The Lord is Come!

The Lord is Come!

That phrase in the majestic hymn we sing every Christmas is so rich with truth. Some wince at the seeming incorrect grammatical composition of this phrase. But I want you to be encouraged that it is correct. It is the use of the unaccusative intransitive verb form of to be. To put it simply it means not only the Lord has come, He is here! It is a statement that not only he has come but he is present. It also implies that He is here and that He has been sent here. We know that our Lord Jesus is sent by the Father.

Though we sing this at Christmas, ‘Joy to the World’ is actually a hymn written to proclaim His second coming.  What a proclamation of His coming to be with us physically forever. We know that Jesus is present with us in the Spirit. But one day He is coming to be ever present with us. He will establish His reign on the earth and we will rule with Him in His Kingdom. When we sing ‘Joy to the World’, we celebrate Jesus coming to bring us Salvation, but also know we are singing of the Joy we will have when Jesus comes to be ever present with us. It is a song of hope for redemption of the World! Take time to spread the Joy of Jesus this Christmas.  I pray that you will be filled with Joy during this Christmas celebration.  Know that you are loved and valued greatly!

Gratitude can change your life.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  Philippians 4:6

“Your attitude is the aroma of your heart” Coach Grant Taylor from the movie Facing the Giants spoke to the Eagles football team in regards to their defeated attitude. Negativity and complaining come from an ungrateful attitude. When we focus on our bad circumstances it results in griping and complaining. We have all found ourselves there. It is a constant battle for our minds. Like Peter stepping out on the Sea of Galilee to walk on the water toward Jesus. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he had firm footing. But when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the storm, Peter sank. Giving thanks puts our eyes on the Lord. Gratitude opens our hearts and lives to receive from God an overcoming attitude. Gratefulness can transform our circumstances from problems to possibilities. Transformation begins with renewing our minds in the Word of God (Romans 12:1-2) and choosing to give thanks to God in the midst of our circumstances. What is your problem? Give thanks to God for He promises to be with you in it. We can complain about many things in life but that takes us down a destructive path. But when we give thanks, life flows into us and through us. Choose an attitude transformation, give thanks.

Made Alive Together

Made Alive Together!

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7 (NKJV)   God….made us alive….together, raised us up….together, made us sit….together…in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

When I was a young teen I remember a dear old deacon known as Pancho Roberts. He was jovial and somewhat rotund, and would always see him in a vest, one for every occaision. The thing that I remember him most for was what he said.  Sometime at every fellowship, meeting, event or gathering, you could hear Pancho raise his voice and say, “Togetherness! One more time!”.

As I consider the apostle Paul’s exhortation, isolation and exclusion are not what we are about.  God is inclusive! He made us alive together! We need to not shy away from being together with God’s people! Let us make the most of working together for His Kingdom.  As a Baptist Association, let us strive to reach the lost in Clarke County….Together!  When you celebrate The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus on Easter Sunday, why not bring someone with you to church that normally doesn’t go anywhere. Worship our Lord Jesus, together!

Pastors! Please plan to bring your spouse to the “Jewish Seder Supper” on Monday March 14 at 6pm at Tompkins Baptist. This will be an incredible experience of seeing how Jewish traditions and teaching points to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let me remind you all that our Clarke County Baptist Association Executive Committee meeting is on March 22, at the Associational Office at 6pm. Please encourage your pastor and Associational Representative to attend.

“Togetherness! One More Time!”