Basic Truths | Finding God in Everyday Life

  We’ve been living in our house for 30 years. We had it built. Back then, you didn’t have fancy 3-D views of what your house would look like. You reviewed the blueprints and the architect’s rendering and signed off on them. Then it was the construction team’s job to build the house according to the blueprint that they had.   Paul wrote a letter to the Colossians. Chapter 3 was his blueprint to the new believers as to how to build their Christian lives. He wrote, “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…..and be thankful….let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…..and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the Father through him...

  We buy and decorate our Christmas tree on Thanksgiving weekend each year so that we can have a whole season to admire it. There are lots of ornaments on our tree. We buy one each year from someplace we’ve traveled to. We also have ornaments that celebrate events in our lives, including our wedding day, our daughter’s birth, and other milestones.   We enjoy putting ornaments on the tree because they bring back happy memories.   Like all the other elements of the season, putting up the Christmas tree can be just an undertaking, another thing that has to be done, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The tree is a sign of God’s love which is “ever green”, always there for us. The ornaments remind us of all the ways God has provided for us. The lights are a sign of the One who is the Light of the World, who dispels the darkness around us and within us. The gifts under the tree call to mind the Magi, who brought their gifts to honor the infant Jesus.   If you are ...

  It’s that time of year again! I’ve been doing some Christmas shopping for my family. I know some people find this time stressful, but I’ve always enjoyed it. I like searching for presents for family and loved ones, something that will make them happy, something that will express my love for them.   We can give to others out of a sense of obligation, such as giving a Christmas present to someone you have a business relationship with. Our giving has greater meaning when we do it out of love, whether it’s a gift to a family member, a contribution to church or charity, or volunteer work for an organization. This type of giving represents love in action, which is really the true measure of love. John writes, “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18).   We celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas. He humbled himself to become a man and eventually died on the cross, giving us not only the greatest gift ever but a...

  I wasn’t very athletic as a little kid. When they chose sides for a game, I was usually the last to be picked. When you’re last, you’re really not being picked, you’re just a leftover! I got better at a few things over time and I began to get picked earlier. I’ll tell you, it was a great feeling to know that somebody actually wanted me. It made me try to do my best.   I’m comforted when I think about the apostles. Jesus chose them, and being God, He doesn’t make mistakes. Despite that, we read that they were slow to understand Jesus’ teaching (Mark 4:13), they each wanted to be first (Luke 9:46), they were jealous when someone else worked miracles in Jesus’ name (Luke 9:49), they wanted revenge on towns that wouldn’t accept them (Luke 9:54), and at the time of Jesus’ greatest need, they deserted Him. Jesus was faithful to them even though they weren’t faithful to Him. He came to them after His resurrection in a spirit of peace and love. He never disowned them. He still h...

  We visited Big Bend National Park last week. We stayed at the lodge in the park. It’s at an altitude of 5,400 feet. You get there by taking a 6 mile long winding road which takes you up from the desert floor into the mountains. As we drove along the road, we passed several cyclists and a few runners. They didn't appear to be having a good time! I was glad that we had a car to take us where we wanted to go.   To one degree or another, lots of us live our lives the hard way. We insist in certain areas on trying to do things by our own power rather than letting God lead us and help us. We try, as it were, to climb the mountain ourselves instead of letting God take us there, and we tire out as a result.   Paul wrote to Timothy, “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). How can we accomplish this?   We need to rely on God’s strength each and every day, not our own. We know that God is all powerful, that He is big enough ...