PERSISTING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Have you watched the Wolf Moon the past couple of nights? A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I love watching the sky, the day sky, but especially the night sky. The visible and the invisible night sky moon, stars, planets, constellations really leave me in awe of the Creator of all.

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

“Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness? For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!’

“Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east? Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth, to bring an end to the night’s wickedness? As the light approaches, the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal; it is robed in brilliant colors. The light disturbs the wicked and stops the arm that is raised in violence.

“Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Have you explored their depths? Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom? Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it if you know!

“Where does light come from, and where does darkness go? Can you take each to its home? Do you know how to get there? But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced!

“Have you visited the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of hail? (I have reserved them as weapons for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war.) Where is the path to the source of light? Where is the home of the east wind?

“Who created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightning? Who makes the rain fall on barren land, in a desert where no one lives? Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground and make the tender grass spring up?

“Does the rain have a father? Who gives birth to the dew? Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens? For the water turns to ice as hard as rock, and the surface of the water freezes.

“Can you direct the movement of the stars—binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion? Can you direct the constellations through the seasons or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens? Do you know the laws of the universe and how God rules the earth? Job 38:4-33

Such a beautiful passage. With every question, God is revealing Himself to us. His Power, His Might, His Control, His Presence, His Provision, His Creation. In this passage of Job, He’s revealing who He is through His Creation of the Earth. Some of these questions that reveal who He is are astounding. Have you ever thought about the foundations of the Earth? You know, what it’s made up of, how it spins, how it stays in the sky, the dimensions — all 24,901 miles round and 7,926 miles through. Think about the precision of that.

These questions reveal such intricacies and details and yet that same powerful God is the One who knows the number of hairs on our head. This should give us pause. This should make us ask and seek…Who is God?

Last Wednesday was New Year’s Day. The day we made resolutions, declarations, promises to ourselves and others. The day we started things with such enthusiasm and hope for the future. The day we pictured life being just a little bit different than it was the day before. The day we committed to something, to do or not to do, that was the question.

Last Wednesday we may have stood resolutely, maybe even in defiance, but definitely determined, and laid down our be it resolveds. Maybe even answering, with a fist pump or high five, the questions posed last week — Are we all in? Are we done with dabbling? Will we be all in with Jesus this year? YES! I am right there with you! So…just checking in…

This Wednesday, one week later, seven days in, to use a very annoying phrase (because it strikes my last nerve), “How’s that working for you?” For sure, we will not be completely transformed in seven days, but are we still raring to go and gung ho in our all inness (if that’s a word) with Jesus?

Some of us may be still be going full throttle seven days in and some of us may have lost a little of our vim and vigor. This is, of course, to be expected. When we commit to being all in with Jesus, we need to remember that there’s something happening in the atmosphere that we cannot see or hear. When we say yes to Jesus, a supernatural something happens – war is waged in the heavens for our souls. If we are not all in with Jesus, Satan has already got a foothold. Remember what Paul told the Ephesians?

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

So you see, if your enthusiasm is waning a bit in your all inness (if that’s a word), it is to be expected. The Lord told us it would be like this in His Word. He didn’t say just flip the switch and you will be transformed. He didn’t say just change your mind, change your attitude, change your priorities, He said: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. He knew we would need help with our resolution, our commitment, our declaration to Him and He gave it to us in His Word.

And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The Word of God. It is the revealer of God! That really is the number one, sole purpose of The Bible it is a book about God. Yes, it is our life’s bread, our sustenance, our energy, our power, our guide, our director, our comfort, but those are byproducts that flow from the revelation of the character of God. We try hard to make it a book about us, but it really is a book about God. If we want to know God, if we want to be changed by God, if we want to be all in, we have got to read The Bible.

We make all kinds of excuses for not being in The Word of God on a daily basis. None of them good. We’re too busy, we don’t have time – not even 15 minutes to ourselves. When, in fact, it isn’t that we don’t have time to be in The Word, it’s simply that we don’t want to be in The Word – ouch, ouch, ouch – sorry, sorry, sorry. There are a million excuses we make, but when it boils right down to it, none of them hold water.

Believers must be in The Word of God, we must know The Word of God, or we will fall for the “schemes of the devil.” This is not about legalism, following the rules, checking the boxes. It’s about discipline over dabbling, getting to know God, the One who came to save us, the One who comforts us, the One who loves us, the One who provides for us, the One who sustains us, the One who created us, the One who loves us, the One… We cannot follow God if we don’t know God and the only way to know Him is to be in the Word. Hard Stop.

So, are you ready for a reset? You’re not alone! We need to recognize there is a battle raging and who is fighting the battle. If we think we can just will ourselves to do better, to read our Bible more, to pray more, to go to Church more, to be better people, to fulfill all those resolutions we made, we will surely fail. But, if we are strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, we will prevail. It is His power that helps us keep our commitments, our promises, our resolutions.

I’m challenging you today to reset. And that’s tomorrow’s challenge, and the next day and the next day…Let’s reset together, carry each other along, hold each other up, with the most important tool He gave us. His Word.

Whether it’s five minutes a day or hours a day, get into The Word, get to know God!

I’m a numbers person. I love numbers, they always make sense. 2+2=4, always! Check out some of these numbers:

• 783,000+ words in the NKJV of The Bible.
• 16,000 words average person speaks
• 783,000/16,000=49 days to speak the Bible aloud

• 23,000 verses in the Old Testament
• 8,000 verses in the New Testament
• 23,000+8,000=31,000 verses in The Bible
• 1 verse a day = 365 verses a year
• 31,000/365=85 years to read The Bible!
• 2 verses a day=730 verses a year
• 31,000/730=42 years to read The Bible!

• 70 hours average to read The Bible
o Genesis-Malachi (52 hours) Matthew-Revelation (18 hours)
o Less than 3 straight days in a row.

Here’s the long and the short of it:

If we spoke The Bible, it would take 49 days. If we read 1-2 verses a day, it will take 85 or 42 years – at that rate most of us are not going to live long enough to finish the whole Book. BUT, if we set aside 15 minutes a day – turn off the TV, turn off social media, turn off the news, put down our crafts and phones – just for 15 minutes a day, we can read the entire Bible in 280 days!!!

The Word of God opens up a whole new world for us, literally. So, if our commitment got off with great enthusiasm or to a rocky start, now’s a good time for a reset. You don’t have to wait until January 1, 2026, to recommit or reset. Start now, start today, and everyday thereafter. Everyday can be a reset!

Let’s read the Book, the words spoken by His lips onto the pages of His Book. Wow!

A new year, a new opportunity. Of course, ever second of every day is a new chance. Yes! A chance for what, you say? A chance to be all in. To be all in with what you say? Not what, but who. All in with Jesus. Will you be all in this year with Jesus?

Will you take your place in the nativity? Will you walk into the stall? Move right in. Pull up some straw and have a seat, sit in His presence? You know you’re part of it, right? You know you’ve been invited, right? The other option is to peek into the nativity, note how cute He is, ooh and ahh over Him, maybe drop off a gift – in the plate or of your time — and just walk away, just get on with our lives.

Isn’t that what we do when we’re not all in, when we dabble? When we’re not completely committed? We peek in on Him. We take a glance and then avert our eyes. We see that hanging out, taking our place beside the manger in the nativity, accepting the birth to rebirth, may require something of us – change — and we just move on. We check Him out but we’re not serious about Him. We speak of Him, but are not committed to Him. Oh, occasionally we go back to the nativity to peek in and see if He’s still there (especially when we need Him or especially when it would look good), and then back to the world. When will He become our world? You wonder that too? I have very few answers, but I got this one. He will become our world when we become serious about Him. When we stop dabbling and move into the nativity

How do we know if we’re living in the nativity, how do we know if we’re serious about Him? Our lives will speak it! If our lives have been changed by our commitment to Him, we are living in the nativity. If our lives have not changed, we are not living in the nativity. Simple as that. Our lives must be changed in order to live with Jesus. What do you mean, you say? The Word of God says we must be changed. Well, give me the list of rules and I’ll follow them. Show me the dos and don’ts. I can follow the Commandments, 1-10 – I can check those babies off. That’s not at all how it works.

It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. Galatians 6:15-16

Do our lives look different before we entered the nativity and now? Have we shaken off the old ways? Do we still talk the same, act the same, have the same attitudes, work the same? Do we still hold onto grudges, anger, fear? Do we still think the same? Only of ourselves – our wants, our desires? If we do, we’re only dabbling in Jesus. We dabble in church — Easter and Christmas? We dabble in prayer – only when we need something? We dabble in the Word – dusting it off in a crisis and making it say what we want it to say. We dabble in our relationship with Jesus – on again/off again. Dabbling is dangerous. Why so? Because it’s superficial. We think we’re living in the nativity and we’re not. We think a little bit of Jesus will do us. We think we can have Jesus without changing. It’s just not possible.

I appeal to you brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2

It doesn’t mean we just do things differently or that we stop or start new behaviors. It means we become new people. It means we live differently. Make no mistake, change can be a drawn out, laborious process, but a process nonetheless. Remember, a process is a series of actions or steps taken to get to an end. But look at the promise.

And I am certain that God, who began a good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6

He began the good work. He will finish it. He will return. He keeps His promises. Are we done with dabbling? Are we done with the superficial? Are we serious? Are we all in?

There’s a spot in the nativity, right beside the Baby Jesus. Are we changed by this Baby?

Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask you to stay, close by me forever and love me I pray.

Check it out. The picture. Do you see what I see? What do I see, you ask? I see Jesus on the cross on my deck. I know what you’re thinking. She’s lost it. Would you expect anything less from me? Some might look at this picture and see just a stick or a twig blown in by the wind. But, if people can see Mary in a grilled cheese on a plate, I can most certainly see Jesus in a stick on my deck. They say, Jesus is where you look for Him, right?

Have we seen Him? Who, you say? Jesus. Hasn’t this Advent Season been about anticipation, preparation, expectation? Remember, the Baby? Did we miss the Reason for the Season? Have we been looking for the Baby? Well, He’s here! Glory to God!

Eight days after birth, Mary and Joseph took their baby to the Temple for the ceremonial circumcision and naming. They named Him Jesus. While at the Temple, they met up with a man named Simeon. You see, Simeon was a righteous and devout man who lived in Jerusalem. The Spirit lived in him, and he was anxiously anticipating, preparing, expecting the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. In fact, the Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he had actually seen the Messiah. Simeon was on the lookout. On that eighth day, the Spirit led Simeon to the Temple . There he met Mary and Joseph. He took the Baby into his arms, held Him close and softly spoke:

“Lord, now I can die in peace!
As you promised me,
I have seen the Savior
you have given to all people.
He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
And he is the glory of your people Israel!”
Luke 2:29-32

Simeon was looking for the light that would reveal God to the nations. The One that would come to console, comfort, help, rescue not just Israel, but all mankind. The Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. The One John had foretold. Upon picking up that baby, he exclaimed: “Lord, now I can die in peace! As you promised me, I have seen the Savior you have given to all people.” Can we say the same? Have we seen Him? Can we die in peace?

When we think about it, it’s so hard to fathom. A Baby is such a strange way to save the World. Isn’t it? Simeon didn’t think that though. He instantly recognized the Savior because he had been looking for the Savior. You see, he had been waiting, expecting, preparing for Him, the Savior, the Messiah, the Promised One. Simeon followed the nudge of the Holy Spirit and saw Jesus. Do we? Have we followed the nudge? Have we stepped forward when stirred to pick up the Baby, hold Him close, speak in awe – I have seen the Savior?

Moreover, do we tell others we have seen the Savior?

Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, she worshiped night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time that Simeon was praying, she showed up, and broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.
Luke 2:36-38

Upon hearing Simeon’s words, Anna recognized Jesus. Upon recognizing Jesus, she broke into praise. Anna then told everyone who had been waiting for the promised King – I have seen Jesus! Anna told everyone who needed help, rescued, saved – to everyone who needed Jesus – the Savior has come!

Just like the night wind said to the little lamb – Do you see what I see? A star.
Just like the little lamb said to the shepherd boy – Do you hear what I hear? A song.
Just like the shepherd boy said to the mighty king – Do you know what I know? A child.
Just like the king said to the people everywhere – Listen to what I say! The Light.

Simeon and Anna were looking for Jesus. They found Him. We need only look too. We will find Him.

Come though long expected Jesus born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in Thee. Israel’s hope and consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art; Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver, Born a child and yet a King, Born to reign in us forever, Now They gracious kingdom bring. By Thine own eternal Spirit Rule in all our hearts alone; By Thine all sufficient merit Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us.
John 1:14

Today in the world about 14,708 babies will be born each hour. Now in the early days birth was not quite happening at that rate, but it was happening. Afterall, God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. He told Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiple. He told Jacob aka Israel to be fruitful and multiple. So this is what was supposed to happen, right? Babies were to be born. Procreation was on.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:18

The Word became human by being born of a woman. Mary. At first glance it looks so ordinary, doesn’t it? A woman has a baby. Happens every day. But if we really think about it, it is quite fantastic. We all pretty much know this story. It’s the Reason for the Season, right? But do we really understand how extraordinary it is? His mother found out she was pregnant by an angel not a doctor. This pregnancy was not unplanned but a planned pregnancy from the beginning of time. His parents were not married but betrothed. His mother was a not a woman but a teenaged girl. His father was not Joseph but the Holy Spirit. He was born in a manger not a hospital. There obviously were some extraordinary happenings surrounding the birth of this baby.

Here’s how Sinclair Ferguson describes it:

Christ came into the womb of a virgin and emerged from it as a new-born infant. He came to share our humanity from its beginning—an embryo cradled in the body of a teenaged virgin.

What a beautiful vision. Cradled from womb to manger. Although important, the most extraordinary part isn’t how He came or the events surrounding the birth, but why He came, that’s the most beautiful vision.

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

The ordinary course of life starts with birth. If we do not see the extraordinary in this ordinary, we will have missed Jesus.

Wednesday
Read John 1:1-18. What does The Word mean? Write out your understanding of it.

Thursday
Read John 1:1-18. What do these scriptures say about Jesus being fully human and fully God?

Friday
Read Genesis 1:1. Who was there in the beginning?
Read Genesis 1:26. Who created people? In whose image were they created? Hint – look for the pronouns.

Saturday
Review your answers to the questions posed on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Sunday
Spend time in prayer asking God to reveal to you how extraordinary He is.

Monday
Read Luke 4:14-22. What was Jesus sent to do?

Tuesday
Spend time in prayer today praising God for sending the hope of the earth to release us from our sins and fears. Praise God for sending The Word.

Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What’s Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself. (2.2.38-49)

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

So what’s in a name? Poor Romeo and Juliet, they had their issues, didn’t they? Romeo had the wrong name. He was born a Montague. He was born an enemy of the Capulets. Remember the feuding families? Kind of like the Hatfields and McCoys, West Virginia-style, right?!?! Juliet blurts out, basically, what’s the big deal, it’s just a name, your name doesn’t make you who you are, you are who you are, regardless of what you’re called. A rose, is a rose, is a rose. But the name Montague meant something to the Capulet family. The name had meaning, it had significance.

About 1500 years before Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet, the most meaningful name was mentioned, before His birth. A name from the House of David.

“You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
Luke 1:31-33

“For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:20-21

So, what’s in a name? Do you think Mary and Joseph were wondering that too? Why the name Jesus? Why not Joe, Jr.? Why not after Mary’s dad? Why not after Joseph’s great uncle Earl? Did they know what that name meant? Did they know what that name would represent? Maybe. Maybe not. The Bible tells us and shows us so plainly and comprehensibly what the name Jesus means.

Baby Jesus. Savior. Messiah. Almighty God. Everlasting Father. Prince of Peace. Immanuel. Redeemer. Word of God. Light that Shines in Darkness. The Alpha and Omega. Shepherd. Son of Man. First and Last. Creator. Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Lamb of God. Son of Man. Hope of the World. Bread of Life. Christ Jesus. God. Holy Spirit. Father. Abba. Triumphant. Strength. Amen!

So, what’s in your name? What does your name mean? Not your given name, your newborn name, you know, child of the risen King.

See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are! 1 John 3:1

The Bible tells us and shows us so plainly and comprehensibly what our name means too. Humbled. Christian. Disciple. Heirs. Holy Nation. Lambs. Royal Priesthood. Loved. Forgiven. Redeemed. Righteous. Child of God. Faultless. Sinless. Chosen. Son. Daughter. Gift. Image of God.

Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross. Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of the heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11

Names really do mean something.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there’s just something about that name. Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all heaven and earth proclaim. Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away, but there’s just something about that name.

He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Matthew 10:40

I ran across this verse a while back and chewed on it quite a bit. It’s almost like a tongue twister, isn’t it? This verse has a propensity for pronouns. Jesus talk — He, who, you, Me, he, who, Me, Him, One, Me. Since Jesus lives in us, anyone who accepts us, accepts Jesus, who then, by relationship, accepts Jesus through the One who sent Him. Yikes! It’s like chasing your tail, right? Reminds me of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon only it’s the Billionth Degree of Jesus. Those who know Him, are all connected – one body, remember? That’s how it’s supposed to work. Anyway.

Receives. Welcomes. Accepts. Takes in. Gets hold of. Takes possession of. Acquires. Secures. Jesus is saying to the Disciples, we’re all in this together. If someone accepts you, they accept Me. If they accept Me, they accept God My Father. That clears it all up then. But, wait.

Receives. Welcomes. Accepts. We understand those words, don’t we? We’re consumers. We know how to receive gifts. We welcome gifts. We accept gifts. What do we do with gifts? We receive them and then open them, right? We welcome them and then open them, right? We accept them and then open them, right? We don’t open them and then accept them, right? Of course not! That would be crazy. That’s out of order. But that’s exactly what “Christian” is all about. It’s all about opening first.

Celebrating Christ-mas is about receiving and then opening the gift. Celebrating Christ-ian is about opening and then receiving the gift. It’s about opening, letting, allowing, our hearts and minds to receive, to welcome, to accept the gift, the Greatest Gift ever. Being open to receive is difficult though.

To open. To give access. To unlock. To unseal. To unshut. That makes us vulnerable, doesn’t it? Vulnerable to others. “He who receives you…” Vulnerable to Jesus. “…he who receives me receives the one who sent me.” As hard as it may be, when we open, we receive, and look what happens:

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. Colossians 3:15

When we open, we receive. Here, Brother Paul is telling the folks of Colosse, be open to receive the peace that comes from Christ. Peace. We’re all looking for peace this time of year, aren’t we? Is it so easy to just open and receive? It is. When we open, we receive and look what happens:

For no matter how much they used, there was always enough left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah. 1 Kings 17:16

When we open, we receive. Elijah and the widow were open to receive God’s provision from a handful of flour and a mite of oil in a jug. Provision. We’re all looking for provisions aren’t we? We’re all looking to be cared for. Is it so easy to just open and receive? It is. When we open, we receive and look what happens:

And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he came back to life! I Kings 17:21-22

When we open, we receive. Elijah and the widow were open to receive God’s miracle. Miracles. We’re all looking for miracles aren’t we? We’re looking for someone to stretch over us and heal our diseases – mind, body, spirit. We’re all looking for the impossible to be made possible. Is it so easy to just open and receive? It is. When we open, we receive and look what happens:

They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had given for Israel to obey…When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet…They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage…The people went away to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them. Nehemiah 1:12

When we open, we receive. Ezra, Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem were open and received understanding. We’re all looking for understanding, aren’t we? Just trying to grasp the meanings. We’re all looking for answers to the questions of life. Is it so easy to just open and receive? It is. When we open, we receive and look what happens:

“I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!” Luke 2:10

When we open, we receive. We, like the Shepherds, open and received life. We’re all looking for a Savior, aren’t we? Someone to save us from our sins. Someone to save us from ourselves. A Deliverer. Someone to be Lord of our lives, because we can’t. Someone to be true to the promises made. Someone to worship. Is it so easy to just open and receive? It is. When we open, we receive and look what happens.

Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving only on Thanksgiving Day? I mean I know why the Pilgrims and Indians celebrated Thanksgiving, but why do we? Sure, I know it is to commemorate the first Thanksgiving, but when we’re sitting around this stuffed bird on the table gorging ourselves (I’ll speak for myself), are we thinking about the true meaning of Thanksgiving? I can honestly say I’m not thinking of the lean times when God provided. I’m not thinking about the insecure times when God provided. I’m not thinking about the times of sickness when God provided. Frankly, I’m thinking about more mashed potatoes with sauerkraut in the middle and who’s going to take the body shot so I can have that last piece of pie? Wrong, I know.

So, this year, I want to be different. This year I want to celebrate the real meaning of Thanksgiving — God’s provisions for me, for you. Is it too much to ask (I ask myself) to set aside one day for thanksgiving to a God who provides year round? Better yet, what if I carried that thanksgiving a little bit past Thursday, maybe even a little into Friday? I don’t think it would hurt me. You in? Let’s get started.

Wednesday
During your time with the Lord today, read aloud Psalm 100.

Thursday
Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One! Today, praise the Holy One. During your Thanksgiving Celebration, look around the table and whisper a prayer of thanksgiving for each.

Friday
Write down two blessings from your Thanksgiving Day celebration.

Saturday
Write out Psalm 100.

Sunday
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son. Today, praise the Holy One who gave His Son.

Monday
Memorize Psalm 100:4

Tuesday
And now let the weak say I am strong, let the poor say I am rich because of what the Lord has done for us. Praise the Holy One today for His strength and glorious riches. All good things come from Him.

In Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling, I came across a sentence that shot me out of my slippers.

Pause briefly from time to time so you can consult with this Holy One inside you.

What a stunning phrase. It jarred me to my core. I peel back the layers of meaning in this sentence to see the message. I can wrap my brain around the “Pause briefly from time to time so you can consult with” part. Pausing throughout my day to consult with God – prayer. I can shoot dagger prayers all day, most of the time I don’t even need to pause. I can do it on the fly. You too? Zing. Zing. Bullseye. But, the more I think about it, the more I think maybe I don’t get it. Pause. Halt. Standstill. Suspend.

Let’s look at the pause. We’re on our power walk and we have something to consult God about. Erch! Dear Lord… We’re walking down the hall at work, we stop dead in our tracks, utter a few words and then back to the frenzy. Hmmm? You know it may not be practical for us to pause on our powerwalk or in the hallway. But, what about mentally pausing throughout the day? Stopping all mind traffic for just a moment in time to concentrate on this Holy One?

Where I really got weak knees was the rest of the sentence. “this Holy One inside you.” Inside you. Think about that for a minute. “…this Holy One inside you.” Ahhhh! This makes me pull up. I repeat this phrase to myself over and over trying to zero in on why it makes me so weak kneed. Why does this phrase make me uncomfortable? Why is it troubling to me? Even though this phrase should be such a comfort – isn’t that what “they” say? You see, I know that this Holy One is inside of me, but what is so bothersome to me is that I also know what else lives inside of me and it doesn’t square. This Holy One inside of me is chilling, not because of who He is, but because of who I am.

This Holy One living inside us is none other than God the Father and Jesus the Son, His Spirit. I got sin and this Holy One is sinless and cannot look on sin. So, I must continually confess, clean and make room for this Holy One. Because I am a sinner does not mean that this Holy One does not live in me. But it does mean that I’m not giving Him all my heart space. My sin takes up part of that space. Getting rid of our sin makes more room for Him. Close your eyes and visualize that. What takes up more space in our hearts? Is there room enough for this Holy One or is He crowded out by sin?

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.) Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:9-11

That word just had to come up, didn’t it? What we all lack and always want more of…control. We are all controlled by something. What controls me? My sinful nature or the Spirit living in me? The essence of who I was, or the essence of who He made me. Hmmm. I’d like to always say the latter, but that wouldn’t be true. Sometimes my sinful nature squeezes on the Spirit inside me. When I’m shooting off my mouth (I’m still working on that talking thing), this Holy One inside me is not evident to myself or others. I’m not being controlled by the Spirit living inside me.

Live, living, alive. The key to the verse. No less than six times are those words mentioned in those verses. Why is it important? To live means to dwell, to reside, to abide. This Holy One inside me. This Holy One dwelling in me. This Holy One residing in me. This Holy One abiding in me.

Folks who have accepted, confessed, and proclaimed Jesus as their Lord and Savior, Christians, are no longer controlled by the sinful nature. Maybe I should check with this Holy One inside me to be sure He has enough room, that my sin is not taking up His space.

As with most all of us in the west, and many in the world, Tony and I have cells phones.  We have a cell phone plan, you know, the kind.  You pay a lot of money each month for a certain number of phone lines and you get superb service, always.  Well…nearly.

We’ve used the same carrier for the past 15 or so years.  About two years ago, the strangest thing happened.  Out of the blue our phone calls started merging on our cell phones.  My calls would be listed in his Recent and Voice Mail, and vice-versa.  They wouldn’t actually ring phone-to-phone, but they would show up.  And…all of our Passwords merged.  His on mine, mine on his.  So much for security measures, right?  Anyway, because Tony uses his phone for work and because we were told if we separated our phone IDs we may lose all contacts, we’ve just been living with it, because his phone is our paycheck.

Eventually we adjusted to this new norm, it wasn’t too too bad, until Saturday.   I had to update my phone to the latest iOS.  That’s where things got sticky.  Not only were we receiving each other’s call notifications, we now were receiving each other’s text messages!  Every text was a group text.  Aaaah!  Texts and responses were showing up on both our phones at all times.  Well, we just couldn’t have that.  Again, Tony’s phone pays our bills.

So, we began the process of separating our IDs, knowing the risk that our contacts, our passwords, our photos/videos, everything could be lost.  We decided I would be the one to get the new ID so that his information could be preserved.  I could recreate all my things, if needed.  Or at least that’s what I thought.  We got on the horn with the phone company and began the process.  The phone representative, Jamelle, was talking us through this process.  We were at the reset stage.  Just as I had hit reset, he asked me if I had backed up my photos because all would be lost.  When we checked the backup location, my photos weren’t there.  I looked at Tony and started crying.    There are some priceless photos on there, some I have in other locations, some I can retrieve, some that can be sent to me again, but some I can’t possibly replace.  Jamelle heard me and immediately said to hit cancel.

You see there were photos that had not backed up and they were pictures of my mom.  I just couldn’t get those back.  So we immediately stopped the reset process and began the backup process.  I explained to Jamelle that my mom was no longer living here on earth and that I needed those photos.  He assured me we would do nothing until we could secure those photos.  The backup process took much longer than expected (several hours) and at the end, I still didn’t have all my photos backed up.  Now to be fair, I do have about 6,000.  If you’d ever seen the amazing skies the Lord provides on a daily basis and if you’ve ever seen my Grandson Beau, you would be surprised I only had 6,000!  Anyway, after a couple of more calls and consults with the phone company (way into the evening – this was like a whole day thing!), multiple attempts at backups, all unsuccessful, needless to say, I was slightly wrapped around the axel.  I felt like I had wasted my whole day on this stupid phone.  The thing that was “supposed” to make my life easier and more efficient only proved to be difficult and a time-sucker.  But, as God would later reveal, not a time-waster.

Going to bed that night I kept kicking myself because I had spent almost a whole day trying to get my phone worked out.  I hate to waste time – you can never get it back – especially on something as frustrating as a stupid phone.  So I went to bed disheartened and slightly obsessed about my stupid phone. 

The next day was Sunday…

Each morning I walk the sun up with my dog.  You know I love, love, love that time of day.  It’s completely dark and as I walk and pray, the early morning light starts dawning.  As I’m walking along, the Lord revealed to me that I was a nut the day before about my stupid phone.  I confessed to the Lord that I had not thought of Him after the phone process started and that I was so frustrated the day before that I was a scowling, sneering, short-tempered jerk.  I’m ashamed to say that.  I know better.  But you see, I had, for one instance taken my eyes off Jesus, and instantly became this self-absorbed stupid phone lunatic.  I let the world (my stupid phone) take over my thoughts.  I let the world (my stupid phone) control my mind.  Wrong!  Wong! Wrong!  What I couldn’t see Saturday became so clear Sunday.  So I had to confess my sins and ask forgiveness from Jesus and from Tony.  Both were gracious.

I will carry that lesson with me for some time.  Keep perspective, do not let the world intervene and control my thoughts.  The funny thing about it…On that Saturday morning, before all of this happened, this was my study verse:

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Colossians 3:12

I definitely didn’t carry that message throughout Saturday.  I definitely was not dressed for success as they say, I had on the wrong clothes.  What’s wrong with me?  Why couldn’t I carry those verses even for a few hours?  The process of sanctification is painful sometimes.

Another lesson I learned in all of this is even more precious and I pray I will never forget.  After confessing my sin of losing perspective and being a jerk, God spoke a truth right into my heart that literally stopped me in my tracks:  This place and this stuff are only temporary.

For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven, which is yet to come.  Hebrews 13:14

I was living as if this world was my destination, and it’s not.  You see, I wanted those pictures of my mom to keep forever.  Well, this place is not forever.  As much as those photos of my mom matter now, one day they will not because as the saying goes, “you can’t take them with you.”  There’s nothing wrong with me wanting those pictures of my mom, but it came to me that I don’t need to worry about keeping the pictures because I’m afraid I won’t ever see my mom again.  My mom is in Heaven.  How do I know that?  Because she accepted Jesus, confessed her sin, and claimed Him as her One True Savior.  She was a child of God.  That confirmation means that since I too have accepted Jesus, confessed my sin (so many), and claimed Him as my One True Savior, and I am a child of God, I will see her again.  In fact, I will spend all of eternity with her.  I don’t have to have her photo. 

The fact is that I was obsessing over a photo of someone I will see again when actually I should be obsessing over the photos of people — friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers, who don’t know Jesus, because I won’t see them ever again after they leave this earth.  Those are the pictures in life I should be concerned about saving, backing up and downloading.  Those are the ones that I should print and frame and hang on the walls of my mind, so that every time I see them I can seek God’s grace and mercy for them. 

Through confession of my sin for being a jerk and getting caught up in the worldly, the Lord was so gracious to forgive me, but then He also spoke Truth into my heart.  When we confess our sin to Him, He is quick to forgive and quick to comfort.

I will make a reasonable attempt to save my mom’s pictures, but if I can’t, it’s really okay.  He has granted me peace.  He reminded me that this world is not my home – all of this world and every person and photo will fade away.  He has also reminded me of what is really important and that there are photos I really do need to save, to gaze on, to pray on.

Those are the most important lessons I learned this weekend, but there were others I don’t have time to go into here. Eventually, after three days (yes), my phone backed up. Eventually, by resetting our current ID, our phones are fixed. The fix was a simple reboot, a reconnect. Hmmm…wasn’t that the solution all along?