Light bright

My husband wakes up at 4:30 a.m. to get ready for work. He turns on the lamp on the dresser so he can see to get dressed. I instinctively roll over away from the light so that it doesn't wake me up, because I'm not due to get up for another hour.

Light illuminates. Light helps us to see in the dark - a flashlight, a candle or a streetlight.  Light attracts us to things - like a neon sign on a building, or like the mosquito to the bug light. Light is also used for medicinal purposes, like for the baby with jaundice or for people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder.

In John 8:12, Jesus proclaims that He is the light of the world.  And just like I roll over away from the lamp at 4:30 a.m., people turn away from Jesus' light.  The light of Jesus exposes them for what they really are - sinners.  Jesus' light floods the darkness in their souls. Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:19-20:  "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed."

Jesus' light is the only light that can cleanse the soul of its darkness.  But Jesus' light is not scary; it's warm and loving.  Jesus' blood covers all sins, and His light transforms us and makes us new creations.  Oh friend, do not be frightened of Jesus' light.  It may shine into the dark corners of your soul and expose your deepest sins and dark desires, but Jesus longs to shine the light of His salvation into you and save you.  He longs to use His light to remove the darkness from your soul.  If you haven't put your trust in Jesus for the salvation of your soul, you can do that right now.  All you have to do is tell Jesus that you're sorry for all the sins you've committed, ask Him to flood your dark soul with His light, and tell Him that you're going to live for Him for the rest of your life.  Then He will come and live in your soul, and make you a new creation in Him. 


That's all for tonight.  See you again soon!

Diane

Help wanted

Job requirements:

• Born again believer in Jesus
• A heart for the lost
• Knowledge that God is with you no matter what
• Knowledge of the Gospel
• Boldness

Compensation:  None on Earth, but a "well done, faithful servant" from the Savior in Heaven.

Did you know that Jesus has a job for us to do?  That is, in addition to reading our Bibles, living by His laws, worshiping Him and serving others?  Our job is to go out and spread the Gospel to the world.  It's more commonly known as the Great Commission.  It can be found in Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV translation throughout):

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." 

Now some would argue that the Great Commission was only for the disciples, but if that were the case, the Christian faith would have died out after the disciples' converts died.  Paul said in Romans 10:14-15, 17:  "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'. . . So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."

In order for the lost to hear about Jesus, someone has to tell them.  Jesus has commanded it.  Paul reiterates it.  It's up to us to do it.  So how do we tell the lost about Jesus? Some people use tracts.  Other people use the Way of the Master method and are street evangelists.  Some people strike up conversations with co-workers or strangers on the bus.

"But Diane," you say (maybe even whining), "I don't want to go to the jungle to evangelize the natives."  Not all of us are called to do that.  There are other mission fields, and lots of them are close to home.  Your own family can be your mission field.  My own husband is not yet saved.  My teenage son is saved, but he's a backslider.  None of my in-laws are born-again Christians.  You may live in a neighborhood where you are the only Christian.  Befriend your neighbors and share the Gospel with them.  Invite them to church on Sunday morning or to a special event at your church. 

So pray to the Lord to show you what you can do to spread the Gospel.  It's our job to do it.  Pray for courage and boldness to spread the Gospel.  And after you've spread the Good News, post your results in a comment so everyone can see it and rejoice. 

Thanks for reading!  See you again soon!

Diane

Does anyone know what Christmas is all about?

That's Charlie Brown's question to the cast of the Christmas play he's directing.  Linus Van Pelt is the only one who gives the answer to Charlie Brown's question, which you will see later.  Let's start by taking a look at what Christmas is not.

Christmas is not about Christmas trees covered in ornaments and lights.  Christmas is not about expensive presents and gifts.  Christmas is not about Santa Claus and all his reindeer.  Christmas is not about eating lots of food and drinking oneself silly.  Christmas is not about lights and decorations.

So what is Christmas about, you ask?  Christmas is about the greatest miracle of all - God Himself coming to Earth in human form, to live among the humans He created.  The greatest gift of all is God giving Jesus to us.  Jesus came to Earth as a baby - the tiniest, most fragile type of human.  He was born in the humblest of circumstances, sharing living quarters with common animals.  His bed was a feeding trough lined with hay.  He was not born in the big city of Jerusalem, but in the small town of Bethlehem, as was prophesied.  There was no big announcement celebrating His birth, just a visitation by the angels to some shepherds keeping watch over their sheep at night.  One of the many names of Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and how appropriate that the first people to visit Him in the manger were shepherds themselves.

Speaking of the angels and the shepherds, let's watch Linus's answer to Charlie Brown:



Friend, if you are reading this and you have not yet repented of your sins and turned your heart and your life over to Jesus Christ, I implore you to do so as soon as possible.  Tomorrow is not promised to us; indeed, your next breath may very well be your last.  I pray you make the most important decision of your life for Jesus Christ.  If you do, this may be the most happy Christmas you ever have!

Thanks for reading!  Have a blessed Christmas!

Diane

Window dressing

Do you attend one of those churches where the women wear designer clothes and carry designer purses?  Do you feel uncomfortable with it, like I do?  Does it make you feel like you're inferior since you don't have designer clothes and/or an expensive purse?

If you wear designer clothes and carry an expensive purse to church, think about what kind of message you're sending to someone who is visiting your church for the first time.  Are you implying that if they don't dress like you do that they won't be welcome in your church?

God looks at the interior, not the exterior.  What's in your heart is more important than what you wear or the purse you carry. In 1 Samuel 16:7(b), the Lord says to Samuel, "For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

A humble, God-fearing spirit is more attractive and more important than fancy clothes, fancy hairdos and jewelry or an expensive purse.  In 1 Peter 3:3-4, Peter says:  "Do not let your adornment be merely outward - arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel - rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."  In 1 Timothy 2:9, Paul also speaks to this issue.  He says: ". . .in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing. . ." For those who think they need to dress better than they normally do as a sign of respect to God, that's fine too, but you can pull it off without the designer clothes and the expensive purse.  Jesus didn't wear Birkenstocks, just regular sandals, and He didn't have a place to lay His head.

There is a difference between dressing modestly and nicely and dressing ostentatiously.  The former is pleasing to God, while the latter is showing off.  God is not impressed by fancy clothing.  It reminds me of the Laodiceans in the book of Revelations.  They acted and dressed like they were better than everyone else too.  But hear what Jesus says to the Laodiceans:  "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' - and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked - I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see."

If God has blessed you with wealth, you should share it with others in need.  Instead of paying $200.00 for a Coach purse, perhaps you could spend $20.00 for a Kmart purse and donate the rest to your church or to a charity.  Purses break and wear out, but good deeds performed for others in need will buy you rewards in Heaven, which is much more important.  In 1 Timothy 6:18-19, Paul says, "Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."

That's all for now.  See you soon!

Diane

This ain't no party, this ain't no disco, this ain't no fooling around

Have you ever heard someone say when they're asked where they're going when they die, "I'm going to Hell. All my friends will be there and it'll be a great party!"? Dude (or dudette), your friends may all be there, but it ain't gonna be no party. Let's take a look at what Hell is really like.

Hell is described as a place with everlasting fire (Matthew 25:41)and unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:12); a place of torment (Luke 16:23, 2 Thes. 1:9); and a place where there is a lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). Hell is a place of fire and brimstone (Revelation 14:10). People in Hell are tormented with fire (Revelation 14:10) forever and ever (Revelation 14:11). They are punished eternally (Matthew 25:45). Doesn't sound like a very fun place to spend eternity, does it?

There is only one way to avoid going to Hell when you die, and that is to repent of your sins and receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your Savior. When you repent of your sins and ask Jesus to live in your heart, His Holy Spirit will come and live inside you and change you. You won't change externally, but internally you will be a new creation in Christ Jesus. You will have a personal relationship with Jesus. Friend, I urge you today to turn your heart and your life over to Jesus. You won't regret it. The only time it's too late to avoid going to Hell is after you take your last breath. I look forward to meeting you in Heaven!

That's all for now! Thanks for reading! See you again soon!

Diane

When the music fades . . .

>
I'm coming back to the heart of worship,
And it's all about you, it's all about you, Jesus.
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it,
And it's all about you, it's all about you, Jesus.

The refrain above is from a worship song called "The Heart of Worship" by Matt Redman. You can read the rest of the lyrics here. The Lord brought this song to mind when I woke up one day last week. I thought about the song for few minutes and realized why the Lord called my attention to it. The Lord was trying to tell me that worship should be simple.

Worship music shouldn't be performed like a Broadway production, on a big stage with fancy lights, stage decorations, fog machines, Power Point lyric slide shows with fancy backgrounds, a big choir, and lots of musical instruments. All those things are distracting to what really matters, which is praising the Lord with my whole heart, thanking Him for who He is and what He's done for me, and thanking Him for what he's going to do.

My family has been attending a non-denominational charismatic church for the past 5 years and their way of doing worship is just like the first line of the paragraph above. I was a member of that big choir for over 4 years until the summer of 2009 when the Lord told me I was burned out and I needed to take the summer off, so I did. At the end of the summer, I asked the Lord if I should go back to choir and He again told me no. I really haven't missed it at all. Choir took a lot of my time and my family was really getting annoyed at the time I was spending away from them.

I have been attending Sunday evening services at a local Calvary Chapel for the last few weeks (I've been trying to get my husband to switch to Calvary Chapel, but he's not ready yet. Prayers would be appreciated.) Worship is led by the pastor's wife, who sings and plays keyboard. Last Sunday, there were bongo drums accompanying the keyboard. There is no Power Point slide show, just a couple of printed lyric sheets. Since I already know most of the songs, I can just close my eyes and commune with the Lord while I'm singing. It has been so refreshing just to sit and simply sing while the keyboard plays, with no other distractions.

Not only should we make sure the surroundings of worship are not distracting, we should also look at the lyrics of the songs we are singing in worship. There are songs by Christian artists that may be perfectly good songs, but they are not worship songs. There are so-called worship songs that are what I call "cheerleader" songs – there is a fast beat that the singers jump up and down to and the songs have "feel-good" lyrics. These songs do not praise Jesus.

Worship is not just songs or surroundings, but an attitude of the heart. Matt Redman nails this in the bridge of "The Heart of Worship":

I'll bring you more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

Paul writes in Ephesians 5:18b-20: ". . . but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Now there's a recipe for true worship.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading! See you again soon!

Diane

Knock 3 times

On the CBS TV show The Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons' character Sheldon Cooper has an annoying way of getting his neighbor Penny to answer the door.  He stands at her door and says, "Penny."  (knock knock knock) "Penny."  (knock knock knock) "Penny."  (knock knock knock).  Penny finally gets tired of Sheldon knocking and opens the door. His persistence gets Sheldon into Penny's apartment.

In Luke 11:5-8, Jesus tells the parable of the persistent friend who by continually knocking at his neighbor's door in the middle of the night, persuade him to get up and give him the loaves of bread that he needs to give to his visitor.  In Luke 18:1-5, Jesus tells the parable of the widow who hounds a judge to get her justice from her adversary and he finally does, because he is weary of her persistence.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7, ""Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

This has an application for us in our prayer life. We are to be persistent in prayer.  We need to keep praying until we get an answer to our prayers, whether the answer is "yes," "no," or "not  now." Hebrews 4:16 states "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  So we should be bold and persistent in prayer.  That shows God that we really want what we're praying for.  I looked at my prayer journal this morning and I saw the date that I started it,which was 10/25/09.  There are still lots of needs that I'm still praying for, and I will keep praying until my prayers are answered or I leave in the Rapture, whichever comes first. 

That's all for now. See you again soon!

Diane