Month: November 2018

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song” (Psalm 95:1-2).

Molly and I traveled to Tennessee to be with my older daughter and her family for Thanksgiving. It is getting harder to get my whole family together at the same time so it was good to be with one of the families.  Another reason for traveling to TN was to visit with friends who are in a battle with cancer. Family and friends are at the top of my list of things for which I am thankful.

As I look forward to celebrating Christmas I am most thankful for God’s plan to redeem us for His own people. Beginning in the book of Genesis God reveals his plan to mankind that a Savior would come.  Matthew and Luke begin their gospel writings with the narrative of Jesus’ birth and both include his human genealogy. Matthew begins, “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham.”  God had promised David, “your throne will be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). Jesus fulfills that promise as the King of kings over the Kingdom of God. God had promised Abraham his descendants would be as numerous as the stars and “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3).  Jesus offers this blessing of salvation to all who will receive it.

It is interesting that Luke takes Jesus’ genealogy all the way back to the first man, Adam, who he calls the son of God. (Luke 3:38)  He was created by God as the very first man. Jesus, the Creator, is the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), the Son of God. The first Adam brought sin to all people, but the last Adam brings life.  The first Adam was not without sin, the last Adam is sinless and takes away sin through His sacrificial death and powerful resurrection.

Thank you, God, for my Savior! I praise you for the peace He gives me. Help me live a life worthy of my King!

“Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:7).

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (Isaiah 60:1-3).

Driving home from the Eastern Christian Conference on Sunday, I noticed a billboard with the words, “It’s your time to shine.” I think it was an ad for jewelry, but for me it was a reminder of what the weekend conference had been about—Arise! Shine! The theme was based on the Scripture passage from Isaiah 60. I listened to speakers encouraging Christians to be ambassadors for Christ in our dark world. The lost live in darkness and need the Light of the world. Christians reflect the Light of the world through the way they live their lives. It’s time to shine!

The Apostle Paul says it this way, “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Be very careful, then how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:14-16). I have to ask myself, “Can the lost see Jesus in my actions?” It’s my time to shine!

This was the last year for the Eastern Christian Conference – a gathering of Christians from the Eastern part of the United States. It was a bittersweet weekend for me. Wayne had worked with this conference for years and many memories came to mind as I reconnected with friends through worship and fellowship. Dyke McCord led this grand finale, bringing together top-notch speakers and workshop leaders.  He chose Ken Meade to give the closing message Sunday morning. Ken brought it to a close with a celebration: Celebrate Christ, Celebrate the Church, Celebrate Christians, all with a joyful heart.  What a challenge! If every Christian did that daily  what a different world this would be!

It’s time to shine the light of Jesus!

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples” (Acts 9:1).

While reading the account of Saul’s Damascus road experience I was struck by how dangerous this man was. Saul of Tarsus was a terrorist. He had authority from the high priest to take men or women as prisoners just because they were followers of Christ. He was on his way to Damascus to do just that when he was stopped in his tracks. God had different plans for this man.

In our day, innocent folks are losing their lives because of the evil done by evil men or women. We hear of terrorists’ actions almost every day happening somewhere in the world. Maybe, we’re too immune to the awfulness of it all.  Many of these actions are taken against people because they are Christians. I’ve added these terrorists to my prayer list. No, I don’t have names, but God knows who they are. I pray that they will hear the gospel message, repent, and be saved allowing God to change their plans.

I don’t know if anyone was praying for Saul but God knew he was useful in His service. Using a man named Ananias God changed Saul from a terrorist to a teacher of the gospel. Even his name is changed. Saul is called Paul a little later in the book of Acts. I wonder how many terrorists would become Christians if the church were to pray earnestly for their salvation.  We pray for the safety of those in danger of the terrorists. We should also pray for the terrorists.

Think of Paul the preacher and how much his work impacted the Lord’s work. Much of the New Testament was written by Paul and he traveled to many places starting churches and encouraging the Christians. Maybe, there is a present-day terrorist that God can use as His instrument for His Kingdom work. Let’s pray for that one.

“Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28).

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

Dear Readers, I invite you to pray with me.

Dear God, you are our Creator, Provider, and Savior of our souls. You deserve all honor and glory because you are God Almighty and Everlasting, giver of grace and never-ending love.  We can depend on your faithfulness and provision for our life here on earth as well as future life with you in heaven.

We thank you for the Church. Thank You for the Holy Spirit given freely to obedient believers. We pray the Church will stand strong and confident against the evil forces seeking to bring down your people. You promised the gates of hell would never prevail against the Church. May we, your people, claim that promise as we remain faithful to you, your Word, and your Church.

God, we are thankful for our Nation, the United States. She isn’t perfect but we know she was founded on godly principles. Thank You for our freedoms and for many who fought and died to maintain our freedoms. We are grateful for our military today that stands strong, ready to defend our Nation. Bless them and their families.

This week our Nation is exercising our freedom to vote for government leaders. We pray for wisdom as we mark our ballots. We thank you for leaders who stand up for the right to life for the unborn, who believe we should protect the elderly and the helpless, who believe in the rule of law, and who practice honesty and integrity. We pray the outcome of this election will be for the good of our country and its citizens. We ask that you hold back the forces of evil that want to destroy our families and our way of life. Help us seek truth in your Word and learn to distinguish the difference between the world’s non-truth and your truth. Jesus said He was the way, the truth, and the life. Give us courage to follow the way, the truth, and the life!

In the Name of Jesus, Who is above all names, Amen