As Christians we speak of faith, and most of us stand on its shore in awe, as if it were a vast sea, but few of us go out upon it, or see beyond what our human eyes are capable of gathering in. Our belief is held in check by many things, fear is one of them.
We sit before Jesus listening as He teaches, and we speak of being humble, but when He kneels before us, do we let Him wash our feet? Do we share in this moment of His humility, service, and love? Can we even allow Him to kneel before us? Can we begin to feel what He is feeling at that moment, when one at a time He takes each of our feet into His hand and ladles water over it with His other? Do we feel ashamed as He rubs the filth from us, and is that shame because we are allowing Him to serve us in a manner that we feel is demeaning to Him, or because we have looked upon so many others as being less when they were serving us? This one act of foot washing teaches us truths at so many levels.
Do you want a close, loving, and meaningful, relationship with God? If so, then seek Him, and make Him the focus of your life. As we draw nearer to God, He will also draw nearer to us. Just as we can’t see unless our eyes are open, so too we can’t love, and be loved, unless our hearts have been softened. In this way… even as we abide in Him, He will abide in us. How are our hearts, eyes, and relationships with the Lord today?
Yesterday we celebrated the birthday of Jesus Christ, and now today we should no longer anticipate the future coming of the Messiah, but behave as believers, in the full knowledge that He has now arrived. In doing this we must realize that He humbled Himself, not by His birth as king, but by being born a servant. He served not only God the Almighty Father, but all of mankind… even the absolute least of us. So today we compare ourselves to the living Christ, but are we satisfied with what we see in our spiritual mirror, or do we still see arrogance, ambition, selfishness, and the other attributes that Jesus was born to shun?
Today we celebrate the birth of our savior Jesus Christ, born into the lineage of David. So it is only appropriate that we do so in verse as David would have done, and perhaps some of us will even play the lyre, and sing these words of His coming, and life. Messianic Prophesy became reality on this day long ago; so let’s contemplate Him and His life in this very special way.
This is the Christmas season and it is well known to be one of hustle, and bustle, as people work hard to fit parties, gift buying, decorating their homes, traveling to be with family, candle light services, choir concerts, and additional worship services into their already busy schedules; not to mention preparing enormous meals for family feasts. In the midst of all this, where has the time been set aside to sit quietly by the manger and look upon the sleeping Christ Child? Where is our solemn time when we contemplate the life of Jesus, and all that lies ahead for this tiny infant as He suckles at His mother’s breast? Where is the hushed time when we listen for the flutter of angel wings as they hover over this Son of God? Where is the holy time at the heart of this divine birth? Where is the peace of Christ, and the rest He gives us, as we worship Him?
We praise, and worship the Lord in church, and pray in our secret places, but what do we do with the remainder of our lives? Do we lead two separate existences? Do we have a spiritual life on the one hand, and a carnal one on the other? Do we walk out of the sanctuary, close the door, and then without another thought, begin to live like citizens of the world? In the life of the apostle Paul we are given a glimpse of how we should live one spiritual life at all times. He offers his life as an example for us. It was a life modeled after Jesus… holy, righteous, and blameless for all to see.
A common question concerning faith today is this: “Does God still speak to us?” It is asked by believers and non-believers alike, and although it sounds innocent enough, it can carry with it dark undertones. This question sows the seeds of doubt. For the believer it is a confession that they are unable to hear God’s voice, and if we are not careful, can justify an unwillingness to seek God’s voice. For the unbeliever It is either a sign they are seeking Him, or a means of undermining those who say they have heard God’s voice… as an argument meant to cast doubt, and a way of leading into a debate over whether God might have separated himself from us… or never existed at all. However, God does speak to us, and He does so in many ways such as in an audible voice, whispers, signs, dreams, visions, miracles, by leading us into improbable circumstances, and through His Holy Word.
When we follow the Lord with all our heart He blesses us. When we obey Him, and remain in His will, He rewards us. Let’s think back on those times when it would have been easier to go along with the crowd, turn a blind eye to something we knew was wrong, or not to give of ourselves because it would hurt us to do so; yet, we remained true to the Lord in these things. Did we not receive a blessing from being faithful? Our obedience never goes without notice, or reward, and the more difficult, or painful the effort, the greater we are blessed… sometimes with riches or earthly things, but always with spiritual wealth.
As we approach Christmas morning and our celebration of the birth of Christ, let’s take this opportunity to do some soul searching, and begin by asking ourselves the straightforward question… “What is the condition of my faith?” Given the difficulties of the past two years with the COVID virus our relationships with the Lord, and each other, may have become strained. Perhaps we have walked away, or simply slipped into a sense of malaise concerning church. These have been years like none other in modern times. Satan has successfully renewed man’s age old fear of death, and used it to separate us from God who is life.
As faith fades from a people, and a nation, so do the blessings that God wants to bestow on them. When a people or nation rejects, or refuses to acknowledge that God is Lord, and does not serve Him, they lose their heritage in Him. Whether a country is one that was once faithful but has turned away, or one that is hearing the gospel and Word of God for the first time but refuses to accept it, the result is the same; God withdraws His hand from them, and His blessings are lost. Their heritage becomes a worldly one because they have chosen themselves, and this world, to be their gods…
As Christians we are often asked by the people around us for prayer. They ask us to lift them up individually, or to pray for their friends, loved ones, and various happenings in their lives. When we do so there is power in our individual prayers of intercession, but Oh the power, and might, of joint prayer. When we pray as one within God’s will, and with the full confidence of His promised answer… our spirits soar. However, when we do this together as a group, or church, something even more amazing, and beautiful occurs. Suddenly the incredible flight of a single prayer joins with all the others to soar before the throne as they turn together in symphony like a flight of pigeons. They wheel high overhead turning this way and that in unison, and seem to do so almost effortlessly as they join with the others to protect us from the falcons, hawks, and goshawks, that flash ominously through our lives.
Are we pleasing our Father? Do we do the will of God, and obey His commandments? These are the things that bring Him pleasure. Obeying them always describes the life of Jesus Christ, because if nothing else, He was forever an obedient Son. God is with us always, but for us to be actively engaged with Him we should do just as Jesus did… do the things that please God our Father.
Many ask about prayer, and how they can go about praying so that their prayers might be more effective and powerful. In truth, they want their prayers to be answered, but the real question they should ask is one similar to what the disciples asked Jesus… the disciples asked Him to TEACH them to pray and so He taught them a prayer, but had they asked HOW they should pray He would have pointed to His life… in Him we learn to pray always, pray for prayer, affix ourselves in faith, pray the simple, humble, prayers of a child, and never give up on a prayer because in offering it our faith is becoming rooted. Effective prayer is more about the How, and less about the what; it is worship, and it is kneeling in the will of God. So, how do we pray? How do you pray?
The apostle Paul worked tirelessly to teach and spread the good news of Jesus Christ, and many of us today owe our salvation, and eternal lives, to those seeds he planted, but even Paul would have grown tired in this effort had he not been infused with the energy of Jesus. The most gratifying tasks in our lives can grow wearisome over time, or by sheer exhaustion as our strength is sapped by the heavy lifting, or aging. Are we as energetic in our faith today as we once were? Do we feel weary and depleted, as day after day we go out into the world to spread the gospel message? Well we should look to the Lord as we struggle to walk on… asking for His energy to powerfully work in us, and the wisdom needed to make our efforts more efficient.