May you be a hero to someone today. May your every thought process find itself rooted in love. May every word that leaves your lips be sweet like honey. May your actions parallel those of the One Who taught of turning other cheeks and walking second miles. May your tongue perceive keenly when to speak graciously ... and when to say nothing at all. May your ears be tuned to listen quietly ... and may your heart respond with compassion.
May your busy schedule stand motionless ... in awe ... as those who need a compliment ... a hug ... an encouraging word ... are given center stage ... and moments of your precious time. May those you encounter and those who only observe you from the sidelines respond hopefully, “I want to be like them. I want to worship their God.” May you be the success you’ve only dreamed of on your best days and in your finest hours. May Christ win in you ... one step ... one word ... one moment at a time. May someone clearly see Jesus in you today ... someone who needs a hero.
May you be a blessing to our Father today. May you be the source of His smile ... the upward turn of His lips ... the inward sinking of His dimples ... His delightful lyrics and melody ... His quiet song amid the crush of requests and pleas and demands.
May the joy ... the happiness ... the wave of refreshment that you bring to Him be reflected in His eyes ... in the sparkle ... the twinkle ... the release of tears born of joy. May you be His calm thoughts ... His quiet place ... His oasis in a chaotic spiritual war that rages beyond anything we can imagine.
May He see His creation ... His faithful child ... your sincere heart ... your compassionate spirit ... and may He remember and speak those ancient words once again, “It is good ... it is very good!”
May your greatest moments be those where you enter His courts with nothing but an honest admission of who you are ... really are down deep ... and an humble request that He re-create you in His image. May He fulfill your requests beyond anything you can ask or imagine. May He re-establish ... rebuild ... rekindle ... everything good in you that Satan tries so cleverly to erode ... tear down ... and snuff out.
May your most vulnerable moments in our Father’s presence be your most successful. May those moments reveal in you a new child ... a child after God’s own heart.
May you seek Him ... run to Him ... when you are your most unlovable ... when you deserve His mercy the least. May His grace cover and amaze you. May you never forget that nothing ... absolutely nothing ... can ever separate you from His incredible love.
May you live for an audience of One today in your little corner of the world.
My old jeans, oversized t-shirt and thick, textured jac-shirt were the perfect match for the cool, moist Saturday morning weather. The wind was picking up, and the skies were promising rain. A whole hour had been reserved to feed my inner artist. He knew it, and he was thrilled. He’s energized by ideas, and he and I agreed that a trip to the Fine Arts Center would be the perfect source of inspiration that we needed.
Inner artists don’t like to be hurried, so I didn’t rush as I made my way across town. I had no troubles finding a parking space, and I relished inhaling several deep breaths of the moisture-rich breeze as I approached the entrance. Inside it was quiet ... spacious ... and warm. As I signed in, the docent informed me that the two main exhibit halls were closed because they were between shows, but that the other sections of the Center were open for viewing.
Almost before she had finished speaking, it caught my eye. It was the first thing I noticed, and it was beautiful. It was a two-toned handmade wooden jar. It was symmetrical ... smooth ... exquisite. From a distance I assumed it was made from a single block of wood and painted with three decorative horizontal stripes. Upon closer inspection, I was amazed to discover the complexity of its structure. It was actually composed of a large quantity of small pieces of wood. The pieces of lighter color were Maple ... the darker ones were Purple Heart. A skilled carpenter had painstakingly assembled them into a stunning work of art ... both useful and attractive. It was descriptively titled “Segmented Vessel 2.” I stood for a long time ... studying this intricate, fascinating, artistic piece. That was all it took. My inner artist was fed, and I was inspired. Later that day the rains came ... and I sat quietly and began to write ... to you.
May the King of Carpenters gently gather the disparate segments of your life ... the odd, seemingly useless pieces ... the leftover fragments ... and forgotten scraps. May the touch of His hand redeem them ... softening the rough edges ... smoothing the damaged surfaces ... refreshing the brittle grains with rich oils. May He lovingly assemble each segment ... seamlessly reconcile each isolated piece ... and with the precision that only a loving God could possess, may He fashion your broken, lonely life into a Masterpiece ... a holy vessel ... decorated and inlaid with a purple heart ... expertly designed and dedicated for daily service in His hands. May you be “Segmented Vessel 1.”
Great students become great teachers. May you be your own best student.
May your tongue accurately articulate the words it learns from His Holy Spirit. May your lips deliver those words with sincere love and compassion ... with gentleness and pure intentions.
May your eyes see with clear vision the souls behind the makeup and the masks. May your heart bid them come to Christ ... may it respond to its own invitation.
May your spirit sing ... calling them to a rich relationship with Jesus ... may it be the first to find the path to His home. May your soul lay aside every weight ... every care ... every anxiety ... in preparation to give ... to forgive ... may it be the first to taste that sweet release ... that reconciliation ... that holy embrace.
May your whole being delight in the great treasure of being His child ... of the bold approach ... of the humble kneeling ... of the raising of the scepter at your arrival ... of the privilege of studying at the feet of the Master ... your Father. May you be a fabulous student of His ... and may your desire for His wisdom never cease.
This is my prayer for you as you grace your world with the good news of the One Who is grace.
May spring bloom vibrantly in your heart. May hope light your world with her warmest, clearest light. May the seeds of temptation, frustration and weariness find the soil of your heart too rich ... too healthy ... too full of life to support their greedy roots and toxic fruits.
May Jesus be the end of your winter ... your first daffodil of spring ... your daily resurrection. May He roll away every stone that would hide you in darkness ... and entomb you in fear. May His pure, unselfish love dawn in your heart ... dispelling the shadows from your soul and filling you with unquenchable life. May His love become your love. May His life become your life.
May your conduct and your conversation ... in every encounter ... and every exchange ... today ... and every day ... resurrect hope in those our Father brings your way ... a hope that surpasses the beauty of even the most resplendent spring garden.
May our Father ... the Gardener ... come to you in the cool of the day. May He see your potential ... all that you can become ... and may His vision of you become a reality. May He lovingly remove the weeds, the hardpan and the rubble. May He amend and cultivate the tired and weary soil of your heart ... replacing the compaction and the lifeless clods with a generous infusion of His life-giving blessings ... perfectly blended to create a holy and healthy plot of ground ... pliable, workable and receptive to the seeds and seedlings that He has anticipated planting there.
May the roots of His planting sink deeply into the reaches of your heart ... gathering every spiritual nourishment and the living water that so generously flows when the One Who first dreamed of gardens delights in tending yours. May His resources supply abundant growth to every plant ... annual and perennial ... large and small ... that graces your humble borders.
May His strength be the rock that lies before you ... deflecting the heavy rains and the hail. May His love surround your tender growth like a blanket ... nurturing each growing talent and gift ... and suppressing the germination of every unholy thought ... every careless word ... and every destructive deed. In His grace, may He skillfully and judiciously pinch and prune each wayward branch and every unruly stem ... till they grow strong and hang heavy with abundant, sweet fruit.
May you brighten your little corner of the world and bring great joy to the One Who thought of you ... designed you ... and daily brings out the very best in you. May you finally understand your purpose. May you rejoice as you feel the value you’ve always dreamed of. May you find your esteem in His smile of satisfaction ... His nod of approval ... His continual care. May our Father create in you a beautiful garden ... where a beautiful garden has never grown before.
May you learn from your pain. May it connect you to Jesus through paths that sunny days and cheerful moments never tread.
When you are rejected by those you need love from the most, may it be called to your remembrance that “a prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin and in his own house.”
When you’ve given all you can give, and it’s still not enough, and it’s still not good enough, may you remember the pressing crowds ... filled with endless needs ... who sought Him from morning till night.
When the whole world is talking, and all you need is someone to listen, may you remember the moonlight on the mountain ... and may you steal away to that quiet place above the noise of this world where our Father yearns to hear every burden ... every care ... every primal cry that bubbles up from your broken heart.
When the smiles to your face turn to whispers behind your back, may you feel that cold kiss of betrayal in the garden.
When those whom you thought were friends leave you helpless and vulnerable in the presence of your enemies, may you feel His loneliness as the disciples flee in fear.
When you are wrongfully accused by those who have committed the transgression, may you hear the angry mob cry, “Crucify!”
When you are underqualified ... overqualified ... and disqualified ... may you recall that nothing ... absolutely nothing ... can separate you from His love.
When the critics and fault-finders work overtime to expose and exploit the chinks in your armor in efforts to hide their own glaring inadequacies, may His truths reassure you that your struggle is not against flesh and blood.
When those who have the power to build you up choose rather to tear you down, may you humble yourself in His presence, and may He lift you up ... higher than any power on this planet can lift you.
When those with sin are jockeying to be the first to throw a stone at you, may He silence your accusers and set you free.
When the whole world is against you, may you remember that they were against Him first. Jesus has been where you are. He’s there right now ... His wounded hand resting firmly yet gently on your shoulder ... His heart beating next to yours. He’s hurting with you because He understands what it means to hurt in this world.
May your pain connect you to His pain. May it help you to appreciate Jesus like you’ve never appreciated Him before. May it help you take your eyes off of yourself and teach you to hurt with Him.
May Jesus be your Best Friend when you don’t want a best friend. May He be your gentle, quiet companion when you want nothing but to retreat into your dark and lonely cave.
May He attend to your every need when you don’t have the energy or desire to attend to your own. May His grace abound when you need it most.
May He be willing ... waiting ... watching ... for you ... to come back home when your heart chooses to wander. May His kindness lead you to repentance ... just as it was designed to do.
May the depth and the strength of your faith in Him make this blessing an unnecessary ... meaningless ... exercise of unneeded words.
May even your “downs” be “ups” in Him.
May you recognize your unique mission in this life. May it be clearly visible ... fully understood ... easy to grasp. May you pursue that mission with all your talents ... all your energy ... and all your resources.
May wisdom be your friend ... a constant companion. May time be your servant ... and you its master.
May your well be replenished ... your battery recharged. May your cup overflow.
May you give to others as Jesus gives to you. May you extend grace and compassion to those He brings your way with the same generous portions that you receive from Him. May you love as He loves.
May all of your decisions join together in perfect harmony to create a Christ-honoring life that ends in a confident ... successful ... triumphant ... “It is finished!”
May Christ’s mission and your mission be the same. May He accomplish His mission in you and through you as you share His soul-saving story with the world.
May you always call to our Father ... in joy and in sadness ... in strength and in weakness ... in health and in pain ... in daylight and in darkness ... when everything is going your way and when everything is giving way all around you ... when you are filled with words and when you don’t know what to pray.
May He always hear your voice and respond without delay.
Sometimes I lose my perspective. I take my eyes off of Jesus, and I begin to focus solely on myself and my problems. During those times, I give in to the temptation to feel sorry for myself. I question and doubt my worth and my ability to contribute anything of value to this world. I feel paralyzed ... overwhelmed by responsibilities ... yet drained of energy and unable to move. That’s where I’ve been the past couple of days.
I need Jesus more than the air that I breathe, but sometimes I resist Him with all my might ... choosing to see myself as a victim of circumstances and decisions rather than as a free and forgiven man who’s been given the opportunity to share the world’s greatest love story with people who need desperately to be loved.
Our Father has the gentlest ways of bringing me back to reality. Recently, He used Michigan photographer Ryan Keberly’s web site, The Snowsuit Effort, to remind me that I don’t really know what it means to have problems. The only problems I have are the ones I create myself. I’m a blessed man.
Tonight I reserved a little time to think about and pray for Mark, Clarence, Brenda, Al and Carl. I also made a conscious decision to take my eyes off of Steve and focus them clearly on Jesus. I’m beginning to move again.
May you see the invisible people in your world, and may you love them the way Jesus loves you.
May you nurture those special friends in your life who feed your soul ... who hold your heart ... who free up everything creative and wonderful in you ... the ones who see someone greater in you than you’re able to see ... those who inspire you to multiply your talents and pursue your dreams ... those rare people who make you feel like the most important person in the world ... a gold medalist in being you.
May you look beyond their quirks and imperfections ... their peccadilloes ... those lapses in judgment and blunders in character that quietly remind you that this is not God you’re working with here. This is another human being ... flawed ... under construction ... a little goofy ... just like you. May you make peace with the fact that they have fears ... insecurities ... and embarrassing sins in their lives ... sins they wish they could overcome ... sins they are working to overcome through Jesus. May you hold their confessions in confidence. May you wipe the tears from their cheeks. May you love them with your whole heart ... even when their sins leave you wounded.
May you cultivate their hopes ... expand their horizons ... and nourish their dreams. May you give them time and room to grow ... to fail and learn from their mistakes ... to get bucked off and get right back on. May you help them get back on. May you expect nothing more of them than they can give, and may you give them more love and encouragement than they ever expected. May you set them free to fly ... may you cheer as they soar ... and may you catch them when they fall.
May your world overflow with special friends because you first mastered the art of being an incredible ... rare ... special friend.
May Christ and His Kingdom be the objects of your desire ... your greatest pursuit ... your unending hope.
May your relationship with Jesus be so intimate ... so close ... so natural ... that when you finally meet face to face ... there will be no need for introductions ... no uneasiness, awkwardness or fear ... only overwhelming joy as Creator and creation reunite ... a celebration of a life well-lived ... a welcome home to a child well-loved.
May our Father ... the God Who is Love ... Perfect Love ... dwell in you ... casting out all fear ... in this life and in the life to come, and may your fearless faith open doors ... rekindle flames ... and build Christ-esteem in everyone you encounter ... in everyone you teach ... and in the final frontiers of your own redeemed soul.
May you find a friend ... a true friend ... in Jesus. May He be your rock ... the One Who holds you up when everything around you gives way.
In every powerful storm ... in every spinning temptation that would threaten to undo you ... may He be your calm center ... your invisible wall of protection ... your heart’s indescribable peace.
May He be your few feet of visibility ... your every step of faith ... the One you cry to when your own choices lead you into the path of danger ... when you cannot turn back ... when you find yourself alone in a place you do not wish to be.
May His mighty, tender hand hold you firmly ... gently ... as only the hand of a risen Savior can do. May His sweet, still voice be the only sound you hear above the roar of the storm. May it give you courage to walk with Him ... even when you cannot see.
May you be broken by Jesus and His transforming friendship so that you will not be broken by sin.
May you be filled with wisdom ... extending grace to those trapped in the web of sin ... abandoning tolerance for the higher calling of love.
May you be humble ... in attitude and in action ... trusting the Living God to lift you higher than you could ever lift yourself.
May you be salt ... lightly sprinkled ... enhancing the flavor of life for everyone you encounter.
May you be light ... soft and warm ... illuminating the darkened paths of lost and lonely souls.
May you be like a child ... innocent in evil ways ... and quick to forgive.
May you be quick to listen ... slow to speak ... slow to anger.
May you become more like Jesus every day ... with each step of faith ... with each beat of your heart ... with each breath of precious air.
May you discover your identity in His fathomless friendship and His truly amazing grace.
Just when you think you really know Jesus, may you return to the manger. May you quietly kneel beside His humble bed of hay and straw. May you inhale the same cool, nighttime air that He is breathing ... dusty ... thick with the aromas of cattle, donkeys and sheep.
May you lovingly smooth the soft hair scattered upon His brow ... the very brow destined to be crowned with thorns for the sins of countless people ... including your own. May your ears resonate with the sweet gurgles and coos from His tender lips ... precursors to the greatest teachings the world will ever know.
May His tiny fingers gently grasp your finger as you reach to lift Him to your shoulder and hold Him warmly and securely ... the way He has so often held you. May you feel the beat of His heart in unison with your own ... pulsing with the precious, pure blood that will be shed to bring healing to a world gone mad.
As you place Him in His mother’s loving arms, may you gaze into the eyes of the One Who can see into your very soul ... the One Who believed that the greatest story ever told would only be complete when you became part of it.
May you let yourself know Him like you’ve never known Him before. May you love Him in His vulnerability ... in His humanity ... in His journey to become just like you ... so that you may become just like Him.
May the blessings that your friendship yields return to you thirty ... sixty ... one hundred fold. May those you bless honor the Christ ... the King ... Who you love so deeply ... Who you emulate so effectively ... Who you imitate so consistently. May they find in Him amazing grace ... abundant forgiveness ... eternal life.
May you minister as one who has spent much time with the Master ... the Savior ... Jesus, the Son of God. May He be your satisfaction ... your completion ... the fulfillment of your every need. May your rich ... intimate ... personal relationship with Him be your greatest blessing of all.
May you give yourself a second chance today ... an opportunity to be exactly who you are supposed to be ... according to our Father ... nothing less ... and nothing more.
May your restless heart be tenderly reminded of the joy in the journey. May the child in your soul confidently claim today simply as the step ... the single, faith-filled step ... it is intended to be in your lifelong quest to become like Christ.
May you give yourself some elbow room ... some space to breathe ... some time to ponder the progress and the success that have befriended you along the way. May you put to good use the talents and gifts you’ve been given ... and may you refuse to fret yourself with those responsibilities for which you have not yet been equipped.
May you willfully release the fast forward button on your life, and may you let Him who began a good work in you bring it to completion ... in His time ... on His schedule ... at the great day of Jesus’ return.
May you be finished ... when ... and only when ... He says you are finished. Until then, may you answer His call ... may you hold His hand as He gently leads you ... and may you walk in His steps ... one day at a time.
Now ... may you give someone else a second chance today ... an opportunity to be exactly who they are supposed to be ... according to our Father ... nothing less ... and nothing more.
May Jesus be your only focus ... the vision of every good thing that you desire to be. May you see your world ... your family ... yourself ... through His caring, compassionate eyes.
May each of your days be expertly composed ... perfectly exposed ... beautifully framed ... in the Creator’s gentle hands. May He smile as He observes them hanging in the gallery of the mansion that He has reserved just for you. May they fill Him with eager anticipation for the day that He will meet you face to face ... His child ... His masterpiece ... the one and only ... the original ... the unique ... the beautiful soul that is you.
Until then, may He call your heart to come and be more than you can even dream, and may there be no boundaries to your dreams.
May our Father bless you as you share the greatest story of all. May your role in that story and your passionate delivery of its details be rich ... warm ... sincere.
May your intimate relationship with Jesus catch someone by surprise ... kindle a rich, golden glow in their dimly lit heart ... open their eyes to spiritual possibilities that have seemed at best distant and unattainable.
May you bring warmth to a cold and weary world. May you light someone’s darkness.
May those who listen find themselves relaxed ... relieved ... filled with hope. May their souls be fully engaged ... their ears hungry to hear more ... their hearts eager to be introduced to the Son of Man ... the Son of God ... the forgiving Jesus ... full of grace.
May they find themselves repeating every word and imitating every move of the One Who speaks through you. May you bring them into the healing presence of Jesus, and may He write His story on the pages of their hearts.
May you find our Father a compassionate God ... the Mender of things broken in your life ... the Giver of Life to things that you thought were dead ... the Great Flooding Fountain of Grace when you deserve it the least ... the Soft-Hearted Lover when you are your most unlovable ... the Great Giver when you have nothing left to give ... the Faithful Friend when every earthly friend has let you down.
May you thrive in His grace.
May the words of the Holy Spirit of Christ flow through you like mighty waters. May He be your Source ... your Unending Supply. May the fullness of His wise counsel come to you clearly and unobstructed.
May He fill your hours and your minutes with rich experiences and easily-communicated illustrations ... word pictures and parables ... a healthy variety of spiritual foods to refresh and sustain the broken hearts and wounded souls of many weary pilgrims.
May your daily exchanges ... all of your verbal expressions ... every sentence ... each carefully chosen word ... be founded on truth and wrapped in a mantle of love. May you listen intently at the Master’s feet, and may you share your rich knowledge with great compassion ... courage ... and joy.
May you know when to dismiss the crowds and steal away to a quiet place ... to be still and know that He is God ... that He is your God ... that He loves you deeply ... and that He delights in each moment spent alone with you. In those times, may He refresh you so that the words of the Holy Spirit of Christ may flow through you like mighty waters.
This past weekend I planted spring-flowering bulbs. Over a hundred tulips, along with some alliums and lilies, are now nestled snuggly beneath six inches of rich, moist earth. I planted them in an older flower bed just north of my house ... an ideal place for tulips.
There are no tree roots to congest the soil or compete for nutrients ... the northern exposure encourages the soil to remain cool deep into our fickle unpredictable springtimes, providing the necessary chill needed by the tulips to produce long, slender stems ... and the soil ... well ... the soil in that bed is the best I have. Generous additions of organic matter over many years have softened and mellowed its texture. Roots and stems travel through it just as effortlessly as the blade of a shovel. It’s rich ... full of life ... ready to feed those who settle and spread their roots there with just the right mixture of moisture, oxygen and minerals. And if the weather is kind, this spring the earth will laugh with flowers.
I’ve always associated things ... not because I’m intelligent or clever ... but simply because that’s how things make sense to me. I’m a visual learner ... a hands-on learner. I like the feel of the plump, heavy flower bulb in my hand ... the slight resistance and exchange that occur as the prepared soil eagerly accepts the small package of life from my hand.
For a brief moment, I connect with the very substance from which I am made in an effort to bring life and beauty to my little corner of the world. My fingerprints are left in the soil. Its fingerprints stain my white T-shirt, my blue jeans and my hands. As has become my custom, I ask for our Father’s blessings on each variety that I plant, and I entrust them to Him.
Planting can be hard work ... messy work ... the kind that requires a good, hot shower with lots of soap and scrubbing afterwards ... and maybe even a good long nap ... to restore and refresh the gardener. But it’s good work ... actually pretty easy work compared to the incredible things that our Father does in a garden.
Any good gardener will tell you that we may plant and water ... cultivate and feed ... prune and harvest ... but no gardener has ever been able to make a plant grow ... and never will. That is a process reserved for the Source of Life ... the original Gardener (John 15:1 & I Corinthians 3:5-7). Because of the growth that He provides, this spring a healthy bed of vibrant tulips will sing His praises with an eloquence unknown to the human tongue.
One day later ...
As I look out my west window, a mallard duck executes a perfect landing on the water’s surface and begins to preen. The bulbs I planted yesterday are already busy sending out firm, white roots ... anchoring themselves in anticipation of proudly displaying their living goblets and globes of creamy apricot and rosy peach petals ... and butter yellow grounds streaked with glowing red flames.
My sinful heart is starting over ... given a new morning and a new opportunity for my soul to grow and thrive in a place I do not deserve to be ... in the greatest garden of all ... the Gardener’s garden. He is amazingly good to us! May you and I never forget that.
May you fall in love with our Father ... just the way He is. No stipulations ... no buts ... no conditions. May you see beyond all of your preconceived ideas ... your wishes ... your desires ... of what you might imagine Him to be.
May the very Truth that He is emerge in your vision ... unavoidable ... crystal clear. May you understand as you have never understood before.
May everything that is you give way to everything that is Him. May you find yourself immersed in His steadfast love ... His just discipline ... His amazing grace ... His obsession with all things holy ... His fixation on all things righteous.
May His will be your one desire ... may He be your One Thing.
May you see Him everywhere you go, and may the trivia you have gathered of Him become utterly lost in warm ... intimate ... holy ... friendship ... Teacher and disciple ... sinner and Savior ... Father and child. And may you be assured over and over again that of everything you know of Him ... He is immeasurably more.
May your discovery of the mystery that is our God be an incredible journey from here to eternity. May you be accepted and fully forgiven through the risen, living Jesus.
May the reign of Jesus in your heart be as refreshing ... as invigorating ... as cleansing ... and much more so ... than the cool later rains of autumn after a long, hot summer.
May His words be your words ... may His love be your love ... may His life be your life.
May you imitate Him in holiness and humility.
May He smile upon you and call you friend.
May thoughts of Heaven fill your heart.
May the golden streets inspire you to help someone along a rocky, difficult road that stretches before them.
May thoughts of Michael and Gabriel motivate you to be an angel to a soul struggling desperately with demons.
May the hope of an endless day with Jesus lead you to illuminate the path of a friend encircled by an endless night.
May the abundance of the Tree of Life encourage you to provide for those in need of food, clothing and shelter.
May the promise of our Father’s finger tenderly wiping away your tears stir you to bring comfort to those who weep.
May the welcoming King on His throne move you to raise your scepter when those who have wronged you enter your presence and request your grace.
May joyous worship break out in your heart and roll from your lips when you are counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ.
May our Father’s kingdom come ... in you.
May His will be done on earth this day because you understand that getting Heaven into you is more important than getting you into Heaven.
May your days on this earth be filled with many brothers ...
... wise men sent by our Father to help you shoulder the load ... to strengthen your faith ... to mentor ... to guide ... to nurture your growing soul.
... equals sent to challenge you in your spiritual walk ... to help you multiply your talents ... to encourage your heart and refresh your spirit when the world would overwhelm you.
... youths to look up to you in admiration ... to feed your inner hero ... to remind you of your incredible value ... and importance ... and worth in this world and in the world to come.
May you find that the necessary load that comes along with these friendships ... never weighs you down. May they not be heavy ... may they be your brothers.
May Jesus be your greatest Friend ... your truest Brother. May He never be a burden for you to bear.
Sunday night a friend invited me to attend a special worship service with him and his family. The whole evening was a celebration of the birth of Jesus. I was amazed at the talent of each participant during the service. I was attentive. I listened carefully ... observed closely. My heart was moved. One moment my eyes filled with tears ... another, I wanted to stand and applaud.
I was reminded that my Savior chose to humble Himself and enter this world as a tender, innocent baby in a stable in an insignificant little town ... knowing all along that His destination was a cross ... a cruel, inhuman death ... an unavoidable and unspeakable event ... because of no sin other than my own.
Forgiveness of sins is an incredible thing. Before Jesus, there was no forgiveness. Today, there is no forgiveness apart from Him.
Maybe it was that simple fact. Maybe it was the dual videos contrasting the baby in the manger and the Son of God on the cross. Maybe it was over 100 voices singing "Joy, Joy" at the top of their lungs. Maybe it was a revelation from His Holy Spirit. Maybe it was all of those things, but whatever it was, the good tidings of great joy took on a new significance to me.
The darkness was over. God was contacting His people. Reconciliation had begun, and there was no turning back. The world was about to experience the release of burdens and guilt of a magnitude that it could never have imagined, and this was an occasion for great joy ... a joy that continues to this very day.
Every day that is graced with forgiveness is a cause for celebration ... an invitation to rejoice. Joy can't be legislated ... censored ... or banned. No amount of bad news ... depressing statistics ... or threats of impending doom can overcome the joy of forgiveness. It dwells in a secret place in your heart ... an inner room filled with treasures ... accessible only to the One Who offers forgiveness ... for only He holds the key.
May you turn off your television. May you unplug your stereo. May you log off of the internet (yes, including this site). May you clear your busy schedule, and may you rekindle your friendship with the Author of forgiveness. May you laugh with Him and cry with Him. May your voice blend in unison with His, and may the two of you sing a song of joy like no one has ever sung before.
Joy to the world!
Joy to your homeland!
Joy to your neighborhood!
Joy to your family and friends!
Joy from Jesus straight to your forgiven soul!
Joy to the deepest reaches of your sincere, hopeful heart ... today ... and every day!
May you live in the joy of forgiveness.
As Christ increases in you, may your love for Him and those He has created multiply greatly. May that love overflow as a blessing to everyone you meet, and may it return to you swiftly and in abundance.
May many faithful, trustworthy friends walk the red carpet to your heart’s door, and may you find in them the rich gifts of compassionate spirits ... encouraging conversation ... and fervent prayers. May you see in them true reflections of the ever-creating, ever-increasing Christ.