Deception Is Living With Us

Can you recognize a false message posing as truth? Can you recognize the voice of the devil? His message is “yea hath God said?”, and his message is false, since the devil is a liar. His message is a flesh and pride satisfying alternative to what the Lord has said in His Word. The first time I ever heard the term ‘discernment’, as in, “Are you involved in discernment ministry”? I had no idea what that meant. I had never heard of it. Turns out, I had been doing that, discerning, all along; not knowing it was called that. I thought this was a normal part of being a Christian; comparing what you hear to the Word of God and noting if there was a difference. How can we discern? We must know, believe in and trust in the Word of God.

There are religions and movements in the world which cry out the false, satanic messages of the god of this world; the New Age movement for instance, which is not new, just the old “ancient wisdom” occult religion of Lucifer that weaves its way back in time through history, all the way back past the Tower of Babel, to the garden.

The interesting thing is, now we are seeing this exact same message in the visible church, in some places. Besides the secular Humanist occult New Agers, who is promoting the devil’s lie the most lately? It is some within visible ‘Christianity’. It is within the visible church.

In mainline liberal Protestant Christianity, there is a movement, not just for ecumenism, but for interfaith universalism with the world’s religions. In seeker, man focused modern evangelicalism; there is the social gospel P.E.A.C.E. plan, which is focused on making this world in this present evil age, through the effort of man, a utopia. The messages you hear in these movements are not God’s message of faith and salvation in Jesus Christ alone.

Some who decided to leave modern institutional evangelicalism have not just rearranged how and where they gather, and how they do church. When I first heard of emergent church a while back, I thought they were interested in getting out of something less than biblical and becoming more biblical, and reaching the lost with the gospel. Turns out, they were interested in becoming skeptics, questioning the Word of God, becoming visionary philosophers and opening themselves up to the possibilities of global spirituality. In other words, they are slowly emerging into the same New Age spirituality that the devil is selling to the world.

God has told us His plan in His Word. He did not tell us to dream and come up with new ideas for how God’s plan will work out. He told us what to do, and told us what would happen, in His Word. We are not to gather in order to question what God has said, to question if it is true out of skepticism. To say you hold the Bible in high esteem, but you hold God even higher makes no sense, since Jesus, who is God, is the Word of God.

Our understanding/interpretation of the Bible is not achieved by the community’s collective responses and thoughts. This is Hegelian dialectic process, which uses dialogue to create synthesis or consensus out of thesis and antithesis. If we have questions, the answers are found in the Bible; that is, answers concerning things that God wants us to have information about.

Saved does not mean having a kingdom of God mindset. God’s plan is not going to become a reality because of us. He will do it. To say, together, WE can become God’s dream reminds me of the attitude of the people in Genesis 11:1-6.

All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal. (Ps.119:160)

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. (Eph.5:6)

Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. (Acts 20:30)

We must all be careful that we are not lead astray, falling into the devil's trap of deception, posing as truth. We must use the gift of discernment and recognize the false teachings from within the church today for what is actually is, the same old lie that the devil sold to Eve in the garden. Do not be deceived!

The Character of Love

Last week I started a series based on 1 Corinthians 13, and we began to consider what Paul said was "the most excellent way" to live. And that "most excellent way" is the way of love.

In those first few verses Paul said that love is more important than spiritual gifts, or knowledge, or faith, or generosity, or even a willingness to die for Christ. For even if we had all that, but did not have love, they would be as useless and empty as beating a gong outside a pagan temple.

In vs. 4, Paul tells us that love is patient, love has a long fuse, love is slow to boil, love counts down before it blasts off. Then he tells us that "love is kind." And that is what I want us to consider this evening. Paul ends chapter 12 by saying: And now I will show you the most excellent way.

No matter how gifted you are – no matter how successful in ministry – no matter how close to God – there is one over riding principal that should guide everything we do. Otherwise everything you do for the Lord is a waste of time.

That over riding principle, of course is love. 1st Corinthians 13 is one of the most famous passages of Scripture. It’s quoted at weddings routinely. So much so that sometimes it begins to sound like the corny phrases of a Hallmark card. “What the world needs now is love sweet love” as if just saying the word “love” is all that’s needed.

This chapter is far more than that – it is far more challenging than we may have imagined.

So now let’s look at the character of this love Paul speaks of.

Paul defines for us what agape means. He does it in terms of “what it is” and “what it is not”. There are 8 things it does, 8 things it does not do.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

The 8 things love is: Patient, Kind, Rejoices in Truth, Protects, Trusts, Hopes, Perseveres, Never Fails.

The 8 things love is not: Envy, Boasting, Pride, Rudeness, Self Seeking, Anger, Holding Grudges, Delighting in Evil.

You could form these around four basic concepts:

How you deal with others (patient, kind, protects, vs. rude, angry, grudges)

How you deal with life (patient, hopes, trusts, perseveres, never fails)

Your relationship to yourself (never fails, patient, kind, vs. envy, pride, self seeking, boasting)

Your relationship to God (hopes, perseveres, rejoices in truth, vs. pride, self seeking, delight in evil)

Let’s look at these one at a time:

Patient - This comes from two Greek words: “long” and “tempered”. Vine’s expository dictionary says patience is “self restraint in the face of aggravation … the opposite of anger.”

Do you have a short fuse? Do you get easily frustrated when things don’t go your way or don’t happen fast enough? Do you retaliate easily and quickly against those that hurt you? That’s the opposite of patient.

Patience means you wait out trouble and you don’t strike out against adversity. I like how Peter describes later in:

1 Peter 5:6 - Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

You wait under God’s hand – you don’t run from trouble or run from God. Certainly God is patient with us, isn’t He? That’s love.

Kind - The Greek word for “kind” means “to show oneself useful.” Taking patience one step further – not only are you long tempered against trouble, but you actually reach out with a benefit to someone else. It comes from a root word that means “employed.”

It reminds me of something Paul emphasizes over and over in this letter:
1 Corinthians 10:33 For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

Most of the time we think “what’s in it for me.” But kindness thinks, what can I do to benefit you? That’s love.

Paul next strings 8 negatives together. Often we learn by contrast – we see what love is by carving away what it is not – and when we find ourselves acting in these ways we know we are not acting in love.

Envy - It comes from the word “to boil.” It’s kind of the bolstered idea of “what’s in it for me,” in the sense of “it’s all about me.” When we become so self focused that anything anyone else has, that we don’t have, makes our blood boil, and is the opposite of wanting to benefit another. Envy is when we only want to benefit ourselves at the expense of others.

Boasting - Boasting is really a consequence of envy – “if you’ve got it flaunt it – even if you don’t have it, pretend like you do.” The Greek word has the subtext of “play the braggart.” Often times boasting is playing a part – something we are not but want to be or think we are.

Proud - This is the same word Paul uses in chapter 8 – “knowledge puffs up.” It means to inflate – like a bag of hot air – no substance but a lot of fluff. It’s increasing your sense of self importance well beyond your hat size.

Rude - The word here is “unshapely.” You could say “not pretty to look at.” Do people have a hard time being around you because you do things that are unpredictable or embarrassing or unbecoming? That’s rudeness.

Self Seeking - This could be rendered “worship yourself.”

Not Easily Angered - It means to “exasperate.” The Greek word is the opposite of patience.

Keeps no record of wrongs - The suggestion from the original here is thinking poorly of someone else – or really pondering and dwelling on someone else as evil. The old story goes that Santa Claus keeps a list of who is naughty and who is nice. Sometimes we keep those lists too don’t we? How quick are you to forgive?

Does not delight in evil - It means to be happy when an injustice or wrong occurs. In a sense this is the ultimate form of “anti-love.” We want, we get, we hurt others to get it – and we’re happy that we stomped over them to get what we really deserve in the first place.

The thing that all these negatives have in common is that they all focus on us – what we want, who we are, how bad everyone is in comparison to us, what bad things people are always trying to do us – me me me! This is the opposite of love.

Rejoices in the truth - This is interesting because the word “rejoice” is a compound word. Part of it is the same word used in “delight in evil.” When put together with the other word it means “to sympathize with gladness.” When you delight in evil you are holding yourself apart from the other person – glad they are suffering and you aren’t. Rejoicing in the truth means you are drawing close to someone as they come to know the truth of God and about sin, come to know the love of God, or have something good happen to them.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres - This is really neat – these four words form a related pattern. “protects” means to “roof over,” “trusts” means to “put your faith in” something, “hopes” means “to confide in” and “preserves” means “to stay under.” These are all things God does for us – and things we should do for others – throwing a protective blanket, physically, emotionally – over someone else; being willing to put our faith in someone else – be real, confide in them – know that God will work good in their lives – then stick it out with them to see the love of God change their lives.

You see all this business of love isn’t some magical, rose-colored-glasses kind of “feeling.” It’s actually very specific: love and trust God no matter what, seek the best for and the best in those around you – then help benefit their lives as they draw closer to God. That’s love!

What Love Is

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

The Bible teaches us that we are to be people who exercise love in all of our relationships with one another.

Listen to these words, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" [Romans 12:18]. And again, "Be completely humble & gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love" [Ephesians 4:2]. And still again, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men & to be holy..." [Hebrews 12:14].

Now all of those Scriptures say the same thing. It may be difficult sometimes, & not everybody will be easy to love, but if it is possible, we are to live in peace & harmony with everyone.

So I’m beginning a series of sermons that will deal with the subject of love and to start this evening we will focus on 1 Corinthians 13, the "love chapter" of the Bible. Tonight we are going to look at the first 3 verses which Paul begins by saying, "Now I will show you the most excellent way."

He is saying, "I want to show you the best way to take care of virtually every situation, & that is the way of love." Then he points out that love is more important than five other things that Christians consider very important.

In vs. 1, Paul says that love is more important than spiritual gifts. "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."

On the day of Pentecost, when the very first gospel sermon was ever preached, God gave the apostles the special gift of being able to speak in languages that they had never learned so that the people hearing them could understand what was being said.

But here in 1 Corinthians, Paul is saying that if God gave him the gift of speaking every human language, and even the heavenly language of the angels, but he didn’t have love, then he would be nothing more than a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. Now what did he mean by that?

Back in the 1st Century, there was a big gong or cymbal hanging at the entrance of most pagan temples. When people came to worship, they hit them to awaken the pagan gods so they would listen to their prayers.

Here, Paul is saying that even if he were so blessed that he could speak with the greatest of eloquence in every language, but didn’t have love, then his life was as useless as this ridiculous act of pounding on a gong to awaken non existent gods.

Then in vs. 2 Paul says that love is more important than knowledge. "If I have the gift of prophecy and I can fathom all mysteries & all knowledge, ...but have not love, I am nothing."

Paul says that even if you know it all - if you know everything there is to know about nuclear science; if you know everything there is to know about medicine; if you know everything there is to know about philosophy and psychology and theology and every other kind of “ology” - if you know it all, but have no love, then you are nothing at all.

It has always amazed me that when people look at society and try to analyze what is wrong with us, why we’re killing and abusing one another, that those experts always seem to come back with the same answer, "We need more education. We need to get everybody educated, and then we won’t have these problems anymore."

But I don’t think education is the answer. I’m certainly not opposed to education. But listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8:1, "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." I don’t think we need more knowledge near as much as we need more love. We need a whole lot more love and the hearts of people need to change before society will ever change.

Thirdly, Paul says that love is more important than faith. Can you believe that? Now he doesn’t say that faith is not important. He just says that love is more important than faith. He said, "If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."

Faith, we are told in the Scripture, is so important that it is impossible to please God without faith. And I trust that all of you here this morning have faith. But what is your faith? What do you believe for sure today?

Do you believe that God is the creator of the world? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son, and that He came into our world and lived a sinless life, and that He died & was buried and on the third day rose again? Do you believe that He is now at the right hand of the Father, and is preparing a place for us, and that one day He will come again? Do you believe that the Holy Spirit is our guide and counselor & comforter?

If you believe all those things, then that is well and good and I commend you for it. But the Bible teaches that if you believe all the right stuff, but you do not have love, then you are nothing. Because even faith is of no value unless it is backed up by love.

In Galatians 5:6 Paul says, "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

Fourthly, love is more important than generosity. Paul says, "If I give all I possess to the poor...but have not love, I gain nothing."

Now notice that he doesn’t say, "If I give 10%." He says, "If I give everything, if I empty my checking account, if I give all my retirement funds, if I sell my house, if I cash in my insurance policies, if I sit on the corner with nothing left but what I’m wearing, and I’ve given it all away to help the poor, but I don’t have love then I am nothing at all."

Then he says that love is more important than accomplishments. He says, "If I...surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."

He is talking about martyrdom. He is talking about being so faithful & so committed to God that you end up dying because of your faith. How deep is your faith? How deep is your commitment? Are you willing to lay down your life for God, if it came to that?

But Paul is saying that even if you go to church every time the church doors are open, if you read your Bible faithfully, if you pray, & do all the things that a Christian person ought to do, but if there is no love behind all that then it is nothing in God’s sight.

So he is saying that love is more important than spiritual gifts, more important than knowledge, more important than faith, more important than generosity, & more important than all the things that you might accomplish for the kingdom of God.

So obviously, love is very important, much more maybe, than we ever realized before. Listen to what Jesus says in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Now notice that Jesus says that this is a commandment, not a suggestion. And God never commands us to do anything that we cannot do.

We tend to think that love is something that just happens to us because that is what the world teaches. You fall in love like you fall into a ditch, or you fall out of love like you fall out of a tree. You can’t help it. It is something that just happens to you.

But the Bible teaches that love is something we can control. God commands us to love each other. Which means, I can will to love you, & you in turn can will to love me.

Now I want to apply that in several different areas. First of all, see how that would work in the family. Let’s suppose that someone in every family represented here today would say, "I’m going to go home & put this into practice."

Start with your spouse. You ought to love your husband or your wife first and most. You ought to be kinder, more tender, more gentle to them even if they’re behaving like a jerk. Begin first in your marriage relationship.

Can you see how that would affect the atmosphere of the home? There wouldn’t be any arguing or bickering, no sharp words between each other because their interests are just as important as yours. And pretty soon it filters down to the relationship you share with your children, maybe even your in-laws and your out-laws and everybody else in the family. Just because you love them.

It begins in the family, and it spills over into the church family. In fact Jesus said, "By this they shall know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

That’s the way the world will find out that the message of Jesus Christ is valid. And if we’re really going to love each other the way Jesus loved us then we have to develop in our own lives the same kind of compassion for people that Jesus had.

"What is it like to hurt deep inside and no one knows you’re hurting & you don’t feel free to tell them that you’re hurting? What’s it like being sick & knowing you’re not going to get well, and wanting more than anything else to live? What’s it like to be handicapped? What’s it like to be a minority? What’s it like to be dealing with marital problems or domestic problems? What’s it like?”

What kind of burdens are people carrying, and do we care enough to help them bear those burdens? That’s what it means when Jesus talks about loving one another as He has loved us.

Finally, we are to let that love flow into the workplace, too. We do it when we show those people who work next to us that Jesus Christ is our Lord, not just with words, but by the example we set.

You may have a hard boss that you don’t like very much. Or you may work with someone who makes fun of the way you live. But Jesus said that we are to love our enemies & pray for those who persecute us.

In fact, Paul writes in Romans 12:20-21, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink...Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Someone once said, "They will not care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

There is a more excellent way, and that is the way of Jesus Christ.

Are We Committed To Truth?

Two elderly women were out driving in a large car and both could barely see over the dashboard. As they were cruising along they came to an intersection. The stoplight was red but they just went on through. The woman in the passenger seat thought to herself "I must be losing it, I could have sworn we just went through a red light."

After a few more minutes they came to another intersection and the light was red again and again they went right through. This time the woman in the passenger seat was almost sure that the light had been red but was really concerned that she was losing it. She was getting nervous and decided to pay very close attention to the road and the next intersection to see what was going on.

At the next intersection, sure enough, the light was definitely red and they went right through and she turned to the other woman and said, "Mildred! Did you know we just ran through three red lights in a row! You could have killed us!" Mildred turned to her and said, "Oh, am I driving?"

Brothers and sisters, the way things are going in our world and country we wonder who’s driving or if anyone is driving at all.

We live in a world of unrest and untruth. Turn on the TV and listen to the news. Read it in the paper. It’s everywhere.

We are a culture that does not want to admit that evil exists, especially in people. There is always an explanation or rationalization for the things people do. We make a serious mistake when we deny the existence of evil, and here is why: When we believe that evil does not exist, we become blind to it. When evil is dismissed as unreal, good becomes irrelevant. Good is only understood in relation to evil. If nothing is evil, then nothing is good. We are seeing that in our culture.

When we lose our concept of sin, then nothing is wrong and the right becomes wrong. When this happens we are in danger of losing our moral sanity.

The Lord is the only one who can change people’s hearts and lives. But how we go about presenting the truth of God’s Word is very important.

Here is my recommendation of what we Christians must do, how we must act and talk.
1- Contend without fighting
2- Speak without offending
3- Preach without condemning

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.” (Phil. 1:27)

“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” (Jude 3)

We are charged to contend for the faith of the gospel, the truth of God’s Word about the faith of Christ. How do we do this?

I once had an encounter with some unbelievers while having breakfast. My wife and I were having breakfast in a local coffee shop. It was empty except for four men at another table. One was mocking Christianity; in particular, the resurrection of Christ. He went on and on about what a stupid teaching that was. I could feel the Lord asking me: ‘Are you going to let this go unchallenged?’ However I was thinking, but I don’t even know these guys. He’s bigger than me. He’s wearing a leather jacket, tattoos all over his arm, and looks tough. I was agitated and frightened about doing anything. But I knew I had to stand for Jesus.

I took my last drink of water and went over and challenged him. With probably a squeaky voice, I said, ‘I’ve been listening to you, and you don’t know what you’re talking about.’ I did my best to give him a flying rundown of the proofs for the resurrection. He was speechless, and I was shaking. I must have shaken for an hour after that. But I had to take a stand.

While talking to another pastor about this incident the following week, he suggested I should have said something like this instead: “You know, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation, and found it very interesting. If you don’t mind, I would like to pay for your breakfasts. The reason I want to do this is that, because of the resurrection, Jesus Christ has changed my life and lives in me, and wants to communicate his tremendous love for you.”

I learned then that good arguments don’t always change people but changed lives do. Changed lives change the lives of others, and thereby change the world. It only takes a little salt to season a whole pot of stew. It is amazing the effect that one Christian can have when they love other people and serve in the spirit of Christ. Let your light shine. A small candle can light up a whole room of darkness. We need to fight for the faith without being combative.

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (I Pet. 3:15)

We are to speak on behalf of our faith in Christ. We all need some kind of testimony and then be prepared to give it to others, but we need to do it carefully, gently and respectfully. When we come on too strongly to people we can sometimes turn them off.

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Col. 4:4)

After a day’s hunting in India a young Englishman who was a poor shot said to his Indian attendant, “I didn’t do so well today.” The young attendant replied, “Ah, you shot very well, but God was very merciful to the birds.”

That young Indian used tact and it’s something that we all need to use when speaking for Christ. We are here to draw people to Christ, not push them away by being offensive or rude. “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” (II Tim. 4:2)

Thomas Ken, writer of the song, “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow,” was a chaplain to the sister of Charles II. It is said that the king once said concerning Ken’s courageous preaching, “I must go and hear Ken tell me my faults.”

Brothers and sisters, I think it’s the preacher’s responsibility to preach the Word and do it with a certain amount of rebuke.

I think any time we preach the Word of God we will tell someone their faults. In fact, some people will swear the preacher is picking on them or preaching right at them. I’ve always heard it said that the preacher’s job is to: “Shakem in, shakem up and shakem out.”

I think its fine to shake people up with the Word of God as long as we don’t condemn people. Condemning is not our business. That’s God’s business. Our business is to encourage and give courage to people in order to follow Christ. People in the world are so downhearted. They need to be helped, not hurt with condemning or condescending words.

Conservative Christian televangelist Pat Robertson told citizens of a Pennsylvania town that they had rejected God by voting their school board out of office for supporting "intelligent design" and warned them not to be surprised if disaster struck.

He said, "I’d like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don’t turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city.”

While Pat Robertson has a right to his opinion, I don’t think the way he expressed it helps the cause of Christ in America.

We Christians must preach the faith of the gospel without condemning people. It sounds very much like he was condemning the people of Dover, PA and that is not a good program of preaching.

A guide was conducting a group of tourists around the Empire State Building in New York. On the elevator ride to the 102nd floor, a nervous woman asked, “What if these cables should break? Would we go up or down?” The guide replied, “That depends entirely on the kind of life you’ve been leading.”

I think that some people should be nervous about what is going to happen to them when they die, but condemning people to hell with our words will not help them to turn to Christ.

One preacher friend of mine said years ago, “We must tell people the good news and then tell them the bad news of what will happen to them if they don’t accept the good news.”

There is truth in what he said, but the way we say things to people can make a big difference. Blatantly and perhaps obnoxiously telling people they will go to hell if they don’t accept Jesus as their savior is not the best way to go about it.

I don’t think there is one thing wrong with teaching the truth of scripture about hell, however. I think most of the time people will make their own application without us applying scripture to them.

Let’s be quick to preach Jesus…to present Jesus to people as the way, the truth and the life, but let’s not consign anyone to hell when it is not our business!

A little nine year-old girl prayed, “Dear God, take care of my family, take care of the whole world. And please God, take care of Yourself or we’re all sunk.”

Our world is a mess and it’s getting messier every day. In the book Genesis we see that God put His foot down and said, “Enough is enough.” And He destroyed that ungodly world. And there will come another day when God will say, “Enough is enough.”

The Lord is our only hope. He is our only hope in this world and our only hope for the next life.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Let’s be quick to present Christ to the world. But in our presentation let’s not fight, offend or condemn people, because it won’t do any good. Let’s present Christ as the loving Savior that He is!

“NEW”, NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

It is that time of year again when in a fit of optimism many of us make great promises to ourselves about what we are going to do in the New Year that we usually abandon about the second week in January.

Let’s be honest now.

How may of us stuck to the diet?

How many of us actually kept going to the gym past February?

So I am not the only one, am I?

Well this year I am determined its going to be different.

I have made a couple of New Years resolutions I know I will be able to keep for the whole of 2009.

Are you ready? Here they are?

I have decided to eat more and exercise less.

I have decided to spend at least an extra half an hour a day off of my feet and in a chair or on a couch.

Now I might well be able to keep those kinds of resolutions but they wouldn’t make a great deal of difference to my life, except perhaps to increase my waist size by several inches.

In contrast I want to talk about some resolutions; some commitments which I guarantee will make a radical difference in my life and your life if you follow through on them.

In fact, what I want to do is to offer to you a way of starting the New Year which could significantly change your life.

Here is what I want to suggest to you: if you will make four commitments that God in His Word encourages us to make, and I guarantee you that the start of 2009 could become one of the most significant events in our lives.

This New Years, instead of being simply about having a few days off, if you will follow God’s advice, could become a way for you to the gateway of having a better life। I want to challenge you to make 4 new commitments for this New Year.

Here they are:

1: COMMIT YOURSELF TO FORGET YOUR FAILURES

2000 years ago one the first Christian leaders, Paul gave this advice “Forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:13-14). That advice from God’s Word has stood the test of time. I don’t know of any more relevant and practical advice for us at the start of 2009.

God is here that you have not lived your life imprisoned by your past.

All of us have failed in some way in our lives over the last year.

Probably we won’t see our failures recorded for history on TV but they are recorded in our hearts and minds.

For many of us our failures are painful memories. Maybe for you it is a memory of how you failed in a relationship. You made the wrong decisions, said and did the wrong things and the relationship ended.

Some of you who are parents probably know that you failed your children in some way, many of us are aware that we have failed our parents and it’s more than likely that many of us know that most of all we have failed ourselves in some ways.

What God’s Word is saying is that we must not allow ourselves to be bogged down by our past failures. That we must not dwell on our past so that it stops us from moving forward into the future that God has for us.

I think that the start of New Year is a good time for us to rise to that challenge. To say to ourselves, I am going to, with the help of God, forget my past. I am going to stop torturing myself about what I did or didn’t do. This New Year is a good time to stop being chained to our past failures. God is saying here in His Word that he doesn’t want us to go through our life branding ourselves as a failure.

On the Cross He died so that we could forgiven. When we become Christians, that forgiveness becomes a reality in our lives. When we have received Christ’s forgiveness it allows us to forgive ourselves and forget our failures.

Do you need to do that? Right here and now, do you need to accept Jesus’ forgiveness and then forgive yourself?

2: COMMIT YOURSELF TO GIVE UP YOUR GRUDGES

I want you to listen to these words from the book of Colossians because in them you’ll hear the second challenge I believe God wants us to rise to if we want to make 2009 a significant turning point in our life.

“Bear with each other and forgive each other whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Col 3:13)

Did you catch that challenge?

God in those words is challenging us directly and personally to give up our grudges. That is what he means when he says forgive each other whatever grievances we may have against one another.

What’s a grudge? A grudge is a deep ongoing resentment that we cultivate in our hearts against someone else.

A grudge is an unforgiving spirit that leads to unforgiving attitudes and unforgiving actions.

Now I know that you know what I am talking about.

Harboring a grudge is about nursing a dislike for someone.

What we need to know is that grudges are dangerous because they are destructive.

· Grudges destroy marriages.
· Grudges break up families.
· Grudges ruin friendships.
· Grudges split churches.

Let’s be honest enough to admit that one of the scandals of the Church is the grudges that Christians hold against one another.

Today if you know you are holding a grudge against someone then God has something to say to you. He says “give it up.”

I want to remind you that grudges are not just destructive they are also self-destructive. When you hold a grudge against someone you will hurt yourself as much and perhaps more than you will hurt the person you are holding it against.

There was a tragic example of just how destructive grudges are. I don’t know if you remember it. A man was killed by a parcel bomb and then a couple committed suicide a week later. It turned out that the couple who had committed suicide had sent the bomb because of a grudge that they had against their intended victim that stretched all the way back to school. Ultimately their grudge destroyed their life.

Make no mistake about it, if we keep harboring a grudge then it will eventually destroy us, if not physically, certainly emotionally and spiritually. It will make us a bitter and twisted person. The book of Job in chapter 21 describes people who “Have no happiness at all, they live and die with bitter hearts.” Do you really want that to be your epitaph?

Do you remember the parable that Jesus told about the servant who was forgiven a huge debt by the king and then refused to forgive someone else a tiny amount? Jesus said his unforgiving spirit landed him in prison. A quote I read in a book once said, “Unforgiving servants always end up in prison, prisons of anger, guilt, and depression.

God says to us in His word “don’t sentence yourself to prison.” Set yourself free. Give up your grudges, “forgive each other whatever grievances you may have against one another.”

According to God’s Word the way to give up a grudge is to forgive a grievance।

Notice what God is saying here.

He isn’t asking us to ignore whatever the person has done to us.

He isn’t asking us to pretend it did happen.

He doesn’t ask us to condone it, to pretend it didn’t matter. What God asks us to do is to forgive the grievance. That means to acknowledge how wrong and painful what was done to us was but to decide to forgive person who did the wrong to us.

I am absolutely certain that there are people who need to give up their grudges and forgive the grievance they have against someone else.

Some of us need to forgive the grievance we have against our parents for what they did or didn’t do.

Some of us need to forgive our children for the same reason.

Some of us need to forgive a partner for emotional or physical abuse.

Some of us need to give up the grudge we have against someone at work because of the way they have treated us.

Some of us need to give up the grudge that stems from an argument we had with someone.

God says that that deep-seated resentment we have against that person has to go.

What better time to make that difficult decision to forgive than the start of a new year?

We can’t tell God we can’t forgive, because what we really mean when we say that is that we won’t forgive. If Christ can forgive us our sin despite it involving the pain of the cross then surely we can give up our grievance whatever the cost?

The question is will we do it?

3: COMMIT YOURSELF TO RESTORE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

The first computer I had, every time I turned it on, a little windows poped up that asks if I want to run a check to see if my programs were all working properly.

God in his word issues a very similar invitation. It is the invitation not to check to see if our computer software is working properly to but check whether our personal relationships are working properly.

Here is how the Lord issues that challenge in “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18)

The important phrase there is, as far as it depends on you. God by using that phrase is personally challenging each one of us to do all we can to restore our relationships. The Lord wants us to do everything we can to restore any relationships that has gone wrong in our life.

Some relationships might have gone wrong in our life because of what other people have done and they might well not want that relationship restored. God recognizes that. That is why he starts by saying “If it’s possible”

But let’s be honest some of our relationships have gone wrong because of what we have done haven’t they?

When God’s word says here, “as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” it is saying if we have caused a rift in a relationship then we have a responsibility to do everything we can to restore it. That everything includes the one thing we all probably find most difficult, asking for forgiveness.

Am I the only person who finds it hardest to say “I am sorry” to the people I am closest too?

I wonder how many marriages represented here are not all they should be or could be simply because someone won’t say “I was wrong, I am sorry, will you forgive me”

I am certain that some of us who are married and need to ask forgiveness for “ harsh words and cutting remarks” that have really wounded our partners over the years.

Maybe God is saying to some of us that this change of year is the right time to restore those relationships we ruined by going and sincerely saying that we are sorry for those angry words or those selfish and thoughtless actions.

Keith Drury is a brilliant writer from the Wesleyan Church and in one of his books he touches on this whole subject of restoring relationships when talking about restitution. This is what he says “restitution deals with more than property. It is also going back and making things right for hurtful things I’ve said or done. It’s far easier for me to tell you some story than to tell you of the difficult and painful times I’ve had to ask my wife, my boys, my boss, friends and secretary to forgive me. Restitution is asking forgiveness for harsh words, quick tongue, or cutting remarks. It is asking forgiveness from a brother you hurt, a mother you caused heartache to, or a former spouse which you maligned.

Restitution is confessing and seeking forgiveness from an old business partner, neighbor, or roommate. It is admitting my past errors in relationships and humbly seeking forgiveness from the one I’ve hurt. And it’s harder to make personal restitution than property restitution.”

Make no mistake it will be hard to do but one of the most significant things that we can do to mark the New Year is not set off a firework but to admit our past errors in relationships and humbly seek forgiveness from the ones we have hurt.

Will you rise to that challenge and make a commitment to restore your broken relationships in this New Year?

4: COMMIT YOURSELF TO TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS.

I watched a PBS special on the American Civil War a few months ago and what I discovered was that after the war was over and the slaves had been set free, many slaves decided to stay with their former master and continue to do what they were told. They were set free but they chose to live as slaves.

The New Testament says that is exactly how many Christian chose to live. Christ died to set them free, the Holy Spirit has given them the power to be free, but just like those former slaves they still choose to obey their old master, sin.

Listen to these words from Romans 6, “Do not let sin control the way you live, do not give in to its lustful desires … we are no longer slaves to sin” (Romans 6:2)

That is the last challenge that I believe if we will rise to meet will make this New Year truly significant for us. When God says “Do not let sin control the way you live, do not give in to its lustful desires He is issuing the challenge to turn our back on our transgressions.

I had the photocopier repairman once, turn on the machine and it said on the display “Error code ” He looked at it and said “Same old fault” He then explained that each model of photo-copier usually has a particular way of going wrong and that it happens time and time again.

That is a principle that is as true in the spiritual world as it is in the electronic world.

Christian writers used to talk about something called “besetting sins”. What they meant by besetting sins were particular sins that a particular Christian was prone to doing time and time again. For most of us when we are saved we give up certain sins easily but there are other things that we know are wrong that we really battle with. Those are our besetting sins. Many of us end up choosing to give into our besetting sins and end up living double lives.

I get a magazine called Leadership Journal and about 3 years ago there was an article by an anonymous pastor that described his battle with his besetting sin, pornography. How he gave into time after time and then was overcome with guilt. Maybe that is how some of us lived over the last year, constantly defeated by the same old sin.

Too many Christians have the wrong attitude about their besetting sin. They won’t do anything about it and they learn to live with it.

I have to ask, is our spiritual life crippled because we have learned to live with a besetting sin?

Do we have a quick temper that we constantly give into?

Or a caustic tongue that loves to assassinate other people’s characters or wound their feelings?

Have we learned to live with that critical judgmental attitude we know is wrong?

Is there a sexual sin that we keep on giving in to?

Have we been going too far with our boyfriend or girl friend?

Have you been secretly logging on to pornography sites on the Internet time and time again?

God here in His word challenges us to turn our back on that sin whatever it is. To stop letting it control the way we live. He is challenging us to stop giving in to it. He wants us to stop obeying our old master.

Let’s be clear about this: Jesus death broke the power of sin, the Holy Spirit can give us the power to resist sin and all of that means that we don’t have to go into this New Year still being defeated by the same old sin. We can have the victory over it. God says we are no longer a slave to sin so don’t live like one or act like one. If we will ask for God’s forgiveness for our sin, and His power to resist that sin, then this millennium can be for us, not just a new era in history, but a new era in our spiritual life. Don’t miss that opportunity.

It all boils down to this: Will this New Year be just a calendar changing event for us or are we willing to rise to these challenges from God’s word and make these commitments and so make it a life changing event?

Are you willing to make these 4 commitments for 2009?

1. Will you commit yourself to forget your failures?
2. Will you commit yourself to give up your grudges?
3. Will you commit yourself to restore your relationships?
4. Will you commit yourself to turning your back on your transgressions?

This New Year will really be something to celebrate if we will make forgiveness the heart of what it’s all about for us.

Have the courage right here today

To forgive yourself and “forget the past”

To forgive others who have hurt you “and forgive whatever grievances you have”

To ask for forgiveness from those you have hurt and “as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone”

To ask for God’s forgiveness and “No longer be a slave to sin”

A Love that Changes Everything

Jack Kelley, a reporter from USA Today tells the story of a trip to East Africa in which he was taught a very valuable lesson. He was in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, to cover a terrible famine. It was so bad that as he walked toward the village he saw many people already lying on the ground dead. In his retelling of the story he recalls how the smell of death is something that gets into your hair, onto your skin, onto your clothes, and can’t be washed off.

As he made his way down the road he came across a little boy. He could tell that the boy had worms and was malnourished; his stomach was protruding. His hair had turned a reddish color and his skin had wrinkled as if he were 100 years old, both signs of malnourishment.

The photographer who was traveling with the reporter had a grapefruit which he gave to the boy. But the boy was so weak that he couldn’t hold the whole grapefruit for himself. And so they cut the grapefruit in half and gave it to him. He took the grapefruit, looked up at the two men as if to say “thank you” and began to walk back towards his village. What the little boy didn’t realize was that the photographer and reporter were following at a distance.

As he entered the village, there was another little boy who looked to be dead. His eyes were completely glazed over. As it turned out, this was his younger brother.
The older brother kneeled down next to his younger brother, bit off a piece of the grapefruit and chewed it. Then he opened up his younger brother’s mouth, put the grapefruit in, and worked his brother’s jaw up and down. The reporter and photographer later learned that the older brother had been doing that for the younger brother for two weeks.

A couple days later the older brother died of malnutrition, and the younger brother lived. I wonder if this is what Jesus meant when he said, "There is no greater love than to lay down our life for somebody else." Love changes everything. It changes our hearts and causes us to do things for others that we would never have done before.

I want to give you a practical example of what I mean when I say that love changes everything. If you’re married, consider this for a moment. Are you the same person that you were when you got married? Think about an example of something that has changed about your spouse? Is there anything that has changed because you married the person sitting next to you?

Love has a way of reshaping us and redefining our priorities and our motives. It transforms our actions and ultimately it changes our lives.

Our scripture reading is about a love which sets the bar by which all other loves are defined. It’s a love which defines unconditional love. It’s a love which comes without condition.

Turn with me in your Bibles if you will to Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome. What we find in the first part of the book of Romans is Paul’s belief that the Gospel has the power to save everyone, specifically both Jews and Gentiles, both the chosen people of the Old Testament and all others. Paul builds up to chapter five by explaining to this church that they are righteous not because of what they’ve done to obey the law, as was the traditional thought, and not because of their good deeds, but simply because of their faith in Christ. This was a radical concept for the Jews and was very difficult for them to accept.

Look with me at chapter 5. Paul starts this passage off by talking about a relationship. He writes, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”

Before we go too far we need to pause and think about a word. This word “justified” is often translated “righteousness”. And righteousness, we learn in the Old Testament, is all about a relationship. When a person fulfills his or her end of a relationship, or his or her obligations, they are said to be righteous. Righteousness entails faithfulness to a relationship.

What Paul has laid out for the church in Rome and for us in the first four chapters of this book is the fact that you and I, while created to be in a relationship with God, have fallen short of our end of the bargain. Because of sin we no longer are able to keep up our part of the relationship. We have fallen short of God’s glory.

But here’s the good news that he offers in this chapter: a way has been made to repair that relationship once again. A means has been provided whereby we can be at peace with the very God whom we have injured with our sin.

Love changes everything. Think with me for a moment about a relationship in your life which is strained. Almost all of us have them. Maybe it’s with a spouse, or maybe a child. Maybe it’s another person online, or someone at work. But you know how difficult it is to forgive that person if they’ve hurt you and you also know how difficult it is to ask to be forgiven if you’re the one who’s done the damage. Let me ask you something else, how often are you willing to give in even when the other person is the one in the wrong and lay yourself on the line so that your relationship can be repaired? I don’t about you, but that’s difficult for me.

But that’s exactly what God did. God saw the big picture. God knew that we could never make our way back to where we started. God knew that you and I, left to our own efforts would only continue to try but fail to come back into the relationship that God created us to be a part of. And so God chose to take the initiative. And even though God wasn’t the one in the wrong, God chose to make the relationship whole again by doing something which is un-imaginable: sacrificing God’s very self for the very people who caused the pain in the first place. God’s love changed everything.

That’s why we’re here right now, because of such a great love. A love which Paul says as we continue on in this chapter, gives us reason to boast in our hope of sharing in the glory of God. In other words, because of God’s great sacrificial love, you and I can one day look forward to celebrating the glory of God in heaven.

But this love which was poured out for us not only gives us something to look forward to, but praise God, it gives us a hope that can carry us through the most difficult struggles in our lives. This love gives us the courage to face the future unafraid.

Turn with me again in your Bibles to Romans 5 and look with me at verses 3 -5. The Apostle continues and says, "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

The Christians to whom Paul wrote refused to take part in many of the social activities of their time because of the idolatry and immorality that were rampant, and as a result these Christians suffered persecution. Paul says, celebrate your suffering! Not only celebrate during your suffering but celebrate the fact that you suffer, because suffering produces endurance, and when we learn to endure then we can glean the lessons that our suffering can teach us. How many times have you wanted to escape a trial rather than live through it? None of us enjoys suffering. But when we learn to endure, we always come out on the other side better people than we went in.

That’s where Paul’s next phrase comes in: endurance produces character. It makes us better people. And as our character improves, so does our ability to have hope to see the hand of God at work in the fiery furnaces of our lives, and to be able to come out of them un-charred. And the hope that enduring our sufferings ultimately produces will not disappoint us because of the love that has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

On the night of March 29, 1848, Niagara Falls completely and mysteriously stopped flowing. The estimated 500,000 gallons of water that customarily rushed over the falls stalled to a trickle. James Francis Macklem, a village justice of the peace in the Niagara area, wrote that the subsidence of the waters and that the phenomenon of the Niagara running dry "caused great excitement in the neighborhood at the time."
To some, the mystery of this sudden "turning off" of the river seemed to be a sign, and nightfall found most of the churches packed with people praying or talking in frightened voices about the end of the world. Fear grew into panic.

The cause of this unusual event began along the shores of Lake Erie near Buffalo. For several days, the wind had been blowing to the east over Lake Erie, driving much of its ice flow down river. Then the winds suddenly shifted to the west, driving the lake water west and causing the lake’s ice to break up and dam the river. The Niagara River ceased to flow for almost 30 hours until the ice shifted and the dam broke up.

There have been times in my life where I was really exhausted. Something had stopped flowing as I was experiencing some struggles and stress, and rather than wanting to learn from them my first instinct was to flee. I wanted to escape the trials. Something had stopped flowing, but then something always happens to me. As I pray, the love which I experienced long ago as child in Jesus Christ when I gave my life to Christ, is poured out all over again. I am overwhelmed by a feeling that no matter what happens in life, no matter what struggles I must face, it’s all going to be all right, because I’m loved.

I’m loved by one whose love for me is greater than I can ever explain. And because of that love I can endure and can hope not only in tomorrow but also in eternity. Because of that love I can live, and live abundantly.

Have you experienced that same kind of love? Does it consume you? Does it burn within your heart? Does it change everything in life? Does it transform your relationships? Does it mold your speech? Does it break your heart over the needs of others? The love of God has been poured out for you and all you need to do is open yourself to allow it to fill you.

The love of God has changed everything, for good. The desire of God’s heart is that you will allow it to change you.

Turning Hardship to Joy

A cynic once asked an elderly believer who had endured great physical pain for 20 years, "What do you think of your God now?" The godly sufferer replied, "I think of Him more than ever."

Sorrow can be the means of bringing us heart-to-heart with God. When repeated strokes of adversity have robbed us of health, friends, money, and favorable circumstances, God then becomes the only thing in life for us. We come to love Him for who He is and not merely for what He has to give.

In those times we cry out with the psalmist, "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You" (Psalm 73:25). The path of sorrow leads us to the place where we can say, "My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (v.26).

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13.

Suffering can become so intense at times that we don’t know how we can take any more pain. It’s in these moments that Jesus reassures us of His presence and sustains us, even though for reasons we do not understand the hurt is not taken away.

Dr. Diane Komp, a pediatric cancer specialist at Yale University, often must perform very painful procedures on children. She tells of a wonderful nurse’s aide named JoAnn who reflects God’s love. During the procedures, JoAnn comes in and holds the child and tells him that she will stay with him. Her hugs along with her loving and reassuring words have carried many children through those difficult times.

That’s a glimpse of what Jesus does for those who trust Him in their suffering. He draws us to Himself and says that He will be with us in our pain, for nothing can separate us from His love (Romans. 8:39).

How often we cry out for release, but no relief comes. The pain persists, but we sense God’s presence. Later, as we look back, we can see how the Lord was with us, caring for us, meeting our deepest needs.

No matter what painful situation you may face today, remember that Jesus is holding you.

In 1931, Jane Whyte felt she was nearing the end of her life. Her husband Alexander, the famous Scottish preacher, had died 10 years earlier. As she looked at the world around her, she was depressed by the moral and political chaos. There seemed to be no reason for her to go on, nothing for her to do.

At dinner one evening, she sat next to a man who sensed her dejection. "What is your greatest concern?" he asked. "I’m preparing to die," said Mrs. Whyte. "Why not prepare to live?" he suggested.

That was the question Mrs. Whyte needed to hear to break the deadlock in her life. She began to see that God wanted her to live and to touch others for Him. Her attitude changed and within a year she led a Christian outreach team on a mission to Geneva, Switzerland. That trip profoundly affected the lives of many people.

Life can seem overwhelming at times, but God offers us hope. Paul wrote, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans. 15:13).

Regardless of your age or circumstances, don’t despair and "prepare to die."

Believers in Christ can prepare to live--filled with hope, joy, and peace, through His love.

1. Jesus knew that God often uses tragedy to cause people to look to heaven for solutions to their problems. The Savior said, "Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John. 15:2) Thank the Lord to for His pruning of certain habits, thoughts and dependencies enabling you to be more fruitful.

2. Jesus knew that people need to die to themselves and their desires before God can properly use them. The Lord Jesus said, "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:24) Ask the Lord for a greater yielding attitude so you can enjoy greater spiritual success.

3. Jesus knew that sometimes we must step aside in order for God’s greater work to be done. The Lord Jesus said, "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (John. 16:7) Ask the Lord for the wisdom to know when to step aside to allow God to use whomever He wants to get His will accomplished.

4. Jesus knew that persecution is a part of God’s plan to help us mature in all aspects of life. The Lord Jesus said, "Blessed are you when they persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on account of me." (Matt. 5:13-14) Ask the Lord for greater endurance to withstand the tests, trials and hardships that are a part of God’s plans.

5. Jesus knew that adversity often happens to the Godly as a means of greater visibility for God’s kingdom and righteousness. The Lord Jesus said, "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me." (John. 16:1-3) Ask the Lord to help you see the silver lining behind every dark cloud of adversity.

6. Jesus knew that hardship often happens so that we can see how the Lord turns our grief to joy. The great Shepherd said, "I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy." (John 16:20) Ask the Lord to give you greater faith enabling you to see how God can turn any grief into greater lasting joy.

7. Jesus knew that things often get worse in minor areas so that we can learn how to assume greater responsibilities. The Master said, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." (Luke. 16:10) Ask the Lord to help you be faithful and effective with your minor duties so God can promote you to greater responsibilities.

8. Jesus knew that the Lord uses difficulties to weed out those who are not fit for leadership. The Lord Jesus said, "They all alike began to make excuses. Please excuse me "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brother and sisters - even his own life - he cannot be my disciple." (Luke. 14:18-26) Ask the Lord to help you not be disqualified because of unwilling to surrender all for God’s will.

9. Jesus knew that adversity is often used to accomplish the greater purposes of God throughout society. The Lord Jesus said, "Neither this blind man sinned nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." (John 9:4) Ask the Lord to give you greater insight into how the Lord uses everyone and everything for His sovereign purposes.

10. Jesus knew that God can use politically motivated investigations for greater teaching. The Lord Jesus said, "Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath. But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs? So they were divided. The healed man answered, "You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does His will." (John 9:16-31) Ask the Lord to give you the patience to let the Lord use politically motivated investigations to accent God’s truth.

11. Jesus knew that God could even use the betrayal of Judas Iscariot for His glory. Jesus said, "He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me. I am telling you now before it happens so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. Jesus was troubled in spirit and said, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me." (John 13:18) Ask the Lord to give you the grace, wisdom and strength to endure betrayals.

Today, as we look at the words of the Bible, we find there is much wisdom shared with us from 2000 years ago. It’s as if the Bible were written yesterday. That’s because He is the same now as He was then, and the same as He will be tomorrow. But it's important for us to realize on the "Joy" Sunday of the Advent Season, that there is a difference between Joy and Being Happy. Do you think Paul was happy about being in prison? Yet if you read his letters, there is no doubt that he was filled with Joy.

Joy is the ability to stand in the middle of the storm, when our entire world is falling down around us, and remain thankful to God, in the knowledge that all things work together for good, to those who love the Lord. Do you love the Lord? Are you expressing thankfulness for the hard times? Is His light shining through you for others to see? Know that when others see you calm, assured, and steadfast, through the difficulties, they say…”I want some of what they have.”

If you have been failing to give thanks for your difficulties, today is the day to change that. Today is the day to turn it around. If we are joyful, we need to be joyful for both the good times and the bad. I am not trying to say it’s easy, just telling you that it’s necessary!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Joy is one of the fruits of the spirit. It’s not something we can do in our own power, it’s a gift from God. If you haven’t been feeling joyful, I invite you to experience real joy today.