Posted by: Jo | December 18, 2015

Telling and Retelling The Christmas Story

 

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.”

(Luke 6:38)

image I was reading this week a very interesting article about, Charlie Brown’s Christmas, the animated cartoon that is celebrating a fifty-year anniversary, this year. I was impressed by the fact that when Charles Schultz, the author, first presented the finished video, he was strongly advised to delete the full scripture reading that Linus was going to read to Charlie, to help him understand what Christmas was all about, because the producers thought it wasn’t appropriate to quote the Bible in a cartoon. I was amazed that Charles Schultz stood up to this criticism and insisted that God’s word, the true story of Christmas, would remain in the cartoon, so for fifty years and counting, the telling and retelling of the Christmas story has been repeated for all the children and adults viewing that sweet little video. This is what Linus read; Luke 2:8 – 14

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests”

As I finished reading the article I thought what a wonderful example Charles Schultz has set for all of us. We, who know that true story, need to make sure that future generations hear and know why we celebrate Christmas. When Moses was teaching the Israelites how to live their lives he impressed upon them the need to remember and not to let slip from their hearts the true story that they had experienced and the necessity of passing on that knowledge to their children.

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” (Deuteronomy 4:9)

image We are a family of story tellers and our grandchildren love to hear our stories, especially when they feature in them. They love to be reminded, over and over again, of what they did when they were small and their eyes light up with delight when the exciting climax is getting close. We have to be careful to include all the familiar story and even when my husband chose to say a different grace at the dinner table, a little voice from the three-year-old, piped up to tell him, “You missed a page, Grandpa” The very fact that they already know the whole story just seems to make it more fascinating for them to hear us tell it.

The Christmas message can only be treated as an amazing story if it becomes a part of family history, to be told lovingly, emphasising the fact that we became part of that story when we became adopted children, told to embrace the wonder of God becoming man, told so the words become part of us.

I love the old hymn that emphasises that we will never get tired of that old, old story of God’s incredible gift to us on that first Christmas morn.

Tell me the old, old story

Tell me the old, old story

Tell me the old, old story

Of Jesus and his love.

3 Comments

Posted in Comfort, Encourage, Inspiration, Luke | Tags: , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Jo | December 11, 2015

The Perfect Gift

 

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

(Luke 6:38)

image In this wealthy, consumer crazy Western part of the world we live in, I was surprised to read in the media that a “giving day” had been specified and set aside in the beginning of December to encourage people to give generously to charities of their choice. Perhaps the ploy was to get big corporations and well known companies to try to out-do each other, as they published what they were prepared to give on that day. Also at this time of the year the everyday person also has giving on his or her mind as they frantically search through shopping malls to find that perfect gift for a loved one.

When Jesus was speaking about giving, he was not talking about Christmas shopping. He was not talking about big corporations seeking praise from the crowds. He was not talking about the grudging thoughts of givers who hope the recipient will know just how much that present cost. He is not talking about present giving at all. The first and most important thing we begin to understand is that the perfect giver of any gift is the Heavenly Father himself;

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

Not only is the Lord the perfect giver of the perfect gift, he is himself the perfect gift to us;

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

When one of my granddaughters was a little girl I was trying to emphasise that the reason for celebrating Christmas was that it was Jesus’ birthday and in true child like innocence she remarked,

Where is his gift under the tree?

Where is his gift under the tree!

That question poses an almost more confounding question. imageWhat could a mere mortal ever give the perfect giver who is also the perfect gift to all mankind?

When we go back to God’s word we have the answer to life’s most complex questions and we find the answer here;

“My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways.” (Proverbs 23:26)

But we can never out-give the perfect giver. So when we are willing to give ourselves to him, blessings of good measure will flow into to our lives in abundance and we will be able to spread these blessings to all those around us.

4 Comments

Posted in 2 Corinthians, Challenge, Comfort, James, Luke, Proverbs | Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted by: Jo | December 4, 2015

A Tangible Presence

“ The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest”“

(Exodus 33:14)

image Many years ago a friend told me a sweet story about her little boy, who during a severe lightening and thunder storm, became very frightened as he had just been put to bed in his upstairs bedroom and all the adults were still downstairs. At one, big flash of lightening he cried out, “I’m frightened” One of the adults to reassure him called back, “Jesus will look after you”. His reply has stayed in my mind ever since and has remained as a reminder of what we all need in times of distress. This was the wail that floated down the stairs;

“I need someone with skin on!”

We may smile at the little one’s response, but when we examine it more closely we realise the incredible depth of truth behind those words. God promised that his presence would go with us and what is more, Jesus has promised that his spirit would live within us and when that happens we become the tangible presence of our Lord for others to see and be able to touch.

“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete within us.” (1 John 4:12)

A tangible presence of a caring person can have a powerful effect in all sorts of ways. Studies have proved that babies cared in orphanages, even though they were well fed, didn’t thrive as well as babies being given lots of hugs in a family setting. Studies in senior citizen’s homes have shown the same results, that when a senior has constant visitors that hold their hands, or give hugs, even those with dementia are calmer and respond better to care. Sometimes a hug given with a true sense of caring, speaks louder than many spoken words.

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:18)

image We may have been guilty of sometimes saying glibly, “I will pray for you” when what the needy person really needs is a tangible presence of a loving, caring friend who is prepared to be there in person. Sometimes we need to be the one

“who has skin on” for another who is frightened, deep in sorrow, battling depression, facing a terminal illness, doubting God’s goodness, lonely, all of which can overwhelm when one is struggling alone.

Many of the old hymns have such beautiful ways of speaking to our Heavenly Father and asking for his help to love others with his love and I particularly like the words in this one hymn that ask God to allow our hands and our feet to move prompted by his love, not to make others think how good we are, but to be a tangible presence of his unconditional incredible love for his children

Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love

Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee.

2 Comments

Posted in Challenge, Exodus, John | Tags: , , , , ,

Posted by: Jo | November 27, 2015

Silence Is Golden

“… a time to be silent and a time to speak.”

(Ecclesiastes 3:7)

image A group of us were recently chatting about an acquaintance and one of the members remarked, “He is definitely the strong silent type.” Afterwards I was thinking about my friend’s words and I remembered my father using that same expression. My father was always quoting little sayings which he would produce every now and then and we children would mouth them quietly while he was speaking, as we all knew them off by heart. One of them has always stayed in my mind, although I wasn’t wise enough to implement it many times, thus proving him to be correct. This is what he would say;

“Better to remain silent and thought to be a fool than open your mouth and prove it.”

I was surprised to find this verse in Proverbs that supports that saying of my father.

“Even a fool is thought wise if he remains silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue” (Proverbs 17:28)

“When to speak/ When to remain silent” this can become a burning question for all of us and the writer of Ecclesiastes makes it clear (3:7) that there are appropriate times both to speak or remain silent.

Blurting out words without giving due thought to how they will be received, can have disastrous results and Scripture warns us about this;

“Reckless words piece like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Proverbs 12:18)

One of the reasons words get blurted out is that the art of listening seems to be on a decline. When we communicate through e-mails and texting we lose that important part of conversation, the body language. Noticing the pain in someone’s eyes, the unshed tears, the trembling of a lip, the clenched hands, alerts us to what lies behind the spoken word. Also the pace of life nowadays leaves little time to spend just listening to those who really need our attention and often the problem arises because we are too absorbed in our own thoughts to hear what begs to be heard. We need to practice being silent and practice listening.

“He who answers before listening – that is his folly and his shame” (Proverbs 18:13)

image Vowing to improve our listening skills is a great project for all of us to undertake and I am sure we will be surprised at how the depth of our relationships deepens, whether it be family members, co workers, neighbours or friends.

The sweet old song calling silence – golden – can also be applied to our relationship with our Lord. When we are busy assailing the Heavenly Father with all our problems, we are not allowing any time for him to speak. Sometimes the most rewarding times spent with the Lord are those when we deliberately remain silent before him, basking in his love, allowing that love to flow around us, actively concentrating on listening to his voice, being still before him.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

3 Comments

Posted in Challenge, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Psalms, Romans | Tags: , , , , ,

Posted by: Jo | November 20, 2015

The Wonder Of Praise

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; Give thanks to him and praise his name”

(Psalm 100:4)

image One of my daughters works in a management position in a big busy office and has quite a lot of responsibility with a team of others she supervises and often felt that perhaps nobody was aware of how diligently she performed her tasks, but was pleasantly surprised to be called into her overseers’ office last week to be told that her boss had received an e-mail from another person in management which was essentially a glowing report of my daughter’s work ethics. My daughter later confided to me how that one acknowledgement had given her such a lift and she suddenly realised that her efforts had been recognised.

We can all relate to my daughter’s story about the wonderful power praise has. Lots of seminars have been given about how to use praise in raising our children, encouraging those suffering from low esteem, allowing slow learners to blossom, cementing relationships in marriage by praising our spouses. We all function so much better with praise being an essential part of our lives.

Scripture has much to say about praise. Checking the word in a concordance will give you pages of reference and the majority of the verses are praising God. I was wondering about why this was so, as God certainly doesn’t need praise in the way humans need it, and then as I read one of David’s psalms I suddenly realised that when David used the word he was recognising the incredible attributes of our Heavenly Father; his forgiveness; his compassion; his deep love for us; his power over evil; his out pouring of blessings. When we recognise and tell God we do know who he is and we know who we are in relationship to him, love and blessings flow between us. Praising God is recognising who he is.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:2 – 5)

image It is so easy to forget that when we opt to follow the Lord, every aspect of our life is now shared with him and this becomes such a pleasant experience if we remember to acknowledge that through praise;

“Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him.” (Psalm 147:1)

When we learn to recognise the wonderful attributes of God through praising him, we find that as we do, we stop focusing on ourselves, we are freed from being self absorbed, we begin to notice the attributes of those around us which in turn allows us to give praise to those who need it.

The psalmists had a great grasp about what it meant to praise God and vowed praising would be a lifelong practice.

“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” (Psalm 146:1 – 2)

4 Comments

Posted in Comfort, Inspiration, Psalms | Tags: , , , ,

Posted by: Jo | November 13, 2015

Walk With Heads Held High

“I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high”

(Leviticus 26:13)

image One of my granddaughters is a member of a university women’s soccer team and this last weekend her team was playing an important game in an out-of-Province competition and they won. I was telling one of my friends about the win and she was very impressed as now they proceed to the next level and she said to me. “They can certainly hold their heads up high now!” Her comment made me think about all the meanings behind that phrase and I remembered hearing it in my childhood as I heard my parents discussing a friend who had gone through some tough times, “Now he doesn’t need to be ashamed, he can hold his head high.”

Body language does speak loudly and shame can be shown clearly by downcast eyes and head bent low. Guilt, sorrow, depression, low self esteem, can have the same effect as if something heavy is actually hanging around one’s neck and the effort of straining to look for any joy, proves too difficult. The psalmists were certainly brave enough to admit how they could be devastated by raging emotions;

“Why are you downcast, O, my soul? Why so disturbed within me?” (Psalm 42:5)

But it as if the writer suddenly comes to his senses and tells himself;

“Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.” (Psalm 42:5)

He ends the Psalm by repeating those words to remind himself to keep the reason for hope firmly embedded in his mind. A good lesson for all of us.

David also has some good advice when we are downcast by whatever causes our heads to droop;

“My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.” (Psalm 25:15)

image These wise words tell us not to focus on that snare, whatever is trapping us in despair, but to look away, don’t allow the problem to entangle us, look beyond it and look to the Lord.

Paul gives a very good description of that low feeling that can overtake any of us.

“For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn- conflicts on the outside, fears within.” (2 Corinthians 7:5)

But Paul remembers his, and our source of all comfort, and realises it was God who comforted them all by sending someone to stand in for him.

“But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus.” (2 Corinthians 7:6)

The God of all comfort is always standing by ready to take away any of those ugly feelings that can overtake us and trap us in that snare that keeps our heads down low, but we need to hold up our heads high and remember we are his children and he has promised to free us from what hinders us to live the abundant life.

imageThe old, old hymn still holds a wonderful message for us all;

Turn you eyes on Jesus

Look full in his wonderful face

And the things on earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of his glory and grace.

2 Comments

Posted in Comfort, Corinthians, Encourage, Leviticus, Psalms | Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted by: Jo | November 6, 2015

Inside Voices

“The quiet voices of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.”

(Ecclesiastes 9:17)

image We have a wild, noisy friend, who is Italian by birth, and I had to laugh at the caption she posted at the bottom of a picture posted on social media. It read, “Italians don’t have inside voices” We agreed with her that the description fitted her exactly. The phrase, “inside voices”, suddenly transported me back to my school teaching days when I used it to encourage a roomful of noisy kindergarteners that there were voices for the playground and inside voices we used in the classroom. In the playground one could be loud, but in the classroom we all needed quiet voices.

It is interesting to see that the Lord uses his quiet, inside voice to get our attention and if we are not listening carefully we will miss out on a close intimate relationship with him. I love the story in the book of Kings where the prophet, Elijah, is totally burnt out and cries out to God that he feels he is the only one left who is trying to follow him. God tells him to go outside because he is going to meet him there. The sequence of events is surprising;

“…Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire came a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:11 – 12)

The Lord speaks to Elijah in a gentle whisper;

“…Then a voice says to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”” (1 Kings 19:13)

We all know all too well that the voices of the world are loud and compelling. We are bombarded with messages from the media that entreat us to try all manner of activities that consume our time. Prayer time, which is often referred to as “quiet time” gets lost in the shuffle of everyday living. No wonder we sometimes don’t hear that gentle whisper from the Lord.

Jesus reminds us in the book of Revelation how important it is to keep our ears open;

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20)

image I find it fascinating that Jesus doesn’t ask us to hear the knocking, it is his voice we need to hear. Then the next big step is to invite him in. No use just telling him that we hear the knocking and his voice, we have to open the door and fellowship with him.

The other wonderful advantage of constantly listening to that voice, is that we have the assurance of going in the right direction;

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”” (Isaiah 30:21)

2 Comments

Posted in 1 Kings, Challenge, Comfort, Ecclesiastes, Encourage, Isaiah, Revelation | Tags: , , , , ,

Posted by: Jo | October 30, 2015

Road Signs

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you”

(Psalm 32:8)

image This year we have had two family members go for road tests to obtain their driver’s license. One was our teenage granddaughter, getting her first ever license, and the other was a son-in-law needing to change his foreign license to a current Canadian one. In both cases there was a strict procedure to follow, first a written test to make sure applicants knew and understood all the road signs, secondly the road test to see if those taking the test strictly followed the rules of the road which were posted clearly in sight of all drivers. As I was driving in our neighbourhood this week I was observing the many signs that have been designed to keep both drivers and pedestrians safe and thought this is a wonderful example of how we need signs in our Spiritual journey to allow us to live life to the fullest and I grasped what the Lord was saying through the Psalmist in Psalm 32:8, that he will be the one to teach us how to navigate life’s highway.

As I was driving up to an intersection I saw the sign, YIELD I knew I had to stop and give way to any other car approaching and thought what a pity we don’t see that huge sign when we are involved in a heated argument with another.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)

image The next sign I passed was at the ramp that led onto the highway, MERGE. If only that sign was apparent above terrible divisions that occur in church congregations where neither side is willing to merge into one united body of believers.

“I appeal to you, brothers in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no division among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)

The next sign that alerted me read WARNING, uneven rough surface ahead.

How many times in our life do we need to observe that wise sign and be prepared for what is coming and to remember that when we are facing rough times in our journey we can remember that our Heavenly Father has gone before us and remain calm as his words comfort us.

“…I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble..” (Jeremiah 31:9)

As I continued my drive I approached a school zone where a huge sign was obvious to all, SLOW DOWN

In this present age, life seems to be a hectic race against time and all the time saving devices that have been invented seem to have the opposite effect. imageCramming exercise, driving children to activities, taking yet another life skill course, working etc. seem to crowd the days so that all important message of slowing down gets lost. Time to be rejuvenated by spending time just enjoying life with friends and loved ones seems to get lost, but most of all we need to slow down to spend time with our Heavenly Father to draw on his love and guidance and allow him to be our navigator on the road of life.

4 Comments

Posted in Challenge, Corinthians, Encourage, Jeremiah, Philippians, Psalms | Tags: , , , , ,

Posted by: Jo | October 23, 2015

Choosing To Follow

“…I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

(John 8:12)

image The last few weeks has been a frenzy of campaigning in this part of the world (Canada), as the country decides who will be the governing party to lead the country for the next few years. The promises of the candidates for the different parties seem outrageously extravagant, painted with rosy expectations of what we, the people, can enjoy if we just choose them for the position. The faces on all the bill boards have huge smiles and the one I saw was very straight forward, “The Choice is ….” This made me stop and think about what choosing and allowing somebody to lead, meant. We live in a democracy so we are allowed to choose which political party we think will do the best job, of course this is not guaranteed and governing parties often fail to live up to expectations. Choosing and following, spiritually is very different from that of the world.

Choosing and following has been part of the relationship between God and his children right from the beginning. The big question of who and what to choose, was posed by Moses after he had been given the law of God, designed to care and protect the children of Israel, and he urges the people to choose the life the Heavenly Father has prepared for them.

“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before your life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice and hold fast to him….” (Deuteronomy 30:19 – 20)

image Jesus himself poses the same question to us. His campaign to persuade us to follow him, contain the most powerful promises of all time.

“..I am the way and the truth and the life…” (John 14:6)

Then he tells us what to do;

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.” (John 12:26)

During our election campaign, I was interested to see how many volunteers were prepared to put their efforts into seeing the message of the candidate they were promoting, spread to the public. Their enthusiasm was obvious as they followed the one they were representing to all the public meetings displaying the party signs on tee shirts, placing posters on every corner, speaking to as many bystanders as they could.

I thought, a bit sadly, that we as Christians do not always put as much effort as that to promote the lovely message of love the One we represent, has for all mankind.image

When the disciples heard Jesus’ loving invitation they were prepared to leave everything behind to be with him;

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men”. At once they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:19 – 20)

The beautiful hymn is a wonderful affirmation of the way we can cast our vote, spiritually.

Following Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

No turning back, no turning back

4 Comments

Posted in Challenge, Deuteronomy, Encourage, Inspiration, John, Matthew | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Jo | October 16, 2015

Thanksgiving

 

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”

(Psalm 100:4)

In Canada, Thanksgiving, is celebrated on the second Sunday inimage October during the beautiful Fall season of crisp invigorating air, swirling leaves of every colour and bright orange pumpkins decorating stores and door steps. Families gather together for the traditional roast turkey and pumpkin pie and for a time to stop and reflect, with gratitude, on their blessings. Being taught to remember to say thank you for gifts given and as a polite way of refusing with a “ no thank you” begins very early in life, so it was easy to see how one little girl was very confused watching her mother preparing for the Thanksgiving dinner and asked , “But who are we thanking?”

Who are we thanking?

Children in their innocence can ask the most, simple yet the most profound questions and this one makes us all stop and evaluate to whom we direct our own thanksgiving. We may have all been guilty of saying without thinking, “Thank goodness I caught the train in time/ bought the right size/ had enough money in the bank” etc., not really addressing anybody in particular. We may attribute our good fortune to our own endeavours, coincidence, and good luck. The Psalmists looked at life in a very different way, seeing God’s hand in the everyday things of life;

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1)

Recognising God’s hand in our lives is an amazing way of remaining focused on what really matters in life and expressing our gratitude to him changes the whole way we look at our circumstances. I have discovered myself that while going through very difficult times the only way I can prevent being overwhelmed by them is to deliberately stop and find something to give thanks for;image

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

The secular world has tried to harness this sense of gratitude and use it as a form of therapy to maintain good emotional health, but the little girl’s question remains unanswered and the thankfulness has an emptiness.

Paul has a far better understanding of what true thankfulness means, and what is more important, knows what the result is;

“Do not 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 guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6 –7)

Many of the old hymns we sang as children had a simple but compelling message and this one I remember as summing up what true thankfulness means.

Counting Blessings

Count your blessings

Name them one by one

See what God hath done

Count your many blessings

Name them one by one

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done

3 Comments

Posted in Comfort, Encourage, Philippians, Psalms, Thessalonians | Tags: , , , , ,

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