Christmas: An invitation.

In one of the books from my Faith & Beauty class this past semester, Cornelius Plantinga Jr. wrote, “Without costly action, hope can soften into sentimentality.”  God has been reminding me what an incredibly hopeful time Christmas is.  Our Father chose to declare war for our hearts.  He didn’t distance Himself from His adulterous creation.  He came after us, came for us, came to us---in the flesh.  He saw His people suffering, and sent a precious part of Himself to serve as the very vehicle for our redemption and renewal.  What is more beautiful, more hopeful, more loving that that? 

The real message of Christmas is so simple yet so radical.   In the context of our culture, it’s hard to see though.  The other day I was standing in an hour-long line at the new Forever 21 in Nashville, observing the people around me. The store was a blur of holiday décor, shiny displays, and catchy clothing.  Empty melodies blared forth from the DJ at the front of the store.  A few people ahead of me, a young woman and her boyfriend were attempting to conceal a difficult conversation.  He kept diverting his eye contact from her, and her eyes pleaded for his attention.  Finally he uttered a few feeble words of explanation, and departed.  Tears spilled from her eyes but she quickly wiped them away as she rifled through trinkets and jewelry that decked the path to the registers.  For a holiday that is supposed to stand for hope and joy, I was utterly broken at the sight of this sweet girl, so hungry for the very love and fulfillment Jesus came to offer us.

What are we doing with our time, especially in this season of Christmas?  It has to be more than a couple tweets about Jesus. More than a few donations to Goodwill.  “Without costly action, hope can soften into sentimentality.”  I don’t want to be merely sentimental.  I want to see hearts come alive to the loving touch of Jesus.  I want to be a vessel of beauty, hope, joy, and promise.  I want to be concerned with seeing the redemptive, transforming power of Jesus take root in my world rather than seeing my name established.  As Bob Goff said, “I love that Christmas isn't an event; it's an invitation.  We get to be Christmas; we don't need to just celebrate it.”

In the most extraordinary act of pursuing love, God not only offered atonement for our sins but new life in abundant, intimate relationship with Him.  The sweetest present of all, Jesus gave us access to His presence.  Don’t miss an opportunity to embody all the hope of Jesus to those you encounter…be aware of the hungry hearts in lines, in class, in stores, in the neighborhood.  Do something costly. Be bold. Do all things in love.  Do not fear.  Arise.  Let your light shine….for He has come, and so has His glory.  The Prince of Peace, Immanuel, came not to bring peace but a sword.  There is a yet a war for our hearts and the hearts of those around us.  We’re equipped in Christ and already can claim the victory.  Go forth and abide in His love.  Let’s make this Christmas season a delight to God’s heart…let’s make it a present to the best Dad ever!  

p.s. here are some awesome prophetic pieces of Scripture to reflect on...these seriously fill me with so much awe and adoration for God's love for us!

"...Unto us a Son is given....and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:6

"...by His stripes we are healed."  Isaiah 53:5

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me [Jesus], because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor;  He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.  And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations."  Isaiah 61:1-4  (I encourage you to go read the rest of Isaiah 61 AND 62...such awesome pieces of Scripture!)

Happy birthday to Immanuel...God WITH us. I'm so thankful for the Love that makes all things new and never fails, that casts out all fear and conquers all. Praise You Jesus---You get ALL the glory and I love You!

Refining Fire.

This season I’ve been in has been a refining fire, to be sure.  A necessary refining fire.  We all will be put through the flames at some point, for God lovingly produces in us a faith that is “more precious than gold” (1 Peter 1:7). 

Too often we resist though, we fight against the flames that will, in the end, strengthen and purify us.  Think about the qualities in gold produced from refining fires:  impurities are stripped away, and the intrinsic make-up of the gold is made stronger than ever.  No wonder biblical writers frequently draw on this analogy!

Job 23:10 says, “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.”

I’ve learned to see seasons of refining fires like spiritual alignments.  If your back is out of place, you go to a chiropractor.  In order for your spine to be put back into proper and healthier alignment, you must allow the chiropractor to adjust you without resisting and holding tension in your neck.  It’s the same with our Father; we must trust His teaching and timing, not resisting and clinging to control.  Your spine affects every other system in your body, whether you realize it or not.  Likewise, if you’re not pursuing the presence of God and spending time listening to Him, aligning your heart with His, all other areas of our lives will be affected. 

This season was a rather difficult refining fire for me.  God was teaching me the beauty of waiting on Him and allowing this fire to produce fruit that holds longevity.  When gold is refined, it isn’t put in the fire for two minutes.  It might be put in the fire for two days, or even two weeks.  We cannot expect instant gratification and faith as pure as gold without time, extended time, during which we wait on and seek God. 

  

Waiting on God doesn’t mean stopping.  Waiting does not allocate ceasing all progress.  It’s a position of our hearts.  Just read these verses:

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14

“Blessed are all those who wait on Him.”  Isaiah 30:18

“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.  It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”  Lamentations 3:25-26

We live in the expectation that God is worthy of our trust.  He comes through, every time, with results and plans that are better for us than anything we could ever devise.  We let Him refine our desires to be for Him, to grow for Him and His Kingdom, and we let the desires that don’t fulfill us burn out. 

And He is so patient during each and every season and process!  I love His tender-heartedness and grace in teaching me.  Leonard Sweet tweeted the other day, “When Adam and Eve messed up, God didn't throw them away and start over again. God comes looking for us: ‘Adam, where are you?’”  He knows we still make mistakes and have trouble surrendering control.  He continues to patiently and tenderly come after us when we hide in our failure, shrinking back from the flames.  He comes, gathers us in His loving embrace, and reminds us that we are His dearly beloved, and that He is refining us into the incredible works of creation He designed us to be.  He reminds us that Jesus’ blood covered all of our sins, yesterday, today, and tomorrow to come.  So we lay down our defenses, take hold of His hand, and press on into His heart and His Kingdom.

One aspect I’ve come to be so grateful for in this past season is the growth I’ve had in intimacy with Him.  Both in my prayer/worship time and in my study of His Word, I find Him drawing me nearer to His heart.  I take my weariness, my longing, my struggle to mature and grow, my dying self-sufficiency, and I lay it at His feet.  Times when I felt like the fires of this season were scorching me rather than refining me, I found myself hearing Jesus say, “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands (Isaiah 49:16)…Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He, I am He who will sustain you. 
I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (Isaiah 46:4).”

I have a feeling that many of you are feeling worn down by whatever season you’re in...but let me reassure you, He has an incredibly beautiful plan!  Trust Him.  Wait on Him, seek Him with a song of praise and a heart of adoration. 

“For our God is a consuming fire.” Heb. 12:29

“As the Father has loved me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” ~Jesus, in John 15:9

“This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. 
They will call on My name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”  Zecheriah 13:9