Tuesday the 5th

John 12:25

²⁵The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

 

This is a very convicting piece of scripture. Christ really laid it all out in black and white here. Do you love your life? It is a hard question to say no to isn’t it? We spend much of our day trying to make our life something to love, we must be careful of what we are trying to fill it with.  If you are filling your life with the Lord then it is not your life you love, but it is in fact the Lord. It is when we fill our lives with the things of the world. When our driving force is to amass wealth, and things, that we find we are in love with empty promises, and things that will corrode and rust over time. The person who loves the material world has forgotten to love the One who has made it all possible. What you have or do not have does not add or take away from your life. Not your true life, not your spiritual life….not your eternal life. However if you see this life for what it is, you will hate it, you will hate it because you realize that it is this life that is keeping you from the Lord. It is this life that the devil runs rampant in and tries to pull you away from the Lord. It is this life that we must fight against greed, envy, and deceitfulness each and every day.  So I ask again do you love your life? I can honestly say that while I am thankful for all of the blessings that God has given me to help me survive this journey…..it is the next life that will be loved, not this one!

 

May the peace of God be with you today,

Brian

Monday the 4th

 

Philippians 3: 12-14

¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

 

 

Forgetting what is behind us and looking forward to what is ahead, pressing onward to the goal. This is the very essence of the new year. The bible is full of new beginnings. Of course we start with the beginning of life itself, the moment that went form nothing to something. The great flood. We have the covenant made between Abraham and God. A new beginning when God Gave Moses the 10 Commandments. The building of Jerusalem , Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem after they had sat in ruins. The birth life and death for Christ, the forming of the new covenant. Paul turning from persecuting Christians to becoming the most outspoken prophet. All of these were times in history where the course was re-charted. Places where direction was changed.  That is what new years is for us. A time to change course, make changes, improve, and overcome. We might not have an entire city wall to rebuild, but what about our wall of faith? What kind of repair is it in? We might not have a city to build, but what about our life? Are we building a life in honor of God, or is it a life for the world? 

We might not be actively persecuting Christians, but are we working to advance the example of the life of Christ?

 

When we set out to make new years resolutions this year, what typically happens? We come up with something good, a good life changing choice. We are going to get fit, we are going to lose weight, we are going to make it to Church, or read the bible. Maybe we decide that we are going to do more for others……then what happens? Life happens! It is smooth sailing for a week maybe three, then reality sets in. Too tired to get to church, not enough time to read the bible, too hard to stay on the diet, too painful to go to the gym…..in short the choices get hard. As a result we slip, we break that resolution and go back to our old ways. What do many of us do? We give up! We decide that it is just too hard, and go back to life as it was. This is what we should correct. We are going to stumble, just don’t give up. We have to quit looking behind us, and press on to our goal. Making the resolution is the easy part, giving up is even easier. The hard part comes form the perseverance. The acknowledgement that we have fallen short of where we wanted to land, but making the choice to carry on. To look at the goal and not the failure.

 

Life will get tough, but remember you are not supposed to be trying to do it on your own. Wait on the Lord, and he will give you the strength that you need. So when you start those new year resolutions, know that yes it will be tough, the devil will make sure of that. Know that there will be stumbling points along the way, but don’t give up. Press onward toward the goal.

Happy New Year,

Brian

 

 

Tuesday the 22nd

John 12

 

 ⁴²Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

 

I am sure I will not get the full point out of this scripture, but every time I read it, I think of the same thing…….we really have not changed as a people have we? I talk to people all of the time who know Christ, they even claim to put their faith in Him, yet they will not talk about Him in public….they will not give Him the glory. We have moved to a place in society, all in the name of inclusion, where we all to often will not mention our faith. The President is hesitant to put up a nativity, you are hard pressed to find a Merry Christmas sign posted anywhere, and most conversations end with Happy Holidays. Just the mention of scripture will get you “the look”….you know the one I am talking about. Eyes cut to one side of the head, and an eyebrow goes up….the look that screams….”you’re not a Jesus freak are you” …..While back then the fear was being put out of the church, today the fear is getting grouped in with the church! We have nothing to fear, and only salvation to gain! We need a ground swell of people finding their voice. If we are going to help heal the world, we have to start by showing the world that speaking of our faith is an everyday occurrence. Think of it this way. If you had a best friend that went everywhere with you, you lived together, you ate together, you went to parties together (there is one to think about)….well….. you would talk a lot about that friend wouldn’t you? You would want the people you meet to know your friend….I mean that would be awkward wouldn’t it? Just having a conversation with someone and never acknowledging the person that came with you…….but that is what we do…..many of us don’t even introduce our friend to our family! Christ is with you always. Don’t deny Him His introduction. Worried about how some people might take you? Worried that they might talk trash about you…..First, good for you if they do, I can’t think of anything better to be persecuted about! Second…..it is my experience that those types of people are going to do it anyway, no matter how hard you try to win their praise! This Christmas season make it a point to introduce your friend, you might not win all of the praise from some of the people that you come in contact with, but you will win the praise of God. I don’t know about you, but I would rather have God’s praise, than the entire world’s!

 

In Christ’s name,

Brian

 

 

Monday the 21st

Luke 2:4-5

⁴So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

 

Today would roughly be the day that Joseph loaded up with Mary and headed to Bethlehem. It is about an 80 mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Most of the groups traveled about 20 miles a day. On the last few days leading up to Christmas, I think about that trip a lot. 4 days on the road…and I do mean on the road. No car, just a donkey….one donkey…..and as they travel they have an abundance of one thing…..time. Time to walk, time to see the land….and oh yeah, time to think. Plenty of time to think about all that had transpired, and all that lie ahead of them. This time of year we are all on the road to Bethlehem aren’t we? The days slow down, we have the year behind us, and a new one rolling towards us. Plenty of time to think what have we accomplished and all that we still have undone….and just like Mary we too are carrying Christ with us on our trip. We too have to think about how we will care for Him, how we will protect Him, how we will live with Him. When we look back on the year do we see that we have prepared a place in our lives for Christ to live? In the coming year do we have a plan in place to keep Christ alive and well in our home? As this short week gets underway think of it as your trip to Bethlehem, Christ is coming into the world, and the world will be forever changed. Likewise, for us this time is a chance for a new beginning. We too have been changed forever. As you walk along the path this week, take the time to look behind you, and to look forward. Where will Christ’s place be in your life in the coming year?

 

Rejoice,

Brian

 

 

Friday the 18th

John 9: 1-3

 

¹As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ²His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

 ³"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

 

Bad things happen to good people……..but really are they bad, or just an opportunity to show the strength of God? Be it our current situation, or something we have been struggling with our whole lives, anytime we find ourselves in a time of hardship, we have two choices we can throw a pity party, and wallow in it, or we can recognize that this world, our bodies, our station in life, they are all temporary. We can say that we will never get through this, or we can say this is where I am at, and I will push ahead. Every hardship is a chance to shout the glory of God. A girl lost her arm while surfing. She did not let it stop her, she surfs to this day, and gives the glory to God. She has turned her hardship into her ministry. I have seen people down to their last dollar give the shirt off their back to someone in need. No matter rich or poor, healthy or sick, we all have trials, we all have seasons in hell. Take heart! God is at work in each of our lives right now. We can choose to acknowledge that or we can listen to the world, and believe that we are less than others, that we are broken, or that we will never recover. Think of Job, talk about a life used to glorify the Lord! God worked in his life after the devil had almost stomped the life out of him, and took all that the world said Job HAD to have. God is always present, He is always working, He is working to use your life as an example of His power right now. Without the bad we would have no idea what good was, without pain there would be no joy. Know this, the depths of any pain you go thorough will not compare to the heights of Joy you will receive if you will allow God to work in your life. Give thanks for your weakness it is a chance to show the world that with God you are strong. Be thankful for the seasons of trial, for it is the opportunity to shout to the world that God will provide. Let God work in your life, invite Him in, and you will see the power of God.

 

Glory be to the Father,

Brian

 

Thursday the 18th

John 7: 10-11

 

⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." ⁸Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.  ⁹At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.¹⁰Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"  ¹¹"No one, sir," she said.  "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

 

How quick we are to point out others faults. It is easy to look at another persons life and see where all of the wrong turns were made, all of the transgressions are clearly seen. Yet it is not as clear when we look at ourselves is it? How many of us have been part of a group just like the one in the scripture? How quick have we been to condemn a fellow brother or sister, all the while knowing that we too are guilty of transgressions? When we look to ourselves, I mean deep into ourselves, into those dark places that we don’t like to look at, the places that we don’t show the world, we find that while the sin might not be the same, we are no better than those that we would condemn. When we look and see how hard it has been to make changes in our own life, and honestly none of us are done with that, then we can look at others, not with eyes of condemnation, but with eyes of compassion. We all struggle with daily life, we all have demons that torment us, we all have a past, and we all have made mistakes. Let us make the commitment to break away form the mob that would condemn. Let us be the one to go against the flow, like Christ, and recognize that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. As we draw closer to the remembrance of the ultimate gift of love, allow yourself to do the unthinkable….love the unloved, forgive the un-forgiven, and pray for those that will not pray for themselves. Remember your past, and look towards your future, you will see that there are no stones to throw, only love to give.

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Wednesday the 16th

John 7:24

 

²⁴Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."

 

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Many people could not see Jesus for what He really was, even with all of the signs, all of the teachings, many refused to see the truth. Looks can be deceiving, and when people looked at Christ, they did not see the image that they expected to see in a Savior. Imagine if you will a man living in the wilderness speaking out about a man that was coming to save the world. The people were waiting for a savior, a hero, someone to ride in and save the day. Imagine their surprise when the man that is pointed out, is not rich, he is not well dressed, as a matter of fact he looks pretty much like any other guy from that time. They were expecting a miraculous event to bring a man, what they got was a uncommon common man who brought miraculous event to them. He is still doing that today you know……but so many of us have fallen back into the mind set of looking for thunder and lightening to announce that the Lord is among us. With Christmas right around the corner we are once again reminded that the Lord snuck into the world. In a quiet manger, surrounded by common folks, a few wise men, and the angels. By all appearances it was not the birth of a savior….. at least not what the world expected. In much of the same respect that is how he comes to us today. How often do we make judgments by mere appearances? How many times have we missed the help of our savior because the person offering was not the person we expected? How often do we pass up the opportunity to act on behalf of Christ because we don’t think that the people in need look like they “deserve” it? Appearances can be deceptive, and if Christ was not what the natural world expected back then, why would we think it would be any different today? Stop judging by mere appearances, look to the same place that God looks…..the heart. Don’t get caught up in the status of those around you, look to the substance. It is not the clothes that show a persons worth, it is their willingness to give the shirt off their back for their brother. Be on the look out for Christ this Christmas, you might be surprised where all you see Him…….when you quit judging by appearances.

 

Glory to God in the Highest,

Brian