An Early Start

Lately my devotional life has been really weak. I’ve been busy with both the Christmas season, and church planting. Just a few months back I purchased D.A. Carson’s For The Love of God (that I immediately fell in love with). But now I have no more early morning train rides, basically an hour ride a few days a week, the time that was so easy to read a devotion and pray because there’s nothing else to do, and less days to just wake up, make a cup of coffee and sit down with God.

 All excuses, how can you be “too busy to be with God?”

 So, I came up with a better excuse...

 I really like bible reading plans, and devotions for each day of the year. So, since we’re just a week away from the new year, and the next opportunity to “commit” to reading through the bible in a year, (just to give up on it when we’re half way through Leviticus) I’ve kept telling myself, when I feel the urge to sit, read, and pray devotionally, that I can just wait “until next week” and start fresh...

 This morning I had that same sensation: Go read your devotion, pray, worship God...

 I answered the same way that I have the last few weeks...”but next week I can start from fresh...start on day one and “commit” myself to making it through 2007...”

 I think God answered my declining of His invitation to worship Him...

 “Why don’t you start January 1^st today?”

 Great Idea!

 So here I am, writing the few last sentences of this entry then I’m going to “crack” open my (digital) copy of For The Love of God and I’m going to read January 1^st entry...Tomorrow January 2^nd...and so on.

 So, now I have an early start on the year. And, if you’re like me, you’ll need it too. Now I have a whole week of “extra days” to keep me ahead of schedule for 2007.

 Go on, find a good devotion or reading plan and get yourself an early start too.

Happy Holy Day

Happy Holiday? Or Happy Holy Day? What is Christmas for you?

 I’ve mentioned many times that my life and ministry can be summed up in one sentence: “The most important view you have is your view of God and to the extent that your view of God is distorted, your life will be out of focus.” Christmas is no exception to this.

 I believe that what defines Christmas for us is our view of Christ, Himself being God the Son. Without the correct view of Jesus, Christmas is just a holiday. With a correct view of Jesus, Christmas is a Holy Day.

 A great illustration is the character of Ricky Bobby and his attitude towards the Messiah in the movie that was released a few months back called Talladega Nights. (Thanks for reminding me about this Joe!) There’s a scene in the movie where Ricky Bobby, a fictional Nascar driver, is praying to “Baby Jesus.”

 Ricky Bobby: Dear tiny infant Jesus...

Carley Bobby (Ricky’s Wife): Hey, um... you know sweetie, Jesus did grow up. You don't always have to call him baby. It's a bit odd and off puttin' to pray to a baby.

Ricky Bobby: Well look, I like the Christmas Jesus best, and I'm sayin’ grace. When you say grace, you can say it to grown up Jesus, or teenage Jesus, or bearded Jesus, or whatever you want.

 Ricky Bobby’s view of God is a marker of many people today. “Baby Jesus” is so much easier to accept, and certainly less threatening than the real biblical Jesus. We want to cuddle up with “Baby Jesus”. However, we don’t think of “Baby Jesus” crying with dirty diapers. We think of “Baby Jesus” like the baby Jesus in our nativity sets. So peaceful, quiet, clean...even the cows and sheep are silent, and don’t even smell.

 Now compare “Baby Jesus” with the biblical Jesus. Yes, He was born in a stable, but have you been to a stable recently? They stink! They’re dirty! And yet, here is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Creator of the world, being born in one! Where He should have been born was at the Ritz Carlton of Bethlehem (and that doesn’t even equal His worth)!

 It is easier to adore and cuddle “Baby Jesus” versus grown up Jesus, or as Ricky Bobby would say, “Bearded Jesus.” “Baby Jesus” is much less threatening than the adult Jesus who taught and lived and ministered amongst the outcasts of His day. The homeless, the drunks, the prostitutes...Jesus wasn’t afraid to get His hands dirty.

 And certainly, it is easier to tolerate the infant – not yet talking - “Baby Jesus” than the adult Jesus who was beaten, hung naked, and nailed to a cross. Easier than the true, biblical Jesus that preached difficult precepts such as loving your enemies and examining the sin in your life before judging others. Easier than the real Jesus who claimed to be the very Son of God, which demands a response of faith from each of us. Yes, it’s easier to “coo” over “Baby Jesus” than be faced with the Man who calls us to take up our cross and follow Him. That demands the giving up of our life, and the turning over of control to Him!

 Here’s a simple test to see if you’re getting what I’m trying to say: Compare your feelings about Christmas with your feelings on Good Friday...Do you get it now?

 How you view Jesus this Christmas season will define what Christmas will be for you. Will Christmas be just another holiday, good food, nice presents, and “baby Jesus”? Or will Christmas this year be a Holy Day? Will you realize the magnitude of the incarnation (God in the flesh)? Will you realize that the Creator of the world gave up His spot in Heaven to dwell on earth? He gave up the perfection of Heaven for the stench and dirtiness of that stable in Bethlehem. He gave up the glory of His throne for the shame of the cross.

 Take time this Christmas season to reflect on how you view Him…it’s the most important view you have.

 “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

  John 1.1-5, 14

The Holy Spirit and Evangelism

I started a new book last night, The Heart of Evangelism by Jerram Barrs. I didn’t get too far, but I enjoyed chapter two were Barrs reminds us of “The Power of the Holy Spirit” in evangelism. Barrs points out seven ways that the Holy Spirit works in evangelism.

 1. The Holy Spirit bears witness to Christ

                - John 15.26-27

 2. The Holy Spirit convicts people of guilt and sin, therefore we don’t have to

                - John 16.8

 3. The Holy Spirit aids our memories and helps us recall scripture

                - John 14.26

 4. The Holy Spirit guides us and enables us to speak the truth

                - John 16.13

                - James 1.5

 5. The Holy Spirit gives us the words to speak

                - Mark 13.9-11

 6. The Holy Spirit helps us to speak clearly and graciously

                - Colossians 4.4

 7. The Holy Spirit opens doors for us to share the gospel

                - Colossians 4.3

 Anyways, I thought this was a good reminder and should give us more confidence as we struggle with the unnatural and unordinary of sharing our faith for the supernatural and extraordinary God we want to see glorified.

Snow

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow...”

Our first winter snowstorm blew into Chicago this morning. Beautiful! There is just something about snow isn’t there?

Every since I was a kid I longed for snowstorms. I was disappointed to hear that we were only going to get 8-10 inches today; I want three feet!

Is I stood outside and watched our neighborhood turn into a winter wonderland I marveled at how White the snow was. Brilliant White!

These words came to my mind: “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow...”

There’s nothing like snow, especially newly fallen snow, it’s wonderfully clean, pure, and White!

Interestingly I spent some time this past semester at Moody Graduate School talking about bible translation. I talked to a missionary that spent time working with a people group on a Caribbean island who did not have a bible in their own language. The translator specifically mentioned that instead of translating Isaiah 1.18 as “they shall be as white as snow...” they chose to translate the verse as “they shall be as white as the inside of a coconut.”

 I was immediately half offended!

 I realize that people group would probably never see snow, at least not on their Caribbean island, but their translation just took something away from the idea of our sins being “as white as snow...”

 There’s just something about snow.

 But even better than the cleanliness, the purity, and the wonderful white-ness of new fallen snow is the cleanliness, the purity, and the wonderful RED-ness of Christ’s blood which He shed on the cross to make our sinfulness as clean, pure, and white before God the Father as new fallen snow!

 Blessed be the Name of the Lord!