Abundant Grace: December 2015

Thursday, December 31, 2015

New Song for a New Year

“Sing to the Lord a new song.” Isaiah 42:10

It’s New Year’s Eve. It could be a time of riotous celebration or it could be time to reflect on the new song we wish to sing to God next year. What will our new song sound like? Will its melody be uplifting or melancholy? Will our best hopes and dreams be in front of us or behind us? Our view of God’s presence, before us or behind us, will determine the key, major or minor, and the tone of our song. Will it be a hymn of praise? Will it be a hymn of thoughtful doctrine? Or will it be a song of lament?

God tells us to sing this new song. He says it often in Scripture. The New Testament tells us to sing in our heart spiritual songs. We are the author of these songs. We are the composer of these songs. They are our songs. What will be our new song this year? Let us reflect on the goodness of our God and let that guide our composition.

Dear Father, Receive our new songs of praise in this new year. Amen.

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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

"I AM" "I Have" "I will"

“I Am, I have, I will.” Isaiah 41 (20 times)

One of my favorite Bible studies is on the “I Have”, “I AM”, and “I Will” passages in Isaiah. As we enter a new year we can have these truths brought home to us in new ways. Who has God been to us in the past and what has He done for us in the past. He made us. He sent His Son to die on the cross to save us. He has given us His Holy Spirit. Those are just a sampling of His work from the past. Then we ask who is He to us today? That list would require reading the entire Old and New Testaments.

Finally we ask, based on what He has done and who He is, what He will do for us in the year ahead. The “I will’s” of Isaiah are more than double all the “I Have” and “I AM” statements. That is what is ahead for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. That is what we can expect in the new year and forever.

Dear Father, Thank You for Your abundant “I Will” promises. Amen

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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

God Secures the Future

“I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

When many people face the new year they do so with apprehension. Will my job be secure? Will my health remain stable? Can I put up with this horrible job for another year without having a heart attack? We can go on and on with the negative questions that we face at the beginning of each new year. The future can be a very dangerous place to live and a more dangerous place to anticipate.

But there is not just a blank space in or future. It is not fully unknown. God fills up all the space in our future with His presence. He lays a certain guarantee on or future. It is not a guarantee of prosperity, health, or good times only. It is the guarantee that He will be there. He will strengthen us through every event that we face. He will guide us with His word and by His Spirit. Our future may be unknown, but our God is not.

Dear Father, Help us to confidently face the unknown because You are known. Amen.

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Monday, December 28, 2015

A Really Good New Year's Resolution

“But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” Isaiah 40:31

‘Tis the season to start making New Year’s resolutions. We don’t usually wait until January first and then get up and decide to make them, we start in advance. What are some of the top resolutions? Lose weight. Stop smoking. Get fit. What is missing from that list? Getting spiritually fit. We can diet from self-desire and seek the desire of Christ. We can cast off the foul odor of sin and practice righteousness. We can desire spiritual fitness.

Do we want new strength in the New Year? God tells us that new strength does not start in the gym or on a fad diet or an attempt at enough self-discipline to end a longstanding bad habit. It tells us that new strength comes from waiting on the Lord. We don’t wait for Him to do this for us, but we do invest our time in seeking Him in prayer, devotion, and service. Then we look for His strength to truly accomplish great goals of spiritual fitness in His Name.

Dear Father, Let our first goal this year be spiritual fitness. Amen.

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Friday, December 25, 2015

Every Christmas season is filled with music. Here are some selections from a Christmas cantata that I wrote 40 years ago. I hope these songs of Christmas will remind us all of the greatest gift God has given us for the greatest need we have: the forgiveness of our sins.

Merry Christmas

The Song of Jesus:

He left His throne in paradise to come to earth for me

He left the praise of ten thousand angels to dwell in old Galilee

He left the beauty of golden streets, and He left the right hand of God

And He sacrificed the honor He had known, upon this earth to trod

He left is all, yes, and willingly, in a stable to be born

He set aside for swaddling clothes, the robes that He had worn

He who alone was equal to God cast it all aside for me

And humbled Himself to a lowly birth to my Savior be

The Promised One:

The earth was filled with dying, and suffering from the fall

But the promised coming Messiah would offer hope and life to all.

The sign of God was declared; to Isaiah the prophet was given

That a child would be born of a virgin and be the Son of God in heaven

From the fruit of Eden’s fate came the promise God had given

His seed shall surely bruise your heel, but your seed shall crush his head

The sign of God was declared; to Isaiah the prophet was given

That a child would be born of a virgin and be the Son of God in heaven

And now the hope of the faithful, the salvation of Adam’s race

The promised coming Messiah to offer mankind God’s grace

The sign of God was declared; to Isaiah the prophet was given

That a child would be born of a virgin and be the Son of God in heaven

Star Song:

And now the moment had arrived

The hope of all man’s yearning

For high up in the eastern sky

A new bright star was shining

2013)

Thursday, December 24, 2015

The Shepherds and the Shepherd

“He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and He will gently lead those who are with young.” Isaiah 40:11

When Jesus said in John 10 that He was the Good Shepherd, this is the passage that He was referring to. He will take care of His children. He will gather us to Him. He will carry us in His bosom. He will gently lead us. What a wonderful set of promises. Who would understand these promises more than shepherds? And to whom was the message of the Holy Birth first given?

Shepherds were considered very low class people, yet God identifies Himself with shepherds. He identifies Himself as a shepherd. Yes, Jesus was born a king and will someday reign as a king, but His identity on earth was with the shepherds. He is not too grand or too important to ignore the least of the sheep of His pasture. That is a blessing to us all from His Advent.

Dear Father, Thank You for sending us the Good Shepherd of Your sheep. Amen.

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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

The First Advent Promises the Second

“The grass withers, the flower fades, surely the people are grass, but the Word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:7-8

In the Blondie comic strip someone asked Dagwood if he was counting the days to the next Thanksgiving, and Dagwood showed him the calendar with a giant turkey calling out the number of days. Stores are constantly reminding us of how many shopping days until Christmas. People look forward to special days with great anticipation.

God had promised a Savior to Adam and Eve 4,000 years before Christ. He promised the Virgin born Son to Isaiah 750 years before Christ. A lot of people had bloomed and faded like grass during that long wait, but God fulfilled His promise at just the right time. Millions have waited for the Second Advent and gone to sleep while waiting. But while we are like grass that withers away, God’s promises are certain to take place. Just because it doesn’t happen in 30 days or 365 days, we are assured that it will and that we will see our Savior face to face.

Dear Father, Keep our hope steadfast that Jesus will come again just as Your word says. Amen.

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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

The Glory of the Lord Shall Be Revealed

“The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” Isaiah 40:5

In the Messiah this is one of my favorite selections. The glory of the Lord will be revealed. That is the Advent message. John 1:14 says, “We beheld His (Christ’s) glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” The glory of God was revealed in the manger in the stable. What a place to find that which is most glorious! Isaiah goes on to say that “all flesh shall see it together.”

To whom was Christ revealed? To lowly shepherds and rich wise men. To those looking for Him and to those not eager to see Him. To the Gentile woman whose daughter was demon possessed, the lonely Samaritan woman, and to the Jewish woman caught in adultery. To the outcast lepers and the kings of this earth. To little children, adults, and the aged. He was revealed to all flesh. “For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.” Isaiah 40:5 The Advent is God’s stamp of proof that His Word is sure.

Dear Father, Thank You for revealing Christ to me. Amen.

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Monday, December 21, 2015

True Comfort Through Advent

“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.” Isaiah 40:1

Advent helps us to focus on the needs of others. The hungry need food. The poor need clothing and/or shelter. Poorer children need the hope of at least one gift for Christmas. What all these things provide is comfort for both the body and the mind. God has the most vital area of human need in mind in Isaiah 40:1. He declares comfort for the weary souls of men. Jesus said that if we gain the whole world and lose our soul, what profit has we gained? While God is concerned about the basic human needs, He is most focused on meeting our need for spiritual comfort.

Throughout the Scriptures God is praised for being the God of comfort. He is called the God of all comfort. Isaiah 40 points directly at the Advent of Christ and what that advent means for all people – comfort, spiritual hope, and peace. We are to declare it so that all the world may know the true comfort of Advent – Jesus Christ the hope of mankind.

Dear Father, Help us remember this Advent season that true comfort is only through Christ. Amen.

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Friday, December 18, 2015

Through Christ Alone Come All the Blessings of Advent

“Did you not hear long ago how I made it? Now I have brought it to pass.” Isaiah 37:26

Men can become rather over confident in their success. In Isaiah’s day the King of Assyria was attacking Judah. He sent an emissary to Jerusalem and bragged about his success against all the nations and their gods. God’s response was, “No, you didn’t. Long ago I planned to use you as my instrument of judgment.” Does this have anything to do with Advent? Yes.

This is a season where the world stops for a moment and tries to demonstrate love for one another. It is a season of joy and gift giving. But it has also become a season where we think we can have this love, joy, and peace on our own terms. Like the Assyrian king, we think we can have all this by human effort. But we cannot. God planned long ago to send His Son as the greatest gift to mankind, to demonstrate His love and grace toward sinful people. It is only through Christ that we can have these many blessings.

Dear Father, Thank You for all the joys of this season. Amen.

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend. Amen

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Advent Changes in Christian Lives

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the deaf ears unstopped, the lame will leap, the dumb will sing.” Isaiah 35:5-6

What glorious blessings the First Advent brought to the world. Jews and Gentiles alike shared in the blessings of the miraculous work of Christ. Jesus used today’s passage to assure John the Baptist that He really was the one who had come as the Son of God. This was another of the great promises that God had made and kept. But it was more. It was a revelation of a new way of treating others.

In ancient Greece and Rome the sick, aged, and unwanted children were left to die. They were often just left by the roadside to die alone and forgotten. But the early Church picked up on the teaching of Jesus and changed all that. They became known as the “nuts” who cared for the worthless dregs of life. The Advent of Jesus should change His followers from callous self-centeredness into seeing others as Christ saw them, people in need of a saving Shepherd who cares.

Dear Father, Let this season remind us to care for the needs of others. Amen.

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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Christ: The Proof of the Sure Promises of God

“Search from the book of the Lord, and read: ‘Not one of these shall fail’.” Isaiah 34:16

The Advent season is a great time to reflect on the wonderful promises of God that had been prophesied millennia ago. In Genesis 3 we find the promise that the Savior would be born of the seed of a woman. In the life of Abraham we see the picture of a miracle birth. In the story of David we see the promise of an eternal kingdom coming from David’s line. In Isaiah we find the promise that the Savior would be born of a virgin.

What God says in today’s verse is that we can count on God fulfilling every word that He has spoken. Every promise, and every curse, will be fulfilled. The birth of Christ reveals the exactitude with which God will totally fulfill His word. That means that God will also finish His many promises with the Second Advent of Christ. The First Advent assures us that the best is yet to come.

Dear Father, Thank You for a word that is certain and sure. Amen.

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

More Than a Beautiful Baby

“Your eyes will see the King in His beauty.” Isaiah 33:17

There is a commercial on TV about insurance. It opens with a mother holding her newborn baby and gently saying, “Look at you.” Another mother does the same thing. Then a father takes the baby and repeats it again. As a grandfather of fifteen I can say that I have been privileged to hold many beautiful babies. When the shepherds came to that stable so many years ago, what did they see? They saw a baby, a beautiful baby, but not just a baby, but the beauty of who He would be.

The angels had said this baby would provide the beauty of salvation. He would be the king. He would herald a world of peace. The shepherds didn’t just see a beautiful baby, they were privileged to see God in the flesh. Here lay the radiant beauty of hope for them, for their families, for all mankind. At the Second Advent we will again see the King in His beauty and then also in His Glory.

Dear Father, Help us not to just see a babe in a manger, but the beauty of God in Him. Amen.

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Monday, December 14, 2015

Educational System Deficit: The Christmas Story

“Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times.” Isaiah 33:6

Today’s American schools have increasingly fallen behind their educational ancestors. There is a Facebook challenge that offers today’s generation a chance to see how well they do on a 1910 graduation exam for 8^th graders. They don’t do well. While knowledge has increased in general, as is seen in all the technological and scientific advances, knowledge in particular, at the base point of the average student, is in serious decline.

In American schools of the early 20^th century there was a component missing today. Christianity. The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of both wisdom and knowledge. At this Advent season I reflect on how our schools used to envision this season. Children learned Christmas hymns. They learned the Christmas story. Their pageants were quite Christ centered. Advent is a grand time to remind us how we can truly gain wisdom and knowledge; we can only do it by centering our learning on Christ.

Dear Father, Help us to remember that without You there is no true wisdom or knowledge. Amen.

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Friday, December 11, 2015

The Peace Christ Brings

“The work of righteousness will be peace.” Isaiah 32:17

One sign of the end times that Jesus listed was wars and rumors of wars. That is a sign that has typified mankind since Adam. Historical periods are marked and identified by wars. Why is this so? Because men are unrighteous. The works of the flesh are identified in Galatians 5 and include: hatred, contentions, jealousies, wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, envy, and murder. Therein we find a pretty consistent recipe to stir up a war. We are sinners and one of the things we do best is kill each other.

Enter Jesus. What did He say? Love your enemies. Pray for them who despitefully use you. Turn the other cheek. What did Paul add? “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” When we have been made righteous in Jesus Christ it should make us peaceful. But even better, when the King of Righteousness shall reign there will be true peace on earth. Celebrate your peace with Christ and look forward to lasting peace during this Advent season.

Dear Father, Let us truly learn by to live by righteousness and peace. Amen.

The Friday Benediction

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Thursday, December 10, 2015

The Need of Eden

“Behold a king will reign in righteousness.” Isaiah 32:1

We are constantly looking for the perfect ruler. Each election cycle everyone promises to be just that – the perfect ruler. Then, of course, we discover we’ve been had and there is another election cycle when men can make empty promises all over again. Still we bite on each and every phony line that is tossed into our pond because we really do want that perfect ruler. (My book “Christian Citizen in Modern America” deals with this cycle of disappointment.)

We’ll call this cycle of desperation the “Need of Eden”. We had the perfect leader and the perfect world to enjoy with Him, but we blew it. We chose sin and disappointment and that is what we have had in spades for millennia. But there will be the perfect leader when Jesus comes back. That is the promise of the Second Advent. The right Man will rule again, and He will rule forever. Praise God this world we now have isn’t all there is ever going to be.

Dear Father, Help us not to trust in man but look expectantly for the true King. Amen.

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Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Turmoil or Peace?

“Woe to those who rely on horses, who trust in chariots.” Isaiah 31:1

Is this really an Advent passage? Well, the entire Bible speaks of Jesus, so yes. What did the angels announce that night long ago? “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” What is one of the names of Christ in Isaiah 9? “His name shall be called the Prince of Peace.”

It seems that the Advent season can be disrupted by Satan as he spreads his hatred abroad in our world and causes alarm in our hearts. What is our response? We think we need more horses and chariots. What we need is more of the Prince of Peace. We need to be confident of His care. We need to share His hope and peace with a hopeless world wracked by turmoil. Let’s make our Advent purpose to be spreading the love and peace of Christ to our neighbors and our world. The lost can have their chariots. We have the God who made the horses.

Dear Father, Let our hearts be confident in the hope and peace of Christ. Amen.

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Tuesday, December 8, 2015

God is Ready to Meet with Us Each Day

“In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15

Is there really such a thing as quietness during the holiday season? Work parties, friend parties, family parties, shopping, more shopping, baking, wrapping, trimming, oh, and everything else, can make a hectic time out of a peaceful season. But wait! God says to be quiet. In the psalms He says, “Be still and know that I am God.” In the busiest time it is most important to take a quiet time.

Jesus was the busiest person on earth, yet He took time each day to be quiet with His Father. Imagine trying to plan His schedule. There would not be enough time slots on a daily calendar to fit it all in. Yet each day He took quiet time to be with His Father. Are we confident that if we stop all the hustle and meet with Him that He will be there to meet with us? If so we can really spend a few quality minutes with Him each day and be strengthened for all the other stuff that comes along.

Dear Father, Thank You that You are there to meet with us each day. Amen.

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Monday, December 7, 2015

Keeping Advent Alive in January and July

“These people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me.” Isaiah 29:13

What better time of year to show everyone how devoted we are to God than Christmas? Church pews are filled for one month. Songs of praise and thanksgiving are poured out to the infant Jesus and His lowly birth. There is a wonderful drawing near to God and honoring Him with our lips. It truly is wonderful. But beyond the 25^th of December is the heart that sang His praises during Advent still worshipping Christ with similar devotion?

Absolutely no one can judge that except God and the person involved. But Jesus noted that this was a problem even in His day. To express that problem He quoted Isaiah. Isaiah says that lip service and love is far different than heart service and love. As we are renewed in our joy of Christ during the Advent season, let us ask God to help us keep alive the fire all year long.

Dear Father, Remind us in January and July to still express the devotion we give You during this Advent season. Amen.

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Friday, December 4, 2015

Two Certainties

“Your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with death will not stand.” Isaiah 28:18

In Isaiah 26 God gave the blessed promise that those who died in Christ will live. Today He offers a different message. As Isaiah had promised eternal life to all who by faith were God’s children, he also announced that anyone who made a pact with the devil was going to be sorely disappointed. Humanism teaches that man is just a part of nature that exists and then doesn’t exist anymore. Death is the end of all things so just don’t worry about it. Anything related to the hereafter is just the product of religious delusion.

God wholeheartedly disagrees. Such false doctrines as humanism are simply a pact made by fools with the devil himself. God says that such a pact will not succeed. We cannot ignore the reality of the future by simply declaring it null and void. God doesn’t and neither can we. Through Jesus Christ, however, God does offer the guarantee of eternal life to all who believe in Him.

Dear Father, Protect us from foolishly believing in lies of the devil. Amen.

The Friday Benediction

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Thursday, December 3, 2015

God's Standard of Judgement

“I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plummet.” Isaiah 28:17

While Isaiah 28:16 spoke mostly of the action and result of the Christ’s First Advent, this next verse reveals His Second Advent. His First Advent brought promise of forgiveness and grace to all who would believe. His First Advent revealed Christ in His humiliation, the suffering servant. Through obedience to His Father’s plan, Christ offered Himself willingly to suffering and death so that humanity might be saved and spared God’s judgment.

In Christ’s Second Advent He comes as mighty King, Lord of lords who will sit on His judgment throne and judge the nations and all the people in them. What will be His standard of judgment? Justice and Righteousness! God offered His Son that we might be saved. If we reject that salvation we have rejected all hope and justice for our sins will be our end. Christ has fulfilled the satisfaction of righteousness and all who are in Him are declared righteous. Christ’s Second Advent will appear and the only question is, will you be ready?

Dear Father, Thank You for giving us the readiness to face the Second Advent. Amen.

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Wednesday, December 2, 2015

A Sure Foundation

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.” Isaiah 28:16

Way back in the seventh century a well versed believer wrote a beautiful hymn. It is taken from today’s passage. “Christ is made the sure foundation, Christ the head and cornerstone, chosen of the Lord and precious, binding all the Church in one.” I love this hymn a lot and often find myself just bursting out in song as the words tumble through my mind. This hymn is a blessed reminder of the Advent message.

In I John we find this simple verse: “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” God has sent His Son to be the foundation stone of redemption. He is not just any foundation, He is a sure foundation. He came at the first advent to die for mankind that all who believe in Him might have a sure and precious foundation for all eternity. What a wonderful vision Isaiah relates to us of God’s redemption story.

Dear Father, Help us daily to stand on the firm foundation of Christ. Amen.

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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

The Dead in Christ Shall Live

“Your dead shall live.” Isaiah 26:19

This verse is a wonderful Advent promise. Death reigned from Adam to Christ. But, Christ died and rose again and death was defeated! Oh, our bodies will wear out and pass from the scene of this earth, but we who believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son, the Lamb of God sacrificed for us, will still be alive and in the presence of Christ in heaven. For the people who belong to God through Jesus Christ, these people, His people, the dead shall live.

Because of the first advent of Jesus Christ we have the blessed hope of eternal life. But that isn’t the end. Christ is coming again. There will be a second advent. He will come in the clouds and every eye shall see Him. The record books of all humanity will be opened and those found in the Book of Life shall, in brand new bodies, be alive with Him forever more. This Advent season rejoice in the blessed promises of both the First and Second Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear Father, We praise You for the assurance that Your dead shall live. Amen.