admin, Author at Christ Church

The Magi

Posted on Nov 29, 2024 by admin in Devotions |

Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem, in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. At about that time, some Wisemen from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in far-off eastern lands and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:1-2)

Okay, let’s back up and see if we can understand this a little better. Centuries earlier, Israel had been conquered by the powerful Babylonian Empire. The Babylonians then began a program of relocating the best and brightest of the Israelites to Babylon.

Among those living in captivity in Babylon was a brilliant young man named Daniel. Remember the story of Daniel in the lion’s den? Same Daniel. Remember the song, Danny Boy? O Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling … Not the same Daniel. Trust my research on this.

While living in Babylon, Daniel quickly rose to power and prominence, eventually becoming the Prime Minister of the entire Babylonian Empire. Even more significant, while in Babylon, Daniel had a series of prophetic visions about the coming of a great king – a Messiah – who would rock the world. Today we possess those actual prophecies in writing – from Daniel himself – because they are recorded in the Book of Daniel in the Bible.

Here’s what’s fascinating. We tend to overlook the fact that the Babylonians also had knowledge of all those prophesies. You see, Babylonian scholars kept vast libraries and very detailed records. And it was the job of these scholars – these Wisemen – to study these records and advise the Babylonian King.

So, year after year, they are waiting and watching for this one-of-a-kind King to be born. And imagine their astonishment when one night they look up into the night sky and see a strange and wonderful sight – a configuration of stars and a strange alignment of the planets Jupiter and Saturn.

To their way of thinking, this was an unmistakable message that, at last, the long-predicted king of the Jews – the Messiah, the future Ruler of the World – has arrived! So, they organize a caravan and set off on a 1,500-mile journey that would take them 2 years to complete.

The Wisemen had to travel hundreds of miles to find Jesus. But you don’t have to. Jesus is right here. He is here now. He is here for you. He is closer than the air you breathe. You don’t have to find Jesus – He found you.

Will you worship Him today? Will you honor Him? Will you tell Him, “Jesus, You are my King, a King like no other.”

Oct '24

God is Able

Posted on Oct 18, 2024 by admin in Devotions |

Oct '24

Someone in a wheelchair once said to me, “The only difference between you and me is … you can see my disability.” He said, “Everybody has a disability … some are just more visible than others.”

Today I’m going to challenge you to take your eyes off your disability … and put your eyes on God’s ability!

The title of today’s talk is … “God is Able!”

I heard about a young man named Trenton. Trenton is 23 years old, and he has cerebral palsy. And every Sunday, he is a greeter at his church. Everybody says his energy and his joy are contagious.

One Sunday his pastor preached a sermon about God commanding Gideon to “Go in the strength you have.”

All of a sudden, a thought hit Trenton like a lightning bolt. He said, “I have a disability. That’s how people define me: I’m disabled. But God said, ‘Go in the strength you have,’ and I realized something. If you take the word disable and put “Go” in front of it, it spells God is able.”

Trenton said, “Even though I may be limited from a human perspective, God is able to do great things through my life.”

That’s a powerful thought – and I want you to grab hold of it! Trenton may have a physical limitation, but he has developed incredible spiritual strength.

How about you? We all have our own disability – some are just more visible than others.

Do you focus on your disability? … Or do you focus on God’s ability?

I’m the guy who showed up in your life to tell you this: God is able to do great things through your life!

Maybe … just maybe … God is going to use you in a way that no one saw coming!

Let’s Pray.

Father, there’s someone listening to this talk today who really needs You. They’re facing a real tough problem. And they have a need which is very pressing. I don’t know who it is… I don’t know what it is … but, God, You do.

And, God, they’ve tried. They did their best. But they haven’t been able to fix that problem. But, God, You can. God, You are able.

And maybe they can’t see any way out. But, God, You often do things in an unlikely way.

In a way no one saw coming.
In a moment no one expected.
Using someone no one thought could do it.

We pray this in the powerful Name of Jesus! Amen!

Sep '24

Accept Yourself by Faith

Posted on Sep 20, 2024 by admin in Devotions |

Sep '24

September 20, 2024

I remember when I committed my life to Christ as a teenager. It was an easy decision. I mean, salvation is the best deal ever. Jesus paid for my sins. He gave me resurrection power. He loves me like a best friend. He even prays for me when I don’t have the words to say. Who wouldn’t want that?

So, accepting Jessus was an easy decision. What’s been a lot harder for me is accepting Jeff. Accepting Jesus took a moment; accepting Jeff is taking a lifetime.

You have to understand: Jeff is far from perfect. Jeff gets cranky. Jeff is not very easy-going. I try really hard to be like Jesus, but at the end of the day, I’m just Jeff. But then it hit me …

You can’t just accept Jesus by faith.
You have to accept yourself by faith.

Okay, sure, you’re a work in progress; I’m a work in progress. But you are beautiful, valuable, and important right now too. By faith, accept yourself! By faith, believe that God knew what He was doing when He made you!

Remember David, who fought Goliath?

David wrote: “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know full well … And you are God’s best work! You’re His idea – He thought you up! And … How precious to me are Your thoughts, God! How vast the sum of them!” (Psalm 139:14, 17)

David made some massive mistakes, but he knew how valuable his life was to God. He never forgot how much he was worth.

Aug '24

He’s Already There

Posted on Aug 16, 2024 by admin in Devotions |

Aug '24

You know, it’s easy to go through life … worried that things aren’t going to work out … worried about how you’re going to get past that problem … worried about how you’re not going to meet the right person. We look at all the reasons why things are not going to work out.

But let me tell you something very important: When God laid out the plan for your life, He lined up everything you would need to fulfill that plan – every good break, every person, every solution. He’s not trying to figure out how to do it. He’s not making it up as He goes along. It’s already set up.

He’s already set up that connection. He’s already set up that promotion. He’s already set up that healing.

That problem that you don’t think will turn around – It’s not a surprise to Him. He’s already set up the answer. He had the solution before you had the problem.

So, the next time you’re worried about how something is going to work out, remember this …

It’s already set up.

The solution to your problem is already in your future, waiting for you.

Jesus showed us how this works. Look at Luke 22. The Passover is approaching, and Jesus is about to be crucified. He tells Peter and John to go ahead of Him into Jerusalem and make arrangements for their Passover Meal. This Passover Meal would later become known to us as the Last Supper.

They ask Him where they should go. He tells them something odd: “As soon as you enter the city, you’re going to see a man – a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow Him. He will lead you to a certain house. When you get there, ask the owner of the house where the guest room is, where we can have our Passover Meal.”

Here’s where it gets really interesting. Jesus said, “The owner will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up.” (Luke 22:12)

Jesus didn’t say, “Hurry up! Buy the food. Polish the silver. Bring out Grandma’s good china.”

He said, “It’s already set up.”

Guess what? What God has planned for you – He’s not thinking about doing it. It’s not one day maybe going to happen. It’s already set up. And the good news is, God knows how to get you there.

Notice how detailed Jesus was. He said, “As soon as you enter the city, you will see a man – not just any man, a man carrying a pitcher of water. He will lead you to a house – not just any house, one that is all prepared. He will take you upstairs – and you’ll find the table already set for dinner.”

It was like a movie script. All these details had to come together at exactly the right moment. If the man had been late, the disciples would have missed him. If he hadn’t been carrying a pitcher of water, they wouldn’t have known who to follow. If he led them to the wrong house, nothing would have been prepared. It was the right person at the right place, the right house, and the right timing. Everything fell perfectly into place.

Here’s what I’m saying: God is not only strategically directing your steps, He’s orchestrating everything around you. He has the people you need already lined up. He has the connections already arranged. He has the blessings waiting for you, down the road, at the perfect moment in your future.

Jul '24

God is Not Angry with Me!

Posted on Jul 5, 2024 by admin in Devotions |

Jul '24

If you are “in Christ,” you can live …

A life without condemnation.

Verse 1 of Romans, Chapter 8 – “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Circle that tiny, little word “no.” In the original text, that’s a Greek word, and it’s the strongest possible word for “no” you can use in the entire language. It means “absolutely, positively NO!” There is absolutely, positively NO condemnation for those who are in Christ.
Fact: God is not angry with me.

When you blow it, God does not reject you. When you sin, God does not hold a grudge against you. Why? Because your sins have already been paid for. That’s what Jesus did on the cross. So, if Jesus paid for your sins, you don’t need to pay for them. That would be double jeopardy.

Jesus said it Himself in John 3:17 – “I didn’t come into the world to condemn the world, I came to save it.”

So, if God is not beating you up over your past mistakes, then you’ve got to stop beating yourself up!

I read about a church where they march through the streets with whips, weeping and wailing, and whipping their backs bloody to show the world what sorry sinners they are.

I thought, I know a lot of churches like that! You go to church and they beat on you, week after week. A lot of people don’t feel like they’ve been preached to unless they get a good verbal spanking. “Pastor, that message was so good! It made me feel so bad!” That’s masochism to feel like you haven’t been to worship unless you feel like you’ve been run over by a bulldozer.

Write it across your heart: God is not angry with me!