YOU'VE BEEN DESIGNED FOR BRILLIANCE

I drove by a home in our neighborhood the other night that’s been decorated for Christmas. The brilliant display of lights, with too many inflatable figures to count, all combined to present an impressive car-stopping celebration of Christmas. I drove by the same home today, during daylight hours. It was somewhat sad. The inflatables are lying on their sides and all the lights turned off. The home looks like an explosion took place in a Christmas décor store.

Jesus declared: “I am the light of the world.” Then He told those who would follow Him: “You are the light of the world.” There’s nothing more beautiful than a follower of Christ who brilliantly displays the light of God’s love through the way they live each day. People are profoundly impacted by genuine demonstrations of kindness and compassion. I think it’s important to keep in mind that even the smallest act of love can make a huge difference in someone’s life.

On the flipside, while there’s nothing more beautiful and profound than a brilliant display of God’s love, there are few things sadder than a Christ follower who has been designed for brilliance and instead they hide the “light.”

Matthew 5:14-16 NLT “You are the light of the world -- like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. 15 Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. You are the light of the world -- like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. 15 Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

If you’re a follower of Jesus determine you will be a brilliant display of the amazing love of God this Christmas season. We never know what love can do until we give it away.

HONORING YOUR BELOVED

Several years ago the marriage coach *Jay Tenney was talking with a man in his eighties and the man said something about his marriage that deeply impacted him.  This man’s wife had passed away three years earlier after they had been married for 54 years.  As he sat very comfortably in his wheelchair the elderly gentleman talked about all of the great times that they had shared over the years.  He talked about all of places they had traveled and about the struggles that they had faced together.  Then he said, “I miss her.  I miss loving her and honoring her.”

Tenney said he had never heard anyone say anything like that before so he said, ‘”So you honored your wife?”  He smiled at the memory and said, “I certainly tried to.  I tried to honor her everyday”.   He went on to say that he thought the word LOVE was used too much these days.  He said, “I LOVE lots of things but I HONORED my wife”.  

The phrase, “HONOR one another above yourselves,” is found multiple places in the New Testament, including Hebrews 13:4 and Romans 12:10. Two different Greek words are used, each describing a similarly loving practice:

Timios (tim’-ee-os) “as of great price, precious; held in honour, esteemed, especially dear.” (found in Heb 13:4)

Time (tee-may’) “a valuing by which the price is fixed; honour which belongs or is shown to one, deference, reverence.” (found in Rom 12:10)

While the word, LOVE, is often used today, possibly to the point it’s lost some of its impact, the word, HONOR, is less common. It causes me to wonder how many marriages would be impacted if husbands/wives decided to honor their spouse “everyday,” as the elder man sought to do for 54 years.

To honor one another is…

·    To follow the biblical blueprint for marriage;

·    To strive for the success and happiness of your beloved;

·    To constantly add value through loving words and actions;

·    To learn and speak your beloved’s *“love language”;

·    To build each other up and NEVER tear them down;

·    To always be at your best for your beloved;

·    To always act unselfishly;

Honor says, “You’re the most important thing in my life.”

This is a simple yet powerful principle, although it only has power if it’s put into practice. How can you honor your beloved today?

www.mymarriagecoach.com

www.5lovelanguages.com

AND THE WINNER IS...

Today is Election Day 2012. As I write this blog post the polls, for the places that haven’t converted to main-in balloting, are now open throughout the country. I know I won’t miss the inflammatory rhetoric that dominates network news and the political ads on TV, radio, and in print. The facts become so distorted it becomes difficult to discern what’s true. In this brief post I want to remind bible-believing followers of Christ of the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “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. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7 English Standard Version)

When Isaiah used the word “his” in this prophetic declaration he wasn’t referring to any earthly ruler (President, Prime Minister, Governor, Mayor, etc.). No, he was referring to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ! What Isaiah clearly states about this kingdom, that was launched when Christ was born, is most important especially on a day like to day when it seems like there are so many critical positions begin contested on a national, state and local level; as well, on a day when so many causes are being decided that could significantly change the moral direction of our country. Isaiah declared: “…of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.” Friends, we have God’s guarantee that His kingdom will prevail over the kingdoms of this world. It doesn’t mean there won’t be hard things and tough times, and some people won’t reject righteousness, yet our hope remains strong because our hope is in the God of all hope.

King Jesus shares these words with his followers today: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 ESV) King Jesus reigns and rules over all and my hope is in Him today and everyday!

HOLES HAPPEN

For the past three months I’ve dedicated myself to riding my bike about four times a week. I’ve enjoyed it more than I thought I would and the exercise has enabled me to get down to my lowest weight in probably ten years. No complaints there! Whether I’m out on a quick six-mile ride or a 26-mile cruise through the countryside, bike riding offers a lot of time to think. Early on in my riding adventures my thoughts were mostly focused on how badly my body hurt and whether I’d be able to get back home.  In case you’re wondering, I did always make it back home. In fact, thankfully I don’t remember any close calls.

Recently I developed a problem where my front tire was losing air over a period of several days. (Don’t you hate it when that happens?) The slow leak never left me stranded, so that’s good. Finally I decided I would install a new tube. Almost immediately the slow leak returned. Grrr! What are the odds of that? So I decided I needed to repair the two tubes. I checked the tubes for leaks and sure enough there was a small hole in each one. Upon closer inspection I discovered that the holes were in the same general location on each. My mother didn’t raise a dummy. Through my exceptional deductive reasoning ability (did I tell you I’m humble too!), I did a careful inspection of the tire. Sure enough I found a staple had penetrated the tire and was protruding over ¼ inch inside. This was the cause of the small holes. Once I identified the leak and the cause, it was a quick repair on each of the tubes. I checked the tire twelve hours later and the repair was 100% successful this time.

I don’t know how you are but I like to learn lessons from life. Several things came to mind from this recent experience:

1.    We will often put up with something as long as it doesn’t inconvenience us too much. As long as my bike tire stayed inflated so I could get my ride in, it was easier to ignore it than it was to fix it. The problem is that an underinflated tire does impact a bike’s ability to roll down the road. It has the effect of trying to ride through sand. The less air the deeper the sand. Whatever it is that you’re tolerating and, to this point, trying to ignore in your life, is having an effect on your ability to do life. It may be the very thing that’s holding you back from breaking through to a better life.

2.    We are sometimes so focused on fixing the EFFECT we fail to address the CAUSE. I’m pretty new at bike riding being a primary exercise routine so I’m learning a lot about how to ride and how to maintain my bike. It never occurred to me to check the tire. I immediately decided to install a new tube. Cause and effect is a universal law. Now I know that when I have a leak I need to check both the tube and the tire. Fixing an “effect” is similar to treating symptoms. The shelves at the pharmacy are stocked with medicines that treat symptoms. They’re designed to help diminish the symptoms and make you feel better, but they don’t provide a cure (or address the cause). True healing, and therefore, wholeness in our lives comes from identifying and eliminating a “cause.”

3.    It’s not the big things that threaten to delay or derail our life it’s often the small, less obvious things. I was surprised about how small [thin] the staple was that had imbedded itself in my tire for the past couple of weeks. The big things are often so obvious we know better the consequences of continuing with a particular activity or attitude. We know our disobedience is costing us something, and we basically don’t care. This is not a good scenario but equally concerning are the small, less obvious things that have imbedded themselves in our lives, and we’re mostly oblivious to the damaged being caused each day they remain undetected. 

Yesterday I was able to go for a nice 8-mile night ride. My bike, with my tire free of the staple and properly inflated, rolled down the road. It was one of my best rides yet. It may be time for you to do a thorough examination of your life to see if there are any “staples” (the small, less obvious things) that are slowing you down and keep you from experiencing the better life God has for you. A better life is possible!