It's Magic

Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. (John 14:19 NIV)

Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by the magic of my faith. I'm not talking about "pull the rabbit out of a hat" magic. I'm talking about the core of my faith, the death and resurrection of Jesus. The fact this happened over 2000 years ago and we still follow Christ is amazing. 

The world doesn't understand. I need to help them understand. Because Jesus lives in my life, right now, November 30th, 2013, my life is blessed. I am living because of Jesus. I see so many people that breathe, they walk the earth, but they are not alive to life. They don't appreciate their daily life, they don't appreciate their families, coworkers, friends, and love. They don't appreciate the magic of a sunset or sunrise. They don't experience the REAL joy of Christmas or Thanksgiving. They live in a life without hope and promise. They don't know amazing grace except through song. The magic of my life is that Christ lives.

I am alive because Christ lives in me. His presence is magic and I praise him for loving me, even though I am a sinner. I praise him for his promise of life eternal. The great mysteries of life are solved through Christ. It's magic!

Family Love

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV)

I love my family and that's why I love Thanksgiving. We love each other no matter what. It's not because we have to, many families really don't love show much love for each other. I have seen so many dysfunctional families. Parents who disown children. Children that disown parents. I've seen abandon children and parents who cared only for themselves. Not my family. We enjoy being around each other. We have fun! We love each other, even though we live different lives. 

It's not coincidental the Bible puts us in the middle of Gods Family. Family is meant to be just as God designed, FOREVER! We should love each other like Christ loved us. His own love is this, that while we were still sinners, he died for us. That same love should be a part of our everyday lives. We should love our families, like God loves.

Family Feud

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6 NIV)

The holidays are anxious times for many people, not me. Our church is starting a new sermon series about family conflict. I have seen family conflict through my students, family, and friends. I know some family holidays look more like "Family Feud" than "Leave it it Beaver". I am so blessed to have a great family and I can not wait to get to spend time with them on Thanksgiving and every other day of the year. In fact, I long for retirement, not because I hate what I'm doing, but because I would love to spend more time with my family. I know some people who can't stand to be with their families and this time of year just brings strife. 

I have a small message to those people who don't have the families they would hope for. Pray. My most consistent prayers are for my family. I don't pray they will change, or that they will get along. I don't pray about specific strife issues. I pray they will grow closer to Jesus. I pray that people will come into their lives to build their faith in Jesus. I pray they will be protected from evil and they will flee from it. I pray their hearts will be touched by the Holy Spirit and led in his direction, not their own. I pray they will love each other and serve each other out of that love. 

Pray for your family. You will be amazed what God will do with those prayers. If you don't feel you have the relationship with God that you can ask him those things, you need to change that relationship right now. Your Father in Heaven wants you to be close to him, to love him and he longs to share in your life. 

Praise God he has provided me with a family who loves him and loves each other!

That's expensive perfume!

and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:2 NIV)

I am not a perfume guy. I know some women who just love their perfume. They put a lot of money into smelling right. The most expensive perfume is listed below

1. Clive Christian No. 1 Imperial Majesty Perfume – $12,721.89 per ounce

Take note that it is $12,721.89 per ounce. Even if the price is for the bottle, it will still take a lot of people aback.  The whole bottle contains 16.9 ounces of Clive Christian’s signature No. 1 fragrance. The bottle itself is made of Baccarat crystal. A brilliant cut white diamond weighing five carats adorns the bottle. It also boasts of an 18-carat solid gold collar. This is a very rare perfume, as only 10 bottles were ever made, thus ensuring it will become a highly sought after collectible item in the future.

Isn't it amazing, just for a smell. 

At school I've seen football players, after a sweaty night on the football field, douse themselves with perfume instead of taking a shower. When you mix sweat with a bottle of perfume, the smell is a bit much, to say the least. 

Sometimes my life stinks. It might be my own doing or it might be something completely out of my control. That's where the sweet perfume of Jesus Christ comes in. This wonderful perfume is more valuable than Clive Christian #1. The cost for us was paid by Jesus. The perfume of Jesus covers everything in my life. He covers my sin, he covers the sins against me. He covers my poor judgment. He covers my sickness and my health. He makes even the worst of times, joyous. I have 53 years of experience to know this is true. When I say Jesus is the savior of my life, he has literally saved me. He has rescued me from all the pains of life. Praise God for his love and covering my sins with his death on the cross. 

Holiday Walk

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16 NIV)

We are 4 days away from Thanksgiving. Many people can only think about Black Friday and Christmas. Christmas as a celebration of the birth of Jesus is a wonderul holiday. Christmas as a gift giving, shopping frenzy is depressing. The shopping days from Thanksgiving and Christmas  are filled with "desires of the flesh". It is a strong statement about where we're at as a society. It's a problem that is much deeper than just shopping and over indulging. The solution to the problem is right before your eyes. 

Walk by the Spirit!

We are traveling through life. We are walking and we could use a companion to make sure we travel the right direction and avoid the hazards of life. The Holy Spirit can keep us from concentrating on ourselves. We must connect with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I need to connect continuously. I can't just do it on Sundays, just in my daily devotions, or just when I rise and when I sleep. I need to do it 24 hours a day. I fall far short of this and need to work at not ignoring the Spirit throughout my day. If I truly want to celebrate this holiday season 2013, I will work on my walk with the Spirit and ignore th desires to gratify myself!