HE DWELT AMOUNG US

“The Word became flesh and dwelt amoung us.” John 1:14 NASB  “…He is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

We saw Him. He was here. God sent Him to be with us. He had to. We didn’t follow His rules. We messed up so God made a way for us to be with Him. He was Christ the Lord. There are many things for which I am thankful. The one at the top of the list is Jesus. Jesus. There’s no name like it. Just the mention of His name makes people uncomfortable. Just the mention of His name saves a person and gives them eternity in heaven.

MAKE IT REAL – He still dwells amoung us…in those who have accepted His gift of forgiveness. Remember why He came. Remember He wants you to want Him and spend time with Him. He gave up so much to live among us.

 

IT’S MORE THAN JUST A HOLIDAY

“But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”- Luke 1:30-33 NIV

As each Christmas passes, we see over and over again where they are trying to take CHRISTmas out of the holiday. First it was the manger scene in a government building. Every year since it seams it’s been something new. Funny thing is, when I read this verse it reminds me that the nay-sayers, politically correct, whatever you want to call them…can try all they want but they will NEVER take Him out of the holiday. His kingdom will never end. Without Him there is no holiday, just another pretty day, no reason to celebrate. Christmas is so much more than just another day, another holiday. I read a blog recently that mentioned how the wooden manager led us to the wooden cross (or something like that…and forgive me for not remembering who it was  and not being able to give credit and point you in their direction. If I run across it again, or if they read this, PLEASE PLEASE comment with your blog address. I sincerely apologize.)…Anyway, the manger, the cross – so much more!!

MAKE IT REAL – When we say “He is the reason for the seaon” it is absolutely true. Stand firm against the politically correct. Make Him your main focus and do all you can to point others to focus on Him as well. He gives us reason to celebrate. He will reign forever. His kingdom will never end. He’s alive. Thank you Jesus!!

WILL YOU HEAR THE CALL?

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”- Isaiah 7:14 NIV

God With Us. God sent His son so He could be down here with us. He walked with us. He ate with us. He cried with us. He suffered with us. He prayed with us. God chose Mary, a vessel willing to be used by God, to give birth to His son. God gave signs and prophesies so the Israelites would/could recognize Jesus but they weren’t willing to accept the humble form in which He came. They weren’t willing to see God was in their midst. The signs are all around us as well. He is coming back soon. Will you recognize Him when He comes again and calls your name? He’ll only call you if you’re His child so IF you are, then yes, you’ll recognize His call.  Are you His child? Are you ready for the call?

MAKE IT REAL – God is still with us…in the form of His Holy Spirit. He’s coming back soon. Do you see the signs? Will you hear Him call?

HE CARES

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.” Nahum 1:7 NKJV

Christmas is quickly approaching. If you’re a kid, it’s a great time;  anticipating the presents you’ll find under the tree with your name. Oh to be young again, right? If you’re 18 or above, it’s a different time. Having moved into the “social” era of FaceBook, I see comments made by so many. My friends who are in college post about having to study for all their finals and not being able to wait until they can come home to be with their old friends, if they’re living away from home. Others make silly, trivial comments about what’s going on in their lives (including me). A couple of weeks around Thanksgiving, it was great to see all the comments about things they were thankful for. Yet other comments I see are about loss of jobs, sick loved ones, physical pain, death of loved ones. Life can be so overwhelming. Today, when I was reading I came across this very familiar verse to me. Several years ago someone told me this was their favorite verse. It’s a wonderful verse. The Lord is a stronghold, a fortress. He won’t be moved. If I trust in Him, He knows me. He knows what I am going through. He loves me. He cares for me. 

MAKE IT REAL – In these days of trouble, not knowing what will be in the future, put your faith and trust in Him. He will give you peace in the middle of the storm. Hold on tight to the only One who can get you through all that life throws at you.

REMEMBER

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”- Colossians 3:17 NIV

Just this morning, I was telling a friend of mine how this past Sunday’s SS lesson made me think about my life since I became a Christian. There was something said about being devoted. It quickly came to my mind that when we’re devoted to something or someone we are most often consumed with this “thing.” Our thoughts and actions revolve around it. This has been the case for me since I’ve been a Christian or at least since my relationship got straightened out with Him. You’ll have to see  Who I Am under this blog, the part about waving the ”white flag” to understand.   Anyway, so our lives as Christian should be built around devotion for Jesus. It is my heart’s desire to serve God and be pleasing in His sight. I don’t want to be busy serving for the sake of being busy but out of thanksgiving for what He’s done for me and given me.

MAKE IT REAL – Whatever you do, however He leads you to serve, remember WHOSE you are and WHY you’re His!! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Take a Stand

“For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”- I Peter 2:15-16 NIV

This past week I had a go around with a friend on FaceBook, talking about our different political opinions. This verse is today’s verse on www.BibleGateway.com. I didn’t choose it so I am in no way implying because we have different opinions he is foolish or talks ignorantly. In fact, on the contrary. He does a lot a investigation and has strong reasons why he feels as he does. They just happen to be different from how I feel or believe. Why I even bring this up is it has challenged me to think hard this week about what I believe and why I believe and be willing to take a stand. Could I defend my beliefs as strongly as my friend? No, sadly I probably could not. It has also made me realize that we as Christians are often intimidated by those who oppose our beliefs, don’t back down from their own and who are very strong or out spoken about their beliefs. We live in an awesome country. We just celebrated Veteran’s Day. The price paid by those who have served and are serving in our military gives us the freedom to have different opinions. I am thankful for that.

MAKE IT REAL – Know what you believe, be willing to stand up for it and be sure what you believe lines up with the Word of God and its principles. It doesn’t matter what I say or what our politicians say, only what God says.

SLOW DOWN

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”- Ps. 46:10 NIV

Can you just sit still and do nothing? I have a hard time. It’s not because I so much energy but I have a hard time keeping my mind still. I have to be doing something with my hands, reading, doing crafts or playing a game on my phone, or I watch TV. But just sitting still and doing nothing, not easy. So why does God want us to be still? Because in those still, quiet times when our focus and attention is completely on Him, then we’ll be able to see who He really is, see how big He is and see how much He’s done for us. That’s when He will speak to us.

We’re usually so busy telling God about what we want or need but seldom sit and just listen to see what He wants to say. Some times we have to be still and wait. That’s even harder. Yet, when we do wait on God, He will reveal Himself in ways that take us beyond what we could imagine. That’s when we will really see who He is.

MAKE IT REAL – Slow down and spend some quality time just listening to God. See what He wants to show and tell you. You’ll be glad you did.

LIVE IT OUT

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”- Colossians 3:13 NLT

How is it that we want to be forgiven for all the wrongs we do or have done but we aren’t so willing to forgive others when the wrong has been done to us? What unrealistic expectations we have or how one sided they are. Instead of forgiving others, we’d rather hold grudges. This leads to resentment and bitterness because our focus is on poor us and the injustice of it all. Instead, we should remember we all make mistakes, some times on purpose, some times without realizing what we did but the point is we all do. Remember how it feels and how much better it would be if we would forgive and move on.

MAKE IT REAL – How better can we show a lost world God’s grace and forgiveness? Not just in telling them about what Jesus did for us on the cross but when they see it being lived out in our own lives, it can’t be denied.

TIME

“Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.”- Psalm 90:2, 4 NIV

What is time? To God, a thousand years is like a day. A thousand years!! That is so hard for me to really comprehend. This just makes me realize how we put God in boxes where He cannot be contained. He is beyond anything we can imagine. Please just think about who our God is. Think how He’s chosen us. Think how He loves us. He is everlasting. When “our time” seems out of control He is steadfast and never changing.

MAKE IT REAL – I am in awe of who God is. He is the real deal. Let your focus be on Him because our “days” pass very quickly.

BIG STUFF

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Eph. 3:14-19 NIV

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  Eph. 3:14-19 NLT

When I first read these verses in the NIV my attention went immediately to the following words: strengthen and power. I thought about having the power of the Holy Spirit available to us as Christians. The NLT says we have unlimited resources. How cool is that? Like a credit card with no limits, if you will. Then I read on and see how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Do we even begin to grasp the love Jesus has for us? I don’t think we really do. If we did, we certainly would act a lot differently.

These verses came up on BibleGateway Verse of the Day today. I’ve also been reading Breaking Free by Beth Moore where she used these exact same verses. The chapter is about the fullness of unfailing love. Here’s something she said,” Can you think of a time when you were suddenly awash with the magnitude of God’s love for you personally?” Like I said, I don’t think we really get it.

 MAKE IT REAL – God’s love is big stuff!! We need to be acting like we have this unlimited resource (His love and the power of His spirit) in our lives if we claim to be a Christian.

WORDS

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”- Proverbs 15:1NIV

I’ve been told on several occasions by Terry, “it’s not what you said but how you said it or the tone.” You’ve probably said that to someone yourself or have been told the same thing. It’s true though, isn’t it? We have so much power in our words. Our words can sooth and draw people to us or they can hurt and make people defensive. I’ve met people where I have walked away thinking how gentle their spirit was, and I’ve met people who knocked me over with an attitude.

MAKE IT REAL – What kind of person are you? Remember, how you speak is a reflection on Jesus. If we speak harshly and stir up anger, we will be less effective when we share the gospel with that person. They’ll remember how we acted and what we said, and will wonder how REAL is our relationship with the Lord.

ONCE WAS ENOUGH

“so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”- Hebrews 9:28 NIV

I love this verse. Christ only died on the cross one time, which means I only need to be born again one time. I personally have made multiple “professions of faith” but they were based on child like ignorance and emotions. I became tired of playing games and was finally, willing to make Jesus Lord of my life. Something He had never been before. That was my “ONE” time; when I understood what surrender and commitment really was. Of course, still later in my walk with Him I always have to surrender again and again and again. That’s called sanctification. It’s the process of becoming more like Jesus. It’s the journey.

MAKE IT REAL – He did it all that day on the cross. Once was enough. He can’t change His mind. I can’t change my mind now that I’ve truly committed my life to Him. It’s a done deal.

HEAVEN

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”- Rev. 21:2-4 NIV

The hope of my salvation…Eternity spent with God. No more crying or pain. Everything will be put back right. I say the hope of my salvation not because I hope I’ll be there but it’s what gives me hope. It’s what gives me peace when there is so much struggle, sadness and uncertainty. It’s what we hold on to, and it gets us through the difficult times.

 MAKE IT REAL – Heaven…When He says, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Welcome home”

FOREVER IS A LONG TIME

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”- I Thess. 4:16-17 NIV

Forever is a very long time. I recently wrote an email to my brother and said this…”Since I’m talking about going to church, if I plan on going to heaven, and that certainly is my goal and reason for being a Christian, but I can’t make it a priority (more important than other things I’d like to be doing) to go to a house of worship, then how do I expect to feel when I get to heaven. Life here on this earth is nothing more than a prelude to what comes when we die. If He’s our focus now, He’ll be our focus then. If not now, He won’t be in the picture later either because we’ll be eternally separated from Him with pain and suffering.”  He is my focus now because I do want Him to come back for me. Under the section of this blog that says “WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?” I talk about Jesus having a big party and how He’ll come back for those who are on the guest list; they have their reservation made, in other words.

 MAKE IT REAL – I have made my reservation by committing my life to Jesus, and I am trying to Live…In The Meantime until He’s ready for the trumpet to blow. I’m certain I’m on the “invited” list. What about you?

MOURN

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”- Romans 12:15 NIV

Webster.com says mourn is to feel or express grief or sorrow. Sorrow can be caused by many things, not just someone dying. I know or have recently heard of some who are going through trials and it makes me sorrowful for them (serious illnesses and serious surgery, marriage breaking up, loss of job). Do we really care what people are going through…even when it’s good and they have reason to rejoice? I think sometimes we don’t really, REALLY care because we’re so involved with ourselves. We should be encouraging each other. I often ask God to put someone on my mind when I’m in the car so I can call them real quick. I don’t care if I get them OR have to leave a message. I just want them to know they were on my mind and I was thinking about them. Trouble is…I just don’t do that often enough.

 MAKE IT REAL – Look beyond yourselves and just…be a friend to someone. Let them know you care about what they are going through, happy or sad. Love ‘em!!

THE TASK

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”- Acts 20:24 NIV

Paul was a missionary. He was a preacher. He was an evangelist. He was supposed to feel this way, right? Once he was saved, testifying to the gospel of God’s grace was his main objective. Above all else, it’s what he knew he was supposed to do, what he HAD to do. That doesn’t really apply for all Christians…Doesn’t it? It should. Man, I am missing it, big time!! Just saying…

 MAKE IT REAL – Step up to the plate. Do what I’m supposed to be doing while there’s still time, before it becomes “against the law” to share about God’s gospel of grace. I fear our days of freedom of speech are fading quickly.

CHOOSE

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”- John 3:17 NIV

I know there are people who see God as a God of wrath and judgment. Some of this has to totally come from a lack of knowledge of God. I’m not talking about head knowledge. I’m talking about heart knowledge. If you have heart knowledge, you have already experienced God’s love for you when you asked His son, Jesus, into your heart. To realize how much Christ went through to accept God’s wrath for your sin and my sin can only prove how much He truly does love us. If we got only a part of what we deserve, yes, we could worry about His wrath and judgment. But God’s wrath and judgment is for those who choose to reject His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. Does He punish Christians? Sure, just like a parent does their child. It’s out of absolute love and concern, not grudges or retribution. I have come to realize, though, that there are Christians who have a hard time seeing God without the punishment or wrath. This is real. This is how they see Him. BUT…it’s because of life experiences (i.e. legalism, negativism, low self esteem, lack of love, rejection). The list could go on and on but it’s these experiences that have left such a deep, lasting impression on each of us in some way or another. They hold us captive and hinder God’s Holy Spirit from being free to work through us and for us. STOP THE INSANITY!! Go to Jesus; ask Him to set you free. Break the cycle!! Choose to focus on His love and blessings. Make a list of all things you have to be thankful for. Choose to trust and believe.

MAKE IT REAL – Choose to change your perspective. Choose to focus on the real reason He came. That would be US!!

NEIGHBOR

“Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”- Romans 5:12 NIV

Who is our neighbor? Just the guy across the street? No, not just him. Our neighbor is anyone we come in contact with on a regular basis. What does it mean to please him for his good? I think it means to minister to him in whatever way you can…to build him up…encourage him….show him the love of God.

When we think about the guy across the street, this is someone who sees us coming and going all the time. Do we pass by, lift our hands to say hello and keep going or do we get to know them, invite them to church, see if there is something we can help them with? Most of us keep to ourselves, including myself. We aren’t very friendly. We’re busy with work AND church. We don’t get involved with other people. BUT when we do get involved and have people around us, when we begin to express God’s love to others, we show them that Christ is real in our lives.

MAKE IT REAL - Each of us needs to be involved with “our neighbors” and help them. In doing so, we not only tell them about God’s love but we show them first hand.

FREEDOM

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”-  Galations 5:3 NIV

I’ve been reading Beth Moore’s book, Breaking Free. Funny thing…she says we’re really in slavery to one of two things…sin or God. Sin will keep us in bondage and take us places we do not want to go. Yet, when we are a slave to God and His ways, it’s really then that we are set free. Satan wants to destroy us. God loves us and only wants what is best for us.

Can we be a Christian and still be in slavery to sin? Yes, because we do not surrender ALL areas of our lives to God’s control. We have areas in our lives that we choose to hold on to or are unable to release to God. Sometimes we fail to let go because of our sinful desires, and sometimes we are completely unaware of the hold this area has in our lives.

I have recently realized a stronghold of the past after going through Breaking Free. I had been divorced for close to 14 years. I hated being single and resented being so but I finally came to the place where I surrendered to God’s plan for my life. I told God I no longer cared about my marital status and accepted whatever He had for me. I decided I would just focus on serving Him no matter what my marital status was. By releasing this hold of resentment in my life, God was able to work through me, and I experienced the freedom of His power in my life. I began to see Him working in my life and experienced His presence like never had before. Within a year and a half I was married to a long-time friend. September 2009 we will celebrate 9 years of marriage. Why hadn’t I learned to be content a lot sooner?

MAKE IT REAL - We cannot experience true freedom in Christ until we are willing to surrender all areas of our lives to His control.