2 Chronicles 21, Zechariah 5, John 8, Revelation 9

¹² Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8

We live in such a dark and cold world. The effects of sin are far reaching and devastating. From physical calamities, pain and suffering to spiritual sin and death, evil fills our world. Car bombings, school shootings, fear of war, the refugee crises….there is no lack of darkness in the world around us. Though our world seems out of control and darker than ever, the darkness was present thousands of years ago just as it does today. Humans have always searched for something greater.

At Christmas time we celebrate the Creator of light who has become the shining light for us in a cold and dark world. He is our hope and brings peace to our hearts among the pain and suffering of life. Jesus is the Bright Morning Star who came down to earth to be born- God incarnate; Emmanuel, God with us. It is in following him and abiding in him that we not only receive life but are set free from the power of sin in our lives.

Jesus created light when there was only darkness. Jesus then stepped into darkness, coming to earth two thousand years ago to bring us hope. And Jesus will return again and bring peace forevermore for those who trust in him. This season and every season, may we remember the true meaning of Christmas when love came down from heaven bringing light into a dark and weary land. May the light of Jesus’ love fill your hearts and minds this Christmas as you celebrate his birth.

 

 

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2 Chronicles 3 & 4, Nahum 2, Luke 18, 1 John 3

Awe:

noun

an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is

grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like.

I have recently come to realize how under-inspired I have become. I have lost my sense of awe of the Creator of the universe. When the day to day life becomes mundane and boring, crazy and chaotic, I tend to take my relationship with the Lord for granted. When I am far from him, I forget the beauty of his splendor.

Out of fear and reverence of the Lord, King Solomon not only built the history Temple but he spared no expensive. The temple Solomon built was not built out of pride for what he could afford or what he would be able to show off to the people around him like so many other Kings would have done, it was built out of sheer awe!

Back in 2 Chronicles 2 Solomon said,

^“5 The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. ⁶ But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? ^7″

Solomon didn’t take the left over money in his bank account to build the walls of the temple. He didn’t simply hire someone to make the plans and take care of the details. Out of reverence and honor, Solomon took his time and spared no expense. Bronze, silver and gold metals, rare wood materials and large fountains were all engineered and commissioned by skilled workmen brought from the east and the west. Solomon stopped at nothing to attempt to build a temple that would be adequate to hosue the Ark of the Covenant, the home of the Lord all while knowing nothing would ever really be good enough.

¹⁹ So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the golden altar, the tables for the bread of the Presence, ²⁰ the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn before the inner sanctuary, as prescribed; ²¹ the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of purest gold;²² the snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold, and the sockets^[f] of the temple, for the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and for the doors of the nave of the temple were of gold. 2 Chronicles 4:19-22

Even reading the scriptures of Solomon’s temple I take for granted how beautiful and huge this temple was. My husband is a general contractor and works in the field of civil engineering. He cannot even fathom the logistics of how this was built let alone how the obtained the materials and afforded it. The details literally boggle the mind. And what boggles my mind even more is that it all started with Solomon’s fear and reverence for the Lord. He loved the Lord God so much that this was the outpouring of his heart.

So, I must ask myself this question. Do I live in fear and reverence of the Lord God Almighty who created the heavens and earth? Do I worship him in spirit in truth to express the awe that is within my heart? Do I stop at nothing to share that with others? I have a long way to go and am thankful that the Lord is gracious and merciful because often my answer to these questions is “no”.

Thank you, Father, for your incredible love, grace and mercy to me. O, Lord, You are great and greatly to be praised. There are not enough words to praise you and as Solomon said, who is able to build you a house since even the highest heaven cannot contain you. I stand in awe of you, Lord. Amen.

1 Chronicles 15, Amos 9, Luke 4, James 2

The kids and I have been reading a book together called “Kisses From Katie”. It’s a story about Katie Davis who, at age 19 left her home in TN and became a missionary in Africa and within eight months began adopting 13 children and caring for hundreds more. It’s so important to read inspiring stories and not just for the sake of our kiddos but also for us! I think I am learning more than my kids. What is inspiring most of all is not the specific good works that Katie has done (which, by the way are truly amazing) but it’s her heart that shines and inspires me to think about my own life.

Katie traveled to Africa after high school planning to stay only one year. But very shortly into her stay the Lord began to change the passions and desires. She realized, it wasn’t enough to just pray for these people she needed to DO something about their needs.

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good^[b] is that? ¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:14-17

After reading a portion of the book the other evening, my seven year old daughter and I ended up having a very long conversation about works and faith. I could see the wheels turning in her brain and I remember asking the same questions as a child. “Am I doing enough good to go to heaven? What happens if I sin? Am I good enough?” “My friends say they are Christians but they don’t act like it.” “How do I know my friend is a real Christian?”

I have struggled with many of these same questions for nearly 3 decades and this passage in James has been a love hate relationship for me. Though I know I am justified by Jesus’ finished work on the cross, I still question am I doing enough. Is my faith really genuine? I am an all or nothing person so when I miss an opportunity to serve or worse, when I sin, I feel doomed. It was in explaining to my daughter the beauty of God’s grace, Jesus’ sacrifice and the joy of serving Christ that I was able to realize the truth for myself.

Katie’s story left me asking questions of myself and my family. Am I (are we) intentional with my time, money, resources, and love? When I (we) hear of or see a need around me do I respond quickly with love, compassion and resources or do I (we) offer a quick prayer and move on? Not all of us will be called to be full time missionaries to Africa or to adopt thirteen children but ALL Christians are called to love everyone like Christ loves. That can be sticky and hard and ugly and beautiful and joyous! Good works are the fruits of our genuine faith in a God that gave the ultimate sacrifice. They come from a heart that desires what God desires not our own selfish desires that store up treasures on earth. Genuine faith says, “yes” to God when he asks us for our time, our resources, our love.

Like Katie, I am flabbergasted by the statistics. There are more than 2 billion people claiming to be Christians. If only 8% of them provided food for 1 child, there would be no more starving children IN THE WORLD. Modern day Christianity has become watered down and easy, particularity in the US. We offer our prayers and canned goods but only if we have time to stop by the local grocery store and grab a few items. Many people believe in Jesus but so do the demons. This Thanksgiving and Christmas our family is taking more time to first of all, appreciate this season and worship our Lord and Savior but also be more intentional. The shoeboxes we packed for Operation Christmas child looked different than before. The amount of money we will spend on gift giving will be different as well as the source they gifts are coming from. Not all of us will become missionaries in a foreign country but God’s people are everywhere and the needs are great. We will start by opening our eyes and hears and meeting the needs of the people God places in front of us today.

Dear Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice on the cross, the ultimate sacrifice that granted me eternal life. Thank you for the privilege to participate in doing kingdom work, not out of obligation but love. Help us to serve your people with the royal law of love and place their needs above our own. Amen.

kateredding

2 Kings 19, Psalm 156 & 136, Hosea 12, Hebrews 1

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. ³ He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.  Hebrews 1

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit….speaking to us in different ways throughout time.  He uses people, prophets, his word and the whispers of the Holy Spirit to communicate with us his will and his plans.

But who am I, O Lord that you are mindful of me? Who am I that you would hear my prayers, that you would reach down and comfort my soul? Jesus, as Hezekiah spread out the letter before the Lord and poured out his heart in his darkest moment, may we be so bold to bring our hearts desires, hopes, dreams and supplications to you. Just as Hezekiah sought wise council, listened to the appointed prophet and turned to you, may we be brave to turn off the distractions and voices surrounding us that pull us away from you. For you have made a way for us to approach your throne of grace with confidence without the need of intercessors. You alone, Jesus tore the veil making it possible to have a direct connection with the God of the universe who created it all. Again, Lord, who am I that you are mindful of me?

 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
    for his steadfast love endures forever Psalm 136

Thank you, Father for sacrificing your Son to be the propitiation for our sins. For suffering the ultimate disgrace and pain to make a way for me, a wretched sinner undeserving but ever so grateful for your grace. Help me to never lose my awe of the beauty and power of the cross of Christ. Amen.

kateredding

2 Kings 4, Psalm 116, Daniel 8, 1 Timothy 1

The older I get the more I realize the incredible gift of eternal life and come to understand the sacrifice Christ made for me. As a young child growing up in the church I heard of Christ’s sacrifice for me so often that I took it for granted. I learned to be a “good” law abiding Christian and though I knew works didn’t “get” me in to heaven, I felt they would make the Lord love me more. This led to a lot of messed up thinking on my part. From seeking perfection in my life to be “good enough” to judging others who didn’t measure up to my standards that I chose to live by, my thinking didn’t allow for much grace and mercy.

But then you get older. Time goes by and you see things, you experience things and the Holy Spirit changes you little by little. Recently, our family experienced a shocking revelation of sin in one member’s life. It was completely uncharacteristic and completely out of the blue. But I was more shocked by the first thought that came to my mind, “We are all sinners. Sin is sin. Whether it’s big or little. So thank you, Jesus for your grace and mercy!”

Paul mentions this to his young men-tee, Timothy when he realized the depths to which Christ rescued him from.

¹⁵ The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. ¹⁶ But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 1 Timothy 1

 

When I am reminded of the depth of my sin, I am reminded that my “little” sins are no better or worse than the murderers, thieves, and the lawless and disobedient. The only difference is recognizing my need for a savior. Thank you, Jesus for reaching down and lifting me out of the pit of hell and bestowing on me eternal life.

I love the Lord, because he has heard
    my voice and my pleas for mercy.
² Because he inclined his ear to me,
    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
³ The snares of death encompassed me;
    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
    I suffered distress and anguish.
⁴ Then I called on the name of the Lord:
    “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

⁵ Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
    our God is merciful.
⁶ The Lord preserves the simple;
    when I was brought low, he saved me.
⁷ Return, O my soul, to your rest;
    for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

⁸ For you have delivered my soul from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling;
⁹ I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 116:1-9

 

Thank you, Lord that we are not alone. Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ who humbled himself and was obedient to you, sacrificing his life for mine. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God be honor and glory forever and ever, Amen.