Kicking It Up a Notch

“But grow in grace and knowledge

of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 3:11 NIV

As we begin a new year we also begin to contemplate change. Striving to improve our self is always a good thing. Today I am thinking that in our marriage, in our friendships, and in our jobs we are never to become too satisfied, because if we do become contented it will affect spontaneity, maturity, excellence, and personal growth. I have learned from personal experience that when I become satisfied with where I am in life I soon find myself in a rut of dull monotony.

In education we know that there is always more to learn. If you are a person who works out regularly you always want to take your workout to a new level. Even in our recreation and travel it is fun to go to a place where we have never been before. The same is true in our spiritual life; we must always be seeking to know God in a fresh and new way. The Bible admonishes us to “grow in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ.”

If you are a brand new believer, there is so much that God wants to teach you about himself and his ways. It is important for you to make an effort to learn more about God every day, because new knowledge will strengthen your faith.

If you are a working mom, a single parent, or a stay at home mom, your day is full. Likewise if you are a working man trying to get ahead at work and balance your job with being a wonderful husband and a fantastic father, you too have more than enough on your plate! Most of the time, all of us think there isn’t enough hours in the day. Making time to grow in your faith is always a challenge.

If you are a long time believer, you may have become complacent and find that you are satisfied to be “a sponge” on Sunday morning as you soak up the sermon and then leave church and go about doing business as usual on Monday. Maybe Satan has lied to you by saying, “you will never get it right – so why try?” Satan often tries to convince us that we will never get it right until we get to heaven, so we believe that lie and tell ourselves that it is hopeless to try to be better. As a result, our personal quest for growing in our faith suffers and so do we.

Real maturity in our faith comes when we decide it’s not OK to remain in “sameness” when it comes to our relationship with Jesus Christ. It really is not an issue of time; it is an issue of desire. If you have even a tiny spark of desire ask God to help you find a place to get alone with him. God will help you set the pace and help you manage your time. Your personal time alone with God has a definite effect on your godly influence in this world and on your outlook on life.

Never forget that Satan cannot take away your salvation, but he will try on a regular basis to distract you from God in any way he can. It is his goal to orchestrate hectic schedules, busy work, interruptions, depression, discouragement, and stress in your life as a means of taking your focus off of God. His goal is to make you an ineffective Christian and a discontented individual. Often Satan uses the subtle tool of dull monotony to suffocate our spiritual growth. When I began to realize that fact, I had to purposely choose to “kick it up a notch” so that I could become a better influence for Jesus and a joyous and victorious believer.

In the last few years I have made a conscious effort to choose to move forward in my relationship with God. I don’t want to be in the same place in my faith today that I was yesterday. I don’t want to ever become satisfied with just professing that I am a Christian. Spiritual growth comes from biblical knowledge. I have found that I must seek God, privately and also seek him as I worship corporately with other believers.

I refuse to allow Satan to make the amount of time that I spend with God, (or fail to spend) into a defeating guilt trip. Rather, I want to allow God to show me how to order my life so it will include more time to sit in his presence and learn about him. However, it is my responsibility to make the choice to obey the promptings of his Holy Spirit, so that I can experience the joy of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. This year it is my deep desire to “kick it up a notch!”


Questions:

Are you satisfied with your relationship with Jesus?

What keeps you from becoming more focused in your spiritual life?

Do you lack time, desire or both?

Do you believe that God is able to help you discover a plan for spending consistent time with him?

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

I love you and I need you. I am surrounded by so many distractions. I know that you understand what it is like to have people and their needs pressing upon you. This year help me to desire to “kick my spiritual life up a notch.” Please show me a time and a place for prayer and reading your Word. Lead me to a time and a place that will work most of the time in my busy schedule. Lord, help me to choose to respond to your plan for me as I move toward forming a quiet time that is to be found only in the garden of my heart. Lord, I pray that I will always desire to increase the amount of time that I spend seeking to know you and your ways. Protect me from those times and when I fail, help me to not make perfection the goal but rather give me a seeking heart and a burning desire to keep on trying.

In Your Name I pray. Amen.

Christmas Leftovers

“In my Father’s house are many rooms;

if it were not so, I would have told you.
I am going there to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back and take you to be with me

that you also may be where I am.”

John 14:2-4 NIV

The aftermath of Christmas can be depressing. The beautifully decorated house is now scattered with new gifts and toys. Crumpled wrapping paper and bows fill garbage bags for the next week’s trash. Dishes from the delicious Christmas meal are stacked waiting to be loaded into the dishwasher. And if you have small children you are exhausted because you have been up before the crack of dawn!

As we begin this week, Christmas is but a memory and there are decorations to be taken down and stored. Maybe even a few gifts have to be returned. But take heart, I am reminded that something very special still remains from Christmas.

Yes, it is the Christ Child. Now is the time for me to pick up my Bible and in the weeks ahead read about the life of the Christ Child, his youth, his ministry, his teachings, his miracles, his love, his sacrifice, his resurrection and his ascension into heaven.

In addition, today I am thinking of yet another “leftover.” It is Jesus’ promise to all humanity. In this promise he clearly tells us that he is coming again. Jesus will return to this earth a second time. This time it will not be as a helpless baby, but rather as a victorious, conquering King! For all believers this will be a wonderful, joyous experience. Jesus told us, I go to prepare a place for you that where I am you may be also. For those who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, it will be a sad time of eternal separation from God. Time will be up and there will never again be another opportunity to accept God’s forgiveness.

Jesus’ first arrival was at Christmas two thousand years ago. Another wonderful “leftover,” is the Biblical account of Jesus’ life which remains with us today. God’s Word provides the written account of the life and ministry of our Lord and Savior. As we study the Gospels we see how Jesus’ lived his life. God’s Word provides an incredible example of how we are to live our life as we endeavor to pattern our life after the life of Jesus. It is Jesus’ desire that we believe on him and what he has done for us because he desires that we live with him forever.

When Jesus returned to heaven he promised to send the Holy Spirit to live inside all believers, and he did. The Holy Spirit is a helper and a comforter to all those who believe. It is and always has been Jesus’ desire that every person who ever lived would make it safely back to God. Some people will accept him and others will reject him. God’s Word has been given to help people who do not know him find him. Jesus also left believers with hope. Before Jesus returned to heaven he left us with today’s promise. Jesus is coming back for all who have put their faith and trust in him, and he will be taking us to a place that he is now in heaven preparing for us. God’s Word and hope are two precious “leftovers” from both Christmas and Easter to be treasured!

Questions:

What part of Christmas do you love the most?

Which “leftover” from Christmas do you treasure the most?

Prayer:

Dear Jesus,

I am excited to know that you are in heaven preparing a place for me. I look forward to your return and experiencing all that you have prepared for me. I thank you for the wonder of the Christmas season but I thank you for the incredible “leftovers” that I can now treasure until you return. I love your Word, your Holy Spirit that lives within me, and your precious promise to come a second time as my King! I celebrate your first coming and I anticipate with joy your second coming.

In Your Name I pray. Amen.

A Mouse in the Stable

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV

Have you ever wanted to be “a mouse in the corner,” so you could know what was going on in a place where you were not privileged to be? I have experienced that many times with my children!

I think that when I get to heaven, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is someone who I would enjoy sharing a cup of tea with. As a mother, I have many questions I would love to ask her. I would love to know her heart, especially on the evening of the birth to her child, Jesus, God’s Son. I would also like to ask her questions about how she felt during the days that led up to the birth of Jesus and then how she felt in the hours and days, and years that followed his birth. What was Jesus like as a toddler, a young child, a teenager, a young adult, a man?

For me the births of my two children were amazing events! I could not wait to share each child with my family and friends. I wonder if Mary felt the same way? There is no mention in the Bible that family members came to see Jesus in the early hours following his birth. Did she long for her mother and father to meet this child?

I wonder how much Mary comprehended as she, a virgin, was experiencing the reality of giving birth not only to a baby but to the Son of God. How very mysterious and unbelievable was this event to Mary and yet it happened. I would like to ask Mary how she felt looking into her newborn’s eyes. Did she see anything special? And as she looked over at this incredible man Joseph, what was she feeling? How could he be so loving, so caring, so forgiving? And what about that star, how bright was it? What about the shepherds and their story about the angels? How humbled did she feel that God had chosen her, a simple young woman, whose only offering was that she was available and willing to be used by God? Then my questions would turn and I would get down to the real women stuff, how bad did that stable smell and how hard and long was your labor? Ah yes, one more questions how completely did you fall in love with your new little bundle of blue?

I know I felt a bit of apprehension taking home Amy, our first child. She was very small 6 lb. 1 oz. She was so beautiful and her Dad and I wanted to give her the world on a silver platter. Yet, I wasn’t sure I was prepared for all that was going to be required of me that evening, not to mention raising her to adulthood. As her mother, I was responsible for so much regarding her immediate safety and care. But Mary – Wow! She not only had to care for her child but she was also caring for God’s Son! I wonder how she felt about that awesome task?

This Christmas week I do have so many questions for Mary. Yes, I would have loved to have been “a mouse in the stable” the night God put on skin and was birthed into our sin centered world. I am amazed that our Savior Jesus Christ left the riches, the splendor and the glory of heaven and willingly became poor so that you and I might be rich!

Questions:

What would you like to ask Mary?

What is it that amazes you the most about the events of Jesus’ birth?

Have you accepted Jesus Christ, God’s special gift to you?

Have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins so that you might have eternal life in heaven with him forever?

If you have not done so, why don’t you do so now?

Right now, at this beautiful Christmas season, would be a perfect time to pray a simple prayer and ask God for his forgiveness that he has provided through His Son Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Dear God,

Thank you that you are a God who provided a second chance for humanity to be right with you. Mankind’s sin had to be atoned for and you, God, figured out and provided a way for that to happen. What an utterly unique and amazing plan! In phase one of your amazing plan you sent your only son, Jesus Christ, to be born to a virgin. It was your plan that your Son would enter our world as a helpless baby. God I am astonished that you literally put on skin and took on the form of humanity! Your Son grew to become a child and then a man. It was your perfect plan from the beginning that in just thirty-three short years, Jesus would be crucified on a cross as a sin sacrifice for humanity. Jesus the Savior, the Messiah, would become the sacrificial lamb. Even though it was man that sinned, you God personally paid the price for that sin. It was the sin of man that had to be atoned for. Thank you God for Christmas, because Christmas was that holy night that you began to work your flawless plan for my forgiveness. I now confess my sin to you and ask you to forgive my sin and to come into my life.

In you precious Son’s Name I pray. Amen.

Peace On Earth Good Will Toward Men

“And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host praising God,
and saying, Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
Luke 2:13-14 KJV

More often than not the Christmas season can be hectic. If we take time to be alone with God and focus on the glory of Christmas, we will indeed feel his inner peace. On the other hand, if our activities send us in too many scattered directions we will end up feeling anything but peaceful.

God’s message to my heart today is Paula, be careful and do not let your holiday preparations steal your outward peace. Make time to reflect on my glory, because in doing so you will also experience my inner peace. Take time to focus on my gift, which is intended for all people. Hear the Christmas message, “Peace on earth and good will toward men.”

Today I am trying to imagine that first glorious Christmas evening when the angel brought the message of the Messiah’s birth. After the angel had proclaimed God’s announcement, the heavenly hosts joined the angel and God’s glory was unleashed across the midnight sky. The privileged shepherds witnessed this magnificent display of praise and worship! What an amazing sight that must have been. God’s blazing glory all around!

The message was clear. The Savior of the world had been born and he would be the bridge between God and man. This baby was the promised One. He was the fulfillment of the promised Messiah. This baby would be the one who would restore us to God and make possible a personal relationship between God and man. Even from that very first Christmas night the heavens declared that peace and good will was an opportunity for all mankind and this opportunity was coming straight from the throne of God.

I doubt that these simple men had a full understanding of everything the angel had said. When their fear had passed and their heartbeats had slowed down, I can just see them standing around rubbing their eyes, looking at each other, scratching their heads, and stroking their beards. Yet very quickly they said to each other, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” Luke 2:15b KJV and they hurried away seeking the Christ child.

Oh my, if only eyewitness news could have been there to report God’s story that glorious night! But instead God chose to come to the simple shepherds who heard, saw and believed. These men left their work and immediately went to the city of David seeking their Savior, a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Their first look at this child must have been one of both wonder and amazement. Right there before their eyes, was a poor, small helpless baby, lying in a manger. Could it possibly be that the Messiah was welcomed into this world only by his parents, the common shepherds who knelt before him, and a few animals? Surely, God would not choose this stable surrounded by conditions that were way beyond all human reason, to be the birthplace of the Messiah. Yet there before their eyes was this precious baby, fresh from heaven, the Son of God, who was born of a virgin, the prophesied Messianic King!

I have tried to wrap my mind around the completeness of God’s gift to our world. In the book of Leviticus, five different sacrifices are described. The meaning of these five sacrifices has provided me with a new understanding as to the magnitude of God’s loving Christmas gift.

The Sin Offering and The Guilt Offering were mandatory for atonement of sin. Jesus became that sacrifice when he took our place on the cross.

The Burnt Offering and The Grain Offering were offerings of voluntary commitment and worship. Jesus voluntarily laid down his life. His obedience to His Father was the highest form of worship that any Son could give his Father.

The Fellowship Offering was for communion between the Lord, the priest and the worshiper. Jesus was the bridge between God and man for fellowship, and communion.

Only God…only God, could provide such a complete sacrificial package! God sent his son Jesus Christ, who was all of those offerings wrapped up in one significant offering. Jesus came from the security and glory of heaven into this world to be the sacrificial offering for sin, and the offering that would provide fellowship between God and man. Jesus then chose to make the offering complete when he voluntarily laid down his life as an act of worship and commitment to his Father.

On that historical night, God sent a message straight from his heart to this sinful world. The message came through the angels! … “a multitude of the heavenly host who were praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” That was the night that God said to mankind, “I want you back, so I am sending a good will offering of forgiveness, inner peace, and restored fellowship between God and man.”

Through accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we have forgiveness and inner peace. God’s offering to mankind carries with it a message of love and good will for everyone who will believe!

On that very special night God’s birth announcement of his One and only Son was announced across the midnight sky. God knew from the beginning that Jesus would be the sacrifice for mankind’s sin. But in addition, on the night of the birth of the Christ child, God wanted mankind to recognize that Jesus would be the offering that would make possible a personal relationship with him. Personal access, fellowship and communion with the Father would soon be restored and the yearly sacrifices would soon be abolished.

I am impressed that the shepherds went with haste! They didn’t call a meeting, they didn’t take a vote. Nor did they call in a team of expert shepherds to determine if this was a good opportunity. No, very simply by their immediate actions, we see that the shepherds simply believed. As believers we know that it is God’s good will that has provided mankind with a second chance. That holy night the shepherds witnessed the angels doing what they do best, honoring God through a splendid display of praise and worship, saying “Glory to God in the highest!” We too should recognize this blessed event as an occasion for our magnificent praise and worship.

The Christmas season is an excellent opportunity for us to exhibit a spirit of peace and good will. As I shop I know there will be times that I will need to exhibit a spirit of peace rather than irritation. As I drive in the holiday traffic I will have opportunities to show courtesy to others rather than voicing my impatience. When I invite people into my home I need to offer them not only Christmas cookies but also the spirit of peace and good will. I need to look for opportunities to help those less fortunate by sharing God’s love through the use of my time and my resources. I also pray that God will place unbelievers in my path this Christmas season, so that I will have opportunities to share the message of that spectacular night. The very night that God came to earth in the human form as a poor and helpless baby, who was the complete sacrificial package found lying in a manger!

Peace on earth for me is found deep within my heart. Good will toward men is demonstrated to others by showing compassion, mercy, love, and patience to others.

Christmas is a perfect time to make a special effort to show good will toward all those we come in contact with. Pray for opportunities to share God’s message of good will with those who do not know him as their personal Savior. Share the message that Jesus Christ became our Sin and Guilt Offerings. Tell them that Jesus Christ also became our Fellowship Offering, the offering that makes it possible for us to have a personal relationship with God both now and forever.

As Jesus walked the dusty roads of Galilee, the will of his Father was always before him and obedience to his Father was of utmost importance. Jesus demonstrated his love for his Father by voluntarily dying on the cross. This act was worship given to his Father in its highest form. Never before had their ever been a voluntary Burnt Offering or a Grain Offering of such magnitude!

Through the sacrifice of his Son, God demanded both the atonement for our sin and the restoration of fellowship and communion that had been lost in the Garden. Without a doubt those were divine acts of God’s love and grace. But could it be that it was not the Divinity of Jesus, but rather the humanity of Jesus that voluntarily responded to his Father in love and obedience? Could it be that it was that act of submission that made the sacrifice fragrantly sweet and complete?

I hope that you will join me in savoring this Christmas take away. Embrace God’s love and experience his inner peace even in a world that is restless and stressful, greedy and self serving, and arrogant and rude. Remember that Christians are God’s vessels that he uses to pour out his peace on the earth in a world that is anything but peaceful. We are also called to speak God’s message of good will and exhibit that good will to others.

God’s amazing love came down to us on that first Christmas night and when it did the heavens burst forth in the most elaborate unimaginable display of God’s love and grace. It was a spectacular birth announcement that would change our lives for all eternity.

Questions:

Do you often find yourself zipping through Christmas with only a handful of thoughts about Jesus?

What do you think that peace on earth really means?

This Christmas season what will you do and what will you leave undone in order to allow yourself time to focus on Jesus and feel his inner peace?

As you prepare for Christmas will you choose to demonstrate good will to those you come in contact with by being compassionate, merciful, loving, patient, and kind?


Prayer:

Dear God,

Please help me this Christmas season to respond as a simple shepherdess, who has seen your glory.

As I scurry about making holiday plans, remind me that by my actions and words I have a wonderful opportunity to relate your glorious Christmas message of, “Peace on earth – goodwill to men on whom your favor rests.”

God forgive me when I rush ahead of you. Help me to be aware of all those I meet and help me not to miss a single opportunity to exhibit good will to all those I come in contact with. I pray that this Christmas season my life will reflect an inner peace that can only come from you.

Give me your grace so that I will want to choose to be compassionate, merciful, loving, patient and kind during this holiday season. Help me to remember that I have seen the glory of your salvation and I must pass it on. God forgive me when I fail to show good will to others. Help me to remember that my negative remarks and actions do not bring glory to you and that an irritable spirit cancels out your peace in my life.

God, what an amazing plan, all of the Old Testament offerings wrapped up in one complete package, and his name is Jesus.

God I am astounded that you, the powerful God of the universe, actually put on skin and came to live among us. Today, I offer up to you my praise and worship for all you have provided for me through the birth of your Son. If only my praise and worship was as magnificent as the praise and worship that came from the lips of the heavenly host that first Christmas night.

So Father, I humbly say thank you.

For yours is the power and the glory forever, Amen.

Baking Christmas Cookies

Our Abigail

“Taste and see that the Lord is good;”

Psalm 34:8 NIV

Christmas appeals to our senses in every way. Visually, the lights and decorations are beautiful. The sweet smell of cinnamon and sugar make us head for the kitchen. The beautiful music that we hear thrills us and we want to sing along. The priceless hugs that we receive from friends and family are the very touches of love. Yummy cookies and hot chocolate with marshmallows and peppermint sticks delight our taste buds.

Papa and Abigail
My mother-in-law had a wonderful sugar cookie recipe that my husband thinks is second to none. Every year he pulls out the rolling pin, the colored sugar, and the bell, star and candy cane shaped cookies cutters and begins to bake sugar cookies. When we were first married he baked them for himself. I think he did this because I could never roll them thin enough! In later years he baked them for our children and now he bakes them for our grandchildren. When the cookie baking begins he always has lots of little hands helping him and even those who don’t help are most eager to become “cookie samplers.”

Grandmother’s sugar cookies have become a part of our Christmas tradition. It brings back wonderful memories of a loving mother and grandmother and adds sweetness to our holiday season. Eating sweet Christmas morsels also serve as a reminder that the birth of Jesus is one of the sweetest stories ever told. It is also a good time to pass on to our family the challenge to “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Questions:

Do you have special Christmas traditions?

Do those traditions reflect Jesus?

Can you find creative ways to add to your Christmas traditions spiritual truth that will enhance and add significance to those traditions?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus,

Show me some creative ways that I can bring you into the special Christmas traditions of our family. I have tasted your goodness and I am grateful. With each Christmas cookie that I munch, help me to remember the sweetness of your love. Help me to savor the message of your birth through out this Christmas season.

In Your name I pray. Amen.

Off and Running

“Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly;
I do not fight like a man beating the air."
I Corinthians 9:26 NIV

Right after the last piece of pumpkin pie has been devoured and the last turkey sandwich has been gobbled down my brain switches immediately to Christmas preparation. This morning as I stroll through my garden I find myself savoring the last of the beautiful hot pink Camellias. The brisk fall air encourages me to wrap my scarf around my neck a little tighter. This morning the message is clear, it is time to toss the pumpkins and begin to prepare for Christmas. As I began to think about Christmas I also began to struggle with the commercialism that surrounds Christmas and excludes Jesus. In response to my thoughts I bow my head and ask God to show me how he would have me prepare for Christmas.

So as I begin to shop, decorate, bake, entertain, wrap gifts, and mail cards, I will try to simplify my efforts as I prepare for Christmas. I will also look for ways that I might center more on Jesus. It is indeed a shame that this must be a conscious effort, but the noise of our society bombards us with a million alternatives. One of my main resolutions this year is to participate selectively in the many activities, yet find time to be alone with the One whose birthday we celebrate and to spend time meditating upon the events surrounding the birth of Christ. I have found in the past that it is possible to form wonderful Christmas traditions that include Jesus.

All of us are attacked on every front by the commercialism of Christmas. However, it is important to step back and take a deep breath and evaluate all that is on our plate. What will we keep and what must go. Below are some questions that have helped me to pick and choose the way I will spend my time and energy as I prepare for Christmas. I know that I will be running, but I hope that as I run my Christmas marathon it will be with meaning and purpose. Here are some questions to consider.

What can I do to make my Christmas “Quiet Time” special?

How much time am I willing to give to each Christmas project?

How can I enhance my Christmas projects with spiritual significance?

Does this activity bring me joy or frustration?

How can I eliminate the frustration and replace it with joy?

I love Christmas! I look forward to all of the festivities leading up to December 25th. It is an exceptional opportunity for family togetherness and sharing. I am always amazed at the story of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, the appearance of the angels, the humble shepherds, and the simple manner in which God chose for his son to enter our world. I marvel at the forgiveness, obedience and devotion of Joseph, the availability of Mary and her accepting heart. The focused determination of the wise men was amazing as they searched for the star. Last but never least, what about the music of Christmas? Oh… how I love the music of Christmas! I pray that this year you will join me as we embrace the Christmas season with spiritual thoughtfulness and eternal purpose.


Questions:

Today’s questions are found in the body of this week’s devotional. Please take time to consider each question prayerfully. God is able to inspire and direct your steps as you prepare for the birthday of his Son.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus,

Christmas is a beautiful time of year. I joyfully look forward to celebrating your birth. Help me Jesus to be very intentional this year, as I endeavor not to overload on meaningless activities and push you aside. May I put you first and seek to know your heart and mind for me as I plan a special Christmas that will bring joy to my family and glory to you.

In Your Name I pray. Amen.