The Invitation - Part 4

First I want to say that the thoughts and message contained in this post are in partnership with LifeHouse East, Hedgesville's parent church. As a Network of LifeHouse Churches, we look to share resources and ideas because God blesses us through our unity.

Here we are once again to commemorate God’s Invitation to us to join Him at His banquet.   A banquet we don’t deserve to attend, but never-the-less have been invited to for one sole purpose:  God desires relationship and wants us there.

Now, as I shared in the opening message of this series, an invitation deserves an RSVP – a yes or a no.  There is no in between.  We must decide and we must understand that this invitation is personal, meaning I cannot attend on the response of someone else.

Yet despite God’s great effort to write out the invitation, to address it to you and me, to seal it, and then to bring it personally to us, we often put the invitation and its reply on a shelf; off to the side as we will “come back to it later.”

But you know, sometimes in the busyness of life, the desire to get ahead and pursue entertainment and success, we forget about the Invitation and its deadline until it’s too late.  And so we hope that if we send our RSVP in a little late, it will still be accepted and we will be counted as part of the guest list.  

The reality of this invitation is that we’ve got a lifetime to get the RSVP returned and counted.  So the longer we wait to RSVP, the more chance there will be that we will forget to send it back.  And if we don’t RSVP on time with a “yes,” we will not be permitted to attend the banquet.

God sent us an invitation some 2000 years ago.  The invitation didn’t come in an envelope or with return postage.  But rather, it came in the form of a human being, a baby.  And as we’ve studied from scripture, this was God’s Son, not created of human conception, but rather through the overshadowing of a virgin named Mary by the Holy Spirit.

And so the story picks up with the earthly step-father of Jesus, Joseph the carpenter.

There’s very little that the scripture tells us about Joseph other than he was:  a carpenter, a righteous man, betrothed to Mary (which meant married, but not yet living together in the same home), and not the father of Jesus.  

Yet, though little is written about him, there is great application we can take from what is.

In Matthew 1: 18-25 we see this part of the story that describes to us the role Joseph played in bringing The Invitation into this world.  We see a man who one day was betrothed to a young teenage virgin girl and the next, has his world rocked and turned upside down when his bride-to-be tells him of the news that she is pregnant.

In his mind he’s got to be thinking, “This is not how it is supposed to be.  How could she have cheated on me?  She and I were to have a life together.  So who is the father?  Is it one of my friends?  This hurts bad.  What do I do?  At some point the people of this community are going to know and see that she’s pregnant.  I could publicly divorce her and disgrace her for her adulterous promiscuity, but this means she could be stoned to death.   But I don’t want that.  I love and respect her too much to do that.  I guess I’ll just divorce her quietly to give her a chance at life.  Maybe then she can marry the father of the baby and no one will know any better.”

But then God steps in by sending an angel to speak to Joseph in a dream.  And when Joseph wakes up, he follows through on what the angel commanded him to do – to take Mary home as his wife.

So what can we take from this story?  What example did Joseph give us to follow?

Well God’s Big Idea is this:  Faith obeys when reality makes no sense.

Joseph is a great example of someone, who when trying to discern what to do in his own mind, was willing to make his life much easier by divorcing Mary and moving on in another direction.  Yet Joseph, when listening to the voice and reason of God, sacrificed his will to do what he thought was best, to do what God said was best.

When the angel made clear that he was to take Mary home as his wife, he followed through – he obeyed.  

It took faith to believe that what he had dreamed was not merely the result of some “bad pizza” he had eaten that night.  It took faith to act on what he heard said to him in the dream.  It took extreme faith to obey when he knew the child was not his and he would be responsible for the care and well-being of this child.

It’s through his obedience we see the character of this man – he was God-fearing, sensitive, empathetic, caring, and loving.  

Joseph was not some male chauvinist who saw women as property to be kept when they satisfied him and discarded through divorce when they didn’t.  Instead, he loved Mary enough to take her home as his wife and to care for the child that was not his. 

Honestly, he’s much the opposite of most men today who run from their responsibilities; who won’t marry, let alone stick around to care for the babies that are theirs.

So why?  Why would he be so responsible to follow through on what he heard in his dream?  He did it simply because God asked him to:  “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Now keep in mind that what he is hearing in his dream were the same words that Mary had shared with him when she told him the news of her pregnancy.  What he heard reinforced that Mary was telling him the truth.

And so Faith obeys when reality makes no sense. 

Now the story itself doesn’t make a lot of sense.  It goes against everything we see in nature.  And really if you don’t believe the Bible is truly the inspired Word of God given to us throughout the ages, then this story is a fable (a mere super-hero story where the good guy wins and saves the day).  But the proof that the writer, Matthew, gives for the literal truth of this narrative is in quoting OT prophecy (Isaiah 7:14) “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means ‘God with us,’” which was prophesied some 700 years before Jesus was born.

Faith obeys, it trusts, it hopes, and it perseveres.  Faith requires a mere step in the direction of the unknown and uncertain in order to see what God wants you to see.  For if you can see it and touch it now, then no faith is required.

So how can I have faith?  I can have faith by trusting in something and someone far greater than myself.  I can have faith by letting my guard down and accepting some ideas as truth.

Now, not all things are relevant.  Not all things are truth.  But one thing that is for certain for me is the hope that I have of eternal life in this baby child, named Jesus, Immanuel – “God with us.”

Jesus - The Invitation, The Gift - always invites us to respond to the banquet His Father will one day throw on behalf of those who RSVP on time with a “yes”.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to take a chance of leaving it on a shelf where I will come back to it later.  Too many have done this over the ages, and never returned their response.

But this season – this Christmas Season – is our opportunity to open and accept the most magnificent gift that anyone could ever give – the gift of abundant life now and eternal life later.  And this gift is rather simple to open.  All we have to do is have faith to believe that this baby Jesus would one day grow up and sacrifice himself for the sins of humankind – would sacrifice himself for the sins of me. 

Remember, Faith obeys when reality makes no sense.

The Invitation - Part 3

First I want to say that the thoughts and message contained in this post are in partnership with LifeHouse East, Hedgesville's parent church. As a Network of LifeHouse Churches, we look to share resources and ideas because God blesses us through our unity.

What are the things in life that bring you the most fear?  That hold you back from experiencing new things?  That stifle your abilities and God-given curiosities?

Are they things that really do deserve your fear?  By not doing, do they keep you and/or your family safe?  Are they merely a form of protection from letting others know what you are afraid to try?

I know when I see the Citicard commercial of the lady climbing and standing on the pinnacle of the rock ledge looking out over God’s beautiful creation, I feel the tension stirring inside me.  I feel the queasiness of knowing how I can’t stand heights, and how that despite the magnificence of the adventure, you will never find me there - which is okay because my fear keeps me safe.

Yet, there are areas where I know my fear of the unknown keeps me at arms distance – a safe distance – from experiencing some of the greatest beauties out there.   I know my fear of driving in big cities keeps me from experiencing some of the great things a city has to offer.

So there is a tension within all of our lives to keep MY SPACE, MY SPACE, and to establish boundaries that won’t let others into that space.  And so we compartmentalize life into convenient categories.

But we find that it’s a struggle to balance these compartments in life because some areas spill over into other areas.  For example, what about the frustrations at work that I bring home?  Or, what about the argument last night at home that I took to work today?  What about the depleted checkbook that robs me of my Christmas cheer?  We try so hard to guard our fragile compartments.

And safe to say, we also do this with God.  We have compartments for Him like:  Sundays before noon, grace before dinner, in moments of crisis, an occasional prayer after we hit a golf ball or while stuck in traffic.  God has His place in our life; church fits into our boundaries, where we keep things from getting too uncomfortably close.

We certainly don’t let God invade our whole world, rock our status quo, or give Him the keys to every door and closet in our home.

Well, let’s look at a young lady who did just the opposite of what we do with God in the routines of our lives.

In Luke 1: 26-38 we see Mary, a young teenage girl minding her own business and doing the normal, when God interrupts.  He disrupted her normal routine with an invitation to become uncomfortably close and intimate with the Christmas experience.  This invitation was going to profoundly alter and interrupt her life.

Yet Mary sets an amazing example and provides and incredible challenge to us.  And through her example we see God’s Big Idea:  Allow Christ IN Every Part of Life

Why?  Why should we let Christ into every compartment of life?  Why should we be willing to break down those compartments when it comes to God?  Why should we accept God’s invitation to live within us?

We should because God’s presence within us is far greater than God’s presence with us.  When He is in us, He is with us all the time and everywhere we are.  But when we compartmentalize Him and only desire His presence be with us, we limit His ability to actively help us when the miracle can’t be seen, found, or heard. 

God in me provides me with peace when my world is falling apart.  God in me provides me with strength when I am being attacked.  God in me provides me with joy when I should be crying.  God in me provides me with love when I feel like hating those who’ve wronged me.  God in me is freedom – freedom to be the person God intended me to be.

And because Mary willingly submitted to allow God to be in her, literally, Mary’s life became blessed to the point we still tell of her story today.

Did she become an image of worship?  No!  But her example is truly one for us to follow with God because she said “yes” to something that ridiculously made no sense then, and still makes no sense to many today.

Think about it:  She was betrothed to be married to Joseph – she was a virgin – and yet by agreeing she would now become pregnant with the child of God.  

What did this mean?  It meant she could be considered mentally insane, that she was no longer of value, that she would not be cared for the rest of her life, most likely  considered an outcast by her people and her own family, and could possibly mean being stoned to death for her promiscuity – her adultery.  I mean after all, how else does pregnancy happen in their day without the union of male and female – let alone saying the conceived child is God?  It’s all blasphemy!  Blasphemy!

Yet with all these risks, she let God into every compartment of her life, by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant.  May it be to me as you have said.”  She willingly said to God in my words, “You can have all of me.  I will do as you want me to do.”

How often do we say what Mary said? 

I think we often say, “God, you can have this part or that part, but You can’t have it all.  You can have this part because I’m comfortable with giving you this part.  But don’t ask me to do something that will push the boundaries.  Don’t ask me to teach children.  Don’t ask me to give up addictions.  Don’t ask me to preach or lead worship. Don’t ask me to serve.  Don’t ask me to make a commitment, to get married to my fiancé, and to love him/her when trouble comes.  Don’t ask me to love my wife and children as Christ loved the church.  Don’t ask me to communicate with others when I feel like going into a shell.  Don’t ask, don’t ask, don’t ask.”

Jesus said in speaking about his coming death, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life (the man who understands his need for a Savior) will keep it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.  My Father will honor the one who serves me.”  John 12:  23-26

God wants us to be like Mary – to willingly submit ourselves – to die to self and gain – so that we can be honored in the presence of God Almighty.  God wants us to be transformed from just learning about Him to knowing Him intimately.  God wants to move us from mere knowledge and romanticized feelings about Him to pure obedience when He calls us.  God wants us to say, as shared with us in Galatians 2: 20, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

In order to be all that God wants, we can neither resist nor assist.  If we resist, we’re not open to God’s calling.  And if we think we can assist God, then we believe we can tell God what to do, which is a little pridefulJ 

All we can do is be like Mary who responded willingly and completely, and then offered herself in full service.

Are there areas in your life that you’ve tried to do God-size things on your own?  Like trying to quit a life-controlling habit or addiction, overcome past hurts, forgive the abuser, heal the marriage, conquer a fear, defeat the worry? 

We can’t do it on our own. 

We can try, but as always, God’s grace cannot shine through if we’re trying to resist by doing it all on our own or trying to assist by telling God how to do it.  We must be willing to openly surrender our will and allow the Invitation – the Christ - in every part of life.  Then, and only then, will we see the true gift of what Christ can overcome in our lives.

IMAGINE IF WE LIVED LIKE THIS.

The Invitation - Part 2

First I want to say that the thoughts and message contained in this post are in partnership with LifeHouse East, Hedgesville's parent church. As a Network of LifeHouse Churches, we look to share resources and ideas because God blesses us through our unity.

Ever had a time in life where you were afraid to ask the tough questions about God – about faith – for fear you’d be considered faithless by your peers?  A time where your faith was merely what you were told to believe – a blind faith – an absent-minded religion?

I know there have been times in religious circles where I have felt like “to ask a contradictory question about God and faith was the same as asking to be placed in the firing line for execution.”  You just didn’t do it.

But, I think Jesus told us to seek God, and in seeking, we will find Him. 

So, is it okay to ask questions – tough questions – that stem from doubt and lack of understanding?  You bet ya, because in asking these tough questions, you find truth.  In asking these tough questions, God stirs in your spirit to research, to pray, and to ask other questions that lead you to the truth He wants to reveal to you.

Now here’s a tough question:  Is the nativity scene as we see portrayed in people’s lawns, in Christmas plays, or even in video clips portraying the birth of Jesus a true representation of the story? 

Matthew 2: 1-2 – After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?  We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

Now who were these Magi?  They were called wise men, Magi (which is the Greek root for “magic”), from the East (probably Arabia, Persia).  Most likely were a class of Medes.  They were scientists, portrayed as astrologers, and definitely not Jews or believers of the Messiah.  We assume that there were three, based on 3 gifts, and were spoken of as kings in light of Isaiah 60:3.

To sum up the Magi, they were unbelievers who studied science, astronomy, and literature.  Yet through their studies of all cultures of that day, they knew something important was happening and sought out to find this King of the Jews.

Matthew 2: 3 – When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

Why was King Herod disturbed by the Magi’s search for truth?  He was disturbed because he feared his power would be challenged and his way of life threatened.  And this is a classic response to the Invitation – to resist, to fight, to try and destroy the truth of the Invitation.

King Herod DID NOT want to know or discover the Invitation to know God.  Here was the very child within his governing province, yet Herod chose to be ignorant to the fact that this was the Promised One from God.  He didn’t even know there was a glamorous star in his neck of the woods.  He chose lies and false meaning, which in his mind was, a baby that would grow and take over his earthly throne.

Matthew 2: 4-6 – When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.  “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be shepherd of my people Israel.”

Here we see that even though the priests and teachers of the law knew the prophecy from their studies and training, they had no clue that the Invitation (baby Jesus) had even come.   The Promised One they had been hoping for all these years was right in front of their eyes, and they had no idea.  You know why?   They didn’t know because they weren’t looking.  They were just busy going about their daily religious duties.

Matthew 2: 7-12 – Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child.  As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”  After they heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped Him.  Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, and of incense, and of myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Remember that tough question about the Nativity Story Scene – Is it realistic?  The answer is NO. 

If you study what we just read in verses 7-12, what do you see?
1.  You see that the star had been in Herod’s province for a while, and yet it was just another star for Herod and the people of that region,
2.  The star led them to a house, and 
3.  In the house, they only found Mary and Jesus. 

So the scripture tells me that the Magi didn’t come the night Jesus was born to find Him wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger with Joseph, Mary, and the shepherds looking over Him.  They came years later.  In fact the scripture tells us as we read the rest of Matthew 2 that Herod was so mad that the Magi had outwitted him that, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi, he ordered all the male boys 2 and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity to be killed.

The interesting thing about this part of the story is that Jesus is a Jew and yet His own did not recognize Him.  They weren’t even seeking for Him, let alone prepared for Him when He did arrive on the scene.

Yet the Magi (pagan by nature) questioned, searched, and journeyed to accept the invitation to meet Jesus – the Truth.  They used every avenue possible to find the answer, which they actually found as a toddler in a home in Bethlehem.

So the real question that needs to be asked is:  What example and challenge do the Magi provide to us?

God’s Big Idea is this:  Seek TRUTH

Christmas embodies The Invitation of God to SEEK TRUTH, and when seeking truth we find it.  Now, we’re not going to find it in science, astronomy, astrology, or literature.  We’re not even going to find it in theology (the priests and teachers of the law knew theology).  And though these avenues can provide some truth, the ultimate truth comes in seeking God from His Word, the Bible, and accepting the Invitation of forgiveness in Jesus.

In order to seek the truth, the Magi studied, investigated, and pursued it; and when they discovered that truth in the coming of the King, they chose to journey to find Him by following a star for probably 3 to 6 months, plus.  So the ultimate question is:  How far will I go – how far will you go - to accept God’s meticulous Invitation to meet Him?

Matthew 7: 7-8 – Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

This is not some prosperity principle.  Rather it speaks to knowing God and His Truth, nothing more.  Yet, this is the greatest treasure any of us could ever hope to find.  As this same scripture is shared with us in Luke 11 – this treasure is God’s gift of the Holy Spirit to direct and guide us in truth.

But notice, in order to receive the benefit, you and I must first take action – we must ask, seek, and knock.  If you want to know truth, then you have to go on a journey to find it, just like the Magi did.

Where are you today?  Do you want to continue with the status quo of faith?  Or, do you desire the righteous, holy life that God desires for His children? 

Well, the first is simple – you want the status quo, do nothing.  By doing nothing, you get nothing, and God is not pleased because He so wants to share His truth with all of us. 

But the latter, is just as simple – you want righteousness and holiness, seek to know the truth through study, investigation, and journey. 

Yea, there’s some work involved, but God promises that our labor will not be in vain.

The Invitation - Part 1

First I want to say that the thoughts and message contained in this post are in partnership with LifeHouse East, Hedgesville's parent church.  As a Network of LifeHouse Churches, we look to share resources and ideas because God blesses us through our unity. 

Ever get caught in the hustle and bustle of life that you sometimes miss the magnificent things happening right in front of your eyes?  I know I do.  I get involved so much with what needs to be done – caring for kids, keeping up the home, attending meetings, writing sermons, etc. – that I sometimes think I don’t have time to stop and rest.  So because I don’t stop, I miss the sunrises and sunsets of life.  I miss the time watching my kids and playing with them.   I miss the opportunities to go into the woods and explore God’s creation.  You get the picture, I miss too much.

But, do you think the busyness of life, the busyness of routine, which you and I experience in 2011, is any different than the culture of Jesus’ day?  Actually no!  Not much has changed in 2000 years.

But you say they didn’t have the distractions that we have today – technology, cars, television, sports and extracurricular activities, etc.?  You’re right, they didn’t have these things.  But what they did have caused them to miss out on the greatest thing mankind has ever seen. 

How do I know?  The Gospel of John, chapter 1 verses 4-5 and 10-11 provides that in that moment of time, Christmas was completely missed by the very people the baby Jesus came to save.  Think about it.  There was the busyness of life, though we can’t say exactly what that looked like.  There was the confusion of what the Messiah would truly look like since a King would not come from such humble beginnings.  There were the religious practices of following rules and laws that took their attention away from what truly pleases God.

They were busy doing what they thought God desired rather than asking and understanding what God really wanted.

Does that sound like today?  Does that sound like you?  I know it sounds like me - so busy doing and not taking the time to really see what God wants me to see. 

Two thousand years ago, it was literally “God in the flesh” – it was Jesus giving up His position in Heaven to become a babe in an unsterilized manger, born of a lowly teenage virgin, whose father is really not His own, who would one day be moved by his parents to a town known as “the God-forsaken town of Nazareth”, where He would follow in the footsteps of His earthly father’s occupation of carpenter.

Yet because of the circumstances I outlined, the people of His day, busy in their own right studying and taking from the scriptures what they desired to see, had to determine what they were going to do with this invitation from God.  And as the New Testament scripture told us, they could not see Jesus for who He really was.  Their thinking, “There is no way this could be the Promised One, the Messiah.  How is this babe - eventually man - the one to be our King who will drive out all our enemies?” 

So just like our counterparts, what do we do with this God among men, Emmanuel, who interrupts our busy schedule and challenges us that there is more to life than the busyness of our dull routine?

Well God’s Big Idea is this:  Receive His Invitation.

As it says in John 1:12-14, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children not born of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.  The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth,” we have a response to make to this invitation.

God has shown Himself to mankind in many ways over the years – through parting the Red Sea and Jordan River, through prophecy, through lightning from Heaven, through carving a rock with 10 commandments, through providing a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.  And that’s just to name a few.  Yet in all the magnificent and spectacular ways God has shown Himself over time, the most magnificent one was when “He just showed up,” removing His royal robes, and becoming one of us.

And so our response is demanded and awaited?  Do we believe Jesus really is the Son of God?   And honestly, if we choose to reject the invitation to believe in Emmanuel, it’s like being at the Grand Canyon and ignoring that it really is magnificent because we don’t thoroughly understand how it was created.

Let’s not reduce knowing God to mere religious service and learning – that we have to understand it all before we accept it.  Instead, sometimes we need to just look at the splendor and say “There’s God.”  You don’t have to understand how the Grand Canyon came into being to be amazed and believe in it.

Jesus came to offer an invitation for us to know Him.  Think about it:  Someone gives you an invitation to their wedding.  You have a choice.  You can either accept the invitation to attend the wedding or decline.  And in order for us to know Him, we have to accept Him.

The same is true of the invitation God gives us for belief in His Son.  It’s the most beautiful invitation ever given, yet each and every person who’s invited can RSVP with a yes or a no.  And because the invitation is given to each individual, no one can come to the wedding through the response of someone else.  It must be your decision.

The reality of an RSVP to an invitation is nothing more than, as I have said before, a yes or a no.  The invitation didn’t come because you worked for it, earned it, or paid for it.  In fact, in the case of God’s invitation, you and I don’t even deserve it.  All we can simply do is open arms wide, accept it, and say “Thanks.”

The RSVP is nothing more than receiving the invitation, and then accepting to attend.  Now keep in mind, accepting the invitation, saying “yes” on the RSVP card, means we acknowledge we don’t deserve it, but are willing to accept it by repenting of the sins that keep us out of relationship with God. 

But you know how sometimes we receive gifts that we have no use for and we set them on a shelf somewhere to either collect dust or be regifted?  Well, that can’t be the case with God’s gift.

In verse 10 of John 1 it said, “His own did not recognize him."  What does that mean?  It doesn’t mean that they didn’t know who Jesus of Nazareth was as a person.  It does mean that they didn’t know Him personally – that they didn’t have an active understanding of this man and what He was about.

In verse 12  of John 1 it said, “To those who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”  What’s the difference?  These people accepted the invitation, meaning they knew God and welcomed him into every aspect of their lives.

By accepting the invitation, we’re only beginning the journey.  And the journey is not an annoying disruption to the good life, a pot-hole in the road that we fill leads us to success and fame, or a Christmas gift that can be returned after we’ve tried it out.  Instead the journey is extremely valuable because on it we find that Jesus is the meaning of life and that through Him our lives are changed for the better and we become the person God intended us to be.

So, imagine if we lived like this.  Imagine that we truly understood that God’s invitation is His meticulous care at intersecting with our lives in every way possible so that we can fully know and follow Him.

"After the Fall" Series - Appreciate the Little Things

There are times in life where I get so busy with the tasks at hand – caring for the home, my children, being a husband, the jobs that go along with being a pastor, etc.  And in that busyness, it’s very difficult to stop and see the little things that really do mean something.  I mean, how often do I miss the small little kiss that Jayden wants to give, or the good grade that Gabe worked so hard to get, or the little dance that Blake does while watching his favorite show, or the play that Drew made on the basketball court, or the delicious meal that Caroline just made?

And so I’m reminded during the Thanksgiving Season, that once again, I get it right sometimes and other times I miss the mark completely.  I only hope that by next Thanksgiving I will be standing before you saying that I’m getting it right more than wrong.

Craig’s testimony has been a God-send to me – reminding me what’s most important in life.  And his accident was his God-send – reminding him where his priorities should be.  It’s clear to see that Craig’s accident has had a profound impact on the way he, and others, now view life.  Coming so close to death made him “start to appreciate what an amazing gift life is.”  Craig now sees the joys of life’s often-overlooked blessings and the folly of pursuing material possessions.  Even his friend Steve adds that what happened to Craig has made him slow down and “identify what’s important in my own life.”

What about you?  How often do you stop to consider what an “amazing gift” life is – that right now you are drawing into your lungs breaths of life?  

How do you think it would feel to receive a second chance at life?   Craig received a second chance, but this is important to hear.  It’s not like his life was totally messed up before the fall.  He had a good job, a loving wife, two wonderful children, friends, and a church home.  Yet now he realizes how much in life he was missing.  In his first life he only saw the BIG things.  But after the accident, he was given a second chance at life where he now sees EVERYTHING as a blessing from God.

After hearing his testimony I find myself wondering why it is so easy for me to take life and its many blessings for granted.   And honestly, I don’t have an answer, other than I’m selfish and need to change.

Craig made it clear to us to “See the Little Things.”  So what are some of those little things in your life you are overlooking that are a blessing from God?  After Craig’s accident even Honey Nut Cheerios came alive to him.

What are they for you?  Are they some vegetables and fruit you eat out of your garden?  Are they the giggles of your children when they find something amusing?   Are they run-down vehicles that get you to and fro?   Are they the days you spend shopping by yourself, with friends, or with family?  Are they the times you spend learning music?  Are they the times you spend quietly in prayer and meditation?  Are they the times when you look upon your children as they sleep?  Are they the times when you have a good bowl of ice cream?  Or, are they the days you spend a field hunting or fishing, even though you will most likely come back with nothing but stories?

Well, I took Gabe and Drew fishing about four or five summers ago at a neighbor’s pond.  Drew at that time was getting very frustrated with fishing because his little brother was usually catching more fish.  So before we walked up to the pond, I asked God, under my breath, to let Drew catch the biggest fish.  Drew had his line in the water first. Before I could get Gabe’s line wet I had to unhook a couple of nice bluegills that Drew had caught.  Finally, I get Gabe’s line in the water, and Drew yells to me that he’s got another fish on his line.  So I begin coaching him to keep the tip of his pole up when I realize that this “ain’t” no bluegill.  It was something BIG and at first I thought it was a largemouth bass (I had caught some 4-5 pounders out of there the previous summer.)  The poor boy could barely hold onto his pole when the fish would decide to make a run and make the drag squeal.  So I thought I’d better help him out or that pole is going to end up in the middle of the pond.  Finally, I got a glimpse of the fish and knew it was no bass.  When we landed it, Drew had caught a large catfish (that we didn’t even know were in the pond.)  How large was it?  Since we had no stringer or bucket, and I did not want to kill the fish, we took some old fashioned measurements.  It was at least 3 of Drew’s shoe lengths and was quite heavy when I tried to pick it up.  What does that mean?  It was at least 30 inches long and its weight was 7 pounds or greater.  Needless to say that boy of mine was quite proud the rest of the day, and so was his dad.  And as we walked back home, I told the boys that God had answered my prayer.

Little things are just as important as the big things.  Sometimes they are more valuable because the only way we get to see them is by slowing down and looking for them.  A lot of times they bring us more joy because they’re happening every day.

In Deuteronomy 8: 10-18, Moses spoke prophetically to the Israelites, and even to us today.    Moses was speaking to a group that had been wandering in the desert as Nomad Shepherds.   They did not know fertility.   They knew dry and barren.  In fact, it was God who supplied them with fresh water, manna (bread) that they were to gather each morning, quail when they began to grow weary of eating manna all the time, a cloud of smoke by day to protect them from the sun’s scorching heat, and a pillar of fire by night to guide them and give them light when they traveled in the dark.  They knew how to live in tents and how to move when the conditions of the land worsened.   They didn’t know crops.  They didn’t know wealth.  And they especially didn’t know stability.

He forewarned them that their life was about to change once they entered the land, the land of milk and honey (a fertile land), that was promised to their father Abraham.  He reminded them that it would be very easy to forget the God who had taken care of them for 40 years as Nomads in the desert.   Because once they were there, they would see the fertility of the land, their hands would work the soil, and they would produce bountiful crops.  He told them that when they had eaten and were satisfied, they should praise the Lord their God because He was the one who had provided it for them.   He told them to appreciate the little things and to give thanks, where thanks are due.  He said otherwise, when you are blessed with plenty of food on your table, you’re living in beautiful houses and staying in one place, and you grow wealthy, your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God.  He said you may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”  But he said never forget it is the Lord your God who gives you the ability to produce wealth.

So the Big Idea God wants us to see in this passage is:  Appreciate and give thanks for the little things of life.

Why is this important?  It’s so important because we very easily become proud when we fail to focus on the little blessings of life and give thanks for them.   If we start taking for granted the little blessings of life, we eventually begin to believe that we are responsible for all the good in our lives.  The pride comes in when I begin to say and believe, “I did this.”

I really believe that if I forget to give credit where credit is due for the little blessings, I’ll definitely forget to give credit for the big ones.

You know, it’s the little things like following God’s word and stopping long enough to smell the roses God has created that bring blessing to one’s life.  That’s what Craig was missing.  His life was too fast and this catastrophe helped him to realize that he was missing out on the little things – the little blessings – the Honey Nut Cheerios – that could only come from God.  

So during the Thanksgiving Season and beyond, never forget to stop and pray giving thanks to God for all He does in your life – especially the little things.