Simple Thoughts

Psalm 7:14-16 “The wicked conceive evil;
    they are pregnant with trouble
    and give birth to lies.
 They dig a deep pit to trap others,
    then fall into it themselves.
The trouble they make for others backfires on them.
    The violence they plan falls on their own heads.”

How many of us know or have encountered scheming people. Their mind is continually churning, planning, devising, orchestrating. How exhausting that must be. And lonely. And pointless. They only “think” they are in charge. When things fall apart, the pointing of the finger goes outward. We see it on the news, as well. Evil plots failed. Truth uncovered. Shame observed.

As Christians, we are warned to stay away from such people. To not be drawn in by their deceiving tentacles. When we feel weak, afraid, alone… pray! Pray for strength. Pray persistently. Pray fervently. Put on all of God’s armor so you will be able to stand firm. Resisting the enemy in times of evil.

Ephesians 6:14-17 “Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Self-absorbed: thinking about self; plans, goals, ideas; all about self. My way. My will. My plan. My purpose. That’s a lot of my’s!

Official definition: pre-occupied with one’s own feelings, interests, or situation. (dictionary.com) It is human nature to be occupied with your life. Relationships, work, health, goals, all need your attention. However, when those thoughts, feelings, situations take over and you think only about yourself, you may need to step back and pause.

What if we looked to God for our purpose, plan and direction for our life. What if we started serving others and tending to their needs. What if we filled our mind on the words of God. We all have the ability to be consumed by life. But God tells us to seek Him first, above all else and to love our neighbor as ourself. ” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39

Let’s move the dial. Emptying of self and filling up with God. Become God-absorbed.

You need quiet. You are sleeping in. We all know about the “Do Not Disturb” sign in hotels that we can hang on our door so housekeeping will let us sleep. Older siblings hang a “Private: Keep Out!” sign on their door to escape younger siblings. At work, a co-worker may lock a door, find a quiet area to be alone. Some people like to go for a walk or a drive to be alone.

What about in your Christian walk? Have you hung a “Do Not Disturb” sign so as to not have to pray, read, serve, devote time in God’s word? Are you unavailable in your service to God? Maybe you feel inadequate when it comes to serving God. Join the club. But when God calls us, when He puts an idea to serve in your mind, don’t pass the idea on to someone else. God has chosen you! Instead of worrying if you have the right gifts, be available. Be willing. Take that step of faith. Let God use you in His service, for your good and His glory.

Hebrews 13:20-21 “Now may the God of peace… may He equip you with all you need for doing His will. May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him. All glory to Him forever and ever! Amen.”

Bah Humbug! Scrooge. The Grinch. They all have something in common. They don’t like this Christmas season. The love. The joy. The merriment. The presents. See it as a waste of time, a waste of resources.

Luke 2:10-14:

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

But, if the fullness of time had come and God sent His Son into the world to redeem every man from sin, shouldn’t that Good News invade our homes, our hearts, our worship? Where is your heart today? Overwhelmed, lonely, tired, anxious? Jesus came to earth without great earthly fanfare. However, the heavens and angels proclaimed, blew trumpets and declared the birth of Jesus. Let these verses seep down into your heart. Reflect on the magnitude of that first advent. Surrender to the most wonderful invasion, accepting Jesus and allow this good news take hold of your tired, lonely, anxious, overwhelmed heart.

A downed power line. A hole dug in the ground. There are very real dangers in our world. It is nice to be alerted to a danger in our path, but that is not always the case. Sometimes danger is lurking around the corner and we are caught unaware. God tells us to be aware, to …”Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ” 1 Peter 5:8

Paul tells us in 2 Timothy to stay away from specific people. “For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.  They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” 2 Timothy 3:2-5

Then, in vs. 14, Paul tells Timothy to “continue in the things you have learned… from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:14-15)

Christian, stop listening to the world, to culture. Turn off the lies. Fill your mind instead with things of God. Whether you have been a Christian for a week, a month, a year, 10 years, listen to the words of God. They are truth. They are life. They will lead you in your walk. Do your best to remove danger from your life. Stay alert. Be equipped, be ready. Live in the light of God’s truths.

Down 10 points in the game with minutes remaining. A work deadline that keeps you up late at night. A mountain of laundry that just keeps building. What is overwhelming you today? Have you brought it to the Lord in prayer? Perhaps this burden has been on your heart for weeks, months, even years. Continue to pray in faith that God can. He is Holy. Powerful. Limitless. Our God is able. When our feeble hearts fail, when we don’t have the strength to pray, when we begin to give up hope, throw in the towel… sit and meditate on who God is. Let your thoughts be given up to Him in prayer. He knows you intimately. Knows your every desire, every burden. Continue to walk faithfully, praying fervently, to our Holy, Sovereign, Creator God.

Romans 8:26 “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”

James 5:16b “…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Sitting in the waiting room, looking at a child’s toy. Many cars. Ready to follow the different tracks. As an adult, we plan trips, check maps, GPS, talk to people who have been there, choose the best path.

As a follower of Christ, do we follow the prescribed way of following Jesus as laid out in God’s word? Or, do we choose our own path? A little bit of God, more of me?

Sometimes our planned path has detours, unforeseen obstacles and re-routing is necessary. As a Christian, let us be alert and watchful, not allowing the world, the news on our device, a trail, a diagnosis, failure, or outside influences detour or deter us from following the ONE way of Jesus!

Matthew 7:13-14 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.  But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”

Matthew 7:21 ““Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”

Important. Stop what you are doing to tune in. Back in the day, it was proclaimed, “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!”

In a culture that has stopped going to church, stopped believing in God, stopped believing EVERYTHING in the Bible is true, is current, is God-breathed, here is the breaking news: Jesus died for you! If you believe Jesus is the Son of God, died on the cross for you, is the perfect sacrifice, took on the wrath of God poured out at the cross, and lay your sins at the foot of the cross, you are forgiven! You are now a redeemed child of God. But don’t just stay there. Connect with a Christian friend who can mentor you. Join a bible believing church, read the Bible. Get to know your Savior.

In a culture that just reads the headlines, here is the Breaking News, the Good News:

” Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you… Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” 1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-4

Cooking molds, jello molds, ice cube trays. Something that takes a liquid and conforms it to its image, transforming it from a liquid with no shape to a solid with a specific shape.

The J.B. Phillips New Testament translation says, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within…” Romans 12:2

As humans, we are molded at a young age by our parents. Routines, traditions, morality, values, respect are first taught in the home. As we grow, we develop our own values and morality which may or may not be influenced by our parents. Outside influences begin to have a greater affect on our value and morality system in the form of friends, teachers, employers, culture.

When we come to faith in Jesus Christ, He is our Great Influencer. Our faith, when cultivated, will mold us into the likeness of our Savior. Our thoughts, our words, our desires, what we read, where we go, how we act, begin to reflect Him. The change may be gradual at first but as a Christian continues to walk in obedience, God transforms us from the inside out, that we may be witnesses of His great love, testifying of His amazing grace. Allow God to mold you into an image bearer that seeks to please Him in your daily living.

A magnificent mountain view. A glorious sunrise/sunset. The birth of a child. Beautiful, wonderful, miraculous. Events that can leave us speechless. We take in. We meditate. We gaze in wonder. Words fail us. We try to capture the moment, perhaps take a picture. It is memorable.

So it is with the loved poured out at the cross. Jesus took the full wrath of God, for us. That by believing, we have life in His name. That as we read, study, meditate on the gracious, merciful love of Jesus, we are left speechless. We are in awe of His love for us. We are filled with joy. 1 Peter 1:8b “Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,”

“So our joy is “inexpressible and glorified” because it is joy in loving Christ and trusting Christ who is inexpressibly glorious.” John Piper (https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/true-christianity-inexpressible-joy-in-the-invisible-christ)