New and Improved

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

– Isaiah 43:19

You finally bought that new car, and it looks and drives great. In fact, it’s even better than you expected. But only a few days later you see a slick TV commercial for the 2024 model. The styling is better, there's more horsepower, and it has features that weren't available on your vehicle. Suddenly, your shiny pride-and-joy has lost its luster against the latest upgrade.

It’s inevitable. Buy a feature-packed smartphone, tablet computer, or other tech-filled device, and rest assured that a new-and-improved model will soon hit the market. Televisions exemplify this principle. It was only a few years ago that expensive Sony Trinitrons had the best picture quality. But today’s ultra-high definition flat-screens deliver amazing, life-like images at just a fraction of the price.

There’s nothing wrong with the TV you bought a few years ago. Its picture and sound quality haven’t let you down. But once you’ve watched the Super Bowl on one of those new UHD sets, you’re spoiled for good. It’s hard to go back because your expectations have reached the next level.

For better or worse, advertising agencies and marketing departments sell products and services by promoting the latest-and-greatest and what’s new-and-improved. But have you ever considered that God does much the same when it comes to our faith? Above all, our Creator wants us to upgrade our lives and futures by embracing his Son as our personal Lord and Savior. And once we accept this extremely costly — but free — offer, we put our flawed past behind us and begin our amazing journey toward eternity. 

2024 is upon us. So, are you ready to become new-and-improved through a relationship with Jesus Christ? Today’s the day to trade in that basic-cable spiritual journey for 500 channels of ultra-high-definition faith. You’ll be glad you made the switch!

Stress Test

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

– John 16:33

For most Americans, the holidays are times of festive get-togethers with family, friends, neighbors, and even co-workers. We gather around the Christmas tree to exchange gifts, and around the dinner table to savor a repeat of Thanksgiving’s menu. There are also Yuletide parties and church services to attend, and tacky outdoor light displays to critique. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. 

The flip side of Christmas, however, is the stress that accompanies it.

And that can be more serious than a dinnertime disagreement with your in-laws. The fact is that stress is a life-threatening condition linked to cardiovascular disease, workplace injuries, sleep disturbances, ulcers, and cancer. The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine reports that healthcare expenditures are nearly 50% greater for workers who endure high levels of stress.

Poor health is a high price to pay for what’s billed as a season of peace and joy. Likewise, it’s unfortunate that the holidays come with such a hefty price tag — and we're not talking about those sky-high MasterCard and VISA bills that will arrive in January. Like the socks and sweaters from a favorite aunt or distant cousin, Christmas-related stress comes in a variety of colors and styles. It might be physical, emotional, or financial. And not only can the holidays strain your bank account, they can also evoke turmoil when they’re a reminder of a broken relationship or the death of a loved one.

The vibrant reds and greens of Christmas are often deep blue for hurting people. Inner peace is absent and hope is in short supply. And that's when God enters the picture.

The Bible tells us that long before the world was formed, our Creator knew our name. He also knew when and where we would be born, what sort of life we would lead, and when we would die. And since we consistently broke his laws and fell short of his standards, he also knew that we'd need someone to save us from the well-deserved consequences of our transgressions. We were powerless to do it ourselves. So, God decided to do it by personally living out the human experience on Earth through his Son, Jesus Christ. He was the long-prophesied Emmanuel: God with us.

Because he lived among sinful mankind in an obscure corner of the Roman Empire, Jesus truly understands the stress of the season — and in ways we might never consider. Leading up to that first Christmas when Jesus was born among a stable-full of less-than-cleanly farm animals, Joseph and Mary (his earthly parents) were quite familiar with the condition. They had experienced emotional stress from the scandalous rumors swirling around her pregnancy. They had endured physical stress from the grueling trip to Bethlehem mandated by the Roman census. And with money in short supply, financial stress was always abundant.

But because he personally experienced it all, Jesus really does relate to us, 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'll never leave them or forget them. So, while the holidays may be stressful, it's through our Savior that we can always find peace of mind. May we never forget this reassuring passage from the book of Isaiah: 

Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace — in peace because they trust in you.

Joy to the World

Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.

–1 Chronicles 16:27

Surf the web, turn on the TV, or read a newspaper, and you’re bound to come across headline after headline about the high cost of living, unemployment, war in the Middle East, political turmoil, and degenerate human behavior. It’s no surprise that the media thrives off bad news and hyping the worst possible scenarios for maximum effect. After all, good news rarely drives ratings or sells magazines.

With scary headlines in such plentiful supply these days, how about taking a much-needed break? For one week, make the effort to avoid TV — particularly news broadcasts

or shows with a political bent. Also, keep away from similar content on the web. At the end of those quiet seven days, maybe you won’t feel quite as informed as you would have had you stayed glued to that 24-hour cable news channel. But odds are you’ll experience less stress and enjoy a more optimistic take on life.

That’s sound advice for ditching the negative. But what about finding something positive and uplifting?

As Christ-followers, we have the Gospel, which is the good news that God came to live among sinful mankind through the birth of his only son, Jesus. And since the wages of sin is death, Jesus covered it all by dying in our place on the cross. Then as predicted centuries earlier in the Old Testament, he defeated the power of sin and death through his resurrection to life. We were helpless to help ourselves. But through our simple faith in Jesus (not through our good works, deeds, or intentions), our eternal salvation and place in God’s kingdom are assured.

This remarkable news about Jesus is what gives us a much clearer perspective for tomorrow. And as the Bible tells us about the incredible promises God has kept over the centuries, our anticipation only grows as we ponder the amazing future that awaits us. Along the way, our faith-journey will have its peaks and valleys, but we’ll find real hope in our darkest hours. What’s more, we’ll also experience joy, which springs from within through our intimate relationship with God.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace," Jesus proclaimed to his disciples. "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Are the headlines getting you down these days? Joy, inner peace — and the blessings that spring through the Good News about Jesus — are closer than you think!

Love Language

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 

— 1 John 4:8

Love is a remarkable English word with a broad scope of meanings and implications. We say that we love our spouse, love our church, and love pizza. What’s more, we’d love for our favorite football team to win the Super Bowl. On the other hand, Hebrew, and ancient Greek — the languages of the Bible — have several such words including agape (self-sacrificial love), hesed (lovingkindness), eros (romantic love), and phileo (fraternal or friendly love). And Genesis 22:2 uses the word ahab to convey the intensely close emotional bond between Abraham and his son Isaac.

While we might broadly consider love to be a thing, it’s also very much an action word … and our Creator is our example. The apostle John wrote that “we love Him because He first loved us.” And then there’s John 3:16, which summarizes God’s good news to mankind (the Gospel):

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

That IS good news — especially considering that we’re imperfect people who constantly break God’s perfect law through our thoughts, words, and deeds. Moreover, we can’t save ourselves from the punishment we rightfully deserve. Jesus, who was sinless, paid that exorbitant price for us by dying on a cross between two criminals. And then as the Old Testament had prophesied (predicted) centuries earlier, Christ defeated death and the power of sin by rising to life. His was the ultimate act of love.

The Bible describes our most-sincere loving deeds, words, and intentions as nothing more than filthy rags and rubbish. But God’s sacrificial love for us through Jesus still demands our response. For example, we can show our love for God by keeping his commands and doing his will. And it’s in Matthew’s gospel that Christ summarized the 10 Commandments for us into two laws:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind … And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Does this sound like an impossible standard? We know that King David, who was called a man after God's own heart, failed to live up to it. So, practically speaking, how should we demonstrate God-centered lives? If we’re looking for a role model, let’s look to Mary, Jesus’ mother. God recognized the young woman’s qualities of faithfulness, responsibility, and humility, and chose her to bring his only Son into the world. It was through Mary that Jesus would come to live a perfect life among sinful mankind … and all to live out the human experience through love. She responded to her eternity-altering assignment accordingly:

“Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be according to your word.’”

All Things New

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

– Isaiah 43:19

It's often an uncertain economy. Sometimes it's a midlife crisis. But whatever the reason, special people from across America are reinventing their careers — and ultimately — who they are. In his book What Should I Do with the Rest of My Life? author Bruce Frankel introduces us to several remarkable individuals who turned their backs on the past to do something completely different. Thomas Dwyer, a 70-something former intelligence officer, joined a dance troupe. And then there's Deborah Jack, who left behind her two-decades-long career in financial publishing to go into business for herself with a Fetch! Pet Care franchise.

But one of the biggest change stories of all involves Fife Symington. Back in 1997, the former two-term governor of Arizona was convicted on seven counts of bank and wire fraud, and he was sentenced to 30 months in prison and five years of probation. A federal appeals court eventually overturned his convictions, and he received a presidential pardon. Nevertheless, Symington abandoned politics, graduated from culinary school, and became an accomplished pastry chef!

These success stories are nothing less than inspirational. But even so, many folks avoid new things — particularly as they get older. But big changes can reap even bigger rewards. And as the saying goes, people often don't see the light until they feel the heat.

You won't find any arguments about that in the Bible. In Genesis, we read that God told Abraham, who was an old man at the time, to leave his beloved country for a far-off land. And because he obeyed, Abraham became the father of Israel. Moses also had a midlife crisis that drastically altered his career path. Raised within the Egyptian royal family, he fled the country after killing a cruel taskmaster, and spent the next several decades in anonymity as a shepherd. But God never forgot Moses. And he used his unlikely servant to switch gears yet again. This time, it was for Moses' return to Egypt to tell Pharaoh — the world's most-powerful ruler — to set God's people free.

God may or may not call you to make drastic changes to your career or address. But he does call on every Christ-follower to make a profound spiritual change — one that lets us see through his eyes and take on his perspective. As Jesus puts it, we all must be born again.

The word-picture the apostle Paul paints through the book of Ephesians is that we must strip off the old self and put on the new, much like exchanging filthy rags for a beautiful new set of clothes. But how do we do that? It all begins by admitting that we're fatally flawed individuals who can do nothing on our own to save ourselves from the punishment we deserve. And the next step is to believe on Jesus Christ, the only One who can save us because he long ago paid our sin-debt in full. After all, we can never do enough or be good enough on our own merits to meet God’s standards for perfection. It's only through our faith in Jesus that we can become a new creation.

With 2023 winding down, the timing of this crucial truth is hardly coincidental. So, as we approach the New Year, let's do more than make half-hearted resolutions about changing for the better. Let's instead start 2024 with a better attitude ... and a new Spirit.

 

Let God Be the Judge

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

– Luke 6:37 

Judgment is arguably one of the most misunderstood concepts in the Bible. For example, many people — including some professing Christ-followers — say that no one has the right to judge anyone … or at least call them out for a supposed sinful deed, attitude, or behavior. And they’re also quick to quote Jesus’ words from Matthew’s gospel:

“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”

With that in mind, Scripture does direct Believers to hold fellow brothers and sisters-in-Christ accountable for living according to God’s high standards. The key is that we must first address our own shortcomings to avoid committing another familiar sin: hypocrisy. But rest assured, we can judge fellow Christ-followers if we do so fairly from pertinent biblical standards. It’s in John 7:24 that Jesus

cautioned: 

“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

And in Matthew 7:18-19 he also made this familiar observation about judging others:

“A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.”

Christ-followers have open access to God’s truth through the Bible, prayer, and even wise counsel from fellow Believers. We should therefore have less trouble than others with telling right from wrong and good from evil — and living our lives accordingly. However, when we point our finger at someone else, our hand’s other four fingers point back at us. That’s why we must look closely in the mirror: Are our own words, thoughts, and actions beyond reproach? And we also must consider if the would-be transgressor simply needs guidance. Is he or she already a fellow Christ-follower? Or is the so-called “sinner” someone who never signed up for Jesus’ walk of faith in the first place? 

The answers determine the proper action. But either way, Christ-followers must hold themselves to a higher standard of behavior. And on the flipside, we must let God be the judge of those outside the faith. He knows the whole story, and we’re hardly in the position to condemn anyone. As we read in Romans 14:10:

“For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”

Regardless of what we think or say about judging others, let’s remember that love should be our core value and motivation in whatever we think, say, and do. The apostle John sums up this vast principle in just three small words: God is Love. So, with that in mind, let’s hand over the gavel and let God be the judge.

Saying Yes to God

Then I looked things over and told the leaders, the officials, and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of your enemies! The Lord is great and fearsome. So think of him and fight for your relatives and children, your wives and homes!"

– Nehemiah 4:14

It’s a common misconception — particularly among new Believers — that life’s struggles will disappear once they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. But the truth is quite the opposite. In fact, Christ-followers are particularly susceptible to the obstacles of life when they say YES to God and seek to do his will. 

These pitfalls and detours can take several disheartening forms. It might be criticism or ridicule of our efforts from an enemy, co-worker, or even a family member. And in extreme cases, the situation could turn malicious, violent, or even fatal.

The saying “No good deed goes unpunished” applies here, which is why we shouldn’t be surprised when we take heat for trying to help others see the light. In fact, we should beware if our faith-journeys are too smooth and trouble-free. It could mean that the devil doesn’t consider us a threat to his plans. And it’s then that we can become our own worst enemy: 

“How terrible when everyone says only good things about you,” warns Jesus, “because their ancestors said the same things about the false prophets.”

So, what should we do when saying yes to God gets too tough? 

The first thing is to know our opposition and acknowledge its existence. Running away, ignoring the situation, or pretending it doesn’t exist won’t make it disappear. Then we need to pray for God’s help and guidance. Likewise, we must pray for our enemies — and even do good for them. And finally, we can’t be afraid to stand up for what we’re doing. If it’s something that comes from God, saying yes to him and fighting for what’s right is worth the trouble and effort. 

That’s a tall order. But remember that we’re not in the fight alone, and God has the last word. Moreover, since Jesus has already paid the price on the cross for the world’s sins, the battle is already won, and the obstacles are overcome. As the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Christ-followers in Ephesus:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

There’s a spiritual battle underway between Christ-followers and the adversary’s deceit and false appearance of power. But rest assured, victory is ours when we say YES to God.