An Invitation To Rest - OUR DAILY BREAD

I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

At a friend’s bedside in a hospital emergency ward, I was moved by the sounds of suffering I heard from other patients in pain. As I prayed for my friend and for the ailing patients, I realized anew how fleeting our life on earth is. Then I recalled an old country song by Jim Reeves that talks about how the world is not home for us—we’re “just a-passin’ through.”

Our world is full of weariness, pain, hunger, debt, poverty, disease, and death. Because we must pass through such a world, Jesus’ invitation is welcome and timely: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). We need this rest.

Accept Jesus' invitation and enter His rest!

There is hardly a funeral ceremony I’ve attended where John’s vision of “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21:1-5) is not quoted, and it certainly holds relevance for funerals.

But I believe the passage is more for the living than the dead. The time to heed Jesus’ invitation to come rest in Him is while we are still living. Only then can we be entitled to the promises in Revelation. God will dwell among us (v. 3). He will wipe away our tears (v. 4). There will be “no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (v. 4).

Accept Jesus’ invitation and enter His rest!

Father in heaven, this life can be wonderful, but it can also be so hard. Thank You for Your Spirit’s presence with us now. And thank You too for the reality of eternal life with You.

When you’re weary in life’s struggles, find your rest in the Lord.

Annoyed when people say “Xmas” instead of Christmas? Should you be?

Have you ever heard about the plot to “X” Christ out of Christmas?  And so the secular celebraters of this holy-day (holiday) decided they were going to start using “Xmas” instead of Christmas?

Well, it’s not true.

We do have lots of people who celebrate Christmas without the “Christ” part.  We also have lots of people who celebrate Christmas without the “mass” part.  And yet still others who celebrate the “holidays” without really celebrating any particular “holy day” at all.

We have taken God out of government, schools and the workplace. Many have transformed Christ into some kind of subjective feeling or force.  Even some “churches” have taken Christ out of their creed altogether.

But “Xmas” is not trying to “X” Christ out of Christmas.  It actually is a legitimate abbreviation.

The “X” in Xmas is from the first letter of the Greek spelling for Christ (???????).  You’ve probably seen a big XP symbol on the altar at mass before.  That’s a symbol for Christ (again, from the Greek word for Christ).  In fact, Microsoft’s Windows XP is also a reference to Jesus Christ.

Ok, I made that last part up.  But the rest is true…”X” is just an abbreviation for Christ.  And similar abbreviations have been in use by Christians since the beginning of Christianity.

Of course, Christians have also always only used such abbreviations when it was prudent or practical.  “Xmas” is not considered a formal way to reference this holy celebration – just as most all abbreviations and shorthand are not appropriate in formal writing.  And certainly, when referencing the King of Kings, it seems appropriate to maintain as much reverence and respect with His name whenever possible.

Personally, I don’t use “Xmas” because most people in the world don’t understand the connection between the symbol “X” and the name of Christ.  And since our culture has largely forgotten the “Reason for the season,” using unclear language only makes that problem worse.  We need more clear reminders for what this season is all about – not less.

Have blessed Merry Christmas!

Christmas Mystery -OUR DAILY BREAD

The mystery from which true godliness springs is great.

1 Timothy 3:16

As Charles Dickens’ story A Christmas Carol begins, there is mystery surrounding Ebenezer Scrooge. Why is he so mean-spirited? How did he become so selfish? Then, slowly, as the Christmas spirits marched Scrooge through his own story, things become clearer. We see the influences that changed him from a happy youth into a selfish miser. We observe his isolation and his brokenness. As the mystery is solved, we also glimpse the path to restoration. Concern for others pulls Scrooge from his self-absorbed darkness into a new joy.

A far more important mystery, and one much harder to explain, is that which Paul spoke of in 1 Timothy 3:16: “Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.” Extraordinary! God “appeared in the flesh.”

The mystery of Christmas is how God could become man while remaining fully God. It defies human explanation, but in the perfect wisdom of God, it was the plan of the ages.

“What child is this?” He is Jesus Christ—God revealed in the flesh.

This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing:

Haste, haste to bring Him laud, the babe, the son of Mary. Traditional carol

God made His home with us so that we might make our home with Him.

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Worry Free - OUR DAILY BREAD

Do not fret because of those who are evil.

Psalm 37:1

Trying to stay aware of current events has its downside because bad news sells better than good news. It’s easy to become overly concerned about the criminal acts of individuals, crowds, or governments over whom we have no control.

Psalm 37 gives perspective to the daily news. David begins by saying, “Do not fret because of those who are evil” (v. 1). Then he proceeds to outline for us some alternatives to becoming overly anxious. In essence, David suggests a better way of thinking about negative news in our world.

What would happen if, instead of worrying about events beyond our control, we chose to trust in the Lord? (v. 3). Wouldn’t we be better off to “take delight in the Lord” (v. 4) rather than fret without limits? Imagine the freedom from worry we could have if we would “commit [our] way to the Lord” (v. 5). And how calm we could be by learning to “be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him”! (v. 7).

News of trouble we cannot change offers us an opportunity to set boundaries for our concerns. As we trust God, commit our ways to Him, and rest in Him, our outlook brightens. The struggles and trials may not disappear, but we will discover that He gives us His peace in the midst of them.

Lord, we see danger and trouble all around us. Help us not to worry but instead to trust and rest in You. Show us the peace that comes from waiting patiently on You.

Obstacles give us the opportunity to trust God.

When Not To Rejoice - OUR DAILY BREAD

When Not to Rejoice

December 3, 2015

Read: Ezekiel 25:1-7; Matthew 5:43-48 | Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 45–46; 1 John 2

Do not gloat when your enemy falls.

Proverbs 24:17

The Akan people of Ghana have a proverb: “The lizard is not as mad with the boys who threw stones at it as with the boys who stood by and rejoiced over its fate!” Rejoicing at someone’s downfall is like participating in the cause of that downfall or even wishing more evil on the person.

That was the attitude of the Ammonites who maliciously rejoiced when the temple in Jerusalem “was desecrated and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the people of Judah when they went into exile” (Ezek. 25:3). For spitefully celebrating Israel’s misfortunes, the Ammonites experienced God’s displeasure, which resulted in grim consequences (vv. 4-7).

How do we react when disaster befalls our neighbor or when our neighbor gets into trouble? If she is a nice and friendly neighbor, then, of course, we will sympathize with her and go to her aid. But what if he is an unfriendly, trouble-making neighbor? Our natural tendency may be to ignore him or even secretly rejoice at his downfall.

Proverbs warns us: “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice” (24:17). Instead, Jesus tells us that we show His love in action when we “love [our] enemies and pray for those who persecute [us]” (Matt. 5:44). By so doing, we imitate the perfect love of our Lord (5:48).

Lord, open my eyes and my heart to be honest about my attitude toward those who are unkind or unfair to me. Fill my heart with Your love, Lord, and help me pray for them.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Glass Beach - OUR DAILY BREAD

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Glass Beach

December 2, 2015

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 | Bible in a Year:Ezekiel 42–44; 1 John 1

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“On the day when I act,” says the LordAlmighty, “they will be my treasured possession.”

Malachi 3:17

Early 20th-century residents of Fort Bragg, California, disposed of their trash by throwing it over a cliff and onto a nearby beach. Cans, bottles, tableware, and household garbage accumulated in huge, disgusting piles. Even when residents stopped depositing trash on the beach, it remained an embarrassment—a dump seemingly beyond reclamation.

Over the years, however, wave action broke up the glass and pottery and washed the rubbish out to sea. The pounding surf rolled and tumbled the glass fragments in the sand on the ocean floor, frosting and smoothing the surface and creating gemlike “sea glass,” which it then deposited back onto the beach. The surf created a kaleidoscopic beauty at which visitors to Glass Beach now stare in wonder.

Relax in God's #love today.

Perhaps you feel as though your life has become a dump—a mess beyond hope. If so, you need to know that there is someone who loves you and waits to redeem and reclaim you. Give Jesus your heart and ask Him to make you pure and clean. He may tumble you a bit, and it may take time to smooth away the rough edges. But He will never give up on you. He will make you into one of His jewels!

Lord, when we have nothing left but You, we are right where You want us. You can use any situation for Your glory and our good. You never give up on us. Help us to relax in Your love.

God loves us too much to let us remain as we are.