Thought for the day...

December 4, 2019
Verse of the Day
My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
Isaiah 26:9 NIV

 

Show and tell
By Sarah Habben
Did you ever show up at kindergarten without an object for show-and-tell and decide to just do the “tell” part? Your classmates got fidgety fast over your lengthy description of an absent item.

God isn’t fooled when his people are all tell and no show. Nor is he pleased. He warns us in James 2:17, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” God takes no more pleasure in a deedless faith than we would take in a dead body slumped on our couch.

Such a faith is no witness either. If our works don’t match our words, we won’t have any more impact on our neighbor than a dead battery has on a cell phone. What good is our Sunday confession that God so loves the world if on Monday we refuse to show love to the “slacker” in our office? What good is our mealtime confession that God provides all our needs if by bedtime we are losing sleep over our investments? Such a faith is not only no good; it is dead.

Thanks be to God! He loves us despite our flaccid faith and timid deeds. The proof of his love is found in his Son. Jesus—whose words and actions were in perfect sync from his cradle to his cross. Jesus—who not only spoke forgiveness but gave his life to win it. Jesus—who enlivens our faith with his love.

Now that’s something to tell—and show—the world.

 

December 5, 2019
Verse of the Day
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Matthew 5:8 NIV

 

Light a candle for love
By Pastor Mark Jeske
Candles are not essential to our lives anymore, but they have some profoundly important symbolic uses. One is to provide an aura of romance. Any young Romeo (or older one, for that matter) who wishes to score points with his girlfriend over dinner will want to have candles burning on the table. The soft golden light, low and flickering, conveys a powerful emotional message: I love you.

As you light a candle in your wreath for the second Advent week, light it for love. Light it to celebrate the amazing romance going on between God and you. Celebrate the commitment of the Father who has become your Father, who did not hesitate to send his Son to buy your redemption at the cost of his life. “‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the LORD, who has compassion on you” (Isaiah 54:10).

Light the candle also to send an “I love you” message back to God. Let that second candle be your reminder this week that the only appropriate response to the majestic and tender and expensive love of Jesus Christ is to love him back with all your heart and soul. When Satan’s attacks make you feel small and insignificant, a failure and a fool, let that candle glow remind you of the unconditional commitment Jesus Christ has made to you.

Let that second candle remind you of the love that Jesus brings

 

So much truth in this statement...

 

December 6, 2019
Verse of the Day
The greatest among you will be your servant.
Matthew 23:11 NIV

 

Just Believe

“Just Believe.” We see that tagline plastered everywhere this time of the year. It’s often accompanied by delicate snowflakes, the tinkling of bells and a dash of glitter. It’s the feel-good message in Christmas movies and cards: Just Believe in the magic of the season.

When we look back to the very first Christmas, we find an example of someone who “just believed”- Mary, the mother of Jesus. She received God’s promise that her son – the son of an unwed teenager – would be the Savior of the world. She probably went through an array of emotions. But in the end, Mary simply took God at His word. She didn’t make back-up, “just in case” plans. She didn’t try to pray the situation away.

Instead, she poured out her heart in praise of God.

What an amazing example of trusting God when we don’t have our ducks in a row, of praising Him through the unknown.

Her cousin Elizabeth recognized Mary’s heart of obedience when she said, “Blessed is she who believes what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.”

Can you and I simply take God at his Word? Can we challenge ourselves to bank our everything on him?

Prayer

Father, Sometimes I fool myself into thinking I’m in control. But the only way I can come to You is in complete humility. I cannot do this thing called life in my own strength. I need You, oh I need You, every hour I need You. Thank You for the gift of grace You sent that first Christmas. Help me “just believe.” Amen.

 

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:35‭-‬38 NIV

 

When You Don’t Have It In You

Maybe this Christmas you just don’t have it in you to celebrate. Maybe this past year has been overshadowed by a heaviness that refuses to budge. Perhaps you feel like the joy has been sucked out of you.

Sure, you go through the motions: the tree is trimmed, the lights strung, the treats baked. But the joy of the season? That’s been stolen by the year gone by.

But Scripture reminds us that Jesus didn’t come down for those who have it all together. He came for those who are broken, hurt and disappointed. He came for the messy and the forgotten. He came to heal the brokenhearted. He came to restore joy. He came to flood your heart with peace that just doesn’t make sense in your situation.

Maybe circumstances won’t change. Maybe those fissures from the past won’t magically mend. But this Christmas know that He came for you. As broken and messed up as your year may have been, His love is infinitely greater. He is able. Able to restore joy, bring peace and truly bless your Christmas with the best gift of all – His presence.

Prayer

Father God, this Christmas, I can’t seem to shake off the gloom. I’m sometimes in a dark place when I think of this past year. But despite the brokenness, help me remember that You bring life and healing and hope to the hopeless. Amen.

 

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.
Psalms 34:17‭-‬20 NIV

 

December 7, 2019
Verse of the Day
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
Titus 2:11-12 NIV

 

Satisfaction guaranteed
By Sarah Habben
Customer churn. That’s the term for when clients defect from a company that hasn’t delivered on its promises. Companies know that today’s customers expect immediate results in order to stick around. Guarantee our satisfaction, and we’ll wake up whistling.

When it came to God’s promises, Moses was a loyal customer. At first glance, it would appear that he didn’t have much reason for his loyalty. His job was unenviable: 40 years of desert wandering with millions of mulish Israelites. His diet was monotonous. His home was a tent. What was the source of Moses’ loyalty? It’s apparent in his prayer to God: “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14). Moses’ loyalty was the product of God’s loyalty.

When Moses looked in the mirror, he saw his sin and mortality. He saw a person who deserved the terror of God, a person desperate for a merciful God.

Look in the mirror—you’ll see the same.

When Moses looked at God, he saw unfailing, loyal love. A God who sent bread from heaven to meet each day’s physical needs. A God who promised to send the Bread of Life, the Savior, to meet Moses’ needs for eternity.

Look at God—you’ll see the same.

Our God makes big promises. One of them is unfailing love. It’s delivered in his Son, satisfaction guaranteed.

No matter what our wilderness, we can wake up whistling.

 

December 8, 2019
Verse of the Day
Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
1 John 2:6 NIV

December 9, 2019
Verse of the Day
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Luke 6:35 NIV

 

Repairing the breach
By Jason Nelson
“You shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in” (Isaiah 58:12 ESV).

The mission of God was carried out when Jesus healed the broken relationship between God and his dearly loved people. We have been reconciled to God in Christ. We are on a mission to bring others to him. We are on a mission to live in harmony with one another along the way.

How can we repair our relationships with others when we fail in our mission?

Really pinpoint the problem. What people argue about is not always what they are mad about. Face this disturbing possibility. Is it me? We are nose blind to our own obnoxiousness. Is there something about me that stinks?

Give it some time but don’t act like everything is fine. Ignoring problems is the recipe for a simmering breach waiting to boil over. And it will boil over.

We need to apologize when we are wrong or maybe just a little wrong. Apologies are unqualified like God’s love is unconditional. I’m sorry—period. Adding but . . . isn’t an apology. It’s an excuse.

Rush to forgive as humbly as Christ has forgiven us. Vaporize grudges so lessons learned don’t become axes to grind later. And don’t trash each other to family and friends. You will get over it before they do.

“Lord, when we are wrong, make us willing to change. When we are right, make us easy to live with.”—Dr. Peter Marshall, former chaplain to the U.S. Senate