Month: December 2018

“ . . .  be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

            Do you have your New Year’s resolutions made? Are you all ready to jump into them with both feet? Me, neither. If I were to be completely honest, I would have to say that I find New Year’s resolutions rather daunting. I feel as if I’m willingly taking on more pressure to perform and more potential guilt for failing. A friend recently said that she finds them rather exciting because she likes the idea that we can become a better person at any time. I like that! It’s not about our performance. It’s more about who we are. Although, as I think about it, that may be even more daunting. How do we make ourselves into better people? That anger, that habit, that secret, are all too deeply ingrained to just get rid of them with the snap of the fingers. I don’t know about you, but I’ve tried to get rid of those things by sheer willpower. Did it work for you? Cause it sure didn’t work for me!

            If you look at this verse, it isn’t just talking about changing one habit. It says to put on a new self. If we don’t have much luck changing one habit with our own power, how do we put on a whole new self? Take a look at the wording of this verse. It doesn’t say we’re supposed to change our attitudes, or our mind. It says we are to “be made new.” It’s something that’s done to us. Or maybe we should say that it’s done for us. The Holy Spirit living within us changes us from the inside out. As we walk with God, we find ourselves becoming more and more like Him. That’s exciting! That’s a New Year’s resolution I can get behind!

            So, we don’t have to do anything, right? We can just sit back and let it happen? God doesn’t work that way. He doesn’t come into our hearts and take over. He only comes in when we invite Him in. And He only does work we allow Him to do. So, the first step is that we need to be willing for Him to change us. Secondly, there’s someone else who is also wanting us to change, but not for the better. We have an enemy who will attempt to change our thoughts and our attitudes to anything that displeases God. We need to be on our guard and when our thoughts start to stray south, pull them back to thoughts that please God. If we will do those things, we’ll find that this will be the year we grow increasingly closer to God and we grow in righteousness and holiness. That’s a reason to say, “Happy New Year!”

“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.’” Luke 1:30

We all know what it’s like. We’re sailing along, minding our own business when our life is suddenly interrupted in a way we didn’t anticipate and that we don’t particularly like. We hear the words of the diagnosis that turns life on its head and the future we thought we had mapped out is suddenly very uncertain. The job we thought was secure turns out to be shifting sand and we’re left flailing for something solid on which to stand. The child we nurtured and loved turns into someone we no longer know, leaving a gaping hole in our heart. We know that life brings tears, betrayals, hurts, and fears and yet we’re surprised when it happens to us. Often our response is to wonder where God is in the midst of all of that. Maybe we’re even angry with Him that He allowed this to happen, that He let our well-laid plans be so completely interrupted by the unexpected.

Yet do we consider that this is what happened to Mary? She knew what her future was going to be. She would marry this nice man, Joseph, raise their family, do the work she had been trained to do, rock her grandchildren on her lap, and die an old woman, content in the loving arms of her close-knit community and family. Suddenly, she’s asked to become an unwed mother, possibly dumped by Joseph, ostracized by her family and friends, the fodder for the town gossips. She received no baby showers with friends and relatives sharing the joy of her upcoming motherhood, no cigars shared by the proud father. Of course, we all know that it got much worse than that, but at the time she knew that she would need to endure at least that much. And yet the angel tells her she’s not supposed to be afraid because she has found favor with God. In other words, God is giving her a kindness, a blessing. Seriously?! How could this be a blessing? The answer, of course, is in the fact that this baby she was asked to bear was in reality the Son of God.

How has your life been interrupted? What plans have either blown up in your face or eroded and washed down the drain? Have you stopped to consider that it may be a holy interruption? Perhaps God is working His purpose in your life or in the lives of those around you by throwing that curve ball your way. I don’t know why some things happen, or what God’s purpose may be. But I am convinced that His love is unfailing and complete. I know, I’ve been there, too. I’ve wanted to say, “If He really loved me He wouldn’t have allowed this thing to happen.” But I’ve learned that often it’s because of His love that we are given the gift of walking through a difficult circumstance because it’s in those times that I’ve learned to lean heavily on Him and felt the strength and courage of our God. So this Christmas, as you celebrate the birth of this little baby, thank God for the holy interruptions in your life and if you’re in the midst of one right now, cling to Him for all you’re worth!

“’I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.”  Luke 1:38

            I was recently watching two of my favorite theologians, The Skit Guys, as they illuminated the happenings of the first Christmas in a skit called One Holy Night. One of them asked, “How did this happen?” and the response was, “She said yes.” That just keeps running through my mind and has made me look in scripture at Mary’s response to the news that she would have a baby. The angel had just appeared to her, which would have been frightening in itself. Then he gives her the astounding news that she is to be the mother of God’s Son. Of course, she has questions. Who wouldn’t? But her questions weren’t doubts or excuses. She knew God could do whatever needed to be done. I seriously doubt she understood the full ramifications of what lay ahead for her or for her Son, but she was ready and willing to do what God was asking of her.

            Mary doesn’t just say yes. She makes herself the Lord’s servant. Another possible translation would be “slave.” The JB Phillips translation says, “I belong to the Lord, body and soul.” She gives God full reign to do whatever He desires. Of course, He didn’t need her permission.After all, He’s God. He can do whatever He wants. But God has chosen to allow us the choice of joining Him in His work. I believe that Mary had the option of backing out of the deal and telling the angel that God had to find someone else. She wasn’t going to do it. But she didn’t. She humbled herself and allowed God to work a miracle in her and through her.

            Most scholars believe that Mary was a young teenager, maybe about 14 years old. I have to admit that my first reaction is that her response sounds like a 14 year old, not thinking through all the consequences and difficulties but just jumping in with both feet and figuring things out later. Then again, maybe that’s what God wants from us. Maybe our “adult” reasoning and planning keeps us from saying yes when God is wanting to involve us in His work. Maybe we miss the glory of God, the wonder of His miracles because we get all logical and “sensible.” Maybe, just maybe, this Christmas season, God is asking us to stop our doubting and our excusing and our reasoning and just say yes to Him.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14

            Don’t you just love hearing this verse? And we hear it so often this time of year. It evokes feelings of such serenity, such, well, peace. When I hear this verse, I also tend to imagine what it must have been like to see the glory of the angels when they appeared to the shepherds that holy night. Actually, I can’t imagine that scene. It’s beyond my comprehension. But it must have been incredible! When the first angel appeared God’s glory “shown all around.” So what must that glory have been like when there was a whole choir of angles? Have you ever been in the dark and suddenly had a light shine in your eyes? Sometimes it’s so bright it even hurts. That must pale in comparison to what the shepherds saw.

            However, there are a couple of things that used to bother me about this verse. The first is that it seems like a lie. Hang on! Don’t crucify me yet. I’m not saying it is a lie, but at first glance it seems like it. I recently heard of a Jewish man who believes that Jesus lived on this earth, that He did all the miracles, etc. But he doesn’t believe Jesus is the Messiah because the Messiah is supposed to bring peace on earth and we just don’t see that. Well, the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament for peace usually does mean an external, situational peace. But the Greek word used in the New Testament, including this verse, means an inner tranquility and reconciliation in relationships, especially our relationship with God. So when the angels spoke these words to the first century shepherds living in poverty under Roman oppression, they weren’t promising that their external situation would change. They were talking about something much greater, more important, longer lasting. They were talking about an eternal peace with the Almighty God.

            The other thing that used to bother me is that it seems unfair. Once I understand that God didn’t mean there would be peace on the whole earth, then I see that there is an inner peace, but not for everyone. It’s only for certain people. It kind of makes me think that God has “teacher’s pets.” If He likes you, if He picked you out of the lineup, then you get His peace. If not, well, tough luck. But this verse could also be worded, “in whom He takes pleasure.” Think of loving parents with two children. One is a loving, caring child who makes good choices. The other chooses a path of rebellion, wanting nothing to do with his parents unless he needs money. Which one will the parents love? Both, of course. But which one will receive their pleasure? The one with whom they have a true relationship. That’s what this verse is saying. When our relationship with God is reconciled through the sacrifice of Jesus, we will know a peace that the world cannot steal, or even dim. As we move toward Christmas, let’s live out of that inner peace and tranquility.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

            This verse is quoted more often than you may think. I bet you hear it all the time. The problem is, it’s usually misquoted. What we usually hear is, “God will never give you more than you can bear.” But that’snot what this says, is it? Go ahead. Check your own Bible. You won’t find that phrase in there, no matter what translation you use. I think that this misquote has caused more self-condemnation and guilt than any other. If we believe that God lovingly created us (which He did) and He knows us even better than we know ourselves (which He does), and He says we should be able to handle whatever comes our way (which He didn’t), then what does it say about us when we just can’t seem to handle the situations in our lives? That’s not who God is. He doesn’t want us to handle things on our own. The truth us, we can’t handle some things on our own. But God can. As we surrender to Him, the Holy Spirit gives us God’s power, strength, courage, patience, and whatever else we need.

            So what does this verse say? Well, it’s talking about temptation and it’s saying that you have never faced a temptation that’s any stronger or weaker than someone else’s. The words “common to mankind” are one word in the Greek and it simply means that all humanity face the same temptations. Some hit us harder than others. Some may struggle with the sin of drunkenness. Thank God, that’s not a temptation for me. But I don’t get off the hook! I am often very tempted by other sins that may not phase the alcoholic. But that temptation is never stronger than God can handle. Did you catch that? Not stronger than you or I can handle. God is the only one strong enough to help us bear up under the temptation. That’s why it’s so important to remember His faithfulness. He’s always there for us. He’ll never let us crash and burn. Oh, we may stumble and fall down, but even then, He’s there to pick us up. In fact, not only does He pick us up, He provides a way out. This version says the temptation has “overtaken” us, but others use the word “seized.” I like that better because doesn’t it sometimes feel as if we’ve been captured and are being held prisoner by a temptation? But God will show us a way out of that prison if we will just look to Him.

            The next time you hear someone say that God will never give you more than you can bear, gently remind them – and yourself – that God’s the One who can endure anything. Nothing is too strong for Him. It’s true that as long as we’re on this earth we will be bombarded by temptations, but not one of them will be too much for God. Which means that not one of them will be too strong for you or me, as long as we’re living in His strength.