2010: A New Creation

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come!”  2 Corinthians 5:17

 Have you ever thought about what you would do if you had the opportunity to start all over again?  What mistakes would you correct?  What decisions would you reverse? Which opportunities would you face with a different perspective?

 Often we think about questions such as these as we look back at the year that’s passed by, thinking about things we’ve said, things we’ve done, things we’ve failed to do.  Sometimes we’re filled with uncertainty… guilt… worry… doubt.  Sometimes we’re burdened with our own sins and we need to make things right with our heavenly Father. 

 No matter who we are, no matter what we have done, we have this wonderful promise from God’s word:  we can all be a new creation.  Not even partially new, but completely new!  No matter what we’ve done or how many mistakes we’ve made, no matter how many disappointments we’ve had or challenges we’re facing, all “old things have passed away.”  With Christ, everything becomes new.

 Although you may be filled with uncertainty, although you may be filled with fear and have seemingly insurmountable obstacles in your life, you can still have your slate wiped clean.  As we leave 2009 behind us, we can also leave our troubles and our burdens behind us at the foot of the cross.  We can start over again, new in Christ.

 No matter how long we have been “Christians,” we still need to let the “old things” in our lives pass away.  God will take away our anxieties, our fears… He will forgive us of all that we’ve done wrong.  He wants to separate us from our mistakes “as far as the East is from the West.”  Psalm 103:12

 As we journey into this new year, allow the old things to pass away.  God knows today, tomorrow, this year, next year, and into eternity.  Let Him make you a new creation!

Everybody is Somebody’s Pastor – Part 2

This is a short and sweet meditation.  I pair it with John 10:27-28: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me;  and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.”

 

There is no better example to follow than the one Jesus gave us, but my daughter taught me a lesson this week.  She had been walking around all morning singing to herself, “I want to walk… walk like Jesus…” and I was doing my daily routine and chores around the house. My daughter began shadowing me everywhere I went.  She was following me whenever I went in the kitchen.  She followed me into the laundry room.  It almost seemed like a game for her, so I finally asked her, “what are you doing?”  She said, “I’m following you!”  I wanted her to re-think her choice to copy everything I’m doing, so I said, “Aren’t you supposed to follow Jesus, like your song says?”  She paused for no more than a second, and said, “Yes, but I can’t SEE Jesus, but I DO SEE you, so I have to follow you!” 

 

Have you ever been taught a valuable lesson by a 4 year old?  It’s humbling, and exciting at the same time.  For that moment, she had a better understanding of my responsibilities than I did.  We all need to understand that we have a higher calling, and a responsibility to let others see Jesus in us.  Sometimes it takes the faith of a child to make things crystal clear, but God works in mysterious ways.

 

Love in Christ,

Jesse

Frankincense, Gold & Myrrh

These are the gifts of the Magi.  That’s the first thing that comes to mind when we hear about frankincense, gold and myrrh, and that’s exactly what this weeks meditation is about.  Rather than prod at your brains by going through Jeremiah chapter 10 (which I suggest you read anyway), I want to talk about the meaning behind the gifts brought to Jesus by the Magi in Matthew 2:11,  “and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”

 

Why these gifts?  Why not a Playstation 3 or a flat screen TV?  Obviously, the technology didn’t exist, but why didn’t they give him a cow, a sheep, or any other gift?  There was good reason for the gifts that were brought to the boy, Jesus, and I’d like to briefly explore those reasons.

 

Frankincense was a key ingredient in many sacrificial offerings in the Old Testament. Frankincense is believed by herbalists to have calming, restorative, clarifying, and meditative properties.  It was believed by many to help carry prayers to heaven.  Think about Jesus in these terms.  Does he not have calming, restorative, clarifying and meditative properties?  As part of the body of Christ, we know Him to be the mediator between God and man.  He is our high priest.  This is exactly what the frankincense was brought to Jesus to represent.

 

Gold is still one of the most highly sought after currencies in the world.  Just turn on your radio or TV for 30 seconds, and you will hear about somebody who will pay top dollar for your gold.  It’s probably the most widely recognized currency across all cultural barriers and throughout all of history.  The gift of Gold is one that is clearly meant for someone of royalty.  This gift was to clearly illustrate to Jesus that he would become and forever remain King of Kings.

 

The Myrrh is by far the most intriguing gift to me.  Myrrh was used in embalming corpses.  Now, if somebody gave me some embalming fluid for Christmas, I would be a little freaked out.  That seems pretty morbid for a present.  However, it doesn’t take much thought to see why Myrrh was given to Jesus.  He was not only destined to be our high priest, and our king, but he was destined to die.  This is the path that was laid before Jesus when he was only a boy.  This is the culmination of all the hard work that He would put in on this Earth.  He would have to die.  He knew that would be the only way to gain eternity with His Father.  This is why we give gifts at Christmas.  This is the reason we live and breathe and have hope to share the same destiny with our Lord and Saviour.

The Lord Needs Them

Jesus was about to make that famous ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. Before he did so, he sent two of his disciples to get things ready. He said to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” (Matthew 21 v 3)

The owner of the donkey and the colt is never mentioned by name but perhaps it that is quite appropriate because his action is one that should be mirrored by all of us. These days donkey’s and colts might not be so common as cars, free time, computers, cooking or handyman skills, but each of these can be just as readily used by the Lord as the donkey and colt were.

All we have, whether they be our possessions or talents, have been given to us by God. It is only fair that, should he ask for them, we should give them straight back. As soon as he heard that “The Lord needs them,” the owner of the donkey and colt freely gave. We should be the same. The call so often goes out – and falls on deaf ears. People ask for help, support, the elderly and the sick need visiting, young people need transport to youth groups, churches have working bees… The Lord needs what we have got. Are we prepared to give it and send it to him right away.

This installment was graciously written and offered by Bro. Robert Prins in Auckland, New Zealand. Bro. Robert authors a weekly email that usually focuses in on 2 or 3 passages. I highly recommend signing up for his email list by sending an email to subscribe@thinkythings.com. He has compiled many of them into a book called, “Thinky Things” which can be purchased from his web site, www.thinkythings.com. Even if you are not interested in the book, there is plenty of information about Bro. Robert on the website as well.

Love in Christ, Bro. Jesse

Faith Like a Child

This installment has been offered by my faithful wife, Sis. Devone

My little girl runs into the kitchen with a flushed face and sweaty hair sticking up in the front. Running all around outside in the warm Indian Summer made her pretty hot! Breathing hard and trying to catch her breath, she finally says, “Mommy… can I … have…some water?” I knew what she wanted as soon as she came in the door, but I wait until she gets the request out before I hand her a cold glass of water. She knows that I will provide that need for her, because I love her… she never doubted that I would give her that water.

God knows everything we need before we ask Him. He is watching us and working in our lives with such love, as Matthew 6:8 tells us: “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” God’s heart is full of love for us, just as our hearts are full of love for our children. He loves us more than we love our children, and He sees our trust when we pray to Him. He doesn’t wait until we prove that we need something, or until we ask Him in just the right way.

We should approach God with trust, just as our children approach us confidently to get something that they need. He will never let us down, even when His “response time” doesn’t coincide with our idea of what it should be. His timing is perfect. He will give us all that we need.

Infectious Faith

The Bible is chock full of the accounts of God’s faithful servants.  As fellow servants of God, we all look to these examples and strive to exhibit the same qualities as these great men and women in our walk towards His Kingdom.  There seems to be at least one common denominator in all the heroes of the Bible, and that is that the faith of one person was enough to inspire and motivate a multitude of people.  Bro. Roger recently gave an exhortation on “David’s Mighty Men”, which was another great example of how David’s faith and love for God inspired his mighty men to show that same faith in battle, and in everyday life.  Moses’ faith was enough to lead an entire nation along the path God laid out.  The faith of Esther saved her people, as she was willing to risk her life for them.  If it weren’t for the faith of Mordecai, Esther wouldn’t have had the foundation required to accomplish her destiny.  The Jews would be gone from the face of the Earth, but we know that isn’t in God’s plan.  God used His faithful followers to carry out His will, exactly as it was supposed to happen.  There are countless other Biblical heroes whose faith changed the course of the world. 

The lesson for us is that these were just sinful individuals.  These were people like me.  These were people like you.  King David was just like me.  Esther was just like you.   What makes us think that God isn’t going to use us in the same way he has used our brethren in the past?  We need to understand that it only takes one person to inspire thousands of others, and it only takes the faith of one person to save a nation of people from extinction.  It could be you.  If we could muster the courage to proclaim the gospel to everyone around us, maybe we would have the privilege of being used by God in such a way that will cause us to join the ranks of these great heroes, secure our place in the history of God’s plan, and inspire future generations to change the world.

In God’s Garden

Gardening season may be about over for the year, but there is plenty of work to be done in our Father’s garden year round.  God has blessed us with all the tools we could ever need.  Is there any reason we should not be consistently working in God’s garden?  There are seeds to be planted, sprouts to be cared for, and weeds to pull.  With that in mind, let’s read one of the parables of Jesus:

 Matthew 13:3-9

“And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.  Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears, let him hear.”"

 We have tried planting corn for two years in a row at our house.  We have sowed rows upon rows of corn seed, without one single stalk to show for it.  Corn isn’t easy to grow, I’m told, but we keep on planting it with high hopes.  I tell you this practical story because there are countless hazards that befall the majority of our spiritual seeds, as we try to share our hope with others.  It seems that no matter how hard we try, it’s nearly impossible to see any fruit from our labors.  The odds are stacked against us.  Although we know that with God, all things are possible, the statistics still show a dismal picture.

 If we only see one seed grow for every 100 we sow, that’s fine.  Several seeds will fall on the rocky ground, sprout briefly and die.  Some will get eaten by the birds, and some will not survive the weather.  But the real reward comes in that one in a hundred.  That one seed that produces fruit a hundredfold.  So, don’t be discouraged because we know that failure is only achieved by not sowing any seeds.  If we all took it upon ourselves to double the number of seeds we scatter, the results would be amazing.  God’s given us a vast garden to work in.  He’s given us the tools, and He’s given us a perfect example of how to tend that garden in the person of Jesus Christ.  It’s time to get a green thumb for God.  I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s true.