Christmas Gift

Hebrews 13:5 Be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’.

Christmas is a season just begging for encouragement. For some, it can be a season of great joy, or a season of real gloom. They say (whoever ‘they’ are) the holiday season has the highest suicide rate of the year. Emotions run extremely high for some to exceedingly low for others. Seems to me they can reach an exaggerated state in either direction. There is nothing like the eyes of a young child twinkling with anticipation on Christmas morning to bring a smile to the parents…unless of course, there is no tree or presents and little food in the pantry. The twinkle fades quickly when the child realizes all the commercials in the world have lied about Christmas.

Then there are those who have no one with which to share anything, however lavish or meager their resources might be. I have spent the holidays alone…well, except for my loyal dog, Roxy. My kids had other plans with other family and I had Roxy. Initially, I would blow it off by telling myself it didn’t matter, it was just me, and made little effort to have any sort of celebratory meal or atmosphere. I was missing the point entirely. Christmas isn’t about who you have around you; it is about celebrating the birth of your Savior. That extraordinary event on a cold winter’s night gave us the most wonderful gift of all. Raising a glass of champagne in a room full of people may tickle your fancy but raising your eyes in thanks and prayer to the Reason for the Season, Jesus - the true Christmas story, is a heart to heart gift exchange.

The Christmas story demonstrates what can happen when we allow our faith to reach beyond what we understand. It’s the same faith which brings stories of healings our way; it delivers alcoholics, gamblers and drug addicts from destructive addictions, restores broken relationships, comforts a grieving spouse, and reminds us all that hope for the Christian is never lost. This is the Christmas story we must teach our children and grandchildren and share with those around us, wherever we may be.

God can use us mightily to serve Him. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small country church, a mission field in Mongolia, in a crowded store, your workplace, or a home office where you work to follow the call He gave you. Where ever we may be, regardless of social ladders and economic circumstances, He will bless us as we serve Him this Christmas season and every day. Hebrews 13:5 Be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’.

Our brothers and sisters in Christ and those that do not know Him yet, regardless of the season in which they may find themselves, need a word of encouragement from you. What better than the real Christmas story? It’s a gift that costs very little but has immeasurable lasting value.

Seen vs. Unseen

2 Corinthians 4:16-18  Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

I love this scripture. It is full of hope and God’s promise. We all have times of affliction, be it physical issues, emotional pain, spiritual struggles, mental anguish or any number of things that weigh heavy on us. I think the ‘outer self’ it references is not just our physical bodies but the whole of us that is in this world; our life in general as we grow up in today’s mentalities and pressures to be successful, gain more material possessions and fit in with all that is contemporary and ‘in style’.

This scripture is also poignant to me as I continue to deal with physical issues. Chronic pain can do a number on your head, let me tell you. It is the promise of God that this is a temporary condition I endure in this time on earth and of the new ‘body’ I will spend eternity in as I praise Him that keeps me going on, especially painful days. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…who wouldn’t be encouraged and comforted by that? I am but a clay vessel to serve Him as He leads me and Though our(my) outer self is wasting away, our(my) inner self is being renewed day by day.

Jesus turned large clay pots of water into large clay pots of fine wine at the wedding feast. It was not the clay pots which were of value but what was in them. Same with us, our clay vessels are on loan to us from God above and we should take care of them but He cares far more about what is inside us. We judge the outer beauty or condition of the outer self of others, as well as ourselves. Many a beautiful clay pot holds stagnant water or vinegar, rendering it useless regardless of its outer beauty. It is our spirit being renewed day by day which is of real value and service to the Lord, preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. We can’t see ‘hope’ but we can see what it produces in the life of a Believer. The car you drive or the house you live in isn’t going to matter one fig in eternity. We worry about the silliest things sometimes. Having the ‘right’ name on the label of your clothes won’t open the gates of Heaven any wider. Standing before God on our judgment day isn’t going to go any smoother if your car is new and sitting in the garage of a house over which you killed yourself to pay the mortgage. These are the ‘seen’ and transient things. These are the clay pot trappings living in the world make so much noise over, yet none of them will make the journey into eternity with us regardless of where we spend it. Heaven or hell makes no difference to the material ‘seen’ things in which people put so much stock. 

If I’ve learned anything it is joy, peace and contentment are not byproducts of worldly living but are measured out by the trust and faith and hope in the Lord. I can’t see them but I know them by their works in my life.

Him Who Strengthens Me

Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

In times of spiritual need, God is faithful to remind us of that which we need to hear when we need to hear it. Over this past weekend, God provided me with three different sources of comfort and confirmation on the passages above. I knew then this would be the scripture for the posting today, if only to share the blessings I received from Him. Let’s break down the separate verses:

Vs 11. Not that I speak from want, Paul's joy was not because he was short of money and their contribution had taken care of his needs, although this was apparently the case because he was in prison in Rome, but because of the flourishing of their thoughtfulness toward him. In other words, his joy is not selfish, but derives solely from his thoughts of them and the “proof” of their godly care for him. For I have learned to be content in whatever state I am, Paul is saying that he had learned by the teaching of the Holy Spirit and by divine providence to be content in whatever state he found himself. Autarkes, the Greek word for “content,” appears only here in the New Testament. The word literally means “sufficient for one's self, strong enough to need no aid or support.” Paul did not claim his self-sufficiency originated with himself, or that it had anything to do with his own wisdom or power. He was independent of circumstances, thus self-sufficient, because of his trust in and dependence on the Lord. It is important to note he said he, “I have learned to be content” because none of us are born with that ability. From the moment a baby is born, that is obvious. We are born crying for what we want when we want it. No one has to teach us about ‘instant gratification’; it is ‘…learning to be content in whatever state’ we must learn.

Vs 12. I know how to get along with humble means, In the Hebrew-Greek Bible from which I took passage, get along with humble means is defined in this scripture as ‘in the passive, to be abased, brought low.’ The Greek word for ‘abased’ means ‘to make low, to reduce to meaner (leaner) circumstances.’ The apostle had learned to accept his abased circumstances in a gracious, uncomplaining spirit (II Corinthians 4:8; 6:9,10). How often can we say we are accepting of our times of being abased and doing without in a gracious, uncomplaining spirit? Unless we are taught by the Holt Spirit, as was Paul, we default to grumbling and whining more often than not. And I also know how to live in prosperity. Paul, as a faithful Christian, did not let poverty degrade him nor prosperity exalt him. We, too, need to know our value as a person in Christ is not dependent on what we have or lack. We are not ‘less than’ just because we have less than the next guy. When God looks at us, He does not line us up as priorities based on our financial status. It is sad that some organizations, churches or people give special consideration to those with more bucks in hopes of gaining from them, but this is not a godly mentality, this is the human flesh thinking we are to avoid.  ..in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both having abundance and suffering need. Whether full or hungry, prosperous or poor, Paul had learned to conduct himself as a trusting, loving disciple of the Lord. Remember Paul back when he was called Saul and persecuting Christians? In the transformation from Christian killer to the apostle now writing as he sat in chains in prison, we can see change possible only when the love of Christ and ministering teachings from the Holy Spirit are manifested. He was a willing and eager student who became a great teacher for the cause of spreading the gospel.

Vs 13. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Boy, if I had a dollar for every time I’ve prayed this scripture! It is a statement of faith in Christ that says in all the circumstances of life Paul was convinced that he could bear fruit to the glory of God through the strength the Lord gave him. I count on Christ to strengthen me and I pray my actions and behavior bear fruit of the glory of God. I fall short of that mark and my ‘fruit’ gets squeezed sometimes but He helps me up when I fall, brushes me off and forgives me. What a sweet and precious experience!

What do the Crows Know Anyway?

Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with at you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my Helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?”

There is an old Persian fable of a hen, a mouse, and a rabbit who lived together in a little house in the woods. They shared all the work and lived in harmony. The chicken found the firewood, the mouse brought the water from a nearby brook, and the rabbit cooked the meals. Each did his work faithfully and contentedly.

One day, while the hen was out in the forest looking for wood, a nosy crow approached her and asked what she was doing. When he heard, the crow began caw, "That’s not fair! You’re doing the hardest part of the work! That rabbit and mouse are taking advantage of you!

The chicken continued about her work, but try as she would, she could not stop thinking about what the crow said. These feelings festered and festered, and by the time she got home, she was so upset that she burst out in tears, screaming, "It’s not fair! I do the hardest work of the three of us! That’s it! I’m not going to gather this heavy firewood anymore!"

Discontent spreads, as you know, and immediately the rabbit and mouse also began to argue that they had been doing the hardest work and that they were not going to do their jobs anymore either. The three argued until they were tired and finally decided to switch jobs – from now on the rabbit would gather the firewood, the hen would bring the water and the mouse would cook.

As the rabbit hopped into the forest for wood, a fox trailed him, caught him, and ate him. The chicken put the pail into the creek, but the current pulled the pail down under and the chicken with it. The mouse, while sitting on the edge of the big pot of soup, lost his balance and fell in.

Discontentment not only destroyed their happiness but their very lives.

There will always be ‘crows’ in our lives and they usually make a lot of noise. Crows are great communicators in the bird world. They can even imitate other birds. “Crows” come in all forms, but for the sake of this writing, crows are the loud obnoxious thoughts and/or people that tell us we are being cheated, life isn’t fair, we deserve better, we’re not good enough, the list goes on. You’ve heard those comments, felt the sting of inadequacy, the pain of injustice, the fear of not having enough or confusion over what to do to and how to proceed. We’ve all heard the crows screeching out words of strife and discontentment and stirring the pot of discord.

The fact is, we all have a job here the Lord has called us to do. No job is greater than the next — no person is greater than the next, no matter what those crows might tell you. We are all working for the same King and we can worship Him even while gathering firewood, if that's what He's called us to do! He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” Sweet words of encouragement such as this reassure us we are not alone! Contentment cannot be found in position, possessions or popularity. Contentment comes from knowing, regardless of circumstance, the Lord God Himself is watching over you. He said so and we can, with confidence, turn a deaf ear to all the crows out there. His voice alone is all we need.

Can You See Me Now?

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

I read an amazing story about a baby girl, Elianna, born in Israel.

Some of you know the miraculous story of our daughter Elianna. She was born blind, with a rare eye condition called bilateral vitreous hemorrhage. We didn't even realize it until she was three months old. But when we did, we immediately went to the Lord in prayer and fasting for her healing. Low and behold, the Lord began to heal her.

Today, two years later, we're overjoyed to say that despite the fact that her vision is not yet perfect, she is a thriving and beautifully developing two-year old.. and the Lord continues to heal her!

A couple of months ago, we noticed that Elianna is having some trouble with depth perception, which keeps her from being confident going up and down steps among other things. We were finally able to see a fabulous doctor, after a long, socialistic-health-care-system-wait. This doctor is apparently the best in Israel for children's eye care and she was the first doctor we've seen who has given us a clear and educated diagnosis as well as a promising solution. Last week, Elianna was given a prescription for glasses which we and her doctor believe will change the way she sees radically and help her to grow leaps and bounds in development.

At the eyeglass shop on Friday, Elianna tried on her "new eyes". She was a little scared at first, holding tight to mommy and whimpering a bit. But by this week we have already seen amazing growth! Our little two year-old doesn't take off her glasses and is quite obviously enjoying the freedom and confidence she feels with them on. Though she seemed content before, she's never been able to see like this! Elianna's experiencing the world in a new way!

Have you ever noticed someone squinting at everything, not even realizing they were doing it? On some level they are aware they cannot see well but be it vanity, finances or plain stubbornness, they do not step out to correct the problem. I am very light sensitive and catch myself squinting even under an overhead room light when my head hurts. Others are stymied by ‘tunnel vision’. This is when they’ve ‘looked’ at life through the same mindset, never growing spiritually or personally from mentalities handed down to them from their youth. Try looking through an empty cardboard paper towel roll and you’ll know how limiting that can be.

I think some of us might need a new pair of glasses today. Perhaps we've been content seeing the world the way we have but God wants us to see it in a new way! God was not referring to literal vision in the scripture above. Our battles are not against flesh and blood but in the spiritual realm.  Our vision has been impaired by the enemy of our souls! But God has plans for us to be doing things we couldn't even fathom! He wants us to climb and run with freedom and confidence! He wants us to see and try new things that we haven't tried and seen before! He wants us to grow and develop to our potential — and even exceed it!


Let's allow the Lord to give us a new heavenly prescription today. We won’t know what we’re missing until we do!