Getting Unstuck For A New Year

By John Stallings

In the movie, “Forest Gump” you may remember the part of the movie where Forest decides to go for a run.

He first runs to the end of the driveway. Then he runs into town. Then he runs to the county line & then he runs to the state line. Then he runs across half the United States to Santa Monica California.

Then Forest decides to turn around & run some more. This time he runs across the country to a lighthouse in Maine. He keeps running until people notice. He’s in the media, on magazine covers & starts to build a following. People start to run with him & follow him wherever he goes.With a full beard & dirty, grungy clothes, Forest finds himself with a large number of followers who will go wherever he goes.

One day, Forest stops running. Standing in the middle of a road he speaks to his followers. They wait with bated breath for his words of wisdom. They lean toward him waiting for the words to fall from his lips.Forest speaks like no man ever spoke before, sharing these words of unprecedented wisdom, I hope you’re sitting because this is big; Forest says, “I’m kind of tired. I think I’m gonna go home now.” He walks through his followers who part like the Red Sea.

Though the movie was first & foremost a comedy, I think, & certainly it was just a movie, there’s something here that rings a serious bell. You can’t help but feel sorry for these people following Forest, mostly because they have nothing better to do. They have no direction in their lives. These folk put their faith & hope in Forest & he has nothing to offer them.

WE HAVE A GUIDE

As we embark on the year 2018, we aren’t like the people in the movie Forest Gump, - so empty, - so lost -that we would follow someone who’s going nowhere in particular. Forest had a good heart, but really had no clue where he was going & why. We’re told in scripture & we know experientially that the Holy Spirit who resides within us will Guide us into all truth. We have God, His Son Jesus & The Holy Spirit to fill our lives with meaning & give us guidance.

STUCK

The greatest challenge of the coming New Year will be letting go of the past in order to grasp a new future. It’s not as easy as it sounds because we as human beings have a way of getting stuck. Many people find that though they want passionately to believe things can be different, a new beginning always seems to move just out of reach. They find themselves slipping back into the bondage of the past.In Philippians 3:13-14 Paul said….

but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind & reaching forth for those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

If you saw the movie Groundhog Day; you have a perfect example of a man who’s stuck, living the same day over & over. I don’t think there is anyone who isn’t, or hasn’t been stuck. Maybe our “stuckness” centers on a tangible such as buying, eating, drinking, drugging, worrying, fretting, gambling, risks, sex, love, books, movies, television, ideas, work, or power. Or maybe what we’re experiencing is a general malaise or vertigo that we can’t put our finger on.

Being stuck is sort of a twilight zone of sameness with no seeming ability to affect any kind of change. We yearn for new vistas but seem to be fresh out of ideas as to how and where to find them. We look down the road and see no chance of anything but more of the same.

We all know what it’s like to be in a car that’s stuck, either in snow, sand or mud. My heart bled these past few weeks as I watched the folk in the northeastern states being victimized by the white stuff.Though we love white Christmases, too much of a good thing can be devastating.

But being emotionally and spiritually stuck is worse. It’s the realization that we’re not moving forward, and we feel paralyzed. There are projects we know we need to start or finish, but we’re seemingly trapped and frozen in place.

Few of us will grow in our Christian lives in a steady, gradual, upward slope from birth to death. Granted there will be seasons of seemingly effortless growth but there will also be seasons where we somehow get “stuck” at one level and can’t “break out” to the next level.Something’s getting in the way!It's my contention that part of what impedes our personal and spiritual growth are the "stuck" places in our life.

There are varieties of reasons we get stuck but whatever they might be, our personal growth diminishes the longer we remain stuck. We can get stuck in our past, in our pain, in our problems, in our perspectives or in our life patterns.I get stuck sometimes, don’t you? It is not usually an absence of options, but a plethora of them. One gets stuck in the process of choosing & then shuts down.We can sometimes get stymied. That implies being thwarted by some outside force.

Certainly outside forces influence us negatively or positively, but the reality is that most of the stymieing comes from within. We are afraid. We are afraid of the shame, embarrassment, & disappointment that failure will bring & the increased responsibility of success. Therefore, we are timid, tenuous, and terrorized by fear of the decisions we might make or actions we might take. After all, we might make a mistake. We might produce mediocre work. We might open a can of worms. Our "mights take away our might.”

Maybe a large challenge comes up, -we get discouraged & we freeze. We put our plans on hold & break our pattern of discipline.Sometimes “being stuck” is a signal that something has gone wrong; somehow we’ve missed it, and we’re terribly off course. This is not always the case; as a matter of fact, feeling stuck is a condition that can be good for us. For one thing, a prime prerequisite for getting unstuck is to be stuck. When we’re stuck, we’ve lost our momentum and are forced, at least temporarily, to stop and assess our lives.

Feeling stuck acts as an inward summons or call. We face the fact that we are dissatisfied with where we are. We see the utter futility of our situation, and, if we are wise, we reach for another level to satisfy the desire for change. At that point, we are reaching for that which really satisfies, and, in so doing, we are calling out for God. So that’s why I say that being stuck isn’t really a bad thing. What has happened is, because of the stuck feelings, we have begun to readjust our lives, looking for a clearer perspective. In a way we are calling out, “What’s next for me, God?

PEOPLE GET STUCK IN THE PAST

Some people live in the past and seem to revel in the hurts of yesterday. They won’t shake loose from their past failures or calamities because, to them, the past is more important than the present. When you talk to them, you quickly see they are totally caught up with & committed to keeping the past more real than the present. They are stuck.

 What decade was it that Ronnie Millsap was lost in? Was it the sixties? I liked the song but always forget the decade. Oh well, it matters not; the important things is he was stuck.

In John 5, Jesus saw a man sitting beside the pool of Bethesda. He had been sitting there for thirty-eight years, trying to be first into the water after it was troubled by the angel. Jesus came along and heard the man’s story and immediately saw that he was stuck. I would say that thirty-eight years of sitting in the same spot, whining about the same problem is really being stuck. It didn’t cross the man’s mind that there was another way. When Jesus was able to get him to quit worrying about his past defeats and disappointments & look to Him, the man was healed, & he carried his bed away.

WE CAN GET STUCK IN OLD PATTERNS AND HABITS.

It’s not hard to develop bad habits (sometimes sinful), but more often people are just bogged in ruts. Some give up, figuring they can’t change, so why try? Perhaps because of resentment or a negative thought pattern they’ve been in so long, they think their situation could never change. Perhaps they’ve come to believe their lot in life is already static, & nothing can ever be different.

MAYBE YOU’RE STUCK FINANCIALLY OR WITH SOME OTHER PHYSICAL NEED.

In John 2, Jesus attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee, & they had run out of wine. The people were stuck with no libation, & obviously it put the wedding planners in a bit of an embarrassing spot. They were stuck with no wine. Though Jesus’ time had not yet come to do miracles, He responded to the need & performed His first miracle by turning water into wine. When we are stuck financially, emotionally, or in any other way, we should immediately turn to Jesus, knowing He’ll always be responsive to our needs.

YOU MAY BE STUCK WITH A FALSE ASSUMPTION

In Joel 2:23-32, the prophet speaks to a people who are stuck in despair, feeling things will never get better. He tells them to look up and be glad for God is going to do great things for them. They have a great future if they’ll rise up and take hold of it by faith.He says in verse 25,-

-And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the , and the caterpillar, and the , my great army which I sent among you. 26And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. 27And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.

In I Kings 17 we read the story of Elijah being sent to the home of the widow of Zarephath. A famine was in progress, & the only thing she had was just enough meal to make a cake for herself & her son, then die of slow starvation. This poor little widow woman was indeed stuck. Elijah asked her to make him a little cake first, and at that point she had a choice. She could believe the word of the man of God or do it her way, & no doubt die. When she opted to obey, she was given a miracle supply of oil & meal that lasted for many days.

When things are going bad & we are stuck in some situation or other, we should always listen for Gods voice. He’ll have a plan to get us unstuck. [He has a fleet of spiritual tow-trucks that can be on your case before you can say “Gesundheit”.] The only thing the widow had to do was exercise obedience, & her need was met. To get unstuck, you & I will often have to make that same choice--to obey God.


SOMETIMES BEING STUCK IS JUST PURE PROCRASTINATION.

We develop a habit of putting things off until it finally turns into resistance to tasks that are unpleasant to us. Though we don’t enjoy thinking about it, sometimes we can become stubborn, which started as a childhood-survival technique we may have developed to ward off controlling people. We learned early that we can resist certain things, & people can do nothing but accept our resistance. Perhaps we even enjoyed seeing how it frustrated others when we used those powers of resistance. This may have worked as a child, but it isn’t necessary now, and if we don’t recognize what’s happening, it can be a tool of the devil to sabotage our motivation. Now it translates to pure, old, mule-headed stubbornness, keeping us from the changes we should make.

MAYBE WE ARE STUCK BECAUSE WE ARE RESISTING CHANGE.

Are you stuck at the beginning of the great New Year, 2018?

HERE ARE A FEW HELPFUL HINTS FOR GETTING UNSTUCK.

1. Look at your situation realistically. Does anything in the aforementioned apply? Ask God to help you see what’s really stopping your progress.

2. Look for the bottlenecks in your situation & address them.

3. Develop a “what’s next” mentality. God will show you His will if you seek Him.

4. Don’t hesitate to go to people you respect & enlist their prayers & advice. Don’t forget to seek God.

5. When you get temporarily stuck on a project, walk away for a while, & you’ll come back to it with a new perspective. But do come back.

6. Home run king, Henry Aaron, had this advice: In a slump, keep swinging.

7. Help others with their problems, & yours will seem smaller.

8. Take care of yourself spiritually, emotionally, & physically.

9. Start each day with God’s Word & a prayer for guidance.

LET ME GIVE YOU A LIST OF IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR

1. What’s the most humanly impossible thing you’ll ask God to do for you this coming year?

2. What’s the single most important thing you need to happen to improve the spiritual quality of your family?

3. What spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress in & what will you do about it?

4. What’s the biggest time-waster in your life & what will you do about it in the coming year?

5. For whose salvation will you most fervently pray in the coming year?

6. How could you improve your prayer life in 2018?

7. What will you do in 2018 that will matter most in 10 years? In eternity?

8. What will you do differently by God’s grace this coming year?

9. What’s the most important decision you need to make in 2018?

10. What area of your life needs simplifying & how will you do it?

11. What important need do you feel burdened to meet in 2018?

12. What habit would you like to establish in 2018?

13. Who do you most want to encourage this year?

14. What’s the most important financial goal you need to meet & how will you go about doing it?

15. How can you improve the quality of your work life?

16. What will you endeavor to do to bless your pastor or others who minister to you?

17. What book in addition to the bible do you want to read?

18. What’s your biggest regret of 2017 and; what will you do about it in 2018?

19. What important trip would you want to take in 2018?

20. What skill do you want to learn or improve?

21. To what need or ministry will you give to in an unprecedented way in 2018?

22. What biblical doctrine do you want to better understand?

23. If those who know you best gave you advice, what advice would that be?

24. Would they be right?

25. What will you do about it? You are looking for ways to make progress in your life. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have read these little tips by such a non-expert as I.

If we keep reaching, the best is yet to come.

In Saskatchewan there’s a sign by the side of a muddy road which reads:

CHOOSE YOUR RUT CAREFULLY, YOU’LL BE IN IT A LONG TIME.

Have a happy and blessed New Year,


Every Blessing,


John 

Where Are You Christmas?

By John Stallings



I find myself with just a bit of time tonight {It's after midnight } so here are a few musings.

This year, Faith Hill’s song “Where are you Christmas” jumped up on my radar screen. The song, a deeply probing one, deals with the thought that over the years we tend to lose Christmas at least the emotions we had about it in other years.

It seems for many who are over thirty, Christmas is an elusive feeling, one that we've lost and have had a hard time relocating. I’m not sure when I misplaced it but it’s been several years ago. When I was younger, Christmas was a time of joy and hope, family and friends, a season of stillness in an often too chaotic world. Now, however, it seems to simply come and go without much impact upon my life or spirit. I understand the “Christmas Spirit,” cannot be forced and that feelings shouldn't be manipulated but the intangible-ness of a warmed heart, intimacy for those we love, a sense of home and family have left me feeling empty and cold during a time when I desire the opposite.

I wish I could put my finger on the reason for my inability to capture the essence of Christmas in my soul. Perhaps it has to do with the reality that in the last few months I've lost several old friends. These were men with whom I went to college, with whom I traveled the country.

 Also, maybe it’s the fact that over the years I've lost loved ones to death who literally made Christmas for me. They gave gifts, baked seasonal goodies, and brought love and laughter at this special time of year. The people who surround me now, including my wife Juda and many old and cherished friends, are more than I could hope for or deserve. But I'm just saying.

 Here I am, sharing with many others the fact that the responsibilities as well as the realities of life have somehow “stolen” what we once felt in this season. Hence the song “Where are you Christmas.”

Here’s some good news.

The thing that always thrills me is that, and I know I share this with millions- I’ve always had at my core the reality that JESUS is the reason we celebrate Christmas. To point out the obvious, Christmas is an extremely important historical event. Even atheists have to acknowledge that Jesus lived and that his birth split history in two. More toys, turkeys,and trees are sold in  Jesus' name than any other name. No other world Icon ever had this nor will anyone but Jesus ever have it.

You and I can relax and rejoice in the knowledge that in his birth, Jesus started the train of events that would culminate in his death on the Cross and his ascension. If you’re like me you don’t need any gifts this year other than the knowledge that Jesus is real.

In the absence of other emotions, we can take pleasure in the fact that Jesus came, he lived and died and ascended back to heaven and soon will return to take us, his Bride to our long home.

There’s a popular axiom that says, “A baby changes everything.” Many of us can attest to that. But more real is this truth; the baby Jesus changed everything.”

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Blessings,

John

Christmas Blues

By John Stallings


For many of us, Christmas is the joy of being with those we love.

But for many people, the Christmas holidays aren’t a celebration, they’re a time of tension, disappointment, loneliness, and frustration. For many there won’t be a “holly jolly Christmas.”

There are millions who are alone or who find themselves in conflict with others or estranged from family, or who have just faced a loss of a loved one. To these the holiday times are painful reminders that we don’t look like the ideal Christmas card with the happy, smiling faces of family gathered around a festive table.

For some, the financial difficulties of trying to create a holiday time with an overabundance of food and gifts for everyone creates stress in itself, preventing us from enjoying the holiday time. The joys of what we are told is a blissful time, becomes a time of depression, a time of darkness.
Christmas can trigger a sadness that we don’t have that perfect family that we think everyone else has. We hear others talk about getting together with their family and it sounds so ideal. Many of us are blessed to have large extended families who all get along, more or less.

In America, we now have the added stress of knowing that we have an avowed enemy, militant
Muslim extremists who would love nothing better than to attack us during this season, especially on Christmas day. Christmas can be marred by;

-Unrealistic expectations.
-Financial pressure.
-Busy schedule.
-Family conflict.
Etc. Etc. Etc.

The Christmas season can be a time where we feel constantly overextended but it should be a time, no matter what our circumstances, when we experience the profound sense of God’s presence in our lives. Hopefully a time when we connect with our friends and loved ones on a deeper level.

However, if we examine the Christmas story we don’t find anything that suggests a time of abundance, a time of great family togetherness. It’s the story of a baby being born in a stable because his parents were traveling to pay their taxes to an oppressive government. This is not a story of great celebration. This family is poor. There was some question about the legitimacy of the child’s parentage. Is this a story about prosperity and joy?

To put it bluntly, the Christmas story, while a story of great unimaginable hope, isn’t founded on big happy families sitting around a festive table of great abundance.

Maybe it would be helpful on this day and at this time if you and I rethink Christmas just a bit.

Rethink our expectations.

People who struggle with disappointment during Christmas often approach the holidays with the wrong kind of focus—they put too much energy into trying to make it a perfect Christmas for themselves. Instead of thinking about what we will get, let’s think about what we can give.

Rethink our obligations.

This time of year it’s easy to get very busy, and there’s all this stuff that you HAVE to do, and your schedule spins in circles till you finally realize there’s no way you can do it all. Remind yourself: “I have to rethink my schedule and make sure I do those things that are most important.” Jesus came so that we could learn how to spend our days not serving ourselves, but serving him. When we help others, not only does it benefit them, it benefits us as well.

I know this won’t tickle anyone’s ears but on this Christmas, there’s a multitude of people who actually need food and clothing more than they need toys or other gifts. I also know that some people aren’t in a position to give expensive gifts, maybe things they could have given last Christmas. But am I being too corny when I suggest that a gift can still be baked goods, even a poem written from the heart or-now –listen carefully- promising a special task for a loved one sometime now or during the year ahead?

When I was a kid, [in the dark ages, as my mother used to say] we couldn’t afford expensive gadgets. I never had a new bicycle but the used ones worked just as good. What we needed most were clothes and that's usually what we got but we sure were dressed to kill when school started back.

This may be the corniest blog I’ve ever written but maybe it’s because I feel a little differently than I’ve ever felt. Juda got several beautiful candles as gifts this year and she dearly loves scented candles. Maybe the thought of sitting in the dark with some candles lit isn’t the worst thing that could happen to us. [our electric lights are still on-ptl!]

Maybe this Christmas has or will only accentuate your losses over the past year. Maybe you’ll be reminded that your life isn’t working out the way you planned. A quiet time of sitting in the dark, with some candles lit, really could be an "enlightening" experience.

The dark may remind us of our losses, but the lit candles remind us of the light that Christ has strewn across our pathway. It’s a reminder that we do come through the dark times, that we do have Christ’s strength within, and that Christmas is about a child who was born into this world to bring hope to all humankind. A light shining in darkness.

As the angel in Luke proclaims, “Peace on Earth, and goodwill to men!”


Every Blessing,

John

Have a blessed Christmas

"I'm Dreaming Of A RIGHT Christmas"

By John Stallings


A pastor worked in his study all through Christmas Eve preparing for the Christmas morning service.

Being very tired he dozed off & dreamt of a world to which the Savior had never come. In his dream he was looking around his home but there were no Christmas decorations, no candles or Christmas wreaths.He walked into his study & thumbed through his library but found no books about Jesus, & the Bible he found ended at Malachi.

He noticed that the last words of the Bible were,

LEST I COME & SMITE THE EARTH WITH A CURSE.

He walked out unto the streets & found no church spires pointing heavenward.He went back inside & a knock on the door brought a request to visit a dying mother. He went to her bedside but could find no comforting scriptures, for the gospels were not there. Paul’s comforting letters that included passages about life beyond the grave were missing. There was no promise beyond the grave. Even John’s book of Revelation was not there.

He could only bow his head & weep in hopeless desperation. Two days later he stood by the mother’s grave & conducted her burial but he could give no word of changed hearts & glorious resurrections, only, “ashes to ashes & dust to dust.” It was just one long, last, final farewell.

Suddenly nearby music awoke him from his sleep & he was sobbing uncontrollably. He realized he was hearing his own church choir in the sanctuary next door practicing for their Christmas service & singing “Oh come let us adore Him.” The fact was, Jesus had come & His coming had split history in two, giving hope for eternal life to all who trust in Him.

WHAT WOULD A WORLD WITHOUT CHRIST LOOK LIKE?

Had Christ not come we’d have no New Testament, no gospel, no church, no Lord’s Day, no repentance, no forgiveness of sins, no changed & transformed hearts & lives & no hope of His eternal presence.The angel wouldn’t have told Mary, -With God nothing is impossible.The angels wouldn’t have sung to the shepherds, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will to men.

One of my favorite secular Christmas songs has always been ErvIn Berlin’s White Christmas. Though it’s always been a dream of mine, I can’t say that I ever experienced a white Christmas. In the last few years that dream has faded & been replaced with the desire to celebrate each year, a Right Christmas.What does a right Christmas look like?

A RIGHT CHRISTMAS IS BEAUTIFULLY SIMPLE & SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL.

Have you ever tried to explain the real meaning of Christmas to a child? It isn’t easy. There is so much tradition mixed up with spiritual truth that it’s sometimes hard to tell Jesus from Santa Claus & the Wise men from the snowmen.The very young have puzzled looks on their faces as they try to sort it all out. “Let me see if I’ve got this straight….Christmas is baby Jesus’ birthday, but I get the presents?” They end up thinking;-“Is this a great religion or what?”

THE MOST NEGLECTED CHRISTMAS VERSE OF ALL

There is one verse that for me sums up the real meaning of Christmas better than any verse in the Bible. Within this short verse we find the answer to the question, what is the right attitude about Christmas & --what is a right Christmas? Here is the verse,

---2 Corinthians 8:9: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

Let’s examine this verse for in it I believe we find the essence of a right attitude toward Christmas.

A. HE WAS RICH

I read last week that Wal-Mart is the richest & most successful business that’s ever existed on planet earth. My computer even knows who Wal-mart is because it just corrected my spelling of the name.This brings up a question in my mind: “Why don’t we let Wal-mart bail out General Motors?” But I digress. Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-mart was a “rich-en.” He was among the group of old boys who would light their cigars with a hundred dollar bill. The average rich ride first class. The medium rich charter a jet. The super rich own the jet. The incredibly rich own the airline.But Jesus Christ owns the skies. The Bible says---

HE WAS RICH!

This is speaking of what He had in heaven before He came to earth. You can take the richest men who ever lived, the most powerful rulers who ever lived, the wisest men who ever lived, the mightiest generals who ever lived, the strongest athletes in every sport, the most spell-binding orators, the greatest political leaders & any other great men on earth, calculate their wealth…power…skill…genius…wisdom…insight…& ability. Whatever that vast sum comes to, Jesus had more in heaven. No man or collection of men could touch Him. The pre-existent Jesus Christ wasn’t a pauper but a man who lived in glorious untold splendor.He Was Rich!!

B. HE BECAME POOR

When you & I celebrate a right Christmas we keep in mind the lowly baby Jesus who became poor. Exactly what does that mean? He was rich in eternity but He became poor when He moved into time. He left heaven for a remote village in a forgotten province, to join a despised race, to be born of an obscure teenage peasant girl in a stable, wrapped in rags & placed in a feeding-trough instead of a crib.But Jesus didn’t act “high & mighty.” He knew it all but wasn’t a “know it all.” He owned all the stuff but never did “strut His stuff.” He wasn’t a “name-dropper.” He wasn’t a showoff. He never asked people, “Want me to beam you into the 21st century?” Jesus could have constantly been saying things like, “I’ve got some property on Jupiter.”

But Jesus’ purpose wasn’t to show-off but to show-up. Jesus was holding the entire Universe together but you couldn’t tell it by watching or listening to Him. He wasn’t like that.Here is the creator of the universe who looked no different than the guy down the street. Jesus became poor & pitched His tent among us for a while. He didn’t Lord it over us but loved us so much He was willing to die for us. He wasn’t on an ego trip he was on a rescue mission.

A right Christmas is one that remembers that we are something special to God.Notice that Jesus became poor. You & I are made poor by circumstances but Jesus of His own free will became poor. The man who was richer than any man has ever been gave it up freely & became poorer than any man has ever been.If we have a right Christmas we’ll be remembering that the heart of it all, the heart of the gospel is that the richest person in the universe of His own free will became poorer than the poor.

I love the story of the atheist who would never go to church with his Christian family. One Christmas season, his wife & children were readying themselves to go to Sunday morning service & pleaded with him to go just this once. It was a special Christmas service & there’d be beautiful music.The unbelieving man refused to go, as usual, telling his family it would just be a waste of time for him, that Christmas was just a silly old tradition about a man who never really existed.The family left for church leaving the father sitting in his recliner near a large picture window that overlooked a big back yard. It was snowing & the sight of the flakes building up on the barn behind the house was breathtaking. He thought how much it looked like a Norman Rockwell painting.

Then something happened that almost startled him out of his chair. A flock of about twenty birds, not seeing the glass window, flew right into it, leaving several of them wounded & flapping around on the ground. The man, pitying the poor birds slowly got up & walked toward the window to get a better look. He stood & watched the birds slowly regain their composure & then begin to wander around the backyard in a state of confusion.

He went & dressed & got some bread from the kitchen thinking he’d try to feed the birds if they’d allow him to get close enough.His worst fears were realized when he approached the dazed & confused birds when they fluttered away, seeing every move he made as a threat to them. This went on for quite some time & the man finally had an idea. If he could open the big barn doors, & get the nearly frozen birds to go in they could have shelter from the blistering winds & maybe live to fly again.The man slowly moved across the barnyard & opened the doors, placing the bread crumbs on the ground hoping the birds natural survival instinct would kick in. The man tried every trick he could think of to get those disoriented birds to see that life was within their reach just a few feet away, but the birds stubbornly refused to co-operate.

Finally the man, not able to stand the bitter cold had to give up & go back inside to warm himself. As he stood at the window & watched the birds, still wandering aimlessly around the yard, the thought came to him; there was only one way he could ever hope to get those birds to go into the barn, but it wasn’t within his power to do it.The only way the birds could be saved was if he himself could become a bird & join the little flock & lead them into the safety of the barn.When his family returned from church, the man shared the experience with them.

Through that visual experience with the birds God had shown him the meaning of Christmas. Bethlehem was about God wrapping himself in human flesh & becoming a man. He entered the human race & became poor like us so that we would hear Him saying, “I love you.” Immanuel—God with us.

C. THAT WE MIGHT BECOME RICH

Here is “The right Christmas” message;

Jesus became poor so that we who were poor might become rich.

Think abut that. All the riches & grace of God is available to me by virtue of my relationship with Jesus Christ. All the power & all the right standing with God are mine through Him.You may say, “You don’t deserve that.” Indeed I don’t but that’s the grace of our Lord Jesus. If I deserved it I wouldn’t need Jesus, but through my relationship with Him suddenly I’m a rich man.

The theologians have a word for it. They call it the doctrine of imputation. He takes my sin & I take His righteousness. That’s grace by association.

Do you remember the wedding of Lady Diana & Prince Charles? We saw a T.V movie about it recently. Diana didn’t exactly come from poverty but compared to the royal family, her family was poor. But now, by virtue of her marriage to Prince Charles, all the wealth, all the prestige, all the power, all the pomp & glory of the royal family belong to her. Once she was an outsider; now she has access to the Queen. Did she earn such a lofty standing? No. It was imputed to her by virtue of her relationship to Prince Charles. Imputed honor- imputed wealth -& imputed standing.

What do you call a poor girl who marries a prince? You call her “Your Highness.”So it is that when we came to Jesus we were spiritual paupers. Our hands were empty & our pockets were bare. We had nothing to offer & no claim to make. All our lives it had been, one step forward & two steps back but when we came to Him, we were fed, clothed, filled, forgiven, & crowned with every good thing.Jesus took away our rags & placed around us His own righteousness.

Everything that was against us was gone & everything we lacked we now have. All this happened because of Christmas. He who was rich became poor for my sake, that through His poverty I might be rich.The Son of God became a son of man in order that the sons of men might become the sons of God.Again, what is a right Christmas?

A—He was rich

B---He became poor

C---That we might become rich.

And that’s the true meaning of Christmas.Only one thing remains. Have you found the Christ of Christmas & asked Him to be your Savior? Have you placed your trust in Him? Have you given up your spiritual poverty for the riches He offers to you?

One of my favorite Christmas songs is “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” I love this verse;

How silently, how silently
This wondrous gift was giv’n
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessing of His heav’n.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in the world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

And so He does!

May that be our experience as we all enjoy,

A RIGHT CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Blessings,

John

The Child With Four Names

By John Stallings

There are lots of people with three names.

Among them are, Sandra Day-O'Conner, US Supreme Court Judge, Jaquelyn Kennedy Onasis, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tommy Lee Jones, Billy Bob Thornton, Billy Ray Cyrus, James Earl Jones, and Sara Jessica Parker.

Of course we can’t forget those with one name like Madonna, or Cher or Elvis.

One of the many important decisions confronting new parents is, “What shall we call our baby?” Most new parents spend hours debating this question. We all realize that names matter. Shall the new baby be named after his father, his uncle, a favorite friend? Should he be given a name that happens to be popular at the moment? Or one that simply sounds good?

Charles Phillip Arthur George

Names are important because once you pick out a name the child will be stuck with it for a long, long time! Babies have no voice in the selection of their names. They have to live with them — to live them down or live them up.

Every so often you’ll run across a person with multiple names, such as Charles Phillip Arthur George Windsor. That’s sounds odd until you discover it’s Prince Charles. If you say that’s a heavy load to lay on a baby, remember He’s royalty and He needs a long name.
So it is with Jesus.

Even before His birth, Jesus was a child with many names. The prophet Isaiah, writing 700 years before He was born, prophesied that Messiah would have four names:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

We know that there are many other names for Jesus; however this verse reveals four of those names. Each one features an aspect of His character. They teach who He is and how He can help us. One of our beloved carols is cast in a plaintive question:

“What child is this, who laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping?”


Listen to Isaiah’s divinely-inspired answer. These four names speak to us about wisdom, power, security, and assurance. The first name is…

1. WONDERFUL COUNSELOR

Literally this title means “a wonder of a counselor.” It speaks of the wisdom of his plan. The word “wonderful” means “astonishing” or “extraordinary.” The writers of the Old Testament used it for acts of God which man cannot understand. The word “counselor” means “advisor” or “ideal ruler.”

There are several professions that make their living giving advice to others but they can’t claim perfection. Psychiatrists routinely make $150 (and sometimes $350) an hour for their counsel. Much of it is good, some not so good. But the Lord goes to no one for advice. And when anyone comes to him, He gives them the counsel they need.

He is therefore the perfect teacher and the ultimate counselor. This gives us insight into his working. His plans are not our plans, His ways not our ways. He will accomplish things beyond human comprehension and He will do it in ways we cannot fathom. He will do the greatest work ever accomplished and He will do it seamlessly. A violent death would not be man’s way to victory but it was God’s plan and our Lord carried it out perfectly.

As the Wonderful Counselor, He gives great direction to His people. Those who follow him will not walk in darkness but in the blazing light of day. In this tiny baby we see all the wisdom of God wrapped in swaddling clothes.What Child is This? He is the Wonderful Counselor. Then He’s the…

2. MIGHTY GOD

This speaks of the “Power of Accomplishment.” It is first of all a statement of deity. The baby born in the manger is not just the Son of God; He is also God the Son. All the fullness of God dwells in the Lord Jesus Christ. As the ancient creeds declare, He is “very God of very God.”

That can never be said of any mere human baby. Something else is important in this title. The word translated “mighty” is the word gibo, which means “strong one” or “the powerful, valiant warrior.” Thus the term “mighty God is actually a military title. He is the God who fights for his people! At the Incarnation, God took the form of human flesh. That’s why one of his names is Immanuel–God with us.

Now take the first two titles together and what do you have?

As the Wonderful Counselor — He makes the Plans.
As the Mighty God —He makes the plans Work.

All of his wonderful plans will be carried out with all of God’s infinite might. There is in this little baby’s arms flailing around in His crude bassinet all the strength of Deity. The power of God is in those tiny fists. He has strength which is divine. The omnipotence of God is at His command. Whatever He desires, He is able to achieve.

Carl Sagan Meets Jesus

When we meet Jesus, we meet God. If He is not the “mighty God,” then we are deceived and it is blasphemy to worship him. There is no middle ground here.

If He is not God, we are fools to worship Him. If He is God, we are fools not to.

Some time back renowned astronomer Carl Sagan died. He is best remembered for his famous PBS series called “Cosmos” in which he evangelized for his evolutionary views, especially the notion that the universe is billions and billions of years old. He repeatedly said that he didn’t believe in the afterlife. However, he also said he wasn’t an atheist because he didn’t know enough to rule out the possibility of God. I would argue that God never gave a human being the power to be a real atheist, but that’s another article.

Carl Sagan is an evolutionist no longer. And at this moment he is neither an atheist nor an agnostic, for he has met the Mighty God whom he refused to worship in this life. Despite his great learning and his notable achievements, Carl Sagan died a fool’s death because he would not bow before the Babe of Bethlehem.

HERE’S THE REAL REASON MANY PEOPLE RESENT MANGER SCENES IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE…

Banning manger scenes or other Christmas scenes from public places has nothing whatsoever to do with being “politically correct” or offending people of other religions. Let’s do a post-mortem on the real reason some people fight so hard to call Christmas trees “Holiday trees” and say “Season’s greetings,” or “Happy holidays” taking all mention of Christ out of Christmas.

Christmas is the great dividing line of the human race. No wonder some people want all mention of Christmas expunged from our public schools and from our public life, indeed from human consciousness. They understand that Christians believe Christmas is based on the belief that at Bethlehem, God Incarnate slipped out of timelessness into time, to land in the arms of a virgin girl. Now, if this is true, then unbelievers have problems.

When a person says there is no God, rejecting Christianities tenants, they are telling themselves they can live like the devil then die like a dog. How “very nice” for them. They want to believe that at death, that’s it, it’s over. They’ll never be faced with standing before a Holy God being judged based on what they did with their life, and especially what they did with Jesus.

These “atheists” may never darken a church door. They can live their lives and never open a Bible. They never have to even hear the name of God or Jesus Christ except in cursing. But once a year, here comes Jesus again. And that’s every year, for about a month. More toasters will be sold in Jesus’ name than any name in history. More turkey and Ham will be sold in His name and more money will be spent in His name than any other name. The only way these folk could escape it would be to leave the planet.

Now, if they’re not careful they’ll hear Christ’s name coming out of their own mouth, and we couldn’t have that. A manger scene isn’t only about a cute little baby. Who could be offended by that? The entire world loves a baby. But baby Jesus is different. If you accept that manger scene then you’ve got to accept that God exists, the miracle of the virgin birth, and the rest that goes along with it. This is too painful for them because when you extrapolate it out, you’re faced with things like- one day giving account for yourself to God and then issues like what your eternal address will be, - heaven or hell.

If we take out manger scenes and the name of Christ, we’ve erased some of the best gospel preaching imaginable, and to these people that’s a good thing.

In this tiny baby we see the power of God sleeping on Mary’s lap. What Child is this? He is the Mighty God. He is also…

3. THE EVERLASTING FATHER

In the Hebrew the phrase is literally “the Father of Eternity.” This speaks of the purpose of his coming.

He is before, above, and beyond time. He is the possessor of eternity. He is eternally like a father to his people. This is not a statement about the Trinity, but about the character of our Lord. All that a good father is, Jesus is to his people.

Because He’s like a father, -caring for his people. Because He owns eternity, He can give us eternal life. That’s so important for those of us who live on this sin-cursed planet. No one lives forever. Sooner or later we will also find our own place in the graveyard. We’re not immortal, but transitory. We’re here today, gone tomorrow. A dead Christ will do us no good. Dying men need an undying Christ.

Here’s a key phrase: He is a father forever! That’s important to me because I had a father, but not a father forever. I had a father, but he is gone now… He was a very good man, but he was not a father forever. . I am father to daughters but not a father forever. I will someday pass away. All human fathers must go. But Jesus is a father forever! He’ll outlast the stars in the heavens.

When our children need anything, we run to help them. If they cry, we go. If they want us, we will come to them. We would never kick them out. They belong to us. They are ours, in a manner of speaking. What we are in a poor way to them, Jesus is in a perfect way to all who believe in Him.

In this tiny baby we see the love of God sleeping in a stable. What child is this? He is the everlasting Father and he’s also…

4. PRINCE OF PEACE

The phrase literally means “the prince whose coming brings peace” This speaks of the effect of his coming. This final title is the climax of all that has gone before. The word “prince” means something like “General of the Army.” It speaks of his high position. The word “peace” speaks of his basic nature.

Recently I read that there are more wars raging right now than at any time this century. All over globe there are ethnic conflicts and tribal wars. Closer to home not a day goes by without word that someone else has been murdered in America. We see so much killing that it no longer surprises us—or even bothers us.

In Florida where I live, just this week a man, embittered because his wife had lost her teaching job went to a school-board meeting intent on killing several school board officials. The video has been played over and over with the warning about its violence. He was a very angry man but thankfully a bad shot and was gunned down by officials. This video will probably go viral on YouTube.
We’re practically immune to violence because we live in a violent world.

Isaiah 9:6 tells us that God’s plan for world peace is focused on a one person—a baby asleep in a manger in Bethlehem. He is the ultimate man of peace.

· In the past, His coming made peace with God*
. In the present, those who come to Him find peace in their heart when Christ comes in.
· In the future, His second coming will usher in a kingdom of peace. There is no peace today. -So much strife and bloodshed. He is not a failure. We are.

Christ is no warrior, no greedy conqueror, and no empire builder. He came to bring peace. He did. He does. He will.

In this tiny baby we see the peace of God welcomed by angels and shepherds. What child is this? He is the Prince of Peace.

In this one verse you have the four names of Jesus. This is what they mean to us today:


If you are confused…He is the Wonderful Counselor.
If you are weak…..He is the Mighty God.
If you are scared……He is the Everlasting Father.
If you are disturbed….He is the Prince of Peace.
You never know what may happen in the world because a baby was born. No doubt the Innkeeper didn’t know who he was turning away. Even Mary couldn’t fully imagine what it all meant that night. But that baby born in Bethlehem has become the centerpiece of human history. We even divide time itself by his coming—B.C. and A.D.

What child is this? He is … the Wonderful Counselor … the Mighty God … the Everlasting Father … the Prince of Peace.

“For to us”

The most important part of our verse is the first three words……."For to us” The gift of Christ is a personal gift from God to us. A gift requires a response. If I put a gift under your tree, you may acknowledge it, may admire it, may even thank me for it, but it isn’t yours until you open it and take it for your own.

Why Would God Visit Us?

Mankind has made a total mess of things. We blew our one shot at immortality—and now the graveyards are filling up. But God is not finished with us yet. Go to Psalm 8 and find these words;

“What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”

David seems to say; why bother with people like us? We ruined Eden, you gave us another chance, and we fouled up so badly that you sent a flood to wipe out the human race except for one family. Why not just hit the delete button on the human race? Why not just admit that this was an experiment that didn’t work out? No one could blame God if He decided to get rid of us all and start over again.

David’s question comes to the very heart of Christmas—What is man that God should pay attention to us? What is man that God should care about us after we’ve failed so miserably? Why should God care about us at all?

The New King James Version renders verse 4 this way: “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” Why would God care enough to visit people like us? It is right at this point that we see the glory and wonder and mystery of the gospel.

Jesus visited us to become like us in his nature. That’s the Incarnation. That’s Bethlehem. That’s Christmas. He came into this world as a tiny baby, born in a stable, in an obscure village, born in poverty, unwanted by the world. He was just another face in the crowd. Few knew that He was coming. No one cared that He had arrived. Jesus “had” to do this. In order to truly “visit” us, He had to become like us.

Jesus tasted death because that is our common destiny… Jesus could not have truly “visited” us if He had held himself back from “the last enemy” that confronts us—death. In order to be fully human, He had to taste death. Jesus suffered and died because that was the only way He could save us. Only by dying could He give us life.

Jesus came to restore all that we had lost in Eden. The Bible calls Jesus “the last Adam.” One of the verses of “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” calls him the “Second Adam from above.” He came to reverse the curse that we brought upon ourselves. Now in heaven He is crowned with glory and honor. One day all those who believe in Jesus will share that glory with him.

God said, “I will not leave you alone. I will not let you destroy yourself, each other, and the world I have made. I love you too much to let you alone.” So He sent prophets. We killed them. He wrote letters. We ignored them. He told us how to live—and we said, “Who are you to tell us what to do?” We mocked the God who made us, we broke his laws, we said we didn’t need him, and we made up our own gods that we liked much better because they looked so much like us.

Oh, we made a mess of things. God had every reason to kill us all. But he didn’t. He said, “I love you too much to let you go.” And after we had trashed everything, God said, “I’m coming down there so you’ll know once and for all how much I love you.” We didn’t pay any attention; it didn’t even make sense to us. How could God visit us? But He did—and He came to the world in a very strange way. He entered a virgin’s womb and came out as a baby, born in Bethlehem, a baby named Jesus, born to save us from our sins.

So He came as a baby, and when He grew up, we butchered Him, slaughtered Him and murdered Him on a cross. That’s the thanks we gave to God for visiting us. But we were wrong about everything. After we killed Him, He came back from the dead—proving that He was right all along and we were really wrong—dead wrong about everything—and still God loved us and came from heaven to earth on the greatest rescue mission in history.
He came because we blew it so badly.He came and we killed him.He died and became our Savior.

WHAT A STORY! WHAT A CHRIST!

That’s the good news of Christmas: God has done it all. The only thing left to you and me is to believe. God wrapped up his Son in swaddling clothes and said to the whole world, “This is my Christmas gift to you.”

Someone rightly called Christmas “the happiest holiday.” But it will only be truly happy for those who truly believe in Jesus. I cannot prove to you that what I have said is true. You will have to decide that for yourself. But I can say without any reservation that I have staked my life on the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the incomparable Son of God.

Christmas matters because truth matters. And the heart of the truth is that God did not leave us alone, but in our misery He came to visit us one dark night in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago.

Christmas is all about who we are, and who God is, and how far God will go to reach us.

Blessings,


John


Merry Christmas

Thank you for reading my blog. It helps to know if someone benefits from my time here so if you enjoy these posts or have any thoughts or questions, please take a few seconds and leave us a comment.

Let me know any suggestions about subjects you’d like me to write about. Also, please share this blog with others.--JAS

Even The Devil Has The Right Theology.

by John Stallings

James is very plain spoken.

He puts things bluntly. He gets on our toes so consequently he’s a little hard to read. He writes about ethics & practical Christian living. Sometimes reading James you don't know whether to laugh or cry. The whole letter of James leaves you with the kind of brisk, stinging feeling we men get after a close shave & the application of aftershave. It’s a-- “Thanks, I needed that” feeling.

For most of Jesus’ ministry, James didn’t believe His claims as to His person or work. [John 7:5.] Somewhere along the line God changed his heart.

It speaks volumes to me that James opens his book by calling himself, “A servant of God & of the Lord Jesus Christ.” It’s also revealing that he never reminds us of his earthly blood-kinship with Jesus. He grew up in the same household. He shared the same mother. He was blood-kin with our Lord & yet he calls himself --Jesus’ servant.

James has a way with words. Listen to this verse;

Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls.--James 1:21

In this verse James tells us to receive the word & then turns around and tells us how to receive it, with meekness. The only way the word will do us much good is as it's engrafted into our spirits. A cusory reading of the word always helps but its when we allow God by His Holy Spirit to engraft or carve it into our hearts that we see change. James had a right to talk about meekness. He could have legitimately opened his book by saying, -James, the brother of Jesus Christ, or James, the leader of the church of Jerusalem. He could have introduced himself as—James, the pastor of the most important church in Palestine. He could have said, James the pillar of the church of God. He could have said, James the moderator of the first general assembly. All that would have been true but James is too meek for that. He describes himself as a servant of Jesus Christ. This fact goes a long way in telling me what I need to know about James.

James grew up with Jesus, no doubt slept in the same bed with Him as a boy & believed that He was divine. Maybe we don’t think of this fact when we preach Jesus’ divinity but when you think about it, what greater testimony to Jesus’ divinity could there be than for a young man to call his brother God. Even though he once doubted Him, now as a man he says of himself, “I’m the servant of my God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

James was a man of tremendous stature in the early church. James, more than anyone else helped the early Christians to stand together & his leadership brought much needed cohesiveness & balance. [Acts 15] James encouraged Paul to reach out to the Gentiles & release them from the legalism of the ceremonial law. It’s not hard to figure out how slow the Church might have grown if they’d done as some wanted to do & demand that the Gentiles be circumcised. Had not a strong balanced leader been at the helm & the spirit of reason been folded into the early churches passion, who knows what would have happened in those early years?

Legend tells us that shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D when the Jews were becoming Christian, James was commanded to renounce Jesus. When he refused James was thrown from the top of the temple & then stoned to death as he lay dying from his injuries. James’ willingness to die for his faith is another compelling argument for the claims of Christ.

James writes with such effectiveness some have wondered if he was flying in the face of the great Apostle Paul. For example, Paul has much to say about grace with no works mixed in but James sees the flip side, asking us to please show him our works, then he’ll see if we have real faith. James believes that the Christian life is more than saying we believe this or that, or even having perfect theology because ……the devil also believes and trembles. James 2:9.

James believes it's not enough to have the right theology, we must have a heart connection with Christ that causes us to live what we believe. We've all seen the good people who knock on our door & stand militantly, presenting their theology to us in a highly regimented fashion. Have you ever noticed they don't seem very warm nor compassionate? I've said it many times & its not original with me, but the way to tell a cult from true Christianity is; a cult asks us to-Believe something, while the gospel asks us to--Receive someone.

James teaches us that the Christian life can’t just be adherence to a set of doctrines but an everyday walk with God. James is concerned less with what we say we believe & more with what we’re going to do when we get up in the morning. Of course if you’ve spent a modicum of time in Bible reading & study you understand that it contains no contradictions. Paul was writing about the root of faith & James wrote about the fruit of faith.

As a pastor I’ve preached through the book of James several times, the first time it got so dry it sounded like a Texas weather report; “dry & windy.” I vowed from that time forward to just use the book of James for reference passages, & never to try preaching through it again. If you are a bottom line person, here it is;-- James is tough stuff.

Never say never. The day came when I was confronted again with the book of James & embarked again on preaching through it, with one caveat; I got on my knees & asked God to give me the key to the real relevance of the book for our day. I pity any teacher or preacher who tackles James without “wisdom from above.”

IS JAMES A LITTLE “CRAZY?”

I’m not being disrespectful but in the second verse of his book he says;

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience. [1:2]

Has James been walking in the Sun too much without his hat or has he gone senile? This concept is strangely out of sync with most theology heard these days. He’s saying in essence; -- “when trials & tests come your way, throw a party. Don’t just count it joy, count it all joy. Get all happy & excited. Put on your shouting shoes & get ready to do the sanctified version of – “The boot scooting boogie.” Send out invitations & let everyone know what’s going on, that you’re going through a rough patch & want everyone to celebrate the occasion with you.”

Obviously James is anything but crazy. Much of the book of James is taken up with helping us to determine if what we possess is real or fake. James is telling us unless our faith can hold up under testing it isn’t the real deal. If you want to know what real faith consists of read James 1:19-27. James wants us to see true faith, because fake faith can’t save us.

Have you ever watched one of the Antique shows where people bring their family heirlooms to be tested by experts? Sometimes you can see a person’s face fall when they learn that what they thought was a true antique worth something is really not valuable at all. James is quick to tell us that if our faith is the real article it will show itself in humility, right relationships, a tight reign on our tongues & we won’t be bickering with one another.

It’s important to keep in mind that James is addressing Christians. Over & over he says, “My brethren, & my beloved brethren.” James doesn’t say what the speech problem was with these Christians he was writing to. Maybe it was proud speech, maybe it was gossip, maybe it was exaggeration or maybe it was sarcasm. It’s possible that these good folk had tongues so long they could sit on the back porch & lick the skillet in the kitchen. We don’t know what form the wrong speech took but we do know they were having problems with the “two ounce slab of trouble,” --the tongue.

NEVER LET IT GO!

Our tongues must be watched constantly & words must be used carefully. Most of the trouble we get into is tongue trouble. That’s why God placed it between two powerful jaws, behind two rows of rock-hard teeth covered by two strong lips.

A man was visiting the U.S & was attempting to answer a question about his family, “Do you have any children?” Trying to explain that his wife couldn’t have a child he said, “My wife is impregnable.” Seeing that word wasn’t quite proper he said, “No, you see my wife is inconceivable.” Again, realizing he’d chosen an inappropriate adjective he said, “You see, my wife is unbearable.”

The following statement was actually taken from a letter received by a public welfare department. “I’m very annoyed that you branded my boy illiterate. This is a dirty lie! I was married a week before that boy was born.”

In speaking of the power of the tongue, Pastor James makes four very interesting comparisons.

The Horse. ---The horse is used to symbolize strength. We use “horse-power” to tell us how powerful our car engine is. We can only guess how many times history has been changed by horses. Think of all the battles that have been fought from the backs of horses. Think of how many lives have been saved not only in battle but in travel incurred in the opening up of new frontiers. I’ve heard it said that if horses could know how much strength they possessed in comparison to a man, no man could ever get close enough to touch them. Ten or twenty men couldn’t bring the smallest horse under control & if enough man-power was used to hold the horse down, that still would be a far cry from getting the horse to allow a rider to sit on his back & obey him.

Yet this powerful animal can be easily made as humble & docile as a puppy. This animal who, due to its strength, could be as independent as any animal on earth, can be brought quickly under complete subjection by placing a tiny bit in its most tender & vulnerable place; its mouth. Now you have a totally different situation. The horse will now learn to obey every command of its master.

We've seen so many thousands of horses with riders as they move seeming like a single unit, its easy for us to think the horse is actually thinking, "this is my purpose in life, this is what I was born for." In reality no horse is enjoying being ridden by a human being but tolerates it because he has no choice. Again it's the bit that works the magic.

THE WIND. ---The wind drives ships on the seas as if they were toys. We saw the effect of wind in the Hurricanes that have wreaked such destruction in the last few years. Wind can be one of the most terrifying forces of nature & when on the rampage it can overturn & destroy everything man or nature puts in its path. But when the wind is softly blowing, nothing is more welcomed & refreshing especially in the dog days of summer. To have cool fragrant breezes blowing on our face is one of the most pleasurable experiences of life.

THE RUDDER.—Think of this. Here’s a little wooden vessel out riding the crest of the ocean waves. The ocean could say to the small boat; “little boat, compared to me, you’re no more than a splinter. I can swallow you up & take you to the bottom so quickly you won’t know what hit you. You could be a thousand times larger than you are & still I could smash you to smithereens in less than a heartbeat.”

But the little vessel answers, “Oh mighty ocean, you need to think again. I have something that will allow me to defeat you. I have an unseen little sliver of wood that is hidden beneath the surface called a rudder. This rudder has more power over me than you could ever have & because of it, I’ll ride your back & be steered anywhere in this vast ocean I want to go. You may even destroy my rigging & sweep my decks clean & even blow directly against me, but as long as I have this small piece of wood beneath the surface & as long as it’s working properly, I will go exactly where it directs me.”

FIRE.—James reminds us that a great forest can be totally devastated by a little spark or flame. Recently in the Western states we saw how utterly devastating fire can be to the strongest trees & the most modernly constructed houses. Anyone who has witnessed fire leap from tree-top to tree-top knows the frightening destructive power it possesses. If fire burned unaffected by rain or man’s efforts to stop it, it could totally wipe out everything on the face of the earth & would also be capable of consuming all the oxygen, thus all life on earth.

James wants us to see this graphic vision of these potentially destructive forces & then he wants us to understand that the tongue has the power to do more damage than all of them put together. James shows us the extremes we go to with our tongues; with it we bless our God and Father & with it we curse men who have been made in the similitude of God. James 3:9-10.

James also reminds us that a fountain --can’t bring forth both sweet & bitter water. 3:11.

Tongue control also includes saying positive things one to another. Have you ever noticed the verse right at the end of the Old Testament, Malachi 3:17? -- Listen to it;

Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name.

Our tongues are to glorify God, but the praise isn’t just from the tongue. It’s the expression of our hearts and minds.

God isn’t glorified just because we have the right theology or hold firmly to a set of doctrines. Even the devil believes because he knows from first hand experience who God is. But that doesn’t cause him to live a godly life.

God is truly praised when our whole being exalts Him & blesses others.

Those efforts on our part will be recorded for eternity.

Blessings,

John