Are You Ready for Christmas?

 

This Sunday officially kicks off the Advent Season and it won’t be long before we’re asked, “Are you ready for Christmas?”  We will begin to hear this common question of the season from the clerk that is checking us out at stores,  bank tellers, nurses at the doctor’s office, strangers and friends. We all know what the question is directed toward—is your shopping complete, presents wrapped and under the tree.  It is hard not to get caught up in the buying, wrapping, glitter, bright lights, and decorations of the season. But perhaps that question  asked should be one we ponder in a different sort of way this year and re-think the words to ask, “Are you ready for Christ?”  In the Gospel of Matthew we hear how John the Baptist made the way ready for Jesus:

 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him. (Matthew 3: 1-3)

 

The term “repent” is not a particularly popular word in our culture today. It means to turn away from  worldly ways, change and transform ones ways to be more like God. It is to ask God to forgive us for our rebellious ways and begin to live more like Him.  This is how we prepare the way for our Lord to live in us each and every day.

Perhaps this season when asked “Are you ready for Christmas?” we replace the word Christmas with Christ and ask “Are you ready for Christ?” This may help us truly be prepared for Christmas!

 

Happy Thanksgiving

As a child  I memorized Psalm 100 and to this day it is one of my favorites. It is one of those passages that reminds us of God’s greatness and enduring love forever and ever. No matter what we have had to endure in 2020, He is given us many reasons to choose thankfulness and joy this day. Let’s do what the Psalmist says in this great passage:

 

100 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

² Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

³ Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

⁵ For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (Psalms 100: 1-5)

 

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

 

Blessings!

 

It is harvest time in America. In Mobile, people are sharing their abundance of oranges, satsumas, grapefruits, lemons and more. In the Hebrew calendar harvest was a huge time of celebration. Harvest is a big part of the Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths when Israel celebrates  the blessings God has given them. 

Moses wrote “Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing  floor and your winepress. Be joyful at your feast—you, your sons and daughters…For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands and your joy will be complete.” (Deuteronomy 16: 13- 15)

When our country was founded, the settlers also celebrated with a time of feasting at the end of harvest, thanking God for all He had provided and asking for His continued blessings. It has been a tradition handed down through the years. Often the root of the celebration has been lost in cooking, eating, football, and other family traditions. No matter what  your Thanksgiving looks like this year let’s make God the center of its celebration, thanking Him for all His blessings provided in both the past and the future. 

What To Do in Time of Uncertainty?

 

There is one thing for sure about 2020, it has been a year of uncertainty. In Ecclesiastes we are told that  you never know what will happen next.  In the same verse, we are reminded that it is easy to be thankful on good days, but in days of trouble—guess what…God created those days too. Have you ever thought about that? When I think about it, I realize that most of my growth occurred down on my knees in troubling times. Maybe that is what this year can bring into our lives—a gratefulness for spiritual growth.  So, let’s step back and ponder what we have learned in these days of difficulty. If we can share thankfulness in the good things, awesome. But if we want to make even more of an impression on others, share  thankfulness for this year and how God has used it to help you grow in challenging days.  

 

When things are going well for you, be glad, and when trouble comes, just remember: God sends both happiness and trouble; you never know what is going to happen next.( Ecclesiastes 7:14)

Building Others Up

 

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, I invite you to let  those around you know how much you appreciate them. In Paul’s first century letters he began each one with an expression of thanks to the people:

In Romans he says, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world (1:8). He tells the Philippians, “I thank  my God every time I remember you" (1: 3). And he tells the church in Corinth “I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus” (1:4). 

 

Telling people thank you forms a bond and trust in your relationship. People need to know they are valued. It is a way we can encourage others and build them up. On this Thanksgiving week let others around you know  how much they mean in your life. 

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” ( Thessalonians 5:11 ESV).

Forget the Past

 

Do you ever find yourself spending time replaying your past? And then before you know it, you have failed  to live and move into the present. Someone once said, “The past should be a springboard not a hammock.” Satan would like nothing better than to hold you hostage to focusing on your past sins, errors, and mistakes.  Paul reminds us to forget the past and look forward to what is ahead.

 

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize. (Philippians 3: 13-14)

 

When you find yourself rehashing your past failings, ask God to help you bury those thoughts and to give you the will and the tools you will  need to succeed, the dreams and the vision to show you the way, and the wisdom to turn any curse into a blessing. Lean on our Lord for direction, and then continue to lean on Him for wisdom and courage to finish the race before you! 

The Bible has a lot to say about the way we speak and often warns us to be careful with the words we use:

 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”  (Proverbs 18: 21) “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1)

 

Tongues can be the end of friendships, careers, marriages, reputations and even life. Tongues can also reconcile people and make peace. Tongues can reunite marriages, families, friends and even countries. Sometimes biting one's tongue and reaching  for peace is to be commended. In Matthew 5:9 Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

Each day we must ask ourselves what is filling our heart?  For Jesus also said, “Out of the abundance of the heart [the mouth]  speaks” (Luke 6:45). We all know that an ungrateful heart breeds grumbling, a self-righteous heart produces judgement, and a bitter heart brings about meanness. None of which represents the life of Jesus. Instead let’s fill our hearts with “…joy, peace,  forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5: 22-23).