I Know Him!

One of my favorite movies this time of year is, “Elf”. It always makes me belly laugh. There’s one scene, however, that captures my feelings about Jesus. Buddy, the big elf raised by the North Pole elves, finds himself in a store preparing for Christmas. When he sees a sign that tells of Santa coming, he yells, “Santa?! Santa’s coming! I know him! I know that guy!”

Even though Buddy wasn’t a true elf, he’d been adopted by Santa,, a jolly man whom he had first-hand experiential knowledge.

As I read 1 John today, I pictured him writing with the same enthusiasm as Buddy!

“We proclaim to you The One who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard & seen. We SAW Him with our own eyes & TOUCHED him with our own hands! He IS the Word of life. We’ve seen Him & testify & proclaim to you that He is The One who IS eternal life!”

Ok, the caps & exclamation marks are mine, but do you feel the same excited “CAN YOU EVEN BELIEVE IT?!” tone in his words?

Y’all! John & the apostles are FIRST HAND WITNESSES! They walked & talked & ate with the man who conquered death! They saw him crucified & then saw, touched & talked with him after he rose from death!

And here’s the thing-they had NOTHING to gain, but persecution & death for sticking to their story!

•John-boiled in oil & sent to exile

•Peter-crucified upside down during Nero’s persecution

•Andrew-tied to a cross where he preached while waiting to die

•James-beheaded by King Herod

There are many more, but the point is these men turned the world upside down by making it their life’s mission to share their Savior with anyone who’d listen!

Their first-hand knowing Jesus compelled them to proclaim to the masses, “I KNOW Him! I know that guy! He conquered death so that you might too! Can I introduce you to Him?!”

As the last day of November closes & the Christmas hustle & bustle rises, may we remember The One who saved us from eternal death! He loved us SO much that He died FOR us so we could become like Buddy but even better: Adopted sons and daughters of The Most High God!

We KNOW Him! We KNOW that guy! How might we create excitement among many if we let that “knowing” bubble over into our everyday lives?

#OneYearBible

November 30th One Year Bible Readings

💡DANIEL 7:1-28

💡1 JOHN 1:1-10

💡PSALM 119:153-176

💡PROVERBS 28:23-24

There is no Panic in Heaven

Yesterday our pastor said several things that landed square between my eyes 😳 The 1st was this:

There is no panic in heaven.

There seems to be SO much to panic about these days & yet Peter reminds us that the Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. He’s being patient for our sake!

You see, “We ALL have an earthly story, but it’s not the END of the story!”(👆🏽Another quote 😉)

Regardless of what we face, it’s so important AND refreshing to be reminded that every single solitary detail is permitted by our Lord.

He’s been penning our personal stories since the beginning of time with 1 aim in mind: that we’d  choose to become His...for eternity!

Peter writes about the 2nd coming of Jesus. He HAS come & has YET to come again in the last days.

I love to plan-to look to the end & work backwards. There is a day coming when our lives on earth will cease to exist. Then what?

There is so much compelling evidence of a Divine Creator that I simply can’t understand how one would be motivated to live life when it’s seemingly all for nothing?

If there was even a chance that a moment of judgement was coming, wouldn’t you want to know so you could decide NOW how you might live?

Peter writes that the day of judgement is indeed coming, but it need not be the end for all. There will be a NEW heaven & a NEW earth established for those who believe that Jesus lived a sinless life & conquered death so we might do the same!

In the meantime, as we face hardships & God seems slow to respond to our prayers, we must remember that the Lord’s seeming delay is simply a display of His patience as He longs for all people to be saved!

If we could lift our gaze beyond the circumstances of today & remember that we are in the midst of our story, but it’s not the END of our story, we’d gain long term vision & the momentary panic will begin to fade.

God is at work. He’s always BEEN at work. We may not always understand why He’s penning this particular part, but it’s not the end! 

Father, we don’t want a God we can explain. Even though Your Ways seem mysterious, we won’t panic but instead praise our extravagant, miracle-working, Waymaker & Promise-Keeper!

#OneYearBible

November 29th One Year Bible Readings

💡 Daniel 6:1-28

💡2 Peter 3:1-18

💡Psalm 119:129-152

💡Proverbs 28:21-22

Forgiveness is not Synonymous with Healing and Trust

Forgiveness, healing & trust are not synonymous. One is immediate while the other 2 take time.

Anyone who’s accepted Jesus as their Savior & has received forgiveness of sins has no right to withhold forgiveness. It may not be easy, but once we receive Jesus as “mine”, we suddenly gain His inordinate love to give!

The problem, however, is that many equate forgiveness with trust and forget that a hurt heart takes time to heal.

Immediately moving back to a position of trust  with too much unresolved hurt is not only unwise, it lays a faulty foundation for a future relationship.

This morning I read Proverbs 28:20. It declares how a trustworthy person will receive rich rewards, but a person who wants quick riches will get into trouble.

A trustworthy person is true to their word. They make good on their promises and fulfill their commitments. They abide by the obligations they place themselves under and as a result, experience a life that abounds with blessings.

On the other hand, a person who cuts corners & demands WHAT they want WHEN they want, oftentimes steamrolls loved ones in the process. They will get into trouble & they cry for help from the very people they hurt...

Relationships are messy. Understanding where I end & a loved one begins can be VERY hard to define. We will do almost anything for a family member, but sometimes the best thing is to do nothing.

We are called to forgive 70x7, but it’s important to remember that the healing takes time & the trust that was broken needs to be experienced for it to grow again.

Father, when someone steamrolls over our hearts, help us to be quick to forgive with the forgiveness You extended to us. We don’t want to have an open door of unforgivesness that allows bitterness to grow. Help us to communicate clear boundaries so we can preserve the relationship while healing happens & trust can take root again.

Father, we bless those who hurt us. Holy Spirit, reveal to them their need of you. Heal any hurt places in their hearts so they can become the whole & healed child of God You intended on the day You created them. Thank you that Your very Presence unifies us while we wait for healing to happen & trust to grow!

#OneYearBible

November 28th One Year Bible Readings

💡DANIEL 5:1-31

💡2 PETER 2:1-22

💡PSALM 119:113-128

💡PROVERBS 28:19-20