PLUS

Titus 2:13-14 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

During this Christmas season and as we approach the changing of the calendar to 2019 we must keep one important truth at the forefront of our mind – Jesus is The Blessed Hope!  No matter what is going on in our lives – He is The Blessed Hope!  No matter what is going on in our communities – He is The Blessed Hope!  No matter what is going on in our society – He is the Blessed Hope!  No matter what is going on in our country – He is the Blessed Hope!

It is easy to lose hope when our gaze drifts down to something far less glorious than our Saviour. It is easy to despair when we look around us.  Yet, it is impossible to contain the hopefulness we feel when we maintain our gaze upward.

He was born for us. He gave Himself for us.  He redeemed us from all iniquity.  He purified us unto Himself.  He is our Blessed Hope!

As His peculiar people, we have something that the world needs.  Not hope in things.  Not hope in people.  Not hope in government.  Not hope in institutions.  Not hope in wealth, or power, or prestige.  We have knowledge of The Blessed Hope!  We have trusted in The Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. That hope trumps any type of despair, in fact, that hope trumps the summation of all sources of despair.

As we start to remove our Christmas decorations over the next few weeks, may we never pack away that hope in a box in the garage.  That hope is available throughout the year.  That hope is available in any situation.  That hope is ubiquitous and ultimate.  That hope is prevalent and powerful.  That hope is overcoming and overwhelming.  May we sing Joy to The World throughout the calendar year, through our words, our works, and our witness.

PLEASE PRAY THAT WE WOULD EMBRACE AND TRUMPET THE TRUTHS OF CHRIST THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.  He is The Blessed Hope!

Psalm 8:3-4 “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou are mindful of him?  And the son of man, that thou visitest him?”

In December 1989, President George H.W. Bush issued his first Christmas Presidential Proclamation. It included the following profound truths about the miracle of Christ’s birth:

“During the beautiful and holy season of Christmas, our hearts are filled with the same wonder, gratitude, and joy that led the psalmist of old to ask, ‘When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him?’ At Christmas, we, too, rejoice in the mystery of God’s love for us – love revealed through the gift of Christ’s birth. Born into a family of a young carpenter and his wife, in a stable shared by beasts of the field, our Savior came to live among ordinary men. Yet, in time, the miraculous nature of this simple event became clear. Christ’s birth changed the course of history, bringing the light of hope to a world dwelling in the darkness of sin and death. Today, nearly 2,000 years later, the shining promise of that first Christmas continues to give our lives a sense of peace and purpose. Our words and deeds, when guided by the example of Christ’s life, can help others share in the joy of man’s Redemption.”

Well said Mr President and Amen!

May we embrace the beauty and holiness of this season.  May our hearts be filled with wonder, gratitude, and joy.  May we rejoice in the love of God that is mindful of man and has been revealed through the gift of Christ’s birth.  May we marvel at our Saviour’s coming to live among ordinary men. May we praise Him for changing the course of history and bringing hope to a world otherwise characterized by the darkness of sin and death.  May we cling to the promise of salvation through Christ that gives our lives a sense of peace and purpose.  May our words and deeds be Christlike and lead others to the joy of man’s Redemption!

PLEASE PRAY FOR A CHRISTLIKE SPIRIT THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON, MOTIVATED BY AN APPRECIATION OF GOD’S PERFECT GIFT.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Exodus 20:8-9 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work”

Matthew 22:36-38 “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said unto him, THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIND.  This is the first and great commandment.”

The Wright Brothers broke barriers and made world history on December 17th, 1903 when they succeeded in achieving the first ever heavier-than-air powered flight.  In reality, they probably would have broken this barrier four days earlier when the weather conditions were ideal except for one important characteristic of that day – December 13th, 1903 was a Sunday. As committed Christians and the sons of a preacher, they refused to work on the Sabbath.

In the years leading up to this milestone as they were toiling to overcome the limitations of the day, they always took Sundays off from their labors.  In the years following this milestone as they were demonstrating their capabilities to the world on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, they were only willing to fly Monday through Saturday.  They labored six days a week and kept the Sabbath holy.  In doing so, they demonstrated an important priority in their lives – that they sought God first.

God’s priorities haven’t changed for American Christians today.  He commands that we are to seek Him first.  We are to love Him with all of our heart, all of our soul, and all of our mind.  The best we can, we should limit our labor to six days a week so we can fully honor Him on the Sabbath.  It is the least that He deserves.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD PROPERLY SEEK GOD FIRST IN ALL AREAS OF OUR LIVES.  The ability of the Wright Brothers to soar is directly related to their proper prioritization of God first in their lives. As a result, all these things were added unto them.

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

Romans 12:12 “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.”

Hebrews 10:36 “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”

Sir Douglas Bader lived a life of passion and perseverance highlighted during his honorable service in the British Royal Air Force.  Already an accomplished pilot and aerobatics champion, Bader experienced a horrible crash on December 14, 1931.  While he escaped with his life, he had both legs amputated and had his promising flight career cut short.  His simple logbook entry for that day was: “Crashed slow-rolling near ground.  Bad show.”  Though he fought hard to remain on flying status, his repeated requests and attempts were denied.

All of this changed in 1939 when war concerns swept through Europe.  Bader, who had regained his strength, who had demonstrated skill on his artificial legs, and who had worked tirelessly to convince the authorities that he was valuable to the British cause was finally successful; the Royal Air Force called him to return to service.  Bader reported immediately for flying duty, and quickly was asked to employ his skill against the Germans.  Before being shot down in 1941 over occupied Europe, Bader had achieved 22 confirmed solo aerial victories and had participated brilliantly in the Battle of Britain and other decisive portions of early World War II.  Even as a prisoner of war, Bader made so many escape attempts that the Germans threatened to take away his artificial legs and eventually housed him in a camp with the highest levels of security.

Douglas Bader’s story is one of resilience in spite of all challenges.  Though situations looked bleak at times, Bader’s dogged perseverance enabled him to fully recover and live up to his historic potential. Frankly, he was able to regain a level of amazing usefulness to the cause because he refused to give up. Fortunately for the Royal Air Force and the British, they eventually recognized that Bader should be given a second chance to serve his country.  They would have overlooked a hero if they had continued to dismiss him and his amazing courage, talent, and skill.  As a result of their recognition of his value and worth, he returned to serve with valor and distinction.

No matter how bleak things may look in 21^stCentury secular culture, we are to never give up.  It may be our dogged perseverance that will enable us to fully recover and live up to our historic potential.  Our amazing usefulness to the cause may only be revealed if we refuse to ever give up, and if we serve with steady and consistent valor and distinction. Similarly, we must never give up on those who are around us.  We may overlook a hero if we dismiss those who have crashed and fallen.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A GOD-GIVEN PERSEVERANCE THAT CAN IMPACT OUR WORLD IN SPITE OF THE OBSTACLES WE FACE. May our story be one of resilience in spite of all challenges.

Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”

Proverbs 25:11 “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”

A few weeks ago, Representative-elect Dan Crenshaw was mocked on Saturday night live. Specifically, Dan was taunted for his appearance – primarily stemming from the eye-patch he wears as the result of a wartime injury during duty as a Navy SEAL.  Clearly, such jabs are inappropriate and distasteful.

How did hero and soon-to-be-Congressman Crenshaw respond?  He didn’t retaliate.  He didn’t escalate the rhetoric.  He didn’t plan to get even.  He didn’t even vociferously demand an apology.  Instead, he used it as a teachable moment.  He went on Saturday Night Live to make peace with those who attacked him.  He also authored an opinion piece in the Washington post about forgiveness and reconciliation (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-made-amends-with-pete-davidson-on-snl-but-thats-only-the-beginning/2018/11/13/e7314fb0-e77e-11e8-b8dc-66cca409c180_story.html?utm_term=.4406f31371ae).  He even made fun of himself along the way.  He wasn’t weak for doing so, in fact, just the opposite.  He demonstrated a rare strength in an environment that he calls an “outrage culture.”  His soft answer turned away wrath.

You and I live in a culture surrounded by outrage and wrath.  Sometimes it is even directed towards us.  As Congressman Crenshaw reminds us, we “when all else fails, try asking for forgiveness, or granting it.”  Everyone doesn’t “have to fan the flames of outrage.”  In fact, we shouldn’t.  Christ certainly didn’t (https://prayatlunch.us/love-your-enemies/).

PLEASE PRAY THAT THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO OUR OUTRAGE CULTURE IS DIFFERENT AND DISTINCT.  A strong testimony demands that our response be Christlike.  Following an attack, don’t fan the flames of outrage.  Instead, try asking for forgiveness, or granting it.