It seems like just the other day, we were anticipating the arrival of
summer. Now with a sorrowful wave, we say good bye to the sunscreen and
hello to the sweaters.
Shakespeare could have been thinking about grandparents and grandkids when he wrote ’parting is such sweet sorrow.’
We are delighted to see the grandkids come. Their excitement and vocal
exuberance cause our heads to spin and our ears to ring. With a smile on
our faces, knowing we can sit quietly in the rocking chair, without
maneuvering through a hazardous maze of strewn toys, we wave good bye.
Some parents in dealing with the pain of saying good bye, teach their
children silly rhymes. In a childish voice they proudly proclaim, “See
you later alligator, in a while crocodile.” Other people standing on
their front porch, while their guests are climbing into their cars, wave
and speak loudly, ‘Good bye! Come again when you can’t stay so long.’
Whether they are being arrogant or just goofing off, their message
implies that they are glad to see you go.
Coming and going is part of life. Even infants are taught to wave and bye bye is one of the first words they learn to say.
Our eyes begin to tear up and we have to swallow hard to keep the
emotions in check as we express our farewells at all kinds of events
where “the leaving” is happening. To eliminate some of the pain, we
cheerfully say, “See you later” or “Catch you next time!”
There is a
certain hope that this will not be the last time we see a familiar face
or receive the warm embrace and feel the closeness of relationships.
Most of us have used similar phrases, without giving it much thought. I
know I have.
When we are told that we will see you later, we respond
with almost steadfast certainty. “Yes, of course!” In making this
pronouncement, we are issuing a promise we hope to be able to keep. Yet,
life throws curve balls at us and whether it is through distance,
sickness, tragedy or death, we break the promise and we never see that
person again.
In a few weeks, Mary and I will be moving from Belmont
and New Life Community Church to assume the position of Lead Pastor at
Roseisle Pentecostal Assembly in Roseisle, Manitoba. Unless we happen to
be by this neck of the woods, or you come out to visit us, the
probability of us seeing each other will be very slim.
There is only
way that you can be absolutely, positively certain you will be able to
see us again after we move away from here. That certainty comes from
having made your peace with God, by receiving the forgiveness Jesus paid
for, and accepting the Lordship of Jesus. With those prerequisites
intact then the anticipation of heaven as your eternal reward will be
applied to your life.
Mary and I, along with many others have asked
God to forgive us and we choose to be followers of Christ. Our home in
heaven is already being built. Mary’s father, our son and grandchild are
people that we have said goodbye to down here and we are so looking
forward to seeing them again.
However, the most important person I
long to see and talk face to face with is Jesus. He is the one who paid
for my sin, my wrongdoing and my selfishness by dying on the cross.
Jesus is the one who loves me so much that he takes the time to count
the hairs on my head. He is the one who paid the ransom price so that I
could be free from the destruction of sinful habits and behaviors. He is
the one who loves me more than I can even imagine.
And that same
Jesus promised. “There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If
that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room
ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come
back and get you so you can live where I live” (John 14:1-4, The
Message).
We really hope and pray that when we wish you a fond farewell and call out as we turn to leave that we WILL see you later.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
The Truth is in the Resurrection
We received the call and I was heartbroken. My grandmother had died. There was no life in her body. It was just a shell. As I stared into the casket holding my beloved grandmother, I was certain they were wrong. To the trained eyed of a seven year old, I was sure I saw her chest rise as she breathed in the air. Surely, she was just asleep.
Many years later, I came to realize it was an illusion based on an intense desire. I wanted her to be alive so I could crawl into her lap, enjoy her hugs and comfort.
Many things are said as someone is drawing their last breath and life is fleeting from them.
“It won’t be long now.”
“I am going to die, so let me go.”
“I wish I could stay around a bit longer.”
“I love you.”
Some make the assertion they will be always watching even when they are beyond the grave. What we don’t hear though is “I am going to die, but don’t worry, before you put that coffin in the ground I will come back to life.”
If we did hear people say it we would believe they were deranged, delusional or just plain lying. No one has the power in themselves to jump out of the box and walk around looking for food to eat or people to hug and encourage once rigor mortise has set in.
However, Jesus Christ did make a similar declaration. He announced emphatically that He would die. He would be buried in a borrowed tomb, but on the third day He would rise again.
Scoffers who heard Jesus make such remarks questioned his sanity. Others pointed their finger at his chest and called him an outright liar and a fool. They were sure he was deranged and headed for the insane asylum.
Jesus called Himself the Son of God. The accurate prophecies predicting His birth, life, death and resurrection proved He was more than just a man. The Bible defines God as the complete essence of truth. Jesus said, “I am the Truth” (John 14:6). There is no falsehood, deception, lying or untruth in Him. Therefore, the statements He makes must every time line up with his character. Otherwise he would be a fraud.
The proof of His nature would be in His resurrection, thus fulling this seemingly preposterous claim. The Bible declares Jesus rose from the grave. Contemporary eye witnesses swore under oath that Jesus rose from the dead. They were too scared for their lives to fabricate a fairy tale when their own lives were in jeopardy. One doesn’t go against the very nature of survival if the event is false and can be proved thus. Ancient manuscripts around the time of Jesus’ resurrection and historians all made the claim, based on known facts, that Jesus did indeed die and three days later rose from the tomb. Based on the evidence, I know Jesus died and rose again.
With confidence, we can receive the words of Christ as truth and believe in their transforming power. Jesus says, “I love you unconditionally.” He tells us He will forgive us and free us from our sins. He promises us a home in heaven where we will be with him forever based on the conditions He has set out.
I pray this Easter season, you will understand the truth of Christ’s resurrection and come to follow Him who loves you so much.
Many years later, I came to realize it was an illusion based on an intense desire. I wanted her to be alive so I could crawl into her lap, enjoy her hugs and comfort.
Many things are said as someone is drawing their last breath and life is fleeting from them.
“It won’t be long now.”
“I am going to die, so let me go.”
“I wish I could stay around a bit longer.”
“I love you.”
Some make the assertion they will be always watching even when they are beyond the grave. What we don’t hear though is “I am going to die, but don’t worry, before you put that coffin in the ground I will come back to life.”
If we did hear people say it we would believe they were deranged, delusional or just plain lying. No one has the power in themselves to jump out of the box and walk around looking for food to eat or people to hug and encourage once rigor mortise has set in.
However, Jesus Christ did make a similar declaration. He announced emphatically that He would die. He would be buried in a borrowed tomb, but on the third day He would rise again.
Scoffers who heard Jesus make such remarks questioned his sanity. Others pointed their finger at his chest and called him an outright liar and a fool. They were sure he was deranged and headed for the insane asylum.
Jesus called Himself the Son of God. The accurate prophecies predicting His birth, life, death and resurrection proved He was more than just a man. The Bible defines God as the complete essence of truth. Jesus said, “I am the Truth” (John 14:6). There is no falsehood, deception, lying or untruth in Him. Therefore, the statements He makes must every time line up with his character. Otherwise he would be a fraud.
The proof of His nature would be in His resurrection, thus fulling this seemingly preposterous claim. The Bible declares Jesus rose from the grave. Contemporary eye witnesses swore under oath that Jesus rose from the dead. They were too scared for their lives to fabricate a fairy tale when their own lives were in jeopardy. One doesn’t go against the very nature of survival if the event is false and can be proved thus. Ancient manuscripts around the time of Jesus’ resurrection and historians all made the claim, based on known facts, that Jesus did indeed die and three days later rose from the tomb. Based on the evidence, I know Jesus died and rose again.
With confidence, we can receive the words of Christ as truth and believe in their transforming power. Jesus says, “I love you unconditionally.” He tells us He will forgive us and free us from our sins. He promises us a home in heaven where we will be with him forever based on the conditions He has set out.
- Admit our need for Him because we all have blown it. We all have sinned against a Holy God in selfishness and rebellion.
- Believe the payment for our salvation based on Jesus sacrificial, voluntary death on the cross, and His resurrection on the third day paid the divine requirement.
- Confess to God that we have sinned and ask God, through the finished work of Jesus to forgive us as we truly want to follow God with all of our hearts, soul and mind.
I pray this Easter season, you will understand the truth of Christ’s resurrection and come to follow Him who loves you so much.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Who's Standard Are You Following?
Have you ever watched Robin Hood? Ever envisioned yourself picking up a bow and arrow, pulling back the string and hitting the bullseye. Maybe you have become a high scorer in archery at Wii Resort. Some of you may pull some arrows whether your bow is straight, recurved or compound.
I once heard of an archer who seemed to be a professional at hitting the bullseye. All over the side of a barn were targets with an arrow stuck in the middle of each one. A bystander amazed at this archer’s expertise asked what his secret was. “I shoot the arrows and then paint a bullseye around where it landed.” I don’t think his particular standard would be accepted in the National Archers Association.
Say you are a runner who boasted a time of 6 minutes for 10k. People would be all over you trying to find out your secret. Then when they compare your watch to the official time keeper, it not up to standard. Instead, your’s was operating extremely slow. You may argue all you want but the official watch sets the bar.
I try to measure as accurately as one can doing 100 km/hr on the highway the 1 km test grids. First, I want to make sure my odometer is correct. Second, I want to make sure my driving speed is in conjunction with the appropriate time. It is not a good idea to try convincing the police officer the highway markings for the exact distance is wrong when your speedometer is faulty.
You may fuss and fume but unless you operate according to the prescribed standards in any area of life, your performance will be less than stellar and you may even face negative consequences.
When your time comes and you stand before God and He asks, “Why should I let you into My heaven?” What will be your response?
Many will try, “I have been a good person. Therefore I qualify.”
Others might try to convince God with, “I haven’t murdered anyone or robbed a bank. I am certainly better that a lot of people I know.”
They are basing their future on their own standard.
If a person who attacked and killed a friend in front of many witnesses stood before the Judge stated, “Judge, sure I did as these witnesses have said, but I am basically good. I helped little old ladies across the street. I served in the soup kitchen. I even gave at the local charity. You can overlook this sin because of all my goodness.”
If the judge let him go, we would accuse the judge of being evil. To be a good judge, he would pronounce his sentence based on the legal standard and the facts. The good deeds don’t counterbalance the crime.
God set the standard for heaven and we are all guilty of breaking His standard. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) is like an archer and his arrow falling far short of the target.
Realizing how high God’s bar is and how pitifully short we fall would certainly be bad news if it were left there but that is not where it ends.
Here is the good news: Jesus, God’s Son came and through His forgiveness paves the way so that we can reach the holy standard God requires.
Like an arrow, when we ask Jesus to help us and forgive us of our selfishness, He changes our flight path so we hit the center of the target. Through grace, which we do not deserve, God re-calibrates our watch to match His so our lives reflects His goodness, not our foolish boastings.
Our standard of right and wrong is way out of whack in light of God’s bench mark. “For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgement and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) Through (your) faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves - of your own doing, it came not through your own striving - but it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8 AMP.)
Since we realize God’s standard and how to reach it through Jesus. It is His standard not man’s that we must attain unto.The consequences of trying to reach God on our own are dire, no they are down right deadly. What is keeping you from coming to God and His great forgiveness today?
I once heard of an archer who seemed to be a professional at hitting the bullseye. All over the side of a barn were targets with an arrow stuck in the middle of each one. A bystander amazed at this archer’s expertise asked what his secret was. “I shoot the arrows and then paint a bullseye around where it landed.” I don’t think his particular standard would be accepted in the National Archers Association.
Say you are a runner who boasted a time of 6 minutes for 10k. People would be all over you trying to find out your secret. Then when they compare your watch to the official time keeper, it not up to standard. Instead, your’s was operating extremely slow. You may argue all you want but the official watch sets the bar.
I try to measure as accurately as one can doing 100 km/hr on the highway the 1 km test grids. First, I want to make sure my odometer is correct. Second, I want to make sure my driving speed is in conjunction with the appropriate time. It is not a good idea to try convincing the police officer the highway markings for the exact distance is wrong when your speedometer is faulty.
You may fuss and fume but unless you operate according to the prescribed standards in any area of life, your performance will be less than stellar and you may even face negative consequences.
When your time comes and you stand before God and He asks, “Why should I let you into My heaven?” What will be your response?
Many will try, “I have been a good person. Therefore I qualify.”
Others might try to convince God with, “I haven’t murdered anyone or robbed a bank. I am certainly better that a lot of people I know.”
They are basing their future on their own standard.
If a person who attacked and killed a friend in front of many witnesses stood before the Judge stated, “Judge, sure I did as these witnesses have said, but I am basically good. I helped little old ladies across the street. I served in the soup kitchen. I even gave at the local charity. You can overlook this sin because of all my goodness.”
If the judge let him go, we would accuse the judge of being evil. To be a good judge, he would pronounce his sentence based on the legal standard and the facts. The good deeds don’t counterbalance the crime.
God set the standard for heaven and we are all guilty of breaking His standard. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) is like an archer and his arrow falling far short of the target.
Realizing how high God’s bar is and how pitifully short we fall would certainly be bad news if it were left there but that is not where it ends.
Here is the good news: Jesus, God’s Son came and through His forgiveness paves the way so that we can reach the holy standard God requires.
Like an arrow, when we ask Jesus to help us and forgive us of our selfishness, He changes our flight path so we hit the center of the target. Through grace, which we do not deserve, God re-calibrates our watch to match His so our lives reflects His goodness, not our foolish boastings.
Our standard of right and wrong is way out of whack in light of God’s bench mark. “For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgement and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) Through (your) faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves - of your own doing, it came not through your own striving - but it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8 AMP.)
Since we realize God’s standard and how to reach it through Jesus. It is His standard not man’s that we must attain unto.The consequences of trying to reach God on our own are dire, no they are down right deadly. What is keeping you from coming to God and His great forgiveness today?
Friday, December 23, 2011
Are You Coming?
"Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Saviour has just been born in David's town, a Saviour who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a Baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:10-12, The Message)
The angels were excited. The Messiah was now here and they were entrusted with proclaiming the news. I wonder why the birth was first to a group of shepherds, the lowest of the low, since the message was for everyone. Maybe they were the only ones listening. The shepherds discussed this news and ran to find the Christ child. They were the first to visit the new baby but they were not the last.
The next recorded visitors were the magi from the east. The ancient astronomers were convinced that the heavenly sky held the key to the coming of the king. They followed the star and stopped at the palace in anticipation of finding the King but He was not there. The religious leaders searched the Scriptures and saw Bethlehem named as the home of the Messiah. So they followed the star to the house were He lived. The wise men found Jesus, came close and bowed down and worshipped the Child. Their expensive gifts were just a token expression of their heartfelt worship.
Others may have come to see the Child but many did not. There were probably shepherds who chose to ignore the message or were off attending to other things and missed it. There were other wise men in the east who chose not to make the hazardous journey to search for a new king.
The insecure Herod was so terrified of the Baby dethroning him and taking his power, he remained aloof, distant and dangerous. Instead of worshipping the child, Herod chose to rid the landscape of the baby that could truly bring him peace.
Why may others not have come?
Maybe the merchants were too busy fleecing the travellers. Income profited from the census was chosen over coming close to God.
The inn keepers may have been too busy changing beds and feeding their customers than realizing the greatest patron was lying snuggled in strips of cloth in an animal feeding trough. They would rather rub shoulders with the paying clients than to come close and wait on the Son of God.
If a poll had been taken in Bethlehem about why others did not come to the manger and worship the Christ, the answers would vary as much as the people who made them up. “Too busy.” “Too many guests.” “I didn’t know the family.” “Didn’t know what to wear.” “Didn’t have anything to bring.” “I was up too late and slept in.” “Wasn’t interested as it didn’t concern me.”
Interesting, if the poll were taken today, some 2000 years since Jesus was laid in that manger, people would use the same excuses. They would rather huddle together shivering and miserable than come to the warmth of God’s love and find peace and good will towards all people.
May this Christmas season find us desiring and making the effort to come close to the Baby that changed everything. Jesus, God with us, gives us an incredible gift through a promise, if we draw close to God, He will draw close to us.
Our prayer for you is taken from a song that Evie Tournquist made popular.
Move me closer, Move me closer Move me closer to the Child. Let me see Him, Let me hold His hand, Move me closer to the Child.”
From our home to yours we wish you a Blessed and Happy Christmas and may this up and coming new year be filled with the glory of God as you move closer to Him.
Pastor Joel & Mary
The angels were excited. The Messiah was now here and they were entrusted with proclaiming the news. I wonder why the birth was first to a group of shepherds, the lowest of the low, since the message was for everyone. Maybe they were the only ones listening. The shepherds discussed this news and ran to find the Christ child. They were the first to visit the new baby but they were not the last.
The next recorded visitors were the magi from the east. The ancient astronomers were convinced that the heavenly sky held the key to the coming of the king. They followed the star and stopped at the palace in anticipation of finding the King but He was not there. The religious leaders searched the Scriptures and saw Bethlehem named as the home of the Messiah. So they followed the star to the house were He lived. The wise men found Jesus, came close and bowed down and worshipped the Child. Their expensive gifts were just a token expression of their heartfelt worship.
Others may have come to see the Child but many did not. There were probably shepherds who chose to ignore the message or were off attending to other things and missed it. There were other wise men in the east who chose not to make the hazardous journey to search for a new king.
The insecure Herod was so terrified of the Baby dethroning him and taking his power, he remained aloof, distant and dangerous. Instead of worshipping the child, Herod chose to rid the landscape of the baby that could truly bring him peace.
Why may others not have come?
Maybe the merchants were too busy fleecing the travellers. Income profited from the census was chosen over coming close to God.
The inn keepers may have been too busy changing beds and feeding their customers than realizing the greatest patron was lying snuggled in strips of cloth in an animal feeding trough. They would rather rub shoulders with the paying clients than to come close and wait on the Son of God.
If a poll had been taken in Bethlehem about why others did not come to the manger and worship the Christ, the answers would vary as much as the people who made them up. “Too busy.” “Too many guests.” “I didn’t know the family.” “Didn’t know what to wear.” “Didn’t have anything to bring.” “I was up too late and slept in.” “Wasn’t interested as it didn’t concern me.”
Interesting, if the poll were taken today, some 2000 years since Jesus was laid in that manger, people would use the same excuses. They would rather huddle together shivering and miserable than come to the warmth of God’s love and find peace and good will towards all people.
May this Christmas season find us desiring and making the effort to come close to the Baby that changed everything. Jesus, God with us, gives us an incredible gift through a promise, if we draw close to God, He will draw close to us.
Our prayer for you is taken from a song that Evie Tournquist made popular.
Move me closer, Move me closer Move me closer to the Child. Let me see Him, Let me hold His hand, Move me closer to the Child.”
From our home to yours we wish you a Blessed and Happy Christmas and may this up and coming new year be filled with the glory of God as you move closer to Him.
Pastor Joel & Mary
Saturday, December 17, 2011
What's Your Christmas Wish List
“Do you hear what I hear?” Christmas carols are playing on the radio and in the malls. For some it is the most wonderful time of the year. Maybe you felt you were run over by a reindeer only the decorated Bambi is driving a Mac truck. Some of you are waiting for jolly old St Nicholas to grant to you your three page wish list. Still others are trying to climb out from under the hippopotamus that surprised them last year.
Whatever your feeling this yuletide, there are certain longings that well up inside you and return each year as regularly as Old Faithful. These desires may be as simple as wanting your two front teeth or they can empty the bank account as you fanaticize over jewelry from Tiffany’s. You may want to be home for Christmas, but the thought of uncle Harry getting drunk and mother lying in a snowbank because of too much holiday cheer, sends cold chills up your back and the thought of such a family gathering gives you a wintery frosty feeling that shows in the icicles dripping from your nose.
Some desires are wrapped with a bow. Others may take several trips of Santa coming to town to deliver the elaborate gift you are sure you deserve because you have been a good little boy (or girl).
You may find yourself huddling in pain. For you, this season comes way too often and you long for it to be gone. You tighten your fist as the Salvation Army collectors jingle bells and your heart tightens as you try to make sense of your unemployment.
December 24’s silent night has been preceded by weeks of noiselessness as you sit alone in isolation. Divorce, death or tragic loss is amplified as the songs tell you to gather around a festive table. Instead reality beats upon you like the Grinch that stole Christmas. You would rather drown your sorrows in a bottle of cheap Christmas cheer than to tell the inquisitive aunts you are okay when you are not.
I enjoy Christmas and my desires may be different than what you experience. I would rather have my family gathered around me than to have a multitude of presents. I love watching joy spread across their faces as my children and grandchildren unwrap their gifts from us.
For our family we usually push away from the table feeling very much like our late dearly departed turkey, STUFFED. Yet the food is not what ties us together for we would rather have peanut butter sandwiches eaten with joy than to gorge ourselves on a lavish abundant feast if the conversation was filled with bitterness and strife.
I long for the day when across our planet all the yellow ribbons could come down as our troops would all be home for Christmas with peace and good will reigning on earth. No more war, no more suffering, no more pain.
I desire for the true meaning of Christmas to be celebrated in every home. Instead of commercial lights and festive decorations, I wish for each home to celebrate Jesus, the Christ. Immanuel, God with us, came as a baby and was laid away in a manger. The birth of this Baby changed everything and now we can be reconciled to God through His forgiveness.
I hunger for people to experience the wonderful life that comes with our sins and selfish ambitions forgiven because of the great sacrificial gift Jesus gave. He willingly paid the ultimate price, His voluntary death, so we could be forgiven and adopted by an almighty, loving God.
There is a burning in my spirit for all of mankind to know how vast, high and great God’s love is towards them. This burning desire that stirs my heart is for this to not just be a head knowledge but a reality as we embrace God. The God who sent His One and only Son to the humblest of Jewish peasants. The Son who made His grand entrance in a barn, wrapped in strips of ragged cloth and placed in a feeding trough as a cradle. Jesus came as the humblest so He could reach ALL of the human race. He came for me ... and you.
No matter what is under the tree, on the table, or who you are snuggling up beside I hope this Christmas is when your true longings are fulfilled in Jesus.
Have a Blessed and Wonderful Christmas.
Whatever your feeling this yuletide, there are certain longings that well up inside you and return each year as regularly as Old Faithful. These desires may be as simple as wanting your two front teeth or they can empty the bank account as you fanaticize over jewelry from Tiffany’s. You may want to be home for Christmas, but the thought of uncle Harry getting drunk and mother lying in a snowbank because of too much holiday cheer, sends cold chills up your back and the thought of such a family gathering gives you a wintery frosty feeling that shows in the icicles dripping from your nose.
Some desires are wrapped with a bow. Others may take several trips of Santa coming to town to deliver the elaborate gift you are sure you deserve because you have been a good little boy (or girl).
You may find yourself huddling in pain. For you, this season comes way too often and you long for it to be gone. You tighten your fist as the Salvation Army collectors jingle bells and your heart tightens as you try to make sense of your unemployment.
December 24’s silent night has been preceded by weeks of noiselessness as you sit alone in isolation. Divorce, death or tragic loss is amplified as the songs tell you to gather around a festive table. Instead reality beats upon you like the Grinch that stole Christmas. You would rather drown your sorrows in a bottle of cheap Christmas cheer than to tell the inquisitive aunts you are okay when you are not.
I enjoy Christmas and my desires may be different than what you experience. I would rather have my family gathered around me than to have a multitude of presents. I love watching joy spread across their faces as my children and grandchildren unwrap their gifts from us.
For our family we usually push away from the table feeling very much like our late dearly departed turkey, STUFFED. Yet the food is not what ties us together for we would rather have peanut butter sandwiches eaten with joy than to gorge ourselves on a lavish abundant feast if the conversation was filled with bitterness and strife.
I long for the day when across our planet all the yellow ribbons could come down as our troops would all be home for Christmas with peace and good will reigning on earth. No more war, no more suffering, no more pain.
I desire for the true meaning of Christmas to be celebrated in every home. Instead of commercial lights and festive decorations, I wish for each home to celebrate Jesus, the Christ. Immanuel, God with us, came as a baby and was laid away in a manger. The birth of this Baby changed everything and now we can be reconciled to God through His forgiveness.
I hunger for people to experience the wonderful life that comes with our sins and selfish ambitions forgiven because of the great sacrificial gift Jesus gave. He willingly paid the ultimate price, His voluntary death, so we could be forgiven and adopted by an almighty, loving God.
There is a burning in my spirit for all of mankind to know how vast, high and great God’s love is towards them. This burning desire that stirs my heart is for this to not just be a head knowledge but a reality as we embrace God. The God who sent His One and only Son to the humblest of Jewish peasants. The Son who made His grand entrance in a barn, wrapped in strips of ragged cloth and placed in a feeding trough as a cradle. Jesus came as the humblest so He could reach ALL of the human race. He came for me ... and you.
No matter what is under the tree, on the table, or who you are snuggling up beside I hope this Christmas is when your true longings are fulfilled in Jesus.
Have a Blessed and Wonderful Christmas.
Monday, September 12, 2011
The Wedding Dress
Threatening rain, 90 km/hr winds and the single digit temperature changed the venue of the outdoor wedding to inside. Rearranging tables, the reception hall was quickly turned into the wedding chapel. Jessica and Nathan were getting married.
The groomsmen looked dashing in their black suits. The ladies gave the wedding an air of sophistication, but the belle of the day, Jessica, looked absolutely stunning in in her white bridal dress and veil.
The wedding dress, a major expense, is only tried on for fittings before the wedding. After the ceremony, it is dry-cleaned and packed away as a wonderful memory of the vows that were made.
Imagine you are the recipient of an expensive heirloom wedding dress. It has been preserved well and is spotless. The plan is for you to wear it for your wedding sometime in the future.
Boxed up, you have difficulty imagining what the dress is like. With no prospective groom in the offing, you want to see your inheritance now not wait until THE DAY. You take the exquisite gown out of its protective wrapping. The beauty of the dress and suppleness of the fabric invokes dreams of walking down the center of the church with everybody admiring you in your wedding attire. You cannot resist trying it on. Standing in front of the mirror you feel like a queen in her royal robes.
The dress is comfortable and fits like a dream. You do not want to take it off. You dance around the house until lunch time. You eat a hamburger with all the fixings. Ketchup and mustard ooze out of the burger and land on the front of the dress. You try wiping it off with your hands smearing the stain even more. Sleepily, you decide to take a nap after lunch wrinkling your dress beyond repair. Upon waking, you use a black sharpie to write out your grocery list and the fresh ink smudges all over the sleeves. On your way to the store, the engine light comes on. When you open the hood, oil is spurting out of the engine block. You jump back trying to avoid the oil but you trip and land in fresh tar and gooey mud. While trying to stand you tear a hole in your dress.
On arriving home, you are convinced you can clean up the dress. You put it in the washing-machine with bleach to eradicate the stains. After several hours, you engage the wash cycle with detergent and piping hot water in hopes the dress will come out like new.
It does not! In total frustration you crumple up the garment and throw in the back of your closet. Your reasoning, “At least I am not getting married any time soon.”
Several years pass, and Prince Charming arrives. After a meaningful courtship, he proposes and you set a date for your wedding. That night, you spot the soiled, crumpled garment that was to be for your wedding dress.
The next day, you confess your dilemma to your future husband. With tears of regret, you pull from the bottom of the closet the dress that was your inheritance. The anguish and tears are unbearable. Your fiance pulls you into his arms, affirms his love, asks if you would give him the disfigured gown, and trust his love. You oblige the request but wonder how he could ever fix such a horrible mess.
The dress arrives, is nicer than the original gown and is in perfect condition. The groom has paid the full bridal price so that you could look and feel beautiful on the day he marries you. You are awestruck by his love and this time you treasure the gift and keep it in honour until the wedding day.
We all have been given an unblemished inheritance. With misuse, disobedience, arrogance and neglect we have damaged our lives, our wedding clothes. Stained, torn and wrinkled, we are ashamed of what we have become in our lives. Jesus asks us to give him our rags of rebellion, disrespect, unfaithfulness and selfishness and replaces them with a robe of righteousness.
We have all ruined our wedding garment but Jesus is willing to give you a brand new look. It means trusting His heart and receiving God’s forgiveness.
The groomsmen looked dashing in their black suits. The ladies gave the wedding an air of sophistication, but the belle of the day, Jessica, looked absolutely stunning in in her white bridal dress and veil.
The wedding dress, a major expense, is only tried on for fittings before the wedding. After the ceremony, it is dry-cleaned and packed away as a wonderful memory of the vows that were made.
Imagine you are the recipient of an expensive heirloom wedding dress. It has been preserved well and is spotless. The plan is for you to wear it for your wedding sometime in the future.
Boxed up, you have difficulty imagining what the dress is like. With no prospective groom in the offing, you want to see your inheritance now not wait until THE DAY. You take the exquisite gown out of its protective wrapping. The beauty of the dress and suppleness of the fabric invokes dreams of walking down the center of the church with everybody admiring you in your wedding attire. You cannot resist trying it on. Standing in front of the mirror you feel like a queen in her royal robes.
The dress is comfortable and fits like a dream. You do not want to take it off. You dance around the house until lunch time. You eat a hamburger with all the fixings. Ketchup and mustard ooze out of the burger and land on the front of the dress. You try wiping it off with your hands smearing the stain even more. Sleepily, you decide to take a nap after lunch wrinkling your dress beyond repair. Upon waking, you use a black sharpie to write out your grocery list and the fresh ink smudges all over the sleeves. On your way to the store, the engine light comes on. When you open the hood, oil is spurting out of the engine block. You jump back trying to avoid the oil but you trip and land in fresh tar and gooey mud. While trying to stand you tear a hole in your dress.
On arriving home, you are convinced you can clean up the dress. You put it in the washing-machine with bleach to eradicate the stains. After several hours, you engage the wash cycle with detergent and piping hot water in hopes the dress will come out like new.
It does not! In total frustration you crumple up the garment and throw in the back of your closet. Your reasoning, “At least I am not getting married any time soon.”
Several years pass, and Prince Charming arrives. After a meaningful courtship, he proposes and you set a date for your wedding. That night, you spot the soiled, crumpled garment that was to be for your wedding dress.
The next day, you confess your dilemma to your future husband. With tears of regret, you pull from the bottom of the closet the dress that was your inheritance. The anguish and tears are unbearable. Your fiance pulls you into his arms, affirms his love, asks if you would give him the disfigured gown, and trust his love. You oblige the request but wonder how he could ever fix such a horrible mess.
The dress arrives, is nicer than the original gown and is in perfect condition. The groom has paid the full bridal price so that you could look and feel beautiful on the day he marries you. You are awestruck by his love and this time you treasure the gift and keep it in honour until the wedding day.
We all have been given an unblemished inheritance. With misuse, disobedience, arrogance and neglect we have damaged our lives, our wedding clothes. Stained, torn and wrinkled, we are ashamed of what we have become in our lives. Jesus asks us to give him our rags of rebellion, disrespect, unfaithfulness and selfishness and replaces them with a robe of righteousness.
We have all ruined our wedding garment but Jesus is willing to give you a brand new look. It means trusting His heart and receiving God’s forgiveness.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
More Valuable Than a Sparrow
Eyes closed. It is still dark, only 4:30 in the morning when I hear them. It starts with one but soon the early morning is filled with the announcement that a new day is soon upon us. Birds catch my attention.
I am not a bird watcher but I do enjoy watching them. I am amazed robins can find worms and pull them out of the ground. The architecture of some bird nests are complex and sturdy considering their building technique. While driving down a lone stretch of highway, I count how many hawks are sitting in trees and on fence posts.
I think the navigational abilities of a flock of birds is phenomenal. A thousand birds can be huddling in a field, eating seeds when something startles them. They all seem to fly in different directions yet none seem to crash. Maybe rush-hour city drivers should take some lessons from our feathered friends.
A bird caught my attention today while I was mowing our lawn. As I came near a tree, I saw this little clump of feathers with a tiny beak and black eyes. It had survived some major thunder storms but now had fallen from it’s nest in the tree and was helpless as it could not yet fly. It was a good thing I was watching where I was cutting. Had I not been paying attention, well you can imagine. Each pass as I drew closer, I could see the helpless, terrified little fellow. His bright eyes were watching the lawn tractor as it passed within inches of his body. To my delight , he was able to hop away and find some security in the hay field.
I was reminded of a verse from the Bible. “What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it (Matt 29:10 NLT). What a comforting thought! God knows when a seemingly worthless bird tumbles out of his nest. Some may say, “Why are you so choked up over such a thing? Big deal! So God knows when a tiny chick doesn’t make it. What is that to me?”
The reason it is such a big deal is because “the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows” (Luke 12:27 NLT). Don’t miss the meaning of the last part of this verse. It is extremely important. “YOU ARE MORE VALUABLE TO GOD THAN A WHOLE FLOCK OF SPARROWS.”
Why are you valuable to God.?
You were created in the image and likeness of God.
You were created to bring God glory.
You were created to experience his vast love.
You were created to know his provision and protection.
The most important reason you are so valuable to God is that no other creature can know that their sin and selfishness can be forgiven by a holy God. God did not send His Son to die and rise again for some feathered fowl, no matter how extinct or majestic they are. It was only for humans that Jesus willingly laid down His life. Jesus was the supreme sacrifice and His death followed by His resurrection paid in full the requirements for the consequences of a broken covenant (see Genesis 1-3). God wants you to enjoy His fellowship so He sent Jesus, His Son, to this darkened planet to be the light and the only way back to Him.
The next time you see or hear a bird remember “I am more important to God than these birds because JESUS DIED FOR ME.”
I am not a bird watcher but I do enjoy watching them. I am amazed robins can find worms and pull them out of the ground. The architecture of some bird nests are complex and sturdy considering their building technique. While driving down a lone stretch of highway, I count how many hawks are sitting in trees and on fence posts.
I think the navigational abilities of a flock of birds is phenomenal. A thousand birds can be huddling in a field, eating seeds when something startles them. They all seem to fly in different directions yet none seem to crash. Maybe rush-hour city drivers should take some lessons from our feathered friends.
A bird caught my attention today while I was mowing our lawn. As I came near a tree, I saw this little clump of feathers with a tiny beak and black eyes. It had survived some major thunder storms but now had fallen from it’s nest in the tree and was helpless as it could not yet fly. It was a good thing I was watching where I was cutting. Had I not been paying attention, well you can imagine. Each pass as I drew closer, I could see the helpless, terrified little fellow. His bright eyes were watching the lawn tractor as it passed within inches of his body. To my delight , he was able to hop away and find some security in the hay field.
I was reminded of a verse from the Bible. “What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it (Matt 29:10 NLT). What a comforting thought! God knows when a seemingly worthless bird tumbles out of his nest. Some may say, “Why are you so choked up over such a thing? Big deal! So God knows when a tiny chick doesn’t make it. What is that to me?”
The reason it is such a big deal is because “the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows” (Luke 12:27 NLT). Don’t miss the meaning of the last part of this verse. It is extremely important. “YOU ARE MORE VALUABLE TO GOD THAN A WHOLE FLOCK OF SPARROWS.”
Why are you valuable to God.?
You were created in the image and likeness of God.
You were created to bring God glory.
You were created to experience his vast love.
You were created to know his provision and protection.
The most important reason you are so valuable to God is that no other creature can know that their sin and selfishness can be forgiven by a holy God. God did not send His Son to die and rise again for some feathered fowl, no matter how extinct or majestic they are. It was only for humans that Jesus willingly laid down His life. Jesus was the supreme sacrifice and His death followed by His resurrection paid in full the requirements for the consequences of a broken covenant (see Genesis 1-3). God wants you to enjoy His fellowship so He sent Jesus, His Son, to this darkened planet to be the light and the only way back to Him.
The next time you see or hear a bird remember “I am more important to God than these birds because JESUS DIED FOR ME.”
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