Category Archives: Devotions

Raising teenage girls is not for the faint of heart.

While I am sure that I was a perfectly delightful teenager when my mother was raising me, (stop laughing, Mom!), I am having a very challenging time parenting my teenage daughter.

When she was a little girl, Julia was a ray of sunshine. She had a mop of red curls, bright blue eyes, and a near-constant smile.

So, when my cheery, agreeable daughter reached her teenage years, I was unprepared for the moodiness, the irritability, and the occasional angry retort that was intended to wound.

I have never been one to back down from a fight. (I was not called” The Mouth Of Theresa Avenue” by the moms on the street on which I grew up for nothing).

In my natural personality, I can be combative if I am challenged. Thankfully…and mercifully for those who live with me…Jesus has sanded down those rough edges with His stunning patience, relentless love, and breathtaking grace.

However, just like the apostle Paul lamented in Romans 7:1: “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate” I have done what I hate when I respond in anger toward my daughter when she  hurts my feelings with one of her outbursts.

While listening to one of Tullian  Tchividjian’s sermons  this afternoon, one of the ways he defined grace really resonated with me: “Grace is being loved when you are unloveable. Grace is God giving you His best when you are at your worst.”

I knew Jesus was speaking to me.

Tim Keller once said, “The Gospel is pretty much the solution to every problem.”

How very true those words are.

The next time my daughter lashes out at me as a result of a flood of teenage hormones, I need to remember the grace that Jesus lavished on me when He died for me while I was still His enemy. (Romans 5:8). I need to remember the way He covers my wounded heart with His mercy and grace. I need to remember His faithful love towards me, even when I am unfaithful. I need to remember His sweet forgiveness when I have broken His heart with my waywardness.

I need to remember GRACE.

Would you be willing to do the same?

Think of the person in your life that tends to hurt your feelings.

Will you respond in the flesh with an eye for an eye? Will you choose words that are deliberately meant to sear? Will your heart remain hard, unyielding?

Or…

Will you take a minute to step back, to remember the lavish grace that  your Savior has given you, and ask Him to flood your heart with His love for that person? Will you choose to search for what is lovely?  Will you give them your best when they are at their worst?

Will you choose to treat that person as Jesus would?

(Note: I am NOT talking about an abusive situation here. I am referring to the occasional emotional skirmishes that we tend to have with those we love).

Choose grace. Choose peace. Choose love.

When you do, you will discover the sheer power of grace.

Grace conquers because grace is rooted in love.

**********

Let nobody ever tell me that our God does not have a sense of humor.

Would you believe that before I even finished writing this post, the teenage hormones reared their ugly head?!

I chose to give my daughter grace.

Surprise registered in her beautiful blue eyes.

She was uncertain.

She was silent.

What could have escalated into a pointless argument instead settled into…peace. The tension drained from the room.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

I accepted her apology.

A few minutes later, she told me something funny.

We both laughed.

Grace won.

It always does.

Christ’s way is best. Every time.

For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received…one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift heaped upon gift. —John 1:16

“Unless we take God just as He is in His wholeness, we will never find hope in our own brokenness.”—Jennifer Rothschild.

I listened with tears in my eyes as a woman from our Bible study shared her heartache. Four years after Jesus allowed  her life to take a detour that she never wanted , she is still struggling to deal with her new reality.

She is hurt. She is angry. She is scared. She is afraid to hope. She is weary.

However…she is resilient. She is a fighter. She refuses to leave the path that Jesus has led her on…because to do so would be to leave Jesus.

She could no more leave Jesus than she could refuse to take her next breath.

He is her very life.

Her tenacious faith inspires me.

Afterward, I thought about the cost of truly following Jesus.

It is never easy.

Sometimes it is downright dangerous.

He requires every last piece of us. No holding back.

Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself (disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests) and take up his cross and follow Me (cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and if need be, in dying also). (Matthew 16:24).

Not a whole lot of wiggle room is there?

When Jesus called His disciples, He asked them to leave everything and follow Him.

They had a choice: yes or no? Stay with the familiar or venture into the unknown?

A quick read through the Gospels will show that the instant they said yes, their lives changed forever.

Rather than live on Easy Street for the rest of their earthly existence, they would travel Calvary Road.

Time and time again, Jesus failed to live up to their (very limited) expectations.

He simply (mercifully) shattered those false perceptions to smithereens. Instead, He gave them a front row seat to what it looks like when GOD breaks into history and walks this earth as a Man.

It took them all the way to the Cross.

Talk about a horrific detour that none of them saw coming.

Yet…this was exactly the place of God’s greatest triumph and victory.

We know that now, 2000 years later.

They didn’t know that then.

What will do with those moments in our own lives?

It is when Jesus allows something into our lives that we never imagined or wanted that we have a choice to make.

Do we really want to follow Jesus?

Not the Jesus we may have invented in our minds…but the real Jesus as He has presented Himself to be in His Word?

The One who plainly told us, “In this world you will have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration.” (John 16:33).

Notice what He did NOT say. Jesus does NOT say: “In this world you will have prosperity and good times and lots of laughs and all your dreams will come true”?

Everyone would like to follow a jesus like that.

But that jesus does not exist.

The real Jesus does not exist to make your earthly life easy and comfortable. There was nothing about His life that was easy or comfortable.

The real Jesus tells you that even though this life is difficult, you can “be of good cheer (take courage, be confident, certain, undaunted!) For I have overcome the world. (I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you).” (John 16:33).

Following Jesus means saying “YES” to everything He allows into your life.

He is good. All the time.

He is incapable of doing us harm.

He always knows what He is doing.

He is kind and compassionate.

He went to hell and back to save our sin-saturated souls.

He does not enjoy seeing us in pain but He loves us enough to do whatever is necessary to ensure our highest good and His greatest glory.

So…when pain sears and life hurts and hearts ache…will we say the hard Yes?

NOT a masochistic “yes” to pain…but a full-throated, whole-hearted YES to the Savior who bled and died and rose again to give us LIFE?

Will we say “YES” to His heart? His ways? His love?

Will we say “YES” to trust rather than doubt? To courage rather than fear? To life rather than death? To hope rather than despair?

Will we say “YES” to the healing of our scarred hearts?

Will we say “YES” to the Jesus of the Bible who has traveled the very roads He asks us to travel and freely gives us His strength and His joy for the journey?

Will our entire lives be one of “YES” to the One who said “YES” to us when He came to rescue us from sin?

The choice is yours.

The disciples said yes. It cost them everything. Jesus led them to the bloody Cross and it all must have seemed like a cruel joke.

Their “YES” led them here?

It did.

Although they never would have believed it at the time, they were in the very center of God’s will on that Good Friday.

Yet…on Sunday, there was an empty tomb.

Their “YES” had led them there too: to ultimate triumph. To life everlasting. To a blazing, eternal JOY that would never end. To freedom.

Don’t be afraid to say the hard “YES” to Jesus.

When you do, you will discover that you have actually said “YES” to inner healing, supernatural joy, exquisite intimacy, boundless hope,  tremendous purpose, deep peace in the midst of the storms, and fiery courage.

Bottom line: your “YES” gives you all of Jesus.

And He is all you ever need.

This blog is called The Power Of A Moment.

It occurs to me that I have been somewhat lax in writing about moments in time that really move and affect me.

I just had one such moment.

My brother recently lent me a DVD of the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables. I had seen the movie and while I loved the themes of grace and redemption, I truly did not understand why this play was so beloved. When I shared that with Jeff, he handed me this DVD and said, “Watch this and you’ll see why.”

He was so right!

I literally sat transfixed as Broadway actors and actresses used their incredible vocal gifts to make the music come alive in astonishing and beautiful ways.

One performer in particular brought tears to my eyes.

His name is Alfie Boe and he played the grace-saturated hero, Jean Valjean.

At one point he sings a prayer to his God called “Bring Him Home.”

He sings with passion, tenderness, deep emotion, and tremendous power. It is absolutely spellbinding. With the final note, which is both exquisitely gentle and fiercely powerful, there is complete, almost stunned silence. Then, the audience leaps to their feet and absolutely explodes with cheers, shouts, and applause. Even Alfie Boe looks overwhelmed as he stands alone bathed in the spotlight on that huge stage.  Tears shine in his eyes and he swallows hard.

I had chills all over and realized I was holding my breath. The beauty of that moment filled my senses and I marveled at the amazing talent I had just witnessed.

Then I remembered the fascinating and beloved verse our pastor had mentioned on Sunday: “The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior…He will rejoice over you with joy…and in His love He will…make no mention of past sins or even recall them; He will exult over you with singing.  (italics added).

If you belong to Jesus, He is singing over your precious life right now.

Imagine! Jesus Christ SINGS over YOU!

Just let that settle on you for a moment. Drink in the truth of that statement. Marvel and be amazed.

If the voice of a human being has the power to move us so deeply and bring tears to our eyes, it is astounding to imagine what Christ’s own voice—the very Voice that called creation into being-— must sound like!

He is  the Creator of all  music.  He is the Creator of all beauty. He is Beauty.

Therefore, His Voice must be beautiful beyond description.

When the day comes…and it is coming for all followers and lovers of Jesus…that you finally see Him face to face, I imagine He will lift His  Voice in joyous song and serenade you with a love song that will  last for all eternity.

Until then, rejoice in knowing that He sings over you, His beloved, even now.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8259445@N07/3165922154/sizes/m/

(Photo credit: taranoel)

Every December, I ask Jesus to show me a verse that He wants me to live out during the upcoming new year.

I have done this since 2002, when a Sunday school teacher suggested that we do this very thing. The goal was that by the end of that year, you would KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have lived that verse…that you have walked it out with Jesus. It has jumped off the page in the Bible and now lives permanently in your heart; a powerful testimony to the fact that Jesus lives and still walks with His followers today in the Person of His Spirit.

It has been a life-changing experience and I highly recommend doing it.

This year, He has given me this passage: “Command those who are rich in this present world would not  be arrogant nor put their hope in wealth which is so uncertain but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and ready to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age so that they make take hold of the life that is truly life.” —(I Timothy 6:17-19).

Life that is truly life!

We all want the “good life” don’t we?

Our culture has plenty to say about what that is: health, wealth, and beauty.

Yet, Scripture tells us that those things are fleeting and definitely NOT worth our time and energy. In fact, if we put all our energies into attaining those things, we will be left empty-handed in the only place that really matters: standing before God once our life on earth has ended.

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:36).

I only have one life and I want to live it in the way that my Creator deems worthy: the pursuit of Christ. (John 17:3)

This verse tells me what His priorities are:

1. Wealth in this world is uncertain and can be gone in an instant. 

In the blink of an eye, wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle. (Proverbs 23:5).

2. I will put my hope in God Himself, not my bank account or anything else in this world

Take a moment and look around you, wherever you are while reading this. You are not taking anything you see with you when you leave this world. In fact, one future day,  everything on this earth is going to be destroyed by God Himself (2 Peter 3:10). Only people and God are eternal. The things of earth will not last. To spend your life seeking those things is to waste your life and miss what truly matters.

“No thing can satisfy the soul. The soul was made to stand in awe of a Person…the only Person worthy of awe.”—John Piper

3. I will rest and rejoice in the fact that our God is a lavish Giver.

As this verse says, He richly provides all things for our enjoyment. He is not a heavenly Scrooge. He loves to give and He only gives good gifts. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17).

Enjoy the good gifts He has given you. Revel in them. Thank Him for them. But don’t live for them. Live for Jesus.

4. There is one way to be rich, regardless of the size of your bank account: be rich in good deeds.

Give your time and your treasure for the good of others. Open your eyes to the world around you. There are needs everywhere. Go and meet the ones you can with what you have.

We own nothing.  We are simply stewards of what God has seen fit to entrust to us. Live with an open hand. Giving is the path of true joy.

5. Live for heaven, not for the stuff of earth.

Compared to an infinite eternity, this life is a vapor, a mist. (James 4:14)

Yet, what we do with this short life has eternal ramifications for the next. (Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 16:19-21).

This world is not our home. Let’s not live like this is all there is. Let’s spend this year filling our bank accounts in Heaven with true, eternal riches as we live day by day with Jesus, following wherever He leads, knowing that He can only do good to us.

This will result in true life! The transliteration of the word “life” in the original Greek is zoe. It means: “the absolute fullness of life…a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed.” 

I want to live a life like that in 2013.

Do you?

“Whatever you do, find the God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated passion of your life and find your way to say it and live for it and die for it. And you will make a difference that lasts. You will not have wasted your life.”—John Piper

The Christmas story is ultimately a love story.

A love that has always existed in Eternity.  A blazing and glorious Divine love that entered time and space with one burning, zealous, resolute, beautiful goal: rescue.

The rescue of you and me.

When we typically think of Christmas, we think of gifts, bright lights, carols, and scrumptious food. The most wonderful time of the year. And it is all those things.

However, it is easy to lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas during all the festivities.

Christmas is radical. Revolutionary. Breathtaking in its enormous scope.

God came to this earth in human form as a baby to a world who desperately needed Him but who were:

*enemies of God
*spiritually dead
*weak
*empty
*distressed
*sorrowful
*in every kind of pain
*rebellious
*arrogant
*faithless
*heartless
*filled with every kind of unrighteousness
*callous
*hopeless
*exiles
*helpless to make things right
*dirty
*unforgiven
*estranged and alienated from all that is good
*broken beyond repair
*unredeemed
*in darkness
*wounded with no hope of healing

Yes, that list describes you and me and every other person who has ever entered this world, much as we would like to think otherwise.

We did not” see fit to acknowledge Him or consider Him worth knowing”. (Romans 1:28)

The Lord looked down from Heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any who understood…or sought after God, inquiring for and of Him…they had all gone aside, they have all together become filthy; there is none that does good or right, no, not one. —Ps. 14:3

Yet, He came.

Until we fully comprehend the sheer depth of our need and desperation for a Savior, we will never appreciate the true miracle of Christmas.

It is utterly astonishing.

The Beautiful came to the ugly.

The Creator came to the created.

The Perfect came to the utterly sin-stained and scarred.

Hope came to the hopeless.

Light came to those living in darkness.

He came to and for you. 

Because of and through the heart of tender mercy and lovingkindness of our God, a Light from on high  will dawn upon us and visit us to shine upon and give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death , to direct and guide our feet in a straight line into the way of peace. —Luke 1:78-79 (Amplified).

Don’t miss that: the heart of God is full of tender mercy. It is that same tender mercy that drove Jesus to leave the perfection and beauty of Heaven to confine Himself to the womb of Mary and enter this world via a dirty and noisy barn.

Today’s nativity scenes portray a sweet and peaceful scene but I doubt it was that serene that evening. Have you ever been to a barn? It is unsanitary, crowded, smelly, and cold. Yet this is where the King of Glory made His entrance into this world. It is hard to imagine a more ignoble entrance for Jesus who:

*is the exact likeness of the unseen God (the visible representation of the invisible)
*created all things
*existed before all things
*holds all things together
*is the sum total of the Divine perfection, powers, and attributes
*has power that is immeasurable and unlimited and surpassingly great
*fills everything everywhere with Himself
*possesses unending, boundless, fathomless, incalculable, and exhaustless riches (wealth no human being could have searched out)
*embodies and personifies ALL truth —-(Colossians 1-2; Ephesians 1-3)

THIS One came with one objective: The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. —Luke 19:10

At the exact moment of the Fall, when man turned his back on God, “the relationship between God and man was severed. We were ripped from the heart of God.”  (Pete Briscoe).

Jesus—God in human form—came to this earth all those years ago to restore what had been so devastatingly damaged.

He came to draw us back to His heart that overflows with “love that burns like blazing fire”….for you. (Song of Songs 8:6).

That Christmas night was what the entire world was waiting for! The promise of redemption! Restoration! Renewal!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing!
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and Heaven, and nature sing.

No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

Christmas is a time for tremendous joy and celebration! Jesus was coming to begin the process of total restoration!

…while they were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have her baby. Mary gave birth to a Son, wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a manger—there was no room for them to stay at the inn. 

There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, but the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day…your Savior was born—Christ the Lord! And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

Suddenly, a great army of Heaven’s angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God: ‘Glory to God in the highest Heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom He is pleased.’ (Luke 2:6-14).

Heaven opened on that night of all nights to declare that a new day for mankind had dawned. Salvation had come as God Himself came down to live among us.

Miracle!!!

The people walking in darkness have seen a great Light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a Light has dawned…For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. —(Isaiah 9:2,6)

That is what we celebrate on December 25th.

“Christmas isn’t a gift to wrap—but a Person to unwrap.”—Ann Voskamp

We were given the Greatest Gift that could ever be given that Christmas night over 2000 years ago. HE is the Gift. The eternal, magnificent, endlessly celebrated Son of God who came to give His life so we could live.

As we all know, Jesus did not stay a baby. Thirty three years later, there was Good Friday: a bloody cross, a horrific death. Because that is why Jesus came: to bring an unholy people back into fellowship with a holy God. To right the wrong of the Fall.  To free the captive. To take the penalty we owed.

He came to us, Perfect Love veiled in human skin to live a perfect life that we were incapable of living.

We despised Him.

We rejected Him.

We killed Him.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces He was despised and we held Him in low esteem. Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering…He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishments that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. —Isaiah 53:2-6

On the cross, Jesus purchased our eternal pardon. A holy God must deal with sin. Our Savior died in our place.

On the third day, He rose from the grave overcoming death once and for all. That is the best news of all, the crowning glory of the Incarnation.

The debt had been paid in full. Jesus’ divine mission had been gloriously accomplished.

And for all who humbly come and accept His free gift of salvation they celebrate Christmas knowing that they are:

*forgiven and able to freely forgive
*a new creation: the fresh and new has come!
*fully reconciled to God
*spiritually alive
*redeemed
*purified
*well-beloved
*whole
*healed
*joyful
*peaceful
*set apart for Him
*adopted into God’s family
*an heir of God
*lavished with His favor
*granted free access to God Himself
*indwelt by the very Spirit of Jesus Himself
*complete
*are provided with everything they need
*know that Heaven is their true home

Breathtaking grace!!! May we never get over it!

Because if He hadn’t come? This would have remained our lot:

At one time, you were separated (living apart) from Christ (excluded from all part in Him), utterly estranged…and you had no hope (no promise); you were in the world without God. —(Ephesians 2:12)

The horror is inconceivable.

“Were it not for the Gospel, the everythingness of Christ would remain only a distant, unreachable nothing to us.” —Tullian Tchvidjian, Jesus + Nothing = Everything (p. 77).

That is why Christmas is the most joyous of days!

Our Deliverer has come! We have been rescued!

But now, in Christ, you who were once so far away, through the blood of Christ have been brought near. —Ephesians 2:13

Joy to the world indeed!

A text from a  dear friend crashed into my day of Christmas shopping on Friday afternoon.

Her words on my phone relayed the horrifying news of what had happened at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, CT.

The mind reels. How could anyone do  this????

The heart breaks for the shattering loss. Five year olds??? A mother killed by her demented son’s own hand???

The deepest part of the soul cries out for comfort. For justice. For answers that may never come this side of eternity. Why???

I turn on the satellite radio as I drive home, my heart growing heavier as more unfathomable, grisly details emerge.

At one point, I hear a television anchor from one of the 24 hour cable news channels interviewing a pastor whose name I don’t catch. The pastor begins to talk about the pivotal moment of the Fall, when the heart of man became entirely corrupt, severed eternally from its perfect and holy Creator. Until… in a stunningly breathtaking moment that was planned in eternity past, the Creator Himself enters time and space through a teenager’s womb to make things right. He is called Jesus. (Luke 2:1-21)

“Excuse me Pastor,” The anchor’s voice is cutting, dripping with barely concealed contempt. ” With all due respect, this is NOT about religion. This is about GUNS. What are we going to do about the GUNS?”

I can only listen to a few more minutes, as the pastor tries valiantly to make his point in the face of more hostile interruptions. I turn off the radio as I pull into the parking lot of a crowded grocery store.

No, sir, you are wrong, I think as I walk toward the store entrance.  What happened in Newtown on Friday morning was not ultimately about guns. Or mental illness. Or  more stringent firearm laws, although all of those issues are important and worthy of discussion and debate.

As politically incorrect as it is these days to say such things, that brave pastor was right.

Death (both spiritual and physical) entered the world for the first time the day that man turned his back on his Creator and chose to believe the enemy’s hideous lie that independent self rule is the  key that opens the door to the fullest life. (Genesis 3.) Rather, that door opened to the horror of gnawing, cavernous emptiness, darkened, unredeemed hearts, and stark hopelessness.

What was once whole, perfect, and beautiful became broken, damaged, and ugly.

Tragically, that choice resulted in a flood of destruction, despair, and utter devastation that continues to this very day. It was on ghastly display last Friday.

We do reap what we sow.

The culture we live in has become a culture of death. Millions of abortions are performed on demand.  An entire generation is growing up desensitized to the horrific violence of video games that masquerade as “entertainment.” Brutal murders are on the rise. Inconceivably, parents are now the prime suspects when a child is murdered.

In the midst of all this tragedy, God has been legislated out of the public square in man’s utterly futile attempt to declare his independence from his Creator.

And the country grows darker by the day.

What of the Creator? What of Jesus?

He weeps for this broken and fallen world.

Just as He wept thousands of years ago standing outside His dear friend Lazurus’ tomb (John 11:35). Jesus hates death with a holy hatred. So much so that the very reason He came to us was to die in our place, to take the penalty upon Himself that we deserved.

“Jesus came to undo what Adam so disastrously did and lead us back through the jungle to the garden. He crossed the ravine, the unbridgeable gap between sinful man and holy God.” —Justin Taylor 

He is  intimately acquainted with horrific suffering. No one has ever suffered the way Jesus did as He hung on the cross and took the full brunt of God’s terrifying wrath against all sin that would otherwise have fallen onto you and me.

John Piper writes: “Mass murder is why Jesus came into the world the way He did. What kind of Savior do we need when our hearts are shredded  by brutal loss? We need a suffering Savior. We need a Savior who has tasted the cup of horror we are being forced to drink. And that is how He came. He knew what the world needed. Not a comedian. Not a sports hero. Not a movie star. Not a political genius. Not a doctor. Not even a pastor. The world needed what no mere man can be. The world needed a suffering Sovereign. Mere suffering would not do. Mere sovereignty would not do. The one is not strong enough to save, the other is not weak enough to sympathize. So He came as who He was: the compassionate King. The crushed Conqueror. The lamb-like Lion. The suffering Sovereign…The God who draws near to Newtown is  the suffering, sympathetic God- Man, Jesus Christ. No one else can feel what He has felt. No one else can love like He can love. No one else can heal like He can heal. No one else can save like He can save.” 

I enter the crowded grocery store that is filled with harried shoppers. As I push my cart through the produce aisle, I become aware of the fact that Silent Night is filling the air over the loudspeakers.

“…Christ the Savior is born…Christ the Savior is born!”

Those words ring out loud and clear, a balm to my hurting  soul.

Does anyone hear? The people appear unmoved, absorbed in their pursuits.

He has come! 

Because He has come:

*Hope reigns, even in the midst of heartbreak
*Death has been defeated once and for all by our Warrior King who triumphed over it at His victorious resurrection
*Heaven has been opened to all who will come
*Tears will one day be wiped away by the nail scarred hand of our Savior
*Perfect justice WILL be done. (Romans 12:19). Children hold a very special place in the heart of Jesus (Mark 10:16; Mark 9:36-37) and He had dire warnings for anyone who dares hurt them (Matthew 18:6)
*All wrongs will one day be made right
*Those 20 precious children are now in the glorious presence of the risen Christ, forever safe, forever alive, forever celebrating
*Life and Love win

And in the words of Tolkien, one glorious day “everything sad will become untrue” for the believer because Jesus came.

No, none of us will understand how or why this happened.

More tears will fall as the memorial services begin and the nation mourns for those parents who will deal with such deep grief.

We will marvel at the bravery of the heroic efforts of the teachers and staff at that school who gave their lives to protect others.

Anger at the destructive nature of sin will continue.

We will all hold our loved ones a little bit closer and treasure the gift of time with them.

Prayers for healing and comfort for the bereaved will be frequent.

I, for one, will spend everyday offering heartfelt gratitude for the precious gift of Jesus, who is near to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. I will thank Him for the fact that He is still on His Throne and in absolute control, even when it appears as if things are spinning out of control. I will thank Him that He alone is capable of bringing beauty from the ashes.

His Light still shines, even on the darkest day.

And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it. (John 1:5)

Pray for the people of Newtown.

I don’t really know what made me pick up the book.

It is called Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek.

I have never heard of the author.

My running days are long over, thanks to back surgery.

I had no idea what an ultramarathon is.

But I do like to eat.

At any rate, there it was on the shelf of the library, so I pulled it out to take a look.

An hour later, I was still in the library reading.

It turns out that an ultramarathon is an organized race that is anywhere from 50-135 miles long with no stopping!

The author, Scott Jurek has been the leading runner in the world of ultramarathons for nearly 20 years, winning 100 mile and 135 mile races time and again. Recently, he “set an American record of 165.7 miles in 24 hours—6 1/2 marathons in one day.” (book jacket).

He also does all of this while on a vegan diet.

As I read his story of triumph over adversity, the iron will and laser-like focus needed to be a champion, I realized how much of what I was learning so perfectly paralleled the Christian life, which the Bible often compares to a race (even though the book is not written from a Christian perspective).

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. —Hebrews 12:1

Jesus, who always goes before us, has marked out my race, just as He has marked out yours.

I find a lot of comfort in that, especially when the road gets rocky and difficult and I am weary of the climb.

It’s okay. Jesus knows. But better than that, He gives me the strength I need to go on.

Mr. Jurek wrote about tackling an enormous mountain during one of his training sessions: “The only way to survive an ultramarathon was piece by piece. So I ran Mt. Si piece by piece.” (p. 85).

First of all, life can seem like an ultramarathon, can it not? There are seasons that seem to go on forever with no end in sight.

This life is hard. At times, it can be harsh.

Jesus told us quite directly to expect it: “In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer (take courage, be confident, certain, undaunted!). For I have overcome the world! (I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you).” —John 16:33 (Amplified version).

We are not in Heaven yet. We live in a fallen world with other broken people. (Everyone is broken in some way. That’s why Jesus had to come).

What we are most in need of during those long seasons  is perseverance and endurance.

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” —James 1:5

In ways that we cannot see when we are in the midst of a long trial, Jesus is doing a powerful work in us. He is making us whole. With our limited vision, we cannot often see the areas of brokenness in our lives. But He sees each place and knows exactly what it will take to make the rough places smooth, heal the jagged edges of hurt…and ultimately set us free.

So often, we want an easy life, a safe life. I know I do.

But not only is the safe life in this world a mirage…safe lives make boring stories.

And Jesus, the Author of Life, is anything but boring.

I want to face the rough times with the attitude of the conqueror that Jesus says I am.  (Romans 8:37).

Rather than react in fear and dread when a trial comes, what if we faced it with an attitude of conquest?

What if we just attacked the trial “piece by piece”?

One foot in front of the other.

One day (sometimes one minute!) at a time. Praying constantly. Quoting Scripture. Refusing to give any ground to the enemy. Taking the courage that Jesus offers me, the very same  blazing courage that enabled Him to endure the Cross. Ruthlessly eliminating negative and discouraging thoughts. Resisting self-pity.

Mr. Jurek writes about having this type of attitude:

“There is no point at which the clock stops…that’s part of the challenge and appeal of the event. You keep going in situations where most people stop. You keep running while other people rest…I was used to attacking race courses, regarding steep ascents as obstacles to vanquish.” (pp. 5, 108).

What if we were among those who kept going when others dropped out?

What if, rather than cowering in fear before an unwanted obstacle or trial in our lives, we approached it as something to vanquish, with an absolute refusal to allow it to defeat us?

I can do all things through Christ who empowers me (I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me. I am sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency). —Phil. 4:13

At one point during one of his races, the author tore some ligaments in his leg and after taking stock, decided to keep running. In order to do that, he had to “mentally separate all my alarmed and distressed thoughts and emotions—‘Why did this happen?’ ‘This is going to really hurt.’ ‘How will I continue?’—and plop them someplace where I wouldn’t dwell on them. One way to do that was to focus on the tasks at hand and on the benefits of the situation.” (p. 117).

So often, we allow ourselves to be swamped and overpowered by a strong wave of feelings, which can paralyze us or make us want to quit.

Feelings are just feelings. They possess no power of their own.

They only have the power we choose to assign them.

If we are ever going to be the conquerors Jesus declares us to be, we must determine to force our fickle  feelings to submit to timeless, rock-solid truth of God’s Word. This will remind us that God is still fully in control…even when things feel out-of-control to us.

Mr. Jurek told his longtime friend Dusty about the tear at the next station along the course but Dusty did not baby him. He did not tell him to stop. He just acted as if it was business as usual as he fulfilled his role as the pacer.

He  went on to win that race and suffered no lasting damage.

During another race through the furnace of Death Valley, he felt like he could not go on and lay down in the sand. This same friend came up to him and yelled, “You’re not going to win this race lying down in the dirt! Get up!!!” (p.8).

Sometimes we are just after a sympathetic ear from friends, looking for permission to stay stuck…when what we really need is someone to lovingly but firmly tell us to keep going, to keep fighting the good fight, to keep trusting God’s Word over our feelings.

And most importantly, to remind us that in Jesus, we have everything we need.  (2 Peter 1:3; Colossians 1: 15-17; Colossians 3:1-4).

When pain overwhelms us, it is easy to lose sight of that, but we do so at our peril. Jesus is our Lifeline. If you woke up this morning, He still has a purpose for you here. He has important Kingdom work for you to do: that place where He floods your willing and open heart with His joy and your life overflows into a river of ceaseless praise and tremendous fruit-bearing effectiveness.

Don’t miss it!

At the end of his very first ultramarathon, Mr. Jurek wrote the following: “I had completed one of the hardest things I’d ever attempted…I lay face down on the grass…feeling totally drained. I didn’t have anything left. Was this what being a runner meant? Putting everything into a single race until you had nothing left to give?” (p. 51).

Whatever season you are in, live it full-throttle. Don’t hold anything back. As you run the race marked out for you on the topsoil of earth, be determined to leave it all on the field. Give Jesus everything you have. He gave His all for you.

He is so worth it.

“The essence of ‘nowness’ runs like fire along the fuse of  time….at this very moment, your timeline is on fire—racing down the seconds, minutes, and hours toward its inevitable conclusion.” (Stu Weber).

I read that line from the book Infinite Impact in a very crowded cafeteria as my kids, along with several others from their high school, were preparing to try out for the All-State band yesterday afternoon.

The chatter of hundreds of kids, as well as the sound of many instruments being played immediately faded and I just  stared at those words.

Wow.

Our ladies Bible study is currently studying Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore and last week, we looked at James 4:14, which says, “You are really but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears (into thin air).” (Amplified).

Yet, those sobering words did not hit me with the same force that the image of a lit fuse of dynamite did.

That is fast!

And that is how fast my life (and yours!) is rushing by.

Because I always have at least two books going at the same time, I am also reading The End by Mark Hitchcock, which is a very thoughtful, balanced, and biblically sound look at Bible prophecy and the end of days. (I highly recommend it). While the Bible explicitly forbids date-setting for Christ’s Second Coming, we are to be aware of the signs of the times…and on God’s prophetic calendar, it is very late indeed.

All of this has been reminding me of how brief my time on earth truly is and how much I want my one short life to count for Christ’s glory.

That is only goal in life that truly matters.

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17, italics added).

I want to be much more conscious of that lit fuse that is racing toward one of two conclusions: my death or the Rapture  (which I truly believe could come at any second). Either way, I will come face to Face with Jesus Himself.

Just as the thought of a lit fuse of dynamite promotes a sense of urgency, I want to have that same urgency in my heart every single day.

Jesus is waiting for me at the finishing line, be that today or fifty years from now.

I have His joyous Spirit living inside my heart. He is guiding me through this life, one step at a time. He is working out His plan. He picks me up when I fall. He answers my prayers. He reveals Himself to me in His Word every single day. He holds the span of my life, my very breath in His hands. He is praying for me. He is preparing my place in Heaven. He longs for the day when we are face to face.

What more do I need?

The image of that lit fuse has put a new fire in my heart, new steel in my soul.

Whatever I am facing, I can do it in His strength, knowing that He is holding onto me and there are a great cloud of witnesses cheering me on as I run the race that Jesus has marked out for me. (Hebrews 12:1).

More than anything, I want to hear my Savior say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21).

As Beth Moore has said in her famous southern twang: “It ain’t all that long.” 

Every day is one day closer to Home.

He made us for Himself
So that we should travel with Him
And see Him  at the end in His unveiled beauty
In the abiding city
Where there is light and happiness and endless home.
—Bede Jarrett

Imagine if there was a Man who…

*loves you with a deeply passionate love
*will always be faithful to you
*loves you enough to always tell you the truth
*is the wealthiest man in the world
*is the most handsome, beautiful man you have ever seen
*knows your deepest, darkest secret…and loves you anyway
*sings love songs to you every day
*paints magnificent works of art…just for you
*rejoices over your very existence
*promises to do only good to you all the days of your life
*highly honors, respects, and esteems you
*thinks about you every second of every day
*offers to fight all of your battles for you…and win them ALL
*declares that you are the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, that your beauty takes his breath away
*is royalty…and wants to make you his princess
*will be with you always
*can make you whole and complete
*can saturate your heart with peace and still the storm raging within you
*knows exactly what things thrill and delight you…and then gives them to you
*is filled with contagious, overflowing joy
*wrote you a beautiful love letter that describes both him and his great love for you
*loved you so much that he would rather die than live without you…

I have good news.

There IS such a Man.

His Name is Jesus.

This is eternal life: to know, perceive, recognize, become acquainted with and understand You, the only true and real God and likewise to know Jesus, the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, whom You have sent. —John 17:3