JOY TO THE WORLD

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”  Luke 2:10  (NIV)

 

 

What must those humble shepherds have thought when they heard the angels proclaiming joy for everyone?  Did that include them, even them?  Did they anticipate freedom from Rome?  Perhaps relief from their hardships and marginalization?  How did those shepherds define joy?

As part of that vast throng to whom the message of joy applies, how do we today characterize joy?  Is joy a permanent fix for chronic physical suffering?  Is it the mending of broken hearts?  Is it the realization of a dream that has long eluded us?  How do we define joy?

We know that joy is distinguished from happiness, which is dependent on circumstances.  Joy is not temporary; it’s not based on emotions, relationships, or things; and it’s not egocentric.  Joy can’t be intimidated.  It is a gift from God and is a fruit of the Spirit.  We don’t produce joy; God causes it to grow in us as we love, obey, and abide in him.

This abiding in him in which our heart is turned to him produces that joy that strengthens and empowers us in all circumstances when happiness would abandon.  While happiness seduces us to look inward, constantly measuring personal satisfaction and comfort, joy opens our eyes to the eternal and God’s perspective of our world.  We see his hand, his care, his love, his provision, his opportunity, and so on rather than time-bound circumstances.

On our recent trip to Uganda, we took time to visit the Martyr’s Shrine that honors 45 Christians who died in the late 20^th Century when they acknowledged a King greater than the Kabaka (tribal king).  The young men refused to abandon their faith even when threatened with death.   Some were dragged, others experienced amputation of extremities, and still others were disemboweled.  Those brave Christians were next wrapped all around with sticks and then roasted on a huge fire.  For some it took three days to die.

So what does this have to do with joy?  Those young men are not honored every June 3 on Martyr’s Day simply because they would not denounce Jesus Christ or their faith in him.  The eyewitnesses who watched them suffer said that they all died while singing hymns of praise to their King.  Joy cannot be extinguished by earthly devices.  Perhaps they each experienced that Fourth Man in the fire (Daniel 3:25) who graced them with joy that overcame all pain.

The angel’s message of joy to the world is the gift of Jesus in whose presence is fullness of joy; at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Psalm 16:11).  REAL, never-ending joy that lasts forever.

 

Father, we are so easily satisfied with temporary, superficial things.  Awaken us to the eternal riches that are found only in you.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

THERE’S ALWAYS MORE

 

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.  John 10:10  (KJV)

 

 

I just read about a lady who was known for her extraordinary Christian maturity.  One day her pastor asked her to preach the Sunday sermon believing that her experience would be instructive to the congregation.  On the Sunday when the lady rose to speak, her sermon was short and sweet.  “Dear Friends,” she began, “there’s always more.”  And with that, she sat down.

Just begin to ponder that simple message:  there’s always more.  The God of the Infinite, the one who promised to meet all our needs, the Alpha (beginning) and the Omega (ending), the great Creator never operates in scarcity.  He never runs out of any resource—of love, of grace, of mercy, of patience, of whatever we need.  And there’s no end to the delights of knowing him.

Think of what this means in your present circumstance.  As a parent, spouse, friend, employer:  there’s more wisdom, there’s more understanding, there are more ideas, there’s more love…  As an intellectual:  there’s more to contemplate, there’s more to learn, there’s more to investigate, there’s more for growth…   As a leader:  there’s more direction, there’s more discernment, there are more resources, there’s more creativity…  As a disciple:  there’s more to discover, there’s more to obey, there’s more to abandon, there’s more to enjoy…  We could fill in the blanks indefinitely.  Suffice it to say, that in Christ, there is abundance.

Lest we consider God as having limited resources, just look at his provision for the Children of Israel in the wilderness; for Elijah in hiding; for Ruth in Bethlehem; for David in his wanderings; for Israel in exile; for feeding the four thousand and five thousand; for rescuing you and me; and for the times he is always there for his people.  His hand is not shortened that he cannot save nor is he deaf that he cannot hear our prayers (Isaiah 59:1).

We sometimes treat our spiritual beings as add-ons.  They’re peripheral to our real lives.  But Jesus says I’ve come to give you abundant life, more than we’re currently experiencing.  If we’re not living in abundance, there’s more.  God has more for us than we can think or imagine and waits for us to move beyond our impoverished selfishness into his endless provision of more.  Wherever we find ourselves, there’s always more.  Dare we take the challenge?

 

Father, charge our spiritual imaginations that we reach out in faith to you to receive more from your goodness.  Move us beyond our spiritual poverty into the richness we have in Christ Jesus.  Gratefully, we pray in Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

COMFORT ZONES

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.  Isaiah 40:1  (KJV)

 

I’ve just returned from a mission trip to Uganda and am chuckling over the many ways “newbies” confess to being pushed beyond their comfort zones:  eating grasshoppers as a seasonal delicacy; participating in vibrant church services exceeding four hours; navigating treacherous Kampala (the capital) traffic with thousands of vehicles and few road rules; sweating through days of work with no air conditioning; and extravagant demonstrations of Christian faithfulness.  These “comfort zones” are usually defined with possessives: my, mine or our.

Yes, more and more we identify comfort as a state of personal entitlement and are disenchanted with those who make us uncomfortable.  Think of college campuses where students must have safe zones and where topics that trigger angst among fragile students are to be avoided at all costs.  Even in public discourse, we tend to shy away from anything that challenges our status quo or that would cause us to entertain new or unpleasant viewpoints.  Political correctness is the order of the day with the exception that PC goes only one way; dissenters are labeled with phobias or worse.  So much for comfort…

A cursory glance at a Bible concordance listing God’s view of comfort mostly flips our selfish comfort on its head.  God speaks of comfort residing in him (Isa. 61:2), in his forgiveness (Isa. 40:2), in his touch (Luke 8:48), in the ministry of the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:31), in the Word (Romans 15:4), and so on. It’s all about him.   Comfort resides in being surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ, his will, and his glory.  It’s not about us.

What an excellent opportunity we have during the holidays to enjoy the comfort of our Father as he guides us through the minefields of difficult relations, command performances, mandatory attendance, last-minute shopping, and all the other aspects of Western Christmas traditions.  Will we retreat to the need for safe spaces rather than moving into God’s grace as we encounter people and events that are not of our choosing?  Will we avoid those annoyances that typically ruffle our feathers or will we see how God’s comfort can stretch us to move in his love and Spirit and out of our egocentricity?

May God’s Spirit constantly provoke us each time we begin to say, “I’m not comfortable with…” or “I’m only comfortable when…”   Seems like a great gift this Christmas time would be to get us all out of our comfort zones and into God’s comfort.

 

Father, thank you for your infinite patience with us.  Grace us to trust you in all circumstances.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

HATE TALK

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.  Ephesians 4:29  (NLT)

“Let everything you say be good and helpful…” sets a really high bar for us, doesn’t it?  We are not even to tease others in a way that might be misconstrued or hurtful.  And I don’t think sarcasm falls under the “good and helpful” rule.

These past several months we’ve all heard language that fell far short of being “good and helpful.”  In fact, much of the rhetoric has been abusive and destructive.  We’ve been through a difficult election cycle, and now we are all picking up the pieces left behind from words.  People are being assaulted and property damaged because of words.

Isn’t it interesting that in every generation, in every era, the words of Jesus continue to ring true.  He said, “…I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”  Couldn’t that also apply to the person who’s spewing invectives?  When someone is criticizing or lambasting or verbally abusing us, can we just turn the other cheek?  “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare”  (Prov. 15:1).

I don’t think Jesus is advocating “lying down and letting an enemy walk over you” (Isa. 51:23), but he’s telling us we don’t need to initiate destructive conversations, and we certainly don’t need to perpetuate them.  One of the best ways to terminate negative discussion is to politely excuse oneself saying, This is not good for either one of us.  That’s a positive way of turning the other cheek.  (Not very macho, but you can’t easily argue with someone’s backside.)

When we engage or get sucked into destructive conversation, we move out of God’s peace and blessing (I Pet. 3:9-11, Lk. 6:45, Eph. 5:4).  We open ourselves up to fiery attacks and can easily be wounded in the process.

It is said that during World War II enemy soldiers would taunt GI’s in their foxholes.  As long as the GI’s stayed in place, they couldn’t be touched, but if they stuck their heads out to respond, they were easily picked off.  Isn’t the same true of us?  When we stay in God’s protective grace, shielded by his love, we are safe.  When we are tempted to respond in kind to provocation, we become an easy target.

It’s time to use our words to bring peace and love rather than stirring up strife or stoking the fires of resentment.  Just one word  “fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”  This is a good time to bite our tongues, overrule our egos, and instead “let our words be an encouragement to those who hear them.”

Father, our tongues really can be set on fire by hell.  Help us to, as much as lies within us, live at peace with all people.  Move us beyond our egocentric attitudes, our need to be right, and our desire to strike back.  We want to be more like Jesus and that includes bridling our tongues.  Fill us with your love so that what comes forth really does bless and encourage our hearers.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

GRACE

But he gives us more grace. James 4:6 (NIV)

Reggie’s mom was his life. She was 16 when he was born, and very soon she was the only parent he knew, teaching him to work hard and to be the best he could be. She told him there was right and wrong, but he could only do what was right. Reggie’s mom was his best friend. When he got a football scholarship for university, his mom was right there—working as a housekeeper in the school. And then she died. Reggie said he just wanted to walk off the edge of the world. He wanted to forget sports, and he was ready to drop out of school and life.

Reggie got a call from a mentor who’d heard the news. He called Reggie in and asked what was going on. The usually upbeat young man who wasn’t afraid of any challenge was quitting school and leaving the future he and his mom had planned together. Why? Reggie grasped for a reason that might satisfy the Big Man and quickly spit out a partial truth. “It’s money,” he said. “I don’t have the money.” “How much do you need?” his friend questioned. Reggie gave a figure that he thought was relatively large, and the man reached into his wallet and handed it over.

Reggie told us in church last week that he knew then that, in the midst of his grief, he had to keep going—no excuses. And he said, “That was grace. That’s what our God does for us. He gives us grace.” Just when we most need it. Reggie went on to become an officer in the military, a key executive in various large non-profits, CEO of large business operations, and a leading business consultant. All because someone extended God’s grace, that undeserved, unearned mercy.

To whom can you extend grace today?

Lord, use us as instruments of your grace just as so many times you’ve used others to touch us. We are grateful; help us to express that to the others who need to experience your redeeming grace. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.