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Is there room?

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“…because there was no room…”

These five words in the account of Christ’s birth (Luke 2:1-7 NKJV) give me pause each time that I read them. Though God had a very specific plan for the arrival of our Lord and Savior, I wonder if the inn manager made any attempt to make room for the young mother ready to give birth to the Messiah. I am sure if he had only known the Prince of Peace, future King of Kings was about to enter the world, he would have made room. Or maybe not…

2,000 plus years later we still fail to make room for Jesus in our lives.

No room for Christ in our country…

No room for Christ in our government…

No room for Christ in our schools…

No room for Christ in our workplaces…

No room for Christ in our homes…

No room for Christ in our families…

There’s barely room for Christ in Christmas these days. Sadder still is that many neglect to make room for Him in their hearts as Lord and Savior.

In the parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24), Jesus tells the story of a man who prepared a banquet for many people…not just an ordinary banquet – but a great one. When eveything was ready, the man sent his servant to gather the guests. But like most of us, many of them made excuses as to why they couldn’t come. Instead of shutting the door, the man extended a second invitation – a call to those not on the original guest list, those who others probably didn’t make room for – the sick, the poor, the disabled, the undesireables.

” ‘Sir’, the servant said, ‘What you ordered has been done but there is still room’.” – Luke 14:22 NIV

There is still room.

Jesus is waiting. No longer outside in a manger. No longer in a stone covered tomb, but a resurrected King seated at the right hand of God offering a new life – salvation to all who make room for Him in their hearts. He is waiting to intercede for us if only we would let Him.

When we come to Jesus, He will never turn us away. He has plenty of room and He’s still waiting.

Won’t you make room for Him?

You’re Invited…

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Most of us have looked forward to some kind of invitation at one point or another in our lives.

As a child, an invitation to the cool kid’s party…

As a teen, an invitation to the dance with the guy or girl we’ve been crushing on…

As an adult, an invitation to our best friend’s wedding…

An invitation…

to join an important committee,

to a VIP event,

to meet a person of prominence or our favorite celebrity.

The invitation makes us feel honored, special, fortunate to be thought of…chosen.

The best invitation that I have received is…

An invitation to a new life…

An invitation to freedom…

An invitation to rest…

An invitation to be a daughter of a King…

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.” – Isaiah‬ ‭55:1-3‬ NIV

Have you accepted the invitation?

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

– ‭‭John‬ ‭14:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Strange Fire

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“And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not.” – Leviticus 10:1 KJV

Anytime that I find myself feeling a disconnect between me and God – consumed with irritability, impatience, frustration – just feeling out of sorts, I think about my own strange fire. The unchecked envy and bitterness, seeds of comparison taking root, unforgiveness shoved to the furthest corner of my heart, the hurried prayers, quiet time interrupted with the urge to check personal email/social media or respond to that text that I forgot about, or the incomplete assignments He has tasked me with. None of theses being laid down at the altar, instead they contaminate my worship – sending a strange fire.

When Nadab and Abihu were under the watch of their father, they followed the sacrificial instructions exactly as they were given by God which He welcomed as a pleasing aroma. But when left to their own devices and thoughts, Nadab and Abihu broke protocol choosing instead to worship their own way…emitting a strange fire. They had done it before and saw God’s glory – so why do it their way? Were they too lazy to start the fire the right way? Was the wood supply too low? Or out of the way? Did they offer the sacrifice as a way of keeping up with ritual? As I thought about the possibilities, I think of the things that have been evident in my own worship at one time or another – my will, routine, worry, bitterness, pride, unforgiveness, lust, self-righteousness, the list could go on – all strange fire.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” – Romans 12:1 NIV

We must offer God our whole selves- laying at the altar our thinking, wills, emotions, attitudes, unbelief, unforgiveness, and self-righteousness to offer a sweet, pleasing and acceptable aroma to our Lord.

“Through the Spirit, Christ offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice, freeing us from all those dead-end efforts to make ourselves respectable, so that we can live all out for God.” – Hebrews 9:14 MSG

A Love Letter to Him…

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You knew me way back then. You saw me from a distance…your eyes always on me. You seen me in the secret place. You and only you know everything there is to know about me…even my most deepest thoughts. When I wasn’t sure I was ready for our relationship, you patiently waited for me.

Despite my frailties, failures and flaws, your love for me remains the same. Though I often disappoint you and have occasionally turned my back on you, you still claim me as yours. You were there right beside me in the darkest of times. When I hit rock bottom, you rescued me. Not Prince Charming but a King. I bowed to you. Washing your feet with my tears and you picked me up – wiping each tear away to reveal the beauty behind them.

You took my stoney heart and crushed it. Taking every broken piece, masterfully putting them back together to create a heart that beats for you alone. Though we have our secrets, your love for me is no secret at all. Sometimes I take you for granted. Not taking the time that I should to show my appreciation but your love for me has never changed. I am still the apple of your eye.

There is safety and security in your arms. Many nights they have been my resting place. As we walk this journey together, you take me by the hand and steady me when I lose my footing.

You fill me with joy. There is peace when I am with you. You take care of every one of my needs – there is nothing within your power that you would not do for me. You spared no expense when it came to me. You spent it all.

As much as I wish that I could, I could never love you the way that you love me. There is no gift that I could give to repay you for all that you have done for me. The best that I can do is give you my heart – give you all of me – holding nothing back.

I will tell the world about our love. Your love is the greatest love of all. You are all that I need. Your love is better than life itself. Your love is the only love that will stand the test of time. You will never take your love away from me and it will never change. No matter what we go through, NOTHING will separate me from your love. Your love simply amazes me – I continue to be in awe of you.

All that I am and all that I will ever be is because of you. You complete me.

Before I knew you, I heard about you. Now that I know you, I can’t imagine my life without you.

I love you because you loved me first.

I love you because of who you are.

I love you because there is no one like you.

You are my King. The King of Kings.

I love You Lord.

It starts with love ❤️…

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“Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:37-39‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I look at the current climate of our country and the world for that matter, what I see missing is love. People walk through life empty, bitter, angry, and full of hate…lives completely void of love. Never embracing the love freely given to them.

Because of this void, people tear one another down, pick each other apart, bully, hate, harm (verbally, emotionally, or physically) and even kill each other.

Am I saying love fixes everything?

Absolutely.

Love proved itself the ultimate healing agent when God gave His only Son, Jesus, that we might have eternal life and live an abundant life filled with love. He never intended for us to live these hate-filled empty lives

So what’s missing….

Our love of God.

He loves us but do we love Him?

Do we love ourselves?

It’s impossible to love anyone else without loving the two.

Try Love today…because you are loved!

HELLO?!?!?! I am in pain…

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As you’re going through difficult situations, has it ever seemed like no one sees your pain? Perhaps you believe that they don’t even care. You want to say “HELLO?!?!?! I am in pain over here!” but in reality your pain, though it does hurt, is not as bad as you think. It’s almost like you are under an anesthetic – you know that what you’re going through should hurt more than what you’re experiencing. You occasionally feel some tugging, a bit of discomfort, maybe some tears….or a whole of tears, but the pain doesn’t match up to how you want or expect to feel according to your situation. Your pain definitely doesn’t look like the world’s or maybe even like someone else that is experiencing the same thing. But the fact remains, you have been hurt.

Instead of letting God help us with our pain, we want others to make us feel better. We want them to know more about our hurt than seeing God’s grace. We settle for a quick balm to help cover the wounds as we wait for God to work all things together for our good. The embrace of a hug seems more comforting than kneeling and crying out to the Lord. The empathetic and kind words of well meaning family and friends momentarily sound better than hearing God tell you that this pain will make you stronger. Temporal comfort – a welcome distraction from the moments of silence intentionally designed that we might call out to God seeking shelter in Him.

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” – Psalms‬ ‭91:1, 4‬ ‭NLT‬

God’s feathers of grace cover the wounds of our pain. They are a shield of protection from ill advised counsel and well intended but misguided words of comfort, protecting us from further hurt as He strengthens us and mends the brokenness through His amazing grace. His covering, not only for our comfort and protection, but that He may be glorified through us.

The next time it seems like no one notices your pain, consider that they are seeing the fruit of your pain or better yet the One who is covering the pain. They know that you are in very capable hands…

GO!

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How easy would life be if we could stay in our little (or big) Christian circles (or cliques – oh if we could be honest for a second)? Spending all of our time with people who believe in the same God as us, that revere our Jesus as Lord. Those that are most like us and are most comfortable with. Void of places and people that don’t get us or believe in our God. To them, our norm is peculiar. To us, their norm is peculiar – though sometimes we forget where we were before Christ…that their norm was once ours.

“and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” – Luke 9:2 NIV

Let us not forget that we were brought into this glorious life, saved and tasked to go out to be the light in dark places – in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, grocery stores – wherever He sends us. Sent to be the salt in bland and bitter conversations, to bear fruit in dry and barren places. Called to be fisherman of people. Though Jesus calls His disciples fishermen, our lives are more like the bait that attracts the fish to the Master Fisherman. He occasionally puts us in waters that are unfamiliar, long forgotten, or beneath our Christian standards. Why? Because He knows where He wants to go.

“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.

Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” – Luke‬ ‭10:1, 3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As Jesus’ followers walked with Him, they received instruction, witnessed healings and miracles, watched His handling of opposition and naysayers, and were fully equipped and empowered to do great things for His Kingdom. Then He said GO!

What a terrible thing it could have been had they never gone out? Hadn’t shared all that they learned and witnessed. Their lives – examples of Jesus’ transformation power. What if they passed on the opportunity to share the Good News?

Our salvation, as personal as it is, was never intended for us alone. But as our lives are being transformed, to go out to be the light, the salt, the bait…He’ll take care of the rest.

He never promised the places we would go would be comfortable, familiar, or serene –

He just said GO!

Stop Hitting Replay!

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I have a terrible habit of replaying.

Replaying poorly thought words that left loose lips…

Replaying times of rejections…

Replaying moments of embarrassment…

Replaying missed opportunities…

Replaying tragedy, loss, past pain…

One day the Lord spoke gently to my heart and said REJOICE!

Yes, rejoice instead of replaying.

Rejoice for new beginnings.

Rejoice in His grace and mercy.

Rejoice for learning opportunities.

Rejoice in His unfailing love that despite what you said, what you did, or who doesn’t love you, that God still loves you.

We spend so much time replaying past failures and disappointments, that we miss what God is doing in the moment.

We miss His sovereignty.

We miss His teaching.

We miss His grace.

We miss His protection.

We miss His forgiveness.

We miss His love.

Rejoice instead of Replaying!

What’s In Your Cup?

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How much time do we spend dressing up our outward appearance while ignoring the inside? Trying to polish up and disguise the contents…a little make-up here, some dye there, a few new outfits, shiny shoes, maybe an accessory or two. Meanwhile the inside is filled with a little bit of envy, a hint of bitterness, a dab of unforgiveness, a taste of lust, a dust of selfishness, a few dashes of wicked thoughts, and drowning in secrets.

“…First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” –Jesus (Matthew 23:26)

I’ve had times that the outside of my cup may have looked nicely put together, but if someone were to get close enough they might not only see the cracks – but get a whiff of the foul aroma coming from the inside. While we might be able to fool ourselves, God knows exactly what’s in each of our cups. It’s only a matter of time before what’s inside will show up on the outside.

When you look in the mirror today ask yourself, “What’s in my cup?”. Maybe it’s guilt, pain, abuse, lies, deceit, bitterness, envy, lust, unforgiveness, doubt, greed….or maybe your cup is empty. Whatever it is…are you willing to let your cup be cleansed with grace?

Empty your cup! Go to the Father for a wash and refill. He’s waiting for you…

LIVE NOW…

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This past week I celebrated another milestone birthday – TGBTG. It was bittersweet though – as many milestones have been over this year for my family and I. When you experience loss, things are different the first year. You have a different perspective on life, you view things differently, you have a different appreciation for things (or maybe not)…then there‘s the guilt, regrets, pain and void that can never be filled.

I had major plans for bringing in my 40th birthday, but my plans changed significantly because…..well things were different – a whole lot different this year. Almost a year ago, my brother’s life was tragically taken just 4 months before he would have celebrated his 16th birthday. The things at one point I thought I needed to celebrate another year of life became less important. I was grateful while at the same time guilty that I got to see 40 when my brother didn’t even have the opportunity to see 16.

I think about my own life at his age, the things I was into, the places I had been, some of the people that I associated with, the hell that I put my parents through and I know that it is nothing but the blood of Jesus and God’s grace that has kept me here (Some will say, “well where was this God at when your brother’s life was cut down”….believe it or not…He was there). I have often wrestled with and felt guilty that I am still here and he is not…that I had the opportunity to see more milestones that he did.

Though it was intentionally low key, I choose to be grateful for this milestone. Grateful for where God has brought me, where He has rescued me from, grateful for my family and friends, for all of the life experiences – good and bad – because they are me and were for me, for the open doors and even the dead bolted doors, for life, for joy, for peace, for life, and most importantly…for salvation.

A friend sent me a text on my birthday “remember some people say living starts when you turn 40”. That may be true for some people, but living for me truly began when I made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. If I’ve learned anything from my brother’s death, it’s been to live now. Don’t wait for the right time, a milestone, the right people, or the right place – LIVE NOW. Life begins when you make the choice to start living and how you choose to live makes a difference.

“…..I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – Jesus

John 10:10 NIV

God used my little brother to teach me a lot about life. Unfortunately, it came at the cost of losing him but God’s plan – though I may never understand it…is greater than all of ours.

I love you little brother…forever and always. Thank you for reminding me to live.

If you want to start living now, say this prayer:

I am a sinner in need of rescuing. Jesus, I need you to rescue me. I believe that You came, died, and rose that I might be rescued to live forever with You as My Savior. I ask You to come into my heart, dwell in me and change me that I might live life to the fullest and bring glory to Your Name.

Thank you Jesus for dying that I might live.

Amen

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6 NIV