Christmas thoughts
Quote - There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries.
~ W.J. Cameron
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What do you think of when you think of Christmas???
Reindeer, Christmas carols, decorated trees, gifts, turkey, family, snowmen or maybe a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes...
One word that usually does not come to mind is fear.
Fear is usually not gripping us in terror, panic attacks, as it paralyze and overwhelms us. Often fear is much more subtle so we call it concern, worry, just being cautious or by some other name but it is nonetheless a form of fear and can keep us from God’s best. Throughout the Christmas story people were faced with fear. Herod insecurity caused him to fear losing his authority and position. His fear & insecurity lead him to hatch a deceptive and evil plan.
Zacharias, Mary, Joseph and the shepherds faced fear too but they responded differently.
They choose to FEAR NOT and they were among the very few whom at His birth recognized the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes as Emmanuel – God with us, the Prince of Peace.
Like that first Christmas God still speaks to us in the quiet and in the uncertain circumstances of life saying ‘Fear Not’.
He still brings peace that passes understanding to our lives and hearts.
He was, is and will always be the PRINCE of PEACE.
Shalom.
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Prince of Peace – we think of peace as quiet, tranquility, contentment, or maybe as peace from war but when I went back to the Hebrew word used here I found it meant so much more than that.
It means safe i.e. well, happy, friendly
also welfare...e i.e. health, prosperity, peace.
He is the Prince of Safety, Wellness, Contentment, Friendship, Health, Prosperity & Peace.
These things involve our whole being - spirit, soul, body, mind, finances, and relationships.
He came not just to be a story we remember at Christmas or our Savior we recall at Easter but to affect and influence our lives for good on a daily bases - 365 days a year -
to be our All in All, all the days of our lives.
May this CHRISTmas we known Him not just as the babe born in a manger but as our Wonderful, Counsellor, as our Mighty God, as our Everlasting Father and as our Prince of Peace in a fresh and meaningful way.
Wishing you and your family a very
M e r r y C H I S T m a s and a B l e s s e d N e w Y e a r !
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Friday, December 24, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Truth & Consequences
Truth & Consequences (Blessings)
As I spent time reading God’s word the words ‘wait on the Lord’ jumped off the page.
God was speaking, ‘wait on me”. There were some things where there was a clear application, where I was to wait on God, to trust Him to led and bring things to pass. Waiting was about trusting Him, His timing and way.
As I continued to wait and spend time in the Word these and similar words keep coming up ‘wait on the Lord’.
Over several days I began to get the ideal God was saying something beyond a specific situation. There was something deeper. I wondered what He had to say. None of the verses were new to me. In fact Is. 40:31 I had read dozens of times and probably have sung a thousand times. I had experienced the truth of renewed strength more times than I can remember. I know this verse well from first hand experience but I was obliviously missing something because God kept bring verses to saying ‘wait on the Lord’. God had my attention, I was intrigued. I wanted to know what I was missing. What I had not seen before. I was listening. A few days later I started to see something I had seen before but had not. It may not be new to any one else but now I was seeing something for the first time. Something so basic how was it possible that I never got it before. It was they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew God calls us to wait on Him. There are lots of scripture that talks about this. I’ve experienced numerous time God renewing my strength but now for the first time I was seeing if I needed renewed strength the answer was not more sleep, a day off or at the beech. It was not more exercise and fresh air. It was not asking God for endurance to get through the day. It was not reading the word or praying more. It was not studying the Word or mediating on its promises. It was not serving, loving or delighting myself more in Him. It is by waiting on Him.
If this was true then how many times was I praying when I need to worship?
How many times was I studying the word when I need to meditate on the Word?
How many times was I waiting on God when I need to be out there doing the work of God? Praying when I need success?
How many times did I hit my head on the wall when the break through was not coming that I needed and decided to try vitamins or exercise or give up on the dream or attend a conference or read a book to get the missing link the latest trick to success, health or what every it is I need at the moment while all along God had given me the answer but I was knocking on the wrong door. Maybe, just maybe when God said in Joshua 1:8 and Psalms 1: 2 & 3 to meditate on the word day and night and we would make our way prosperous and have good success that he actually meant the way to success and prosperity was by meditating on His Word continually and not by attending business seminars, get in on the ground level of the latest and hottest business ideal, by networking with the right people, by praising and thanking Him for success even though we are flat broke and have no ideals on how to turn things around.
Is it possible that the clue to living a quiet and peaceable life has little to do with what country I was born in, or being able to afford to live on a remote island where no one can bother me, by living in an earthquake free zone? Is it possible that having the right job, wife, religion, income or getting every one saved is not the answer? Is it possible meditating on the Word is not the key but praying for our leaders, our co-workers, our friends, our family and our enemies is the answer as outlined in 1 Timothy 2: 1 – 2.
Is it possible that I’ve known the truth but failed to recognize how and where to properly apply it? Yes, there is a place and time to get away and enjoy the warm, sunny beech. Yes, it is important on who you marry, work for and associate with. There is a place for seminars, reading books and personal growth. Diet and exercise are important. There is a place to study the word, to mediate thereon, to give praise, to pray, to wait... but if the door I need to go needs to be unlocked then it is important to use the right key or that door will remain locked. Maybe sometime down the road I will accidentally use the right key and walk though but had I known the right key from the start I could have entered through the door much sooner. If when I was in school I had a math test and wrote all the correct answers down from my history test it would not help a lot. Maybe one of the dates happen to be the right answer to one of the math questions and so I think I’m doing well and on the right track but in the end I’m going to be frustrated with the mark even though I had all the right answers and did the right things because I’ve applied it to the wrong test. But unlike school God has given us all the answers. If I apply them to the wrong situation guess who missed up.
Oh how glad I am God is patient, kind, longsuffering. So next time I need strength according to Gods word there are two possible answers I’ve found wait and Him and praising Him.
So while Is. 40: 31 is not new it became new to me because I seen when the promise is reversed it is the specific answer I need in that situation.
If I wanted tomatoes I would not check my raspberry patch or if I wanted peaches I would not plant an apple tree. Likewise what I sow spiritually will decide the harvest I get. Now I see prayer, study, meditating, waiting, speaking, praise, worship, tithe, offerings… are not just different ways to worship and get to know God. It’s not a case of picking and choosing which ones I like or feel like doing today. They are specific answers for my life. They are not optional. They are a requirement for abundant life. Not out of duty or to use those as a quick fix like a magical wand. No they need to come from a heart postured before God ready to hear, receive, worship out of love – relationship. They all need to be a continual part of my life but there are times that I need to be very deliberate in the seed I sow where I need to spend extra, concentrated, deliberate time in one or more of these areas.
As I spent time reading God’s word the words ‘wait on the Lord’ jumped off the page.
God was speaking, ‘wait on me”. There were some things where there was a clear application, where I was to wait on God, to trust Him to led and bring things to pass. Waiting was about trusting Him, His timing and way.
As I continued to wait and spend time in the Word these and similar words keep coming up ‘wait on the Lord’.
Over several days I began to get the ideal God was saying something beyond a specific situation. There was something deeper. I wondered what He had to say. None of the verses were new to me. In fact Is. 40:31 I had read dozens of times and probably have sung a thousand times. I had experienced the truth of renewed strength more times than I can remember. I know this verse well from first hand experience but I was obliviously missing something because God kept bring verses to saying ‘wait on the Lord’. God had my attention, I was intrigued. I wanted to know what I was missing. What I had not seen before. I was listening. A few days later I started to see something I had seen before but had not. It may not be new to any one else but now I was seeing something for the first time. Something so basic how was it possible that I never got it before. It was they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew God calls us to wait on Him. There are lots of scripture that talks about this. I’ve experienced numerous time God renewing my strength but now for the first time I was seeing if I needed renewed strength the answer was not more sleep, a day off or at the beech. It was not more exercise and fresh air. It was not asking God for endurance to get through the day. It was not reading the word or praying more. It was not studying the Word or mediating on its promises. It was not serving, loving or delighting myself more in Him. It is by waiting on Him.
If this was true then how many times was I praying when I need to worship?
How many times was I studying the word when I need to meditate on the Word?
How many times was I waiting on God when I need to be out there doing the work of God? Praying when I need success?
How many times did I hit my head on the wall when the break through was not coming that I needed and decided to try vitamins or exercise or give up on the dream or attend a conference or read a book to get the missing link the latest trick to success, health or what every it is I need at the moment while all along God had given me the answer but I was knocking on the wrong door. Maybe, just maybe when God said in Joshua 1:8 and Psalms 1: 2 & 3 to meditate on the word day and night and we would make our way prosperous and have good success that he actually meant the way to success and prosperity was by meditating on His Word continually and not by attending business seminars, get in on the ground level of the latest and hottest business ideal, by networking with the right people, by praising and thanking Him for success even though we are flat broke and have no ideals on how to turn things around.
Is it possible that the clue to living a quiet and peaceable life has little to do with what country I was born in, or being able to afford to live on a remote island where no one can bother me, by living in an earthquake free zone? Is it possible that having the right job, wife, religion, income or getting every one saved is not the answer? Is it possible meditating on the Word is not the key but praying for our leaders, our co-workers, our friends, our family and our enemies is the answer as outlined in 1 Timothy 2: 1 – 2.
Is it possible that I’ve known the truth but failed to recognize how and where to properly apply it? Yes, there is a place and time to get away and enjoy the warm, sunny beech. Yes, it is important on who you marry, work for and associate with. There is a place for seminars, reading books and personal growth. Diet and exercise are important. There is a place to study the word, to mediate thereon, to give praise, to pray, to wait... but if the door I need to go needs to be unlocked then it is important to use the right key or that door will remain locked. Maybe sometime down the road I will accidentally use the right key and walk though but had I known the right key from the start I could have entered through the door much sooner. If when I was in school I had a math test and wrote all the correct answers down from my history test it would not help a lot. Maybe one of the dates happen to be the right answer to one of the math questions and so I think I’m doing well and on the right track but in the end I’m going to be frustrated with the mark even though I had all the right answers and did the right things because I’ve applied it to the wrong test. But unlike school God has given us all the answers. If I apply them to the wrong situation guess who missed up.
Oh how glad I am God is patient, kind, longsuffering. So next time I need strength according to Gods word there are two possible answers I’ve found wait and Him and praising Him.
So while Is. 40: 31 is not new it became new to me because I seen when the promise is reversed it is the specific answer I need in that situation.
If I wanted tomatoes I would not check my raspberry patch or if I wanted peaches I would not plant an apple tree. Likewise what I sow spiritually will decide the harvest I get. Now I see prayer, study, meditating, waiting, speaking, praise, worship, tithe, offerings… are not just different ways to worship and get to know God. It’s not a case of picking and choosing which ones I like or feel like doing today. They are specific answers for my life. They are not optional. They are a requirement for abundant life. Not out of duty or to use those as a quick fix like a magical wand. No they need to come from a heart postured before God ready to hear, receive, worship out of love – relationship. They all need to be a continual part of my life but there are times that I need to be very deliberate in the seed I sow where I need to spend extra, concentrated, deliberate time in one or more of these areas.
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