Got any plans?

"Destruction is certain for my rebellious children," says the LORD. "You make plans that are contrary to my will. You weave a web of plans that are not from my Spirit, thus piling up your sins.
Isaiah 30:1

The Lord's words in Isaiah were directed to Judah because of their treaty with Egypt, but the principles are worth considering before we rip off a list of resolutions. Part of the challenge of beginning the New Year correctly is receiving plans from the Spirit of God. The words that are repeated in the book of Revelation in the Bible are a solemn reminder..."He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches". Just because we have ears does not mean we listen.

Looking forward or looking back

Tomorrow will be my last Sunday morning message of 2007. It is a time to look back and reflect and look forward and expect. What were the best lessons learned in 2007? I love it (please insert sarcasm here) when the news shows attempt to list the "top stories" for the year. Isn't it amazing that the top stories are always stories that they reported and covered thoroughly. Our discernment of what is significant and what is not takes a beating in our culture. Are we sensitive to God's assessment of the significant moments in the past year? It is easy to miss the greatest moments of the year if we fail to consider the year through God's lens. The "big events" of last year do not necessarily impress God. Instead, God's greatest moments in our lives may have occurred without much fanfare. Were there moments when you were able to see Jesus in the eyes of a child? There may have been moments when we extended kindness to someone and God used that kindness to bring about healing inside a bruised and damaged heart. I believe the moments we celebrate fuel our expectations for the New Year.

Incarnation

How do you describe the miraculous combination of Divine and human? Incarnation is a term that has been applied to the miracle of Christmas. It is one word that attempts to bridge the gap of impossibility. It's not just that God chose to be with us. It is the fact that God chose to be with us as a baby in a manger in Bethlehem. The same God who came down to Mount Sinai with thunder, lightening, fire and smoke and was greeting with fear and trembling loved us enough to descend to a feed trough in a manger. No longer were the human beings who observed God's manifest presence afraid to draw near. Instead I suspect that the baby Jesus was welcomed into the world He created by the hands of Joseph and lifted to the embrace of Mary.

Diagnosis

Today I went to the doctor for my usual "diabetic check-up". I go every 90 days and lay my arm on the table, get stuck and watch as my blood fills up the tubes. Four tubes of blood reveal a lot of information. In a short period of time my doctor knows how my blood sugar has been in the last 3 months (fine thank you). He gets a picture of my cholesterol (112 - not bad!) and my triglycerides and a host of other numbers that I won't bore you with. Isn't it amazing that a small amount of blood can paint such a detailed picture of our health. God doesn't have to draw blood to know how well we have been doing this year. As 2007 comes to a close, it's a good time to allow the Holy Spirit to give us a report of how healthy we are. If we will be still, ask and listen, He can speak to our hearts about our spiritual health. The diagnosis is only the beginning. He is authorized to dispense prescriptions as well. He has prescribed me humility, trust, faith, grace, hope, peace many times.

Christ and Resolutions

Christmas and New Years are separated by one week on the calendar. In the blur of the season, we celebrate the birth of Jesus and then welcome a New Year. Is is coincidental that so many people make resolutions after overeating, overscheduling and overspending? Well, I not that not everyone is guilty of the aforementioned - so I will move along. Most of us will hear about or give some thought to making some positive changes around the New Year. If you think about change keep in mind a couple of guidelines. First, let change on the inside drive change on the outside. A faithful and determined heart is the best catalyst for positive changes that show on the outside. Second, don't expect change to be quick or easy. Good and lasting change is usually the result of sincere reflection and a deliberate response. Finally, remember that the Christ of Christmas is the ultimate change agent. Never attempt any significant change without asking for help and guidance from the LORD.

Do you like fruitcake?

I attended a Christmas program at Nick's school this morning. The high school choir performed a funny song about fruitcake. It seems that fruitcake is a Christmas tradition that lives on despite the fact that I hear lots of people complain that they don't like it. My favorite joke about fruitcake is that there is actually only one fruitcake in existence and it has been passed around the globe from family to family for 40 years now. Fruitcake is a good reason to consider the value and meaning of traditions. I'm sure you have many wonderful traditions around the holidays. Hopefully, you will consider the virtues of those traditions and utilize them as a way to share the love of Christ.

Change

I enjoy the opportunity to do some teaching at Lee University occasionally. I am preparing for a course on "Change issues in Leadership". This is a course that I have taught before. However, next year the course will be offered online for the first time. What a change! It is a great opportunity for me to put the principles that I teach and preach into practice and embrace the change. I am having to learn some new techniques and utilize a new platform to present the course.

Change touches us all, everyday. I suppose the older we get the more we notice change (and sometimes the more we resist it). The older we get the easier it is to grow stagnant. While it is true that not every change is good, we can grow resistant to both the good and the bad. I remember reading a challenging question a long time ago that asked whether I am a pond or a stream. The pond is stagnant. The stream is alive with fresh life flowing through it. The fresh current represents the positive transformation that comes from embracing the Spirit of God.

Guarantee

The New England Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-13 yesterday. The game had received a great deal of attention for several reasons. The Patriots are undefeated. The Steelers have the top rated defense in the NFL. But, most of the attention centered around the Steelers' safety Anthony Smith who had "guaranteed" that the Steelers would defeat the Patriots. So much for guarantees! Not only did the Steelers lose, Smith was torched for two touchdowns. To be fair, most people took Smith's guarantee with a grain of salt - realizing that such a guarantee is impossible. He couldn't possibly control all of the variables that determine the outcome. What can we guarantee this week? What variables are beyond our control and what are the things we can control? Much of life's challenges are unexpected and beyond our prediction or control. Yet, we are guaranteed God's presence and grace everyday. Also, we have been granted the freedom to respond.

Automated Attendant

Today I called a number for "customer service" for a TV that is not functioning. I was greeted by a warm and friendly automated attendant. You know the drill: press 1 for service; press 2 if you still want service; press 3 if you are losing patience, etc. Well, I worked my way through the selections two or three times. Each time, no matter what I pressed, I was dumped back to the original menu. (Fortunately there wasn't a recording telling me how important I am as a customer) Eventually, I pressed "O" for the operator. The operator was very helpful and I was connected with the customer service department. All of God's qualities amaze me. But, perhaps the most amazing is the fact that God hears every prayer from everyone. When I pray - I always have the ear of a "live" God. Lynn and I have many examples in our lives that we cherish where God has answered prayers in a very specific manner. Those answers do much more than "prove" to us that God exists. They affirm His great love for each of us.

I will share one example. In 1997 I had a mole removed from the back of my left leg. The mole was sent for a biopsy and the report came back that it was malignant melanoma. Subsequently, I had more tissue removed from my leg and it was determined that all the malignancy was gone. This was one of the most frightening times in my life. I was serving as a pastor in Arizona at the time and I had just watched a good friend die from a cancer that began as a similar malignant melanoma.

A couple of years later Lynn, Nick and I had moved to Virginia. After a visit to my dermatologist he decided that I needed to have another mole removed from my foot. While awaiting the report of the biopsy I became very fearful. One day while I was home alone I began to pray and ask for God to help me with my fear. I had been reading in the Scriptures how God delivered His people from the Egyptians when they pursued them to the Red Sea. The words caught my attention in Exodus 14:13-14
"Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever"

I decided to pray and ask God to provide help with my fear. I prayed specifically that the words of Exodus 14:13 would be my testimony. I prayed that my fear of this report and of cancer would be "no more". A few days later I received a good report from the doctor and I gave thanks to God. However this is not the end of the story. A couple of weeks later I was at church in Virginia on a Sunday night. A man named Jerry came to me at the close of the Sunday evening service and asked if he could share something with me. He seemed uncomfortable but he told me that he thought that God wanted him to say something to me. He said he didn't know whether it would make sense to me or not. He told me that the words that God had placed on his heart for me were "no more". I assured him that those words were very very meaningful to me and that God had answered a prayer specifically for me.

Life

This week I am preparing to share some thoughts about Life. Sounds like a big subject and it is. I am still working on answering the question "Who is the Christ of Christmas?" It's a bit of a tall order. I believe John gives us a good answer in telling us that "In Him (Christ) is Life". I believe our ability to know Jesus as "Life" is critical. Without a rich experiential knowledge of Christ, life is different. And knowing Him at a distance is like seeing a picture of the Grand Canyon vs. standing on the edge and experiencing it. I was reading through some research about our culture yesterday and ran across a comment about life that raises concerns. According to the research many American adults regularly strive to be connected to a substantial number of people yet they possess a nagging sense of loneliness, isolation and restlessness. To me this is symptomatic of our need to know Life in Christ intimately and personally instead of maintaining a distant relationship.

The Message

In considering the Christ of Christmas this season I am focusing on John's description of the birth of Jesus. The first chapter of John is quite different than the "birth" narratives of Luke and Matthew. John refers to Jesus as "the Word". Although the Greek word "logos" that is translated "word" has spawned a lot of different interpretations it seems to me that it is clear that Jesus was a living "God message" to us. He came as the eternal Son of God to reveal the glory, grace and truth of God as never before. It is a Message for all and at the same time it is a Message to me and for me. The Christ of Christmas is universal and yet personal. Receiving the Message of the Christ of Christmas requires us to focus on Him...especially during one of the busiest seasons of the year.