Goodbye (and good riddance) 2020

The last grains of 2020 sand are slipping through the narrow neck of the hourglass. There’s a collective sigh coming from the world. It’s been a hard year. Who would have guessed this time last year what the world would face in the twelve months that stretched out before us?  We hope that when we turn the calendar we can put it all behind us and move on to brighter days. There’s no guarantee that 2021 will be any better; pandemics and political tensions don’t observe our time boundaries. How can we close this year with any measure of hope for the next? I’d like to offer you a few words of encouragement on the eve of the new year.

“The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all” (Ps 103:19). God is still the ruler of the universe. He has not lost control and none of the events of this year took Him by surprise. Nothing in the coming year will catch Him off guard either.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Ps 34:18). You may have lost someone you love this year. You may have lost your job or business. Your neighborhood may have been rocked by violence and rioting. This year may have broken your heart and for that, I am truly sorry. This horrible year took my big brother. God is near to us dear friend.

“I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand as says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.’” (Is 41:13). Whatever 2021 holds, God holds your hand and promises to help you through it.

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11). The Lord’s plans are not altered by pandemics or politics, grief or pain, job loss or financial struggles. These do not deter God’s good plans for you. He will even use them – somehow – to brings His purposes to fruition.

As the calendar turns from 2020 to 2021, let us put the past year and the days ahead in the hands of our mighty, sovereign, loving Father. Better yet, put yourself in His hands Beloved and let Him carry you through.

Sing to the Lord

Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise in the assembly of the saints” (Psalm 149:1).

It didn’t take long to discover Joy’s favorite Christmas presents – they were all the toys that made music. She loves music. Music has always soothed her – and excited her.  Her mommy said that when she played “All My Hope” by Crowder, Joy would get very active in the womb. I sing when she is upset and I sing her to sleep with songs about Jesus. It is my favorite thing to do. And at 19 months she sings the “ABC Song,” “Jesus Loves Me,” and “God is so Good” very clearly and is making up her own little songs all the time.  It makes this Nana’s heart burst with – well Joy!

The Bible tells us to sing more than 150 times. Psalm 8:2 says “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise,’ and Psalm 149: 5 says “Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for Joy on their beds.” We are called to sing because He is worthy. But singing praise songs is good for you and me too. Several years ago during a serious bout with depression, “After All/Holy” by (again) Crowder came on the radio. I tried to sing, but all I could do was sob until the 2^nd verse and words began to replace my cries, and by the end of that song I was singing with full voice and a face full of tears. It was the turning point in my depression.

The urge to sing is part of what makes us uniquely like our Creator.  He loves to sing. What’s even more amazing is that He loves to sing over me and you. Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Just like I sing to calm my granddaughter, God sings to “quiet you with His love.” God sings when our hearts are weary and sorrowful.  He sings when we are anxious and upset. He sings when we need rest.

As this very difficult year draws to a close, may I encourage you to take some time to sit quietly in His presence and listen for the sound of heavenly music. The God of heaven and earth is singing over you Beloved. It is His favorite thing to do.

Grown-Up Faith

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” 1 Timothy 1:15

I grew up in a Christian home, my mom took us to Sunday School, church, Sunbeams, Vacation Bible School, and so on.  I don’t recall a time when I didn’t know about the God who created the whole world and I always knew that Jesus loved me.  I asked Him into my heart when I was nine years old and was baptized.  For many years I did Christianity my own way until my way proved unstable and God drew me back to the church. But rather than learning Bible stories, this time I began to learn Bible truth, and I started to see things in Scripture I had never seen before. I realized that what I had was “faith” built on sweet Bible legends, but it was not saving faith for eternal life.

Biblical scholar Dr. Irwin Lutzer says that true faith is three-fold. “First it involves knowledge, the fact of Jesus’ death for sinners.  Second, it means we assent to the truths of salvation; finally, it involves trust, the transferring of all of our confidence to Christ alone.”[1]  We recognize our own need for a Savior, confess that Jesus’ death secured our salvation, and believe that through God’s grace we are forever redeemed and set free. Many of us who grew up going to church get to the first stage and most also reach the second. But few will go beyond knowledge and assent to trust.

Faith – saving faith – is more than knowing Bible stories. It is knowing the God behind the stories and surrendering your whole being to Him through trust in Jesus Christ. It is radical and extraordinary and if it doesn’t transform your life, it’s probably not saving faith.

I’m so grateful that the Lord opened my eyes to the truth nearly forty years ago. I decided to fully trust in Him and I’ve never looked back. He’s proven faithful and true every single day. Beloved is your faith in those sweet childhood stories about God or is it in God Himself? Is it time for your faith to grow up?

[1] Erwin Lutzer, The Doctrines That Divide: A Fresh Look at the Historic Doctrines That Separate Christians, (Grand Rapids, Kregel, 1998), 99.

The Gift of Praying Friends

“Some men came, bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them” (Mark 2:3).

I just couldn’t pray. The pain ran deep and wild like muddy water rushing through a broken dam. I was an intercessor but I couldn’t find the words to say on my own behalf. My mind was numb, my heart was shattered. I was broken. And I had to keep it all to myself. I was the one others looked up to, the one with wise answers and a verse for every situation. If they saw me now, I would lose their friendship and respect. I became very good at wearing the mask and hiding my feelings.

But two friends looked past my disguise and saw the raw, open wounds of my heart. And because they loved me – the real me – they prayed the prayers I could not. They prayed over me on the phone. They prayed over me at my office. They prayed over me after Bible study (which I was still teaching), at McDonald’s and Wal-Mart, and wherever we were. They carried me to the Father when I couldn’t carry myself.

In Mark’s Gospel, a group of friends brought a paralyzed man to Jesus for healing. Bearing his weight, they climbed onto the top of the house and tore away the roof to get their friend to the only one who could help him. Interestingly, Mark says “When Jesus saw their faith. . .” He healed him. Their faith. Not the paralytic’s faith. The faith of his friends. I wonder if, like me in my time of distress, the man had any faith of his own left.

Someone you know needs your prayers. Someone needs you to pick them up and carry them to Jesus. They have no strength of their own. They are paralyzed by life’s struggles and unable to go to Him by themselves. The Lord honored the faith of the man’s friends, just as He heard and honored the prayers of my friends. Healing came for the paralyzed man and for me; borne on the wings of others’ faithful intercession. Beloved, let’s look beneath the surface of our friendships. Let’s seek out the ones who bear the heavy burdens, and let’s bring them to Jesus. When my faith was almost gone, the faith of my friends carried me. Who needs your prayers – and your faith – today?

The Truth is . . .

Has anyone ever lied to you?  Ever listened to a politician? Ever asked a toddler, “What have you got in your mouth?” I know people have lied to me. And if I’m truly honest, I’ve lied to people too – but not intentionally. Well, maybe sometimes intentionally. Like that time as a teenager when I . . . on second thought, I’d better not divulge that. Most of the time, the lies I told were when I said I would do something and failed to follow through. That usually comes when I over-promise. I have every intention of doing the thing, but for a variety of reasons, I just can’t pull it off. I’ve eaten a lot of humble pie in my life admitting I fell short of my promises.

Hebrews 6:18 tells us “it is impossible for God to lie.”  God is truth, and everything He says is true. You and I can take it to the proverbial bank. The Bible is God’s Word, thus, whatever the Bible says is the absolute truth.

When the Bible says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1), we can trust that is true.

In the Bible, God said, “I will be with you, I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Jos 1:5). That’s a true and trustworthy promise.

When the Bible says that God is your shield (Ps 7:10), your strength rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, stronghold, and salvation (Ps 18:1-2), you can be assured that you are safe in His arms.

When the Bible says that God sees your trouble and grief and listens to your cries (Ps 101:14,17), you can rest your weary head on His shoulder and pour out your heart into His ears.

When the Bible says that God has good plans to give me a future and a hope (Jer29:13) and that He will fulfill His purpose for me (Ps 27:2), I need not fear the days ahead.

And most of all, when the Bible says God loves you, you can know without a shadow of a doubt that it is the truth, no matter what your feelings or the world may say. Beloved, the God who is the Creator of the universe loves you. And that’s no lie. It’s the truest thing you’ll ever hear.

The Real Jesus

Matthew is one of only two gospel writers to mention the birth narrative.  He wrote to convince the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah of old.  He included details that were pregnant with Jewish prophecy. Luke wrote his gospel account via careful investigation and eyewitness testimonies (Luke 1:1-4). Church tradition maintains that the story of the nativity in Luke came directly from Mary’s remembrances, which is why his gospel is rich with the details of the event. Mothers remember everything about their children’s birth. It’s interesting to me that Luke, writing from Mary’s perspective wrote about lowly shepherds who visited the holy family in the mean stable, while Matthew wrote about wise men – probably wealthy Persian kings – who followed the star to worship the then-toddler.

The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew reaches back to Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish faith, and identified David, the chosen king of Israel. Luke’s genealogy traces Jesus’ lineage back to “Adam, the son of God” (Luke 3:37). Matthew wanted to show Jesus as the rightful King of the Jews.  Luke wanted to show Him as the God-Man, who lived and died in humility among humanity. So was Jesus a King or a common man? Yes and yes. To have a full understanding of Him, we must see Him as both. And as more.

He is the Baby in the manger. He is the itinerant preacher. He is the dead man on the cross. He is the risen Lord. He is the Son of God, seated at the Father’s right hand. He is the Redeemer of the world. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the one who is, was, and is to come. He is part of the Triune Godhead. He is the soon-coming King. He is the Victor who crushed Satan’s head. And He is my Savior. Is He yours?

Christmas is . . .

Despite what my family and friends claim, I love Christmas.  I just don’t like what Christmas has become, especially in the West. Christmas hymns give way to the sweet sound of the ka-ching of the cash register as the stores stock up long before Thanksgiving. There’s no space left for the manger and the baby under our festively decorated trees. “Merry Christmas” is for sale on blankets, dishes, doormats, toilet seat covers, and ugly sweaters. Every celebrity offers their version of “songs of the season” delivered in over-produced T.V specials. And do not get me started on cheesy “Christmas” movies – I would rather walk through shards of broken glass in my bare feet than watch one. In fact, the entertainment industry has done a good job of redefining Christmas for us. Ask most people what Christmas means and the answers are usually:

“Christmas is about caring.”

“Christmas is about sharing.”

“Christmas is about family.”

Christmas, according to the secular world, is about very different things than the church sees.

Or is it? Maybe that’s good common ground for telling the true Christmas story.

Christmas is about a God who cared enough about His lost creation to offer a rescue plan that would cost His One and Only Son His very life (John 3:16).

Christmas is about Jesus Christ who was obedient to the Father’s will to share His glory with once-sinful men (John 17:22).

Christmas is about the Father in heaven lavishing His love on us and adopting us into His family “that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).

For all the ways that we identify Christmas, it always comes back to God’s great gift of salvation offered through a Baby in a manger with a cross on his back.

A Christmas Miracle

This is a different sort of Christmas devotional this morning, and it will probably be my last for a few weeks. I will be having surgery on my right shoulder this morning – and I covet your prayers. But I wanted to share a personal sort of “Christmas miracle” to encourage you and give glory to God.
I’ve been dealing with severe bursitis caused by bone spurs for the better part of a year. After conservative options didn’t offer any relief, we agreed that surgery would have to happen. But there have been numerous hurdles so that I thought it was not to be and resigned myself to be in constant pain. But God. Suddenly messages that had gone unanswered finally connected and the date was set. Then we had a possible COVID scare in our house that would have canceled the surgery. But God. Three negative tests later, we got the all-clear.
Then last Friday came the news that I would have to pay a copay for the surgeon before the surgery, and if I didn’t it would be canceled. Times have been tough financially in our house and I didn’t have that much money just lying around. But God. I told no one, not even my family. I just prayed, and Sunday morning a church staff member handed me gifts for my granddaughter and and envelope. Guess what was in it? Exactly the amount of my copayment plus a little extra for gas to travel to Phenix City where the surgery would be.
God is good my friends.
Another let-minute expense has come up, but I am confident God will take care of this one too. Of course these kinds of miracles happen all year round. But I am calling this my Christmas miracle from God to me.
I’ve written much about the Baby and Mary and Joseph and angels and shepherds and wise men. And they are the story of Christmas. But just in case you think you’re too far away from the manger in Bethlehem, I wanted you to know, Beloved, that God is still doing Christmas miracles today. All year long.
Thank you for you love and prayers and the many words of encouragement and affirmation you have poured out on my and my simple words of devotion. I wish you all a blessed and merry Christmas dear friends.

Why Christmas Belongs to Shepherds – and to You.

I remember an evangelist who told the story of being in the Miami, Florida area to do a revival.  He and the local pastor were driving around inviting people to the revival and witnessing to anyone who would listen.  They found themselves in a very affluent neighborhood with massive houses and expensive cars.  They spied a man out in his front yard and stopped to visit.  After speaking to him of the need for salvation, the man spread his arms in a grand gesture of all that he owned and said, “Saved from what?”  Then he dismissed them with a laugh. That man was Jackie Gleason – famed radio, television, and movie star. 

Perhaps that is why the angels came to lowly shepherds rather than the kings and religious leaders of the day.  People who think they have everything also think they have no need of a Savior. They have so much wealth or power or acclaim that they have no room for faith. Shepherds, especially at the time of Jesus’ birth, were the lowest of the low.  Scholars tell us that these shepherds were likely watching over sheep that would be used in the Passover sacrifice.  Their job was nasty, smelly, grueling, and demeaning.  But they were humble because of their lowly position.  These shepherds were just the kind of people God was looking for – people who would receive the Good News with faith. 

The Bible tells us that when the shepherds heard the angel’s announcement, they said, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened” (Luke 2:15).  They believed the message and set out to find the baby – not because they wanted proof of what the angels said, but because they had faith that it was true.  And when their eyes saw what their hearts believed, they couldn’t help but “spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child” (v. 17)

Do you have faith Beloved?  Do you believe that what God said about the Baby in the manger is true?  Then you can also have faith that this Child is your Savior, your Redeemer, your Hope and Peace, and Joy.  Have faith in what God has done and you will see what your heart believes.

Yeah, Right, a “Virgin Birth”

Wrap your head around this: the baby in the manger was the son of a virgin and the Son of God. The Scriptures say “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son . . . “ Matthew 1:23/Isaiah 7:14.  I know – you’ve heard this scripture a hundred times at least. But have you stopped to consider what it really means? The Protestant Church refers to it as “the virgin birth.” The Roman Catholic church calls it “The Immaculate Conception.” We tend to fly over it but we need to give it some time and attention because it is important.

The word “immaculate” means spotless, without flaw or error, stain or blemish – perfectly pure. That could never happen with two human parents. Joseph was a righteous man, but he had a sin nature like every other human being. Mary was a virgin and she was“highly favored” by God, but she had the same sin nature. Joseph would be Jesus’ earthly father, but not his “biological father.” Mary, however, would be His biological mother – therefore she had to be a virgin – sexually pure. The Scripture said that Mary was “overshadowed” by the Holy Spirit as the “male party” to conception. More importantly, He provided spiritual purity so that the child would be the only human born without a sin nature. Now I am a Bible teacher. I like to make difficult things understandable. But I cannot explain how this occurred. It was a divine action that we must accept with wonder.

Why does this matter? Because you and I are unholy people in need of a holy Savior. Only holy blood  – divine blood – could save the human race. There’s just one problem: God cannot die. That is why Jesus had to be both divine and human. It was the only way to provide the perfect blood sacrifice required to redeem mankind from their sin nature. It is the only hope you and I have.

Beloved, I encourage you to slow down through the familiar Christmas account. Take in every scene and ponder every word. This is not just a warm, fuzzy story to tell around the tree. This story is life. Eternal life. It is wonder and awe. It is Jesus – the God-man who came to save you. Indeed it is good news.