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Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Years ago, my wife and I had a landscape maintenance business. We had one customer who loved her roses. I mean loved her babies. To her, the roses were her babies. Each week we were there, we mowed, edged, and pruned the bushes. Sprayed for weeds, and tended to the needs of the roses. There must have been two or three dozen roses, all planted in a large group. A majority of our time was spent on the roses. We would prune them. We would spray them. We would put powders on them. We would fertilize them. Even as we were there, the owner would come out and cut a fresh bouquet to take into her house to enjoy. For years we did this, but it never dawned on me to stop to smell the roses. We were always too busy, and needed to stay on schedule to get to the next house. Until one day, something clicked, as we were getting ready leave. I bent over and smelled the roses for the first time. Wow, in amazement, I now knew why these roses meant so much to the home owner. They looked so beautiful, and smelled so sweet. No wonder these roses were her babies. I think life is the same way. We get so busy every day and forget to stop and smell the roses. I love what Bil Keane said. “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift from God, which is why they call it a present.” Stop and think about it for a minute. Have you ever seen a Christmas tree on December 26th that still had a wrapped present underneath it? Of course not. But that is exactly what many of us do on a daily basis. We don’t fully unwrap the gift God gave us that day. We think back to the good old days. Or we wish for tomorrow, to fulfill some dream we may have. But we miss what God gave us today. God gave us the gift of today to stop and enjoy. In our busy schedules this season, let's take the time first and foremost, to spend time with God. Then let's not forget to spend some time for ourselves. Get out and go for a walk. Brew a warm cup of tea or coffee, and grab a favorite book. Maybe even call an old friend. Texting doesn’t count. Go old school and pick up the phone. Enjoy today, because seasons change, and so opportunities can pass us by quickly. Before we know it, another year has slipped through our fingers. This Christmas, open all the gifts under the tree. The last two have your name on them. The first one is Christmas itself. Christmas starts with the word “Christ.” He is the reason for the season. Luke 2: 8-11 says, “And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The last gift to open today is appropriately called a present. Bil Keane said it well when he said, “Today is a gift from God, which is why they call it a present.” Don’t forget to open all your gifts today. Psalm 118:24 says. "This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” This Christmas...Stop and Smell the Roses for KING & COUNTRY- Go Tell It On The Mountain
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Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Christmas is such an amazing time of year. All around us there are signs Christmas. Christmas music playing in the mall. Christmas lights on the houses, as we drive down the street. People dressed in festive attire, and the occasional ugly sweater. Even the decorated Christmas tree we have in our homes. We all have so much to be thankful for. Food on the table, a roof over our heads, and family and friends we can share our lives with. But this Christmas, there may be one gift missing underneath the Christmas tree. The gift of Forgiveness. In Acts 20:35 Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” In this season of giving gifts and even exchanging gifts with those we love, let's not forget the ultimate gift Jesus Christ gave us, Forgiveness. He knew we needed it, before we even knew we needed it ourselves. That’s how much He loves us. That’s why He gave His life for us on Calvary. I love the first few lines of the song, Amazing Grace. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” None of us deserve God’s forgiveness, yet He gave His only begotten Son so we could be forgiven. Forgiveness is a two-way gift. Not only does it need to be given, but it must also be received. There are many people in the world right now waiting to receive forgiveness. But first we must give it to them, even though they do not deserve it. We may be right, but they still wronged us. We may have been minding our own business in the holiday traffic, and someone cuts us off. It's easy to want to repay evil for evil. But Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” That sounds like good advice, and that is where forgiveness comes in. None of us deserve it, but we all need it. This Christmas, let’s not forget to wrap the ultimate gift or gifts and put them under the tree. Maybe we should even wrap a few extra, and keep them in our car. You never know when an opportunity may arise to give that ultimate gift. It’s a gift we can give any time of year, not just during Christmas. Jesus said to forgive seventy times seven. The last time I did the math, that is a big number. It totals... 490 Gifts of Forgiveness James 1:2-3 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. What comes to mind when you say the word “Joy” in the month of December? I know for me it’s the old Christmas song, “Joy to the World.” Even the first verse is exciting when it says, “Joy to the world! The Lord is come.” That will be the most joyful time ever, when Jesus comes back. There is another thing that comes to my mind, when I think of the word joy. Years ago, my wife and I saw a friend who is a practical joker. We had not seen him or his wife in a while. All excited he came up to us and said, “I have to show you my pride and joy.” We thought maybe they got something new, like new dogs, or a car, boat or other toy. He pulls out his wallet and thumbs through his photo’s. He stops when he comes to the picture of his pride and joy. It was literally a picture of Pride and Joy dish soap. You can Google it and see the photo; it is pretty funny. Thanks Marvin, you got us. James is talking about a different kind of joy today. We don’t usually put the word joy and trials in the same sentence. Now let's think about the word trials for a moment. There are courtroom trials. There are clinical trials. Even new product trials. Trials include times of testing. Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” He found 10,000 ways the light bulb would not work, but only needed one way, that it would work. The light bulb is only one of 2,332 total patents he has to his credit today. James 1:2 says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.” Joy when we have testing of our faith. I think Thomas Edison would say he had joy in the testing of his faith. He had faith he could find a solution to a problem. In the same way I think we can have joy in our trials and testing, knowing God is the solution to our problems. God wants us made perfect and complete, lacking in nothing, James 1:4 says. If Thomas Edison could have joy in the physical, we can surely have joy in the Spiritual through... 10,000 Trials of Joy Isaiah 25:1 O Lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will give thanks to Thy name; For Thou hast worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. Whose God do we serve? Can we honestly say, O Lord, Thou art “MY GOD?” Can we really say that? It's great to have second hand knowledge. I believe there are many anointed pastors, teachers, and even prophets right now speaking the word of God. I am even by the grace of God, writing what the Holy Spirit wants me to say through this blog. This is His blog not mine. But there has to be a point when we dive in for ourselves. We can't just be in the boat and hear Jesus call us. We have to experience it. We have to step out of the boat and have a personal relationship with Jesus. That is what He is calling all of us to. James 1:22 says in the Amplified Bible, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, (actively and continually obeying God’s precepts), and not merely listeners, (who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning), deluding yourselves, (by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth). It's great to go to church Sunday and hear the pastor talk about God. We all need that. It's great to read a “Christian” book and get encouraged by someone else's testimony. It's even great to hear a “Christian” song speak and edify the name of Jesus. (Music is my daily buzz.) They are all amazing. But they all can't compare to or take the place of our own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He has to be our first love. We have to be so in love with Jesus we want to be with Him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We should go to church, not to just hear a word from the Lord from the pastor. That word should confirm the word the Holy Spirit has already given us that week, that day, or even that hour. It will be confirmed in our Spirit because we have had personal one on one time with Jesus. Consistent time alone, reading the Bible, seeking God in Prayer. Then being quiet, and letting Him speak to us while we mediate with Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” So many of us have had times in our life where seeking God was like shopping for grocery's or going to a restaurant for fast food. We just want to get a frozen meal and reheat it. We listen to a sermon or YouTube video from the past, where someone is sharing their personal experience. But it is not our personal experience. We go to a drive-up window and get a to go meal to eat, because we say we are in a hurry. But God wants us to go shopping if you will, and get all the ingredients to make a meal ourselves; make a meal from scratch, a home cooked meal. Wouldn’t you agree, that home cooked meals are always better? I'm sure you are like me, and right now you can think of and even taste in your mouth, a home cooked recipe. It could be something you make or someone in your family has made in the past. Those memories of that food excite all of our senses in our body. God made us that way, to remember that personal experience that we saw, felt, touched, tasted, smelled and enjoyed at home. That home cooked meal. Jesus is the same way. He wants us to have that personal time with Him, and Him alone. Time, seven days a week, not just Sunday or a YouTube video here or there. Time, not in a rush or hurry. Time, set aside every day with Jesus, like Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first His kingdom...” What time is it? It's time to let the Holy Spirit talk to us personally. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog today and I pray it was an encouragement. But now we need to pick up our Bible and let the God of the universe speak to us. If He truly is our best friend, what are we waiting for? All we need is Jesus. "All We Need" was one of my favorite songs growing up. In 1979, a husband and wife group called Farrell & Farrell put out the song on the album titled, A Portrait Of Us All. Listen to it and see how ahead of its time, it really was. It's still a great song today and deserves continued air play so we go. All we need is Jesus. We should all seek Jesus personally everyday and say what Isaiah 25:1 says, O Lord, Thou Art “MY GOD” Romans 8: 5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. We have all heard the saying from Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23-79) when he said, “Home is where the heart is.” So, if that is true, then where is our home, and where is our heart? Where and what do we keep our minds focused on? It's so easy on a daily basis to lose our focus on truly what matters. I remember in high school our basketball coach always talking about using our peripheral vision. When you're running down the middle of the court with the ball, to see your teammates on either side of you with your peripheral vision. You never turn your head to the left or the right, but look straight ahead and know exactly where your teammates are at any given second. Then as you get close to the hoop you pass the ball and your teammate takes the shot. Two points. No one knew you were going to pass the ball because you never turned your head. I remember watching Michael Jordan perfect that move when I got to see him play live in Portland Oregon in 1992 with the “Dream Team.” Never before had there been so much talent on the basketball court at one time. I think our Christian life and our daily walk need to be done almost the same way. We need to use our peripheral vision. Our focus should still be Heaven and what God has called us to do each and every day. But when the flesh wants to distract our minds and have us turn our focus to the left or to the right, we need to keep our focus straight ahead. I love what Colossians 3:2 says in the Amplified Bible. “Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above (the heavenly things), not on things that are on the earth (which have only temporal value.”) In the same year the “Dream Team” played, 1992, there was another group, a Christian music group called "Novella." They put out one of my favorite songs, and brings the thought of today's verse full circle. I hope you enjoy this blast from the past. The song is called... Heaven's On My Mind |
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