Uncategorized

by

Waiting for the Promised One

“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people.
He has sent us a mighty Savior …
just as he promised …
Now we will be saved from our enemies
and from all who hate us.
We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,
in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live.”
(from Luke 1)

This is what we have just celebrated: God, coming to us and rescuing us from the enemies of our souls so that we can serve Him without fear.

Those lines could be our Christmas song of praise and gratitude. But they come from Luke 1, Zechariah’s prophecy. Zechariah had been unable to speak for nine months, from the time a messenger angel had told him he would have a son who would prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. Now, on the day his infant son John is named, Zechariah suddenly bursts out with this praise and prophecy.

The main characters in the scenes of the opening chapters of Luke were all waiting for the time when God’s promises would be fulfilled. They longed for rescue from the oppression of their enemies. They had waited for generations for God to fulfill His promise and send someone who would set their nation free.

And then the Promised One came!

The promised rescue was even larger than God’s people had dreamed: This Messiah saves from those who can kill the soul. And God, in His kindness, extends that rescue beyond Israel to anyone who desires it.

And so, in one sense we celebrate what we know right now, at this moment in God’s history: Jesus can rescue us from the enemies of our souls so we can serve our God without fear and in holiness and righteousness.

Yet we too still wait and look forward to the final, all-encompassing rescue—when Christ appears again on the earth and sets up His kingdom and ALL of life is redeemed and restored. I suspect the fulfillment of this promise, too, will be far beyond anything we dream of now.

He is the Beginning and the End and we wait, here in the middle,  for the Promised One to come …

.

by

The Junk Pile

In this season of giving, I feel honored to receive the gifts of friends in the form of their thoughts and contributions to this site. C. Ann Gerber did not write the following as a Christmas poem, yet it tells the glad tidings of Christmas, the essence of the Christmas story. Christ comes to rescue us!

***

The Junk Pile

Like a rag, wrung out and discarded,
Exhausted and filthy, afraid;
Aware of the whispers around her:
“Alone, in the bed that she made.”

She lay there, so tired of struggling;
The enemy left, he was done.
In that instant, she felt a new Presence,
And shielded her eyes from the Son.

His hands, strong and gentle, caressed her;
A remnant, a shell, torn and broke.
He whispered, “My rare, precious treasure.”
His words breathed acceptance and hope.

Satan reeled back in time to discover
How wrong, how presumptuous he’d been;
What he had left maimed and disfigured,
Was spotless and rising again.

He fled when he saw her Redeemer;
What measure of grace this would tell–
To those who had seen her disposed of
And worthy of nothing but hell.

God’s found not by mountains of splendor,
Or clear sparkling fountains of blue;
He waits, out of town, by the junk pile,
He’s looking for me and for you.

*

1 I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; 3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. (Psalm 18)

8 With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord, 10 My kindness shall not depart from thee. (Isaiah 54)

20 He delivered me because He delighted in me. (II Samuel 22)

11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: (Psalm 84)

— C. Ann Gerber

.

by

All we need

Paul wrote a letter to the church in the large and prosperous city of Corinth. This was a church of non-Jewish people, a church sprouting from the soil of pagan Greek culture. He intends, in his letter, to address all kinds of issues the church is having—everything from incest to divisions in the church body. A ton of problems, and most of them very messy. Paul knows these people well—he settled in and lived and worked there for more than a year.

Yet Paul begins his letter addressing these people as those “called by God to be his own holy people”! Far from perfect, burdened still by many pagan ideas and influences, selfish, argumentative—yet God has invited these people to new life through Jesus’ sacrifice. They’ve accepted the invitation, but they’re finding that living out this holiness and God’s standard of righteousness is tough. They’re stumbling, time and again.

Sound familiar? Sounds like my life. So far from the mark, it seems. Still struggling with so many things…

And then Paul writes to those so-much-less-than-perfect Corinthians,

Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:7-9 NLT).

Wow. Imagine what the people in that church must have felt as they opened Paul’s letter and began reading. They were well aware of all the bad stuff going on; probably every person was embroiled in at least one or two of the specific problems Paul will go on to discuss in the letter. Yet the first thought he brings to them is that God has invited them to a new kind of life, and He supplies everything necessary to live that life, and He intends to present everyone to Himself…blameless!

How would you feel, reading such an assurance, especially knowing the trouble that churns through your church? And knowing that you have played a part in all those problems?

How do I feel, reading this assurance, knowing too well how less-than-perfect my own life is, how often I stumble on my pilgrimage, how many times I open the door to doubt or discouragement or guilt over the unholy still in my life?

I hear Jesus’ words: I have called you to a new life, and I will supply everything you need to stand strong. Cling to Me. I am the one who will get you through. And in the end, you will stand blameless!

God will do this, Paul declares. He has invited you to be His partner in His work here on earth, and He will supply everything you need to do that. He will do it, because He keeps His promises.

And so, in those times when I am beset by discouragement or doubt or weariness, my hope can only fall on its knees and say, Spirit, help my unbelief!

.

by

Chariots of fire surrounding you

Let us imagine what that morning must have been like.

They wake up in the hill country of Samaria, in the small town of Dothan. The servant, out on an early morning errand, is stunned by the sight of chariots and foot soldiers everywhere. The enemy has moved into place under the cover of darkness. These are the troops of the king of Aram, who has been attempting raids on towns in Samaria, trying to break the country bit by bit.

The servant runs back home to report the situation to Elisha. “Sir, what will we do?” Dothan is under siege. It is not clear if Elisha and his servant know that these soldiers are here to capture Elisha, or if they simply assume that the enemy is attacking the town, as it has tried to do with other towns. They do know, though, that the enemy forces are powerful, they are everywhere, and there is no apparent way of escape. It looks like they’re doomed to capture or destruction.

“What will we do?”

Elisha is not afraid. “We have more on our side than they have!” he declares.

And then he prays. Not for God to come and help them. No, he prays for the young man. He asks God to open the young servant’s eyes to see the truth of their situation. “And let him see!”

The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire (2 Kings 6:17 NLT).

Oh, Lord, open our eyes and let us see!

Let us see your constant watch over us. Scripture holds so many reassurances that the eyes of the Lord are constantly on those who rely on His love and His ears are always open to our prayers. I just discovered another one recently; 2 Chronicles 16:9 says the Lord is continually looking throughout the earth, looking for hearts devoted to Him so that He can strengthen them. He is there, constantly.

Let us see the power with which you protect us and provide for us. Chariots of fire? Who knows? Are there angels fighting for us in the spiritual realm? We have Scriptures that would indicate this is happening. But God also sends his “angels” in human form—people sent into our lives at just the right time for the purpose of strengthening, encouraging, teaching, and supporting us. They are—just like heavenly angels—special representatives sent by God for a certain purpose. Prayer warriors might very well be, in God’s eyes, driving chariots of fire into the thick of the battle. (I like that image.)

Psalm 18 is a great picture of God tearing open the heavens and coming down Himself to rescue one who depended on His help. God has done that for you and me! He has torn open heaven, and He not only came down to rescue us but He comes to live with us. God comes to abide with us. We abide in Him. He comes and makes His home with us and we share a life together. He tore the heavens open one night in Bethlehem, coming to rescue us and to share His life and kingdom and power with us.

We cannot despair, even when the situation looks grim to our blind eyes. We cannot feel helpless or hopeless when faced with enemies so strong they seem unbeatable. We cannot, because Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid of any trouble you face in the world. Trust me.”

What would this day look like if we could see clearly the chariots of fire surrounding us? What if we could have just a taste, one wee sip, of the might of His power at work in our lives?

Today, I pray for you and for me—not for His help in what we face or victory in our battles, but I pray: Lord, open our eyes and let us see!

by

Thanking God … And Friends

Today’s guest post focuses on hospitality, something that abounds during the coming Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. Mary Jane Smith expresses her appreciation and thanks for her friend Joanie’s gift of hospitality and sharing of her bounty.

So I offer a challenge for this week of Thanksgiving: as you thank God for your blessings, include thanks for the special talents and passions He has given to each of your friends and the many ways those talents enrich your life.

Then, make a point of thanking your friends and telling them how their gifts have brought you comfort, encouragement, and joy.

.

Hospitality

I Peter 4: 9  “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.”

The first time Joanie invited me to dinner with her family, I quickly found out that this was not a picnic-table-style affair.  Joanie loves to entertain, and she loves to entertain with style.  Her table was set with matching cloth tablecloth and napkins.  The centerpiece was a stunning floral display that she had created (hues of the seasonal display outside).  Everything, and I do mean everything, was coordinated for optimal visual enjoyment — candles, crystal, china, and cutlery.  The visual display paled when compared to what she served us:  breads, salads, entrees, multiple side dishes, and desserts.  All sumptuous pallet pleasers.

Joanie and I are decorative painters, and our methods of implementing our art are vastly different.  Over the ensuing years our friendship deepened.  She has become the little sister I always wanted.  About our art connection, she will laughingly say that she helped me to speed up and I helped her to slow down and enjoy the details.

Joanie is employed full-time as an Executive Assistant for a large corporation in our area of Florida.  Even though she has a schedule jam-packed with obligations, she always finds time to share her baking, canning and cooking with family and friends (my personal favorites are her Strawberry Jam and her Pickled Beets).  Many “goodie bags” have come home with me over the years that have nourished me well into another week. Even when we were not celebrating a special occasion, her food and decorations were spectacular.  However, when she really wanted to celebrate – the visuals and the meals would be outrageously extravagant.

When I think back over the gatherings around her tables (yes, that is plural – one formal, one casual, and of course one on the patio), the words that come to my mind are abundance, hospitality, and love.  Joanie genuinely enjoys showering family and friends with her awesome gifts of food (and her design talents).  Every recollection of the wonderful times of fun, laughter and fellowship around her tables brings with it a sense of peace and benediction. I am just sure that the same feeling will be part of the celebrations we will have around the Lord’s Table when we finally get home to heaven.

Hospitality to me means abundance, and it means giving with love.  If that is not a description of the life of my beloved friend, I do not know what it would be.

Heavenly Father, 

Provider of our daily bread and sustenance, thank You for allowing us the precious comfort of friends who portray for us the true meaning of hospitality by their gifts of time, talent and love.  Thank you for these precious earthly reminders of what Heaven will be like, and what You have in store for us. 

.

.

Mary Jane Smith lives in Florida and will be guest posting again at Christmas and New Year’s.