| That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. - Psalm 1:3 NIVThe artificial tree we have used for a few years was just too large in our scaled-down space this year. So we thought maybe we should go back to the days of having a live tree. Always my first choice! They are beautiful, one of a kind and have a woodsy fragrance. But once we saw the withered trees baled up in netting with fallen needles strewn everywhere, we decided against it. So I declared that it was now or never to consider that pristine white artificial tree I had admired in the glossy magazines, but it was just too contemporary once we saw it up close. So, predictably, we went back to the artificial green tree, buying a smaller version of what we have always had. Our new smaller decorated tree looks great and I couldn’t imagine that the artificial contents inside the box from the store could come to life, but it did. It seemed to come alive with each ornament and ribbon we placed on it. And then the lights were turned on and we were in awe. Even our little pup, Barney seems thrilled by the tree and considers the tree skirt to be his as he pulls it to the middle of the floor to make a new bed for himself surrounded by his toys! Whether it is a Christmas tree or another kind of tree that lives near a spring or a creek, it will tap its roots into the water source and survive. Water is life. That is how it is in our life too. Yes, we are largely made up of water and yes, we must drink our weight in it to be healthy or so it seems! But in our spiritual life, if our Bible lies closed on the coffee table or nightstand, we are not drinking in the Word and becoming stagnant. Scripture is life to us and the Living Water is what sustains us. It is how God talks to us. Where we get our wisdom. Our answers. Our hope. And it is where our faith builds when we feed from the Word. This season of Christmas is a good time to renew and refresh our commitment and our spirit to God. When we are spiritually fed, we are more apt to see what God’s plan is for our life, to prosper from His direction and wisdom. A. B. Simpson, a minister from the 1800’s said this, “Christ is not a reservoir but a spring. His life is continual, active and ever passing on with an outflow as necessary as its inflow. If we do not perpetually draw the fresh supply from the living Fountain, we shall either grow stagnant or empty, It is, therefore, not so much a perpetual fullness as a perpetual filling." |
| Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God. –Isaiah 50:10 NIV Undeniably this is my favorite season of the year. The shopping catalogs are filling my mailbox for peanuts, classic fruitcake and beautiful baskets of fruit among other things. Grocery stores already have Frasier fir trees lined up by the door and the scent of Christmas is in the air. I will set aside a day to bake cookies with my granddaughter using the candied fruits you only see this time of year. The striking and tropical poinsettia is the universal flowering plant for the holidays and I will soon buy one to enjoy and a few extra to give to friends. And the final touches for Christmas will come when we hang white lights on the Christmas tree, set up the nativity and place simple candles throughout as we decorate our home. Light. The dictionary says that light is something that makes things visible. While it certainly makes tree ornaments and other decorations brilliant and festive with its shimmer of sparkles, there is a light that is even greater. God’s Light. We can hear about something but as long as we are in the dark so to speak, we cannot see. But when things are illuminated and finally, we can see, we understand. Spiritually of course I am talking about living a life of light that versus darkness. People may hear about the Christian life but unless they have ever seen it or watched a family that lives by God’s laws, they can’t see it. Many times, we are the light that illuminates the light of God for others. They see something in us that clicks and they want what we have. Maybe it is the way we react, or how we treat someone. Or how we use our gifts and resources for God’s good. Maybe it is the peace within us that comes with trusting God so completely in all our circumstances that people are drawn to us. We are always being observed. Our actions matter and they count. That is why God lights our hearts so that we can light the hearts of others. What is visible is tangible. And what is tangible can be shared and multiplied. Let our walk be our witness and may the light within shine as bright as the Bethlehem star! |
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| Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. –Colossians 3:16 NIV The definition of gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation. With Thanksgiving Day barely behind us, there is a desire in many of us for the joy and gratitude of this time to linger on past just a few days or so. While Thanksgiving Day is often spent with family and friends or just quietly alone in observance, it gives us a reason to stop and ponder the blessings of the past year. God’s blessings don’t always arrive on our doorstop with great fanfare though. Sometimes it is the simplest of things that we can see God’s hand in. I believe that if we look carefully, we can see God in the big and little things in our day. It is so easy to take responsibility and credit ourselves for all the good that happens. Yes, our efforts do not go unnoticed, but all good things come from God. So you might ask, when things get tough, is that God, too? The answer is that He allows things at times to build us up. Make us stronger. Build spiritual muscle. But it doesn’t matter what is happening at the moment. The real key to having a heart of gratitude is to be grateful no matter how good or bad things are. Genuine gratitude doesn’t succumb to disappointment or that feeling of lack. Maybe things aren’t going well at all, but there is always at least one thing that we can be grateful for like having a Heavenly Father that loves us so much. Gratitude also promotes joy. Some of the richest, joy-filled people I know don’t appear to have any luxuries in life, yet they are grateful for each day and the opportunity to serve God in peace. To develop a heart of gratitude, we might think of something to be grateful for during this time of Thanksgiving and offer our thanks to God for all He has done and continues to do. |
