***The following post is an adaptation of a sermon that I am preparing to deliver this next Sunday morning at St. Peters Wesleyan.***
When I was a kid… I loved it whenever it was time to celebrate my birthday. I was a lucky kid… both sides of my family lived with ten minutes of my house and every birthday my mom would organize a party that included the invitation of all of my grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and anybody else that was somehow even remotely related to me.
These birthday parties included cakes… usually decorated by my mom. I remember one year she baked an R2-D2 cake. It was the most beautiful cake I have ever seen. Don’t tell Melissa, but this R2-D2 cake even rivaled our wedding cake. It was truly a masterpiece.
Of course birthdays include gifts… and some of my family members were very creative and very generous in their gift-giving: My grandma Sands would always give me as many presents as how many years old I was. So it was probably a bummer when I was one or two… but when I got up to nine and ten… it was jackpot time. If I was turning nine, she’d bring me nine packages to open.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that she probably spent the same amount of money on me each year… she would splurge on one or two presents and then bargain shop for her filler presents… you know trinkets, used underwear, yo-yos, whatever she needed to fill the quota that year.
My great-grandma Ramsey would kind of do that same sort of thing… except with money. When I turned five, she gave me five one dollar bills. I think there was one year when she miscounted and gave me one dollar less. In my rudeness, I let her know that she had shorted me one whole dollar, and I think I might’ve embarrassed my parents.
My grandma Miller would give me a card every year with a crisp $50.00 bill in it. It was guaranteed income every year. My favorite past-time as a kid was the Nintendo… so that $50.00 guaranteed that I could buy a new game every August right when school started.
I tell you all this to remind you of how birthdays usually work in America. Someone gets a year older… and we usually give gifts to celebrate another year. Typically, the birthday boy or girl gets all the presents (or at least the majority of them, right?)
But here’s my question for you this morning: What happened to Christmas? Not that I’m complaining or anything… but here we are celebrating the birthday of God Himself and we’ve decided to give a bunch of gifts to each other. Why is it that during Christmas that we usually get so much, and God usually gets so little? I suppose we could blame it on a number of things: Selfishness, busyness, being more concerned with the ‘how and when’ of Christmas, rather than the ‘Why.’
How can we begin to approach Christmas for what it really is? A Birthday: and not just any old birthday either. It’s the birthday of Immanuel: The God who came near; It’s the birthday of the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for His sheep. It’s the birthday of our Savior… of Jesus.
If we are to treat Christmas as a birthday… our first question should not be: So what gifts do I need to buy this year for my family? It is a legitimate concern, but it should not be our first concern. Our main focus should not be on creating our own wish lists for the holiday season: (I am an expert at THAT one!) If we really believe this to be Christ’s birthday… our first question should be: What gift or gifts can I extend to Jesus? What gift or gifts can YOU extend to Jesus? What are the things that we can do or say that will bring Him joy and honor?
I know that this can be tricky. After-all, God is God. The earth is His. His owns the cattle on a thousand hills. What do you get for someone who has everything?
One of the things that I love about Wesleyan/Arminian theology is the thought that God allows us to choose Him. God does not force Himself on us… He graciously allows us to choose to love Him. He knows that forced love is not love at all… forced love is robotic and inspired by fear. It’s only when someone is given a choice to love that love is genuine.
God has ownership of many, many things… but He might not have ownership of You. Or He might only have partial ownership of You. Maybe the greatest gift that you can give Him is the gift of YOU. Your heart, your actions, your attitudes, your mind, your motives, your body, ALL of you. Sounds weird, huh? If you are anything like me, then you might be saying: Why in the world would HE want ME as a gift? I’m not worth anything. My answer to you: I have no idea why God wants us… but He does. If you doubt that, go read the three parables about lost things in Luke 15 or go further ahead in that same gospel to chapters 22 and 23 to see the amazing price that Jesus paid to restore God’s relationship to a fallen humanity. You are priceless in His eyes.
As we approach Christmas this year, consider giving God a gift that would bring Him great joy… your surrender to Him and to His will...
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Things I'm Thankful For...
• For kisses on the cheek from Emily when I didn’t ask for them
• For the gift of salvation
• For football season… which tides me over until baseball season
• For the God-given and God-sanctioned sport of baseball
• For the God-favored baseball organization: The St. Louis Cardinals
• For my beautiful and supportive wife, Melissa
• For turkey sandwiches on Thanksgiving evening made from leftovers
• For the times that Emily asks me to play with Star Wars toys with her
• For the growing child within Melissa’s belly that is currently .67 of a centimeter long
• For my 1980’s Nintendo Entertainment System and the first Zelda game
• For God calling me into ministry
• For a loving and supportive family
• For snickers candy bars
• For my early 1990’s Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Final Fantasy 3
• For the Godly heritage that my parents passed down to me
• For Stove Top stuffing
• For ebay
• For the privilege of being called a child of God
• For the times I can do minor yard work with Emily’s help
• For health
• For Disney World
• For free, on-line fantasy sports
• For the times when Melissa and I settle in to watch a movie
• For my late 1990’s Nintendo 64 and Mario Tennis
• For Olive Garden and Texas Roadhouse
• For the church of Jesus Christ
• For music and specifically, U2’s music
• For my laptop computer and wireless internet
• For the cross and the empty tomb
• For the rare fiction novel that cannot be put down
• For Notre Dame football
• For the times when Emily sings ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’
• For the Warcraft PC games
• For McDonald’s eggnog shakes
• For Empire Strikes Back and the other five Star Wars movies
• For God’s Word
• For tennis and the ability to play
• For my education
• For the gift of laughter
• For scented candles (like pumpkin spice and cinnamon)
• For hot showers in the morning
• For the gift of life, both now and in eternity
• For the gift of salvation
• For football season… which tides me over until baseball season
• For the God-given and God-sanctioned sport of baseball
• For the God-favored baseball organization: The St. Louis Cardinals
• For my beautiful and supportive wife, Melissa
• For turkey sandwiches on Thanksgiving evening made from leftovers
• For the times that Emily asks me to play with Star Wars toys with her
• For the growing child within Melissa’s belly that is currently .67 of a centimeter long
• For my 1980’s Nintendo Entertainment System and the first Zelda game
• For God calling me into ministry
• For a loving and supportive family
• For snickers candy bars
• For my early 1990’s Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Final Fantasy 3
• For the Godly heritage that my parents passed down to me
• For Stove Top stuffing
• For ebay
• For the privilege of being called a child of God
• For the times I can do minor yard work with Emily’s help
• For health
• For Disney World
• For free, on-line fantasy sports
• For the times when Melissa and I settle in to watch a movie
• For my late 1990’s Nintendo 64 and Mario Tennis
• For Olive Garden and Texas Roadhouse
• For the church of Jesus Christ
• For music and specifically, U2’s music
• For my laptop computer and wireless internet
• For the cross and the empty tomb
• For the rare fiction novel that cannot be put down
• For Notre Dame football
• For the times when Emily sings ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’
• For the Warcraft PC games
• For McDonald’s eggnog shakes
• For Empire Strikes Back and the other five Star Wars movies
• For God’s Word
• For tennis and the ability to play
• For my education
• For the gift of laughter
• For scented candles (like pumpkin spice and cinnamon)
• For hot showers in the morning
• For the gift of life, both now and in eternity
Monday, November 21, 2005
Her favorite animal...
Just wanted to share a quick picture of Emily from Halloween weekend. We went to 'Boo at the Zoo' here at the St. Louis Zoo. We had a lot of fun and Emily tried to climb the fence to go play with the Elephants.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Marveling at Jesus
I absolutely marvel at Jesus’ ability to make the right decisions in the worst circumstances. The more I read the gospels, the more amazed I get.
I’ve recently been thinking about one of my weaknesses; or more specifically, my ability to get short with people and sometimes get downright mean. No, it doesn’t happen all that often. It usually only happens when I’m annoyed, tired, hurting, confused, or whatever. Sometimes, when an apology is needed… I blame it on all on those conditions. ‘I’m really sorry for snapping at you, my head is just really hurting right now… I don’t feel like myself.’
But then I read about Jesus, and I see that he went through the exact type of circumstances that I go through… and he ALWAYS made the right decision. Which tells me that I can no longer use excuses like: I’m tired, or in pain, or anything else that I tend to use to make me feel better for acting like a jerk. For instance:
I really get annoyed when someone tells me how to do my job. Jesus had people telling Him how to do His job throughout His whole ministry. Even all of His disciples would have preferred that He would be a political leader that would save the Jews from Rome’s authority. But, Jesus never let that get in the way of loving His disciples.
Recently, one of my teeth has been bothering me. I’m going to get a root canal soon. The pain starts in my mouth and shoots up the right side of my head. I get really crabby until I can get some meds in me. Jesus had been beaten about as severely as a man can be beaten without dying… He had nails stuck in his hands and feet… He was wearing a crown of thorns… yet He still displayed a forgiving, gracious, and loving spirit while on the cross.
When I am at my most productive in the office, I absolutely hate distractions. Come to think of it… even when I am not productive, I hate distractions. It puts me in a bad mood. Jesus almost seemed to thrive on distractions… there are several good reasons for that which I’ll explore in another post, but the point here is this: He didn’t allow distractions to ruin His day, or cause Him to be any less generous with people… He did not allow distractions to annoy Him to the point of saying mean things or being impatient to the people around Him.
I really have a hard time loving people that have an opinion of me that they are willing to share with everybody but me. In fact, there have been people in the past that I have just avoided talking to altogether because of this type of thing. My excuse: ‘I just don’t have time for people who act this way.’ Jesus rebuked these types of people, but He still loved them… He still tried to teach them… He still dealt with them… He didn’t avoid them. So much for my trying to justify avoiding people like this…
In the very honest moments of my life, there are times when I don’t even want to treat people like Jesus did. I mean, it seems like He gave people too much credit. His way is harder. You have to deal with difficult people if you follow His method. You can't just avoid people that tork you off. Hardest of all... you are expected to love those people that tork you off. My way is so much easier...
And then I remember that the heart of God beats for people. His heart is broken for those who are broken. He is desperately searching for those who are lost. He IS LOVE. Not to be confused with ‘God is lovING.’ That doesn’t cut it. God IS THE definition of love. His very essence is love. It’s not just something He does, or shows… Love is what He IS.
With that in mind… it’s time for me to be a better steward of the relationships that He has put in my life. It’s time for me to put aside the excuses that make me feel better about my rotten attitude towards people. It’s time to put aside my comfort level and start seeking to build people up, regardless of how I feel about them or how they’ve treated me. It’s time for me to start modeling His love...
I’ve recently been thinking about one of my weaknesses; or more specifically, my ability to get short with people and sometimes get downright mean. No, it doesn’t happen all that often. It usually only happens when I’m annoyed, tired, hurting, confused, or whatever. Sometimes, when an apology is needed… I blame it on all on those conditions. ‘I’m really sorry for snapping at you, my head is just really hurting right now… I don’t feel like myself.’
But then I read about Jesus, and I see that he went through the exact type of circumstances that I go through… and he ALWAYS made the right decision. Which tells me that I can no longer use excuses like: I’m tired, or in pain, or anything else that I tend to use to make me feel better for acting like a jerk. For instance:
I really get annoyed when someone tells me how to do my job. Jesus had people telling Him how to do His job throughout His whole ministry. Even all of His disciples would have preferred that He would be a political leader that would save the Jews from Rome’s authority. But, Jesus never let that get in the way of loving His disciples.
Recently, one of my teeth has been bothering me. I’m going to get a root canal soon. The pain starts in my mouth and shoots up the right side of my head. I get really crabby until I can get some meds in me. Jesus had been beaten about as severely as a man can be beaten without dying… He had nails stuck in his hands and feet… He was wearing a crown of thorns… yet He still displayed a forgiving, gracious, and loving spirit while on the cross.
When I am at my most productive in the office, I absolutely hate distractions. Come to think of it… even when I am not productive, I hate distractions. It puts me in a bad mood. Jesus almost seemed to thrive on distractions… there are several good reasons for that which I’ll explore in another post, but the point here is this: He didn’t allow distractions to ruin His day, or cause Him to be any less generous with people… He did not allow distractions to annoy Him to the point of saying mean things or being impatient to the people around Him.
I really have a hard time loving people that have an opinion of me that they are willing to share with everybody but me. In fact, there have been people in the past that I have just avoided talking to altogether because of this type of thing. My excuse: ‘I just don’t have time for people who act this way.’ Jesus rebuked these types of people, but He still loved them… He still tried to teach them… He still dealt with them… He didn’t avoid them. So much for my trying to justify avoiding people like this…
In the very honest moments of my life, there are times when I don’t even want to treat people like Jesus did. I mean, it seems like He gave people too much credit. His way is harder. You have to deal with difficult people if you follow His method. You can't just avoid people that tork you off. Hardest of all... you are expected to love those people that tork you off. My way is so much easier...
And then I remember that the heart of God beats for people. His heart is broken for those who are broken. He is desperately searching for those who are lost. He IS LOVE. Not to be confused with ‘God is lovING.’ That doesn’t cut it. God IS THE definition of love. His very essence is love. It’s not just something He does, or shows… Love is what He IS.
With that in mind… it’s time for me to be a better steward of the relationships that He has put in my life. It’s time for me to put aside the excuses that make me feel better about my rotten attitude towards people. It’s time to put aside my comfort level and start seeking to build people up, regardless of how I feel about them or how they’ve treated me. It’s time for me to start modeling His love...
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Good news!
Well, the big news for our family: MELISSA IS PREGNANT! (Check out Emily's T-Shirt!) This pregnancy is considered a higher risk pregnancy because of Melissa’s blood clotting disorder… so if you could keep her and baby in your prayers. It looks like she will be due sometime in early to mid July. (C-Section) The doctors will be keeping a close eye on Melissa and we even have our first ultrasound scheduled for sometime around Thanksgiving. (The date has changed, so I can’t remember it exactly…)
We are very excited about this. It is quite a relief to Melissa. Throughout this whole process… she has had to inject herself in the stomach, twice a day, with Hepburn. (Since April or May) Finally, there is an end in sight to all this shot-taking. Emily is not quite sure what to think of everything yet. I’m sure she’ll warm up to the idea (I mean... come on... she’ll get to mother a little sibling… and boss her/him around)… but I’m not sure she wants to give up her exclusive parental attention rights. We’ll see…
Melissa will probably try to take as much maternity leave as she can early next school year. I would like to somehow be in solid position financially… good enough to allow her to stay home for the whole first school year… but we are still working some of that out. Melissa enjoys working at DuBray and if she has to work… that is where she would like to stay… but I would love have her stay home with the baby for as long as possible.
Anyway... just wanted to share!
Monday, November 07, 2005
Wish I Could Do It All Over Again
I told Melissa that I was writing a post for the blog about how I wish I could go back and do college all over again… she said: ‘Why… so that you could go back and trade me in for someone else?’ She was kidding, but I am not kidding when I say that I wouldn’t trade her for anyone. She’s the best. So I should specify:
I wish I could do the academic portion of college all over again. I had a couple of things going against me the first time around. For one, I finished high school with a 2.0 grade point average. I didn’t finish low because I was stupid… I finished low because I just didn’t care. There were no classes that motivated me… there were no classes that captivated me. But, I didn’t really understand that at the time. I never really have considered myself as brilliant… still don’t for the most part… but when I first went to college… I had serious doubts about whether I belonged there at all when it came to academics.
That really affected the way I went about learning. Instead of really trying to understand issues… I really just sought to take good notes, learn dates and facts for tests… and I never really got involved in discussions. Another thing that I never truly utilized until my senior year was my professors. I was never proactive in asking for help… or getting clarification on issues… I never really asked any professors to do lunch until my senior year. I wish I would have put myself in a position to pick their brains more.
Recently, I have realized that I have a deep love (and thirst) for theology. I think it started back in 2002 or so when I took my first graduate level theology course on the Trinity. I soaked up that class. I learned so much. My view of God was clarified. I loved the class discussions and debate. It was awesome.
In many ways, it was the first legitimate theology class that I have taken. I had three theology classes in college: Theology 1, Theology 2, and Theology of Holiness. Theology 1 was taught by a teacher that I really respected, but he was getting older (I think it was his last year to teach) and had recently suffered a stroke... so he had trouble formulating into words some of the deeper truths… I didn’t take much away from that class.
Theology 2 and Theology of Holiness was taught by a guy that probably had no business teaching any college level classes in the first place. He didn’t really teach us theology so much as he preached to us. Sometimes preaching is good in the classroom… but not in this case. I remember one time… class started and he called on several students to ‘teach’ the lesson out of the notebook that we were working through. These students had no warning, no time to prepare, and quite frankly… weren’t being paid to teach theology… our professor was. Needless to say, I learned very little…
One of my favorite teachers in college was Dr. Bud Bence. I had him for several classes… but the two that resonated with me the most: Church History 1 and 2. That was where I learned most of my understanding of different theological issues. Which was unfortunate… because Dr. Bence also needed to teach us about Church History. (another topic that I love) He was cramming so much information into each class... it was great, but I always wondered how different it would have been for me to have taken my theology courses with Dr. Bence.
Anyway… all this resulted into two disappointing things. One, I entered ministry with a very limited understanding of theology. Two, I entered ministry not knowing that I had a mind and spirit that absolutely craves learning about theology. Now that I know, I wish I could go back and do it all again (with different professors, of course.)
I check several blogs that just delight me, but also make me jealous. I long to be in that intensive classroom learning atmosphere and just soak up as much as I can… but I also know that I can’t afford it, I don’t want to leave where I am, and I don’t want to leave my family for a week at a time to do it anymore.
However, since I can’t get to the classroom right now… I’ve decided to bring the classroom to me. I have decided to write a Sunday School curriculum covering some the introductory ideas of theology. I don’t know how long it will take and I don’t know how well received the class will be… but at very least, through my writing, I will be forced to research and probe. And I think that will be a blast…
I wish I could do the academic portion of college all over again. I had a couple of things going against me the first time around. For one, I finished high school with a 2.0 grade point average. I didn’t finish low because I was stupid… I finished low because I just didn’t care. There were no classes that motivated me… there were no classes that captivated me. But, I didn’t really understand that at the time. I never really have considered myself as brilliant… still don’t for the most part… but when I first went to college… I had serious doubts about whether I belonged there at all when it came to academics.
That really affected the way I went about learning. Instead of really trying to understand issues… I really just sought to take good notes, learn dates and facts for tests… and I never really got involved in discussions. Another thing that I never truly utilized until my senior year was my professors. I was never proactive in asking for help… or getting clarification on issues… I never really asked any professors to do lunch until my senior year. I wish I would have put myself in a position to pick their brains more.
Recently, I have realized that I have a deep love (and thirst) for theology. I think it started back in 2002 or so when I took my first graduate level theology course on the Trinity. I soaked up that class. I learned so much. My view of God was clarified. I loved the class discussions and debate. It was awesome.
In many ways, it was the first legitimate theology class that I have taken. I had three theology classes in college: Theology 1, Theology 2, and Theology of Holiness. Theology 1 was taught by a teacher that I really respected, but he was getting older (I think it was his last year to teach) and had recently suffered a stroke... so he had trouble formulating into words some of the deeper truths… I didn’t take much away from that class.
Theology 2 and Theology of Holiness was taught by a guy that probably had no business teaching any college level classes in the first place. He didn’t really teach us theology so much as he preached to us. Sometimes preaching is good in the classroom… but not in this case. I remember one time… class started and he called on several students to ‘teach’ the lesson out of the notebook that we were working through. These students had no warning, no time to prepare, and quite frankly… weren’t being paid to teach theology… our professor was. Needless to say, I learned very little…
One of my favorite teachers in college was Dr. Bud Bence. I had him for several classes… but the two that resonated with me the most: Church History 1 and 2. That was where I learned most of my understanding of different theological issues. Which was unfortunate… because Dr. Bence also needed to teach us about Church History. (another topic that I love) He was cramming so much information into each class... it was great, but I always wondered how different it would have been for me to have taken my theology courses with Dr. Bence.
Anyway… all this resulted into two disappointing things. One, I entered ministry with a very limited understanding of theology. Two, I entered ministry not knowing that I had a mind and spirit that absolutely craves learning about theology. Now that I know, I wish I could go back and do it all again (with different professors, of course.)
I check several blogs that just delight me, but also make me jealous. I long to be in that intensive classroom learning atmosphere and just soak up as much as I can… but I also know that I can’t afford it, I don’t want to leave where I am, and I don’t want to leave my family for a week at a time to do it anymore.
However, since I can’t get to the classroom right now… I’ve decided to bring the classroom to me. I have decided to write a Sunday School curriculum covering some the introductory ideas of theology. I don’t know how long it will take and I don’t know how well received the class will be… but at very least, through my writing, I will be forced to research and probe. And I think that will be a blast…
Friday, November 04, 2005
Pumpkin Patch
A couple of weeks ago, we took Emily to a pumpkin patch. We had a lot of fun. I thought I'd share some of our pictures...
She picked this pumpkin all by herself and was very proud of herself!
She loved the pony ride...
We couldn't resist...
She picked this pumpkin all by herself and was very proud of herself!
She loved the pony ride...
We couldn't resist...
Thursday, November 03, 2005
The Apostle Paul's Optimism
My small group is studying the book of Philippians. It is one of the most optimistic books of the Bible… and it has been such a joy to look at. I really respect the apostle Paul. I want to develop the same type of attitude about difficult circumstances as he did. It would make life so much more joy-filled.
I mean, seriously… how do you go about persecuting a guy like Paul?
• You could throw him into prison and he’d just say: “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.”
• You could torture him and he’d just say: “…if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
• You could threaten to starve him, take his money away, strip him of all his has and he’d just say: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
• You could take the final step and tell Paul that you’re going to kill him and he’d just say: “to die is gain… I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far…”
There is really no way to discourage Paul. I really want that type of optimistic, faith-filled attitude. Think about it… it makes sense. Let’s say God was to pull a ‘Job’ on us and take everything we have away from us: Family, Health, Wealth, Possessions, Fame, Power… everything. We can have assurance that there is one thing that God will never pull away from us: The gift of grace. The gift of His Son. The gift of eternal life.
And so if God were to remove all those things from our lives… we would still have the greatest gift ever extended. We would still have hope. We could still have joy. In fact, we would have the one gift that is worth thanking God for through all eternity.
The secret of being content? Keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus. Remembering what He did for you. Clinging to the cross. Looking through the entryway of a tomb and seeing no dead body. Keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus.
It reminds me of highway driving. I was taught to always keep my eyes on the horizon in order to stay in the middle of the road. Whenever my eyes wandered to the right or left or even got caught up looking right in front of the car… I would start to drift. I think life is like that… it is so easy to allow small things to get us discouraged. If only we would keep our eyes locked on the one person that matters… we would continue to be joy-filled… we would continue to live lives of hope and peace… we would continue to serve despite the circumstances… we would continue to live as though each new day is a gift.
I want to live like that: Hopefully optimistic… Joyfully confident… Faithfully loving…
“…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances…” (Philippians 4:11)
I mean, seriously… how do you go about persecuting a guy like Paul?
• You could throw him into prison and he’d just say: “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.”
• You could torture him and he’d just say: “…if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
• You could threaten to starve him, take his money away, strip him of all his has and he’d just say: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
• You could take the final step and tell Paul that you’re going to kill him and he’d just say: “to die is gain… I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far…”
There is really no way to discourage Paul. I really want that type of optimistic, faith-filled attitude. Think about it… it makes sense. Let’s say God was to pull a ‘Job’ on us and take everything we have away from us: Family, Health, Wealth, Possessions, Fame, Power… everything. We can have assurance that there is one thing that God will never pull away from us: The gift of grace. The gift of His Son. The gift of eternal life.
And so if God were to remove all those things from our lives… we would still have the greatest gift ever extended. We would still have hope. We could still have joy. In fact, we would have the one gift that is worth thanking God for through all eternity.
The secret of being content? Keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus. Remembering what He did for you. Clinging to the cross. Looking through the entryway of a tomb and seeing no dead body. Keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus.
It reminds me of highway driving. I was taught to always keep my eyes on the horizon in order to stay in the middle of the road. Whenever my eyes wandered to the right or left or even got caught up looking right in front of the car… I would start to drift. I think life is like that… it is so easy to allow small things to get us discouraged. If only we would keep our eyes locked on the one person that matters… we would continue to be joy-filled… we would continue to live lives of hope and peace… we would continue to serve despite the circumstances… we would continue to live as though each new day is a gift.
I want to live like that: Hopefully optimistic… Joyfully confident… Faithfully loving…
“…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances…” (Philippians 4:11)
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