The Year-Long Christmas Decoration

            I finally put away the last of the Christmas decorations yesterday.  One of the last to go was my nativity scene.  It’s always difficult for me to put Jesus back in a box!

            However, I do display one decoration all year long, the three wise men.  They sit on the bookshelf next to where I write and study. For whatever reason, I like visible encouragers near where I spend the most time with the Lord and the wise men encourage me.

            First of all, as a Christian, I want to have the Faith of the Wise Men.

            They studied the Scriptures and believed a Messiah was coming. They received the timing of Jesus’ birth from prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 and knew about the star through Balaam’s prophecy in Numbers 24:17:  I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skullofall the people of Sheth. Based on that faith, they searched for Jesus and traveled anywhere from 800-900 miles to worship him, probably making the long journey from Persia. As the wise men believed and acted on the scriptures, I want to have that same faith in my daily study of the Word. I want to search for Him and will not rest until I find Him!

The Magi were joyful when they knew they were on the right path. Scripture says  in Matthew 2:10, When they say the star, they were overjoyed. As my three wise men overlook my work space, many times I am in prayer seeking God’s direction for the day. It’s a joyful feeling when God confirms I am on the right path!  What about you? When we spend time in the morning giving our day over to God, we should claim Isaiah 30:21: Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Do you take the time to listen for that still, small voice?

The wise men were humble. When they finally reached Jesus, they bowed down and worshiped him. These magi may have been advisors to the king or kings themselves, but they recognized the king before them and humbled themselves.  Over the past few years, the Lord has been hammering away at my own pride issues and it is my goal to be a humble servant of God, not only before God but also before others. I know I still fail at times, but I pray daily to put others before myself.

The wise men came bearing gifts. The magi laid presents of gold for a king, incense for God and myrrh, used to anoint the dead. As I use my own spiritual gifts, I do not utilize them for my glory, but for the Lord’s.  It is my intent to lay them before the king and hopefully, to not take credit for any words He gives me for writing or speaking. I believe God still inspires us and I give him all the credit for what is written here on the blog.  What about your gifts?  Do you lay them before the King?

The wise men desired to trust God, not man. After their visit with Jesus was over, they returned to their country by another route because they were warned in a dream to not go back to King Herod. Herod had specifically told them in Mathew 2: 8: Go and make a careful search for the child.  As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him. The magi might have received some perks from going back Herod’s way, but they chose to trust God, not Herod. When given the choice between God and man’s wisdom, I want to choose God’s wisdom every time. When we do that, many times it requires more faith to trust God than it does to trust man, but I’ve found that God’s wisdom is always the wisdom that is true, no matter how far-fetched it might seem at the time.  If it always made sense to us, trust would not be needed!

So I continue on my own spiritual journey along with the wise men nearby. They set an example for me that I like to be reminded of. What about you?  What can you learn from their testimony?

Let’s Have Coffee Together

           You may be on the other side of the world from where I live or you might be just down the street, but I thought it would be nice to have coffee together this morning.

            I wanted to tell you about my extremely cool coffee mug that I reach for every morning. I won it at our Sunday school Christmas party gift exchange. We play the “Dirty Santa” game so it wasn’t what I originally went after.  I really wanted this very cute, tall, Santa Claus figure and had it in my possession, but at the 11th hour, someone snatched it away from me! How could they? 🙂

            So I went after my second favorite gift in the room, a couple of Christian coffee mugs, and was able to hold onto them without someone stealing them! I’ve now decided that the mugs were the gift I was supposed to have, because when I drink out of them, there are a lot of important reminders for me every morning. Today, since we’re having coffee together, these reminders are for you as well!

            Every morning my mug tells me that in God’s heart:

            I am Chosen– For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession. Deuteronomy 14:2

            I am Valued- Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:7

            I am Accepted- Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7

            I am Free- It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

            I am Loved- We love because he first loved us. 1John 4:19

            I am Strong- I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

            I am Blessed- Blessed is the people of whom this is true; blessed is the people whose God is the Lord. Psalm 144:15

            No wonder I reach for one of these mugs every morning! These are promises that I need to be reminded of each day!

            But you don’t have to have these truths painted on a cup to claim them as yours. Print this devotion out and tomorrow, when you have coffee, you can pray them over yourself. This time, instead of having coffee with me, you’ll be sipping coffee with the Lord.            

           I’ve enjoyed our time together, but you’re going to get a lot more out of your morning with God than you will with me. I guarantee he’d love to have coffee with you every day because he has some powerful truths brewing for you! You just have to take the time to open up his Word and drink them in.

Pursue Peace

            Every day of our life something will try to disrupt our peace. It might be an argument at home, an unruly child or a work issue that can snatch the peace from us and cause us to spend the rest of the day fretting, rather than peaceful like we’re supposed to be as Christians.

            But didn’t Jesus say, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you? If he left it for us, why is it so hard to obtain?

            This week I found the answer to the that mysterious question. It’s in Colossians 3:15 which says: Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.

            Let the peace of Christ RULE in your hearts. How could I have missed this?  When we let life’s troubles take over our minds, resulting in angst and worry, we are letting those troubles rule us, rather than peace. Peace is not passive. We have to take action in order to have it and we have to choose to let it rule us, not our circumstances. Peace is not going to come on its own. Instead of saying, “Why don’t I have peace?” we have to pursue it and consciously live above our scenarios that try to rob our peace..

But how do we do that?  I think Isaiah 26:3 provides some insight: You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

            Our minds must be focused on the things of God, not of the world, and if our lives are centered around Him, we have to trust him to work out our difficulties. Trust brings us peace, then peace rules, not worry.

The Hebrew word for trust also means “believe.”  Do you believe God can handle your difficulties?  Do you believe God wants the best for you?  Do you trust God even when he has allowed you to be in the midst of a situation that, in your mind, does not make sense? That’s a place God loves to take me and he asks, “When are you going to finally let go of your worldly wisdom and trust my wisdom Lisa?”

If we trust and believe and live in the things from above, peace will come.

           What about you, do you pursue peace or have you been waiting for it to come to you?

God’s Word is the Truth by Lisa Mick

                I speak the truth in Christ–I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit Romans 9:1

            As I prayed about this devotional, I asked God for the scripture to confirm it.  Through the years, I have grown in wisdom and understanding of my relationship with Him.  God calls upon me to tell the truth to others even when it is hurtful.  He knows how much I love His people, so this is very hard for me to do.  A lot of the times I will say to him, “Father are you sure?”  I question it because I know that it will usually be hard for the person to hear. 

            I want to share something with you!  Sometimes this truth frightens me as I will tell them what He has impressed upon my heart and mind and He will have already given them the same message.  This confirms His will for them.  You can imagine the relief I feel!  You see, as a human, it is very hard to believe that God uses me in this way.  At times, I will sit and converse with Him; “Are you sure?  God, that is going to hurt them, I don’t want to tell them.”  The scripture above convinced me that it is true! I always use Christ name and my conscience definitely confirms it through the Holy Spirit because it will not leave my mind until I speak it to the individual. 

            Imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints 2 Corinthians 8:4 NKJV

            What joy this is!! How wonderful our Father is to provide me with the TRUTH in His Word. 

            He wants me to share with you how important it is to receive whatever gift He has given you.  Listen to your counselor inside, because He placed it in you to guide you.  One of my purposes here on Earth is to minister His truth to His people.  Even though it is hard, I am always blessed because I discern the truth and follow out what He calls me to do.  Obeying the Father always brings great reward, favor and blessings. 

            So my friend, what is your gift?  Have you searched His Word to find it?  I promise you if you search with all your heart, He will answer that search as He has for me.  When you are in His perfect will, life is grand dear one!  His perfect will for you is TRUTH and you will only find that in HIS WORD!  A dear friend told me as my walk with Christ was growing, HIS WORD WORKS! AMEN! Start searching my friends!

            Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free John 8:32  

Undeserved Grace

          I’m still on a mountaintop after seeing Les Miserables at the movie theatre over the weekend. When I worked in New York City, I went to the Broadway production three times, but for me, the movie captured the story in a way the stage production could not and now, I really get it!       

           Close ups of the characters and multiple images of the cast on the big screen during medleys provided intensity that could not be achieved while watching Les Mis in a live audience.  However, it was the prevailing image of the cross that appeared throughout the movie and the continuous theme about the grace of God that struck me so hard.

            The main character, Jean Valjean, a convicted criminal, is able to accept God’s grace. His pursuer, Inspector Javert cannot.

            Isn’t that the story in our world today? Many do not understand their need for grace or they don’t want God’s grace because it might require a behavioral change.

            Instead of comparing ourselves to a holy, perfect God, we line ourselves up against the worst of the worst: the mass murderers, the thieves and the blatantly ungodly. Compared to that, who needs grace?  We measure up pretty good, but scripture says, All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. 

            I was one of those who sugar coated my sin until the Lord revealed it to me through a Bible study on Romans. Although I accepted Christ as my savior in high school, I really didn’t understand the magnitude of that act of mercy towards me until I placed my name in this passage from Romans 1:21-25:          

            For although Lisa knew God, she neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but her thinking became futile and her foolish heart was darkened. Although Lisa claimed to be wise, she became a fool and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave Lisa over in the sinful desires of her heart to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  She exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.

            Didn’t that describe me in college after I had accepted Christ in high school? I was foolish. I was sinful and impure. I exchanged the glory of the immortal God for popularity, parties and boys. How could I live like that as a person who had come to a saving knowledge of Jesus?  I had not realized how unworthy I was of God’s grace until that moment, some twenty years after I had prayed the prayer of salvation, but unlike Inspector Javert in Les Miserables, I desired God’s grace and hopefully have extended it to others since that revelation.

What about you? Have you ever really reflected on the grace of God and what it means in your life? Do you live a life of grace towards others? I often think, “How can I not forgive a person when God has forgiven me for so much?”

That’s why Les Miserables was so powerful.  I could relate. Jean Valjean was shown grace even though he was a thief and headed for prison again. He didn’t deserve it, but neither do we.