Category: Spirit-formed

Friendships come in all different depths; from shallow and superficial to deep and impactful! The best way that we can measure the value of friendship in our lives is not by the number of people, who get to read our timelines and news feeds, but to ask ourselves, “What kind of a friend am I?”

Learning to be a friend is the way of Christ and a measurement of maturity for every Christ-follower. Join Pastor Bruce and CLA for the new message series: “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”

You can view the series on line beginning next week.

God is our whole basis for a faith that dreams; for hoping in the God of Creation to accomplish things in our lives and around our lives that only He can. The prophet Jeremiah conveyed God’s promise to countrymen held captive in Babylon:

When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. Jeremiah 29.10

This is God’s promise. For the Jewish captives bound by Babylonian kings, God promised a future, a hope, plans for welfare, which could not be erased by 70 years of captivity or the painful regret for the sins of previous generations. Reflecting on that promise fulfilled 70 years later, one of the Psalmists wrote, “When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.'” Psalms 126.1–2.

It was Dream Day. God fulfilled what He promised. The Psalmist witnessed the dream fulfilled, but dreams are there for us to trust and exercise our faith towards today. It is the goodness and the power of God that invites our faith to embrace His dream.

I think most of God’s dreams for us are true for every Christ-follower; forgiveness and reconciliation with God through Christ, belonging to God’s family, a transformed life; however, He also designs and fulfills them, uniquely and personally. Take note of Ephesians 2.10…

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2.10

God has carefully crafted each of us in certain ways for specific roles that no one else can fill. Let’s not miss perhaps the most important step. We begin to discover our dreams, by discovering God. He knows the plans. He declares the promise.

But dreams alone do not chart our paths toward their fulfillment. Your direction does. Andy Stanley calls this the principle of the path. Direction, not intention, determines destination. The right direction – not intentions, not hopes, not even dreams – determines destination.

For example, you can make your reservations this week for a week in North Myrtle this Summer. You can plan and budget for it. You might buy a new bathing suit or some fishing tackle. So, you pack up your clothes, your beach chairs. You can’t wait to lock the door to your home and hit the road. However, when you see Interstate 40, you go west instead of east. I-40 West can take you to some memorable places; the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, Arizona and the Grand Canyon, and you can get to the Beach, but only after you turn off in Barstow, California and find something near Los Angeles or San Diego. You’re still 2600 miles from the condo you reserved in North Myrtle. The right direction, not good intentions, get you to your vacation at North Myrtle Beach.

Most everyone dreams of something. Everyone is on a journey somewhere. It might be to a new place in your finances or your career or a relationship, but just because you have the dream doesn’t mean you automatically qualify for the destination. We must take the right path.

What was the path for the Jewish captives in Babylon?

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29.12–13

Two chapters later, Jeremiah offered counsel to help them confirm their path to Dream Day.

Set up signposts, make landmarks; Set your heart toward the highway, The way in which you went. Turn back, O virgin of Israel, Turn back to these your cities. Jeremiah 31.21

A worshipping heart discerns the right direction. Put your heart on the road. Ask yourself, “Does this please God? Is this direction the result of His counsel or am I taking the way I perceive to be convenient or easy or popular?”

Nothing is too difficult for Him and nothing is too far gone for you. Put your heart on the road of His counsel. Seek after Him with all of your heart.

• What is Dream Day for you? For your family?
• What are some of the destinations you’re pursuing in your life? Career? Finances? 
Marriage and Family? Relationships?
• How consistent is your path to your destination? Where do you see it headed?

God fulfills the promise of a dream for people of faith, who seek Him with all of their heart. I believe God will fulfill His dream for each one of us if we pursue Him passionately, listen carefully, and walk courageously in the direction He leads.

Near the end of the story “A Christmas Carol,” Ebeneezer Scrooge sees a glimpse of a possible future with the ghostly spirit of Christmas Yet to Come. After the ghost of Christmas Future reveals the sad fate of Tiny Tim, he leads Scrooge into a graveyard and points him to a gravestone. As he leans forward to look upon it, he sees that it bears his own name and it prompts repentance and a begging for mercy.

Am I that man who lay upon the bed? No, Spirit! Oh no, no! Spirit! hear me! I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse. Why show me this, if I am past all hope? Good Spirit, your nature intercedes for me, and pities me. Assure me that I yet may change these shadows you have shown me, by an altered life! I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone!

The hope of transformation and a changed life is a universal, human longing that the story of Christmas can deliver.

Of course, I speak of a Christmas, which began with the Incarnation in Bethlehem.

⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Galatians 4.4-5

The incarnation of Christ is historical fact. God had a timetable in which prophecy came true in history. A virgin conceived. Bethlehem was the location. Angels declared it. Shepherds and wise men gave witness. His birth in history was God’s great emancipation; redeeming our lives from slavery to sin.

Yet, the overlooked lesson of Christmas is that the Jesus born in Bethlehem is also the Jesus formed in us!

my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! Galatians 4.19

The appearing of Jesus in history is not complete without His appearing in me!

What has been giving shape to your life so far? At worst, we can each answer that question uniquely by the people we hurt, the addictions that bind us, or the failures that broke us.

The Son takes shape in those, who abandon themselves to Him. Christ takes shape in a life willing to become clay in the Potter’s hands allowing Jesus to press the shape of His own nature into the clay of our soul. When we cease to be hard and resistant then His likeness will emerge. This is Christ’s life coming alive in us through the power of His Spirit. He reshapes our heart and mind so that it is no longer we who live, but Christ in us.

How will you measure His life in you? What could it look like? What could it mean for you? The possibilities are real; as real as the promise and potential of a brand new baby asleep near the warmth of his mother’s embrace.

The Spirit of Christ intercede that our lives may change. May the Spirit of Christ strive within you all through the year bringing a satisfying, God-glorifying transformation of your life to become more and more like Christ.

Thank you Mr. Dickens for capturing a universal human need in the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge and reminding us of the hope of transformation contained in the story of Christmas.

December – the time of the year when our homes are riddled with numerous catalogs and sale flyers touting the best Christmas presents at the best prices!  With numerous young nieces and nephews, our family delves into Christmas gift-giving with great gusto.  Therefore, despite better sense, a few years ago, I found myself in the Target toy section on “Black Friday” at 6:25 a.m.  At that moment, the peace and serenity of the first Christmas was far from my mind.  My focus was elbowing through the hoards of people to get the best deals as I checked more and more names off my list.

After a few days of recovery from my Target experience, I began to reflect on Christmas gift-giving as we know it.  Inevitably, someone in my family will ask me what I want for Christmas, and I have a difficult time thinking of appropriate items for my list.  Too often I find myself not even having adequate space for all the “stuff” that I already have.  What new “stuff” do I want to add to my collection?  In his book Soul Salsa, Christian futurist Leonard Sweet devotes a chapter to the concept of the mezuzah.  In it, he stresses the importance of intersecting the sacred with every aspect of our daily lives.  On the subject of “stuff,” he writes:

“Stories sanctify space.  The more you live in a place, the more your space becomes silted with artifacts.  If those artifacts come without stories or purpose, no matter how beautiful or expensive they may be, you are turning your home into a garbage dump.  Every room in your house tells a life-or-death story.”

During this time of reflection, my mind raced back to an unexpected Christmas gift several years ago.  In the middle of December, I received a phone call from a friend from out of town.  She began to tell me that she and her husband had a Christmas present for us, but they would not be able to get it to us until January.  I was shocked!  We didn’t even exchange presents as a rule.  I was even more surprised when she told me that her husband had made us a grandfather clock.  I instantly knew that a grandfather clock would look grand in the entryway to our home, but in all my Christmases, a grandfather clock had never once appeared on my list.  In the weeks between the knowledge of the clock and its delivery, I thought many times of the time, effort, and care spent in crafting such a gift.  Yet, the more I thought about our coming present, the deeper its meaning became.  In the six years we had known the couple bringing us the clock, they had experienced one heartache and trial after another.  From the death of a 21-year old son to the prodigal ways of their remaining son; from car accidents to heart by-pass surgery; from breast cancer to its return in a mere three years.  Yet, during all of these happenings, we never once heard our friends speak negatively of God.  If anything, they would often proclaim, “God is faithful!”

The more I reflected on my soon coming clock, the more fitting the gift seemed.  I remember praying, “Yes, God, no matter how much time passes, you are faithful.  You are the same yesterday, today, and forever.”  Several weeks passed, and we were able to visit with our friends.  I vividly remember sitting in the living room conversing with the wife as she was recovering from another surgery.  Soon the conversation turned to the clock her husband had made for us.  She looked into my eyes and said, “Mary, do you know what my grandfather clock says to me?  With every chime, it says, God is faithful.”

With tears in my eyes, I nodded, “Yes, I know.”  Now, several years down the road, I am reminded with every sounding of our clock of God’s faithfulness and of the testimony of a family who continued to believe that He was good despite their circumstances.

The story of that Christmas gift sanctifies the space in the entryway of our home.  Upon remembering it, I am forced to ask myself if I give gifts that hold deeper meaning and sanctify space or do I merely find a good deal to fulfill an obligation?  Not many of us have the talent and ability to fashion something as elaborate as a grandfather clock.  Yet, we can pause and consider adding deeper meaning to our gift giving.  This Christmas let us consider what gifts come with stories or purpose to further our friends and loved ones in their relationships with Christ.  The legacy of these gifts will give life for many years to come.

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2.6–7

In the modern era of hotels.com and 1.800 reservation lines, the neon “No Vacancy” signs seem like ancient history to us. It’s a great sign for the merchants. It’s a terrible site to see for weary travelers desperately needing lodging for the night. Imagine the repercussions for Mary and Joseph.

Caesar’s census made everything difficult. 70 miles of road between Nazareth and Bethlehem; 70 miles of horrible anticipation came with every bump, with every cramp. Was this contraction the one? What did Joseph know beyond carpentry? What did Mary know? She was in her mid-teens and this was her first child?

What a strange whirlwind of events had overtaken their 2 young, innocent stories; a wonder, really, of prophecy fulfilled amidst their lives and God’s redeeming work in a desperate world. They’re caught up in a profound mystery, but encounters with their angelic visitors seemed just faint memories of the past. What they would give for shelter and warm fire.

At best, the circumstances were dire. She’s pregnant and at full term with labor pains setting in. He’s holding up the best he can and trying to a be a comfort to her, but a deadline loomed; imposed by the government demanding a census. Joseph just knew that a delivery in the crisp night air on a treacherous road was the nightmare about to come true. They couldn’t arrive at Bethlehem, too soon.

The cities offered minimal rest stops and knowing that Bethlehem was a must, they pressed on; past Sychar, beyond Jericho, through Jerusalem, until, finally, Bethlehem, the city of David, and the place of Joseph’s birth and, for now, the end of a long journey.

At least it seemed it was over, but we know that the story of Jesus birth doesn’t take place in a warm, safe room in the company of caring family and friends. The nativity takes shape in the stable. Such a stark surprise is there for us to ask the question, “Why? Why does the Savior come this way?”

Jesus’ birth comes together on the wisdom and will of a Sovereign God, but it seems that the priorities of people helped color the details.

Consider Joseph and Mary’s need for shelter. I’m sure every door was knocked with urgency. “C’mon! My wife, she’s about to give birth. It’s been a long journey. Please! Can you help us at all?”

Yet every door must have offered the same result. No place. No room. No vacancy.

Every home was full. The hospitality of town residents opening their homes to strangers from out of town with sincere hospitality was consumed by the sheer volume of people returning to Bethlehem. Family reunions filled homes. Welcomed guests found comfortable beds, waiting tables of food and drink, friendly conversation. Mary and Joseph found nothing and no one waiting for them in Bethlehem.

Although they would not have been the only 2 visitors to Bethlehem without a warm bed or ready meal for the night, nevertheless they were WITHOUT – and so was the unborn Jesus. Luke says it with such finality. no place for them in the inn.

Every Christmas nativity play, which mentions an innkeeper, makes the innkeeper a heartless capitalist. He probably has a hooked nose, a craggy voice, and counts his stacks of coins, as though he’s Ebenezer Scrooge. It reminds me of a song from a Christmas pop culture mainstay.

You’re a mean one Mr. Innkeeper. You really are a heel. You’re as cuddly as a cactus and as charming as an eel, Mr. Innkeeper! You’re a bad banana with a greasy black peel! You’re a monster, Mr. Innkeeper! Your heart’s an empty hole. Your brain is full of spiders. You’ve got garlic in your soul, Mr. Innkeeper! I wouldn’t touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!

See, I knew that you’ve heard of this guy! The truth is that this traditional bad-guy innkeeper is more invention than reality. He was probably an invention of tradition that helps us feel better about ourselves. “We’re not heartless, capitalist Innkeepers, like that guy!”

Luke does not mean “inn” in terms of Holiday Inn or Days Inn or Comfort Inn, in other words, some merchant’s place of business for out-of-towners. Luke uses the word for “inn,” which actually means “a guest’s room” and it was used to refer to the upper room of the last Supper in Luke 22.

Houses in Bethlehem and its vicinity often had caves or stables at the back of the house where they kept their working farm animals to protect them from theft. Guest rooms were in the front of the house. Animal shelters were in in the back. And with every other room room filled in Bethlehem, an exhausted and weary Mary and Joseph must settle for the stable.

The dawn of the Savior’s birth found no comfortable place, no welcoming place. But it wasn’t because of a heartless Mr. Gri…, I mean Innkeeper. No one in Bethlehem was prepared for this birth!

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus; their first night together as a family came in a place we can only call an afterthought, the only place left, not because people intentionally wanted to leave them out of their homes, but because their homes were already filled.

Hospitality was abundant in Jerusalem that night, just not for Jesus. Guests found hot meals and warm blankets atop comfortable beds, but Mary wrapped Jesus in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger.

One temptation for every preacher is to preach a Christmas message in hopes that you’ll linger at the manger in between all of the shopping and the baking and the eating and the giving. But the lesson of Christmas is a lesson for life. Will there be any room for Jesus in your life?

The psalmist wrote.

Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.  Psalms 24.9

The Psalmist rallies us to attention and expectancy with prophetic heralding.

Will He be a priority? Do we look for Him? Will we throw open our lives for the King of glory to come in? With worshipping hearts, will we welcome the wisdom and the work of His unfolding plans into our lives? Will He gain entrance that He might change our lives?

What’s the biggest thing happening in your life today? Does Jesus fit? Is He an expected guest? Does He have a room or is there no place?

Everyone has priorities. We either choose our priorities or let priorities choose us.

As my Dad and I sit down the other night to watch Game 5 of the NLCS between the Giants and Cardinals, we started watching a couple innings into the game so we had to rely on the announcers to catch us up to speed on what had happened so far.

With three scoreless innings squared away, the announcers, Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, provided a comparison between the two starting pitchers: Lance Lynn for the Cardinals and Barry Zito for the Giants. Lynn had posted 5 strikeouts, 1 walk and was working a no-hitter through the first three innings; Zito on the other hand had allowed several runners on base all of which threatening to score but somehow was able to work his way out of those tough situations.

Buck and McCarver were praising the performance Lance Lynn was putting on describing it as the potential to be his greatest start of the season, whereas Barry Zito could very quickly find himself being taken out early in the game. With all this having happened and being said, Lance Lynn goes on to give up 4 runs in the 4th inning and finds himself sitting on the bench as his manager felt like he had nothing else to contribute to the game.

Fast-forward to the 8th inning. Barry Zito is still pitching. The score is still 4-0. Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are now talking about how they can’t believe they are witnessing this phenomenal display put on by Zito. There is a total and complete change in perspective when comparing these two pitchers. One started off hot but quickly faded away while the other started off slower and a bit shaky but got stronger as he went along.

As the familiar saying goes, it’s not about how you start, but how you finish (or slow and steady wins the race if you happen to be thinking of the tortoise and the hare).

Our dear friend Paul in the Bible had one of those shaky starts. Real shaky if you think about it. When he went around and was referred to as Saul, he had made a reputation for himself. He was known for persecuting and executing Christians. The very mention of his name struck fear in the heart of many Christians because of the thought of what he had done and was able to those who claimed and proclaimed the gospel of Christ. But as he was on his way to persecute the Christian leaders in Damascus, the Lord spoke to him from heaven and Saul was led to Ananias who was able to pray for Saul during his conversion. As Saul began to then minister in the very synagogues he intended to persecute, he was met with fear and doubt from the believers there. They didn’t trust that Saul had come to Christ, but thought that this might be a trap by making them think he was one of them. But after being affirmed by Barnabas, the believers began to trust Saul and worked with him to strengthen the churches and body of believers.

I can almost hear the announcers describing Saul’s life from the beginning:

“Well folks, today’s starter has some gritty, nasty and absolutely despicable stuff up his sleeve. Going up against the Jerusalem Believers, the Freedmen and Cyrenians send out Saul of Tarsus, one of the most feared men throughout the Christians in all of Jerusalem.”

“After Saul’s last appearance on the mound, we saw him finish the game by executing Stephen, one of Jerusalem’s star players. Next week Saul is scheduled to matchup against the Damascus Synagogue.”

“A surprising turn of events, Saul experiences a life changing move by joining the Damascus Synagogue. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and how well he works with his new team. If you remember just recently Saul flexed his muscle by executing Stephen in his last performance.”

“It is just unbelievable the change you see in Saul’s performance. Not only is he getting along with his teammates, but they are working together to form one of the most unstoppable teams in the game. Saul has officially changed his name to Paul to avoid any confusion with the player he used to be. Folks, this guy is turning into one of the greatest players I have ever seen. What a performance by the Apostle Paul.”

Many times in a Christian’s life, one can get discouraged by one’s “performance” as a Christian. We experience some shaky situations that test the faith and hope that we have come to trust in and rely upon. Or we have started with such enthusiasm that we quickly burn out because we get discouraged by the lack of tangible results or others excitement. The author of Hebrews describes the Christian walk as a race which we all run, “…let us all run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:1-2). In reference to running a race, the author of Ecclesiastes adds his wisdom by saying, “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong…” (Eccl 9:11). A major key in the Christian’s life is to rely on Christ to be our strength and the one who makes all things new. We shouldn’t allow our past to dictate our future because in our life with Christ, the old has passed away and the new has come (2 Cor 5:17).

So how do we go the distance after having a rough first couple of innings in our walk with Christ? By not letting our past define the outcome of our future and by relying on Christ to be our source of strength enabling us to go the distance.