On Wednesday night (via the internet live feed) I preached from James 4:13-16. 

There are many things we are unsure about right now. 

– Will school start back this year at all?

– Are we going to get sick?

– Will people close to use get sick?

– Do I/we have enough money to survive?

– When will we ever be able to meet again?

– Will there be any sports this spring/summer?

And in all honesty and transparency, I don’t know the answer to those questions. It is a very unsettling feeling having to admit that we “do not know what tomorrow will bring.”

But God’s word teaches us that we should never think we know anyways. We don’t know as much as we think we do. It pushes us to depend on the strong truth that God knows. God knows. God surely knows all the things that we don’t know. He knows all things. 

That should settle us. 

Let me show you a great example of this trust and faith. In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, the apostle Paul is talking about how weak he is and how God’s grace is sufficient for Him even in his weaknesses. Then he says this “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

He is content in … CALAMITIES. 

A calamity is defined as a great misfortune or disaster. 
This global pandemic Coronavirus is a calamity and hardship. It’s awful and scary. 
And as we admit how unsettling this situation is may we turn our faith and dependence to the Lord Jesus Christ. May we be content in Him. 

For when we are weak, then we are strong!

Trees grow In two directions,
They grow both up and down
And while we know that both are good
Only one is to be found

One is up, colorful and bright,
One is down and has no light
One is open, all through the air,
One is closed with dirt down there

Both have branches, spreading out
Both have growth, there is no doubt
Both are expanding, out and reaching
Both are good, growth is teaching

One is visible, we can see it grow
One is hidden, it grows below
One is producing, leaf and seed
One is consuming, the trees great need

Trees grow in two directions
They grow both up and down
Much growth happens in the unseen
Although we look around

Growth is a peculiar thing
Quite slow but oh so steady
And growth continues on and on
Whether or not we’re ready 

Growth can happen in two directions
And you may not even see it
But like a tree, we know we grow
Let’s go ahead and be it

(I wrote this 8-13-2019 and mailed it to my parents.)

I’m older than my parents were when they were raising me,

And from this view, with heart and eyes, I can start to see.

See my life and how it is, compared to how it was,

How they gave their all for me, a reflection of how God does.

The love and sacrifice, with admittedly some holes,

Not hoping for success stories, hoping for their souls.

People who are growing fast, feelings and emotions,

Countless dreams, hopes and wishes, prayers to fill the ocean.

This view is crystal clear at times, rather foggy sometimes too,

But I find myself referencing back, to being daily loved by you.

How’d you do it? What’s the key? My heart really longs to know,

And these five kids are in a sprint with still much for me to show.

I’m afraid it’s not so simple, and for that I am so grateful,

That you two were such great parents, all the ways you have been faithful.

I’m older than you guys were when you were raising me,

And God is still, still, still, using you two to bless me!

Life is full of sticky situations. Peer pressure, influence, decision-making and so on.

When we are met with challenges, we should consider – is this a temptation or a test?

A temptation is to get you to fail. A test is to get you to pass. A test is to prove your faithfulness.

Teachers give tests in school so students can prove that they know the material. Bad influences tempt us so that we will also do bad things.

Satan tempts. (Matthew 4:1-2) God tests. (James 1:12)

Satan does not test. God does not tempt. (James 1:13)

If we think about life this way, we can recall past moments in life when have given into temptation and failed. And we can also recall moments when we have passed the test.

So, we should desire to not fail, and we should desire to pass the test. And yet, we should acknowledge when we have failed. In our failings, we should turn to the Lord (not away from the Lord) and ask Him for forgiveness. Through Jesus, God forgives.

One last thought – when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, on the second temptation (Matthew 4:5-7), while resisting the devil’s temptation Jesus said this “Again it is written, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

The Bible teaches that life is full of tests and that God tests us. But we are never to test God. Why? Because again a test is to prove your faithfulness. God’s faithfulness is not in question. Never has been. Never will be. He is always faithful and true. By faith, may we live faithful to Him. By faith, may we never question or test His faithfulness.

All this month leading up to Christmas, I want to share some meaningful Christmas song lyrics. You can read the previous blog posts for the other Christmas Lyrics.

Christmas music this year has been such a blessing to me. I have been listening more intently.

Christmas Lyrics — December 19th

Lyric — “I have no gift to bring, thats fit to give our king”

Song (Click the song to hear it) — Little Drummer Boy

This very well may be my favorite Christmas Lyrics of this Christmas season.

Everyone knows the song because of the “Pa rum pum pum pum,’ but fewer people actually know the lyrics.

Notice what the song says:

“Come, they told me, a newborn king to see, 
our finest gifts we bring, to lay before our king.
So to honor him, when we come.”

Then it gets to the good part:

“Little baby, I am a poor boy too,
I have no gift to bring, thats fit to give our king.”

That is the Good News of Christmas. The Love of Jesus. We don’t have anything to give Him. We are to receive from Him. God gave Jesus for us.

This Christmas, let us rest in God’s great love. Jesus gave his life so that we can have life.

All this month leading up to Christmas, I want to share some meaningful Christmas song lyrics. You can read the previous blog posts for the other Christmas Lyrics.

Christmas Lyrics – December 3rd

Lyric – “the son of God, here born to bleed”

Song (Click the song to hear it) – Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger Ground)

One of the deepest most meaningful parts of Christmas is the truth of why Jesus came. Jesus came to save sinners. Jesus saves sinners by dying on the cross for their sins. Jesus’s blood washes away our sins when we turn to God for forgiveness and trust Him with all of our hearts.

At Christmas time, we remember what this song declares that Jesus was born to bleed.

All this month leading up to Christmas, I want to share some meaningful Christmas song lyrics. You can read the previous blog posts for the others.

Christmas Lyrics – December 2nd

Lyric – “Let earth receive her King”

Song (Click the song to hear it) – Joy to the World

When Jesus was born to the virgin Mary that first Christmas morning, there was a lot going on. Mary and Joseph welcomed their first child. A farm stable had a newborn in it. Old Testament prophecies were being fulfilled.

And the King of all Creation had come to us.

God is King! King over everything. In the incarnation, God took on flesh. God became a human. God came to us. Jesus, the King of Kings, came to earth to save us from our sins.

The song says it well, “Let earth receive her King.”

December is here, and Christmas is now nearly 3 weeks away. Most mornings, I have been asking Alexa to “play Christmas music” for us as we begin our days.

As the same familiar songs from year after year play in the background of our lives, I have noticed that my children have already learned most of them. Its pretty cool how that works. Generally, most people know most Christmas songs.

So this December, I want to share a lyric each day. Some may be more spiritual than others. All of them will be reflective on life during this holiday season.

Christmas Lyrics – December 1st

Lyric – “Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us, once more”

Song (Click the song to hear it) – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas  

Christmas is a time of gathering. There are more get-togethers than other times of the year. We are around people more often.

While this may be burdensome and stressful for some people, it is also one of the more special aspects of the holiday season.

Were it not for faithful relationships that God has given us, we would not be where we are nor who we are. Having dear people in our lives is one of God’s great gifts.

For many, Christmas season is one of the few times, if not the only time, we get to see dear loved ones all year.

I have friends from high school, old teammates; I have cousins, and aunts and uncles, and nieces and nephews, and past neighbors, and so on that I have not seen in so long. I miss them. I remember how meaningful they were, and are, to my life. I can even think of some people that I have not seen in years. Christmas is the only chance I will have to see many of them.

May this Christmas season we take advantage of the rare opportunity to re-connect with those who are dear to us.

For this reason, I am thankful for the song lyric “Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us, once more.”

The older I get there is one thing that I am more and more certain of – Life is hard!

I experience hardship in my own life, and I observe it in people’s lives every day.

Facing hardship takes courage. Courage is defined as – the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty or hardship.

Life is hard. Life takes courage.

Where does Courage come from? Courage comes in many ways. To keep it simple, Courage comes from Encouragement. Encourage means – to inspire courage.

It seems that we have minimized encouragement to mean something that makes me feel good. Encouragement is much deeper than that. Encouragement creates, produces and gives Courage to the one receiving it.

The life that honors God and follows the Lord Jesus will certainly have to deal with adversity and hardship. May the faithful have courage! May there be lots of encouragement that inspires courage in believers! It takes courage!

Acts 23:11 “Take Courage”