Stolen Honor January 7, 2017

Luke 2:13-14 (NIV)

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

It was Christmas 2015 and KLTV in Dallas was doing a human interest story.

Reporter Kim Leoffler interviewed veteran Deserea Hopkins for a story entitled, "East Texas Veteran Has Christmas with Kids after Years Apart." During the course of the interview Hopkins shared she had been deployed in Iran and Afghanistan. After telling her story, she confessed she was happy to be spending Christmas with her son -- the first time in three years.

Hopkins' story was moving, a real tear-jerker.

Oh, there's one other thing it was. It was a lie. Now it was true that Hopkins had been in the military, but only for a short time. Indeed, she never even made it through basic training. During the time she says she was overseas, she was living right in Texas, getting into some trouble with the law.

When her story was run, people who really knew Hopkins began calling the station and exposing her lies. It didn't take too long for the story to be pulled and have Hopkins exposed as a person who was guilty of a unique crime: stolen valor. Yes, as of last year, it is against the law for an individual to get rewarded because he claimed to have served, sacrificed and suffered for his country when he has not. In other words, only those who put in the days can get the pay and praise.

This is something the world ought to remember in regard to Jesus.

These last few weeks I have been listening carefully and have heard many companies, commercials and TV programs make the statement, "After all, that is what Christmas is all about."

They have said "giving" is what Christmas is all about. They have claimed "being with family is what Christmas is all about," and they have claimed finding happiness is what Christmas is all about. Now all these things are fine and good, but they are not what Christmas is all about.

Christmas is all about the Lord fulfilling His promise to send His Son to save a sinful world.

Christmas is all about Jesus Christ being born in Bethlehem as a human being, so He could carry our sins, fulfill God's laws, and offer His life upon a cross.

Christmas is the beginning of Jesus' life which ends not on a cross but continues through His resurrection, His ascension and, even now, has Him speaking words of reconciliation between lost humanity and His Heavenly Father.

That is what Christmas is all about, and anyone who makes it anything less is guilty of stealing the credit that belongs only to our Redeemer.

Thought for today: Do I keep a Godly perspective?

Entering His Presence January 6, 2017

Matthew 2:11-12 (NIV)

11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The long journey of the wise men is complete. They enter the house and see the young Child with His mother. They fall down before Him in joyous humility and present Him with their costly gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Undoubtedly, Joseph will use these gifts to fund their unexpected escape to Egypt when Herod sends his soldiers to kill Jesus.

Our Advent journey is now complete, but our life journey is not. Today in the Christian church the Christmas season gives way to the Epiphany season. This new season stretches until Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent, when we turn our attention to the reason our Savior was born, the reason He walked among us, the reason He bore the name "Jesus." We will watch Him take our sin, guilt and punishment upon Himself and suffer and die in our place on the cross.

But today we anticipate the day our life's journey will come to its end. Then with exceeding joy and gladness we, like the wise men and the shepherds, will enter into the presence of our Lord, our Savior, our Creator, and our Brother. We will bow in sweet adoration, and rejoice in His glorious presence forever. We will hear the angels' adoration and rejoice with Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Mary.

Thought for today: Is my joy sustained?

The End Of The Journey January 5, 2016

Isaiah 60:1-6(NIV)

60 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip.
5 Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense
and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.

The wise men near the end of their journey. Having heard the prophecy of the Savior's birth, and learning of the reign of Him whose star they have followed, they now see it appear to guide them on the last leg of the journey. With thrill and anticipation they hurry to follow it.

Our Advent and Christmas journey is nearly complete as well. Like the wise men, we rejoice greatly over all that the Lord has revealed to us about the birth of His Son, our Savior. We marvel that He became one of us, that He came to live a human life among us. We are filled with an exceedingly great joy that no circumstance in life can take away because He has won complete victory for us in His life, death and resurrection.

As we go on our way through life, we can be assured our Lord Jesus will go with us, and His presence will fill us with great joy. Then as the end of our journey draws near-either through age, sickness, accident or death itself-we can lift up our heads with joy and rejoicing, knowing that soon, very soon, we will enter our Lord's house and live in His glorious presence forever.

That is reason for being completely overjoyed!

Thought for today: Is my joy an everyday occurrence? 

A Cruel Plan January 4, 2017

Matthew 2:7-8 (NIV)

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

Herod's words are perfect, if only they were uttered in the lowly spirit of the wise men. He would find forgiveness for the blood on his hands. He would find peace for his conspiracy-wracked mind. He would know true joy and contentment. He would again live up to the title "the Great," which had been attached to him.

But Herod is false to the core. His flattering lies are clever and crafty, but they are conceived in a darkened mind and a shriveled heart. He only wants to know the location of the Child of promise so he can snuff out His young life.

How arrogant and ignorant! Many people deceive themselves with Satan's clever lies. They fall for his carefully crafted stories to wriggle out from under God's claim on their lives. But He is and always will be their Creator, and if they will not cling to Him as their Savior, they will cringe before Him as their Judge.

That's why today is the day for you and me to drop our hands to our sides, silence our lips, and kneel before our Lord in repentance and sorrow. We plead for forgiveness for our rebellion, our deep-seated vein of ungodly independence. We fall before Him as our Creator, our Judge, our Lord, and our Savior.

Thought for today: Do I follow the complete process of confession and repentance?

Herod’s Seat January 3, 2016

Matthew 2:4-6 (NIV)

4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”

King Herod has no idea where the Christ Child is to be born. He is not even a Jew himself. He was appointed ruler over the Jews by the Roman Senate. So he summons the Jewish chief priests and scribes to learn where the Christ is to be born.

The aged king hears the Word of God, but he fails to notice the humble reign of Israel's new ruler-He comes as a shepherd. Though he hears the good news, he closes his mind to his gracious Lord and dwells instead on his dark, self-absorbed, paranoid thoughts.

Herod's subjects fear his rage and cruelty. Soon they will see yet one more evidence of what a deluded person does when he cuts himself off from his God and Savior. How different from the good and noble wise men who will bow in worship before the King of the Jews!

Each of us also finds ourselves in Herod's seat. Each of us must decide if we will submit our lives to our Shepherd King like the wise men or if we will arrogantly resist His humble coming, trying in vain to live life on our own terms. In his selfish blindness Herod's noble traits fell away one after another, until only a wretched shell of a man remained. He may refuse to bow to Jesus now, but soon he must come before His judgment seat.

It's a chilling picture of our future if we cast aside the Christ in cold, uncaring unbelief.

Thought for today: Do I know what it means to humbly submit?

Wise Men January 2, 2017

Matthew 2:1-3 (NIV)

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

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

Only four days remain in the Christmas season. So during these final days we turn our attention to the wise men who followed the star and came to worship the Christ Child.

Hundreds of years before Jesus' birth we encounter wise men or magi in the Old Testament book of Daniel. They were royal advisers who interpreted dreams, and studied astrology and magic. These wise men came from the east, most likely Persia, Babylon or Arabia. Because of their interest in astrology they noticed the star that God set in the heavens to announce the birth of His Son.

They followed that star westward until they reached Jerusalem and the palace of King Herod the Great. In his younger years, Herod had done great things for the Jews and proven himself to be a capable ruler. But in his older years he had grown paranoid. He even had many family members and close associates killed for fear they were plotting to assassinate him.

That is the reason Herod meets the good news of the Savior's birth with jealousy, fear and troubled thoughts. His anxiety quickly spreads to his subjects who fear how he will respond to this new threat to his power.

Many of us hesitate to embrace Jesus as Savior because we fear relinquishing our lives to His kingship. But Jesus offers us great joy, peace and love for this life-as well as the life to come.

Thought for today:  Can I recognize my barriers and hesitancy to fully commit to a life of service?

Entering The Covenant January 1, 2017

Genesis 17:9-13 (NIV)

9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.

Long before the first Christmas God chose Abraham, set him apart from his family and neighbors, sent him off to a new land, and promised to make him into a great nation. He promised that from his offspring God would raise up the great Savior whose birth we celebrate during this Christmas season.

God made a covenant, a glorious agreement with Abraham, promising He would richly bless Abraham and all his descendants. Abraham was circumcised as a visible, physical sign to remind him daily of the covenant that stood forever between him and his God. All his male children were to share that sign of circumcision when they reached eight days of age.

In many ways, it was a one-sided covenant. God made all the promises and did all the work. All He asked of Abraham and his descendants was that they dedicate themselves to Him, love and serve the Lord alone. But repeatedly through the Old Testament, Abraham's descendants failed to keep the covenant.

Now Jesus enters that covenant in our place. He takes all its obligations upon Himself, shedding His blood to seal His allegiance to God His Father. His entire life will be one of obedience to God, loving, fearing and trusting His Father before all things. And in the fullness of time He will shed His blood anew on the cross. There He will wash away all our sins.

Thought for today: Do I fully acknowledge that Jesus made a supreme sacrifice?