Where Is God In All This?

I’m pretty much an unromantic humbug when it comes to celebrations and holidays. I really have a problem with the emphasis of most such occasions focused on, “What am I going to get out of this?” So I find it hard to put “into” the festive time for fear of unsatisfying the expectations of others. It’s sad that people allow the commerce game of competition to command their spirit of giving during the “Holiday Season”. A well advertized limited edition product run of the “Air Jordan” basketball shoe by Nike nearly cost some people their life. It doesn’t matter I don’t get the shoes in my size; I’m never going to wear them. The shoes are an “investment”! Yeh! Profit! And some people are willing to kill for a pair of shoes. Our selfish ideals will be our doom.
Remember what “Christmas” is all about? It’s a time of celebrating the birth of our Savior, a gift from God. So, who’s the better, Jesus or Santa Claus? Santa lives at the North Pole… Jesus is everywhere. Santa fills your stocking with goodies once a year… Jesus supplies you every need, daily. You have to wait in line to see Santa… Jesus is as close as the mention of his name. Santa lets you sit on his lap… Jesus let’s you rest in his arms. Santa doesn’t know your name. All he can say is, “Hi! What’s your name?”… Jesus knew our name before we did. Not only does he know our name, he knows our address too. He knows our history, our future and he even knows how many hairs are on our head. Santa has a belly, like a bowl full of jelly… Jesus has a heart full of love. All Santa can offer is, “Ho, Ho, Ho!”… Jesus offers health, help and hope. Santa says, “You better not cry”… Jesus says, “Cast all your cares on me and I’ll wipe away your tears.” Santa’s little helpers make toys… Jesus makes life anew, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions. Santa may make you chuckle but… Jesus gives you joy that is your strength. While Santa puts gifts under your tree… Jesus became our gift and died on a tree. It’s obvious there is no comparison. We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about. Don’t become politically correct with your spiritual well-being. We desperately need to put Christ back into Christmas because Jesus is still the reason for the season.
[Jesus} Whatever the question… He is the Answer (John 14:6). Whatever the problem… He is the Solution (Matthew 11:28-29). Whatever the hurt… He is the Healer (Luke4:18). Whatever the bondage… He is the Liberator (John 8:32). Whatever the burden… He is the Overcomer (John 16:33). Whatever the need… He is the Supplier (Matthew 7:7-8). Whatever the sin… He is the Forgiver (Hebrews 10:12-17). We honor our God throughout the year with celebrations in, remembrance of Jesus’ birth and death; Pentecost, the beginning of the church; Thanksgiving, giving thanks to the Lord for supplying our everyday needs; and so on. Our celebrations have become a mislabeled box of assorted chocolates. What I’m picking to celebrate is not turning out to be what I expected. The season of thanks has become, I need and expect more for less. The season of giving has become a season of taking and getting. What has happened to God in all this? Even worship has become a competitive commodity to gain the favor of the “believers” and become the number one church. The format for the number one church is found in God’s Word. There is one message, one God, one Savior, one Spirit; without competition. Is God happy with your God-ly celebrations?

My Only Sonshine

A man is at the dentist’s office for a routine appointment and voices a complaint to the dentist about a terrible taste coming from his plate. The dentist says to the patient, “I notice your plate is severely corroded causing the foul taste. Have you had a change in your diet recently?” The man replies, “Why yes. About six months ago my wife introduced me to eggs Benedict. I fell in love with the hollandaise sauce and now I put it on everything.” “That’s it!” exclaimed the dentist. “The hollandaise sauce contains lemon juice which is very acidic. That explains the corrosion of your plate. I can replace your plate, but I’ll have to make it out of chrome.” “Why chrome?” asked the patient. With an inquisitive look the dentist said, “Why, I thought everyone knew; There’s no plate like chrome for the hollandaise.”
Like any good mother, when Karen found out another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her three-year-old son, Michael, preparer for a new sibling. The baby was going to be a girl and Michael loved to sing to his sister in his mommy’s tummy. He was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met her. The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen. In time the labor pains came, but serious complications arose during delivery and Karen found herself in labor for hours. After a long struggle Michael’s little sister was born, but she was in very serious condition. She was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee. The days inched by and the baby’s condition worsened. The doctors held very little hope and the parents were told to prepare for the worst. Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. “I want to sing to her”, he kept saying. Children weren’t allowed in the intensive care unit, but Karen decided to take Michael whether the staff liked it or not. A confrontation with the head nurse ended with Karen, “He’s not leaving until he sings to his sister!” Then Karen towed Michael to his sister’s bedside. He gazed at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. In the pure-hearted voice of a three-year-old, Michael began to sing, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray”. Instantly the baby responded! Pulse rate and breathing calmed and became steady. “Keep singing”, encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes. “You never know, dear, how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away.” Michael continued, “The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms.” The bossy head nurse, with tears rolling over her cheeks, was amazed at the immediate improvement of the infant’s vitals. Karen glowed as Michael finished his song, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, please don’t take my sunshine away.” Michael’s little sister relaxed and healing rest seemed to sweep over her. The very next day, the little girl went home.
[John 3: 16-21] The celebration of the birth of the Christ child produces more opposition every year. The Christ in Christmas is fading and the baby is in serious condition. Fewer children of each generation are being given the opportunity to sing a love song to Jesus, making it possible to bring Him home to live as a sibling. Parents are not preparing children for life, with the truth and support of God’s Word, which they can use throughout their life. Our baby’s are dying from lack of truthful love and Jesus is dying from human ignorance. “Please, don’t take my only Sonshine away.”

Time's Running Out

It’s hard to believe 2011 is coming to a close. It seems like yesterday we couldn’t wait for our new WalMart to open. It felt like it was taking forever, but low and behold it even opened as scheduled. I always thought it ridiculous to hear my elders confirm over and over again, “The older you get, the faster time passes”. When I think about it I’m reminded of another wise edict introduced to my life in about the sixth grade. In one of my classes, the teacher had posted a sign next to the clock on the wall. It read, “Time will pass; Will you?” It seems the older we get the more we find to fill our time and before we know it one day runs into another, into another, into another. If we’re not careful, we wake up and can’t even think of what day it is without consulting some sort of electronic device. Every once in a while I set back and evaluate my sleep deprivation trying to determine if it’s all worth it. I often realign my daily schedule, but then it doesn’t take long before I find something more to fill the newly allocated free time. And like most people I don’t fill the time with the purposes I was seeking more time for. It’s definitely a rat race this thing we call life and living, but the only thing I’m really worried about is, am I going to pass. I think we too often fail to realize that we all carry a great responsibility to ourselves and to our existence after time runs out.
My wife and I celebrate our anniversary this month and that’s one of those dates a man ought not to forget and needs to schedule time for at least a dinner date. I’m not a romantic and do not express my feelings well, but I’m also the guy you here about all the time who confesses that, “I would be nothing today without my wife standing beside me”. It’s true. My wife quietly encourages me with a look of confidence and nonchalantly, often times, puts me on notice that it’s time to shut my mouth and act the person she knows I am. My character is weak; our character has strength.
A little boy was attending his first wedding. After the ceremony his cousin asked him, “How many women can a man marry?” “Sixteen”, the boy responded. “How do you know that?” the cousin asked. “Easy”, said the boy. “All you have to do is add it up. Like the preacher said, four better, four worse, four richer and four poorer.”
Overheard at a wedding, one said, “Boy is he in big trouble!” Another asked why he said that. He replied, “The preacher asked the bride if she took this man to be her husband and she said ‘I do’. Then the preacher asked the groom if he took this woman to be his bride, and she said, ‘He does!’”
[Ecclesiastes 3] Along with the book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes is worth reading over and over again. This book’s authorship is given to Solomon, although never stated, and the general theme relates to the significances of human life. In verse 17 the author states, “I thought in my heart, ‘God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.’” In Philippians 2:12, Paul commended the church at Philippi as they continue to obey God’s Word without having to be reminded to do so and to “…continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” How different this world would be if we all first looked to please our Father in heaven in all we do and think. I fear God in a healthy way, for I do not want to be punished for my selfish foolish ways when my time is finished. I am striving to pass the tests of time in this life with the help of God.

Judas Asparagus

Sometimes we have to wonder if we take for granted that children understand what we are teaching. A seven-year-old was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible.
“In the beginning, near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness and some gas. The Bible says, “The Lord thy God is one’, but I think he must be older than that. Anyway, God said, ‘Give me a light!’ then God made the world. He split the Adam and made Eve. They were naked, but they weren’t embarrassed because mirrors hadn’t been invented yet. They disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden. I don’t know how. They didn’t have a car. Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel. Pretty soon all the early people died off, except for Methuselah who lived to be a million I think. One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He invited some other folks to join him, but they said they would take a rain-check. After Noah came Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a very loud sports coat. Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name is Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues to Pharaoh’s people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels and no cable. God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them his Top Ten Commandments. These include: don’t lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor’s stuff and humor thy father and mother. After Joshua came David who got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn’t sound very wise to me. After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One was Jonah, who was swallowed by a whale and got barfed up on the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don’t have to worry about them. After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of the New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn so when my mom says, ‘Close the door. Were you born in a barn?’ I could say, ‘Yes!’) During his life, Jesus had many arguments with the Pharisees and the Democrats. Jesus had twelve opossums. The worst of them was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil they named a terrible vegetable after him. Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount. But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the pilot. Pilot didn’t stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead. Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, and then came back to life again. He went up to heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.”
[1 Corinthians 13:11-13 & 2 Peter 3] I’m glad that as we mature mentally, and in the faith, we can come to a fuller understanding of the will of God for our life and our salvation. I pray I will never be too old to want to discover a deeper understanding of God’s Word. One can only do this through study of God’s Word on a level of thirsting for it. The Day of the Lord will be no laughing matter if you’re ignorant of His love.