CHRISTmas Ponderings...

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19 Last night, I got to hold a new baby--a little girl, only 2 weeks old. It made me think, especially at this time of year. I wondered what this child's future might be, what her childhood would be like, what she might become when she grows up, if she'll have a family of her own, how life will treat her as she ages...? There's so much possibility, yet so much unpredictability. I know that my own life has certainly encountered many twists & turns I didn't anticipate & could never have planned. Some were self-inflicted, the result of my own choices--both good and bad. Some were thrust on me by the choices & decisions of others. Some were mere circumstance. However, I've come to realize that God has used all the events of my life--whether good, bad or ugly--to make me into the man I am. "All things" truly do work together for good--God uses them to shape & mold us (Romans 8:28, the verse I've adopted as my life verse). I wonder, as Mary held Baby Jesus, did she realize that He would change the world? Did she realize that this child of promise, the Messiah, the incarnate Son of God that she had carried within her womb, would be the Savior of the world? Could she anticipate the miracles He would perform, the lives He would touch during His short, earthly life? Could she imagine the ministry He would have & the following that would result? Did she know the pain & heartache that awaited her when she would watch Him being nailed to a cruel Roman cross? What about the miracle of His resurrection & His ascension into the Heavenlies to take His place at the right hand of The Father? Regardless as to what the world says, CHRISTmas is about CHRIST. God sent His Son as the perfect gift to and atoning sacrifice for mankind. As you celebrate this season with your family & loved ones, take time to read Luke 2--the real story of CHRISTmas. It should be a time of love, a time of giving, a time for family, a time of reconcilation, a time to ponder new beginnings. Most of all, it should be a time to celebrate God's greatest gift--the gift of His Son, Jesus (John 3:16). Let CHRIST be part of your CHRISTmas this & every year. More importantly, don't just be a seasonal Christian, make Jesus part of your daily life & enjoy The Gift now & forevermore... Blessings! Tony

Warfare...

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NKJV I've come to the realization that the devil doesn't often attack us when we are on a spiritual mountain. He waits until we drop our guard, until we are fatigued, discouraged or distracted by a battle we are facing. He pounces when we are in the valley of life, when we are facing something that seems insurmountable to us. When the struggles of life work to overtake us--when financial crisis hits, when relationships are strained, when a tragedy occurs, when health is threatened by a major disease--that's when we take our focus off of God and His ability, and try to handle things on our own. The devil and his minions are lurking, waiting, licking their lips in anticipation of a victory over us, while they wait for us to stumble. Have you ever watched one of those National Geographic documentaries where predators are after prey? They lay in wait, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to separate one lone animal, often a young or weak one, from the herd. Once the predator is able to accomplish that, he's got a meal. The devil operates much the same way, and we fall into his trap often and repeatedly. Then, we beat ourselves up over the fact we allowed it to happen--again & again--and Satan laughs at us and shakes his bony finger in the Face of God. Remember the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17, I think...)? Goliath, who is described as a giant of a man, has the whole Israelite Army shaking in their boots--or sandals, as was most probably the case. He comes out daily, hurling threats, slandering God and his people, and he laughs at the Israelite's inability to act because they are all frozen in fear. No single man has the faith in God, let alone himself, to take on this giant. So, for days on end, the scene is repeated. Even King Saul himself is terrified. Here he is, a man appointed by God and anointed by God's prophet to lead the nation but without any solution to the problem. Why? Because they were all looking within themselves, rather than looking to God. David appears on the scene, there simply to deliver food to his brothers who are part of the army. He had no idea when he left home that he would be facing a giant & determining the fate of a nation by his actions. But, because he had an intimate relationship with God and knew that God was with him, when he heard the words of the giant insulting his God, a righteous anger rose up in him & he acted--not in his own strength, but tapping into the mind and strength of God Himself. By being a man of action, a man who trusted that God would take care of him regardless of the situation, a man who wouldn't allow his God to be insulted, young David saved the day, defeated the giant and won the favor of the nation of Israel. Like David, we must remain both focused and faithful. Even though it sometimes appears that a person is the source of our problem, we have to remember that "...we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesian 6:12 NKJV Satan is real! He knows he will lose in the end, but his desire is still to pull as many as he can into the pits of Hell with him. Nothing gives him more satisfaction than to be able to laugh in the face of God because we, the children of God, fall into sin or encounter major moral failures in our lives that damage our witness for the Lord. I, for one, want to live a victorious life. However, I am human and have my share of weaknesses. I know that i fail God more often than I care to count. But my goal, my hope, is to stand tall in the face of whatever giant Satan puts in my path and that I will remain faithful and obedient to my God, Who has redeemed me because of His great love...for me! I pray the same will be true of you. Blessings! Tony

Going After GOD?

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:24 I often hear people say they are "going after God." That sounds good, but what does it really mean? Since God relentlessly pursues us, we shouldn't have to "go after" Him, we should just be living a life that reflects His Character and focusing on being more like Him. Our spirit man (or woman) should be in tune with The Holy Spirit. We should be alert to what The Spirit is saying to us & what He desires to do in and through us. We must allow God to strip away anything in us that is not of Him, anything that is contrary to His Nature. Conversely, we must allow Him to grow, cultivate & mature those things that are representative of Him. True worship pleases GOD--worship that is pure, that comes from a grateful and true heart. However, sometimes we worship the experience of worship, rather than truly worshipping Him. We get caught up in the moment--the noise, the lights the spectacle of it all--and miss worshipping GOD as our Creator, or Savior, our Source of Life and Love. Instead, we should simply worship Him and allow ourselves to be lost in Him. For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; Psalm 96:4 What, then, is our motive for worship? Are we just going through the motions? Is it out of a sense of obligation, habit or routine? Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; Joshua 24:14 What does it mean to fear the Lord? Truly we have reason to fear or be afraid of Him if we aren't living as we should be, but the fear of the Lord is more of a reverential awe of Him & Who He is. If our concept of God is one of Him sitting & waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us, our view of Him is incorrect. Yes, God is a God of judgement for those living in sin--but, He is a God of love, mercy & grace for those who love & live for Him. We love, because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 Our character should reflect His. If we are living in accordance with His Will & His Plan for us, we have no reason to "go after" Him, we should simply bask in Who He is and seek to share Him with those who are wandering from the truth. That's my thoughts--the late-night thoughts of an insomniac, but I sense an urgency to share them. Because--in some strange way, and for some odd reason--these ramblings of mine reflect what I feel have been given to me through The Spirit of God, Who desires our worship to be in spirit and truth... Blessings! Tony

Pollution...

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:23-25 NKJV The Church in America is dying a slow and painful death at the hands of the very people who are supposed to be loving and caring for her. Christians, much like non-Christians, have sold out to the idols of money & materialism. It is hard to tell one from the other these days. I've often stated the fact that the world is having far more of an effect on the church than the church is on the world. In our quest to be more "seeker-friendly", we (the church) have become very carnal in nature. We've compromised our values & traditional morals and beliefs by accepting too much of the current culture as the norm, rather than standing on what GOD says to be the norm for Christian behavior. I'm reminded of the story of Jesus turning over the money changers' tables in the temple & essentially beating them out of the temple with a whip. See Matthew 21, Mark 11, & John 2. He wasn't amused that they were using the church for personal business purposes to solicit gain for themselves. The world is a dark place. but darkness is simply the absence of light and we are called to be the "light of the world" (Matthew 5:13-16) and represent Jesus by the way we live. Part of that process is that we join together in fellowship with like-minded believers. that we consider one another instead of being so "me-oriented" and easily offended by everything, that we stir one another to action in showing love in word and deed to those who are hurting and in need. The church doesn't need more programs and pizzazz, it doesn't need to tolerate sin. It needs a fresh infusion of the Power and Presence of GOD's Holy Spirit and to love the sinner without condoning sin itself. It needs to get back to the basics, to teach the Gospel, to preach of Heaven and hell as real places that await us all, to speak against sin while loving unconditionally--like Jesus. After all, He is The One we are supposed to imitate... Blessings!