God’s love

No Escape Clause

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For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 ESV

There are so many beautiful stories that surround Christmas. We see them in children’s pageants, and films, or read them in books and most of all in the Bible. But what if the wise men had never followed the star, or if after coming to Bethlehem, they decided not to give their gifts? What if the shepherds refused to go see the baby, or if there had been no manger for Jesus to be laid in? The answer is clearly that God would still have given his only Son.

But my problem with Christmas is that sometimes the people that I love, overlook, ignore and take that love for granted. I get discouraged and don’t understand why some folks just don’t get with the program. After all it’s Christmas! Then I remember that you and I are, more often than not, just like that with God.  We forget that when Jesus came to the manger in Bethlehem, there wasn’t a secret escape clause tucked in underneath His swaddling clothes and His love wasn’t given with a contract obligation. Rather, Christmas came as an unexpected, undeserved and shocking display of God’s love, based entirely on grace. Now of course, those who never came: the Herrods, the religious leaders, and the inn keepers with no room, missed out on receiving that gift. But their absence in no way diminished the miracle. So, this Christmas, whether you are surrounded by family or feeling isolated or rejected, remember that Jesus came for isolated shepherds, rejected couples like Joseph and Mary, and He also came for you. He has not forgotten you. No matter what others do, we can simply bow before Him and trust that the response of others will be in His hands, who knows how to work all things together for our good. Then come and worship, come and worship. Worship Christ our newborn King!

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Arrival in Heaven

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Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.                   1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks put the circumstances of our lives, both good and bad into God’s hands and help us see them through His eyes. Last night our beloved daughter-in-law Melinda slipped from this world into the presence of Jesus. And while we are overwhelmed with grief and shock, these words are promises to which we cling. Melinda has finished her race. Her battle with cancer is finished. And while that pernicious disease claimed her physical life, it could not touch her soul. That remained fully and exclusively in the hands of Jesus with whom she now lives. Nancy and I didn’t know how to process the news that came in three words. “She is gone.” Yet as sadness rolls over my heart I sense the message echo back from Heaven, ” She has arrived!”

More About Jesus

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I have always loved the words of the song, “More About Jesus.” They have encouraged me over the fifty plus years that I have been a Christian, because, when I have failed, sometimes fallen into sin, or made foolish decisions, they remind me that God has something better in His plan. He has planted something in my heart that longs to be more like Jesus and to show His love as I should, and He intended. This precious hymn was written in 1887 by Eliza Hewitt after a severe injury forced her early retirement from school teaching. But instead of anger or bitterness at losing the opportunity to do what she loved, her response was to write, “More about Jesus would I know – More of His love to others show”

As Eliza Hewitt shows us, there is nothing Jesus commanded more than for us to show His love to other people. First, He told us to love our Christian brothers and sisters and lay our lives down for them. Most of us get that part, but Jesus didn’t stop there. He also commanded us to love our neighbors, especially those who are completely different than us, like in the story of the Good Samaritan. Then, most surprising of all, Jesus also commanded us to love our enemies and shockingly, to pray for God’s blessing on them! Why in the world did He ask us to do that? Why should we love people who have hurt us, abused our trust or deceived us for their own gain? I love that, instead of giving us a long explanation, Jesus showed us what that means by allowing His enemies to drive nails through HIs hands and feet and then praying, “Father forgive them.” Until that truth touches the deepest part of our hearts, we will never really know the love of Christ as we should, because the Cross is where we learn to love Him and to serve Him by allowing that love to flow through us to others. I do hope you will enjoy our simple rendering of this old hymn. May God bless you as you seek to serve Him, by loving others today.