MerryChristmas!

As I sit here on Christmas Eve watching some seasonal specials on television, a song comes to mind that we used to sing when I was growing up.  We sang, ‘I just feel like something good is about to happen; I just feel like something good is on its way.’  Have you ever had a song get in your head and you just keep going over it time and time again?  That is my present condition.

I got to thinking about this song in relation to Christmas and why it came to me tonight.  I’m wondering if there was anybody on the night before the birth of the Christ-child singing a song such as this.  Was anyone anxious for the gift that was about to be born?

As a parent, I know how excited I was before the birth of my daughter.  We couldn’t sleep in anticipation of what was about to take place.  Even though we had other children, we still had a nervous excitement.  We knew what to expect but at the same time we didn’t know what to expect.  But we knew that something good was about to happen.

While Joseph and Mary were attempting to settle in to their temporary home for the delivery, do you think they were excited because something good was about to happen?  Or were they fearful because of who this child really was and what could await him in the future?  Such uneasiness can cause enough stress to make a body feel physically ill.

Was someone excited about the soon-coming birth of Jesus?  The greatest gift the world has ever known was about to be presented in a matter of hours and only his mother and father were present.  There is nothing like being pumped up about something and having no one to share it with.  That was the soon-to-be parents’ present situation.

All these questions made for a serious bundle of nerves.  Knowing that in just a few hours their lives would be changed forever, Joseph and Mary settled in for the night as best they could.  Then they waited for the child to make himself known.

During this Christmas season, we should have a similar anticipation.  Knowing that, once again, Jesus is soon to make an appearance, our excitement level should be through the roof.  The fact that we have waited for so long for His appearance should cause us to be expecting something wonderful. 

Yet, we continue with our busy lives like nothing is going to change.  We don’t have that sense of expectation about us like we did when we first got saved.  Remember when we were so excited about what God was going to do next in our lives and we couldn’t wait to tell somebody about it?  It didn’t really matter what it was, we just couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.

Well, it’s time to get back to our first love.  We need to get back to that place where we maintain a child-like, Christmas Eve mentality when it comes to the things of God.  You know, hoping someone gets saved in the next church service, waiting for revival to bust loose in our church, and looking to the fact that this could be the day of the Lords return. 

What are you expecting from God?  What have you been praying for?  Well, it could happen tomorrow.  I just feel like something good is about to happen.  Make that little tune a part of your daily walk and before you know it, your expectations from God will begin taking shape.  He will give you so much to look forward to.

Thank God for giving us His very best over 2000 years ago and thank God for what He gives us every day.  Merry Christmas to all.  Be blessed.

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A Baby Hidden for You

Apostle Paul said this in 2 Corinthians, chapter 4: But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.  The gospel is not hid from the lost but it is hid to them.  The truth of the Word of God is not hidden so that it can’t be found.  It is hidden so that it can be searched for and ultimately found.

When It came time for Jesus to come into this world in human form, God fully intended for Him to manifest in the simplest form.  Jesus didn’t come as the child of a world-renowned superstar.  He didn’t come as a descendant of earthly royalty.  Yes, He was from royalty but not of an earthly kingdom.  His parents weren’t widely known for their political associations or entertaining talents.  Mary and Joseph were not popular because of their appearance on reality TV.  Jesus came into this world as the child of a lowly young woman and her humble spouse.

God purposely only notified a select few people of His impending birth.  It wasn’t published in the newspapers of broadcasted on television.  Reporters were not camped out near the inn waiting for the money shot of the new, already famous child.  God saw fit to tell a few shepherds in the field.  He knew that their social connections weren’t of any consequence to His plans for this family.

God chose to hide them during a tumultuous time in the land.  Prophecies had been spoken for years about the Messiah who was coming to save everyone.  Scholars and religious leaders knew these prophecies and were concerned about the impact of such a birth on their positions of power.  They were fearful that people would look to this new king as the one to deliver them out of these times of political upheaval.  Folks longed for a king to set them free.

When God set the plan in motion for Jesus to come into the world, His hiding was of utmost importance.  Thus, the choice to tell only a select few.  He knew that the ones He notified of the coming birth would drop what they were doing to go and see the new king.  He knew their hearts and the purity of their souls.  God knew that they would not visit Jesus for any type of political gain or other impure motives.  They would go to Him out of love and reverence for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

So, Jesus was hidden as a baby so that those with the right motives would seek Him and find Him just as He was announced.  One of our problems today is the fact that we sometimes portray Jesus as something that He is not.  Too often, we use Him as a magic genie or a slot machine, hoping that He will give us everything we want.  Then, when He does bless us, we testify how he gave us what we asked for and talk about how much of a giver God is, leaving out the requirement of any responsibility on our part.  So, when someone new to the faith prays, asking God for something and He doesn’t oblige them, they get mad because God wasn’t faithful like everybody said He was.  They don’t know that He wasn’t accurately represented to them, so they walk away in anger.

The gospel is hidden to the lost so that they don’t hear it and act on it prematurely, effectively twisting any future possibilities of their total acceptance of Jesus as He is.  I’m not saying that it would be impossible for them to be saved after that.  What I am saying is that after receiving a twisted presentation of the Christ, the mind can grasp it in so many different ways that they have absolutely no idea just Who he wants to be in their lives.  Thus, the gospel must be hidden until the time designated by God for them to hear His Word as He intends.

I want to encourage you in your future witnessing opportunities.  When it seems that someone doesn’t want to hear what you have to say, don’t feel kicked.  It may not be the right time.  They might not be ready to hear.  That’s not your fault.  If you spend time working on your relationship with the Master, your sensitivity to His leading will increase and you will become more keenly aware of the right opportunities.  There is an appointed time for every person to hear the gospel, at least once.  Do they have to hear it from you?  Of course not.  But at the appropriate time, the right person will be on the scene to reveal to them the truth of the gospel.

In the meantime, continue praying for them and simply show them the love of God.  If you know someone that needs to hear the gospel, pray for God to send the right person at the right time.  Pray that they will hear and gladly receive the gift of salvation through Jesus alone.  While you’re at it, don’t forget to thank Him for saving you too.

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The Lie Called Fear

It’s crazy how we can learn lessons in the most common everyday occurrences of life.  Take today, for example.  I received my lesson as I drove home after work.

I was traveling on a 2-way road as I left work during the evening rush hour.  Traffic on my side of the road had stopped, waiting for the opportunity for someone to make a left turn.  While we were stopped, I noticed a vehicle to my right waiting to turn left into traffic heading in the direction I had just left.

Traffic in the opposing lane had finally eased up, when I saw the person in the car in front of me motion for the turning vehicle to come on out and make their turn.  I thought to myself, ‘That’s a nice gesture.’ 

Well, my feeling of pleasure didn’t last long.  As soon as the car began to come out into their turn, the vehicle in front of me took off, stopping the other car from entering the roadway.  I couldn’t see it with my eyes, but I could sense that person laughing because they had tricked the other driver.

Due to a feeling of pity and anger, I decided to stop and let them out in front of me, the polite thing.  I honestly felt that I was doing the right thing.  But as I sat waiting for their move, I watched them sit still, just looking at me.  They would not move from their spot.

Immediately, I began receiving my lesson.  The turning driver had gotten burned by the person in front of me and decided to wait until there was no one coming in either direction.  They assumed that I would trick them as well.

How many times in life have we been burned by someone and became fearful or suspicious of others after that experience?  It happens more than we would care to admit.

For instance, a woman gets abused by her husband and after they divorce she is afraid that every man she meets will also be abusive.  So, she resists any type of meaningful relationship.  She bases her fear on what she has experienced in her past.

Here’s another example.  A couple becomes an active part of a local church.  They join the church because they feel loved and accepted.  But after a while, something happens, or something is said to cause them severe emotional pain.  Maybe a fellow church member is overheard talking about them.  Maybe the church leadership has become extremely demanding or verbally abusive.  Either way, they are hurt and decide to leave that church.

From then on, they receive multiple invitations to attend various churches in their community.  They want to but are afraid that they will experience the same pain as before.  So, they simply sit at home, occasionally watching a television ministry, hoping that will satisfy their longing for spiritual fulfillment.

Just like the man who would not turn in front of me for fear of being tricked again, sometimes we resist making our next move in life because of what has happened to us in our past.  The pain goes deep.  We try to hide it and explain it away as us being satisfied the way things are.  And the whole time we are crying on the inside, wishing things were different.

There comes a time when we must make up our mind that even though it might hurt; even though it might not work out, we must make a move.  Fear has no business controlling our lives.  Fear is a lie.  Fear tells you that things will end up just like they did the last time when you got hurt.  Fear tells you that there is no way things can ever be different because of what has happened to you.  Fear keeps too many people chained to the bed of compromise, bed of addiction, and bed of hatred.

When we decide that fear is no longer our master, then we can step up and step out into something more than what we’ve settled for.  But it is a decision.  It doesn’t just happen.  You don’t wake up one day and the fear is gone.  You must decide that fear is no match for your determination.

If your previous spouse abused you, make up your mind that all men aren’t that way.  If you have been hurt in a church, make up your mind that all churches are not that way.  The only way for victory to manifest in your life is to recognize and respond to the fact that fear is a lie.

So, what are you going to do?  Will you continue living in fear?  Will all those what-ifs keep taking up space in your mind? Or are you finally going to stand up and say, ‘Enough!  The past is the past.  It’s a new day and I am going to live my life without fear.’  Fear is a lie.  Don’t believe what it says.

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