“Guard Your Testimony”

Passage: Revelation 12:11  “They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”

I can’t remember not knowing or not learning about God.  From my earliest recollection I went to Sunday School, church and Bible School.  There was never a question about going to church.  My parents were very loving and our home was a happy secure place.  As I have gotten older I am more and more humbled for the blessing of my childhood.

When I was nine years old, I knew that I needed to make a definite decision about accepting Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior.  Even though I had not done anything “terrible” by the world’s standards, I knew I was a sinner.  My goodness wasn’t good enough and never would be.  Following a revival at our church on a Sunday morning, I publicly accepted Jesus as Savior.  At our church, I walked forward to meet with the pastor.  While there was no way I understood all I do know after more than fifty years of growth, I knew I needed to turn to God.  In only a way a nine year old could, I chose God. 

I continued to be raised in a Christian home.  There were difficulties and struggles.  I didn’t always make perfect decisions but the Lord continued to guide me.  I continued in Bible study throughout high school and college and dedicated my life to special service not knowing what this service might be.  I never dreamed at the time the Lord would call me to be a minister’s wife but almost forty years later here I am.  God continues to speak to me each day through His Word and through His Holy Spirit. 

I didn’t understand everything as a child.  I didn’t get how the Bible all worked together, I didn’t know a lot of Bible verses, or did I really understand what living the Christian life was like.  It doesn’t matter if you are a child, a teenager, a young adult, or a senior adult, you will never have it all together.  God doesn’t ask that you do.  He just invites you to come. 

No one can argue with your testimony.  Guard it.  Share it. 

Glory to God in the highest and on the earth peace, good will toward men.    Luke 2:14

“And Now You Know”

Passage: John 1:1  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

When I was growing up, we listened to the radio a lot while at home.  One of my favorite programs was narrated by Paul Harvey called “The Rest of the Story.”  Paul Harvey had a compelling voice and was even more a compelling storyteller.  He would start a story without you knowing whom the story was about.  He would give many interesting, unknown and sometimes humorous facts and background information and finally at the very end he would reveal the name of the person and close with “and now you know the rest of the story.” 

On this eve of Christmas, let’s review some very basic background information about our celebration story.  Jesus was born in a manger because there was no room for Him in the inn.  No one paid any attention except Mary and Joseph, yet heavenly hosts proclaimed His birth.  He began to change lives from the moment He was born for the shepherds went about proclaiming the good news. He ministered to the people in the Judean and Galilean countryside for three years.  He was crucified and was treated completely inhumanly for no reason of His own but was resurrected three days later because He was and is the Son of God.  He ascended to heaven and promised He would return.

Sometimes we don’t like the story of the cross to intersect with our beautiful manger scenes and lovely Christmas trees but one is incomplete without the other.  John 3:16 says “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall have everlasting life.”  That’s the miracle of Christmas! 

And now you know the rest of the story!

Father, lead us to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. 

"Inside, Out"

Passage: 1 John 3:20  “God is greater than our hearts and knows all things.”

This past year a Pixar movie came out called “Inside, Out”.  The movie was delightful, entertaining, and truthful.  The premise of the movie is how the mind, actually more the emotions of a young girl developed through her circumstances and environment. 

We recently watched the movie as a part of our Thanksgiving family movie night.  While I had seen the movie two times already, I enjoyed watching the emotions and actions of the kids.  We especially liked the end of the movie (no spoiler alert) because it gave us a picture of how others have trains of thought and emotion and what you see may not be what is going on inside.

No one knows us better than God.  We can pretend and fake our way with others but He sees right at our heart.  While that may be unsettling for some, for me it is extremely comforting. 

There are times I don’t know what I am thinking.  Some things or emotions surface as my memory bank pulls up a similar situation.  Sometimes I feel like Paul when he said in Romans 7:19 the good I want to do, I don’t do and the bad I don’t want to do, I do.   It’s times like that when I am comforted to know God is greater than my heart and He knows everything.

Christmas has become a time that emotions run high and low.  We don’t always act the ways we want or better said others don’t act the way we want them to act.  Things can get out of our control and worlds start to crumble.  One thing can happen leading us to a thought that goes from zero to sixty and we have out-of-control anger before we ever utter a word. 

God gave us emotions and He knows we have feelings that change based on who we are and what we have experienced.  He also knows that we are not without help or boundaries in controlling our emotions and knowing that He knows everything even our deepest thoughts means He knows us inside out. 

Lord, thank you that you are greater than our hearts.  You know what causes us hurt and anger, joy and happiness.   You know us better than we know ourselves.  May we find comfort in this truth.

“If Not Now, When?”

Passage:  Philippians 3:12-14  “Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus…but one thing I do:  forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”

I have definitely been nostalgic lately.  It was humorous yet interesting when I came across a set of goals I had written for a college class assignment.  We had to write twenty things we were hoping to accomplish in our lives.  I was 21 at the time I first penned those goals and now forty years later I look back at them. 

I have been so impressed lately about setting life goals but quite honestly I had forgotten about those goals written many years ago.  Amazingly I found some had been accomplished and others were still on my “wish” list. 

Mark Batterson has become one of my all time favorite writers.  I would recommend any of his books but his most popular and well-known book has been “The Circle Maker”.  It was while reading that book I first realized without a goal or goals, I don’t know whether I am moving forward, staying static, or going backward. 

Paul says in the Philippians passage that he had a goal.  He hadn’t got there yet but was making an effort to do so.  In reaching for his goal, he had to forget what is behind and reach forward. Day by day we do those little things that lead us to the bigger goals that eventually lead us onward and upward to be more like Christ.

We hear about goal setting in many areas of life and sometimes we consider the task to be tiresome and/or boring.  In the education world, we were always setting goals.  I know in the business world, there are goals that must be constantly reached.  (Kara can attest to that statement.  The company she works for has goals for everything from coffee to condiments to customer service.) 

I have ‘set a goal’ to make life goals (again).  For me this is the perfect time to see where God will lead me next.  I just know without them I won’t know if I have made or missed the mark.  Some of the goals I made at 21 will be the same I have at 61 and others will reflect this stage of life. 

This time of year we tend to be more reflective and thoughtful.  We think of how 2015 unfolded and what we hope for in 2016.  Maybe a great time to dream and decide.

“Most people spend more time planning their summer vacation than they do planning their life.”  Mark Batterson, Wild Goose Chase

"What's In a Name?"

Passage: Isaiah 9:6  “He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

Naming your children is an extremely awesome and tremendous task.  Back in my day…when you didn’t know whether you would have a boy or girl, you would make careful selections of both to be prepared.   Usually the first question you are asked (if you do find out if the baby is a boy or girl) is “what name have you chosen”.

Some names are reflective of the generations in which they were born.  My grandmothers born around the turn of the century were named Rose and Pearl. My grandfathers were named Albert and George. I don’t know many babies today named those names but names do have a way of coming around. 

Some names are reflective of the situations or popularity of the day.  Popular TV shows, movies and sports can spawn entire generations of Baker’s, Taylor’s, and Adele’s.  While most parents put a lot of thought into naming their children, I have known some to look around them and choose names like “Paja’ma” and “Apple”. 

When the angel first appeared to Mary (Luke 1:26-45), Mary was told “you will call His name Jesus”.  Joseph also was given the news (Matthew 1:20-21) that the baby would be given the name Jesus because He will save people from their sins.  The name was more than just what the child would be called.  It revealed the destiny and purpose of his life.  Of course we know now that’s exactly what Jesus did- He saved us from our sins. 

I was pondering the quote by William Shakespeare “What’s in a name?  A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”  I get what he is saying but I have to say there is just something sweet about the name of Jesus.  Of course He could have been called another name but God in His perfect way knew the perfect name for His Son.   

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:12

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Philippians 2:9-11

Father…we pray these things in Jesus’ name.