Purpose

Have you ever asked yourself that one big question – why am I here?  I don’t mean the question that everyone over 60 asks whenever they go into another room, for half the time that question never finds an answer.  I mean here, this world, now, in this life.  Why am I here?  Do you have your answer ready?

One of the great songs that God wrote gives us the answer.  Yes, God wrote songs.  Every word of the Bible is given by inspiration and that means that the songs we find in the Bible are given by God.  God is a great hymn writer.  In Revelation 4:11 He wrote, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You have created all things and by your will they exist and were created.”  There is a song worth remembering.  We will hear it every day in heaven. 

Why are we here?  We are here because God wills us to be here in this time in this place.  He wills us to be here to the praise of His glory.  (Ephesians 1)  We are not in this place or time by mistake.  The eternally great and wise God put us here for His purpose and He did it at the right time.  I don’t belong a century ago or a century from now.  I cannot go back and should not long to do so.  I will not go forward and come back as another person in a future generation.  God put me and you here now by the purpose of His will. 

So, what are we here for in 2014?  If you have never believed in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and Savior, then you are here to believe.  It is not God’s will that any should perish.  (II Peter 3)  If we have believed in Christ as God’s Son and Savior, then His will for you and me this year is to live to the praise of His glory.  Paul wrote the Ephesians and said, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  He didn’t prepare them for us to do a hundred years ago or a hundred years from now.  He prepared them for us to do today when we are here for the praise of His glory. 

In 2014 let us all remember that we were created by His will and that we are born again to live as His workmanship unto good works prepared just for us to do.

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power:

For thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

Penitent

Oops!  We had that firm resolution to eat better this year.  We really meant it, but then we saw the cherry cheesecake in the fridge left over from the New Year’s Eve party.  We just couldn’t let it go to waste, so we let it go to our waist.  Only two days into the new year and already our firm resolution is shot.  Now how penitent do we need to be?

None at all is the simplest answer.  It is the theological one anyway.  God has set laws in His word, the Bible.  Some of those laws were purely ceremonial and were fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Christ.  The first church synod in Acts 15 made that declaration by the guidance of the Holy Spirit and that truth is reinforced at length in the book of Hebrews.  Some of God’s laws, moral ones, like “Thou shalt not steal” are in effect for all society for all time.  When we break these absolute laws of God we should be penitent, sorry for our sin.  We should go to God who gave the law and tell Him we are sorry and accept His forgiveness.  That is the wonderful gift He gives us through Jesus Christ.

Now about that cheesecake, let us consider a paraphrased quote from Luther who probably was paraphrasing someone else’s comment.  “Neither the believer nor the Church has the liberty to create moral laws where God gave none nor to abolish the laws that He gave.”  I assure you dear friend that there is no law in the Word against finishing the cheesecake.   God does not want us to be burdened with manmade laws that cripple our joy in Christ. (Col. 2:20-23)  In fact we are told that if we eat it with thankfulness we are free to eat anything.  (I Timothy 4:3)

Too often we take ourselves and our resolutions to self denial too seriously.  I am not saying be a glutton for God does condemn gluttony.  I am not saying live an undisciplined life for God’s word is full of directions to the contrary.   What God is saying in Colossians 2 is that we are not a better person for not eating the cheesecake.  We are better people for knowing and loving Him.  Please enjoy Christ this year. 

Great Christ of God the wedding feast at Cana you did enjoy

And for the blessings of the host Your power You did employ

So let us find the joy in life with all You did create

And give You praise and righteous thanks in all we celebrate

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

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

Resolutions

The new year has begun and many noble hearted souls have made some resolutions.  Papers are filled with ads for exercise equipment and gym memberships.  Additional ads for ways to stop smoking, getting organized or building your portfolio are everywhere.  Businesses know they must strike while the iron is hot and it is very hot when New Year resolutions are made.  Even if no one keeps their resolutions for more than just a month, the sales have been made and the profits put in the bank. 

Personally I don’t usually make resolutions.  In the summer I walk Molly four miles every day.  In the winter I walk her three miles a day.  I figure the extra hour it takes me to get dressed and undressed for winter weather compensates for the one mile of walking I missed.  I am a writer, so therefore I have no money to put into a portfolio and if I got organized I wouldn’t know where anything is.  My beloved bride has tried for years to make my office into “efficiency central”, but I have never quite grasped her methodology and prefer to find my things on little pieces of paper stuck in piles with other little pieces of paper all over my desk. 

At issue, however, is why do people make resolutions?  Mostly it is because they want to be better: better fit, better health, better organized, better in general.  That is an admirable goal and we would all benefit from being better people in general.  But being a better person in general does not satisfy a deeper longing of mankind.  That desire is to be “Better Enough” to please God. 

That is a goal we cannot reach.  From Genesis to Revelation the Bible makes it clear that we are sinful.  It isn’t an illness we can take a pill for and get over.  It isn’t a defect that we can work on and get rid of.  It is in the very essence of our human nature and while many people strive to be better citizens or family members, they cannot get rid of the sinful condition that separates us from God.  Only God can take care of that problem.  He did it at the cross of His Son Jesus Christ.  Christ took our sins upon Himself so that in Him we can have forgiveness and a new life that is seen by God through the righteousness of His Son.  Luther said that each day we should say, “I am baptized.”  By this he means that we should see that we have died to the old self and we are now alive to the new man in Christ.  Each day with that statement we are saying, “I am resolved today to live with, by and for the Christ who died for me.” 

James Fillmore wrote the hymn, “I Am Resolved”.  It can be our theme song for each day of each year.  “I am resolved to follow the Savior, faithful and true each day; heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth, He is the living way.”

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

Happy New Year!

I am certainly not the first to give you that greeting, but be assured my sentiments are heartfelt.  I wish for you all the joy, the peace, the comfort and hope of God to enrich your days all this year through.  Each of those things is an element of His abundant grace that really makes life worth living.  Consider those who are missing these things in their lives. 

Sadly there are those for whom the joy of each new day is blocked by the cynicism of life that says we are all just truly waiting for the “next shoe to drop” so we shouldn’t get too joyful today.  The absence of faith in the true God of compassionate love darkens their days.  The God who sacrificed His own Son for us is really just a demented puppeteer who is waiting to break all our strings and let us fall.  The true joy that He wants to give is scoffed at and left as an unopened Christmas gift.

And so it is with all the wonderful gifts of God’s grace.  All the Christmas gifts He gave: joy to the world, peace on earth, lifting the fallen, securing the hopeless and, well, just keep reading the Christmas story along with the prophesies of Mary and Zacharias to find the rest; all these priceless gifts of love are left unopened.  How many people will live the rest of this year without those precious gifts of God? 

It is sad but true that some will reject these gifts and prefer to try and live their lives without the benefits of God’s grace.  More sadly is the fact that many still have never heard that such gifts are available.  That is why we, God’s children, are still here for the coming year.  He has given to us the ministry of reconciliation.  He wants us to communicate through words and life that there is hope, joy, peace and comfort found only in Jesus Christ.  He doesn’t call us all to stand in a pulpit or go to a jungle village, but He does call us all to be witnesses in word and life that Jesus is real and that God’s grace in Christ is unfathomably rich toward all who believe.  This year let us all strive to make it a truly happy new year for those whom Christ came to save.

Frances Havergal wrote these words on all her New Year’s cards in 1874.  “Another year of service, of witness for Thy love, another year of training for holier work above; another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be on earth, or else in heaven, another year for Thee.”

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

Anticipation

Well, tomorrow is the day!  We will be in a new year.  The sun will begin to rise in the west, the moon will be full every day, it will only rain between one and four o’clock (AM of course), diseases will all be cured, cars will all drive on air and Congress will get some work done.  It will be a glorious year!  Really!  Well, really?  That is rather what we all expect in many ways of the new year.  Anticipation is always greater than reality in all of our minds.

We meet the “perfect” girl.  (I am a man writing this, OK.)  Suddenly the sun shines, the flowers burst forth in bloom, the birds sing, the radiance of pure joy envelops us and we know, just positively know, that it will be like this for the rest of our lives.  Then the pastor goes and says something completely unlikely at our wedding.  “For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health til’ death do us part,” he makes us say.  Of course none of those things is likely to happen.  We will always be comfortably well off, have five beautiful blue eyed blond haired babies who each will become a doctor or professor and live on the same block where we live.  Our grandchildren and great grandchildren will all love and honor us until in the fullness and vigor of health we will quietly slip into eternity at age 100. 

That is how so many people embrace the new year and by January 10 are sorely disappointed.  That is also the way too many people embrace the thought of becoming a Christian.  God is the God of big promises so I will never be poor, lonely, sick or sad again until Jesus comes back.  Heretics preach this nonsense from their pulpits and invite people to be born again to health and prosperity.  Then the new life doesn’t turn out just that way and people say that God failed them. 

The Bible gives a different view of the new life in Christ.  Jesus said that if the world hated Him it would hate us.  Jesus said that in this world we would have tribulation,   that is the troubles of life would hit us as well.  Paul said that we are to use the comfort God gives us in our times of trouble to comfort the lost so that they will see a God who really matters in real life.  The true anticipation of new life is in the reality of sins forgiven, a Friend that sticks closer than a brother, comfort in sorrow, hope in despair, rejoicing in hope and eternity with Christ.  These are all promises for the new life that are honest and sure. 

With these is the constant assurance that “Jesus Never Fails”. Arthur Luther wrote this beautiful hymn and we should anticipate its truth for us in the New Year. 

Earthly friends may prove untrue, doubts and fears assail; One still loves and cares for you, One who will not fail.  (Chorus)

Tho’ the sky be dark and drear, fierce and strong the gale, just remember He is near, and He will not fail.  (Chorus)

In life’s dark and bitter hour love will still prevail, trust His everlasting pow’r—Jesus never fails.  (Chorus)

Chorus: Jesus never fails, Jesus never fails; heav’n and earth may pass away, but Jesus never fails. 

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

Looking Back Part 2

Looking back certainly has a place in our lives.  It can give us great perspective on the bigger picture than our day to day lives permit.  The year is the forest and the days are the trees.  Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees.  Perspective is good as long as we don’t get stuck in our backward look.  Solomon warned against this in Ecclesiastes. “Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.” (7:10) The “good old days” are not to be the focus of the life of the believer.  Looking back is for perspective and not to be a stalemate for our life.

I remember my first big writing opportunity.  I was given a spot in two local newspapers for a weekly column.  That would be the equivalent of a blog today.  I did each article on my old Olivetti and was often frustrated by the way I had to go back and erase and correct typos.  It taught me to be careful.  I truly appreciate the computer where I can correct all I want without messing up my paper.  When the articles were finally finished in a presentable way I had to send them by post to each paper.  Yes, I actually spent 30 cents each week on postage.  That would break me up today as I do a daily blog and postage has gone up.  So I appreciate the send button on my computer.  No postage, no delays and no missed deadlines are great.  Isn’t today a great improvement?  

When I got my first book ready for publication last spring I made sure that each page was “plate” ready for printing.  Then the publisher told me they don’t use plates anymore. It is the digital age, my friend.  I was shocked, but not unhappy.  Plate ready takes a lot more time.  It freed up my writing process and my more recent books have been easier to write and prepare.  I won’t abandon the discipline of the “good old days” but I will enjoy the advantages of today. 

One important thing hasn’t changed, however.  The God who was so great in the “good old days” is still great today.  When we complain we are really complaining in the ears of God who is still alive and active today.  He is still at work on earth and in His Church.  Nations that received missionaries in the “good old days” are now sending them.  New means of communication have enhanced the delivery of the Gospel to so many more people that we must constantly praise God for the advancements made.  As we look back with delight at what God has done, let us look more eagerly forward to what God is going to do tomorrow and on into the future.

As we prepare for the New Year enjoy this nearly forgotten hymn from the “good old days” by Carrie Breck.  “I go to meet another year, with faith no doubt can dim, God reigneth, and I will not fear, but trust my way with Him. Then if that way be bright or dark, let peace unshaken be! And let me, like the soaring lark; sing God is good to me!”

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/

A Brief Look Back

The world is getting ready to say goodbye to 2013.  Some are happy to see it go; some aren’t.  For me it has been a year of great new beginnings.  This daily devotion first appeared in April.  Since then it has been read daily by people around the world.  I trust you have been blessed by reading it.  Please share it with your friends and church family so they can receive this blessing as well. 

In the fall this devotion was picked up by FEBC, a worldwide missionary board, and added to the blog site on their website.  Since my goal has been to minister to the Church as God provides opportunities, I appreciate this expanded opportunity.  Three times my beloved bride and I tried to go overseas as missionaries and three times God closed the door shut quite tightly against that move.  Now to be able to help reach the world for Christ in this way is a great joy. 

This year also saw the publication of my first three books.  The comments I have received from this ministry to Christ’s Church have been very encouraging.  The books are specifically designed to edify, encourage and exhort God’s people.  I call them collectively “Books from a Pastor’s Heart”.  They have given me a wonderful opportunity to meet more believers and assist them in both their personal and church ministries.  The joy of service this year has been wonderful.  My dear bride and I love the Church and have spent years serving in it.  We look forward to all the expansion God may provide for us in the coming year.  We look forward to you all being an ongoing part of it. 

This wonderful hymn by Charles Gabriel reflects the joys and struggles of the Church past and the great expectations of the Church future. “O Church of God Triumphant”

“O Church of God, triumphant, o’er human doubts and fears, Which in the faith of ages comes marching thro’ the years; Baptized with blood of martyrs, with conflicts dearly won,

Beset with persecutions, yet ever marching on.”

Refrain

O Church of God, triumphant, with conflicts dearly won, beset with persecution,
Yet ever marching on.

“With backward look we see thee, thy scattered members few; We see thee struggling ever their courage to renew; Strong amid tribulation, uprising from each fall, We see thee marching onward triumphant over all.”

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

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at http://blog.febc.org/