Brief thoughts leading up to the celebration of Christ’s birth and a Christmas carol, Drummer Boy.
Drummer boys. Were they there playing a drum solo for Mary and the baby that night? Doubtful, but drums are still my favorite instrument and I’d love to have played for Him.
Brief thoughts leading up to the celebration of Christ’s birth and a Christmas carol.
He was there, creating. The first book of the Bible, the first chapter reveals, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…”
Imagine then a seed would fall from heaven and be planted in a young teenage girl’s womb not yet given in marriage–an incarnate One.
Imagine the One who made the mountains and the oceans, the sky and the multiple variations of life on the earth would come and dwell on that earth in human form.
Imagine this One as a child growing up like you and me, learning a trade from his earthly father.
Imagine the bewilderment of those around Him marveling at His intellect and uncanny wisdom.
Imagine His baptism and those affirming words spoken from heaven before His ministry would begin, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am pleased.”
Imagine this One healing the leper or the blind man who then went leaping with joy.
Imagine His deep anguish in the garden, His stripes received on the whipping post, His body thrown on a splinter-filled wooden cross with His flesh torn to the bone.
Imagine that, “…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Colossians 2: 10, 11)
Brief thoughts leading up to the celebration of Christ’s birth and a special Christmas song for you.
“A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!” It was a Holy Night just as Isaiah the prophet prophesied 900 years earlier: “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.” (Isaiah 9:6, 7)
There is no peace greater than the peace of Christ in the heart of man. There is no greater government, no other Son given, no better counselor and certainly nothing close to everlasting life without Him.
He is The Prince of Peace for every need you face this Christmas. Call on His Name. Nothing and no one comes close to His love, His acceptance, His approval and His security.
I was sitting in a training meeting recently and found myself thinking about robbing God, of all things. I was considering ways that I might be involved in theft and may not even be considering it as a theft. By theft I mean stealing from God or others for my own selfish desires/gaines vs a loving adherence to God’s word and His desires. Further, I was asking myself if I am in any kind of self-deception, i.e., not seeing what God sees. I’ll let you work through the following scenarios in order to ask yourself the same questions.
You might be stealing if…
You’re not giving your employer 100% for what you’ve been hired for and are supported for.
(See Colossians 3:23, 24.)
You are not claiming on your tax return the “under the table” income you receive.
(See Proverbs 10:2.)
You’re withholding from your spouse financially, emotionally, romantically, sexually or spiritually.
(See Ephesians 5:25-28 and I Corinthians 7:5-7.)
You are not giving away and/or equipping others in what God has gifted to you.
(See Ephesians 4:11-13.)
You are withholding your tithe and offerings and not sowing seed financially.
(See Malachi 3:8, 9.)
You’re living with your boyfriend or girlfriend.
(See Galatians 5:19; I Corinthians 6:18.)
You’re avoiding fellowship and commitment to a local church, robbing yourself and others from fellowship with you.
(See Hebrews 10:25.)
You’re not lovingly sharing your testimony with others so they can hear the good news of Jesus.
(See I Peter 3:15.)
You walked away from the store with too much change and did not return it.
(See Mark 10:19.)
You are failing to spend daily, quality time with your Savior and His word, the Bible.
(See Matthew 13:1; 14:23; Mark 1:35.)
Maybe there are areas you can think of which are acts of theft either passive or more obvious. Integrity certainly connects to what we’re doing when no one is looking, checking up on us or following through with accountability. God has so much more for us. Living life in any of the above ways is living a life that is far beneath what God has for every one of us on this earth.
Please take the time to look up and read the above scripture verses. Let me end with this verse: He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with is own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. (Ephesians 4:28)
Being thankful is a daily exercise. Someone said our normal position in life should be “thanksliving.” Giving thanks can be and should be a lifestyle. We are encouraged to give thanks in all things. A thankful heart is so much better to be around than an unthankful heart. So, in the spirit of an American national holiday called Thanksgiving, here are a few interesting facts surrounding this celebration. Share them with your family around the table.
The American Thanksgiving is modeled after a 17th century harvest feast. However, the U.S. National Park Service states that in 1565 Spanish settlers in St. Augustine, (now Florida), celebrated a meal with Native Americans of pork stew, sea biscuits, wine and beans. It is believed the native Americans provided turkey and venison.
Around 46 million turkeys are consumed which is approximately 720 million pounds of turkey. Approximately 89% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
Forty years ago, Butterball turkey company opened a hotline to answer questions and some 100,000 people call this hotline annually.
The Swanson company began the concept of frozen dinners in 1953 when they overestimated the number of frozen turkeys they would sell. Rather than waste all that meat, they recycled and repackaged it into frozen TV dinners.
Thanksgiving became a national holiday when Abraham Lincoln made it one after the Civil War on October 20, 1864. That move was initiated and lobbied for by a woman named Sarah Joseph Hale most known for writing “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
Other nations also celebrate this holiday in some form or fashion including: Canada, Grenada, Liberia, the Philippines, Saint Lucia and the Netherlands.
The U.S. president “pardons” a turkey from slaughter on Thanksgiving. Where did this tradition come from? It dates back to Abraham Lincoln’s son who was upset that his family’s turkey was going to be killed for dinner.
According to the U.S. Calorie Control Council (who knew there was such a council), an average American may consume 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day.
And finally, the day after Thanksgiving is said to be the busiest day of the year for plumbers!
One day my wife, Mary, a registered nurse, returned home from work with multiple black spots under each eye. I asked her what on earth could have happened at work that evening. She told me, “Oh, you know all those white age spots I had under my eyes? Well, I had the doctor burn them off for me.”
I shared with her that I never noticed any white age spots, but I sure did see the black ones and they were far worse! Mary saw those spots every time she looked in the mirror. Not everyone noticed them, not even her husband, but she did.
We tend to look at a picture of ourselves and see the blemishes: the crooked nose, the mole, the scar, or the receding hairline. The same is true of our emotional blemishes and past sins. We “see” and recall our selfish behavior, our sinful exploits, and our insecurities.
Colossians chapter one states this: “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” (Colossians 1:21, 22)
Here is the really good news: the verses in Colossians tell us that those blemishes are no longer a part of us, we have been made holy and we cannot be accused any longer. We have been forgiven and we are free. We are reconciled and presented holy in His sight, without blemish and totally free from accusation! Stop focusing on the blemishes and start focusing on how your heavenly Father sees you.
(To all veterans. Thank you for your service. Enjoy your special day today!)
As many of us approach election day here in the USA, I thought I would pass along to you some really healthy and sound advice. But first, let me share some of the best advice from God’s word found in I Timothy 2:1-3 from The Passion version.
1-3 The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.
Some very sound advice:
I can deeply love people with whom I strongly disagree. I refuse to demonize any politician who is made in the image of God.
I have enemies and Jesus gave me power over them on the cross, but my battle is NOT against flesh and blood.
When you call someone by an evil name…you have decided that you know their heart. But, the Apostle Paul said, “Who are you to judge the servant of another?”
Associating with, or serving political people, should not be confused with embracing their ideologies. All political offices deserve to be honored according to Romans 13.
I am commanded and called to pray for my leaders. If I don’t pray for them, then I don’t have a right to critique their success or failure.
My first allegiance is not to a political party but to the kingdom of God.
I cannot separate my spiritual views from my political views because the government of this world is being affected and infected by the invisible realm.
Great government doesn’t take away the right of people to sin. It does however, protect people from sinning against others and teaching people to do so.
It’s not the responsibility of government to Christianize the world. That’s the church’s job. Jesus rules the nations with a rod of iron, but He leads the church with a shepherd’s staff. (Bullet points written by author Kris Valloton.)
Lastly, let us keep in mind the innocent in this election, for our vote matters to them. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “This is God’s message: Attend to matters of justice. Set things right between people. Rescue victims from their exploiters. Don’t take advantage of the homeless, the orphans, the widows. Stop the murdering!” (22:3, The Message)
Let’s prayerfully walk out this election like our first allegiance is to the kingdom of God and not to a political party.
Andy was a person who understood personal pain, grief and endurance. He fought in the Revolutionary War. He was captured, slashed across his forehead by a British officer with a sword and would suffer from migraines the remainder of his life.
While imprisoned, he contracted smallpox. His brother died of smallpox, but Andy lived. Not long after his brother’s death, his mother died of cholera and then his brother, Hugh, also died. The hurt and pain within Andy pushed him to inflict pain upon others.
But then, Andy fell in love with Rachel. They married only to find out there was a glitch in a court’s error and Rachel was still legally married to her first husband. It is said that Andy actually fought 103 duels to defend her honor! Andy’s body was riddled with bullets; one near his heart caused severe blood-filled coughing spasms.
Andy then fought in the War of 1812. After returning as a war hero, he ran for the office of the president of the United States. During his campaign his adopted son who was 16 years old died of tuberculosis. He went on to win the election of 1828. He served two terms.
President Andrew Jackson
In his first term of office, he lost Rachel to illness. Overcoming his grief as president, he wiped out the federal deficit before he retired to Nashville, Tennessee.
On his deathbed, Andy spoke of heaven where he would “Go to meet Rachel…and Jesus.”
If you look at the U.S. twenty dollar bill in your pocket you’ll find the engraving of Andrew (Andy) Jackson, the seventh President of the United States.
ONE MAN WITH COURAGE MAKES A MAJORITY (Andrew Jackson)
Think of it–one of you, single-handedly, putting a thousand on the run! Because God is God. Because he fights for you, just as he promised you. (Joshua 23:10 The Message)
No matter the length of time we’ve been married there are times we mess up. Maybe we become angry too soon over a small issue or we forget an important date or we fail to show appreciation for that extra special effort shown by our spouse. In any case, in our humanness we do the wrong thing every once in a while.
And then there’s that reoccurring argument that raises its head up every so often. How do we get over that hump?
We may not try it, but we realize as soon as it happens we can’t take it back. Herein lies the problem. We said it, it’s out there and now we have to deal with it.
However, all too often pride gets in the way of simply humbling ourselves and making a quick apology. We just don’t like to admit we were wrong…again.
Here are a few steps to think about incorporating into your marriage so you don’t keep finding yourselves back at that same old issue or repeatedly feeling bad because you messed up once again.
First, realize that you cannot change history, but you can take responsibility for history and any issues you caused.
If it’s an ongoing issue we need to repent to God, ask His forgiveness and then ask Him for new patterns.
When talking about the issue, we need to both admit our failures.
While we may see things differently, where do we agree?
We need to both humble ourselves, move beyond the problem and then look for, pray for solutions.
What is the solution(s)? What can we both live with, agree upon and walk out together? You might start with the question, “If we could start over, what would we do differently in this area?”
Can we develop a new heart, a new outlook in this area? Can we identify new language to use that would help create a new attitude?
Early in our marriage, I thought Mary, my wife, was a “spender.”” She thought I was pretty “tight.” We didn’t agree on everything financial. Realizing we were stuck, we began to ask God for solutions and suddenly our eyes became open to a deeper truth. Mary was not a spender; she was actually a giver. I was not trying to be tight, but I was concerned about saving for an investment in the future. We were givers and investors. We changed our language as we healed from our financial differences.
Try it. Follow the steps above and ask your heavenly Father to redeem your reoccurring differences and mess-ups.
I entered the US Air Force during the Vietnam war. I was not allowed to just participate without a proper military foundation and so there was this tormenting program called Basic Training. It was months of grueling exercise to get into shape along with mind-altering courses of instruction.
We learned how to stand at attention, stand at ease and how to march. We were forced to dress in military uniform, learning about the “P line” and how to match your shirt line with your belt line, with your pant line. We also learned how to make a military bed, how to clean latrines (Mom would be proud) and what was an acceptable haircut. We were required to participate in various classes on military law, military justice and military history.
As a young man I had never experienced anything like it. The goal of the military drill sergeants was to create an airman, one who was no longer classified as a civilian. Civilian life was over, at least for the next four years. We were to look like, sound like, think like and react like a trained military soldier.
I’ve been told a number of times that as a dedicated Christian I am not living in the “normal” world. Or, that I am “brainwashed.” There are times that I know I can take those comments as a compliment and at other times they trouble me. I guess it depends on who is making the remark.
But here’s an honest observation: If the military thought they could make a soldier out of me by teaching a totally new way of life, then I believe Christ can make a disciple out of me by teaching me His way of life. It takes a renewed mind, a mind that transitions to believe His normal revealed throughout His word, the Bible.
Am I now brainwashed or is my mind being renewed (see Romans 12:2) to think God’s thoughts and to learn to obey His voice? In the military, I had no choice but to do things their way–the military way. And when I discover God’s way, I also discover the best way, the trusted and safe way that now becomes my normality.
Do not be ashamed if you are accused of being different. You are supposed to be different: look differently, think differently, act differently and respond differently. God’s nature is to become your nature. Embrace the difference and be Christ’s soldier, proud to serve in His army!
No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
Steve Prokopchak 