Miraculous Conception

Over the next 5 weeks, my husband will be taking a break from his Nurture series to focus on messages for the Advent Season. This Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent and he will focus on the Miraculous Conception of Jesus Christ. There will be one important thread throughout the sermon series and that is that the Holy Spirit is present in power at every crucial event in the life of Jesus - from his conception through his resurrection.

Matthew 1:18 tells us that Mary "was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit." This was confirmed to Joseph in verse 20 of the same chapter. So why is this important to me? This same power is present in the lives of those "who have received Him, to those who believed in His name." John 1:12

Perhaps that's why the following popular song on Christian radio means so much to me.  Here are the lyrics for "Same Power" by Jeremy Camp (I've italicized the words in the chorus for emphasis)

I can see
Waters raging at my feet
I can feel
The breath of those surrounding me
I can hear
The sound of nations rising up
We will not be overtaken
We will not be overcome

I can walk
Down this dark and painful road
I can face
Every fear of the unknown
I can hear
All God’s children singing out
We will not be overtaken
We will not be overcome

The same power that rose Jesus from the grave
The same power that commands the dead to wake
Lives in us, lives in us
The same power that moves mountains when He speaks
The same power that can calm a raging sea
Lives in us, lives in us
He lives in us, lives in us

We have hope
That His promises are true
In His strength
There is nothing we can’t do
Yes, we know
There are greater things in store
We will not be overtaken
We will not be overcome

Greater is He that is living in me
He’s conquered our enemy
No power of darkness
No weapon prevails
We stand here in victory

Gratitude = the power to change the world

"Why bother to pray?" I have said this and others have said it to me. What we actually mean is "Why bother to pray when we don't get what we want?"

It's not IF we should pray that's the problem. Jesus prayed, so we, as Christ-followers, must also do likewise. Rather, it's HOW we should pray. Throughout my life, if I want to learn how to do something, I study. I read books about it. I watch people who are good at it. I ask questions. Then I practice what I've learned.

The Book of Daniel is one place to go for teaching on prayer. Most would agree that Daniel is a good example for prayer. Afterall, how many of us have been thrown into a lion's den and come out unscathed? Daniel 6: 10 says "Daniel prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to God." We can learn a lot about prayer from this one verse.

1. He prayed three times a day. How many times do I pray faithfully in the morning and then by noon I am totally stressed out? What if I stopped and prayed at noon? And what if I took the time at dinner to give thanks to God, not just for my food, but for other blessings. Would my focus start to shift from my worries to a God who wants to bear my burdens?
2. Just as he had always done. It's hard to start praying as an adult - or even after a 1 month sabbatical from prayer. That's why it's crucial we cultivate a habit of prayer in ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. This habit builds a foundation of trust in God. (see Daniel 6: 23) Are we doing that?
3. Giving thanks to God. We tend to forget that Daniel was taken from his land, his people and his home. He was a refugee. Yet he didn't resist God's plan. Instead, he prospered in it. How? It has got to be linked to his prayer life and his heart of thanksgiving. 

Ann Voskamp, in her book, One Thousand Gifts, says "Because gratitude ushers into the other side of prayer, into the heart of God-love, and all power to change the world, me, resides here in His love."

Did Daniel change the world? Well, after he came out of the lions' den, King Darius issued a decree to every part of His kingdom that people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. That's a pretty good start to changing his world.

Like God

It blows my mind when I read Ephesians 4:23-24 (our verse for this Sunday):

..."To 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."

We were created to be like God. Not like the very best person we knew once. Not like our mother or father, but like God. Like God how? A few posts back (see October 14th), I mentioned that when I study God's character, I believe I am led where He wants me to go. Since that post, as I continue to read God's Word, there are two character traits that keep standing out to me. One is His unfailing love (Just to name a few places: Psalm 89:24, Psalm 92:2, Psalm 100:5, Psalm 108:4 NLT ) and the other is His faithfulness (Psalm 89:1-2; 8; 24, Psalm 92:2, Psalm 100:5, Psalm 108:4b NLT).

My husband has said over and over that Jesus Christ was born in the flesh, not only to show us the way to gain eternal life, but to also show us an example of what we were created to be like here on earth. Like God! And the same power that was present with Jesus on earth, is available to us - so we can be like God. Wasn't it God's unfailing love that drew me to Him? And isn't it His faithfulness that keeps me with Him? Then I am to take on a new attitude in my mind and put on a new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

The perfect game

Wikipedia says that " A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher (or combination of pitchers) pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base." Wikipedia also says that this feat has only been reached 23 times in MLB history.

When my son played baseball, he was often the pitcher. It was torture for me, to watch my son play this crucial position. I cannot imagine the pressure he himself felt to pitch "the perfect game." Like it or not, I'm sure every coach has hopes that his pitcher will indeed do that.

This Sunday we will be looking at Matthew 5:48. "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." Is God serious? Is that really His intent? I'm afraid so. But looking deeper into it, we see that the word "Be," is written in the future indicative tense, meaning "You will be perfect." By God's grace and through the transforming power of His love and His grace, He will make us perfect!

What does He mean by perfect? A life without mistakes? A life where my "opposing player" gets no runs on me? No, I believe God's goal is for me to reach a perfection of love. If we love one another, "God lives in us and His love is made complete in us." (1 John 4:12, but read verses 7-12) I'm not sure how many times that feat has been reached by Christians here on earth, but it should be our goal.

This is no game

"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8 (NASB)

When you play a game, in the end, you are either the winner or the loser; on the winning team or on the losing team. The life of a Christian is no game, but the Christ follower does have a strong adversary that is out to win. And not just win, but according to the verse above, he is seeking to devour the Christ follower.

Do we believe this? How so? It seems that people spend lots of time and energy on this fantasy football. I would imagine that knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your adversaries would be important to winning at that game. After all, there is a lot of money at stake. So do we Christ followers spend as much time getting to know our adversary? After all, our very lives are at stake! Do we know exactly what the Bible calls evil? Is Halloween evil? Is reading the horoscopes evil? What about going to a palm reader? Isn't it time to find out?

There is only one book that we can find out the answers to all that. The Bible will not only give us information about the enemy, but it gives us ways to win!

A thousand times I've failed

This morning as I poured out my heart to God over yet another failure to pray before I reacted (and then acted), the words to a song by Hillsong United came to mind. Here are the words to the first part:

From the Inside Out

A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending Your glory goes beyond all fame

My husband's last few sermons have been about sanctification and holiness. We talked about how it is God who does this in our lives (1 Thessalonians 5:24). So what then, is our part?

What God has been showing me, is that my part is to focus on the Father: His character and His promises. When I do that, He leads me where He wants me to go. For example, in Romans 2:4 we read that it is God's kindness that leads us to repentance. 

Mercy is another characteristic of God (mentioned in the song above). How many times has God not treated us as our sins deserved, but shown us mercy instead?  What does that do for us? I know for me, it makes me want to give Him praise and thanks! And isn't that what He desires?

So, today I choose to "flip it," as our good friend Eli taught us. I admit my failure, and I turn to the God of all grace, the everlasting God, and I give Him praise for His never ending mercy. To Him be all glory and honor and praise!

Dual citizenship

These quotes are from U.S. Government websites:

"If you decide to apply to become a U.S. citizen, you will be showing your commitment to the United States and your loyalty to its Constitution. In return, you are rewarded with all the rights and privileges that are part of U.S. citizenship. "

"The concept of dual nationality (emphasis added) means that a person is a national of two countries at the same time." 

I have dual nationality (or citizenship). I was born in the United States, so I am a citizen by birth. I also decided to accept Jesus Christ as my LORD and Savior, which made me a citizen of heaven as well. In doing so, I was rewarded with all the rights and privileges that are part of heaven!

However, in addition to being rewarded with those rights and privileges, I also have the responsibility to show my commitment to God and my loyalty to His Word. How? By obeying it. This morning I read in Philippians 1:27 (NLT):

"Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Jesus Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News."

There is one way to live as citizens of heaven and that is to live a life of holiness (2 Corinthians 7:1). That's what we'll be talking about this Sunday.