This Present Christmas

   Sometimes we have to close our eyes so we can see.  We have to leave behind the ordinary and look deep into the heart of the One Who was born at Christmas.  Then we can witness the marvelous miracle that began with the life of a tiny Baby, the Son of God.
   There was never a night like it before or since.  In our hearts we can relive the events of that night when Heaven touched earth.  We can walk to the stable, hear the angels' message, reach for the star, and find Jesus as alive today as He has always been.
    So, close your eyes and look beyond the here and now and straight into the realm of eternity.  Christ is still being born in the hearts of men today, and those hearts resound with the angels, "peace on earth, good will to men!"

The Class of '75

            I was going through some “old stuff” the other day and found my speech from graduation.  My son said it was still relevant today, so I thought I would share it.

THE CHOICE IS OURS – INDIVIDUALISM

            “As graduating seniors, we are faced with a new era of challenge and choice.  In a society that is less structured than ever before, that is more liberal and permissive, we have the privilege and opportunity to determine our separate roles.  The choice will be ours.

            How can we, as the graduating seniors of Belton-Honea Path High School, become individuals?  To become an individual one must possess a total character distinguished from others. 

Why do so many people conform to another’s lifestyle rather than setting their own pace?  A survey was made of 600 students in the psychology classes of a university in which they were asked to state their most difficult personal problem.  Seventy-five percent of the students listed lack of confidence. 

Everywhere you encounter people who are inwardly afraid, who suffer from a deep sense of inadequacy and insecurity, and who doubt their own personal powers.  They do not believe that they have it in them to be what they want to be, and so they make themselves content with something less than that of which they are capable.  They resort to conforming to others’ standards so as to have assurance of acceptance and success rather than being ostracized for their own thoughts or actions.

            Henry Van Dyke once said, “Individuality is the salt of common life.  You may have to live in a crowd, but you do not have to live like it nor subsist on its food.”

            As we walk away from Belton-Honea Path High School, our friends, and our past; we have a choice – one that is an important molding factor for our future.  During the past, we have conformed to our peers’ ideas in dress code, our speech, and even our habits.  But when we go our separate ways, we will have to decide whether or not we will become an individual or conform again to our new stage of life, whether that stage be college or employment.  We are not forced to conform, but we are forced to make a decision in one way or another.

            Henry David Thoreau said, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.  Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”

            Every person has a different calling.  Each has a different purpose or goal in his life, even within this graduating class of 1975.  In our lives we will meet people who have different ideas from those of our own.  We must learn to accept these people as individuals.

            So, you see, the choice is ours as to whether or not we will become an individual and whether or not we will accept others as individuals.  If we change our personality for every stage of life we take part in, we will never have possession of a solid character.  Let us not build something that we will have to tear down.”

The End of the Road

While I was driving along, I looked at the upcoming hill.  It appeared the top of the hill was the end of the road.  I had travelled that road before, so I knew it continued.  But I still asked myself as I looked toward the illusion, “Should I keep going?”  What if it really was as it appeared?  What if it ended?  Then I would be in danger of falling off into…something.  It was foolish to entertain those thoughts because I knew where the road ended.  I knew I was safe and the road would take me to my destination, so I disregarded the thoughts and continued on.

Most of us have faced the same scenario in our life’s journey.  We come to a place in the road that looks like the end, and we question, “Should I keep going?  Is it safe?”  We may have come to this place before and know that Jesus will make a way for us…He is the way.  But when we come to that place again, doubts surface in our minds about the faithfulness of God.  If we entertain those thoughts instead of disregarding them, the enemy can stop us altogether or turn us back from receiving what God has for us.   

The thoughts go something like this.  “What if this situation really is as hopeless as it appears?”  “What if I believe and am disappointed?  I know God can do it, but will He do it for me?” “Is there any use in continuing to try? Every time I seem to be making progress, something happens to push me back.”  “Where is God?  Does He really care about me?” 

I suppose you caught me!  And, yes, the reason I know the questions is because I’ve been there…because I have asked some of them myself.  The truth is, I also know the answers…and so do you.  God is faithful and we can trust Him completely, blindly, wholeheartedly and not be ashamed or disappointed.

We cannot afford to entertain those thoughts of doubt and give them a place in our minds and emotions.  If we do, they will very subtly birth unbelief in our hearts.

Satan whispers these lies in our ears, and they come with an unhealthy dose of fear.  The fear is the power behind his deception.  It serves to push us over the edge of the precipice that he keeps hidden from us while he makes us believe God’s way is the dangerous way.  That is why we have to use caution as to what thoughts we entertain.

I have experienced times when I felt hopeless for no apparent reason.  My mind seemed dull and God seemed a million miles away.  I went back to my journal where I had recorded what God had spoken to my heart from His Word and I was renewed.  We decrease our doubts and fears by increasing our faith.

How do we accomplish that?  “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  (Romans 10:17)  When it looks as if the road ahead has ended, it’s time to let the Word of God wash that illusion out of our minds.  And we need to keep going!  His Word will help us see clearly and we can continue on His way. 

The end of the road?  Makes you think!  But be careful what you think.

Speeding Tickets and Eternal Life

I knew a man who travelled a lot for his company, and he told me this story. 

He was having a terrible day, actually a terrible week.  He looked up in his rear-view mirror to see a police officer with his light flashing right behind him.  He was stopped for speeding, and got a severe penalty.  The officer fined him $445 and took six points from his license.  In hopes of having the penalty reduced, the man decided to appear on the appointed court date and make his plea with the judge.  He couldn’t afford to lose the $445 or the six points.

            When the day arrived, he went to the courthouse and was greeted in the lobby by the same officer who had fined him.  The officer told him this judge would not reduce the fine and would only reduce the points by two.  Obviously, the judge had a reputation for enforcing the letter of the law.  But he asked the man to allow him to go before the judge in his stead and plead his case.       

The man had a choice to make, and decided to let the officer be the mediator in his case.  When it was over, there were no points taken and the fine was reduced to $185.  The one who had upheld the law and charged him for breaking it was the same one who made a way for his release from the stiff penalty.

After he told me his story, I realized how perfectly it illustrated what the Father sent Jesus to do for us – except the stakes are much higher with our eternal destination in the balances.

One day we will all stand before the Judge of all the earth.  There is a strict penalty for sin, and we are all guilty, because we are born with a sin nature.  So, there is nothing we can do to change the death sentence that hangs over us.  But Jesus says, “Let me intercede to the Judge on your behalf.” 

We all have a choice to make.  We can choose to appear before the Judge of all the earth on our own merit, but the death penalty will not be removed.  Or we can allow Jesus to be the go-between, our mediator.  The Judge will hear Him when He intercedes for us.

We make that choice when we commit our lives to Jesus and receive forgiveness of sins through His blood that was shed on the cross for us.  Unlike the police officer, Jesus took the punishment for our sins in our stead so we can go free…not even a $185 fine! 

 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” 

Have you made the right choice?

A DANGEROUS GAMBLE

            Some time ago I received an email stressing that every family needed to have an emergency plan.  The plan should include choosing a specific place to meet in case of an emergency, such as a terrorist attack, earthquake, destructive weather, etc.  If the utility lines were disabled, there would be no way to contact family members after the fact, so the decision needs to be made ahead of time.  As we know, circumstances can change in the blink of an eye. 

I thought it was a great idea, but must say we have not implemented it as of yet.  My intentions are to talk to my family about it and simply decide on a place, but I haven’t followed through. “Why?” you might ask.  I guess we are too busy, and when we are together I don’t think about it.  We are talking about other things.  And we don’t need it right now, so it’s not the most prevalent thought in my mind…But we did feel the rumble of an earthquake in our city a few days ago, and a hurricane just missed our coast yesterday.

I hope the time doesn’t come before we make the plans.  Procrastination is a dangerous gamble. 

As important as that decision is, there is one that’s much more urgent.  We need to make sure everyone in our family is prepared to meet in Heaven one day.  Once one of us is gone, we have lost part of the connection.  It can happen in the blink of an eye, then it’s too late.  This, too, is a simple decision to make...just make sure everyone knows the way to get there.

Here are the directions.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

I know that scripture is probably very familiar to you, but let me emphasize two points.  It says ‘whosoever’.  That means you, me and everyone else who turns to Jesus.  The other thing I would like to point out is the word ‘believe’.  Anyone who believes will be saved, but what does it mean to believe?  It simply means that you are so persuaded of Who Jesus is that you put your full confidence in Him.  You trust Him with your life and rely on Him from that point on.  You leave behind the old life and start a brand new one in a new, spiritual dimension.

It’s that simple. I know it seems now like you may never need that plan, but the time comes to every one of us.  I realize we are all busy and have other things on our minds, but this needs to be taken care of above all else. If we have not already prepared for our family to meet in Heaven, we cannot afford to put it off. 

I hope the time doesn’t come before we make the plans.  Procrastination is a dangerous gamble.

THE VOICE IN THE VOTING BOOTH

I remember the day I voted in my first national election.  My parents and I had talked about the candidates and chose the ones we thought were best for our country.  I had everything settled in my mind and knew just how to vote for each office.  But when I got to the voting booth, things suddenly looked different, and I was confused.  Everything seemed clear before; now it all seemed a little sketchy.

That’s when I heard the voice.  It said, “Well, you know who you want for President…”  Then the voice walked me through the voting process.  I know what you’re thinking.  But, no, the voice wasn’t God; it was my Daddy.  He was in the booth beside me and somehow knew I needed help.  I have laughed so many times about “the voice” in the voting booth. 

That experience reminds me of the scripture in Isaiah 30:21:  “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”  Now that is the voice of God.  He wants to eliminate our confusion and steer us in the right direction.  We don’t have to beg Him to do it.  He wants to do it.  But we do have to open our hearts and our ears to hear His voice.

When Jesus told His disciples He would be going away, I imagine they were in a state of confusion and panic. After all, how could they carry on His ministry without Him.  Everything revolved completely around Jesus.  When He was taken out of the picture, there was nothing left…was there?  It didn’t make any sense to their natural minds. 

Jesus explained that He would send another Comforter.  A comforter is one who comes alongside.  He is not at a distance, but right there, just like Jesus was.  Jesus promised this Comforter, His Holy Spirit, would be with them and in them to abide forever.  They would not be alone when Jesus was no longer with them in the flesh.  They would be able to hear His voice in their spirit and know which way to go.

We have the same promise.  He is the voice that tells us “this is the way”.  He is the power we need to enable us to obey.  He is the One Who will bring to our remembrance all that Jesus has taught us.  Listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit.  Listen when you are at a crossroad, when you feel all alone, when you face difficult circumstances, when everything seems to fall into place…and even in the voting booth.  Listen in the morning, midday and night.  He will tell you clearly, “This is the way, walk ye in it.”

I was so thankful for the voice in the voting booth.  I am even more thankful for the voice of the Spirit who lovingly instructs me where to place my next step!

The Challenge

I rediscovered something I wrote the last day of 1986.  It was simply written on a sheet from a legal pad, but it challenged me again.  We need to be challenged regularly to be about our Father's business.  Remember, we are only pilgrims and strangers here.  So, let your roots be in heaven, but share your fruit with the world.

Pray until God gives a burning vision of the work He has called you to.  Don’t spend any more idle time, but know the direction He sends you and pour out yourself into that work and calling.  Reevaluate your priorities in light of God’s direction.  Don’t allow the urgent (things that demand your attention now) to come before what is important.

            Always remember that to successfully do any of the above, you must seek Him first, above all.  Only then can you receive the vision and successfully fulfill it by changing priorities.  This is a simple answer to every problem – “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God”.  Long for Him, His presence and anointing.  All your gifts and talents and ideas are worthless without His touch, His blessing, His anointing.

            Temporal things will try to rule your mind, but you must carefully feed on Him; meditating on His Word day and night.  Then, be bold to allow His life within you to flow out.  Only as you seek Him continually will this happen.  It must be a day by day, moment by moment decision to put Him above all.  Ask His guidance in big decisions, small decisions, purchases you wish to make, deeds you wish to do, and in everything.  Think less of self and more of others and God’s Kingdom.