Word of God

How much do we surround ourselves with the Word of God?

Reading Psalm 1 today...

"Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers." Psalm 1:1-3

Reading that verse, "but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night..."  I find that rather convicting.

We are constantly bombarded with media.  Music, TV, Radio, or the things we read online.

What would happen if we changed some of that to reflect the Word of God?  What would one day be like, if we played worship music in the background while we went about our tasks, read the Word for the same amount of time we read Facebook posts, or found a sermon online to stream?

What if we picked one day, to wake up to the Word, go about our day trying to surround ourselves with it, and then read a verse or two before going to bed?

As the word says, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates."  Deut 6:4-9 (NIV)

How different would that day be?  Even if we only accomplished 1/3 of what we set out to do, what difference would that input of God's Word make in our lives?

Challenging thought.

Being Thankful

What are you thankful for today?

"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:1-2 (NIV)

A few days ago our power went down.  I'm not sure why really and it only lasted maybe two hours.  Since we have a gas stove, I was still able to make coffee; crisis averted!

What amazed me about those few hours was how many times I forgot the power was off until I wanted something.  I flicked a switch on a light that didn't come on, or I wasn't able to "google" something because no power meant no internet. 

We go about our day, counting on the power to just be there.  We normally only appreciate it when it's gone for a while, and then we get it back.

Perhaps that's just how we are wired, I know I forget to see all the blessings in my life.  Having a regular practice of stopping for a moment, and taking the time to be thankful, can keep our focus on the amazing things that God has given us.

And the greatest gift of all, is of course his Son.

What are you thankful for today?  A warm house to wake up in?  People in you life who love you?

Offer up some thanks today to the Lord who has truly blessed us.

Christmas

Eleven days until Christmas...  does that make you look forward to the day, or do you get anxious because you do not feel prepared?  You have not even begun your shopping and the lights are only half up?

Christmas can be a stressful time for people as they try to prepare for the day to come.  We know it should be special, happy, joyous.

Yet often after the presents are opened and the food is eaten, we can feel slightly let down.

Why?

Reading Matthew 11 today, we see Jesus said, 

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

So how can celebrating his coming be a stressful time?  Perhaps it is in our priorities?  We instinctively know that Christmas should be an amazing time, but if we get caught up in thinking that the wonder comes from anything other than the coming of our Lord, we will be greatly disappointed.

As the holiday approaches, let's keep our focus on the true reason for the season.  Family meals and presents are all nice, but they should point us to the greatest gift of all.  The one gift that will never let us down.

Jesus, The Son of Man

Reading Luke chapter 1 today...

"But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,  and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end."" Luke 1:30-33 (NIV)

Have you ever asked, "Why did Jesus need to come as he did?"

I mean, for thousands of years God related to his people through prophets or angels.  And then he picked a specific time in history when he decided to appear as a man; to live as a man, and to die on a cross, as a man.

Why?

We are just a few weeks away from the celebration of that amazing birth!  God with us, Emmanuel.  A time when God became man, and walked among us.

Those of you who habitually read the Daily Rock, know that more often than not I give my own thoughts on questions I ask.  But this time, I'd like to simply leave you with that question.

Why did Jesus need to come as he did?  Why did God decide to save mankind by becoming one of us?

Preparing The Way For The Lord

Probably one of the most read scriptures during this time of year is Luke chapter 2.  You know, the same one that Linus quotes to Charlie Brown when he cries out, "Doesn't anyone know what Christmas is all about?"

But before flipping to that page, take a moment to read what John the Baptist's father said at the birth of his son.  I have to admit, I've often skimmed over chapter 1 to get right to the birth of Jesus.

You may recall, Zechariah did not believe the angel when he told him that he would soon have a son.  And because of this disbelief, he was not able to speak until he affirmed his wife's choice of name for the child, "John."

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our ancestors
    and to remember his holy covenant,
 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 

"And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace." Luke 1:68-79 (NIV)

This is such a beautiful piece of scripture.  Take a moment to reflect on these words as they describe the coming of our Lord.

The Real Enemy

Yesterday I was on my way to work when a SUV in front of me kept slowing down.  First five, then ten then even twenty miles under the speed limit. 

I looked at that car, and and said out loud "What's with you, buddy?" Of course he could not hear me, but we do that don't we? 

But then something interesting happened; a car just in front of the SUV took the exit last minute and the SUV returned to the normal speed.  See, it wasn't the SUV that was causing the problem at all, it was the car in front of it.  A car I could not see, and because all I could see was the SUV, that was who I blamed.

Reading Matthew 16 today, 

"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." Matthew 16:21-23 (NIV)

Peter loved Christ, yet the enemy used him to attack Jesus.  Jesus, however, did not rebuke Peter, but Satan. 

Let us pray to be able to see who the real enemy of our souls is.  Yes, it's true that people can hurt us, but often, unseen behind the attack, is the real source of evil.  And we, as Christians, have the authority to deal with that kind of attack, but only when we see it for what it is.

"...in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes." 2 Cor 2:11 (NIV)

Love

With all that is in the news of late, I cannot help but think of these verses where Jesus said, 

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." - Matthew 5:43-48( NIV)

You know what I think Jesus would say today?

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Heb 13:8