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Ears Full of Wax or Hearts Filled With Song

November 4, 2011 in Daily Faith with 0 Comments

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Harry Emerson Fosdick, in his book, The Manhood of the Master. “When Ulysses passed the Isle of Sirens, he had himself tied to the mast and had his ears stopped with wax, that he might not hear the sirens singing-a picture of many a man’s pitiful attempts after negative goodness.

“But when Orpheus passed the Isle of Sirens, he sat on the deck, indifferent, for he too was a musician and could make melody so much more beautiful than the sirens, that their alluring songs were to him discords.

“Such is the Master’s life of positive goodness, so full, so glad, so triumphant, that it conquered sin by surpassing it. Have you such a saving positiveness of loyal devotion in your life?”

How do you handle temptation? Most people usually just grit their teeth and try not to think about it. Of course, that is like telling someone not to think about the color blue. It just doesn’t work. That is why most of us fail. Some people try to be like Ulysses, they tie themselves to the mast of the church with legalistic codes and doctrines and stuff their ears with pious babble. Yet, time after time, they fall just like anyone else. Besides, we weren’t created to be tied to masts, but to live the joyful life of our Master.

So, what do we do? Dr. Fosdick’s quote holds the key. If we would so fill our lives with His life, then temptation would have no room to dwell. Christ has given us a song. Like Orpheus, the music of our own soul drowns out the music of the world. Therefore, we will conquer temptation not because we are strong or superspiritual, but because the song of grace sings in our hearts.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13, NLT)

Will You Shout?

April 20, 2011 in Daily Faith with 0 Comments

W. E. Sangster

Margaret Sangster Phippen wrote that in the mid 1950s her father, British Methodist minister W. E. Sangster, began to notice some uneasiness in his throat and a dragging in his leg. When he went to the doctor, he found that he had an incurable disease that caused progressive muscular atrophy. His muscles would gradually waste away, his voice would fail, his throat would soon become unable to swallow.

Sangster threw himself into his work in British home missions, figuring he could still write and he would have even more time for prayer. “Let me stay in the struggle Lord,” he pleaded. “I don’t mind if I can no longer be a general, but give me just a regiment to lead.” He wrote articles and books, and helped organize prayer cells throughout England. “I’m only in the kindergarten of suffering,” he told people who pitied him.

Gradually Sangster’s legs became useless. His voice went completely. But he could still hold a pen, shakily. On Easter morning, just a few weeks before he died, he wrote a letter to his daughter. In it, he said, “It is terrible to wake up on Easter morning and have no voice to shout, ‘He is risen!’–but it would be still more terrible to have a voice and not want to shout.”

Nest Sunday is Easter. This day is the cornerstone of our faith. Because of Easter, disciples through the centuries gladly faced trials and struggles, persecution and hardship. They boldly proclaimed the good news of the resurrection because they knew that Easter changed everything. Without a risen Christ, everything about Jesus would be pointless. Without Easter, we would have no message to proclaim, no hope for our future, and no salvation from our sins.

But because of Easter we have all that and more. The Resurrection made Easter different from every other day, because it made every other day different as well. We now have hope. We now have joy. We now have life! No longer do we live in sin and despair. No longer do we live in shame and sorrow. We now have courage to face all this world throws at us.

Why wouldn’t we shout?

HE IS RISEN!

The Punctuation of Advent

December 2, 2010 in Daily Faith with 0 Comments

In Russia, a period actually saved a man’s life. The Czar had condemned the man to death and sent this telegram to the jailer: PARDON IMPOSSIBLE. TO BE EXECUTED. The Czarina, who felt sympathetic toward the prisoner, intercepted the note and changed the punctuation as follows: PARDON. IMPOSSIBLE TO BE EXECUTED. The jailer released the prisoner and he fled the country before the Czar discovered what had happened (mrcoward.com).

That is what Christmas does for us. God moves the period of our lives and brings grace into our lives. What was impossible for us to do ourselves. Is now reality through Christ.
Through the history of the human race, we human beings have tried to find pardon and forgiveness for their lives. We have tried everything from trying to be good enough to belittling others to make ourselves look good. The end result is always the same. Pardon is impossible.
But what is impossible for us is not with God. He moved the period in our lives. Not only with our pardon, but in every aspect of our lives, God can move the period. He can bring not only pardon, but hope, joy, peace and life.

This Advent, start letting God move the periods of your life. Let Him decide what is possible or impossibe. You might just be surprised at just what is possible.

“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ” (Matthew 19:26, NIV)

Accept No Substitute

November 29, 2010 in General with 0 Comments

In Nome, Alaska, teachers receive the same professional journals and publications as teachers in other states. But the situations they face are quite different from all the other states.

A fourth-grade teacher, a newcomer to Alaska, had just received her latest curriculum resource and was discussing with the class the suggestions for a Christmas pageant. The instruction manual read: “For the children playing Santa’s reindeer, there should be brown outfits, and passable reindeer horns could be made of bare branches, trimmed to the proper shapes and painted.”

She looked out at the barren, treeless, snow-covered landscape. “Well, children,” she sighed, “I guess we’ll have to do something else. We can’t make horns of branches because there isn’t a tree for miles.”

The children looked disappointed. Then one little boy spoke up, “We haven’t any trees, teacher,” he said. “But we do have lots of reindeer horns.”

Sometimes we have to improvise. Our shepherds wear bathrobes. We make camels out of cardboard. But sometimes we substitute so much that we overlook the real thing.

We adults do a good job of substituting as well. We are so caught up in the festivities that we have forgotten the real message of Christmas. We have let Santa Claus and bright lights and packages take the place of the Christ Child and His message of salvation and hope.

This Christmas, let’s not substitute any longer. We will still have joy and happiness, but it will come from having Christ in our hearts and not tree branches on our heads.

LOOKING

November 28, 2010 in Daily Faith with 0 Comments

Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV)
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

Advent is looking.

It is looking for the decorations that we stored last year. It is looking for that favorite recipe. It is looking for that special gift. As a child, it is looking for the gifts that are hidden. As an adult, it is looking for the gifts because we can’t remember where we hid them.

Advent is also looking for Christ. To look for where He is and where He is working in our lives. We look for miracles and angels and in heavenly moments and places. However, for those who look with eyes of faith, God shows Himself at unexpected moments and ordinary places.

This Advent let us look not for the spectacular but the ordinary. We might see the Christ Child in a whole new way and possibly find the Joy of Christmas.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we look to you to reveal to us what we need to find this Advent. Help us to see You in the ordinary places of our lives. We ask that you will help us find what we are really looking for in this life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

What Bottle Are You Drinking From?

September 21, 2010 in Daily Faith, humor with 0 Comments

Bill Bouknight, former pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis, TN, tells the story of a little boy several years ago. He was trying to raise some money by collecting old bottles. Going door-to-door in his neighborhood, he came to the home of a woman who was the “town grouch,” the little boy asked, “Do you have any coke bottles?”
“No,” she replied with a scowl.
Then he said, “Do you have any old whiskey bottles?”
“Young man,” the woman replied, “Do I look like the type of person who would have old whiskey bottles?”
The little boy studied her for a moment and then asked, “Well, do you have any old vinegar bottles?”

Too many Christians look like they’ve been drinking from the vinegar bottle instead of the River of Life. Perhaps they’ve forgotten how much God loves them. Maybe they don’t remember what Jesus did for them on the cross. Perhaps they haven’t considered the promises of God’s Word. It’s tragic that some Christians go through life so negative and sour and bitter? Maybe they’ve been drinking from the wrong bottle.

The Joy of Forgiveness

May 18, 2010 in Daily Faith with 0 Comments

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

According to an often told story, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes series, once decided to play a practical joke on twelve of his friends. To each he sent an anonymous telegram that simply read, “Flee at once . . . all is discovered.”
Within twenty-four hours, all twelve had fled the country. Evidently, they all had something to hide.

Most of us do have something to hide. We have some secret we don’t want discovered? We have regrets, real and imagined. We’ve made bad choices. We live hoping that all will never be discovered. Guilt tugs at our souls, nags our minds and saps our spirits. In fact, I’m convinced that most of us live lives robbed of peace and joy because of this. What can we do?
There are just two answers. One, we can go on just as we’ve been doing. Hoping that we can keep up appearances. Hoping that no one will find out. Letting our past drain our present and future of joy. Or two, we can confess to God and receive His forgiveness. The first answer fails miserably, the second is our only hope.
God doesn’t want you to live in guilt and shame. He doesn’t want your life empty of peace and joy. He wants you to live in the joy of forgiveness. He wants to free you from the chains of the past so that you can experience the fullness of His life today.

“If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.”
1 John 1:8-9 (NLT)

Have I Got Good News For You!

December 23, 2009 in General with 0 Comments

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
Luke 2:8–10 (NLT)

A little boy in a Christmas program had only one line to say, “Behold, I bring you good tidings.” After the rehearsal he asked his mother what “tidings” meant. She told him tidings meant “news.” When the program was performed, he was so scared before the large congregation that he forgot his line. Finally the idea came back to him and he blurted out, “Hey, have I got good news for you!”

Christmas, simply put, is “Good News.” Regardless of all the hype and commercialism, it is still “Good News.” In spite of all the hectic schedules and exhaustive work and activities, it is still “Good News.”

Why is it “Good News?” He loved us so much He couldn’t bear the thought of eternity without us, so, He sent Jesus into our world. He knew that even our best intentions will fall short of filling the emptiness of our hearts, so He sent His Son. So, regardless of your opinion about Christmas and all of its trappings, this is really “Good News.”
This Christmas, let’s celebrate this “Good News.”

Prayer:
Holy Father,
Thank You for the Good News of Your Son. We are glad You sent Him. We rejoice that You love us so much.
In Jesus’ name. Amen

AMAZING!

December 20, 2009 in General with 0 Comments

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
Luke 2:15-18 (NIV)

When people heard the shepherd’s story they were amazed. They had never heard of such a thing. They had never considered such a thing. They had never imagined such a thing. It was beyond anything they had ever experienced before.

What amazes you most about the Christmas story? Is it the angels? Is it the fact that the shepherds were the first to hear the message? Is it the stable? What do you find amazing about all of this?

Could it be that the most amazing thing about the Christmas story is that God could love us so much that He would become one of us? Could it be that He loves us so much that He would send His Son to bring us back to Him?

When you think about that, it truly is amazing.

Oh, the amazing love of our Father in heaven.

Prayer:
Our heavenly Father, thank you for amazing us with Your love. Thank You for giving us the amazing gift of Your Son Jesus Christ.
In His name we pray. Amen.

JOY!

December 15, 2009 in General with 0 Comments

Joy

Once again the star appeared to them, guiding them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:9-11 ( NLT)

Do you ever wonder what it would have been like to be one of those first visitors? What must it have been like to have followed a star that filled you with joy? To have seen a baby that caused you to fall down and worship? To have seen an infant that made you open up your treasure chests and give extravagant gifts? It must have been unforgettable. Can you imagine the stories they told when they got home?

Could we experience anything like that today? The answer is “yes.” Thankfully, we don’t have to ride camels and follow stars to have an unforgettable experience with the Savior. All we must do is seek Him, be willing to follow Him, to worship Him, and to open our hearts up to Him.

Jesus Christ came into our world and filled us with joy.

Prayer:

Our Heavenly Father,

Thank You for coming into our world. Thank You that we no longer have to live in despair and hopelessness, but in joy and worship. Give us grace to worship and power to follow and love to give.

In the wonderful name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

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