Month: December 2019

“I made a covenant with my eyes.” Job 31:1

              Are you thinking about what New Year’s resolutions you want to make this year? Me, either. I’ve never worried about making resolutions at the start of the year because I figure the best time to make resolutions is when I’m motivated to actually keep them. That may or may not coincide with the calendar’s new year. So it’s interesting that this verse recently popped its head into my consciousness at this time of year. Maybe I’ve never really noticed it before because this is actually only half a verse. It goes on to say, “…not to look lustfully at a girl.” But this time, that first half of the sentence has stuck in my mind and I can’t seem to get it out.

              What does it mean to make a covenant with our eyes? First, it’s not really with our eyes. It’s actually a covenant made with ourselves and more importantly, with God. It’s promising ourselves and God that we will use our eyes in certain ways and that we won’t use them in certain other ways. Job’s covenant to never look lustfully at a girl is an important one, but there are so many more covenants we could make. Someone recently told me that he made a covenant with his eyes that in the morning, he wouldn’t look at any form of media, social or otherwise, until he had first read scripture. Maybe the covenant we need to make is not just the time of day we look at media, but the amount of time we spend doing so. How much time do we spend staring at our phone screens or our computer screens? What about the time spent in front of the TV? Or looking for more unnecessary stuff to buy? Or spending too much time in our hobbies while other things are left neglected? Then there’s the things we don’t see. Do we see the needy and hurting around us? Are our eyes open to the ministry opportunities God places in our path? Or what about the amazing treasures He leaves just for us? We may not even notice them. Or if we do notice we may take them completely for granted.

              I’ve thrown out just a few ideas of what covenant you can make with your eyes. There are many more possibilities. The ones I have listed are not bad in and of themselves but if God is telling you that you need to limit an activity or cut it out completely, I encourage you to listen! I know which ones God is talking to me about. And if He’s the One telling you that a change needs to be made, He’ll help you make it. I’m looking forward to what God will allow me to see once I get the garbage out of my eyes and place my eyes firmly on Him.

“For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

              How much of the Christmas story do you know? In fact, how much of it do you have memorized? When you see a nativity scene is there anything that strikes you as unusual, or different? When you hear Christmas carols do you feel awestruck and amazed? Or is all of it rather hum-drum, the same old same old that we celebrate every year? I enjoy the season. I like the decorations, the music is nice, and the celebrations are fun. But how often am I in awe when I hear the story? Because it is an awesome story. It’s awesome in the sense that it should strike awe in all of our hearts. And when I say it’s a story I’m not talking about a work of fiction. Rather, the telling of this true event that actually happened in human history should cause us to fall to our knees in wonder of how amazing our God is.

              There are so many parts of the story that could only be God. Prophecies that were told hundreds of years before the events happened, angels appearing in person and in dreams, an old woman giving birth to a son, a political situation established so the events would happen in the right place, Gentiles who were wise enough to leave their homes and countries to find out what this was all about, shepherds who were so overcome they left their jobs to see and worship, a star so bright it could be seen hundreds of miles away and yet so direct it led them to a specific building. As if all of this isn’t enough to make us tremble in awe, there’s the virgin conception. A contradiction in terms, really. When Mary asked how in the world this was going to happen, the angel responded with this short yet powerful verse, “Nothing is impossible with God.” Interestingly, Jesus said these same words later in life to His disciples. I wonder if He first heard them at His mother’s knee as she told Him the story of His birth.

              I encourage all of us to find a moment to read the Christmas story again. At the very least, let’s spend some time thinking about that first Christmas. Ask God to show you the events in the story that inspire awe in you. Ask Him for fresh eyes to see an old, familiar story. Put yourselves in the shoes of those in the story. What must it have been like to have an angel appear to you, or to find the King you were seeking in a backwater town, or to hear an entire choir of angels, or to carry a baby knowing the truth of the child’s conception. Whatever inspires awe in you, remember that greatest is that God came to earth. A baby was born and the world would never be the same. Allow the wonder of that to penetrate your soul and rejoice!

“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’” Luke 2:10

“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.” Matthew 2:9

              There are so many things about the Christmas story that are mysteries. The biggest mystery is how God could possibly fit all His glory and majesty into one newborn babe. But then there are the less important mysteries, like how many wise men were really there, and did Mary have a donkey to ride or did she walk the whole way? One that has always confounded me is the star. I love stars. In fact, I just love watching the sky. I’ve seen some pretty bright stars, especially when I’m away from all human made lights.  But I’ve never seen one that I could say is directly over a single place, especially one particular building. How did God do that?! How did He use a star in the sky to lead the Magi to the exact place where Jesus was?

              It’s as if this star was telling these wise men from a far-away place that they needed to realize that the Savior of the world, even their world, was coming to a specific place. And that place was a tiny town called Bethlehem in the back-water country of Israel. I wonder if people in other countries could see that star. Did the people in what we now call Europe see it and wonder about it? I wonder if it was visible in North America. If they could see it, how many realized that it was pointing to a specific place in our world, at a specific time in our history? The God of the universe and of all history had entered this world. He had chosen to confine Himself to a human body and all the limitations that placed on Him. And He had come at a specific time when He would neither take part in the discoveries of the Bronze Age, nor have the benefits of the modern era. He was a Jew who lived in first century Palestine. And God called those Magi to that place in that time to let them, and the rest of the world, know that salvation comes through His people, the Jews.

              Then we have the shepherds who had probably never left the region, let alone the country. They were Jews and would have been praying for a savior. Like other Jews of their time, they probably prayed for a savior to save the Jewish people from their Roman oppressors. God told them to look outside their limited realm of experience. The angel tells them that this is not just a Jewish savior. This is a Savior who happens to be Jewish, but He is for all people. God focuses the foreign Magi on this specific place in Israel and He asks the Jewish shepherds to open their eyes to the rest of the world. Isn’t that just like our God? Whatever our mindset, He wants us to see more. Whatever viewpoint we have, His is bigger and better. We may have a wrong idea that He needs to change. Or maybe our viewpoint isn’t wrong. It’s just not big enough. Either way, let’s open ourselves up to what God wants to show us and teach us. Let’s not lose ourselves in the demands and pressures of life so that we miss the simplicity of the Babe in the manger, nor the greatness of our God.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’” Matthew 28:18

              Authority is such an interesting word. It’s one of those words that can create both positive and negative reactions. When I have authority over something or someone, my response depends on the situation. I can feel prideful that I have that authority or I can feel scared that the buck stops with me. Or both. Similarly, when someone else has authority over me I can respond in different ways. My fleshly nature can chafe at that authority, especially when they do or require something I disagree with or don’t want to do. Or I can rest secure in submitting to an authority I trust. How is it possible to have such varying responses to the same word or situation? I think the answer can begin to be found when we look at the definition of the word. The first definition I saw was, “the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.” That sounds pretty dictatorial, doesn’t it? And scary. This makes it seem as if the person in authority can do whatever they want and require of us whatever they want. No wonder we have differing reactions! It depends completely on who has the authority.

              What should my reaction be to this verse? It’s saying that Jesus is the One with the authority. So is that a good or a bad thing? What’s your response when you hear that? That will depend on your view of God. If you see God as a killjoy who just wants to suck all the fun out of life, then you’ll think that His authority will cause life to be boring and dull. If you see God as an uncaring, distant God, His authority will be unsettling because His requirements of us will be purely random. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. And if you see Him as a mean, vengeful God the thought of Him having authority will strike fear in your heart. But especially at this time of year, we see a God who was willing to clothe Himself in flesh and come to this earth as a helpless baby. It’s that same helpless babe Who spoke this verse 33 years later. That means that even while He had all authority – not some, all – He chose to completely humble Himself. Why? So we could have access to God through His life, death and resurrection. That’s how much He loves us. That’s an authority we can trust!

              This Christmas season, as we prepare our hearts, minds, homes and lives for the coming of the Christ child, let’s remember that this little baby is the One who has all authority. Not just in your life or my life, but in all of heaven and all of earth. Even though He has all authority, He gives us a choice to submit to the authority or not. There’s no “enforced obedience.” Of course, there are consequences if we choose to disobey, but it’s still our choice. Because He loves us with an unconditional, never ending love let’s make a daily choice to surrender ourselves to that authority and that love.

“And he will be called . . . Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” Matthew 10:34

              Have you ever noticed that the Advent season, this time leading up to the celebration of the birth of the baby Jesus, is a time of contradictions? In my opinion, the contradictions begin the day after Thanksgiving when so many in our culture frantically try to beat others to the best deals for more stuff, after having just given thanks for all our stuff. I’m not saying it’s wrong to shop on Black Friday. But some of the stories we read about people getting trampled as shoppers run through the stores to be the first to get the hottest new item of the season seem a little contrary to being thankful for what we have. Those very races may be done to the background of Christmas carols singing about peace on earth.

              What about this idea of peace on earth? Have you ever seen it or experienced it? Of course, there have been times when our country wasn’t at war but if we think beyond just our country and seek peace on the whole earth, has it ever happened? The answer, of course, is no. Since the time of Cain and Abel, there has never been a time when the entire world has been at peace. Even if we see peace in a part of the world, it’s not a peace that endures. And that’s why the people of Isaiah’s day were looking for the Messiah. He was going to bring peace. He was going to rescue them from their oppressors. Then the Messiah came. Did He bring peace? It sure doesn’t seem like it, does it? In fact, He Himself died an excruciating death at the hands of an oppressive, cruel government. He appeared to be one of the many victims of the lack of peace on earth.

              How do we reconcile these two verses out of Isaiah and Matthew? They seem to be at complete odds with one another. Peace, of course, can mean different things. So far we’ve been talking about peace between people or even between countries. That’s not what God was talking about in Isaiah. The peace Christ brings is an internal peace, a peace between an individual and God. It’s a peace that passes all understanding and is present regardless of the circumstances around us. Our enemy will do all he can to destroy that kind of peace. One of the things he does is sets people against us. If he can stir up others to try to oppress those of us who have peace with God, or even just disagree with us, that inner peace may be disturbed. At least, that’s his hope. It seems rather ironic, but when we discover the inner peace that can only be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ, that’s when peace in our human relationships may be disturbed. There are those who will accuse us of many things: being judgmental, even telling us we “hate” others. In reality, they just don’t understand this inner peace we have. Jesus knew we would face that kind of misunderstanding. In other parts of the world, it can even lead to persecution and death. That’s what He meant by “bringing a sword.” He’s not saying He wants us to use a physical weapon against others. He’s saying that division will occur when we are followers of Him. So this Advent season, when we hear about peace on earth, let’s remember that the peace our Prince of Peace brings is the peace within our hearts, the kind of peace the world knows nothing about. And let’s praise Him for this peace that endures even during the hardest of trials.