God's Waiting Room

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD,

I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

-- Micah 7:7

The Information Age has launched countless time-saving innovations that have greatly simplified our lives. For example, we can book our flight and hotel reservations on a website rather than visiting a travel agency or waiting on hold for a customer service representative. And instead of queuing up at the bank to deposit our paycheck, a tap or two of our smartphone completes the task in mere seconds.

That said, waiting is still an inescapable reality for most of us. We’ll spend an average of two years of our life in lines. Obtaining a driver’s license can mean or morning (or more) at the DMV.

And if you’re a Green Bay Packers football fan in search of season tickets, you’ll have to wait in a 30-year-long line of 130,000 applicants. The Packers website reveals that season tickets to Lambeau Field — the team’s stadium — have been sold out since 1960.

Few people like to wait, and multi-tasking to make the most of down-time has become a valued life skill. But waiting isn't always a frustrating waste. In fact, it’s actually an essential part of God's plan for our lives — that inexplicable process that enables us to become. This concept might be difficult to grasp because the human viewpoint of time differs greatly from his. The Apostle Peter puts it into perspective this way: "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends," he wrote. "To the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day."

As Christ-followers, we must understand that what happens while we're waiting is often more important than what we're waiting for. Just ask anyone who has spent grueling hours at the hospital contemplating the health and future of a loved one. Did their soul-searching experience bring a closer dependence on God? It should have. After all, it's when we're so humbled and powerless that we realize we can do nothing on our own.

We might live in the fast-paced Information Age, but the world still revolves around waiting. With this in mind, let's make the most of our time in God's Waiting Room — a place where we can look for ways and opportunities to say yes to our Creator with a sense of expectancy and hope.

"Be still, and know that I am God," he tells us through Psalm 46:10. "I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Stress Test

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.

-- Psalm 4:8

The holidays are idealized as special, fun-filled times with friends and family. The flip side, however, is that stress is also part of Christmas. And it can be more serious than a dinnertime disagreement with your in-laws. Stress is actually a life-and-death proposition that leads to cardiovascular disease, workplace injuries, sleep disturbances, ulcers and even cancer. In fact, the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine reports that health care expenditures are nearly 50% greater for workers who endure high levels of stress.

It's unfortunate that the Christmas season comes with such a hefty price tag. And we're not talking about those MasterCard and VISA bills that will arrive in January. Like the socks or sweaters

you might receive from an aunt or distant cousin, Christmas-related stress comes in a variety of colors and styles. It can be physical, emotional and financial. And not only can Christmas mean a strain on your bank account or an exhausting cross-country flight to your parents' house, December 25 can bring emotional turmoil when it's a reminder of a broken relationship or the death of a loved one.

The vibrant reds and greens of Christmas often seem deep blue for many hurting people. And that's when God enters the picture.

The Bible tells us that long before the world was formed, God knew our names. He knew when and where we would be born, what sort of lives we would lead, and when we would die. And he also knew that we would need someone to save us from the consequences of our many failures and shortcomings. So God decided to do it himself by personally living out the human experience on Earth through his Son, Jesus Christ.

By literally becoming God with us, Jesus truly understands the stress of Christmas (which, ironically, is meant to celebrate his birth). Leading up to that first Christmas when Jesus was born among a stable-full of less-than-spotless farm animals, Joseph and Mary -- his earthly parents -- were quite familiar with stress. They experienced emotional stress from the scandalous rumors swirling around Mary's pregnancy. They endured physical stress from the grueling trip to Bethlehem mandated by the Roman census. And with money in short supply, financial stress was abundant.

But because he personally experienced it all, Jesus really does understand our stress and sorrows, whether it's December 25 or any other day of the year. What's more, he's promised his followers -- that's you and me -- that he will never leave them or forget them. The holidays can be stressful, but it's through our Savior that we can always rest assured.

Leading the Season

Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift — articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

-- 1 Kings 10:25

It’s as much of a holiday tradition as watching It’s a Wonderful Life while sipping hot chocolate under the mistletoe.

Marketers call it leading the season or Christmas creep. It’s the rollout of Christmas-themed merchandise and decorations prior to the normal start of the holiday shopping season. This

year, with just 25 days between the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, many stores began displaying festive tinsel, blinking lights and artificial evergreens well before Halloween.

Retailers and websites have been prompting us for weeks to make our gift purchases. Just count the repetitious holiday-themed commercials on TV. Meanwhile, the Christmas catalogs are piling up on the coffee table. And odds are that your email in-box is also struggling with the Yuletide onslaught of consumerism.

But there is some holiday relief for the weary. If you don’t feel like finding a parking spot at the mall, that perfect gift for that someone special is just a tap or two away with your smartphone. Money, however, is particularly tight these days for many of us, so every purchase has to count. We need gifts that will make an impression. We need value. And above all, we want bang-for-the-buck.

There’s nothing wrong with trying to stretch a dollar this Christmas. But let’s consider that a gift’s real value has much more to do with its meaning and the person behind it. That’s why we must give with an attitude of generosity: one that exceeds what we expect to receive. Our gifts should also affirm the value of the recipient. But most importantly, our gifts — whatever they might be — should be given out of love. It really IS the thought that counts.

Christmas is just days away and the countdown clock is ticking. But before we log onto Amazon.com or tune into the Home Shopping Network, let’s follow the examples of Jesus, who was and is the ultimate gift-giver. His greatest present was the eternal salvation he bought for us through his death on the cross. It’s an extravagant gift, given freely out of love, that we can never repay. But unlike the retailers’ tradition of leading the season, it’s one that’s never too soon to enjoy.

Soul Food

The appetite of laborers works for them; their hunger drives them on.

-- Proverbs 16:26

What’s your idea of a satisfying meal?

For some folks, a grilled steak, baked potato and tossed salad always hit the spot. Others love pizza, Chinese or seafood. And let’s not forget those who crave vegetarian. 

Our tastes and taste buds might vary, but its hunger that unites us. Likewise, we all share another appetite that has nothing to do with cheeseburgers and ice cream. It’s the spiritual hunger that’s hard-coded in our DNA. Inside, everyone has a gnawing desire to fill a gaping void. Some try through negative pursuits involving drugs, alcohol, compulsive spending or gambling. Others rely on long hours in the office or escaping reality through online gaming, television or even travel. But after the thrill is gone, the hunger always returns. And any satisfaction that was gained soon fades away.

Jesus addresses this spiritual starvation by proclaiming (and proving) himself to be

the “food” that always satisfies. It's when we accept him as our Lord and Savior that he fills the void and directs our lives. We just need to be willing to ask, listen and obey.

“I am the bread of life,” Christ tells us in John 6:35. “Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Let’s keep in mind that spiritual hunger isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, we all need a drive — a certain level of intensity — to continue developing as Christ-followers. That’s because the old saying is true: life is a journey rather than a wide spot in the road. God has so many things for us to see, experience and comprehend during our brief existence on Earth. And that's how we grow and mature into Jesus’ likeness. 

Unfortunately, too many Christ-followers become spiritually emaciated because they stop searching for meaning in their lives. Instead, they should seek to grow in faith by making the most of the people, places and situations they encounter each day. Every Christ-follower should nourish their spiritual muscles through regular Bible study, prayer, worship, small group participation and other positive habits. After all, there’s nothing like a good workout to whet ones appetite.

Are you hungry for more than just a bland spiritual meal? Jesus invites you to feast at his table.

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

-- Romans 6:23

Are you a traditionalist who prefers giving (and getting) wrapped gifts with colorful bows on top?

According to the analysts at Statista.com, you may be part of a dying breed. They report that gift cards are among the most requested items on holiday wish lists. In 2018, American consumers spent a whopping $160 billion on gift cards — both plastic and digital. That’s up from about $91 billion just eight years earlier.

Gift-givers and getters alike appreciate gift cards because of their simplicity and practicality. But card issuers love them even more because of something called spillage: the unused funds on the cards that yield huge profits for the retail industry. A recent Consumer Reports survey reveals that nearly 20% of Americans admit to having three or more gift cards with balances. And of the nearly $130 billion spent on gift cards in 2015, about $1 billion was never redeemed.

Why such waste?

Many people feel that redeeming those few cents-worth of remaining value

isn’t worth the hassle. Others actually forget their gift cards and fail to ever redeem a penny. And some retailers compound the issue by deducting service fees and deactivating abandoned or rarely used cards.

It’s easy to see that there are millions of gift-getters out there who fail to use — or even appreciate — the full potential of what they’ve received. But the issue is much greater than inactive or partially-redeemed cards from Starbucks or Target. In fact, there’s one prepaid gift of immeasurable value that’s available for redemption by anyone who’s simply willing to ask for it. But much like an unused gift card from a department store or coffee shop, many people won’t bother to take full advantage of it.

This incredibly expensive gift, of course, is the salvation Jesus Christ bought for us through his death on the cross. From the very beginning, God recognized mankind’s desperate need for a Savior to pay the price for the wrong ways we’ve lived our lives and treated others. And since that price was enormous, the Savior had to be of unlimited means and perfect in every respect. His solution was to come to us in the form of a helpless baby, grow up and live perfectly among humanity, and then teach and show the people how to live the life God wants us to have. Jesus was literally God in the flesh and God among us.

God was — and is — willing to do whatever it takes to bring you and me home. And he’s already paid our way with a costly gift purchased through the death of his Son, Jesus. It’s a price no one is rich enough to repay. But it’s also a worthless gift if we fail to open it, redeem it and make the most of it through a changed life that’s lived for him.

“For it is by grace you have been saved — through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God …” the Apostle Paul explains in his letter to the Ephesians. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

We’ve all received a priceless gift card from the ultimate giver. Now it’s up to us to untie the bow.