STAYING SANE THROUGH THE SEASON

Sometimes I wonder what affects us the most – getting “to the end” of the year or getting “through the end” of the year.   Schedules and “to do” lists and gift lists and year end projects and deadlines and parties and programs and illness and the list goes on… can compress our lives into small tight overloaded schedules.  Many of these things are good.  But during this season we tend to find ourselves stressed, even agitated at times. 

To stay sane during this season it helps if we can keep a few things intact so we don’t lose our moorings.  Albert Einstein said, “Out of the complexity, find simplicity.”  God’s will is not that our lives become so complicated and busy that we live stressed, anxious, and agitated lives.  This is one of the reasons Jesus said in Matthew 6:33: “Seek first God's kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.” Matthew 6:33 (NCV)

I know three things God wants us to do, and if we do them we’ll keep our sanity and bring some simplicity to our lives.

1. Connect with God.

Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40.  The first and greatest thing you and I can do is to love God.  The second greatest thing you and I can do is to love others to God.  There are two kinds of people we connect with God:  Ourselves and Others who don’t have God in their lives yet.

2. Grow spiritually.

The Apostle Paul said, Take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit. 1 Timothy 4:7 (Ph). 

Emotional health and spiritual maturity are inseparable.  It’s not possible to be spiritually healthy while remaining emotionally unhealthy.  We must think about our emotional health just as much as we do about our spiritual health in order to grow spiritually.  Going into the holiday season knowing that your schedule will become very busy, even with events you don’t know about yet, plan margin into your schedule and leave room for emotional rest and spiritual refreshing.

3. Serve others.

Jesus said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28.  The way to a great life is to serve others.  If we want to be like Jesus and experience total life, then we must choose to serve others.  To serve others is to give to them.  We give our time, our abilities, our encouragement, our love, our money.  To serve God we give to Him in the same manner.  By serving God we serve people.  By serving people we serve God.

Keep your sanity this season by remembering to do three things:  Connect with God, Grow Spiritually, and Serve others.

“DON’T BE AFRAID”

The angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”  Luke 2:10-11 (NLT)

When the angel announced the birth of Jesus it was an announcement of good news and great joy for everyone.  A Savior has been born, One Whom we all need.  Therefore, don’t be afraid.  When fears begin to rise in your heart because of the unknown future or the questionable economy or an illness or family difficulty or fear of being alone – remember a Savior was born for you, and the glorious and enlightening announcement from God is “Don’t be afraid!”

Later when Jesus sent His disciples to share the good news of His Kingdom, He knew they would have to deal with fears, and so He encouraged them to not be afraid.  “What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.  And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows”.  Matthew 10:29-31 (NLT)

Follower of Jesus you are more valuable to God than a “whole flock of sparrows.”  He knows everything about you and your life.  And He cares more about your future than you do.  As a matter of fact He is already in your future just as He is in your present because He is the eternal God.  Therefore take courage and go forward with the purpose God has given.  Don’t be afraid.

“It is never safe to look into the future with eyes of fear.” – Edward Henry Harriman

IT’S A FAMILY MATTER

A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”  “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.  Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!  Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”  Mark 3:32-35

Jesus had a crowd sitting around Him, and His family came looking for Him.  They thought He had lost His mind and had come to take Him away with them (v. 21).  Jesus then asked the crowd who His family was, and looking around at them, He told them they were.  Then He said whoever does God’s will is His family.

The people were sitting around Jesus listening to His teaching.  From this simple scene we can see that God’s will involves: 

• Listening to Jesus and learning from Him,
• Being around Him and giving time to Him, and
• Keeping Him at the center of attention. 

Since Christ had to suffer physically for you, you must fortify yourselves with the same inner attitude that he must have had. You must realize that to be dead to sin inevitably means pain, and you should not therefore spend the rest of your time here on earth indulging your physical nature, but in doing the will of God.  1 Peter 4:1-2 (Ph)

Doing God’s will means dying to our selfish ways, wants, and pursuits.  Dying to “self” is painful.  No doubt about it.  To give up comfort, convenience, and preferences for the cause of Christ can be upsetting, even heartrending.  But it’s the way to gain and reward.  It’s the way to life.  And it’s the way of God’s family.

When we keep Christ at the center of our way of thinking, feeling, actions, words, and relationships – we find ourselves doing the will of God.  And we’re family.  Doing God’s will is a family matter in God’s family.

Give your mind to Him.  Give your time to Him.  Give your attention to Him.

CELEBRATE WHAT GOD HAS DONE

Celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God during the month of Abib, because it was during Abib that he brought you out of Egypt at night. …celebrate the Feast of Weeks for the Lord your God.  Bring an offering as a special gift to him, …Celebrate the Feast of Shelters for seven days, after you have gathered your harvest from the threshing floor and winepress.  Everybody should rejoice at your Feast, …No man should come before the Lord without a gift.  Each of you must bring a gift that will show how much the Lord your God has blessed you.  Deuteronomy 16:1, 10, 13-14, 16-17 (NCV)

The Israelites celebrated these festivals to remember how God had delivered them from Egypt.  The Lord God was their Savior and they celebrated Him and the salvation He gave them.  The Lord was their Provider and they celebrated Him for His blessings in their lives.  As they celebrated and gave thanks, God told them to give back to Him as He had blessed them.

I can think of three ways we can apply this to our lives:

1. As God delivers and provides for you, give back to Him with joy and remembrance of Him.

2. Choose to celebrate what God has done and is doing in your life.  And do it joyfully.

3. Schedule anniversaries and events that bring to mind what God has done for you.  And give Him praise and thanks. 

Obviously we will celebrate with family and friends this Thursday.  It will be one of those opportunities to give praise and thanks to God for His blessings.  And there are many more events you can celebrate:  birthdays, wedding anniversaries, spiritual birthdays … As a church we will celebrate Christmas and Easter as two great events which have changed the future of mankind and have given us hope and purpose, and they remind us of the real story that is unfolding which dwarfs all others, and one in which our personal stories are a part.  Give thanks and praise to our Savior and God this Thanksgiving because of His blessings and His promises.

A DEEPENING WORSHIP OF THE EVERLASTING GOD

“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.  I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.” Eph. 1:18-23 (NLT)

Is your life filled with Christ?  Does He have authority in your private life, public life, family, marriage, relationships, finances, giving, serving, your time, answers to your questions, plans, and dreams?  Only when we give the authority of our lives completely to Christ do we come to know fullness of life.  Only when we really believe God with our lives, families, material possessions, money, our actions, our words… will we know His power flowing through us.  Are you believing what God says?  That’s the key.  Jesus stated a lasting truth that recognizes God as the source of our lives.  This is worship of God:  “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matt. 6:33.

A.W. Tozer wrote:  “The Church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God… The low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us.”

Oh that we would turn completely to the Lord God, re-direct our lives to Him, and truly worship Him as our God.

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent”. John 17:3.

STRENGTH IN UNFAVORABLE CIRCUMSTANCES

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.  Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:10-13 (NAS)

Paul expresses his joy in how the Philippian church gave to him.  They took the opportunity to give, and Paul rejoices in the fact that they showed their concern and care for him and his ministry.

Paul did not speak from lacking anything, because he had learned to be content in all circumstances.  He learned the secret of getting along in very circumstance, with much or with little.  There were times when he was filled and times when he was hungry; times when he had an abundance and times when he suffered need.  He learned how to get along with all of it with the strength of Christ.

The strength of Christ is what brings contentment.  Being content doesn’t mean the absence of suffering or the absence of hunger.  Contentment is being able to deal with every circumstance in the strength of Christ, even when the circumstance doesn’t change.  Paul was chained to a Roman guard 24/7 when he wrote these words of encouragement to the Christians at Philippi.  And throughout his letter he continually expressed his joy in Christ.  Contentment is an inner strength that Christ gives.

How can you have the strength of Christ in order to be content in every circumstance?

1. Rejoice in the Lord.

Find your joy in growing your relationship with the Lord.  Lasting joy is not found in circumstances because they change.  You have circumstances where you work, with your co-workers, where you live, with your family, where you go, with the equipment you use, with your health, … and the list goes on.  Circumstances are constantly changing, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.  And that’s why we can’t depend on them to “feed” us contentment.

2. Learn to be content.

Life is a classroom in which we are constantly learning.  School is never out.  Therefore, take the opportunity to learn what you can about contentment.  Learn the truth about it – it comes from Christ.  And keep learning.

3. Know how to.

The way we learn “how to” is to exercise contentment in every situation.  That’s the way to know how to experience it.  Put it into the equation.  Practice it and refine it.

4. Say “I can with Christ”.

It’s not “I can’t.”  It’s “I can.”  Take a step of faith.

5. Obey Christ.

Do what He teaches.  Stay in His Word.  Act according to His will.  He will deliver on His promises and He will strengthen you.

THE PRIMACY OF COMPASSION

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.  While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples.  When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”  On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Matthew 9:9-13

Jesus quotes from the prophet Hosea:  “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”  Hosea 6:6

To begin with, God is not diminishing the importance of sacrifice, for anyone who has sacrificed, God has sacrificed more.  He chose to love a sinful world.  He chose to give up His only Son to suffer and die for the whole world.  God knows sacrifice.  And He expects His followers to love and sacrifice in their serving. 

The true essence of sacrifice is not the issue here.  The issue is the motive, the heart, the inner person, because that’s where the real sacrifice is made, before outward action is taken.  “Self” is sacrificed in order to give “life” to others.  The problem with the Pharisees is that they were not sacrificing “self”.  Their motives were all about looking good, their reputation, doing all the “religious” things, and patting themselves on the back for all their external actions from empty hearts – empty of God’s sacrificial love.  And Jesus says it doesn’t count.  It’s worthless in God’s eyes. 

What then does God really want from us?  Jesus is saying at least two things to us in these verses.  One, God wants your life and my life to be changed from the inside out by His mercy, compassion, and sacrificial love.  True transformation doesn’t happen by going through external religious rituals, regardless of how noble they appear.  God blesses the person whose heart has been transformed by His mercy and love because that person will have a loving heart toward God.  And a right heart toward God produces right actions for God’s glory.

Secondly, it takes a compassionate heart, more than religious activity to bring people to Jesus.  God is more concerned about changing a person’s heart and life through love and compassion than with a lot of religious activity.  Certainly we must take action to go and love and introduce others to Christ, but the prerequisite is mercy.  Therefore take the initiative from a merciful heart to express compassion and mercy to those who haven’t yet become followers of Jesus.  Don’t put on a “religious” front for them.  Just love them and introduce them to Jesus’ love for them.  When you do, that’s when you know you really have a merciful heart.  Mercy is not stagnant. Mercy by its nature reaches out to bring God’s merciful Good News to others.  Become immersed in God’s mercy and be a messenger of God’s mercy to others.