A Moment of Spiritual Growth Assessment
Today, this very day, is an ideal day to willfully trust Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and in return receive His gift of eternal life. In the moment of doing so you can start a lifelong faith walk with Him. After doing so it is expedient to identify with the faith community for a spiritual support system. They have all done what you have done, asked for the forgiveness of their sins, so they can identify with you and will welcome you.
You who have embraced Jesus as Savior, this is a good time to take a spiritual inventory. Remember when the very citizenship of your soul changed kingdoms? Remember the pure, almost sacred, feeling you had when you embraced Jesus as Savior. The paradise of your first love is a state that needs to be cultivated and allowed to grow. The emotion may fade, but the relationship can and must be allowed to grow in intimacy. As we grow spiritually and feelings change, facts don’t.
Sensation must be stabilized by study.
Ecstasy must be embraced by experience.
Passion must be predicated on principles.
Persons don’t take giant steps out of close fellowship with the Lord. Their steps out of fellowship are most often small, almost unnoticed. Devotion often fades like a flower so slowly it is imperceptible.
Believers are exhorted in Revelation 2: 1 – 5 to remember their first love, their first and foremost love. This is an appeal to shake the ashes off your rusty altar and rekindle the fires of devotion. The passage gives an appeal to “remember,” indicating something had been forgotten.
The drift out of fellowship usually begins with a few slight indulgences that formerly would not have been tolerated. A casual brief venture into enemy territory may result in alienation from your first love.
In the early hours of this new year plan and designate a day when you will engage in spiritual renewal. If not a day, at least a time. Turn off the phone, put aside your high tech devices, and spend time alone with the Lord when you read Scripture, pray, meditate, and in general renew your commitment to the Lord. If your interest wanes in doing one of those things, switch to another. Many have the good fortune of family responsibilities, keep your family involved to the minimum.
Now, considering that not all people can have a day for a personal renewal retreat, try this. Be an Adam. Scripture speaks of God walking with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. (Genesis 3:8) To walk with them, did not mean literally, it simply means He had fellowship with them daily at a designated time. You, too, can designate a time to fellowship with the Lord. Say you don’t have time? Well, make time by setting your alarm 15 minutes earlier than normal.
Regardless of the time you devote to this exercise, the purpose is renewal or enhancement of your spiritual life. Thereby you will be preparing for whatever is ahead.
The uncertainty of this hour looms like a storm cloud on our personal and national horizon. Now is the time to prepare yourself for this uncharted journey. Get a grip on your faith in case circumstances shake your foundation.
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
Clean Your Spiritual House
“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him…” (Colossians 3: 8 – 10)
The approach of a new year motivates most to clean up and throw away things. My wife just told me she organized the food pantry. I have gone through my clothes closet and thrown away or given away a number of things that no longer fit or have served their day. Why not apply the same techniques to your moral and spiritual life? The text gives an inventory to work with, things to “put off.”
Anger, org? is the emotion of instant displeasure on account of something.
Wrath, thymos, is anger on steroids, to be “snorting angry.”
Malice is a desire to destroy something or someone.
Blasphemy primarily means to defame someone, also it is impious, and irreverent speech against God.
Bitterness is the number one sin of Christians. There is the old axiom, “Bitterness does more harm to the vessel it is stored in than it does to the one on which it is poured.” Therefore, “Be kind, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ sake has forgiven you.”
Filthy language, enough said.
Equally clear is the meaning of a lie. It is meant to deceive. Now look at the New Living Translation of the text.
“But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” (Colossians 3: 8 – 10)
Now after this house cleaning you can begin to “put on the new nature,” the person God created you to be. It is expedient to clean house and build your spiritual resources. Not knowing what is ahead, we need all the strength possible to deal wit it. We have no assurance 2021 will be better than 2020, nor that it won’t be worse. For self-encouragement sing to yourself . . . .
“… because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.”
For an encore sing, “You are Good Good Father.”
Your Emotional Equilibrium
Happiness is not something to be sought or bought. It is a beautiful by-product of a job well done, a secondary or indirect product. We get detracted from the objective of happiness when we think it is to be found in good things, places and people. That trio is important, but as objective in seeking happiness they do no not result in happiness. Car bumper stickers assure us, “I would rather be…” Fill in the blank.
Happiness cannot be traveled to, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience resulting from doing your best at everything, living every minute with love, grace, and devotion to God and those around you with gratitude.
Happiness is a beautiful by-product, the result of another action, often unforeseen or unintended.
Imagine you are a teenager in high school with a big test coming up. The night before you stay up until midnight studying for it. Your eyes are burning, your shoulders cramping, and your back aching.
The next day you take the test and ace it, a perfect score. You are overjoyed, happy, elated. The night before while studying you were not thinking about happiness, you were concerned about doing a good job. You did, and the beautiful by-product was rightfully happiness.
The same is true of every task you undertake throughout life. Do a good job and enjoy the benefit … happiness.
A theme text of mine has been Colossians 3: 23, “Whatsoever your do, do it heartily as unto the Lord, and not unto man.”
Pleasing the Lord in the way you do all you do can bring happiness.
If you do what you do in a way that pleases the Lord and people complain and criticize you, you don’t get depressed, you didn’t do it for them, you did it for Him.
If you do what you do in a way that pleases the Lord and people brag on you, and compliment you, you don’t have an ego fit, you didn’t do it for them, you did it for Him.
This can help maintain your emotional equilibrium, avoid faux highs and lows, that is.
Always be kind to your tomorrow-self by doing today what you do well and pleasing to the Lord. Your tomorrow-self must live with the memories being created by your today self.
Happiness looks good on you … wear it well.
So live and serve as to hear the Master say, “’Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)
Peace On Earth
Twas the season to be jolly. With Christmas in the rear view mirror, now what?
Jesus Christ, “the Prince of Peace,” knowing His followers would be aliens in an antagonistic society said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)
At His birth an angelic messenger said, “Peace on earth, good will toward men…” Cynics scoffed at such an idea. Mockery is still made of the idea.
Misanthropists delight to say it has been nearly 2,000 years and this promise hasn’t been realized.
Henry W. Longfellow penned the words that sum up the concept held by many:
“I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth good-will to men.
“And in despair I bowed my head:
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said.
“For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
True, hate is strong. Read it in the headlines of international news. Observe the daily local news reports of lives taken. Observe it in our schools where students have so much going for them, yet, they show disregard for one another and inflict physical, emotional, and psychological pain on each other.
In despair we might agree, “There is no peace on earth!”
A Biblical perspective seems to have swept across Longfellow’s thoughts as he continued to write:
“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
God is not dead, nor does He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will toward men!”
It is to people in the antagonistic environment where hate is strong that Christ said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
This angelic message is misunderstood to be a prophecy of peace. Instead it is a prescription for peace. Only when taken does it work.
There is an acid soil in which a sweet fruit grows. In Galatians 5:22 “the fruit of the Spirit” is noted. First, to be mentioned is “love,” followed by “joy,” and third is “peace.”
These virtuous fruit have their source in the Lord. They are sustained and maintained only by Him. These are not human achievements. They are the product of the work of the Holy Spirit in human lives.
Christ said, “My peace I give to you…” It is a gift that is ours because of Christ’s atonement, not our attainment.
Christ said it is “My peace” and I “give” it. It isn’t like that which the world offers. The world offers what it cannot give, the world cannot take away the peace Jesus offers.
Like any prescription, it has to be taken to be effective. Commit to the Lord and take His offer of peace.
Merry Christmas!
Today we celebrate the wonderful miracle of our Savior’s birth, called Christmas. May your celebration contain time to pause and say “Thank you Lord.”
This post is brief to allow time for togetherness, if possible.
In there is no one with you for this celebration, you are really not alone for He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you, I will be with you always.” He is there. Rejoice and read the following which is from Luke 2:1 – 20.
“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”
May you currently glorify and praise God to insure it is a MERRY CHRISTMAS