Notes of Faith December 14, 2022

Notes of Faith December 14, 2022

Turning Adversity and Heartache Into Miraculous Living

The Other Joseph

Joseph, the son of Jacob, was only seventeen when his world came crashing down.

His own brothers threw him into a well and left him for dead. Then they had a change of heart when they happened to see a caravan of merchants headed toward Egypt. They decided that instead of leaving him for dead, they would retrieve him from the well and sell him into slavery. In a matter of minutes, Joseph went from being the most cherished son of his father to becoming a slave transported to a foreign country. Everyone he loved was ripped from him in an instant. He lost all of his privileges and rights; he lost his beloved family, his friends, and all of his hopes and dreams were stolen. He found himself in the middle of hardship and suffering. The only future he could see was that of being a slave.

Later, after becoming a trusted servant and manager of his owner’s estate, he was thrown into prison for refusing temptation and instead choosing to honor his owner and honor his God. Yet, despite his terrible circumstances, he became the most revered and highest-ranking individual in Pharaoh’s empire. His actions saved two nations from starvation. How could this happen to someone whose whole life had been stolen and whose future had been trashed? The answer can be found in his intimate and unique relationship with God.

Now consider the “other” Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. He and Mary were betrothed. They planned a future together and, in a moment, their plans changed. Suddenly the future the “other” Joseph saw looked totally different.

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. — Matthew 1:18

The “other” Joseph knew something about hardship and suffering. He found himself in an impossible and unimaginable situation. His betrothed was having a baby. He actually contemplated a divorce and then God intervened.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit’. — Matthew 1:20

The Joseph of the New Testament heard from God and then he chose to follow Him in an intimate relationship with God. He and Mary were called to parent God’s Son, the Messiah. Together they raised Jesus. They parented Him as a baby, a toddler, and then a teenager. They parented the Savior of the world.

Both Josephs, the son of Jacob and the earthly father of Jesus, were chosen by God to endure hardships and suffer difficult things to impact the lives of others. They recognized the sovereignty of God and trusted their futures to Him.

When you believe in your heart that God is truly sovereign and that He loves you more than you love yourself, you will experience a supernatural peace and joy even amid extreme adversity, hardship, and suffering.

God wants to give us a spiritual joy that is not based on circumstances. Not only does He want to give us this joy — He wants to give it to us abundantly. He wants to fill our hearts with this joy to the point of overflowing — spilling out of our hearts and affecting those who surround us and those who enter our path for even a moment. This is the kind of joy Jesus had, and He even referred to it as “My joy.” In John 15, Jesus told the disciples and us some things that He promised would put His joy in us. He said,

These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. — John 15:11 NASB

Jeremiah wrote,

Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,

Let not the mighty man glory in his might,

Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;

But let him who glories glory in this,

That he understands and [intimately] knows Me,

That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the Lord. — Jeremiah 9:23–24 NKJV

God said that the great joy and purpose of our life — our glory — should flow out of our intimacy with Him. The word translated as “knows” in this passage is the Hebrew word for “intimately knowing.”

The Joseph of the Old Testament and the “other” Joseph understood having an intimate relationship with God. He called and they followed because they trusted Him and knew Him.

If God says that intimacy with Him is to be our glory and Jesus equates eternal life with intimately knowing Him and the Father, then of course They want intimacy with us. Knowing that Jesus defined eternal life as intimately knowing Him and the Father, take a fresh look at John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

When you believe in Christ to the point of hearing and doing what He says, you will have eternal life — intimacy with the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent.

Written for Devotionals Daily by Steven K. Scott, author of The Joseph Principles,

How could it be . . . How can a man be father to the Son of God? The other Joseph was chosen and given great responsibility, and honor to be the earthly father of Jesus, the Savior of the world! Trust and obey the call of God on your life for the highest of glory and blessing both now and forevermore.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 13, 2022

Notes of Faith December 13, 2022

What’s the Best Christmas Gift for Your Kids?

Good question.

I’ve tried everything, from ridiculously expensive “must-have” toys like My Size Barbie (a gift that was abandoned as soon as our four-year-old stole all her clothes) to a posture brace for our teenagers that was not, as the advertisement optimistically proclaimed, “virtually invisible” under your clothing.

Praying the Scriptures for Your Children

Looking back on our family’s growing up years, I can’t help but think that a lot of my Christmas mistakes could have been avoided had I stuck with my grandmother's gift-giving strategy. Gammy never gave us anything, at least nothing you could wrap. Instead, she asked her grandkids to memorize a Bible verse for her every year and, in return, she promised to pray for us.

I will admit that, as a teenager, I was less-than-enthused by my grandmother’s scheme. I don't know how I ever memorized any verses, given that my eyes were rolled so far back into my head. Today, though, many of these nuggets are still locked in, and in terms of things like wisdom, joy, and peace I can promise you this: The Bible verses have been a far better — and infinitely more comfortable — support system than even the most discreet posture brace.

I will never know the full impact of Gammy’s prayers, but I am confident that her gift to her grandchildren protected us from all manner of evil we likely deserved — and opened the door to immeasurable blessings we didn’t. And now that I’ve got grandkids of my own, I can’t think of anything I’d rather give them than prayer — the same gift I (finally) learned to give to my children.

So what does it look like, in practical terms, to “give the gift of prayer”?

Every December, I spend some time thinking about each of our kids and grandkids. I consider where they are (spiritually, as well as socially, physically, emotionally, and in other ways), and I ask God to clue me in as to what He might want to do in their lives. And then, because I love the power that comes with praying the scriptures, I go poking around in the Bible. When I find a verse that seems to speak to a child’s particular situation or need, I pick that as an “annual prayer,” personalizing it with his or her name.

Here are a handful of the prayers I’ve relied on over the years:

For a child’s academic or career success: May _______ show aptitude for every kind of learning, be well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve. (Daniel 1:4)

For a child who needs wisdom and guidance: Instruct and teach _______ in the way they should go. (Psalm 32:8)

For a child who wants friends: Surround _______ with good friends who are kind and compassionate, and quick to forgive. (Ephesians 4:32)

For a child to live out their faith in a winsome way: May _______ be wise, shining like the brightness of the heavens and leading many to righteousness. (Daniel 12:3)

When our children were little, I’d trace their hands on a piece of colored cardstock and write out the verse, along with the date. I’d cut out the hand, laminate it, and stick it on the refrigerator, where they’d serve as a visible reminder to me (and to my kids) that God was at work.

After a while, when the kids’ hands got so big that they were more creepy than cute on the fridge, I began making bookmarks with the verses instead. And after doing this now for more than twenty years, here is what I’ve discovered.

I’ve discovered that when you commit to spending a whole year praying about one particular thing, you learn to wait well, trusting God even when you can’t see what He is doing. You give Him time to work. And you get out of the way so that He can weave in answers and blessings that you had not even thought to pray for, or that your children needed.

For instance, one year I chose Isaiah 62:2-4 as a prayer verse for our daughter, Hillary. “You will be called by a new name,” this passage says. “No longer will they call you Deserted or name your land Desolate... the Lord will take delight in you and your land will be married.” Hillary was facing some uncertainty in her job at the time, and I wanted her to know that God delighted in her. I wanted God to give her a new name — a new “sense of identity” — and let her know how much she was loved.

God did that, all right. He filled my girl with purpose and joy. He gave her favor at work. And he introduced a young man into the picture — one who became her fiancé that year and then literally gave her his name. Marriage was not even on my radar when I picked that prayer verse — but it was on God’s!

Truth be told, I love gifts you can wrap and tuck under the tree (and if nothing else, the posture brace made every other gift shine by comparison). But as I think about the varied ways we can shower our children with love, I’m increasingly convinced that prayer is the best gift of all. It’s a gift that lasts. It’s one that comes with the power to influence and shape lives. And it brings peace and joy to the giver, knowing that when we come before our heavenly Father on behalf of our children, He can be trusted to accomplish good things in their lives.

Written for Devotionals Daily by Jodie Berndt, author of Praying the Scriptures for Your Children (20th Anniversary Edition), Praying the Scriptures for Your Teens, and Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children.

Don’t forget the spiritual gifts for your children and grandchildren. They bring eternal joy and blessing, unlike the gifts that are tossed aside or broken in their first few hours after opening. The gift of prayer is never-ending and the lessons learned and growth toward maturity in Christ works in giver and receiver. May we bless our friends and family with the best the Christmas season has to offer . . . Jesus, the indescribable gift!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 12, 2022

Notes of Faith December 12, 2022

Overshadowed by the Spirit

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he gave her the startling announcement that the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

When you and I place our faith in Jesus Christ and invite Him to come live within us, the Holy Spirit comes upon us, and the power of God overshadows us, and the life of Jesus is born within us. We do not conceive a physical life but rather the spiritual life of Jesus in the person of the Holy Spirit.

It is the indwelling powerful person of the Holy Spirit who sets me free from the habits of sin. But the power I possess to live a life pleasing to God is directly related to how much control of my life I give to the Holy Spirit.

~ Just Give Me Jesus

Unconditional Surrender

By this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

— 1 John 3:24 NKJV

When the Holy Spirit comes into you at your invitation, you receive as much of Him as you will ever have. You do not get a little bit of Him then and a little bit more at later experiences. Since He is a Person, you cannot get Him in pieces. You either have all of the Holy Spirit or you have none of the Holy Spirit. Why is it, then, that He seems to get us in pieces? He comes to us unconditionally, while we surrender to Him conditionally.

We give Him our Sundays but not our Mondays.

We give Him our actions but not our attitudes.

We give Him our relationships but not our reputations. We give Him our time but not our thoughts.

We give Him our burdens but not our bodies.

We give Him our prayers but not our pleasures.

We give Him our crises but not our children.

We give Him our health but not our hearts.

Would you drop the conditions and give Him all of you?

~ Just Give Me Jesus

Excerpted with permission from The Joy of My Heart by Anne Graham Lotz, copyright Anne Graham Lotz.

How can we not give everything to the One who gave us everything? We have abundant life and the promise of eternal life, the joy of peace and freedom from sin! Let us surrender our lives to God, who is our all in all. In Christ we are made new. We will be made perfect when He calls us to Himself. Let the awe of His work bring complete surrender to His Lordship in our hearts and lives!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 11, 2022

Notes of Faith December 11, 2022

The Most WONDERful Time of the Year

A few years back I had the amazing, awe-inspiring privilege of going to the Grand Canyon. My band and I were touring my new album, and while in Phoenix, we had the realization that we were only a few hours away from the Canyon. Since none of us had ever visited it for ourselves, we decided on a whim to make the quick detour before heading home to Texas.

As we stood around plotting our adventure, a nearby eavesdropper interrupted, “You don’t want to see the Grand Canyon. It’s not that great. It’s just a big hole in the ground that looks like a painting. Just go check out Sedona and then head home.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if we were about to drive hours out of our way just to be disappointed. In the end, we succumbed to our fear of missing out and decided to do both. The next morning, we made our way to the Grand Canyon by way of Sedona.

And we did not regret it.

As soon as we could see Sedona in the distance, we couldn’t help but stop every few seconds to take pictures. Every corner revealed a new angle of breathtaking grandeur. It didn’t matter that we were taking essentially the same picture over and over. We had to take turns driving because none of us could keep our eyes on the road.

I couldn’t bring myself to stop exclaiming, “Wow!” Could there be anywhere on earth more beautiful?

Then we came to the Canyon. I have never seen anything like it. It’s truly glorious in every way.

We walked around this huge chasm for hours trying to get a better vantage point to see its glory from another perspective and feed our sense of awe and amazement. I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face as joy overwhelmed me. It felt transcendent — like I was participating in something much bigger than me, and not about me.

Thank God I didn’t listen to THAT guy. I never regretted the extra hours we tacked on to our journey. It was just a little inconvenience for a seemingly infinite amount of awe.

A few months later, I was hanging with a friend of mine and telling him the story, and he said, “Have I ever told you about the time I went to the Grand Canyon? I got out of the car, took a quick look, turned to my wife, and said, ‘Cool. What’s for lunch?’ ”

I was absolutely floored. How on earth were our experiences so different? Did we go to the same place? I almost felt offended!

But the Grand Canyon doesn’t need my defending. It’s one of the seven natural wonders of the world for a reason. However, we sometimes miss out on even the greatest wonders not because they’re “not that great,” but because we are distracted. Or cynical. Or hurt. Or burnt out. Or entitled. Or just actually hungry.

If you want more “WOW!” in your life, sometimes you gotta go out of your way to experience it.

I think we can sometimes do that with Christmas. I don’t know how that is when you consider that we are talking about GOD becoming a BABY so He can save His people and give them life forever. It’s not because the story isn’t actually that great. It’s a classic case of “it’s not you, it’s me.”

Maybe the wonder gets lost in the hype.

Maybe the awe gets swallowed up in exhaustion. Maybe we feel like we’ve been there, done that and just stop looking for it. Or maybe we are just looking at it all wrong.

Rather than immersing ourselves in the wonder of God coming to be with us and letting that amazing truth captivate our imaginations and childlike sense of “WOW”, we celebrate the season like we are looking at pictures in an old album.

Like that man who said the Grand Canyon really isn’t that great or my friend who just wanted some lunch, perhaps we are settling for watching from a distance, or we’re distracted by the wrong things — like “Cool. Where’s my present?”

In my book The Art of Getting it Wrong, I throw myself under the bus quite a bit because of my own propensity for being so distracted that I miss out on the moment. Whether it’s because of my blind spots of dreaming about tomorrow or simply being too busy today, I don’t want to allow those things to rob me of the wonder and awe of this season — which can happen far too easily if we aren’t careful!

All the hustle and bustle of finding the right gift and planning the perfect meal and entertaining guests and going to parties and decorating the most aesthetically pleasing Pinterest house for the ‘Gram — it can leave you hungry, missing the Grand Canyon-sized sense of hope and happiness of Christmas because you can’t see past the metaphorical lunch you’re so fixated on.

We find many things in this world amazing, yet we are far too easily distracted by lesser things — and that robs of experiencing what is ACTUALLY wonderful!

My band and I wouldn’t have experienced the awe of one of the greatest wonders of the world if we hadn’t gone out of our way to do so. If we had just kept coasting comfortably toward home, we would have missed out on it completely. But that’s how wonder often works. You have to be intentional. If you want more “WOW!” in your life, sometimes you gotta go out of your way to experience it.

Christmas is all about disruption. It disrupted darkness and gave us the light of Heaven. It disrupted the old religious “pick yourself up by your bootstraps and just do the list of rules and regulations only to realize that they’re completely impossible” ways and gave us grace. Heck, it disrupted space and time itself by putting an infinite, boundless, eternal God into the physical limitations of human flesh! Having God be subject to the laws of physics, the passage of time, the weaknesses of the human body, and death itself is pretty disruptive! If Christmas is that great, I think it’s worth a little disruption in our own lives and schedules.

Maybe today before you coast your way into your bed tonight, just sit down by the fireplace if you have one (or put a fake one on the TV), turn on the Christmas tree lights, and spend a little time thinking about how absolutely incredible it is that the infinite greatness of God would wrap Himself in the tiny form of a baby human born to a carpenter named Joseph and a teenage girl named Mary in the humble barn of a little town called Bethlehem — all to show how much He loves you and make sure you could live forever with Him in Heaven! That’ll blow your mind way more than a million Grand Canyons combined.

Written for Devotionals Daily by Stephen Miller, author of The Art of Getting It Wrong.

We often take things for granted. But the indescribable gift of God is not one of those to be missed. It should be celebrated and given thanks for every day, for in it we have life abundant and eternal! Celebrate the wondrous gift of Jesus with me every day! Praise Him for this wonder of wonders not to be taken for granted.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 10, 2022

Notes of Faith December 10, 2022

God’s Peace that Passes All Understanding

As I write this, it’s the day before Thanksgiving, and this is how I feel right now. The holidays are officially here. Before the first one has even started, I’m working on the next one — running around with a list and checking it twice, trying to find the perfect gifts for loved ones. (Yes, I know about online shopping, but I still like to hand-pick some special gifts!) I’m also taking care of elderly parents and trying to love them well in the midst of everything. I also have to make sure that my own family is happy and taken care of.

So after the madness of shopping and the long grocery lines, I’m sitting in my car in bumper-to-bumper traffic. And right then, in the middle of stand-still traffic… my car idles. It just stops right in the midst of all the chaos. All I can do in this moment is stop and pray for God’s peace that passes all understanding. And it comes to me. I hear the Lord whisper to my heart that His peace is there for me, in this moment and for this entire holiday season.

What does peace look like to you this holiday? Consider these practical ways to find God’s peace that passes all understanding for you and your family!

Peace

Prepare. Prepare your heart! How do you do that? First, dig out anything that would hinder an intimate relationship with God. Psalm 51:10 says,

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. — NKJV

Many years ago, I taught a group of young children about clutter in their hearts. I used a beautiful bowl, decorated on the inside with bright, beautiful colors, as an example of what our hearts are like. Then we discussed how things like lying, meanness, and jealousy upset God and make our hearts dirty. We wrote down all these things on pieces of paper and then wadded them up and filled the bowl so that we were no longer able to see its beauty. We then talked about how we can “dump” out all the ugliness by asking God to forgive us and create in us ‘clean’ hearts. The simple act of just coming to God on a daily basis and asking Him to wipe away anything that would make our hearts unclean is a great way to prepare ourselves for Advent. Is there anything that you need to ‘dump’ out of your heart before the Lord today? Spend time asking Him to create a clean heart and to renew a steadfast spirit within you. He is faithful to do so always.

Engage with God. 24/7. Not just in the prayer chair or during your 15-minute quiet time. That is all important — please don’t get me wrong. But engage with Him all throughout your day. Talk to Him. Argue with Him. Pray to Him. Surrender to Him. Trust Him. Call upon Him. I love the story in Acts 10 about Cornelius, a Roman army officer who was a devout, God-fearing man and who prayed regularly to God. Scripture doesn’t tell us how, when, or where he prayed; it just says that he prayed regularly. We can do that too. Let’s engage with God in prayer all day long… in the shower… in the grocery lines… in the standstill traffic. Remember that you can pray to a living God who sees you and knows your every need. Don’t stop engaging with God after your quiet time, but continue throughout the day and even right up until you lay your head down to sleep!

Align your heart. Proverbs 3 teaches us how to align our hearts with God. This scripture starts out by telling us not to forget the things that God has taught us (v. 1, NIV). Then it goes on to tell us to store His commands in our hearts and to never let love and faithfulness leave us (vv. 1, 3). In verse 5, we’re told to

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Aligning our hearts in preparation for Jesus means that we remember what God has taught us, we live out love and faithfulness, and we trust God for all things. When we do this, we will know the true reason for the season.

Carve out time to dig into God’s Word. It is so important that we know God’s Word. His Word is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword. It is our powerful weapon that we need to hold on to and speak into every situation of our lives. I know the Bible can be intimidating — it’s a big book, after all! But it is a big book of His promises. If you are just starting out and opening the pages of God’s Word for the first time, I encourage you to carve out regular time to memorize a verse or two. And if you don’t know how or where to start — try the Psalms. Every day I open my Bible to the book of Psalms for that day. For example, today is November 23rd, so I open up to Psalm 23, one that you may be familiar with. And in the midst of all the chaos going on, it brings a calm to my spirit. I find great peace as I read, “The Lord is my shepherd…” That is all I need!

Enjoy. There is so much to enjoy this season. Take a moment to truly enjoy the reason for the season. Jesus is our greatest gift.

Prayer

Precious Lord, I pray for our world this holiday season. Today, more than ever, we need the peace of Christ to surround us. We need healing in our world. Where anger rages and division runs rampant, we need Your PEACE to flood our hearts. As we scurry around to fill our Christmas stockings, we need You to fill our hearts with Your Word, Your promises, and Your truth. I pray that each and every one of us would open our hearts to receive the greatest gift of all — Jesus — who was born in a manger and now reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Amen.

Written for Devotionals Daily by Anne Neilsen, author of Angels.

If only we would live as if God is with us every day 24/7, because He is! Our focus on truth and the realities of the future, heaven, eternal life, seeing the face of God, worshipping in His presence, never sick or dying, are reasons for our relationship with God every moment of every day. Stay focused on Jesus and the circumstances of this life will be filled with hope and joy of eternal expectation of the promises of God! Learn to be with Him every day!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 9, 2022

Notes of Faith December 9, 2022

Prepare Your Heart

We usually attend a little church in Big Sky Montana during the Christmas season. As I ponder what Advent means to me, I think about the people in our church and how they are so caring and how they desire to bless those less fortunate. My wife, Marsha, and I discussed what we might do to help those in need this year. We considered giving gifts to children, food for families, and perhaps including a few Christian books to share a sense of peace and to reveal how much God loves them all the time, not just at Christmas.

The Advent Season is a time to reflect and find ways to prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Christ, and the true meaning of Christmas.

This is done in many ways — prayer, reflection, music, and good deeds. It should be a time to stop amidst the frenzy of parties and shopping to celebrate Jesus’ birth and prepare for His second coming.

Let's prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Christ, and the true meaning of Christmas.

Many churches, like ours, take a dedicated time to light one candle on each of the Sundays of Advent. The first candle (purple) represents HOPE. When everything else in our lives fail, our only hope is found in Jesus Christ. No matter where we find ourselves, let us always remember our hope is in Him.

The second candle (also purple) represents PEACE. We need peace in our lives, our homes, our families, and in our world. May we take the time to slow down and seek the peace that passes all understanding from Christ alone.

The third candle (pink) represents JOY. Open your eyes to the simple joys all around you. Find joy in a hug or a smile or laughter or in the many small things around us each and every day. The fourth candle (also purple) represents LOVE. In Matthew 22:37–39, Jesus tells us that love is the greatest commandment, first to love God above all else, then to love our neighbors. Sharing the love of Christ is a gift, let us find ways to give that gift this season.

Written for Devotionals Daily by Jack Countryman, author of The Miracle of Peace.

Join me in celebrating every day the indescribable gift, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. May we awake with a worshipping and thankful heart and serve the Lord each day as He brings opportunity. Love God. Love others.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 8, 2022

Notes of Faith December 8, 2022

All Eyes on Jesus

Look at the Star

They went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. — Matthew 2:9-10

Our senses are bombarded 24/7 by sounds and sights, especially during the Christmas season. Marketing companies compete, all trying to get our attention. They spend millions for what they’re selling and promoting, not to mention holiday parties, church programs, and school plays.

I wonder what I would have used to get the world to look at a tiny baby in a manger. How would I have drawn attention to an obscure stable behind some inn in an obscure Judean town?

When God wanted to get the attention of the nations of the world, He used a star. When the Magi came from the east to Jerusalem, they asked,

Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him. — Matthew 2:2

This Christmas, be His star! Ask God to use you to draw the attention of others to the Baby in the manger.

*

There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

– 1 Timothy 2:5

The Only Way

This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. — 1 John 4:9

Do you think there is more than one way to God? Have you bought into popular opinion that seems to think you can pick and choose your religion — even make one up to suit yourself ? If this is the way you’re thinking, heed the words in

1 Timothy 2:5:

There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

The politically correct say Jesus was a good man, a well-meaning prophet, even a revolutionary! But the Bible says He is the only Mediator between God and man:

There is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved. — Acts 4:12

Jesus Himself said,

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. — John 14:6

Don’t allow political correctness to rob you of a relationship with the one true God. This Christmas season give God a gift He wants. Tell someone how to come to Him… through Jesus.

Excerpted from Fixing My Eyes on Jesus by Anne Graham Lotz, copyright Anne Graham Lotz.

Our minds should always be fixed on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith! Seek Him not only at Christmas time, but every day of the year.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 7, 2022

Notes of Faith December 7, 2022

The Jesus I Need

Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

That given the events of the past years, Advent feels just a tiny bit misplaced?

Global pandemic.

Economic instability.

Racial tension.

Unending violence.

The call to quiet myself and once more prepare for the coming of Jesus feels like something better suited for a time of greater peace. What I need right now is to not wait on the Lord but experience the Lord. Like, yesterday.

You know what I mean?

And it’s not exactly the Jesus in a manger whom I really need, if I’m being honest. It’s the Jesus who walks on water and flips over tables and brings the dead back to life who I want rushing onto the scene. And yet, Advent calls me to wait and prepare and keep watch for a Savior who will enter the world in as fragile a state as possible: an infant entrusted to a poor and powerless couple.

Remind me again how this is Good News?

As is most always the case, to understand the story of Jesus we must first understand the story of the Bible. Ages before the birth of Jesus, the Prophet Isaiah told us exactly who this powerless infant would one day become.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. — Isaiah 9:6

This is who Jesus will become, Isaiah says. But this is not who Jesus is at the beginning. He begins… as we all do… at the beginning. And even though that’s often not the Jesus we want, I think it might be the Jesus I need.

God is not afraid.

Because I don’t know about you, but it helps me tremendously to know that Jesus will not only come to have the world rest upon His shoulders but that He is brave enough to allow the world to bear down upon Him. Put another way:

yes, the world is terrifying, but the Good News is that God is not afraid.

How do I know that? Because Jesus could have arrived fully formed as the Mighty God and Prince of Peace. He is God and God can do whatever God wants to do. But God chose to come to us as a vulnerable child, which is just another way of saying He did what none of us would ever do. He let down every defense, ceded all strength, and offered Himself to the entire world.

Why? There are many good answers that could be given, but at least one of them must be that God wanted us to know that even though the world can be terrifying, God is not terrified, and thus we can choose to not be either.

Seen in this light, I am drawn more peacefully into the waiting season of Advent, eager to lean in close and gaze upon this Child who will save the world and trust that even though the story has yet to play itself out, the mere presence of the Baby lets me know that all, in the end, shall be well.

We talk a lot about love in our culture, and it appears to mean many things to many people. There is perhaps no greater example of love, in my opinion, than acts of bravery on behalf of another. The birth of Jesus Christ was a deliberate act of bravery meant to not only save but also inspire.

After all, the shepherds who came to see Jesus were poor people, just like Mary and Joseph. Men who had no hope that anyone in power would ever care about their existence. But as they stood there, gazing at the Child, they understood that God was not far away but near to them. They understood that God was with them, and if God was with them, then there was no place God would or could not be.

My prayer for this Advent is that you and I may also know this truth. That we may be brave enough to face this world with hopeful patience, trusting that the Child in the manger is exactly who Isaiah told us He would be.

Written for Devotionals Daily by Ryan Casey Waller, author of Depression, Anxiety, and Other Things We Don’t Want to Talk About.

O Come Let Us Adore Him, Christ the Lord!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 6, 2022

Notes of Faith December 6, 2022

God’s Recipe for Revival

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. — 2 Chronicles 7:14

During a recent Christmas season, while I was passing through our kitchen where my wife was busy preparing the big family meal, my eyes fell on an old notecard that had yellowed with the years. Looking closely, I saw my mother’s handwriting on it. It was her old recipe for one of my favorite dishes. When done precisely as the directions said, it tasted exactly like my mother used to make it!

Within the heart of each of us is a longing for something more, a season of new spiritual refreshing, a personal revival, if you please. God has His own recipe for revival in our hearts. He has written it down for all of us: “If My people will... then I will hear from Heaven.” And when this recipe is followed precisely and put into practice, it will result in a new spirit reanimating us and enabling us to soar into spiritual regions some of us may have never known.

Much talk of revival is from man’s side, man’s viewpoint. Thus, it becomes man-centered. For a moment, let’s seek to transport ourselves and view personal revival from the throne of God. That is, from God’s viewpoint.

GOD’S DESIRE “If My people... then...”

God is waiting, willing, and longing to send a new spirit of revival to His people. However, He does not overrule our own will. Consequently, in a very real sense, while revival is always the sovereign work of Almighty God, it is also conditional. The Bible says, “If My people...” If certain conditions are met, certain results will follow.

God longs to send revival to us:

He is not willing that any perish. — 2 Peter 3:9

There is a very real sense in which personal revival is not a miracle. It is simply God’s promised response to conditions met by His people.

God is waiting, willing, and longing to send a new spirit of revival to His people.

GOD’S DESIGN “If MY people...”

Revival is conditional upon God’s own people. Hear His invitation: “If My people...” The real story behind any revival in history begins when God’s own people become convicted of neglect and begin to beseech the throne for a fresh wind of His Spirit. Reading the history of many great awakenings reveals that they usually begin with one man or one woman who becomes desperate for what the psalmist called “fresh oil” (Psalm 92:10).

God’s problem today is not with the lost but with His own people. Many are pointing to the decay of our culture as being the result of the decline of our moral fabric and the influence of secular, and often downright godless factors all around us. However, God reveals that the real issue is not with “them” but with “us.” Or, as Jesus once said, we should not try to get a small splinter out of someone else’s eye until we first remove the large beam from our own eye (Matthew 7:3–5).

God’s design for revival begins with His own people.

GOD’S DEMAND “humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways”

God’s demand begins with a call for His own people to “humble themselves,” to recognize and confess their need to seek Him in all things. The Christian must be on constant vigil to avoid the temptation of spiritual pride and self-centeredness. True humility involves a broken spirit before the Lord.

Second, God calls His people to pray. The word does not entail the mere recitation of prayers but an earnest calling out to Him. Too many Christians’ prayer testimonies can be summed up with four words from Ephesians 6:12 — “we do not wrestle.” Every true revival in history has been born and cradled in the place of prayer. We read of the early church that “when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).

Next, God demands that we “seek [His] face.” He said to Jeremiah,

You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. — Jeremiah 29:13

If believers today spent as much time seeking His face as we do seeking His hand, we would be on the way to revival. Much of our own praying seems to be consumed with seeking something from His hand in the way of material or physical needs. Perhaps too little of our praying is consumed with simply seeking His face for personal revival.

God’s demand also includes turning from our “wicked ways.” Sin that is unconfessed and therefore unforgiven is the greatest obstacle to revival. As Solomon reminded us, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). Note that it is not enough to simply be sorry for and to confess our sins; we must also forsake them.

GOD’S DELIGHT “I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

God’s delight is to forgive and cleanse us of our sin. Why? So that we might appropriate all that the cross of Christ involves, so that, as far as we might personally be concerned, His death would not be in vain.

God delights more in healing our hearts and our homes than we do ourselves.

He is willing, waiting, and longing to be faithful because of conditions we are called to meet.

If my daughter and I had a misunderstanding or something had broken our fellowship, I would long for restoration. If she came to me in humility, asked for forgiveness, and looked lovingly into my face, how do you think I would react? Of course I would forgive her and welcome her with open arms and an open heart. No wonder the Bible reveals that our heavenly Father will do so much more for us! This great God, who sees a small field sparrow when it falls to earth, cares much more for you (Matthew 6:25–27, Matthew 10:29).

As you memorize this verse, meditate on the fact that personal revival, while it is God’s work, is also conditional: “If My people... then I will hear from Heaven.” God has a recipe for personal revival. Our part is not that difficult. It simply calls us to follow the directions.

Excerpted from The Joshua Code by O. S. Hawkins, copyright O. S. Hawkins.

My prayer is that you will take this to heart. There is not one of us who is perfect, who always does the will of God and should repent individually and seek the repentance of our people, the nation, the world.

Our entire Scriptures are written to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. But if we want to differentiate what was to the Jew and what was to the Gentile, we miss the glory of God calling the world that Christ came to save.

How can I trust the principals and character of God to promise me salvation if I would but believe, when I cannot believe without His gift of faith.

God does not change. His principals can be applied because He does not change. Though these verses in context were spoken to the Jew, the application is that if God’s people will do specific things, then the character of God brings His response to those things even in a different, yet similar circumstance.

All Jews have never listened to the Word of God. All Gentiles will never respond to the Word of God. But all people that belong to God are His, and can apply the truths of His character to change their own heart, to trust Him to change the world around them and truly bring revival. May God be praised and glorified in bringing those He has chosen to Himself. May we be obedient, humble ourselves and pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways . . . He will hear and heal our world!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 5, 2022

Notes of Faith December 5, 2022

Jerry Waken, one of our elders at Community Grace Brethren, is in the arms of his Savior after leaving this earth this past Saturday.

Let Us Go to Bethlehem

Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. — Luke 2:15

It was a dark night… yet there was light! The Light of the world had come. Bethlehem almost missed it. No room. So the young, pregnant Jewish girl found herself without the decency of even a clean sheet or a simple cot. In her hour of labor, her bed was straw in a stable. And, when the babe was born, she herself, with trembling fingers, wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in the feeding trough.

Down the hillside a group of shepherds had a surprise visit from Heaven. They rushed to the stable, found the babe, and returned “glorifying and praising God” (Luke 2:20).

Let’s become Bethlehem ourselves. We find in this little village a place of potential, providence, and privilege. The Lord longs for you to become a Bethlehem in your own right. That is, to awaken to the fact that you are a person of potential, providence, and privilege.

*

Bethlehem Is a Place of Potential

But you, Bethlehem… though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth… the One… whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. — Micah 5:2

Think of it. Of all the places for the Messiah to be born, God chose Bethlehem. One would have thought it might be in a much more prominent place, like Jerusalem. Bethlehem reminds us that in God’s economy the small shall become great, and the last shall be first. Bethlehem was a place of potential, and even though you may feel insignificant, like Bethlehem, so are you!

As the Lord looks at you, He doesn’t see you for what you are, but for what you could become. This is the message of Bethlehem.

God did not come to Caesar’s palace to be born, nor to Herod’s court. He arrived quietly, almost unannounced in a seemingly insignificant village.

God is reminding you today that in His eyes you have potential for greatness. See yourself as a Bethlehem. You, too, are a person of potential.

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The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight.

Phillips Brooks

Bethlehem Is a Place of Providence

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me

The One to be Ruler in Israel,

Whose goings forth are from of old,

From everlasting. — Micah 5:2

Long centuries before His birth, the prophets foretold that Christ would be born in Bethlehem. But how? Joseph and Mary resided seventy miles north, in Nazareth. God put the whole world in motion to fulfill His Word. A decree went out from Caesar Augustus that everyone was to go to the place of their family lineage to pay taxes. So Joseph, because he was in the line of David, left Nazareth with his very pregnant wife on a long journey of inconvenience.

Many of the things in our lives that on the surface appear inconvenient, may just be the hand of God’s providence getting us to our own Bethlehem.

Bethlehem reminds us that what God promises, He performs — no matter what. Bethlehem is a place of providence, and so are you.

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Bethlehem Is a Place of Privilege

My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you.

— Galatians 4:19

What an awesome privilege to be the handpicked city to cradle the Son of God. Why Bethlehem? Why not Jerusalem, the seat of religious power? Or Rome, the center of political power? Or Athens, the center of intellectual power? God was sending a message.

The hope of our world is not in religion, politics, or philosophy. God privileged the little village of Bethlehem to send the message — the hope of the world is in a Savior!

This Christmas could become a Bethlehem moment for you. Like Bethlehem, you can awaken to a brand-new world. The same Christ born in Bethlehem can be born again in you. Paul puts it this way: “I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you.” If you think Bethlehem is privileged to be His birthplace, what a greater privilege for Christ to be born in you.

Thinking of Bethlehem, Phillips Brooks wrote, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

Excerpted from The Christmas Code by O. S. Hawkins, copyright O. S. Hawkins.

What would you have done had you been there? Would you have gone to see this indescribable gift? Would you have worshipped with the shepherds? Would you have brought gifts for the new-born King? We, who have heard the gospel and believed, have seen. We worship as did the shepherds and wise men. We have greater opportunity to serve today than they did without full understanding of why this child was given and what he would do, to redeem man and glorify God!

Come and see, worship, and serve the King of Kings with me until we meet Him face to face! Joy to the world!

Pastor Dale