Relationships. They are the source of some of life’s most joyful satisfaction; but they are also the setting for some of life’s most bitter disappointments. If you are like most people, one of your perennial hopes is to improve the quality of your relationships with the other people in your life—and that is no small task.
John Andrew Holmes, Jr., the author of Wisdom in Small Doses, wrote, “It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others.” So if you really want to make the most of your life it is worth the energy to focus on making the most of the relationships in your life.
When Jesus was asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important,” he responded that loving God with your whole being was the most important; but he continued, “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31). Throughout his life Jesus made it clear that loving others was as much a part of living a life that honored God as any other act of sacrifice, worship, or devotion.
On the other hand, Jesus warned his disciples that they would encounter people who would refuse to welcome them, some who would openly oppose them, and others who would physically abuse them (see Matthew 10:9-23). In fact, Jesus warns, “You will be hated by everyone because of me” (Matthew 10:22a).
Paul was someone who responded wholeheartedly to the invitation to spread the good news, and yet who experienced the full extent of people’s resistance to the message. When he wrote the community of believers who were living in Philippi, he encouraged them to focus on three ways they could honor God in their relationships with one another: Be thankful for people. Be thoughtful of people. Be trustworthy with people—all the time remembering that God was at work in them through the power of the Holy Spirit because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Relationships. They are a crucial element in our lives—impossible for us to escape. I pray that as you reflect on God’s word you may be guided to live in ways that help you experience greater joy in knowing that you have been faithful in your relationships with others.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Looking for Opportunities
Some people seem destined to live below their expectations. The comic strip character, Ziggy, regularly expresses what many of those folks must feel. Years ago Ziggy conveyed his waning hope this way: “When my ship finally comes in, it’ll probably be during the dock strike.”
Sometimes it certainly seems like the people around you live a charmed life. With every change of the tide, a new opportunity seems sail into their life. You haven’t given up hope that opportunity will knock at your door, but you are beginning to worry that when it does you might not be home.
If there are days when you feel like Ziggy, let me encourage you to remember that God really wants you to experience blessings you haven’t even thought of. Indeed, the apostle Paul writes, “With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).
You may also want to consider adjusting your focus. Standing on the dock you can see a cargo ship while it is still miles away. It is fun to imagine what it might be carrying and how much of it you would enjoy (if it were yours). But while you are spending all of that time fantasizing, you may be missing some of the real opportunities God has placed right at your feet.
Paul encourages the community of believers in Ephesus to “make the most of every opportunity” (Ephesians 5:16). Paul not only warns them about the distractions that might cause them to miss an opportunity God has prepared for them, but also offers them some advice on ways they can make more of the opportunities that come their way. Think. Stay sharp. Tune in. Give thanks. That’s it really.
As you spend time reflecting on this advice from Paul, I pray you will begin to experience all that it means to “live a life filled with love” (Ephesians 5:1). Talk about a great opportunity. God has some great expectations for you. I can think of none greater.
Sometimes it certainly seems like the people around you live a charmed life. With every change of the tide, a new opportunity seems sail into their life. You haven’t given up hope that opportunity will knock at your door, but you are beginning to worry that when it does you might not be home.
If there are days when you feel like Ziggy, let me encourage you to remember that God really wants you to experience blessings you haven’t even thought of. Indeed, the apostle Paul writes, “With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).
You may also want to consider adjusting your focus. Standing on the dock you can see a cargo ship while it is still miles away. It is fun to imagine what it might be carrying and how much of it you would enjoy (if it were yours). But while you are spending all of that time fantasizing, you may be missing some of the real opportunities God has placed right at your feet.
Paul encourages the community of believers in Ephesus to “make the most of every opportunity” (Ephesians 5:16). Paul not only warns them about the distractions that might cause them to miss an opportunity God has prepared for them, but also offers them some advice on ways they can make more of the opportunities that come their way. Think. Stay sharp. Tune in. Give thanks. That’s it really.
As you spend time reflecting on this advice from Paul, I pray you will begin to experience all that it means to “live a life filled with love” (Ephesians 5:1). Talk about a great opportunity. God has some great expectations for you. I can think of none greater.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Making the Most of Your Life
As you take time to reflect on the past year, I hope you recollect more than a few occasions you count as significant accomplishments. Even if you achieved more than you intended in 2010, you can probably still think of one or two areas where you wish you had been able to do more. Now may be just the right time to consider what you want to focus on as the new year begins.
When Jesus met the women at the well, her life was much less than she had hoped (John 4:1-42). Even in the midst of this great opportunity to spend time one-on-one with “The Lord,” she seems determined to miss the blessing that is being offered to her. "If you knew the gift of God,…” Jesus says. There was so much more God was offering her. There was so much more she could experience. There was so much more she could accomplish.
Is your life less than you hoped? Would you like to experience more of the blessings God has prepared for you? Would you like to accomplish something of great significance? Do you want to make more of your life in 2011?
The next few weeks are going to be the perfect time to consider a few of the areas of your life where you may be missing some of the blessings God wants to give you. Many times our lives are disappointing because we fail to take advantage of the gifts God offers. How can we be better managers of the gifts God gives us? Discovering the answer to that question is the key.
To make the most of your life you have to make the most of what your life is made of. God offers some clear directions about how we can make the most of every day, the opportunities than come to us, the relationships we have with others, the concerns that touch our hearts, our abilities, the assets we possess, and the commitments we make. When you have a better grasp of how to manage all that God has given you, you may discover that you have a better understanding of what Jesus meant when he said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10b).
When Jesus met the women at the well, her life was much less than she had hoped (John 4:1-42). Even in the midst of this great opportunity to spend time one-on-one with “The Lord,” she seems determined to miss the blessing that is being offered to her. "If you knew the gift of God,…” Jesus says. There was so much more God was offering her. There was so much more she could experience. There was so much more she could accomplish.
Is your life less than you hoped? Would you like to experience more of the blessings God has prepared for you? Would you like to accomplish something of great significance? Do you want to make more of your life in 2011?
The next few weeks are going to be the perfect time to consider a few of the areas of your life where you may be missing some of the blessings God wants to give you. Many times our lives are disappointing because we fail to take advantage of the gifts God offers. How can we be better managers of the gifts God gives us? Discovering the answer to that question is the key.
To make the most of your life you have to make the most of what your life is made of. God offers some clear directions about how we can make the most of every day, the opportunities than come to us, the relationships we have with others, the concerns that touch our hearts, our abilities, the assets we possess, and the commitments we make. When you have a better grasp of how to manage all that God has given you, you may discover that you have a better understanding of what Jesus meant when he said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10b).
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Keeping Christmas
You have to admit that the tree looks less festive after all the presents are pulled out from underneath it. Even the gifts themselves don’t capture the imagination as powerfully once they are unwrapped. I suppose that’s the reason some people have already dumped their tree at the curb. They are ready for it to be hauled away…ready to get their lives back to normal.
It’s kind of funny, really; but also, strangely sad. We have just celebrated the birth of a child who changed history and some of us are more eager to pack up all the decorations than we are to contemplate the wonder of God coming to earth to live with us… as one of us.
Consider the testimony of John: “The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us” (John 1:14, CEV).
Ponder this from Paul: “Think the same way that Christ Jesus thought: Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain equal with God. Instead he gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us” (Philippians 2:5-7, CEV).
Reflect on these words: “He had to be one of us, so that he could serve God as our merciful and faithful high priest and sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of our sins” (Hebrews 2:17, CEV).
The stores may be clearing their shelves. The radio station may be back to playing the hits of yesterday and today. You may be packing treasures for another long stay in the attic. In the midst of all that, let me invite you to consider how you will keep the glorious good news of Christmas alive in your heart, so that the baby who was born in Bethlehem may continue to transform your life…to fill it with peace, hope, joy and love throughout the coming year.
It’s kind of funny, really; but also, strangely sad. We have just celebrated the birth of a child who changed history and some of us are more eager to pack up all the decorations than we are to contemplate the wonder of God coming to earth to live with us… as one of us.
Consider the testimony of John: “The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us” (John 1:14, CEV).
Ponder this from Paul: “Think the same way that Christ Jesus thought: Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain equal with God. Instead he gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us” (Philippians 2:5-7, CEV).
Reflect on these words: “He had to be one of us, so that he could serve God as our merciful and faithful high priest and sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of our sins” (Hebrews 2:17, CEV).
The stores may be clearing their shelves. The radio station may be back to playing the hits of yesterday and today. You may be packing treasures for another long stay in the attic. In the midst of all that, let me invite you to consider how you will keep the glorious good news of Christmas alive in your heart, so that the baby who was born in Bethlehem may continue to transform your life…to fill it with peace, hope, joy and love throughout the coming year.
Monday, December 20, 2010
How Silently, How Silently
Announcements. Engagements. Weddings. Pregnancies. Births. Exciting stuff; but the ordinary stuff of life, really. They are the kind of events you expect to hear about as you listen for the signs and sounds that signal the progression of the lives of the people around you.
Children are born. They grow up. They fall in love. They get married. They have babies. Life goes on. It’s the ordinary stuff of life.
Mary. Joseph. Nazareth. You might expect another ordinary story. That was what Mary expected. That was what Joseph expected. They knew that was what their friends and family expected, too. Nevertheless, in the middle of their ordinary lives, something extraordinary happens.
Angels come to visit. Mary and Joseph were each observant practitioners of their faith, but there is nothing to suggest they regularly received direct messages from God. Mary is confused and disturbed when the angel Gabriel gives her the news that she is going to have a son. Joseph is making his own plans to deal with the situation until an angel speaks to him in a dream. Will anything in their lives ever be ordinary again?
It is more than an idle question. They have heard the news that God is going to enter their lives. The son they are to raise will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21) He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end! (Luke 1:32-33)
Still they have to find their own way to Bethlehem. When they arrive, there is no place for them to stay. Soon they are running to Egypt to save their baby’s life. Eventually they return to Nazareth—where they go back to their ordinary lives; but God has come into their lives, and now everything has changed. Transformed.
I pray you may experience the transforming presence of God in your life this Christmas.
Children are born. They grow up. They fall in love. They get married. They have babies. Life goes on. It’s the ordinary stuff of life.
Mary. Joseph. Nazareth. You might expect another ordinary story. That was what Mary expected. That was what Joseph expected. They knew that was what their friends and family expected, too. Nevertheless, in the middle of their ordinary lives, something extraordinary happens.
Angels come to visit. Mary and Joseph were each observant practitioners of their faith, but there is nothing to suggest they regularly received direct messages from God. Mary is confused and disturbed when the angel Gabriel gives her the news that she is going to have a son. Joseph is making his own plans to deal with the situation until an angel speaks to him in a dream. Will anything in their lives ever be ordinary again?
It is more than an idle question. They have heard the news that God is going to enter their lives. The son they are to raise will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21) He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end! (Luke 1:32-33)
Still they have to find their own way to Bethlehem. When they arrive, there is no place for them to stay. Soon they are running to Egypt to save their baby’s life. Eventually they return to Nazareth—where they go back to their ordinary lives; but God has come into their lives, and now everything has changed. Transformed.
I pray you may experience the transforming presence of God in your life this Christmas.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Do You See What I See?
Driving around town after dark these days is much more fun than it is at any other time of the year. You never know what visual delight waits around the next corner. What looks like an ordinary house during the day becomes a magical place when it is outlined with thousands of lights. Trees and shrubs that would never attract any particular attention are transformed when they are illuminated. The great variety of other lawn decorations adds to the enchantment of these holiday evenings when darkness falls so early.
What do you see as you drive by?
Nearly every store has Christmas music playing in the background these days. Sometimes you hear a Christmas carol, but much of the time it’s some holiday song written to add to some recording artist’s holiday record—more lyrics about snow and mistletoe than shepherds or a savior. Still it’s easy to find yourself humming along as you wait in line at the register.
What do you hear as you wander through the mall?
This is the time of year when you probably receive more greeting cards than any other time—unless it’s your birthday. Some folks include lots of news about their family and what has been happening with them since you heard from this last year. Lots of cards have really pretty pictures. A few include the essential good news of the season—the news with which an angel greeted some shepherds in a field thousands of years ago.
What do you know as you open your cards?
In the popular carol, the night wind points out the star to the little lamb, who asks the shepherd if he hears the song; and the shepherd asks the mighty king if he knows about the child who has been born. How easy it would have been for them to miss this momentous occasion had they not seen or heard or known. May you see and hear and know the joy that is yours as the child brings us goodness and light.
Driving around town after dark these days is much more fun than it is at any other time of the year. You never know what visual delight waits around the next corner. What looks like an ordinary house during the day becomes a magical place when it is outlined with thousands of lights. Trees and shrubs that would never attract any particular attention are transformed when they are illuminated. The great variety of other lawn decorations adds to the enchantment of these holiday evenings when darkness falls so early.
What do you see as you drive by?
Nearly every store has Christmas music playing in the background these days. Sometimes you hear a Christmas carol, but much of the time it’s some holiday song written to add to some recording artist’s holiday record—more lyrics about snow and mistletoe than shepherds or a savior. Still it’s easy to find yourself humming along as you wait in line at the register.
What do you hear as you wander through the mall?
This is the time of year when you probably receive more greeting cards than any other time—unless it’s your birthday. Some folks include lots of news about their family and what has been happening with them since you heard from this last year. Lots of cards have really pretty pictures. A few include the essential good news of the season—the news with which an angel greeted some shepherds in a field thousands of years ago.
What do you know as you open your cards?
In the popular carol, the night wind points out the star to the little lamb, who asks the shepherd if he hears the song; and the shepherd asks the mighty king if he knows about the child who has been born. How easy it would have been for them to miss this momentous occasion had they not seen or heard or known. May you see and hear and know the joy that is yours as the child brings us goodness and light.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
A Deeper Hope
Perhaps you still remember when all your hopes during these few weeks after Thanksgiving were tied to what you were wishing you would find under the tree on Christmas morning. Were you one of those folks who didn’t want to leave anything to chance? You made sure everyone knew exactly what you wanted, where they could find it, and how much it would cost. Or maybe you wanted to test out the “magic” of the holiday, so you kept you wish list to yourself and let the “elves” do their work for you.
Whether you were explicit with your instructions or more reserved in sharing your expectations as you were growing up, eventually you realized that there had to be more to hope for than just what you might find wrapped in pretty paper and tied up with a bow. No bicycle was fast enough; no doll was pretty enough; no game system was cool enough to really satisfy your deepest hope for something more.
These days you don’t expect your hopes to be fulfilled by what someone can put in a box, but it’s still tempting to think that there is something that could transform your life—maybe it’s a new car or a new job or a pile of money. And, if you’re honest, you may have to admit sometimes that is where your prayers begin and end.
God has great news during these days of Advent. In the midst of this life that is so much less than you had hoped, God is sending a Savior who will reorder creation. When he comes, things are going to go back to the way they were originally created. As Walter Brueggemann says "the old practice of the big ones eating the little ones is not the wave of the future….The rightly governed world will indeed be detoxified, no more a threat to the poor, the meek, the children, the lamb, the kid. The new world will indeed be safe for the vulnerable."
That’s the hope I pray you have this year!
Whether you were explicit with your instructions or more reserved in sharing your expectations as you were growing up, eventually you realized that there had to be more to hope for than just what you might find wrapped in pretty paper and tied up with a bow. No bicycle was fast enough; no doll was pretty enough; no game system was cool enough to really satisfy your deepest hope for something more.
These days you don’t expect your hopes to be fulfilled by what someone can put in a box, but it’s still tempting to think that there is something that could transform your life—maybe it’s a new car or a new job or a pile of money. And, if you’re honest, you may have to admit sometimes that is where your prayers begin and end.
God has great news during these days of Advent. In the midst of this life that is so much less than you had hoped, God is sending a Savior who will reorder creation. When he comes, things are going to go back to the way they were originally created. As Walter Brueggemann says "the old practice of the big ones eating the little ones is not the wave of the future….The rightly governed world will indeed be detoxified, no more a threat to the poor, the meek, the children, the lamb, the kid. The new world will indeed be safe for the vulnerable."
That’s the hope I pray you have this year!
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