I remember how anxious I was on my tenth Christmas Eve.  My sales pitch had started at least sixth months earlier as I described the basketball pole and hoop that my friends had.  I described to my dad how adjustable rims worked and how I needed one so I could dunk and enjoy myself out in our driveway.  I wanted that hoop so bad.  I remember going to bed that night thinking that my life would be whole the next morning if only Dad and Mom had come through with this new basketball hoop.  I dreamt about it all night.  In fact, I kept having dreams of walking into the living room and wondering what I would see.  Over and over again I woke up only to still be in bed waiting until that 8am time my parents had put as wake-up time for Christmas morning gifts.  Finally, the moment arrived and I walked down the hall and my heart was beating out of my chest.

God had promised Simeon that he wouldn’t die before seeing the Savior with his own eyes.  You have to believe that Simeon had dreamt about the moment he would hold The Messiah in his hands.  You might imagine that Simeon was anxious and breathing hard as he entered the place where Jesus lay.  You might put yourself in his shoes as he holds the baby that is so much more than a baby.  You might understand why Simeon says, basically, “Lord, now you can take me home in peace – the bucket list is definitely complete!”

God’s promises are the best!  He can always be counted on to deliver what he says He’s going to do.  That’s one of the amazing things about serving him.  However, one of the issues that God is always working on inside of us is patience.  There are many who lose sight of Christ’s return, because it’s been so long since the promise was made.  There have been many who have given up on the dreams that God placed in their hearts because the journey took too long or the risk of no reward became too great.  Simeon, in his old age, reminds us that Christ will be found when we follow God, wait on Him, and seek Him with all of our hearts.  The rewards of not giving up are huge, because Christ doesn’t disappoint.  Simeon could’ve been one of the first ones to say, “Don’t give up on the brink of a miracle!”  The Scripture reminds us to stay the course and be surprised at how wonderful it is when things turn around.

As you approach this New Year, don’t forget that the same God who loved you enough to leave his throne in Heaven and come near to us is the same God who isn’t finished caring about what is going on with you.  This year may be another year of waiting or it may be the payoff.  Regardless, don’t stop expecting that Christ is going to make a way for you, so stay faithful!  Oh – yea – by the way – I did get the adjustable basketball goal.  It was everything I hoped it would be – until my sister ran into it with the car.  I guess that had to be OK, because Dad ended up pastoring a church with a huge gym and we moved right next to it.  I could never have dreamed of that!

First, is killing another human being ever acceptable?

The Bible shows us numerous circumstances where God had certain rules for His people and expected them to be obeyed.  He showed them the consequences if they disobeyed.  Through this, God proved that He is just.  He also showed how He is a God of grace by what He did through Jesus Christ.  God’s nature never changed from the Old Testament to New Testament.  God is all about grace and forgiveness, and He is all about being just.  If we are to trust His love and grace, we have to trust that He is also consistent in His justice.  The basis of love is trust.  We trust someone if they hold true to do what they say they will do.

Therefore, it is line with Christian philosophy to hold people to account for their actions.  In fact, Osama Bin Laden declared war on the U.S. and Israel long before the attacks of 9/11.  He knew the consequences of leading such an operation.  He knew the risks and he knew that he was was a wanted man by the U.S. and even Pakistan.  However, he chose to continue to kill, to defy the world, and instead of surrender, he invited the kind of action that took place two weeks ago.

We live in a world that has a hard time accepting that there should be consequences to our actions.  However, the killing of Osama Bin Laden was not a matter of murder by a country to an individual.  It was the decision of the individual to put himself in the position to be killed.  Wow – sounds like “personal responsibility”!!!  Maybe this could serve us well in our day to day lives.  We shouldn’t blame others for what we bring on ourselves.  There are consequences for our actions.

The second question is:  Is it appropriate to celebrate someone’s death if we are pretty sure they went to Hell?  I find this an intriguing thought.  The real issue is the focus of the celebration.  Are we celebrating that the person went to Hell or that a self-proclaimed and aggressive foe has been vanquished?  Each individual has to answer this question for himself or herself.

It is appropriate for Christians to celebrate when good prevails over evil.  When someone is an enemy of the Cross and a mass murderer with increasing threats, then one could make the case that those on the side of “good” must stand and do something about it.  The story surrounding Bin Laden is tragic.  The senseless killing of thousands in the name of radical Islamic Jihad is terrible and disturbing.  There should be no one rejoicing at the thought of how horrible and bleak the situation is when innocent people are put in harm’s way.  I hope there would be a general agreement among Christians that the above makes us sad and regretful.  However, there are also many Christians who would say, “Osama got what he deserved… Hell!”  I don’t believe Christ would rejoice in that way.  Shouldn’t we be saying something like, “It is sad that such a financially and organizationally blessed man squandered his gifts and his life being used for evil.”  Just think of how much good Bin Laden could have done had He used His gifts for Christ or to feed the hungry.  What if he would’ve used his gifts to mobilize a movement for helping AIDS victims?  It is so sad that the enemy of our souls was able to claim Bin Laden for his use.

We should rejoice, however, that the United States was able to stand up and make it know that nobody will threaten our children, our safety, or our future without repercussions.  We celebrate that freedom is defended.  We applaud the men and women who risk their lives to keep us free.  The draped flags and chants of “USA” on the night that Osama was killed should have been mainly because our ideals were defended and justice was served to a person and his organization.  The premeditated act of terror was brought to account.  We jump and dance because we are free people and we chant because we want the world to know that we will continue to be free.

The principle of the entire situation is: Hate the sin, not the sinner.  Christians aren’t vindictive people.  Christ isn’t a vindictive Saviour.  However, if a person will not listen and openly defies moral law and decency, then they put themselves in a place of their own peril.  Osama sentenced himself to death.  His story and his life’s work is tragic and we mourn that legacy.  However, we rejoice when we think of the words of The Battle Hymn of the Republic: “As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free while God is marching on!  Glory Glory Hallelujah!  Glory Glory Hallelujah, Glory Glory Hallelujah!  His Truth is marching on!!!”

I love my little boy, London, so much!  This morning he woke us up at about 5am and I’m not quite sure why.  However, it was Daddy’s turn to make sure little man was taken care of, because Mommy had a twelve hour shift in front of her.  I tried everything, including putting him in bed with me, to get him settled.  I thought I finally had him to sleep, but found that to be short-lived.  The next thing I knew he was kicking me in the back, crawling up on top of me, slapping me repeatedly and mumbling dadadadadada.  I love my sleep, but I guess I don’t mind it that much.  He’s special to me.

I know that it’s easy to get the warm fuzzies about London, because he’s so small and innocent.  However, we all know what’s coming.  The days of testing are just now beginning as he starts to understand our inflections and the word “no”.  There will be a day ahead in which I remember my father talking about when referring to me.  The day I was told not to touch the chocolate chip cookies, because it was almost dinner time.  My Mom left the room and gave me clear instructions not to touch the cookies.  She came back in a few minutes later.  The evidence was all over my face, because warm out-of-the-oven chocolate chips don’t just bounce off.  So the story goes… My Mom said, “Have you been eating the cookies?”  My response: “NO”  (While the melted chocolate and unchewed cookie in mouth stifled my response).

Why is it this way?  Who teaches a child to disobey?  Who teaches the child to lie?  The answer seems obvious.  The sinful nature that is alive in every human from birth is that same nature that pushes people to test the limits and see just how far they can go.

I’ve been reading in Romans this week.  I’ve been especially interested in Romans 6-8 where Paul is persuading the Jews to see things from a different light.  No one is saved or justified by the law, but we all are justified by grace through faith.  He goes further to say that the law that they had been following was not inherently bad, but it acted a little like the cookie in the story of my childhood.  He is saying that once we knew what was right and wrong, the sinful nature that was in us wanted to do exactly what the law said we shouldn’t.  In America, we definitely want what we want and we want it now.  We can’t stand for anyone to take our rights from us on anything.  Paul shows us that we are called to be “slaves of righteousness” and not living according to the sinful nature.  In fact, in Romans 6:1 he literally says, “Should we continue living in the condition of sin in order that grace may increase?  By no means!”

So – Is it really possible to live a life without sin?  I’m not talking perfection in every action, but a trajectory towards Christ and a Spirit that is pure and clean.  I’m talking about a person who can’t stand to have any part of their life out of the Lordship of Christ.  Paul is talking about a person’s very nature being crucified to the Cross of Christ.  Romans 8:7-9 says, “The sinful mind is hostile to god.  it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.  You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.”

My proposal to you today is that you don’t have to walk around believing you’re just a sinner and your going to continue in sin until the day you die.  You may make mistakes and your character will grow, but there can be a point in this life that ALL of you is God’s.  There’s an old song that goes:

All my tomorrows, all my past, Jesus is Lord of all!

I’ve quit my struggles, contentment at last,

Jesus is Lord of all!

King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Jesus is Lord of all!

All my possessions and all my life.

Jesus is Lord of all!

What the “rules” are powerless to do with you, Christ can do in you if you will give him ALL of you.  You don’t have to live in sin.  Christ died to set you free from that life.  Ask the Lord to cleanse you that you might have His integrity from the inside-out.  He is faithful and able to make you wholly His.

You still might slip a cookie in before dinner, though.

²The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. ³The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

There are many times in my life that I’ve experienced and counseled others on the question: What do I do when God is silent?”  This question seems more prevalent than asking what one does when God is speaking loudly.  In fact, it seems that there are many more people that express that they are experiencing silence from God than hearing Him speak.  The reality is that much of God’s silence is a consequence of trying to “squeeze” Him into our busy schedules and ambitious plans.

God speaks to His people.  The Old Testament exists because of those who directly heard from the Lord and acted upon what they had heard.  Abraham experienced God’s provision when a ram was provided in the place of his son, Isaac.  Elijah discounted the profits of Baal, because he heard a word from the Lord and then experienced God’s power by fire.  Moses heard from the Lord to go back into Egypt where he might be killed.  He led the Israelites out of slavery, wrote down the Ten Commandments, and parted the Red Sea all because he heard directly from God.  Joseph became the father of The Messiah, because he listened to God’s messenger in a dream.  God used a ram, fire, a bush, and a dream to make sure that His plan was carried out.  It is often the case that God uses the most ordinary items to speak directly to those who are listening for His voice.  Sometimes God speaks so softly that you may have to use a stethoscope to find how and where He is leading, but sometimes he is speaking so loudly that you would have to run to avoid hearing it.

Sometimes God speaks loudly! I find it so funny to see our open reaction and certainty when God speaks in favor of our wants, but how silent and tentative we become when He speaks to the contrary.  “I felt a tugging on my heart, the pastor preached about it, I ran into a friend who told me the same, and my devotions have been hitting there all week.  However, I think it’s just coincidence.”  The truth is that there is no justifying and no peace when God speaks loudly to our conscience and spirit and we choose to ignore His voice.  We put earplugs in and find that the resonance of the Spirit is already inside of us.  We may walk away from the burning bush experience with an explanation of how that couldn’t be God speaking.  We think that we can walk further away from the bush and back to the weeds of rationalization where we find the old solutions once again.  However, the echo of the Spirit keeps calling us to do it His way and in His time.  He speaks so loudly that we really have two choices.  We can keep running and never have the rest that God wants inside of us or we can let Him take over and bring peace and resolution to the concerns of our lives.

James 1:6-8 says, “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”  Maybe, we just need to just drop our guard and allow God to speak to us with an assurance that we will respond no matter the cost or the discomfort.  We say yes before God asks.  If that was our attitude each day as we sit before the throne of God, then we would hear God’s voice so much clearer.  God is still speaking to us today.  Listen to His voice with a certainty to respond.  You might just find that He has incredible experiences in store for you as you walk in obedience to His voice.

¹⁰He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

¹¹For as the heavens are high above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him;

¹²as far as the east is from the west,

so far he removes our transgressions from us.

¹³As a father has compassion for his children,

so the LORD has compassion for those who fear him.

There are so many songs that float through my head  that I either don’t know the words to or don’t know the title.  There’s one song that’s going through my head that I know neither the words nor the title.  I only have glimpses of it, but the lyrics are a conversation between a son and his mother.  It goes something like:

(Son)

Mowed the lawn yesterday – You owe me ten dollars.

Took the trash out on Thursday – You owe me two dollars.

Shoveled snow last winter – still owe me five more.

Just a few more days and my allowance will come due.

(Mom)

All the sleepless nights I held you – You owe me nothing

All the food that you could eat – You owe me nothing

All the clothes that kept you warm – still I would give you more

Just to love you is all I need from you

What a picture of how much our Heavenly Father loves us!  God doesn’t deal with us according to our sins.  I am so thankful that God hasn’t given me back in the same measure that I’ve dished out.  There are so many times that God has blessed me and I still ask for more.  It’s only in the view of God’s grace through Jesus Christ that I see how blessed I am.  I am redeemed, loved, changed, and free!  God has given me all I need and more even when I missed the mark.  An old hymn of the church says it so powerfully:

How Marvelous! How Wonderful!

And my song shall ever be

How Marvelous! How Wonderful!

Is my Savior’s love for me!

It is this love that Jesus has for me that makes me want to serve Him more.

All of us have fallen short of God’s perfect plan for our lives.  We are the ones who deserve our payment in full.  The Bible says that while we were still in our sin and still abusing what God gave us – Christ died for us!  He didn’t wait for us to get it all together and act perfectly.  He loves us so much that He doesn’t pay us back for everything wrong we’ve ever done.  He still loves us and invites us to come back to Him.

Please don’t misunderstand me.  God is not smiling down on sin and acting like it just fine with Him.  A holy and just God calls His people to be pure and in a right relationship with Him.  However, if we follow the book of John chapter 3 verse 17 we realize that Jesus’ purpose on earth wasn’t condemning everyone He could find.  He isn’t waiting to pay us back for sin, but waiting for us to ask forgiveness so He can freely forgive, forget, and bring joy to our lives again.

We are so blessed.  God has taken such good care of us!  Even at our worst, Jesus has been better to us than we’ve ever deserved.  He suffered and died on a cross for all of us and still says:  You owe me nothing. That’s why I want to give Him everything.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

There I was about an hour into my wait for a roller coaster named “The Beast” at Kings Island in Ohio.  The Beast is one of the fiercest roller coasters one could ever ride, holding many world records for wooden coasters.  I remember that my stomach was on edge and my anticipation level was very high as I got nearer to the main depot.  However, as the night went on and time kept ticking away the line just seemed to move at a crawl.  I would lean on one of the bars that kept us in line and listen for the next time the chain would let go of the train and drop about sixty screaming passengers into an underground tunnel.  I couldn’t see it, but we would keep hearing it.  The ride was working, but not fast enough.  It was about a half an hour later that the ride operator came on the speaker and told us that we would have another half hour wait as maintenance worked on the ride.  Oh, I was getting frustrated by this time, because there was so much else I wanted to do in the amusement park and here I was stuck in the line.  The people around me gave their “boos” and sighs and many were complaining.  I find it funny today that I could ever get so frustrated while I was waiting at an amusement park of all places.  I guess my desire for no lines, no hassle, and no waiting could extend about anywhere.

I’ve got to be honest with you.  The fruit of the Spirit that I lack the most is patience.  My family has often made fun of the way I don’t like to wait for things, but feel the need to get things fixed right now.  I understand the law of natural process and the need to let things simmer.  However, it is not my nature to wait and be patient.  I really need the Lord to help me on this one!

Ephesians 4:2 hits many of us square between the eyes.  We often expect a certain level of service or production that can get us in a tizzy when things don’t go as fast as we’d want them.  Sometimes we are under pressure by others to get a result and so we just hand the pressure down the line.  High expectations can be good and it will always exist in one way or another at your job and in your home.  However, patience is meant to be practiced on a personal level.  We can choose to set expectations of others and let them know the consequences of those expectations while being patient with them at the same time.  Patience deals with the state of what’s inside of us rather than what does or doesn’t happen around us.

Think of the times when we are waiting at the checkout line at Wal-Mart or Bi-Lo and it’s taking way too long.  Why do we sometimes get so frustrated and possibly critical of the checkout person.  Usually the problem isn’t with anyone else, but it’s because we have so many things going on with us that we feel someone’s keeping us from our next thing.  I would contend that the most common reason for impatience is that we are too focused on ourselves instead of other people.  We don’t often want to give into the thought that maybe God is having us wait for a purpose.  Maybe God has us right where we are so that He could get us on His detour and off of our 110 mile an hour plan.  Maybe God is hoping that we can hold integrity and kindness even when we must confront someone who is holding the operation up.  Maybe, just maybe, Stephen Covey was right when he wrote, “Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood”.  Maybe if I would listen first I could help solve problems rather than create new ones.

My prayer is that the Lord would help me be more patient and bear with people when they seem to slow down my plans.  I pray that the Lord would help me to look through His eyes.  He has always been patient with me, even though I’ve done enough to frustrate Him.  Why can’t I be a little more like Jesus today in how I handle myself and what’s going on inside of me?  I pray the Lord helps me to slow down long enough to see that people matter much more than plans.  I just wonder if I can get things done and show kindness and patience with everyone in the process.  I guess that really all depends on God and me.

Job is a perfect example that Satan can get to anyone, anywhere, anytime.  He was a righteous man who followed the Lord with all that he had.  He had faith and was willing to do whatever God wanted him to do.  Job wasn’t living a careless or reckless lifestyle, but was as solid as any of us hope to be.

I can’t say that I understand why God allowed horrific times to come to Job’s life, but that is also not my call.  God is sovereign and His mercy rains on the just and the unjust.  In fact, I would believe it to be true to Scripture to say that much was allowed to happen in Job’s life, because God trusted him so much.  Do you ever wish that God didn’t trust you so much?

The key aspect I want us to focus on for this devotional is that Job was tempted.  Christians often don’t want to admit that they are being tempted.  Admitting that there is temptation in our lives might make somebody think that we aren’t where we need to be with Christ.  Sometimes we find it hard to take down the mask of perfection to allow people to see we aren’t perfect (even if our heart and motives are).  Job was tempted to throw in the towel and turn his back on God.  He was not only tempted by his unbelievable circumstances, but by his wife as well.  Temptations of many varieties are waiting to lure us to turn our back away from God.  Just like with Adam and Eve, giving in makes us distant from our creator and feeling so ashamed to the point that we hide from His presence.

Job had a decision to make.  He could give into temptation and forsake God or he could honor God in the middle of his circumstances.  Job made a crucial decision at the most difficult time of his life.  He made a choice to stay true and even praise God in his time of trouble.  The temptation to turn away from God could have pounded the final nail on Job’s existence.  However, Job knew that the only way Satan could truly get the upper hand with him was if he tried to handle it on his own.  Job cries out to God in his pain and agony, but refuses to sin or dishonor God in process.

We have a choice to make when we are faced with temptation to give in to bitterness, lust, lies, addictions, etc…  We can make the choice to turn our face towards the Lord and ask for his help and believe that God will bring us through or to try and handle it ourselves.  It is often that initial choice that determines whether or not sin can take root in our hearts.  Job shows us that the best way to escape the trap that Satan has laid is to direct our problems back to Jesus and cry for help.  Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in the time of trouble.”  Our temptations are not too big for our God, but we must be willing to invite His help and lean on Him when we are tempted.  Our biggest mistake is allowing temptation to overtake us and allow for defeat before we allow the Lord to do the fighting for us.  All we have to do when we are tempted is simply say, “Jesus, help me.”  The battle is won or lost on our will to say those words and rely on him to bring us through.  Just like Job, we may not have it easy, but we can still overcome by seeking the Lord whenever we are tempted.

²²Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. ²³Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, ²⁴since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

“Success begins the moment you totally commit yourself“. -John Maxwell

I remember hearing this for the first time on one of those leadership tapes my father had handed down to me as a young college graduate.  I tested this in every scenario I could and found it to be true in the world’s definition of success a majority of the time and in God’s definition every time.

I am about to embark on another couple months of strict diet management and I guarantee that I will be moderately successful in taking pounds off.  How do I know this?  I know it because I will once again commit myself in a significant financial agreement with a hospital’s foundation.  If I cheat – I lose a lot of $$$.  If I make it – I give them a small donation for helping me.  This is a tried and true method with me, because “success begins when you totally commit yourself.”

Much of our lives are lived with too many irons in the fire and conflicting goals.  We want to make as much money as possible, have plenty of quality time with the family, give our all to the Lord, and take time to enjoy life.  Some of you are saying, “Yea right”.  We live in society that tries to lead us down every bunny trail going for the next big thing, believing that somehow we arrive at a quality of life that gives us all four things mentioned above.  However, we end up finding that one of Satan’s greatest schemes is to keep us running down these trails instead of being focused on what the Lord has for us.

The most effective way to live the life God wants us to live is to commit to a path and do it to the best of our ability.  You see people every day who hate their job and are “waiting” for that big opportunity that never comes.  I’m not trying to squelch dreams, because God gives us new dreams and visions.  However, if today passes and all we did was dream of tomorrow…  We may have squandered our freedom to make those choices in the future.  My Dad and Uncle LeBron taught me a valuable principle as a young man: “Bloom where you are planted”.  No matter where your future is headed, today is what counts.  We can either commit to excellence today and eventually succeed or simply dream of success that can only come once we have committed.  We become what we are committed to.

The Apostle Paul teaches us that our goal should never be to win the approval of our boss or customer.  If our goal was to simply look good with them, we might get caught in the enticement to be seen as excellent instead of being committed to excellence.  The principle is that appearances only last for a time and hoping for other people’s approval can lead to disappointment.  However, when we do everything we do for the Lord our commitment can make us world class workers, parents, students, and Christians.  When Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling, someone asked him, “Why are you spending so much time with these corners, no one will ever see them?”  Michelangelo replied, “God will”.

Our commitment is to God.  We will be successful men and women in the workplace, because we will always do the right thing when we do it for God.  We will be successful parents, because we will always live out the words, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord”.  We will be successful in living, because our day is in constant conversation with the Lord.  We will live a more fulfilled life when we take care of ourselves and take time to relax, because God can use us better with a fully charged battery.

Here’s my challenge to all of us this week:

1. Determine what you believe you should accomplish this week, according to what God would have you to do.

2. Commit yourself not to run down any other rabbit trails, but stick to your goals.

3. Have someone hold you accountable.

4. In all things – let the Lord know – “I’m doing this for you”.

God will bless you for it!

Have a wonderful week-

-Pastor Russ