The Christmas Story

December 24th, 2011

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. – Galatians 4:4-5

Here’s a passage you’re unlikely to hear during most Christmas services.   We spend a lot of time talking about Mary, Joseph, the wise men, shepherds…but not so much time talking about why.  I’m glad Jesus came at Christmas.  I’m even more grateful to know why.

I’m not smart enough to understand all that the verse means when it says “when the time had fully come” except to say that God had a plan.  Plans have timetables.  The time God picked to send Jesus was just the right time for his plan to succeed.  I’m also not smart enough to understand all that it means when it says “God sent his Son”, except to say the obvious.  In order for Jesus to be sent, he had to already be.  God sent his son ON PURPOSE.  God wasn’t surprised that people rejected him.  He knew when he created us that we would choose to reject him.  But he sent Jesus anyway.  God had a plan.

I think it’s cool that Jesus was born of a woman.  I don’t understand exactly how, other than by the Holy Spirit.  That means he was one of us…and God.  But, “how” isn’t the important question.  “Why” is the important question.  You hear all the time about angels and supernatural appearances in the bible.  God could have just showed up.  He could have done like he did with with Belshazzar and just written a message on the wall with his finger (Daniel 5:5).  He could have done a lot of different things, but he sent his son as a baby through a woman.  Why?  God’s needed to know what it was like to be one of us.  God needed to relate to us.  God needed to be one of us so he could save us.  God had a plan.

The law was given that we might be mindful of sin – Romans 3:20.  And if mindful, then aware of our need.  The law is given only for lawbreakers – 1 Timothy 1:9.  Jesus was born of a woman, under the law, to fulfill it and to save us from the burden of it.  He came to redeem us.  “Redeem” means to do something that compensates for poor past performance or behavior.  That “something” was to pay our penalty for sin.  That something was to die.  God had a plan.

Did you know that the bible says that Jesus is now at the right hand (again) of the Father and lives to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:25)?  Jesus is alive.  Did you know that because Jesus completed his mission, we can be joint heirs with him in eternity?  We can have the full rights of sons.  Regardless of our gender.  God had a plan.

Thank you God that you had a plan.  Please use this blog to show others who you are and to call them to yourself.

Merry Christmas everyone.

K-

Peace

October 3rd, 2011

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…”.  Galatians 5:22

People run here and there searching after peace, but do we really know what we’re looking for?  What is peace?

Simply put, peace is the absence of conflict.  Conflict is everywhere.  We’re conflicted inside ourselves.  We’re in conflict with others.  We’re conflicted about our circumstances.  We need peace.  I think the Spirit is able to impart peace in just about any kind of circumstance.  He can produce peace whether we’re struggling to live a holy life (Galatians 5:17) or to “live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18), or to just make it through tough circumstances in life (John 14:25-31).   If this were all though, we’d miss the most important peace there is.

Did you know that all of us either are, or were in conflict with God Himself?  Isaiah 53:5 puts it this way: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”  If you read the whole chapter, you can easily see the prophetic reference to the cross of Jesus.  Jesus was the one who was pierced for our transgressions (sins).  He was crushed for our iniquities.  His punishment brought us peace.  His sacrifice ended our conflict with God.

John 3:18 says, “Whoever believes in him [Jesus] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”  All of us stand condemned because of our sins.  God is perfectly holy.  Our sin separates us from him.  Sin is the reason for our conflict with God.  But there is a way of peace.  There is way to healing.  There’s a way to avoid an eternal conflict with God.  It’s the cross of Jesus Christ.  Jesus paid the price for our sin.

My son wrote a song that says it so well.  His song, “It Was You” says “It was you.  It couldn’t have been me that rose three days later and set us all free.  Yeah, it was you, it couldn’t have been us, that beat death and Hell and drank the wrath of God.”  Only Jesus could beat death and Hell and set us all free.  Only he could satisfy the wrath of God…for me.  Jesus brought me peace.

How about you?  Do you realize you’re in conflict with God?  Do you know he made a way of peace?  Jesus is the way.  All you have to do is accept the sacrifice that Jesus made for your sins.  Just ask him to.  That simple act of faith is enough to put you at peace with God forever.  When you do God will give you the Holy Spirit to guide you.  Then you can experience his peace in all those other areas of life too.  But first, you need to be at peace with God.

Think about it, then Get Real Love.

K-

How do you view Jesus?

September 16th, 2011

My dad was a United States Marine and he was as tough as they come.  He was a real man’s man.  I once asked him to tell me the story of how he became a Christian and why it was so late in life.  His answer was that he had always pictured Jesus as some kind of wimp, and that a Marine couldn’t possibly follow a wimp.  I understood immediately what he meant.  How many depictions of Jesus have you seen with him holding the little lamb around his shoulders, or dancing through a field of flowers with children merrily following him?

Dad went on to tell me that the turning point for him, and the reason he became a Christian was because someone finally shared with him what Jesus went through on the cross.  The endurance.  The pain.  The wrath of God.  His passion.  Dad finally saw that Jesus was no wimp.  Jesus was a man’s man too.  Jesus was someone he could follow.

I have been reading Colossians with my family and have been repeatedly struck  by verses 13 and 14 from chapter 1.  They read:

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,  in whom we have redemption,  the forgiveness of sins.

What kind of word picture does “rescue” conjure up to you?  A raging torrent?  A tornado? A fire?  Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s a serious situation.  It conjures up images of a brave firefighter, or a Coast Guard rescue swimmer perhaps.  It makes me think of a superhero!

The verses say we’ve been rescued from the “dominion of darkness”.  Our sinfulness has banished us to a raging torrent of exile away from God.  But God has rescued us through the death of Jesus on the cross on our behalf.  In addition to the scorn of men, beatings, and death on a cross, Jesus was able to take on the very wrath of God.   Because he was himself sinless, God raised him up and seated  him as King over an eternal Kingdom.  Jesus is TOUGH.  Nothing can beat him.  He’s the kind of man I want to be.  He’s the kind of leader I can follow.

How about you?  What’s your view of Jesus?  If you’ve bought into the idea that Jesus is a wimp, think again.  Sure, he is compassionate and loves kids, but he’s also the rescuer of the world.  He’s the only one I know of that has beat death.  Can you?  Rethink your view of Jesus.  Then follow him.

Get Real Love.

K-

Is it Ok to say “blah, blah, blah” in a prayer?

July 15th, 2011

The other day my wife and I were at prayer rock, a place we go for prayer and bible reflection, to pray for one of our children.  Our youngest was having some health problems that required us to make a decision about how the doctors should treat him.  We were frustrated because we really didn’t know how to proceed and didn’t know what to do to make a decision.  Stalemate.  To make matters worse, my business has been particularly stressful recently with personnel issues and of course the never ending struggle to generate revenue.

My wife began to pray first.  I could hear the concern in her voice for our youngest and soon she began to quietly cry as her prayers intensified.  My heart was also breaking and we both just wanted God to tell us what to do.  As she finished praying for our son, she thoughtfully added, “and help Kurt know what to do with his issues at work”.

I was struck with the notion of how insignificant the work issues were compared to the health of our son and as I prayed, I echoed many of the things my wife had already prayed for.  We needed God to show us what to do.  Then, at the end of my  prayer I told God that while I appreciated my wife’s concern for my job issues…and then it happened…I said “…and all that  job stuff…blah, blah, blah.”   Seriously.  All the other issues facing me just didn’t seem important.  My wife and I began to laugh.  Can you really say “blah, blah, blah” in a prayer?

As we finished, my son walked out from the house toward prayer rock, about 100 yards away, carrying his bible and said, “Dad, I just read this really cool chapter in Psalms and I feel like I need to share it with you”.  He handed me his bible and said read Psalms 9.  I’m not a particularly emotional person, but as I read I had all I could do to hold back the tears as I read  verses 9 and 10:

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

There have been very few times in my life that I felt like God himself was standing next to me talking to me, but this was one of them.  I was truly awestruck.  We rose from prayer rock and proceeded to make some phone calls and soon the answer was clear how we needed to treat my son.

Oh, and by the way, that same day we heard from a number of customers in my business who had just made decisions to buy products and services from us.  So much for the financial issues.

I guess God understands prayers for “blah, blah, blah”.

Do you know how it feels to have an all powerful, loving God with infinite resources walking beside you?  If  not, I invite you to know him through his Son Jesus Christ.  Click on the “Get Real Love” link above to learn how.  Soon you’ll have stories like this to pass along to others who might need to know God too.

Get Real Love,
K-

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The Number 1 Thing to Do to Be Wise

July 4th, 2011

We’ve finally reached the number one thing to do to be wise from the book of Proverbs.  Before I offer up this final bit of wisdom, let’s take a minute to review the other top 9.  Here they are:

Number 10 – Be sexually pure.  Occurs more than six times in Proverbs, but really has three whole chapters dealing with this subject.  Take a cold shower.  Wow, I bet some recent congressman wish they had followed this one.

Number 9 – Be slow to anger. Occurs more than 10 times in Proverbs.  Cool your jets.

Number 8 – Obey Authority.  Occurs more than 15 times in Proverbs.

Number 7 – Heed correction/discipline.  Occurs more than 15 times.

Number 6 – Be humble.  Occurs more than 15 times in Proverbs.

Number 5 – Guard your tongue/Tell the truth.  See it in more than 20 verses in Proverbs.

Number 4 – Fear the Lord.  Over twenty times for this bit of wisdom too.

Number 3 – Work hard. Appears in more than 25 verses.

Number 2 – Listen. The writer of Proverbs says this over 25 times.  What?

And the number one thing you can do to be wise from the book of Proverbs, occurring in more than 70 verses, is…

Number 1 – Be Righteous.

Here’s some of my favorite verses urging wisdom through righteousness:

“The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous.”

Proverbs 3:33

“When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.”

Proverbs 10:25

To be righteous simply means to act in an upright and moral way.  It’ means to do the “right” thing.  This just makes sense, doesn’t it?  If you obey the law, you won’t get in trouble.  If you don’t look for trouble, you’ll be less likely to find it.  All of the other nine wisdom tips are really summed up in this one truth.  Simple.  Right?

But there’s a problem.  None of us are really righteous.  We all mess up.  We all fail.  We all make mistakes.  Here’s the good news:

“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:21-24.

We can be righteous – in Jesus.  Do you know Jesus?  Follow him.  Obey him.  It will be the wisest thing you’ve ever done.

Get Real Love,

K-

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Number 2 – Listen

January 10th, 2011

Ok, we’re getting close to the number one thing the book of Proverbs says we should do to be wise.  We’re at number 2 which is “Listen”.    Check out the other posts to see the other eight presented so far.

Admonitions to listen occur more than 25 times in the book of Proverbs.  Here’s a couple of examples:

Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

Proverbs 1:8

He who answers before listening– that is his folly and his shame.

Proverbs 18:13

My dad used to paraphrase this principle by saying that God gave me one mouth and two ears so I should listen twice as much as I talk!  Think about how hard it would be to learn anything if you never listen.  You’d have to learn everything through your own personal experience.  This clearly would be foolish.  So, why are we so slow to listen?

I am occasionally asked to consult with large aerospace organizations and/or the U.S. military.  They typically collect a group of experts with significant experience and put us all in one room to listen to available information before rendering an opinion.  I always marvel at how people on the panel feel compelled to relate stories from their vast experience instead of just listening to the material being presented.  Instead of doing this, I make a concerted effort to just listen.  After a while, when everyone else is talked out, someone will inevitably ask me my opinion.  Now, I’m definitely not the smartest guy in the room but will sometimes look that way…simply because I already listened to the information presented and what everyone had already said.  Listening pays off.

I think the reason we fail to listen is because we consciously or unconsciously think we already know what a person might be trying to tell us.  In order to really listen, we have to believe that we can actually learn something.  In a word, we are prideful (see number 6).  How about you?  Can you listen?

Here’s something you should hear:  The penalty for sin is death.  We are all sinners, so we will all receive the penalty.  Christ died for sinners.  You can be forgiven by admitting you’re a sinner and asking Jesus to save you.  Click on the “Get Real Love” link at the top of this page to learn more.  There is a huge payoff in that you get to live forever with Jesus in heaven.  All you have to do is take the first step and listen to what I’m saying.  It might just be the wisest thing you’ve ever done!

Get Real Love,

K-

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Number 3 – Work Hard

January 9th, 2011

“Work Hard” is number three in my top ten list of things to do to be wise according to the book of Proverbs.   This phrase is used more than 25 times in Proverbs.  Here are a couple of examples:

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Proverbs 14:23

He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.

Proverbs 21:17

These proverbs are just good common sense.  In many cultures finding food can be a struggle.  Staying warm might depend on whether you have wood to burn.  Simple aspects of life require effort.

We have a wood stove at our house in upstate New York that supplements an oil-fired boiler.  I love using the wood stove because it generates a lot of heat and really doesn’t cost anything to operate…except effort.  Every summer we have to go out and cut firewood.  We have to plan ahead and prepare for the hard winter ahead.  I guess you could say that our work to collect wood shows wisdom because it means we’ll stay warm later.  How foolish would it be to complain in January, when it’s freezing cold outside, that I had no wood?  Sure, I could use the oil-fired boiler…until it ran out of oil.  Then I’d have to work to earn money to buy more oil.

It seems that sometimes “work” is a dirty word in our society.  It’s sad. Work gives our time purpose.  Work improves things.  Work helps people.  Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” (John 5:17).  If work were a bad thing, why would God do it all the time?

Jesus gave his followers a work assignment just before he ascended into heaven.  He said, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  His command was for us to build his Kingdom.  Building takes work.  So start working.  Talking leads only to poverty.

Get Real Love.

K-

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Number 4 – Fear the Lord

November 7th, 2010

“Fear the Lord” is number four in my top-ten list of things to do to be wise according to the book of Proverbs.   This phrase is used more than 20 times in Proverbs (and elsewhere in the bible).  Here are a couple of examples:

The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble. Proverbs 19:23

Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil. Proverbs 15:6

Now, I’m going to get on my soap-box here a bit, so to speak.  It seems to me that whenever I hear a preacher try to define what it means to “fear the Lord” they are always telling me it means to have “reverent awe”.  Maybe so, but I think this definition falls short.  Since the bible was translated from Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, why weren’t these verses translated “have reverent awe for the Lord” instead of “fear the Lord”?  I think it’s because it means “fear the Lord”.  Why not just take what it says at face value?

I think one of the biggest reasons our culture is turning away from God is because we paint him out to be someone we can ignore.  We can have “reverent awe” for him, but we certainly shouldn’t be afraid of him.  Come on.  If we showed a bit more good-ole fear for the mighty, righteous power of God, things just might be different.

I think Jesus would agree with me.  Check out what he says in Luke 12:4-5:

“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”

Do you think Jesus is talking about “reverent awe”?  Of course not!

So, how is it a wise thing to “fear the Lord”.  Well if you really understand that you are a sinner condemned to die (John 3:18), then this should frighten you.  If you see you are going to die, you’ll look for a savior.  If you look for a savior, you’ll find Jesus.  Now, here’s the good news: Romans 8:1 says “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  Once Jesus saves you, God’s wrath is no longer directed at you.  You no longer have anything to be afraid of.  Fearing God is wise because it leads to repentance and life!  Just like Proverbs 19:23 says!

If you haven’t repented of your sin and turned your life over to Jesus, you really do have something to be afraid of.  You WILL stand before God one day, and you will be very afraid.  The only hope for you is to trust Jesus.  Fearing the Lord is the first step.

Get Real Love.

K-

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Number 5 – Watch What You Say

November 7th, 2010

Number five in my count-down of the top ten wise sayings in the book of Proverbs is “Guard your tongue”, or “Watch what you say”.  My entire top ten list is in the introduction so you can scan them there to see what’s going on here.

Verses that speak to this theme occur over 20 times in Proverbs.  Here are a couple of examples:

A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble. Proverbs 17:20

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18

There are really two ways to look at this theme. The first is just to tell the truth.  A second meaning is more broadly to watch what you say, or don’t say.  How many times have you said something you wish you hadn’t?  We all have.  Now think about how many times you didn’t say what you wanted to say and were glad you kept your mouth shut.  That’s what this top-ten entry is really talking about.

I had a situation several years ago in my business where we lost a deal with an important customer.  I was astonished.  I couldn’t believe it.  My first impulse was to pick up the phone, or shoot off an email to tell the customer how stupid their decision was.  (Go back and look up number 6, Be Humble, for another reason not to do this.)  Thankfully I restrained myself and just kept my thoughts to myself.  I am so grateful that I did.  About two years later, the customer again approached us because they were having difficulty with the product they originally purchased.  We ended up getting the business eventually.  I’m confident we never would have had I not guarded my tongue.

Not saying the wrong thing is good.  Saying the right thing is even better.  Proverbs 12:18, above, says that the tongue of the wise brings healing.  You know this is true.  Just think about the last time someone said just the right thing at just the right time.  It made you feel better, didn’t it?  Or think about the time someone told you something you didn’t really want to hear, but you later were grateful because you found out it was for your own good.

Telling someone they are a sinner in need of God’s mercy and grace isn’t very easy to say, but certainly falls into the category of something you need to hear.  The whole purpose of this blog is to point you to redemption that comes through Jesus Christ.  The message isn’t popular, or easy to take, but it does bring healing.  I was reading in Colossians the other day and was blown away by these verses:

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14

Do you realize that without Jesus you are in the dominion of darkness and in need of rescue?  These are hard words for me to write, but they can bring you healing.  Jesus can rescue you.  He can give you life.  Click on “Get Real Love” above and learn how.  You’ll be glad I told you.

Get Real Love.

K-

Number 6 – Be Humble

November 7th, 2010

Here’s number six in my count-down of the top ten wise sayings in the book of Proverbs.  Remember that the list was derived by simply looking for common themes in the 31 chapters of Proverbs and literally counting verses that have the same theme.  So far I’ve covered: 10) Be Sexually Pure, 9) Be Slow to Anger, and 8 Obey Authority and 7) Heed Correction.  I’m on my way to number 1.  The entire list is in the introduction so you can scan them there if you just can’t wait to see the others.  My goal here is to show you some practical application to the book of Proverbs and to show you that what the bible says is true for every day life as well as for eternity.

Number six is “Be Humble”.  This theme runs through more than fifteen sayings in the book of Proverbs.  Here’s a couple of examples:

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Proverbs 13:10

John Maxwell, in his book “The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader” cites the following quote which I think beautifully describes a humble spirit.  He says, “After winning his third world championship, bull rider Tuff Hedeman didn’t have a big celebration.  He moved on to Denver to start the new season – and the whole process over again.  His comment: ‘the bull won’t care what I did last week’”.   Being humble gives you a proper perspective.

True humility puts us in a right relationship with other people.  Have you ever been around someone who does nothing but boast about themselves?  People like this ultimately end up very alone.  No one likes to be made to feel inferior to another so we tend to avoid these people.  Humble people draw others to themselves because they make those around them feel welcome.  Humble people will have better friends!

Probably the best benefit of humility is that it puts us in right perspective to God.  Are you a person that just refuses to believe there is a God?  One reason might be that you are just too proud to submit to his authority.  You know that he exists because the evidence is just so obvious.  Yet, you refuse to come to him because you are too proud to admit you are a sinner.  You say, “I’m a good person”.  The truth is that you are really saying “I’m better than that other person.”  You are revealing your pride.  Jesus said, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  If you can put aside your pride and admit that you are not as good as God, you are well on your way to understanding what Jesus was really saying.  Spend some time looking in the mirror.  Are you prideful?  Humble yourself and you will find real love.

Get Real Love,

K-

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