Clay in the Hands

The beginning of another year – an arbitrary line drawn in time marking the end of one increment of measurement from another.  There is nothing really special about the day.  It is just another day – like the one before and the one after.

The significance comes not in the 24 hour period but in the idea that we are beginning another era.  We leave the past year with its joys and struggles and turn to a new year, hopefully a bit wiser.

This is a fresh start – a clean slate.  We can make this year the best year of our lives or it can be just another year stacked on the pile with all the others.  It is really our choice.  You may be saying, “Yes, but what about all the unforeseen circumstances that are going to come my way.  How can I be assured that this will be the best year yet?”

While it is true that life is going to happen over the next 365 days, it is just as true that God is in control of all of it and his strength will see us through those struggles that come our way.

The way to make 2016 the best year ever is to focus daily on your relationship with Jesus.  When your sights are set on Jesus and following him in The Way, all else is woven into the fabric of the year.  As we remain in him and draw ever closer to his heart, life takes on vibrant meaning and purpose.

So commit this day to remaining in Jesus and 365 days from now, you will look back and say, “I think that was the best year of my life so far!”

Be blessed today!

At this time of year, we often turn to the prophesies of Isaiah as we marvel at the way God has interacted with creation over the generations.  Isaiah foretold the coming of a messiah.  His words brought hope to a struggling people.  Those words were held as a constant reminder that God would redeem.  Isaiah was so sure of what God had given him to say that he often spoke in terms that it had already happened, even though it would be hundreds of years before it came about.

Isaiah 9 is one of those passages we turn to at Christmas.  In fact, I have been preaching this Advent season on the four descriptions Isaiah gave of the coming messiah in verse 6 – Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.

This morning as I read back through the passage, another verse stood out to me.  Verse 2 says, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”  

Isaiah foretold of God sending a messiah – a savior and that his coming would be like a light shining in the darkness.  The world was in the dark – unaware and oblivious to God and God’s love.  When Jesus came, he brought light.  The light he brought revealed the path to the Father.  The illumination exposed but also offered direction.

We live in a dark world as well but Jesus still offers that same light.  His light exposes our faults but it also gives us direction in living a life that honors the Father and at the same time brings fulfillment to us.

Jesus has come.  We have been walking in darkness but we have seen a great light.  We are living in a land of deep darkness but THE LIGHT has dawned!  Thanks be to God that the light has come.

May your day and this Christmas season be filled with his light!

In the wake of yesterday’s tragedy, thoughts are turned toward the turmoil in our world.  Emotions are flaring on issues of terrorism, gun control, the disintegration of the family and so on.  Society is reeling from overwhelming turmoil and global unrest.

And yet, we find ourselves in the middle of the season of peace.  What a stark contradiction.  We celebrate this season by remembering a baby born over 2000 years ago in a far away land – a baby prophesied to be the Prince of Peace.  On the surface, we may be prone to ask, “So where is the peace?”

But we must remember one important fact – God’s peace is not the absence of struggle but rather security and contentment in the midst of turmoil.  So the peace we celebrate this season is not some mythical dream of a illusive utopia where everyone gets along and all is well with the world.  No, the peace we celebrate is real and found in a relationship with the creator.  Julian of Norwich said, “Peace reigns where the Lord reigns.”

The level of peace you will experience in your life is directly correlated with your proximity to God.  If you desire more peace in your life today, spend this season finding your way back to the Father.

Be blessed today!

Hurry up and wait.  That is the description of the season in which we find ourselves.  We rush to the store to get in line and wait.  We rush out of the house to begin our day’s journey and we wait at lights and in traffic.  We put up Christmas decorations and wait.

If we are honest, no one enjoys waiting.  But this time of year, whether we realize it or not, we hurry to wait.  Advent has begun.  The season of expectancy and excitement of what is to come.  And inherent in the anticipation is waiting.

We look forward to Christmas day when we celebrate the reality that God became flesh and lived among us.  And in so doing, we strengthen the solidarity we enjoy with generations of believers who date back thousands of years.  We wait with excitement for his return.

So as we rush to put up the tree and make sure the decorations are just right, we do so knowing that we then must wait.  But in the waiting, God works.  When we create space within our schedules, our thoughts and our hearts, God can use that space to shape us.

So we wait . . .

And God continues live among us . . .

This week we celebrate a national holiday.  We most likely will have some time away from work or school to gather with family and friends, watch way too much TV, eat way too much food and maybe even get some much needed rest in as well.  It is a great time filled with lots of wonderful things.

As we start this week off today, let me offer three thoughts to keep in mind as we move toward the holiday.  These thoughts come from Psalm 100 verses 4 and 5.  This is what it says:

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

The three points that should bring us to gratitude in these verses describe God and God’s character.

1.  God is good.  There is nothing in God that is not good.  God is perfect in every way – wholly other and holy.  We can rest in this fact and know that God, and only God, is worthy of our devotion and trust.
2. God’s love never fails.  We can count on the fact that God’s love lasts forever.  In our world, the definition and understanding of love is very fluid.  We can say we love turkey and dressing and turn to the family member that made it and tell them we love them too.  But God’s love is different – it does not change and is not dependent on anything from us.
3. God is faithful.  God’s consistency is time proven.  We can stake our lives on the fact that God does not change.  God loves us and has our best interests in mind and heart.  Even in the midst of what would seem impossible circumstances, God is in control – God is faithful.

So if you are having a little trouble finding anything for which to be thankful this year, just consider the fact that the good Father loves you and his faithfulness has been proven over and over again.

Be thankful!

We are a week away from a day we set aside to be thankful.  Our homes will be filled with the sounds and smells of the holiday.  Our hearts will turn toward those people and things we count as blessings and we will, in that moment be grateful.

How about we start early.  How about taking some time – just 3 minutes -right now to reflect on your top 3 blessings.  Ask yourself, “what 3 people or things would I miss the most if they were gone tomorrow?”

Then spend some time giving thanks to God for those blessings.

It is good to set a day aside to be thankful.  But why not be thankful every day.  When I take the time to think about how God has blessed me, I am reminded that there is something bigger than my problems going on here.  I am truly loved by a holy God who loves me and wants his best for me.

Be thankful today!