Christmas

This morning I was working in Children's Ministry and we had a cute little puppet show. "Miss Turtle Dove" thought Christmas is about money. Some puppets suggested that it was about music, food or presents. Then the little chipmunk, Chadder, piped up asking that we write on the whiteboard, which had "Christmas" written on it. First the 4th and 5th letters of Christmas, then the first 6 letters of Christmas. It said "Christmas is Christ." It was so cute, but it was a good reminder in all this busyness. It is about Christ.

I've been reading through the minor prophets recently and marveling at the love and forgiveness of Jesus. Just as Hosea bought back his unfaithful wife, Jesus Christ came and bought us back with His blood. Yet so many times we go back to His enemy and live a life that does more to glorify Satan than Jesus Christ.

We may not go out partying, drinking or doing drugs, but we surrender, sometimes, in the little things. We spend our lives focusing on ourselves. We get busy with friends, family, school, work, and sometimes even ministry, forgetting about Him. This is especially true at this time of year. We get wrapped up in the gifts, the meals, the parties of Christmas, maybe even a church Christmas play, and don't give Jesus the center of our Christmas. I wonder how much that hurts Him. He came, He was born into a poor human family, lived a hard life, died a miserable, humiliating death - and what do we do? We celebrate what we get, what we'll eat, who we'll spend the holiday with, how much time we'll get off work or school, and we forget that Christmas is a celebration of what He gave. Instead of focusing on what we're going to get this Christmas, we should be focusing on what we're going to give to Him in gratitude. He gave all this to us, and we, selfish as we are, simply use this as a time to see how much more we can get. Shame on us! So this Christmas let's think about what we can do for Jesus to thank Him for all He does for us every day.

Meditate On These Things

Philippians 4:8 says,

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true,

whatever things are noble, whatever things are just,

whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely,

whatever thing are of good report, it there is any virtue

and if there is anything praiseworthy –

mediate on these things.”

I was thinking about this verse the other day. The concept goes contrary to what our society teaches. It seems like everywhere we go we are bombarded with immorality and lies. TV and Movies try to subtly suggest that lying isn’t really so bad, if the circumstances are right. Magazines and Newspapers suggest that we forget modesty and wear the latest fashions, no matter how immodest they may be. The media always wants to share the latest gossip about Hollywood celebrities, and there are even people who will tell you that adultery is acceptable.

We claim to be sold out to Jesus, but sometimes we get caught up in the world’s program. Sometimes we spend far too much time worrying about the latest fashions, the newest movies, or so-and-so’s new relationship. It’s not worthy of our time. We’re children of the King. Such foolish things should not so easily captivate our minds. We need to bring “every thought into captivity.”1 Our mind should be focused on things that please the Lord. Whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy.

Whatever things are true. This seems fairly straightforward. We’re to focus on the truth; That which is genuine. Perhaps we might take this to mean that we should focus on true doctrine, Jesus Christ, who is the Truth, or His Word.

Whatever things are noble. We don’t use this word so much today. It’s rather a pity, for it a beautiful word. Webster defines it as that which is great, elevated, dignified, or above everything that can dishonor reputation. This is what we are to set our minds on. Things that are noble, worthy of consideration.

Whatever things are just. Thayer defines it as that which is upright, righteous, or virtuous. We should focus on the actions that are right and glorifying to God. Every thought we entertain should be glorifying to God.

Whatever things are pure. Focus on whatever is clean, chaste or innocent. Satan would love nothing more than to have our thoughts focused on that which is impure. He is quite skilled at shoving impurity in our path. It comes in every form of entertainment: movies, television, books, magazines and radios. Yet God desires that we be blameless before Him, not only in our actions, but in our thoughts as well.

Whatever things are lovely. Thayer defines it as that which is acceptable and pleasing. Of course this should be pleasing to the Lord, not to our flesh. Perhaps we might take pleasure in mediating on the loveliness of all He has created, or His goodness that is shown in so many ways.

Whatever is of good report. We should think about that which is commendable 2, admirable 3, or reputable 4. We could focus on the wonderful growth we’ve seen in the life of another believer, or the success of a friend.

If there is any virtue. The ESV translates it the word “virtue” as “excellence.” God wants us to set our mind on that which is the best. Not merely that which is decent, but that which is exceptionally good.

If there is anything praiseworthy. The Worldwide English New Testament says, “if they bring praise to God, think about these things.” That sums it up perfectly! If it brings praise the God, that is something worth thinking about.

Meditate on these things. Esteem or take inventory of these things. If it is true, worthy of consideration, glorifying to God, blameless, acceptable, commendable, excellent and something that brings praise to God, we should give it our attention and make note of it.

In our society focusing on things which pleases the Lord is not an easy task, but it is one that God commands. There will be people who think we’re nuts. There will be those who try to convince us to do otherwise, but if we will stand firm and obey the Lord, He will be pleased.

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1 1 Corinthians 10:5
2 ESV
3 NLT
4 Strong’s

God is Awesome!

I just finished up a week of VBS at my church. It was wonderful to see the Lord work. He provided us about 60 workers, and 80+ kids. 16 Children accepted Jesus Christ at VBS! Praise the Lord! I was especially excited to see one of the little girls in my class come to Christ. She came to VBS for the first time on Thursday and was saved that very afternoon! Our "Bible Point" for that day was "God is Awesome," and that is so true! To see Him work in the lives of these young people was incredible. To hear them each day cheering about who God is. Whatever our point for the day was, children would scream and cheer as they learned something about God. God is Real. God is With Us. God is Strong. God is Awesome. God is In Charge.

By the end of the week several of us were loosing our voices from shouting, but it was so wonderful to see the children excited about God. They didn't care if it looked silly, and for the sake of the children, neither did we. But it started me thinking. If we're willing to go crazy and look funny so that the kids have a good time and learn about God, why aren't we so willing to look out of place for Christ? Why aren't we willing to risk looking foolish for the Lord? Why not do what God commands to bring others to Him? If God is really as important to us as we claim, more important than our reputation or pride, wouldn't we be willing to accept mockery for the chance to serve Him or the chance to see another person come to Him?

With all that's been going on, I haven't had a chance to sit down and write a "proper" post, and with another church's VBS coming up this next week I doubt I'll find the time then, but I wanted to take a few minutes to share these few thoughts.

God Bless!

Great is the Lord!

Over the last couple months I’ve made an interesting transition: Switching churches. It was a strange experience. I had attended BBC all my life. My family has been part of that church for over 25 years. If you’d told me a year ago that I would leave that church I wouldn’t have believed you. But there I found myself leaving.

I first began to contemplate the change after joining a Wednesday night Bible study at Calvary Chapel Fremont. The style of worship was totally different, but rather refreshing. I’d never seen anything like it. Most, if not all of the teens there were singing praises to God from their heart, not just because that’s what was expected. It was a true expression of worship. The teens love the Lord, and really want to live for him. But one thing that really stood out to me was that they prayed.

When I was growing up people prayed – before offerings, before communion, before the sermon, and at prayer meeting, but nothing like this. I was just amazed. On one occasion after Bible Study we split off into small groups, and people took the time to find out what each person was struggling with, and then prayed for them. Instead of gossiping, or condemning, they prayed! It was an incredible experience.

After I made the decision to leave, I told a friend of mine at Calvary. I barely knew these people, but next thing I know he and another man are praying for me. For my spiritual growth, that I would serve the Lord, and that the transition would go well. I felt the love of the Body of Christ in a way I’ve never experienced in my entire life. Not only did they pray then, they also told me they would continue praying for me, and sure enough about a week later, one of them came back to me, and told me he’d been continuing to pray for me. When he asked how things were going. I was so pleased to be able to tell him that the Lord had answered those prayers. Things went smoother than I ever expected them to, because of the Lord’s mercy, and the prayers of these faithful men and their wives.

On a Wednesday night a few weeks later, the pastor asked the church to spend 90 seconds praying for the persecuted church. I was amazed to hear dozens of voices quietly praying aloud for their brothers and sisters who suffer for Christ.

This morning I saw again how this church comes together to pray. Pastor Tim encouraged the body to spend 3 minutes in prayer. During the first minute we prayed for those in authority over us. During the second, we prayed for our enemies, and in the third we prayed for our loved ones. This is something that Pastor intends to encourage on a regular basis.

Amazing things are being done for the Lord through this church. I believe one of the reasons that God is using Calvary Fremont, is because they are a church that seeks Him. They seek to know Him personally, to spend time with Him, to listen and obey Him. They spend time praying for one another, for the community, for their leaders, and even for their enemies. There were dozens of people this morning praying for the blessing and success of their enemies. What a wonderful blessing to be given the opportunity to be part of a church like this!

I think it would be great if we all set aside a bit of time every week, or even every day to pray for those in authority, for our enemies, and for our loved ones. I believe this would glorify God, because He has commanded us to pray for one another. He has commanded us to love our enemies – what better way to love than to pray for their salvation, their blessing, their success. God can do far more to love them than we ever could. This time of prayers will not only be a blessing to others, but it will be a blessing to us as well. It’s awfully hard to stay angry and bitter at someone you are praying for. Likewise, prayer is one of best ways we can serve our leaders. We can pray for wisdom for our parents, for their growth in Christ. We can pray for our country’s leaders to love and serve God. That will be a blessing both to them, and our nation, and more importantly it will please the Lord.

This time of transition has been strange, at times it has been painful and uncomfortable, but the Lord has been so good. He has brought me to a church where His Word is taught, where His people seek to live for Him, where His love is displayed, and where His church seeks Him in prayer – both individually and corporately. It has been such a blessing. “Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of light with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”1 I can think of so many passages of Scripture that the Lord has shown to be true: Lamentations 3:22-24, Exodus 34:6-7, God is so good. He is always faithful, and kind, loving and perfect. His ways are so much better than ours. Psalm 150 says,

Praise the LORD!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD!

Psalm 118:29 says, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” He truly is so good. What an amazing God He is! Chris Tomlin communicates is very well in his song, “How Can I Keep From Singing”

“I can sing 'cause You pick me up
Sing 'cause You're there
I can sing 'cause You hear me, Lord
When I call to You in prayer

I can sing with my last breath
Sing for I know
That I'll sing with the angels
And the saints around the throne

How can I keep from singing Your praise?
How can I ever say enough?
How amazing is Your love?
How can I keep from shouting Your name?
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing”

He is sooo good! So amazing! So Faithful! So good! So loving, so merciful, so gracious, so just, so pure, so holy, so righteous! God is so amazing! Praise Him for who He is. “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.”2 He is so worthy of all that we are, all that we have, and of all praise, glory, honor, majesty. . .for He created all things, He ransomed us, He showers us with innumerable blessings – in spite of our sinfulness and complaining, in spite of our selfishness and disobedience. Even though we are so undeserving, He is still so good. Thank you, Lord!

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1 James 1:17
2 Psalm 145:3 NIV

Love and Liberty

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
Therefore let us not judge one another anymore,
but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block
or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

Romans 14:12-13

These verses come in the middle of a discussion on the “hot issues” of Paul’s day. It was something that the church needed to be reminded of, and I think it is something that we need to be reminded of today. Most of the time we don’t argue about meat offered to idols, or holy days, but we all have the little things we have firm opinions on. One of the most common disagreements is on the topic of music. On one side we have the conservative Christians who believe in nothing but hymns. On the other side, are those who believe the hymns are too old to do us any good. They say we need to just have the new music. But in the midst of all this arguing, we forget something: Love and Humility.

In verse 15 Paul says, “If your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love.” The same applies to music. If we are hurting our brothers because of our music, we are not walking in love. We are fighting about how to worship God! How foolish! I don’t mean to be rude, but honestly, think about it for a moment. We are arguing about how to glorify God. We are marring the image of God’s character as we claim to be concerned about praising Him! Does this make any sense? What if instead of fighting amongst ourselves, we started showing love? What would happen if we simply learned to respect each other’s opinions? I think it would make God quite pleased to see His children living together in love and unity.

Honestly, both sides make some good points. The words in the old hymns are beautiful, and full of rich reminders of God and His glory. They can be an incredible blessing. We shouldn’t just throw them away! However, some of the new worship songs are just as worshipful. They show us God’s character in a fresh light. We’ve heard the hymns so many times that we can often sing them without even thinking about the words. It’s good to have some new music, with a fresh perspective. Even if you don’t feel the liberty to listen to contemporary music, please don’t condemn your brothers and sisters simply because God has given the freedom to joyfully worship God with CCM.

Likewise, if you have this freedom, and your brother does not, please don’t condemn him. In 1 Corinthians 8:13 Paul says, “Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” That is the attitude we should have. It would be better for us to never listen to CCM again, than to cause a brother to sin. I’m not suggesting that we all need to give up our freedom, but our freedom does need to be tempered in love, and we need to be willing to lay aside our music if necessary.

Romans 14:3-4 says, “Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.” God doesn’t want us to look down on each other, simply because of difference of opinion. God will take care of teaching each of His children what His will is. The music with which you choose to worship God is between you and God. At the same time, though, we need to remember that it grieves the Lord when we ignore our brother’s conscience. If we are causing harm to our brother’s spiritual walk, it is not glorifying to God. We often remember this principle when it comes to not offending the more conservative brother, but it applies to both sides. If you are restricting your brother from worshiping God with a particular type of music, you can be doing more harm to his spiritual walk than you know.

Looking at verses 5-8, we read, “Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” If you worship with CCM, use it as an act of worship to the Lord. If you feel that CCM is sin, let your refusal to use it be an act of worship to the Lord. In all things we should seek to glorify God.

And we come back to verses 10-13, “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ For it is written:

“ As I live, says the LORD,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.” And in light of all of this, “let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.” This will take effort on both sides, but if we were to live this way, I believe God would be glorified. Isn’t that what we’re here for?

Taking Pleasure in Trials

“He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches,
in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake:
for when I am weak, then am I strong”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I have heard this passage many times over the years, but this morning, something new caught my eye.

The thorn in the flesh that Paul spoke of in the previous verses was clearly not pleasant. It was bad enough that Paul pleaded with God three times that this thorn might depart. But God didn’t take away the trial. Instead He told Paul, My grace is sufficient for thee: My strength is made perfect in weakness. Whenever God allows trials to come our way, He also provides the grace to deal with them in a manner that will glorify Him.

If a friend moves, God will be there with an extra measure of grace to comfort you. If a family member dies, God will be there and He will provide the strength to handle it. So often when trials come our way our first impulse is to say, “I’m tough enough, I can handle it,” but the truth of the matter is, we’re not tough enough. We aren’t strong enough, we can’t handle it. We need to depend on God for the grace and strength to make it through difficult times. God created us to live in dependence on Him, and one of the reasons He brings trials into our lives is to teach us to live in dependence upon Him. The only way we can make it through is by leaning on Jesus, and when we do so, God’s glory is displayed beautifully. One of my favorite quotes from the movie Facing the Giants is a father-son scene, where the boy asks his father why God made him so weak. His father looked at him and said, “To show how mighty He is.” That’s so true. God loves to display His glory, and when we are weak, His strength is magnificently displayed.

I look at the way the world “handles” it’s problems. It’s so sad. When people get down they go get drunk, ignore the problem, or commit suicide. What a terrible way go through life! We are so blessed! We don’t have to deal with problems on our own, God has promised to be there with us! He has guaranteed us the grace and strength we need to continue. We don’t need to pretend our problems don’t exist, because God is with us to help us deal with them!

What really caught my eye, was verse 10. Paul says that because God’s grace is sufficient and His strength is made perfect, “I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses” Think about that for a second. I take pleasure . . . how often do we actually take pleasure in pain, suffering, mocking, hatred, or hard times? When you really think about it, that’s quite a statement Paul is making. He learned how to take pleasure in trials. Look at his reason for glorying, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” God gives the strength, and glorifies Himself through it. God loves His glory above all else, and if our desire is truly to glorify Him in everything, we should learn to say with Paul, “Most gladly will I rather boast in my infirmities” for His glory.

Loving God

A few weeks ago I was reading my friend's blog, and she was raving about her husband. It was really sweet. I left a comment, and something in her reply caught my attention. She told me that she sometimes wondered if she talked about her guy too much, but she just couldn't help it. She just loves him so much, that it just overflows. As Luke 6:45 puts it, “out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” She loves her husband so much, she just can't help letting her praise of him flow from her mouth . . . Or in this case her keyboard.

Some of you are probably thinking, “What in the world does this have to do with loving God?”, As I thought about my friend's words, I wondered, why is it that we, who claim to love God more than anything, get excited about everything, except God. When I talk to my friends, I can ask them their opinion on a controversial issue, and get an opinionated response. Some of them really get into the issues; we can argue it for hours and never get tired. I can ask what their favorite song is, or who their favorite author is and get an enthusiastic response in a heartbeat, but once we start talking about God it gets kind of quiet. A few days ago a couple of DVD's I ordered came in the mail, I was so excited. But when was the last time I got that excited about God? Sadly, I have to admit, it's been awhile. Why? Quite simply, I don't believe we really love God as much as we say we do. Don't get me wrong, I do love God, and I want to know and love Him more, but I'm not near where I should be. Sometime I don't value God the way I should. I don't know Him as well as I want to. If I knew God better, I would get excited about Him. As we get to know God more and more, we can't help getting excited about Him, and who He is.

I believe one of the reasons we don't know God as well as we should is because we don't make Him a priority. Relationships take effort. We can't just expect to sit around ignoring God and magically get to know Him more. A relationship requires time and communication. So many times, we get in a rut, and spend a little time with God each day, and then live our lives “normally” the rest of the time. If we run into problems, we'll remember to ask Him to fix them, but that's not enough! We talk about living for God, and doing everything to glorify Him, but when was the last time we actually DID that? We need to make knowing God a priority. Not just to read a little bit of His Word each day, and pray, but to really seek to KNOW Him, to live each moment constantly aware of His presence. To spend time, reveling in who He is. Not what He does for us, but who He is.

We need to decide, are we going to live for God? Or will we put Him away in a corner after we've done our “devotions” and live for ourselves. If we are going to live for God, we need to put forth the effort. We need to take the time to get to know Him and to “Glory in His Holy Name” The word translated “glory” is halal. It means to show forth, praise, boast in, or rave about. This is the same word used in Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD” God wants us to glory in who He is . . . To revel in His character. How do we do that? By knowing Him. I find the last phrase of verse 24 very interesting, “in these I delight”. God delights in us when we know Him. This brings God pleasure. How incredible is that? God takes pleasure, in our knowing Him and glorying in Him.

If our goal in life is really to please God, we should start by knowing Him. That brings Him delight, and isn't it good of Him to command and take delight in that which will satisfy us the most? There is something exceptionally satisfying in knowing God, and thinking about who He is; to be able to have a relationship with Him. All I can do is stand back, and say, WOW! What an incredibly kind, loving, wonderful Savior. God is so good!

Last Wednesday we sang a song written by my youth pastor. The chorus really got my attention. “There's no place I'd rather be than at the feet of my King worshipping.” There are so many times that I put things ahead of God, and don't give Him the priority that I should, but I'm praying that He will teach me to love sitting at His feet more than I do now. I want to be able to sing “There's no place I'd rather be than at the feet of my King worshiping” and mean it with all my heart.

Modesty Survey Released!

The Rebelution just launched the results of their massive Modesty Survey! Over 1,600 Christian guys answered questions on everything from glitter lotion and lip gloss to swimsuits and skirt slits! For you girls, it's everything you've ever wanted to ask guys about modesty, but were afraid to ask! For you guys, it's really interesting to see what other Christian guys think!

One of the things I really appreciate is that the survey is there to help us Christian girls, not lay a ton of legalistic rules on us. It is accompanied by the Modesty Survey Petition, which has been signed by a ton of our Christian brothers. This petition encourages us to focus on the heart of modesty, not just the application, and to honor our parents, etc.

The Rebelution presents the results of the survey as an incredible Valentine's Day gift from 1,600 Christian guys to all Christian girls - how much better could it get!

I'm so thankful for all the time and effort that the guys have put into this survey, especially Alex and Brett Harris. They have done a wonderful job helping us ladies know how we can better love our brothers, and glorify God in our clothing. Thank You, Gentlemen!

Go check it out: Modesty Survey

Transparency

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another.”1 That’s something that is often very hard to do. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see a lot of that happening in our churches today.

We don’t like to be transparent, it requires that we swallow our pride and admit that we fail, just like everyone else. We prefer to let people see the façade of perfection. It’s so much easier to just keep quiet and let people think that we are good little Christians. But we’re not. James 3:2 says, “For we all stumble in many ways.” None of us are perfect, and I think we all know that to some degree, but as we look at those around us, it seems as if they are perfect and we are not. It’s hard to admit your sin, when it feels like you are the only one who struggles. It’s not easy to admit your sin to someone when they appear to be perfect, but it is something that God commands.

While it is hard to admit our sin, the accountability that transparency provides does so much to help us live for Christ. There’s something about knowing that someone else knows, that they care, and that they are praying for you that just helps so much.

One of my favorite songs is Stained Glass Masquerade by Casting Crowns, I’d like to share the lyrics with you:

Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small

Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they’ll soon discover
That I don’t belong

So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

*Chorus*
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone who’s been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who’s traded
In the altar for a stage

The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart

But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be

Would your arms be open

Or would you walk away

Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay

Well if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small

Sadly, that is the condition of many of our churches. We come and play a part, one that we’ve played our whole lives, and make sure that no one can see our struggles. We would never dare let anyone else know we sin. We go on for years, sometimes our whole lives, playing this part, hiding our weakness and our sin. Why? Because of our stupid pride. We need to learn humility, and confess our faults to one another. And when someone else has a problem, we need to learn to pray for them, instead of talking about them. One of the greatest hindrances to transparency for me is the gossips that I know will talk about me if I dare let something out. They won’t believe the best and try to help me, they’ll simply look down on me. I can’t do anything to change them, but I can make sure that I don’t do the same thing when others admit their sin.

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1 James 5:16

New Year’s Resolutions

Every year about this time, many people sit down and make New Year’s Resolutions. I’m not opposed to setting goals, but there’s something about this whole idea that bothers me. We sit down, recognize a problem in our life, and we decide we are going to fix it. That’s great, but if the problem needs fixing, we should fix it now. What’s the point of continuing in our error until New Years Day?

People decide that in 2007 they are going to pray more, they are going to read God’s Word, they are going to love God more, witness more, whatever it may be. That is wonderful, but we aren’t promised a new year. We aren’t promised another day, or even another minute. If God shows us a problem in our lives, shouldn’t we make things right with him as soon as possible?

I hope the 2007 will be a year that I will grow in Christ, learn to rely on Him more, read His Word more, talk with Him more, but I want that for the end of this year too. It should be our goal for our whole lives, not just the next year. Since today is the first day of the rest of our lives, let’s begin making things right with God today!