By Design

1 Corinthians 1 ¹⁰ I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

We are created to be unique and different by design.  Gods design; Gods plan; For Gods work.

God gave us each unique talents and abilities so that we may work together for the good of all.  My strength is your weakness.  My weakness is your strength.  My time is your time.  Your time is my time. We need each other to navigate through life.  

Together we are so much stronger than if we stand alone. God created us to need each other and to work together in harmony for his purpose.

Yet, we spend a lot of time trying to complete tasks and deal with issues by ourselves. When we recognize that we need help, we are often hesitant to ask, because of pride, or because we don’t want to be a burden.  Most people I know stand ready and willing to help and do not consider it a burden at all.  

During a recent visit to our local Target store, I observed a young women in line at the adjacent checkout counter struggling with trying to put her items from her cart up on the counter, while she managed her two young children crying and wiggling to get free. The woman standing in line behind her stepped up and said “let me help you with that” and proceeded to put the items on the counter for her while she calmed her precious babies. This may seem like a minor event, not worthy of consideration, but I think it is a perfect example of how two working together made that moment in life that much easier for that young woman and her children.

Life is made up of moments like this.  Small acts cascade and can create great results.

When two or more of us work together we can accomplish so much more and God is with us every step of the way.  This is no coincidence.  It is by God’s perfect plan by design. 

Matthew 18:19-20 (NLT) ¹⁹ “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. ²⁰ For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much”  Helen Keller

“Coming together is the beginning; keeping together is progress; staying together is success” Henry Ford

A Child Was Born

Luke 2:8-20 (NKJV)   

⁸ Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold,^[a] an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”^[b]

¹⁵ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷ Now when they had seen Him, they made widely^[c] known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸ And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

When God sent the angels to deliver the message of our Savior’s birth, he did not have the message delivered to the King, a scholar or other high authority in the land.  He had the message delivered to the faithful lowly shepherds tending their sheep in the field.  

When God chose Mary to give birth to his only son and for she and Joseph to be his earthly parents and raise him, he did not select the wealthiest most famous people in the land.  

God selects average, everyday, humble, hard-working, faithful people like you and me to do his work.  He relies on each of us as good shepherds to deliver his messages and stand ready for any task, large or small.  Fame and fortune are meaningless in heaven; humility and faith are priceless.  

You are chosen by Him to spread the good word of our Saviors birth.  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.  

May God pour out his rich blessings on you today and everyday throughout the new year. 

Merry Christmas!  

Jesus Loves the Little Children

Matthew 19:13-15 (NKJV)

Jesus Blesses Little Children

¹³ Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” ¹⁵ And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.

Jesus loves the little children and watches over them. He blesses them in their innocence and beauty, living life so trusting and faithful. This makes it is so difficult to understand how God could let something bad happen to little children.  

How could he allow a young man to go on a rampage and kill 20 children at school, a place where they felt safe from harm?  I am devastated by this news and my heart is filled with sorrow for this senseless tragedy that I don’t understand. I am at a loss for words, and all I can do today is pray. 

Dear Lord, 

There are many things that we do not understand in this life and most likely never will until we come home to you. Father, please hold close to you the families in Newtown Connecticut as they grieve with pain and confusion for the loss of their beautiful, innocent children and dedicated teachers.  I know that the 26 people who lost their lives here on earth are with you now, taken from us all too soon. Please Father,  fold the families and friends of these victims into your loving arms and comfort them in their grief.  Help us to come together as a community of God to support them.  Though we are hurting and sad, we thank you humbly for your love and many blessings.  Amen    

His Grace is Sufficient

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (TNIV) ⁷ Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

This is a beautiful, yet difficult lesson to learn from the apostle Paul.  

There are times in life when each of us have a thorn lodged in our flesh. It may be an addiction, an illness, a stressful job, an unhappy marriage, a mountain of debt or a chronic injury. With God’s help our conditions can improve, but the thorn may remain as a gentle painful reminder that without the power of God in our lives, we are nothing. It is by His grace alone that we can be free of addiction, illness, injury and stress and find joy in living free of worry. 

This time of year about nineteen years ago, I told God that he gave me too much to handle. Within a period of three months, we experienced the Northridge earthquake, were overwhelmed with debt and lost our only son, Austin Patrick. With certainty, God got my attention, but angry and hurt I turned my  back on him for a long while.  I chose unhealthy and destructive behaviors to try to remove the thorn in my flesh, but the pain only got worse. 

Thankfully God never turned his back on me. It is when I turned around to face him, I saw the warm face of a loving Father that I could trust and he took away most of the pain. It was through my weakness that God took me on a journey to make me stronger. I still get twinges and tweaks of pain and weakness especially this time of year, but they serve as bittersweet reminders of His grace and love.  

If you have a thorn in your flesh, God may be trying to get your attention, to teach you something and gracefully guide you back to the path he has set for you.  

These thorns can create bumps in the road and some are clearly bigger than others. There is an excellent book written by Warren W. Wiersbe,  called “The Bumps Are What You Climb On”.  In the book he illustrates that the most successful people in life have learned how to use these bumps to climb on; to see over the top of the hardship and climb even higher. 

Today, delight in your weakness and difficulties knowing that God will use this time to make you strong.  His grace IS sufficient for you. 

“As footsteps tread a path of grace that lights the way ahead, the smile upon your Saintly face across my life is spread.”   Brian Harris

 

Gift Giving

James 1:17 (NKJV) ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

As we enter the season of buying or making gifts to give to one another during the holidays I can’t help but think about the unconditional gifts that God gives to each of us and those he is storing to give to us when we ask and are ready to receive them. God asks for and does not expect anything in return except for our faith, gratitude, love and trust in him and that we attempt to learn and follow his word and pray. That may sound like a lot, but truly it is not in comparison to other places we put our energy.   

When you think about it, our health, our homes, our jobs, our families, our friends and all of the beauty on this earth is a perfect gift from God.  He has given us the gift of life and free will.  

I believe that God wants us to give to one another as he gives to us. He may call us to give money and food to those in need, but he may also call us to give the precious gift of time, a reassuring comment, a loving hug, a forgiving word or to simply share a meal. Even though the tradition is to exchange gifts during the holidays, the truest form of giving is without want or expectation of anything in return. 

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NLT - ⁶ Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. ⁷ You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”^[a] 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

As you shop for the perfect gift for your loved ones, take a few minutes to give thanks for the blessed and generous gifts you have received from our Father and then give as he has given to you, unconditionally and with a cheerful heart!  

Here are some beautiful quotes on this subject: 

“Love the giver, not the gift”  Brigham Young

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver” Maya Angelou

May God bless you today and everyday with the wonders of his love and all the perfect gifts he has in store for you.  Happy Holidays!