NO ROOM

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son (John 3:16, NIV).

I wonder. I wonder what the innkeeper thought as he turned away the young man and his very pregnant wife that holy night so long ago. He had no room – it was that simple. Do we?

The Christmas season is here. Our calendars are already full, our bank accounts are closing in on empty and our hearts and lives are crowded with things we deem important. But have we made room for Jesus?

I simply cannot imagine a world without the presence of God and yet I often live my life as if He does not exist. A crisis hits, and I try to handle it on my own. I don’t understand the trials in my life while those who could care less about God seem to prosper. Instead of reaching out to Him, I withdraw into the darkness. Financial stress fuels worry. Instead of turning to God, I rely on what I can see and understand. I settle.

When I do cry out to God, He lovingly fills each dark corner with Light. His love flows over the pain like soothing balm and once again, I experience the manger. Once again, Jesus Christ steps into the smelly, unlikely and very ordinary existence that is mine to change everything – absolutely everything!

Jesus could have come to us in many ways. The simplicity of His birth is extraordinary and sometimes hard to grasp. Jesus could have been born in a mansion. He was, after all, a King. Instead, He came to a dirty smelly manger and His birth was announced by common shepherds instead of Kings -- the greatest of all miracles in the midst of total simplicity. Today, Jesus still wants to meet us in the midst of our simple daily lives. It seems too easy and too good to be true, doesn’t it?


The very heart of Christmas is Emanuel, God with us – with me – and withyou. Christmas is not a date on a calendar. Christmas is a way of life that celebrates the presence of God in the simple, ordinary happenings of daily life: where we go and what we do -- the smile we give the harried stranger or the patience we choose in the crowd of impatient shoppers -- the love that prompts the secret gift or the heart that constantly celebrates His birth through every sparkling light, every beautifully wrapped gift, each special meal, every card, phone call and visit. God is with us – if we choose to make room for Him.

The Easy Way to Live the Abundant Life

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light,” - (Matthew 11:28-230 NIV).

Here’s a question. Do you think obedience to God is easy or hard? Hmmm. Obedience may seem hard at first, but in reality, obedience is the easy way. It is difficult to cope with the messes we get into when we don’t obey. The consequences of sin are hard to deal with. Think about the times you have disobeyed or turned your back on God. What were the results? Easy? Hard?

Satan will try and convince you that obedience is much too hard, that it carries too high a price, but he will never tell you the cost of not obeying God. He will never tell you the glory moments you will forfeit by refusing or ignoring God’s invitation to join Him.

Practicing Acts 17:28 (In him we live and move and have our being.) will never lead to sin. When we wrangle from God’s embrace and set out on our own, that’s when we get in trouble. God isn’t telling us to obey to make life difficult. God wants us to obey to make life less difficult. The end result of obedience is the blessed way…smooth moves.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light,” (Matthew 11:28-30). The yoke is simply a farmer’s understanding of the divine dance of obedience. When two oxen are yoked together, they move as one—walking in tandem to the bidding of the master. Usually, an older, more experienced animal is yoked with a young upstart. The apprentice ox learns from the more seasoned ox as they walk along tethered together. If the younger animal tries to surge ahead, the yoke chokes at his neck and slows him down. If he lags behind, the yoke chafes at his neck and prods him to hurry along.

And what does Jesus say about this yoke? It is not hard. It is not difficult. It is not heavy. It is easy. It is light. Being yoked to Jesus actually makes life much simpler…smoother…more peace-filled.

God said to the people of Israel: “If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” (Isaiah 48:18). A river flows unhindered over rocks and boulders as it moves from one place to the next. It flows around them, over them, and past them—all the while smoothing rough edges. A river doesn’t strive to get from one place to another. It simply flows. That is the glory life of living and moving and having our being in Christ. We simply flow with a sacred inner calmness. Sometimes circumstances will be like tumultuous white-capped rapids, other times like a lazy gentle stream. But the life in union with Jesus keeps flowing. Moving forward. And in the journey, we catch glimpses of sudden glory in the scenery as we move between life’s banks.

Obedience is so much more than following a list of do’s and don’ts. Practicing religion rather than enjoying a love relationship with Jesus is like trying to plow the field alone. It will exhaust you rather than energize you. You will feel like a martyr and then wonder why others around you seem to be so joyful in their calling. Obedience because of our love relationship energizes our lives. Obedience out of a sense of duty or law drains. Always drains.

Religion operates on a “works of the law” principle: “I obey God, therefore, I am accepted by God.” Relationship operates on the gospel of grace principle: “I am accepted by God through the finished work of Jesus, therefore I obey—because I love and trust Him.” We’re going to talk more about that in the next chapter. This is important to understand because until we grasp the difference, we will never experience the joy of living and moving and having our being in Christ.

Obedience is aresponse to love. Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching,” (John 14:23-24).

Sometimes relinquishing control and following Jesus’ lead through obedience can feel uncertain or awkward, like when your dance partner leads you into a new move for the very first time. But each time you say yes to God, a new passion and peace flows through your veins until eventually, hopefully, a total transfusion of Christ-centered living replaces self-centered stubbornness. Intimacy becomes sweeter. Passion grows stronger. Glory moments become easier to see. Unique glory moments…selected especially for you.

Ashes to Beauty

For I know that my Redeemer lives. (Job 19:25)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ZAJYMK0dy8M

God’s redemptive grace can restore any life.

In the beginning, at the very moment that rebellion collided with perfection and invaded the hearts of humanity, God set in motion a plan of redemption. His plan was Jesus – His only Son – who came to redeem us… to save us… to wash us clean from sin. He is an awesome Redeemer… One who gives beauty for ashes, comfort for mourning, and freedom to the shackled. A Savior who imputes His righteousness on the wretched, shines light in the darkest places, and breathes hope to the weariest of souls.

Scripture introduces us to a guy who experienced God’s redemption in beautifully deep ways. His name was Job. Job was a good man. I mean a really good man. No joke – the Bible says so! This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. (Job 1:1b) He lived life the right way. He honored God, loved his family and was both faithful and patient. Good man.

You’d think that because Job was such a stand out guy that he’d pretty much have a cake life, right? SO not right. Let me just say this: good-guy-Job went through some stuff. Boy did he go through some stuff. We are talking major big-league stuff. He had it all and then lost it all: his children, his wealth and his health. Gone. In a blink.

Don’t just skim over that last paragraph.
This man lost his children for goodness sake!
They died.
All ten of them… at the same time.

 Job knew broken on levels that most of us will never come close to knowing. He knew ashes. He knew mourning. He knew darkness. He knew weary.

On the front end of the pain He had faith. Big faith. He gave God the benefit of the doubt. He held on to his integrity, accepted his circumstances and blessed the name of the LORD in spite of the horror he endured. And he worshiped! Can you believe he worshiped?

Then he fell to the ground in worshipand said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.”

In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.(Job 1:20b-22)

Job went through loss after loss, test after test and friend-with-bad-advice after friend-with-bad-advice who spoke condemnation instead of comfort. All that and his wife was a total drip. Seriously. She wanted him to “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9b) Nice. Isn’t it amazing how some people can say dumb things and completely misrepresent the heart of God in times of struggle? Oh, friend… let us be women who are quick to comfort and slow to speak advice.
Stepping down from my soap box…

Job was in anguish. (Job 6:2, 7:11) Understandable! He wanted to die because the pain was so unrelenting. (Job 6:9-10) He called out to God and asked Him to reveal where he had gone wrong. Then he repented of the sins that he knew he had committed.

He lamented. Stomped his feet a bit. Got a smidge sassy and frustrated with God. And he wondered if God even cared. Then God answered his complaints, corrected his heart and set the wheels in motion for one of the most amazing shows of redemption the world has ever seen.

God shined light into his darkness – spoke gladness to his mourning – and brought beauty to his ashes. He redeemed Job’s life from the dark pit of broken. Then overwhelmed, Job humbly and whole-heartedly worshiped the Lord. But now, he worshiped God as his Redeemer. He was the first in Scripture to ever call God his Redeemer. For I know that my Redeemer lives. (Job 19:25)

God also names Himself our Redeemer in Scripture!

Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior,your Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Jacob. (Isaiah 60:16)

You see? God is all about redemption.

His love for humanity runs deeper than the deepest recesses of our depravity. His love runs farther than your past – higher than your disappointments – wider than your heart wounds and deeper than a cavernous pit of depression. God’s plan of redemption is for every person – no matter where you’ve been, no matter what you’ve been through, no matter what you’ve done.

But, alas, there’s a catch.
There’s always a catch, right?
The catch is: it has to be personal.

His grace is for every one of us, but each of us must accept or reject God’s redemption plan by accepting or rejecting his Son, Jesus Christ. Redemption begins and ends with Jesus. For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NLT)
Redemption is for me.
Redemption is for you.
Do you believe that? Have you made it personal with God?

Whether you are at work, at home, at the hospital or in a jail cell. He’s whispering, “Be still.” Whether you are struggling with life strains or are in a season of reprieve. “Be still.” Whether you have a house full of crazy-noise or an apartment filled with ordered-quiet. “Be still.” Whether the diagnosis is cancer or the sting of betrayal is fresh – whether the hope you cling to resounds or you are weary and unsettled. “Be still.” Know that He is God. Know that He is good. Accept that He is able and willing to exchange beauty for your ashes. Call out to Him as your Redeemer.

Confess your mess before Him.
Consider His love.
Then… in the stillness … respond from your heart.

Treasures in the Darkness

Isaiah 45:3 I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

I love a great movie. To me, a movie is only great -- no matter what any movie critic says or how many stars the film is granted -- when good wins over evil, the right guy gets the right girl, nobody gets hurt and everyone lives happily ever after. A bit naive, I know, but I have decided that there is enough harsh reality traipsing through my daily life without paying to see more on a movie screen. When I sit down in that cushy theatre seat, popcorn and soda in hand, I want happy endings.

With these criteria in mind, I went to see the movie, "Seabiscuit." God has a way of wrapping remarkable truths in unremarkable circumstances. There I was, munching and sipping away, minding my own business and enjoying my brief respite from the real world when his words echoed through the movie theater and slammed into my soul.

"You don't throw a whole life away just because it's a little banged up," he said. I was done. I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the movie, but those simple words were written just for me and lingered long after the movie's credits scrolled across the movie screen. We are all “banged up a little” by life. I know what it feels like to be broken and in pain. And I do not like it – a fact that seems meaningless when it comes to facing and dealing with tough experiences in my life. The hits just keep coming. I have a choice to make. I can embrace the pain and brokenness in my life and learn from it, or I can surrender to the darkness and hide – and hope it all goes away. Trust me, It doesn’t.


In “A Farewell to Arms," Ernest Hemingway writes, "The world breaks everyone and many are strong at the broken places.” Jesus says it this way, “I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name” (Isaiah 45:3).

Wow! The truth of this verse rocks my world. Don’t miss it! God has gone before us and buried a treasure in every problem and stored rich truths in every minute of darkness we will face. The only way we can discover that treasure is to embrace the problem as an opportunity to trust God and uncover a new seed of victory. Some things cannot be learned in the light – they are treasures of the darkness.

 

 

HE TOOK MY PLACE

Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever - (Psalm 106:1, NIV).


In a few short weeks, friends and family across America will gather around beautifully decorated tables filled with warm, scrumptious food to give thanks on Thanksgiving Day. However, this day will be nothing like holidays of the past for many people.

Lonely but committed soldiers covered in the dust of battle will patrol foreign borders, fighting for our freedom while their families back home long for word of their safety. The homeless will make their way to the nearest soup kitchen, hoping for a warm meal and a smiling face as so many celebrate this day of abundance. An empty place at the table will be a painful reminder of the loved one lost not long ago. A worried husband and dad will sit at the head of the table, wondering how he is going to tell his family that he just lost his job. The list of wounded hearts and unmet needs is endless.

We convince ourselves that life will be better when we have more money, when we find the right mate, when we get the kids raised or build the right house. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, when we get that promotion, when we are able to go on our dream vacation or when we retire. We keep trying to find joy, contentment and peace in lifeless places and things.

Jesus Christ is life. He is Joy and Love, and He took our place on the cross. That’s why we can give thanks when it seems as if there is nothing for which to be thankful.

One day, a man went to visit a church. He arrived early, parked his car, and got out. Another car pulled up near him, and the driver told him, "I always park there. You took my place!" The visitor went inside for Sunday school, found an empty seat, and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!" The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome but said nothing.

After Sunday school, the visitor went into the church sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit. You took my place!" The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment but still said nothing.

During the worship service, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?" The visitor replied, "I took your place."

Yes, we live in a broken world and life is filled with pain, challenges, dark times and trials, but today can still be a day of thanksgiving and praise because praise and thanksgiving have little to do with the Thanksgiving holiday and everything to do with our inner attitude toward God. It really doesn’t matter how much we lose here, my friend. I have read the Book and we win … for all of eternity! We just need to take the time to remember … and give thanks.

ARE WE HAVING FUN YET ?

I [Jesus] came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows),” (John 10:10 Amplified Bible). C.S. Lewis says that most Christians lack “merriment.” I like that word. “Merriment.” Just moving the words across my lips is fun. And I think Lewis is right. We lack merriment and we don’t expect it. Many Christians look like they’ve been weaned on a dill pickle. My goodness, if there is anyone who should exude merriment, it is a person who knows Jesus as Savior and Lord. We, above all people, have something to be merry about! What God desires, not from you but for you, is life to the full (John 10:10). There’s nothing ho-hum about that. I read Jesus’ words in John 10:10 and I am famished for glory moments of life to the full. I want to see God, to experience His presence as I live and move and have my being in Him. John wrote, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). He didn’t simply use the word given, but lavished. Webster defines lavish this way: “given or provided with great generosity and abundance, to bestow with large generosity, profusion, a downpour.” Ponder those words separately. Lavished. Provided with great generosity. Abundance. Bestow with large generosity. Profusion. Downpour. Do these words reflect your expectations in your relationship with Jesus? C.S. Lewis said it well: “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”(C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (New York: HarperCollins, 1949,1976,revised 1980), 26.) The first statement in the Shorter Catechism of Westminster Confession of 1646 states that man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Enjoy Him! To enjoy God is to glorify Him. Just as He takes delight in you, He longs for you to take delight in Him. You simply can’t separate the two. Are you enjoying God? As you live and move and have your being in Him, is there a smile on your face and a skip in your step? Do you expect the rich adventurous faith-filled life that you read about in the Bible? Do you expect to experience God’s glory today? If not, perhaps you need to raise your expectations of what your relationship with Jesus can be. Once we’ve tasted the sweetness of His fruit, to settle for anything less than the bountiful orchard of His blessings will always disappoint. Oh yes, there are heavy-laden branches filled with low hanging fruit just waiting to be picked. If only we would reach up high enough, raise our expectations, and pluck them from the tree.