THERE'S THIS MATTER OF TODAY

One day while Jesus was passing through Jericho, a man named Zacchaeus came to see him. If you grew up in Sunday School, you know that Zacchaeus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he. You also know that he wasn't a particularly good man; he was a tax-collector and a dishonest business man. Since he couldn't see in the crowd, he climbed a sycamore tree to get a better view of Jesus. The Bible says...

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately, I must stay at your house today." (Luke 19:5)

I love the urgency in Jesus' words: "Come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." Jesus was saying, "Zacchaeus, don't wait. Don't put this off. Something important is about to happen."

How, then, did Zacchaeus respond?

So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. (Luke 19:6)

He invited Jesus into his house. He didn't say, "I'm not ready. My house isn't prepared. I don't have enough food. I don't have any party favors on hand. The place is a mess...Can we do this a week from Friday when I've had time to get things in order?"

Instead, he seized the opportunity to have Jesus come to his home. What happened next? This spur-of-the-moment meeting led to a life-change for Zacchaeus. He said, "Jesus, I want to start doing things right. I'll give half of my money to the poor, and I'll pay four times the amount to anyone I've cheated." And Jesus said...

"Today salvation has come to this house." (Luke 19:9)

Salvation came today, because Zacchaeus responded to the invitation today. He might not have felt completely prepared to have the King of Kings enter his home, but he didn't put it off. And his life changed as a result.

What life-changing invitation have you put off? Maybe something important is ready to happen. Is there something you can do about it today?

LIFE PRESENTS INTERESTING SIT-UATIONS

"And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving”. . . .

— Luke 10:39-40

When the Lord walked this earth, He had no place to call home (see Matthew 8:20). But there was something He liked about a home in Bethany where a man named Lazarus lived with his two sisters, Mary and Martha. Maybe Martha was a great cook. Perhaps they were wonderful hosts.

Mary and Martha were quite different from each other. Mary was the quiet, contemplative type. Martha was the grab-the-bull-by-the-horns, assertive type.

One day, Jesus came to their home. Martha thought it would be a good idea to make Him a meal. She went into the kitchen and started working. Meanwhile, Mary thought it would be a great opportunity to sit at Jesus' feet and hear what He had to say. As Mary was sitting there, taking it all in, Martha was working frantically in the kitchen, growing more frustrated because Mary was not helping her.

Finally, she could not contain herself any longer. She came out of the kitchen, and looking down at Mary and Jesus, said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me" (Luke 10:40).

Jesus responded, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her" (vv. 41–42).

Sometimes we can do the same thing. We can get so worked up. Like Martha, we sometimes offer activity instead of adoration, work instead of worship, and perspiration instead of inspiration. There is a time to sit and there is a time to move.

THE EMPTY NET SYNDROME

Simon Peter said, 'I'm going fishing.'

" 'We'll come, too,' they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night."

— John 21:3

It was déjà vu time for the disciples. They had been fishing all night on the Sea of Galilee and hadn't caught anything. The Lord had risen. He already had appeared to some of the disciples. There were no clear marching orders, so they thought they would go back to what they knew how to do: fish.

Now it was early in the morning, probably still dark. They saw a figure standing on the shore. He called out, "Friends, have you caught any fish?"

Throughout the Bible, God often asked probing questions when He wanted a confession. In the same way, Jesus was asking His disciples, "Did you catch anything? Have you been successful? Have things gone the way you had hoped they would go? Are you satisfied?"

Why did Jesus want them to admit their failure? So He could bring them to the place where they needed to be.

When they cast the net on the right side of the boat, as Jesus told them to, their net became so heavy with fish that they couldn't pull it in. The Lord was teaching the disciples an important lesson: Failure often can be the doorway to real success.

We need to come to that point in our lives as well. We need to come and say, "Lord, I am not satisfied with the way my life is going. I am tired of doing it my way. I want to do it your way." If you will come to God like that, He will extend His forgiveness to you. Then He will take your life and transform it in ways you couldn't imagine.

IT'S BAD TO BE BITTER!!

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

— Ephesians 4:31-32

Augustine reportedly had a sign on his wall that read, "He who speaks evil of an absent man or woman is not welcome at this table." That would have ended a lot of conversations, wouldn't it?

The Bible tells us to "get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior" (Ephesians 4:31). Slander speaks of saying evil things about others behind their backs.

Bitterness, which is an embittered and resentful spirit that refuses to be reconciled, makes the Holy Spirit sad and sorrowful. Yet some people like to be mad. They live for conflict. They live for arguments. They live for fighting. They seem to actually like it.

Then there are the people who avoid conflicts, and I will admit that I am one of them. I don't like conflict. I dread it in fact. But some people are just looking for something to fight about, and they seem to go from conflict to conflict. You probably know people like this. They are always mad at someone. They always have their nemesis, the one person who is the source of all their misery, and they are always talking about him or her. And they often are very critical, constantly nitpicking and trying to uncover things in other people's lives.

Yet I have made an interesting discovery: the person who has been covering up sin in his or her life typically is always trying to uncover sin in the lives of others. It never surprises me when I find that the most critical people are guilty of something far worse themselves.

So don't live that way. It grieves the Holy Spirit. If you let bitterness go unchecked, it could lead you to take the next step—and to something even worse. Yikes!!!

BEGINNING Is Such A Big Deal---Really!

Some of our best ideas are still waiting for the right moment. We call it preparation. It's really procrastination. Eventually the due diligence phase yields to the do-nothing phase. And another good idea gets covered in cobwebs. Keep in mind what William Feather said: "Conditions are never just right. People who delay action until all factors are favorable do nothing."

There’s something to be said for beginning now and filling in the details as you go. Not that details aren't important or that preparation isn't necessary, but at some you’ve got to quit compiling data and start pursuing results.

Do you know what the problem is? There’s no failure to face in the preparation stage. There’s no disappointment to deal with in the dream-casting stage. It’s only after the plan has been put into practice that you confront results that maybe don’t meet expectations. It’s easy to get nervous. It’s easier to plan just a little longer.

When Abraham was older than just about everyone who will be reading these words, God told him, "Leave your country, your people, and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." (Genesis 12:1) Abraham went, not having a plan in place, not knowing exactly hat lay ahead, only that he was following the voice of God.

There are times when it’s time to do just what Abraham did: take the first few steps, even if all the questions haven’t been answered and all the problems aren’t solved in advance. There's something to be said for beginning now. As George Allen, the coach of the Washington Redskins said many times to his team of the 70’s: “the future is the now!” Shed the paralysis of analysis and start implementing those plans, dreams, visions and cuddled aspirations. Make 2012 THE YEAR---be a NIKE sort of person and “JUST Do IT!!!”  

SPIRITUAL COPY CATS

		Paul often used a phrase that may surprise you. In fact, if it came from anyone other than Paul in any place other than the Bible, I would have thought it heresy. He said, “Imitate me.” And he said it often -- in First Corinthians, Philippians, and First Thessalonians. For example ... "Therefore I urge you, be imitators of me." (1 Corinthians 4:16) Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1) It’s a bold thing to say, “Be like me. Do what I do. Say what I say. Follow my example.” I don’t always feel comfortable with these words, because I know my faults all too well. But here’s the truth: any leader worth his or her salt can say it, and should say it. You follow the example and yield to the influence of qualified leaders in every area of life. When you invest, or make business decisions, or look after your health, you often look to leaders for direction. That’s because if you take good advice and follow good examples, you’re pretty much guaranteed success in these areas. It’s the same with discipleship and leadership. The crucial question is: Whose example will you choose to follow? A key to your success is to identify imitation-worthy individuals, and learn to follow their example -- especially in these areas: Attitude Preparation Conversation Spiritual Discipline Work Ethic Response to Adversity. Do you know people who excel in these areas? In order to be the best, learn to be like the best.

WHAT I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

“So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” Colossians 2 :16-17 NKJV

I have always believed in the promise of Christmas. There has always been something special to me about this time of the year, going back to my earliest days of childhood. I've been in a real meloncoly mood these past few weeks thinking about Christmas' past,  Fortunately for me, there are many wonderful memories hanging as pictures on the galary of mind---to look at---muse about----live again.

What is it that we love about Christmas, once we get past the initial trappings?

I think it is the sense of wonder, beauty, and anticipation. It is the music, the look of surprise on a child’s face, and the amazing food. It’s the companionship of family and good friends. It is also the absence of strife and meanness (that is, with the exception of the crowds on “Black Friday”).

But how often does Christmas really deliver on its promises? A little bit here and there, but by and large, it ends up being the endless drone of mind-numbing ads on TV. It is the friction and pressure that comes when we are obligated to purchase gifts for people we barely know. It is the expectation put on us by others and sometimes even ourselves.

Then there is that big post-Christmas letdown—the letdown of expectations that can never really be met. We were not able to give what we really wanted to give, or what they really wanted to receive. Or you yourself did not get what you had hoped for. Then there are those bills that come due . . .

So what is Christmas at its worst? It is a crass, commercial, empty, exhausting, and very expensive ritual that drags on endlessly for months at a time----even before Thanksgiving now!

What is Christmas at its best? It is a glimpse of things to come–the beauty, the worshipful music, the adoring angels, the love, the warmth, the promise, the hope…all things promised to us in a life to yet come.

You see, Christmas is a promise. It is a promise that has not yet been fully kept.

Christmas cannot be all that we want it to be. It’s only a holiday. Christmas cannot bring harmony to your home. Christmas cannot bring peace on earth. Christmas cannot bring happiness.

But Christ Himself can do all of this and more. That is really what we are longing for deep inside.

• Not Christmas, but Christ.
• Not merriment, but the Messiah.
• Not goodwill, but God.
• Not presents, but His presence.

Anything or anyone short of this will disappoint. But God never will.

That’s what I want for Christmas–Jesus Christ.

THINK ABOUT IT: What is Christmas at its best?