December 25, 2012 Fully Opened Gift

Fully Opened Gift Luke 2: 36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. AS WE celebrate God’s miraculous gift for you, there’s one thought I‘d like to give with you. You can live the same kind of life Jesus did. Jesus lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. That same Spirit is available to live inside you and change your life. How does this happen? You confess your sins to Jesus and acknowledge him as your Lord, the highest authority in your life—and as your Savior—the One who cancels all the debt of the sin in your life. When Jesus’ Spirit lives in you, you will gradually gain a more clear understanding of God’s will in your life. When you follow his will, you will find that the Spirit fills you with power to take steps down new paths and strength to resist temptation. You will grow in your relationship with God day by day as you hear his voice from the Bible, from the Spirit and from those who teach his Word. You will fall in love with him, and you will know his deep love for you. And in this love relationship with the Almighty God, your heart will then live in peace because your life is focused on the Prince of Peace. You will live in joy knowing the God of the universe cares deeply for you. You will live in hope of a new life with him for eternity. May you joyfully celebrate Christmas, and faithfully anticipate your Savior coming again. Jesus loves you. It’s True! When you unwrap God’s gifts, you will fully receive his loving Savior, his gift for you. Merry Christmas.

December 26, 2012 Seeing God in the Book of Job

Seeing God in Job Job 1:20-22 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; 5 the name of the LORD be praised.” 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. & Job 2:10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” I KNOW. Job’s (Jobes) story is nasty. It’s awful, heart-rending, sad, frustrating, weird and scary—to name a few. Someone said, “Do we have to read Job? I like to read through it as fast as I can.” Well, yes, if you want to get to know God much better, you do have to read Job. What other reason is there to read the Bible? And instead of racing through it, try spending some time in Job’s agony. Then you will more fully celebrate Job’s victory. The verses above are, I think, the foundation of Job’s story. From the Garden of Eden when Eve and Adam decided they deserved more than God had given them in the perfect Eden, humanity has been asking God for more. We blame God for the bad things. We accuse God of not loving or caring for us when life is tough. We turn from him to pursue other things because we think God has too little to offer. Worshiping God is often far from our minds—even if (and especially if) things are going well. But look. See Job’s heart. See Job’s submission. He knows that EVERYTHING is from God. He knows God has the power and the right and the privilege to do with our lives as he pleases. Hard lessons come to us reluctantly. We want to reject them. Most of us never do get it right. Job eventually did. He has some learning to do. Stay with me, and let’s learn with him. It’s True! Great lessons come with great awareness.

December 27, 2012 Turn On the Light

Turn On the Light! Job 3:1-5 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 He said: 3 “May the day of my birth perishes, and the night it was said, ‘A boy is born!’ 4 That day — may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine upon it. 5 May darkness and deep shadow claim it once more; may a cloud settle over it; may blackness overwhelm its light. HAVE YOU ever felt this way? Your mind, heart and soul wrapped in a cloud of hurt and despair, depressed and hopeless? Life’s circumstances can get that way too quickly, can’t they? You can have a very difficult time seeing out of the cloud, can’t you? As Job lives in the darkness that has come into his life through the deaths of his children, the loss of his wealth and his health, he feels God has put a hedge of darkness around him. He says, in verse 26 “I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.” His emotions are a mess. What will he do? The story of Job is the story of a man who works through his grief, despair and depression to see that God really is waiting to help him. Job will assess his circumstances. His friends will accuse him of doing wrong and offer advice. Job will go to God with the intention to tell God why he doesn’t deserve all these problems. In the end, the light of God’s holiness and love will turn on in Job’s heart. He will turn from his pain to see God’s wonder and majesty. He will repent, breathe out his sadness and despair to God, and he will walk out of his dark, depressive cloud into the light of life in God. It’s True! God is bigger than life’s dark clouds.

December 28, 2012 Let Me Care for You

Come and Let Me Care for You Job 5:8-10 “If I were you, I would go to God and present my case to him. 9 He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles. 10 He gives rain for the earth and water for the fields.” IT HAS been an interesting week in ministry. God seems to be moving in hearts to seek him. It seems almost as if people have read these words and said to themselves, “I need help. I need a church. I need to talk to a pastor. I need to know more about Jesus.” I pray that is what is happening. There are so many reasons why people are feeling hopeless frustration, deep anger, imprisoning anxiety, and guilt. They’ve tried a myriad of “solutions” to find ease to their pain. But there is only one solution. Eliphaz is wise to direct Job to the sovereign LORD. Job wants to die. He curses his birth date. He moans for release from his affliction. He’s experiencing all the anguish I listed above and much more. ALL is GONE. Or is it? No, all is not gone. In fact, ALL is waiting for him when he calls on God to say, “I have nothing. You are everything. Can I come to you?” Of course, God will be delighted to say, “Of course you can, Job! I love you. You have lost your family and your wealth. But I am ALL you need. Come here and let me care for you.” It’s True! God offers his ALL to you.

December 29, 2012 Compassion from Heaven

Compassion from Heaven Job 7:17 “What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention, 18 that you examine him every morning and test him every moment?” HAVE YOU ever felt someone’s watchful eye constantly over you? Every time you do something or say something, that person seems to have a “suggestion” for you about how to do something better. That person causes you to feel judged and inadequate without mercy. Job has that feeling with God. He is miserable and feels that God has brought severe circumstances into his life through constant scrutiny in all he does. “Why are you watching me so closely, God? What have I done? Why not concern yourself with larger things in the world? Leave me alone.” We can feel that way in our relationship with our heavenly Father, can’t we? Often we view his laws and his teachings as restrictive judgment on our lives. We prefer he leaves us alone to live as we desire without sense of guilt or of God “watching” our every move. But isn’t it good to know that God does watch over your life? Everything that happens to you is under his guidance and care. Certainly he has a clear path for us to walk in a right way with him, and he makes the way clear because he is a God of compassion. He watches over you with his eyes of love to bring you to look back at him with your eyes of love. Yes, we often may not understand the reason for grief and trouble in our lives. But what do you say and do in response to those hard things? Do you complain to God? Or do you seek God’s compassion and mercy? It’s True! Your compassionate God will care for you as you seek him in the Bible and in prayer.

December 30, 3012 Secure Hope

Secure Hope Job 8:20 “Surely God does not reject a blameless man or strengthen the hands of evildoers. 21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. 22 Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tents of the wicked will be no more.” WHAT DO you think when you look at your life and the world around you? I get a mix of “life” reviews from people I talk with and to whom I minister. Some of you are really struggling with your life circumstances, desperate for hope that you or your loved ones will have a better life. Some of you live with a view that things could be better. You feel you’ve missed some things and long for the filling of those empty places. Some of you have an unquenchable hope for your life as you enter into each day. I think most of us are in the second category. How do we live into the life of true hope for our lives, our family and for our world? I’ll say to you what Bildad said to Job, “Surely God does not reject a blameless man or strengthen the hands of evildoers.” The essence of hope comes in the truth of God’s words for you. Throughout scripture, God promises you blessings of his care over you and hope for your life as follow his ways. God is a promise-keeper. He will do as he says. In God you have the righteous expectation, the true hope that he will guide your life to blessing as you follow him. He’s not promising you riches and comfort. He’s promising you much more—himself. Fix your heart on the Lord of all, and see his eternal truths are for you. It’s True! Hope in God is certain and eternal.

December 31, 2012 Rebuilding Hope

Rebuilding Hope Job 9:21 I am innocent, but it makes no difference to me— I despise my life. WOW. This is tough stuff. Job is at the bottom. He has gone from a satisfied, prosperous life showing a great love and worship for God to a life of bleak depression. He has no hope. He despises himself! That’s one of the reasons this book is hard to read. We see a man beaten down by life’s circumstances. His family is dead. His property is destroyed. All that has given him value is gone. He looks at what has happened to him and says, “Why me? I’m innocent. I’ve lived a life in fear of God. How could this happen? What’s wrong with you God you would let this happen? What did I do?” We often ask those questions, wondering why our sovereign God allows hard things in our lives. Where do we find the answers? Where will Job, and where will we find relief? Let’s look further into today’s reading. Here is good advice about what to do in the darkness: Job 11:13-18 “If only you would prepare your heart and lift up your hands to him in prayer! 14 Get rid of your sins, and leave all iniquity behind you. raid, 15 Then your face will brighten with innocence. You will be strong and free of fear. 16 You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away. 17 Your life will be brighter than the noonday. Even darkness will be as bright as morning. 18 Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety. Creator, Redeemer, Restorer, God not only takes away our sins, he removes our darkness. He gives us hope. It’s True! Life gets better as God gets brighter.