Left in a Manger

On Christmas Eve our church (Countryside Chapel) has a communion service. This year my dad who is an elder was asked to share 5-10 minutes before we took communion. My dad and I are very different when it comes to getting in front of people and talking. I love it and he gets very nervous. After getting the initial nerves out of the way he did an awesome job. It was actually one of the best 5 minute sermons I have ever heard (and I am not just saying that because it was my dad). I left convicted and challenged. Here are some thoughts that have been going on in my head the past few days.

You see, everyone knows "The reason for the season." Most people can tell you about Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, Wise Men, Shepherds, and I could go on and on. The problem lies in the fact that many of us leave baby Jesus in the manger. And that is the question I guess I would pose to you. "Is Jesus still in the manger or have you made Him Lord of your life?" Don't get me wrong, the Christmas story is an incredible true story but it is only the beginning of an even bigger story. Jesus had to grow up, he had to die. He had to humble himself and come as a baby, grow up to be mocked, beaten, and hung on a cross to be exalted.

¹⁸I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, ²⁰which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. - Ephesians 1:18-21

⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:9-11

The birth of Christ was the start of a plan that God chose to show his unconditional love for us. When we live life for ourselves and not for the God of the universe we leave Jesus in the manger. We can recite the story, it is in our head but it is not in our heart. I want you to really think about this question, "What do I believe about Jesus Christ?" Really, what does your head AND your heart agree upon about the person of Jesus Christ? Do I believe he was born of a virgin? That he grew up being fully man and fully God? That he was put to death of a cross and three days later rose from the dead and paid the penalty of sin that we deserve?

As you read in the verses above Jesus has been given the name above every name. He doesn't need us, we need him. If we didn't need Jesus, God wouldn't have sent Him. My prayer is that your heart and mind would agree that Jesus is Lord. That you would examine your life and surrender yourself to Him and His will for you. Once you do, things will never be the same.

Titles

Do you like titles? I like titles. Titles always try to encapsulate a movie, person, book, etc. in a few short words. Do you have a title? What would be the few short words that encapsulates who you are? I think you can find out a lot about someone by there title. I also think titles help us remember our purpose and who we are. I have thought about this awhile and for me personally, I like the title "Torchbearer of Jesus Christ." I want to always be a light for Jesus everywhere I go.

So hopefully you are thinking about what your title may be or what you want it to be. I think this leads to deeper questions or more important questions to wrestle with like, "what is your legacy?" or "What do people associate with your name?" You see, everywhere we go, whether we like it or not, every person that knows your name associates character with it. Think for second about a few people you may know. When you think of their name you can probably instantly identify with their character. You can think about what you like about them or not like. In your head you can say they are nice, mean, rude, polite, caring, selfish, and the list could go on and on. I think this is important to realize because we have an opportunity as Christians to be light to a dark world each and everyday and our title is very important. If I want my title (Legacy) to be a torchbearer of Jesus Christ I need to make sure I am living up to that.

I love the story in Acts 17 where Paul and Silas are out preaching the gospel and doing amazing things for the kingdom of God. When they came to Thessalonica Paul preached for three Sabbath days about Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. The Jews became jealous and were trying to have Paul and Silas killed. It is very interesting though that in verse 6 in the English Standard Version they referred to Paul and Silas as "men who have turned the world upside down." How awesome is that, to be know as the people who turned the world upside down for Jesus Christ. I think many times in life we forget our purpose, we constantly try to find purpose in drugs, alcohol, jobs, money, careers, relationships, etc. and we live defeated lives. I know the days that I wake up and remember I am a child of God whom he has set apart to be a "torchbearer for Jesus Christ" I find it easier to walk in the fullness of my purpose.

I pray that you would take time today and reflect, spend some quality and quantity time with God and in His word. When we make God a priority with our lives he becomes a priority in our lives and we can't wait to spend time with him.

Watching the World Wake Up

Recently we were visiting some friends from Church and as we were talking deer hunting naturally came up. Besides all the male macho hunting talk was the idea of watching the world wake up. Sitting in a deer stand early in the morning you hear the calm and quiet of a sleeping world. Slowly you see the sun start to rise, light begins to shine, and living things are alive. It is in moments like this when I feel like I have God all to myself (in reality God finally has all my attention). When the world is sleeping my God is awake and desiring to spend time with me. In times like this my faith is strengthened, my heart is encouraged, and my desire for the things of God grows. The world throws many distractions our way to keep us from God, to make us ineffective and unproductive. I believe the still and quiet of the morning provide us an amazing opportunity to have time with God. As it says in Psalm 5:3,

"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation."

You don't have to be a deer hunter (I am not one) to enjoy time with God in the morning. Living in a house with 8 people it is very hard to have quiet time so I usually need to get up an hour before everyone else. Sometimes I go on early morning walks with my ipod and listen to worship music. When it is warm outside I may just go sit on the porch and pray. It will look different for everyone. Watching the world wake up is an interesting thing. It tends to calm you down, it helps you start you day off right, and for me it draws me closer to my Savior Jesus Christ.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Do you enjoy the old hymns? Most of them are simple and powerful. Many artists today are adding musically to the hymns but keeping the timeless words and truths. My favorite hymn of all time is"Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." Every Sunday growing up we ended almost every service singing "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." This could be one of the simplest songs but has so much truth and meaning. Think about the words for a second....

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace."

We just got home at 4:30 this morning from taking a group of young men to serve in Chicago. We finished up our time in Chicago spending time with some homeless guys that live underneath the streets in Chicago. We were planning on giving them socks because that is what their biggest need is. Once we arrived the homeless ended up with coats, blankets, and some sleeping bags. Our plan was not to give away the coats, blankets, and sleeping bags, in fact some of them were quite expensive. Many of the guys saw the things of earth grow strangely dim through this trip. The tight grip that was held onto stuff started to loosen. Turning your eyes upon Jesus is a daily challenge. Every morning I have to get on my knees and ask God to help me focus on him.

My prayer for you today is that you will turn your eyes upon Jesus because when you do the things of the world truly grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.