the gate

It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David’s town

And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother’s hand to hold

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love

– from A Labor of Love, by Andrew Peterson

Our idyllic misconceptions create in us false expectations about life in this world. Life in this world was not easy for Jesus, yet he was filled with peace. Life for his mother, Mary, was not easy, yet she too had peace. None of the apostles had an easy life, but they had peace . . . and great joy. “…I am overwhelmed with joy despite all our troubles.” (2 Corinthians 7:4)

While holding baby Jesus, Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce her soul. “Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, ‘This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.’” (Luke 2:34-35) What an apt description of what she must have felt as she watched Jesus insulted, mocked, and opposed so many times, and ultimately as she watched him crucified.

Do not let the misconceptions of so many song writers or Christmas card writers distort the meaning of Christmas. Here is the real promise of Christmas –

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. While you are in the world you will have many trials and sorrows. But be of good cheer, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

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Do you have a friend or loved one living in sin, yet professing to be a Christian? Or are you becoming hopeless about the sin in your own life? Then think of God’s relentless grace, and patiently trust in him.

Human sin is stubborn, but not so stubborn as the grace of God and not half so persistent, not half so ready to suffer to win its way. . .[We must never] forget that the center of the Christian religion is not our sin but our Savior.
- Cornelius Plantinga, Not The Way It’s Supposed To Be, p. 199

As the hound follows the hare, never ceasing in its running, ever drawing nearer in the chase, with unhurrying and imperturbed pace, so does God follow the fleeing soul by His Divine grace. And though in sin or in human love, away from God it seeks to hide itself, Divine grace follows after, unwearyingly follows ever after, till the soul feels its pressure forcing it to turn to Him alone in that never ending pursuit.
- Francis Thompson, Hound of Heaven

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This is a very touching story of a man who’s car was stolen. In it he had several items. One in particular that he is giving a reward for. He has his priorities straight. How about you?

Please read it.
Car theft victim: I want my Bible back!

Posted using ShareThis

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I don’t know of any world leader that could do a better job of running this world than God. I don’t know of ANY other person, past or present, that could do a better job — certainly not the guy that stares back at me every day in the mirror. People complain about so many things, but honestly, I don’t know of anyone who could do as good a job as God is doing. So, yes, I’m glad and grateful God is in charge!

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

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On Sunday, I mentioned the hoopla leading up to 2012. Will the world really end then?

(ABC News Photo Illustration)

The movie is coming out, there are websites warning about it, and it’s been a topic in the news (here’s an example).

Regarding the end of the world, let’s listen to Jesus instead.“But no one knows the date and hour when the end will be—not even the angels. No, nor even God’s Son. Only the Father knows.” (Matthew 24:36) Whoever is deluded by those who think they know, please tell them the truth!

What’s sad is that it’s not only people outside of Christianity that get sucked into this delusion. Many Christians give inordinate amounts of time and attention to connecting “Bible prophecies” and current events, and think they have it figured out. Often their major focus becomes looking for and interpreting “signs” rather than abiding in Christ (John 15:1-5) and telling people the gospel.

Here’s what we are clearly told to do because of the end of this present world that will one day occur. “Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:11-13)

1) Live a Christlike life (“what holy and godly lives you should live”).
2) Let our future joy spill into this present life (“looking forward to the day of God” — we don’t look forward to something we are afraid of or indifferent about).
3) Hurry that day along. How, you ask? By telling people the good news of Jesus — “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

So replace the end times hype, hoopla, and fear with the joy and mission of Jesus.

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There is an oft-neglected principle taught in the New Testament. I call it the principle of “graduated responsibility.” This principle is taught by Jesus in Luke 12:48: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded” (NIV).

This saying is part of the parable of the faithful steward. It underscores the terms of the judgment the lord in the parable renders to his servants. The punishment meted out is given in direct proportion to the prior knowledge each servant had:

“That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.” (vv. 47-48, NIV)

Here we see that judgment and punishment are rendered according to knowledge as well as action. The greater the knowledge, the greater the accountability.

Are you a faithful steward over all that God has entrusted to you?

For Further Study

Luke 12:47-48: “And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”

1 Corinthians 4:2: “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” 

– R.C. Sproul - Accepting Graduated Responsibility

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UPDATE 10-6-09 - Check this out
Biggest, Tallest Tree Photo Ever
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[end update]

I took this picture on Sunday, and thought of this poem.

World’s largest Cathedral Tree, nine trees in one!
Approximately 800 to 1000 years ago a very large tree stood in the
middle of this formation. When it fell it didn’t die. The roots and burls
of the stump sprouted and these nine trees happened to grow together
in a circle around the original mother tree’s stump, which has long
since rotted away. This tree is the site of Easter services each year
and also many, many weddings.

I think I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree
A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast.
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray.
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Under whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives in rain.
Poems are made by fools like me
But only God can make a tree.

Alfred Joyce Kilmer
(1886-1918)

Are you joyful like the trees? “…Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord, for He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth….” (Psalm 96:12,13)
“…The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” ( Isaiah 55:12-13)

For me, I know when I don’t stay focused on the wonder and truly good news of the gospel, my joy starts to wane.

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i’ve always thought that is we took the Law and Grace side by side and voted to see which life is harder, i would vote for grace.  i’m not referring to salvation necessarily, because fulfilling the Law to “earn” salvation is not just hard but impossible.  but in the sense of “lifestyle” for lack of better terms, i think grace is much harder.

see, with the Law, we had clearly drawn out rules and expectations that we could enumerate and follow.  for example:

• do not murder - pretty easy (for me at least)
• observe the sabbath - pull up your bark-o-lounger (sp?) and a coke and watch football all day.  what a sacrifice…
• give a tithe of your money to the Lord - grab your calculator and checkbook, not too hard

however, with grace, we have to listen to the Holy Spirit.  we have to consider our character and our values and what is truly important to us.  consider the opposite of the above passages:

• do not be angry at your brother - not so easy is it?
• live in community and fellowship with your brothers and sisters - that can get messy and difficult, right?
• give generously - i don’t necessarily consider 10% generous, it’s more like a calculated expenditure

in 2 corinthians chapter 8 paul teaches the Church about giving generously.  he uses the example of the macedonian churches that “in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality”.  they gave “according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord”.  and trip on this:  “…begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints”.

i’m pretty sure that the macedonian churches had moved on from the tithe at this point.  they were looking for ways to use their earthly resources to support the work of the Gospel and to support the saints.

paul uses a reference to the days in the wilderness where He fed His people with manna in v15 as if to remind them that the Lord will provide for them.

we shouldn’t be storing up our treasures here on this earth.  that stuff rots by morning.  but we should be living in a way that allows God to give us our daily bread, figuratively and literally.

i’m not speaking against all posessions necessarily, i own a house myself.  but our value to support the Gospel work and the saints is evident in how we choose to spend our money.

in v8 paul says “i am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also”.  how we use our money says alot about what is truly important to us.

giving according to the Law = not so hard.  giving generously according to grace = not so easy.

where are your treasures stored?

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another major christian denomination has chosen to set aside clear Biblical teaching on homosexuality and voted to allow openly homosexual people to be ordained and act as clergy.  this is a steady spiral and I don’t really see this being the last of it.  this quote sums up my thoughts pretty well.  it’s a sad day for God’s Church.

“Those who have been actively campaigning for a change of this sort in the other mainline denominations will see this as a sign that they should intensify their efforts,” Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, said in an e-mail. “For those of us who have opposed this on Biblical grounds, it is bound to reinforce the sense that we are no longer welcome in the mainline.”

check out the whole article in the l.a. times

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A certain man wanted to sell his house in Haiti for $2000. Another man wanted to buy it, but because he was poor, he couldn’t afford the full price. After much bargaining, the owner agreed to sell the house for half the original price with just one stipulation: he would retain ownership of one small nail protruding from just over the door.

After several years, the original owner wanted the house back, buthe new owner was unwilling to sell. So the first owner went out, found the carcass of a dead dog, and hung it from the single nail he still owned. Soon the house became unlivable, and the family was forced to sell the house to the owner of the nail.

The moral of the parable is, “If we leave the devil with even one small peg in our life, he will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ’s habitation.”

-Leadership, Spring 1983

Something for all of us to think about.

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