Photo: Justyna Furmanczyk Browsing the Internet, I recently came across several short but fascinating stories.

In England near the close of the 16th Century, one of the pallbearers carrying the body of Matthew Wall to his grave tripped. As a result, the other pallbearers dropped the coffin. Matthew Wall revived and went on to live for several more years!

In the 17th Century, a Scottish lady, Marjorie Elphistone, died and was buried. When grave robbers dug up her body in order to steal her jewelry, Marjorie groaned. The startled thieves ran for their lives. Marjorie awakened, walked home and outlived her husband by six years!

A similar incident happened in 1674 to another Marjorie (Halcrow) who was buried in a shallow grave by a sexton who intended to return shortly to take her jewelry. While attempting to cut a ring off her finger, Marjorie awoke. She went on to give birth and raise two sons. Given up for dead, these three individuals were buried alive but rose to live again! 

In a similar way, the ordinance of Christian baptism symbolizes both death and new life. 

In the book of Romans (chapters 5 and 6), the apostle Paul explains this in the following way. God demonstrated amazing love for us by sending Jesus to die on the cross in our place. Death was the outcome for sin (disobedience) but out of God’s great mercy, Christ was allowed to shoulder that consequence on our behalf. Jesus died so we could live!

Because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, we all have a sinful nature. But through the obedience of Jesus, who went to the cross on our behalf, we how have forgiveness and pardon. When we accept what Jesus did for us at Calvary, and ask the Savior to come into our hearts and change us, Jesus proceeds to transform us from the inside out into new creatures.

Brand New Life in Jesus

Thus, Christian baptism symbolizes an event that has already taken place in our hearts and lives. When we are immersed in the watery grave of baptism, we tell the world we have died to our old life of sin. When we come up out of the water, we are cleansed and rise to a brand new life in Jesus.

According to Paul, through Christian baptism, we also unite ourselves to what Jesus did on our behalf, and its’ results. As we are submerged in the water, we are baptized into Christ’s death. When we come out of the water to begin a new life, it is symbolic of the fact that even though Jesus died for our sins, the grave could not hold Him. He rose from the dead on that resurrection Sunday to eternal life.

So, we too may have eternal life by accepting the Lord as our Savior, asking forgiveness for our sins, and surrendering control of our lives to God. Baptism says to the world, “I’ve given up my old life; Jesus has cleansed me from my sins and made me brand new!”

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By Kathy A Lewis. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines.

Photo: Afonso Lima The wrong runway. How could that happen? Did the pilots talk together about the fact that, in the pre-dawn, the runway was not lighted? Was there any passenger on board, accustomed to the pre-flight routine at the small Lexington Blue Grass Airport in Kentucky, who wondered if the plane made the right turns? Did anybody recognize something was different, but assumed everything would be all right?

On August 27, 2006, when ComAir Flight 5191 crashed taking off for Atlanta, I also flew on Delta to Atlanta. The flight attendants on my flight were having a hard time believing that a jet could take the wrong runway. Because the plane tried to take off from the shorter 3,500-foot runway instead of the required 7,003-foot main runway, 49 people were killed. Only one crew member survived. The wrong runway. They missed the main runway.

Roads Make a Difference

How easy it is for people to say there are many ways to Heaven, or we’re all going to the same place, we’re just on different routes. Have you heard someone say, “It really doesn’t matter what road you’re on, as long as you’re going in the right direction?” Roads make a difference in reaching the final destination. Evidently, which runway to take is a life and death decision. They’re not all the same. There is a reason truth is truth. There is a reason truth is absolute. In Lexington, the right runway was a requirement.

Jesus makes it clear- “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

And Paul declares, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

If I choose Jesus Christ instead of man-made systems, I’m on the right runway. If I accept that I am a sinner, and that Jesus’righteousness covers my confessed and forsaken sins, I’m on the right runway. If I love Jesus so much for saving me, and in my heart I want to keep His commandments and do His will (John 14:15), I’m on the right runway. If I surrender my selfish desires and say to Jesus, “Not my will but Yours be done in my life,” I’m on the right runway.

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By Gordon Retzer. Portion used with permission from the Southern Tidings, November, 2006. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines.

Photo: Studiomill “He will be.” These three words hold such strength for me today. They sound so promising—so sure. A friend e-mailed them to me this morning, knowing that I’m going through a tough time dealing with my brother’s cancer. Reading those simple words, “He will be” brought scriptures flooding into my mind:

He will be… My Comforter - when my heart aches from a sadness I’ve never known before: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalms 34:18).

He will be… My Peace - when I wake up in the middle of the night with anxious thoughts: “Don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6).

He will be… My Helper - when I don’t know how to help and which choice is best: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

He will be… My Answer – when I don’t have one: “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).

He will be… My Strength - when I feel helpless because I can’t change what is: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29).

He will be… My Hope - when I forget to take my eyes off this world and look up: “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).

He will be… My Conqueror - once and for all, someday: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

He will be… My Preparer - when I forget that this world is not my home: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him” (I Corinthians 2:9).

He will be… My Promise - when I need to be reminded that He won’t go back on His word: “And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life” (I John 2:25).

He will be… My Anchor - when the world, as I’ve known it since I was a little girl, is being turned upside down: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

And He will be…for you, too. Whatever you might be going through or will go through, He will be everything you need. You’re not alone. He will be.

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By Nancy Canwell. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ® and the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Photo: MorgueFile I planted tomatoes last month. Well—at least—I thought I planted tomatoes. I went to the nursery and found the “Tomato” sign and chose the colors of pots that corresponded with the varieties I wanted and brought them home and put them in the soil.

The problem is that now I’m pretty sure they aren’t tomatoes. As they’ve grown, the leaves just don’t seem right. They are a strange shape and they don’t have that distinctive tomato smell. Also, only two of them have flowered, and both of those plants are ones that have gotten more and more purple as they’ve matured. Hmm.

I’m pretty sure I’ve got a couple of eggplants, a couple of peppers and an unknown species of vegetable in my garden. I just don’t understand! They were under the tomato sign and in the right colored pots. How could they be something else?

Jesus uses illustrations about gardening many times in the Gospels. He refers to fruiting trees and plants more than five times in Matthew alone. He says, “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit…. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions” (Matthew 7:15-20).

Nice Outward Appearance

Jesus wants us to learn to see people for what they are at the heart level. He doesn’t want us to be fooled by a nice outward appearance—pretty leaves and blossoms, nice clothes, flattering words—if what they are followed by are disingenuous acts, false testimony or maybe even an eggplant! But I also think He’s hoping we won’t too quickly judge a book by its cover. That maybe we should learn to overlook the appearance initially, because there just might be people out there with hidden fruit that we might miss out on if we dismiss them too quickly.

So to be sure, should I wait until my supposed tomato plants fruit? Maybe so. Maybe they deserve the chance to prove me wrong. But to hedge my bet, I’m still going to be researching eggplant recipes.

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By Joelle Yamada. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture take from the THE NEW LIVING TRANSLATION © 1996. 

Photo: Dani Simmonds “I wish I could just hear a voice from heaven telling me which choice to make,” a friend recently confided to me. “It’s so hard trying to figure out God’s will!”

While most of us don’t hear voices from heaven, we do want to know God’s will and to make decisions accordingly. But how do we know God’s will for us? Are there specific ways we can determine if we are following God’s plans?

George Muller, a 19th century champion of Christianity in England, said: “When we give ourselves wholly to God and—follow His directions, He makes Himself responsible for our accomplishments.” 

Muller had four steps which he used for determining God’s will in his life. The first one was to totally release his own will. “Choosing to have no will of my own is 90 percent of the equation,” Muller often said. He also believed that when we come to the point of being willing to do God’s will, whatever it may be, it is usually but a little way to gaining the knowledge we are seeking. Psalm 37:5 says: “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.”

Look to the Word of God

The second step is to look to the Word of God. Anything that is contrary to what the Bible clearly teaches cannot be in accordance with God’s will. Pray before studying the Bible and listen to the impressions of the Holy Spirit. (Mr. Muller read the Bible through 100 times on his knees!)

Step number three is considering providential circumstances. Many people have stories to tell of events that have transpired in their lives where the circumstances were so unlikely or miraculous that they felt sure the hand of God had ordered the events. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” (Psalm 32:8).

The final step involves making a tentative decision based on the first three steps, then waiting and assessing your level of peace regarding it. If your mind remains at peace over the matter for some time, you may proceed with confidence. If a sense of peace is absent, if you feel pressured by compromise, if you consistently receive negative feedback from Christian family, peers or counselors—these are red flags of warning. Don’t ignore them!

Examine your thinking and the circumstances again. God may be sending these red flags to say “The time is not yet right” or “Don’t make this mistake!” In his book "Stress Fractures," Charles Swindoll asserts that closed doors are just as much God’s leading as open ones.

God knows you and always has your best interest in mind. And the only true freedom in life comes from following God. Then you can confidently say with the Psalmist every day, “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16: 11).

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By Brenda Dickerson. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982. 

Photo: Dreamstime When pediatricians examine babies and children, part of what they look for is their growth—to find out at what percentile they are on the growth chart. Are they growing normally, is the question?

Mom and Dad—and sometimes grandparents, aunts and uncles measured us against a wall or doorframe to chart our growth. Perhaps you even tried to stretch to make the charting read as high as possible. As a kid, it seemed very important to grow taller.

Then we’re all grown up. Some tall, others short, but grown up. Females start checking their waistlines and guys flex their muscles. Most of us start out well, then along the way, for some, the tape measure frays with wide hips and potbellies--expanse happens. Our growth diverts out instead of up.

We can offer a zillion reasons why beauty and biceps become blubber but the biggest factor is neglect—even if it’s justified neglect.

Neglect

There’s another kind of growth that usually starts off grandly but for some of us, the growth stops and neglect sets in. You already know where I’m going with this, don’t you? Spiritual growth is a measure that we don’t want to stop and say, “I’ve arrived.” Yet many of us find ourselves on a plateau of spiritual growth. Some of us may find that we’ve shrunk! What happened? Neglect.

In Ephesians 4:14, 15, we read that we’re not to remain as infants spiritually, not to be tricked by crafty plotters of doctrine, we are to grow up into Christ. “His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.”

Recently, my husband and I went through a time of examining our own spiritual growth charts. We had experienced  dissenters, who were found to be like the irresponsible people the apostle Paul described as those who don’t know what they’re talking about, who twist Scripture to suit their fancies. If we hadn’t been growing at a healthy rate we would have lost our footing and not measured well on our growth chart. We read in 2 Peter 3:18 “Grow in the grace and understanding of our Master and Savior Jesus Christ.” We’re admonished to be steadfast, avoiding the error of the wicked.
 
Why are we to engage in this growth? The rest of 2 Peter 3:18 tells us, “Glory to the Master, now and forever! Yes!”  Continual spiritual growth is very important for our relationship to Jesus—to avoid the snares that will rob us of His peace and take away the glory that is due Him always.

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By Betty Kossick. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines.

Photo: Dreamstime One summer, while enjoying some down time in Santa Barbara, Calif., I came across a kind old gentleman selling poetry by the side of the road. He was wearing a ragged old jacket, thick with dirt. His hands were covered in grease and soot. His hair was wet and matted, and years of hard life were etched across his weather beaten face.

He kindly asked me if I'd like to buy a poem, and I obliged. He sold me a poem about a wounded whale on his last leg of life. I asked him about the poem, where the inspiration came from and how it made him feel. He looked at me totally startled and flabbergasted. He told me that in all of his years sitting there in the dirt selling poetry no one had ever asked him how he felt about a poem, or where he got the inspiration for it

He collected his thoughts for a moment and began to tell me the saddest story I've ever heard about his own life and how he ended up on the streets. He compared his life to that of the wounded whale in his poem and he told me that he really felt hopeless inside. I sat there with that man for half of a day, talking and sharing stories. We then bid or farewells and I drove away.

Grinning from Ear to Ear

A couple of years later while rummaging through an old record bin in a Santa Barbara antique shop, I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. I spun my head around and saw a man grinning from ear to ear. “Benji”, he said. “Yes”, I tentatively replied. “It's me, the poetry guy!” “You bought a poem from me a couple of years ago.” He didn't look anything like that guy I had seen that day a couple of years before. His long hair was clean and pulled back in a tight ponytail. He was wearing a clean red-checkered flannel shirt tucked into a pair of jeans and his hands were spotless.

“I remember” I said with great joy. He then shared with me that after that day two years before, when we spoke by the side of the road, he felt inspired to get his life back on track. He told me that the idea that someone cared enough to sit there and listen to his story was enough to shake him from his malaise and caused him to get help for his problems.

Incidentally, that antique store where I was rummaging for records was now in the proud ownership of “the poetry man” and how amazing it was to see a life transformed.

“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethern, you did it to Me’” (Matthew 25:40).

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By Benjamin DuBose. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Photo: Dreamstime Let's admit it. It's easy to say “yes” to things that we enjoy doing. And it's especially easy to say “yes” to things that we know we are good at.

Recently, though, I was asked to do something that I didn't want to do. At all. My mom asked me if I would teach the Bible lesson study at my home church where we were planning to visit for the holidays. Ugh! Not that, I thought. Why couldn't I tell a children's story or be a greeter? I knew that many of my family members would be there, many of them who I feel are much more capable than I am to teach a Bible lesson. So, I declined, explaining that I would just be too nervous. Mom understood.

When I woke up the next morning, I was strongly impressed with guilt. It was as though the Lord was saying, “Didn't you just tell me how grateful you are for all of my blessings? Didn't you say that you were anxious to work with me?” I couldn't argue with that. It was the truth. It had seemed that the Lord had been blessing with answers that I had been praying about for some time. And it was also true that I had told him that I was His to use. And another thing, the Lord continued, “Hasn't your mom done a few things for you!” True, true, true. I promised the Lord that I'd call Mom back. “But you'll have to make it obvious to me that you really want me to do it,” I added at the end of my prayer.

Clear to Me

Well, before I had a chance to call my mom, I found in my inbox, an email from the teacher himself asking me to teach the class. I had to smile as God had truly made it very clear to me.

 “Sure, I'll be happy to do it for you.”

Did I feel that I had suddenly become a great teacher? No. But I had received a blessing for saying yes, even though I felt unqualified. There can be a bigger blessing in this than in agreeing to do things that we already love to do. After all, we depend on God's presence more when we feel inadequate.

This reminds me of a quote that says, “God doesn't call the qualified. God qualifies the called.” So true! If you don't believe it, just say “yes” the next time you are called to do something for God that is outside your comfort zone. The outcome belongs to the Holy Spirit, but our involvement can make all the difference in our own spiritual journey.

“Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:10).

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By Gwen Scott Simmons. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Photo: Dreamstime There is a passage of Scripture that conveys such hope and joy that it should be at the top of every parent, grandparent, teacher, pastor, and sibling’s precious promises list. I’m talking about 1John 5:16.

The whole of 1 John is a treasure, but my focus is this verse. "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that."

Verse 17 explains, “All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.”

The good news is that God does not give to any human the task of judgment. Not one of us can determine whether anyone has sinned the “unpardonable sin” of eternal rejection by God.
 
What this text means to me is that I can lift my child, my grandchild, my brother, my sister, my friend, my spouse, (and myself) in prayer, claiming for them in Christ’s name the gift of eternal life.

Human Request

I’ve heard it explained this way: When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, Satan claimed rulership of the earth and its inhabitants. One divine stipulation remained for humanity: free choice. Heavenly agents were restrained in their activity on earth and could only be summoned by a human request.

Every believer in Christ, our Intercessor, is called to the ministry of intercessory prayer. It is the highest privilege and duty of a Christian.

Oswald Chambers, in his book, My Utmost for His Highest, states that “Worship and intercession must go together; one is impossible without the other. Intercession means raising ourselves up to the point of getting the mind of Christ regarding the person for whom we are praying.” (Ref. March 30 reading.)

Jesus put it ever so simply: “Ask, and it will be given you…” (Matthew 7:7).  

These are not days to leave issues and loved ones to the “hands of fate.” Temptations for all ages, especially youth, are innumerable and multiplying. This is a time, that with every thought of a loved one, our secret “closet” prayers claim their souls for Christ.

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By Lois Pecce. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Photo: Dreamstime One summer when I was about 10 years old, the street in front of our home was torn up to put in new sewer lines. Large trucks, backhoes, and front loaders dug and pushed mountains of dirt all over the place. As a child, it looked like a giant playground. I was attracted to dirt like a magnet. So, after school each day, when the men left their work, my brothers and I played in the piles of earth left everywhere. We were told to stay away from their equipment, but could play on the irresistible mounds of brown dirt next to the road.

When suppertime rolled around, my mom would often call out the door, “It’s time to come in and get ready for supper!” I would run to the front door, swing it open and step into the kitchen where I was immediately told to strip down to my underclothes and go take a bath. “But Mom,” I would protest, “I’m not that dirty! Besides, I took a bath last night.” Mom didn’t budge. Mumbling to myself I would leave my pile of dirty clothes by the front door and go jump into the tub of clean water. When I was drying off, I faintly remember looking at the bathwater which changed to a dirty brown color and thinking, “Well, maybe I was a little dirty.”

Stains of Sin

We are like children who go out into the world each day and get dirty. When we come home to our Father’s house, we’re in of a need wash up. But like many children, we sometimes protest. “I don’t need a bath! I’m not that dirty!” We all too often are self-deceived and do not see just how deep the stains of sin are ground into our beings. We need more than a quick bath. We need more than water to wash away our iniquities. We need a powerful Agent to thoroughly cleanse us.

The Bible talks about a man who didn’t think he was that dirty. Listen to what Jesus told Nicodemus. “Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). When we come to our heavenly home, what a joy to know that our Father in heaven has cleansed us so we can enter in.

We may, with a repentant heart, know that we are cleansed. It takes more than water. I am so thankful the Lord offers the Holy Spirit who can purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

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By Curtis Rittenour. Copyright © 2012 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Photo: Julia Freeman-Woolpert There’s an old story floating around in the Kennedy family empire, which had one brother successfully run for President at the age of 42, another make a run for the White House at the same age, and a third brother in the Senate. Apparently—and there’s some truth to this—Teddy Kennedy had once seriously considered becoming a priest. But the family joke was that he would only do it if he could immediately become a bishop.

So what is the Christian’s proper and biblical response to the Parable of the Talents? Should we want to have more of them? In a book entitled "Surprised By the Power of the Spirit," Pentecostal minister Jack Deere shares four important things each of us should do with regard to our talents.

Four Important Things

First, we should pray and ask God to give us these gifts. We should want to be a five-talent person and to have God add to our portfolio. We should want to be major players. First Corinthians 12 is the passage dealing with spiritual gifts, and verse 31 follows a long listing of the various talents to be found in the church: "Eagerly desire the greater gifts." We should be anxious to have as much holy influence as possible.

Second, we should attempt to regularly use the gifts that we do have. If you have five gifts, use all five. If God gives you two, that’s great also; put them both to use. Don’t just utilize one and leave the other on a shelf. If you only have one, well, for sure don’t go out back and bury it.

Third, we should study the topic of spiritual gifts, the doctrine of gifts and talents. I Corinthians 12 begins: "Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant." Paul goes on to speak about the fact that the Spirit gives them, that there’s a great variety, that we are one body organized for service, that all the people and all the gifts are important, etc. You should know what your gifts are. Think about it until you have an answer to that question. Ask your friends for feedback; invite the Holy Spirit to guide you. Simply try new things for a while and see if they suit you.

I sometimes say this prayer: "Lord, please take me and use me anywhere you choose."

A preacher got up once and said to the congregation: “Folks, five years ago Jesus called me here, and this week Jesus called me to leave here and go to a new location.” All the members stood up and spontaneously sang, "What a Friend We have in Jesus!"

But along with prayer and Bible study and church attendance and being in a small group, we should spend time trying to find out what God wants for us to do with the spiritual gifts we’ve been given.

Here’s the fourth principle: have friendships with other people who are more advanced in the gifts than we are. Rub shoulders with other Christians who are active in working for God. I occasionally meet at a restaurant with Christian pastors of other denominations. We share strategies, exchange success stories, look for tips. I read Leadership magazine, not just for the cartoons, but to see how other people are expanding their gifts.

So Christmas morning is just the beginning of a great adventure. Tell that to Monsignor Kennedy.

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By David Smith. Copyright © 2011 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.

Photo: Dreamstime As a kid I was very afraid of the dark. I always thought that monsters and wild animals were waiting under my bed to nip of my heels or that shadowy thieves were standing just outside my bedroom window trying to break in.

Of course, many kids have the same fears and when we get scared we call out to our moms and dads for help and reassurance. They come into our bedrooms and turn on the lights and show us that there are no monsters in the closet or under the bed, and they assure us that our windows are fastened shut and that no thieves can get in. They pray with us for God to keep us safe through the night; they tuck us in and say goodnight. That always helped me a lot, but there was still that faint fear in the back of my head that said “but what if”. What if the monsters come and the thieves break in? What will I do then?

As we grow up and get older our lives become more complex and more fears and worries creep in. How will I pay the rent? How can I afford those new car tires? Will I ever find a job? The stress and fear of the unknown seem to drown us in a never-ending lake. But it doesn't have to be this way. Yes, we'll still get stress and suffer fears, but we have a hope and a light that can help us through those daunting times. Jesus!

Alleviate Our Fears

Just as my parents prayed with me when I was young to keep me safe through the night and to keep the monsters at bay, we can have the assurance that God is there with us through every step that we take. Through the good times, the sad and especially the fearful. If we pray to Him for help and reassurance, He sends angels from heaven to surround us in a special way, to keep us safe and to alleviate our fears.

The Bible says, “The Lord has taken away your punishment, He has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm” (Zephaniah 3:15).

Isn't it nice to know that we have a loving God that is there for us when we need Him the most!

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By Benjamin DuBose. Copyright © 2011 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.

Photo: Stock.xchng Technology has changed our lives dramatically in the last century. Personally, I cannot imagine going back to the days of reading by candlelight, traveling by horse and buggy and no indoor plumbing. Lately though, I have been thinking a lot about the subtle ways that technology has robbed us of some essential elements in our lives.

As I was driving along the highway recently, I remembered reading about how terrified the first train passengers were as they sped along faster than they had dreamed possible. Now we rush along at much greater speeds than those first trains traveled. And I wonder, what am I missing as I hurry down the highway? A horse and buggy might be slow, but the opportunities to observe and appreciate the wonder and beauty of God’s creation are missing in my hurry-up-and-get-there trips.

Recently, I was reminded that music has not always been at our fingertips as it is today. Without CD players, MP3’s and the radio, people created their own music and it often included the interaction of family and friends as they sang and played together. Now, too often, earphones seem to be permanently attached as young people fade away into their own world. In the past, music has focused on a rich heritage of songs from each generation and the pleasure of enjoying them together. Music today often focuses on popular performers and their lives.

Without My Computer?

I can’t imagine being without my computer, but the reality is that when used for entertainment, a computer is a one person affair. Again, how easy it is to fade into a world far removed from those around us as we are tempted to spend much of our free time interacting in online chat rooms and being entertained by computer games, videos, etc.  
 
When I was growing up, our phone was on a party line. There were many times when we had to wait to make or receive a call because someone else was using the line. Now with cell phones we are sometimes impatient when we cannot reach someone immediately. Oftentimes our instant availability becomes yet another distraction to fill our every waking moment.

Is it possible that we are losing the ability to just sit and be still, to contemplate, to connect with those around us? At times we feel swept along by popular culture because we simply don’t have time or quietness to consider for ourselves the implications of the changes taking place around us or what God thinks about it. We feel solitary, but not at peace.

In the Old Testament, Elijah found God in the still, small voice. (I Kings 19:12). David says, “Be still, and know that I am God. . .” (Psalms 46:10). I’m convinced that technology often robs us of the precious commodities of stillness and connectedness. And it seems that it is only in being still, still enough to hear God’s voice that we can truly connect with Him. It is in disconnecting ourselves from all the distractions around us that we can truly connect with each other.

So while I enjoy all the wonderful conveniences that technology brings to my life, I want to be more careful to listen for that “still, small voice.” Like Samuel I want to hear God calling and be able to say, “Speak Lord, for Your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:10).

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By Leslie Olin. Copyright © 2011 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Photo: Dreamstime Recycling. For people who are concerned with the environment, it’s the easiest thing we can do to help. I’m a faithful recycler. I salvage newspaper, magazines, copy paper, cereal boxes, tissue boxes, cardboard, tin cans, plastic, glass, You name it, if  it salvageable, I take it to the recycling center.

I learned to recycle many years ago during WWII, as a child. Patriotism urged it. However, most people stopped recycling after the war years. Unfortunately, the environment issue didn’t seem important then. The idea that the world might wax old before our eyes didn’t cross many minds, except those who were avid Bible students. Even then, where were the advocates?

Today as I gathered up my boxes and bags of recyclables, I really felt good about doing something to help, just like I did when I was a kid. However, I never really stopped recycling. Many families of the Great American Depression era carried over the save-everything that’s-savable-attitude to the war effort because it again became expedient. For me it formed a habit that stayed.

God Recycled Me!

I got to  thinking about these recycled materials--and it gave me pause as I thought, I too am recycled. God recycled me!

God gave me a recycled heart, as it is written in Jeremiah 24:7: “And I’ll give them a heart to know me, God…” (The Message).

God also recycled my mind, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5 NJKV).

God gave me recycled eyes that I may read His word with understanding, “My eyes are ever on the Lord…” (Psalm 25:15, NIV).

And He recycled my ears that I can heed Revelation 22:17, by inviting others to know Him, “‘Come!’ say the Spirit and the Bride. Whoever hears, echo, ‘Come!’…”(The Message).

Because He did all this and so much more for me, I’m able to be useful to others both for secular and spiritual reasons. Whatever I am able to do in my life, I can do it to the betterment of others and for this planet earth too. I know that the Bible makes it plain that this planet, as we know it now, will one day turn to rubble, but in the meantime, we are stewards of this earth and recycling is a good thing. I’m happy that I’m not just a disposable bit of matter. I’m recycled for eternity.

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By Betty Kossick. Copyright © 2011 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE ®, the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Photo: Dreamstime To many people today, the name Immanuel doesn’t have any particular significance. But to the Hebrew-speaking people in Isaiah’s time, it meant everything. They knew that this name meant “God with us.” And that’s what the universe had been waiting for since sin first entered our world. The day Adam and Eve chose to disobey and had to leave the Garden of Eden, humans lost daily face-to-face communication with God. And the more time that passed, the greater our separation became. Almost immediately, selfishness, jealousy, hatred, murder, lying, adultery and the worship of false gods became the norm—driving a wedge between God and us.

One of my college professors told a memorable story that clearly illustrated this separation. An elderly couple was driving to church. The husband was sitting behind the wheel, while his wife was sitting way over next to the passenger door, with a wide empty space between them. The wife looked longingly at her husband and said, “Remember when we used to sit side-by-side in the car, all snuggled up at close to each other?” There was a moment of silence. Then the husband turned to his wife and answered, “Dear, I haven’t moved.”

He Didn't Move

And so it is with God and us. He didn’t move. We did. And yet He was the one who took that first step to close the vast gap that sin caused. Since we couldn’t go to Him in Heaven, He came to earth as a baby. Hundreds of years after Isaiah’s prophecy, we hear it repeated in Matthew 1:23: “‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’”

So this Christmas, along with the tree and the tinsel, the cookies and the caroling, the presents and the pie—remember the One named Immanuel. Whether your Christmas holds a wonderful time of plenty with family and friends, or a time of great loss—the loss of a house, a job, a loved one, a marriage, a reputation, a friendship or a bank account—in the middle of it all, you can draw close to God. And you can celebrate—celebrate the fact that you’ve been given the greatest gift of all: Immanuel, God with us. Immanuel, God with you.

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By Nancy Canwell. Copyright © 2011 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Photo: Dreamstime Years ago Christian contemporary singer Wayne Watson wrote a song called, “Would I Know You Now.” In that song he contemplates whether he’d know Christ if he saw Him. Would he recognize Him? Would he bow in acknowledgement?

Perhaps it’s a silly question, but it caused me to pause and ponder that very thing. Many times we’re so inwardly focused and suffering from tunnel vision that we miss important moments and don’t even know it.

A man wearing blue jeans and a baseball cap stood playing his violin in a train station one frosty January morning in 2007. With his violin case open in front of him, he played for about an hour.

During the hour, he performed six Bach pieces while 1,097 people passed by. Seven people stopped to briefly listen with one who recognized him, and only 27 that tossed money totaling $32.17 into his case. One of the pieces he played is considered one of the most complicated and intricate violin pieces written, mastered by few since Bach composed it. Yet, there was no applause and no recognition for the violinist’s amazing achievement or his fine instrument.

Little Did the Onlookers Know

Little did the onlookers know, one of the world’s greatest violinists, Joshua Bell, had recently performed at a sold out concert in Boston Symphony Hall where “fairly good seats went for $100.” This virtuoso serenaded the morning commuters with his $3.5 million 1713 Stradivarius violin. The Washington Post staged Joshua Bell’s incognito performance “as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.” [1]

The onlookers remained unaware of the master in their presence – they did not know him.

Gene Weingarten would write, “If we can't take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on Earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that – then what else are we missing?” (ibid).
 
Matthew 25 gives us a parable about 10 virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of the virgins were wise, did not get distracted, and instead prepared for the bridegroom; while five were foolish and became distracted, did not prepare and fell asleep. As a result, when the bridegroom came, only the five wise virgins were able to leave with him for the wedding.

There’s an old adage calling us to “Stop and Smell the Roses.” Our lives are so busy we often fail to spend time with Christ. But when we slow down and become acquainted with Him, we will not have to ask would we know Jesus if we saw Him today?

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By Daniel LaFlair. Copyright © 2011 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines.

[1] Washington Post

Photo: Dreamstime As a kid one year for my birthday my parents got me a new shiny royal blue bike, or so I thought. Come to find out it wasn't so new. One morning while my mom was taking her walk she found an old bike frame in the neighbors trash and rescued it. My parents slapped on some new tires and breaks, painted the frame blue and attached a Cheerio Box racing emblem on the front. The bike looked like a million bucks!

 Some kids might have been upset upon finding out that their bike was just some old rebuilt relic, but not me! I loved that bike! To me it was perfect and new. I felt like a king atop my racing machine. I zoomed up and down the road, through the leaves, snow and sunshine. It was my bike and it was special to me.

Down in the Dump

Sometimes in life we find ourselves feeling less than perfect. Our downfalls and sinful nature leave us feeling like an old bike frame in a trash bin, hoping someone will rescue us and fix us up. We literally feel down in the dumps and sometimes it seems like we'll never get back on our feet again. But then God shows up, grabs us out of the dump and dusts us off. He forgives us, paints our hearts white as snow and puts us back in the game of life.

When times get tough in my life and I begin to question whether or not I can make it through, I always think back on my shiny blue bike and the way that the rest of the world with all it's worries just seemed to melt away as I rode thru the wind.

In our time of need, God will be there for us, always ready and willing to give us a new coat of paint and a fresh start.

“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7).

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By Benjamin DuBose. Copyright © 2011 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.

Photo: Studiomill I'm not sure if it is a sign of age or how it happened, but it seems time sped up and Christmas surprised me. It made me wonder how I would get everything done in time. Then I remembered the forgotten. Christmas is suppose to be about Jesus. Christmas isn't about the things of this world. It is suppose to be about the Creator of this world who came to this world to save us. He should be the focal point.

Instead, we get so busy with the commercial aspects of Christmas that we barely have time to think about Jesus, let alone truly worship Him or spend time in devotions or prayer. It seems not much has changed in the past 2000 years.

At His birth, Jesus was pretty much ignored, and He was left out in the cold of a stable.Today we get so busy with Christmas preparations, presents, and gatherings that we forget Him, and He is left in the cold again.

Promise to Answer Soon
 
Unfortunately, this scenario occurs more often than just at Christmas. It happens all year. Jesus knocks at our heart's door while we rush around with our busyness and promise to answer the door soon. We tell ourselves we will do better about reading the Bible next week, we'll go to church again when there is a better pastor, or so and so isn't there anymore,we'll pray tomorrow night when we aren't so tired, and the list goes on. We put Jesus off and leave Him out in the cold.

As bad as this is, I realized something equally chilling. When we don't find time for Jesus, we are the ones left out in the cold. Not only are we missing out now, but ultimately, we will eternally be left out.
 
I want to challenge myself and you to not just make Jesus a bigger part of our Christmas, but a bigger part of our lives every day. I want to thank Jesus for what He did not just this Christmas, but for all eternity. Don't you?
 
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me”  (Revelation 3:20).

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By Donice Palmer. Copyright © 2011 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Photo: Studiomill Changing the message on our church sign is a job that another person in our church and I share. Since I don't really want to have that responsibility all of the time, I am glad to have someone else who is willing to help. Recently, however, this person put a message on the sign that I felt was in bad taste. In fact, it was downright offensive, in my opinion. It was one of those cutsie messages that gives a spiritual message with a rather sarcastic slam of humor to it.

When I realized that I wasn't the only one who felt that way about the message on the sign, I knew I would need to change it. I didn't want to do it immediately as that would be obvious, and I didn't want to hurt the person's feelings. After a couple of weeks, however, I knew it just had to go. I just felt that the purpose of getting a sign for our church was not to insult the passersby, even if it was done in humor.

So, I found a nice Thanksgiving message and gathered the letters to put on the sign. As I went out to the street to actually change the sign, however, I had a feeling of dread. A feeling of being...ashamed. If people see me putting this sign up, I thought, they might assume I'm the one who put the last one up! The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. I mean, why should I take the shame of the insulting act that I had nothing to do with and that I didn't approve of myself? I decided to be quick about it. I'd just speed out there, pull that old message off as fast as I could and throw the next one up before anyone even noticed I was there. Yep, that was the plan.

I Couldn't Deny It

As I carried out my plan, however, another feeling came over me. Well, actually, it was the same feeling. Again, I was ashamed, but this time I was ashamed of myself! An image of Jesus fell before my eyes as the Holy Spirit stung me with the realization of how many times Jesus has taken my shame on himself. It was true, and I couldn't deny it.  He has taken my shame on Himself, allowing his own good name to be compromised by my behavior.

I thought of the Body of Christ and how the other person who put up the previous message on our sign is just as precious and necessary as I am or as anyone else is. Besides, I didn't know the circumstances behind the choice of message? Maybe the person was in a hurry or just plain didn't think about it carefully. Whatever the reason, we are called to work in unity as equal members of the Body.

Hebrews 2:11 says, “For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren.”
 

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By Gwen Scott Simmons. Copyright © 2011 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Photo: Dreamstime I always wanted to be one of Jesus’ lambs. The Good Shepherd stories appealed to my need for comfort and safety. I also loved the depictions of those lambs with their fluffy white coats and doe eyes. But goats didn’t fare so well and were often the “scapegoats.”

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left"  (Matthew 25:31-33).

Some Bible scholars believe this passage describes the last judgment and the division of all the people in the world based on the acts of kindness and mercy done to their disadvantaged fellow men. The good guys, on the right, are the sheep. The bad guys, the goats, are on the left.

Giving Person

People know me as a giving person. I like surprising the “less fortunate” with a trip to the store for food or clothing. My son says I’m invited to all the church wedding and baby showers because of my generosity. But … I’m selective.

 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me’” (Matthew 25:41-43).

I don’t see anywhere in that parable that the sheep merely gave water to sinless thirsty people or only invited people into their home who were hungry because of some natural disaster, not because they may have mishandled their money. There was no instruction on what types of nakedness we were to clothe. Maybe we’re only to visit people in prison who are innocent.

It’s clear that we choose whether we’re on the right or the left. I’m not asked to be selective, but to treat others with mercy and kindness.

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By Dee Litten Reed. Copyright © 2011 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW LIVING TRANSLATION ®.