New Year Resolution

1 Peter 1:13

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.

With each new year, many people set New Year’s Resolutions.  When I read this verse this morning, that is what came to mind.  For this new year, I want to make sure that my mind is alert and sober and that I am setting my hope on the grace to be brought to me when Jesus returns. 

We do not know the day or hour that he will return.  We should at all times be in the right mind so that when the time does come, we are prepared!

Happy New Year!

Our Journey to Adoption, Part VI - Jesus is Enough!

As we saw last week, the blind man faced quite the opposition right after he received his sight.  He was taken to the Pharisees for questioning, his parents weren’t supportive, and he was eventually thrown out of the synagogue!  Jesus didn’t leave him there, though. 

 John 9:35-38                ³⁵Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" ³⁶"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him." ³⁷Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you." ³⁸Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

Jesus didn’t get the man reinstated into the synagogue or fix his relationships, but He did reveal more of Himself to him. He helped the man’s faith continue to grow, which was far more important. In response, the man chose not to focus on what he didn’t have or what he lost but instead chose to focus on what he did have and who Jesus was. Jesus was enough!

That’s a lesson God continually impressed on me through our adoption journey. Last winter as court dates kept not being scheduled or scheduled and then canceled, it was easy to get frustrated. We even saw a third fertility doctor and finally tried insemination twice, to no success. However, after starting my period for about the hundredth time since our miscarriage, I was able to praise God! We were studying the book of Revelation at the time and how worthy Jesus always is! He is enough! 

Where else do you and I need to turn our focus away from what we don’t have or what we’ve lost and instead remember what we do have and who Jesus is? He is always approachable, always available, always there, always offering help, and always worthy of worship. Jesus is enough!

Alice

Blaming The Student

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.  “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.  John 13:12-17

“What is wrong with kids today?”  I laugh when others say that not realizing that is what we ourselves often heard from our parents.  Many of us are frustrated with how today’s youth seem self-absorbed and do not care enough about God (or others for that matter) and what He wants.  My initial reaction has been to jump on the bandwagon.  However, I realize maybe God expects something better of us.  Perhaps we feel the way we do because the younger generation is just different from us.  Could it be we have fallen into the trap of trying to use old school math to solve a new school math problem?  It is far easier to tell the younger generation that does not seem to get it that they need to do things the way we did it.  Now there is some truth to that, and for some youth, that is exactly what is needed.  But think of this as a teacher and student problem.  If we, the teacher, are giving all the effort, our initial belief is it must be the student’s fault, but if the student is trying to understand but failing to, the teacher clearly is not good at teaching, right?  The real truth lies somewhere in the middle.  And it’s important that we stop focusing on blaming ‘the student’ because we all lose if they do not learn who God is and what He has in store for them, right?

Jesus as a teacher focused on helping others to learn of God’s plan, and He utilized a number of different ways to achieve this as His goal was for us to be living examples of Him.  Nearing His final days, Jesus washes the feet of the Disciples, and teaches as an example.  This is powerful because as Jesus noted, they acknowledged Him as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and yet He was humble enough to do this for them.  Jesus sometimes told parables, and other times asked questions to help others figure it out.  At times, He was blatantly direct, and others, He was a loving nurturer and empathizer.  Here, He simply sets the example for them and ultimately us.  If we want to reach a generation that has lost God, we cannot simply say they don’t get it.  What we need to do is understand where they are.  Then like Jesus, set the example and find out how to best teach them about who God is. 

God’s work is a labor of love.  If we love God’s people, we are obligated to be teachers to those who may not know Him.  If you are not capable of teaching a way that gets through to them, rely on someone who can, and learn from them.  What’s the worst that can happen?  They still stay lost?  How can you share your knowledge of God to others?  What can you do to be a better sharer of God’s impact in your life?  My prayer is that we focus being better teachers of who Jesus Christ is and stop blaming ‘the student.’  Amen.

Tues Devo: New Year, same path

Hello,

So often we talk about the New Year and making new changes. We look at what we need to do differently. Some do well with that, others fade in time, others just make no change in the face of pressure. But what if we were to look at the New Year from another perspective – that of our Heavenly Father? He isn’t going to do anything new. He wants to keep us moving down the same path – growth in Him and towards Him. Why should we bother looking at it from this way? We like to think about new and fresh starts. I think it is encouraging to have the element of consistency. God is working with and on us – that hasn’t changed. I think it is also good to not forget where things have come from to bring us to the point where we are now. While we may not be fond of the immediate past, if we step back and look at where we started we can see the progress over time, and be encouraged as God draws us closer to Himself. Paul reminds us of this in Philipians 1:6 “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (NASB)

Have a blessed day and 2017 – let God keep working in your life.

Will Hill