Asking the hard questions

It's the end of the year. Not sure why, but resolutions always seem to get all the press. Whatever happened to reflection? I'm not knocking forward thinking. I'm not bashing goal setting. It's just that I can't imagine moving forward without taking inventory. That means it's time to ask some hard questions. Actually, it's just one question. It's a question that I revisit each year. Am I more like Jesus today than I was last year? From God's perspective, everything that happened in 2011 could have worked toward that goal in my life.The good, the bad and the ugly all provided opportunities for me to continue the process of becoming more like Jesus. Of course the big question does lead to other questions concerning the things that have concerned followers of Jesus throughout the ages. Did I desire what God desires? (Affections) Did I see what God revealed to me? (Vision) Did I use what God gave me for His glory? (Stewardship) Am I less selfish? Am I more loving? Was I a positive influence on others? (Salt and Light) These questions help me prepare for 2012.

Twinkle Twinkle little star

Matthew 2:1-2
…Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”


Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. Most of us can sing along. In fact, Lynn and I used to sing it to Nick when he was a little baby each night when we would put him to bed. But, few people can sing the lyrics of the entire song written by Jane Taylor back in 1806. I like the third verse.

Then the traveler in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark;
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

Such is the story of my life. All along the way, God has provided light for me. First, He provided light through the love and guidance of godly parents. Then, God has been gracious to supply a host of teachers who have helped to illuminate my way. Each spark has been magnified by the presence of the Holy Spirit in my heart. So many times when I could have been the traveler who could not see the way to go, God has been faithful to provide the spark to lead me home to Him. Many paths appear the same in the dark, but only one brings the wise to their knees in worship of the King.

Merry Christmas

Last week, we were finishing up a project on the playground here at church. It required several 80 lb. bags of Quikcrete. I was blessed with the opportunity to carry a few of them. I made the comment that it felt like the first bag weighed 80 lbs. and the last bag weighed 180 lbs. The longer you carry a weight, the heavier it feels! Consider how that relates to the prophetic words found in Isaiah. They are some of the most beautiful in the Bible. During the Christmas season, I love to read about the prophetic anticipation of the birth of the Savior.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

I pay particular attention to the comment about that government that rests upon His shoulders. I have always found it easier to carry a heavy load (like a bag of Quikrete) by resting it on my shoulders. Isaiah reminds us that God’s shoulders are broad enough and strong enough to bear the weight that we cannot. Earlier in Isaiah 9, we read a graphic description of God’s plan to save His children that makes that point.

For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. (Isaiah 9:4)

I am unable to bear the weight of my sin. The baby that was born in Bethlehem grew up into the man that carried my sin to the cross. Jesus shattered the yoke of my sin. I no longer carry it. He bore the weight of the consequences. I no longer bear it. He destroyed the rod of my oppressor. I no longer feel the pain. Join with me this week and give thanks to our Savior.

Last Verse

Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them.
Judges 2:18

Judges is a disturbing book in the Bible. It ends on a sour note. The last statement is a summary of the problem: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes”. The cyclical nature of Judges is well known. Judges 2:18 provides a good snapshot. First, the people would sin and then they would fall under the oppression of their enemies. They would cry out to God and God would provide a deliverer or “judge”. After a period of deliverance, they would fall back into sin. Perhaps what saddens me most is the stark contrast between the long-suffering of God and the short memory of the people. Judges spans over 300 years and during that time we read of very little progress. In fact the last verse sounds worse than the first. As we prepare for the end of another year, what if you penned a “last verse” for this year? Would it read better than the first? What have you learned? If we are breathing, it is evidence of the grace (and long-suffering) of God. It might be beneficial to make a personal list of “lessons learned” during this past year. God has given each of us many opportunities to learn about His character and plan during the past year. Take some time to reflect.

God is reaching

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of Salvation for us in the house of His servant David.
Luke 1:68-69

So often, when I read the Bible, I recognize that the Lord is reaching out to me. The message of Scripture is not static. The Word of God is alive. In the words of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, God reaches out “to rescue us from the hand of our enemies and to enable us to serve Him”. Harriet Beecher Stowe once described literature this way. She said, “A book is a hand stretched forth in the dark passage of life to see if there is another hand to meet it.” As we begin to turn our thoughts toward the Christmas season we need to give praise the Lord who has visited us. Jesus reached into our darkness to rescue us. We need to remember the words of the old song “When my Savior reached down for me”.

Once my soul was astray from the heavenly way
I was wretched and blind as could be
But my Savior in love gave me peace from above
When he reached down his hand for me

When the Savior reached down for me
When he reached way down for me
I was lost and undone without God or his Son
When he reached down his hand for me