I think we can agree that we all do things that we know are wrong. More times than not, we know this before we even do it. So the difference begins “after the fact”. Do you revel in, or even worse, are you complacent about the sins you commit? Or do you recognize your wrong doing and seek to correct the behavior? (i.e. Repent!)

Are you more apt to own your sin and strive for better living through God’s Grace via Jesus’ Sacrifice or are you so comfortable with your sin that you don’t give it a second thought? Sin is sin and in our weakness we look to justify the small things we do each day that are sins or eventually lead to sin. Think about it for a moment and if you’re honest with yourself, you already know what they are.

What about the good things we don’t do? We know its “good” to read our Bible but instead we watch 3 hours of TV. We know it’s good to volunteer to help others, instead we go shopping for ourselves. The problem here is self-centeredness. If we work to take the focus off of ourselves then the rest will take care of itself. Philippians 4:2 – Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

How do we avoid this age old dichotomy? If we could only see ourselves doing or not doing these things it would be easier to correct. Much like advising our children on the mistakes we committed when we were young. If we think it’s a good idea for our children to seek advice from us then as God’s children isn’t it a logical conclusion that we should seek advice from him? In doing so on a daily basis, we’ll be better prepared to manage the pitfalls that come our way.

Mathew 7:8 – For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened

You know… You know what I’ve noticed? Nobody panics when things go “according to plan.” Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it’s all “part of the plan”. But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds! – The Joker from The DARK KNIGHT

Ok, let me clarify that I do not seek spiritual advice from Homicidal Maniacs, even if they are fictional. However, I think this line says a lot about what we expect from everyday life. Expectations, . . . . boy what a trap. Can you count the times your “expectations” have not been met? Some of our expectations are rational, some are not. Expecting an oncoming car to stop on red is a pretty safe bet. Expecting God to solve all your problems is stretching it a bit. Life brings us many peaks and valleys, why do we only question God and His plan “in the valleys”. When was the last time you heard someone say “I just don’t know why God allowed me to get that new job”. The truth is we should be praising God in both situations.

Life does bring us many ups and downs but as believers we must know God’s plan, is the only plan. God’s plan is like fruit that must ripen on the vine, on its own time, not ours. The Faith we have in God will determine how we react to adversity. Mathew Henry said; When things are at the worst they will begin to mend; and he will give them to see the glorious perfection of their deliverance; for, as for God, his work is perfect. If His plan is perfect then how do we employ our faith to accept it? By spending time with God . . .

As reassuring as the above verse is I think it’s the subsequent versus that tie it all together. God does care for each and every one of us and all he wants is for us to seek Him.

Jeremiah 29: 12-14 – Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Can you remember a time when you were away from home? It could have been on a vacation or business trip. When you leave you’re excited about what lies ahead but as the days pass you begin to long for home and all that it means. Home is where we are grounded and in essence who we are. Home is comfort, home is belonging, home is discipline, home is learning, home is unconditional love and so much more, in fact, without a home we’re pretty much lost.  Of course there is a point when, if we’re gone too long, we begin to forget about some of those things that makes home so special. You’re not sure why, but you begin to feel empty inside, like a part of you is missing.

The same can be said for our Christian walk and in particular, Going to CHURCH. Just as we lose a part of ourselves when we’re not at home, we can’t be the same Christians when we’re not in church. Church is a way of regenerating ourselves after a long week of dealing with the world. Corporate worship is important. I know many people who believe they don’t have to go to church to believe. They’re right, but are you going to be the same student if you don’t attend school? I doubt it. I’ve heard lots of explanations as to why people don’t go to church and by and large it’s tied back to RELIGION, not church or God. If you’re one of those, find a Bible based church that brings the good news of the Gospel every week without a lot of ceremony, just good old Bible based sermons (the good & bad) and great worship music!

When we neglect the benefits of going to church then our relationship with God will soon become the victim. We are stronger in our faith when we share and experience it with others. When we bond with other believers we’re more likely to follow God on a daily basis, especially in dark times. In short, we grow in our relationship with God through experiencing worship with our fellow man. Rejoice in knowing that church is home, with a family ready to support you through your highest highs and the lowest lows.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 – Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

I’ve just started a new job (actually pretty much the same job just a different location) anyway during my move I came across a couple of rulers I must have picked up at a trade show. I set them aside for a while and then picked them trying to decide if I needed them. They were made of a very flexible plastic and I could almost bend one in half without breaking it. I then turned one and tried to bend it side to side. Now, I was dealing with much more resistance and it obviously wouldn’t bend at all. It was the same object but one “viewpoint“, was much stronger than the other. The thinner objective was much easier to bend and probably would have broken, if that was my purpose. The other being thicker across the surface did not bend at all.

Our faith works in much the same way. If we put on our “Christian hat” once a week and that’s it, our faith will be much easier to bend and eventually break. However, if we live our lives for Christ on a daily basis our faith is much stronger and hopefully unwavering.

In the verse above this woman, was sick for12 years, yet her faith in Jesus was so strong that she knew that just by touching His garment she would be healed. His promise throughout the Bible and to us is to reward those who have such faith. It is important to note that this faith must be based on our acceptance of his plan and not our own selfish needs. When we are able to do this our faith increases immeasurably.

1 John 5:14 – And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

Isaiah 7:14 – Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Christmas is such a great time of year. We all look forward to the season and spending time with family and friends. For many it also marks the birth of Jesus and the beginning of a life that changed everything. The Bible holds hundreds of prophecies telling of the coming of Jesus. The verse above was written about 700 years prior to Jesus’ birth. Think about that for a second . . . the book of Isaiah gives us more prophecies about the coming of Jesus and his purpose; Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)- But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. There are countless other Biblical Prophecies that have occurred. Fulfilled prophecy is strong evidence that God is the author of the Bible, because when you look at the mathematical odds of prophecy being fulfilled, you quickly see a design, a purpose, and a guiding hand behind the Bible. We rejoice in such evidence that the Word of God is alive, but as Believers “we walk by faith, not by sight”; 2 Corinthians 5:7.

The Bible also gives us many promises. Promises that give us hope when we are stricken. Promises that assure us that this is not our true home. Promises that tell us that we are loved by a truly awesome God. “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.

When we read about the birth of Jesus and refer back to the prophecy of Isaiah, how can we look at the many promises of the Bible and not be encouraged. How can we doubt His plan for those who believe . . . and unfortunately for those who don’t? In the days ahead, the best gift you can give someone is the Truth of the Bible and the Creator of all things!

Luke 2:14 (KJV) – Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Last night I attended a Hillsong concert. Their newest song is called God is Able, that title says so much. Today I looked up some verses and the above verse from 2 Corinthians not only spoke to me from the stand point that God is Able, but this verse really encompasses one of the endearing parts of the Christmas season, Giving.

I often refer to the commentaries of David Guzik to gain insight on a particular verse. His commentary on this verse is so well put that I am going to bow out here and let him expound on God’s Word.

As we give, we must be persuaded that God is able to reward our giving. Just as God is able to make the sowing of seed abound to a great harvest, so God is able to bless our giving.

Jesus taught that even the smallest gift, if given with the right heart, would not go unrewarded. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward. (Matthew 10:42)

In rewarding our giving, God does it with all grace. Our giving is rewarded in many different ways, materially and spiritually. Materially, God may bless our giving by promotions with better pay, unexpected gifts of money, or by making things last so we don’t suffer the cost of replacing them. Spiritually, God may bless our giving by freeing our hearts from the tyranny of greed and materialism, or by giving us a sense of blessing and happiness, or by storing up rich reward in heaven. There is no end to the ways we can be blessed when God is able to make all grace abound toward us.

Always having all sufficiency in all things: The word for sufficiency (autarkeia) may also be translated contentment. This is how the same word is used in 1 Timothy 6:6: Now godliness with contentment is great gain. God gives a special gift to the giving heart: always . . . all contentment in all things. That is a lot of all!

Materially speaking, how can someone always have all contentment in all things? By receiving this contentment God blesses the giving heart with.

It’s easy for many Christians to say they have this contentment; but whether they have it or not is often more truthfully known by their spending and shopping habits. How much of a place does shopping and buying have in your life? How does material loss affect your happiness? How happy do you get from having some material thing?

When we live and act without contentment, we are trying to fill needs in our lives. It might be the need to be “somebody,” the need to feel secure or cared for, or the need to have excitement and newness in our lives. Most people try to fulfill these needs with material things, but they can only really be met by a spiritual relationship with the God who made us.

Barclay says of this word autarkeia: “By it they meant a complete self-sufficiency. They meant a frame of mind which was completely independent of all outward things, and which carried the secret of happiness within itself. Contentment never comes from the possession of external things.” “The apostle useth many ‘alls’ on purpose to cross and confute our covetousness, who are apt to think we have never enough.” (Trapp)

With this contentment, we can be the richest people in the world. A man might have the wealth of the richest man in the world, yet lack contentment. But if we have this contentment, it really does make us better off than the wealthiest people who don’t have it.

May have an abundance for every good work: God blesses us, materially and spiritually, so that we will have an abundance for every good work. We are blessed so that we can be a blessing to others. God wants us to be channels of blessing, not reservoirs of blessing.

Children, “our kids”,  . . . I’ll go out on a limb and state that nothing changes a person’s life more than becoming a parent. They bring us such joy and sometimes a little sorrow. I’m blessed to have a wonderful son. I have raised him as best I can but like his dad he’s not perfect. Lately the news has been filled with stories of abused children. I can’t for the life of me try to figure out what would make a person take advantage of a child. I don’t understand why a parent would choose a life of drugs over their children. I can’t process the fact that many mothers & fathers discard their relationship with their children when the relationship with the spouse fails. I would just as soon cut off an arm. The above examples are fairly common in our society and I assume that is why we hear so much about them. What are we to do?

The Bible is very clear about how we should regard and raise our children. Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. The responsibility of raising children is huge, but make no mistake, it is a privilege that should be revered. By and large most children don’t face the abuse mentioned above but they are subjected to other “abuses” that may not seem as such.

Here are a few questions to think about:

• Are you spending so much time at work that you rarely see your children?
• Are you getting so wrapped up in your own “commitments” that you miss a soccer game?
• Are you watching TV in lieu of playing a game with your child?
• Are you allowing your children uncensored view of TV or the internet?
• Are thier role models “hollywood types” or godly men and women?
• Do you know their friends?
• Are you leading them to Christ on a daily basis?

It’s easy for parents to become complacent about the responsibility of raising children, we all fall victim to it. In light of recent events we need to take a look at the value that God has placed on them and their upbringing. Serve the Lord by honoring the importance of being an ACTIVE parent on a DAILY basis. There is no greater privilege.

Mark 10:14 – But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

Every day most of us wake up, go through our morning routine and then head off to our appointed duties. If we could examine this process without going into details, I think by and large it would be the same for all of us. Moving on, as you head out the door there is probably some sort of plan for your day. We have meetings to attend, customers to serve, errands to run and goals to accomplish. Our world has geared us to revel in conquering our tasks and acquiring more stuff.  

The problem here is that when we focus on these self fulfilling tasks we begin to internalize everything we do. “This is for me. I have to go here so I can get this and do that, etc.” If we are to “bear fruit”, we can’t do it while concentrating on our own pursuits. Philippians 2:3-4 – Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  

Can you imagine what our world would be like if we focused as much on helping others and encouraging those around us as we did on our own self interests? In Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” Scrooge is speaking to Marley’s Ghost, telling him that in life, he was a “Good Man of Business”. Marley, enlightened and already knowing of his misgivings replies, “Mankind was my Business!” When we get caught up in accomplishing our worldly goals it becomes easy to forget why we are really here.

If you are in the habit of planning your day, start it by scheduling time to help someone out. Try reading some scripture to remind you of your true purpose in life. Put others needs before your own and you will be rewarded far beyond earthly gains.

Romans 12:10 – Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

I visit the YMCA a few times a week to jump on the Elliptical in an effort to keep this aging body in some working order. It’s somewhat of a “Hamster treadmill” in that you’re pretty locked in to what you’re doing but it’s a pretty stable machine. However, if you take your hands off the machine and “run in place” you must balance yourself while “running”. This is not real hard to do, but close your eyes and wow! you’d think you were on a completely different machine. Actually, just close your eyes while you’re walking and see how fast things change for you. I’m guessing you’ll lose your balance pretty quick. Once we lose our sight our balance is all out of whack. It takes a lot of adjusting to learn to balance again without our sight.

The same can be said for our lives. With all that we have going on it’s very easy to get out of balance. In fact, we often use that exact term to describe our lives. When things are going crazy how do you regain your balance? Where is your center and what do you turn to that takes you to that place of peace in your life? Is it a bottle? Is it something as harmless as TV? Do you escape with a book? When we are burning “both ends” it’s so easy to try and escape with something that is probably not the best thing for us, but feels good right then and there.

The true center of our lives should be God and His Word. When we speak with God on a daily basis we’re able to deal with the little things that can throw us into a tizzy. When we center our lives on Him, all things seem to stay in balance just a little bit more. His Word centers us on what’s really important. When life wants you to perform a balancing act, center yourself with the Lord!    

Psalms 32:8 – I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.