Will It Truly Be A New Year? - Psalm 81:11-12

“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.” - Psalm 81:11-12

    A brand new year - 2021. For many it is all excitement. For others relief from what they consider their worst year ever. Regardless of how we see 2020, the only good change coming in the new year will depend upon how we conduct our lives. It will depend on what we allow into our lives and those things we allow to influence our lives; otherwise, this year will be no different. In fact, it may even be worse! We can’t possibly believe that things will be any better if we continue to repeat the mistakes of the past. “But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.” - Jeremiah 7:24.
    Think for just a moment: how can we even hope for a difference in our lives if we maintain old attitudes and old corruptions? Rhetorically, we walk down the same street everyday and get beaten up on the same corner, then repeat it again, day after day. How can we possibly expect anything to change for the better when we continually repeat doing all the wrong things and making all the wrong choices? Stubbornness is not a godly trait. It is an arrogant human trait and suggests that we are smarter and more powerful than God. It is truly the road to perdition. We were warned in the past of such lofty attitudes and we are warned still today - “I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.” - Isaiah 13:11.
    If we truly want the ‘new’ in our lives we must seek the new and not the same old sinful ways, hoping for a different outcome. We all know what that is the definition of. And if that weren’t enough, when we ignore God and pursue our own road, we inevitably reap what we sow. “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.” - Proverbs 1:29-31. So why on earth would this year be any different than last year?
    This shouldn’t come as any surprise to any of us. We know from our own pasts that God will ultimately give us what we demand, though not necessarily what we hope for or expect.  And when He does so, based upon our inclinations and proclivities, we burst into tears and demand to know ‘why.’ Angered and saddened by God’s answers to our own demands we heap curses upon Him and merely deepen the hole we have dug for ourselves. “If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.” - Job 8:4. This, more than any other, gives all the more reason to be careful what we wish for.
    And if we decide that your life hasn’t been all that bad up to now, you can thank the restraining hand of God that He has kept you from the worst consequences of your sinful desires.
    But now is the rise of a new day and a new life based upon the promise of God, not some human manipulation resulting in more poor choices. God has promised us two possible resolutions to the lives we choose to live and He will certainly provide one or the other based upon our response to Him - the dire curse, “I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.”- Ezekiel 25:17 or the benign blessing. “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” - Ezekiel 36:26. There is no third option. Either we see God as a vengeful and hateful tyrant or we see Him as our Lord and Savior. 2021 could truly be a ‘new’ year and it all starts with our relationship with God.
   

Christmas 2020 Isaiah 7:14

 
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14

    Imagine in the year 1300 AD a prophecy was made that transpired now in 2020. The news would make the headlines around the world. Scientists, philosophers, and theologians would be pulling at every thread of the prediction to discover the secret of its truth. And well they should. For a prophecy made 700 years ago to come true today could not be a mere coincidence. There must be a deeper power behind it all. In fact, what takes place could be described as a miracle foretold: the arrival of the Anointed One, Christ on earth. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’” (which means, God with us). - Matthew 1:22-23.
     But many are the names of the Anointed One. He is our Prophet, our Priest, and our King. His names are almost without limit. : “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” - Isaiah9:6.
    Also are the many beliefs as to why Jesus came to be born a man in the flesh. Some say He came to heal. Some say to preach. Some say to judge. Some even say to bring a worldly kingdom. But the Bible is explicit; Christ came to save. “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:21.
    Sadly, people see the day of Christ’s incarnation as just another holiday, one for giving and receiving gifts, family visits, and enjoying festive meals. The true meaning of Christmas has all but been obscured by the materialistic and the profane. We all spend far too much time on selfish celebrations and not enough time on godly meditations. We represent the very reason Christ came down! “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” - 1 John 2:15-16.
    I’m not for a moment suggesting that we should all ignore the celebration due on the day of the Incarnation. It truly is a day for great thanks and festivities reserved for the coming of our King. “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’” - Luke 2:10-11.
    Imagine the joy of seeing the fulfillment of a prediction we have all awaited for so long- Christ the Savior among us! To rejoice over such a blessing should come natural to all of us, no matter what tribe, nation, or people we come from. Peace should abound in every soul, in every house, and in every nation on earth. But it must be the peace of the Lord, not the subjective peace of mankind. “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” - 2 Corinthians 13:11.This should be our primary consideration on Christmas day: God and man, reconciled.
    So as we wake on this most blessed of mornings let us remember the reason for our joy and happiness - Jesus Christ is born to us. Let His Good News shine down upon us.

Walking In Christ - Colossians 2:6-7

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. - Colossians 2:6-7

    Many have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior but now, due to cultural and societal stigma, they appear and sound more like the world around them than Jesus. The Apostle, Paul admonishes us all to first remember how we received Christ. And reminds us to ‘walk in him.’
    We are ‘rooted,’ firmly grounded in our faith. That means, like a sturdy and healthy tree, we will not be blown over or shaken to our foundations by the imaginings and flights of fantasy that affect so many ‘professing’ Christians. How often have we heard nominal Christians exposit upon some wild ideas about their faith in Christ?
    Being ‘rooted and built up in Him’ means that we are well-grounded in God’s holy, infallible, and inerrant Word. We know what we believe and why we believe it - “ . . . but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you . . . .” - 1 Peter 3:15.
    We are ‘established in the faith,’ just as we have been taught. It is only through diligent and determined belief and faith in Jesus Christ that we find ourselves ‘established.’ We are certain in our belief that we can count on Christ because of the faith we have in Him. And there is only one way that we can have such immovable faith.“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” - Romans 10:17. Hearing His Word through the Holy Scriptures comes as we listen to our pastors on Sunday and our own voices as we daily read the Word or share in a Bible study.
    And we must ‘abound’ in thanksgiving. All this deeply ingrained faith instills in our hearts a love for Christ that can come to us in no other way. That love is expressed in our thanksgiving. We are thankful because God’s Word is illuminating - “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” - Psalm 119:105. We are thankful because God’s Word is true - “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”  - John 17:17. And we are thankful because God’s Word is eternal - “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”- Matthew 24:35.
    We cannot glorify God by walking like the rest of the world. If our daily behavior appears no different than the behavior of those who are ‘of this world’ how will anyone recognize and know the difference? How will God be glorified?
    However, glorifying God doesn’t involve a baseless all-inclusive love for everyone and their sinful ways. We must understand and accept the fact that there will always be those who reject God and His commandments. These are worldly people who have not the slightest desire to love God and obey Him and have not been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. For these people, we can only pray that God would indeed bring His light into their darkened world.
    It has been said that ‘we are often the only Bible others will ever see.’ If our lives don’t reflect the Word of God then how do others see us? We must constantly be on guard to make sure we are reflecting an image that glorifies God and not ourselves. No matter what we are doing, we must behave in a way that glorifies God. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” - 1 Corinthians 10:31. This is what is meant by the idea of ‘walking in Christ.’
    As we draw closer to Christmas we need to remember that the feelings of good tidings and generosity should stay with us year ‘round, not just during the holiday season, always remembering the surest way to glorify God - “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”- John 13:35.

The Ultimate Pardon - Romans 10:13

    
 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - Romans 10:13

    A friend once told me that as far as he was concerned there are some people who can never be forgiven, no matter how much they ask. Well, to begin with, my friend used one of the most extreme situations he could muster up: a serial murderer. And not to diminish his example, I myself have used extreme situations to make a point many times. I once told someone that if I suggested on September 10, 2001, that someday there could be a terror attack using commercial airliners, they would have said that I was using the most extreme example that I could think of. Not anymore. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” - Jeremiah 17:9.
    My point is that all humans regardless of their station in life are prime examples of depravity in one way or another. No, we’re not all serial murderers, thank the Lord. But many of us have committed sins that we don’t believe even God can forgive. And, in the usual human fashion, we would be wrong. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9.
    According to the promise of God, no matter who we are, no matter what we have done, no matter how despicable and heinous our transgression may be - we can be forgiven! Notice that I have said “we can” be forgiven, not that we are forgiven. There are requirements for forgiveness, especially when it comes to God. Out of the very mouth of Jesus Chris,t we hear these words to a woman accused of blatant adultery - “Jesus stood up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.’” - John 8:10-11.
    The ramification of Christ’s words are clear and without any ambiguity - stop sinning! If, with contrite hearts, we repent and believe, God will forgive us. Period. In fact, repentance is called for by Christ from the beginning of His earthly ministry - “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” - Matthew 4:17.
    Our repentance and contrition must be sincere otherwise we are merely mouthing words without truth in them. We truly are ‘clouds without water.’And until the truth of our remorse and penitence is known by God, we will remain in our sins. “So he said to them again, ‘I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.’” - John 8:21. What Jesus was saying is simply this: sin is such a pervasive human condition that it takes the forgiveness of God to relieve us of that burden; the burden being ‘death,’ both physical and spiritual. While none of us are able to forego the natural process of death, we can avoid spiritual death if we repent and believe in Christ Jesus. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 6:23.
    Yes, life eternal awaits us in Christ alone and in no other. “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:12. We cannot be saved in any other manner. The ‘Universe’ cannot save us because the universe is nothing but another creation of God! We cannot be saved by the creation; we can only be saved by the Creator.
    Perhaps the greatest example of God’s forgiveness and salvation to sinners is recounted to us as Jesus was dying on the cross. The thief crucified next to Him was being executed for robbery and murder. The interaction with Christ has eternal implications. “One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us! But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’  And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” - Luke 23:39-43. The penitent thief knew he had committed the gravest of sins and deserved the fate he was now experiencing. In his words, he and the other thief were receiving the just dues of their deeds. Having remorsefully acknowledged his sin, he turned to Jesus and begged Him to ‘remember’ him when He entered His kingdom. In Jesus’ response is the ultimate pardon, the amnesty of amnesties; eternal salvation through Christ!
    No matter what we have done. No matter who we have hurt. No matter how great our sin; Christ is willing to forgive us if we all bring our sins to the foot of the cross and put our faith in Jesus Christ.

The Despondent Spirit - Psalm 42:5

 

 
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation - Psalm 42:5

    Every one of us knows at least one person who tends toward depression even during good times. There doesn’t seem to be any particular reason for their despondency; they’re simply and constantly in a blue mood.
    The ‘why’ is the question for this feeling of grief and depression.  Is it something we’ve done? Something we’ve experienced? The loss of a loved one? Do we sense a loss of control? Is it something we’ve failed to accomplish? From seasonal effects to routine life situations to deeper, more foreboding issues, both spiritual and clinical, the bottom line for these despondent spirits is the tragic feeling of depression, helplessness, hopelessness, and abandonment.
    As we can see, the ‘whys’ could very well be many. Perhaps we have allowed ourselves to be overcome by the dark fog of popular culture. We have deliberately chosen to seek out El Dorado, Utopia, or Xanadu here on earth to the complete and utter exclusion of heaven. Our suffering may well be the result of seeking and asking for the wrong things. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” - James 4:3.
    We must understand that before God will abandon us we must first abandon God. Mankind has a natural affinity to worship. It is part of our spiritual makeup. What ultimately matters is who we choose to worship, the creature or the Creator. When our hearts and minds, through our natural fallenness, choose to worship the things created rather than the Creator, we deny God and that leads to Divine alienation. “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” - Matthew 10:32-33.
    Many feel hopeless because of their unbelief. They have placed their hopes upon the transient and the temporary and have chosen to ignore the eternal! One who places their hopes and dreams upon something as fleeting as mere human kindness might have better invested their faith in a Summer without end. The stinging winds of Winter will surely cure them of their fanciful delusions. God’s reality is truly a harsh mistress when we choose to go our own way.
    I have always questioned what unbelieving people are talking about when they speak of hope. On what do they pin those hopes? If not faith in God then in what? What can they possibly say about the hopes they claim to have? How can the realization of such hopes come to fruition? What are they counting on to see their hopes become reality? Do they hope in mankind? Didn’t the 20th Century teach them anything? Do they not understand how fickle humanity is? The holocaust of lost human beings from wars, genocide, and abortion should make us all cringe at the thought that anyone would pin their hopes on man! “Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.'” - Jeremiah 17:5.
    We must grasp the truth that there is no such thing as an empty heart. The heart is either occupied by God or it is occupied by the devil. There is no middle ground. If we don’t place all our hopes in God then we might as well throw them into the Abyss because what is not of God is of sin. When someone says. “I hope,” it must be bound to faith in God. We anchor our hopes to faith in God because there is no other whom we can put our trust in. “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” - 1 Timothy 4:10.
    God is the true source of hope. Without Him we have no reason to hope, no reason to wish; we haven’t even got a prayer. The despondent spirit is without hope because it is without God.

A Thanksgiving For His Steadfast Love - Psalm 107:43

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord. - Psalm 107:43

    When seeking a loan for a house or property, the bank’s agent will list all the collateral value that we have. He will not, however, draw up a list of things we don’t have. Our strengths coming into the loan officer will depend upon the things we have rather than on the things we don’t have. When considering our lives, we should take the same tact. Rather than count all the things we lack or desire we need to count those things of value that we do have. The things we have been blessed with!
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” - James 1:17.
    It is only natural for people to downplay, forget, or ignore all the blessings they have received from God. We tend to take it all for granted. Every blessing, even the people we hold dear, are often simply assumed to be in our lives by virtue of decisions we have made or simple blind luck. Seldom do we wake daily and thank God for His providence in our lives. We live our lives planning and expecting things to just go our way. It’s part of the stain upon our humanity. A more sober view of the blessings we have in this life is required of us all, for so soon, for so quickly the blessings can be gone. “. . . for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” - 1 Timothy 6:7.
    Today, we celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving when we quickly assess ‘what we have’ and just as quickly seem to forget it all tomorrow. We rationalize that we simply cannot walk around every day, giving thanks for the good things in our lives. “We would never get anything done if that was the case,” we say, boldly rationalizing our ingratitude. The truth is that we seldom inventory the blessings in our lives. We are too often obsessed with the things we don’t have and are constantly coveting and striving to achieve more when we should all be numbering the ways God has blessed our lives. We should be “. . .  giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . .” - Ephesians 5:20.
    We, each and every one of us, have been blessed beyond our greatest imagination. The most mundane inventory of our lives reveals just a peek at the blessings God has bestowed upon us. We would sooner develop writer’s cramp before we completed the task. No computer could ever hold all the blessings we have received from above. There is no number! And yet most of us stumble through this life in the fog of want and the mists of desire.
    Today, as we celebrate Thanksgiving let us gather with our loved ones and offer our prayers of thankfulness to the God who has showered us with all manner of blessing. He has done so out of His ceaseless love for us. It is His love for us that has provided for our daily needs. It is His love for us that has granted us our children, whom we take such joy in. It is His boundless love for us that gives us our very breath. It is His steadfast love that gives us our reason for being.
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” - Psalm 107:1
    Today, let us all give thanks to God for every family member and friend. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Only Election That Matters - Psalm 118:8-9

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. - Psalm 118:8-9

    The Presidential election is over. By the hand of God, the current President will get another term in office or we will have a new President on January 20th, 2021, no matter what the contesting party believes. One side won; the other lost. With partisan politics, being what they are in the 21st Century, both the inflammatory rhetoric and acts of violence will continue now no matter who is in power. And it all stems from this idea that one man can change the course of the culture and the world, that one man can be a savior - in a sense. Knowing from our national experience that this is a belief we should have jettisoned years ago, we still insist on believing this mythology. “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.” - Psalm 146:3-4.
     I admit that I firmly supported the agenda of the current President. I wasn’t voting for a moral icon or figure of faith; I was voting for a man to do the difficult job of representing a nation, of becoming President of the United States. I believed that despite his many personal flaws, he was the best possible man for the job and I would still support him today were the outcome to favor him. So what is my recourse now if he doesn’t prevail? Well, I could lay down in the street and pitch a screaming and crying fit like others have in past elections or I could flatly refuse to admit that the new President is also now my President. I could do that but to what end? As a Confessional Presbyterian, I know that nothing transpires anywhere in the universe without God’s ordination. God is present at every Presidential Inauguration. Whoever is President is now in office because it is God’s decree that he should be, in spite of mine or anyone else’s wishes. “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” - Proverbs 19:21.
    So, instead of having a conniption fit over the election’s results, I will do what I have learned to do over the years despite the disappointments I have experienced - I will pray.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
     I must rejoice in every day, both good and bad. I must pray without ceasing because it is God’s will that I pray. I must give thanks in all circumstances because God has seen fit to bless me with favor at times or subject me to tribulation at times because this is His will! I must remember the words of Job, a man whom God considered blameless and upright. “Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.’ But he said to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?’”- Job 2:9-10.
    Prayer is one of the constants that God wants to see in our lives. When things go wrong, He condescends to us and listens to our prayers. Instead of us counting on our elected officials to straighten the course of a crooked and fallen world, we must set a place for the Lord at our table. His very proximity in our lives fills the void left by our spurious faith in man. “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” - 1 Chronicles 16:11. No man can do what the Lord does. Once we understand that, all we need to do is our part - vote, and the will of God will be done! Afterward, we must accept His decisions. Then, there is only one thing left for us to do. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” - Romans 12:12. This is the will of God for man.
    In the end, I will acknowledge whoever is inaugurated President on January 20th, 2021. After all, there is only one election that matters and that is our election as God’s children. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love . . .” - Ephesians 1:3-4.