“For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.”
Psalm 149:4 ESV
The first Christmas tree I can remember was a silver foil tree with round blue ornaments made of glass. The tree didn’t have lights on it. Instead, a projection lamp sat on the floor in front of it. It had a rotating cover with pie shaped slices of color. The entire tree (and room) would turn blue, then green, then red, and so on. Thankfully, those trees went out of style with the end of the 1960’s. This gaudy and outlandish Christmas tree was followed by many variations throughout the years. There were fresh cut cedar trees from the old home place, fir trees from Colorado purchased from the sale lot, and the plastic artificial tree from the December 26 clearance sale.
Yes, I can remember those Christmas trees of long ago. Even the one topped with the Santa Claus surrounded by lights blinking in sequence—probably more fitting for Las Vegas than College Station! The Christmas adornments which brought such light and beauty to my childhood home are probably buried in a landfill. However, there is an adornment that God can give to you which will bring light and beauty to your life forever. God “adorns the humble with salvation.”
It is coming to faith in Christ during the Christmas season of 1973 that is my favorite Christmas memory. May Christ be the center of your Christmas. Enjoy the family traditions, gifts, and, yes, even those trees. Just be sure to enjoy the Savior most! Merry Christmas!
I love each of you!
Pastor Larry
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
God’s Will (Ruth 2:17-23)
As a Christian, there is probably nothing any more important in the Christian life than understanding the will of God and undertaking the will of God. Finding the will of God and following the will of God is an essential, expedient, and exciting part of being saved.
Someone has said, "Out of the will of God there is no such thing as success; in the will of God there cannot be failure." A major key to being blessed of God is being in the will of God.
David Livingstone once said, "I had rather be in the heart of Africa in the will of God than on the throne of England out of the will of God."
A believer that refuses the will of God is rejected for the work of God. If I want to experience God's work in my life, I must do God's will for my life. In the story of Ruth and the passage before us, there are some lessons that we can glean concerning the will of God. As we have seen in this chapter, Ruth is learning and growing in her Christian experience. In the process, she is confronted about being obedient to Boaz and the blessings of doing so.
[Ruth 2:17-23]
17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.
18 She took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took it out and gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied.
19 Her mother-in-law then said to her, “Where did you glean today and where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.”
20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead.” Again Naomi said to her, “The man is our relative, he is one of our closest relatives.”
21 Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “Furthermore, he said to me, ‘You should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.’ ”
22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maids, so that others do not fall upon you in another field.”
23 So she stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
1. THE UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S WILL
Notice Ruth 2:21, Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “Furthermore, he said to me, ‘You should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” Also we read in Ruth 2:8, "Then Boaz said to Ruth, 'Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids.'”
Ruth declared unto Naomi, "He said to me."
Boaz had made his desires for Ruth known. He had spoken his will and he had shown his will. He had said in effect, "This is what I want you to do. Stay in my field."
Paul said in Ephesians 5:17, So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
God has a will for your life. It stands to reason that He wants you to know His will. If He wants you to know His will, then He will show you His will.
I believe there are two major reasons why people do not know the will of God.
The first reason is because of the failure to do what is already known to be the will of God. We know that we are to be faithful to Church. We know that we are to tithe of our income. We know that we need to pray and read our Bibles. Yet, we are often disobedient in these matters. I think of what Jesus said in John 7:16-17, “So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.”
The key to knowing what you don't know is doing what you know to be the will of God. If you will not do what has already been revealed, you will not do what will be revealed in the future.
The second reason people don't understand the will of God is that they want to check it out first and then decide if that is what they want to do. We want to make sure it fits our plans and preferences. Someone wrote an imaginary letter from Paul in response to the call from Macedonia:
"DEAR SIR AND BROTHER:
Doubtless you will recall the invitation you extended to me to come over into Macedonia and help the people of that section. You will pardon me for saying that I am somewhat surprised that you should expect a man of my standing in the church seriously to consider a call on such meager information. There are a number of things I should like to learn before giving my decision, and would appreciate you dropping me a line, addressing me at Troas.
First of all, I should like to know if Macedonia is a circuit or a station. There is another item that was overlooked in your brief and somewhat sudden invitation. No mention was made of the salary I was to receive. I have been through a long and expensive course of training; in fact, I may state, with reasonable pride, that I am a Sanhedrin man, the only one in the ministry today. Kindly get the good Macedonian brethren together and see what you can do in the way of support.
You have told me nothing about Macedonia beyond the implication that the place needs help. What are the social advantages? Is the church well organized? I recently had a fine offer to return to Damascus at an increase of salary, and am told that I made a very favorable impression on the church at Jerusalem.
For recommendations, write to the Rev. Simon Peter, D.D., at Jerusalem. I will say that I am a first-class mixer and especially strong on argumentative preaching. If I accept the call, I must stipulate for two months' vacation and the privilege of taking an occasional lecture tour. My lecture on "Over the Wall in a Basket" is worth two drachma of any man’s money.
Sincerely yours,
PAUL"
That is only an imaginary letter in Paul's case, but it is not so imaginary in many cases. We want to approve the will of God before we answer the will of God. Doing the will of God is like taking a blank sheet of paper and signing your name at the bottom, then letting God fill in the page with whatever He so desires.
Boaz made known to Ruth what He wanted her to do. God will make known to you what He wants, if you will yield yourself to do whatever He may ask.
2. THE UNDERTAKING OF GOD’S WILL
Notice in Ruth 2:23, “So she stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.”
We see Ruth understanding and undertaking what Boaz wanted. He said and she submitted. There is comprehension and compliance. There were the orders of Boaz and the obedience of Ruth.
The Will of God is not some theological course to ponder, but a personal call to pursue. Paul said in Ephesians 6:6, “Not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.”
Now you may be someone who feels that you cannot do much for God and that you are limited.
I think about a story I read about a psychologist, an engineer, and a theologian that were on a hunting trip in Canada. The weather began to get bad so they started looking for shelter. They came upon a small, isolated cabin. They knocked on the door, but no one was at home. The door was unlocked, so they walked on in.
As they stepped inside, they saw something strange. There was a large, pot-bellied, cast iron stove suspended in midair by wires attached to the ceiling beams. They were all puzzled as to why the stove was elevated from the floor?
The psychologist concluded: "It is obvious that this lonely trapper, isolated from humanity, has elevated his stove so that he can curl up under it and vicariously experience a return to his mother’s womb.”
The engineer theorized: "This man is practicing laws of thermodynamics. By elevating his stove, he has discovered a way to distribute heat more evenly throughout his cabin."
The theologian speculated: "I'm sure that hanging his stove from the ceiling has religious meaning. Fire lifted up has been a religious symbol for centuries.”
While they were debating the matter, the trapper returned. They immediately asked him why he had hung his pot-bellied stove by wires from the ceiling. He said, "I had plenty of wire, but not much stovepipe."
I’ve had many believers say to me that they can’t do much in the service of Christ because they are limited either physically or financially. My question to those is always, “Are you doing what you know you can do?”
You may come short in some areas; but God has a purpose, plan, and place for your life. Our place is not to question the what, why, or even the when. Our place is to obey and say yes! God wants us to understand His will and undertake His will.
Notice Ruth 2:22, Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maids, so that others do not fall upon you in another field.” What Boaz had asked of Ruth was not a burden, but a blessing. What he had commanded was not something that discouraged, but delighted both Ruth and Naomi. The will of God is more than a job, it is a joy.
I think of what Paul said in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
3. THE UNIQUENESS OF GOD’S WILL
Ruth would have missed the unique blessing that God was orchestrating if she would have failed to follow Boaz’ instructions. Boaz not only wanted Ruth in his field, but also wanted her to stay in his field. Notice Ruth 2:21, “Furthermore, he said to me, ‘You should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” Also we read in Ruth 2:23, "So she stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. She was told to stay in the field until the end of the harvest. We read that she obeyed and stayed in the field as directed.
She stayed in the field day by day until the harvest was in and completed. We are to know the will of God, obey the will of God, and do the will of God until our work or His work is done.
There is no such thing as a retired Christian. There are Christians who may have changed jobs, but they are not retired!
During the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, the engineer that was over the construction was injured. For many months he was confined to a bed and a room as an invalid. Each day his wife would carry his orders and the plans to the workmen. Finally the great bridge was completed. The invalid architect asked to be taken to see the finished bridge. He was placed on a cot and carried to a place where he could see the great structure.
He scanned the work intently. His critical eye ran over the great cables, the massive piers, the mighty girders. He noted every detail carried out precisely as he had dreamed it in his dreams and wrought it out in his plans and specifications. And then with a joy of achievement filling his soul as he saw and realized that it was finished exactly as he had designed it, he cried out: "It's just like the plan; its just like the plan."
I want to do His will and stay in His field until He calls me home or comes after me. I want to be able to look upon His face and hear Him say: "It's just like the plan!"
Jesus said in Matthew 11:30, “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” The word “easy” doesn’t mean painless or without hard work. It means “to fit well.”
God has a will uniquely designed for your life. I challenge you to learn God’s will through surrendering your will to His will.
Someone has said, "Out of the will of God there is no such thing as success; in the will of God there cannot be failure." A major key to being blessed of God is being in the will of God.
David Livingstone once said, "I had rather be in the heart of Africa in the will of God than on the throne of England out of the will of God."
A believer that refuses the will of God is rejected for the work of God. If I want to experience God's work in my life, I must do God's will for my life. In the story of Ruth and the passage before us, there are some lessons that we can glean concerning the will of God. As we have seen in this chapter, Ruth is learning and growing in her Christian experience. In the process, she is confronted about being obedient to Boaz and the blessings of doing so.
[Ruth 2:17-23]
17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.
18 She took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took it out and gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied.
19 Her mother-in-law then said to her, “Where did you glean today and where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.”
20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead.” Again Naomi said to her, “The man is our relative, he is one of our closest relatives.”
21 Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “Furthermore, he said to me, ‘You should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.’ ”
22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maids, so that others do not fall upon you in another field.”
23 So she stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
1. THE UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S WILL
Notice Ruth 2:21, Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “Furthermore, he said to me, ‘You should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” Also we read in Ruth 2:8, "Then Boaz said to Ruth, 'Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids.'”
Ruth declared unto Naomi, "He said to me."
Boaz had made his desires for Ruth known. He had spoken his will and he had shown his will. He had said in effect, "This is what I want you to do. Stay in my field."
Paul said in Ephesians 5:17, So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
God has a will for your life. It stands to reason that He wants you to know His will. If He wants you to know His will, then He will show you His will.
I believe there are two major reasons why people do not know the will of God.
The first reason is because of the failure to do what is already known to be the will of God. We know that we are to be faithful to Church. We know that we are to tithe of our income. We know that we need to pray and read our Bibles. Yet, we are often disobedient in these matters. I think of what Jesus said in John 7:16-17, “So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.”
The key to knowing what you don't know is doing what you know to be the will of God. If you will not do what has already been revealed, you will not do what will be revealed in the future.
The second reason people don't understand the will of God is that they want to check it out first and then decide if that is what they want to do. We want to make sure it fits our plans and preferences. Someone wrote an imaginary letter from Paul in response to the call from Macedonia:
"DEAR SIR AND BROTHER:
Doubtless you will recall the invitation you extended to me to come over into Macedonia and help the people of that section. You will pardon me for saying that I am somewhat surprised that you should expect a man of my standing in the church seriously to consider a call on such meager information. There are a number of things I should like to learn before giving my decision, and would appreciate you dropping me a line, addressing me at Troas.
First of all, I should like to know if Macedonia is a circuit or a station. There is another item that was overlooked in your brief and somewhat sudden invitation. No mention was made of the salary I was to receive. I have been through a long and expensive course of training; in fact, I may state, with reasonable pride, that I am a Sanhedrin man, the only one in the ministry today. Kindly get the good Macedonian brethren together and see what you can do in the way of support.
You have told me nothing about Macedonia beyond the implication that the place needs help. What are the social advantages? Is the church well organized? I recently had a fine offer to return to Damascus at an increase of salary, and am told that I made a very favorable impression on the church at Jerusalem.
For recommendations, write to the Rev. Simon Peter, D.D., at Jerusalem. I will say that I am a first-class mixer and especially strong on argumentative preaching. If I accept the call, I must stipulate for two months' vacation and the privilege of taking an occasional lecture tour. My lecture on "Over the Wall in a Basket" is worth two drachma of any man’s money.
Sincerely yours,
PAUL"
That is only an imaginary letter in Paul's case, but it is not so imaginary in many cases. We want to approve the will of God before we answer the will of God. Doing the will of God is like taking a blank sheet of paper and signing your name at the bottom, then letting God fill in the page with whatever He so desires.
Boaz made known to Ruth what He wanted her to do. God will make known to you what He wants, if you will yield yourself to do whatever He may ask.
2. THE UNDERTAKING OF GOD’S WILL
Notice in Ruth 2:23, “So she stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.”
We see Ruth understanding and undertaking what Boaz wanted. He said and she submitted. There is comprehension and compliance. There were the orders of Boaz and the obedience of Ruth.
The Will of God is not some theological course to ponder, but a personal call to pursue. Paul said in Ephesians 6:6, “Not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.”
Now you may be someone who feels that you cannot do much for God and that you are limited.
I think about a story I read about a psychologist, an engineer, and a theologian that were on a hunting trip in Canada. The weather began to get bad so they started looking for shelter. They came upon a small, isolated cabin. They knocked on the door, but no one was at home. The door was unlocked, so they walked on in.
As they stepped inside, they saw something strange. There was a large, pot-bellied, cast iron stove suspended in midair by wires attached to the ceiling beams. They were all puzzled as to why the stove was elevated from the floor?
The psychologist concluded: "It is obvious that this lonely trapper, isolated from humanity, has elevated his stove so that he can curl up under it and vicariously experience a return to his mother’s womb.”
The engineer theorized: "This man is practicing laws of thermodynamics. By elevating his stove, he has discovered a way to distribute heat more evenly throughout his cabin."
The theologian speculated: "I'm sure that hanging his stove from the ceiling has religious meaning. Fire lifted up has been a religious symbol for centuries.”
While they were debating the matter, the trapper returned. They immediately asked him why he had hung his pot-bellied stove by wires from the ceiling. He said, "I had plenty of wire, but not much stovepipe."
I’ve had many believers say to me that they can’t do much in the service of Christ because they are limited either physically or financially. My question to those is always, “Are you doing what you know you can do?”
You may come short in some areas; but God has a purpose, plan, and place for your life. Our place is not to question the what, why, or even the when. Our place is to obey and say yes! God wants us to understand His will and undertake His will.
Notice Ruth 2:22, Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maids, so that others do not fall upon you in another field.” What Boaz had asked of Ruth was not a burden, but a blessing. What he had commanded was not something that discouraged, but delighted both Ruth and Naomi. The will of God is more than a job, it is a joy.
I think of what Paul said in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
3. THE UNIQUENESS OF GOD’S WILL
Ruth would have missed the unique blessing that God was orchestrating if she would have failed to follow Boaz’ instructions. Boaz not only wanted Ruth in his field, but also wanted her to stay in his field. Notice Ruth 2:21, “Furthermore, he said to me, ‘You should stay close to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” Also we read in Ruth 2:23, "So she stayed close by the maids of Boaz in order to glean until the end of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. She was told to stay in the field until the end of the harvest. We read that she obeyed and stayed in the field as directed.
She stayed in the field day by day until the harvest was in and completed. We are to know the will of God, obey the will of God, and do the will of God until our work or His work is done.
There is no such thing as a retired Christian. There are Christians who may have changed jobs, but they are not retired!
During the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, the engineer that was over the construction was injured. For many months he was confined to a bed and a room as an invalid. Each day his wife would carry his orders and the plans to the workmen. Finally the great bridge was completed. The invalid architect asked to be taken to see the finished bridge. He was placed on a cot and carried to a place where he could see the great structure.
He scanned the work intently. His critical eye ran over the great cables, the massive piers, the mighty girders. He noted every detail carried out precisely as he had dreamed it in his dreams and wrought it out in his plans and specifications. And then with a joy of achievement filling his soul as he saw and realized that it was finished exactly as he had designed it, he cried out: "It's just like the plan; its just like the plan."
I want to do His will and stay in His field until He calls me home or comes after me. I want to be able to look upon His face and hear Him say: "It's just like the plan!"
Jesus said in Matthew 11:30, “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” The word “easy” doesn’t mean painless or without hard work. It means “to fit well.”
God has a will uniquely designed for your life. I challenge you to learn God’s will through surrendering your will to His will.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Experience Christmas As a Child Again
“Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” --Luke 2:10-12 NASB95
“Dad…would you stop acting like a little kid!” Those words or similar are repeated by my two boys every Christmas. ‘Tis the season to cherish the childish. I get so carried away that Dallas and Daniel just roll their eyes with a “there goes Dad again” look on their faces. Christmas is the time that Anissa and I see eye-to-eye on most things: warm holiday cookies, warmer hot chocolate, cold weather, Santa, and brilliant light displays. Most of all, we like the idea of having a birthday party for Jesus. I love the Christmas season so much that I listen to Christmas albums in July and like to sneak a Christmas carol into a worship service during the summer. I had a great Sunday afternoon putting festive lights in the yard and on the house. Later, Anissa and I stood at the darkened street admiring their simple beauty. As I stood holding her hand, I thanked God for the simple joy understood by a little child.
Some other Christmas trappings that never seem to weary me are certain stories and movies. One of my favorite books of all time is Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. There is one scene that has always fascinated me. The Ghost of Christmas Past has just paid a very discomforting visit to Ebenezer Scrooge. Clearly the old miser is shaken by the entire ordeal. But when he awakens from his sleep, does he take the message to heart? No, he simply dismisses it by saying: “Bah, humbug! It wasn't real.” He says to himself, “Just a bit of last night’s undigested beef. There is more gravy about you than the grave." Not portrayed in the stage plays and most movies, at the end of Dickens’ story, Ebenezer goes to church and sings the praise of the Christ child with the joy and wonder of a child. The Christ has changed Scrooge, not some vague “Christmas spirit.” Could it be that we don’t have the joyful spirit of Christmas because we are too caught up in the things of this world? So in love with this world, that embracing the joy of Jesus unnerves us? A vision to be taken to heart, or simple indigestion?
Listen to the angel’s tidings to the shepherds with the simplicity of a little child. See the Christ-child with the eyes of a four-year-old. May your heart be so filled with the joy of Christ this Christmas season that you feel like a kid again!
Love,
Pastor Larry
“Dad…would you stop acting like a little kid!” Those words or similar are repeated by my two boys every Christmas. ‘Tis the season to cherish the childish. I get so carried away that Dallas and Daniel just roll their eyes with a “there goes Dad again” look on their faces. Christmas is the time that Anissa and I see eye-to-eye on most things: warm holiday cookies, warmer hot chocolate, cold weather, Santa, and brilliant light displays. Most of all, we like the idea of having a birthday party for Jesus. I love the Christmas season so much that I listen to Christmas albums in July and like to sneak a Christmas carol into a worship service during the summer. I had a great Sunday afternoon putting festive lights in the yard and on the house. Later, Anissa and I stood at the darkened street admiring their simple beauty. As I stood holding her hand, I thanked God for the simple joy understood by a little child.
Some other Christmas trappings that never seem to weary me are certain stories and movies. One of my favorite books of all time is Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. There is one scene that has always fascinated me. The Ghost of Christmas Past has just paid a very discomforting visit to Ebenezer Scrooge. Clearly the old miser is shaken by the entire ordeal. But when he awakens from his sleep, does he take the message to heart? No, he simply dismisses it by saying: “Bah, humbug! It wasn't real.” He says to himself, “Just a bit of last night’s undigested beef. There is more gravy about you than the grave." Not portrayed in the stage plays and most movies, at the end of Dickens’ story, Ebenezer goes to church and sings the praise of the Christ child with the joy and wonder of a child. The Christ has changed Scrooge, not some vague “Christmas spirit.” Could it be that we don’t have the joyful spirit of Christmas because we are too caught up in the things of this world? So in love with this world, that embracing the joy of Jesus unnerves us? A vision to be taken to heart, or simple indigestion?
Listen to the angel’s tidings to the shepherds with the simplicity of a little child. See the Christ-child with the eyes of a four-year-old. May your heart be so filled with the joy of Christ this Christmas season that you feel like a kid again!
Love,
Pastor Larry
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