Use it or lose it

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10)

Mother Teresa said, "If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one." Most of us don't feel extremely talented or gifted, but we can take on small tasks that make all the difference in our hurting world. Whatever gift you have received is for the purpose of serving others. No matter how small, use that gift in service for others and see how God will bless it in grand ways.

God isn't after the 'grandiose' in us - he is after the obedience or what we refer to as 'faithfulness' in each of us. My dad always used to quip, "Use it or lose it". It was not bad advice! Use what you are given or lose out on what God intended or purposed for that 'gift' within you. I don't make perfect woodworking projects, but I enjoy blessing others through whatever talent I have. I may not be a published writer, on the top 100 list, but I enjoy using the talent God has given me - even if it helps just one.

Leo Tolstoy reminds us, "Joy can only be real if people look upon their life as a service and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness." The object - Christ. The service - whatever you are gifted at doing. It may be baking - so bake. It could be singing - so sing. It could be keeping company with someone - so be there. No gift is too small, no impact without return. What 'gift' have you been discounting as 'not worth much'? It could just be that God is challenging you today to pick it up, dust it off, find a way to use it to bless others, and then keep on using it. Use it or lose it... Just sayin!

No greater gift

So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. (Hebrews 9:11-14)

With his own blood - we are bought with a price we could not pay; given a gift we could not earn; and brought into a position we could never possess apart from Christ. One sacrifice - one time - for all time. We are secure because of his gift - the gift we received so many Christmas morns long ago. The old passed away and the new has come. What the 'old systems' of worship and good deeds could never do was done in one moment in time, but it lasts an eternity.

What all our good deeds (good works) and acts of 'contrition' could never do for us has been done through the blood of Christ - our consciences are made pure. If you have ever dealt with a sense of guilt because of your past deeds, something you have said or done that just didn't 'sit well' in your conscience, you know the extreme joy and peace that comes when you finally bring that thing into the light and get rid of it once and for all. The conscience has a way of holding onto the 'bad' we do, but it also reminds us of the 'bad' we are!

The purity of conscience Christ offers is not just a one-time deal. It is a lifetime of us feeling 'guilt' for misguided actions and poorly spoken words, bringing those things to him in full repentance, and feeling that 'load of guilt' lifted. Peace settles in around our souls and we feel 'at one' again with Christ. There is no greater gift we could 'open' this Christmas - for that gift has been given already. We just need to open up our hearts to receive the gift. Just those wrapped gifts under the tree this season, this gift is received when we accept it as ours. Just sayin!

Get still

 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met." (Matthew 6:33)

The more we 'strive' the less we 'rest'. The more we seek attention, the less we feel appreciated. The more we worry, the less peaceful we become. I guess the lesson here is that we reap as we sow - sow the good seed and reap the good harvest; sow the 'so-so' seed and the harvest will be less than stellar. As I drove through the countryside a few weeks back, I was taken aback by the many wildflowers filling our desert floor once again. Why did this amaze me? It was the dead of summer and hotter than Hades out there! The over-abundance of summer rains had turned the desert floor into a thing of beauty once again. Do you know what happens when the wildflowers start to bloom in the desert? The butterflies come out! As beautiful as it was to see all the desert in bloom, the gentle flitting of those many colored butterflies made it even more beautiful. To just take in the beauty was a great 'rest' to my soul - God-prepared wonders, delightful in every way.

More often than not, we get caught up in the 'hurry, hurry, hurry' of life and forget how much God is working to prepare the things of beauty that will pass us by unnoticed if we are not careful. We worry about the silliest things and wonder why we lack peace that allows us to enjoy a deep night's sleep. We 'go, go, go' until the wheels are about to fall off and wonder why we never 'get ahead'. Maybe it is time for us to sit back a bit and just be still. I will be the first to admit there is a great deal of 'things that need to be done' that come to mind every time I attempt to just 'be still'. I will also admit that I have to purposefully make my life 'still' from time to time to achieve this listening and attentive spirit God desires me to have. How about you? Have you been missing the butterflies because your world has been too hectic and the chaos has kept you from even noticing there is life all around? It isn't too late to just be 'still' in the presence of God - but you will have to stop if you are to ever notice!

All our striving puts us front and center - all that stillness puts HIM front and center. We move from the attitude of having to 'get', to understanding there is someone all around us just waiting for us to be in the frame where he can finally 'give' what we so desperately need. We don't 'get' as much as he 'gives', but if we bring our lives to a place of stillness on a regular basis, we are likely to understand the Giver as much as we appreciate the gifts he gives. Just sayin!

Be a gift giver

Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift. (Ephesians 4:29)

Okay, so a little honesty here today, my friends. I don't always speak the most helpful or edifying words. Shocker, huh? Sometimes I just plainly put stuff out there without thinking too much about how it will make another feel, or how it will present the image of another to someone who overhears me. Not every word I speak would be considered a gift - sometimes those words are just plain garbage. I don't think I am alone in this admission of guilt - some of your words are plain garbage, too. "Watching" the way we talk is the key to getting to the point our words begin to be less worthy of the garbage heap and more consistent with the love of God. Do you realize that words are the basis of many a break in relationships - betrayal and offenses being conveyed through the words someone speaks? If we want the 'breaks' to be mended in our world today, it begins with the words we say, but those words begin in our hearts. Therefore, to 'watch' the words we speak, we 'watch' what gets into our hearts.

We don't need to have the final word. We don't need our every opinion to be expressed. We don't need to point out the faults of another. So, why do we pursue that final word, need to make a point or convert someone to the view we have of a situation? We need to allow the love of Christ to change our hearts - to increase our appreciation of grace. Not just the grace God gives us, but the grace to see what God sees in the individual we are with at that moment - so the words we speak are the words that build up that individual in just the way they need to be built up. 'Watch your words' - every word that proceeds out of the mouth begins in the heart - in our emotions, pride, and thoughts. Grace begins the moment we ask God's help to become 'gift-givers' when it comes to our words.

A 'gift-giver' meets the needs of another - each word a gift. How is it that you and I can begin to make every word count for good and not for bad? We begin to listen before we speak those words - listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life. He won't steer us wrong - his leading is always designed to produce good things in and through us. I spend more time these days thinking upon the good things of God's grace than I do ruminating over the bad things that 'tick me off' in this world. Why? I don't want to add to the chaos, I want to be part of the healing. I spend less time finding fault in the other guy's actions. Why? I know my actions have equally been at fault - none of us is without fault at one time or another, so I ask God to work on me and leave the 'work' the other guy needs to God. 

Words can heal and build up, but before the words we speak carry this kind of power, we must focus more on grace. Grace to overlook an offense. Grace to see there is good in even the worst of circumstances. Grace to support the one who knows what they have done or said hasn't been 'right on', but who is too afraid or prideful to admit it. Grace isn't meaningful until it is practiced - for it is in the practice of grace that the gift of grace becomes truly known. Just sayin!

Everyone's got talent

Each of us is given a measure of talent - scripture refers to it as NEEDED talent. It has a purpose - even if it is a small one. It may not be the 'biggest' or 'brightest' talent of all around you, but it is uniquely yours and you are designed to use it. Look at the widow with the one tiny mite (not even a penny). She gave it all - though it was nothing compared to the "sizable" financial offering of the wealthier or more well known individuals who came to the temple that day, it was EVERYTHING to her. Faithful hands and a yielded heart is all God ever wants. I have heard many a person hopelessly announce, "I don't have anything to contribute." The problem is they are comparing their 'talent' to another's talent and if they don't think it measures up quite as well, they discount their talent. We each possess a NEEDED talent - uniquely our own - specifically to be used by us in the blessing of those around us - in small ways or large, it doesn't really matter - we just need to use it!

God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it, "He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out." This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God. (2 Corinthians 9:8-11)

How does faith begin to arise from within us - to grow, multiply, and become a blessing for others? Certainly, it comes as we begin to yield our lives to God in total surrender - no longer choosing to live by our own stubborn choices. As we "center" our thoughts on him, we begin to feel the "settling" influence of his Spirit deep within our lives. This very "settling" of our emotions (fears) begins to allow us to "rest" in him - to finally be at peace within. This "rest" becomes the place out of which we begin to "give" out of what he has given to us. At first, the "giving out" from what God has given us may seem like it is small, and even insignificant, but it is a SIZABLE thing in God's eyes! The more we give, the more we seem to see that NEEDED talent become a blessing of SIZABLE proportion!

Don't every forget - God can pour on the blessings - and he does it in ways so astonishing we may not fully be able to comprehend it! I have learned God seldom meets my need in the exact manner I imagined he would. In fact, he often has some other awesome way of meeting it that I would never have considered! One thing I know for certain - God is not limited by our imagination! His presence in our lives makes all things different. His very presence is what gives us the ability to stand when we are weak, trust when all seems to be falling apart, give when it hurts, and reach out when retreating to a place of refuge would be much easier or more comfortable for us. It is God's unique way of blessing us - give and it shall be given is the principle being taught here. Truth be told, God knows no limitations - not like those of us who think there are limits to just about everything. I rarely get to the place of "throwing all caution to the wind", yet it is commonplace for God to do so in our lives, not once, but over and over again until we are head over heels in blessings! He delights in pouring into our lives - his presence, his peace, his love. Whatever the need - he is ready. 

What he gives, he desires to use as a blessing not only for us, but for those whose lives we will touch in turn. I honestly believe this is one small way he is able to show his limitless love and power in this world - through us! He uses his blessing in our lives to touch the lives of others (no matter how small it may seem to us, it is huge when we do it in obedience to him). We always have something we can give away. I frequently get the calls from the agencies who run the various thrift shops in town. They are seeking donations of used goods they might sell within their various stores. The concept is simple (and it is kind of biblical). It is in the giving of what we have that others are put to work in a productive manner. As the donation is made, the truck drivers have a mission (a purpose). The donation is sorted by others who needed productive work. The items are distributed to the various stores to be resold. In so doing, even this small gift of what we saw as no longer useful in our lives becomes a huge blessing to many, many others - including the one who will 're-purpose' that item in their lives. The one who purchases the item is only the recipient of it after it has been a blessing to many others along the way!

Throw caution to the wind, my friends! God wants both the things of our abundance AND of our need! He delights in seeing us give from our abundance, but he is overjoyed when he sees us giving from within our 'talent' that he has gifted in our lives! In so doing, we are blessing him - but we also see the many blessings of others being touched by what God is doing in our lives. In learning to give in such a way, we are learning to live "robust lives" in God's goodness and grace! You may not think you have a talent today, but look at where you flourish - what you enjoy so much - chances are that is the place God has placed your talent. It could be you are a baker, wonderful cook, or even a seamstress. That 'small' talent in the hand of God can be a blessing to others. Fideos for a recovering friend, chicken soup for the one with the sniffles, banana bread for the shut-in who loves a little something with her afternoon tea, and even the gentle hug you give - all are a 'talent' when used by God to touch the lives of another! Just sayin!

The gift

How much is a fair day's wage? I sometimes watch these shows depicting how life was in the earlier days, when men and women plowed fields, laid up stores from their gardens, and raise livestock to support their families. Some were laborers in the fields, others worked at 'trades' such as carpentry, stone mason, or storekeeper. Yet, one common theme seemed to emerge - the day's wage. It wasn't much, but it usually helped with the bare necessities - such as new shoes when the soles of the present ones had worn thin. The day's wage was well-earned by the sweat of one's brow and heavy lifting of one's back. The worker did a good job and he earned his wages - he deserved his pay. It wasn't a gift to him - it was hard-earned. There is one thing we can never earn - that which is given as a gift. A gift is something given from a heart that knows the specific need and desire of another.

If you’re a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don’t call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it’s something only God can do, and you trust him to do it—you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift. (Romans 4:4-5 MSG)

There are just some jobs too big for me to do anymore. I don't do well with lots of heavy labor any longer - although I sometimes forget this fact! I have found I must hire these tasks out to others - not because I couldn't do them, but because I am not as young or as strong as I used to be! There is one task too big for any of us - that of making our hearts right with God. This is only done via a gift - the gift of the cross. This is the season of gift-giving. Many will take great care to listen to what others share about what they would like, how they have yearned for a particular thing, and then they will ensure that object of one's yearning is wrapped carefully and put under the tree for Christmas morn. One such gift is available - but it doesn't need to be unwrapped one day of the year! It is available to use year round!

We could never find this gift in a store, nor could we fashion it with out own hands. It is impossible for us to make right our own hearts - we do not possess the right stuff to 'put right again' the gap between us and our heavenly Father. There is but one way to be made right - and it is sheer benevolence that makes us right. The benevolence of our heavenly Father makes the gift possible - the obedience and love of his Son 'paid' for the gift. No 'cost' too great where it concerns our hearts! The love of our heavenly Father overrides all human reasoning. His love embraces those who refused to embrace him. His grace-filled love 'paid' the price to purchase for us what we could never earn by even our best of toiling!

We shall celebrate with friends and family all over the world this Christmas season with gifts of all kinds. Let us never forget the gift that need not wait until Christmas morn to fill our hearts and settle our minds. Let us open it up, try it on, and see just how well it 'fits' our soul! The gift we could never earn is a most well-fitting gift indeed! Just sayin!

A gift requires a giver

Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store. (Dr. Seuss)

Maybe we'd find more joy in our Christmas if we really believed this to be true! Christmas isn't about the amassing of things given - it is about the acceptance of the ONE given. There are about two weeks left before the 'big day' when families will gather in homes, celebrating the festivities and wonders of time together. Snow will fall for some, others will enjoy touch football after gorging on Christmas delights. Let us not forget those who are far from home, who yearn for time with family, but whose duties keep them engaged in the fields of battle. Let us not overlook those who will spend their day ministering to the sick and frail, at the bedside of the ones facing imminent death, and helping those who struggle to feel at ease. Let us not gloss over those who walk the streets, searching for their Christmas meal, and hoping for just a little rest from the weariness of living on those streets.

“You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?” John 11:25 MSG

Embrace truth and you will be embraced back. The truth of God's love is evident in his Son - embrace his Son and you will be embraced by the love that speaks louder than any words! In giving his life for us, we can experience the closeness of relationship with him - it is a gift given once, but enjoyed over and over again into all of eternity! This won't be a long blog this morning, but instead a chance to extend the invitation of the holiday season to those who have either never received it, or those who have not fully appreciated the gift they have been given. To those who haven't received - the door is open. Simply enter in. To those who have received that magnificent gift of God's love and grace, don't just make it a 'shelf thing'. The gift of our new life in Christ isn't just something we receive once and then 'shelf away' somewhere as 'fire insurance' to keep us out of hell! It is meant to be a daily experience - moment by moment enjoyment of his grace and love.

The 'season of giving' can begin right now - we just have to accept the one given. Then we enter into the daily experience of that gift. There are times we desire the gift, but discount that a gift is only a gift because there has been a giver of that gift! We need to look beyond the gift and see the giver. Jesus is waiting for us to recognize him in this holiday season - not just the gift of our being 'made right' with God - but in being able to continue to 'live right' each and every day because he is there helping us do so. Receive the gift, but don't overlook the giver. Just sayin!

Grace again...yup

I came across a quote the other day that spoke to me deeply: "Who has a harder fight than he who is striving to overcome himself?" (Thomas a Kempis) Let that one sink in a little and it may just give you a moment of pause as it did me. The very thought of overcoming myself is almost maddening, for there are many complex issues within that are actually in conflict with each other, the Christ-centered beliefs I want to live by, and the way I should be living if I were living by the standards others would create for me to live within. The conflict is real for all of us - we honestly don't appreciate the full impact of this struggle until we step back and ask ourselves if what we are doing at the moment is actually what Christ would desire of us!

23 But anyone who believes that something he wants to do is wrong shouldn’t do it. He sins if he does, for he thinks it is wrong, and so for him it is wrong. Anything that is done apart from what he feels is right is sin. (Romans 14:23 TLB)

The Apostle Paul has been laying out various responses to those who were struggling with the rules of the Law of Moses and the liberty of the Grace of Christ. Law and Grace have a hard time most of the time, because grace changes the 'why' behind the rule. It doesn't always do away with the rule - for it is still a 'rule' to not kill your brother, or steal his belongings, or commit adultery. Those rules didn't go out the door just because grace entered it! In fact, the only thing grace does with the rule is make it possible to keep the rule for the right reason - because it is the right thing to do! Grace changes things for us because it moves us from keeping rules SO THAT WE CAN BE MADE right, to keeping the rules BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN MADE right.

Overcoming one's own desires is sometimes the fine balance between grace and rule-keeping. We know what is right - because our conscience and scripture don't contradict us. We want to do right because we know it is the right thing to do. We hate to do wrong - knowing there will be both consequences and end-results we may not like at all. Yet, the fight continues between our 'striving' to live right and our 'actually' living right! We get this all wrong at times - thinking it is us doing the work. I have said it before, but it bears repeating - there is a new force at work within us - it is no longer us in control.

It was Kempis who also said, "He who loves with purity considers not the gift of the lover, but the love of the giver." It isn't grace we need to focus on, but the one who gives us the grace to live in right standing with a holy God! We consider the giver, not the gift. When the struggle is real within me over something I want to do, but know better than to do, I often have to remind myself God didn't give grace so I could ask for forgiveness - he gave it so I wouldn't need to! Just sayin!

One last gift....

Christmas day...

Packages will be opened, paper strewn all over the front room, ribbons left in a pile.  Kids will discard the undies brightly wrapped in favor of building with those brightly colored Lego blocks.  Moms will rush to try out the new counter-top mixer or cookware sets all festive in their holiday attire.  Dads will head to the garages and yards to put on display their newest of tools and gadgets galore.  Grandparents will soak in the memories of family glee and holiday festivities.  It is a magical day indeed.  Yet, I would remiss in not sharing how it is I celebrate this holiday with the greatest of joy and the fullest of hearts.  You see, it is because I have Christ living in me that I celebrate with all fullness and joy!  I chose a passage we could explore today because it was a perfect illustration of what Christ has done in me - and what he would delight to do in all those who would choose to put their faith and trust in him as their Savior this Christmas Day!

Once I was bitter and brokenhearted. I was stupid and ignorant, and I treated you as a wild animal would. But I never really left you, and you hold my right hand. Your advice has been my guide, and later you will welcome me in glory. In heaven I have only you, and on this earth you are all I want. My body and mind may fail, but you are my strength and my choice forever. Powerful Lord God, all who stay far from you will be lost, and you will destroy those who are unfaithful.  It is good for me to be near you.  I choose you as my protector, and I will tell about your wonderful deeds.  (Psalm 73:21-28 CEV)

My general state of heart and condition of mind was adequately summed up in the words of this passage - bitter, brokenhearted, stupid, and ignorant.  You may want to say that this is not true of your present condition of mind or heart, but please hear me out before you decide to dismiss this general synopsis of our hearts and minds apart from Christ.

- Bitter:  Having a harsh, disagreeable taste; hard to bear; causing pain; hard to admit or accept.  Now that I define the "state" of bitterness which can be revealed in either our heart or head actions, you might just see how this term takes on a meaning which could describe all of us at one point or another.  Have we ever been disagreeable, leaving kind of a "bitter" taste behind because of our actions or words?  Have we ever been a little "hard to bear" because of our particular behavior at one time or another?  Have we ever been kind of hard to accept in our circle of influence just because we said or did something which really set others on edge?  If we can answer yes to any or all of these, then our heart or mind conditions are not all that dissimilar my friend!  

- Brokenhearted:  Burdened with great sorrow, grief, or disappointment.  If we might not fit on the first picture, we probably can on this one.  It is not uncommon to mankind to fall into periods of great sorrow - either because of a direct loss to one's own state or condition, or because we are influenced by the loss through the lives of someone else close to us.  Grief and disappointment are just part of trying and sometimes not succeeding.  All failure has the possibility of ending in some type of grief, if not sheer disappointment.  

- Stupid:  Dull, foolish, senseless; annoying and irritating.  I guess we might not equate this word with dullness of spirit, but we would be quick to say it referred to the condition of mind we might call "slow" or "dim-witted".  Although I wasn't a "slow" child, I was kind of "slow" on the uptake when it came to recognizing how my behavior was impacting others around me.  In choosing my own way over the values I was taught, I brought much irritation to those around me.  In deciding my needs were greater than the needs of anyone else in my life and that life hadn't treated me fairly, I became a kind of "annoyance" to those around me who I wanted so badly to be accepted and liked by.  Our dullness of mind and heart can often lead us to do things which produce an outcome contrary to the desired effect!

- Ignorant:  Lacking in knowledge or training; unaware.  All of us have the ability to learn stuff, but few of us actually put what we learn into action.  We amass knowledge and use only a small portion of what we have stacked up in the recesses of our minds.  What is not used is of no benefit - we have knowledge, but we are unaware of how to use it.  In this case, all of us would be ignorant in one way or another, right?

So, I have pretty much described the state of heart and mind of most of us apart from Christ dwelling within.  Apart from Christ, we are indeed producing outcomes which leave a bitter taste in both our own lives and those we touch.  Apart from Christ, we are left burdened with stuff we were never intended to bear up under.  Apart from Christ, we have no real sense of how "slow" we are, but our actions reveal our foolishness.  Apart from Christ, we live life unaware of what we are "missing".  It isn't until we can truthfully admit the words of our psalmist as our own that we come to the place where the bitter, broken, slow, and lacking parts of our lives begin to change.  In essence, it is when we acknowledge the words of our psalmist which say, "It is good for me to be near you.  I choose you as my protector, and I will tell about your wonderful deeds..." that we come into a place of laying down our state of heart and mind which keeps us so tangled in emotional unrest and a lack of true joy in celebration of this season of Christmas.  

My gift to you this Christmas season is this one thing:  Christ and Christ alone!  Nothing can quite fulfill our "wish list" in quite the same manner.  No one can take away our pain or sense of "void" quite like he can.  One last gift this holiday season!  Won't you open up yourself to Christ today?  He desires nothing more than a surrendered life.  He will not disappoint!  Of this I am certain!  Just sayin!

Products of Grace

When a company is just about ready to introduce a new product, the term "going public" might be used to suggest the steps they take in revealing their new concept.  Much effort is put into putting forth the right message so that the public at large will be aware of the new product, beginning to form the impression of "need" which will cause them to desire the product.  As the new product is finally readied for market, the public will have a curiosity as a result of "having gone public" some time prior - a technique we call marketing. There are times when the best "marketing" we can actually experience is the "marketing" of a life transformed because of something.  When we see the advertisements for the surgery which lifts the wrinkles away and draws the loose skin tight again on our faces, making us look 20 years younger, there is an appeal because the "transformation" was so totally apparent.  Before and after pictures speak very clearly of the possibilities of the procedure - making us want it more than ever.  I think God doesn't necessarily "market" a "product" so to speak, but he does "model" his work in each of us.  It is this "modeled" work which speaks very clearly of the hope of transformation we can all have as we embrace Christ and he embraces us.

God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.  (Titus 2:11-14 MSG)

God stands ready to GIVE and FORGIVE.  This is the message he wants to "go public" with through our transformed lives.  Each of us is a billboard of God's grace - revealing the depth of his love and the generosity of his "giving" through his Son's completed work on our behalf.  Each of us is the best form of "advertisement" God could employ to show the graciousness of his forgiveness.  Nothing speaks louder than transformed lives.  Nothing quite expresses his love more than lives touched deeply by it.  The message we proclaim - "Salvation's available for everyone!"

Looking at what God does within us to make this change possible on the outside of us is quite revealing.  First, he gives the ability to turn our backs on the old way of living.  This may not seem very significant at first, but if you have ever tried to break a bad habit such as nail biting, smoking, or drinking you know how difficult it can be to do this in your own effort.  It is like we need a supernatural ability to break free from the hold of the old way of living. This is what Christ provides - freedom from the bonds we have to the past way of making decisions, choosing what will exercise control in our lives, and where our focus will be directed.  We don't "work up" to the place of being free - the gives us this freedom and the ability to turn our backs squarely on the old way of living.

If this isn't enough to cause us great delight, he also gives us the ability to take on this new way of living.  It is this constant renewal of his grace within which helps us up each time we fall, sets us straight each time we wander, and encourages us each time we feel defeated.  Some of us expect the "instant overnight fix" of our life problems.  In case it didn't dawn on you yet, it took you your lifetime to this point in life to create those problems, so getting out of the routine of living "within" those problems may take us a little longer than we hoped for.  It doesn't mean we aren't made new in Christ just because we have some of the old stuff hanging around giving us a little bit of a problem today.  It means we have an opportunity to rely upon Jesus to help us realize our freedom from those old ways of living - we are declared and made free instantly, but we need to have our minds and hearts (emotions) transformed so we can actually live free of those old ways.

I like the illustration my pastor frequently uses to show this example.  He turns to his left and describes what he sees as his old way of living.  Then he turns clearly and fully to the right, changing not only the position of his body, but the focus of his eyes.  Turned to the left, he saw the old way of living. Turned to the right, he sees the new.  This is repentance - a change in focus. This is salvation - a change in focus.  The old lays behind, the new is right in front of us.  If we maintain an "attitude" of focus on the old, it is quite hard to rise above it.  When we determine to see only what God provides through the new, we tend to move toward what we see in our focus.  This is God's work of giving and forgiving - of taking on a God-filled, God-honoring life.

Most companies don't market their product by "giving it away", but God reveals the "products of his grace" by giving grace to those who put it on display for others to see.  Why?  To whet the appetites of many to receive this gift of grace.  What God gives and forgives become "products of his grace" and are "billboards" showing the possibilities of what he can do in the lives of all who will embrace his gift.  We are "products of grace" - on display for a world to behold - revealing the ever-increasing possibilities of grace and forgiveness when it is embraced fully.  When we turn our backs to the old way of living and face squarely the revelation of grace and forgiveness, the possibilities are endless.  We can focus on not being able to break free of sin's pull, or we can focus on the gift of grace which has already done the work of setting us free.  I don't know about you, but I think I will choose to focus on grace!  Just sayin!

Looking UNDER the socks!

 I inherited your book on living; it's mine forever—what a gift! And how happy it makes me!  I concentrate on doing exactly what you say—I always have and always will.

(Psalm 119:111-112 The Message)

I often kid with people, bringing a little humor into the day - - I enjoy living life to its fullest!  Laughter and celebration are an important part of life - - we should laugh often, enjoying each moment to its fullest.  We have all probably heard the saying, "If you cannot laugh at yourself, then who can you laugh at."  There are a couple of other iterations of this saying that bear mentioning:

"If you can't laugh at yourself, you must not own a mirror!"

"If you can't laugh at yourself, life's gonna seem a whole lot longer!"

I like the first one because it makes me laugh a little bit more!  I have to think about the second one because it makes me consider what a void life is without frequent times of celebration and laughter.  

I love watching my children and grandchildren opening their gifts on Christmas morning.  I observe their expressions with each gift.  The first package the littlest grandson picked out to open this year was one of mine.  As he got into the box, he began to pull out the first of four things within that box.  His face said it all!  

The first thing he removed was socks!  Imagine his look - - disappointment was spelled out on every inch of that wee face!  Not the gift he really expected - - or probably wanted!  Then he reached in for the next thing....more socks!  Uh oh!  Gramma was not doing too well with this one!  What he did not understand was that Gramma had used the socks to "fill in" the two toys underneath to keep them from rattling all around in the box!  When he finally found those - - the laughter came!

Sometimes God is like Gramma - -  he "packs" really desirable things with some pretty "regular" stuff - - we just have to dig a little deeper to find the really desirable things he puts a little deeper into the box we call life!  When we finally "hit upon" the desirable in the midst of the regular, our interpretation of the "gift" changes!  

I think this is what David might have had in mind when he penned these words:  "I inherited your book on living; it's mine forever—what a gift!"  I am sure David had to "weed through" a few "ordinary" church services, routine studying of the Word, determined listening to preachers explain the passages, and then as if by some miracle, there it was - - the "desired" gift!  He was weeding through the ordinary until he found the desirable!

In those moments, laughter brought lightness to his heart, even in the midst of some of the greatest trials.  When God reveals himself, the heart's response is gladness.  We cannot but smile, even laugh a little, whenever our heart is made light in a dark time!

Imagine God's Word as a gift, beautifully wrapped, carefully "packaged" so as much content "fits" into it as possible.  Sometimes our study will be like "sock" days - - good to have, but not really something that "wows" us.  At others, our study uncovers something in which we will take great delight - - enjoying it over and over again until we almost are worn out in the revelry of the gift!