Thought for the day...

What kind of God is this?
By Jason Nelson
On this holy night, we wonder, what kind of God are you? This is the question for the ages. You lack origins, but there is no denying your existence. We see your imprint everywhere but can’t make out your face. You won a primordial battle over the evil one, but the struggle continues for us. You control everything but manage not to be controlling it seems. What kind of God are you to hide behind mystery?

Not too soon, not too late you laid your infant self in a mangy crib resting on sawbucks. Your special mother took good care of you. She knew you were special and wondered about you herself. So did the shepherds who found you and the kings who were on their way to find you by calculating your location from a star. Everyone who seeks you out has questions about you and questions for you. You answer, and we wonder deeply at the kind of God you are. You laid down your life, lifted up on crossbeams before your prime. You visited your own grave only briefly. You lived. You died. You live. We live for you. We die trusting you. We will live forever with you. You make and keep promises. You are the promise itself, the eternal Word come in flesh like ours. On this holy night, we worship you and wonder, “What child is this? What kind of God is this?” Gloria in excelsis Deo. You are God with us

 

December 24, 2019
Verse of the Day
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21 NIV

 

Amen

 

Giving From A Place Of Gratitude

“Bah Humbug.” The phrase rang out from the tape recorder. I was about 10 years old, listening to an audio book I’d received as my Christmas present. The book on tape was about a mean old guy called Ebenezer Scrooge who didn’t like Christmas one bit. You may recall it was written by a somewhat well-known author by the name of Charles Dickens.

I followed along in my book, images of the hook-nosed Scrooge in his nightshirt indelibly etched in my mind. In my 10-year-old opinion, Scrooge seemed beyond hope. How could anyone hate Christmas?

But then came the heartwarming turnaround. The guy, who bah-humbuged Christmas, woke up a redeemed man, full of love and goodwill. He secretly sent a turkey to the poor-but-joyful Cratchit family. Christmas became about compassion.

Maybe you and I are not grouchy old Scrooges. But if we stop long enough, we can see areas in our lives where we could use transformation. A transformation that comes from God working to change us from the inside out.

So often, our Christmas good works are on the outside. We write a check, we fill a shoebox to ship to needy kids, sponsor a meal at an orphanage. All of those are wonderful things. But without a transformation from its-all-about-me to I-want-to-give-God-glory, those good works become meaningless.

This Christmas, let’s look at the intention behind our giving. Is it just another activity? Or is it a response to how much God has done for us that we can’t help but bless others? When we ponder on the One who gave it ALL, we give from a place of gratitude.

Prayer

Father, if I pause long enough to truly examine myself, I realize that my acts of giving are sometimes meaningless. It’s just another blip on my Christmas calendar. But, Lord, I pray for a heart transformation. I pray that my giving is a response of gratitude to ALL that I’ve received from You. Amen

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:8‭-‬10 NIV

 

December 26, 2019
Verse of the Day
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
Psalms 8:3-4

 

Whose ethics?
By Pastor Mark Jeske
It’s interesting to see how often business conferences will have serious workshops and keynote addresses on the topic of business ethics. Left unsaid is where those seemingly universally adopted ethical principles were derived from.

Companies pretty much know that they have to obey the laws—there are legal and illegal behaviors, with penalties attached to the latter. The concept of “ethics,” however, implies that there are certain practices that are intrinsically right and wrong. There is an assumption that everybody knows what those things are and is in agreement. Ha! Not so. Is it unethical to leave out certain unpleasant information in negotiations so that you can close a deal? Is it evil to shade information you submit to the government in order to evade taxes, or is that just a fun game you play and you hope you don’t get caught? Does anybody in your company have a problem if you sabotage your competitors’ bids? Does the end justify the means?

There are no ethics without God. Without his word in Bible and conscience, there is only the law of the jungle, and all successful businesses would be red in tooth and claw. God’s wonderful words reveal to us how to treat one another, personally and in our commercial transactions: “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word” (Psalm 119:15,16).

He’s watching us, you know. What’s in your ethics?

 

December 27, 2019
Verse of the Day
For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
Colossians 1:16 NIV

 

Joy for the journey
By Sarah Habben
Consider what you’ve endured for the sake of a future joy. The drudgery of pregnancy and the pain of delivery take a backseat to the joy of holding a newborn. Twenty hours crammed into an economy car are bearable when you’re en route to your dream vacation. But to endure life’s journey, we need a bigger, better joy in sight than Disney World. We need a heavenly joy—won for us by Jesus’ endurance.

Jesus bore countless crosses before he felt the nails of Golgotha: the limitations of human flesh, the temptations of Satan, the hostility of those he came to save. And yet, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:1-3).

When the whip fell on Jesus’ back, he remembered the peace he was making between his Father and us. When the crowd screamed Jesus’ guilt, he focused on the not guilty verdict he was winning for sinners like you and me. When the cross loomed, Jesus willingly endured its shame—because being pinned to its planks would gain our salvation.

Consider what Jesus endured for the sake of our future joy. Consider the price he paid to make us his children. Consider his extraordinary love. It will fill your weary soul with strength. It will give you joy for the journey

 

Learning Trust
As a child, I worried about making friends at school. As a college student, I worried about getting work after graduation. Today, I worry about the health of my parents and if my books will sell.

What do you worry about? Take a moment and make a mental list. Some of your worries may be similar to mine.

Jesus told us “not to worry about everyday life” (Matthew 6:25) and said there are two good reasons why. One reason is practical: When we worry, we waste energy on something that may never happen. Notice how many of your worries relate to the future—that you’ll be jobless, never get married, or your project will fail. The fact is, most things we worry about won’t come to fruition, and fretting won’t make an ounce of difference in those that do. “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Jesus asked (v.27). They can’t. “So don’t worry about tomorrow,” He said. “Today’s trouble is enough for today” (v.34).

The other reason is theological: Worry denies that God will provide for our needs through His power and goodness. Jesus said that His Father “cares so wonderfully” for all creation, including us! (v.30). And He also “knows all [our] needs” and will give us “everything [we] need” (vv.32-33).

To make His point, Jesus provided a guided meditation on the natural world. “Look at the birds,” He said. Look how God “feeds” them (v.26). “Look at the lilies of the field,” He adds. Look how beautifully clothed they are (vv.28-29). God is active right now, providing for creation. If He tenderly looks after birds and flowers, won’t He look after you, His child?

May we trust God with today’s needs and challenges. For He’s real and He’s there, and far greater than our phantom worries. —Sheridan Voysey

MORE: Read Philippians 4:6 and consider what Paul instructs us to do with our worries.

NEXT: How many of your worries concern the future? What do God’s power and presence provide as you seek to trust in Him instead of worrying about what might happen?

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6:25‭-‬34 NKJV

 

Sitting in the cell
By Linda Buxa
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Sgt. Joseph Serna, a Special Forces soldier, served four combat tours in Afghanistan in his almost 20 years of military service. He was almost killed three times. He has three Purple Hearts and post-traumatic stress disorder, which led to struggles with alcohol. After he was charged with driving under the influence, he entered a veteran’s treatment court program where he had to report to Judge Lou Olivera. At one visit, he admitted he lied about a urine test. Judge Olivera sentenced Serna to one day in jail.

Then the judge drove Serna to the jail in a neighboring county, and Joe was put in a cell. He barely had time to sit down when the cell opened again and the judge walked in. The judge, who had served in the Gulf War, was concerned that leaving Serna in isolation for a night would trigger his PTSD. So the judge sat with the criminal the whole time.

You have a judge who sentences you for your crimes too. God knew that sin had locked us in a cell with no chance for escape. But then he crawled into our cell with us. He sent Jesus to be God with us, to suffer the ultimate punishment for our sins, death on a cross.

On Easter morning he rose again.

And we are set free.

 

Foretastes of the Kingdom
When I was 10 years old, Baskin-Robbins opened a new ice cream store in my neighborhood. It didn’t serve the icy, generic brand of sweet treats that my mom occasionally bought at the grocery store. This was good ice cream—thick and creamy!

Better yet, Baskin-Robbins let its patrons sample their different flavors of ice cream with their iconic pink taste-testing spoons. These provided small but yummy samples of what was to come if you ordered a full scoop or two. This was uncharted territory for a 10-year-old. And I’m here to report that I took full advantage of it!

In her book Kingdom Calling, Amy Sherman tells of a pastor who held up one of those pink taste-testing spoons as he was teaching about joining Jesus in His “grand, sweeping work of restoration.” Just as pink spoons offered “foretastes” of the ice cream to come, he encouraged his Christian audience to think of themselves as offering “foretastes” of God’s coming kingdom to their “neighbors near and far.”

King Jesus taught that the kingdom of God has already arrived in our world through Him (Mark 1:14-15). But it won’t fully come until He returns to the world, sits on the throne, and renews all things (Revelation 21:5). The second coming of Jesus, however, shouldn’t motivate us to live a passive life, where we sit around and wait for Him to show up someday. For we, the body of Christ, have a job to do!

Until Jesus returns, our mission is to partner with Him in giving foretastes—previews—of God’s kingdom. One day that kingdom will fully come to earth as it is in heaven (Mark 1:15; Matthew 6:10). As we wait and anticipate, we too can bring great joy to God the Father (Mark 1:11).

Let’s spread His good news today! —Jeff Olson

MORE: Read Matthew 24:14 and consider what part you play in God’s kingdom-building plan.

NEXT: How have you been a “foretaste” of God’s kingdom? How can you be one today?

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him. Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Mark 1:9‭-‬15 NKJV

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:14 NKJV

 

December 29, 2019
Verse of the Day
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
John 1:12 NIV

 

December 30, 2019
Verse of the Day
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

 

How can I be sure I’m saved?
By Pastor Mark Jeske
The handwriting is shaky from age but the fear is real. A man named Bob writes, “I wish I could have a rock-hard, undoubting faith. I wish I knew I was saved. But I have doubts and I am a big sinner.”

Bob’s dilemma (shared by many millions of people) is that in spite of knowing about Jesus, he can’t quite shake the idea that his eternal salvation depends, at least in part, on his own life performance. Our good works are indeed important, but only as our gifts of gratitude to God for his forgiving love for us. They are not the cause of our salvation! “It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy” (Romans 9:16). Salvation is God’s gift, not our wages.

Our lives of service and obedience to God will always be flawed; we are works in progress, and we sin every day in some way, either by what we do or fail to do. Don’t somewhat believe in Jesus. Don’t sorta believe in Jesus. Listen to the Bible’s message and believe it all: Jesus Christ is 100 percent human (without the sin), and so he qualifies as a substitute for you in God’s court. Jesus Christ is 100 percent God, so the blood he shed is far bigger than your pile of sins.

How can Bob be sure that he is saved? He can stop looking at himself for reasons for hope and simply lift up his eyes to the One who loved him enough to go to the cross for him