Tag: daily devotional

  • Christmas Trees

    What kind of tree are you?

    decorated Christmas tree with presents underneath
    decorated Christmas tree

     You might think it’s early, but it’s that time of year again.  The television, radio, and print media are beginning to fill with advertisements for Christmas “stuff.” 

    Driving home from our Monday community group, I noticed that several homes in our neighborhood had their Christmas lights on and decorated Christmas trees inside. Yesterday, I picked up the mail and found fliers filled with pictures of artificial Christmas trees.

    The trees ranged in size from two feet to too tall for my house. They were artificial spruce, pine, and fir, as well as generic “evergreens.” They were also a variety of colors. I saw silver, white, blue, and green, but there may have been more.

    Some of the trees had lights already in place. Others were fully decorated with various themes, and many more were empty, waiting to be decorated when they got “home.”

    Now, no matter what you think of Christmas trees, and Christians are quite divided on the issue (although it’s non-essential, so we need to show grace to those with dissenting views), those advertisements got me thinking. Christmas trees have a certain beauty, but it’s all from the outside. All the decorations are attached superficially.

    It’s like the faith of many people. They wear their “religion” as an external badge, doing religious things and keeping laws from Scripture, laws from their particular faith tradition, and laws of their own making. They’re like the Pharisees of old: cold and lifeless on the inside but working very hard to look good to themselves and others on the outside.

    They have convinced themselves that their appearance or good deeds make them righteous. This is a sad sort of pride because neither self-righteousness (which is never right) nor works brings salvation.

    We’re called to be a much different type of tree—fruit trees. Our faith will show through, but we’re alive on the inside. We know our salvation and righteousness are only gifts from God. The beautiful fruit that shows is from the Holy Spirit.

    But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

    Have a look at your heart. Are you a fruit tree or a Christmas tree?

    Until next time, may the love of Jesus quicken your heart and the Holy Spirit bring a large harvest from your life and faith walk to fruition.

    Kevin

    Some more for you to enjoy

    Cliffside – shaped to be like Jesus

    Saved but not by a trio of ghosts

    Right belief or right living

    Who were the heavenly host on that first Christmas

  • Scars – the healing power of the gospel

    solitary skydiver in an olive-drab parachute

    Since it’s Remembrance Day and a holiday, I opted to dig  out a back issue from 2004. It isn’t about Remembrance Day, but I want to take a moment to thank all who have served and are serving. 

    Now, onto talking about scars.

    On the lower part of my left leg is a divot. I got it many years ago when the ground and I had a disagreement after a skydiving accident. My landing wasn’t very smooth, and I caught my leg in a gopher hole, smashed it against a rock, and gave myself a greenstick fracture.

    The leg has long since healed, but the scarring remains. In this case, there is not so much of a visible scar as most of the damage was below the skin, but it is scarring nonetheless. That’s not abnormal. Scarring is part of the healing process.

    I have plenty of other scars from surgeries, accidents, and life in general. Some are visible, others not. Jesus forgives us our sins, and he heals us.

    If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 ESV

    Jesus understood scarring. He bore many injuries and indignities for us.

    But he was pierced for our transgressions;
        he was crushed for our iniquities;
    upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
        and with his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 ESV

    Yet often, when we’re healed, physically, emotionally, or spiritually, and even when he’s forgiven us of our sins, the scars will remain.

    Often, the scarring isn’t visible on the surface, but it’s there nonetheless. There are the scars of damaged relationships, divorces, broken families, criminal records, loss of employment, ruined reputations, loss of credibility, and more. Our bad choices can leave a lot of rubble behind, even when Jesus has brought us into the right relationship with Him and healed us of our part of the damage.

    Our forgiveness doesn’t give us license to keep on sinning. Each time we mess up, we have the potential of leaving a scar on someone else. We can leave the debris behind, cluttering the way for someone else.

    We walk by grace, not by law, but we can learn much from the moral portions of the law. The ceremonial law was for the Jewish people, as was their criminal law, but the moral law still has something to offer us. The law no longer binds us. Our sins are forgiven, but there is danger when we drift away from its precepts.

    Learning and obeying God’s truth can keep you from much of the damage that leaves scars. It’s not a guarantee because other people are always in our lives, but it will make a huge difference.

    Until next time, when faced with the opportunity to sin, remember that Jesus forgives and heals, but you can still carry the scars. Flee the temptation and avoid the damage altogether.

    Praise the Lord for His guidance, patience, and mercy.

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Some thoughts you might like

    The gospel – the best news ever

    River rescue – gospel thoughts

    Spelunking – into the darkness

    Clean laundry – clean hearts

    Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.