“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘do not be afraid’…” Luke 2:8-10

Imagine you’re walking through a park in Chicago, or New York, or Wichita, or St. Louis. You are walking home from work, thinking about all the things you have to do, all the cares you have in your life. You’re thinking about your love relationships, your job stress, your financial burden. In other words, you’ve tuned out the world around you and are living in a world within your mind. Suddenly, an Angel of the Lord appears and whatever “the Glory of the Lord” is, you are suddenly in the middle of it. Imagine your surprise, and shock, and yes, fear. That’s when the Angel says,

“Do Not Be Afraid.”

How wonderful would it be to have an angel of God appear and say to us, “Do not be afraid”, right when we need it most as we internally play and endless loop of our stress and worry and fear. Perhaps then we might actually might follow the advice. For Jesus says over and over again in scripture, do not worry and do not fear but so many choose not to take His advice. You can make a decision to change that today. Why not send your worry and fear on vacation and set your sights on Jesus.  

“Look at the ships, though they are great and driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires.” James 3:4

Wind is a powerful force, just ask anyone who has witnessed a tornado, or even the 100 mile per hour winds recently blowing throughout the midwest. Amazing what this invisible presence has in our daily life, so much so that many times we may feel powerless against it. Then we read in James 3:4 that though a great sailing ship is driven by strong winds, a seemingly small rudder beneath the waters surface can turn that ship wherever captain desires to go. Translation,

You Have More Control Than You Think

Perhaps better stated, “you have more control AS you think”, for that “small rudder” is your mind. Whatever lives in your mind is bound to come out of your mouth in the form of what you say, what you declare, and what you believe. Proverbs 23:7 says very clearly, “As a person thinks, so they are”. Therefore, if you think worry, fear, trouble, destruction, peril, then don’t be surprised when those very things manifest in your life. Conversely, if you think health, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self control, likewise don’t be surprised when they manifest in your life. No matter which way the winds are blowing today, look to Jesus and set your rudder directly onto His promises. You’ll be amazed how the seas begin to calm.

“Now to Him (Jesus) who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20

The topic of miracles holds incredible fascination for me. In my lifetime I have seen more than my share of miracles, from physical healings to positive financial reversals to restored relationships. God is in the miracle business, but to Him they are not miracles, they are simply His provision and His grace passed along to us. Novelist Frederick Buechner famously said, “A miracle is when one plus one equals a thousand”. I love this quote because the truth of it is,

When One Person Connects with Jesus

One Plus One Does Equal A Thousand.

Ephesians 3 talks all about this miracle formula. For Jesus does do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine when He is at work within us. So, what’s our part in this equation? We simply have to be willing to say yes to Jesus, yes to His love, and yes to His leading. However, be prepared when you do for you are about to see a parade of miracles multiply in your life.

“Love…endures…” 1 Corinthians 13:4

In 1985, Huey Lewis and The News found themselves with a powerful hit song from the “Back To The Future” film soundtrack called, “The Power of Love”. It’s starts by saying, “The power of love is a curious thing….” Huey was right. The power of love is beyond curious for it can be outright transformative. I’ll never forget a phone call I received years ago. “We’re getting married” a friend who I’ll call Jen said to me, and instantly I knew the incredible love those words entailed. The man Jen was about to marry, a man I will call John, had recently suffered a severe stroke. John was unable to speak yet understood everything you’d say, and after three months was gaining the use of his right hand and his right leg again. I remember the frustration in his eyes at not being able to make his body move or form the words he wants to say, yet mention the name of Jesus and the cares seem to vanish. John trusted his Savior beyond the confines of his body. Each day the Lord shone his love on John and John soaked that love in.

Each Day Brought New Hope. 

As for Jen, she never thought twice about putting her life on hold to care for John. John needed her and that was all that mattered to Jen. On the day of their wedding, John sat in his wheelchair with a smile from ear to ear as his bride approached. That smile never left his face as the minister talked about the definition of love from 1 Corinthians 13, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things believes all things, hopes all things endures all things.” John and Jen already knew this definition. They were the living embodiment of it. Love is a curious thing, for as scripture also says, Love never fails. 

“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Each day is a day that God has laid before us. The day may be filled with laughter or with tears, with heartache or with possibilities, but whatever comes does not really matter for it all pales in comparison to the glory of God. That is why David says in the second part of the verse,

“We WILL Rejoice And Be Glad In It!”

While not always easy, I do my best to live with this verse at the forefront of my mind. Growing up I often heard the saying, “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.” Each day we rise from bed should be a day of rejoicing. Jesus himself said, “I have come that you would have life and have it abundantly.” With that kind of support from our Heavenly Father there is always a good reason to rejoice.  

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:15

When my children were young, without even seeing them enter the room I knew who was there. More times than not their footfall gave them away. Those little feet usually also gave away their mood, be it tired, or excited, or happy, or sick, or content. I find it fascinating how our moment by moment attitudes are reflected in our movements, and how

Our Movements Can Affect Those Around Us

When your feet carry you into a room do they bring with them joy, peace and contentment, or do they bring heartache and discouragement. Romans 10:15 reminds us of what the Old Testament Prophet named Isaiah once said that living out our faith is living a life of peace and glad tidings, and carrying those beautiful sentiments to all we meet. Living such a “happy feet” optimistic life is easy when we know how much our Creator loves and cares for us.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6

I was watching a commercial for a candy bar and their tag line came up, saying, ‘satisfy your hunger’. I thought for a minute and said, man that sure looks good but is that all its going to take to satisfy my hunger? The taste of chocolate and a brief sugar rush? Of course, I’m absolutely going to enjoy every bite, but I’m certainly under no illusion that I’m going to be satisfied for more than an hour. So many things in life are temporary fixes to our hunger of the moment: jobs, money, food, addictions, misguided relationships. As the old Johnny Lee country song says, we spend a lot of time “looking for love in all the wrong places”, then we spend the rest of our time complaining that life does not love us back. The real question we have to answer today is,

Where Do We Find Long Term Satisfaction?

Is it even possible to find something satisfying that will last? Something that won’t wear out or grow stale. Something that will build us up and won’t leave us out in the cold. For me, each day that I grow in faith, life becomes more satisfying than the day before. My daily walk with God fills me up. All of life’s struggles may not have melted away, but day by day they become more manageable because I view them differently. Jesus says, ‘Don’t worry’, so I make it a daily point to try and eliminate worry. Jesus says ‘Do not fear’, so I make it a daily point to eliminate fear in my life. Each new day I chose to trust in the One who gives us a beautiful promise in Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.” So many get hung up on the word “righteous” so re-read this verse one more time when a definition replaces that word. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for leading a life that is pleasing to God, for they shall be filled.” Wow! You mean I can be blessed and filled simply by hungering and thirsting to live a life that is pleasing to God? YES YOU CAN! Then what pleases God, you might ask? Its simple – Faith. Hebrews 11:6 holds the answer: “Without faith it is impossible to please God”. 

“The LORD said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor” Joshua 6:2

As a teenager music seemed to speak truths that no other medium could really touch. I don’t think much has changed in the decades since. I remember wearing out Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” driving to and from high school. On some level at that age I believed, as the lyrics said, that I was “just another brick in the wall” of life. What difference can I really make? The system is what it is. After all, walls are unscalable, aren’t they? I’ve faced plenty of them in life. Walls that appears to have no end to the right or the left. Then there’s the book of Joshua, and a great story about

Tearing Down Walls In Life.

In the story, the children of Israel are facing the walls of Jericho. We are talking about one massive insurmountable wall. And yet, what does God have to say about this particular wall? “The LORD said to Joshua, ‘See! I have given Jericho into your hand, and its king, and the mighty men of valor.’“ Notice how God does not acknowledge the insurmountable wall that Joshua is facing. To God, the wall is inconvenient at best. To God, the battle has already been won! And what’s even more interesting, Joshua does not argue with God. So, does the wall fall? Of course the wall falls, for that’s what God does. He tears down our walls for us. I’ve watched Him do it over and over and over again in my own life. Give it a try. Simply give God your praise today and watch your walls come tumbling down.