Christ Appeared

"Before Christ" and "Anno Domini" signify the great line in history. Some are trying to erase that line. But God was the one who drew the line and nobody can erase it. Thank God that nobody can undo what He has done.

Christmas is all about the appearance of God in human form here on earth. Consider the following passage of Scripture. Pay special attention to what it reveals about why He appeared.

1 John 3:5-8 (NIV) 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

The devil uses sin the keep mankind separated from God. Not only does sin drive a wedge between man and God, it also wrecks human relationships and tears the fabric of society. But God has drawn a line in the sand. He appeared. He appeared to destroy the devil's work in our lives. He appeared to take away our sins.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ there are three things that you need to be aware of.

1. You don't have to live under the curse of sin. Our free will allows us the choice to live a new life. The new life is not bent toward sin, but away from sin. You can choose to sin or not to sin. We value our free will and our liberty in Christ. But all too often we use our free will to choose sin, thinking that we're alright because God's grace is so powerful. The whole idea of "I don't have to" can be mistaken as a life option. "I don't have to sin anymore, but I will anyway, and fortunately I can lean on God's grace."

2. You should not be sinning. The works of the devil to continuously destroy your life with sin have been destroyed. Your response should be to stop sinning. There is a subtle difference between not sinning because you are exercising your human right to choose and an obedience to the imperatives of God. You are no longer your own. You now belong to Christ. If He is truly "Lord" of your life then it's His choice, not yours, that motivates you to stop sinning.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV) ¹⁹ Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

This passage applies to all kinds of sin, but specifically addresses the sin of sexual immorality. It fits here because in the world of the Corinthian believers sexual morality as defined by their culture was in contrast with what God commanded. In our world this whole idea of sexuality is a battle ground. People would argue that their sex life is their choice. Not if you are a Christian. You have claimed Jesus as Lord of your life. How you use your body and your life is His choice.

3. Sin is sin and righteousness is righteousness. This isn't rocket science. "Do not let anyone lead you astray." This is as current as it can get. We basically know what sin is and we basically know what righteousness is. Yet we find ways to defend our choice to sin when we know that we should be living a "righteous" life. There are many voices trying to persuade us to call our sin righteous. The world is telling us that righteous people are sinful, especially if they speak out against sin.

You can choose what you want and say what you want, but God has already drawn this line. A little baby in the manger is a symbol of a line drawn between death and life, sin and righteousness, darkness and light. At the moment He appeared as a little baby took away the devil's power to destroy our lives with sin.

John 5:24 (NIV) “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

Praise God for His appearing and for the victory we have over sin. May we appreciate what He has given us in the way we live.

On a closing note I have been hearing a lot of people responding to a call to live holy lives. I have heard them describing it as God chasing them, not letting them be at ease with their sin. I believe that this is going to be a year of repentance and a return to righteousness.

One Flavor?

I love ice cream...all kinds. Vanilla has its place but I have to explore the variations and expressions of ice cream. Chocolate Chip, Pralines and Cream and the amazing classic, Rocky Road.

Even though a relatively small amount of vanilla ice cream is served it is universally the best selling flavor. Apparently there are a lot of people interested in basic ice cream. But a lot more people are interested in variety.

I believe that the Christian faith has one basic flavor...Jesus. There are a lot of expressions of that basic faith and together they make up the church.

Ephesians 4:4-6 (NIV) There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

I didn't find Jesus in a "vanilla" church. Maybe it was a "rocky road" church. Later I ended up in a military chapel and God placed me in leadership as the parish council president. The church was composed of Lutherans, Pentecostals, Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, etc. We had at least 31 flavors. What I learned back then was important and formative.

I have throughout the years met a lot of sweet people and a few nuts. I value the variety of expression in the church. When you get all of these flavors at the same table we can get to know Jesus more completely. Together we can reach our world better than we can apart. We are the body of Christ.

Why am I rambling on about this? First, I am aware that there are vanilla lovers who are critical of the non-vanilla flavors. There are non-vanilla flavors critical of vanilla lovers. If the basic flavor is Jesus, a biblically true Jesus, then what are we arguing about? Second, there are people moving from church to church looking for something. I believe what we're so often looking for may already be right in front of us but we miss it because we're distracted by the flavors. Third, our community needs the full expression of God, not just one flavor or another. Fourth, when we promote our flavor in the wrong way we affect the entire church adversely.

Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Together, those who come to Christ are the church....and it's a sweet thing!!!!

Unchanging and Everchanging

One of the biggest challenges we face is to stay fresh. For a business to stay competitive changes must be made constantly. The world is changing so quickly that it's easy to settle into the comfort of the present. Our defense: "If it ain't broke don't fix it." However, what is working for us today may not work for us next year, or for that matter, next week.

We must make changes on a regular basis to keep up. If you want to get ahead, you're going to have to make even more changes that anticipate what is to come way beyond what we can see clearly today.

We made a decision 8 years ago to abandon our land line and rely completely on cell phones. At the time there were people who thought we were crazy. Now people without cell phones are the minority and about 1/3 of households are cell phone only. Many hotel chains are considering removing phones from their guest rooms. We did well with that decision but we haven't always been able to keep up with everything.

Next to that challenge is another, holding on to values that shouldn't change. Integrity, love, courage and faith are in demand more than ever. Sometimes the fast pace of modern life pushes timeless values to a back corner of our lives. By the time we notice that these values are misplaced a lot of damage can be done.

Somehow we have to stay connected to the stability of timeless values while constantly making changes. Figuring this out is a key to happiness in life. I have found that a connection with the eternal God connects us to the unchanging and the everchanging. Paul expresses this in his benediction to the church in Rome.

Romans 16:25-27 (NIV) Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him—to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

God, being eternal and wise, can clearly see what was, what is and what is to come. He reveals these things to us. People struggle to maintain balance in an environment of constant change and the answer is in a God who doesn't change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He also equips us for success wherever we happen to be in His eternal history.

The balance is found in the person of Jesus Christ, who walked in the world we live in yet lives eternally in the unchanging.

The Curve Ball

Just when I think that I can anticipate what God will do next He throws me another curve ball. I swing for all I'm worth at the point of impact I anticipated and miss it completely. Then there's that embarrassing human corkscrew thing that happens when you fail to hit the ball.

I try again, but this time I pay more attention to how God is handling the ball. I analyze all of His previous pitching patterns. I watch game films to study His style and method. Again, anticipating where the ball will be when I swing I give it everything I've got and end up in a pathetic heap.

For some reason we often go back to what worked last time, but God doesn't do everything like He did it last time. He tells us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

The only way to get it right is to keep your eyes on what God is doing right now. It is definitely helpful to know how He did it in the past. It doesn't hurt to be familiar with His style. But in the end you have to take each pitch for what it is or you'll miss it.

I sometimes wonder why God changes things up. I mean, wouldn't life be a lot smoother if we could really get good at hitting one pitch? I think that God wants us to keep our eyes on Him and what is coming our way. He wants us to base our life on what He has in store more than what we think we can do.

By the way, that's not me in the photo.