God

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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The Value of Pennies

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And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. Mark 12:42-43 ESV

Last year after we finished our Christmas caroling at a nursing home, we began to pass out large print Christmas devotional books as our gift to the residents. Most of them lit up with smiles and thanked us for the books as our volunteers handed them out. But as they got to the back of the room, one lady gently reached out and slipped three one-dollar bills into their hand. Despite urging her that she didn’t need to pay for our gift, the woman insisted, “No please take it! I want to give something!”

In that dear lady I suddenly saw the widow in today’s verse. She showed us that the longing to give is a basic desire of every Christian heart. Though some of us, have had that desire dampened by people who have taken unfair advantage of us, Jesus never mentioned anything about how well the two little coins the widow contributed, were spent. What made her gift precious was the love that she gave it with. None of the rich guys who went ahead of her had impressed Jesus. But the small sacrifice that that woman eagerly gave was a treasure to Him. Her two pennies and our lady’s three dollars remind us that whether we offer gold, frankincense, and myrrh or just two pennies, God sees more than pennies. He is watching our hearts today!

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The Fire and the Cloud: A Christmas Story

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And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. Exodus 13:21 NKJV

You probably will ask, “What in the world does the cloud and the pillar of fire have to do with Christmas?” That’s a great question! Well, let’s consider the journey of the wise men. He sent the star to guide the wise men. In the same way, that In the wilderness, God sent a fire by night to lead His people. Have you ever stopped to think that sometimes God leads us that way also? When it is nighttime in our life, and things are going wrong, He sends His light to guide us, in the form of His Word.

But what about those days when there is money in the bank, everyone is healthy, and life is sunny? For the children of Israel, the daytime traveling was by a cloud. Though the wisemen had no cloud to follow, what they did was to continue on the course that the star had set by night. They did not stop and wait for evening but pressed on ahead. In the same way, we must not settle down in our comfort zones. God leads us forward even when things look good because our Promised Land is not here in the desert. No matter how great things look right now, there is a much more wonderful destination ahead because we are not citizens of the wilderness. Our homeland lies on the other side of the Jordan River. So, whether God sends a star, a cloud, or a pillar of fire, He will lead us to our own promised land. If we simply choose to follow Him, He will lead us both by day and by night. Then one day we will come to His home, pour out our treasures and worship Him forever!

The First Noel was one of the songs we kicked off our caroling with at the nursing home this year. Just as the wise men followed that star on the first Noel, God is calling you to follow Him by reading and following His word. No matter how old we are, it is never too late to have a First Noel!