Mentoring Minutes

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.  2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Love and Lordship in Focus…If your focus is on this world you can be assured that any hope, peace, joy and love is temporary just like this temporal world.  If your focus is on Christ and His Kingdom you can know and be fulfilled in His Hope, Peace, Joy and Love that is Eternal just like His Kingdom!

Happy New Year – Hope, Peace, Joy and Love to You in Christ!

If you want to know the hope, peace, joy and love of Christ today, into the New Year and throughout your life, begin by asking and answering this question, “What’s your focus?”  In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Paul states by The Holy Spirit, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  Is your focus Temporal of Eternal? 

As we wrap up CHRISTmas and 2022, the craziest of years in our lifetime (at least for most of us), what are you looking forward to…or what are you fearing as you look to the New Year? If your focus is on the things of this world (temporal) you will likely be caught up in more worry, anxiety and uncertainty that will drag you down.

However if your thoughts, no matter the circumstances, run toward God, His Word and Kingdom (Eternal) then you can be assured that He will provide, prune, prepare and protect you for His Kingdom (Eternal) fruit and purpose!

Oswald Chambers says, “We think that we must reach some predetermined goal (temporal), but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty (eternal). (Parentheses mine and added)

He goes on to say that the eternal life, the life hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3), is a gracious uncertainty!  Uncertain because of the temporal nature of this life but gracious and even glorious as you walk with Christ into what He has prepared for you to live out for His Glory (Eternal) even as you do so in this life (temporal).  Which are you focused on?

Are you focusing on this world…or are you living in this world with a gracious uncertainty by faith, focused on His Word, His Will and His Kingdom? You can have the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love that Christ brought to us at CHRISTmas this day and year, into 2023, and beyond into Eternity as you live with your focus on the Eternal today!

Remember there is only One HOPE that will endure beyond 2022, beyond 2023…forever (Romans 15:13)!  That HOPE is found in Christ alone!

That Hope is found in His Unfailing Mercies and Amazing Grace…

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’” Lamentations 3:22–24

In the Jewish culture that the Bible was written in (which we should pay close attention to in order to truly understand context and meanings even for today) the end of one year and preparation for the next was focused strongly on repentance. We would do well to spend time reflecting not only on the blessings and trials of the past year and looking forward to better things in The Lord for the coming year…we should take the time to look introspectively to where we are personally in our walk with Him.

As we humbly repent we can be assured that His mercies are new every single day…we do not receive what we deserve because Christ came, lived and died to receive the punishment that should have been ours. Praise and thanks to The Lord for His unfailing mercies toward us!

Christ promises Hope (Romans 15:13) found only in Him; Peace unlike the world gives and one that I can’t fully understand so must accept by faith (John 14:27; 16:33; Philippians 4:6-7); a Joy in any and every circumstance that is complete in Him and allows, and even compels, me to find it (Joy that is) in the most difficult of trials and circumstances…including 2022 (1 John 1:4; James 1:2-4) and finally; Love that is based on covenant and commitment and not on fleeting feelings and emotions…His Love is forever Faithful (John 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 13:8a; 1 John 4:7-21)!  It’s not the Love of the world and you and I can count on it always. 

Notice the contrast of His hope, peace, joy and love (Eternal) to that of the world’s fleeting and circumstance and emotionally-based desires rooted in the selfish flesh (temporal).  Which are you focusing on as you wrap up 2022 and look forward to the New Year?

Faith is the key to living in His Love & Lordship that will bring and mature these incredible traits and assurances into your life regardless of what you, or we, have face, are facing or will face in the future!

An upside down world will not win! Election fraud and mainstream media cover-ups will not win! Diseases will not win! Social anarchy and chaos will not win!

Christ has already won and promises that victory to all who believe in Him as Savior and Lord (Romans 8:26-39)! 

Make it a great Advent/CHRISTmas season with family and loved ones in Christ!

Food for Thought…His mercies are new every morning and are never ending (Lamentations 3:22-24) and His grace is all-sufficient to save us and meet all our needs in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 4:19)!  He alone is where we can find Hope, Peace, Joy and Love that endures for all time and eternity!

Love in Action –

1. Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily
2. Seek Him and ask Him to help you know Him
3. Ask Him to show you how much He loves you
4. Pursue a loving relationship with Him… Christ died to give it to you
5. Choose the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love found only in Him not the false pretenders found in the circumstances or struggles of the world or in our fickle feelings.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, Thank you, that Your mercies never fail, Your grace is amazing and Your love never ends.  As I focus on Your Word and Kingdom, I can know hope, peace, joy and love that blesses and sustains me through every trial and struggle that I face.  I have this as my life is hid with Christ in You, focusing on that which is Eternal rather than that which is temporary.  In His Precious Name I pray.  Amen.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God…And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.(John 1:1-2, 14)

Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men.              Philippians 2:5-7

Love and Lordship in Focus…How easy it is to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season and the familiar CHRISTmas story of angels, shepherds, Mary and Joseph, a Baby,  a manger and a stinky animal stall…and forget that the helpless Baby was God giving up His divine glory to become flesh – scrapes, bruises, temptations, scars and all.  This CHRISTmas let’s remember that Jesus became us so that we could be with Him for Eternity!

THE Blessing of Christmas (Matthew 1:21-23)

In CHRISTmas Memories we recognized both the ups and downs that CHRISTmas can bring.  In CHRISTmas Stories we shared a unique perspective from the “least” of the CHRISTmas players, the Bethlehem shepherds, and the role they played as well as lessons we can learn from them. 

In this post, I want to turn our focus directly to the choice that Jesus made which makes CHRISTmas a reality and in doing so gave us the model for our lives and relationships…that of humility and sacrificial love.

Before we unpack The CHRISTmas Blessing I thought it would be worthwhile to point out some things that you may or may not have previously contemplated with regard to the gifts of the Magi (Wise Men) and Herod’s killing of the boys under two years old in Bethlehem found in Matthew 2… 

At about one to two years of age Jesus is visited by Magi or Wise Men (we assume there were three because three gifts are mentioned but The Bible does not indicate how many).  They are overwhelmed and worship Him, presenting Him with the familiar gifts that some scholars say signify His roles as King (Gold), Priest (Frankincense) and The Sacrificial Lamb (Myrrh)…certainly something to think about.  This is beautifully portrayed in the movie, The Nativity, albeit the Wise Men arrive while he’s still an infant in the cave, which is highly unlikely.

What God does next is incredible in protecting His Word that is now become flesh…The Magi are warned in a dream not to return to Jerusalem and Herod (God’s providential protection of this Baby)…Joseph is warned in a dream to go to Egypt and then to return with Mary and Joseph to Nazareth after Herod’s death.  Isn’t it amazing how God orchestrates things clearly and plainly and/or totally behind the scenes to fulfill His prophecies?  God has always protected His Word just as He did His Word in the Flesh!

The reality of CHRISTmas is this…nothing else matters if this didn’t happen!  John 1:1…In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:14…The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

The “Other” CHRISTmas Story

This is what I call the “The Rest of the CHRISTmas story” in Scripture… Immanuel – God With Us found in John 1 and Philippians 2:3-8.  Follow along with me…

⁵ Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

What does CHRISTmas…for God to take on human flesh in Christ really mean?  What is the lesson for us as His followers?  Philippians 2:3-8 describes Jesus love and humility and calls us to have the same attitude which parallels the life that He calls us to as His disciples in Luke 14:25-35.

Jesus Example for us (Philippians 2:3-8) Jesus Calling of us (Luke 14:25-33)

– Humble Attitude (vv. 3-5) – Christ before all (v. 26)
– Emptied Himself   (v. 6) – Die to self (vv. 26)
– Experienced all of humanity (v. 7) – Count the Cost (vv. 27-32)
– Gave His all for us (v. 8) – Give up all for Him (v. 33)

Casting Crowns in their CHRISTmas song, God is With Us, say it this way, “You’re the Savior we’ve been praying for, In our humble hearts You will dwell, You are in us, You are for us, You are with us… Immanuel.”

Immanuel – God. With. Us. From the humble stable in Bethlehem to the humble hearts of mankind!  Each heart must have a Bethlehem experience and find room for Him. Have you received Him into your heart and life?

We must remember the beautiful story of CHRISTmas with all the incredible characters, events and scenes.  However, we must be careful to remember the real purpose of that first CHRISTmas, the Blessing we were given and what it calls us to.

The Beauty of CHRISTmas in a Culture of Self

December Nativity scenes are still quite common (that’s a good thing) even in an age where they have become political fodder in public schools and government facilities.  In the “commonness” we can easily forget how sharply these scenes call to our attention the self-absorbed culture we live in.

First of all, there’s the pure, common teenage virgin, leaning over the manger, who responded with a humble “yes” when divinely charged with bringing about the pivotal point in all of history!  She said, “I am The Lord’s servant, may it be unto me as you have said” (Luke 1:38), knowing full well that the burden of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy would continue far beyond nine months for her entire life.  Her faithful obedience allowed your burdens and mine to be lifted for eternity.

Then there’s the man who stood quietly beside her, remembered by all of history as good and noble because he put this young woman’s welfare, and the Precious Child she bore, above his own reputation.  He raised God’s son, not his own flesh and blood, and he did so without hesitancy or complaint.

Of course, there’s the central figure…God as a Baby…Jesus Himself.  As pointed out in “the rest of the CHRISTmas story” from Philippians 2 above, he emptied Himself of His Divine Glory, took on the form of a lowly human servant and, in doing so, bore all our sin, debt and brokenness on the Cross.  Check out Self-Giving in The Nativity for more and note the “beauty” in all that God does in contrast with our culture, to which I would add question displayed by Mary and Joseph…Which is more beautiful and fulfilling, the sacrifice, purity, engagement and marriage that honors God’s love for us or our culture’s alternatives to relationships and sexuality?”

You see, without Immanuel nothing else matters.  If He’s not Immanuel, then Lord, Shepherd, Friend, Brother, Savior…nothing else matters.  God With Us…He not only came to us, He became us, to save us and offer us Eternity with Him! 

Without CHRISTmas there is no Easter – no chance of salvation if Christ doesn’t put on flesh, doesn’t become human and give up His life as the perfect sacrifice and atonement for us.

Oh, He is forever King of kings and Lords of lords…but He could never have been our Savior/Lord had he not become a baby…become us…Immanuel!

That’s CHRISTmas…The womb of a virgin, the manger, the swaddling cloths, the hay, manure, cows, sheep and maybe even a dog or two…That’s God wrapped in our injured, dying, decaying flesh!  Don’t miss this!  Everything else you hear this season…Savior, Lord, Shepherd… everything – could only happen because He became IMMANUEL – GOD WITH US…He came as us!!!

Enjoy all of it because He not only came to us…he became us!  We have every reason, even in the struggles, stresses and trials to rejoice because of CHRISTmas!

Food for Thought…Have you considered that God becoming flesh in the Christ Child at CHRISTmas had to happen or there would have been no sufficient sacrifice for us on Good Friday? How does the “Other” CHRISTmas story in this article affect your perspective of CHRISTmas? 

Love in Action –

1. Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
2. How does the Truth of an empty manger, an empty cross and an empty tomb impact you? 
3. In your prayer time ask The Holy Spirit to draw you closer to Him as He reveals to you the significance of what Christ did for you at CHRISTmas.
4. Find at least one way to share CHRIST this CHRISTmas.
5. Highly recommend you take time to watch these with family and loved ones…The Chosen’s The Shepherd and Christmas With The Chosen.

Make it a great CHRISTmas season with family and loved ones in and for The Lord (Matthew 1:21-23)!

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Gracious Heavenly Father, our praise and thanks seems feeble when we consider all that You offered in Your Word made flesh in Christ. We offer it anyway because without Immanuel there is no hope but because He came, because the manger, the cross and the tomb are empty, we have the full assurance of Eternity with You. Thank You for Christ and CHRISTmas!  In His Name we pray, Amen.

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel.  Isaiah 7:14

Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel, which translated means, God with us.   Matthew 1:23

And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  Luke 2:7

Love and Lordship (L&L) in Focus…May we have the faith, humility and courage of Mary and Joseph to be obedient to The Lord in all things no matter how the outcomes may appear, what others may say, or what it may cost.

First of all, if you’ve followed me and this ministry for very long you know that I’m a CHRISTmas freak…I love it all…Santa, Grinch, Charlie Brown, Scrooge, 34^th Street, all of it!  You know why…because I choose to take every part of it and allow it to point me to Christ!  That’s why I share with you that CHRISTmas is CHRIST!

NOTE: If you don’t already have a set Bible Study for this Advent/CHRISTmas season please consider using the Scriptures and talking points in this post as a good place to begin.

He is much more than a Baby in a Manger, but it began there and there would be no HOPE without that First CHRISTmas when He came in the flesh, in the form of a helpless human baby! So let’s look at all The CHRIST of CHRISTmas is…

He is much more than a Baby in a Manger, which would have meant nothing without that First CHRISTmas when He came in the flesh, in the form of a helpless human baby! So let’s look at all that Jesus, The CHRIST of CHRISTmas is…

1) Christ is the Eternal God, King of kings, Lord of lords, the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists!

As we look at Christ let’s begin with His Eternal existence as God, the Son (Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-3; 8:58; Colossians 1:17; 1 John 1:1; Hebrews 7:3; 13:8 to name a few)!  He is, always has been and, always will be the King of Heaven and earth, King of Kings and Lord of Lords (1 Timothy 6:15-16; Revelation 17:14; 19:16), the very Creator of the universe who holds all things together (Colossians 1:15-17).  In order for us to understand all that He did in coming to earth we need to remember and know Who He has always been and what He gave up (Philippians 2:3-8).

2) Christ is Immanuel…God With Us!  He gave up all the glories and lifestyle of heaven, even His Divine nature as God to become a man in the very form of a helpless human baby in a manger as Immanuel…God With Us (Isaiah 7:14; 9:2-7; Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:14; Luke 1 & 2).  He was fully God and fully man and it is not only crucial in our salvation but in our faith that we are of His Spirit (1 John 4:1-4).  The writer of Hebrews tells us that in becoming flesh and man, He became the perfect High Priest and perfect Lamb, the sacrifice for our sins and to bring us into a relationship with Himself as God, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Hebrews 5:1-10; 9:11-14; 10:11-18)!  Had He never come in the flesh…as us…we would still have to offer imperfect and continual sacrifices!  In coming to us as the Babe of CHRISTmas, Immanuel made the way for forgiveness of sins and for us to enter into both His Presence and a relationship with Him!  Remember that without CHRISTmas there would be no Cross and no Easter Resurrection…no Hope!  Praise The Lord…He came!

3) Christ lived as a boy and a man… He grew in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52) yet disrespected as the son of a blue-collar tradesman (Matthew 13:54-56).  He traveled as a homeless itinerant preacher and teacher (Matthew 8:19-20; Luke 9:57-58) and was rejected by the spiritual leaders and people of His day (Luke 11:14-15; John 10:31-38; Matthew 26:65-66; Mark 14:63-65).  He experienced everything that we as human beings experienced with regard to pain, temptation and ridicule and yet was without sin (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:14-15) and able to help us in all our struggles and temptations.

4) Christ became us so He could become sin for us, and suffer and die a humiliating criminal’s death on a Cross, which was actually meant for us (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:5-8; Romans 5:8). He gave up heaven, was born as a human, lived in poverty and homeless, became sin and died so that I could be set free and become righteousness through Him (John 14:6; Roman 3:21-23; 5:17; 6:23; Galatians 5:1)! Without the Cross, His Incarnation would mean nothing and we would be lost.  But Praise The Lord for His indescribable Gift coming to us at CHRISTmas!

5) Christ rose again as a Victor of sin, death and hell and by grace through faith has given me that same victory in Him (Hebrews 2:9-10; 14-15; Colossians 2:9-15; 1 Corinthians 15:53-56; Romans 6:4; 8:1-5).  Christ has become all things in that He was, is and always will be fully God and came as fully man, existing as both fully God and man so He could overcome the flesh, sin, death and hell for the sake of all those who believe in Him (John 3:16)!  Without Easter and the Resurrection, CHRISTmas and Good Friday would mean nothing. Our Hope is in Him and His Resurrection to give us new life!  We are victorious in Christ! 

6) Christ will return again as conquering King of all the nations (Revelation 12:10-11; 15:3-4; 17:14; 19:16) and claim all of His own who believe in and Him and walk by faith in obedience to Him (Matthew 19:28; 1 Corinthians 15:57; 2 Timothy 2:12; 1 John 5:4)!  Because He came, lived, died and rose again…because heaven was temporarily emptied of His presence and the Manger, Cross and Tomb are all empty, we who believe in Him will reign in His Kingdom with Him!  The CHRIST of CHRISTmas was not just a Babe in a Manger.  He is the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe. He was Immanuel…God With Us, God in the flesh…God and Man.  He suffered an excruciating death in humility and rejection…all for us.  He rose from the dead as the First fruits of all those who would follow Him in resurrection life (1 Corinthians 15:20).  And He will return again as the conquering King for all those who have chosen to make Him Savior and Lord!  This is the Christ of CHRISTmas! 

Let us worship this Babe in the manger for all that He is…Creator, Sustainer, Immanuel, The Suffering Servant, The Risen Son of God and Son of Man, the returning Conquering King and our Savior and Lord! 

Do you know Him?  Let me encourage you to listen to SM Lockridge’s “That’s My King” and remember that He’s The Babe in the Manger that we love and adore…and so much more!  And thank God that He gave His Indescribable Gift (1 Corinthians 15:57; 2 Corinthians 9:15)! 

I pray this new CHRISTmas song helps you enjoy all that CHRIST brings as we end 2024…”Behold Him” by Francesca Battestelli… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulGqyckf-oI

Make it a great Advent/CHRISTmas season with family and loved ones in Christ!

Food for Thought…Do you know The Babe Who became flesh to be your Savior?  The Suffering Servant as your Lord?  The One Who laid down His life for you as your Friend?  The itinerary homeless teacher as your Master?  The falsely accused and wrongly condemned criminal as your conquering King?  Do you know Him?

Love in Action Items –

1) Ask The Lord to show you what it meant for Him to leave all the Glory of Heaven to become human?

2) Ask Him to show you this CHRISTmas what it meant for Him to live and suffer as we do in our humanity?

3) Ask Him to show you what it meant to die in your place?

4) Ask Him what it is like to live with Him as Savior and Lord?

5) Ask Him what it will be like to reign with Him in Truth and Love?

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, as we celebrate CHRISTmas let me know The Babe in the manger as Creator and Sustainer of my life and all that exists.  Let me know Him as Friend.  Let me know Him as the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Let me know Him as my Savior and my Lord.  In His Precious Name I pray.  Amen.