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!

Feeling Persecuted?

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." Matthew 5:43-45 NKJV Bad things happen to good people. Good things happen to bad people. Often, people we think are our friends are in fact, not. And, often the people we see as our enemy turn out to be good for us. GOD uses seemingly bad situations to grow, refine, and distinguish us--not to harm or destroy us. The events of our lives--whether good or bad--shape us into the person we are. If we exercise faith and put our trust in GOD, He will walk with us through the trials of life (Isaiah 43:1-3). Nothing and no one who opposes us can overtake us. His Word tells us that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39) and that all things work together for good for those who love GOD (Romans 8:28). Proverbs 2:6-13 offers much wisdom, "For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path. When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things, From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness;" When we feel we have been treated poorly, used, abused, taken advantage of, or completely wronged in any way, it is hard to feel anything other than animosity towards the person who hurt us. However, the above text, the very words of Jesus Himself, instruct us to bless and not curse--to love and not hate--to pray for those who use or persecute us. In our humanity, this is a complete impossibility. However, if we heed the words of Paul to the Galatians in Galatians 5:14-16, "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." We must diminish our flesh and feed our spirit in order to overcome our own human nature. Where do we begin? We start with worship. When it is the most difficult to worship is when we need to worship the most. It is easy to be thankful & worshipful when things are going well. The true test of our faith is when we can worship and trust GOD when times are hard & the future seems uncertain. It is easy to become distracted by the cares of this life and forget that this life is indeed temporary & the next is our eternal state, a time we will spend in joy & bliss as we and countless believers along with the angelic host worship GOD in Heaven for all eternity. We need to be practicing for it now. So, whatever your situation, whatever forces seem to be opposing you, regardless as to how hopeless things may seem--WORSHIP Him, trust Him, claim His promises for your life & use words of faith to speak life over yourself & those you love. Proverbs is filled with wisdom in this area. "From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward." Proverbs 12:14 "From the fruit of their mouth a person's stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied."Proverbs 18:20 "From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things, but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence." Proverbs 13:2 "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence." Proverbs 10:11 Our words have power. Need I say more? Something to think about... Blessings! Tony

GOD's Greatest Gift

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 NKJV It's CHRISTmas Eve--granted it is 80 degrees & my AC is running, but that is how weather in the South is...unpredictable! CHRISTmas doesn't have the significance it once did in this country. There was a time when it was revered as a Holy holiday, a celebration of GOD's greatest gift to mankind--His Only Begotten Son, Jesus. Sadly, things have changed over the years. First, we turned it into a highly commercialized gift-giving season that was hardly recognizable as CHRISTmas. Then, political correctness crept in and anything remotely "religious" was deemed intolerant of other faiths or of those who choose the live by the misguided notion that there is no GOD at all. Frankly, I find it easier to be tolerant of those who believe in a different GOD more so than those who say there is no Creator, no Supreme Being at all. But, that's a different message altogether. America began as a Christian nation & our roots are in the Christian faith. That being said, it was GOD Who gave the first & greatest gift with the intention and plan that Jesus would be the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the all mankind. Jesus came as a baby in a manger. Because of that, the Jewish people who had long awaited the Promised Messiah, failed to recognize Him. He didn't fit their perception of the Warrior King who they expected to save them by military force. Additionally, they struggled to see Jesus for who He was because he seemed to be a peasant prophet who befriended the lowly and downcast of the world instead of mingling with the wealthy and mighty, the royalty of the time. How could He be who He claimed to be if he associated with prostitutes and tax collectors? Surely if He was the Son of GOD, He would choose his company more carefully. What kind of GOD would send such a person to save them? There had to be a mistake. Then, there's the Three Wise Men who we mistakenly put in our nativity scenes but who actually came when Jesus was between 1-2 years old to bring their gifts and worship of the young Savior King. The gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh had a purpose. Gold, a precious metal, was given as symbolic of His Divinity--the fact that He was GOD Incarnate. Frankincense was burned as a fragrant offering to GOD in worship--symbolizing His sacrifice, His willingness to offer Himself up. Myrrh was a spice used in embalming--signifying suffering and affliction, the bitterness and pain He would endure and His impending death. It is from these gifts that the tradition of giving gifts originates. Because GOD loved, He gave. Because we love, we give gifts to those we love--the people who play an important role in our lives. The giving of gifts has become over done in our society, often done to cater to already spoiled children, to show off and give the illusion that we possess more materially than we actually do, or sometimes out of a sense of obligation--not necessarily for the right reasons. However, GOD's gift was given with motive of providing our salvation. The only catch is that we have to accept it as the free gift it is. Skeptical beings that we are, we seem to struggle with the idea that something free can really be valuable. If it is something worthwhile, surely there has to be a cost of some sort, right? Therein lies the reason that so many miss out on God's Greatest Gift, Jesus. We need to have the faith of a child & we tend to lose those child-like qualities as we age and become suspicious & cynical in our thinking. But, it is absolutely free--a gift given in love by a loving GOD whose desire is that we, as His children, freely receive and accept that gift without doubting Him and His motives. We were created to worship and fellowship with Him as a loving Father. If only we cold accept Him, worship and adore Him as He deserves, and give Him the honor He is worthy of. Granted, December 25 is not the date of Jesus' birth. Bible scholars and historians indicate that Jesus was born at a completely different time of year. However, it is when those of the Christian faith choose to celebrate the birth of our Savior--The Savior who came as a baby, grew into a man of compassion who reached out to those in need and then died a criminal's death so He could overcome death, Hell and the grave to provide the atonement for our sins and make a way for sinful man to reconcile himself to a Holy GOD. Jesus Christ, the Son of GOD, Our Savior, Our Healer, Our Provider, our absolute everything--is the greatest gift this world has ever known or will ever know. Of course, we should acknowledge GOD's Greatest Gift all the time--but especially at CHRISTmas time. So, while you are making merry with friends & family--remember to keep Jesus in your celebration. Thanks be to GOD for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthains 9:15 NKJV) Merry CHRISTmas and blessings! Tony

GOD is Still at Work...

"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" Luke 2:14 NKJV Peace on earth...goodwill toward men...? In looking at the condition of our world today, it is hard to envision peace & goodwill. In a world of chaos & craziness that seems completely out of control, GOD is still at work. As we walk through the heartache & pain of damaged relationships, the loss of a loved one, financial problems, family issues, etc., GOD is still at work. When life has more valleys than mountaintops and the roller-coaster ride makes it hard to hang on, GOD is still at work. Yes, I am quite aware that I am repeating myself with the phrase, "GOD is still at work." I am trying to make the point that even in the worst circumstances, GOD is still at work. He is ever present in our lives. He hasn't abandoned us in any way. He has a perfect plan for each of us. The problem is...well, us. He created us with free will--a wonderful gift that has back-fired completely on mankind. You see, He desires that we would follow Him, worship Him, need & desire Him--but, He wants us to CHOOSE Him rather than be forced to submit to Him. Forced submission equals slavery while freedom to choose equals servanthood instead. Slaves have to do whatever the master dictates. Servants choose to serve others and put the other person's needs ahead of their own. It is actually very simple--humans have complicated things by trying to have their own way rather than follow GOD's plan. Many people see the Bible as restrictive, but GOD meant it to be protective. He isn't depriving us of anything but rather is instructing us on how to have fullness and abundance in & through Him. Remember John 10:10? Here it is..."The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." We often blame GOD for the bad things in our lives when He is not the one to blame. The devil is the one who is intent on destroying us, but often our own poor decisions cause our problems. If only we could learn to live by GOD's Word...what a wonderful world it would be. If we lived life seeking GOD's Will & Plan rather than doing our own thing & making a royal mess of things, He could accomplish so much in our lives and through our lives as a witness to others. We are called to be salt & light to the world, but we are often more negative than positive, more dark than light, and any seasoning we add is too spicy for His intentions. We shoot ourselves in the foot, disgrace Him, and often repel rather than attract others. Yet, in spite of us, GOD is still at work and His goals will be accomplished with our without us. I, for one, want to be on the right team. I want to be doing His Will. I want to be reflecting His light. I want to be pointing others towards Him rather than driving them away. I want to be working with Him, rather than against Him--because if you aren't for Him, you are against Him and siding with Satan instead. There is no middle ground, no straddling the fence--there are only two sides. You are with GOD or opposing GOD with the devil and his minions. Whatever our choice, GOD is still at work... Blessings! Tony