No Big Deal?

 

Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. 

Mark 12:42

 

I admit, when I was a child and heard the story of the "widow's mites" I wasn't impressed.  After all, she only put two tiny coins into the offering.  I remember thinking her offering was no big deal.  That is until I was put into a situation where I didn't have much to offer either, then I understood what a real offering she had made!

  

Have you ever thought or told Abba something along the lines of "I really don't have much of anything to offer"?  I have.  It was a lie from the pit and it stank!  The truth of the matter is that Abba gives us what He wants us to offer!  Think about that for a minute!

 

Remember how Jesus fed the 5000 people?  Remember the Disciples gathered 12 baskets full of left overs? All this from sardines and biscuits that Abba made sure the boy had for his lunch.  

 

Take a minute to think about what Abba has provided for you and gifted you with.  To us, it may not seem like anything that would make a difference, but when we turn it over to Abba...miracles happen right in front of us!

 

 

 

 

'Tis The Season To Be What?

Then Jesus said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

Luke 12:15

 

I remember waiting anxiously for the Sears and JC Penney Christmas Catalogs to arrive.  When the postal carrier brought them, I would spend hours looking through the pages showing all the wonderful things available to me for Christmas and I began making my list(s).

 

Then came the words that deflated my list(s) to a couple of line items: "You have a limit of 3 items, and your Dad and I will pick from those three items."  My dreams of a room filled with brightly wrapped gifts just for me faded into a scene that my young mind imagined, a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree in a dark room with dust bunnies under it instead of gifts.  Or worse, to my mind, a Christmas of pajamas and underwear.

 

As I grew older, I have watched year after year the push to BUY, BUY, BUY truckloads of presents.  And I have been disgusted by the incessant display of greed and excess.  I understand more and more what my parents tried to instill in my mind.  And I appreciate it more and more!

 

How many people do you see on Black Friday pushing, shoving and even fighting to get buggies FULL of goodies which will be obsolete within a month after Christmas (when the "New Improved" versions will be advertised)?  Is it truly worth it?

 

When Jesus was born, how was HIS birth celebrated?  With a visit from some shepherds!  Yes, The Wise Men came, but they came THREE YEARS LATER!  Yes, they brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh...but that's the last time we hear of their gifts.  Why?  Because the TRUE gift of Christmas...is Christ!

Dare to be Different?

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

James 1:17 

 

I have a cousin who once told me that I should have been a mosquito because I had the gift of irritating people.  I won't speak of that time of many years ago, but I will ask you to think for a moment.  Yes, I do realize it IS Monday, but please try.  Each person has gifts, because God gave them to us.  You may not think you have gifts, but you do.

 

Because God gave us gifts, we have the responsibility to use them to make a positive difference.  You may have the gift of compassion and you give bottles of water out on a hot day.  You may have the gift of empathy and you encourage others by sitting with them in their time of need.  You may have the gift of singing (which I don't) and you share your voice with others.  The list of gifts is endless!  Yet God gives us our specific gifts to be used specifically by us because He knows when and where we need to use it.

 

If you want to make a positive difference in this world, use your gifts!

Unlimited Resources

"No eye has seen,

No ear has heard, 

And no mind has imagined

What God has prepared

for those who love Him."

1 Corinthians 2:9

 

This verse hit me with excitement when I took the time to think about it in depth. Why? Read it again...slowly.  God loves us so much that He has prepared unlimited resources for us that our limited minds cannot even begin to comprehend.

 

"No eye has seen" such amazing things that God readily makes available to us.  "No ear has heard" all that God shares with us. "No mind has imagined" all God gives us.

 

Think about it...need more joy? Ask and God has it for us in abundance.  Need wisdom? God has it ready to pour into us until we are overflowing. Need patience? God has an endless supply and is ready to teach us just how patient He is with others so we can become more patient.  Is your love running low? God has so much love that we can swim in it!

 

There is no way we can ever us up all that God has available for us.  And here's the kicker, God makes all of His resources available to us ALL the time!  He has no "store hours."  He never tells us to come back later when He's better rested.  Nope....All is available to us ALL of the time! 

Somebody

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

1 Corinthians 12:7 

 

For the longest time, I believed that God had not chosen to give me any sort of gift.  I mean, let's face it, I am not much of a singer (except when the windows are rolled up and one of my favorite songs comes on the radio); I can't even draw a straight line; there are so many things I don't possess that I felt like a nobody.  

 

Then I realized that God are no nobodies in God's family!  In God's family, every person is SOMEBODY!  God has given each of His family members a spiritual gift!  

 

I have taken "Spiritual Gifts" tests over my lifetime and the results were always different so I didn't put much credence to my test results. Then I heard a sermon by Steve Brown on the radio where he explained that sometimes we tend to try to "over spiritualize" our gifts.  If we aren't a GREAT orator then we believe we cannot share God's good news with anyone.  If we aren't perfect then we can't be of any use to God especially around the people who know us best.  And such are the lies from the smokey pit!!!

 

God gives each of us a gift we to help each other!  It was then that I realized, I can listen to others and use my experiences to offer guidance; I can show others that I care; there are so many things God has allowed me to do when I stopped trying to BE "spiritual" and let Him use me as He wants.

All I Want For Christmas is...

Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

Luke 12:15 

 

We are all familiar of the event known as "Black Friday" where stores open early to allow the public to fight over items at extremely low prices.  We've heard of people getting trampled to death, getting into fist fights, and even mugged in the parking lot.  Let's face it, we like having stuff.  LOTS of stuff.  Even if we don't need it or use it, we still want it!

 

I know several people will understand when I say one of my favorite times of year when I was younger was the day when someone on our street got a new appliance.  Why?  Because we got the box!  That box and our imaginations made for an AWESOME week!

 

I have now reached the age where the thing I look forward to for Christmas are the t-shirts, socks, and underwear.  Because they are practical and I use them almost every day.  

 

As we enter into the Christmas Season, let's remember that the KING of KINGS was born into this world in a feed trough in a barn with nothing to His name except His name.  While some spend their entire lives trying to get more and more, Jesus was content with what He had.  

 

Being content with the things that matter is always better than having lots of stuff and still craving more! 

Not Everyone Can Be The Battleship!

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. 

Use them well to serve one another.

1 Peter 4:10

 

Ever tried to make grill a steak without heat?  Every tried to take a roadtrip without fuel?  I remember, as a youngster, finding a bar of Baker's Chocolate in my Gramma's cupboard.  In my mind, I had found the gold at the end of the rainbow! I hid it in my pocket, ran out behind the house with my treasure, I admired the silver wrapping as I slowly pulled it back, and then I bit it.  Let me just say, chocolate without sugar tastes like asphalt smells!  That's when I discovered not all that is chocolate is tasty.

 

In grade school, when we played sports everyone wanted to be the quarterback or the pitcher or bat "clean up."  How well do you think it would have worked out to have 9 pitchers on the mound and no one in the field?  How well do you think we would have played with 11 quarterbacks and no linemen?

 

My point, in case you can't tell, is that every team has to work together in order to be effective!  Everyone must do THEIR part to make the team function properly.  Not everyone can be the star or be the stand-out.  Believe it or not, there's always someone who has to sweep up after every parade.  Believe it or not someone has to write the report.  Believe it or not, someone has to take the Chaplain when he shows up for a ridealong.  Believe it or not, someone has the job of washing the dishes at the restaurant.  There are always things that need to be done that no one wants to do, but they make the team/squad/office work efficiently.

 

Every person has been given gifts and talents.  It's up to us to USE them to help others.    

What Gift Did YOU Give?

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished

Luke 2:16-18 

While reading today's passage, and having had to deal with some of the traffic on Harbison Boulevard, I had a bit of a re-epiphany.  Re-epiphany is an epiphany that you had before and has smacked you in the noggin' one more time.

Do you know what gifts Jesus got for Christmas?  Shepherds!  That's right, people who smelled like sheep.  You may say, "But Padre, the Bible says the Wisemen came and brought Him gold, frankincense and myrrh."  True, but that occurred about two + years later.  On the first Christmas, Jesus got a visit by a bunch of sheep scented men.  And they were SO impressed that THEY had been chosen to see this child Jesus, that they ran through the streets telling everyone they saw about Him.

Then we look under our Christmas Trees at the stacks and stacks of gifts.  We spend weeks and even months sweating, fighting, and getting frustrated on the safari to gather the gifts for Christmas.  And on Christmas morning, we shred through the wrapping paper in seconds, boxes are torn apart in a few more seconds like a shark feeding frenzy, and then we sweat the bills that will arrive in January.

We may say we remember the True meaning of Christmas, but do we?

Have You Lost Your Wonder?

And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.

Matthew 6:28-29

We take things for granted, don't we?  When was the last time you took a walk just to hear the birds or look at the things that grow?  When was the last time you picked up a seashell and really looked closely at it?  When was the last time you took time to look at the clouds and see what shapes came to mind?

My bride and I love storms.  We are fascinated by them.  Especially the ones with lightning. A few years ago, we lived in a patio home, and we would sit in our garage in our aluminum lawn chairs watching the lightning flashes and enjoying the slow rumble of the thunder and the wind.  It took us a while to figure out that it was probably not the brightest idea to sit in aluminum chairs to watch lightning, but neither of us got zapped so that's a relief.

But watch children.  They are fascinated by everything.  Their minds are like sponges, absorbing and figuring out how something makes sense.  And they observe almost everything (and usually will tell you about it when you least need that information broadcast).

For some reason, as we grow older, we either become jaded or we simply stop looking at God's creation with wonder.  I was sitting in my home office a while back watching the squirrels in our front yard.  They would scurry around picking up acorns then they would scurry off somewhere, dig a hole, drop the acorn in it, cover it back up, and then jump up and down on the spot to pack the dirt down.  It was like watching a circus routine.

On another occasion, I was on a ridealong when the officer walked into a spider web (and, I'll admit, watching this big tough cop do the "Ninja with a bee in his britches" dance was pretty funny).  Within two hours we were back at that same spot and the spider had rebuilt his web!  That fascinated me!

When we lose that childlike wonder of all that God has provided for us (to teach us, or reach us) we have lost one of His greatest gifts!

Yes, You Have A Gift!

I remember your true faith. That faith first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I know you now have that same faith. This is why I remind you to keep using the gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. Now let it grow, as a small flame grows into a fire. 

2 Timothy 1:5-6

 

 Believe it or not, each of us has been gifted in some way.  True, some gifts are more obvious (singing, instrument playing, drawing, painting, and the like), but each of us has been given gifts that we are expected to use.    You see, God put each of us on this Earth on purpose and for a reason, and we have been given gifts and talents that we are to use.

 

I cannot count the number of times I have heard, and said, "I wish I had a talent."  We are fooled when the deceiver whispers in our ears that we have not gifts; that we have no talents; that we have nothing that could help others that would make a difference.  The TRUTH of the matter is that, although some talents and gifts are easily spotted, there are some we may not even consider to be gifts and talents.  

 

For example: 

     *    you have this uncanny ability to remain calm in the most stressful of situations, that's a gift. 

     *     you have compassion for the suffering of others, that's a gift!

     *     you feel comfortable speaking in front of groups, that's a talent.

     *     you have a knack for cooking for the purpose of sharing with others, that's a talent.

     *     you are able to sit quietly and listen while someone else pours out all that is on their mind and heart, that is a gift.

 

We can see the talents and gifts in others, but we often don't recognize them in ourselves.

 

Max Lucado, one of my favorite writers, explained it this way: "God doesn't judge you according to the talents of others. He judges according to yours.  His measuring stick for faithfulness is how faithful you are with your own gifts and talents.  You are NOT responsible for the nature of your gift or talent.  But you ARE responsible for how you use it."

 

How will you use your gifts and talents today?

 

The Paradox Of Weakness and Strength

Yes, I am glad to be weak or insulted or mistreated or to have troubles and sufferings, if it is for Christ. Because when I am weak, I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10 

 

When I was a child, I wanted to be a Superhero.  Superman, Batman, Thor, Green Lantern, Flash....all the awesome names and costumes were taken.  So I set about trying to discover my super power.  The more I looked, the more I came up empty.  

 

I already had my costume (an orange swimsuit and Mom's old picnic blanket).  I already knew that flight was not my super power having jumped off the roof and spending a couple of days in hospital for my efforts.  I knew my super power wasn't speed (given my athletic abilities I have no special skills in that area).  

 

I was beginning to become extremely discouraged and frustrated.  And the more discouraged and frustrated I became, the more my friends and schoolmates wanted to talk with me about their issues and wanted to know what I thought about their situations.  This annoyed me at first because, I was trying to focus my energies on my own issues.

 

Finally, I asked one of my friends why they insisted on talking to me when it was plain that I had something else on my mind.  To my amazement, my friend said, "Because you get it!  You understand. Ain't another you anywhere."  Hmmmmmmm.......

 

Then I began to understand....we ALL are super heroes to someone simply because we are who God made us to be.  We might be that teacher who has the gift of presenting the lessons in such a way that the students get it.  We might be that one person who lights up a room simply because we have the gift of laughter and smiles.  We might be that one person who has ears to listen, wisdom to be quiet, and experiences that can guide.

 

Each one of us, in our weakness, are superheroes when we let God work through the gifts and talents He has given us.  When I am weak, I rely on Him and THEN I am strong!

 

BTW, my Super Hero music is the theme from the Benny Hill Show.

Then Came The Wise Men

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

~Matthew 2:9-11

 

Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And Matthew tells us that there came Wise men from the East.  I have always found it interesting that Scripture doesn't tell us specifically that there were THREE Wise Men, just that Wise Men came from the East.  They were astronomers, among other things, and were apparently of some royal or high status due to the the gifts they brought.

 

Now, picture this, these Wise Men, out of courtesy to the local ruler, stopped by Herod's Palace to exchange pleasantries and "Oh, by the way, where can we find the child who is the King of the Jews?".  Imagine you are Herod, current King of the Jews by the permission of the Romans, being told that a NEW King of the Jews has been born.  Herod, was NOT a very nice man.  He killed off any competition for his throne and power, even his own sons!  And now these three Princes from another land are asking for directions to see the new king.

 

Herod, being the devious psychopath that he was, told these Wise Men to go to Bethlehem (where the Scriptures had foretold Jesus would be born), and find this new king.  Herod asked them to come back and tell him where they found this new child-king so he (Herod) could go an "worship" Him as well.  Herod's a sneaky one!

 

But the Wise Men follow the star to the place where Jesus was and they brought expensive and precious gifts.  Now...Let's take a look at these gifts, shall we?

 

     * Gold - monetary. Uncommon to be had by common folk like a carpenter and his wife.  Gold  represented Kingship (Kings, after all, had most of their ornamental vestments made of gold).  So we can say the Wise Men were recognizing the Kingship of Christ. 

     * Frankincense - a very aromatic Incense used by Priests when conducting their holy duties.  It was used by the priests when they made sacrifices and it was used to fill the Holy of Holies with sweet aroma for God to breathe.  

 

     * Myrrh - the oil of the Commiphora family of trees.  The oil was difficult to obtain because the trees were armed with thorns which were strong like nails and sharp as porcupine quills.  But the oil was SO precious that it was used for Anointing that which is Holy.  When a King was anointed Myrrh Oil was used. Priests used Myrrh Oil to anoint the Holy Seat of God.

 

So these Wise Men were not only wealthy Princes who came to pay homage to the King of Kings, they were also shrewd enough to see through Herod's politics and they went home without telling Herod where they found Jesus.  

 

Let me ask you...what do you bring to offer to the King of Kings?