The Ultimate Gift

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but 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 2:9-11)

There was a movie that came out a few years ago… Jingle All the Way… It’s about two men, who neglected their sons all year in the name of “working hard, providing for their family”… and they try to make it up in one day: they attempt, on Christmas Eve, to get for their sons the very hard-to-come-by Turbo Man action figure! But in their attempt to set things right, they find out all the stores are sold out… and there’s only one left in the entire city. So, the two dads, Howie (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Myron (played by comedian, Sinbad) go on a comical quest to claim the toy, and end up trying to outdo the other in their attempt to provide for their sons the ultimate gift: TURBO MAN!

The movie isn’t very realistic, but there is a real story about Christmas and the Ultimate Gift: the real ultimate gift is not Turbo Man, not something that can be purchased from a store… the Ultimate Gift is Jesus… the Savior of the world. Listen again to what the angels said: “I bring you Good News that will bring great joy to all people.”

The most famous verse in the Bible says, “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). Now, for many of us, we think God is all about rules and rituals… but He’s really about relationship. Many people stay away from church and from reading the Bible because they think God wants to make them feel guilty. But the angel announced that he was bringing good news… not condemnation, not judgment, not more rules to follow, not a set of rituals to perform… but GOOD news. What is this “good news”? The good news is that God has sent us a SAVIOR! “Why?” Because we needed saving. “Saving from what??” From our sinful behavior! “You are to name him Jesus [which means, "God is our salvation"], because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).

Now, you may say, “Yeah, but sin is kinda fun!” And you’re right… it can be fun… but not fun forever. In fact, the pleasure of sin gets old after awhile… because the more we intentionally sin, the more we intentionally sin! In other words, the more we intentionally turn from what’s right, the more we want to keep heading in that direction. And it’s not so much because sin is fun, but it’s because that’s what sin does… it desires to control us. And it is from the debilitating, destructive forces of sin that God wants to rescue us! That is good news that brings great joy: It’s not a negative message… it’s a positive one.

And listen to what the angel said, “I bring YOU good news…” Not only did God give us a positive message, but a personal one: Why did Jesus come to save us? Simply, because He loves us! Is that awesome or what?? The One who came to liberate us also loves us! The Rescuer wants a relationship with us!! God loves you so much that He came to earth as a human so you could get to know Him personally and learn to trust Him and love Him in return. And if there’s a reason to celebrate during this holiday season, that’s the reason! Sure, it’s a great time for family and friends to get together… but the real reason we celebrate Christmas is because Jesus came to rescue us... because He loves us.

Good news… great joy… for ALL PEOPLE. This good news is for EVERYBODY! Everybody’s invited: no matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, no matter where you’ve been or where you’re going… the good news is for YOU!! Not for the spiritually elite… FOR YOU!! Not for those who have it all together… it’s for wayward, messed up, broken, sinful people like you… and like me. Jesus came to rescue us… because He loves us.

Well, you say, “I don’t need to be rescued… I don’t feel like I’m in danger.” Most people don’t… until they’re staring danger in the face. You’re driving along in your car, listening to your music, and from out of nowhere comes a car through a red light. You’re like a deer in headlights… “I’m in danger…HELLLPP!” Well, you were in danger before you saw the car, you just didn’t realize it. We usually don’t realize we’re in danger until we’re looking danger right in the eyes. Scary movies give a great picture of this: there’s an ax murderer, and an innocent soon-to-be-victim… in a cabin in the dark woods… all alone. She hears a sound outside, and she goes out to check out the sound. Now, WE KNOW she’s in danger, because we hear the scary music… but she doesn’t know. She calls out, “John? Is that you? Where are you?” Then she turns around, and screams, “Yaaaaaaah!!” Because it’s definitely not John…

Now, she was in danger LONG BEFORE she realized it, wasn’t she? But she didn’t know she was in danger until she was staring danger right in the face! If you don’t have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus, you’re in danger… but the good news is, Jesus came to rescue you… because He loves you.

And once rescued... you're safe forever! How awesome is that?? His gift to us is the priceless gift of eternal life... it's free, it's for the asking, and it's available today. If you'd like to learn more about how to receive this free gift, CLICK HERE... and drop me a line - I'd love to hear from you!

Sadness... and Joy

A good friend went to be with the Lord on yesterday morning... Paul Guy was a great person, and a model believer. He was one of the most consistent and steady men I've known in my life... always seeking to please Jesus.

This was hard, because it happened so suddenly... he came down with double-pneumonia, and things took a turn for the worse... within a few short weeks, he was gone. The news of Paul's death was really hard for my middle son, Shawn... even though he hadn't seen Paul in a couple of years. But Paul had been Shawn's Children Church teacher at our old church, and Shawn really grew to love him.

(Please pray for Paul's family: he leaves behind a wife, Paulette, and three kids: his daughter is a senior in high school, and he has 2 college-aged sons)

Death is never easy to deal with... it seems so... final. But the Scriptures make clear that "when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house i heave, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands." For the believer, "home" is finally being with Jesus forever... not that we have to be in a rush to get there (truthfully, none of us really want to die)... but we're confident that - when that time comes - we move from this life... to more life: we will live forever, and have a new body, made by God. So, although I'm sad, I can rejoice because my man Paul no longer has to deal with the pain and suffering of the past few weeks... he has a new body, made by God. His new body will never tire or break down, because it's not a human body... it's made by God.

(If you struggle with a fear of death or dying... or you know someone who does... click here to see a very helpful video by Dr. Henry Cloud)

Paul... you've done well in this life. I look forward to seeing you again in the next one, my friend.

"So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please Him" (2 Corinthians 5:9).

Play Your Scales!

Scales are the foundation for anyone who wants to be a good musician. I had been playing the piano since I was 3 years old when I auditioned for the Univ. of MD's piano department out of high school... and the the very first thing they wanted to hear from me was scales. As a music performance major there, I was expected to practice at least 40 hours a week, and at least 10 of those hours were expected to be spent practicing my scales. The great Polish concert pianist Paderewski once said, "If I skip one day of practicing scales, I notice it in my playing. If I skip two days, my coach notices. If I skip three days, the world notices it."

For Christ-followers, spending quality, uninterrupted time with the Lord is like playing scales... it is foundational to living a productive and purposeful life. It doesn't matter whether you've been a believer for a month, a year, or 20 years... having an alone time with Jesus is crucial. Doesn't matter whether who you are or what you do... you can't miss out on your daily quiet time.

You can skip one day, and maybe nobody will notice but you. You skip two days, and maybe only those closest to you will notice. But when it becomes a habit to skip out on your quiet time... we all notice. Because it's foundational to your life... to MY life. Jesus said, "Without Me, you can do nothing."

Patience grows thin...
Vision becomes less clear...
Anger rises more often...
Temptation is given into more consistently...

Don't skip out on your daily alone time with Jesus... play your scales!

Still Get Chills...

Almost 7 1/2 years ago, Keda and I went to a Church Planters' Bootcamp with a guy named Aaron Pankey and his wife, Malita. Together, we were starting Infinity Church... where I would serve as Worship Leader and Director of Small Groups.

The boot camp was a life changing event for me: It was there that I realized that planting strong churches is non-negotiable, if we're really going to reach unchurched people for Christ... and God began to birth in me a desire to see a movement of church planting begin in the MD/DC area... and to see countless lives transformed by the power of the Good News of Jesus Christ!

The leaders of the boot camp gave each of us a rock, with Matthew 16:18 written on it. You know the verse; it's where Jesus said, "...upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." Honestly, I got chills when they handed that rock to me... they definitely made their point. But the significance of the moment wouldn't stand out for many years...

This past May, while driving to our launch service, Pastor Aaron sent me a text message that simply said, "Matthew 16:18." And I got those chills again.

And, when the going gets tough... and I want to throw in the towel (as well as throw the rock through my window!)... I often hold that Matthew 16:18 rock in my hand... as a reminder that it's not my job to build the church... JESUS WILL BUILD HIS CHURCH!!

And hell won't prevail.

He never said it wouldn't be tough... He just said hell will not prevail.

He never said we wouldn't run into obstacles... He just said hell will not prevail.

He never said we wouldn't "take our licks"... He just said...

You guessed it: HELL WILL NOT PREVAIL!! No matter what Satan says or tries to do... He will never conquer Christ's church... Jesus WILL build His church...

... and hell WILL NOT prevail!

AND I STILL GET CHILLS WHEN I THINK ABOUT THAT!!!!

Use or Lose

When I worked for the government some time ago, we accrued a certain amount of annual leave every pay period. But there was a catch: If you didn't use it, you would lose it.

I never "lost it." My leave was too valuable to me to waste (admittedly, I would sometimes waste my employer's time, but not mine! And lower your eyebrows, you did it, too... some of you still do).

Jesus tells a parable (an earthly story with a heavenly meaning) in this passage, about a few men who were entrusted with responsibility to invest a sum of money they were given. They were each given different amounts (different levels of responsibility), according to their ability... but they were each given something.

Two were "good and faithful", and one was "wicked and lazy."

Two invested... one wasted.

They were expected to use what they were given... in fact, that was the reason they were given what they received. It wasn't theirs to waste... they were to invest it... all of it... in order to multiply it for the one who had given it to them.

In fact, that's what the story in this passage is all about: Jesus starts off by saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by..." He's talking about His Kingdom, and how it is supposed to grow... how it is supposed to advance. God's Kingdom will grow... is growing... and those in the Kingdom are entrusted with responsibility to invest what they've been given in order to do their part in growing the Kingdom.

Everything we have, we're expected to use to grow God's Kingdom: our gifts, talents, and abilities... our resources... our influence... everything. The result of not investing... or wasting... what we've been given is losing what we've been given (see this verse).

Those who refuse to use, choose to lose.

Catchy... and true.

Been Tagged... What I "Dig" About Jesus!

My friend, Rindy, "tagged" me to write 5 things that I dig about Jesus (okay, Rindy, we don't use the "dig" word in this part of the country... lol). I think how this is supposed to work is that if you read this, you are to either 1) blog about the five things you dig about Jesus, or 2) if you don't blog, leave your five things here in the comments. Then, "tag" five others to do the same.

Okay, I know... this is a little cheesy, but Rindy is my friend... and I really do dig Jesus. ;-)

Here are my five things:

* He saved me from my sinful self (which is really, really sinful... just ask my wife).

* He loves me, even when I'm unloveable (which is, honestly, a lot of the time because He sees everything).

* He's faithful and true - a real Friend on whom I can always depend.

* He's strong enough to deal with all the "dogs" in my life!

* He cares about every single detail of my world... nothing about my life is unimportant to Him.

**EDIT**

I forgot to list my "tagged" people! Of course, I'm over the top with everything... so I tagged TEN!

Amy
Ben
Daniel
Dave
David
Don
Emily and Jody
Jumaine
Nathan