The Perfect Gift

Shopping for the perfect gift? Have you found yourself in crowded stores buying gifts with money you don't have for gifts that are here today and gone tomorrow? Our culture has led us to believe that money is love so at Christmas we spend more than any other time during the year.  Retailers receive billions of dollars on this kind of marketing. We buy meaningless gifts that get thrown away, returned or donated to charity. Where does it end?

A view of a few Black Friday shopping videos makes me not want to get out of my house on the Friday after Thanksgiving, a day when we think of all the blessings for which we have to be thankful. People searching for the perfect gift end up victims of pushing, shoving, trampling, fighting, stun guns, pepper spray, arrests and even patients in ambulances. Stores announce super sales--deep discounts. Yet, we still find deep discounts later in the holiday season. What's the sense of it all?

Each year I ask myself how can I avoid the shopping chaos and meaningless gift giving. When I watched the video above, tears filled my eyes. I can't imagine what the heart of God felt in every episode. He sent His only Son into this world to bring love and meaning and purpose to our lives. He sent the perfect gift, the gift of light and peace and hope. But we still look for something else that satisfies. We fail to realize that when God created us, He left a void in us that only He can fill. We can try to fill the void with money, possessions, food, drink, relationships or drugs, but they will not satisfy.

The love of God is all that satisfies. The love of God changes hearts and lives. I know, because it changed my heart and my life. This year, even though my shopping is done, I'm starting to think differently about the future. At first I thought it was too late, but it's never too late. I'm going through a series at church titled Advent Conspiracy. I hope you will go to the website, watch the video and click on some of the resources. Let me know what you think. Is it better to worship fully, spend less, give more and love all? It might mean a different kind of Christmas for your family and friends. Will you stand up to their scrutiny? Jesus did. He didn't get caught up in the culture chaos of His time. I'm thinking I don't want to any more. What about you?

What If Bad Bible Girls Could Talk to Us

Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn From Them is the best Bible study I've ever read. Each bad girl in the Bible is preceded by a contemporary tale of a woman with a similar story. It wasn't hard to figure out who I would soon meet.

Before I read the book I didn't know what bad girls could teach me, but Liz Curtis Higgs wrote in such a frank and honest way that I saw myself in each of the ten bad Bible girls. Great humor and emotion kept me engaged so that I could hardly put the book down. Each bad girl had a choice to embrace God's love and forgiveness or reject it.

I am praying with Liz that her readers will accept the love and share it with others so more people will come to repentance, forgivenes and eternal life. The book is available in hard cover, paper back and Kindle on Amazon.

Jesus--God's Gift of Love

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end." Isaiah 9:6-7

Did you know that these two verses, often quoted at Christmas, were written by Isaiah more than seven hundred years before Christ was born? Isaiah worked during troubling times when people had no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work of His hands. God spoke through Isaiah to warn the people they would be exiled because of their life choices, but that He would bring hope and peace through one Man.

Application

While we celebrate the first coming of Jesus at Christmas, we prepare for His second coming. That means we respond to God's amazing love by loving Him and others. Loving God means doing what is right and good. Sometimes that means standing alone. Have you ever had to do that? I have and I feel like the lone ranger Christian. Be encouraged! God says in Isaiah 7:9, "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." Hard words, but words that hold great hope and eternal life with God. How will you show God's love this week? Will it mean that you will stand alone to do what God wants you to?

Prayer

Father God, thank you for your incredible plan for us. Strengthen us to stand firmly in our faith and to reach out to others with your love, especially during this season when many people feel left out and lonely. Amen.

Do This in Remembrance of Me

Jesus was with His closest friends the evening before His betrayal, suffering, and crucifixion. He knew the mockery of hearings, the spitting and ridicule He would endure that night. So while He was with His friends He washed their feet and treasured every moment with them. Although He tried to tell them what was to come, He knew they didn't get it.

I can imagine Jesus saying to them, "Don't forget me. Don't forget why. Don't forget to do this. Don't forget how much I love you. Don't forget that I'll always be with you." He told these things to ordinary men who finally got it, men who would tell others how much Jesus loved them and how much He did to forgive them so they could have eternal life with Him.

Today the words, "Do this in remembrance of Me" took on a deeper meaning for me when I saw Jesus at the table with His friends for the Last Supper. Self-examination penetrated my soul as I heard God's word, humbled myself and surrendered into His presence.

Oh God, forgive me for trying to live my life (again) on my own strength. Open my eyes to see the wonders of You, Your word and presence every day. I love you. Amen.

Any Old Bush Will Do

Although Moses was Hebrew, he grew up in Pharaoh's palace as the king's own son. At the age of forty, educated and eloquent in speech, filled with pride and power, he thought he would save his people from slavery, but God had a different plan.


After an Egyptian caught Moses in murder, he fled to Midian where he became a shepherd, married Zipporah and had two sons. All his education, power and eloquence came to nothing. He traded his royalty for life in the desert, but God wasn't finished with him. He showed up in the fire of a bush that didn't burn up to command Moses to return to Egypt.


"I have seen the misery of my people and heard their cries. I have come to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and lead them to a spacious land flowing with milk and honey."


"Who am I?" Moses asked. "I can't even talk right." What happened to his eloquent speech? Once powerful and controlling, now Moses was afraid to speak out for his people. He couldn't look back and neither can we. We can't live on our own wits, but with God's strength nothing is impossible. Any old bush will do, because it's not about the bush, or Moses or any of us. It's about God and what He can do to humble and empower us to live for Him.


Moses learned to trust God in the desert. With all of life's busyness, I often feel like I'm running in circles in the desert, but I know God has a plan and a future for me in a spacious land where I will want for nothing. What about you? Have you experienced God's amazing love? If so, you know you can trust Him to lead you through today's circumstances.

Maybe you have shattered dreams, loss of work, home, car or loved ones. I've been there, my friend. Fortunately for me, I called out to God and He heard my cry. He lavished His love on me and I've never wanted to live a minute or an hour or a day outside of His presence. He promised He would always be with us so if you're feeling like He is far away, be sure it is not Him who walked away. You can call His name, as I did, and experience His amazing love and mercy. I hope you do.

The Father's House

In Bible times, when a man was betrothed, he built a new section of his father's house where he and his bride would live and raise their family. Jesus said, "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 14:2-3 NIV).

The bride of Christ is the church. Have you wondered what the Father's house looks like? Sometimes when I survey the mansions near my home, I wonder what kind of place Jesus is preparing. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him, but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NIV).

The Bible is filled with hints of what our new home is like--the river of life that flows from the throne of God, the tree of life that bears twelve kinds of fruit, one for each month of the year, streets of gold, fortress walls made of precious jewels, and much more. The best part is that when it's finished, Jesus will come to take us there.

Will you be ready? Be sure that no sin, nothing you have done against God's laws, will be able to enter the place where Jesus is. He gave all He had so you could be with Him in that glorious place. Will you accept what He did on the cross and choose to live for Him? I hope your answer is 'yes.' He does too. He stands at the door of your heart waiting for you to ask Him in. I am praying for you.

Lord Jesus, if there is anything in the lives of the people reading this message that is outside of your will, please send your Holy Spirit on them and make them aware of their need for your amazing love. Thank you for all you have done and will do for those who love you. Amen.

WOW Sunday

The construction and traffic problems from our church restoration project did not discourage the Walk on Water (WOW) kids from leading our worship service today at Sunrise Community Church in Fair Oak, CA. Four years ago Dan Brown's eyes slipped away from Pastor Rich's sermon to the basketball hoops in the multipurpose room where we worship. He had a vision of young people with disabilities playing basket ball in that room, and that day gave birth to the WOW program.

Dan wrote notes as fast as he could during church, sorry Pastor Rich, and afterward began praying and putting the program together. He doesn't really like to call it a program because it's become a great opportunity to meet and build friendships. After he sent invitations to the first meeting, he expected maybe five or six kids would show up. Imagine his surprise to see twenty kids, many in wheelchairs, come to the meeting. More than thirty went to camp this year.

After the first year, Dan prayed for a partner and this year Young Life partnered with him to take the kids to a Young Life camp near Flagstaff, AZ. Videos of these kids having the time of their lives brought tears to my eyes. We heard story after story from the kids about their favorite activities, and several letters to God. The letter that touched my heart was from a young man who thanked God for loving him and giving him WOW friends. He said, "I hope to see You soon," and after signing his name, "P.S. I hope you like basketball." What a fulfillment of Dan's dreams!

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for using Dan and his WOW team to transform lives inside/out. Amen.

Come to the Water

Whoever is thirsty, Come to the water, take the free gift of the water of life, (Revelation 22:17 NIV). I hope you'll take the link to Tenth Avenue North's YouTube video and song to experience God's amazing love.

Time and again the Bible refers to water as an image of God's love. Did you know that under Memphis, Tennessee there is a huge aquifer (spring) that holds billions of gallons of water 1000 feet under ground? It is inexhaustible for the people in Memphis. Think of Jesus as the living water that springs up into our lives to overflowing. We cannot possibly hold God's love inside us. It overflows to those around us as we learn to love as He loves.

Have you expereienced God's amazing love? If not, my friend, I am praying for you. Say His name and you will know His presence. I have been without His love, and I never want to experience that again. No one has to because God knocks at the door of our hearts, waiting for us to invite Him in. Will you do that today?

The River of Life

Our hope is built on Jesus' love and faithfulness. He keeps His promises. We can be sure of the New Jerusalem and certain of the River of Life. Check out these words from Revelation 22:

• The River of Life will flow from the throne of God. Its waters will be as clear as crystal.
• Rising on each side of the river is the tree of life bearing twelve kinds of fruit, one for each month of the year.
• There will be no night--no need of light from the sun or a lamp--for the Lord God will be light.
• No curse.
• The throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city and we will serve Him, even as we do today.

God is preparing a wonderful place for those who love Him. Verse 7 says, "Behold, I am coming soon!" Will you be ready?

Lord Jesus, I pray for those reading your word. Inspire them and move in their hearts to love you and live for you. Amen.

The New Jerusalem

Have you dreamed what Heaven or the New Jerusalem would be like? God gives many clues in Revelation 21. Check this out:

• The New Jerusalem will come down from heaven prepared as a bride for her husband on their wedding day.
• The walls will be of jasper (that means diamonds).
• Each of the twelve gates will be a single pearl.
• The foundations of the walls will be of precious jewels--jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, carnelian, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth and amethyst.
• The streets will be of pure gold.
• There will be no evil, shame, or deceit.
• There will be no tears, pain or suffering.
• There will be no sun, moon or stars because the glory of God will give it light.
• There will be no temple because the Lord God and the Lamb will be our temple.
• Jesus, the Lamb, will be it's lamp.
• The nations will walk by it's light.
• The City of God will be as long as it is wide as it is high--1400 miles cubed (as far as from San Francisco to Chicago).

I believe Jesus is coming soon. He told the apostles before He returned to the Father that He would prepare a place for them (and all who believe), so where He goes they will be able to go. Our loving Father doesn't want any to perish but for all to come.

Things in the world are changing rapidly--the weather, politics, nations against nations. No one knows the hour or the day when Jesus will come again--only the Father. As sure as the waters flooded the world in Noah's time, that day is coming. Will you be ready?

Here are some great resources for you to consider:
Heaven by Randy Alcorn
Heaven is Real by Todd Burpo
Zion's Hope

Lord Jesus, open the eyes of everyone to their need for you. Comfort the broken hearted and rescue the suffering. Help our unbelief and lead us to trust You today and forever. Amen.