New Beginnings

Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Revelation 21:5

In two days we will celebrate and usher in a new year. In so many ways, nothing changes. I will wake up on Friday and go to the same job I’ve gone to for the past 20 years. I will owe taxes again this year, I will dwell in the same residence, I will be married to the same great wife, and I will drive the same cars – one of them having the same need of new brake rotors that it has had for awhile now.

But what the New Year does do for us is to allow us to take stock of where we are, to re-evaluate, and to commit to making some changes. Not that we can’t do this at any time, but the New Year just seems to lend itself to that. It’s like a natural trigger mechanism in our wiring.

On a personal level, I have four things I will be seeking to accomplish.
1. To better fulfill the Great Commission. I admit it; I am really weak on personal evangelism. I do OK in group settings with some type of a “program,” but to simply share my faith with someone off the street? It rarely happens.
2. To better fulfill the Great Commandment: “love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matt. 22:37) This one can be accomplished in a variety of ways. The two I’ve chosen for this year round out my list of 4.
3. To be a Micah 6:8 man. “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” (Emphasis mine.)
4. To strive for utmost integrity in everything I do. I know that my life is a reflection of Christ in me. If I am not living with utmost integrity, if I am not striving to “be holy as I am holy” (Leviticus 19:2), what statement does that make?

For Great OutDoor Endeavors, that means some exciting new opportunities. We are planning a full schedule that includes a wide variety of diverse activities. We will be making overnight canoe/kayak camping trips, as well as some day trips. We will be watching the stars. We will be hiking. We will be camping. If time and opportunity allows, we will be making another trip to the Creation Museum. And of course, we will be making our long awaited trip to Arizona this summer. Keep your antennae up, and watch for some great chances to Meet Your Maker.

Of course, God doesn’t have to wait for the New Year to fulfill His promise, quoted above. That will be the subject of my next post. I hope, and pray, that your Christmas was merry, and that your New Year will be prosperous and happy. Most of all, I pray that you will put some thought, and effort, into making some “new things.”

God bless!

Real Love

Scripture records the story of a king, in the Old Testament book of Daniel, by the name of Nebuchadnezzar. He was a powerful king, in the most powerful country on Earth at the time - Babylon. The problem was, he knew it. Instead of glorifying God for his success and position, he took credit himself; Dan. 4:30 is a good illustration: " The king spoke, saying, 'Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?'"

Because he failed to give glory to God, he was warned in a dream that he would be driven mad: They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. Dan. 4:25

He was driven from his palace, and all of the comforts, privileges, and authority, that come from royalty, to live with the wild beasts of the field. "That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws." Dan. 4:33. He crawled on all fours, in the dirt and mud, among the waste from the animals. He slept and woke outdoors, under the stars. His hair and nails grew long and unkempt, like a wild animal.

He did this because he was driven insane. Really, would anyone do this if they weren't?

Well, Scripture records the story of another King. He left the most glorious of Estates, one beyond imagination. He, too, left all of the comforts, privileges, and authority, that comes with royalty, to live with "beasts". The beasts He came to live with are so unclean, the essence of who they are is compared to as "filthy rags," and are said to be infected and impure with a deadly disease. (Is. 64:6)

The difference between the two kings? The latter King chose to leave His kingdom because of His great love for the beasts.

You see, the King is Jesus. The "beasts" He came to live among? You and I! The deadly disease we are infected with? Sin. Without this King's intervention, we are "dead men walking". We would already be dead, it would simply be a matter a of time before the results showed! We would have no hope of everlasting life with this King.

But we do have hope! That's why we celebrate Christmas! It's the story of this great King coming to dwell with men! It's the story of real love.

"This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." 1John 4:10 (NLT)

Though the sacrifice comes as an adult Jesus being crucified, the Christmas story tells of the baby Jesus stepping into our world. The amazing thing about this act of love is that it occurs while we are the enemy of God. (Romans 5:10) It's an amazing thing, an act of heroism, when someone gives their life for a friend. John 15:13 says there is no greater gift than for a man to lay down his life for his friends. Who am I to argue against God, but giving my life for my enemy? Unheard of! And yet, that's exactly what God did for us!

So, here it is, the reason to celebrate - "The Reason for the Season" -
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Have you accepted the gift of God this year? The gift of His One and Only Son and the eternal life that comes with it. It's only a prayer away, and He's waiting just for you ...

Choosing Wisely

I've been reading through the Gospels the last few weeks and I've picked up a thread in two stories - both involving choices.

The first is found in the Christmas story, the story of Jesus' birth, in Matthew, chapter 2. It's the story of the Wise Men - the Magi, and of Herod - the king.

Let's begin with the Magi. Somehow, these men, no one is 100% sure who they were - exactly, had heard the prophecies, no one knows how - exactly, of a King to be born in Jerusalem. Verses 1 & 2 say that when they saw a "star" in the East, they made a decision, a choice, to follow that star and to come and honor this King. Upon finding this King, they made another decision to worship Him. They had already sacrificed their time to seek Him; later they would sacrifice from their treasure, with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, to honor Him as well. They were filled with hopeful expectations and excitement to find this King. After a brief visit with Herod, they resumed their search and Scripture says they "rejoiced with exceedingly great joy" when the star again appeared to them to finish leading them to the King.

Contrast their mood and expectations with that of Herod, the king. Verse 3 says that when Herod heard that the Wise Men were seeking the new born "King of the Jews," he was "troubled." In verse 8, rather than put the time and effort in seeking out the child, he sent people to find the child for him. And finally, in verse 16, we see that Herod did not desire to worship the King, he desired to kill Him. There were no sacrifices to the king in either time or treasure, and there was no worship.

The other story of choice comes from the end of Jesus' life - at the Crucifixion (Luke 23). The people gathered around the cross, with few exceptions, were mocking and blaspheming Jesus. Two thieves were being executed with Jesus. They represent the same two choices we all have to make.

One of the thieves is openly mocking this crucified King along with the rest of the crowd. That's the easy thing to do, isn't it, to kind of go along with the crowd and mock and ridicule?

The other thief makes the wise choice. Verses 40 - 42: But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong. Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."

What's the reward for his stand, for his faith? Eternal life with the King! Verse 43: And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

So how about you? I wonder this Christmas - which choice have you made? Will you seek the King? Will you honor Him with your time and treasures? I usually dislike "bumper sticker" theology, but this one I like - "Wise Men Still Seek Him." Are you making the wise choice this year?