During this time of year, I often hear the phrase Jesus, the reason for the season,” but I would go further, Jesus is the reason for life. Without His birth, His life and His sacrificial death our lives are meaningless. His lineage, nature, place of birth, where He would be raised, His career, purpose, the specific manor and nature of His death, His resurrection, all were told in the Old Testament, hundreds of years before His birth. How could you not believe? His life changed the dateline and history forever. Every day of His life was a fulfillment of scripture and a reason to believe that He was truly, “God in flesh.” The following is a composition that beautifully describes the uniqueness of the life of Jesus, it’s called “One Solitary Life” and gives a fresh perspective of the simple, yet impactful life He lived.
He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a home. He didn’t go to college. He never visited a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for His garments, the only property He had on earth. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race. All the armies that ever marched, all the Navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one solitary life.
As we prepare to celebrate our Saviors birth, be encouraged about your life and family. Those who lived and watched Jesus could have never predicted His impact and may I say that the impact that you are having on your kids and family is greater than you could ever imagine too. Often we look at what we’re not doing, what we lack and how inconsistent we are but I challenge you this Christmas season to talk about the possibilities, the dreams and the great benefits that are yours because of one simple solitary life. Jesus, Immanuel, God with us.
Over the past month I’ve taken notice that many retailers are returning to age old tradition of being closed on Thanksgiving. I’m glad to see this trend because over the past few years it has seemed that Thanksgiving was disappearing, being discarded by greed and materialism, the very opposite value that Thanksgiving is all about. In a time that is so filled with anger and hate I think it’s important that we take time to pause and re
it makes us aware of the assets, options and features available to us daily. Although a church or pastor can help guide and influence someone’s decision, its leaders of homes that ultimately make the decisions as to what their spiritual values will look like and the atmosphere of their homes. Want a carnal home? Feed the flesh, make worldly events a priority over God’s house and pursue pleasure at all cost. Desire a home with God’s presence? Start every day with sincere and passionate prayer, fill it with songs of praise and worship and look to the Bible for instruction and wisdom to guide your choices.
words you will use when the fresh rain of God’s Spirit falls fresh on you and your home. Will you join with me as we hit the dog days of summer and pray that God will send a storm of His Spirit on you and the Life Community? Let’s pray, not for a passing shower, but a Holy gully washer! Jesus, open up the windows of heave and pour out your Spirit here Sunday after Sunday, in us individually and in our own homes. Give us times of refreshing, saturate us until we overflow!
We too must decide what battles are important. As a Spirit filled Christian I have simplified my battles down to four dynamics. First, I believe the Word of God is infallible and that it needs to be read regularly and with a desire to know Jesus, not theology, not religious tradition or facts. Paul said it well in Philippians 3:10, “that I may know Him…” Second, I believe that Jesus is God, that He spoke the world into existence, robed Himself in flesh and through Calvary, offers us the opportunity to have His Spirit live in us. I believe He wants us to humble ourselves and repent, identify and acknowledge His work on Calvary through baptism in His name and He wants us to know we have overcoming power by having His Spirit inside of us by initially speaking in a language we do not know. Third, I believe that prayer is the most powerful tool a person has. We never completely defeat sin. Prayer is the tool that must be used every day, it is the power that keeps our flesh under control and gives the Spirit influence and the power it should have in our lives. Finally, I believe that we must live Godly and Holy. While our righteousness is as a filthy rag, God calls us to live distinctively and modest. This is reflected in our desire to please Him, reflect Him in every part of our lives including our attitude, appearance, actions, spirit and motives. There will always be hypocritical religious accusers just as there were in Jesus’ day. There will always be those making accusations about the latest issue, trying to bring chaos and conflict into your life. Settle who you are, choose your battle wisely and decide what accusations are worth your time and energy and let God be God in your life.
re was a traffic jam in our backyard, too many birds and not enough perches at the bird feeder. Observing the traffic jam I noticed that birds can’t hover, they can flap for a few seconds but then they have to fly to a branch or land. My observation taught me that birds, well at least most, are created to soar, to fly, not hover. If you’re a bird and you want to hover then find a brisk wind and fly into it and let it lift you…otherwise move on, you were created to fly.
My God is big! Nothing is to difficult for Him, nothing surprises Him and there is no situation that stumps Him. My God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above what I could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). A blind man asked for sight, no problem, God makes a little mud and suddenly blinded eyes see. A petition by a parent of a grievously ill girl, no problem, “I’ll come and heal her.” A cripple on a stretcher is dropped down on a cot from a roof, no problem, “He forgives his sins and then, oh yes, says “take up your bed and walk,” and he does!
and our first introduction to him is when he suggested as a potential candidate for the position of an Apostle. It is noted that Matthias had one notable quality for Apostleship, he was faithful. Up to the point when he was chosen to be a part of the twelve we don’t know one thing about him other than he had been with Jesus. The Bible says that from the time that Jesus baptized John until the time that Jesus ascended, Matthias had been there. He was there, in the shadows, listening, watching and observing. He had one necessary and required quality, he was faithful. We don’t know of one message he preached, one miracle he preformed, we only know that he was faithfulness and loyalty, he was consistent. As far as we know, Matthias was not chosen based on his skill, knowledge, ability. The highest calling in the New Testament was to be called an Apostle and when it came time to choose the twelfth Apostle, the quality that got Matthias noticed was that he could say was, “I was there.”
We have an area where five trees are grouped together. Two were planted five years ago when we moved into the house. Today one of those trees, a maple, is the tallest in the yard. The other is a spruce, its growth has been slow and steady, but regardless of the season, it never loses it beautiful green color. Between those two trees sets another tree we just added a couple of years ago, a birch. When it was planted it was half the size of the maple but in just two years it has nearly caught it in height. To the left of those three trees sets yet another. It’s the newest of the trees, an ash, not nearly as impressive as the others right now but some day if it survives the seasons it will be the tallest tree in the yard. In front of it says the fifth and final tree. It is one of the oldest but the shortest of all the trees, a cherry tree. Today none of the trees look very impressive, four of them appear to be dead and the spruce has lost its shine, but don’t be deceived, they are very much alive, its just all the growth is happening under ground. In a few weeks they will explode with life! Colors will explode, new branches will appear and some will even have flowers blooming and produce. Though they differ in variety, mature differently, have varying shapes, size and color we call them all trees.
ell. Wow! The well had been preserved for over 2000 years. What an accomplishment. Today, 2000 years later if you would go to Israel, you could still go to Jacob’s well. It’s small, well protected and there is very little water, but it is still there.