Christmas funny

O Tannenbaum

Proverbs 19:21 You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

I love the smell of a real Christmas tree.

Every year, we buy a real tree and the routine is the same. Buy the tree, bring it home, set it up in the stand with water, and then wait for the branches to fall before we begin decorating.

This year was no different, and as I watched this pretty little tree open up and settle in over a few days time, I was surprised at how much anticipation was building the longer it remained bare. The kids were talking about the ornaments, and we were checking our schedules as a family to find the perfect time to decorate it. That lovely tree had a purpose, and we all knew exactly what it was. It would bring beauty and joy and comfort to our home during the Christmas holiday season.

As I strung the lights around the tree one morning, I found myself wishing that my purpose in life was as clear as this tree. Later that evening as the family hung ornaments on the tree, I realized that the memories captured in each ornament added such beauty and character to it. And when we were finished, we all sat back and admired the lights and the ornaments that reflected them back at us.

The following morning, as I sat in the living room by the light of the Christmas tree for my quiet time, I asked God about my purpose for being here. He reminded me of this scripture:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven

God reminded me that we are all like that tree. We are put into place to open up our hearts and settle into our relationship with God. We wait in anticipation for God to reveal our purpose, for God to use us for His Glory. Then, when we allow ourselves to be wrapped in the Light of Christ, and that Light reflects off the memories and events that have occurred in our life to all those around us, we are finally fulfilling our purpose here.

We are to be a reflection of His Light to the world. That Light should shine from our daily life into the lives of all those around us.

So simple a purpose we have: To spread the Light and Love of Christ to the world.

Where are you in this season? Are you still growing in the woods or have you been placed where you should be just waiting in anticipation?

Our challenge is to take whatever season in which we find ourselves and live it fully for Christ. If we are still growing, then grow in the knowledge and love of God. If we are waiting in anticipation, then offer that up as a sacrifice to Him. If we are already fully decorated, then use those decorations to reflect His light to the world.

Where ever we are – we are in a season that has been designated by God Almighty, and we need to simply remember that and remain focused on Him. Our lives are not for ourselves, but for His Glory alone.

Repent, not Repeat

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.

I love these verses. The gift of faith is something that has always fascinated me. I would read these verses in Ephesians, and then I would hear someone say that they need more faith to believe in this or that. Or with all the best intentions a person will say to someone that they should have faith about a situation. This sounds like a great thing for a Christian to say on the surface, but my question is this: If faith is a gift from God, how can we talk about it as if it is something that is measurable? That doesn’t seem right to me.

I know that it was only through the gift of faith given to me by God that I was able to accept and believe in Jesus Christ the Messiah and His sacrifice for me. Ephesians says it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast… what that is saying to me is that faith is not measurable… Faith just IS. If faith was measurable, I would be able to say that I have more faith than the next person, and that would be boasting… but Paul clearly says here that God designed faith so that no one can boast in it. It comes solely from God and is the same for me as it is for you, as it is for the beggar down the street.

I do believe that we can lose our faith, though. I believe that if all we have done is profess our faith, but have never really grabbed hold and let that faith dwell within us, we can just as easily let go of that faith. Professing is easy, living it daily is not.

John the Baptist cried out for all to “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” (Matthew 3:2). What does it mean to repent? Does it mean that we simply profess the sinful life we are living and acknowledge that it’s wrong? No. To repent means to change our mind about the sin in our life. It means to change our way of thinking. Simply acknowledging our sin is not enough, we must take hold of (possess) that gift of faith that God so freely gives.  Once we accept that faith and through that faith we believe in Jesus we can not help but repent and turn from our ways and begin to live like believers in Christ.

I know that I spent a good portion of my life believing that I had faith, and that I had encountered and accepted Jesus Christ. However, I never possessed that faith, I merely professed it. So after I repented, I eventually went back and repeated the things my sinful nature led me to do, which eventually led me to turn from God altogether. For nearly 10 years I turned my back on God.

When I finally turned back around and the Father welcomed back His prodigal daughter, I once again accepted the gift of faith from Him. This time, however, I possessed it. I took hold of it and let it dwell within me. I encountered Christ like I never had before because I had fully taken hold of that gift of faith. And this time, because of that faith and because of that encounter with Christ, I repented for real. I turned from all that was sinful in my life and wanted nothing more to do with it. I did not repeat those same mistakes… I allowed God to take those things from my life once and for all, with the understanding that I couldn’t conquer them alone. It was only through God that I was able to truly repent – to truly change my way of thinking.

For once we truly encounter the love of Christ, we can never be the same. Through the gift of faith we can experience Jesus in a transforming way that had nothing to do with us and everything to do with the power of the Holy Spirit. And the repentance that comes form this encounter is not of our own doing, but is miraculous and supernatural and unavoidable.

What do you think? Am I way off base? Do you think that it’s possible to truly take possession of the gift of faith and encounter Jesus, and yet continue to repeat the same sins and live the same sinful life? Or do you think that with a true encounter with Christ that real repentance takes place and we don’t want to return to our old sinful ways?

True Love (a poem)

True Love

A tiny nose
And cheeks of rose
I stare in awe of your face
Pink lips so small
Like a china doll
Cooing gently within my embrace

Your little hand
Makes mine seem grand
As you hold to my finger so tight
What did I do
Deserving of you
My eyes well up at the sight

With skin so fair
And wisps of hair
You are perfect in every way
I never knew
A love so true
It will keep 'til my dying day

Copyright © 2010 Mary Grace Wallace

The Same Ol' Cycle

The Same Ol’ Cycle

Judges 2:11-19

“Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals; ¹² and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger. ¹³ They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. ¹⁴ And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. ¹⁵ Wherever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for calamity, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.
¹⁶ Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. ¹⁷ Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so. ¹⁸ And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. ¹⁹ And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.”

At the moment I am doing a study in the Old Testament and we are in the chapter of Judges. I’ll be honest; I have never read the entire book of Judges before. It just seemed so... so… boring. There, I said it.

However, as I am reading through it this time, I really identified with what is happening in this book. You see, after leading the people to the Promised Land, Joshua has died. All the while when Joshua is alive the Israelites are very faithful to God. However after his death, the Israelites are left without a leader, and this new generation was not properly taught by their parents about God. So, naturally the new generation of Israelites is easily led astray. They begin to serve other idols and they forsake God. This angers God, who in turn decides to deliver the Israelites into the hands of their enemies. The people then cry out to God in their distress and God in His mercy raises up judges for them. The Lord is with the judges and the people are delivered out of the hands of their enemies, and the Israelites are once again faithful to God. Until the judge dies… then the cycle begins again.

I don’t know about you, but this cycle rang true in my mind as I read it. How many times in my life have I been a good and faithful servant when I have someone in my life that is leading me and showing me the way to go, but as soon as that person is gone, I am at a loss for what to do. Sometimes that person is a church leader, sometimes that person is a friend, and always it is someone who I look up to spiritually. I am so quick to depend on another person for my spiritual stability, when I should really be turning to God for that stability in my life. Why do I need a middle man?

One thing the book of judges is showing me is that I am not alone in this struggle. And this book is also teaching me a thing or two about God’s mercy. Even though the Israelites kept sinning and turning from Him, He continued to send them a middle man – a mediator to deliver them from their enemies.

Jesus Christ is our mediator – once and for all. He came and took care of the need for a middle man… and He freed us so that we can now enter right into the Holy of Holies for ourselves and seek God. I guess I need to remember that better when I am struggling and floundering for spiritual guidance. All you and I need to do is ask the Holy Spirit who dwells within us to guide us. Man…. How lucky are we??

Have you ever had a time when you struggled as the Israelites did in the book of Judges? Have you ever felt alone in your spiritual walk and felt the need for your own “judge”?