Revelation 5 can serve to remind us that Jesus is worthy of our praise:
11
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders ; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,
12
saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."
Jesus, the Lamb of God, gave His life so that we might have new life in Him. The perfect sacrifice, substitute for our sin, bore the shame so that we may come to know Him. And, because of who Jesus is - God in the flesh, the Savior of all humanity - and because of what He's done - purchasing salvation for us - our hearts can respond to Him in worship. Worship proceeds from our processing of His nature and glory, and at Christmas, this can truly be a wonderful time to enter in to God's presence, humble our hearts before Him, and give Him our praise.
Revelation 14 presents a stunning picture of heaven, with Jesus, the Lamb of God, on the throne, and 12 x 12,000 people, redeemed by Him, standing before Him in worship:
1
Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.
2
And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.
3
And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.
Test, test, test...1, 2, 1, 2.
Yes, it's National Sound Check Day. Right - one, two, one two. It is 12/12/12, the final repeating date of this century. There are various ways that are being talked about to celebrate it - for instance, there are quite a few weddings planned for this day.
It's also the first day that Pope Benedict XVI released his first tweet on Twitter, using the handle @pontifex. It was sent via an iPad and said: "
12,000 from each
of the 12 tribes of Israel are saved, totaling 144,000 (Revelation 7). A
second 144,000 are gathered from the earth to serve the Lamb and follow
Him (Revelation 14:1-5). The bride of Christ is pictured with a crown
of 12 stars (Revelation 12:1).
The New Jerusalem has 12 gates of
pearls, 12 angels at the gates and the names of the 12 tribes of Israel
over the gates. The wall of the city has 12 foundations of precious
stones; in them are the names of the 12 apostles. The wall is 144 cubits
high (12 x 12). The city is 12,000 furlongs (1,500 miles) square.
Also, at age 12, Jesus appeared at the temple. And, of course, Jesus ordained 12 apostles.
So, today is brought to you by the number 12. And, if we look at where and how that number is used, we're reminded of the redemption story. As Andrew Peterson so skillfully related in song last night at the annual "Behold the Lamb of God" presentation, the story of redemption goes all the way back into the pages of the Old Testament, and includes prophets and kings, and then culminates in the coming of Jesus, the Lamb of God, to earth. The final song includes the words:
"Glory to Jesus
Ancient and strong
Giver of love
And the theme of my song."
God's story is a big, big story: as Andrew read from "The Jesus Storybook Bible" by Sally Lloyd-Jones last night:
“No, the Bible isn’t a list of rules, or a book of heroes. The
Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young
Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a
love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his
throne–everything–to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most
wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!
You see, the best thing about this Story is–it’s true.
There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are
telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and
comes to rescue them.
So, today, with all the fuss about the number 12, we can be reminded that the story of Christmas is a story of redemption, about a loving God who wanted to redeem His people, and to make it possible for them to be with Him forever.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Finding Your Place
In Ephesians chapter 4, Paul encourages us to allow our behavior to line up with our identity, using the place to which He has called us for His glory and honor:
1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We have to recognize the hand of God in our lives - He is sovereignly working to orchestrate the events and circumstances of our lives according to His plan...and perhaps even today, He has you in a place where you can be used mightily for Him - as we are surrendered to His will, He will prompt us and prepare the way for us to speak boldly for His name and to act in a manner to calls attention to our Savior within us. We just have to make sure that we are in that place where He desires for us to be, not walking outside of His will, but devoted to staying in the center of it.
In 2nd Thessalonians 1, the apostle Paul offered a prayer for each of us to fulfill God's call on our lives, walking in His purpose:11 To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will icount you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I was surprised and disappointed after hearing of the resignation of Jim DeMint of South Carolina from the U.S. Senate - he will assume the leadership role of the Heritage Foundation, which is a leading voice for conservative thought, a voice that incorporates a number of principles based on Biblical truth. And, while he was quite influential not only in the Senate, but even moreso in helping conservative Republicans get elected to the Senate.
But, now DeMint senses he can be a more influential cultural voice from a position outside Congress. Here is an example of someone who decided to find his place, which required essentially making a career change. Former Representative Mike Pence is another - someone who has been strong on values-based issues, but who desired to pursue another position, a new call...and he was recently elected Governor of Indiana. Several years ago, former Senator from Kansas Sam Brownback made a similar decision - and he was elected Governor of Kansas. And, he is using that position to advocate for a more Godly state and nation.
Over the weekend, he appeared at an event in which he had been involved in some pre-publicity. It was called Reign Down, which was the latest in a series of prayer and worship gatherings started in Washington, DC in 2008, and which has spread to other cities, including the state capital of Kansas, Topeka, this past weekend. In his proclamation of Saturday as a Day of Restoration in Kansas, he asked "every citizen of our state to join in asking a Holy God to bring healing and restoration – help in mending broken lives, bringing peace to our families, our communities, and this land." In his proclamation, he referenced the faith statements of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and even the secularists' favorite founding father, Thomas Jefferson. He included the line, "...we collectively repent of distancing ourselves from God and ask for His mercy on us." And, at the event, he shared about how his personal faith was strengthened after a bout with cancer back in 1995.
Here's another example of a public figure who has discovered a call from God in public life and has found his place - he is now using that place to call people to repentance in Kansas. And, of course, he has received some flak from some of those groups such as Americans United for the Separation of Church and State that apparently don't believe public officials have the right to express their personal faith.
So, what's your place? Are you using the position to which God has called you for His glory? Or, is there perhaps another place or sphere of influence in which God wants to use you. Sometimes that may involve stepping out of the current order of things in your life, maybe undertaking a new work, or depending on God to make you bolder in your present state. When you are in the center of God's will and totally dependent on His presence and power, it will result in Him using you to communicate His truth verbally and visibly.
Monday, December 10, 2012
An Unseen Heir and an Unseen Inheritance
1st Peter chapter 1 gives us a wonderful picture of who we are in Christ:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4
to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5
who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
We are told in Romans 8 that we are joint-heirs with Christ. And, while a seemingly insignificant birth took place in Bethlehem some 2000 years ago, we now recognize that His birth was significant in God's plan for our redemption. He was born as a man, lived a sinless life in the flesh, and was qualified to give His life in exchange for our sins - because He did that, we now have the promise of an inheritance with Jesus in eternity, and we here and now have the spiritual riches of His glory dwelling within us through the Holy Spirit. We are in Him, and He desires to express His life through us.
Romans chapter 8 reminds us of the heavenly heir, the King of Kings, who was born in Bethlehem - the One who has made us joint-heirs with Himself, and has bestowed upon us through His death and resurrection, incredible spiritual riches in Him.
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
On Friday's edition, I commented on all of the attention focused on the announcement of the royal baby, who will become third in succession to the British throne. And, we pause to reflect on the sanctity of life itself and how this new child is being regarded - as a life, a human being with great potential...as every life should be viewed, created by God.
And, during this Christmas season, we think about another royal baby who came into the world under vastly different circumstances. He was born to a couple that was essentially just part of the crowd, if you were to look through the world's eyes - just part of a throng descending on Jerusalem for a count of people that was decreed by a power-thirsty ruler who was looking to extend his dominance over the people. To a couple of meager means, who didn't even have a place to stay in that royal city, a child was born.
But, what went unseen essentially in Jerusalem that night was the birth of a royal baby, who was the Son of God, heir to the throne of the King and Creator of the Universe. A baby whose lineage went back to the reign of King David, and beyond. A king who was recognized by travelling wisemen, who brought Him gifts, including gold, which was a gift for - royalty!! A king who was also to be priest, as symbolized by the frankincense, and a king who was born to die, as symbolized by the myrrh, which is a substance used in burial.
And, this "unseen heir" would bring essentially an unseen kingdom - while those experiencing the earthly ministry of Jesus thought that He would usher in a kingdom and confront the brutal Roman Empire, He spoke of a kingdom that deals with the overthrow of sin in the hearts of men, an inner work revealed through the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit as His nature is expressed through the way we live. His kingdom, an everlasting kingdom, is a kingdom of love, based on the powerful elements of love, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, which are elements that are unseen in that they proceed from the human soul, but visible in their expression through our lives.
And, this seemingly insignificant, unseen, unnoticed child has brought to each of us an unseen inheritance, as we are joint-heirs with Him. Our inheritance is in heaven, and His Spirit has sealed us, becoming the certainty for what we will receive in eternity and giving us the power to live our lives here and now according to our new nature and our eternal inheritance in Christ.
We are told in Romans 8 that we are joint-heirs with Christ. And, while a seemingly insignificant birth took place in Bethlehem some 2000 years ago, we now recognize that His birth was significant in God's plan for our redemption. He was born as a man, lived a sinless life in the flesh, and was qualified to give His life in exchange for our sins - because He did that, we now have the promise of an inheritance with Jesus in eternity, and we here and now have the spiritual riches of His glory dwelling within us through the Holy Spirit. We are in Him, and He desires to express His life through us.
Romans chapter 8 reminds us of the heavenly heir, the King of Kings, who was born in Bethlehem - the One who has made us joint-heirs with Himself, and has bestowed upon us through His death and resurrection, incredible spiritual riches in Him.
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
On Friday's edition, I commented on all of the attention focused on the announcement of the royal baby, who will become third in succession to the British throne. And, we pause to reflect on the sanctity of life itself and how this new child is being regarded - as a life, a human being with great potential...as every life should be viewed, created by God.
And, during this Christmas season, we think about another royal baby who came into the world under vastly different circumstances. He was born to a couple that was essentially just part of the crowd, if you were to look through the world's eyes - just part of a throng descending on Jerusalem for a count of people that was decreed by a power-thirsty ruler who was looking to extend his dominance over the people. To a couple of meager means, who didn't even have a place to stay in that royal city, a child was born.
But, what went unseen essentially in Jerusalem that night was the birth of a royal baby, who was the Son of God, heir to the throne of the King and Creator of the Universe. A baby whose lineage went back to the reign of King David, and beyond. A king who was recognized by travelling wisemen, who brought Him gifts, including gold, which was a gift for - royalty!! A king who was also to be priest, as symbolized by the frankincense, and a king who was born to die, as symbolized by the myrrh, which is a substance used in burial.
And, this "unseen heir" would bring essentially an unseen kingdom - while those experiencing the earthly ministry of Jesus thought that He would usher in a kingdom and confront the brutal Roman Empire, He spoke of a kingdom that deals with the overthrow of sin in the hearts of men, an inner work revealed through the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit as His nature is expressed through the way we live. His kingdom, an everlasting kingdom, is a kingdom of love, based on the powerful elements of love, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, which are elements that are unseen in that they proceed from the human soul, but visible in their expression through our lives.
And, this seemingly insignificant, unseen, unnoticed child has brought to each of us an unseen inheritance, as we are joint-heirs with Him. Our inheritance is in heaven, and His Spirit has sealed us, becoming the certainty for what we will receive in eternity and giving us the power to live our lives here and now according to our new nature and our eternal inheritance in Christ.
Friday, December 7, 2012
A Royal Baby?
In Job 31, Job poses some very poignant questions for our culture today. When we consider the value of life, we recognize that our intrinsic worth is not determined by our status in life, but by the hand of our creator God - life is a gift, and as we live, we can be challenged to make it our aim to please Him, recognizing that He has a purpose for all of us:
13 "If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me, 14 What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him? Then, verse 15 drives home a great point: 15 Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?
The answer, of course, is "YES". We are all fashioned by God, wired in a certain manner, with a unique DNA and a calling for our lives. And, in order to fulfill God's call and experience salvation, He gives us the opportunity to accept Christ as our Savior. We are born human, made in the image of God and with great value, but we also are born into a fallen world with a sin nature - that's why we need Jesus, who gives us the opportunity to experience His eternal and abundant life.
During this season when we celebrate the birth of a child who would come to be our Savior, we can recognize that each child is special, ordained by God and intricately designed:
13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
It's been big-time news not only in Great Britain and around the Commonwealth, but around the world - a royal baby, the announcement of a child to be born to Prince William and Princess Kate, the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge, who will be an heir to the throne, and there is a move to allow him or her to ascend, even if the child is female.
The Church of England has released a prayer, which states:
"God our creator, we thank you for the wonder of new life and for the mystery of human love. We pray for William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge as they prepare to receive the gift of their child. We thank you that we are known to you by name and loved by you from all eternity, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
13 "If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me, 14 What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him? Then, verse 15 drives home a great point: 15 Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?
The answer, of course, is "YES". We are all fashioned by God, wired in a certain manner, with a unique DNA and a calling for our lives. And, in order to fulfill God's call and experience salvation, He gives us the opportunity to accept Christ as our Savior. We are born human, made in the image of God and with great value, but we also are born into a fallen world with a sin nature - that's why we need Jesus, who gives us the opportunity to experience His eternal and abundant life.
During this season when we celebrate the birth of a child who would come to be our Savior, we can recognize that each child is special, ordained by God and intricately designed:
13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
It's been big-time news not only in Great Britain and around the Commonwealth, but around the world - a royal baby, the announcement of a child to be born to Prince William and Princess Kate, the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge, who will be an heir to the throne, and there is a move to allow him or her to ascend, even if the child is female.
The Church of England has released a prayer, which states:
"God our creator, we thank you for the wonder of new life and for the mystery of human love. We pray for William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge as they prepare to receive the gift of their child. We thank you that we are known to you by name and loved by you from all eternity, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Gaining a World-View
In Psalm 40, the writer lays out an incredible vision of the wonders of the Lord, referring to a tangible expression of God's deliverance, he writes:
(3) Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord. 4 Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 5 Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered.
God is spreading His message to the entire world. Jesus came to die in order that He might redeem all in the world who call upon His name - to every tribe, tongue, and nation, He desires to bring the message of salvation through faith in Christ. And, He will use us to communicate that truth through our words and our actions. In our service, we demonstrate the compelling love of Christ, and in the acts of kindness that we do, we in essence give to the Lord a precious gift - this is an especially relevant message as we think about what we can give Jesus as we celebrate His birth. We love, because He first loved us...
It's called the Great Commission, and we find it in Matthew 28, as Jesus said:
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
For the second consecutive year, our family travelled to Atlanta to volunteer at the regional distribution center for Operation Christmas Child, which brings shoeboxes filled with gifts to needy children all over the world. And, it is quite an operation in this giant warehouse outside of Atlanta - some 600 volunteers came from all over the Southeast - our team had people from Chattanooga, TN and Lakeland, FL...that group had signed up to do multiple shifts over a 3-day period.
And, this is quite a finely-tuned machine...teams are situated throughout the warehouse - on each team, you have a pre-inspector, who looks inside the box and removes a donation envelope for shipping, if that's included. The primary inspector looks through the box for inappropriate items. Then, it's on to the taper, who seals the box with the most high-powered strapping tape known to man; even an overstuffed shoe box is generally no match for this tape. In our training, I had made the comment to one of my kids that taping was essentially the least desirable job...so what was I assigned to for the majority of our 4-hour shift: that's right, taping! And, it actually wasn't nearly as bad or boring as I thought it would be - doing service for the Lord can change the way you think about even what seems to be thankless. The next position is - deep breath now, the cartonizer, who places the shoeboxes in large cartons according to age and gender. There's also a scanner, who scans the boxes that have a barcode label so the box can be tracked.
The atmosphere was lively, there was a pause for prayer and testimony every hour or two, and God was exalted. We were told that the boxes processed that day would be sent to one of 3 countries: India, Latvia, and Lithuania. And, here's a thought I'd like to leave you: I did think I knew where Latvia was, but I did a Google search and found that it is one of 3 countries east of the Baltic Sea, across from Sweden: Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. I then went to a very helpful website, Operation World (www.operationworld.org), and learned more about the missions climate there: there are 34 people groups there, 21% of the people are unreached. Here's a summary of the prayer challenges:
On today's Meeting House, Jill Hardie will continue to talk about giving a gift or gifts to Jesus in honor of His birthday. As we look outside ourselves for opportunities to serve, these are gifts that are shared to, as Jesus put it, the "least of these". This includes children touched by Operation Christmas Child, or by toy outreaches we've been focusing on recently, or giving or getting involved with other ministries. God sent His Son to die for the whole world, and I believe it's great to learn more about how He is at work and desires to work in this world.
(3) Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord. 4 Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 5 Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered.
God is spreading His message to the entire world. Jesus came to die in order that He might redeem all in the world who call upon His name - to every tribe, tongue, and nation, He desires to bring the message of salvation through faith in Christ. And, He will use us to communicate that truth through our words and our actions. In our service, we demonstrate the compelling love of Christ, and in the acts of kindness that we do, we in essence give to the Lord a precious gift - this is an especially relevant message as we think about what we can give Jesus as we celebrate His birth. We love, because He first loved us...
It's called the Great Commission, and we find it in Matthew 28, as Jesus said:
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
For the second consecutive year, our family travelled to Atlanta to volunteer at the regional distribution center for Operation Christmas Child, which brings shoeboxes filled with gifts to needy children all over the world. And, it is quite an operation in this giant warehouse outside of Atlanta - some 600 volunteers came from all over the Southeast - our team had people from Chattanooga, TN and Lakeland, FL...that group had signed up to do multiple shifts over a 3-day period.
And, this is quite a finely-tuned machine...teams are situated throughout the warehouse - on each team, you have a pre-inspector, who looks inside the box and removes a donation envelope for shipping, if that's included. The primary inspector looks through the box for inappropriate items. Then, it's on to the taper, who seals the box with the most high-powered strapping tape known to man; even an overstuffed shoe box is generally no match for this tape. In our training, I had made the comment to one of my kids that taping was essentially the least desirable job...so what was I assigned to for the majority of our 4-hour shift: that's right, taping! And, it actually wasn't nearly as bad or boring as I thought it would be - doing service for the Lord can change the way you think about even what seems to be thankless. The next position is - deep breath now, the cartonizer, who places the shoeboxes in large cartons according to age and gender. There's also a scanner, who scans the boxes that have a barcode label so the box can be tracked.
The atmosphere was lively, there was a pause for prayer and testimony every hour or two, and God was exalted. We were told that the boxes processed that day would be sent to one of 3 countries: India, Latvia, and Lithuania. And, here's a thought I'd like to leave you: I did think I knew where Latvia was, but I did a Google search and found that it is one of 3 countries east of the Baltic Sea, across from Sweden: Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. I then went to a very helpful website, Operation World (www.operationworld.org), and learned more about the missions climate there: there are 34 people groups there, 21% of the people are unreached. Here's a summary of the prayer challenges:
Unprecedented unity in the churches was caused in part by challenges to biblical morality in society. The aggressive lobbying by homosexual and anti-family agendas in particular elicited joint statements and coordinated activism by the churches. But more important are the prayer and worship summits attended by the leaders of almost every denomination and confession – these meetings are the foundation for revival in Latvia. Pray that this unity might reverse the moral tide in Latvia, and that the laity might emulate their leaders to worship and work together for the Kingdom.It's a great time of year to expand our vision for the world that Jesus was sent to earth to die for and redeem. Southern Baptists are engaged in an International Week of Prayer currently, in association with the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. Prayer points include nations such as Egypt and Nepal, embracing the unengaged, and praying for persecuted believers.
Missions vision in Latvia is still in its infancy, but is demonstrating impressive diversity and determination. Pray that this spark might grow into a flame to take the life-changing gospel to the less-reached in Latvia and beyond. Pray also for groups such as Bridge Builders International, the Latvian Evangelical Alliance and its CP-21 vision, which seeks to work with indigenous churches to plant new churches and reach every Latvian.
On today's Meeting House, Jill Hardie will continue to talk about giving a gift or gifts to Jesus in honor of His birthday. As we look outside ourselves for opportunities to serve, these are gifts that are shared to, as Jesus put it, the "least of these". This includes children touched by Operation Christmas Child, or by toy outreaches we've been focusing on recently, or giving or getting involved with other ministries. God sent His Son to die for the whole world, and I believe it's great to learn more about how He is at work and desires to work in this world.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
How Do You Get it All Done?
In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus challenges us to place Him and the things of God at the top of our priority lists: 33
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34
"So do not worry about tomorrow ; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. The Lord will direct us as we seek to structure solid priorities. If we align what's important to us with what's important to Him, He will give us peace and clear direction in our lives - He will, indeed, direct our steps, as the Scriptures promise. The starting point is to put Him at the top of our priority list - and we do that by surrendering our desires to Him, declaring our hearts to be willing to be obedient to Him, no matter what He calls us to do - and as we are committed to growing spiritually, that will affect the way we live our lives and relate to others wherever we are - at home with our families, with family members outside the home, in our friendships, our relationships with people at church, or in our work. If Christ is at the center of it all, our priority list will flow from that.
In Philippians 3, the apostle Paul addresses placing Christ and a relationship with Him as the first priority in our lives:
(8) I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death...
Some comments have gone viral from an interview with one of the most powerful women in America, deemed so by Fortune magazine, which published a story about her recently. Her name is Marissa Meyer, and she is the new CEO of media giant Yahoo!
She was asked by writer Patricia Sellers about how she gets it all done - for example, fixing Yahoo, transforming the culture, hiring new talent, caring for her newborn son…and more! Mayer said that she "ruthlessly" prioritizes and went on to explain that she grew up in Wisconsin rooting for the Green Bay Packers. She cited Vince Lombardi's philosophy: "God, family, and the Green Bay Packers." Then she offered her own: "I think that for me, it's God, family and Yahoo—in that order."
And, it's those three words that have caught a lot of people's attention - number one story from Fortune on Facebook and LinkedIn last week. And, while apparently faith is important to the 37-year-old Lutheran, she was also making a statement about where faith fits on the priorities list.
And, we need to think about priorities, especially this time of year, where our schedules begin to be chaotic and sometimes we are overwhelmed in the stress of the season. And, it obviously shouldn't be that way - we need time to reflect and to refresh, to center our attention on God and the significance of His sending His Son to earth as the greatest gift of all.
This is an idea that noted health and nutrition expert Pam Smith furthered on my radio show this week. It's an idea that I elaborated on in my most recent column for River Region's Journey, magazine, in which I gave some ideas for observing Advent - spending some time on a regular, intentional basis to honor the One who has come to take away our sins. And, there are plenty of ways to do that, from sitting down as a family once a week and engaging in an Advent devotional, to observing some sort of Advent activity during each of the 25 days of December leading up to Christmas Day.
As we attempt to keep our relationship with Christ in its proper position on our priority list, it's so vital that we make room for Him, that we take time for Him, and make it an ambition to stay connected. If Jesus is our #1 priority, then He will help us to structure the rest of our priority list. In the corporate world of Marissa Mayer, that list is "God, family, and Yahoo! - in that order." It calls to mind an old acronym for JOY goes: Jesus, Others, and You. Placing Jesus first, especially in this season when we celebrate His birth, can give us the peace and strength we need to carry on.
In Philippians 3, the apostle Paul addresses placing Christ and a relationship with Him as the first priority in our lives:
(8) I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death...
Some comments have gone viral from an interview with one of the most powerful women in America, deemed so by Fortune magazine, which published a story about her recently. Her name is Marissa Meyer, and she is the new CEO of media giant Yahoo!
She was asked by writer Patricia Sellers about how she gets it all done - for example, fixing Yahoo, transforming the culture, hiring new talent, caring for her newborn son…and more! Mayer said that she "ruthlessly" prioritizes and went on to explain that she grew up in Wisconsin rooting for the Green Bay Packers. She cited Vince Lombardi's philosophy: "God, family, and the Green Bay Packers." Then she offered her own: "I think that for me, it's God, family and Yahoo—in that order."
And, it's those three words that have caught a lot of people's attention - number one story from Fortune on Facebook and LinkedIn last week. And, while apparently faith is important to the 37-year-old Lutheran, she was also making a statement about where faith fits on the priorities list.
And, we need to think about priorities, especially this time of year, where our schedules begin to be chaotic and sometimes we are overwhelmed in the stress of the season. And, it obviously shouldn't be that way - we need time to reflect and to refresh, to center our attention on God and the significance of His sending His Son to earth as the greatest gift of all.
This is an idea that noted health and nutrition expert Pam Smith furthered on my radio show this week. It's an idea that I elaborated on in my most recent column for River Region's Journey, magazine, in which I gave some ideas for observing Advent - spending some time on a regular, intentional basis to honor the One who has come to take away our sins. And, there are plenty of ways to do that, from sitting down as a family once a week and engaging in an Advent devotional, to observing some sort of Advent activity during each of the 25 days of December leading up to Christmas Day.
As we attempt to keep our relationship with Christ in its proper position on our priority list, it's so vital that we make room for Him, that we take time for Him, and make it an ambition to stay connected. If Jesus is our #1 priority, then He will help us to structure the rest of our priority list. In the corporate world of Marissa Mayer, that list is "God, family, and Yahoo! - in that order." It calls to mind an old acronym for JOY goes: Jesus, Others, and You. Placing Jesus first, especially in this season when we celebrate His birth, can give us the peace and strength we need to carry on.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Keep It Short...
Ephesians 5 relates to us a prescription for the words we speak, and how they are spoken:
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children ; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. Verse 4 gives some powerful examples: 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. If our hearts are full of thanksgiving, it will be reflected in the words we communicate - Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. When we are tempted to engage in complaining, or gossip, or harsh words, or other forms of speaking that are not appropriate for a believer in Christ, we can release that power of thanksgiving that is addressed in the final words of verse 4. God's Word, activated by the Holy Spirit, can shape our words and help us to train our tongues to speak words that bring life, hope, and healing. If we're not so quick to speak, weighing our words carefully, and as we rely on God to give us the proper attitude in our communication, then we can bring glory to God in how we relate to others.
Proverbs 10 offers us some time-honored effective principles, challenging us to control our tongues:
19 When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable , But he who restrains his lips is wise. 20 The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, The heart of the wicked is worth little. 21 The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of understanding. There was an important date yesterday - the 20th anniversary of the...text message!!
It's reported on Mashable.com that the first SMS was sent in 1992 by Neil Papworth. He sent the message “Merry Christmas” from his personal computer to his friend Richard Jarvis' Orbitel 901 handset over the Vodafone GSM network.
The first commercial text message was sent a year later, in 1993, and after a relatively slow start is now one of the most popular ways for people to communicate with one another.
The text message has changed the way that many people, especially teens and young adults, communicate. We recognize some would replace the face-to-face or telephone communication with sending a brief text, and the behavior could be contagious:
According to a new study conducted by the University of Michigan, people are more likely to pull out their phone when someone around them does the same.
In the study, researchers watched groups of students, documenting their cellphone use every 10 seconds. Overall, students were on their phones 24% of the time they spent with a friend, and were 39.5% more likely to use their phone when the person they were sitting with had done so in the previous 10-second interval.
And, you certainly don't want to text while driving - it's dangerous, and in many areas, against the law.
But, there are advantages to the text message: it's real-time communication that saves you from having to play phone tag, and enables you to share and receive information without getting involved in a potential lengthy conversation. And, you do well to keep it short - many services have a character limit to the text messages. And, of course, Twitter, which is another way to send short burst of information, has that infamous 140-character limit.
So, as we think about text messages today, we can also think on a broader scale - text messaging can force us to sometimes weigh our words - and even in the verbal realm or written communication, such as e-mail or even letters, we would do well to think before we speak or write. And, if you preface your remarks with "I shouldn't say this, but..." or follow some comments with, "well, I shouldn't have said that", perhaps you have not been using your words wisely. So, we would do well to weigh our words and consider the potential effect of what we say, that could fall outside the realm of what would fall within Scriptural acceptability.
Restrictions on what we say, how we say it, and the way it is spoken can be so helpful to us as we seek to exhibit the character of Christ. The Holy Spirit can change our hearts and our attitudes, which can affect the words we speak.
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children ; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. Verse 4 gives some powerful examples: 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. If our hearts are full of thanksgiving, it will be reflected in the words we communicate - Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. When we are tempted to engage in complaining, or gossip, or harsh words, or other forms of speaking that are not appropriate for a believer in Christ, we can release that power of thanksgiving that is addressed in the final words of verse 4. God's Word, activated by the Holy Spirit, can shape our words and help us to train our tongues to speak words that bring life, hope, and healing. If we're not so quick to speak, weighing our words carefully, and as we rely on God to give us the proper attitude in our communication, then we can bring glory to God in how we relate to others.
Proverbs 10 offers us some time-honored effective principles, challenging us to control our tongues:
19 When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable , But he who restrains his lips is wise. 20 The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, The heart of the wicked is worth little. 21 The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of understanding. There was an important date yesterday - the 20th anniversary of the...text message!!
It's reported on Mashable.com that the first SMS was sent in 1992 by Neil Papworth. He sent the message “Merry Christmas” from his personal computer to his friend Richard Jarvis' Orbitel 901 handset over the Vodafone GSM network.
The first commercial text message was sent a year later, in 1993, and after a relatively slow start is now one of the most popular ways for people to communicate with one another.
The text message has changed the way that many people, especially teens and young adults, communicate. We recognize some would replace the face-to-face or telephone communication with sending a brief text, and the behavior could be contagious:
According to a new study conducted by the University of Michigan, people are more likely to pull out their phone when someone around them does the same.
In the study, researchers watched groups of students, documenting their cellphone use every 10 seconds. Overall, students were on their phones 24% of the time they spent with a friend, and were 39.5% more likely to use their phone when the person they were sitting with had done so in the previous 10-second interval.
And, you certainly don't want to text while driving - it's dangerous, and in many areas, against the law.
But, there are advantages to the text message: it's real-time communication that saves you from having to play phone tag, and enables you to share and receive information without getting involved in a potential lengthy conversation. And, you do well to keep it short - many services have a character limit to the text messages. And, of course, Twitter, which is another way to send short burst of information, has that infamous 140-character limit.
So, as we think about text messages today, we can also think on a broader scale - text messaging can force us to sometimes weigh our words - and even in the verbal realm or written communication, such as e-mail or even letters, we would do well to think before we speak or write. And, if you preface your remarks with "I shouldn't say this, but..." or follow some comments with, "well, I shouldn't have said that", perhaps you have not been using your words wisely. So, we would do well to weigh our words and consider the potential effect of what we say, that could fall outside the realm of what would fall within Scriptural acceptability.
Restrictions on what we say, how we say it, and the way it is spoken can be so helpful to us as we seek to exhibit the character of Christ. The Holy Spirit can change our hearts and our attitudes, which can affect the words we speak.
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