Christian Living

Several months ago, I attended a convention where the speaker talked about his feelings when asked to fill the shoes of a leader he greatly respected and admired. His initial thought was simply this: “Lord, help me not to mess this up.” He then recounted how the Holy Spirit rebuked that spirit of fear within him.

It’s become a habit of mine—throughout the month of December, I jot down areas in which I want to grow in the new year as they come to mind. Then somewhere during the week between Christmas and New Years, I write out specific goals.

It can be a real dilemma seeing methods that seem to work really well, then being told not to use them.

D. L. Moody said: “The longer I live the more I am convinced that godly men and women are not appreciated in our day. But their work will live after them, and there will be a greater work done after they are gone, by the influence of their lives, than when they were living.”

A few years ago, I wrote a little book titled Christmas Is a Gift. In it, I pointed out that Christmas itself is the gift of Christ’s presence: Emmanuel—God with us! But if Christmas is a gift, how do we unwrap it? How do we celebrate the gift, not just enjoy the wrapping?

“Mom, what is up with great grandpa? He is all dressed up and rushing around. Where is he going?”

In nearly fifty years of pastoral ministry, I’ve heard many arguments against the separatist position, particularly ecclesiastical separation. I am now seventy-one and have been a separatist by conviction all my adult life. Recently, I paused to reflect on why I hold the convictions I do. Let me share five reasons.

Financial margin: that pleasant and sometimes rare, financial distance between income and expenses. Some of us ask, “Where did it go?” and “How do I get it back?”

We know that Jesus is the reason for the season. But how much of our season actually is centered around celebrating Christ?

This is the season we hear the friendly words “Merry Christmas” all around us. It is a gracious greeting. It is a sentimental statement. Yet, while the phrase itself is very endearing to so many of us, the truth is that many people have no idea what it truly means to be merry.

In dealing with the sufficiency of Scripture, Psalm 119 is a great place to start. The psalmist has taken every letter of his alphabet and started eight verses (so, eight verses begin with Aleph, eight begin with Beth, etc). In this lengthy psalm, the major topic is the Word of God (statutes, precepts, commandments, testimonies, law, etc). As the writer exhausts his alphabet, the reader is left with the impression that he has not exhausted the subject of God’s Word.

Christmas might very well be the most wonderful time of the year…but it is also the busiest! I know for our ministry, the time between now and Christmas is packed with activity—extra Christmas outreach, special Christmas services, and unique opportunities for ministry. On top of all of that, we have our annual Vision Sunday just two weeks after Christmas.

I love Christmas! Growing up, I loved to wake up on Christmas morning to the smell of the gas heater and peek in the living room to see if “Santa” had come during the night. Sure enough, he had come and delivered bunches of presents wrapped in red Santa paper.

Have you ever met someone who is like way too joyful? You know, the person who literally always has a smile on their face? The person who is always upbeat and never has a bad day? Sometimes those people are too much to handle. However, that person is most likely full of joy, not just happiness.

Early in my ministry, I assumed pastorates where the previous pastor had been involved in ministerial misconduct. In the later years of pastoring, however, I had the privilege of succeeding two men whose lives were characterized by unsullied integrity.

Our grandson, Chandler, recently went to the doctor for a follow up appointment on his lungs. (He had severe necrotizing pneumonia and lung surgery last year.)

Americans must never forget the origins of our national Thanksgiving holiday. Its spiritual significance is no longer taught in our nation’s public schools. In fact, most school children today are taught that Thanksgiving originated when the Pilgrims invited their Native American friends to dinner to thank them for their help in troubled times after the Mayflower landed. As with much of modern American revisionist history, there really is much more to the story.

I recently did something I should do more often—turned notifications off on my phone, drove to an area with no cell reception, hiked to the bottom of a canyon, and sat for two and a half hours with a good book.

Ill-gotten gain always comes with the attached string of eventual guilt. That is why there are many who are increased with goods yet decreased in their ability to enjoy them.

One of the plaguing sins of American Christians is ingratitude. So many people spend their lives looking for that something—some other place, person, opportunity, recognition—that will be better. Their discontentment diverts their attention from what they already have.