Content at Christmas

What do you think about when you think of Christmas?  Since you are reading this devotional, your response will probably be Jesus.  You would be correct to have that as your first thought since He is the reason that we celebrate.  It is at Christmas that we celebrate God coming and taking on human flesh.  However, let’s go a bit more personal and ask the question again of what do you think about when you think of Christmas?

Perhaps your first thought goes to spending time together with family and friends.  Maybe your thoughts drift towards gathering for Christmas dinner.  Perhaps it is a family tradition of going out and looking at lights.  For some, it is about the presents.  

Sure, none of us want to admit it, but we can base how our Christmas was on the presents we receive or how the presents we give are received.  Think back to when you were a kid, and you would get up and head to the tree.  Early in life, it is just the excitement of getting presents.  However, if you are like me, as we get older, we tend to be more calculating.  We ask, how many gifts did I get?  Did I get what I asked for?  How many presents did my siblings get?  We begin to base our sense of love, acceptance, worth, and security on the gifts we receive or how the other person responds to receiving our gift.

Like most things, we will become disappointed with the gift receiving and giving over time.  It could be less gifts than last year or not a big enough gift.  It could be the other person didn’t ooh and ahh over the gift like we wanted, and both lead to us feeling discontent.  This feeling of discontentment can leave us feeling empty and bitter.  It can leave us feeling unloved, unaccepted, worthless, and insecure.

Fortunately, our love, acceptance, worth, and security are not based on the quantity or quality of the gifts we receive.  They are not based on how another person reacts or doesn’t react.  Our sense of love, acceptance, worth, and security are based entirely on who God is, what God did for us, and who God says we are.

Christmas is a time when God shows us how unconditionally loved, accepted, full of worth, and secure we are when He comes to earth to be born in a manger.  Jesus comes as the perfect gift to fix our sin problem and to provide our righteousness.  John the Baptist puts it this way, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).  

This season, let us turn our hearts to the source of our contentment.  Let us celebrate the greatest gift we could ever receive, Jesus, and not put our sense of okayness on the earthly presents.

Who are you at Christmas?

Christmas gatherings can be a time of joy and celebration.  They can be a time to reflect on the fond memories of the past or even to be thankful for the opportunity to make new memories.  Christmas gatherings can also be a difficult time.  Those same gatherings that for some are a time of joy and celebration, can be a time of pain.  For some, those gatherings bring up painful memories from the past.  They provide opportunities for the negative messages we received growing up to be brought back to us like a slap to the face.  When we are believing the lies of those false beliefs, it does not take much for shame to take hold of us and to seek to have us engage in a downward death cycle that seeks to separate us from Jesus and can be hard to overcome.

Shame, unlike guilt, speaks to our core identity.  Instead of acknowledging that we did something wrong, which is guilt, in shame, we believe that something is wrong with me.  Guilt speaks to our behavior while shame speaks to what we believe to be true about ourselves, our identity.  When we are experiencing shame, it begins a process that can lead to negative self-talk/thoughts, depression, and trying to find ways to cope with the negative belief or to strive to find ways to make us do things to feel better about ourselves.

Shame is also the fear of being exposed.  It is the fear of being exposed for whatever negative belief we are holding to.  Adam and Eve experienced this in the Garden.  After eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve had their eyes opened to what is right and wrong.  At that moment a sense of guilt for not listening to God was experienced.  However, instead of coming to God and admitting what they had done, Adam and Eve allowed their choice to speak to what they believed to be true about themselves, and the response was to hide themselves out of fear of being exposed.  Their attempt to cover their shame began with fig leaves.  It worked for a moment, until God came to the Garden. Shame continued its downward spiral and led Adam and Eve to try and hide behind bushes out of fear of being exposed before God.  

At Christmas gatherings, we are around those that shaped the messages we believe about ourselves - often these are the root of shame. These messages can be “I will never be good enough”, “I am unlovable”, “I am worthless”, “I am a disappointment”, “I am a failure”, “I am not strong enough”, etc.  None of us want to experience any of these.  When we are, we will find ways to try and deal with the painful emotions that come from these false beliefs.  Those coping strategies may seem to help us to feel better or numb the pain but never work for the long-term.

The solution for truly experiencing freedom from the false beliefs is Jesus.  That seems like the typical Sunday School answer, but it is true.  If we are going to stop believing something to be true, we must replace that belief with something else.  It is not as simple as just not believing it anymore.  To stop believing one thing, we must replace it with another.  Scripture says, “we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).  Paul says that we are to identify the lie, take it to Jesus, and replace it with what Jesus says to be true about us.  When we are believing ourselves to be unlovable, we identify that this is a lie and turn to Jesus and choose to believe that He loves us unconditionally.  When we are believing ourselves to be worthless, we identify the lie, and trust how much worth God places on us as Jesus came and died for us.  As we turn to Jesus for the truth about who we are, we will experience the life of freedom that He came to give us.  

When Things Aren’t Right

“For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 

Jesus our Savior, Redeemer - He came to us as the baby in the manger. 

What does that mean for us in the events of our life? 

I used to think that redemption meant Jesus will one day redeem all that that I have gone through and am walking through, to one day be beautiful and good and right. It will look like broken relationships restored and made perfect and, well I guess, the happily ever after story. 

For many of us it can be the beautiful Christmas card picture of family enjoying one another, laughter and love. Everything is merry and bright. 

This was me looking to the outcome of my circumstances to affirm that I am seen, loved, and accepted. Does what I am going through truly matter to God? 

When the holidays roll around we can dream this even more so and feel the lack deeply. 

What about you? What’s your story? Were you like me looking for the good to one day show up by your dream circumstances suddenly appearing. 

Experiencing Jesus’s redemption is walking in God’s grace and acceptance in the middle of the brokenness of my circumstances. He affirms that I am loved, accepted and secure because He is the source, not what life is like for me. In Christ I am provided for, seen, safe, secure, loved, and fully known. He is acquainted with my longings. 

This does not mean that I will not feel painful emotions. Redemption is not found in God making my story beautiful, it’s me resting in the secure love of the Father as he provides the abundance of grace for me in the brokenness of my circumstances. Second Corinthians 12:9,10, reminds me that His grace is sufficient for me. 

It is not the circumstances that are changed, it will be me. He transforms me! Romans 8:28, 29 Let the striving cease, and rest in His sufficiency. 

The suffering has no time limit, but the suffering will never outweigh the abundant comfort He provides in Christ. 

The gift is His grace to provide all that is needed for all I am experiencing.

“For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 1:5) 

Oh, yes, I can still desire all to be made right. But, I am alright even when things aren't right.

Receiving the Gift of God’s Perspective

Receiving a gift is complicated, isn’t it? Especially when it is in person. Have you ever had to open a gift from someone that turned out to be what you had given them the year before? I know I have! Have you ever opened a gift that far outweighed your expectations because of its value, either to you or to the giver? The phrase they use in the movies is, “I couldn’t possibly accept this.” But why not? 

Sometimes the value of the gift is so far beyond what you could give in return that it feels extremely uncomfortable to accept it. There is no way you could match it or exceed it. Or sometimes you don’t want to accept a gift that will set an expectation of more and more extravagant presents for years to come. The investment of time, thought, money, and energy is overwhelming. Who can live up to those expectations? It’s better not to set the precedent. 

Sometimes you feel like you can’t accept a gift because you do not feel worthy of it. What could you have done to warrant something so valuable? Who are you? God’s gift? YES!

“Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:24

You are a gift from God! God gave you as a gift to His precious Son, Jesus, because of His great love for Him.  And God only gives good gifts (Matthew 7:11). You can see in Jesus’ own words that the gift of you is so valuable to Him that He wants you to be with Him. Have you ever seen a child who has a favorite toy that they take it with them wherever they go and they can’t fall asleep without it? Nothing can separate them!

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has You given them to Me is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” John 10:27-29

How wonderful! Jesus treasures you and will not allow anything to separate Himself from you. Why does Jesus consider you to be such an amazing gift? You may be tempted to answer that question with a list of your accomplishments, favorable character traits, reputation, and status. That is how the world defines someone’s worth, by a very fickle measuring system based upon self-effort and fluctuating values, opinions, and circumstances. 

You may be thinking, “I can’t be a gift from God! I’m not good enough! There are too many things that I should be doing to please God, not to mention the things I am doing that do not please Him!”  

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Your worth is not based upon any action or inaction that you take. God established your worth when He made you in His image. God confirmed that worth when He gave you to Jesus as a gift. Jesus validated your worth when He died on the cross for you so He could give you His eternal life. 

In this Christmas season of giving and receiving, you can be assured that you are a valuable gift from God. You are worth Jesus’ life. Jesus does not regret giving His life for you. You were worth it. He wants to be with you. Jesus is thankful for the gift of you. Receive this knowledge of your true worth and hold it close. You are a gift. Your presence is His present!

Your true, unfathomable worth is determined by God. What have you used to measure your worth in your life? Achievements? Behavior? Effort? Others’ opinions of you? 

How would your life change if you accepted the fact that your value is equal to Jesus’ life?

Ask the Holy Spirit to confirm your worth to your heart and spirit. Meditate over the fact that God’s Word says you are a gift from God. Let it to sink into your mind. Allow yourself to believe this truth.

Holiday Grief

For many, the holiday season is a time of gatherings of family and friends, joy, and celebration.  For others, it is a time of grief.  It is a time of painful memories.  Memories of family members or friends that are no longer here and the grief of looking across the table and seeing the chair they used to sit in.  Memories of relationships that are strained or broken to the point where they don’t gather or if they do, the emotional distance is so great that they might as well not be there.  Perhaps it is a more recent event such as a health crisis, financial issues, or relationship struggles.  For each of these, grief is a natural response for the pain and suffering you are experiencing.

Throughout the Bible, we see people grieving.  Abraham mourns when his wife Sarah dies in Genesis 23.  The nation of Israel grieves the death of Moses in Deuteronomy 34.  David grieves over the loss of his son in 2 Samuel 12.  Shortly after this, David grieves over his son Absalom turning away from him and even taking the throne from David.  In the New Testament, John 11 shares how Mary and her sister Martha grieve over the loss of their brother Lazarus.  Throughout the Bible, we see people grieving over the loss of loved ones, relationship issues, the desire for people to be saved, health issues, etc.  

At the center of all this grieving and in our own grief, is Jesus.  Hebrews 4 reminds us that we do not have some distant God but a High Priest that sympathizes with our weakness, our pain, our suffering, our grief.  He meets us in our sufferings and pain, and He can relate to us because He also knows what it is like to experience grief.  When we look at John 11 and the grieving of Mary and Martha, we also see Jesus enter the picture.  Jesus knew what He was going to do.  He knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.  Jesus could have simply told Mary and Martha not to worry that it’s all okay.  However, we see Jesus grieve right alongside them.  In verse 35 we are told that “Jesus wept”.  The shortest verse in the Bible is one of those most impactful as it shows Jesus entering our grieving and grieving alongside of us.  Not only does Jesus understand our grief and grieve alongside us, but He also promises to be our strength when we feel overwhelmed (Psalm 73:36).  Jesus also gives us a promise in Revelation 21 that He will wipe away every tear from our eyes and there will be no more death or need for mourning because He is making all things new.  

Jesus invites those that are grieving to grieve.  He grieves alongside us.  He knows our pain.  He promises to be our strength when we can’t go on.  He also promises that one day, He will comfort us, and we will not need to grieve anymore.  

What are you grieving this holiday season? Take a moment and acknowledge the loss, the pain. As you acknowledge your felt reality, turn to Immanuel and welcome Him - allow Him to sit with you and feel the pain of loss with you. Know that He is with you, that He grieves with you. Let your heart know the joy of His presence.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” Psalm 147:3 

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” Psalm 73:26

God at the Dentist

God and the Dentist

Does anyone really like to go to the dentist? I don’t. Sadly I’ve had a lot of dental work done in my life and the experiences have not always been pleasant.

Well, last week there I was in the chair.  I was a little tense and so I asked for the gas. Got the gas, got the shots and the procedure started. As the dentist worked, I was reminded that I was at his mercy. I knew I needed to trust him. Maybe it was the gas, maybe it was God, but I relaxed.

Then I heard the dentist say, “Turn toward me” and I did. Then he said, “Breathe” and I did. Then he said “turn away” and I did.  Again, “turn toward me.” And on it went: “you’re doing fine”, “relax.”  It was all I could do not to cry… I was not in pain. I was grateful.

All the other noises seemed to diminish and all I could hear was the voice of my dentist guiding me through the procedure - gentle, calm instructions. I could tell he was removing my tooth one piece at a time. Then I could tell when he removed the final chunk and it was finished. Jokingly he then said, “now you are cooperating!”

I just kept thinking that this is exactly what God does. He gives us the Holy Spirit to calm us and be our comforter. Then He goes to work on us and gives us instructions so that we can cooperate with Him. He guides us through the pain and the fix; and Jesus is right there with us, holding our hand.

I felt so cared for! It was amazing!

There are often things in us that God wants to remove. In my dental experience I had a tooth that was causing problems and it needed to go. I didn’t want to lose the tooth, but it was necessary so that I could get the healing necessary, and receive a new tooth.

God wants to remove some of our attitudes and behaviors because He wants us to live a healthy peaceful, joyful life. God allows situations and conflict in our lives so that our hurts can surface to the top and He can remove them.  God does the work and He instructs us on how to cooperate with Him. We have the comforter in us to keep us calm and focused on Him. God is trustworthy and knows what He is doing. And He will guide us through the process….one step at a time.

For years I struggled with feelings of inadequacy (something is wrong with me) and I tried to overcome that by working hard and trying to achieve things that might make me feel smart and better about myself. Then one day, I believed that God wanted to extract the lie of “not good enough” and replace it with the truth of who I truly am because of the cross. I was already everything He created me to be and I am “very good.”  He was the source of my adequacy and my intelligence, skills, talents, etc. It wasn’t something to achieve, but Someone to receive as He guided me in life.

Sitting in God’s “dental chair” is not really so painful because we have the Holy Spirit as our Comforter and Jesus holding our hand while God gently guides us through the process of extracting the bad and healing the wound. Also, I hear that my new implant will be better than my old tooth. That’s some good news!
I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will advise you with My eye upon you. Psalm 32:8

I am making all things new… Revelation 21:5

the Lord your God will tell us the way in which we should walk, and the thing that we should do. Jeremiah 42:3

Make me know Your ways, Lord; each me Your paths. Psalm 25:4 (the whole chapter is great)

Dwell in Peace

Most of us were really looking forward to better circumstances in 2021. Well, they aren’t better. In fact our situation is worse. But I know there is a way to be at peace in the middle of a pandemic, political unrest and personal situations.   I am reminded of the children of Israel when they were wandering around in the desert. Forty years, they were stuck because they were afraid to take the step of faith into a new land – a land that was already prepared for them.

If you recall, God had already given them the Promised Land, however this new land was not trouble free. There were giants and enemies there, but there was also milk and honey.  The fear of the unknown and a few giants kept them going in circles for 40 years. I picture them walking and walking day in and day out, but getting nowhere. Sound familiar? 

God wants us to live in the Promised Land of inner peace experiencing His presence, protection and provision – even though our world – both personal and corporate are NOT pain free or problem free.

I think we have the same choice today. NO, I’m not talking about moving to a new country, but I am talking about moving out of our Land of fear and moving to the Land of peace. God already said He has given us the Land of Peace, but our fear of potential enemies and giants keeps us in our Land of Fear. Peace does not mean that there are problems and giants. Peace is a Person that is within us to comfort, guide, and give accurate perspective and wisdom in the middle of our problems.

There are seemingly insurmountable issues that we face every day, but God is bigger. There are hurts and disappointments that follow us around every day that feel like conquering giants, but God is our Conqueror. In fact, He said that WE are MORE than conquerors! He wants to conquer our fear – give us peace SO THAT we can hear as He directs our steps.

We can stay wandering in the wilderness of fear and not believe the truth about the mighty hand and love of God, or we can take Him at His word – completely - that He is our peace, wisdom and power in what we feel are insurmountable circumstances. 

He is calling us into this Land of Peace and He has gone before us and is in us, and has our back. We can trust Him. He is trustworthy.

Numbers 13 -14, John 16:33; 14:27; Romans 8:37; 12:2; 15:13;

2020 + 1

I think back about the things I said and the things others said about 2020, at the very start before we had a chance to experience it.  Of course we all focused on vision: perfect vision, seeing into the new year with new eyes, etc. Well, no one saw a pandemic coming!  Even if we had perfect vision and could have seen it, how could we have prepared? 

We couldn’t.

In a basic observation the difference in 2020 and 2021 is just one little 1. That started me thinking. I thought about God being the One True God and I am one with my Father. I am in the one everlasting family. I am number one in God’s eyes (so are you).  There is one way to God and that is through Jesus. When we seek Him first, He will provide for us what we need.

I started to realize that I need to trust Him one day at a time…oops one hour at a time…well, really one moment at a time…or maybe one breath at a time – that’s what we have. This moment, this breath.

How will I spend it? Fear, anger, anxiety, and alone? Or peace, joy, contentment, trusting, loving, and caring?  As a believer, I have The One true source of Life living inside me. I can choose to listen to the  single small voice of God or I can listen the thousands of voices clambering at me from inside my head and from others.

I can depend on the One who knows me best and has the best for me OR I can depend on the many who think they know what is best for me.

I can seek the One who loved me and gave up His life for me OR I can seek out others to treat me in a way that will make me feel loved, accepted, valued (respected) and safe.

I can receive from the One who has given me every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies OR I can receive abuse and negativity from others so that I am overwhelmed with life.

I can trust in the One who goes before me and will not leave OR  I can trust that my happiness depends on others.

I am going to choose as my one vision for the new year my Creator, my Papa, my Friend, my Redeemer, my Comforter, Guide -  One breathe, One step, One decision, One word at a time.  His Name is I Am. He is in this one moment and He will be in the next one moment with me...always and forever.

Join me in this, won’t you?

1 Timothy 2:5; Revelation 1:8; Ephesians 4:5;  John 17:3; John 14:6; John 5:19,30; Jeremiah 29:11; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 1:3; Hebrews 13:8; Psalm 40:4,5; Proverbs 3:5,6; Colossians 3:2; Proverbs 18:24, John 14:26,27; John 16:33

Need Some Peace?

I imagine that most of us are a bit weary of the political environment these days. I think the Israelites were weary of the authorities that ruled over them in the days prior to Jesus’ coming. We know they were looking for the Messiah, but they probably wanted someone to come in and clean house: get rid of the bad guys and usher in the good guys. They wanted someone to set them free from the harsh treatment and allow their land to prosper. Sound familiar?

Yes, I think we all want someone to be in control of our world – as long as we agree with how they will run things!

Jesus did not come to the world 2000 years ago to destroy the bad guys, He came to make a way for all mankind to live a life with Him for all eternity. He came to give us inner peace – not world peace. He came to take on the punishment for all mankind so we can be forgiven and receive new life.

The word government means rule and dominion. Isaiah is saying that God sent Jesus to govern/rule our life. The burden of our daily life is on His shoulders. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says,

Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.

Jesus never intended for us to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. He is our burden bearer. He called us to cast our burdens on Him. We get to walk through our life connected to Jesus as He carries our burden, guides our steps, becomes our wisdom, peace, joy, strength, adequacy, and sufficiency. We are not designed to this weight ourselves.

It is Jesus’ job to guide us through life. He never intended for us to live from our own knowledge – just as God did not intend Adam and Eve to eat from their own Tree of Knowledge. He intended us to live from the Tree of Life.

Jesus came to give us a new spiritual birth and become our source for living. He knew we could never live under the burden of life without Him.

One day Jesus will come and He will reign on earth, but for now we can choose to have Him reign in our life - every minute of every day. God wants to be our life, our burden bearer, our source for our physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. There is one catch. First we have to receive His gift of new life and then we trust Him with it. That means we do not trust in our own knowledge, power, or other abilities. Even though God has given us intellect, abilities, talents and skills, we still cannot run our own life better than God. Apart from the Spirit of God that resides in us, we are not capable of living an abundant life. Yes, we can do good things and have material success, but we will never have the peace of God unless He governs our way.

He wants to give us abundant life as we submit to His love, grace and power. What a great gift we have when we cast our vote for Jesus to reign in our life! 

Immanuel - God with us, God in us

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6

The child born in Bethlehem grew up to be Son given who took away the sin of the world. Jesus was born of a human to experience life like us, but was the fathered by the Holy Spirit in order to be the perfect sacrifice that would bring us into relationship with God.

If we have received Christ as our Savior, we have been crucified with Him and were raised up in newness of life!  (Romans 6:4-7) At our co-crucifixion with Christ we became a new creation – a new person. Sure, we look the same and our personalities are the same, but we have a new spiritual DNA!  He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

We have been made righteous! We have been given the Holy Spirit to indwell us! We are joint heirs with Jesus. We are children of God. God is our Father. We belong to the family of God. We are citizens of Heaven. We can now identify with Christ. Our new Spirit is the Holy Spirit. We can now respond to life situations like Jesus did. We can now live and do only the things God tells us!

I’m NOT saying that we will live from our righteousness all the time, but we have the option to live like Jesus or live according to our flesh – our own knowledge.  We have a new heart and a new Spirit and we can choose God’s way, just like Jesus did. (John 5:19; 12:49)

Of course we have some old beliefs and patterns and messed up thinking - unlike Jesus; but as we journey through life, we can rest assured that Jesus can identify with us because He knows how we feel.  We identify with Jesus because we can choose to live dependent on our Father for our every word and deed.

Has He Changed Your World?

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)

I remember when I had my first child (and my second). Nothing in the world could have prepared me for the love I would have for my boys.  It was beyond words. Having a child was a gift beyond my imagination and would change my world forever.

As we enter this Christmas Season I look back to that manger to see the child that was born to us – fully man and fully God – who would not only change my world, but the world for all mankind.

It was necessary for Jesus to be born of a woman so that He could experience life on earth as a human. Yet, He had to be born with a Spiritual Father, without a sinful nature in order to fulfill His role as the Perfect Lamb who would take away the sin of the world. 

As a man Jesus experienced life just like we do. He was tempted, betrayed, despised, rejected, falsely accused, misunderstood, humiliated, beaten and abused just like us. He knew what it was like to experience grief, sadness, severe pain and suffering – those nails hurt. He was fully man when He had those experiences. He also experienced laughter, joy, friends, family, good food, worshiping with His friends, and working with His hands. He was fully human and could (and still can) identify with us when we go through our human experiences.

Jesus came as a lowly babe, born to a virgin, to bring you back into a relationship with God. He knows your struggles, your pain and your hurts. He came to heal you. Give Him a chance to change your world.

Hebrews 2:18; 4:15, Mark 3:21, John 11:35, Isaiah 53:3

What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

Whenever I think of our American holiday of Thanksgiving, I never think of it in a historical sense.

I doubt that any Americans celebrating Thanksgiving think of its history. For me Thanksgiving is a time of memories of family and the love that bonded us in all our mess and dysfunction.

Thanksgiving is a nostalgic return to a place where I was loved and my life took on its initial form.

 As a single person for two decades after leaving home, I was constantly returning to my home in the countryside of southern Virginia.  By late November the trees were stark and the temperature chilled, but there remained a certain charm and welcome warmth to the land of my roots. Living without family made the sight and embrace of my Mom and Dad extra special. Without a doubt Mom was the catalyst of all the treasured warmth even as Dad was the caretaker of the more than warm wood-burning stove. By now Mom had decorated the house with at least two Christmas trees, and I was spared the arguments over the choice of trees and other annual disagreements. Dad’s traditional blue lights covered the manicured boxwoods in front of our house.

Already the enclosed unheated porch was filled with all sorts of candies, pies, cakes, cheese balls, etc. It was a grazer’s paradise. Mom was the oldest of thirteen children and during the depression had cooked the most modest of foods in order to live. But now she lived to cook. That was her passion and one of her love languages. Many of the delights on that porch were my favorites which she had made just for me.

On Thanksgiving Day when all the extended family would come for our celebration, our home was filled with aromas beyond description. Before there was a honey-baked ham, my Mom cooked a brown sugar and pineapple glazed ham that defied description. I always managed to be in the Kitchen when she retrieved the ham from the oven. I would pick off the juiciest portions while she slapped my hands pretending to be upset at my butchering of her masterpiece.

Finally, all the four children and spouses and grandchildren were seated around at least two tables looking like a Norman Rockwell painting. Without exaggeration we were feasting on about twelve different courses that of course included turkey and dressing, with and without oysters. Everyone overate and spent the afternoon moaning over our gluttony while some of the local married siblings contemplated their next meal at the in-laws home.

Yes, Thanksgiving is definitely about remembering and giving thanks. In Luke 22:19 we read, “And when He had taken some bread and given Thanks, He broke and give it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ “Jesus is in the middle of a Passover celebration of freedom from captivity. And naturally, He gives thanks. The original language of “gave thanks” is the word eucharisteo. In the middle of this word is our word grace or “charis.” Jesus is about to be broken and poured out for our sins, and He is celebrating with His beloved disciples. We can only surmise the gamut of emotions in His knowing what was to come and His remembering of all that He had experienced with His cherished friends. No doubt Jesus loved to eat and drink and to party. His ministry had begun at a wedding where He would turn water into wine. To know Zacchaeus He would invite himself to dinner with this despised man. Imagine our Lord eating and drinking with this sinner. And what about the feast with the multitudes as He took the insufficient five loaves and two fish and broke them over and over to feed the thousands who had listened to His words?  

But this is the Last Supper, the last time Jesus will celebrate and remember the father’s blessings and favor with His disciples. It is an unparalleled time of Thanksgiving for the broken body and shed blood of the Savior, the bread and the wine. From now on Jesus tells His followers to do this drinking and eating in remembrance of Him. Ann Voscamp in her book The Broken Way writes, “remembrance, anamnesis, does not simply mean memory by mental recall, the way you remember your own address-but it means to remember a past event again through the physical, to make it take form through reenactment.” It is like my taste of honey baked ham or turkey and dressing that takes me back to my parents’ home in southern Virginia, and I experience all that Thanksgiving means to me. Voscamp goes on, “We welcome remembering, we hold remembering, we let remembering wrap around us and carry us like a dance that need not end.”

At this Thanksgiving eat and drink and above all remember our Lord as you break the cornbread or yeast rolls and drink the wine or the tea. It is the time of the Holy Eucharist. “ Eucharisteo!”

Guest author: Jimmy Snead

To or Not To? Freedom is the Question

The beginning of freshmen year brought a new level of freedom into my life. It seemed as though every birthday leading up to 18 was spent in anticipation of the day I would move out and be on my own. For myself, this age meant no curfews, no dress code, and no disapproving looks or remarks from my parents. Freedom for me simply looked like no accountability. I quickly realized that I idolized freedom,  but freedom as the world knows it. I thought freedom was the opportunity to do things that had been forbidden. But in experiencing this so called “freedom” I found myself sinking deeper into bondage.  

I was experiencing bondage because I was living in direct opposition to who I was as a child of God. Staying out late, binge junk food, and partying was starting to drain me. This kind of freedom was beginning to be too much for me. I had always been the “good girl,” afraid to disappoint my parents, but I began to discover something…

I was free to make choices, but soon realized every choice I made had a consequence. These consequences were starting to shape a person I did not want to become.

My decisions were not aligning with my spiritual or physical wellness and with this realization I came to understand what true freedom is as a child of God. True Freedom is not the power to say yes to things the world tells me I want or what my flesh tells me I need; true Freedom is the power to say no to the world and yes to God.  

 We are free to choose, but only when we choose God will we experience the true definition of freedom.

Living FREE!

I sometimes feel trapped into a life of trying to prove myself and needing validation from others. I want to know that I am on the right track and living up to my potential. Do you ever feel like that?

For many years I lived my life trying to prove myself. I was always defending myself and working hard and taking on the responsibilities of others just to prove (mostly to myself) that I had value. I know first-hand that is bondage. That is not freedom.

But the truth is we all need to be assured of our worth and significance! Sadly we often rely on the opinions of others and our own performance to make that happen. That is too much to put on others and ourselves. We drain other people and we run out of energy when we are in constant need of validation. That is not freedom.

God made us valuable. Our importance is not based on what we do, but who we are. It is not something we can earn and sustain, but it is something to humbly receive and rest in.  This is freedom.

When our question of value has been settled in our own mind, we are free to live life and not constantly try to prove ourselves. Think about it. If you know that your boss, spouse, friend, or God is 100% pleased with you, you can relax and just live in the relationship you have with that person! This is freedom.

Of course, others may not always like what we do. I don’t always like what I do, but that does not determine my value. Receiving my validation from God gives me the head space and energy I need to pursue other interests in life. I don’t have to spend my time trying to figure out how to prove myself all the time. I have the time, security, and option to try new things – and even if I fail, my value is still intact! This is freedom.

I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will also help you,
I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Isaiah 41:9b-10

Made for Freedom

Freedom is something everyone wants. No one wants to feel stuck, trapped, or restrained. These days it seems that many of us are experiencing a lack of freedom in many ways. When our circumstances limit us, we can easily lose sight of the fact that is is God’s plan that we live in freedom—that He literally came to set the captives free!

There are many ways we can feel trapped: relationships, job, house, a diseased body, mental dysfunction or emotional fears. No matter what the trap, Jesus has a solution. But His solution is an internal one, it starts in the heart. God wants to free us from our personal prison, and He wants us to experience that freedom from the inside out.

He came that we would have freedom in our everyday life. He came to take us out of a secluded pit and put us on firm ground and put a new song in our mouth – a song of freedom.

David wrote a song about this:

I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.  Psalm 40:1-3

Ask Him. Cry out to Him. Tell Him your pain. He knows it. Then wait for Him to lift you out of the pit. Let Him set your feet on solid ground. Then sing your new song of freedom and embrace the Life before you!

Double-minded or Certain?

God created us to depend on Him. He created us as a temple (body) to house His Holy Spirit. He gave us the ability to think and choose for ourselves. He doesn’t force His Holy Spirit’s way on us; He simply offers us His life. He offers to us His life, character, wisdom, patience, love, joy, peace, gentleness, forgiveness, understanding, kindness, and self-control - through His presence within us.

James 1 simply states the benefits of trusting God and the outcome of doubting God or partially trusting Him. James calls this partially believing God and partially believing in our own logic “double-minded”.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:5-8

So if you are tired of uncertainty and looking for stability in your thinking and actions, ask God to show you what your trust is in besides God and what He says. Ask Him to show you your doubts and trust Him for His wisdom. It is free for the taking!

Freedom From the Shackles of Expectation

I was reflecting a few days ago about marriage. My wife and I have been married for almost 44 years and somewhere around the 5-year mark, we started to experience more conflict. You might think this is silly, but here’s an example of how something small created inner conflict for me and a clash between us. There were little moments, where  my wife would send me a signal. We'd be sitting in church for instance, and she'd tug on my shirt. When I asked  what she wanted, she’d say, “Put your arm around me.”

Well, as a Brittin, you know, my family never showed emotions. They didn't hug or anything like that. Yet, I would agree to my wife’s request and put my arm around her each Sunday. Over time, though, I began to feel controlled. Though my arm was around, the weight I felt because of this expectation actually created distance between us.

And then one day my wife said to me, “The reason I like you to put your arm around me is because it makes me feel loved and secure and cared for.”

Then she added, “But if you can't do it, it's okay.”

It was then that everything changed for me.  What she said freed me from the weight I had felt, and in this sense of being controlled by her “demanding expectation”. I was able to see her heart and that this expectation was actually just a desire. Because she risked being vulnerable with me, she was willing to allow me to see her heart, and it allowed me to become more aware of what her actual need was.

In this, I sensed God challenging me. I felt as if He was asking if I truly loved my wife. “Of course!”. He said to me, “If you do, then why don't you learn what's meaningful to her, rather than simply what's meaningful to you?”

When you are able to release others from your demands, you are free to let go of expectations and simply express desires. This will free you and others to live out the life God designed you for.

Prayer is Lining Up Our Hearts With God's

You know, as Christians, we talk about prayer a lot. We talk about praying for people but I wonder how many of us are really enjoying our prayer time? Is it a time of intimacy? A time to hang out with God? Or is it something we feel like we have to do because we said we would? We often promise to pray for people and feel like, “Now I've got to go pray for them.”

Prayer is really about conversation with God. It’s about talking to Him, hearing His heart and lining up my heart with His heart.

It's a time of intimacy and a time to experience Him. We all know that God is present. Sometimes we forget when we invite God into our church service and we invite God into our homes, that God is already there. For me, prayer is becoming aware of God's presence, aware of His character and who He is. It’s a time where I get an opportunity to see His sovereignty, His sufficiency, His all-knowing power, His everything. And it's a time for me to see my need, as well as my lack. Simply put, prayer is just about hanging out with God--being with Him! It's about me just coming to Him with whatever's going on. David gave us a great example of this. He would come to God asking, “Where are You? Why have You forsaken me?” David was feeling angry and afraid. He expressed his heart, and then he concluded,  “But certainly, God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.” Psalms 66:19 (NASB)

God wants to enjoy you and for you to enjoy Him, He expects us to come to Him just being ourselves. He wants us to be authentic. He wants us to be honest with Him. And if we've got something to say, He says, “Come on, just say it.” Guess what? He already knows it.

He's inviting us to be honest with Him about what's going on in our lives. And sometimes that looks like praying for ourselves or praying for others. Sometimes it looks like thanking God and praising God. Sometimes it’s saying, “Okay Lord, I don't know how to trust You. I don't know what I think. I don't know what I feel. But You do.” It's coming to Him with this conversation about who He is and who we are and just being honest. There are many  passages in Scripture that encourage us in regards to prayer. One is in Proverbs where King Solomon says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding” Proverbs 3:5 (NASB).

So, you see, prayer is really me coming into this place of being able to say, “Okay Lord, I trust You. You’re there. I know it.” And it's also saying,” I don't know how to live this life. I don't know what I believe about this. I don't have any answers.”

And He says, “In all your ways, acknowledge Me.”

That's the prayer part. That's the conversation part. “God, I know You're capable. I know You know what to do. I know You care. I know You love me.” And then He promises us that He will guide our steps and He will direct our path. And that's where we get our thinking in line with His. So, on  those days where you're anxious or just concerned about something, just  frustrated, just do what Paul even encourages us to do, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.” Philippians 4:6 (NASB).

God is just sitting on the edge of His seat waiting for you to come to Him and enjoy this time with Him. He can't wait to speak into your heart and get your heart lined up with His!

The Life-Changing Truth of the Resurrection of Christ

We celebrated Easter when Jesus died and rose again for us. And we celebrate that as a key part in our lives. When the early church first started though, they didn't celebrate. They didn't worship on Sunday mornings. They worshiped on Saturdays because it was a Jewish faith that started in the Jewish synagogue. Christians worshiped in the synagogue until there became a conflict. When they said things like, “Wait a minute, what do you mean we don't have to keep the law of Moses?” And so finally it separated and the church started to absorb other believers; Gentiles, rich, poor, slaves, free. As it started to absorb everyone into it, they changed the worship time to Sunday morning in honor of the resurrection of Christ. 

They loved the death of Christ for our sins, but they really embraced the resurrection of Christ.

And that's what we celebrate at Easter time — the resurrection. But we emphasize death. The death of Jesus. Death itself is not unique. People are dying all the time. But what is unique about Easter, and what Jesus did, is that here is the God of the universe who died for the sin of  mankind. And then to prove His deity, He also was resurrected. He overcame death. Death, bows to Him, and He proves His deity. And so Easter is more than death; it is resurrection. That's really the big thing for us. It's better than just Jesus dying and rising for us, because there was more than just Jesus who died that day. We know two thieves were there. They died on the cross side by side with Jesus. But it's more than that. 

If you have received Christ, if you have embraced Him and received Him by faith, then you also were crucified and buried and raised again.

Now, we know Scripture teaches in Galatians that we have been crucified with Christ.

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NASB)

And Romans says “that our old man is crucified with him.” Romans 6:6a (KJV) Ephesians says that He has “raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6 (NASB) So the death and resurrection of Jesus includes us in that whole process. So it's more than Jesus dying for us and rising again. We also died with Him. 

If you can embrace this, it will be life-changing to you because it will give you a new identity. 

It will give you your acceptance. It will give you righteousness, and put the Holy Spirit within you. You will become a new person — and that is life-changing! If you don't understand that, you need to check it out. You need to speak with the LIfe Untangled team today. My prayer for you is that as you celebrate Easter in years to come, you'll not only celebrate Jesus, His death and resurrection, you'll celebrate your own death, resurrection, and you becoming a new creature. So God keep you and bless you, and His face does shine upon you because of what Easter accomplished.

If you have questions about today’s message, are tangled up in the circumstances of life, or just need to talk, please reach out to the Life Untangled team here: www.lifeuntangled.com/contact-us. You are not alone!