"GREED"

"Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." Luke 12:15 (NASB)

How will we ever be satisfied or fulfilled when we never seem to have enough? Not just things and money either. Not enough time, energy, peace, happiness, hope, love, support, affirmation, respect, etc. etc. I could go on and on. I know what my three are. How about you? We want more because we are selfish, self-focused, and self-indulged. Our expectations for self-fulfillment and satisfaction leave us wanting and needy. We who have so much want more and more. There is never enough. We live in a world where three things are primarily stealing our joy and we pretend we don’t see it.

Who We Are!

“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

We not only learn from the Word of God by what it says, but also by what it does not say. First of all, this verse makes it clear that it is God who gives life, He creates each individual and we in effect are unique masterpieces. This, in and of itself is a bit overwhelming and humbling. I think everybody wonders why they are here at some juncture. What is our purpose? Are we just random whimsical notions of a distant Supreme being battling boredom? Do we have a distinct purpose, a reason, a task or goal for our lives? Because of “free will” we have a choice as to how or whether we respond. But, what did God have in mind as he grants us life? This verse does not say that we were created in Christ Jesus to attain success or fame or wealth or even freedom. It does not say we were made to find happiness or satisfaction. What it says is we were created to do good works. I shouldn’t need to tell you essentially what “good works” are. We all know. As we often say, “It is not about us, right?”

"Look For Jesus In Your Trials"

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith, of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, many be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

1 Peter 1:6-7

Previous verses explain that what we rejoice in is our salvation. These verses remind us that though our eternal reward is wonderful, this life brings any number of trials and a fair share of grief. The purpose of our earthly suffering is refinement. We need it. We must have our faith tested and tried, because that way we understand the deeper value of what we have. We go through the fire and we come out purer and truer and more genuine.

Be A Light

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" Matthew 5:14-16

Another year is coming to an end. The older I get the faster they seem to fly by. This year was full of challenges, joy, love, family, friends, loss, grief and grandkids.

God Came Near

"His kingdom will never end" Luke 1:33

This devotion is taken from a devotional book I have been reading each morning, "Grace For The Moment, Volume II" by Max Lucado. I found this so precious that I wanted to share it with you, on Christmas day.

Oh Come All Ye Faithful

""And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary, His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."" Matthew 2:11

A lot of Christian songs have stories. Even the Christmas Carols. John Francis Wade wrote "O Come All Ye Faithful" in 1743. Under persecution he had fled England as streams of other Catholics did, to France and Portugal. At age 32 he produced a copy of a Latin Christmas carol beginning with the phrase "Adeste Fidelis, Laeti triumphantes." Seven original hand-copied manuscripts of this Latin hymn have been found, all of them bearing Wade's signature. He was a renowned copyist of musical scores. As Catholics returned to Britain after Wade had passed away they brought his beloved hymn with them. Another Catholic, an Anglican convert, by the name of Rev. Frederick Oakeley came across the Latin version and after several awkward attempts finally, in 1845, translated more accurately into English, the opening phrase as "O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant." This caught on quickly and spread as a favorite among Protestants and Catholics.

Our Inheritance

"..an inheritance that can never perish spoil or fade---kept in heaven for you."

1 Peter 1:4

The preceding verse tells us that the gift of new birth in Christ is this inheritance. I have never received any kind of inheritance other than the spiritual kind and probably won't, but I wouldn't trade my eternal reward for all the money in the world. You see, in my life I have been in plenty (at least by my standards) and in want (again by my standards).

An Open Letter to All Christians, from John C. Adams III

"[BIBLE VERSE]" [REFERENCE]

AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL CHRISTIANS: Therefore, I encourage all Christians this year (and from now on) to openly, lovingly and joyfully celebrate Christmas and enjoy a Merry and Blessed Christmas, share it enthusiastically with others, sharing the real reason why we celebrate this glorious and wonderful Holy Day (from which the word "Holiday" was derived); which God's angels proclaimed as "...Good News of Great Joy to All People. Today in the town of David (Bethlehem) a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord!" (Luke 2:10-11)

A Living Hope

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3

Peter knows what he is talking about. Not only because he is being led of the Holy Spirit as he writes his epistle, but because from personal experience he knows what it is like to feel "dead", to feel "done", to feel "hopeless". As I read Peter's general epistle to us all I have to remind myself that this is also the man that was overly exuberant, zealous to a fault and at the other end of the spectrum denied Christ, ran away, quit and practically could not go on.

The Gift of Love

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4-5

This Sunday, the last Sunday of Advent, Pastor Fred will be teaching on love, referencing one of the most frequently quoted passages of Scripture, John 3:16-17--"For God so loved the world that he gave is one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."