A Steadfast Hope

All Worked Up!

2011-08-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

Contrary to what Maynard G. Krebbs may have thought, work is not always a dirty word. It was my privilege to be raised in a Christian home. As a matter of fact, I cannot remember a time when our family life didn't revolve around the Church. I was born on a Monday and was in Church on Sunday. In the intervening years I was taught the value of worship, Bible reading, prayer and service by my parents - who were fairly young Christians themselves.
In all the years of my childhood I don't think I ever read through the Bible. I knew Old Testament stories and the valuable lessons they taught, and I knew the New Testament stories and the truth of the Gospel. I memorized Scripture and received an award: a Bible (which I still have on my shelf!). I knew from a young age that I would be a preacher, and once in Bible college I studied the Scriptures. I just wish I had studied a little more diligently then.
After a number of years in the ministry I began reading through the Bible each year. I discovered many truths that had been hidden to me before because I was reading for knowledge rather than reading to know God deeply. Sometimes my Bible reading was nothing more than moving the bookmark. I say this to my shame, but that's the way it was.
One day, in reading through the Old Testament, I read something that shook me to the core. The prophet Isaiah declared that "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Without being too graphic, he was saying that even our righteous acts are filth to the Lord. They will be discarded. And then I came to Galatians where Paul's whole argument is that our salvation does not depend on our works. Or, as Augustus Toplady wrote, "Not the labors of my hands can fulfill the law's demands."
Up to that point I'd been knocking myself out trying to do enough good things that God would have to love me. I was seeking some overwhelming weight of good deeds that would inevitably tip the scales of God's justice in my favor. But now I had discovered that nothing I could do - preaching, singing, serving, writing, praying, reading - could ever make God love me more than He already did in Christ Jesus.
Don't misunderstand: I still work. But I'm not working to earn God's favor or to be set free from my sin. I'm not trying to earn my salvation or even secure my spot in heaven. I work now because of gratitude. And I have found that I'm not satisfied with all I do. After all, how could you every thank God enough?! I truly want to do more; not to earn God's praise and favor, but to exalt Him more in my life.
I'm so glad that God, in grace, called me to Himself that I might believe in His Son. I am so glad Christ's atonement covers my sins because no amount of digging would produce a hole big enough to bury all my sins. I'm so glad He considered me faithful and appointed me to His service. And I'm so glad He has given me.....
A Steadfast Hope!

Doomsday: Are You Ready?

2011-04-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

The Doomsday Clock conveys how close humanity is to catastrophic destruction - the figurative midnight - and monitors the means humankind could use to obliterate itself. First and foremost, these include nuclear weapons, but they also encompass climate-changing technologies and new developments in the life-sciences that could inflict irrevocable harm. According to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, the amount of time remaining before the total annihilation of humanity has varied over the past 60 years. They started keeping the Doomsday Clock in 1947 by declaring that we were 7 minutes from midnight. By 1953, as the United States was testing hydrogen bombs, the minute hand reached 2 minutes before midnight. In 1962, with the signing of the Partial Test Ban Treaty between the US and USSR, the hand moved backwards and we were 12 minutes from midnight. During the intervening years we have been as close as 3 minutes (1984) and as far away as 17 minutes (1991). Currently, according to the Doomsday Clock, we are 6 minutes from midnight. There is, however, another clock that sits on God's desk. Of course, this is figurative since we all doubt that God actually has a desk! But God's clock is His own and it is the only clock that really matters. His time is not our time, and we obviously can't conprehend time as He does. But His timeline has been moving slowly toward the return of His Son, Jesus Christ. Before the Lord Jesus returns there will be some severe manifestations of the wrath of God. Many believe before these judgments reach the climax in the complete destruction of the world, Christ will call His Bride, the Church, to Himself in the air and we will be with Him forever. No matter your eschatalogical views, there can be no doubt that we are not going to be here forever. Many people are thinking these days that it won't be long before Christians are called home or the Lord returns in majesty, glory and judgment. Of course, there is also the possibility that any of us could die tomorrow. Those who are in Christ will be ushered into the presence of God in heaven because of the righteousness of Christ. Those who stand before God without the wedding garments, who have not been cleansed by the blood of Christ and been made righteous, will be cast into hell for eternity. And despite what you may have heard or read in the news lately from other preachers, hell is a real place, and it is for eternity. The question remains: are you ready? If Jesus Christ were to return today, would He be your Blessed Hope or your holy terror? If you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, today is the day to act. Repent of your sins, confess His Name as the only nmae by which we can be saved, be baptized into Christ and accept His atonement. Then you will be able to live by His power at work in you by His Holy Spirit. If you are a Christian, the question applies to you, also. Are you living in expectation of the return of Christ? Have you committed your life to holiness so that you will be found well-pleasing in His sight? Are you praying for and witnessing to the lost? Are you longing for Christ's return or just passing time here on earth? Friends, doomsday is coming. This world will not last forever. We won't destroy it by pollution or carbon emissions. God will destroy it because of sin as He pours out His judgment on this planet. Only through Jesus Christ can you escape the coming doom. Only then can you have...... A STEADFAST HOPE!

The Bookmark

2010-09-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

In His amazing grace God has preserved for us His holy Word as the ultimate guide for living. Every believer is to feast upon the riches of God’s Word on a daily basis in order to persevere through trials and to successfully discern God’s will. Deep in his heart every believer knows that they are to crave the pure spiritual milk of the Word (1 Peter 2:1). The Holy Spirit drives us on to know the truth and to apply it to our lives. We learn to hunger for the nourishment that feeds our souls.

Every true believer longs to have his life described by David’s words in Psalm 1:2. The sweet psalmist of Israel described the heart of the righteous with these words: But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. Is that a description of your heart’s hunger for the Word of God? Since we know the Word is God’s truth and since we have tasted of His goodness, it should naturally follow that we long to feed on and meditate on the Word each day. The Word brought us to salvation and the Word sanctifies us for the Lord’s glory. It is the spiritual food of which this world knows nothing.

James 1:19 tells us that we should be “swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” This is especially true when it comes to our reading of God’s Word. Quite often we find ourselves hurrying through a passage that is familiar to us that we miss unexpected treasures. We often argue with God’s Word when it conflicts with our opinions. We often become angry when the Word confronts our sin. Instead of being so quick to speak and quick to become angry we need to respond with a humble heart that says, like Samuel of old, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”

In his commentary on the Book of James, J. A. Motyer reminds us of the futile practice of reading God’s Word without paying attention. Motyer writes, “It is possible to be unfailingly regular in Bible reading, but to achieve no more than to have moved the book-mark forward: this is reading unrelated to an attentive spirit. The word is read but not heard.” (J. A. Motyer, The Message of James [Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1985], 64–65)

How we must long for the pure milk of the Word. It is the only Source of true nourishment for our souls. Only by reading the Word of God with attentive ears can we hope to attain
A STEADFAST HOPE.

Doing Business

2010-08-25T07:14:00.000-07:00

In Luke 19 Jesus tells the Parable of the Minas. It is the story of a king going away to receive his official commission, and while he is gone he gives his servants a sum of money with which they are entrusted. He tells them, “Do business with this until I come back.” The NIV says “put this money to work until I come back.” The Greek word is pragma, from which we get the word pragmatic. They were to do something pragmatic with this money; make some business with it. The point is that the man has placed into the care of these servants a generous trust for which they would be held accountable.
What makes this story so compelling is that you and I are in this story. There are only three possibilities. You are either a true servant, a false servant or you are an enemy of Christ. A faithful servant does business with the Master’s gifts and continually receives more opportunities to serve Him. The false servant has received a commission from the Lord but never applies himself to the work of His master. They really don’t care whether Christ’s kingdom comes or succeeds. They simply don’t care. Therefore, they put forth no effort at all. And the enemies figure they can simply ignore the King of glory and suffer no consequence. There are no other categories. And the King is coming. When He comes He will call you to account. The question is: what will you do while the King is away?
Late last summer, my mother-in-law had some surgery and my wife decided to go and spend a week with her. That means I was left at home alone. As tragic as that sounds, and as much as I was tempted like any man to slack off on the job, the house was still standing when she returned home. Furniture had been dusted; the floors had been vacuumed and polished; clothes had been washed, dried and put away; dishes were clean and in the cabinets; and there was an ample food supply in the refrigerator. I even managed to have a surprise for her: I stained the deck on the back of the house!
It would have been easy for me to slough things off since “the boss” was away. I could have let her kingdom fall into ruin and betrayed her trust. But there is one reason I labored to make the house as pleasing as possible: I love her and I didn’t want to see a look of disappointment on her face. She does so much for me and is so valuable to me that I willingly cleaned up after myself each day and stayed up late the night before I drove to Virginia to pick her up in order to get the extra things done.
Christians, our Lord and Master has gone away for a while. He has been crowned the King of kings and Lord of lords. He has received His kingdom and will soon return to reign in splendor and majesty. At that time He will ask us, you and me, to account for how we handled His business here on earth. He will look at us with eager eyes in anticipation of our offering to Him. As a demonstration of our love for Him we must be about His business until He returns. After all, He did say, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (Jn. 14:15).
Bill Hybels once summed up the attitude that should mark all believers: “I would never want to reach out someday with a soft, uncalloused hand - a hand never dirtied by serving - and shake the nail-pierced hand of Jesus.” Our diligent and faithful service provides us with the divine comfort of

A STEADFAST HOPE

A Christian Nation

2010-08-16T12:49:00.001-07:00

The Mayflower was quickly approaching land. Realizing that when they reached land they would need some agreement on social order, this group of a little more than 100 settlers penned the Mayflower Compact and signed it on November 11, 1620. This became the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. After a simple greeting the document states the explicit purpose of their voyage: “Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia.”
By reading our historical records we quickly discover the truth that this nation was founded for the expressed purpose of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These people were missionaries; they recognized that they were ambassadors of Christ who had been given a ministry of reconciliation.
This is exactly what Paul reminded us of in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20. After reminding us of the glorious salvation we have received in Christ, making us new creations by faith, he says, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”
Friends, a part of the reason we have lost our way as a nation is because we, Christ’s own disciples, have forsaken our duty to preach the Gospel to people who need to hear it and be saved. Oh, how we need a revival of evangelism. Surely all of us know someone who needs to hear about Someone Who will save anyone!
If we hope to receive God’s favor upon our land we must come before Him with contrite hearts, seeking His face and His will. We need the humility expressed in Daniel’s prayer. You remember that Daniel was in exile with the people of Israel, and through his reading of Scripture he concluded that the time of exile was nearly over. So, he turned to God in prayer, with fasting, and prayed this prayer found in Daniel 9:4-8. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame —the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you.”
The truth is that if we don’t evangelize and make disciples for the Lord Jesus Christ it won’t matter what kind of government they live under. Republicrat, Democublican, Independent or Tea Party won’t matter at all in eternity. Only in the Name of Christ Jesus can people find

A STEADFAST HOPE

Revival in the Land

2010-08-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

Without fear of contradiction I say that all of us agree that there needs to be a Revival in the Land. There is no doubt that this nation has enjoyed the favor of God for over 200 years; and there is also no doubt that we are exhibiting some of the same patterns Israel followed in their long relationship with Jehovah God. They reveled in His favor and then abandoned Him as their God, then returned to Him in repentance only to turn away again. However, at each turn and with each rejection God continued to hold out life and favor to His people.
I believe with all my heart that there is a way America can once again obtain God’s blessing. Friends, there is no doubt that all of us are grieved over the rancor of partisan politics, the self-indulgent materialism that surrounds us, the rampant indecency, vulgarity, flaunting of sinful behavior and simple lack of common courtesy and respect for one another. But all our efforts to support life, to bring about justice, to support those things that are good and to reject evil and corruption will avail us nothing unless we maintain our devotion to the truth of the Word.
Most of us know that this country started out long before 1776. There were colonies established nearly two centuries prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. You had Roanoke, the Lost Colony in North Carolina and you had two significant landings in Jamestown and at Plymouth Rock. But why did these people come here? We have always been told that America was founded because we wanted to be free to worship as we pleased. That was part of it. But historical records from the first settlers clearly reveal that the goal was evangelism. In earlier posts we have noted the First Charter of Virginia and the Mayflower Compact which clearly have evangelistic overtones.
Another element of our founding was the moral and theological beliefs of the Founding Fathers. The people who played a pivotal and vital role in the founding of America were beyond question Christians. Even a cursory reading of their last wills and testaments will tell you that for these men’s lives the model was Christ.
Samuel Adams wrote, “Principally and first of all, I recommend my soul to that Almighty Being who gave it and my body I commit to the dust, relying on the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.”
Gabriel Duvall, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and later U.S. Supreme Court Justice, wrote in his will, “I resign my soul into the hands of the Almighty who gave it in humble hopes of his mercy through our Savior Jesus Christ.”
Patrick Henry, “This is all the inheritance I can give to my dear family. The religion of Jesus Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed.”
Friends, these are names with which we ought to be familiar and these testimonies ought to be embedded in our minds. They certainly aren’t the vague innocuous writings of men who had no faith. Did you know that 24 of the 55 Signers of the Declaration of Independence were ministers of the Gospel of Christ? Did you know that the first Speaker of the House of Representatives was a minister of the Gospel of Christ? Did you know that 95% of the 56 Signers were members of some mainline evangelical Church? These were men who knew Christ and preached Christ; men who wanted to see Christ exalted and His Gospel taught. Because only through the Gospel of Christ can future generations obtain
A STEADFAST HOPE!

A Call to Prayer

2010-07-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

E. M. Bounds once said, “What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use--men of prayer, men mighty in prayer.” (Power Through Prayer, (Baker Book House), p. 3)
Most of us would agree that America needs a spiritual awakening. We lament the suppression of religious freedom, but if the truth were known it may be that we have had these rights and privileges ripped from our culture because God’s own people have fallen asleep at the wheel. We often lament that as a nation “we have forgotten God.” But what about “we as His people?” Have we not neglected our privilege to commune with Him? Have we not abandoned His throne room as the court of our petitions? Could it be that we have failed in impacting the world with the Gospel because we “could not watch for one hour”?
God always moves when His people pray. Israel was delivered from bondage because they cried out to the Lord for deliverance. The Church was born in a prayer meeting and experienced dramatic growth as a result. This nation has had two Great Awakenings that came as a direct result of God’s people joining forces and crashing the gates of heaven to pursue the blessing and favor of God. We are at a crossroads as a nation. We need another awakening, another revival. And it must begin with God’s people. It must begin with us on our faces before God in prayer.
Prayer is to the Christian what breathing is to human beings. It is an absolute necessity, for without prayer the believer cannot live. As a human being you don’t have to think about breathing; it is an involuntary reaction to the atmospheric pressure that surrounds us, exerting pressure on our lungs and forcing us to breathe. That’s why it’s harder for you to hold your breath than it is to breathe. Similarly, for the believer, prayer is the result of the spiritual atmosphere where the presence and grace of God exerts pressure, or influence, on your life. Prayer is the normal response to that spiritual pressure from above and within us. Every believer, having entered into the divine atmosphere, breathes the air of prayer. That’s the only way we can survive in the darkness of the world that surrounds us.
The purpose of this post is not to convince you of the need to pray. Every genuine believer recognizes his inability to function without prayer, and if you don’t recognize the necessity of prayer in your daily life perhaps it says more about your spiritual condition than you wish to admit. We all know that the exercising of our spiritual muscles through prayer is to be not only a daily practice, but a moment-to-moment reality. Yes, Jesus often withdrew to a quiet place to pray. But prayer was the spiritual air that our Lord breathed every moment of every day as He enjoyed uninterrupted and unending communion with His Father.
If we could get back to that constant awareness of the presence of God, perhaps our nation would once again receive God’s favor. Once we learn to commune with our Father continually we will be assured that His blessing is upon us and we will possess

A STEADFAST HOPE

We've Been Robbed

2010-07-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

Worship was a glorious experience in Israel during the time of King Solomon. He was, undoubtedly, Israel’s richest king and one of the more glorious signs of his transcendent wealth were the two hundred large shields of hammered gold, each weighing about seven-and-a-half pounds. He also had three hundred small shields of hammered gold, each weighing about four pounds. The value of Solomon’s gold shields would amount to over $43 million. We find out later, in 1 Kings 14, that these shields were used for the express purpose of lining the way for King Solomon to go to the Temple of God.
Yet, as wise as Solomon was, according to 1 Kings 11:3-4 he was deceived by the devil when he married foreign women and was not fully devoted to the Lord. The kingdom began to crumble, eventually torn apart with ten tribes of Israel following Solomon's enemy Jeroboam, son of Nebat, in a rebellion against the king, while two tribes remained with Solomon's line, following Rehoboam who succeeded his father.
These gold shields were used to line the pathway of the king on his way to worship. In I Kings 14:25-28 we read, “In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. He carried off the treasures of the temple of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. Whenever the king went to the LORD's temple, the guards bore the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom.”
We all recognize the absurdity of trying to replace gold with bronze. Cheap imitations are poor substitutes. Yet in our country there has been a gradual theft taking place. Those who have risen to power and those with an agenda completely different than the Founding Fathers have progressively robbed us of our history. They have taken the truth and eliminated it from our textbooks in public schools so children do not learn the fundamental truths that founded our nation.
For example: how many school children today know that the First Charter of Virginia explicitly states that the reason the colonist came to this continent was to fulfill a mission "in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God, and may in time bring the Infidels and Savages, living in those parts, to human Civility, and to a settled and quiet Government.” Better yet, how many school children have even read the First Charter of Virginia?
The worst form of revisionist history is omission. As we rediscover the truth about our nation and the Founding Fathers we will uncover the truth that this was a Christian nation founded upon Scripture. If believers will dig deeply and spread the truth about this great nation we may yet be able to pass on to future generations

A STEADFAST HOPE

A Testimony of Amazing Grace

2010-03-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

The apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 1:16 of the power of the message we proclaim. He writes, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” The Gospel of Jesus Christ is powerful enough to take the most hardened of sinners and transform them into a powerful testimony of the grace of God.

The testimony of amazing grace includes some truly amazing stories of radical conversion. There is the story of a Catholic monk named Martin Luther who saw the abuse and hypocrisy of his own life in the church. There’s the testimony of John Newton, a former slave trader who life was totally transformed by God’s amazing grace. There’s the story of Billy Sunday, an early 20th century baseball player whose foul-mouth and hard drinking were exchanged for an evangelist’s pulpit. There’s the story of a religious skeptic named C. S. Lewis whose conversion produced some of the most thought-provoking Christian literature outside of Scripture. There’s the story of Charles Colson, a chief player in Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal whose life was transformed to reach millions in prison.

I believe with all my heart God called me to preach, as amazingly improbable as that would be. I concur with Paul’s assessment in 1 Timothy 1:12. No one is more surprised than I that God would call a scrawny little kid from the hills of Huntington, West Virginia to preach His glorious Gospel. To think that He can see all my sin, faults and failures and still use me to declare His glorious riches is beyond me. The only way I can reconcile such an anomaly is to say, “Isn’t God’s grace amazing?!” I’m just a frail cracked pot, broken before Him so the glorious good news can be seen and heard in me.

Your conversion from sin to salvation may not be as dramatic as Paul’s; no one’s is. You may not have been called to a ministry of preaching the Word of God. But make no doubt about the fact that if you are a Christian, your life is a Testimony of Amazing Grace. You recognize the Source of this grace is God Himself, Who has called you and equipped you for service in His kingdom. You freely acknowledge the Need for grace because previously your sin had separated you from Him. You recognize the Power of saving grace; that it is so much greater than your sin. You understand the Measure of this grace because no one knows the depth of your sin like you do. You have come to appreciate the Purpose of God’s grace extended to you was so that others might come to salvation through your testimony. And you know deep in your heart that the only appropriate Response to the grace of God is adoration and praise.

Friends, if you are not amazed at His grace then you have never truly experienced it. If you cannot stand in sheer rapture at the glorious grace of God poured into your life then you have never been to Calvary. But if you have been there, the strains of amazing grace will flood your soul with adoration and praise. The your life will demonstrate.....
A Steadfast Hope!

One Size Fits All

2008-12-08T06:05:00.000-08:00

We are in the throes of the Christmas season. We have made our lists and checked them twice, and now comes the hard part: what can I buy my wife for Christmas? And the even bigger question: what size?! Years ago I used to carry around in my wallet a little piece of paper with sizes for everyone in the family written down. Ring sizes, shoe sizes, dress sizes, sweater sizes, hat sizes, sock sizes, belt sizes: you name it and I probably had a size for it. Then I discovered the sweetest and most life-saving sign in the department stores: “one size fits all!!”
There is a one-size-fits-all mentality to nearly everything on the market today. I’ve seen advertisements for “OSFA” belts, sweatshirts, camping gear, baseball caps, bar-b-cue grills, racing gloves, foot pillows, sunglasses, hiking gear, scuba gear, cat collars and even OSFA resumes for those who are job hunting. But most of us will agree that one size doesn’t fit all! All of us have different sizes and shapes and that’s what makes us unique, special, adorable, awesome.
But when it comes to our spiritual life, one size does fit all. What we want to focus on tonight is the size of Christmas. Yes, it is a huge event each year according to the retailers, and it is a huge event when it is seen in context of redemption’s story. After all, it is a big deal that God came from His throne in heaven and took on the form of a man in order to redeem fallen man; it is a big deal that this Baby was destined to be the Savior of mankind; it is a big deal that God pierced the darkness of this world and brought light, life and hope to the world. But consider for a moment that at Christmas time the one size that fits all is SMALL.
In Micah 5:2 we find a very familiar verse that accompanies the birth of Christ. The prophet Micah foretold that the Messiah would be born in a small town: Bethlehem. This town was so insignificant and unimportant that it needed the extra name, Ephratha, to explain where it was. God doesn’t always use the biggest and the flashiest. He chooses to use small, seemingly insignificant towns to grow up leaders and witnesses for Him.
We are also told in this verse about the virgin who would bear God’s Son. Mary and Joseph were not royalty; they weren’t wealthy; they weren’t influential; they weren’t from the upper crust or among the movers-and-shakers. They were simple, ordinary humble people who yielded themselves to the God of glory in order to accomplish His divine purposes. Humility marked them as distinguished servants. Their egos weren’t big; their agenda wasn’t a priority; their rank wasn’t important. In the eyes of the world these were small people. But God sometimes uses small people to accomplish His greatest works.
A final important fact in Micah’s prophecy was that it told of the birth of a small Child. Yes, this was an extraordinary Child. He would be the Promised One, the Messiah, the Savior of mankind. God chose to come and dwell among us as a Child. He was small, meek, trusting, dependent, obedient and loving. He could have come full-grown. But bearing the likeness of a child He demonstrated for us the faith that is required as we come to Him for salvation: a faith that trusts in His provision rather than our own independence.
As you celebrate Christmas this year, remember One Size Fits All. Your town may seem insignificant, but as you hold out the light of the Gospel of Christ it becomes a beacon of great importance. You may think you are unimportant in the scheme of God’s redemptive plan for man. But every believer has a story to tell. So tell your story and show others the way to the manger. Always point them toward that one small Child who came to redeem them. For, in reality, sin has a “one size fits all” clause, too! Leading them to the Christ of the manger will give them

A Steadfast Hope!

Prayer for America

2008-10-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

O great and sovereign God, holy is Your Name and righteous are your wonderful works. You reign over Your universe in splendor and majesty exacting perfect justice and extending divine grace. By Your omniscience You know the end from the beginning; in Your omnipotence You accomplish Your purposes; and in Your omnipresence You see all the acts of man.

Almighty God, we plead for Your mercy upon this nation – though we do not deserve it. We have expelled You from our classroom, eliminated You from the public square, censured You in our Congress and forsaken Your wisdom in our judgments. We have profaned Your Name in our entertainment, mocked Your law in our courts, removed Your Word from our schools and denounced the sanctity of life You created. Even some of the houses built to exalt Your Name have forsaken Your truth and teach nothing more than a humanistic worldview that exalts man and diminished Your greatness.

Heavenly Father, we do not deserve Your favor. In these perilous times we are amazed at Your great patience. We stand in wonder at Your restraint in wiping us from the face of the earth. A nation born in the hearts of men who sought Your guidance, wisdom and favor has slowly progressed to a nation that seldom thinks of You at all. A nation that once favored that its political leaders be Christians now applauds leaders who deny Your very existence, or at the least stand in obstinate and open rebellion against Your Word.

We recognize that there are no perfect political candidates. In this election for the highest office in the land we are given a choice of two very flawed candidates. O God, we do not look to men to rescue us from ourselves. Neither candidate can save us, neither political party can provide protection from divine wrath and no earthly government will deliver its people. Only by Your grace and through faith in Your Son can we find forgiveness of sin, payment for our sin-debt and eternal life. For that reason we look to You for deliverance.

We do beseech You, however, to have mercy on this country. For the sake of Your Name and for Your glory we ask that You intervene in this election. Compel those who claim allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ to exercise their divine privilege to vote and select a man who will honor You. O God of grace and mercy, hear our prayer and answer it according to Your good pleasure. We need Your wisdom and we need You to act on our behalf. Our eyes are on You, o Lord, and we will give You praise and glory forever more. AMEN

Venting Steam

2008-09-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

Normally, I would not use this blog spot for such a personal matter. But with the current financial crisis and since we are in the middle of a presidential election, I felt it prudent to share a few thoughts. You may agree, you may disagree. But if nothing else this will help you think of what is important.
What follows is a letter I e-mailed to my representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. How I wish he would send a copy to all his cohorts. But even if he is the only one who reads it, I have said my piece.

A LETTER TO MY ELECTED OFFICIALS

In the face of our nation’s current fiscal crisis, “we the people” are looking for some real leadership. Our nation was founded on the principles of a free market economy which is driven by enterprise rather than socialism. Slowly but surely, our elected leaders have slid down the shady slippery slope of greed and corruption. Corporate greed is not isolated to Wall Street in New York; it has extended to Pennsylvania Avenue and the U. S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

How about some sensible and responsible leadership that demonstrates that you realize you are the elected representatives of “we the people”? Thank yous go out to those in the House of Representatives who voted on September 29th according to the wishes of their constituents. They kept in mind that the government is by, for and of the people. It would do all of them well to remember that each time they are casting a vote for a bill. How grateful we are for the congressmen and representatives that actually keep in touch with and listen to “we the people.”

As for the rest of Congress who listen to the backroom voices of special interest lobbyists, SHAME ON YOU! You stand in front of a microphone denouncing corporate greed and the “rich getting richer,” while all along you are padding your pockets – whether personally or for your own special interests in your district – with the hard earned money of “we the people.” Pork barrel spending, or “earmarks” as you like to call them, are out of control and should be eliminated. Many of the special interests already have hefty corporate sponsors and tremendous local support. Your additional earmarks are unnecessary – except that they get your name on a stretch of highway. CUT THE PORK NOW!

While you’re cutting pork, here’s another novel idea: CUT SPENDING. The reason one party wants to tax “we the people” more is so they will have more of our money to throw at special interest groups. This tax and spend policy has run amok in Washington for far too long. It has created a welfare state in which people can simply do nothing and get paid for it. I’m sure that’s not what FDR had in mind.

Something else that should be cut in the face of this economic crunch is taxes on capital gains and corporations. This would flood the economy with an infusion of spending and economic growth. So, suspend the capital gains tax and the corporate tax for two years. Let the economy grow, as it always does, in the free market of capitalism.

“We the people” are not interested in buying into a financial game that is corrupt, irresponsible and unaccountable. As was reported in the Wall Street Journal, $700 billion is just a “really high number.” Instead of putting “we the people” on the hook for a debt we had nothing to do with why not hold people accountable for what they’ve done. FIRE the people who got us into this mess. Stand up to the representatives who were in charge when all this fell apart. It would be so encouraging for “we the people” to see one – just one – congressman or representative to stand on the House or Senate floor and tell the American people how they have been robbed by politicians – on both sides of the aisle – through pork and earmarks. If you are voting no on a bill because it is loaded with pork, tell us so BEFORE the vote so we can call, write and e-mail the appropriate greedy representatives.

And now a word to any “we the people” who may happen to read this: how foolish of us to continually re-elect officials who betray the public trust. One U.S. Senator from Alaska is on trial on corruption charges as we write these words. Amazingly, he is still winning his race for re-election. The brains of some “we the people” must be filled with mush. It is indeed time for change. “We the people” must change our attitude toward our government and let our voices be heard. One presidential candidate thinks the way to fix our economy is to take more of your hard-earned money through increased taxes and more spending; the other thinks the economy will grow through the principles of capitalism, meaning you get to keep more of your money and the government controls it less. Remember, folks: “They” represent “us!” Be active – be alert – be informed – and be vigilant.

Running Away

2008-08-12T09:04:00.001-07:00

Joe Louis was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 until he retired in 1949. In 1946 Louis prepared to defend his title against a skilled fighter named Billy Conn. Louis was warned to watch out for Conn's great speed and his tactic of darting in to attack and then moving quickly out of his opponent's range. In a famous display of confidence, Louis replied, "He can run, but he can't hide."
One of the most familiar characters of the Old Testament is the prophet Jonah. He was called by God to do a difficult task. He was called to preach a revival in the city of Nineveh. The problem was the Ninevites were a cruel and wicked people; so wicked that God allowed them to be destroyed at the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar in 612BC. So, in a moment of self-preservation, Jonah hopped on a boat headed in the opposite direction. He got on a boat headed for Tarshish, which was at the farthest ends of the earth at the time: a place in what is now eastern Spain. He was trying to get as far away from where the Lord wanted him as possible.
Running from God gets you nowhere – except in deep trouble. You probably recall that Jonah ended up in the bottom of the ship, then the bottom of the sea and finally in the bottom of a fish. But from the stinky darkness of the fish’s belly Jonah called out to the Lord. No longer satisfied with rebellion he turned to the Lord for deliverance. He turned a fish’s belly into a sanctuary of praise and worship.
Here are three quick truths we learn from Jonah. First, God often uses people in spite of themselves. Our fears of rejection and even our dislike for people who may not be like us often keep us from fulfilling the Lord’s mission. So, we run from Him and try to get as far away from people as possible. When we seem to be at our lowest point, God is able to get our attention and draw us back to Himself. No longer on the run from God we are eager to run to Him and fulfill His purpose for us.
Secondly, reluctance is no match for the Lord’s grace. Jonah had a couple of good reasons for not wanting to go to Nineveh. But his legs could not carry him far enough away from the Lord; his cold heart could not diminish the fire of God’s passion for lost people; his grumbling and complaining could not quench the matchless generosity of Jehovah-jireh (God provides). God’s mercy, for Nineveh and even for Jonah himself, reminds us that God is patient and offers pardon and forgiveness to those who come to Him with repentant hearts.
Finally, Jonah reminds us that we cannot look at those who are alienated from God as a faceless enemy. He learned a priceless lesson in compassion. He also learned that God often gives warnings as opportunities to change, and even though Jonah didn’t think Nineveh deserved another chance God proved once again to be the God of the second chance.
Are you running from an assignment today? Is God calling you out of your “comfort zone”? Well, you can run, but you can’t hide. God has a deep desire to see people around you – people you know who are mean, cruel, wicked and lost – come to Him in repentance and find life. He is constantly holding out hope for the hopeless. Today, He could use you to reach someone in Nineveh who needs to repent and find
A STEADFAST HOPE.

God Dances Over You!

2008-07-29T08:39:00.001-07:00

Frederick Nietzsche, the nineteenth century German philosopher famous for his quote that “God is dead,” stated, “If they want me to believe in their God, they’ll have to sing me better songs . . . I could only believe in a God who dances.” All Nietzsche needed was to read Zephaniah 3:17. All he had to do was listen to Jesus’ words in Luke 15:7 as He described the man who found the lost sheep and invited his friends to rejoice with him. Jesus said, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Scripture reveals that God does indeed dance with joy over His children.
In Zephaniah 3:14-17 we read of the joy God has for His people. “Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
These verses give us three reasons to “be glad and rejoice.” First, according to verse 14, He rejoices over His people. While His love is extended to everyone, He takes delight in and rejoices over His own children with singing. These words come at the end of Zephaniah’s prophecy. Keep in mind that the glory of the Lord departed from the Temple (Ezek. 8-11) when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it. God allowed the Babylonians to take Judah captive because of their idolatry and disobedience. But in the end, God returns in regal splendor, restores the Temple and removes the judgments from the people of Israel. This is a prophecy concerning the coming millennial reign of the Messiah. The fact is that God has always had a remnant of people for whom He holds out love and mercy. He truly rejoices over His own.
Secondly, He strengthens His people. In the last part of verse 16 notice the words “Do not let your hands hang limp.” All of us have experienced fatigue at some point. Because of weariness our hands become weak. Israel was weary because of the discipline of the Lord had led them into captivity in Babylon. But the promise of God was that He would deliver them and renew their strength. Though Israel would endure the captivity in Babylon, they were encouraged to look up and see God’s deliverance.
Thirdly, God pursues His people. Notice the phrase, “He is mighty to save.” In tender compassion God sought Israel to be His people. Though they rebelled time and again, and though they spurned His love for them, still He loved them and came to be their Deliverer.
Notice that verse 17 ends with the reminder that God will “rejoice over you with singing.” We’re right back where we started. Verse 14 tells of the reasons for rejoicing and now we see how God Himself rejoices over us. Can you just imagine the song of God? Can you imagine His voice booming through the heavens? Doesn’t it make you wonder what the song is that He is singing? Well, in Psalm 32:5-7 we read what the song is about. David is in the midst of a personal time of worship in which he confessed his sins before God. He concludes by saying, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” The song of God is a song of deliverance. A song in which He reminds us of our deliverance from the bondage of sin. That is the song with which He surrounds us in order to protect us. We have been delivered and there is no reason to be afraid.
Knowing that God rejoices over you as His child, knowing that He dances over you with joy, should fill you with great joy and gladness, and encourage you to live every day with
A STEADFAST HOPE!

The Trouble with Pride

2008-07-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

It is never wise to overestimate your position or your abilities. Pride has a way of puffing us up to the point that we think we are invincible. Over-confidence can ruin a perfectly good day on the field of conflict or on the field of competition. Perhaps all of us have battled overconfidence at one point or another. My personal balloon, filled with the hot air of pride, was recently burst. The Buffalo Trace Golden Olympics were held recently. This is a friendly competition for senior adults over the age of 50. At the encouragement of a friend I entered the competition in a few innocuous events: golf, basketball free throws and putt-putt. Modesty prevented me from every event because I wanted everyone to have a chance at winning a gold medal. Taking note of the three events I was entered in, I didn’t see the need for much training.

In golf, I won the gold medal simply because the only other person in my age bracket hadn’t played more than once in the past year. We then moved to the basketball court for the free throw competition. I spent about five minutes getting my stroke down and in the process sized up the competition. Outside of my friend’s wife I was the youngest competitor, so I thought my chances were good – if not a clear out cinch - to win. My friend led the way by making nine out of twenty free throws. I was second. I, too, made nine. We moved on to the putt-putt course while the others completed the free-throw competition. We later learned that an older gentleman with a bad leg (he was actually walking around with a crutch!) won the event by making 14 out of 20. Adding insult to injury was the fact that an 83 year-old woman made ten out of twenty!

Still holding out hope for my final event, putt-putt, my friend and I finished tied. As he went off to play softball, I waited around with several others to await the outcome of the later matches. It was official: we were tied for the gold. That’s when his wife stepped up and offered to take his place in a one whole play-off to determine the winner of the Golden Olympics Putt-Putt event. Being a gentleman, and in a move of gamesmanship, I offered to let her putt first. To her surprise, and my dismay, she sank her putt on the first stroke. Dashed were my hopes of a second gold medal, and burst was my bubble of over-confident pride.

It is a dangerous thing to think too highly of yourself. We cannot allow the thought that we are immune to the judgment of God, either. When God spoke to the Edomites through the prophet Obadiah He said, 3The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?' 4Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares the LORD.

If you are a Christian today, don’t allow the thought that you have accomplished anything on your own. It is the Lord Who gives you strength to do whatever you do. So, to Him belongs the glory and praise. And remember: He will not share His glory with anyone! Remember, too, that Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Walk humbly before the Lord and He will give you a steadfast heart.

If you are not a Christian and your pride is keeping you from seeking the Lord, humble yourself now. In 1 Peter 5:6 we read, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” It will be the beginning of
A STEADFAST HOPE!

Looking for Hope

2008-04-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

In the novel, Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., an important book comes to light. It is titles "What Can a Thoughtful Man Hope for Mankind on Earth, Given the Experience of the Past Million Years?" The chief character is anxious to read it. But when he does, he finds that it doesn't take long. The whole book consists of one word: "Nothing."

Many people are concerned with our future these days. One group tells us that we are creating enough emissions that we are burning up the atmosphere and the earth will soon be at a literal boiling point. Others warn of nuclear war, alien invasion, earthquakes or other natural disasters.

Fears about the future drives people to develop some sort of plan to survive. People are concerned not only about their mortality, but about immortality as well. Some religious sects are experiencing unprecedented growth as people seek a way to live forever. The New Age movement offers the hope of reincarnation, or even the possibility that you can become god. Others try the scientific alternatives to death, such as cryogenics. Still others are betting on the fact that when you die, that’s all there is. They dismiss hope altogether and believe there is no life after death.

All these people have one thing in common: they have no hope. Whether they have a bleak view of the future or hold to some humanistic hope for a bright tomorrow or even a self-invisioned heaven, they are all unregenerate in heart.

We who are in Christ know that there are only two possibilities after we leave this life: heaven or hell. God created them both. For those who have faith in Christ have the hope of heaven; those who are lost have no hope and are doomed to experience the eternal hopelessness of hell. It may be that one of the greatest torments in hell will be the realization that the pain will never cease.

What is hope? People use the word as a synonym for a wish or a desire. We hope to visit friends or family soon; we hope to get a tax refund; we hope to break 90 on the golf course. But for the Christian, hope is not a wish, it’s a reality. In the biblical sense of the word hope is fact not yet realized. God has promised it and He will fulfill that promise. In the spiritual sense, hope is the Christian character that gives us a confident attitude toward the future and provides us with the proper motivation to expend our energy in living like Christ to the best of our ability.

Hebrews 6:19-20 says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.” Our hope is grounded firmly in Christ Jesus Who has entered the heavenly Holy of Holies on our behalf, acting as our great High Priest and forever making intercession for us. Peter adds in 1 Peter 1:3-6 that we have been given a “new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” Jesus Christ is the foundation of our hope and since He is unshakable our hope is secure.

If you don’t know that hope, look to Christ today. It is only through Him that you can find……

A Steadfast Hope

Inexpressible and Glorious Joy

2008-03-13T06:04:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the long delay in returning to the blogosphere. But here is another attempt to encourage you in your hope in Christ.

In 1 Peter 1:8-9 the apostle Peter wrote, "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

How is your joy? Do you find yourself languishing in the doldrums because of the things going on in your life? If so, here are a few reminders that will jump-start your joy.
First, we have joy in God’s character. Joy originates in God Himself. He is sovereign, gracious, merciful, just, kind, compassionate, omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. He constantly works all things together for our good (Rom. 8:28), and we therefore have confidence.
Secondly, we have joy in Christ’s sacrifice. When we consider the great sacrifice of Christ on the cross for our sins and are reminded of the fact that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8), we should immediately praise and thank God for His unspeakable Gift and be continuously filled with great joy.
Thirdly, believers have joy in the Spirit’s work. Besides giving us the gift of joy itself, the Spirit of God constantly is working to show us the things of God in order to make us more like our Savior. The Spirit is also the down payment on our eternal inheritance and the Guarantee of our salvation, and He is constantly interceding before the throne of grace on our behalf.
Next, we continually experience joy in spiritual blessings. God’s showers of spiritual blessings never end. We may sometimes get so wrapped up in our little world that we lose our focus on the spiritual blessings we have in Christ.
Another reason we praise God is because of our joy in God’s providence. Divine providence is how God works to coordinate every circumstance to result in our greatest good. When you stop to think how God synchronizes millions of details and situations to accomplish His divine purposes, that’s really more of a miracle than the supernatural occurrences we normally think of.
Sixth, we have joy in our inheritance. When all is said and done many believers have been robbed of their joy because they are too earth-bound. It seems we are no longer captivated with the joyous thought that one day we will enter the unfathomable riches of an eternal home prepared specifically for them. We have settled for the temporary trinkets of this earth and our joy has vanished. If we could get back into the habit of setting our “minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col. 3:2), we would quickly resound with joy in spite of the difficulties and sorrows of this present life.
Seventh, we have joy in answered prayer. John wrote in 1 John 5:14-15 that we have confidence in approaching God knowing that He will answer any request we make that is in accordance with His will. When you stop to think of all the times God has answered your prayers it ought to fill you with lasting joy.
Finally, we have joy in God’s Word. Knowing that God’s Word is “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17) should keep us from ever abandoning our joy before the Lord. Scripture elicits from God’s people an attitude of gratitude and a spirit of joy.

Whenever your joy starts to fade, think on these things and “rejoice always.” Church history records that the early Christians would greet each other with this simple salutation: “Rejoice!” Isn’t that more meaningful than a routine “hi” or “Good morning”? Realizing that joy was a command and a gift they gladly incorporated it into their everyday conversations. It might be a good practice to resurrect. “Rejoice!” Such inexpressible and glorious joy will certainly serve to nurture.....

A Steadfast Hope!

The Wise Men of Christmas

2007-12-24T06:45:00.000-08:00

One of the more mysterious elements of Christmas is the identity of the Wise Men. Over the years perhaps you have wondered, “Who are these guys?” We are fascinated by their presence and their presents. We are drawn to their fancy clothes and mysterious air. Usually we are left with more questions than answers. As a matter of fact, what we think we know about the wise men is the product of the greeting card industry and artists rather than from theologians. Many unfounded and even absurd traditions have crept their way into our Christmas celebrations concerning these mysterious visitors to the Lord’s house. Most people think they were three in number, a symbol of the fact that they might represent the families of Shem, Ham and Japheth – the sons of Noah. Thus, one of them is usually pictured as an Ethiopian. Tradition has given them the names Caspar, Belthazar and Melchior. Supposedly, in the twelfth century Rinald, Bishop of Cologne, discovered their skulls with their eyes still in their sockets facing toward Bethlehem. But all of this in purely conjecture. In all likelihood, this was a large contingent of Magi that arrived in Jerusalem. All we know for certain are the facts we find in Holy Scripture.

From what we can discern from history and Scripture we can conclude that the Wise Men were a priestly tribe of people that can be dated back to the time of Nebuchadnezzar in the Babylonian Empire. According to Jeremiah 39 and Daniel 4 they were consultants to kings. As a matter of fact, they were in many respects “king-makers,” meaning that they were consulted on who was to be made king. According to Daniel 4:9 Daniel had been made “chief of the magi” during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. It is highly probable that Daniel, who was a faithful and loyal servant of Jehovah God, took the time to instruct these priestly Magi concerning the promises of almighty God. For the next 6 centuries they would anticipate the coming of the Promised One, the Messiah. As amazing as it might seem, these Magi came seeking the long-awaited King. In humility and with great sacrifice they came to worship Him and presented Him with gifts fit for a King (gold), a Priest (frankincense) and a Sacrifice (myrrh).

There is a two-fold message to the account of the Wise Men. The first lesson is that God is on control. What we find as we search through Scripture and see the presence of the Magi from six centuries before Christ was born is that God was sovereignly working behind the scenes to accomplish His purposes and plan. He picked out a man named Daniel and placed him in a position of leadership and authority so men would seek the Promised Messiah. God was working all this for His glory because history is His story. Don’t miss that this Christmas. This message is not a conglomeration of a bunch of historical facts; it is the culmination of God’s sovereign work.

This has great significance for you and me, dear ones. If God was so concerned that King-makers would show up at the cradle of His Son at just the right time in history, don’t you think He will do everything He can in order to bring you to His side through faith in Christ? God is in control and He is working to bring you to salvation in Christ.

The second lesson is that God loves all people. It is true that Jesus was born as King of the Jews. But the Jewish people rejected Him. John 1:11-12 tells us, “He came to that which was his own, but His own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” The message of the magi is that God is in control so that if the Jews would not acknowledge Christ as the Messiah-King then these king-makers from Persia would. God’s master plan is unfolding right before their eyes. In an amazing twist of grace the people who should have known missed it and the people from far-away, who should never have guessed it, showed up and worshipped the Savior. Paul reminds us that Jesus came to the Jew first, then to the Greek. Israel rejected Christ, so He reached out to Gentiles so that we could be grafted in, as Paul writes in Romans 11. One day people from every tribe, tongue and nation will gather before the throne of God in heaven.

My prayer for you this Christmas is that you would discover the wisdom of the Magi and offer genuine worship to Christ. The gift He desires most from you is a humbled heart that is bowed low before Him as King and Lord. Such worship and surrender will give you not only a Merry Christmas, but it will also give you

A Steadfast Hope!

The Christmas Spirit

2007-12-11T06:38:00.000-08:00

We have arrived at the Christmas season once again and once again in the morass of crass commercialism we are trying to “keep Christ in Christmas.” We find ourselves working overtime to keep the spirit of Christmas alive. A lady told me recently that she was glad to see all the decorations and lights, and to hear the music put her in “the Christmas Spirit.” As we ponder Christmas this year, there is a question that keeps coming to my mind: what is the spirit of Christmas? Depending on whom you ask you will get a variety of answers, and some of them actually have little or nothing to do with Christmas.

When you read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol you get the idea that for Scrooge the spirit of Christmas is a ghost. So, we’ll automatically dismiss that notion. The liquor industry certainly has their idea of the spirit of Christmas, to the tune of about $30-50 million in December alone. A young boy determined that the spirit of Christmas is sportsmanship. The idea is that you don’t always get what you want; you don’t always win, as it were. Some feel the spirit of Christmas is spreading cheer, so we’ll pass back and forth some four billion greeting cards. For most people the spirit of Christmas is fellowship and family. They’ll gather together and consume incalculable amounts of turkey, dressing, fruit cake and eggnog. For some the spirit of Christmas is gratitude; we are grateful for all the blessings bestowed upon us by our Creator. G.K. Chesterton once remarked, "When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings with toys at Christmas tide. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?"

For some this season of Christmas is marked with a spirit of sadness. Doctors tell us that sadness and depression are heightened during the Christmas season. Especially is this true for those who have lost loved ones during the year and this is their first Christmas celebration without them.

Perhaps the most common response to the question of the spirit of Christmas is that this season is all about giving. Most have the understanding that giving to others is the highlight of the season. Giving with out expecting anything in return is becoming a fleeting notion, however. A large majority of people give in order to get something back. So we’ll exchange gifts that range from a $6 candy bar to a $600 gold lace Gucci blouse to a $6000 plasma television and everything in between.

And Christmas is also the time for some to engage in their own spirit of denying the deity of Christ. For them the spirit of Christmas has nothing at all to do with Christ, from Whom the holiday derives its name. They start to crawl out from under their rocks around Thanksgiving and attempt to keep the focus off the Truth.

Indeed, there are a lot of things that distract us at Christmastime. All of these suggestions concerning the spirit of Christmas have been posited by untold millions of people. And there are probably a host of other things that could be offered as the true spirit of Christmas. But all of them come at Christmas from the wrong direction. They are man-focused, man-centered, selfish motivations for the Christmas spirit. Even the well-intentioned and noble offerings of love, joy, peace and goodwill toward men miss the mark. Some of these suggestions are bad, some are good but all are wrong. I suggest to you that the true spirit of Christmas is worship.

We find this to be the most dominant attitude of all the major participants in the first Christmas ever. From Elizabeth to Zachariah to the angel & heavenly host, the shepherds, the wise men and even the hypocrite Herod we see the main spirit that permeated them was worship. Best of all is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Her song, known as the Magnificat, is recorded in Luke 1:46-55. It is a song of adoring worship for the birth of the Savior. Christ came to “save His people from their sins.”

So, this Christmas remember to worship. Don’t let the hustle and bustle of Christmas interfere with your heart’s rejoicing. Don’t let true worship get lost in the fake message sent by so many at this time of year. Look beyond the light, the garland, the tree and the gifts to remember the greatest Gift, and turn to Him with genuine worship from your heart. Keeping the true spirit of Christmas alive will infuse us with

A Steadfast Hope!

One True Compass

2007-11-27T08:28:00.000-08:00

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

These words from the pen of the apostle Paul stand as a clarion call to all believers to stand firmly in the truth and to demolish every thing that offers itself as a pretense against the truth of God.

Leave it to Satan to empower a little-known author whose modest book sales have thrust him to national prominence. Philip Pullman has written a trilogy of books entitled His Dark Materials. The first of these books has now been made into a major motion picture that is being pushed heavily this Christmas season. The movie is The Golden Compass.

Pullman, a self-proclaimed “agnostic and atheist,” said of his books, “My books are about killing God; trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief.”
He has taken what some describe as the “least offensive “ of the three books and produced it as a movie in an effort to indoctrinate children to atheism. They think if parents can see a simple entertaining movie with their children maybe they won’t be offended by the overt anti-Christian message.

Satan works as an angel of light and lures people into his trap. But Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:12 that “we are not unaware of his schemes.” Don’t play with Satan—or you’ll get burned. Knowing the truth of God's Word will prepare you to defend your faith, and a strong defense of the truth of Scripture will protect your family and loved ones. Only through God's Word can we recognize Satan's schemes. Standing on the truth of Scripture points us in the right direction and gives us

A Steadfast Hope!

Gratitude

2007-11-19T06:39:00.002-08:00

Diminished expectations lead to ingratitude. Without a doubt, Americans are the most abundantly blessed people on the planet. Yet our expectations often hinder our attitude of gratitude. Though flooded with blessings from the hand of our gracious God, we often expect too little from Him by doubting His promises and are thus blind to the abundance He pours upon us. Our expectations are often misguided, expecting Him to answer our prayers according to our wishes rather than seeking His will and glory. When He attempts to shape us for His glory we complain with callous hearts. Each of these responses is inappropriate among God’s people. We, above all people, should understand the need for a proper appreciation of the bountiful gifts bestowed by our Father.

Many people will express thanks this week for numerous benefits they enjoy. People will tell you they are thankful for their family, their health, their house. And they may even begrudgingly express thanks for their job. But there is a big question to ask when people start expressing thanks: thankful to whom? Who is worthy of our gratitude for all these treasures we hold dear? Are we to credit blind chance, fate, karma, circumstances or coincidence for all our blessings? Many will thank their parents or their spouse, their teacher or their boss, their neighbors and friends. It is a classic characteristic of unregenerate people to demonstrate ingratitude, or to give thanks to some ambiguous or innocuous force for their blessings. Romans 1:21 reminds us clearly that fallen unregenerate sinners are without excuse when they deny the existence of God, and that even though they have abundant evidence of His existence and beneficence, “they neither glorified God nor gave thanks to him.”

Believers, on the other hand, know the One from Whom all blessings flow. We readily acknowledge the providential hand of God as the source of our existence and sustenance. We unashamedly declare that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (Jas. 1:17). Because of our intimate knowledge of Jehovah, the Great I AM, we understand the tremendous privilege that is ours to gather together in thanksgiving before Him.

We find an interesting call to worship in Psalm 107:1-3. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say this— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.

Friends, if you have been delivered today you have reason to rejoice and give thanks. Your wandering is ended, your shackles have been torn asunder, your sickness has been healed and your storms have been stilled. If you are still wandering in sin, pining away in a self-imposed prison, reeling from the rebellion that brings sickness to your soul and sinking in the storms of life there is hope! There is a Savior who listens to the pleas of those whose hearts are humbled and repentant. Isaiah 55:6-7 says, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”

This could be the day you could join the chorus of the redeemed! That will give you

A Steadfast Hope!

A First Time

2007-11-12T07:29:00.001-08:00

The old adage says, "There's a first time for everything." Well, here I sit writing my first blog. With a blank page in front of you your mind wanders in search of something notable or meaningful to write. So, this being my first blog, I thought I would include some famous firsts from Scripture. I'll look beyond the obvious: first created thing; first day, first man, first woman, first child born, etc. Instead, let's look at some of the lesser-thought-of but still-significant firsts.

The first sin was pride. Didn't see that won coming, did you?! Satan first sinned in the presence of God by assuming he could usurp Jehovah's authority. He said, "I will ascend to the throne; I will take the place of God." How often people today are beguiled by Satan to follow in his steps of pride. They have no regard for God's authority and sovereignty, and they presume to sit in His place of rule. But such is the folly of following Satan's example. He didn't succeed. His effort to overthrow God failed, and so will everyone else's effort to disregard the Almighty and ignore His right to reign.

The first sacrifice for sin was provided by God Himself. After Adam and Eve sinned God made clothes for them out of animal skins. It wasn't a wardrobe of leaves, but a cloak of skins. This is significant because God sets in place the principle truth for atoning for sin: without blood being shed there can be no forgiveness. So, as He would later in man's history, God provided a sacrifice to cover the sins of mankind. The later Sacrifice, Jesus Christ, is the Perfect Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.

If you don't know Christ as your Savior, you are still walking around without a covering for your sin. That sin separates you from God, and unless atonement is made in your life you will be banished from God's presence for eternity. Only those who have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ by faith have any hope of seeing the Father face to face.That's why we preach Christ. Jesus Himself said that as He is lifted up He will draw all men to Himself. Only in Christ do we have

A STEADFAST HOPE