Uniquely crafted by His hands....for a purpose!

Ephesians 2:10  "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

Nothing relaxes me more than the smell of sawdust.  It floods my mind with happy memories of time spent in the garage with my dad.  From the time I was a little boy I would watch, and often help, him design and fashion something from wood.  He taught me to use and care for his woodworking tools, and he instilled in me a love for carpentry.

Now I work mostly with people and, in so doing, I never see a finished product.  They're always a work in progress.  That's another reason I like to build things.  I design a piece of furniture or a cabinet, draw up the plans, purchase the materials, and build it.  Then I stand back and say with satisfaction, "There, it's done!"  That feels good.  It brings me pleasure.

I think that it might have been something like that for Jesus, too.  Remember his occupation?  He was a carpenter.  He was also THE CARPENTER!  Paul tells us that each of us is a uniquely designed work of His hands.  He designed us and fashioned us into something that brought Him pleasure and satisfaction.

But... He didn't make us to be a decoration, something hung on a wall or set on a shelf to be admired.  He created us to be functional!   Intrinsic in His design was an action plan.  He made us to be useful, to act on His behalf, to be His mouth, hands, feet... to represent Him to the world and draw others to Himself.

When am I truly the happiest, full of joy and satisfaction?  It's when I am doing what He created me to do.  It's when I am loving/caring for my wife, when I'm nurturing my children (and grandchildren and great-grandchildren), when I am teaching His Word or mentoring a younger believer.

Lord, I am in awe  of Your creative love.   I am humbled in the knowledge that the same God who fashioned the universe also designed and created me.  I can't get my mind around that!  Lord, please help me today to walk in the path You have set before me and let me feel the warmth of Your pleasure.  Amen

The gift that keeps on giving...

Ephesians 2:8   "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;"

Christmas.  Inherent in that word is the concept of giving.  You can't escape it.  Turn on the TV, check your email, open the newspaper and you are inundated with gift ideas, both for yourself and for those you love.  Unfortunately, as I look and listen, the focus is often more on receiving the perfect gift than giving it.

What is the life expectancy of most Christmas gifts?  Regardless of the price, the size, or the quality of the present, it will sooner or later break, wear out, be re-gifted or discarded.

There is, however, one perfect Gift - one that is always fresh and new, one that keeps giving and giving.  I'm talking about the the Gift from our Heavenly Father.  Because He knows us intimately, He knows what we desperately need and deeply desire.  He also knows that we can't afford it; we are totally incapable of acquiring it by our own means; and we certainly don't deserve it.

You and I were on the "naughty list", but because God loves us so much, He erased our names and re-wrote them on the "nice list"!  That is His gift to us.  It's one of those gifts that, when you unwrap it, there's another gift inside.  I unwrap "forgiveness" and I find "salvation".  I unwrap it and I discover a plethora of "spiritual gifts" that take me a lifetime to fully understand and use.  I unwrap them and I find a place in Heaven with Jesus, a place reserved just for me!

How do you write a thank you note for a Christmas gift like that?!

Lord,  saying "Thank You" just isn't adequate to express my gratitude for such an extravagant gift as You have given me.  You know my heart.  You know I love You.  Please help me today to show You my thanks  by "re-gifting" Your love, grace, and mercy to someone You bring across my path.  Amen.

No man is an island...

2 Corinthians 6:3   "...giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited..."

Sixteenth century poet, John Donne, made famous the phrase "no man is an island".  In his poem, he asserted that each of us is interconnected and that what happens to one affects us all. 

As our children were growing up, they hated to be reminded that their choices, their actions affected not only themselves, but also our whole family.  I feel the same way when the Holy Spirit reminds me of that truth as He reprimands me. No one likes to think that he is in part responsible for the reputation of those with whom he associates.  That's a lot of pressure!

Nevertheless, Paul reminds us that we must be careful how we walk.  Like it or not,  we are walking "billboards" advertising Christianity.  What we do and say, how we treat people affects how others view Jesus.  How many times have you heard the comment, "If that's how Christians act, I want no part of it."? 

The Holy Spirit constantly brings to my mind a simple little song I learned as a 5 year old in Sunday School.  "Be careful little mouth what you say....for the Father up above is looking down in love...be careful little mouth what you say."  It goes on to admonish me to "be careful little eyes what you see....little ears what you hear....little hands what you do....little feet where you go." 

Lord, sometimes it feels like there's too much pressure on me to "be good", too much responsibility.  I don't ever want to do or say something that would discredit the ministry or bring shame on You.  Holy Spirit, I can't handle this in my own strength.  Please help me.  I agree with David's prayer this morning, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You..."  Amen.

I need new glasses!..

.Ephesians 1:18-19   "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might..."

I don't need a calendar to tell me that it's time for me to visit my optometrist.  Street signs are becoming a little blurry, I have to squint to read the newspaper, and I'm constantly enlarging the font on my iPad.  I need new glasses.

Paul, in these verses to the Ephesians, reminds me that it's time to get my spiritual eyes checked, too.   He prays that I will clearly see, and thus be assured of, what God has given me.    God has given each of His children a solid assurance (hope) of a future with Him, an inheritance that exceeds our wildest imagination.  And, while we're waiting for it, He wants us to tap into His mighty power, that we might live boldly, audaciously for Him.

I have to admit that my spiritual eyesight is far less than 20/20.  I don't feel very powerful and my nearsightedness hinders me from seeing the reality of my inheritance.   I tend to get bogged down with the "stuff" of everyday life, and I lose focus of what God is doing and wants to do in and through me.    I need the Holy Spirit's constant examination and adjustment of the "eyes of my heart" to help me clearly see and understand His plan for me each day.

Lord, I echo, I say "Amen!" to Paul's prayer.  I ask that You will enlighten my eyes today.  Let me see more clearly what You have given me.  Give me a glimpse of Your power.  Help me to walk joyfully, gratefully with my eyes on You.  Thank You!  Amen.

Getting to know You...

Ephesians 1:17    "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better."

Often times when I look at my wife, I remember our college days.  We had met as teenagers and were friends throughout high school, but something changed during our sophomore year in college.  I found myself thinking more about her than my studies.  All I wanted was to be with her, to get to know her better.  You would think that, after 46 years of marriage, those feelings would diminish.  Not so.  If anything, they have intensified.  I think of her throughout the day, can't wait to get home to her, and, surprisingly, I am still getting to know her.

It's like that in our relationship with God. That's what Paul prayed for the Christians in Ephesus.  The Holy Spirit draws us to Him and, after we have entered into a relationship with Him, He begins the process of revealing Himself to us.  I find that the longer I know Him, the more I want to spend time with Him and get to know Him better.

But wait!  This is the Holy God of All Creation we're talking about!  How can I expect to know and understand Him?!  It's really not that complicated.  In my relationship with  my wife, I can only know what she chooses to reveal.  So it is with God.   Fortunately, God wants to reveal Himself to us, and His Spirit in us makes it possible.  He gives us wisdom and revelation for that very purpose!

Dear Lord, I have been your child for many years, but I feel like I am still just getting to know You.  Please reveal more of Yourself to me today.  Holy Spirit, help me to keep my eyes and ears open so I don't miss anything.  Father, I want to know You more!  Amen.

I love it when a plan comes together!...

Ephesians 1:9-10.  "He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. "

Our kids loved watching the TV show, "The A Team".  First airing in 1983, it featured characters such as Mr. T and Hannibal Smith, lovable tough mercenaries who always found a way to help the underdog. Hannibal was the leader of the team, the mastermind, and one of his favorite lines was, "I love it when a plan comes together!"  I still use that phrase occasionally today when things turn out the way I had planned.

That's the gist of what Paul is saying in these verses.  God had a plan, formulated before He created the universe, a plan that He kept hidden from everyone (including the angels!).  When the time was "ripe", He revealed the mystery:  He sent His Son Jesus to bring all creation back into line, into fellowship with the Father.

Thank God He included you and me in that plan.  We are part of the "all things".  Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection made it possible for us to become the people God intended from the beginning that we should be.  In the end, when Jesus comes again, we will see the finished product.  That's what Paul refers to in Philippians 2:10-11, "that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord..."

Thank You, Father, that You have always had a plan to bring us back to You.  I am so blessed to be part of your Divine Strategy, your Mystery!  Please,  Holy Spirit, use me to reveal that mystery to someone today; let me join the angels in Heaven as they shout, "I love it when Your plan comes together!"

Free at last, free at last!...

Ephesians 1:7   "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. .."

I have been reading Martin Luther King, Jr.'s  legendary "I have a dream" speech.  I had just graduated from high school and I remember watching the television coverage of the "Great March on Washington"  in August of 1963.  Delivered to an audience of 250,000 in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King concluded his stirring oration with the now-famous words, "Free at last!  Free at last!  Thank God Almighty,  we are free at last!"

Dr. King was speaking of equality and justice for African-Americans.  Those words also echo the apostle Paul's reminder to the Ephesians (and to us).  Scripture teaches that each of us was born a slave to sin, and Satan was our master.   Paul  joyously declares that because Jesus paid our purchase price (death) with His own blood, we have been redeemed.  We are free at last, no longer in bondage to sin!

The Emancipation Proclamation of 1865 freed the American slaves, but for many, the realization of freedom was a gradual process.  It took years to shed the mindset that had been engrained in them for generations.

So it is with me.  God lavished His grace on me, paid the redemption price in full on the Cross, and declared me to be free!   However, it has taken me a lifetime to actually think and live as a man freed from the domination of sin.  I'm doing better, but I occasionally fall back into old old patterns of thinking and behaving.  Thank God that His Holy Spirit indwells me and keeps making "course corrections" in my life.

Lord, I read Paul's words and I understand what they mean, yet I will never in this lifetime fully comprehend the vastness of your love and grace.  Thank You for freeing me from a life dominated by sin.  Please help me today to live as a free man.  Let my countenance and my behavior declare with Dr. King and with Paul, "Free at last!  Free at last!  Thank God Almighty, I am free at last!

Why Christmas?....

Luke 2:13-14  "And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,  'Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased!'"

"Happy Holidays."  That phrase, meant to wish good cheer, rings hollow in my ears.  Rather than lifting my spirits, it reminds me of how far our society has fallen.  In our efforts not to offend anyone, we have offended the most important One!  He is the very reason for,  the center, the focal point of the celebration we call "Christmas".

When we say, "Merry Christmas", we're not just uttering a seasonal greeting.  We are echoing the joyful, enthusiastic, "so-loud-the-earth-shakes", whole-hearted cry of a thousand-voice angelic choir.

Paul, in the first chapter of Ephesians, captures that sentiment in a simple, yet profound phrase.  Three time he exclaims, "to the praise of His glory!"    Each instance reveals an aspect of the Incarnation.

We praise the Glory of God because Christmas reminds us that:
1. We are now part of His family!  Eph 1:5-6 "He predestined us to adoption as sons...to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."

2. He enables us to live in such a way that we reflect His grace and point others to His Gift.   Eph 1:12  "to the end that we who were the first to  hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory."

3. His Holy Spirit in us guarantees the fulfillment of His promise: our resurrection bodies.  Eph 1:14  "who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory."

So, with a joyful, grateful heart, I wish you an enthusiastic, "MERRY CHRISTMAS!!" to the praise of His glory!

Lord, thank You that Christmas isn't really seasonal.  Please keep this truth alive and vibrant in me throughout the year and let others see You in me and give you praise.  Amen.

I've been adopted by someone really important!...

Ephesians 1:5-6  "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."

 One of my favorite stories about adoption is that of Pippi Longstocking.  She was a precocious little orphan girl with flaming red hair, a quick temper, and a penchant for getting herself into "fixes".    A spinster and her unmarried brother decided to adopt a boy to help on the farm and, through a series of mishaps, ended up with Pippi instead.


Like Pippi, we too have been adopted.  Unlike Pippi,  the motive wasn't to get more help, and it didn't happen by chance.  God  knew us before we were born and He picked us out to be his children.   Like Pippi, we also have a knack for getting into trouble.  In spite of that, He loved us and wanted us to be part of His family.

Adoption, in Scripture, is spoken of both as something that was decided before the world was created (Eph 1: 2-3) as well as something yet to be fulfilled (Rom8:23).  According to Paul,  God predestined us to adoption, we received the spirit of adoption when we received Christ, and we are eagerly anticipating the adoption that will occur (our new eternal bodies) when Jesus returns.

As a little boy, I used to brag to the other kids about my dad.  I thought there was no one as important as him.  As I grew up, he pointed me to someone infinitely greater than he was.  He introduced me to my Heavenly Father and now I have the unbelievable joy of knowing the God of all creation as "Daddy"!

Thank You, Father, for picking me out to be your child.  Thank You for giving me an earthly mom and dad who loved me enough to introduce me to You.  Lord, please keep me alert to others who need to become part of Your family.  I'd love to help them get to know You.  Amen

Shifting my attention...

Ephesians 1:3  "Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ..."

"Hi, how are you doing?"  How many times do we utter this phrase (or something like it) every day? It is inevitably acknowledged with a "I'm doing well." How sincere is my question and is the response really genuine; do we actually listen to it?  Not very often.  Rather, it's mutually understood that it's a simple greeting rather than an inquiry into, or revealing of one's well-being.

I find it that way when I am talking to God.  I glibly speak words of thanksgiving and praise that are more of a preamble to my list of requests than actual expressions of gratitude and awe.  Paul uses the phrase, "Blessed is the God..." three time in his epistles.  I usually skip right over those four words to find out what's in it for me.  In this case, He's blessing me with untold spiritual blessings;i n 2 Corinthians 1:3 He's comforting me in my trials; in 1 Peter 1:3, He's blessing me with the living hope of eternal life.

I am truly thankful for the blessings God showers on me, but the Holy Spirit is prompting (convicting?) me to shift my focus from the blessings themselves to the Blessed One who bestows them.  This particular adjective, "blessed", is used only eight times in the New Testament and is used exclusively as a description of God.  It characterizes how I should think of Him, what my heart's attitude ought to be.

Oh God, I haven't the words to express my gratitude to You for who you are, what you have done, what you do, and what you promise in the future.  Please, Holy Spirit, help me today to shift my attention from me to Him.  Let words of praise be continually on my lips. Amen.