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Christmas is Past, New Years is here – What now?

/ Bill Jones / 2 Comments

           We just celebrated Christmas. We sang “Joy to the World!” as we should – joyfully! Hopefully, that joy remains, but with Christmas past, and a new year before us, what comes next? As always, we can look to Scripture to give us an example.

            In the second chapter of Luke, we read the Christmas Story – the census that brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem; Jesus’ birth and His being laid in the manger because there was no room at the inn; the angel revealing the good news to the shepherds; the shepherds running to see, and then glorifying and praising God.

            Then, we read of Jesus being taken to the temple when he was 8 days old. Simeon and Anna were there and both recognized, by the Holy Spirit, that this baby was the Messiah.

            The next specific thing we read about is a trip Jesus’ family took to Jerusalem for the Passover. After the feast, Joseph and Mary started home and unknowingly left Jesus behind. When they discovered He wasn’t with their relatives, they hurried back to Jerusalem. They found Him in the temple, talking with the teachers.

            Mary confronted Jesus and asked why He had worried them so. Jesus replied: “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”Luke 2:49 NKJV

            As we leave Christmas, 2011, behind and look forward into 2012, we can consider Jesus’ example recorded after the Christmas Story. We can “be about our Father’s business.”                

            I’m going to try something different this week. I’m not going to tell you what I think that means, but I’ll ask what you think. Please take a few seconds and leave a comment on how you think we should “be about our Father’s business” in 2012. As we get some comments (hopefully!), that should give us all more to think about.

Are We Walking Worthy?

/ Bill Jones / 2 Comments
 

When we see politicians on television news shows, their name is shown at the bottom of the screen so we will know who they are and where they’re from (“Representative so and so of this state” or “Senator whoever of that state”).  There is usually a (D) or an (R) beside their name – meaning Democrat or Republican – to note their political party.  Sometimes, we don’t need to see the D or R to know which party they’re in because they’ll be stating opinions and taking positions that are identified with a particular one.  At times, they’ll be saying or doing things that will make the other people in their party wish that the D or R was not there so they wouldn’t be identified with them.

What if television stations started using a (C) after a person’s name to show they are a Christian?  If the people in our life – our family, friends, co-workers, and the strangers we deal with along the way, were to see us on the television news giving a sound-bite, would there need to be a (C) after our name for them to know that we are a Christian?  Or thinking the other way, if our actions and words were put on theTV screen and beside our name we did have a (C), would they be surprised to discover we are a Christian?  Would other Christians wish we didn’t have the (C) there?

Whether we realize it or not, and whether we like it or not, our words and actions are clear signs to those around us.  They show where our heart is, and what we base our life upon.  As Christians, our words and actions should make it evident to others that we are basing our life on Jesus Christ.  If we were to be seen on the news with a (C) beside our name, it shouldn’t be a surprise or regret to anyone.  It would be even better if our faith is so clear that the (C) isn’t even necessary.           

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,” Ephesians 4:1 ESV

Bill Jones (C) - By the Grace of God - and thankful for it!

Three Reasons to Pump Gas with God

/ Bill Jones / 4 Comments
Pay-at-the-pump gasoline pump in Indiana, Unit...

Image via Wikipedia

            I pushed the button and the gas pump display read, “See cashier for debit card purchase”. I thought about it for half a second, screwed on the gas cap, got back in the truck and drove off in search of a less impudent pump.

            Back in the day, before pay-at-the-pump, there was no choice. You went inside the store to pay for your gas. Many people still follow that process and often take the opportunity to get a snack and a cold drink. But, I’ve developed the habit of just gassing up and going my way and avoiding a trip into the store.

            It’s usually not that far from the gas pump to the store’s checkout, so I don’t believe it’s laziness on my part. And, if you’re not filling up (and having to make the dreaded double trip), the process of going inside usually doesn’t take much more time. So it’s not from my being in a rush.

            No, I think the avoidance comes from the fact that once you go inside the store, you’re at the mercy of…people. Is the clerk more concerned with griping to a co-worker about the boss than they are about helping you? Or, is your timing perfect and you get to wait for a shift change at the cash register? Or, did you manage to hit convenience store rush hour and there is a line of customers ahead of you?

            That afternoon, not long after I headed out in search of the next gas station, I remembered a trip several weeks before. I was traveling through the farms, fields and forests of rural Georgia. It was a cold, clear, beautiful morning. When it was necessary to stop for gas, I only had one choice in the small town I was passing through. That store didn’t have an impudent pump display – it didn’t have a display or pay at the pump at all.

            So, I stopped at the pump and went inside, wondering what strange happenings would occur to delay my getting back on the road. The clerk said “good morning” and I responded and asked how he was doing. He replied something to the effect of “Great! The Lord has blessed us with a wonderful day”.

            All aggravation and impatience melted away. I began describing the beautiful sights I had seen and the thankfulness to God I had felt thus far on my morning’s journey. As I paid for the gas, we had an enjoyable conversation about the changing season and its contrast to the heat of the summer that was finally ending. I was soon on my way, feeling refreshed from the encounter.

            With the memory of that earlier trip in mind, I relaxed in my search for the next station, and thought about lessons learned:

  • We can bypass some aggravation by avoiding interaction with people. But, doing that causes us to miss many of the blessings of life. It also prevents us being “the light(s) of the world” as Jesus calls us to be. Taking that further, it’s when we are acting as Jesus says, that we truly receive the blessings. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
  • When we are given a lesson, we need to remember it.  “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.” Proverbs 3:1-2
  • And for me, personally – take a chance the next time the gas pump display tells me to do something I don’t want to.

Comfort Food & God’s Love – Hot Stuff in Bowls

/ Bill Jones / 5 Comments

It was near freezing outside and there was a drizzling rain that made the cold seep into your bones. It was a good day to eat hot stuff in bowls, which is just what I was blessed to do! Breakfast was old fashioned oatmeal (with brown sugar and cinnamon, and actually cooked, not flakes mixed with boiling water); homemade chicken ala king at lunch (not always served in a bowl, but this was, which made it even better); and oyster stew for supper (if that one’s not to your liking, substitute your favorite chili in your thoughts).

The list of “hot stuff in a bowl” goes beyond what I enjoyed that day. How about homemade vegetable soup made with ingredients fresh from the garden, or gumbo (seafood or chicken or whatever else you like in it), or beef stew? Just thinking about those can make your tummy warm up! No wonder they call it comfort food.

Comfort food tastes good but also brings a sense of well-being. Many thousands (millions?) of bowls of hot soup (chicken and otherwise) have been served by mothers and grandmothers when their children and grandchildren had a cold. The soup itself has no healing power (I realize there will be debate on that). The taste is pleasing and the heat can clear your head and warm you from the inside, so you do feel better – thus it is a comfort. But the real sense of well-being comes from the fact that the one giving you the soup loves you. They want to take care of you…to help you feel better…to comfort you.

The Apostle Paul wrote a wonderful blessing to encourage and comfort the Thessalonians:

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” 2nd Thessalonians 2:16-17 ESV

Our overriding comfort is an eternal one that has been given to us already – Jesus paid the price for that. Notice the focus Paul prays for in the present – he prays that God will comfort their hearts. The heart is where true comfort resides – from there our hearts can be established by God for good works and words.

Hot stuff in bowls is good on cold days. The taste and warmth make it comforting, but it only becomes true comfort food when our heart is affected by the love of others (like I was that day when my wife, Sharon, prepared it for me). However, our true comfort only comes when our heart is affected by the love of God.