In my role as pastor, I have the opportunity to write a monthly segment for our church newsletter. "One Servant's Heart," as it is called, came about much the same way as this blog: a desire to share with others my thoughts on God's Word, the situations in which we sometimes find ourselves, or topics that need addressed. I would like to share some of those writings with you. I won't include all of them, but I will include several which, I feel, might be helpful. I hope you enjoy these postings from our newsletter, and gain something from them. I will post them a couple at a time, just two or three a day, so as not to overload the reader.

CHRISTMAS 2003

Luke 2:10‑12
Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

Who among us doesn't smile when we recall the Christmases of our past. We would go to bed on Christmas Eve, barely able to lay still because of our excitement. Somewhere in the night, we could almost be certain that we heard the distant jingling of sleigh bells, and a faint "Ho, ho, ho!" Each minute seemed like a week as we counted down the minutes till Christmas morning.

We would finally drift off, then suddenly, our eyes would pop open wide, and we would know: Christmas is here! Maybe the sun was up, maybe it wasn't. Nevertheless, we awakened everyone in the house with shouts of glee: ATime to open presents! Sleepily, your parents would pull themselves out of bed, bumping into the walls, stubbing their toes on the corners of their bedroom furniture.

By the time your parents got to the tree, you had already spied out the presents, determining which ones belonged to you, and which ones you were going to open first. You knew that the big box had exactly what you'd asked for, or at least, you hoped it did. The smaller presents, from the aunts or grandmothers, you knew, contained the necessary (but far less fun) presents such as socks, gloves and sweaters.

Jubilantly you tore into the carefully chosen wrapping paper, never noticing your parents, standing back, watching you with a smile on their faces. As a child, you probably never gave much thought to how grown-ups handled Christmas, what they wanted, if they got much at all. But to a parent, the sparkle found in a child's eye on Christmas morning gives them more warmth than the dawning sun. For the parents, it was the giving that brought them the most joy.

That is really what this season is about. Our Father God gave the children of the world the greatest gift that could be given. It is a gift that everyone (whether they realize it or not) desires to have, and a gift they desperately need. As children, we would probably go after the shiniest wrapping paper first, leaving the plain wrapping till later. But the gift God gave to us was wrapped in plain swaddling cloths, probably in an out-of-the-way corner of the stable, surrounded by the cattle and their hay.

I imagine that the humble shepherds coming to see the child that night couldn't completely comprehend the value of this gift. Maybe they didn't realize just what this one small child would do not only for them, but for the entire world, for every person who would ever be born. But the birth of the Baby Jesus was about a promise fulfilled, and a promise made. The promise fulfilled was that the Messiah would indeed come to earth. The promise made was that the Messiah would never leave us nor forsake us, and would give His life as payment for our sin-indebted lives.

Throughout His life, and even through the present day, people have failed to see the value of this gift. Meanwhile, God has allowed us to experience His blessings of life and goodness, which we tear into like a gift on Christmas morning, giving little thought on what it cost someone to give to us. But God still stands, watching over us, wanting us to accept the free gift of salvation He gave through His Only Son. Those of us who have already accepted Him into our heart continue to receive God's blessings in every aspect of our life.

And God stands, smiling at us, watching us enjoy His goodness. It truly is wonderful to give.Merry Christmas. May God bless you this season, and may you always give Him all praise and glory.

FEBRUARY 2004

Romans 8:32
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Over the years, historians have given names to eras of time. We are familiar with the Dark Ages, the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution. Perhaps years from now, historians will look back at our time and call it the "Age of Want." Our culture seems geared toward wanting more and more, wanting bigger, wanting faster, wanting better than our neighbor. All we need do is venture down to our local mall, and we will find store after store of goodies, things that call out to us, making a small voice in our mind say, "Ooh. I want that!"

We have been cautioned for the last 150 years that this attitude is damaging to our spiritual lives. Nurturing such an attitude will certainly lead us to the path of destruction. No matter what the year, no matter what the denomination, there is some form of this warning given. Even in our modern times we can see it.

But today, right here, right now, in this February issue of our newsletter, I'm going to say it: WE NEED TO HAVE THIS ATTITUDE.

Well, Pastor Chris has lost what little mind he had, you may be saying to yourself. While that may be true, I ask you to hold your pity for just a few moments, as I explain what I mean when I say that we need to have this attitude of want.

The verse I have selected for this month is actually the explanation. As I've already stated, we are all told to be on our guard against wanting worldly things. As we watch ourselves in this area, we sometimes feel deprived, that we are lacking something that we really, really need. Well, there are certainly some things we as Christians should do without, when it concerns the world. But our problem is not in the physical, worldly area. It's in the spiritual realm.

We have somehow developed the idea that we must be spiritual paupers. You say, "I certainly don't feel that way." You may not think so, but deep down, you may have convinced yourself that you must merely exist with what God has given you up till now. That is not so.

Once you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are adopted into a great family, the family of God. We have read in Scripture that God owns it all, that heaven is filled with the abundance of His glory. We know that heaven is a place of unimaginable goodness, streets of gold, gates of pearl, walls of jasper. Being adopted into God's family makes us heirs to all of this.

Now, another modern example. Have you ever seen or heard of an heir or heiress to a fortune that didn't live like they already had the fortune as their own? Of course not. Being heirs to the fortune means they are already rich. If they see something they want, they get it. Plain and simple.

So, why not us? When it comes to the things of the Spirit, why do we live as if we are poor, that what we want spiritually is beyond what we can get? The answer is simple. We are not aware of what this verse means. It means that God has given to us the very best He could offer. He gave it all. If that is the case, as the verse asks, how shall He not give us all things freely? Again, I'm talking of spiritual things. God wants us to have the very best spiritual things that He has to offer. All we need do is say, "I want that," and ask our Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus, to provide it to us.

Want to be a prayer warrior, want to be a stronger witness, want to have the courage that is lacking in your life? Do you want to conquer fear? Do you simply want to be closer to God? Well, don't be afraid to ask. God gave His best, His all, for you. He will not deny you what you ask of Him. So, shop around in His Word, find what you want, what you need, and ask for it. It belongs to Him, and He will freely give it to you. Today is the day we can start living, truly living, in the richness of our Father in heaven. Now that's something I want!


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