The Apostle Paul has some 'trustworthy' statements for us as we start the new year:
1). 1 Timothy 1:15 - "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners..."
2). 1 Timothy 4:8b-9 - "...godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds the promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. "
3). 2 Timothy 2:11-13 - "It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him; if we endure, we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful; for he cannot deny Himself."
4). Titus 3:4-8a - "But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy statement..."
Friday, January 1, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
A Terrible Year
It happened again today... it's been happening for over a month now. Every time I go out in public, someone has to remark on what a terrible year it's been. Today at the grocery store, I overheard two customers that had high hopes that 2010 would be a better year than this year. "What a terrible year it's been." I understand that some people have had difficulty. But if you listened to everyone that complained about 2009, you'd think we lived in a third world country. You'd think we had nothing to eat. You'd think we had no place to live. You'd think that it was a.... well, a terrible year.
Every time I hear someone say that 2009 was a terrible year, I think of the Christian's in the underground churches in communist countries being tortured for their faith. It may have been a bad year for them, although many of them consider it a privilege to suffer for the sake of Christ. When someone tells me it's been a terrible year, I think of all the freedoms I have enjoyed by living in this land. When someone says it's been a terrible year, I wonder if every year is terrible for them. Maybe they just like to complain... or perhaps 2009 really was a terrible year for some people - maybe a loved one died, maybe they lost a job, maybe their marriage isn't right. And maybe their hopes had been dashed. And if so, I wish for 2010 to be better.
I do wonder though, if the people with a bad 2009 had put their hope in their 401K, or put their hope in the value of their house or other material things. Maybe part of the reason 2009 was so bad for some people is that they had put their hope in a new president who didn't quite deliver what they expected. Mortal men, even presidents, do not bring the hope that people are looking for. Health problems, conflict in relationships, money issues... all have the potential to destroy our outlook if we do not handle them correctly. Despite the many things that come our way, there is still hope for a better year to come.
It can be a better year for all of us if our hope is in the right place. In 2010, lets look to the real hope, Jesus Christ.
May your new year be full of happiness and hope,
Mark
Every time I hear someone say that 2009 was a terrible year, I think of the Christian's in the underground churches in communist countries being tortured for their faith. It may have been a bad year for them, although many of them consider it a privilege to suffer for the sake of Christ. When someone tells me it's been a terrible year, I think of all the freedoms I have enjoyed by living in this land. When someone says it's been a terrible year, I wonder if every year is terrible for them. Maybe they just like to complain... or perhaps 2009 really was a terrible year for some people - maybe a loved one died, maybe they lost a job, maybe their marriage isn't right. And maybe their hopes had been dashed. And if so, I wish for 2010 to be better.
I do wonder though, if the people with a bad 2009 had put their hope in their 401K, or put their hope in the value of their house or other material things. Maybe part of the reason 2009 was so bad for some people is that they had put their hope in a new president who didn't quite deliver what they expected. Mortal men, even presidents, do not bring the hope that people are looking for. Health problems, conflict in relationships, money issues... all have the potential to destroy our outlook if we do not handle them correctly. Despite the many things that come our way, there is still hope for a better year to come.
It can be a better year for all of us if our hope is in the right place. In 2010, lets look to the real hope, Jesus Christ.
May your new year be full of happiness and hope,
Mark
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Local Church Commitment
I've been thinking and praying alot lately about 'the local church'. What is my role in the local church? And what happens to the local church when I don't fulfill my role?
It is imperative that this generation renew its commitment to the local church. When I look around at my own church, for the most part it is the 'older' people that financially support the church; it is the 'older' people that make up the sound leadership; it is the 'older' people that are present at Wednesday night prayer meetings; and the list goes on. In other words, the 'older' people are the pillars of the church. The younger generations appear to be just along for the ride. And as the oldest of the older people graduate to heaven, no one is filling in the gaps. I've been a part of several churches over the years and I'd bet this not unique to one or two churches.
If this younger crowd (myself included) doesn't fully commit itself to the local church... then the doors will close, the ministries will cease, and she will die. It will be a slow and painful death, but when she has died we will all look around and wonder what happened. It will be too late then. We need to rise up now and show ourselves faithful. If my community is going to be reached 20-30 years from now, my local church needs not only to exist, but to be thriving. The only way it will have vitality in those future years is for the Facebook and iPod generation to log off the computer and pull out the earplugs and get busy in our local churches. We need to pick up our Bibles and fall on our knees and see where God would have us to serve in our local churches. We need to break open our wallets and get generous. If we don't do these things, disaster awaits our churches in the future.
It is imperative that this generation renew its commitment to the local church. When I look around at my own church, for the most part it is the 'older' people that financially support the church; it is the 'older' people that make up the sound leadership; it is the 'older' people that are present at Wednesday night prayer meetings; and the list goes on. In other words, the 'older' people are the pillars of the church. The younger generations appear to be just along for the ride. And as the oldest of the older people graduate to heaven, no one is filling in the gaps. I've been a part of several churches over the years and I'd bet this not unique to one or two churches.
If this younger crowd (myself included) doesn't fully commit itself to the local church... then the doors will close, the ministries will cease, and she will die. It will be a slow and painful death, but when she has died we will all look around and wonder what happened. It will be too late then. We need to rise up now and show ourselves faithful. If my community is going to be reached 20-30 years from now, my local church needs not only to exist, but to be thriving. The only way it will have vitality in those future years is for the Facebook and iPod generation to log off the computer and pull out the earplugs and get busy in our local churches. We need to pick up our Bibles and fall on our knees and see where God would have us to serve in our local churches. We need to break open our wallets and get generous. If we don't do these things, disaster awaits our churches in the future.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
The Best Bible Reading Program
Every December, I start thinking of ways to improve on my Bible reading. It's hard to be consistent in our daily intake of scripture. To get into a consistent groove requires discipline. For some people, a 'Bible Reading Program' is just what the doctor ordered to help their oft-ailing study of God's Word. I've looked at some of these programs year after year, and they certainly have their merit. One program has you reading three or four chapters a day to get you through the whole Bible in a year. Another program has you reading the same seven or eight chapters every day for a month, and then move on to a different seven or eight chapters the next month. You don't get through the whole Bible in a year, but those chapters you read and re-read are cemented into your memory. There are even websites that guide you daily through your assigned reading schedule. Those kinds of Bible reading programs are good and vital for some people.
I am a different kind of individual though. Every time I ever tried a Bible reading program at the beginning of a new year, I end up failing by about the third week in January. The reasons are varied, but more often than not, it ends up becoming a mechanical exercise. This may not be true for everyone, but I have found the secret to the best Bible reading program for me: TIME. Spend TIME reading it. As I mentioned in my previous post - if I simply dedicate more TIME to Jesus (part of that is Bible reading), then I will make it through the passages that He wants me to study. If I open the Word on a regular basis, even a half-hour a day, I will read a significant portion of the Bible and be fed by the Holy Spirit's teaching. For me, it doesn't have to be some elaborate system of checking off chapters. Elaborate systems aren't for me. Simple devotion to Christ through the daily reading of his Word is what works best for me. If that means meditation on three short verses on one day, then great. If I happen to make it through three short New Testament books the next day, then that is great too.
I am a different kind of individual though. Every time I ever tried a Bible reading program at the beginning of a new year, I end up failing by about the third week in January. The reasons are varied, but more often than not, it ends up becoming a mechanical exercise. This may not be true for everyone, but I have found the secret to the best Bible reading program for me: TIME. Spend TIME reading it. As I mentioned in my previous post - if I simply dedicate more TIME to Jesus (part of that is Bible reading), then I will make it through the passages that He wants me to study. If I open the Word on a regular basis, even a half-hour a day, I will read a significant portion of the Bible and be fed by the Holy Spirit's teaching. For me, it doesn't have to be some elaborate system of checking off chapters. Elaborate systems aren't for me. Simple devotion to Christ through the daily reading of his Word is what works best for me. If that means meditation on three short verses on one day, then great. If I happen to make it through three short New Testament books the next day, then that is great too.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Christmas is Over?
The lights and decorations have been put away... the Christmas tree is already down at our house. We usually put things up in early December and take them down right after the 25th... and this year was no exception. Christmas is over. Christmas is over?! No, Christmas is not over! It is just starting! In fact, we should be celebrating the birth of Christ year round. I look at the day after Christmas as the 'beginning'. While the Christmas hymns are still being sung in my head; while the accounts of the wise men and shepherds still fill my imagination; while visions of the Christ child lying in the manger still bring warmth to my heart - that is when we take our Christmas decorations down. Not because we are scrooges, but because we like to get back to the 'routine' while all of those thing are consuming our thoughts.
It all may sound a bit odd. But today as I looked around the house with barely a wreath or ornament, I pondered the gifts that the wise men brought to the newborn Savior. Without pieces of wrapping paper or sparkling tinsel, I was able to clearly imagine in my mind what must have been going through the wise men's minds as they brought gifts of gold, frankincense, myrrh. These were expensive gifts. These gifts were no left-over boxes of chocolate. The wise men assuredly thought about what would be the most appropriate gifts to give to the babe that would grow up to save mankind from their sin-sick condition.
What would I give MY Savior if I were to give him a gift, I thought? Without staring at a Christmas tree dressed in twinkling lights, it dawned on me what to give... I need to give my Savior the same thing that the wise men gave: that which costs much. With the nativity scene and the pine garland back in the boxes, I realized that TIME and TALENT is very costly. When time is wrongly spent, it is gone. When talents are wrongly spent, they are wasted. Maybe I could start using my TIME for Jesus! It could be more Bible study and prayer, or time invested at our church or sharing the gospel. What about my TALENTS? What am I good at? I am good at different things than my wife, my sons, my daughter and probably everyone else around me... so I should be a better steward of those talents that God has given to me. Since we are all unique, we have different gifts given to us by our Creator - gifts we can offer back to Him! What a great Christmas gift for us to give! There is no Christmas letdown in our house, Christmas has only just begun.
It all may sound a bit odd. But today as I looked around the house with barely a wreath or ornament, I pondered the gifts that the wise men brought to the newborn Savior. Without pieces of wrapping paper or sparkling tinsel, I was able to clearly imagine in my mind what must have been going through the wise men's minds as they brought gifts of gold, frankincense, myrrh. These were expensive gifts. These gifts were no left-over boxes of chocolate. The wise men assuredly thought about what would be the most appropriate gifts to give to the babe that would grow up to save mankind from their sin-sick condition.
What would I give MY Savior if I were to give him a gift, I thought? Without staring at a Christmas tree dressed in twinkling lights, it dawned on me what to give... I need to give my Savior the same thing that the wise men gave: that which costs much. With the nativity scene and the pine garland back in the boxes, I realized that TIME and TALENT is very costly. When time is wrongly spent, it is gone. When talents are wrongly spent, they are wasted. Maybe I could start using my TIME for Jesus! It could be more Bible study and prayer, or time invested at our church or sharing the gospel. What about my TALENTS? What am I good at? I am good at different things than my wife, my sons, my daughter and probably everyone else around me... so I should be a better steward of those talents that God has given to me. Since we are all unique, we have different gifts given to us by our Creator - gifts we can offer back to Him! What a great Christmas gift for us to give! There is no Christmas letdown in our house, Christmas has only just begun.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Joyous Christmas
For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. - Luke 2:11
Joyous Christmas!!
Joyous Christmas!!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
The Nativity
At this time of year, our family spends part of our weekend evenings watching our favorite classic Christmas movies... ones like 'White Christmas' and 'Miracle on 34th Street'. Last night we saw what is now my favorite Christmas movie, 'The Nativity'. It was very well done and very moving. Like all movies or dramas based on the Bible, there is some poetic and artistic license, but it seemed the writers and producers of the film stayed on course. For instance, there was great detail in the film regarding the pilgrimage from Nazareth to Bethlehem. In Luke chapter 2, you have the decree from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken in verse 1; Joseph and Mary leave for their trip in verses 4 and 5; and by verse 6 they are already in Bethlehem. For some reason, God did not tell us much about the journey. Those details are not necessary for our faith. But the movie spent a great deal of time on the journey. I had never thought much about the journey itself - the dangers, the grueling walking and hiking through rugged terrain, finding food and drinkable water, etc. And while the movie has no Biblical basis for what it depicted on the trip to Bethlehem, there probably is no harm in using sanctified imagination in piecing together geographic and cultural facts with what we do know to be true in history - as long as there is nothing contrary to the scriptures. It is useful in forcing us to think through the account of the Savior's birth and the events leading up to it. In that way, it's good for our faith... and for that reason, this movie has jumped to the top of my favorite Christmas movie list!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
End of Year Reflection on Thankfulness
With the end of the year rapidly approaching, thoughts abound as we contemplate 2009. Among those thoughts, even though it was a rough year for many, is thankfulness. As I finish a most excellent work by Thomas Watson on the Lord's Supper, he reminds us at the end of the book that we can show thankfulness in these ways:
1). Courage - Christ suffered God's wrath for me - most certainly I can suffer man's wrath for Christ's sake.
2). Fruitfulness - "let us present Christ with the best fruits of our garden; let us give Him our love, that flower of delight".
3). Zeal - Zeal is an intense degree of pure devotion. Be zealous for Christ's name and zealous for worship.
4). Universal subjection to Christ - head to study; hands to work; heart to adore; tongue to praise!
1). Courage - Christ suffered God's wrath for me - most certainly I can suffer man's wrath for Christ's sake.
2). Fruitfulness - "let us present Christ with the best fruits of our garden; let us give Him our love, that flower of delight".
3). Zeal - Zeal is an intense degree of pure devotion. Be zealous for Christ's name and zealous for worship.
4). Universal subjection to Christ - head to study; hands to work; heart to adore; tongue to praise!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
This is a great Christmas hymn, written by Charles Wesley long ago, full of truth and hope.
Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Whiter Than Snow
My son, not realizing the allegory in his words, said 'Dad, I love the snow, God must love us alot to give us snow'.
My mind immediately raced to Isaiah chapter 1 and Psalm 51. "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow" and "Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow". What could be whiter than snow?! It's pretty white! And yet God promises to wash us until we are whiter than snow.
I love snow for that very reason... it reminds us of the cleansing we received from the blood of Jesus Christ. The thistles of sin are covered by the atonement made possible by what Jesus did on that bloody cross.
I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas? No need to dream about that. It's already a reality for those who put their faith and trust in the soul cleansing blood of the Savior whose birth we celebrate next week!
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