Monthly Archives: December 2024

Recently I told a classroom of students that I had hid something in the room and the first person to find it could have it. As they started to get up, someone asked what it was. I told them I had hidden a piece of gum in the room. Almost everyone sat back down. Only one or two started looking. I asked everyone why they weren’t excited and looking around. They blew me off. After a couple of minutes of trying to get them to engage, I said, “Oh yeah! I also hid $20 in here. Whoever finds that gets to keep it.” Chairs went flying as they rushed to get up. They began looking under every chair, on decorations, behind pictures and in every place you could imagine. When someone found the gum, they knew it was real and searched harder until, they found the money.

In Luke 2, we find the only story from Jesus’ childhood. He was 12 years old and the family was visiting Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. After the feast, they started traveling back to Nazareth in a large group. After a long day of traveling, they started looking for Jesus and couldn’t find Him. They returned to Jerusalem to look for Him searching frantically everywhere they had been. They couldn’t find Him anywhere. They finally found Him in the Temple and Mary said, “Son, why have You treated us like this? Listen, Your father and I have been [greatly distressed and] anxiously looking for You” (AMP). Jesus calmly replied, “Why did you have to look for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” We don’t know how that conversation ended, but the message was intended for all of us too.

In Jeremiah 29:13 God says, “Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” God not on,y wants us to seek and search for Him, He wants to be found. He is looking for us to use the same intensity of a parent who has lost a child in a city or like a teenager looking for a $20 bill. Neither of them gave up until He was found. My message to you is the same to the teens. You will only seek God to the degree that you value Him. How hard are you seeking Him now? How hard are you fighting with your schedule to spend time with Him? You will find Him when you search for Him with all of your heart and treat your relationship with Him as such.

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One of the best things about the Christmas season is Christmas lights. We love going through neighborhoods and looking at them. As we were driving around this week, we saw some houses that would challenge Clark Griswald’s. My wife noted how it only takes one person with that many lights on it to challenge all their neighbors to up their game. The more lights a house had, the more their neighbors nearby participated. Light is very much like that. It’s beautiful and it’s contagious. People want to see light, be around light and also have light. It’s no wonder Jesus said we are the light of the world and that we are to let our light shine before people. We are to be like a city of lights that people can see and when they see our light, they will give glory to God. Don’t hide your light this season. There are people walking in darkness who need the light of Jesus to shine in their life through you.

Here are some Bible verses on carrying God’s light:

1. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.

John 12:36 NLT

2. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:16 AMP

3. For God, who said, “Let brilliant light shine out of darkness,” is the one who has cascaded his light into us—the brilliant dawning light of the glorious knowledge of God as we gaze into the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:6 TPT

4. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.

Luke 11:36 ESV

5. You yourselves used to be in the darkness, but since you have become the Lord’s people, you are in the light. So you must live like people who belong to the light, for it is the light that brings a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Ephesians 5:8-9 GNT

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Each year on President’s Day, the pastor of the Church I grew up in would take the men on a day of prayer and fasting. I remember when I was finally old enough to go and got to go on my first trip. Several men from the church had a deer lease not far from town, and that’s where we went. Our day was very structured. There were times of teaching, we would go get alone in the woods to pray or contemplate, return to discuss and then hear another teaching. On this particular trip, the teachings were about hearing God’s voice. On one of the prayer times, we were instructed to go into the woods, speak a few words of prayer and then listen. That was the first time I heard God speak. I wasn’t sure it was Him until we came back to share and several others had heard the same thing.

I like how my current pastor describes hearing God’s voice. The next time you’re in an auditorium, listen for the air conditioner. When it gets quiet in there, you can hear it. The sound is there all the time, but it’s only when you’re quiet enough and listening for it that you hear it. Too many times, we miss hearing God’s voice because we’re too loud and our lives are filled with peripheral noise. There’s a reason God said in Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” When are we ever still anymore? When do we ever go to where it’s quiet and there aren’t any distractions? We’ve grown accustomed to noise so much that our minds crave it. We turn on the radio when we get in the car. We turn on the TV when we walk in the house. We create our own noise without even thinking, and we’re doing it at the expense of hearing God’s voice.

Psalm 81:13-14 says, “O that my people would once and for all listen to me and walk faithfully in my footsteps, following my ways. Then and only then will I conquer your every foe and tell every one of them, ‘You must go!’” (TPT) God is constantly speaking to each of us. He’s not silent, but He is quiet. He’s begging us to once and for all stop and listen so we can go where He’s called us and to follow where He’s leading. In John 10:27 Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (NLT). How can you know His voice or even follow it if you aren’t listening? It’s time to find a place away from the noise in our lives, to put down our phones and to listen to what God is saying. He’s speaking to you this very moment. Are you listening?

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

I love to travel all over the world. There are times when I choose to get a guide and times when I don’t. On my last trip to London, I got a guide to watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. She took us down the street and through the park past all the other groups. She gave us history of the palace and some little known facts along the way. Then she passed Buckingham and kept going. We came to a blocked off area just passed it and she said, “Most people fill the area around Buckingham, but here you will see more.” We watched the guards line up, practice their music and even play a fun tune before they marched to the palace. Once they passed us, she took us quickly across the park to where King Charles lived. We were able to see the guards up close as they marched by. Our guide showed us more than we would have ever seen on our own and put us in position for incredible photos and memories that we would have missed without her.

In John 16:13 Jesus was preparing the disciples for His departure. He said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future” (NLT). The word the original language used for guide here is “hodegos.” It refers to someone like a tour guide who knows the path and way to take. Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit, who knows God’s path for you, to guide you along it. He is knowledgeable about everything you need to know and is there to teach it to you and instruct you on the path God has for you. It’s up to each one of us to listen to Him, to follow Him and to learn from Him. He will guide us into all truth if we will listen.

Romans 8:14 says, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” Have you been trying to go through this life without being led by the Guide God has given you? Have you been trying to do it on your own? Romans 7 and 8 paint a clear contrast of those who try to live life on their own and those who are guided by the Holy Spirit. When you try it without Him, it can result in dead ends and feelings of being miserable as Paul wrote. To be led by the Spirit as described in chapter 8 is life giving. The Guide He sent us knows the ins and outs of life and will position us for the great things God has for us. He won’t lead us to where we think we need to be. Instead, He will guide you into green pastures and beside the still waters. Don’t rely on your own understanding or learning. Rely on and be led by the Guide God sent you. Trust in the Holy Spirit and follow His leading.

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One Christmas I was invited to a party. On the invitation, i saw the words “white elephant”. I got so excited, and my mind began to race about what piece of junk I own would be the funniest gift. I looked in my closet, in my room and in the garage. I finally found a piece of junk that I could get rid of and would be the talk of the party. I couldn’t wait to get there and play the game.

On the night of the party, I kept laughing to myself at the poor person who would open my gift. After we sat down and drew numbers, the game began. When the first person opened their gift, it was nice. I was confused. The next person went, and their gift was nice as well. Did these people not know what a white elephant was? I opened the email while I waited for my turn. I read the whole thing that said, “White elephant style with a $20 minimum gift.”

When the person opened my gift, the looked confused. There wasn’t laughter at all. They said, “Really?” Another person chimed in, “That’s all?” The host said, “Maybe there’s a gift card in there.” Instead of bringing the best gift, I had brought the worst. I stayed silent as they asked who brought it. I was embarrassed and didn’t want to own up to it. I had to apologize later and offer them more. It got me thinking about the wisemen and how they didn’t just bring their leftovers. They brought their best gift that fit for a king.

Matthew 2:11 says, “They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (NLT). You and I may not have gold, frankincense or myrrh laying around, but we have giftings and talents we can offer the King. What are we offering Him? Is it our junk? Or is it our best gift? We will each present Him with something on judgement day. Let’s make sure we are giving God our best.

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I’m taking a much needed day of rest today. I hope you enjoy this devotional I wrote previously.

When Adam sinned, the consequences of his actions affected all of creation including mankind. Even as God pronounced the judgement for their sin, He also spoke of the coming redemption of man. With the birth of His Son, God showed His goodness for His children. He provided a way of forgiveness and reconciliation. Jesus described God as a good father who gives His children what they need. Through Jesus, He took care of our greatest need in providing an atonement for sin. Beyond that, He cares for us as a shepherd cares for their sheep. He is actively involved in our lives and chasing after us with that goodness. If an earthly father knows how to give good gifts, How much more so does your Heavenly Father? This Christmas season, take time to notice the gift of God’s goodness in your life and reflect on the ways He has and is caring for you and your needs.

Here are some Bible verses on the goodness of God:

1. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalms 23:6 NLT

2. I know that I will live to see the Lord’s goodness in this present life.

Psalm 27:13 GNT

3. Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!

Psalm 31:19 ESV

4. So celebrate the goodness of God! He shows this kindness to everyone who is his. Go ahead—shout for joy, all you upright ones who want to please him!

Psalms 32:11 TPT

5. But when the goodness and kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared [in human form as the Man, Jesus Christ], He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we have done, but because of His own compassion and mercy, by the cleansing of the new birth (spiritual transformation, regeneration) and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we would be justified [made free of the guilt of sin] by His [compassionate, undeserved] grace, and that we would be [acknowledged as acceptable to Him and] made heirs of eternal life [actually experiencing it] according to our hope (His guarantee).

Titus 3:4-7 AMP

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A.W. Tozer wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” I can tell you that usually it is an adjective or an attribute. So many think of God as a disciplinarian in the sky waiting for us to mess up so He can send us to hell. I don’t believe that description is true. Who would spend everything they have on something, then wait around and hope it fails? God paid for our sins with the death of His Son. That description doesn’t make sense.

One that does, and we rarely discuss, is His kindness. It’s not usually how we choose to describe God, but it’s one of the most accurate descriptions of Him. He is kind to you and me because of how much He loves us. He is constantly doing things for our good, and we hardly give Him credit for it. Today, let’s reflect on God’s kindness and look for the areas where He’s been kind to us. You’ll find that He’s shown you a lot more kindness than He has wrath.

Ephesians 1:6-8 says, “So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding” (NLT). As you think about the birth of our Savior this Christmas, remember it was God’s gift of kindness to humanity. Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world. He came to save it. It’s that kindness that draws us to repentance and salvation.

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