All I Want For Christmas

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God"- Ephesian 2:8 (NIV).

The Christmas rush is on. The stress for me isn't about the money, though money is a close second, the stress comes from trying to figure out what to buy for each of my loved ones. I want the gift to be practical, desired, and fairly priced. The trouble is I don't know what's in the heart of others unless they confide in me. Then I have those who say, "I don't give hints. I want to see what others will gift me with." They just don't realize the pressure that creates. As kids, we made lists for our parents, as did my children. Of course, children aren't shy about letting you know what they want. We don't have to make lists for God. God knows our heart and is aware of our desires. His gifts are always practical, desired, and price is no obstacle for the Creator of all things. He doesn't ask for lists from His children; He asks for faith. Our prayer should be for more faith, just as His followers did in Luke 17:5: "The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!."" It's a double gift actually, because with faith comes the gift of grace. I'll make a list for my loved ones this Christmas; they don't know my heart. But to the Lord, Who does, I'll pray that all I want for Christmas is increased faith. 

Ripping Kudzu From The Ground

"The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the Word, making it unfruitful"- Matthew 13:22 (NIV).

We have been fighting kudzu this entire summer. Kudzu is not indigenous to this area. It was brought over to help control erosion. It backfired, because kudzu hasn't been the answer, it's become the problem. It covers everything in its path, growing up to a foot a day, or 60 feet per season. The only way to kill it is to find the root ball and tear it from the ground. The worries of this life are like Kudzu in our souls, choking out the Word. It grows exponentially, too, foot by foot, making us unprofitable to the Lord. We have to search out the root ball and rip it from our lives, or left unhindered, we will be covered by it and the Word will be choked within us. Worrying is a state of not relaxing. Find what bunches your shoulders up into knots, like Kudzu vines wrapping around you, and hand it/them over to God and don't reach out and reclaim it/them; allow God to be in control of your life. When you are worrying (not relaxing) you are basically resisting God. Learn to identify your Kudzu, pray specifically for His help, and then give it to God: release it. It may take one, or it make take many times, but keep looking for that root ball. God has the answer: He is the answer.

Choosing Jealous

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me, and my household, we will serve the Lord"- Joshua 24:15 (NIV),

I knew a week after I met my husband, that he was the man I was going to marry. I'm glad to live in a society where we can choose who we want to marry.That's freedom to be happy and to love. That's also a lot of responsibility, because the onus is on you. If you choose wrong, you'll be wedded to years of regret and suffer feelings of unfulfilled happiness and unrequited love. I'm happy to report I chose well. Joshua was laying it out to the Israelites. It was a warning to choose carefully whom they would serve. Choosing wrong, when it comes to which god we serve, has eternal consequences. There can be no fence-straddling, no wishy-washy allegiance, because God is a jealous God: "Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God" (Exodus 34:14). We all have to make a choice; we can't have more than one. I'm beyond certain that my husband doesn't want me in a relationship with any other man; just as God doesn't want us to be in relationship with anything or anyone that would supplant Him in our lives. We have the freedom to choose, the responsibility falls on our shoulders: But as for me, and my household, we, too, will serve the Lord. I choose Jealous and I have chosen well. 

Muster the Vigor

"She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks"- Proverbs 31:17 (NIV).

The ESV translation says "and makes her arms strong." Before the inventions of washing machines, heating systems, and electric stoves, the jobs of washing clothes, chopping firewood, and preparing meals required upper body strength. A weak woman would be no added benefit to her husband or children. The Proverbs 31 woman is the woman whom we all aspire to be compared to. She rises before the sun and works all day (v 15), not just at home, but out in the community as well, and her lamp does not go out at night (v 18). Idleness is not one of her characteristics. She's the wife every man hopes to have one day. As we women work, 'as unto the Lord,' we have to keep our bodies in physical shape. Disuse of muscles weakens our arms, backs, and legs...and the word "vigorously" is a momentary thought; one in which we might scoff. We can't keep up with the Proverbs woman if we don't exercise. She'll run circles around us. Could you imagine a world filled with Proverbs 31 women? What condition would the family unit be in today if that were a reality. "Her children [would] arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he [would] praise her" (v 28). Christian woman need to be fit for God's service so that they can muster the vigor to work vigorously. "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate" (vv 30-31). If you know a Proverbs 31 woman, encourage her to continue, and if you want to become a Proverbs 31 woman, ask the Lord to prepare you for service and then muster the vigor to start moving.

Motion Sensor

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven"- Matthew 5:16 (NIV).

There is a motion sensor in my office and I've found that if I sit still for long, the light goes out, not coming back on until I move. I could sit still for hours and remain in the dark. That's useful in saving energy, but in the world of sharing the Gospel, being still, keeping the light from shining, is counter productive to the Lord's commands. You aren't "saving" anything if your light is not shining. I pass a house each day that recently had a team of people building an extension onto the front porch. They had a sign posted outside: The Jerusalem Project. These people were God's hands and feet. They were a light shining for others to see. Even now, I can't help but look at the new addition each time I pass by and think about what God has done for that family. I personally know the woman is a widow. This story begs me to ask if I've been sitting in darkness, my light not shining, because my motion sensor hasn't detected any movement in a long time. We are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), designed to bring glory to our Father. The Lord is in the "saving" business: "For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth'" (Acts 13:47). Oh, that we really had a motion sensor to remind us to move.