Growing up, I remember Christmas as a very magical time. Like most families, we had many traditions. Putting up nativity scenes, daily gatherings around an advent calendar, reading the Christmas story, and listening to classic Christmas music all promoted an air of something special. I remember most every room in the house having some sort of decoration and my mother painstakingly hanging tinsel (the old kind made of lead) strand by strand on a real Christmas tree. The smell of the Douglas fir and a seemingly endless array of fresh baked cookies only enhanced the magic of the days. As children we obviously were giddy about what we might receive on Christmas morning, but in my house at least, it was always tempered with a healthy recognition of the reason we were celebrating. [Read more…] about Rediscover the Joy
humility
He Knew
Sometimes I get impatient. It seems like the current season of my life is moving too slow. I see the season of life that others are in and get a little jealous, wishing I was in that season. I’m also overly anxious to move into the next season as soon as I enter a new one. It’s no secret the attention span of our world is diminishing every day. We have instant everything. News is delivered in 30 second sound bites and 140 characters at a time. No wonder we have become an impatient generation. We are becoming more selfish by the hour. We want what we want, and we want it now!
What’s Your Isaac?
One of the most dramatic stories in the Bible is that of Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22:1-17). Most are familiar with the details, but allow me to quickly recap. God promised Abraham that many nations would come from him, and that the entire world would be blessed through his lineage. Yet Abraham and his wife had grown old and still had no children. But miraculously, Sarah became pregnant and had a son named Isaac. Fast forward about ten years. God told Abraham to offer Isaac, he and Sarah’s only son, as an offering to Him. After all these years, all that waiting, it now appeared that God would take away what seemed to matter most to Abraham.
Selfishness
One of my favorite Christian authors is Calvin Miller. I’ve recently been reading his excellent little book entitled, “The Disciplined Life”. One of the things he said that really struck me was, “The difference between what God wants for us and what we ultimately become rests in how we break the thrall of those appetites that chain us to selfish lifestyles and selfish life goals.” My studies this past year have convinced me that selfishness is at the heart of all sin. Perhaps this is not a revelation to you and might even seem rather obvious. But how often do we look at our lives and consider ourselves selfish? Until we come to that realization, I submit we are all living in delusion.
Living in the Light
Do you see the light? It’s shining all around you. If Christ lives inside of you, the brilliance of His glory cannot help but seep through every inch of your being. When we commit our lives to Him and surrender all we are to His will, we begin to be consumed by the beauty of His love. We cannot help but shine and reflect His hope to everyone with whom we come into contact. This is what it means to be immersed in His Spirit and this life is available to every disciple of Jesus Christ. Are you realizing this possibility in your life?