Go Ahead! Pick Every Ornament from the Lord's Tree!

Our littlest granddaughter loves to pick ornaments from our tree. She will stand and look and fidget and talk and then plop one has been taken in her sweet little hands. Of course this gets a rash of no no’s and don’t do that’s! To which she responds in her baby talk “but I want that!” Sometimes we miss the picking and find an ornament in the kitchen floor or behind a chair later when she’s gone. Just like all children, she loves the shiny baubles and unusual delights hanging. We have lots of lights on our tree as well so all the ornaments shine.

While we like our trees to be merry and bright representations of Christmas in our hearts, we really like the tree to stay full of the things we put on its boughs. Imagine people coming into our homes and going to the tree to pick an ornament and take it with them. Why we’d have nothing left. Our tree would be bare. The things we cherish the most would be gone.

Jesus is the Light and Savior of the world. He came and filled the tree of our lives full of wonderful things. Priceless treasures we can’t hope to have in our own meager means. Each facet of His life holds wonder and awe. From the cross to the grave to heaven – He made the choice to give Himself away so that we could have it all. And now He daily presents those things to us as ornaments hang on the tree.

But the difference is, He says go ahead pick. Choose each ornament. Take it home with you. Live with it. Display it. Shine it. Wear it. But not just on your sweater, wear it in y our heart. Everything God has for us is an object of the heart, for our good and for His glory. It shines, oh how it shines – each and every gifted ornament that’s supposed to be worn by a believer.

What do we see on the tree of life that Jesus has decorated so beautifully? We see Salvation – choose it first, for unless you have that, the other ornaments won’t even budge from the limbs. Choose reconciliation. That’s one of the most beautiful ornaments of the Christian – for it reconciles us to God and it reconciles us with others. Sanctification is another lovely jewel – we must pick it for that’s our key to becoming heavenly minded. Then there are the other wonders of the life in Christ: love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and more. There is mercy and forgiveness and righteousness as well! There is purpose – and oh how we all long to live a life of purpose.

No child of God ever has to live in want of any of the beautiful things God has. Even when life around you seems sorrowful, weary or lackluster, the ornaments of the Christian life will warm your heart and keep your mind on Him no matter what.

Oh beloved, go ahead! Run and pick every ornament God has from His tree of life! It’s all yours for the taking. No holding back. No waiting in line. No wondering if you’ll be scolded. Everything is freely given and never runs out.   Open up God’s book of love and see what all He has waiting for you, just for the taking to the heart that belongs fully to Him. While sorrow, sadness and pain can be a huge part of the holiday season, Christ is the reason for Christmas and Christmas can be enjoyed fully with awe and wonder as we look to the One Who loves us unconditionally and watches over us with uninterrupted care.

Jesus desires that your arms and heart are full of His wonder and His joy as you live in the light of His Word.

Romans 6:23b …the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Peter 1:3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

1 Corinthians 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption…

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ

Wishing or Walking?

I saw two of the largest loads of hay I’ve ever seen while driving to work. Two semis full of huge round bales.

Reminds me of the old wives’ tale my mother used to subscribe to: “Make a wish on a load of hay.” The rule was to make a wish as you passed a load, but if you look back it wouldn’t come true.  If I still believed in that tale I would have been making some HUGE wishes when I saw those two loads of hay. I’d also be full of worry that I might catch a glimpse in the rear view mirror or be tempted to turn around and look back. Then all the wishes would be lost. Great opportunity turned to disaster all because of what I might or might not do.

God is not a load of hay! There’s no wishing and desperation involved with talking to God and letting Him respond to us.   He doesn’t give us one shot at Him to hurry and shoot out a quick request. He is God, the Only True God. He’s not an icon we bow to, an image we polish or a wish we hope for.

Wishing and luck may be fun to think about, but neither of them matter when it comes to a life of faith.  Luck has absolutely nothing to do with it and aren’t you glad? If life in Christ were simply a matter of luck then some would have good luck and others would have bad luck. If wishing were the only way to have blessings then which wishes are best? A penny in the well? Salt behind the back? Loads of hay?

We are not like that! For the one who has accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior we are walking in the divine favor of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! We have been born into blessings as a child of God.  We have the knowledge of the Lord and can increase in that knowledge all the days of our lives. We can live in the light of His Word so that we know how to live, how to be blessed and how to share that life others.

You may be living under a cloud of regret, remorse or misfortune. You may think you are unloved, uncared for, unappreciated and unlucky. The circumstances you’ve dealt with have been hard. God knows the entire situation from the beginning of your life to the present time right now.  His Spirit says to quit living under the cloud and begin to live in praise of the One Who has bought you, redeemed you, lifted you out of the miry clay and set your feet on the Rock! Instead of wishing, look to the Lord – for His Word is full of His promises along with the way to walk in those promises. Stop looking for loads of hay or lucky pennies and run to the Word of God and read – every Word is given, God breathed, into your life and the life of every believer for their good and God’s glory.

Oh beloved, you are not lucky you are blessed! You are not living under a cloud but in the light of the Lord’s presence. Run to His Word and let your heart be strengthened for faith so that whether the sun is shining or things look bad you can know that God loves you and He’s for you and that’s all that really matters.

John 4:24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.

Ephesians 1:3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.  For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” (NAS)

I John 5:3-5 For the [true] love of God is this: that we do His commands [keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and teaching]. And these orders of His are not irksome (burdensome, oppressive, or grievous). For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.  Who is it that is victorious over [that conquers] the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on that fact]? (Amplified)

All God's Promises Are True About You!

My mother went to the beauty shop just about every week when I was a teenager.  She enjoyed getting her hair washed and curled, set and fixed by the beautician. There were always magazines laying around that showed new hairdos and hair color. My mother had very little gray hair, even when she got older, so she never did have color put on.  Both she and my aunt went to the same lady.  It was comforting to know the routine and know the beautician well. She always did a good job for mother and my aunt. 

When you go to a beauty shop, you usually have some say so in how things will go.  The hairdresser needs to know the length you want, the kind of cut you want, maybe even the color or a perm. The overall outcome you’d like to have is important to her. But other than that, she does the thing she does because she’s knowledgeable about all that goes with hairstyles. You wouldn’t say for instance, hey don’t use those curlers, use this kind. You don’t walk around the store telling her what to do, you trust your hair to the one who knows what they’re doing.

You also don’t come into the shop and just sit there wishing you could get your hair done like everyone else is doing. You come to the beauty salon for a specific purpose, to take advantage of all the knowledge and expertise that’s there.  You want to look better, which usually makes you feel better. I know, you may have had a less than stellar experience once in your life, but really you go to the beauty shop to have something done for you that you can’t do on your own.

God’s Word is our beauty shop.  Inside the pages are contained everything we need to possess loveliness of heart and mind.   We can’t perform the needed changes on our own. We can’t fix our own messes, mend our own hearts or cleanse our own minds.  Without God’s touch, we are destined to go around trying to fix things ourselves, which always turns out to be worse than we could imagine.

But with God’s touch on our lives, we find true beauty, true peace and the rich and radiant blessings that are there for our taking. Unlike the beauty shop trip, which can cost a boatload of money, God never charges us for His work in our lives. He just performs His incredible makeover and we bask in what He does. As we leave the presence of His work, we radiate His truth for others to see.

We need to go to God’s shop at least once a day to get refreshed and renewed.   We need to stay close to the One Who has given us an extreme makeover. We need to stay within the reach of His loving care and incredible talent. No one else can make us over. No one else can hide our faults, fix our errant ways and create true beauty that will last forever. No one else can make us feel the way God does. Others may say you aren’t beautiful, you are a cast off, you are unworthy. But God always speaks love to you and His Word is your key to true beauty inside and out.

Oh beloved, take time to sit in the shop of God’s Word this morning, and let Him have time with you.  With His touch, you will feel more beautiful and see yourself as you really are – beloved, cared for, redeemed, made new, and set free. Redeemed to live in the light of His love.  Made new to bask in His presence forever. Set free to show forth the praises of your Savior.  He’s calling you ever so gently to come and sit a while as He pours His truth into your mind and heart.  What He says about you is true. You don’t have to wonder if things will turn out the way you want for He promises that just one touch from Him changes everything!  He loves you and He’s for you and that’s the only makeover you’ll ever need.

Psalm 40:5 O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list.  You have no equal.  If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.

I Peter 3:4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

Ephesians 1:3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

Psalm 92:4 For You have made me glad by what You have done, O Lord. I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.