memory shot up and landed in the center of my thoughts.  Psalm 43:5 says this:

Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.

At that moment I had to choose whether I would be sucked in to the “dark side” or I would focus on the “bright side.”  So I chose the bright side and I’m glad.  Perhaps pausing for just a moment and looking for the “bright side” in some of the struggles you might face could make a real difference for you as well.

Blessings even in the Struggles!

Pastor Dave “Big D” Bentley

Life-Storms are not Something I am Immune To

People expect and anticipate that as a pastor I have a pretty “blessed” life and that few problems befall me.  While I would concur that I feel greatly blessed, the difficult truth is that I face loss and pain just like everyone else.  Unlike many other pastors, ministers, clergy, whatever title or category you want to use to label us, I feel that by sharing my struggles, pains, and losses I can accomplish a few things.

First, I want people to know that I am no some “super-spiritual” person who lives untouched by tragedy and pain.  I don’t live in a temple on a mountain but among the very people I’m seeking to share the grace and love of God with.  I work among you, and I struggle along side of you.

Second, I want to admit that I don’t do every thing “right.”  I make mistakes.  I do things that are wrong.  I make choices that are clearly not good choices, and I pay the consequences for choices, actions, and mistakes like anyone else.

Third, I hope that people can see that through my sorrows and suffering I can demonstrate how the presence and power of God can help us make it through—note I said through, not around – difficult circumstances in life.  It’s not about avoiding hardship, but about acquiring the ability to get through it.

So, with these goals in mind, over the next couple of postings I’m going to share with you some of the ways that I, Pastor Dave, have blown it in my life.  Some will stretch back over the years, and some will be recent.  My prayer is that God will reveal himself, even in some of the struggles that I’m still facing, and you will be encouraged to know that you are not alone in the struggles you face.  Our circumstances may not be exactly the same, but the experiences will probably be a little more similar than you expect.

With you on the Journey,

Dave “Big D” Bentley

A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING

Matthew 2:1-11

¹ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem,
² saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
³ When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
⁴ So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.
⁵ “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:
⁶ And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel.”
⁷ Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared.
⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him.”
⁹ After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen in the east! It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.
¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure.
¹¹ Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Introduction:

Ole’ Ebeneezer Scrooge didn’t know what he was in for as he headed home from the counting house that fateful Christmas eve…His whole life was about to change in a dramatic way.  In much the same way as the coming of those specters changed Scrooge’s life, the coming of the Christ Child should transform our lives and leave us eternally different.

The entrance of the Christ child stirs us to our deepest point. Our response is our decision. No miracles yet performed…no parables have been told…just the sounds of infancy in the manger…yet He has already impacted the world…already His birth is stirring things.

For us—Even 2,000 Years Later—When Jesus is first born in our heart:

• Things are stirred—Our nature is shaken
• Changes begin to occur
• A revolution begins within us and things will never be the same
• O, how great a blaze began with that tiny infant light!

TWO THINGS HAPPENED “WHEN JESUS WAS BORN”

THE FAR-OFF CAME NEAR – The Wise Men

• They were Unlikely Men

Who would have expected these men to care about this tiny foreigners?  Astronomers, dignitaries, wealthy men, whoever they were is shrouded in mystery clouded by time.  In the nativity scene, accurately depicted or not, they are a strange addition next to the shepherds.  For me, as I consider these travelers, they demonstrated the reach of God in the world then and now.  No one is excluded or out of His reach.  He came for the Jews and the Gentiles. 

• From and Unlikely Place

Persia?  We could understand if a delegation of Jewish leaders made their way to Bethlehem from Jerusalem.  It would make sense if Rome sent ambassadors to welcome the newborn king.  We can even wrap our mind around the possibility that neighboring Egypt or Syria might want to welcome this baby.  Persia, once among the worlds super powers, was now a place of waning influence and power.  But there was something significant in their history, perhaps dating way back to a prophet named Daniel that had kept them looking forward to this gift from heaven.

It’s stunning to consider that these Persians were from the land that today is known as Iran.  In that day these noble men sought the Salvation of the Jews (and all the earth).  Today the leader of Iran has proclaimed his intent to destroy the Jews and all who are allied with them.  Sad the distance they have fallen from these early centuries.

• They were Uniquely Guided

The original GPS was this star in the heavens.  God had chosen to announce the birth of His Son by placing a new star in the sky.  Not many of us would look to our family and say, “There’s a new star up there, and I’ve decided that I’m going to take a trip and follow it wherever it leads.”  People would think we were crazy.  Perhaps there were those nay sayers in this day too that tried to talk the travelers out of going.  Regardless, they were determined and could not be deterred.

• They were Urgently Seeking
• Un-Prejudicially – The came to the nation of the Jews
• Un-Hesitantly – They didn’t waste time on niceties or etiquette
• Un-Reservedly – They made the decision and nothing stopped thme

For You: Today, if you find that you are far off from the Savior, He invites you to hasten to Him and come near to Him and find forgiveness of your sins and salvation for your soul.

THE NEAR BECAME FAR-OFF – The King

The Newborn TROUBLED Many Then

It’s interesting and saddening that the people who I think should have been most interested in the birth of the Messiah the Bible describes as “troubled” by the news of His birth.  Even more so that the news that troubled the king troubled the nation.  There’s much that could be said about Herod and his penchant for psychotic behavior, but I’m more interested in the parallel that this illustrates in our culture and climate today. 

The Newborn Troubles Many Now

Protests, calls for boycotts, lawsuits, petitions, and political correctness have become part of the modern Christmas pageant.  Oooops, I’m sorry, I meant “Holiday Pageant.”  (insert chuckle here)  I think some people on both sides tend to lean toward the extreme and even ridiculous in this “War Over Christmas.”  However, personal bias aside, I think that all this hoopla is evidence that people are troubled still today by news of His birth. 

The Newborn Interferes with Life as Usual

Here’s the thing that bugs me the most I think in this narrative.  The travelers came and the King and religious leaders gave them the information they sought.  The Messiah…the Christ…the King of Kings…would be born (and by default had been born) in Bethlehem.  So, they knew it had happened.  What did they do once they knew?  Nothing.  They sent these foreigners on to welcome their long awaited Savior, and they stayed at home.  Whether they were too lazy, too disconnected, or too apathetic isn’t clear; fact is they chose to stay home when they should have headed for…now, they should have run straight to Bethlehem.

Today, how many might think: I can’t become a Christian because I am enjoying my life too much.  Coming to the manger, to Jesus, might interfere with my plans and life as I like it.  How many are “hugging the serpent-sin to themselves” and stubbornly refusing to let it go and come near to the Savior?

How sad, that the Gospel can be Good News to some and Great Trouble to others

Closing Challenge:

So few sought Him that day! The Son of God… the Promised Messiah…the Savior… and no one would leave what they were doing and seek him!!

Let’s seek Him today.

Let’s not stop searching until He is found.

 

Notes from Sermon on December 11, 2011

Joke: Mary and Joseph had to leave the stable because the ACLU ordered the Town of Bethlehem to tell them they couldn’t display a Nativity scene publicly.

What Does Christmas Mean to You?

The season of Christmas has come to mean stress, cost, commercialism, and seasonal sorrow mingled with holiday cheer. The further from the manger we move the more we find the significance and meaning of Christmas buried by the hustle and bustle of the holidays. We in the Christian family are not immune. My prayer for myself and for you is that together this Christmas season we will—like the shepherds and wise men of antiquity—make it to the manger, and find there what they found. Peace…Presence…and Purpose… Please join us on the journey.

My Post December 1^st on Enhance the Romance (FB Group): Did you make it out early on “Black Friday?” Have you been taking advantage of the cyber-specials all week? Are closets and “secret places” filling up with bags and boxes? Have you made your list and checked it twice? This is at once a terrific and a terrible time of year. It is no wonder that increased stress leading up to Christmas and all the holiday festivities claims countless families each year as people move from celebrating with each other to snarling at each other. I urge you to work diligently at maintaining unity and love in your family and with your special someone this year. My encouragement is this–and I’ll be sharing more about this in other avenues coming up-together may all of you “MAKE IT TO THE MANGER” this Christmas, because that’s an incredible place of peace and purpose.

Why It Matters to Me

I have had the opportunity to do some really amazing things of late – once in a lifetime things.

· Steven Curtis Chapman story-time Concert

· Meet Dr. David Jeremiah – a preacher hero of mine

· Meet and get picture with President George W. Bush

· Go to a Monday Night Football game with the Patriots

-These were all REALLY COOL things that mean a lot to me

-None of them CHANGED MY LIFE

-Making my way to the Manger—meeting Jesus—that is LIFE CHANGING!

There are two stories of two groups who demonstrate for us the powerful change that can happen when we “Make it to the Manger.”

Luke 2:1-20 – The Shepherds

Matthew 2:1-12 – The Wise Men

MAKE IT TO THE MANGER TO FIND PEACE – The Shepherds

“Peace on earth…”
Israel had a History of Conflict and Conquerors for Centuries

o Babylonians

o Persians

o Greeks

o Romans

· I Wonder if we Have Conflict and Conquerors in our Lives Today

o Busy-ness – The Crush of the Rush

o Problems – Dysfunction and Destruction at home and in life

· Can Making it to the Manger Bring us Peace Today?

MAKE IT TO THE MANGER TO FIND PRESENCE – The Wise Men

Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (10)

· Their World had no shortage of Rulers

o Caesar Augustus – Emperor of Rome

o Quirinius – Governor of Syria

o Herod I – King of Israel

· The Wise Men Traveled a Long Way to Make it to the Manger

§ Ok – I know they probably didn’t actually get to the manger…

§ They did finally stop to ask for directions though.

o They found what they had long searched for – The King

§ Consider – These men came from Persia, what would today be known as modern Iran – oh how far that nation has fallen from where they once were.

· Entering into His Presence Brought a Response

o They Bowed

o They Worshipped

o They Gave

· What Impact does Making it to the Manger have in Your Life?

o Reverence?

o Worship?

o Generosity?

MAKE IT TO THE MANGER TO FIND PURPOSE – Shepherds, Wise Men, Us

· Having Made it to the Manger these two Groups Leave with Purpose

o Imagine encountering any of the shepherds on their way through town.

o Imagine bumping into the Magi caravan headed back to Persia

o What do you think was on the forefront of their conversation

· If We have Made it to the Manger—Life Changing

o Has it made a difference in how we

§ Talk? Walk?

· If You haven’t Made it to the Manger – Will you come to Christ Today?

o Find Peace

§ He Can Make a Difference

o Find Presence

§ He is Available to You

o Find Purpose

§ He has a plan—let Him Lead

Did you make it out early on “Black Friday?” Have you been taking advantage of the cyber-specials all week? Are closets and “secret places” filling up with bags and boxes? Have you made your list and checked it twice? This is at once a terrific and a terrible time of year. It is no wonder that increased stress leading up to Christmas and all the holiday festivities claims countless families each year as people move from celebrating with each other to snarling at each other. I urge you to work diligently at maintaining unity and love in your family and with your special someone this year. My encouragement is this–and I’ll be sharing more about this in other avenues coming up-together may all of you “MAKE IT TO THE MANGER” this Christmas, because that’s an incredible place of peace and purpose in God’s presence.

More to come!

What does your faith mean to you?  Do you have faith?  Where is your faith?

These are critical questions that make the difference between real victory and pretend hope.  There are several stories of people encountering Jesus in the Gospels that illustrate significant change in their lives.  One such story is that of the “wee little man,” Zacchaeus.

Luke 19:1-10 (HCSB)
¹ He entered Jericho and was passing through. ² There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. ³ He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man. ⁴ So running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus, since He was about to pass that way.
⁵ When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, because today I must stay at your house.” ⁶ So he quickly came down and welcomed Him joyfully.
⁷ All who saw it began to complain, “He’s gone to lodge with a sinful man!”
⁸ But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord! And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much!”
⁹ “Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

What a faith story.  In just these short verses we see how encountering Christ changes a life.  Zacchaeus faith is profound and personal.  Salvation coming into a persons life should lead to change and should remind us of why Jesus came: “to seek and to save the lost.”

It occurs to me in reading about this encounter that the faith that I have experienced and hold is different then Zacchaeus’ faith.  While our faith is found in the same place—THE LIVING SON OF GOD—it manifests itself different in my life compared to his.  This is why we talk about a “PERSONAL” relationship with God through Christ.  It isn’t going to be identical to anyone else.  My faith became real for me at a moment of total surrender when I met the love of God head on in the cross of Christ.  I was assured that God loved me and showed that love for me in that while I was still lost in sin Christ died for me.

Your story will differ from mine, as will anyone you encounter have a different story.  The differences of our personal faith in Christ are the source of our victory.  We have a common “object of faith” – Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.  It is the details—the story—that is the personal aspect for us.  How did you meet Jesus?  What does it mean for you personally?  This is the “personal relationship” that is discovered in our “personal faith.”

So meet Jesus and come to faith in Him.  Recognize that your faith and your relationship with Christ are personal – they belong to you…it’s your story.  Share your story with others so that they might come to their own relationship and faith in Christ.  That’s the wonder of faith and salvation…and this is the victory!

It’s About More than the Bird

I love this time of year, and I especially love the Thanksgiving time.  It has nothing to do with the fact that my birthday is just two days after Thanksgiving.  (you’ll find my address for your cards and gifts is below.) 

I love Thanksgiving because it give us an opportunity as a population to give thanks to the creator and sustainer of all things.  It offers us a chance to worship, and to praise together. 

I think, however, that we sometimes miss what matters because there is so much attention paid to the details and the festivity that we neglect the mandate of giving thanks.  Let me borrow something from comedian Jeff Foxworthy and alter it slightly to make my point:

If you find yourself spending a couple of hours at the table scanning the advertising fliers and plotting your attack plan for the sales on Friday morning and throwing out a quick prayer at the dinner table on Thursday night, you might have missed what really matters. 

If you spend more time getting on your favorite team’s jersey and preparing snacks and beverages for the big game then you do giving thanks to the God of heaven, you might be missing what matters.

If you spend hours traveling to gather together with family, some of whom you only see once or twice a year, and you spend several hours gathered in a home together for the celebration, but you don’t stop to offer thanks to the Lord for His many blessings in your life and share that with your family, you might be missing what really matters.

If you spend hundreds of dollars at the grocery store, and hours if not days preparing a meal for your family and friends, but you skip church on Sunday because you are too tired or too busy, you might have missed what matters.

Fact is, Thanksgiving is not exclusively a Christian observance, but it certainly should be observed by believers in all that it is intended to be, because if anyone has reason to be thankful on November 24th (and always) it is the follower of Christ.  So, don’t miss what matters.  All the rest of the things are ok, but in your preparations remember the most important thing is not the food, festivities, or even the family.  The most important thing is the Thanksgiving for God’s provision and blessing in your life.

A Psalm of Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100:1-5
¹ Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth.
² Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.
³ Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we are His — His people, the sheep of His pasture.
⁴ Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
⁵ For the Lord is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations.

VIDEO DEVO