Monthly Archives: December 2014

December 17, 2014 · 7:29 AM

Joseph’s Character

The Bible only gives us a few clues about Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. He’s only mentioned in a few verses, but from those verses we can tell a lot about him. I think it’s important to remember that even though he wouldn’t have a role in the DNA of Jesus, he was chosen by God to help shape the man jesus would become. God knew that he possessed the qualities He wanted in a man that would raise Jesus as his own and would take care of his family above all. That tells me that he was a man of character.

We know that Joseph received some news that was hard to swallow. His fiancé told him she was pregnant and he knew that it wasn’t his. The story she told him was hard to believe. It went against everything he knew. I wonder if he was furious, angry or just heart broken. No matter what emotions went through him, Matthew 1:19 says, “Joseph was a man who always did what was right, but he did not want to disgrace Mary publicly; so he made plans to break the engagement privately.” He must have struggled with the right thing to do.

His love for Mary overrode the letter of the law. Mary could have been put to death for getting pregnant with someone else’s baby. Remember the story of the adulteress woman? They wanted to stone her. It was custom to put her to death, but Joseph didn’t want to do that. He loved her and valued life. His decision to break the engagement privately spoke again to his character. He had every right to shame her and her family publicly, but he chose a better route because of his character. Doing what’s right isn’t always doing what you’re permitted to do.

As he thought of the consequences of his predicament, an angel visited him in a dream. The angel said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife. For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived. She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus – because he will save his people from their sins.” The angel corroborated the story Mary had told him. A few verses later we read that Joseph did what the Angel told him to do. Not only was he a man of character, he was a man of obedience. He obeyed even though it was the hard thing to do.

We know from the story of David being anointed king that God loos at our heart. When He looked at Joseph’s heart, He saw a man of character and a man of obedience. He knew He could trust Him with anything including raising His only son. When God looks at our heart, what does He see? Does He know we will obey even though it is inconvenient? Does He know we will act with integrity even though circumstances may be against us? It’s in the hard times and decisions of life that your character is revealed. Be a person of obedience so God can trust you with anything.

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December 16, 2014 · 7:54 AM

Walk With The Wise Men

Matthew 2 tells the story of the wise men coming to visit Jesus after He was born. Over the centuries, we’ve put crowns on these men and called them kings. We’ve also narrowed down the number of them to three. The Bible doesn’t tell us how many there were. It just says, “Men.” The Greek word used for them is magos. It’s interpreted as wise men, teachers, priests, physicians and astrologers. Debates can go on about who they were, how many there were and where they came from, but that’s not what I think we should focus on.

One of the main things I think we should focus on is that they were seeking Him. They traveled a great distance to find the King. They weren’t even afraid to ask for help. They stopped in Jerusalem and asked King Herod where the newborn king was. They kept searching until they found Him. You and I tend to quit seeking Him after we’ve found Him, but I think that our lives should be lived in pursuit of the King. We should search to know Him more each day. We should spend time seeking out who He is and what He says. Our lives will be fuller for it.

The next thing I noticed is that they said in verse 2, “We saw His star as it rose, and we have come to worship Him.” They were face to face with the king of the country and told him that they had come to worship another. Their priorities in whom and what they worshipped were in order. Too many times, we let Jesus take a back seat to who or what we are worshipping. We allow sports to dictate whether we go to church or not. We allow other things to occupy our minds when we have designated time to spend with the King of Kings. We treat our worship as a spiritual box than can be checked off as part of a requirement. We would be wise to follow the precedence set by these wise men.

Finally, they brought Him gifts. They opened up their bags and presented Him with what they had. They prepared ahead of time to give Him things that were most precious to them. They didn’t offer Him something that had no value or that only cost them a little. They were all in so they went all out with their gifts. You and could learn a lot from their sacrifice. God isn’t interested in our leftovers. He has always wanted our best and our first fruits. The gifts we bring to Him should have value and be meaningful to us. These gifts don’t just have to be monetary. They can be our talents and abilities.

I’ve always been intrigued by the wise men who visited Jesus. God chose not only the poor of this world to celebrate the arrival of His son, but He also chose men of stature to share in it. These wise men had their priorities right so God chose them to share in this history changing moment. I wonder what moments in life that God wants to include you and I in if only we would get our priorities right and be willing to offer Him our best. The great news is that is a decision you and I can make today. If you want to be wise, walk in the steps of the wise.

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December 15, 2014 · 7:35 AM

Shepherd Responsibilities

Ever since Cain and Abel, shepherds have had a special place in God’s heart. I don’t know if it’s because they protect and watch the defenseless or if it’s because they’re willing to sacrifice themselves for something that is not their own. Throughout the Bible, God has shown his love for shepherds. He gave one dreams that were fulfilled when he became second in command of Egypt. He used one to lead his people out of captivity. He even turned one into the most famous King of Israel. So it’s no surprise that shepherds were among the first to know about the birth of Jesus.

It was an ordinary night for them during that time of year. The Bible says they were keeping watch of their flocks by night. The only time shepherds stay with sheep at night are during the lambing season (when the flock gives birth). There are only two times a year that sheep can give birth (Spring or Fall). During these few weeks, the shepherds stay with the flock 24/7 so they can help with the birthing process. They make sure there are no complications and they protect the newborn.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that God first gave the news of Jesus’ birth to shepherds. They are the ones who could protect the baby should any problems arise. They were not weak individuals like we see displayed in our nativity scenes. They were strong, rugged people who could defend the sheep against any foe. David said he fought a lion and a bear in order to protect his sheep. If either of those showed up to eat a lamb that didn’t belong to us, most of us would run and let them have the sheep. But not shepherds. They would fight to the end.

Shepherds were also closely knit. They knew where different grazing pastures were. They communicated with each other so that the land could sustain their flocks. What better way to spread the news of the birth of our Savior than through the communication network of shepherds. The news could be spread far and wide quickly. Luke 2:17 says, “After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.” God chose them because they wouldn’t be silent.

Today, you and I are like those shepherds. God has entrusted us with the good news of what Jesus has done. He asked us before He left to go into all the world proclaiming the Gospel. For some of us, that’s a small world of just a few friends. For others, it’s a much larger network of people. There are some who are called to carry the message to places it has not been heard. Wherever you go, however big your network is, our responsibility is to let everyone know what happened when we met our Savior.

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December 12, 2014 · 5:30 AM

10 Scriptures On Leaving A Godly Heritage

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1. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. (Deuteronomy 6:5-7 NLT)

2. A good man leaves an inheritance [of moral stability and goodness] to his children’s children. (Proverbs 13:22 AMP)

3. We will not keep them from our children; we will tell the next generation about the Lord ‘s power and his great deeds and the wonderful things he has done. (Psalms 78:4 GNB)

4. Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6 AMP)

5. It is the living who praise you, As I praise you now. Parents tell their children how faithful you are. (Isaiah 38:19 GNB)

6. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15 ESV)

7. But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17 AMP)

8. Children are fortunate if they have a father who is honest and does what is right. (Proverbs 20:7 GNB)

9. I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth. (3 John 1:4 NLT)

10. The Lord knows the days of the upright and blameless, and their heritage will abide forever. (Psalm 37:18 AMP)

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December 11, 2014 · 7:46 AM

The Promise Of Joy

I’ve often heard that joy is not circumstantial, but happiness is. To many of us, the two are the same. I believe that happiness is an external expression as a result from a feeling. Joy, on the other hand, is what creates hope and optimism even in the face of circumstances that tell you otherwise. Joy is what gives us the strength to put one foot in front of the other, to breathe in and breathe out and to get out of bed when all we want to do is curl up and cry. Joy gives us peace in troubled times.

The Bible speaks a lot about Joy. In one instance, Job had been faced with great loss to his family, finances and health. Things got so bad that his own wife told him, “Curse God and die!” She had let the circumstances steal her Joy. She saw no way out of the situation. She had no hope for the future. She was mad at God, mad at life and mad at her husband. She couldn’t understand why her husband still held onto his faith in God in such trying times. It just didn’t make sense.

I’ve found that a lot of life doesn’t make sense. I don’t understand why things happen the way they do. I don’t pretend to know why God doesn’t answer my prayers the way I pray for Him to. Just because He doesn’t, I shouldn’t stop praying. I shouldn’t grow bitter against Him. I shouldn’t sever our relationship. It’s easy to do those things in the midst of a trial if you don’t have Joy. It’s easy to want to quit, renounce your faith and walk away because you’re mad at God. But Job proved that you can go through unimaginable pain and maintain your Joy. Was he sad? Yes. But even in his sadness, he did the hard thing. He held onto Joy.

I’m sure he began to wonder why he was holding onto it after a while. I’m sure over time the situation, the questions and longevity of his trial began to wear on him. During that time, a friend named Bildad came to encourage him. In Job 8:21, he reminded Job of who God was and what He promised His people. He said, “He (God) will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” He reminded Job that the circumstantial sadness was only temporary.

I believe that verse is God’s promise to us today. He will once again return laughter and joy to your life no matter what your circumstances have brought you. I love Psalm 30:5. It’s very familiar to lots of people. You’ve heard it read as, “Weeping may endure for a night, but Joy comes in the morning.” I especially love how the Message puts it. It says, “The nights of crying your eyes out will give way to days of laughter.” Circumstances will tell you those days will never come, but Joy says it’s on its way. That’s a promise from God.

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December 10, 2014 · 7:44 AM

Hold You, Dada!

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My son, who is almost four, is in a “Hold you, Dada” phase. When we get out of the car at the store, he stands on the door frame with both arms up, “Hold you, Dada.” When we get up to go to the other room, he just stands there, puts his arms up and says, “Hold you, Dada.” It’s often inconvenient because I’m in a hurry, plus he’s getting too heavy to lug around everywhere. Sometimes I hold him and others I respond in frustration. Even when I get frustrated with it, I remind myself these days are coming to an end and I’ll miss them.

We spend so much time in the early years of our kids lives trying to take them from dependent to independent. It seems our goal as parents is to have kids who operate independently of us so we can do other things. I find it interesting that God does just the opposite. His goal is to take us from being independent children and to turn us into dependent ones. He longs for us to not want to take step without Him holding us. His desire is that we would stand there with our arms raised to Him and say, “Hold you, Dada.”

As I was thinking about being dependent on God more, I was reminded of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6. We pass over part of verse 11 quickly without giving it much thought. It says, “Give us this day, our daily bread.” God doesn’t give us groceries for a week (which is how most of us shop). He wants us to be dependent on Him daily and to go to Him daily for our needs. He could provide a lifetime of bread for us with just one word, but He doesn’t. He longs for us to go to Him and to rely on Him.

God knows that if He were to supply more than our daily bread, we would start to forget who provided it and then begin to take credit for His work. It’s not a far stretch to take that further to our salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace that you are saved and not of works lest any man should boast.” God knows that our independent nature wants to do things to earn His grace and salvation, but that’s not God’s plan. Our dependence on Him is what He’s after. He’s done the work. He’s paid the price. He’s just waiting for us to hold up our hands and say, “Hold you, Dada.”

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December 9, 2014 · 7:00 AM

Long Term Lessons

In the summer between my Fifth and Sixth grade years of school, my parents informed me that they were taking me out of the school system I had attended all my life and we’re putting me into a Christian school. I was devastated. All I could think of were the things I was going to lose and miss out on. There was no social media so I was going to lose all the friends I had been making since kindergarten. The Christian school was small and didn’t have much of a sports program. I went from a class of 20 something students to an entire grade that had only six students.

All I could focus on we’re the things I was losing. I pled with my parents about their choice. I wasn’t happy about it and let them know it! They were focused on my bigger picture. They knew that there was a higher percent of Christians in the Christian school than where I was meaning I would more than likely make friends with good influences. They knew that a grade that had six students would mean I would get a more individualized learning situation. They knew that even though sports were a big deal to me, I wasn’t going to be a professional athlete so they focused on things that benefited my future.

Thirty years later, I can see now what I couldn’t see then. I appreciate the choices they made even though I disagreed with them. As an adult in life, I forget that ultimately I’m a child of God. Even though I call Him “Father” in my prayers, I don’t often think of us being in a father / son relationship. I think of myself as an adult and He is more like my guide. I don’t think that’s how He wants it though. The truth is, I don’t know anything about what’s best for me long term just like I didn’t as a Fifth grader.

When God makes choices to take things out of my life, I still stomp and tell Him it’s not fair. All I can see are the things I’m losing. I’m too focused on the short term comforts rather than His long term goals for my life. I feel like God speaks to me sometimes in the way he did in Job 38 to get my attention during my tantrums. In verses four and five, He asked Job, “Where were you when I made the world? If you know so much, tell me about it. Who decided how large it would be? Who stretched the measuring line over it? Do you know all the answers?”

I don’t always agree with the decisions God makes in my life, but I’m learning that He knows what’s best long term for me. He may take away people or things from my life so that He can put prepare me for what’s ahead. He may do things that look like sacrifices now only to reveal years later that it was for my good. I wasn’t there when He laid the foundations of the earth. I don’t have the answers, but I do know the One who does. In times when I feel like I’m losing important parts of my life, I’m learning to trust His overall plan because He will do what is best for me long term.

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December 8, 2014 · 7:18 AM

No More Tears

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In the past week, we had two separate friends and a family member pass away. To say it’s been one of the toughest, emotional weeks of our lives is an understatement. I can’t remember when I’ve cried so much. As my wife and I were reflecting on each of their lives and how they had impacted ours, I said, “You’d think we’d run out of tears by now.” But no matter how many tears were shed, our bodies keep producing more. It makes me look forward to a time when tears will be no more.

I had to go find the scripture that I had heard all my life. I found it in Revelation 21:4. It says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” What a day that will be. We won’t have to cry over loved ones who die, because death will be defeated. I Corinthians 15:54-55 says, “And when this perishable puts on the imperishable and this that was capable of dying puts on freedom from death, then shall be fulfilled the scripture that says, ‘Death is swallowed up (utterly vanquished forever) in and unto victory. O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?'”

A friend of mine wrote on her Facebook wall, “The reality of pain let’s us know this is not our home.” For now, the pain is more than we can seem to bear. It feels like Death has won and we lost. But this victory is only a temporary victory. In the end, we know that Death is defeated. We can rest assured that when Jesus died on the cross, He took the keys of Death, Hell and the Grave as Revelation 1:18 tells us. He will not leave us in our sorrow forever, but he allows that pain to remind us that we are headed to our forever home to meet up with those who have gone on before.

Death is inevitable in life. Hebrews 9:27 tells us that it appointed unto man once to die. That’s the door we must walk through to get to the other side. Knowing that jesus holds the keys to that door brings some peace. Knowing that Death will not have the victory gives me hope. Knowing that one day I will see my friends and family again puts a smile on my face even while tears are running down my cheeks. The sting of Death feels all to real right now, but I know that my Redeemer lives and He has not failed me. He will wipe these tears away and bring the comfort we so desperately need. His peace passes all understanding and in the end, He wins the fight over Death.

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December 5, 2014 · 7:35 AM

10 Scriptures On Trusting God

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1. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. (John 14:1 NLT)

2. Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. (Proverbs 3:5 AMP)

3. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” (Psalm 31:14 ESV)

4. It pays to take life seriously; things work out when you trust in GOD. (Proverbs 16:20 MSG)

5. But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. (Psalms 13:5 NLT)

6. Trust in the Lord. Have faith, do not despair. Trust in the Lord. (Psalms 27:14 GNB)

7. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. (Isaiah 26:4 ESV)

8. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:9 NLT)

9. [Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is. (Jeremiah 17:7 AMP)

10. “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. (John 3:16-18 MSG)

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December 4, 2014 · 6:30 AM

Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord

After Job suffered great loss in his life, his response was, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” I’m reminded of his response after having suffered the loss of two people whom I held dear this week. It’s been a lot to process and to handle. It’s easy to accept things that God gives, but a lot more difficult when He takes them away. I don’t understand how Job had the ability to bless God as his first response.

I see now why God said this about him, “He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless – a man of complete integrity.” It’s no wonder God trusted him so much. I often wonder why God trusts us with so much. With the good things He gives, comes responsibility. It’s often more than I think I’m worthy of or capable of handling. Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” He sees how we respond to what He gives us to see if He can give us more.

When he takes away or gives us more than we feel we can handle, our response should be like Job’s. We should bless God anyway. Ultimately, when He takes something or someone out of our life, it’s part of His plan for us. I can’t always see how things are working out for my good, but He can. I don’t always understand why tragedy hits, but He does. That has to be enough if we are to make any sense of the loss we experience.

In the end, God gave Job more than he ever had. No, he didn’t get the family he lost back, but God gave him new family. He multiplied more than was subtracted from him. God can do the same for me and you. We just have to learn to trust His plan and praise Him no matter what. Job was able to do it. That gives me hope that I am capable too. He was just as human as I am and he blessed God in good times and bad. So today, I purposefully say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord!”

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