First National Bank of The Grace Of God

Banner Credit: www.eyeonannapolis.net
Banner Credit: http://www.eyeonannapolis.net

On any road trip it’s always good to have enough money to pay for your expenses. This is what keeps you going–literally. Without cash we stay home! Or we look for our bank along the way to make a needed withdrawal.

What about our journey on this ancient road? Where are the banks, so to speak, along the way where we can make needed withdrawals if our funds are getting low?

I believe the bank we draw from is the Grace of God. It’s so easy for our journey to become more about checking off our assigned reading for the day, than it is about what we’ve been given. It’s the grace of God that teaches us to say no to ungodliness. It’s His grace that fuels a right motivation to read His Word in the first place. And it’s that same grace that picks us up when we’re tempted to just go home and call it quits.

What’s in your wallet today? Is it full of evidences of God’s grace? Or are you carrying around receipts of regret? May I encourage you to clean out those receipts, make a withdrawal from God for as much as you need to get back on the journey. It doesn’t matter if you’re behind, because God is never late. He’s always right on time, even when we don’t see it.

Only three months left on this year’s journey. Won’t you take a minute to share with us the view out your window? I hear the weather is going to cool down a bit, making our journey all the more enjoyable.

 

Christmas In July–Why?

Christmas_Store_front_2

As I was considering what to write today to encourage us on our journey, I imagined us on a road trip together, maybe even along historic Route 66. Up ahead we see lots of cars stopping. On the interstate this can only mean one thing–an accident has occurred and you’re definitely going to be delayed. But on a two-lane highway, like Route 66, brake lights can also mean there’s something ahead worth stopping to see.

Imagine a Christmas in July sale, and not just a junky store, but one where they sell the finest of Christmas decorations and at an incredible savings. So, along with the crowd we stop and walk inside only to find the shelves empty. We wonder if we’ve missed it, when we hear the quiet voice of a white-haired man talking in the corner. Sitting on an old milking stool he captures the attention of everyone in the musty room. Let’s listen in…

A Savior is born! Glory to God, Peace to man!

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Some of the most familiar and happy words of Christmas are these from Luke 2:

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:11–14).

I want to exult with you this Christmas over the wonders in this text, with our focus mainly on verse 14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

It Was a Real Day

“For unto you is born this day . . .” (verse 11). It happened on a day. A day in history. Not a day in some mythological, imaginary story, but a day when “Caesar Augustus was the emperor of Rome and Quirinius was governor of Syria.”

It was a day planned in eternity before the creation of the world. (continue reading…)

Yes, this stop was greatly needed for we have been reminded of the reason we have the Holy Bible. It’s purpose is to tell the story of Christmas, how Christ who was with the Father agreed to come to Earth to rescue us. May this story stir your resolve to continue reading the greatest book ever written.

Art Credit: www.new-mexico-catalog.com

Don’t Ditch Your Plan

Chris & Amy (29)

Have you ever been stuck on the side of the road waiting for a service truck to come help you out? It can be frustrating to say the least, especially if you’re going somewhere important.

It can be this way in our Bible reading as well. Life can become hectic and we get behind. Or we can be reading a section of Scripture we just don’t understand. Regardless of which you’re facing, the important thing to remember is the privilege it is to travel at all. Even where we’re stuck, there’s a good chance God has something for you to discover in this place. You would never walk away and leave your car stuck in a ditch. Neither should we walk away from the Bible plan God has marked out for us this year.

What is your current struggle? Where are you stuck? Why not comment and ask those of us who are traveling with you? It may be that someone is able to help lift you out of the rut.

Let’s be an encouragement to each other.

Off To A Good Start

Photo Credit: Dartmouth66.org
Photo Credit: Dartmouth66.org

2013 is now in it’s second month. Time to check in and see if your journey is going along as planned.

I wake up nearly every morning eager to pick up my Bible and see what God wants to share with me on this day. I’ve found my enthusiasm didn’t come immediately. Instead it came slowly and surely after following the Lord’s lead in this one area for years. It’s like the Lord has stored up blessing for us in His Word, but we have to sit still long enough for it to be poured out on us.

Are you finding it easier to sit still and wait? Do you feel like His silence is His judgment? The Truth is you will never experience God’s judgment in this way. He poured out all His wrath on Christ, so that we would be blessed–forever. What a Savior. He is the One who draws you by His Spirit to come and sit at His feet. He may speak or He may simply enjoy your company. It’s totally up to Him. But one thing is certain…if we don’t sit and wait, we’ll never know.

How is the view from your window this February morning?

A New Year – A New Plan – A New Perspective

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2012 is over.

There are many, including myself, who were quite happy to kiss that year goodbye. Yet, in regards to my Bible reading God met me in amazing, undeserving ways, and I’m sure He met you too. He is faithful to care for us even when we are not faithful to Him. We are His–forever! It isn’t dependent on what we do or don’t do. Christ did everything for us so we can be free to receive His love and mercy each and every day.

Using our traveling metaphor, I feel as if my car sputtered through 2012. It was an uncomfortable ride stopping, going, darting forward and stalling out. I wanted to get out and forsake the whole trip, but God wouldn’t let me. It was as if He wanted to teach me something in my weakness. And that He did!

Most of you know my Mom died on December 15th after only 3 weeks of being diagnosed with abdominal cancer. It went unbelievably fast, yet felt at the time like life was moving in slow motion. It was strange and very emotional. On Dec. 3rd, I realized I hadn’t even looked to see what New Testament book I was to read for the month of December. I looked it up and turned to 2 Timothy:

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
(2 Timothy 1:3-7 ESV) Emphasis mine.

This book was Paul’s final letter before he died. It was as if God took me through an entire year of a Bible reading plan to get me to this month. I clung to every word finding rich encouragement from Paul to me. He was reminding Timothy of that which is most important in life. He was encouraging him to continue pressing on no matter the setbacks. I was so affected that God in His kindness would care for me in such a special way. I love God’s Word. I love encouraging others to read it daily for rich mercy in their time of need. But to have this kind of fuel poured into my struggling car for free, no less, brings tears to my eyes.

God knows us intimately. He knows exactly what we need. He is willing to have us face 11 months of struggle in our reading plan in order to get us to the 12th month where the doors of Heaven will open and rain fresh mercy down on us.

So I encourage you, to pray to God for direction in how He would have you read His word this year. Then, stick to it. You never know when the sky will open and a refreshing rain will descend.

Four Corners

I love this devotional sent from Family Life Today.

Four Places at Once

There is a proper time and procedure for every delight. ECCLESIASTES 8:6

If you were to point your car southwest of Cortez, Colorado, drive exactly 38 miles along Highway 160 and then hang a right on Four Corners Monument Road, in about a half mile you’d run into the only spot in America where you can be in four states at the same time: the intersection of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. It’s out in the middle of an empty desert, surrounded by dust, rocks and boulders.

But that doesn’t stop upwards of 2,000 people a day from visiting Four Corners and waiting in line just for the thrill of having their picture taken
standing in four states at once. Truly the American way, huh—trying to be four places at one time!

Truth be told, it’s a picture of the way many of us elect to live our lives. We are constantly pulled in several different directions. Our pressure-filled, rush-rush, hurried lifestyle has a way of leaving us winded, dazed and addicted to the next item on our activity list.

It leaves us little time for serious spiritual reflection. Little time for anything more than snap judgments. Little time to share our dreams with each other as a couple. Little sense of where we’ve been and where we’re going. What’s more, I fear that by crowding out any room for meaningful communication, original thought or spiritual insight in our family schedules, we’re fueling in our children a raw addiction to activity, constant motion, continuous noise and endless sensory stimulation.

I urge you to stop and check the speed limit on this road you’re on. Imagine a life that allows for real living . . . the kind you’ll never find at Four Corners.

DISCUSS

What cutbacks and other restrictions could you impose on yourselves that would make your lives dramatically more manageable three to six months from now? Start by finding one thing you’ll say no to.

PRAY

Ask God to give you both the tenacity and the wisdom to build some margin into your lives and family.

Tattooed On My Soul

CCEF is an organization I highly respect for their practical application of God’s Word to our daily lives. Today I want to share with you an excellent article by Dr. Ed Welch. It is his practical meditation on an attribute of God – His invisibility. I believe you will be encouraged as I was to meditate on Scripture in this way, and to “tattoo it on your soul.”

Sometimes old and simple truths affect us in new ways. In fact, this seems to be an essential feature of spiritual growth. The passage that was ho-hum last week now plumbs the depths of our souls.  We are always re-discovering simple spiritual realities as the Spirit brings new light and depth to old truths.

Here is one of those old truths: God is invisible.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (Col. 1:15)
To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. (1 Tim.1:17)
We all know this of course but, for me, this old truth has become new.
He is present, just invisible.
My spiritual doubts are almost always connected to God’s invisibility. I worship the God who I have never seen. That is a bit of a problem. How many times have I wanted him to write just a word or two of specific direction in the sky? How many times, when I was in distress, did I ask for a tangible visitation and didn’t get it? Well, this is the reason. God is invisible. He is not playing a game of cosmic hide-and-seek with me. He is present, just invisible.
Now that I am no longer waiting for the Lord to make some direct impression on my senses, I am free to see him as the one whose power sustains all things, draws people to himself, and sanctifies his children. I can’t see the wind, but I can certainly watch trees bend and hear leaves rustle.
He sees me.
This truth is a wonderful aid to my spiritual growth. Sin usually deceives me into thinking that I can’t always be seen by God, but when I remember that God is invisible, I know that he is always with me. How could I voluntarily sin in thought or deed when he is present?
He is near.
Fears can leave me particularly vulnerable. Those are times when I feel as if the Lord is far away because I don’t see the immediate and miraculous alleviation of the source of my fears. But the invisible God who promises to be near is, in fact, especially near.
He is greater than his creation.
Invisible means that God is different from his material creation. Reflections of him abound in other humans, animals, and the physical landscape, but these reflections never capture the totality of the invisible God. He is different from and greater than his creation—that’s why I trust and worship him.
Jesus embodies him.
Who are we that you, O Lord, would reveal yourself to us in the person of Jesus-in-the-flesh? Jesus is the embodiment of the invisible God. This makes me want to read the gospels over and over.
Someday I will see him.
And someday I will see him, the invisible God and Father, face-to-face. I don’t know exactly what that means. I assume it has to do, in part, with my sin being cast off once and for all (finally). But I know this: seeing him face-to-face is a pleasure worth waiting for.
Talk about it.
When an old truth is being impressed upon us, it is time to keep in step with the Spirit. Writing out a list like this is one way to do that. It is a form of practical meditation. It says, “this truth is too precious to put on the shelf for a later day. I want it tattooed on my soul.” After the list is written, the next step is to talk about it with whoever is willing to listen. It is good news that God is invisible.

What Scriptures have you meditated upon recently? Won’t you share them with us?

I.Am.ENcouraged

My eyes are always on the Lord!

(James Smith, “Comfort for Christians!”)

“My eyes are always on the Lord!” Psalm 25:15

The Lord directs us to look to Him for all that we need–and look away from all that we fear and all that troubles us. Looking to man dishonors the Lord–and ends in disappointment. Looking to ourselves fills us with gloom, sadness, doubts, and fears. It was wise, therefore, of the Psalmist to keep his eyes fixed steadily and habitually on the Lord.

Beloved! In all your sufferings, let your eyes be ever on the Lord. Look to Him . . .
for ease in pain,
for strength in weakness,
for comfort in sorrow,
and for relief in distress.
Keep your eye fixed on Him as your Father and your God–who has pledged in His Word to do you good.

Friends may fail you, relatives may neglect or be unkind to you, and those you love most may be unable to help you–but look to the Lord! He will never fail you or neglect you. He will prove Himself both able and willing to help you.

Let nothing divert your attention, then, from the Lord–but carry everything to Him and exercise implicit confidence in Him.

Cast on Him every care,
commit to Him every work,
lay before Him every difficulty.
You will prove that He is not only able, but also willing to do “infinitely more than we might ask or think!” Ephesians 3:20.

Whenever Satan tempts you, or guilty fears torment you–turn your eyes to Calvary and see Jesus, your Savior–suffering, bleeding, and dying for you–and so you will enjoy peace.

Lord, help me to look to You for all my direction in life, so that I might not be led astray by my deceitful heart. Let me praise You and bring glory to Your Name every moment of my life!

“My eyes are fixed on You, O Sovereign Lord!” Psalm 141:8

Wise Words To Live By

Photo Credit: CBSnews

In light of our recent election, I thought it would be good to listen to what President Ronald Reagan had to say about the importance of God’s Word. It made me cry to see how far our country has fallen since the 1980’s. President Reagan was the first president I was privileged to vote for. He had my respect then, and he continues to hold it in my heart today as the best president I’ve ever known. As you watch, pray for our nation, not that America would save us, but that God would save the lost in our country. We need Him as much as we ever have, we just may be more aware of it this week.

I’m.Feeling.Discouraged

Photo Credit: Mesh Besher

They say right before you are about to fall asleep at the wheel you’ll have the feeling of your car standing still and the road moving towards you. What a great metaphor to use in describing how I’ve been feeling this year. Maybe I’m about to fall asleep at the wheel? If so, how do you stop it?

I’ve always heard it helps to roll the windows down and play loud music you can sing along to. But it may be best just to stop and stretch for a bit. This is why I’m posting today–my way of stopping to stretch, chat with some friends and see if I don’t feel a bit more refreshed tomorrow. But I can’t chat alone. I need to hear from you. How is your journey going? What is God currently saying to you through His word. Won’t you send some much needed encouragement my way? I could use it!

Thanks!