3:00AM Thought

Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me.

John 14:1

I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I have read the above verse, yet I have never, not once, grasped its true meaning. Even last night, as I was reading in my quiet time, I read right through it without thinking, but then something made me go back a read again. It was when I reread it for what must have been the five thousandth time that it finally clicked. It is easy to believe in the existence of a Creator God, but it is oh so much harder to believe in the One who came to "seek and save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).

Jesus is Emanuel, God with us. He came be with us, to walk us, to talk with us, all on a daily, minute-by-minute basis. But He also came to destroy that which He hates the most--sin. But it just so happens that what He hates the most is what we as humans love the most. That Bible says in John 3:19, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." The truth is we love our sin, and we don't want to give it up. Therefore it is hard for us to believe in the One who came to take away that which we love the most.

As we enter into the new year, let me challenge you as well as myself to believe in the Savior as well as the Creator. And if you have yet to trust Christ as the Lord of your life, I invite you to do so before it is eternally too late for you. If you will turn from all sin and trust Jesus alone to save you, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

That's What Christmas Is About, Mr. O

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:11

I seldom watch The O’Reilly Factor myself; however, my mother likes to watch it, so I sometimes catch bits and pieces as I pass through the living room. Over the last couple of weeks, I have been hearing him talk about calling Christmas what it is—Christmas. For example, when Rhode Island Governor, Lincoln Chafee, insisted that the Rhode Island State House Christmas tree be referred to as a “holiday tree,” Bill O’Reilly called the Governor out on the matter. O’Reilly said that the tree is not a holiday tree; it is a Christmas tree. That, I agree with. However, I do not agree with Mr. O’Reilly’s reasoning behind his argument simply because it is not right. Mr. O’Reilly said that it should be called a Christmas tree because it has been an American tradition for centuries. This, however, could not be further from the truth.

Bill O’Reilly has been a supporter of Christmas for years. He even sells a variety of products on his website that proclaim, “We Say Merry Christmas!” However, over the last couple of weeks, I have been made aware that his reasoning for doing so is in reality very anti-Christmas. We do not call Christmas Christmas because of any kind of tradition; we call Christmas Christmas because that’s what it is. It is called Christmas because it is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It always has been and it always will be.

Many people have commented and said that it is not right to call Christmas Christmas because Christmas is a religious holiday, and it is not right to force one particular religion on everyone. Bill O’Reilly’s response to this last night rather stunned me, to say the least. O’Reilly said that you do not have to believe that Jesus was God in order to celebrate Christmas. He then went on to compare Christmas to Martin Luther King Day, saying that we should remember Jesus for the influential man He was just as we remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the influential man he was. This comparison is ludicrous in every way. Yes, Dr. Martin Luther King was a very influential man, and his contributions to society should be remembered and respected. However, Jesus was not just any influential man; Jesus was the God Man. Jesus was sent to be born of a virgin, to live a sinless life, and to ultimately die on an old, rugged cross for the sins of all people. To forget this is to kill the spirit of Christmas altogether.

When the angel appeared to Joseph in the night, he said, “And thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). That, my friends, is the one and only true meaning of Christmas. When we celebrate Christmas, we are not celebrating the birth of just any influential man; we are celebrating the birth of the One who saves us from our sins—“the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

Perhaps the number one reason Mr. O does not understand that Christmas is so much more than any other American tradition is because he has never experienced the saving grace of Jesus Christ in his own life. Well, I am here today to tell anyone who does not know Jesus as Lord that, if you will turn from all sin and trust Jesus alone to save you, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

Why I Vote Republican

Disclosure: Some may mistake this as a political post and therefore deem it unfit to be on a Christian blog. Therefore, if you are not concerned about the core issues of life, I suggest you stop reading now.

If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Leviticus 20:13

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Psalm 127:3

The first presidential election I really remember was that of the year 2000. I was nine years old at the time. And although there had already been two previous presidential elections that had taken place during my short lifetime, that was the first one where I was really aware of what was going on. That was also the year I decided that I would always vote Republican, no matter what.

I remember asking my mother why she always voted Republican, and her simple answer has stuck with me ever since. She said, “Well, Republicans tend to be against abortion and gay rights, and Democrats are usually in favor of those things.” That was all she said. Those were the only two reasons she gave, and they were good enough for me. And you know what? They are still good enough for me now, too.

My mother taught me that we ought not to vote for a person based on anything other than his core moral standards. And if you will look at both of the two main political parties, you will see that they are divided based on morality and morality alone. My mother’s response that day set an alarm off in my little, nine-year-old head that the political party you vote for matters. When you vote for a particular political party, you are voting for a way of life.

So I urge you. Do you know the core beliefs of the political party you plan to vote for this November? It’s like Adrian Rogers used to say, “It’s not about Republicans versus Democrats; it’s about right versus wrong.” They cannot both be right. Pick the right one, and stand by it for life. Your country’s wellbeing depends upon your vote.

Just as I Remember

The other day my mother was watching television when I noticed a commercial for a Hallmark movie entitled Love’s Everlasting Courage. It looked interesting, so I looked it up. When I searched the title on my computer, I discovered that the full movie was available on YouTube, so I decided to watch it. I grew up watching Hallmark movies with my grandmother. All of the Hallmark movies my grandmother had shown me promoted faith, hope, love, and family togetherness. However, I have also seen bits and pieces of some of the more recent Hallmark movies, and to be honest they all missed the mark by a long shot. Therefore I didn’t expect much when I decided to watch this one. But I was very pleasantly surprised to find that Love's Everlasting Courage was just as wonderful as the movies my grandmother and shown me and then some.

This movie is chock-full of wisdom. So much so that I believe it is impossible to catch it all the first time you watch it. I plan on writing several blog posts about some of things I learned from this movie. Below, I have included the link to the movie as well as some quotes I wrote down while watching:

• “A man does have to go off and find his way, make his own life; but he shouldn’t forget where he came from.”
•  “Giving up hope is for the hopeless.”
•   “When things seem to overwhelm you, slow down and focus on the task in front of you. Take care of it and move on to the next one.”
• “The truth of God’s love is not that He allows bad things to happen; it’s His promise that He will be standing right there beside you when they do.”

Love Personified: Remembering Mrs. Shirley

Husbands, love your wives,

even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.

Ephesians 5:25

Yesterday morning at the beginning of the worship service, the pastor announced that Robertson McQuilkin will be visiting our church one Sunday in October to bring a special message about marriage. I, of course, was elated because I know who Robertson McQuilkin is and would very much like the chance to meet him in person. However, as I thought more about the subject last night, I remembered a very special lady who was a neighbor and dedicated member of the church that I grew up in. Mrs. Shirley had multiple sclerosis, commonly known as MS, and each Sunday I would watch her husband care for her as if she was the most important person in the world.

I attended church with Mrs. Shirley for eleven years. And every Sunday for those eleven years, I would watch her husband wheel her to their pew, lift her out of her wheelchair and position her comfortably on the pew, and then push her wheel chair to the front of the sanctuary before returning to her side. Then, when the service had ended, Mrs. Shirley’s husband would walk to the front of the sanctuary, bring the wheelchair back to the pew where Mrs. Shirley was sitting, place her gently in the wheelchair, and proceed to wheel her through the winding hallways of the old church building to the wheelchair accessible door where she would then wait for him to bring the car around and lift her once again out of her wheelchair and into the car.

I watched Mrs. Shirley’s husband carry out that same selfless routine every Sunday for eleven years. However, what I did not see was him lifting her out of the car when they arrived home. I did not see him prepare Sunday dinner. I did not see him feed his wife. I did not see him wash and put away the dishes. I did not see him vacuum the floors and dust the furniture. I did not see him help Mrs. Shirley into her bed at night. I did not see him prepare her breakfast and help her get dressed the next morning. I saw none of that, yet I know he did it every day for more than twenty years.

Growing up, I thought nothing of seeing Mrs. Shirley’s husband meet her every need. However, today, I look back and see one of the greatest love stories ever written. He didn’t have to wait on her like that. He could have shipped her off to a nursing home, and the society in which we now live would have supported him one hundred percent. He could have divorced Mrs. Shirley and married someone else who could wait on him, and the society in which we now live would have supported that decision one hundred percent also. However, he chose the biblical route. He chose to love Mrs. Shirley as Christ loves the church, and that meant dying to himself, putting her needs before his own.

In response to a comment made by Pat Robertson about a year or so ago concerning divorce and Alzheimer’s, Joni Eareckson Tada said the following:

At the Joni and Friends International Disability Center, we encounter thousands of couples who, despite living with serious disabling conditions, showcase the grace of God in their weakness every day. Marriage is designed to be a picture of God’s sacrificial love for us. Alzheimer’s disease is never an ‘accident’ in a marriage; it falls under the purview of God’s sovereignty. In the case of someone with Alzheimer's, this means God's unconditional and sacrificial love has an opportunity to be even more gloriously displayed in a life together![1]

I know what Joni said is true because I have witnessed it firsthand. Mrs. Shirley and her husband were love personified. As one lady said of her parents, “It was the ‘being there’ when nothing was left but the bad. It was one taking care of the other in the most humbling of ways. It was one depending on the other with as much faith as she had.”[2]

I know that it was only by the grace of God that Mrs. Shirley’s husband was able to care for her in such a selfless and sacrificial way for all those years. It was that same grace that sent Jesus to that old, rugged cross to die for crimes He had not done (2 Corinthians 5:21). And if you will turn from all sin and trust Jesus Christ alone to save you, that same grace will save you today and keep you saved forever.

---

[1] http://www.epm.org/blog/2011/Sep/16/robertson-mcquilkin-and-joni-eareckson-tada

[2] http://amykingbyrd.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/ruby-anniversary-reflections/

Staying Together Is a Choice

Love suffers long and is kind…

[love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4, 7-8

Today I know a couple who is going through a rough time in their marriage. I won’t name them or give away any clues as to who they are, but this post is for them.

Over the last few months, I have come to know about a very wise and influential couple. Neither one of them have ever met me. They do not know my name or have any clue that I know theirs. However, God has been using them in a great and mighty way in my life. Here is what their daughter recently had to say about their marriage of nearly forty years:

My parents would NEVER want me to say they had the perfect marriage. No one does. It’s how they handled the bad WHEN it came. And believe me, it came to our house on more than one occasion.

It was the CHOOSING love and grace when anger and walking away was more logical. In our society today, we hear the question “why get married?” For my parents, it was a commitment they made that enabled them to stay together even when times were tough. And 40 years later, we can look back and learn from this strong commitment.

I am thankful I was able to learn so much from them. They demonstrated love in the most beautiful ways. In the most quiet ways. At the end of my Mother’s life, I have never seen such love between 2 people, and it had nothing to do with flowers, cards, or dates. It was the “being there” when nothing was left but the bad. It was one taking care of the other in the most humbling of ways. It was one depending on the other with as much faith as she had. They are love personified, and it is a privilege to say I have been there to witness it.*

I may not be married myself, but I have been around the block enough to know that staying together is a choice. It is a mindset. “It [is] choosing love and grace when anger and walking away [is] more logical.”

The couple who makes staying together their only option will stay together until death separates them for only a little while. That is not to say that they will never have problems. They will have problems. As my friend has said, it is how we handle the bad when it comes. Our problems may be too big for us to fix on our own, but God is still in the restoration business. It has always been His goal to restore relationships; not tear them apart or throw them away. If we will take our problems to Him, He has promised to fix them. But we have to listen. We have to trust. We must obey Him.

Maybe you’re here today and you are walking through the valley of the shadow of divorce. Maybe your face is so close to the wall that you don’t know what color it is. If that’s the case, I can’t help you. I’ve not been there. I don’t have that kind of experience. But Jesus knows what you’re going through. He knows you better than you know yourself. And He is calling to you, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Don’t run away. Don’t part. Rather, cling to the one whom you vowed to love, honor, and cherish till death do you part, and cling also to Jesus for He is the only one who has the power to sustain you and save your marriage.

If you don’t know Jesus, you don’t know the hope that I have spoken of today. However, there is a way for you to know that hope today. Two thousand years ago Jesus died on an old, rugged cross for your sins and for mine. Three days later He rose from the dead, defeating Hell and the grave. It was that same restoration power that He wants to use to restore and heal your broken home. Will you trust Him today? If you will simply turn from all sin and trust in Jesus alone to save you, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.

*Quote taken from “Things I Learned About Marriage From My Parents.”

Jesus, the Door

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved,

and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

John 10:9

A door can mean many things. Doors serve as entrances. Doors serve as exits. But more importantly doors serve as protectors. In the summer doors keep out the heat. In the winter doors keep out the cold. During storms doors keep out the wind and the rain. Doors also keep out all those pesky critters—including the human variety—that would invade our homes in the event of their absence. I am convinced that when Jesus said, “I am the door,” He was thinking of all of the above and more. My friend, Jesus is the ultimate door—He is the door to life.

What a wonderful thought it is to think of Jesus as “the door.” And I can never think of Jesus as “the door” without thinking of the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. When Joseph was tempted, he did not stick around to work things out. No. He literally ran for the door, leaving all else behind. And that is what we can do with Jesus. He is the door out of tribulation and into a beautiful haven of rest.

Today, you may be struggling, but Jesus is saying to you, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). No matter what you are facing in this life, I promise you that, if you will go to Him, He will shelter you.

Maybe you’re here today and you have never given your heart and your life fully over to Jesus Christ. If that is the case, you need the door of salvation. My friend, Jesus is that door. He promised that, “if any man enter in, he shall be saved.” So what are you waiting for? If you will simply turn from all sin and trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you, He will save you today and keep you saved forever.