What If ???
Hebrews 12:1-13 (NRSV) Chapter 12
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children—
“My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
or lose heart when you are punished by him;
6 for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves,
and chastises every child whom he accepts.”
7 Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? 8 If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. 9 Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. 11 Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.
We have reached the end of the first week of 2019, and it occurred to me that if we continue to live this year with the same habits and activities as in previous years, nothing much will change. So, I thought we might seek guidance from this letter to the Hebrews as we embark on this new year.
It is not unusual in the New Testament to see the writers use an analogy of a physical race to explain a spiritual race. The readers of these letters were well acquainted with games for which one had to prepare if one expected to win.
For a physical race, the contestant was accustomed to removing anything that would weigh him down. In watching Track and Field events today, we see runners with short, light-weight clothing, shoes that likewise weigh a few ounces, with some competitors even shaving their bodies, hoping to “shave” time off of their race.
In running the race we call life, we could take some lessons from these contestants. First, to be successful we must be prepared. Just as we must cast aside anything that would slow us down in a physical race, success in the spiritual realm dictates that we do the same. We must turn away from sin and habits that would slow us down and look to Jesus, the One who gave us our faith and will help us to complete our faith. I love the spiritual aspect of these verses, as we are reminded that the people who have gone before us are now cheering us on!
Secondly, we must understand there is a discipline in anything that is done well. To succeed as an athlete, we must train our bodies. To reach a high plane spiritually, we must discipline our minds and our hearts. What if we decided that 2019 would be different that any previous year? What if we determined to be not just a people who accepted Jesus when we were eight years old, and then lived life as though being a Christ follower did not matter, but instead we made a commitment to live out our salvation each and every day?
What if when someone cuts us off in traffic we say, “God bless you,” and really mean it? What if we can ignore mean spirited comments made toward us or about us? What if we remember those gone before who finished their race and we decide to complete ours with the same grace and dignity they displayed? What if we consider all that Jesus did for each of us before we say an unkind word?
There is a new movement in the United States called, “WWRBGD.” Or, what would Ruth Bader Ginsberg do? God forbid!
I have nothing against Justice Ginsberg and holding her up as a role model is perfectly acceptable. But will asking the question, “What would Ruth Bader Ginsburg do?” really enable me to live out my Christian faith in a manner pleasing to God? Such action reminds me of Looney Tunes and Elmer Fudd as he proclaimed about Bugs Bunny, “Cwazy Wabbit!” Have we become so enamored of living, breathing human beings that we have traded our love and admiration of God for people whose bodies will one day turn to dust? Cwazy Humans!
Our scripture today ends by encouraging us to lift up drooping hands and strengthen weak knees. How do we accomplish this? We praise the God of the Universe with hands held high, and kneel before Him with humility. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Pastor Carol
Father God, as we bow before You we ask that you would strengthen our hearts and our resolve, that from this day forward we would purpose to change our outcome by changing our input, and that we would cease following earthly leaders to take up our cross and follow Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Looking for the New Year
Isaiah 40:28-31 (NRSV) 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
It is December 30, 2018, and as this year draws to an end we begin to wonder what the new year will bring.
In today’s scripture, the prophet Isaiah was speaking to a people who had been in captivity for around 70 years. Some of those orginally taken from their homeland had died, others were born into captivity, but almost all had given up the hope of ever returning to their homeland.
Yet, God offers hope through His words to Isaiah. He reminds the people Who God is. He is the Everlasting, the Creator of all the earth, and not only does He not grow weary, but He gives strength to those who have reached the point of exhaustion. How do we receive the strength needed for every situation? We wait upon the Lord Who will renew our strength.
Wait. For many of us, waiting is one of the hardest things we can do. We wait for the birth of a new baby, and our anticipation is almost more than we can bear. We wait to hear whether our jobs will remain secure, we wait to hear what the doctor says about our test, and now we are waiting to see what the new year brings.
May I share with you that waiting upon God is the best way to approach whatever lies ahead? Many of us have the wrong idea about waiting. We see waiting as sitting passively until something happens. Not so! When we wait upon God there is a hope, an expectation, because God’s promises will always be fulfilled!
Let us purpose in our hearts today that as the new year begins, we will look forward to God renewing our strength, and we will walk in His might, His power, and His grace. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Father God, today is a day of expectation. May we live in Your Word and by Your Word as we say goodbye to 2018 and welcome 2019 with hope. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A Child Born FOR Us
Isaiah 9:2-7 (NRSV) 2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation,
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.
4 For the yoke of their burden,
and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood
shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
It scarcely seems possible, but we are just five days away from celebrating Christmas. In the midst of our preparations, I would ask that we take a moment to prepare our hearts for the real Christmas, and few verses carry the meaning of Christmas like Isaiah 9.
The prophet Isaiah gives us a glimpse of the coming King, and he reminds the Jewish people that not only had they lived in the darkness of being held captive in a foreign land, but their souls had grown dark. God’s chosen people needed the light that can only come from the Son of the Living God.
“And He is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.” At a time when life seemed hopeless for the children of God, Jesus came and nothing has ever been the same.
Is the world still filled with darkness? Undoubtedly it is, yet because of Jesus we have a blessed hope that His light can overcome the darkness. Because of Jesus we can be assured that our circumstances do not have to destroy us. Because of Jesus we understand that the miracle of Christmas is still alive.
As we count down the days and the hours to December 25, may we take time to focus on the reason for the season, and may we continue to look forward to His return. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Father God, help us to put aside some time each day to spend time with You, to remember that Christmas was when the light came into the world, and that light has never been diminished. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Accepting What Is
Be Still and KNOW that I Am God
Psalms 46 (NRSV)
God’s Defense of His City and People
To the leader. Of the Korahites. According to Alamoth. A Song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah
Here we are again, in the midst of the Christmas rush. Yet, if we will redirect our attention away from the hustle and bustle and toward God, He urges us to be still.
Psalm 46 was written during a time of war. The Assyrians were a mighty war machine, mowing down the cities and even kingdoms that lay before them. This psalm reminds the people that even in the darkest hour, God is our refuge, our hiding place, and he is our strength. Pause for a moment and think of what these words can mean in your life today.
When we look at the circumstances that surround us, we see reason for fear. But God does not want His children to live in fear. So we are reminded that there is a river that flows from the throne of God, What does that river bring? In Revelation 22 we are told it brings life. There may be death and destruction all around us, but God offers life.
Is there a way to live trouble-free while we are in this world? We know there is not. But it is not our troubles that define us, it is the way we react to everything around us. When we live in fear, we are not trusting in God. When we live in constant fighting, we are not allowing God to bring peace. When relationships shatter, we forget that grace coves a multitude of sins.
When we are told to be still, it is not an instruction to rest, to do nothing, but instead, we are being told to recognize that God is sovereign, He is our King, He is our deliverer. When we pause to consider the works of God, to remember He is our very present help in the time of need, then the troubles which overwhelm us begin to shrink in proportion to who God is.
Today, I invite you to “be still, and know that He is God.” In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Father God, may we pause today, in the midst of everything going on in our lives, and understand just what it means to be able to approach you and call you “Father.” Instead of going ahead of you and asking you to bless our plans, may we come to you first, asking you to place the right plans and desires within our hearts. In jesus’ name, amen.
Seeking Holiness 