Luke #25 - Old and Useful

Luke #25 – Old and Useful

“And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38 – King James Version).

Johnny Smith said once how amazed he was that Americans would spend thousands of dollars to tour the Holy Land to look at 2000 year old buildings only to come home and build structures meant to last only twenty years. As he shared with us about the Holy Land I became very interested in looking at pictures of things over there. (I REALLY want to go one day!) What I found very interesting was that many of those buildings that have been standing for over two thousand years are still in use. They are old AND useful. Somehow our American mind doesn’t believe that, or at least it seems that way. Mr. Smith nailed it; we don’t build for the future nor do we appreciate aged things. Sure, we value antiques, but only for monetary value, not for useful value.

When it comes to old people, many times we have a poor attitude as well. Now I know it is not politically correct to call aged people old, but I’m not trying to be politically correct. To me being old does is not a bad thing. My granddaddy used to say “You don’t get old being no fool.” There’s a lot of wisdom in that. Anyway, I digress; back to the point. We encourage people to retire, to rest, to get away. There’s nothing wrong with retiring from a job, getting rest from a lifetime’s labor, and getting out and seeing the world. Somehow there has become attached to that the thinking that retirement equals the end of usefulness. BAH! That’s what I say! Most old folks have more usefulness in their fingernails than I’ve got in my whole body.

For the Christian person of significant years (how do you like how I said it that time?), there is even more of a wealth of usefulness than can be imagined. That’s what I think of when I read about Anna. She had years of experience, years of knowledge, and most importantly years of faith built inside of her lifetime. We see a culmination of much of that in this passage. Let’s look at five things we can learn from Anna.

First, hardship had built Anna not broken her. Anna had been widowed at a young age; obviously she found comfort in God. She turned her attention to Him and He refreshed and sustained her. Too many people reach the end of their time on earth having become bitter. The one who turns to God in hard times finds comfort and strength. That same one can use that experience to comfort others. One great affliction early in life may bless the one who suffers it until the end. Every experience makes us bitter or better, depending on who or Whom we turn to.

Second, to live a lengthy life means to experience God’s provision for a long time. Too often it is the pains of life that overwhelm us when those very pains may be catalysts that turn us to God. We can experience the world’s emptiness or God’s supply. Again, it depends which way we turn. We may think Poor Anna, all those years without a husband…tsk, tsk, tsk. Anna might have thought How blessed am I?! All my comfort comes from God!

Thirdly, a long life provides more opportunity to serve God. Anna “served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” She didn’t sit around in her lazy-boy watching The Price is Right and counting the hours until the next dose of medicine had to be taken. She served God even (or possibly especially) in her advanced years.

Fourthly, living a long life, and especially a long life with God, brings a special sweetness at the end. When Anna saw the Christ she was thankful; thankful for the wait and thankful for the reward. What she had longed for, the redemption of Israel, was nigh at hand. How good it must have been to receive what she had longed for those many years! I pray that if the Lord sees fit to leave me here a great amount of years that I will be excited about meeting the Lord whom I have served for most of that time.

Lastly, a wealth of years grants a wealth of knowledge. I imagine that Anna was not surprised that Micah 3:1 came true before her very eyes. She long expected, prayed for, and fasted for the redemption of Israel and the coming of the Messiah. She, in her old age, had a great perspective on things to come and was smart enough and spiritually mature enough to see that was exactly what was happening.

If you are young and are reading this take Anna for example and waste no years enjoying the Lord. If you are aged and reading this take Anna for example and serve God…live to the fullest! Old age is no curse. Enjoy God right until the last!

Luke #24 - Giving Back What We've Never Owned

Luke #24 – Giving Back What We’ve Never Owned

“And Joseph and His mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of Him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed’” (Luke 2:33-35 – King James Version).

The day my daughter was born was a serious day of revelation for me. Intellectually I knew that God gave His Son for my sins, but that day it hit my heart like never before. I looked at my beautiful little girl and thought Wow, I could never give her life for anyone. I realized how much God wanted to redeem mankind and reconcile us to Himself. For the first time I truly thought of how Mary must have felt knowing that her Son would be sacrificed for the world. I remember looking into Katie’s little blue eyes and thinking that I wouldn’t give her for a good person; God gave Jesus for rotten sinners. What could Mary do? She never owned Jesus. What could Jesus do? His choice was to either follow the will of His Father or rebel. If Christ would have done that, where would we be? Christ Himself gave back what He never really owned; His earthly life was given to Him by the Father and Jesus simply gave it back.

Rachel was born three years and twenty-seven days later; I went through it all over again. Every day I look at these two little gifts from God and wonder what awesome plans He has for them. What will I do, think or feel if God calls them to the mission field in a dangerous place? I know my choices; I can rebel or I can give my girls back to God. I don’t own them; God simply made me steward of their precious lives. I live everyday in thankfulness of that and in broken surrender to His plan for them.

What about our own lives? We do not really belong to us. We are God’s. We must decide moment to moment if we will give Him what we have never really owned. Not only did God create us and breathe life into us, but He bought us back; He redeemed us. Elect saint of God, know this, we were bought with a dear price; we are not our own.

I cannot imagine the range of emotions Mary must have felt at Simeon’s words. She had to hurt, knowing Jesus would die. She had to feel privileged, knowing that she was chosen to bear the God-man. She had to feel pride; her Son would save even her own soul. She had to feel fear; her Son would suffer. Simeon warned “a sword shall pierce through thy own soul” and indeed it must have when Jesus was beaten and nailed to that cross. What choice did she have? She was simply steward over this Baby. I bet she spent a lot of time on her knees in prayer.

Simeon said “this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel” and by that he meant that Christ would cause some jubilation and others would hate Him. How did that make Mary feel? She might have understood that the Messiah would be perfect, yet this man said He would cause some to stumble.

That’s what Jesus did and is doing today. He is the rock on which some stand and the stone by which others are crushed. Why did He do it? It was for the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). You must know Jesus hated the shame of that cross, but He looked beyond it and counted the joy. That joy was you and me and the salvation that He knew He would purchase for us.

That’s the challenge for any and all who would let Christ live in them today. Romans 12:1 tells us to be living sacrifices; we are simply to give back to God what we do not own…that is our lives. Sure, it is a fearful thing, but I believe that the privilege outweighs the fear. I think that giving God glory with our lives outweighs whatever temporary things we may gain by keeping it.

Mary and Joseph “marvelled” at the things Simeon said, and rightly they should. We may be freaked out at the call for self sacrifice that God has issued toward every believer, but our fear does not negate that call. We must spend a lot of time broken and on our knees in prayer that we may be able to surrender to God’s plan. What are our choices? We can rebel; we may experience God’s wrath, we will experience His judgment. We can surrender, give back to God the very lives that He has given us not once but twice and enjoy the wonderful privileges of knowing Him and being used by Him.

No one says it will be easy to do, but it is easy to understand. Every moment must be measured and surrendered. What will we do? Rebel? Surrender? The choices are few but they are clear.

Luke #23 – Simeon…Ignorance Fighter

Luke #23 – Simeon…Ignorance Fighter

“And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him after the custom of the law, then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, ‘Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel’” (Luke 2:25-32 – King James Version).

I was once notorious for playing tricks on people. I was in an artillery unit overseas and whenever we had a new guy come in I would play the same trick on them. I would send them on a hunt for a “boom test”. I would tell them to go look here or there and the hunt was on and I would tell them to not come back without it. Everyone was in on the gag and once the new guy asked for the “boom test” from one person that person would send them on to someone else. Of course, there was no such a thing. The young man would come back exasperated and half scared because he’d “failed” his first mission. I would then tell them we would have to perform a manual boom test. We’d position him right where we wanted him; at the end of the missile tube. We’d say “Listen close…everybody get quiet!” Then, as the fellow waited patiently, someone at the loading end of the tube would bellow “BOOM!” and scare the poor guy nearly dead. (For the record, I did not create that gag, but I did every thing I could to keep it going!)

The catch in the gag was that a person would be searching for something impossible to find. We played on people’s ignorance. Let me be careful to say that “ignorance” is simply not knowing something and it can be cured with the proper information. It is not stupidity, which is having the right information but not acting on it. (Also for the record, stupidity is something else I am known for!)

Simeon’s small part in the story of Christ cures a bunch of ignorance. Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple to be presented for circumcision and they ran into Simeon. Let’s look at that account a little at the time and find there some application for today. Put these things in your pocket and carry them around.

First, we have to be willing to wait to hear from the Lord. We find that Simeon was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” We live in a fast paced time that demands instant gratification. Simeon waited on the Lord. We need to learn to get quiet, become still, and do the same thing.

Second, coincidence is a word that people use when God is not entered into the equation. It was no coincidence that Simeon was at the temple when Jesus arrived. The Holy Ghost was upon him and Simeon was right where God wanted Him; “he came by the Spirit” to the temple. We should understand there are two things that take us wherever we go; (1) our sin and its consequence and (2) God’s sovereignty and His grace. The important question for us to answer is by which are we where we are right now?

Third, the Holy Spirit has to reveal Christ to us (and to others). Were it not for the direction and leading of the Spirit Simeon would have seen just another baby; with the Spirit Simeon recognized Jesus as the Christ. Now, don’t think for a skinny minute that this means that we don’t need to witness! I don’t always cut on the lights in my house; sometimes my wife or daughter does it. They are simply the instruments that get the light to me! Who knows to whom the Holy Spirit would use us to reveal the truth of Christ to?

Fourth, Simeon properly identified that salvation was a person, not a deed. Simeon picked up the infant Christ and said “mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.” THAT WILL PREACH! Salvation is not church membership, baptism or something you do; it is JESUS! We have the Person of Christ or we do not have salvation. That is a piece of information that a lot of folks need to hear today.

Fifth, salvation is personal but not private. Simeon recognized (again by the Spirit) that Jesus would be salvation, not just for the Jew, but for “a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel”. It is for all who would surrender to Christ. It is not for one little denomination or one little congregation, for one little race, or one little nation. It was no little thing that Christ did on that cross and we would do well to not box Christ in with our cultural preferences or our personal biases.

Sixth, salvation in Christ should bring some peace to our lives. Simeon said “now let Thy servant leave in peace” (my paraphrase). Simeon KNEW that he had rest in God through Jesus. Though the cross was some 33 years away, Simeon knew that ultimately things would be all right. Christian friend, do you have peace in your future? Are you sure that you know Christ and that though Satan may buffet and though trials may come, can you say with all honesty “It is well with my soul”? Christ would do that for all who would come with their heavy burden, cease striving from self righteousness, and take upon them the yoke of Christ. He is blessed assurance!

There is so much more in this blessed passage, but digest these things for now. Meditate on them. Soak in them. Let God bless you today. Stop running around looking for something that does not exist. Rest in Jesus today.

My prayer for you today: Lord God, You are far too wonderful for words. I praise You for Your grace; thank you that we may enter into Your presence in prayer. I pray that our eyes may be enlightened; that we may see with the eyes of our hearts. Father, open the eyes of our heart. Rain down upon us Holy Spirit; rush upon us with the fresh breath of God. Bring refreshing to our dry bones. Show us Yourself. Anoint us afresh with the Holy Spirit’s illumination. May we see Your face, reach out and touch You, and may our hunger be for You and satisfied by You today. Let no ignorance of You keep us from You; by Your word, by Your servants, and by Your Spirit illumine us today. In Christ’s most precious name, Amen.

Luke #22 – The Pencil to Draw the Line With

Luke #22 – The Pencil to Draw the Line With

“And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, His name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before He was conceived in the womb. And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought Him to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord; (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (Luke 2:21-24 – King James Version).

I had a talk with a fellow the other day that had a different kind of opinion than I do. He believes in women pastors; I don’t. Before you get all fired up and don’t like me any more, wait and listen. Women and men have the same WORTH before God, but different roles. My feet and hands are equally important to me, but they don’t do the same thing. I ain’t ready to get rid of neither and I’m going to do my best to take care of both.

This is going to be a long devotion and possibly a volatile one. I want to use this inflammatory example to make my point; I want you to remember this too. That old boy I was talking to told me that he used to not believe in women deacons until he served with one; that experience changed his mind. He was surprised to find out that I DO believe in women deacons; he was disappointed to find out that I believe they have a DIFFERENT role than do male deacons. (AGAIN…different does not mean less!) As our conversation continued the man told me that he has a family member that is part of a congregation that affirms a female pastor that is openly homosexual. I’ll never forget his comment: “I won’t go that far…you just have to draw the line somewhere.” Hold these thoughts…let’s get to the Scripture.

Circumcision was given to Israel as a means of participating in the covenant promises that God gave the nation. Any Jewish male that wanted to be identified with God and accept His promises had to be circumcised. It was the signature of a sinful people on the covenantal contract of a holy God. When I say that I immediately think if it was for sinful people, why did Jesus have to be circumcised? Then logic takes over; how many infants will say I reckon I should go get circumcised…that’s right, none!

There are two important things to note here. It was a matter of obedience for Jesus’ earthly parents to do as the law stated and get their son circumcised. He was Jewish. Circumcision was a Judaic ordinance. It was a simple matter of obedience for Mary and Joseph. Secondly, and more importantly, Jesus never came to break the law; rather He came to completely fulfill it. He was born under the law. He came to live the spirit of God’s intentions. He came to show that only the perfect Son of God could perfectly live the law. On top of all of that had Jesus, as a Jew, not been circumcised He would have had no audience with the Jewish people…the people whom He came to minister to first.

You may be thinking what’s this got to do with women pastors and stuff like that? THAT is a great question! How could the standard bearer and standard setter of our faith ignore any part of God’s command? He could not! Now, it would be ridiculous for us to think we can ignore God’s commands today. When we ignore one part of God’s word and accept some other part we are simply living a faith of personal preference. It has never been God’s job to become like us, but our privilege to become like Him. The challenge is not to fit the word into what we already believe, but to come broken before God asking Him to transform us; to make our lives and minds become aligned with His standard.

Mark Twain said “Most people are bothered by those passages in scripture which they cannot understand; but as for me I always noticed that the passages in scripture which trouble me most are those which I do understand.” Let me go back to something I told you to keep in your mind; the man I had the conversation with said “I won’t go that far…you just have to draw the line somewhere.” If we do not draw the line at Scripture as the rule for faith and practice as the standard we WILL draw the line at personal preferences. The danger in that is that there is a way that seems right to man, but that way leads to death (Proverbs 16:25).

We can believe ANYTHING that we want to believe. We can do ANYTHING that we want to do. We can neither believe nor do anything we want and call it Christian. Martin Luther said sola scriptura; in Latin that is a mouthful…it means “Scripture alone” and for us that means the Bible and ALL of its truths are the standard to live the faith by. Jesus is the best interpreter of tough passages; investigate His life and ministry beside any difficult to understand or accept for proper understanding. Christ NEVER took a short cut!

I could go on and on about this subject, but let’s make a point. By God’s sovereign hand He saw to it that even the infant Christ did nothing to break or offend the law. With the life and death of Christ God signed in blood the standard of our faith and that is it is a faith marked by sacrifice and obedience. When we wonder what to draw the line by or with we would do well to find out what the word says and what Jesus did. Will that be easy? No. Will we be challenged to change? Yes. Will we do it?

Whether the topic is women pastors, homosexuality, tithing, or any host of hot topics out there today the standard is the Bible. It is not what we feel or what is currently accepted by society. The world did not make the standard and the world has no right to set the standard for holiness and Christian living. Personal preferences cannot be allowed to decide what is right in God’s eyes, nor will God ever allow that. We might not like a lot of what the word of God says to us, but there is no part that will lead us wrong. It may cause us temporary discomfort, but when God uses His holy word to peel away the hard shell around our heart it is only to get us tenderized so that we might fully and intimately experience Him.

Luke #21 – Check it Out for Yourself

Luke #21 – Check it Out for Yourself

“And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, ‘Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.’ And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them” (Luke 2:15-20 – King James Version).

I love taste tests. When I see a taste test on TV I am always skeptical. Of course the participants think whatever they taste is good or else they would not be in the commercial. My favorite type of taste test is the kind I get to participate in. Now I am a fellow that enjoys a good meal and a scrumptious snack rates mighty high as well. I run into taste tests in the grocery store from time to time. Often, I have noticed, the samples that look the strangest taste the best, so I have learned that appearances can be deceiving. The person administering the test often gives it away. If I see them eating it, I definitely will try it. If they don’t try very hard to get me to try it I become wary. In the end, though, I have to experience it to pass proper judgment. A salesperson’s testimony is one thing, but actually trying the product for myself is the proof in the pudding (hey, I made a funny!). If I like it I will tell total strangers to go and try it; if not, I will still tell strangers about it, but my report won’t be favorable.

When I read today’s Scripture, this is what I think of: “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him” (Psalm 34:8 – KJV). Those shepherds had been given a quite unbelievable message; they were told the Savior was born in Bethlehem…I mean Bethlehem of all places! It was a dinky little town and the Savior was born there and wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger…really…who’d believe such a thing?

The only way to prove it was to check it out! They had witnessed an elaborate, angelic commercial. That would seem pretty unbelievable if you ask me (or at least it would have freaked me out). The only way to truly find the truth would be personal investigation. So, they took off to Bethlehem, to the manger to find out for themselves. Obviously the proof was in the pudding sure enough; when the shepherds left that place “they made known abroad” what they had seen.

I am a firm believer that we cannot properly witness of a God that we do not have first hand experience of. When I stand to preach I can only share what I am first experiencing or have experienced. Once I have tasted the Lord and found Him good, I cannot only tell the people that my tasting of the Lord will bring them satisfaction; I must bid them taste for themselves.

I believe that we do not make known abroad the things of God because we do so little tasting of Him. We know much ABOUT God, but I fear we seldom go farther (if not seldom then surely not enough!). Much is told to us but we do not do enough personal investigation. My advice and exhortation is simple; check it out! Taste the Lord and see that He is good! Hear the word, trust the word, and try the word. Hear of Christ, trust His promises, and experience Him! Second hand experiences are little more than hearing stories. Make the story personal, check it out! When we do we will be all too glad to tell total strangers (and everyone else too!).

As a side note: if any are wondering why Mary “kept these all these things” in her heart, I believe it was because she had a God given understanding of what Her Son would suffer. Though they praised Him then I believe she knew the cross loomed.

An addendum: we stand on the other side of the cross. We do not look forward at the cross in fear but backwards in thankfulness. We look ahead at the glory that the crossed purchased; Mary looked ahead at the suffering it caused. Don’t believe it? Check it out!

Luke #20 – Where He is there is Praise!

Luke #20 – Where He is there is Praise!

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men’” (Luke 2:13-14 – King James Version).

I’ve witnessed it in dozens of places. It has happened in cars and on a porch. Once I witnessed it at two in the morning in a driveway. It has happened in living rooms, parking lots, flood damaged homes, movie theaters, in a barn, by a stream, on a rock, in hospitals, and even in a funeral home. I saw it happen in an ambulance, a garden, on a construction site, in the lake, and by a fire. You might not believe it but I have even witnessed it on a Sunday morning at church of all places! I could go on and on and on and on, but pretty soon I’ve got to tell you what I am talking about. Simply put, every where that Jesus shows up there is praise.

When Jesus came into this world as a babe a host of heavenly beings came from their heavenly residence and praised Him. Wasn’t it enough that the prophets had foretold this event? Wasn’t it enough that an angel had spoken to Zacharias, Joseph, and Mary? Wasn’t it enough that Jesus very own star marked His birthplace? Wasn’t it enough that wise men sought Him? NO, NO, NO and NO. He deserved more; He deserved praise because He was (and IS) God.

I have often contended that we can tell when Jesus is on the scene and when the devil is. It seems that since Satan is a deceiver, a divider, and libelous that wherever he shows up there is those things and fruits of the flesh. Where there is strife and pride there is Satan. Where there is a divisive spirit that does not consider the word, will and way of God there Satan is.

Where there is brokenness and meekness, THERE is Jesus. Where there is joy in spite of circumstances THERE is Jesus. Where there is assurance in spite of condition THERE is Jesus. Where Jesus is there must be praise! It is ridiculous to think we can have a relationship with Christ Jesus and spend little or no time praising Him.

I believe the reason I have seen Jesus praised in so many places is the awesome privilege of being around godly saints who love their Savior. When Jesus is Lord over a person’s life they simply live in response to Him. The most natural response is glorifying and praising Him. That’s all saved folks are going to do when we get to heaven; praising God will not be a duty or something regrettable that must be done, but will be a natural response to seeing and experiencing God.

Wherever Jesus is there is praise. Have you met with Him lately? Have you felt His near and dear presence in prayer, Scripture reading, and ministry service? Have you seen or experienced miracles that could only be attributed to the divine? How did you respond?

Luke #19 – Readiness

Luke #19 – Readiness

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger’” (Luke 2:8-12 – King James Version).

They warned me, but I am hard headed…I didn’t listen and almost had my skin scared right off of my bones. It was a horn; a very, very, very, loud horn that blew for what seemed to be forever. When I arrived in Camp Essayons in the town of Uijongbou, South Korea my fellow comrades warned that our battalion commander was fond of having readiness alerts. We were stationed in a dangerous place and the times in which we lived were filled with tensions. To top it off, part of the commander’s “welcome to the battalion” speech was to say “You are now part of the number one target of the entire North Korean military.” With all of these warnings I should have expected that stinking horn. I didn’t. I literally felt like I was about to have a heart attack. The first time that horn blew made a complete believer out of me; I believed it was always going to blow and was never surprised by it again. (It still freaked me out because it was so dramatic and loud, but it never caught me off guard again.)

Hey little shepherd man…WAKE UP! The angel that announced the Messiah birth was akin to the first sounding of that horn I heard over in South Korea. I know I have said it before but Micah 5:2 was the warning / prophecy that the Messiah would be born in the little town of Bethlehem. Those Jewish boys had been warned but seemed to be caught off guard. It may have been that an angel was a fearful sight and I would imagine that was the greatest part of the surprise. I also believe they were surprised by the message of the announcement, but they shouldn’t have been. Prophecy was clear; the world wasn’t ready.

Are we ready for what will happen next? According to Luke the Messiah is coming back (Acts 1:11). Are we ready for that? That is definitely an event that we don’t want to be caught sleeping when it occurs. When Jesus returns there will be no opportunity to get right with God or to make amends or seek the forgiveness of sins. When Christ splits that eastern sky we will either be in right standing with God or we won’t.

Each of us has received many warnings in Scripture about Christ next coming. We have to ask ourselves if we are ready for it. It’s coming; no doubt about it. Are you ready? Personally, when I read the verses above I get the testimony of Dr. Luke and those shepherds (somebody had to tell it to Luke) and I know that Christ did come just as Old Testament prophecy said He would. That makes me confident that He will return just like the Scripture says too. Today…right now…are you ready? Don’t be caught off guard. What is at risk is more than a temporary scare.

The angel gave those shepherds a good announcement. Christ return is a good announcement too. I simply want each of us to be ready for it.

Luke #18 – To it and Through it

Luke #18 – To it and Through it

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:4-7 – King James Version).

When God called me into the ministry I knew I had to enter the arena of higher education. I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to quit working; I liked that paycheck. I didn’t want to struggle through school. Plus I wasn’t sure that I was smart enough to perform in school. I’d only been married a year and a half to the day when I surrendered to the call. Literally days later, Care and I were blessed to find out that God was giving us our first child. We needed a bigger and warmer house. All of these things and more swirled in my rational yet simple mind. I constantly asked myself and the Lord “What am I doing?!?” From somewhere (and I honestly cannot remember the source, but I want to say it was Johnny Smith) God gave me this phrase: “If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.” It penetrated my heart!

As Joseph and Mary began their great adventure of traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem they must have been thinking this same thing. They were dealing with primitive traveling methods and Mary was in the delicate state of pregnancy. How could they do it?

Mary and Joseph arrive at their destination only to find no suitable temporary lodging. Their place of rest amounted to what is equal to an animal barn. How could they stay in a place like that knowing that they she carried the Son of God in her womb?

Before Mary and Joseph left Nazareth I am sure they faced much public scrutiny. Imagine their situation: a young girl claiming she was pregnant in a virginal state; a man deciding to marry that young girl in spite of her pregnant state. I believe it was through these kinds of experiences that they learned to trust the ways and plans of God. It was as they trusted and followed God moment to moment that strength was built into them. It was as they followed God minute to minute that their faith was built up. By the time they were ordered to leave their home and travel to Bethlehem they KNEW that God would take care of them. So…Mary was “great with child”…big deal, God is just plain great!

I see the simple yet powerful hand of God in this. It is encouragement for us all. Whether it is a difficult physical or spiritual trial God is there. As we look back over the months and years that we walk with the Lord I would imagine that all of can find some evidence that God has been building us in a fashion that prepared us for more and more difficult trials. By the time we get to a very difficult situation we know how God has worked in the past in our lives. We first LEARN that whatever God brings us to He will bring us through. THEN we KNOW that! Once we know it we can live fearless lives that do not let circumstances overwhelm us.

I don’t know what you may be facing today but it cannot be any more severe than being a pregnant virgin traveling under difficult circumstances. I do not say that to belittle your circumstances. I simply say it to remind us all that whatever God brings us to He will be certain to bring us through. Know that…live wide open for God!

Luke #17 – From the Feed Trough to My Heart

Luke #17 – From the Feed Trough to My Heart

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:4-7 – King James Version).

My wife has her egg collection in a cherry display case with glass shelves. I keep my lap top computer in a nice padded case. Get this…for my baseball cards I keep the most expensive ones in a special type cases called “screw tight” cases that has a lifetime guarantee; the next level of worth are kept in individual plastic card holders; even the least expensive of my cards are kept in plastic sleeves and stored in acid free boxes. I keep my ten year old car, with its peeling paint, under a car shed (my beat up truck is right beside it). We tend to take care of our things of value.

When I think of how we give special treatment to our possessions and then I read today’s Scripture I find a stark contrast. When our Savior was born into this world He was placed in a manger. When I use the word “manger” it doesn’t sound that bad, does it? Let me explain what a manger is: without any fanfare, the best definition is to call it a feed trough. Knowing that I cannot help but picture some of the things we used over the years for the purposes of feeding our animals. To feed dogs and cats at various times we often used old hubcaps. Of course we used a lot of different buckets over the years. One of the longest lasting feeding troughs we had was a hot water heater tank that had been split the long way to make two separate feeding trays. Very similar to that, and the most common, were fifty-five gallon barrels cut in half the long way to make two troughs. Now every time I read the story of Christ’s birth I cannot help but think that Jesus lay in something that was akin to a cut barrel. All of a sudden “manger” is not so attractive.

That was the lowly estate that God chose to usher our Savior into the world. I am so moved and encouraged that Christ understands the lowly. What hardship would we have that He cannot directly relate to? How perfectly at home I feel when I talk to my Savior! How sure I am that He understands the things I lack, my financial needs, the raggedy car I drive, the threadbare cuffs on my pants, and the host of other things that are wrong in my life. How humbled I am when I complain, knowing that Christ Himself was born and raised poorer than I could imagine and I find no record of complaint from Him.

Furthermore, how amazed I am that Christ’s current earthly residence of choice is me! Let me explain it this way; recently I visited Duke Chapel. It was absolutely beautiful! While I stood open jawed, drooling at the wonder of that place I had an epiphany (that’s an “Aha!” moment); God COULD reside in such a place as this, but He chooses those who give their lives to Him. AMAZING! Christ was born poor, died broke, but gained all with His obedience. Now, were that a person (such as me), they would get a fancy mansion to help assuage the pangs of former poverty. Christ doesn’t do that. The little manger He was placed in was probably made of wood. The cross He died on was made of wood. The place He desires to inhabit now is heart of any who would trust Him. That meager little manger and our sinful hearts are not worthy to hold the King of Kings but He took them both.

Today I am in awe and very thankful that Christ moved from the feed trough to my heart. I cannot completely wrap my mind around it, but I will live in grateful response to it. How about you?

Luke #16 – Behind the Scenes

Luke #16 – Behind the Scenes

“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city” (Luke 2:1-3 – King James Version).

I remember the first time I watched a documentary about the making of a movie. I was amazed at all the people that worked behind the scenes. Sure, I know each movie has a list of credits but I had only paid attention to who the actors were; never had I really looked at all the people that it takes to organize and film a cinematic production. Not only that, but there are a host of people who do the music for the average film. Many movies use songs that have been out for a long time making those folks who produced that song a larger part of the production team for the movie; they go unlisted for the most part on the movie credits. Then I began to consider movies that had been “shot on location” in various towns. All the people in that town or cities’ past who had built it became, at least in my mind, a part of making that movie. I carried to the “Nth” degree and began to think that that movie would have been drastically different had not it been shot in the United States, thus making all the people who made this country a part of the production. I know I got carried away; it was simply a matter of realizing that a lot goes into making a movie to get it to the point where I am viewing it in the theater or my home. Certainly there is much more than I had thought of before.

Those verses above make me think of a grand movie production. Without them I would be left wondering about a lot of the cast in the life of Jesus. We know that the mother of Jesus, Mary, was from Galilee. We know that Micah prophesied that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem (5:2). So…we are left with the dangling question: “How can Jesus be born in Bethlehem when His mom is from Galilee?” Easy…refer to Scripture above.

This “taxing” is not the kind that makes our American ears cringe at the hearing of the word. This was more like a census. Caesar wanted to know who all was in his kingdom. He had attempted to deify himself and wanted to number and locate all the folks who were supposed to worship him.

I read this one time and think “Typical government junk!” Upon a second reading I see so much more! God’s hand is clearly at work! Beyond a tyrannical emperor’s attempt to count himself god-like, GOD used that conceit to move people into place therefore making a seemingly unlikely prophecy become not only likely but proven fact. Amazing! This is an amazingly BIG production and God was clearly in the director’s seat. In the least…there was more going on behind the scenes than we can appreciate if we don’t take the FULL credits into account.

What’s this have to do with us, here, now? Our local, state, and national governments and international powers are all under the watchful eye and in the perfect will of God. Many of these powers may do things that we don’t agree with; sinful things; hurtful things. Don’t think for a minute that God does not notice! Don’t think for a second that our gracious and sovereign God cannot take man’s sinful ways and use them for His glorious ends.

As we sit back and look at the grand production unfold before our eyes, let’s be ever mindful that there is a sovereign Director behind the scenes moving players into place. We can take this realization and have a certain confidence that there is nothing to fear. Rather, there builds in me an excitement; knowing that I am in this production and have the Director’s favor in Christ Jesus. “Tax” me; I don’t care…behind the scenes, the beat goes on.