A Summer Thief - Be On Guard!

But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into - Luke 12:39

I awoke this morning feeling close to God. Perhaps it was that the last major thing I did last night was pray with a wonderful brother in Christ. Or, perhaps it was that it was how smoothly the morning wen; how refreshed I was by a great nights sleep.

The notion of my serene and peaceful heart got me thinking, "hat are the times when you and I are most vulnerable to being caught off guard by the enemy of our souls?" I was reading through the history of Israel and there it was. Apparently and historically one of those times is just after we've had a great victory. We are doing a study right now at the Church on Rogers on the Life of Christ. It wasn't much of a leap to consider Jesus and His life. When He was baptized and was about to begin His public ministry. He was taken away into the desert to be tempted by satan. First, great victory in the form of obedience to the Father and then comes the trial.

Leisure time is another place in which satan seeks to take us off our normal routine of personal quiet times. I have grown accustomed to recognizing either my sinful nature rising up in me or the enemies attacks on me or my life in the normal routine of everyday living. I am also convinced that if you are growing in the knowledge of God the Father that our senses are tuned to the need to draw upon God's Spirit to see us through the activities of each day.

However, when we get away from our routine and go on vacation, we can often drop these routines. We wrongfully think that we do not need to spend time with the Lord during leisure times. We take a vacation from our communications and times with God.

This is a grave mistake. The vacation becomes a test of character. During vacations we turn freely to what we enjoy and perhaps get least of during the rest of the year. But also, the vacation reveals to us what is at the core of our existence.

A teacher in a large school reportedly said, "The greatest difficulty we encounter is the summer vacation. Just when we have brought a student to a certain discipline and place in their study habits, we lose him; when he comes back we have to begin all over again." It is the same in our spiritual lives. It only takes a small crack in the door of our heart to lose our spiritual focus and take 2 steps backward.

This summer, be on guard when times of retreat are made available to you. Use these times for spiritual refreshment, not just physical refreshment and/or a time to rebuild relationships on earth. Find new ways to walk hand in hand with your God. and in this way you will keep the thief from entering the house which is your soul.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Christmas As A Distraction to Your Worship of God

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:4-7.

The Christmas season (lack of weather withstanding) is upon us here in Mesa, AZ. Thanksgiving is past and Christmas looms large. I am into the holiday season only from a seasonal perspective. This is the season and I am present and accounted for. The events of the last few weeks have created in me a sort of writers block I suppose. With the loss of my brother and a few days later the only father I have known for the last 35 years, I am just a bit numb about it all. I am self-absorbed. I keep hearing Jesus say, "Let the dead bury the dead," but I struggle with it.

However, I must admit, every year in November/December, I have creative challenges. It has come earlier this year.

I am distracted from loving the Lord.

On the local scene many have sent Christmas cards and letters in addition to working through the annual Christmas gift buying frenzy, which began with black Friday morning for many at midnight. I stayed at home on Friday but did venture out on Cyber Monday to buy a Christmas gift or two via the Internet. The gift has already arrive and it seems surreal.

There are so many distractions during this time of the year. The echo of, "Jesus is the reason for the season" somehow echoes in a thin and hollow fashion. I am not focused on adoration of my King. We want to spend time with our families, show them gifts and time to express our love and they want to spend time with us. I just talked with my daughter-in-law Elisha. Amongst other things the season brings she reminded me that for many this involves traveling great distances and several days of time.

There is the preparation time for the family time and of course the buying of gifts. Often there is also the necessity of the preparation of food for the holiday meals. Along with all of that, there are the church events from nativity reenactments to Christmas programs. There is also the hectic pace of school activities where there is almost always a Christmas program of some kind and basketball or other sports activities adding to the frantic expedited pace of our busy lives. In honor of my King I have put honoring Him on the shelf for a couple of months...not cool

For those schools that have band programs or vocal programs there will very likely be some special presentations during this time. It all makes for a much busier pace of life for parents many of whom are working their regular schedules and will have an office party or two and other extra events along the way too.

Bless you Lord - I raise you up...

I am sure there are many other things that could have been mentioned that complicate our lives during this time of year. We talk as if life used to be simpler but even Mary and Joseph had a few complications getting ready for the first Christmas. They had to deal with the societal pressure of Mary being pregnant out of wedlock. Then the tough decision to have and keep the Promised Child. Joseph had a tough decision to make but he did make it and made the right one. Then, the teenage couple (at least Mary) were forced to make a difficult trip. As if that wasn't bad enough it came during the very last of Mary’s pregnancy. After they arrived in Bethlehem, they had one more little problem: there was no room in the inn. Jesus had to be born in the stables, which many believe to have been just a crude cave.

Oh, Lord Our God - You are majestic - You are our health and wealth...our very portion...we worship you...

(or do we...?)

I hope that you will not become distracted from the reason for this season my friends and family. The many events of the Christmas season are not the goal. Getting through as many as possible without the need to maim, kill and destroy should not be goals. Remember HIM whom to know is life eternal during this season where we desire to honor HIM>

Include your Father God in your daily lives. Let us rejoice during this time and remember the true meaning of Christmas. There may very well be additional complications and challenges, and yes distractions ahead for you. They may rise up on the left and on the right. They may come at you head on…but remember that the Lord can give you “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” to “guard your hearts and minds.”

Daddy God would have you to rejoice in the midst of the Holiday distractions and in doing so honor Him. As the apostle Paul puts it, and he surely had his share of distractions, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

I remain, joyfully...

InHISgrip,
~J~