Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. - Matthew 5:4 God is not intent on us suffering, he came to liberate us from suffering and death. But we are in a world which is subject to the results of sin: death and suffering. Christians and non-Christians alike both experience the love of God, and the results of sin in our world (Matthew 5:45). God understands the turmoil and pain of our sinful world, and has experienced it personally (Hebrews 4:15). His understanding of sin, its consequences, and his love for us is the impetus for him humbling himself, and being born as one of us. Christmas is so much richer a season if you can grasp the sacrifice and scope of Jesus humbling himself to be human. God is a uplifter. He lowers himself so we can be lifted up (1 Peter 5:6-7). Jesus humbled himself to become man so we might be liberated from the burden of sin. If you are low (depressed, lonely, anxious, mourning) God promises he will lift you up (James 4:10). Scripture shows us again and again that God cares for the poor, disenfranchised, and oppressed (Proverbs 3:34). Confession: sometimes I’ll watch a sad movie, or song with the specific intent of making myself cry. Not because I’m sad necessarily, but because the act of crying can be cathartic. Sometimes you just need a good cry. So if you are sad, lonely, depressed, stressed, or oppressed today: be just that. Thank God for his promise that he is for you, and will lift you up. Know that this season is not permanent, and trust in the joy that is coming (Psalm 30). If you’re not in a mourning season: remember that the Christmas season is a tough one for many of your friends and neighbors. Pray about how you can love your friends, neighbors, or a stranger this Christmas who may be suffering. Gift your friends and neighbors Snack Mix ornaments this Christmas. Written by: Mary Weinstein Subscribe to receive each day's devotional in your inbox.
0 Comments
But godliness with contentment is great gain. - 1 Timothy 6:6 Paul writes the above counsel to Timothy (his student, and a young leader in the Church) while in prison. He’s writing from prison, but he is someone who also experienced great authority and prosperity in his life (Philippians 4:12-13). He’s not counseling Timothy to live a life a life of poverty, but to be a good steward of what he has. To work to improve on what he has been given, and to be a good example for other Christians (1 Timothy 4:8-16). Be a Better Steward In Jesus’s parable about stewardship (Luke 19:11-17), he notes that not everyone is given the same amount of gifts. Each of the servants is given a different amount of money in this parable. Yet they are all held to Jesus’s standard of producing more with what they have. Contentment isn’t necessarily being ok with having less- but cultivating what you have to become more in order to glorify God. What skills and resources do you have? And more importantly, how are you using them to bless others? Can you carry a tune? Consider volunteering to sing to the elderly. Do you have a snow plow? Use it to bless a neighbor with a clear driveway this winter. Be an Example Contentment is a gift that requires growth. Consider patience- God doesn’t wave a wand over your head annnd- poof! More patient! He allows you to experience situations which stretch your patience, so you grow. You do not magically become more content by choosing to do so, and God is unlikely to gift you with contentment in one swoop. Contentment is something acquired by practicing. Consider God’s statutes and be an example of someone who strives to live them out:
As you are Christmas shopping, consider teaching your children, nieces/nephews about contentment and thankfulness with the Four Gift Rule (something they Want, something they Need, something to Wear, something to Read). Written by: Mary Weinstein Subscribe to receive each day's devotional in your inbox.And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.- Luke 2:40 It’s hard to “get” wisdom without understanding the concept of “shalom.” The Hebrew word for peace, “shalom” signifies more than the absence of conflict: it is the blessed condition in which everything reflects God’s right ordering. Shalom was fractured at the Fall when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and polluted our race with sin. Shalom was fractured then, but it was not demolished. We live, as it were, in its ruins. And wisdom is the skill required by those who would take up the cause of Shalom, who would be “Peacemakers.” And Christmas is a time for taking up the cause of Shalom, for remembering that Jesus came not to make us comfortable in a stable, but to deputize us in the project of making the stable into a temple. It takes a great deal of wisdom to see the outline of shalom through the debris of our sadly fallen world, and a great deal of wisdom to start taking those steps that make shalom more of a reality for our homes and our communities. But don’t despair: stocking your Christmas pantry with five pound bags of wisdom won’t bust your budget. God has promised to give wisdom “generously to all, without finding fault,” if only we ask Him. So ask Him! Mix up your own mulling spices for hot cider. It’s hard to believe that something as wonderful as hot apple cider could be improved upon, but mulling spices are like pure Christmas magic. Experiment with ingredients and proportions to suit your preferences, but consider including cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, star anise, dried cranberries, orange peel and anything else that would be the right kind of warm and spicy. And mixed together in a mason jar the mulling spices are as lovely as they are delicious. Written by: Joel Tate Subscribe to receive each day's devotional in your inbox.But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.- Luke 2:10 How Can I be More Joyful? 1. Stop Being Afraid Struggling to experience joy in your life? The first step to joy (or happiness) is removing fear. Like many gifts from God, joy requires a paradigm shift. We inherently are fearful, but fellowship with God is an understanding that he is for us. Basically, he’s got this (John 14:27, Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 43:1). Remember to fight your battles with an understanding of God’s power and influence in your life. 2. Start Sharing God’s joy is for everyone. The angel doesn’t say ‘good news that will cause great joy for Christians’, but for everyone. All people. God’s desire is for all people to experience him. Jesus is his free gift for all people. You can choose to not receive it, but its freely given. In a podcast interview for Desiring God, Randy Alcorn notes the following: “...But even the atheist when he takes a walk in the woods, sees the beauty, and just marvels at it — and he may in his own way celebrate the beauty and see a deer and just marvel at this — the happiness he is experiencing is coming from the hand of God. The fact that people don’t believe in God doesn’t change the fact that God is the only source of happiness. Tragically, however, if he dies in his atheism and he goes to hell, hell is the one place in the universe where God is not present, except in his wrath. And, as a result, he is cut off from happiness. No God, no happiness...” All good things come from God, happiness included. We cannot create our own happiness, but God gives it generously. He has an unlimited storehouse he wants to give us. He also promises that the more we give, the more we will receive (Luke 6:38). Did you ever try and catch an insect as a child? The delight of capturing that butterfly is quickly snuffed when the creature cannot live in a jar for more than a day. Joy is the same. God created it for all his children to enjoy. Practical Ways to Spread Joy Feeling joyful today? Let it pour out of you towards those around you!
Feeling a bit stir-crazy with the kids home for Christmas? Check out some of these Children’s crafts for Christmas. Written by: Mary Weinstein Subscribe to receive each day's devotional in your inbox.And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. - Romans 13:11 Are you a morning person? Do you need an alarm clock to wake up or are you one of those people who instinctively wakes up shortly before the alarm clock? The early morning hours are my favorite time of the day. I love being awake before everyone else, having the first cup of coffee, going to the gym, and having my devotional time in peace. Though not everyone is a morning person like me, this passage is calling all of us to wake up! Now is the time to wake up from our spiritual slumber. Whether you’re a seasoned believer or you have just given your life to Jesus, there is lots of work for us to do. Is there a conversation you’ve put off having? Forgiveness that needs to be taken care of? Or are you waiting for the opportune moment to step out and do something with your faith? Don’t wait any longer, the time is now! We have so many things begging for our attention throughout the day; they can be wholesome or they are not. Our lives are either going to be controlled by our flesh or by the Holy Spirit. I pray that in this Christmas season is a wake up call for us. We have so much to look forward to, the day of the Lord is at hand. Recipe: Christmas Coffee 4 cups of coffee: about ½ cup ground coffee ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cloves Add your choice of some or all of the listed spices with the coffee grounds; mix well. Start percolating or pour hot water over if using a drip or french press. Written by: Abigail Elliott Subscribe to receive each day's devotional in your inbox.Ecclesiastes 7:10 “Do not say ‘Why were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions. -Ecclesiastes 7:10 The word “nostalgia” is a combination of two Greek words, the one signifying a return to home, and the other signifying pain. It’s strange, but there is something sweet about the pain we feel when, through the power of recollection, we return home to an irretrievable past. And at no other season is the pull of nostalgia so strong as at Christmas when our hearts ache for the vivid and deeply felt experience of our adolescence. But the Teacher in Ecclesiastes warns us against indulging in nostalgia, warns us against the false comfort of false recollections. The truth is that our memories are unreliable and that our penchant for nostalgia gives the past an undeserved place in our present, from which it threatens to obscure our future. And God has ordained for us a coming glory that will so outshine our previous experience that we will be embarrassed that we ever invited the moon of our past to eclipse the sun of God’s good future. And yet, for all that, the past has a modest place in our Christmas pantry. If you run some yarn through a popped kernel of corn it’s just that: a threaded piece of food growing staler by the moment. But when it is taking its place on a long string of threaded popcorn it is something more: it’s contributing to the garland that might justifiably adorn the loveliest tree. Each annual celebration of the incarnation is a further extension of the garland with which the church adorns the ages until the first advent is lost in the second when the Jesus who came proves himself to be the Jesus who returns. Keep in your Christmas pantry a pinch of the past, enough to whet your appetite for the sure and certain future. Speaking of garlands: Consider making one from popcorn and cranberries and either hanging it inside your home or perhaps on a tree in your lawn where you can enjoy watching the birds making a meal of it. All you need is the popcorn, cranberries, a needle and some string. Written by: Joel Tate Subscribe to receive each day's devotional in your inbox.I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. - Romans 8:18 This verse reminds me of one of my favorite songs by Hillsong Worship: New Wine. In the crushing and pressing, the vintner is taking something and turning it into something much greater. It is a time-consuming process but the celebration follows! If you’ve ever tried wine grapes you know they are pretty sour. Life hands us some pretty sour grapes and then we feel squeezed and pressed from all sides. It can be difficult to see how our current sufferings can be beneficial. Yet, if we look back to scripture, we see James 1:2 saying, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. And then Peter tells us in 1 Peter 4:13, but rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you many also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. These passages make us a bit uncomfortable but should also provide some comfort. Jesus suffered the ultimate pain for us by taking our sin to the cross with him. He did that for you. This passage from Romans says give God your heart so that in the crushing and in the pressing he can make new wine out of you. Instead of mulling over the hurt and pouting about our situation, let us be a people that responds with thanksgiving for in time we will be restored to glory. If you have not heard the Hillsong Worship song, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ozGKlOzEVc Recipe: Concord Grape pie
Written by: Abigail Elliott Subscribe to receive each day's devotional in your inbox.But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.- Luke 2:19 Are you the type of person that likes to read the same couple of books over and over again or are you a once and done type of person? Are you someone who is boisterous in your expression or are you reserved and prefer to stand back to take everything in? These questions are related, but more on that in a moment. We have become a culture that is afraid of the quietness. We thrive with our schedules, our coffee dates, and making sure we upload our #motivationalmonday pictures. We shy away from quiet moments of prayer and devotions and look for a podcast or some worship music instead. While each of these things are great and can be beneficial, spiritual growth happens in the quiet time with our Bibles. Figure this, the pastor gets the most out of the sermon because they have been pondering the sermon text privately all week; the small group leader benefits most from the content because they’ve been preparing to bless people. We learn best when we delve into the text or content. Mary was a thinker. When the angel came to her to tell her she was with child she responded by being quiet in spirit; when the shepherds came to her exclaiming everything the angels had said, she did not respond by saying, that’s old news I was told nine months ago that all of this was going to happen. Instead, she treasured everything in her heart. Whether you are hearing the Christmas story for the first time or the 100th time, may we slow down, read the Bible with intention, and ponder everything in our hearts like Mary. Take some time to prep some chili and while it’s cooking be intentional about how you use your time. Recipe: Vegetarian Chili
Written by: Abigail Elliott Subscribe to receive each day's devotional in your inbox.Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?- Matthew 6:25-16 If I’m being honest I spend a good amount of time worrying about my life. Yet the Bible specifically tells us not to (roughly 365 times) worry or fear (Isaiah 41:10). We are told repeatedly not to worry, and not to fear- to stop focusing on our daily needs. Why? Because we tend to focus on our daily needs, and neglect our spiritual ones (Matthew 6:33). What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? Christmas shopping? Your Christmas shopping budget? All the things you have to do today? If I'm being honest, I'm thinking about my next meal right now. Jesus had to remind his disciples of the same thing. Again and again. The disciples were often focused with what was in front of them: feeding people (Matthew 14:15), the storm around them (Matthew 8), or the current political situation. So Jesus reminds them patiently, and repeatedly that he has come as a Messiah, and that his mission is bigger than their priorities (Mark 9:31). Imagine what more Jesus could have done if the disciples were seeking things outside of their immediate needs? He would still have fed, healed and taught- but what more might the disciples have gleaned from his company? God values you so highly! He loves you so much that he sent Jesus to die on your behalf. He is eager to bless your life, to enjoy fellowship with you, and to grow you! If your hands are full because you’re holding onto the worries of today, it will be difficult to pick up God’s blessings. Place your worries at the feet of Jesus. Fold a sheet of paper in half. Write your worries on one half, and on the other find verses that speak to them. Use Google, or check out a concordance. For your top worries, re-read those verses and remind yourself that God’s word is true. I’m worried about: What God says: My Finances Philippians 4:19, Proverbs 22:7 My Relationships Ephesians 4:2-3 My Anxiety 1 Peter 5:6-7, Psalm 94:19 My Past 1 Corinthians 5:17-18 The Future Matthew 6:39 Written by: Mary Weinstein Subscribe to receive each day's devotional in your inbox.In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.- Luke 14:33 Sacrifice, at first blush, would seem to have as much of a place in the Christmas pantry, as would watermelon on the breakfast menu for Christmas morning. It is, at best, incongruous. And yet, there would be no Christmas at all were it not for God’s great sacrifice for us. And our enjoyment of Christmas is heightened by our own response of grateful sacrifice. For many the experience of Christmas is one that leaves everything but the wallet feeling bloated and heavy. This season identify something that God is asking you to turn over to him. It might be a habit, a prerogative, a possession, or a relationship. Write out what it is you want to sacrifice to God, pu it in an envelope, put the envelope on the tree, and be lighter for it. Make candied grapefruit peel to eat and share. Grapefruits are often on sale in the grocery store at this time of year and on cold (and sometimes dismal) days in December it is a pleasure to have something colorful, tangy, and sweet to garnish the plate and shock the palate. Written by: Joel Tate Subscribe to receive each day's devotional in your inbox.
|
Furnace Brook Wesleyan Church Blog
|