“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.” Revelation 19:11

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is the busiest time of the year for theaters. That’s why so many new movies come out over the holidays. People love cinematic stories.

If you look at the plotlines, many movies are, at their core, similar. Someone—an individual or group—is treated badly or is hurt by life’s circumstances or even by purposeful evil. Then a hero saves the day. It is often with lots of vivid visuals and victorious battle cries.

As you read today’s passage, imagine the scene played out as if it were a movie. But it’s not a movie. You’ve read the back of the book, Revelation, and you know how this plotline, the story of Christians struggling on earth, ultimately ends. Lots of subplots may occur in your life, but ultimately the enemy will be vanquished. Jesus will rescue His people and give victory over the forces of evil.

How does the knowledge that you’ll triumph in the end affect your life now?

“A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.” Proverbs 29:1 NIV

Years ago, civil engineers examined a dam in Pennsylvania that controlled the waters of several rivers which flowed down towards a valley where there was a town. Concerned by what they saw, they told the town officials, ‘The dam is unsafe and you are in great danger. You need to relocate.’ The officials said, ‘We’ve heard it all before. The dam is all right.’ A year later the engineers visited the dam and again came back saying, ‘We are warning you; you are in danger every hour.’ By this time the engineers’ report had spread to the townspeople, and they laughed it off, saying, ‘They’re just trying to scare us.’ A few months later the engineers issued the same warning, and again it was dismissed. Fifteen days later a boy on a horse rode through the valley shouting, ‘Run for your lives! The dam has broken and the water is coming.’ But the people laughed at him, certain he was trying to scare them. Suddenly a wall of dirty water struck, and in less than thirty minutes Johnstown was in ruins. More than 3,700 people died that day.

Has God been warning you about certain things in your life: relationships, habits, attitudes? If so, here are two Scriptures you’d do well to consider carefully: “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” – Proverbs 12:15 NIV – “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.” The word for you today is: listen, and be willing to take advice.

“This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other’”. Zechariah 7:9–10

Many people strive for positions of power. That power can be used for good or evil, to help others or to harm them.

The Christmas season shows a dichotomy of power. Christ, who reigned in heaven, became a powerless baby in a working-class family. He willingly forfeited His power to give us something that even the most elite people on earth could never achieve on their own: eternal life. He gave up His life so that we could have the power of being God’s sons and daughters, and so that we can experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Sometimes we all need a reminder not to seek power through leadership or money or the other emphases the world has. Instead, seek more of the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-6 ESV

Like you, life has been BUSY! Christmas is coming fast… and like most everything else in life, Christmas preparation has proven to follow commandments 11 and 12. The 11^th declares “It always takes longer” and the 12^th, “It always costs more.” But like it or not, ‘Christ’s-Mass’ is on the way. The clock on the wall WILL signal Christmas Day, and no amount of time or money can change that.

Yesterday I received news from my lovely wife that she has no presents for me. Since we are doing something special together over Christmas vacation, ‘that’ is going to be her gift to me. I wasn’t alarmed or upset at all, since I don’t really NEED anything. You see… I am a wealthy man in that respect. But the HARDER part FOR HER is… I don’t really WANT anything either. It is a wonderful pinnacle of life now shared by my son, Colt.

Colt told me last week that he asked his wife for a special kind of gift this year. He said, “if you can think of something you want to give me, take a picture of it and put it in a card. NOT SPENDING MONEY is your gift to me!” My son has arrived at this stage of life earlier than I had!

The magic of Christmas is different for children. You don’t have to experiment to prove it either. Think about handing out gifts to your children that contain only PICTURES of what they wanted! Yea… you get it! But how would they feel about not getting what they NEED? As a parent… THAT, my friends, would be horrific.

The Bible tells us that when the clock ticked of the perfect time, God send HIS Son.. to purchase ‘The Thing’ man really NEEDED. Eternal Life! But the CHARACTER of God went FAR beyond just my need, and even FARTHER than my greatest want. God’s ‘Will’ made me His legal heir! This Christmas Eve and Christmas day, I invite you to think about THAT! What could anyone give a Child of God? Pictures, for now, suffice!

I ran through the store last night and saw a big pack of no-show- white socks. My son-in-law tells me that these are the style today. Apparently I look silly wearing my old ones. So I bought them, gave them to my wife and said, “Merry Christmas to me!” At least THIS child of God is going to look… COOL!” Are YOU part of the Family?

Merry Christmas brothers and sisters! And MARANATHA!

“But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 MEV

Once again I found myself staring at the printer. I had just enough paper to make the copies I needed. Three pages, but pages 2 & 3 needed to be back to back for this job. Three pages on two. Being on the last page, I looked at the printer, set page 2 into the paper feeder and hit ‘Print!’ What came out was page 2 and 3… on the SAME PAGE! Here’s a thought… was I making copies?? Or just wasting paper?

If you have been a child, student, employee or a Christian, have you discovered that one of the most important lessons learned is that it isn’t WHAT you do.. but HOW you do it that matters? And that MOST of the time, WHY carries a lot of weight in the mistake process. Looking down at the paper feed, I noticed I had preciously placed an orange sticky note that read, “face up – top forward.” I hadn’t paid attention to my previous painful experience! Realistically … I was just wasting paper!

I have learned that God is usually not as critical of WHAT I do as He is with HOW and WHY I do it! Often times I use the excuse, ‘I didn’t know.’ This is the plea of ignorance! What does God think about that excuse? Well, looking at the root word for ignorance, it starts with ‘ignore.’ Not a good thing! We all have learned the saying, “ignorance of the law is NO excuse.” I tried using it on a Policeman once after being pulled over for speeding! He just shook his head!

The thought hit me, “I wonder if pain was involved in Jesus birth?” He was in Heaven looking down on EVERYTHING He had made. He knew EVERYTHING there is to know. And yet, He stepped off His throne and dove into the womb of a human… to ‘knowing NOTHING!’ I wonder if that hurt a bit? While I don’t know the answer, I DO know that human ignorance …is VERY painful indeed.

I have often heard folks say, ‘I don’t read the Bible because I don’t understand it, don’t like to read, or don’t have time.’ All excuses of WHAT they ‘don’t do.’ None of which are acceptable to God. While we were YET sinners… even before I was born… Christ made the decision to die for me! What, how and why are clearly spelled out because God is an ‘ACTION’ God. Being made in His image, I am expected to pay attention to my what’s, how’s and why’s concerning His action toward me.

This Christmas season is a PERFECT time to access my Faith in Christ. WHAT am I specifically doing for Him? HOW am I growing in my personal walk with my Savior as I try to copy His life in me? WHY do I choose one way over another? It is my job to ask those questions of myself …and Jesus sheep. Much of the time we ‘THINK’ we are copying Jesus… but in reality, aren’t we just wasting time?

HOW and WHY do YOU do WHAT you do? After all… Ignorance is NOT bliss!!

“Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.” Hebrews 6:17

The shrimp was already in the pan, sautéing with garlic, onions and spices, when the thought hit me… “am I doing this right?” Reaching for the creole seasoning, only to find we were out of it, I substituted cayenne pepper instead. The card called for red wine, and we didn’t have any of that either… but I found a can of beer in the back of the fridge, cracked it and poured some into the pan and the rest down the sink ( I hate beer). Setting down to eat with my wife, she made the comment, “it tastes different this time.” It ALWAYS does!

As a chef I make a great carpenter! Consistency it an issue in my culinary skills. That is why, when we have our men’s breakfast every other Saturday, we go to Perkins! I like Perkins. It meets all of our needs. It has room, a great atmosphere, good service, prices and FOOD CONSISTENCY! I order the same thing every time and every time it tastes the same! Which is EXACTLY what I count on.

When it comes to God, the Bible assures me that He NEVER changes. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” I have come to LOVE that about Him. Oh there have been times I have pressed, tested, pleaded and screamed for Him to break His consistency. ESPECIALLY in the area of discipline. But His love and actions toward me are ALWAYS in keeping with His loving promises.

1 John 4 repeatedly points to the fact that God is love. If you have spent any time with Him, testing and trying and growing, you know that His love is not a gushy, squishy feeling. But an action. He knows my sin, needs, wants and desires. And He never varies from His promised commitment to mold me into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Sometimes thorough blessing… other times through discipline. But I can ALWAYS count on the fact that He will not change directions on me and will ALWAYS do what is best for my life.

Christ PROMISES me eternal life with Him in Heaven. But for NOW He promises to make me into a God-like person. I can count on that. So if you want GUARANTEED good shrimp and grits… don’t come to my house. If you want a guaranteed God you can count on… reach out to Jesus. He’s ready to make a masterpiece out of YOU. He NEVER fails. 

“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” 1 Corinthians 9:22-23

The stakes were high as we were playing for Scotland. My opponent had already lost Canada… twice, and we were now playing for a country that, in my mind, REALLY mattered. I counted my wins in my head. Two Canada’s, a chicken and a bag of nothin’. The opposing side had Paris and a goat. I was well ahead. But with Scotland, my homeland, at stake, I had to be VERY careful. I rolled…

The game was carpetball, which I had neither heard of nor played. I was spending time volunteering at the local youth center, my opponent was in 9^th grade, so Canada and Scotland were relatively safe. The ‘bag of nothin’ was really SOMETHING, because the planned time I was investing was more precious than gold. Evangelism and outreach are costly enterprises, as they take time, love and gentle care to pay off. FUN was just the icing on the cake.

I have often said that while Evangelism is a Spiritual gift (Billy Graham had it) it is also a requirement of ALL Believers. Just like reading and studying the Word. Not all are called to Teach or Preach. But ALL are commanded to read and learn. That means we have to be DELIBERATE in our study. And just as deliberate and careful in our evangelism. Because REAL LIVES are at stake!

It has been my experience that most people shy away from sharing the Gospel. MOSTLY because they don’t know how. In reality, it is because they are afraid or embarrassed that they will be rejected, or disliked, for doing it. Which is a HORRIBLE excuse, since the Master of our lives has commanded we do so. ‘Not and option,’ He says in His Word.

What do YOU deliberately DO to obey that command of your Savior? Have you formulated a plan or a goal? Are you working on your approach? Where have you tried and failed and are you reworking your technique? Where you have succeeded, have you sallied forth with confidence? It is a serious question because ONE day you will be judged on what you did today with Christ’s Life Saving Gospel. For now, YOUR world is up for grabs and the ball is in YOUR hand. Roll well my friend!

“Put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:24

Being in a relaxed state on a Sunday afternoon, my wife said, “I’m going to go clean the front patio.” I should have seen it coming. Every year about this time we get out there to sweep away the crud that has blown in from elsewhere. Leaves, sand, and dirt make it unsightly. And since company is coming over, she likes to make it look better. Being married for 4+ decades, I know that ‘I’ means ‘we.’ So out ‘we’ went.

Please don’t get me wrong. She wasn’t ordering me to help. It’s just a thing WE do semi-annually… and it was time. Grabbing a broom I started sweeping away. When I got out to the end of the patio and turned back, I saw there was even MORE crud behind the stuff she had moved. The difference between a man and woman ‘cleaning’ is simple. Women add ‘rearranging’ to ‘clean’ as an adverb! It’s just part of the deal. I went to get the blower!

There must be a class on running a leaf blower, as I have seen MANY people use them effectively. Me? Not so much. As many hours as I have put behind this baby, I should be a pro. But when I looked back, a lot of the stuff I blew ahead somehow ended up BEHIND me! It took 3 more tries to get a C+ rating. But to me, it was ‘good enough!’

God is not interested in ‘good enough.’ He wants ’perfect!’ In sharing the Gospel with folks I often hear, ‘I’m a good person,’ And I cringe. When my kids were growing up, a C+ was not acceptable. And while they have survived the scars from my harping… the Bible tells me that there is NO way ‘I’ can survive the scars of my sin to meet God’s perfect standard of excellence!

The command to ‘put on the new self’ only comes AFTER a ‘new self’ is created … by Christ. Unlike a new suit, it starts with a new heart and proceeds from the inside out. And Jesus Chris is the ONLY expert at it’s application. My job is to simply co-operate… which is NOT so simple!

I thank God for His Grace. Even though I am supposed to be a ‘grown-up,’ I still have spats and fits with trying to clean myself up. When I make an attempt to ‘Whoosh’ away my own failure, I find it only leaves a dirty trail of guilt! WHY He keeps loving and working with me is ‘The wonder of His love!’ He NEVER STOPS LOVING ME!

I thank and praise God for the Gift of His PERFECT son Jesus Christ! Don’t you?

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:7

The doorbell rang so I answered it to a delivery man carrying a rather large package. He stated my name and I said, “yep… that’s me.” Then he sat it down and left me wondering… ‘did I order something? What was it? Maybe my wife did. But why is it in my name?’ After about 30 minutes it hit me. My daughter in law needed my help and asked if she could send some gifts that needed assembly for my grandkids. This was that! So the package really WAS for ME after all!

My kids are all grown up and have kids of their own. But one of my favorite things to do was to assemble toys for them. It made me feel an important part of the giving process… as I invested my time and abilities… not just money. I loved watching the kids enjoy something I had a part in. God’s Word tells me I don’t have to wait for any special delivery to deliver something special. He has given me the ability to do it all the time.

Before Jesus left for home from earth, He promised His followers the gift of the Holy Spirit. It was a gift that blessed the receiver … when the gift was passed on and given to someone else! It is a Gift that keeps on giving. It isn’t like a package that I can just hand off. There is ‘some assembly required.’

God made you and me SPECIAL. We each have our own reasons for being here that no one else can do. THAT is what makes us SPECIAL. The Holy Spirit gives you nudges and gifts to reach out to people in your world… AND His. He can move you in and around at will… but ONLY as we cooperate and pay attention. He PROMISES that by serving others with HIS special gift, as delivered by YOU… that YOU will receive WONDERFUL gifts personally made ESPECIALLY for YOU. It is a win-win gift!

If you have ever helped, or given to others, I don’t have to tell you that there is NO better feeling in the world. Giving is SO much more fun that just getting. Because when I do it, it spurs me on to so it even more. The gift just keeps going on and on. Are YOU a treasure to God AND to someone else? Because I think I just heard the doorbell ring…. it’s for you!