I have a Christmas Cold. No, I’m not cold because it is cold outside, I have a cold. A terrible cold. My throat is sore and my nose is running. I imagine I am not very fun to be around right now. But I’ll get through it. Lots of hot tea, lots of juice, some chicken soup. I’ve had them all during the last few days. I’ll be fine by Christmas Day, but right now I don’t feel very joyous.
I usually am joyous at this time of year. Christmas is a time of joy for Christians. We celebrate the birth of Jesus our Saviour. We pause and remember His birth, His life and His sacrificial death on the cross to make atonement for our sins. The actual word for what Jesus did for us is “propitiation” but that doesn’t seem to show up in many modern translations of the Bible. But it is a great word. Look it up in a dictionary and see for yourself.
Our family celebrates Christmas. The real Christmas, the birth of Jesus. We buy presents for each other, we put up a Christmas tree, we have family dinners, we go to Christmas parties, but we make sure the true meaning of Christmas doesn’t get lost in all the activity. It’s Jesus’ birthday.
Merry Christmas. Let Jesus be the star who shines in your life.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
I Like It Rainy
We all have our personal likes and dislikes. That goes for food or hobbies or weather. During the winter, the ski season, I like nothing better than to have wonderful, cold, wet, rainy weather here where we live. I love nice, cold rain because I know that means lots of wonderful snow an hour and a half away where we ski. My friends want nice, sunny winter weather but I want cold rain. Don’t get me wrong. I love the sun, but I want nice deep powder snow for skiing which means I need cool rainy weather where we live.
Life is full of choices, options, decisions. We often have to choose between having one thing or another. We have only so much money so we can’t have everything we want. We have to prioritize our desires. Some of my friends want to eat out at restaurants a lot. That’s fine, but it means they won’t have money to spend on other things. Some like to buy lots of music. Again, that’s fine, as long as they realize there are other things they won’t be able to do because their money is taken by music. We have friends who save now so they can buy something big latter. Other friends spend very little, choosing instead to save everything for their retirement. Some people tell me they won’t consider Jesus, won’t consider asking Him to be their Saviour, because it will change the way they live and they’re happy as they are. These friends are making a decision for the present which will drastically affect their future, their eternal future, but they are free to make that decision.
Life is full of decisions, but some decisions have eternal consequences. We need to make our life decisions carefully. They need to be good decisions for both now and eternity.
Life is full of choices, options, decisions. We often have to choose between having one thing or another. We have only so much money so we can’t have everything we want. We have to prioritize our desires. Some of my friends want to eat out at restaurants a lot. That’s fine, but it means they won’t have money to spend on other things. Some like to buy lots of music. Again, that’s fine, as long as they realize there are other things they won’t be able to do because their money is taken by music. We have friends who save now so they can buy something big latter. Other friends spend very little, choosing instead to save everything for their retirement. Some people tell me they won’t consider Jesus, won’t consider asking Him to be their Saviour, because it will change the way they live and they’re happy as they are. These friends are making a decision for the present which will drastically affect their future, their eternal future, but they are free to make that decision.
Life is full of decisions, but some decisions have eternal consequences. We need to make our life decisions carefully. They need to be good decisions for both now and eternity.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Taking Care of the Earth
I believe that Sovereign God created the earth and all that lives on it. He made it all and all of it is His. We who live on the earth therefore have a special responsibility to care for what God has created. We must treat the earth carefully, we must look after it, we must be caretakers of this planet. Unfortunately the earth isn’t being cared for very well and often some of those who seem to be most against careful environmental practices are Christians, the people who follow God, follow the Bible and seek to obey all that is written in it’s pages.
So what are we supposed to do? Do we need to become militant environmentalists? Do we need to protest against global warming? What should I do? I think the very least I should be doing as a Christian is to make sure that I don’t pollute the earth. I need to be as good an environmental steward as I can, even if it costs a bit more to live that way. If all of humanity truly cared for the earth we would not be talking about global warming. It wouldn’t be an issue because we would be living in such a way as to minimize our effect upon the earth.
I believe the Bible. I believe God made the earth and since it is His creation I need to care for it. I need to glorify God by my life and one way I do that is to honour Him and His creation. One way I honour God is by not polluting or harming what He has made.
So what are we supposed to do? Do we need to become militant environmentalists? Do we need to protest against global warming? What should I do? I think the very least I should be doing as a Christian is to make sure that I don’t pollute the earth. I need to be as good an environmental steward as I can, even if it costs a bit more to live that way. If all of humanity truly cared for the earth we would not be talking about global warming. It wouldn’t be an issue because we would be living in such a way as to minimize our effect upon the earth.
I believe the Bible. I believe God made the earth and since it is His creation I need to care for it. I need to glorify God by my life and one way I do that is to honour Him and His creation. One way I honour God is by not polluting or harming what He has made.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Life Gets Busy!
Life gets busy! Between work and play, family and friends, there are not many spare minutes left in a day. But no complaints. I would much rather be busy and happy than bored with nothing to do. We all dream of a leisurely life with nothing to do, but most people really don’t thrive doing nothing. Somehow, we are designed to be busy.
Designed to be busy? What about retirement, rest and relaxation? I find it interesting that most people can lie on a beach for a while, or read books for a couple of weeks, but soon tire of it and want to do more. They want to be busier. Most of my retired friends are either serving as volunteers or are back in the job market working part time. My friends are not working because they need the money, but because they need something to fill a few of their spare hours. We are designed to be busy.
Yes, I know I have used the word “designed” a couple of times. I believe God designed us and one of the things He put in the design was the need to keep ourselves occupied. That may be a full time job, or it may be a hobby like painting or sewing or carpentry or cooking, but we need to do something. We seem to need to keep our minds occupied. Most of the healthiest older people I know have found a good balance between “doing” and relaxing. Their days pass quickly because they are serving or in some other way involved with people. Some of the unhappiest people I know are those who are house bound, ill, or for some reason can’t leave their homes. So if you are busy, be thankful. It keeps you occupied and it probably keeps you happier than you would be if you had nothing to do.
Designed to be busy? What about retirement, rest and relaxation? I find it interesting that most people can lie on a beach for a while, or read books for a couple of weeks, but soon tire of it and want to do more. They want to be busier. Most of my retired friends are either serving as volunteers or are back in the job market working part time. My friends are not working because they need the money, but because they need something to fill a few of their spare hours. We are designed to be busy.
Yes, I know I have used the word “designed” a couple of times. I believe God designed us and one of the things He put in the design was the need to keep ourselves occupied. That may be a full time job, or it may be a hobby like painting or sewing or carpentry or cooking, but we need to do something. We seem to need to keep our minds occupied. Most of the healthiest older people I know have found a good balance between “doing” and relaxing. Their days pass quickly because they are serving or in some other way involved with people. Some of the unhappiest people I know are those who are house bound, ill, or for some reason can’t leave their homes. So if you are busy, be thankful. It keeps you occupied and it probably keeps you happier than you would be if you had nothing to do.
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