STEPPING INTO THE FUTURE

Though we should make plans for the future the best we can (Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, Prov. 21:5 NLT, ) according to what we know of God’s will and His purpose for our lives (People can make all kinds of plans, but only the Lord’s plan will happen, Prov. 19:21 NCV), the day-to-day “following” of the path He lays out for us is a step by step progress (Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path, Psa. 119:105).

We would really like to have a blinding searchlight which illumines our path for miles ahead.  In the ancient world, the best you could get was an oil lamp or possibly a torch with burning pitch.  Think of how it would be to climb along a treacherous mountain path with just an oil lamp or a torch.  To step to one side or the other would mean possible death.  But you had the light you needed to put one foot in front of the other. 

On life’s rocky journey, what do you really need to see?  The whole path for miles ahead or where next to put your foot?

Be thankful and delighted that God has provided illumination for the next step in your path.  Embrace the year ahead, a journey with an unknown outcome, but with the secure promise that the Lord God will walk alongside you as you walk alongside Him in obedience to His revealed will.

It’s better to bind yourself to a trustworthy Guide than to bind yourself to some ideal outcome that may or may not happen for you.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.  Don’t assume that you know it all (Prov. 3:5-6 Mes).

THE GRACE OF CHRISTMAS TO YOU

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God (Isa. 40:1).

May the comforting grace of God be yours this Christmas, and may the truth of His salvation through His Son Jesus bring renewed hope, life, and love to you. - David and Charlyn

TV ROMANCE

Dr. Jeremy Osborn from Albion College in Michigan tracked 390 married couples in a study he titled, “When TV and Marriage Meet.”  Couples answered questions about their satisfaction with their spouse, relationship expectations, level of commitment to the marriage, TV viewing frequency, and how much they believed that TV relationships were actually realistic.  Overall, the study found a simple pattern:  When belief in TV romances goes up, satisfaction with your actual romantic relationship goes down.  In other words, the “on-again, off-again relationships on TV shows – built up by sweeps weeks and season finales – impact what you think a wife or husband should be.” (Science Daily, “When TV and Marriage Meet: TV’s Negative Impact on Romantic Relationships”)

Simply put TV romances can rob your marriage of romance.   Consider the time you may put into watching TV romances and the time you put into keeping the romance alive in your marriage.  Which gets more of your time?  Decide to give more time to real romance and less to TV romances.

You are all sons of light, sons of the day, and none of us belongs to darkness or the night. Let us then never fall into the sleep that stupefies the rest of the world: let us keep awake, with our wits about us. Night is the time for sleep and the time when men get drunk, but we of the daylight should be alert, with faith and love as our breastplate and the hope of our salvation as our helmet. 1 Thes. 5:4-8 (Ph)

I WILL THANK YOU - PSALM 9

Christmas is coming and always thankful

EACH MORNING, NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Each morning you wake up you have the opportunity to chart a course.  As each week begins you get to consider how you will direct it. You have the opportunity to point your life in the right direction that will bring goodness to you and glory to God.

What is the “right direction”?  For most of us the right direction would be the way that gives us security.  It would be something we can count on.  It would be a foundation on which we could build our lives which would not change or disappear.  It would be a way of life that is dependable and rewarding.  Really, who wants to build a life on that which is unreliable and subject to penalties?

If we can know the things which are reliable and secure, then we not only have a strong foundation on which to stand; we have a motivation, an energy, something that will propel us forward through life.  Most of us want something that will equip us and fuel us in our everyday living.  We want something that will enliven us in an ongoing way.

The good news is that there are at least six things you can build your life on.  These six things are trustworthy, dependable, and secure.  They will last when all else may fail.  They will remain when everything else may change.

Psalm 19 points us in the direction of that which is trustworthy:  The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes. God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree Psalm 19:7-9 (Mes). 

This is why you want to build your life around the six things that will last:

1. God’s purpose for your life will last.

2. God’s Word will last.

3. God’s love will last.

4. God’s church will last.

5. God’s salvation of you will last.

6. God’s presence with you will last.

If you’ll build your life around these six things, your life will be transformed, and you’ll do good things for yourself and bring glory to God.  Build each day, each week, each month around them.  Your life is far too important to invest in anything less.

STAYING BALANCED

Sunday night Nik Wallenda, high wire artist and daredevil, wowed the crowds in Chicago with two sky-scraper crossings on the high wire without a safety net or a harness.  The second crossing he did blindfolded.  Wallenda is a Christ-follower who uses opportunities to share his faith with the world.  He is also the most watched high wire artist and daredevil in the world.  In the last couple of years he’s walked a tightrope across Niagara Falls and across the Grand Canyon.  Just those two feats alone were seen by a billion people across the world.

Wallenda admits that he will be tempted by pride, so after the huge crowds and the media fade away, he commits to a simple spiritual discipline:  he walks where the crowds have just stood and quietly picks up trash.  He recently wrote, “My purpose is simply to help clean up after myself.  The huge crowd left a great deal of trash behind, and I feel compelled to pitch in.  Besides, after the inordinate amount of attention I sought and received, I need to keep myself grounded… I do it because it’s a way to keep from tripping.  As a follower of Jesus, I see him washing the feet of others.  I do it because if I don’t serve others I’ll be serving nothing but my ego.”

Regardless of what we do, we must keep a balanced perspective if we call ourselves followers of Jesus.  He said, “The greatest among you will be your servant” (Matt. 23:11).

RISE OF THE “NONES” Part 3 of 3

Many people in the United States are Christians in name only (“nominal” Christians).  The causes are complex but understanding them is important.   Statistics reveal that the majority of “nominals” will become “nones” (unaffiliated with any religious organization).

Eddie Gibbs, professor emeritus at Fuller Seminary, has found at least three major contributing factors: 

1) Churches have become more preoccupied with individualism and consumerism than lifelong discipleship.  Churches become primarily about what pleases people and meets their needs, and attendance, even membership, do not lead to authentic discipleship – understood to mean a deep total commitment to following Jesus as a way of living.

2) Church members most likely to become nominal are those who avoid close personal relationships where they would receive encouragement for their spiritual maturity, have accountability, and be involved in ministry opportunities.  They will eventually go missing without being missed.

3) Biblical illiteracy is alarmingly high in churches today.   Attenders, even members, do not know what the Bible teaches.   Consequently they become vulnerable to the influence of our secular society.

The answer is that we must make lifelong discipleship of Jesus a major emphasis of the church.  A decision to welcome Christ into your life as your Savior and God is just the first step to being a disciple of Jesus.  The issue then is to follow Him and grow in that personal relationship with Him, growing in our faith.  After all, Jesus never said, “Become a Christian.”  He said, “Follow Me.”  Authentic discipleship takes place in small groups.  And that’s why at Clay Community we consider our small group Bible studies to be of utmost importance. 

To turn the tide of the “nones” is a daunting challenge.  However, if we will take Jesus’ words seriously to believe in Him and believe what He says and make more lifelong followers of Him, we will begin to make a difference in our communities.

Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21).