Modeling

I love working in education.  Now don't get me wrong, there are days that I get frustrated with the woes of working in public education.  The pay is terrible, and the hours can be long.  Many times I have to take work home.  And there are always those students, that no matter what you do, just don't care.  However, each child that comes to me and says thank you, or comes back to visit after graduation just to visit me and ask for help outweighs all of the bad.

Now one of the best strategies that I have for teaching, and coaching, is modeling.  I try to model what I expect them to do.  If it is an assignment, I show them how to work out some examples.  If it is a concept, I give them a chance to create a real life example, or I make up one, to help them visualize.  When I coach, I get on the field and practice with them.  I show them exactly what I want them to do, and do it with them.  To me, this is the best way to learn.  Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a good lecture every once in a while.  But, the best way to learn is by experiencing it.

The same is true with Christianity.  The best way to share it, is to show it.

John 5:36
"But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me."

Here Christ was telling of His testimony, not by words that He had said, but by the works that He did.  That was the testimony of who He was.  As we strive to be more Christ-like, we have to model what we learn in the bible.  It is not just enough to quote scripture.  Anyone can do that, and learn it.  But it is the actual application of it to our daily lives that is the biggest witness to others.  Do they here us and see us live it?  There are a lot of people in this world that are playing church.  As Revelations 3 teaches us, they are lukewarm.  Neither cold nor hot.  They put on a good show to go to church, but do their actions away from church show the same life.  When we model the Christian faith, or live it outwardly, we show the world a true look at what Christianity really is.  And not what they see and hear from TV and some internet counterfeits.

So, the question today is, what are you modeling?  Because, what we model is what we truly believe in.

Thanks for reading, and I pray that God will bless you all!

What Would Your Letter Say?

Hi all!  It feels good to have the opportunity to write again.  Lots of things have been going on that have left me unable to post for a while, but with a small bit of free time, I felt that today would be a good day to begin again.  I have recently begun to question many things about my life.  No, I am not having a mid-life crisis.  That would be kind of sad to think that I would only live to see 60.  But more so, If I could have a one on one conversation with God, what would He say about me.  How would He feel about the way I am living and the things that I am doing.  While reading through my bible, I came across an interesting set of scripture.

Romans 1:7-10
"to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you."

 Wouldn't it be cool to get a letter from one of the Apostles?  Or even better, from God?  The book of Romans is nothing more than a letter that Paul wrote to the church at Rome.  We know that this letter was intended for the church(body of believers) because it is addressed to those called as saints.  In the same fashion as he does with all of his letters, Paul includes a message of grace to those in which he writes.  But the next part is what struck me.  He made sure to let them know that he was thanking God for them!  WOW!  Now there is a way to make a believer feel good.  But why?  Because their faith was being proclaimed throughout the whole world.  At this point in time, Paul was in Corinth which is around 1000 miles away.  And he was getting news of the faith of that church and its spread.  The people were sharing the Gospel and maturing in their faith.  And this gave Paul a since of pride, even though He, at this point, had never been to Rome.

What would your letter say?  Would you be praised for your faith, and all of the good things that you are doing?  What would it say?

Thanks for reading, and God bless you all!

Thoughts of Living Every Day

I am one excited individual.  This week marks the two year birthday of this blog!  Writing these devotions has been a great blessing to me.  I have seen more clearly how God can move in my life.  I have had the opportunity to expound on the things that I have learned through my experiences.  But in thinking of something to write for this week as a good 2nd birthday for this blog I was a little puzzled.  Maybe this could be from my not being able to post as often as I would like because of circumstances being what they are.  But, every time that I find myself in a struggle, God is always there.  So, today, I will begin a new commitment.  I will try to do the same for those that I see in my life.  How? Here is a list of things I will try to do everyday in my life.  Why everyday?  Because life is too short and we are none guaranteed tomorrow.

1.  I am going to pray a little more.

I have been guilty a lot of wallowing in my troubles, and not praising for the good times.  I guess that is just one area in my life that I struggle to deal with.  I get so caught up with life that sometimes God takes a backseat to what I want, and what I feel I need.  So, starting today, I am going to make it a point to pray more each and everyday.  To try never to place God in the backseat of my life, but in the driver seat.

Psalm 71:1-3
"In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed.  In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; Incline Your ear to me and save me.  Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come; You have given commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress."

I will trust in Him more every day.  Because I know that nothing in this world matters more than the will of the One who causes my every breath.

2.  I am going to seek to be more forgiving.

Oh my at the things that I have done wrong in my life.  If it were not for grace and the forgiveness of God, I would have no hope in this life.  I admit that I sin everyday, and I need His forgiveness.  However, sometimes I find it hard to be forgiving to others.

Matthew 6:14-15
^" For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."

What right do I have not to forgive someone for a wrong that has been done to me.  Begging God to forgive me, yet not returning that favor to my fellow man is kind of hypocritical.  God loves that person just as much as He loves me.  And God will forgive that person, if they are truly saved, and so should I.  We are not going to get along with everyone we come across, and we will not always agree.  But we all are children of God, and we have a witness to display to the lost.  They have a chance to view God's forgiveness when they see it in us.

3.  I am going to do more to help those in need.

Sometimes I feel so ashamed for the attitudes that I carry.  God has blessed me above and beyond what I deserve.  And sometimes I fail to see that there are others around me that have less than me.  And sometimes I fear to reach out because I worry about what I want, not what they need.

Matthew 25:34-40
"Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’"

I may not have much to offer, but anytime that I am able to help those in need around me, I will try.

Again these are areas in my life that I commit to do better.  What about you?  Are there areas in your life that you feel are in need of a big tune up?  If so, why not join me in a commitment to do better this year.


Thanks for reading, and I pray that God will bless you all this week.

Getting Older

WOW!  Time sure does seem to fly by.  There are so many things going on in our lives that we sometimes forget to stop and look at what is going on around us.  Two weeks ago, I hit a milestone in my life.  I graduated into a new decade in my life.  I finally turned 30.  I will be honest, it was not something that I was looking forward to at first.  But, then I realized that it was just another marker in my life.  Something that I could definitely use as sort of a window to my past and to my future.  So what I am going to do in this post is to examine the decades in which I have lived, and then, look to the future as to where God would have me go.

0-10 years

Luke 18:15-17
"And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

These were the great years.  These are the days that we all as adults wish that we could go back to sometimes, because life was simply and easy compared to what we go through today.  There was no worry on bills to pay, no job to rush to, no "responsibility" whatsoever.  I had a pretty good childhood.  I did not have as much as everyone else did.  But, my parents worked hard to provide a good life for us.  There was never a time that I had to wonder whether I was loved or not.  I also did not have an understanding of the world that my parents had.  Everything seemed so simple and easy to me.  Much the same as a new believer.  The concept of faith in Christ is not truly a hard concept to understand from a child's perspective.  Many times you can tell a child that something is true and they will just blindly trust you.  We need to be the same in our walk with Christ.  We need to be at a point that we put our full faith and trust in Christ, and all that He teaches.  And we cannot try to put our own spin on our salvation.

11-20 years

Psalms 25:6-8

"Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old.  Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Your lovingkindness remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.  Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way."

These were the hard years.  This is the time in my life where I truly started to question God and His promise.  No longer was I satisfied with the "just because it says so" answer.  I lost my childhood faith as I grew.  I found that this was a time of many mistakes and repentance.  I rebelled against what I was taught, and surly gave my family some sleepless nights.  But such is true of all those that are of the world.  It wasn't until I was 14 when God truly opened my eyes to who He was.  And how bad that I needed Him.  And I gave my life to Him.  And it was at this time that I failed the most.  I was pulled by the things and temptations of the world.  Much is the same for a new believer.  There are going to be many trials in the beginning.  Temptations seem to be stronger as we begin our faith.  But, those mistakes are not necessarily a bad thing.

21-30 years

Philippians 1:6
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." 

This was a time of growth for me.  I had matured out of the foolishness of my thoughts and actions.  I moved to a point that I knew that I was responsible for my faith, and I knew that I had to act on it.  Did I still make mistakes?  Yes, numerous.  However, I found that my mistakes were important to me.  They showed me where my sins were.  They showed me the way in which I needed to turn.  It is much like the Old Testament Law.  It is not there to condemn us, but to show our sins to us.  I saw the sins of my youth, and I worked hard in these years to learn and increase in my faith.  My mistakes were also a way to show that God was still there.  Because no matter the sin I committed, God was right there with me.  I felt conviction from the Spirit inside of me to repent.  With all this in mind, I began to grow.  I began to study more to seek out God's will in my life.  I also looked to find where my shortcomings were, based on past experience, so that I could make the necessary changes.  This represents the time in a believer's life where they begin to need the meat of understanding.  They have moved on from the milk as described in 1 Corinthians 3 and Hebrews 5.

30+ years

Philippians 1:9-11
"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

And I still have a lot to learn.  I find that there are new ways that I can grow everyday.  Our journey never ends while we are here on this earth.  What does the rest of my life hold?  I have no idea.  But one thing that I am certain in is that I will never be alone.  God has brought me this far, and no matter what, He will always be there for me.  Why?  Because I have put all my faith and hope in Him, and not in anything else.  I depend on Him for everything.  I need His guidance, and His forgiveness.  And my job is to keep on serving to the best of my ability until it is time for me to go home.  As I look to the future now, it is not in fear, but in hope, and anticipation.  What is God going to show me?  What is He going to help me through?  When I look back on these years, what will I have learned?  It is rather kind of exciting now.

Never again will I look at aging as something to be afraid of.  Yet, more of an adventure that is continuing in my life.  My story is not over.  Now, I do know how the story ends, and I take comfort in that.  What is exciting now is what is going to take place between here and then.  Because nothing is more important than my relationship with my Lord.

Thanks for reading, and God Bless You all this week. 

    

The Truth About the Lordship of Christ

 It has been a while since I have had the privilege to read on a regular basis. But the time became available here recently. Now, I love reading any kind of book with a Christian undertone. And, lately I have been viewing quite a few video clips of the teaching and preaching of John MacArthur. I know my pastor references him quite a bit, so I decided to check out some of his books. This is the first book by MacArthur that I have read, and enjoyed it so much I read it in two days. Which I believe is a record for me. Anyway, here is a review of his book, The Truth About the Lordship of Christ.  

Synopsis 
This book explores the doctrine of the Lordship of Christ, and how we should respond to his holiness. It starts with a detailed view of the biblical proof of what Lordship is, and explains what is means that He is the Lord of the Universe and the Lord of Our lives. The rest of the book is a look at how we are to respond to His Lordship. It expounds on the necessity of submission to His authority, holy living, confession, restoration, and the ultimate destination of humankind. He ends the book with certain statements of faith that define what a true christian must believe. I really enjoyed reading this book. But, not only using it as an interesting topic to read about, but as a study tool. I love the fact that everything that the author talks about, he backs it up with scripture. And not just one verse, but many examples of how the bible explains these topics. I also likes the way that he also gives examples of the opposite lifestyle. He shows the differences in the lives of those who are truly saved, and those that are not. He makes the case for the bible and does it in a simple manner that anyone can understand. I think this would be a wonderful book for any Christian to read, to strengthen their knowledge of the bible, as well as any other book by this author. I will definitely continue reading his work myself.  

About the Author
Widely known for his thorough, candid approach to teaching God's Word, John MacArthur is a popular author and conference speaker and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, since 1969. His pulpit ministry has been extended around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You, and its satellite offices in seven countries. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly 2,000 English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, audiotapes, and CDs by the author. He is the president of The Master's College and Seminary and has written hundreds of books and study guides, each one biblical and practical.

If you get a chance, I urge you to read this book.

Thanks for reading, and God Bless You all this week!

This book was provided me free from the publisher by BookSneeze.com blog book reviewers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

How am I remembered?

Last week, I had a home soccer game against an in county rival. Before the game started, one of my athletes from a while back showed up to watch the game. I had a chance to talk with her about what she was doing now, how was college going, don't you want to put on a uniform and get out here again? As we talked, she conveyed how much she missed high school, and how she wishes she could play for me again. She said that I was different from most coaches. I asked her how, and she replied that I live the way I talk. She said that people know what I believe when they are around me, and that I do not mind sharing that when I have the opportunity. I'll be honest, I had to fight real hard to keep my pride in check. Words like that from someone in the past makes me feel that what I am doing is really worth all the hard times that I go through. This led me to think on what kind of mark are we leaving in our wake. How are people going to remember me?

Hebrews 12:1-3
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Every where we go, we are surrounded by "witnesses". Those that are watching all that we do. Some, we have a direct influence in their lives; through work, church events, extracurricular activities, etc. Some, are just in the background. Those that are just in the crowd or passing us by when we act on something. We are always being watched. Now this is not to cause us to panic and look around us at all times looking for that person that is watching us. Instead, more of a motivation to make sure that we let Christ be seen through us.

The scripture above teaches us to lay aside every encumbrance and sin that entangles us. We are to do that not only for ourselves as we run the race of life for God, but those that are watching the race. By doing our best to live our lives for God, people see that. And if we talk about Christ with others, we need to be showing it in our walk. One of the most hurtful things I've seen, is to see someone who is always talking about Christ, and living just the opposite. Now, they may be talking a good game, but they don't show up to play. It's like I tell my athletes, don't say we are going to beat someone, and not play hard on the field and get beat. People are always watching. If they hear what you say about God, and then watch you live differently, why should they want to seek God as well? Their only example might be of someone who says, but doesn't walk it.

So, how should we go about this? We fix our eyes on Jesus. We do not just read the bible, but we become students of the bible. When we see an area in which we are weak, we make the changes in our lives. We pray for strength and guidance, and then use the strength and guidance given. And we must understand that this is not just a one time thing. We have to run our race with endurance. This means that we will do this to the end. We must constantly remind ourselves of what we are doing, and who we are living for. We must constantly combat the sin in our lives that bog us down, and gives ammunition to those who appose us. And maybe, just maybe, one of those people that are watching, will seek God, because of the faith that they see in us.

How will you be remembered?

Thanks for reading, and God Bless you all this week!

How am I living?

There are many things in this world that we use to justify the things we do. We have activities that we enjoy doing, jobs, little league with our kids, and so on. Sometimes we get caught up in all the things that we are trying to do, and thus, our lives are controlled by them. Myself for an example. I teach at a high school, I coach varsity soccer in the fall for boys and the spring for girls, and my son is in school and loves to play t-ball and soccer. We have two younger girls at home who want all the attention. We have church three times a week, with different activities going on all the time. Fridays are almost always spent with my parents, and the list goes on. It is very hard not to get caught up in all the details of our lives.

I saw a t-shirt sometime back that "Soccer is life, the rest is just details." This caught my attention to begin with because I love the game of soccer. But I had a thought. What if I replaced the word "soccer" with "Christ"? That puts things into a whole new perspective. "Christ is life, the rest is just details."

Matthew 24:35
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”


All the things of this world that we enjoy to do, will one day pass away. Nothing is eternal except the love of God. Now there is nothing wrong with all the things that we enjoy doing with our lives. That just adds to the pleasure of life. What becomes bad is when we let these things control our lives, and take our eyes off of Christ. If we center our lives around Christ on the other hand, that will never end. He will always be there, now and through eternity. Everything else is the sprinkles on the cake so to speak.

Psalms 37:4
"Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart."

Matthew 6:33
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

I know that my life is always going to be more fulfilling when I keep Christ as the center of it. Will you too say to yourself everyday "Christ is Life, the rest is just details"?

Thanks for reading, and God bless you all this week!

Needing Some Support

As I prepare for the upcoming soccer season at my school, I am in the stage of planning practices and strategies to help my team be successful this year. I have found that I have a couple of outstanding players, and I tend to plan around them. I make sure they those key people get the ball and go to work. However, these few athletes cannot do it alone. Without the support of the team, they themselves will never be successful. This made me think of the purpose of church in our lives.

Acts 2:44-47
"And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved."

It is very hard sometimes to go at it alone. It becomes lonely, and hard to complete the task at hand. But, when you have someone with you, it makes life a little bit easier. Just think about daily living. It is easier to witness to others when you have a brother or sister with you. It is also easier to fight temptations when you are around fellow believers. The support is also there when you are in need. This is one of the many functions of the church. To support the brethren. If you read through the book of Acts, you will see that even the Apostles traveled with companions on their journeys. They worked together, the prayed together, and even endured hardships together.

I love going to church on Wednesday nights. It gives me a chance to spend time with brothers and sisters, and gives me a spiritual booster shot to finish the week. As head of the FCA at my school, I along with two very special students, have organized bible study twice a week before school starts. This has also been a huge blessing to me. I feel strengthen by them when we pray together, and when we share God's word together.

Hebrews 10:24-25
"And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."

So I encourage you today, spend as much time with fellow believers as you can. Go to church as much as you can, whether it is actual church time, nightly bible studies, pray meetings, witness teams, or whatever is going on that gives you a chance to spend time with each other. Encourage each other. Support your brothers and sisters in their time of need. Share with them your struggles so that you have others praying for you and helping you. You will find that life is so much better when you are not alone.

Thanks for reading, and God Bless you all this week!

Am I On the Right Path?

This is a question that I find myself asking a lot while on my walk with Christ on this earth. Am I choosing the right way? Am I following God's will for my life? Am I trying to do things on my own? Sometimes I find that I go through life without considering what God would have me do in situations that come up. As I think about it now, it is like playing the game risk. Do I make moves on my own that may hold serious consequences if I am wrong, or do I place my trust in God for Him to guide me on the right path? Do I look for the advice of others, and give that equal value to what the scripture says? It seems like there are always going to be things that will pull us from our walk and get us off course. This reminds me of a set of scriptures from 2 Timothy.

2 Timothy 4:2-5
"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

How do I make sure I am on the right path? I need to stop, wait, and be ready. The first thing we should do is stop where we are. If you can not honestly say that what you are doing is pleasing in the sight of God, then it stands to reason that you might not be in the will of God. And this is a path that does not need to be traveled on. Because danger awaits us in the form of sin.

Genesis 4:7
"If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

Secondly we must wait on God to act, and show us the right path. Too many times we place our trust in other people. And usually the ones that say what we want to hear as described in 2 Timothy 4. We want our ears tickled. We want to believe what we are doing aside from God is justified. And we continue down the wrong path.

Lastly, we must be ready when God says move. The best way to be ready is constant devotion to the Word of God. Because by this, we draw nearer to God, and it is easier for us to hear God lead us on the right path.

Psalm 119:105
"Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path."

And when He speaks, we must go. It may not be the path that we think is right. It may be something that we really do not want to do. But, we need to realize that God looks at everything by the big picture. We see things just where we are.

I heard the story of a pilot who on many occasions flew from Charlotte to Wilmington in the course of a year. On one such trip, the air traffic controller gave the pilot a new course. Feeling that the course was incorrect, the pilot started to move back to the course that was familiar. Within seconds the air traffic controller radioed and asked why the pilot was changing course. The pilot explained that they felt they should be on a different course. The air traffic controller replied that if the pilot did change course, his small one seat air plane would crash into a 747.

So the question again, are we on the right path?

Thanks for reading, and God Bless you all this week!

Just Let Go

I loved playing sports when I was younger. It did not matter what it was, I just wanted to play. I can remember the excitement of tryouts. Doing everything that I could do to impress the coaches so I could get a spot on the team. And, I got the same feeling every time a game rolled around. I would get nervous. I knew that the beginning of the game usually sets the tone for the rest of the game. I always wanted to do my best to get my team out to an early lead, and let that carry us through to a victory in the end. I remember what a lot of my coaches would tell us at the beginning of the game. They would tell us to "Just let go, and leave it all on the field/court."

Now, I am the coach. And I get just as excited about the game now, as I did when I was younger. And I find that I tell my athletes the same thing. Just let go. Drop all fear and anxiousness and go for the prize at the end. Leave everything on the field, never surrender, and success will find you inspite of the outcome. Is this not a parallel to our Christian walk?

Philippians 3:13-14
"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

We have not yet tasted what life eternal will be yet. However, we keep striving towards that goal. We do not need to live our lives based on the sins of our past. When we become saved we are a new creation. The old is gone and we have put on the new in Christ Jesus. We need to live a life of praise for what Christ did for us on the Cross at Calvary. We need to go through everyday looking to what we will get one day when we meet our Savior face to face. No matter what fears, anxiety, trials we face, we look toward the goal. Which is eternal life with our Savior in Heaven. Paul wrote to Timothy just before he died:

2 Timothy 4:6-8
"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."

Thanks for reading, and God bless you all this week!

Manger to the Cross

Last night our church put on our traditional Christmas play. We based our play on the book, "The Three Trees." In this story we see three trees all with a different wish. One wants to be turned into a beautiful box to carry the most valuable treasures in the world. The second one wants to be made into a mighty sailing vessel to carry kings across the seas. The third wants to be left on the mountain and point to God, so when people see him, they will be reminded of God. As the story goes, one is cut down and turned into a manger. He is overcome with disappointment, until one night when baby Jesus is placed inside of it. He knew that he was holding the greatest treasure ever known. The second tree is turned into a small fishing boat. Just as disappointed as the first one was until it found out that Jesus was on board and calmed the seas. He knew that he was carrying the King of Kings. The third tree was pieced together and had to endure a jeering crowd. Then they nailed a man to him. He felt ugly and ashamed. However, He knew after that day that every time that someone looked at him, they would remember the sacrifice on the cross.

My part was interesting. I got to play the part of a disciple in one scene and a Roman soldier in another scene. I know you are probably saying that would be kind of hard. But is was interesting working out the logistics of it. But the part I enjoyed the most was being the Roman soldier. I have talked with several people who said they could not play that part. And I understand that. But it meant a lot to me to put Christ on the cross. It really brought it home to me that it is because of my sin that He had to die on that cross. It was a good reminder to me of what His sacrifice was to me. A chance for eternal life.

Now some people have asked me why we did the whole story? Well, is that not the message of Christmas? It is not just about celebrating His birth. But, the fulfillment of a promise to us as told in the Old Testament. He had to be born before He could die, or the resurrection would mean nothing. He had to become a man, just like me and you.

John 1:1-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

He came to pay a debt that He did not owe, and that we could never pay. He did this so we could have eternal life with Him. That is the true meaning of Christmas. We can see this in our favorite Christmas Carols. If you look at "Away in a Manger", "Joy to the World", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", and so on, you will see that they all start with verses about His birth. Then they talk about His life, and ultimately Him as King and Savior of this world. So this year, as we remember His birth, let us also celebrate His life, death, and resurrection as well.

Thanks for reading, God Bless, and Merry Christmas!