We live in a world filled with wonderful stories, fairy tales and fables. From mythology to mysticism and fantasy to fiction, the choice is abundant. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of a story. We get enraptured with the characters and the adventure of it all. Then, we remember, it is just a story and nothing more. My fear, is that many people treat Christmas exactly the same way. For a few short weeks of the year, we get excited about this amazing story of a baby born in a manger – the angels, the shepherds, the inn – all of it is almost intoxicating. The idea that the King of the Universe would be born alongside a donkey in a smelly stable, you can’t help but be captivated by it all. During this season we put our guard down and delve into this story. Christmas …
Tag: Gift of God
So many times in life we venture into the daily grind of the unknown with little to no assistance. And, quite frankly, we leave the best assistance behind. This is especially true as Christians. No matter how many times we hear about God’s desire to help us, strengthen us or equip us, we always like to prove our ability to do it on our own. Just hearing that phrase “on my own” makes me think of sappy broadway ballads, and so that I do not break into some Les Miserables song (trust me, no one wants to hear me sing) let’s just cut to the chase and set the record straight – you were never intended to walk this path alone. Before Jesus went to the cross, He promised this everlasting assistance: 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 …
God desires to bless you. It is as simple as that. He desires to bless you and make you a blessing to others. No need to overcomplicate it – the word declares we need to grab ahold of that promise! One of the scriptures that I have taught on in the past starts in Psalm 67 verse 5: 5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 6 Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. 7 God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. Pay particularly close attention to verse seven. Why is it that the ends of the earth shall fear Him? What is causing that fear? What leads to it? The answer: His blessing on us. That means, His blessing must be so great that others will take notice and …
Sometimes it is hard to define the gift that God has given us. The gift of His grace, His mercy, His forgiveness. Truly the list goes on and on. Have you ever tried to define it? To put words to it? I appreciate Jesus’ unique way of getting His point across. He always packaged a life impacting lesson into a short story that even the youngest of children could understand. This is one of my favorite short parables: The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44 NIV Two simple sentences, but one impactful point. Jesus is drawing a great analogy to what the Kingdom of Heaven is like…which by the way is something we get to experience NOW, not later. We, …
