He is Speaking

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:1, 14

            From the very beginning, before time, God spoke His Word in our behalf.  In Genesis 1, He spoke and the world came into being.  He spoke, and we were created in His very image.  He breathed life into us, and walked and talked with us in the garden.  When we sinned and fell, He spoke hope of a redeemer to us.

            Later He spoke to Moses, giving him the law that would allow some kind of relationship between Him and us, and that would remind us of a need for a savior.  He continued speaking through the judges, kings and prophets.

            And then, when time was ready, He spoke the final Word.  He reached across eternity, beyond the differences between Himself and us, and spoke the one Word that we could understand.  He spoke Jesus.  His Word became incarnate.  In that one Word, He bridged any communication gap that might exist. 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word became flesh and lived among us.  He lived the grace and truth of God in human flesh.  Instead of God around us, He was Emmanuel, God with us.  Then He became sin for us, died and rose for us, and indwelt us.  Peter says that we were “born again not of the seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding Word of God.” (I Peter 1:23)  In the end, it is the Word of God who will come again and redeem the world.  “He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called the Word of God.”  (Rev. 19:13)  He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and last Word.  We were created by the Word, saved by the Word, and now indwelt by the Word.  

What word do we communicate to the world around us?  If we live as a light shining in the midst of a dark world, we communicate the Word of life.  If we blend into the world around us, we speak nothing at all.  We must hold fast to the work of truth, letting it dwell in us richly and living it so that it communicates to those around us.  We must live truth and grace, revealing God through our lives.  It is the way God chooses to communicate now.  It is the Head, speaking through the body.  It is the hope of our generation.

What word are you speaking to the watching world around you?

Just a Beginning!

The presents have all been opened, the wrappings have been discarded, company may have gone home and you may be working on the leftovers from Christmas dinner. You may be feeling a little of the Christmas blues, that let down after all the build up and frenetic activity that leads up to Christmas. It’s over so fast.

But part of what makes Christmas so awesome is that it’s not over; it’s just the beginning.

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned! Isaiah 9:2

That first Christmas is when the light got turned on; Christmas isn’t over the next day, it’s a new beginning. It is truly a day to celebrate! We commemorate that light.

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called 

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. Isaiah 9:6-7

Jesus is the beginning. His birth as a baby, while wondrous as it was, was only the start. Every day since that day God has reached to people through his Son, in a more direct way than ever before. The man Jesus lived God’s love for us. He died and rose again, and then sent his Spirit at Pentecost to indwell us. Today he reaches to every man, and does it through his people who are indwelt by his Spirit.

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place."

2 Corinthians 2:14

Jesus is the beginning, and he is also the end. He leads us in triumph! Live each day in that triumph. It is that joy and relationship with God that is a fragrance to those who don’t know him.

So, no after Christmas blues. We have a light to shine in the darkness, that lights the land of the shadow of death. People living in sorrow need that light. Christmas is a great start, but it’s only a start, so keep living the love of Jesus to everyone you come in contact with.

This little light of mine,

I’m gonna let it shine…

Breathe...

STOP!

Just for a minute, stop. Get a cup of tea, find a comfortable chair, and sit down.

Take a deep breath.

Think of all the blessings in your life.

            You are breathing.

            Think of the people who make your life rich.

In your mind, name them.

Think of sunshine on your face,

            Snowflakes on your tongue.

Think of the joy of your salvation.

Say “Thank You”

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.  And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.  And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

There is amazing economy and simplicity in the telling of the birth of Jesus. The God of creation became one of us, was born in the normal human way, and lived among us. Because of the miracle of this, we have hope for a life of hope and joy.

We complicate Christmas. We have traditions to keep and gifts to buy and baking to do, and while these are good things, they are not the main thing.

Jesus is born. Hallelujah!

           

Person of Influence?

By any account, Joseph was one of the little people. He was a Jew, the smallest and most insignificant of countries. He was a carpenter, a craftsman, whose day was probably filled with repairing common household items and building common farm implements. In Jewish economy, he was strictly blue collar.

And yet, in God’s economy, he was the elite, that man with a heart that sought to be God’s man. He was that man of integrity and kindness who would not marry a woman who was unfaithful to him, but still couldn’t bring himself to publically disgrace her. When God stepped in and told him to go ahead and marry Mary, that the baby was of the Holy Spirit, he didn’t question his own sanity but obeyed. He didn’t ask, or at least it isn’t recorded that he asked, what this all would mean for him, personally. He had to know that people would talk. His reputation would be dragged through the mud, just like Mary’s would. People would assume they had sinned.

Joseph was that insignificant man of great significance. He would raise God’s Son, teaching him a trade, and what it means to be a man, and a man of God. Joseph is, like many of our dad’s, that largely unsung hero who is rarely mentioned but had great influence.

God seems to have a special place in his plans for insignificant people. Little people, like shepherds and village girls and carpenters. Perhaps they are more willing to let God have the glory, aware of their own insignificance. God can do big things with little people. The birth of Jesus shows in so many ways that little people are precious and noticed by God.

Who are the influential people in your life? Are they giant slayers or kings? More likely they are laundry slayers or servants. Mothers and fathers and teachers and bus drivers and Sunday school teachers and youth group leaders and salesmen and neighbors, people who looked beyond themselves and lived in obedience to God.

You don't have to be a 'person of influence' to be influential. In fact, the most influential souls in my life are probably not even aware of the things they've taught me. ~ Scott Adams

Have you thanked those little people of influence in your life recently? As you go through your day, who are you influencing? It may be by the kindness you show to the new kid at work, or the smile you give the homeless lady you pass on the street at lunchtime. Maybe it’s the attention you show to the middle child at home or the too-loud attention-seeking child in your class. Maybe it’s the lady who watches you when you don’t even know it. Maybe it’s the harried sales clerk or the driver of the car stuck in traffic next to yours.

In God’s economy, no one is insignificant.

Joseph reminds us of that. Mary. The shepherds. God will use who He wills, and who is willing.

Are you willing? How will God use you today?

Anna and Simeon

She was old. Really old. She had lived a normal life, having married, and then lived as a widow. For the past years, she lived as a prophetess, fasting and praying and never leaving the temple. She spent her time worshipping, and waiting for the Messiah.

And then she saw him. The Messiah.

The poor, young couple had brought him to the temple for his circumcision and consecration to God. They made an offering of two pigeons, and then ran into Simeon. The Holy Spirit had told him he would not die until he saw the Messiah, the “consolation of Israel.” When he saw Jesus, he took him in his arms and praised God.

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” Luke 2:29-32

Simeon then told Mary that a sword would pierce her heart.

Anna and Simeon lived their lives in expectation, waiting for the coming of the Messiah, the Savior. They met him and everything changed. Their lives had been spent waiting, and now the waiting was over. From here on their lives would be about witness, and about worship.

As we prepare for Christmas, every day should be about the same things, witness and worship. As we go about the busy-ness of this next week, we are witnesses to the difference Jesus makes in our lives, and we worship him in gratitude. As we interact with people at work, at school, in the mall or in the parking lot, we are witness to the joy and the hope we have in Jesus.

Anna lived her life looking forward to the redemption of Israel, embodied in this tiny baby. We live looking back, grateful for the life of this man, Jesus.

How will you worship today?

God IS With Us!

I’ve so enjoyed reading your Facebook posts, the ones where you show off your trees, all pretty and decorated, a pile of perfectly wrapped presents underneath. I love all the recipes for the different cookies you’ve been busy baking, and the projects you’ve been sewing and handcrafting.

When my kids were at home, I did a lot of this stuff too. We always went the Saturday after Thanksgiving to a tree farm up in the Columbia River Gorge and cut our tree. We hoped for snow, and we were usually rewarded. We’d throw snowballs and somebody would cry, and we’d stand around the fire they had going to warm up while Dad tied the tree to the top of the Jeep. We’d get home and the kids would hang all their wet gloves and hats and coats over the railing around the stairwell to dry. On Christmas Eve we always had soup for dinner, and then went to church as a family, and usually several of us were performing in either a pageant or in song. Christmas Day meant presents and a huge dinner. There were caroling parties and madrigal feasts and lots of dinners with friends. There were school programs, and lots of shopping.

Christmas is different now. My kids have all grown and moved into homes of their own. No school programs, no cutting a tree, and Christmas at church is different, more modern. Last year I cooked Christmas breakfast for my kids who live in town, and then drove three hours to have dinner with my daughter. I drove another two hours and finished the day with my Mom. There is less shopping, and more gift cards.

We all have different ways of celebrating Christmas, and those celebrations change with our place and season in life. The really great thing is that we have reason to celebrate. God, the same God who created the universe, who hung the stars in the night and stretched the rainbow across the sky, this same God, wanted to be with us. He became incarnate, the Emmanuel. He came to earth and inhabited human flesh. When Mary looked into the manger and smiled at her little baby, she was smiling at God.

 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”  Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” Matt. 1:23

This idea of God wanting to be with us is prevalent throughout scripture. God walked with us in the garden, he had his people build him a tabernacle and dwelled in it in the wilderness, and he came to earth and became one of us.

He didn’t stay a baby, though. He grew up and lived and died and rose again for us. And then this God who would be with us, indwelt us.

We have reason to celebrate. Our traditions may change, our life situations will certainly change, but God never changes. He still wants to be with us.

However you celebrate, whether it’s Christmas or just being alive and saved, don’t forget about Jesus. So much of our preparations for Christmas are harried and busy. We are so focused on getting everything done and decorated that we forget the point; God wants to be with us. Don’t leave him out. Don’t ignore him. Be with him.

How will you be with him, who loves you and calls you Beloved?

Celebrate!

I have received several emails about why Christians shouldn’t celebrate Christmas. They make the arguments that Jesus wasn’t actually born on December 25^th, and that much of what we do to celebrate has pagan roots. We should have no participating in paganism.

While I agree that I do not want to give any kind of glory to Satan, I also don’t want to give him too much credit. Nothing I do at Christmas has anything to do with paganism. It might have at one time, but I am not a pagan, and the traditions I keep come exclusively from family history and a love of all things shiny and sparkly.

I celebrate Christmas for the following reasons:

1. God makes a pretty big deal out of it.

            He didn’t hide the birth of his Son. He brought out a choir of angels, summoned Kings from afar to bring special and costly gifts, and hung a special star in the sky. He gave special prophecies telling people what to look for, and then he fulfilled them. He gave people dreams, and divinely protected this baby. Jesus was, IS, a big deal!

2. I love Jesus.

         I am so grateful for the gift of Jesus in my life. I love that he loves me and did everything necessary for me to live in relationship with him. I love that at this time of year it’s OK to talk about Jesus. I love that more of us think about going to church, and that I can worship and give thanks publically. I love that Jesus is glorified.

3. I love people. Neighbors. Friends. You. And so does God.

         Christmas is the world wide celebration of Jesus’ birthday. Yes, I know that few of the people who celebrate know or care that it’s Jesus birthday,  but some of them do, and at this time of year, its OK to talk to others about Jesus. I love you. I want you to experience the same relationship with God that I have, and the Bible tells us that the only way to the Father is through the Son. I love you enough to publically celebrate Christmas, hoping you will be drawn into relationship with him, too.

So, yes, I celebrate Christmas. If you don’t want to, that’s your choice, but honestly, I think that the church should take as many opportunities to celebrate as we can. Living in the joy that God gives us is attractive. And it makes us more pleasant people.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For god did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:16-17

Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!

      Zacharias was old.  He has faithfully served the Lord as a priest for most of his life. Because his wife Elizabeth had been unable to bear a child, the temple had been where he had poured his energy and passion.  But things were about to change. 

            The angel Gabriel, who stands in the very presence of God, had been sent to speak to him. He had told Zacharias that the time was ready for the coming of Messiah, and that Elizabeth would have a baby who would prepare the hearts of the people to receive Him.

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; to give His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.”  Luke 1:76-77

            Zacharias was standing in the temple of the Most High God, before the altar, talking with an angel.  You’d think this would be proof enough that this would really happen.  But Zacharias and Elizabeth are old, and Zacharias had a hard time believing that this can be possible.  Because of his disbelief, and perhaps as proof of the truth of the prophecy, Zacharias is struck dumb until the baby is born and named.  After the birth of John, Zacharias’ tongue is loosed, and the first words out of his mouth are praise to God, and then a prophecy of what was about to come;

            “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people…”

            About the baby, John, Zacharias was very specific; this baby would grow up to prepare the way and the hearts of the people for Messiah.  He would give the people knowledge of salvation by forgiveness of their sins.  John preached repentance.  By the time Jesus began His ministry John had shown them their sinfulness and need for a savior.

            This is our job, today.  With the advent of Christmas we have a unique opportunity to prepare the way of the Lord.  While Jesus has already come, for some the only time He enters their consciousness is at Christmas through TV specials and carols on the radio.  For them, Jesus is coming.  We need to prepare the way, to help them understand their sinfulness, their need for redemption, and the gift of grace.  While we know that the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts of sin and draws men to salvation, we are to be ready with an answer for the hope that we own and live.  At Christmas we have an open opportunity, unlike any other time of year, to share faith.  We need to live the difference salvation makes. 

May hope, peace and grace ever be on my lips and visible in my life.

Grace To Share

“You say grace before meals. 
All right.


But I say grace before the play and the opera, 


And grace before the concert and the pantomime,


And grace before I open a book,


And grace before sketching,

painting,
swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing; 


And grace before I dip the pen in the ink.”

CK Chesterson

Some say grace, a blessing or word of thanks, before we eat a meal. We thank God for his provision, and ask him to bless it to our health. This is a good thing. It is good to remember that every good thing comes from above, and that we are a blessed people, indeed.

Others live grace. With every action, every breath they take, they ask God’s blessing. They know that apart from God, they have nothing to offer. They know that with the grace of God, anything can be sacred, able to bring him glory and do his work.

“God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” 2 Cor. 9:8

He makes his grace ABOUND to us, so that we will have an ABUNDANCE for every good deed. Sometimes I don’t feel like I have a lot to give. I’m tired. I’m depleted. But I am a recipient of grace, that is for sure. And God is able to multiply that, like loaves and fishes, so that we have more than enough for every good deed, every act of mercy that he calls us to, every sacrifice he asks us to make.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel ready for the Christmas season. Its dark and gray and rainy, and there is so much to get done, and so many people everywhere. I don’t feel like I have much grace to share. Not enough energy for another smile. Not enough breath for another prayer. 

Certainly not enough to remind a dying people that the reason we celebrate Christmas is because we don't have to die. 

The good news is that I don’t have to worry about that. God is the one who gives grace in the first place, and he’s the one who multiplies it. So smile at the clerk in the store; chances are she feels more depleted than you do. Crank up the Christmas Carols and decorate the house. Invite the neighbors over. Send a note or card to your kids teachers. You have grace to share. You have an abundance of grace, enough for every good deed!

So, say grace. Say it when you drive, at work, at school, in the grocery store. Give it to your family. Bathe your day in int. Say grace. Live grace.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord!

Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. 

Let us come before His presence with 

Thanksgiving!

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 

For the Lord is a great God, 

and a great King above all gods, 

in whose hand are the depths of the earth; 

the peaks of the mountains are His also. 

The sea is His, for it was He who made it;

and His hands formed the dry land. 

Come, let us worship and bow down; 

let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For He is our God, 

and we are the people of his pasture

and the sheep of his hand. 

Psalm 95:1-7  

     Today in the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving, and truly, we have much to be thankful for. My prayer is that we will not forget Who to give thanks to. 

     Now, GET OFF THE COMPUTER. Go find someone to love and enjoy. 

And have a Happy Thanksgiving. 

Walking in Sonlight

“He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bands apart.  Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness and for His wonders to the sons of men.” 

Psalms 107:14-15

            Imagine a world where there is no color.  Everything appears in shades of gray, as if at twilight or just before the sun rises.  Everything is muted.  Lines blur.  Everything seems slightly surreal and out of focus.  This is life as we know it apart from faith in Jesus.  We live our lives in darkness, under the curse, covered by the shadow of death.  We have a hard time making choices because all the lines are blurred and out of focus. 

            Once the Son comes up everything is different.  The light of God’s glory brings out the color, sharpens the lines, brings focus to a fuzzy world.  Sin becomes apparent and avoidable when seen through the scope of God’s holiness.  Darkness flees.

The good news is that we don’t have to stay in the dark.  Jesus came and broke the curse of darkness so that we could enjoy the light with Him. 

            The Nation of Israel, when wandering in the wilderness, chose darkness.  They saw the face of Moses that shone from talking with God, and rather than sharing in the glory, they were afraid.  They asked him to veil his face and hide the light.  Lest we be too hard on the Israelites, we are not so different.  We have the opportunity to share intimacy with God through prayer and a personal relationship with Him, and we often withdraw – content to hide in the shadows rather than face the glory and scrutiny of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus calls us out of the darkness.  He said

“I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”  (John 8:12) 

We don’t have to be afraid of the light.  We can instead choose to walk in it, giving thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness and for His wonders to us.  As we walk in increasing intimacy with God, perhaps our faces will begin to shine.  Shadow or light – which one for you today?

            “You were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of the light.”  Ephesians 5:8 

Joy in the midst of weeping

“The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.  The are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness.”  Lamentations 3:21-22

The book of Lamentations is a book of five poems, thought to have been written by Jeremiah, Israel’s weeping prophet.  It is a book of intense mourning.

Jerusalem had fallen. The nation of Israel had fallen into idolatry and rebellion and so God gave her over to the Babylonians.  Jeremiah made it clear that the only reason she fell was because of the anger of the Lord, not because of the national strength of Babylon – God caused it.  Jeremiah weeps over the destruction of the city.  He mourns because of the sin of the nation that led to the anger and rejection of Israel by God. God had told them that this would happen, and that he would do whatever it took, including being exiled, to bring them to repentance.

           

Almost exactly in the middle of this sad book, Jeremiah remembers and reaffirms the love of God.  In the center of the destroyed city, Jeremiah remembers who God is, and he finds hope.

“This I recalled to my mind, therefore I have hope,” he says.  “If He causes grief, then He will have compassion, according to His lovingkindnesses.”  (3:21, 32)

Jeremiah understood something of the nature of God.  God is holy and will not tolerate sin forever, but God is also love.  He disciplines us for a season, to correct and direct us away from sin.  He loves us too much to allow us to continue in a direction away from Him.  In His compassion, in His faithfulness, He disciplines.  Because Jeremiah understood, in the midst of destruction he could say, “the Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning.  Great is Thy faithfulness.”

As we go through our lives, we will be unavoidably confronted with difficulties.  Sometimes God disciplines us.  Sometimes we go through rough times because of the sin of another.  Sometimes stuff just happens.  The only way through it is to remember the nature of God, and to allow it to give us hope.  In the midst of our weeping, we, like Jeremiah, can remember God’s compassions, His lovingkindness, and can stand firm on truth.  We can only hold on to what we know; we can only remember what we have learned. 

How well do you know God?  If you are not in His word, studying His nature and getting to know Him and in fellowship through prayer, when hard times come you will have little or nothing to stand on.  Turn off the TV, the radio, the movie – the noise.  Exchange the need to be entertained for a solid foundation of truth as revealed by the Holy Spirit to the quiet and receiving heart.  Give yourself a reason for joy in the midst of sorrow, a reason for joy now.

An easy yoke...

“Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My load is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

            It is commonly taught that Jesus was talking in this passage about a yoke that harnessed two animals together when pulling a plow.  This yoke was a large piece of wood, fashioned by a carpenter to allow two animals of equal size and strength to pull together, enabling greater strength than either could summon alone.  The more skilled the carpenter, the better the yoke would fit and the easier the pull would be on the animals.  Animals of different size or strength were never to be yoked together as this would cause the weaker animal damage.

            While all of this is true, there was another kind of yoke in use in Bible times.  Often a piece of wood was fitted over the shoulders of a servant so that loads could be hung from it.  A slave or porter was often asked to carry loads that were humanly impossible to carry.  When given a yoke, the loads became much more easily transported.  A yoke was a tool of mercy.

            Jesus removed the burden of sin.  St. Augustine said that when the burden of sin was removed, all other burdens become bearable.  Jesus never tells us that He will take our burdens away, only that He will never give us more than we can bear.  He does promise that, as the Master carpenter, His yoke will be easy and our burden light.  We must choose to wear His yoke.  We must make the choice to be a servant, to do the things the Master wants in the way the Master wants them done.  When we put on His yoke, fashioned by His expert hands especially to fit us, we find that the work is light.  When we struggle under a burden that seems too much to carry, we can come to Him.  He has promised to give us rest.

            Today when you struggle, weary and heavy hearted, instead of looking at the burden, look at the yoke.  The yoke Jesus made is light, but often we struggle under a yoke of our own, amateur making.  We’re just servants, not carpenters.  Put down your burden.  Take off your yoke and come to Jesus for rest.  Learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble hearted.  Let Him give you a yoke of His choosing.

Help for the Philippines

For anyone who watches the news, the horrible conditions in the Philippines are no surprise. Numbers vary with each report, but the latest that I heard was that 9.7 million people have been affected by the typhoon that hit there on Saturday. 650,000 people are displaced, and the death toll is rising. People are hungry, without shelter, and have lost everything. As if the typhoon weren’t enough, the country was still reeling from a 7.1 earthquake in October, and a smaller 4.8 quake hit one of the southern islands yesterday. These are a people who are hurting.

“Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.” Psalm 10:12

If you are anything like me, your heart goes out to those in who have lost so much, who are in such deep need. You are moved, but don’t know what you can do. I know that I feel helpless in the face of such overwhelming tragedy.

We are not helpless.

“For He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.” Psalm 72:12-14

We are the children of the King. We have infinite resources. We can all do our part.

So, what can we do?

            1. We can pray. “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:15. There are multiple verses in scripture that remind us to pray, to pray without ceasing, to pray in faith. Pray. Pray some more.

            2. We can give. I attend River Rock Church in Vancouver, Washington. We have 16 churches in the Philippines, most of them on the island of Panay and on Palawan, right where the eye of the storm went through. Our church is networking with other churches and denominations on the island to immediately provide food and meet other needs. The people of the area are extremely poor and have little resources to rebuild or care for their families. We are the Body of Christ. It is time for us to do what we can to remind these people that God has not forgotten them.

            This Sunday we are launching Operation Philippines. We are launching a website (www.operationphilippines.com) before Sunday for people to visit and see what we are doing and how they can give. We are preparing a list of needs and will be ordering a shipping container so that we can give of our abundance. We have already sent money to get them started, and will raise as much as we can in the coming weeks. Every dollar will go into rebuilding churches and houses and feeding people immediately. We will have t-shirts available saying “I (heart) the Philippines” to remind people to continue. If there is anyway you can participate in this effort, please do!

            3. Send money. So often we send stuff without knowing what the needs really are, and we end up making more problems than we solve. Find a reputable organization and send what you can. Send through our church, or through Samaritan’s Purse (http://www.samaritanspurse.org/). Samaritan’s Purse has had people and resources on the ground since before the earthquake last month. They know what the local needs are, and have the systems in place to get food and resources to people quickly. 

            God cares deeply about the people in the Philippines. We can do no less. Reach out. We can't do everything, but we can do something. Do what you can. Pray without ceasing.

“But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless… You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.” Psalm 10:14, 17