The Advent as Described by a Shepherd

The first thing we felt was the silence.  A strange hush seemed to settle over the landscape.  Nights were normally quiet, but this silence was decidedly unnatural.  We all seemed to notice the silence at the same time, though none of us was willing to speak.  Then, we saw something strange; a light appeared at the horizon, a light like nothing we had ever seen.  It was impossibly bright, brighter than the midday sun on the clearest day, and yet we could stare directly at it without blinking.  Fast as a bolt of lightning, it approached.

As it stopped, it took the form of a man.  He was dressed as a soldier, with a sword attached to his belt.  His clothes glowed white; they were the source of the light.  Though he made no threatening move, each of us knew he could have killed us in a heartbeat.  We were too terrified to run; we fell to our knees in fear.  Then he spoke.

“Fear not!”  His voice thundered.  We found ourselves gaining courage, though not from ourselves.  “I have been sent to bring you good news, joyful news, for everyone.  Today in Bethlehem, your Savior has been born; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  Look for this sign: look for a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Thousands of men and women suddenly joined the man, all dressed as he was.  They were each armed; the least of them would have been terrifying, if not for the command of the first not to fear.

The army was singing, their voices distinct, but repeating one message: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”

Without warning, the company disappeared, leaving no trace of their existence, save the courage that filled each of our hearts, nearly to bursting.  One of us said what we were each thinking: “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

In Bethlehem, we found everything exactly as the angel had described.  We bowed to worship the child and marveled that the Lord would choose us to witness arrival of the Savior.  We went on our way, continuing to praise God, and telling everyone what we had seen.

It's My Life?

With all the hype surrounding the story of Brittany Maynard, an Oregon cancer patient who chose to end her life on November 1st with a lethal dose of sedative, the issue of legalized suicide has been thrust into the limelight.  I have an extremely strong opinion on this matter, but my personal thoughts are not in question.  The issue of suicide, government-sanctioned or otherwise deserves serious consideration.  With this in mind, what does the Bible have to say about suicide?

The most obvious question is “Does suicide break God's law?”  To my mind, the answer to this question is clear.  Exodus 20:13, “You shall not murder.”  As it is defined as the murder of oneself, God clearly does not condone suicide.

One might counter this command with a statement like this: “It's my life shouldn't I have the right to end it?”  Is it, I wonder actually your life?  You and I, like every other human, were brought to life through no action of our own; you didn't bring your life into existence, didn't earn it, didn't ask for it and cannot replace it.  Based on these criteria, I would suggest that “your life” does not actually belong to you.

Let me use a crude example.  Your life is a bit like a borrowed car.  Imagine that you borrow a friend’s car.  You use it as if it were yours; ideally, you put fuel in it, you take care of it as if it were yours.  You do not by any means have the right to sell it.  Your friend would be understandably upset if you carelessly wreck the car.  If you willfully destroy it, you could be criminally liable for the damages.

We cannot do anything about growing old and eventually dying.  We have limited power against disease and accidental death, but we can only delay our death at best.  The Bible sums up the way we should treat our bodies in 1st Corinthians 6:19-20 when it says this: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

I can see two reasons someone could choose to end their own life.  In the case of Brittany Maynard, she wanted to avoid the pain that her condition would cause her and her family as her terminal cancer proceeded.  Far more commonly, a person will commit suicide during a time of depression.  If either of these situations describes you, I understand how you feel.  I have a severe disability myself, and I have dealt with depression.  I have felt the temptation to end my own life.  I have gone so far as aiming a loaded gun at myself during a particularly dark time.  By the grace of God, and with the support of my family and friends, I made it through.

Now, to the most difficult part of this entry.  I had originally intended to complete this entry in November.  I was working on this post late in the night on November 19.  I intended to finish it the next day, but as some of you know, my brother-in-law committed suicide on November 20.  Out of sensitivity to my wife, I chose to delay this entry.

I find myself wishing I would have finished the entry on that night; maybe, just maybe, he would have read it and changed his mind.  Now, I will never know.  If you are considering suicide, I urge you to find another answer.  No matter how bad you think things are, there is hope.  No matter who you are and what your situation is, someone other than you will be hurt by your choice.  Maybe you don't have any family or friends.  Maybe there is no one who will miss you.  In that case, consider the police officer who will find your body.  Think of the paramedics who have dedicated their lives to saving others.  Think of the coroner and detectives who will be forced to investigate the circumstances of your untimely death.  All these people that you don't even know will lose just a bit of hope.

Finally, to the last part.  What if a friend or family member has killed themselves?  Some people will tell you that God cannot forgive this person.  From my understanding of the Bible, there is no reason to believe this.  The only death that is truly eternally significant, from the Biblical perspective, is the death of Christ.  In Hebrews 10:5-18, the writer unequivocally states that by this one sacrifice, “He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

If your friend or family member was seeking Christ, they will not be turned away.  If they were not, let me encourage you with these verses:

“He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just.  A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.”
Deuteronomy 32:4

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9

You can trust that God will always make the right decision.  He is the only one who knows all the facts, including the thoughts, attitudes, and desires of your loved one.  You can confidently leave your loved one in His hands; I urge you to put yourself there as well, as I have.

Blood Moons?

I've had several people ask me about the so-called Blood Moons, and what they signify.  I know that many teachers and preachers have made compelling cases for these astrological events heralding Biblical prophecy.  I agree that on the surface even, these arguments sound compelling.  I have one serious problem though.

The Bible is crystal clear, again and again, that we should avoid astrology, divining and anything like them.  This is unequivocally stated in Leviticus 19:26, Zechariah 10:2, Jeremiah 10:1-2 and many other verses.  When we search the skies for a message from God, as  John Hagee and others are leading us to do, we are doing something God calls an abomination.  I urge you to join me in helping others get past this nonsense of Blood Moons and the like and back to reality.

Lifegroup Study, November 7, 2014

This is the study I wrote for the small group Bible study group I lead.  I'm leading a discussion through the book of James, verse by verse.  This week, we're covering James 1:13-15.

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
James 1:13-15

Who is responsible for my struggles with temptation?
The blame lies partially with satan, partially with me; I am responsible to turn away and not dwell on the temptation.  If you continually struggle with the same sins, check your thought life.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Philippians 4:8

Is it sinful to be tempted?  What if I continually struggle with the same temptations?
It is not sinful to be tempted; Jesus was tempted during his time on earth.

“...and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.”
Mark 1:13

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.”
Luke 4:1-2

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”
Hebrews 4:15

What is the proper response to temptation; how did Jesus respond?
You have a choice.  God will always provide a way out if you will choose it.
Respond with scripture.  Jesus always responds to satan by quoting scripture.
If you don’t know the Bible, this will be very difficult; memorizing scripture is key, and you can do it.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
1 Corinthians 10:13

Re-read verse 15, is there a progression here?  Notice that sin “gives birth to death” only once it is “full-grown.”  Does this mean that we can sin without it leading to death?
The Bible seems to say yes, though we could spend an entire semester on this topic.  Discuss this until closing.

“If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that.  All wrongdoing is sin, and there is a sin that does not lead to death.”
1 John 5:16-17

Eye of the Tiger

I've let myself be in limbo for far too long.  For far too long, I've let other priorities take precedence over my desire to serve God well.  I find myself with little desire to read God's word.  I find myself without inspiration to write.

Time is precious; life in this world does not continue indefinitely.  These are facts that I should be aware of more than most people, and yet they do not seem to affect my life.  I find myself now, having wasted so much time, wondering if there is still time left for me to accomplish something great with my life.  I do not know what that great thing could be, but I know that I long for it.

Two things must change in my life if I am to reach this goal:

1.  Whatever I do, I must strive to do well.
2.  I must spend a drastically reduced amount of time doing inconsequential tasks.

I have willpower.  I have volition.  In my own strength, I could probably make both of those changes in my life, at least for a short time.  This is not what I want, however.  If the changes I make in my life are simply based on my choices, I do not believe that anything great will happen.  To do something great, I must focus on something greater than myself.  I must focus on God and by extension every person around me.

What I've actually done is to allow my own comfort to become far too important.  As John the Baptist said in John 3:30, “I must decrease; He must increase.”  This does not mean that I must stop caring for myself.  On the contrary, I must become disciplined about caring for my mind, soul and body so that I can be prepared for whatever opportunities God places before me.

If I may ask, I will need prayer to accomplish any of this.  If you want to support me in this goal, please keep me in your prayers, so that I can find God's will for my life and be faithful and disciplined to always be about my mission.

Sunshine of Your Love

When the entire world seems to be headed away from You,
Lord, give me the strength to flee to You.
In Your strength, I can face anything.
Even if I am forced to fight against countless enemies,
if I am pressed to the point where I despair of my very life,
just to get a glimpse of You, I will fight.


I will fight to get to You,
For where else could I go?
Who but You, Lord, holds the keys
to life, and death and eternity?

No door can stay barred against You.
Even what is done in darkest secrecy
cannot stay hidden from You.

I am in anguish inside;
I am fearful that my wicked deeds
will be found out, yet I pray that You will find them.
I pray that you will find out my wicked deeds,
for I know that my depravity will melt away
when it is exposed to Your light.

Lord, please give me Your strength
so that I may master myself and
spend my remaining days doing Your work.

The Who?

Praise the Lord,
for He is exceedingly great.
Who but He could take my sin
and cast it away like trash,
never to be remembered or considered again?
Who but He could know my inmost being,
yet still care for me?
Who but He deserves everything I have to give?

There are three things that make God great,
Four things that make Him exceedingly great.
My God knows all.
My God sees all.
My God is eternal.
My God is faithful.

Oh, join me;
come, let us go
to the House of His People.
There, we will offer ourselves to Him,
though it is He who makes us acceptable.

Oh, join me;
come, let us go
to a world that is perishing.
There we will share His love
with those who have no hope.

Praise the Lord,
for He is exceedingly great.
Who but He is worthy?