“What do you think of this “Christmas” Thing?”

“Let’s come to him with thanksgiving. Let’s sing songs to him.” Psalm 95:2

One day during my adolescence when Christmas was nearing, as the despair, purpose, self-worth and business of the noise grew so loud around me, I ask myself, “What do you think of this Christmas Thing?”

 I began walking, wondering in the interior of my neighbor of abandon buildings. I noticed in the middle of this trash filled lot a beautiful field of enormous yellow dandelions. They looked so out of place that it surprised me. Why here in this slightest sound of fear abiding in the middle of that field, where the trash rest among this beauty. There was such a peace among this abandonment a modern pack of wild things where lives of forethought and grief some time ago; I came into the presence of thankfulness, waiting for the lights to shine through the broken windows, resting in the grace of this neighborhood a flowering world of freedom. My thoughts, “pull them out? Why Couldn’t I take their beauty home? 

Of course, they’re just dandelions. And some would think dandelions are weeds which most would pull or spray with weed killer, thinking as a child, “I could remove them secretly”. But wait, In the mist of the dandelion’s dilemma, my reflection examines the question, “Why do we need a Savoir?”

You see if you are like me I’m one of those who need a reminder of their self-worth, purpose, whom I belong to and who I am. Let me put it into perspective:

It’s not that we need to save ourselves—we cannot do so—but that we need to be saved. “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10).

We need to be saved because we are under God’s wrath. We are “by nature deserving of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3).

We need to be saved because we are spiritually dead.Before salvation, we are “dead in [our] sins” (Colossians 2:13). Dead people can do nothing for themselves. We need resurrection. We need the life-giving power of Christ, who alone can conquer death.

This Christmas, I want us to notice the dandelions in our lives. You see our beautiful dandelions is much like the Lord Jesus Christ. The dandelion is everywhere. Jesus Christ is omnipresent. The dandelion will grow anywhere, except where eradicated. One may find the Lord anywhere, except where people have excluded Him. The dandelion is hated and warred against by almost all people. Isn’t that the way it is with the Lord? He came unto His own and His own did not receive Him. “He said He was hated by the world because He testified against it. The dandelion is not a pest, but is good medicine. Jesus is Good Medicine. He is the good Physician, who heals, though despised. We need him to share the Good News. To let those dandelion times remind us that God loves us and has a plan for our lives. Our humanity is tainted by sin Romans 3:23

Finally, “dandelion” means “teeth of the lion.” Jesus Christ once came as a Lamb, to die for us, but now He comes as the Lion from the tribe of Judah. He comes with teeth. God is a consuming fire, the Bible declares, He comes to judge the earth in righteousness. Nobody fools with a lion, especially this one, Jesus Christ Glorified.

When Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again,” He spoke of necessity (John 3:7). Being saved—receiving the new birth—is not just a nice idea or a divine suggestion. It is the deepest need of the human soul: “You must be born again.”

This meaning of Christmas is love. God loved His own and provided a way—the only Way—for us to spend eternity with Him. He gave His only Son to take our punishment for our sins. He paid the price in full, and we are free from condemnation when we accept that free gift of love. "But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). 

All praise, thanksgiving, blessing, power, might, strength, and our ‘need for a Savior’ to Him forevermore.  Merry Christmas, Amen!

Yes, in Jesus Christ, we are that dandelion, and thankful for it!

God Bless You and This Ministry!

“Friends We Will Never Do EveryThing Right”

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Of all the challenges thrown at Christianity today, perhaps the most difficult is explaining the problem of suffering. Suffering is a universal part of our humanity that exists in a fallen world. How can a loving God allow suffering to continue in the world which He created? For those who have endured massive suffering themselves, this is much more than a philosophical issue, but a deep-seated personal and emotional one. How do you address this issue? 

In the last few years, how many of you have had friends that have had surgery, sickness, accidents which lead to a disability or death, been diagnose with cancer or some disease. Some have been declared cancer-free others not so. In each case, I’m thankful to say that the suffering seems to have been a success. What a success? What do you mean a success? Let me explain!

“It’s never God’s will for his children to suffer.” This is a statement frequently used from both Christians and non-Christians as they interpret the character of God. Being immature I ask, why would a loving God not want his children to be happy? Sometimes I have an understanding reason. But most of the times I reason with my emotions. 

Yet in the diverse wisdom of God, as I look to the word, I see clearly how God uses suffering for our good and eternal joy. Which is far deeper than any fleeting happiness?The Bible give us many examples of suffering and some indicators on how to deal with it?

Just look at the book of Job. It begins with a scene in heaven which provides the reader with the background of Job’s suffering. Job suffers because God contested with Satan. As far as we know, this was never known by Job or any of his friends. It is therefore not surprising that they all struggle to explain Job’s suffering from the perspective of their ignorance, until Job finally rests in nothing but the faithfulness of God and the hope of His redemption. Neither Job nor his friends understood at the time the reasons for his suffering. In fact, when Job is finally confronted by the Lord, Job is silent. Job’s silent response does not in any way trivialize the intense pain and loss he had so patiently endured. Rather, it underscores the importance of trusting God’s purposes in the midst of suffering, even when we don’t know what those purposes are. 

It’s interesting that soon after most people receive their diagnosis, some talk about what it means to “suffer well.” And I thought: If there’s a category of life more alien to the secular, progressive mind, I don’t know what it would be. A dominant message in our society is that suffering is hopeless, worthless, and to be avoided at all costs—even at the cost of life itself. 

When we are suffering, we can be confident that God hears our desperate pleas. The Maker of heaven and earth is listening attentively, waiting for us to call out to him. It doesn’t need to be an eloquent prayer. Just a sincere cry for help.

Paul also gives us an example as to how we should view suffering as children of God. "But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

One friend told me that the way she handles what’s happening to her right now will send a modeling message: not only that life with disability or suffering is worth living, and that God has a special place in His family for us.

Unfortunately, many of us fail to grasp this. All of my suffering has involved loss. Loss of things I valued. Loss of what I loved. Often, they were good things, sometimes wonderful things. While I wouldn’t choose adversity, it has been an unparalleled gift in my life. Has it been hard? Yes. But has it been worth it? Absolutely but none of them were as good as God himself. So even though I grieved their loss, I saw how God could give me joy without them. Because my joy became rooted in him, “it’s all about Jesus”. I wouldn’t trade places with anybody in this world to be this close to Jesus.

We will never be able to weather the ordeals that will come our way, unless we recover a practice, of suffering in Christ.Jesus said that, in order to follow Him, one must be willing to die. We will not all die martyrs’ deaths. We will not all be imprisoned, beaten, or tortured for our faith. So what kind of death did Jesus mean?

Paul explains in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." To follow Christ means we die to our own way of doing things. We consider our will, our rights, our passions, and our goals to be crucified on the cross with Him. Our right to direct our own lives is dead to us (Philippians 3:7-8). Death involves suffering. The flesh does not want to die. Dying to self is painful and goes against our natural inclination to seek our own pleasure. But we cannot follow both Christ and the flesh (Luke 16:13; Matthew 6:24; Romans 8:8). Jesus said, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God"(Luke 9:62).  

The cross of Christ can be regarded as the ultimate expression of God’s justice. When asked how much God cares about the problem of evil and suffering, the Christian God can point to the cross and say, “That much.” Christ experienced physical pain as well as feelings of rejection and abandonment. He experienced the same suffering as many people today who know the bitterness of isolation, pain, and anguish.Friends we will never do everything right, but we will all be better at following Jesus because he’s with us.

God Bless You and This Ministry!

Yearning for “I Love You”

In the chaos and calamity of life, peace will often feel far away and it feels like, no one is heeding. Yet I as a child of Christ is praying for you during these stormy days when we just do not “Hear”. When you wake up everyday keep the following scriptures in mind and remember you are loved by me.

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” Isaiah 26:3

“For his anger last only a moment, but his favor lasts a life time weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”  Psalm 30:5 Love

I know this sounds like ridiculous mumbo jumbo to an unbeliever.Why is it important to love each other? But those who have encountered the living Christ understand what I mean, but do they?The issue is our hearts. Who are we? And, are we willing to show love, mercy, with intentionally, and compassion? Will we get caught up in who we should help and love, how often we’re supposed to, and how much; or will we simply allow the Holy Spirit to work through us? 

Let’s look at what the Bible says.Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. The person who loves has become God’s child and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 John 4:7-8).

If you could receive a special gift of love every Day of your life, what would it be? For me, it would be the spiritual gift of faith that is found in the list of the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12. You seeVerse 9 says that some people are given the gift of faith, but as I read about this gift it is not specifically explained. All believers have been given saving faith by God as the only means of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9), but not all believers are given the spiritual gift of faith. Like all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual gift of faith was given for the “common good,” which means the edifying of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7). 

When people love each other, we like to give each other gifts. But there’s a problem with this. Sometimes people think you have to give presents to show love. We love others based on God’s abiding love for us in Christ. In response to this love, we share it with all whom we come in contact with—our “neighbors.” Someone who is worried that he doesn’t love himself enough has the wrong focus. His concern, biblically, should be his love for God and his love for his neighbor. “Self” is something we want out of the way so that we can love outwardly as we ought.But we can show love in different ways. We can say, “I love you” with words for someone in need purposely and daily. Let’s take a moment and Emotionally, say in a prayer, “I love you” for someone a number of times silently that you have not talked to for a long time. That’s easy, isn’t it? 

We can show people we love them by listening to them. You’ve been listening to my words for a few minutes now, and I’m glad you’ve given me that gift. When we listen to people, we say, “I love you.” Or how about this? Choose a person you know well and give that person a shout out hug like Jesus did in the parable of the Good Samaritan, was only one who showed himself to be a true neighbor to the man in need: the Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). There were two others, a priest and a Levite, who refused to help the man in need. Their failure to show love to the injured man was not the result of loving themselves too little; it was the result of loving themselves too much and therefore putting their interests first. The Samaritan showed true love—he gave of his time, resources, and money with no regard for himself. His focus was outward, not inward. Jesus presented this story as an illustration of what it means to love one’s neighbor as one’s self (verse 27).

Hugs are great ways to tell people you love them. And you don’t even have to use words that they may not hear! Helping people is another way to say, “I Love You”. What was the one big way Jesus showing his love for us? By dying on the cross. He gave the best gift of love. He gave himself.

Think of ways you show love to others, you can give hugs. You can say loving words. You can help people. There are so many ways to say, “I love you.” And the best gifts aren’t always the ones that cost the most. we see that love does not exist apart from God and that true love can only be experienced by one who has experienced God’s own love firsthand:

 “And so, we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:16-19

To sum it up, God gives all Christians saving faith. The spiritual gift of faith is given to some, who exhibit extraordinary amounts of faith in their Christian walk and who, by their faith, are a joy and an encouragement to others. My challenge to you is to proclaim,” that I will love my neighbor by refusing to house a judgmental spirit.  refusing to focus on the sin in my neighbor’s life as opposed to the sin in my own. However, be bold enough to encounter my neighbor in love, grace and to pray for areas of bondage, pain, injustice, and sin in their life’s. Loving my neighbor by understanding that love doesn’t always feel fuzzy, but often challenges and calls out something greater so that they can experience the fullness of Christ.”

 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.Matthew 9:22

God Bless You and This Ministry!