Rejoice Because…

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Jody Neufeld

[Jesus said,] “But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”      Luke 10:20 (NLT, emphasis mine)

“And when he has found it [the lost sheep], he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!”      Luke 15:5-7 (NLT, emphasis mine)

We hear the word “rejoice” frequently this time of year. It is a time that songs and sermons admonish us to REJOICE!

It is also a time of year that it may seem difficult to rejoice. Finances may be tight as people have no job or a cutback in hours and the price of food, gas, and other necessities rise. It may be a time when a loved one is absent because they are fulfilling their responsibilities in military service or a civilian job, or maybe they have died and their absence is keenly felt at this season. “Rejoicing” just does not seem to fit the time as much as others may insist or even you may wish it could be.

Might I suggest a shift in focus? Instead of thinking of parties and mounds of gifts, overeating and jolly conversations in a roomful of people, allow your mind to focus on Jesus’ words. Emmanuel, God-in-the-flesh came to earth not to bring us presents like socks and video games but to bring us a way to live eternally with our Creator. He came as the sacrifice to atone for our sins. Jesus tells His disciples in both of these passages that knowing God and living in a relationship with Him is more important than anything else. It is in this relationship that I can bring my difficulties to the One, the only One, who can answer my questions, encourage me, and lift me out of any sadness that I am experiencing.

“Rejoice”. “Be glad”. “See the joy” that is in your relationship with Jesus who is faithful whatever season you are living in. The giving of gifts is a wonderful tradition but will be hollow (a beautifully wrapped empty box!) without bringing Jesus to all those that you love. You can only share with others what you already have. If you are feeling a bit ‘low’ or ‘empty’ this holiday season, then receive the free gift of Jesus and allow Him to soak you in His Spirit, comforting and healing in ways and depths that you never imagine. Then give, what you have freely been given.

You Raise Me Up by Rolf Lefland and Brendan Graham, sung by Josh Groban

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Do You Hear the Angels?

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Jody Neufeld

Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”               Revelation 4:8 (NLT)

Have you ever heard angels? The Bible gives several references that tell us without a doubt – angels are real! But have you heard or met one? How do you know if you have?

Angels are messengers from God. Have you ever been weighing “the pros and cons” of a question, uncertain what to do, and then a friend says something that brings the answer into focus? Or maybe someone calls you to say, “I woke up in the night and felt I was to pray for you.” It could be you have even seen an angel and were not even aware that God has visited you through His messenger (Hebrews 13).

Angels are around those who love and fear the LORD (Psalm 34:7). One morning when I was about 5 or 6, I ran into the kitchen to my mother. I was upset. “I fell asleep before I finished my prayers last night, Mommy!” My mother (who didn’t speak of her faith often) did not miss a beat and said, “Don’t worry, Jo. The angels will always finish your prayers.” Angels were recorded near Jacob, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and so on. They are near us when our hearts are obedient to the Father and serving as He desires. Angels love to be near the faithful!

In Jesus’ darkest hour in Gethsemane, when He was wrestling with His flesh and sweating blood, the Father sent an angel to minister to Him and strengthen Him. The angel delivered what Jesus needed from the Father.

So if you fall asleep before you finish your prayers or you are wrestling with something in your life, do not “let go” of the angel until you are blessed with the Father’s wisdom and understanding (Genesis 32:22-26).

Shhh. Listen. Do you hear the angels?

Angels We Have Heard On High (translated to English, 1862, by James Chadwick)

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Peace on Earth

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Jody Neufeld

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”       Luke 2:13-14 (NLT)

I’m going to change the format just a bit today. I am going to ask you to watch and listen to this video first. It may be a familiar video of Snoopy. If you are a fan of Charlie Brown’s Christmas stories, you have seen this but listen again.
Snoopy’s Christmas by The Royal Guardsmen (1965)

If you remember anything about World War I history, aerial warfare was brutal and the life expectancy of a pilot was usually measured in weeks and months, not years. And here is a story in the midst of the horror of adversaries saying, “It is Christmas. We choose Christmas not death.”

Every day, I make choices. I can choose to be angry or deep breathe, and with God’s help, choose patience and compassion. I can choose to be overwhelmed or, with God’s help, take the next step and rely on Him for whatever is next. I can choose to kill or, with God’s help, consider how I can go with mercy. I know that war brings a whole thick shade of gray to this analogy and Snoopy and the Red Baron are not reality but long before the aerial warfare of WWI, there were choices that could have led to peace, not war.

I may not be able, by myself, to bring peace to Afghanistan or Sudan, but God uses “plain ol’ Jody’s” like me to do some extraordinary events. So why not take that mustard seed of faith and take it out for a try? What do I mean? What can I do about “peace on earth”?

Jesus said that His peace is a free gift (John 14:27). Jesus also said that we have been given much and we should give just as freely (Matthew 10:8). So if I have been given His peace, I should be giving it away; leaking it out, and speaking it freely wherever I go and to whomever I meet.

David said in Psalm 122:6: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure.” (NIV) Did God single out which children He desired to save and which He didn’t? God desires that all His children know the saving grace of Jesus (1 Timothy 2:4). Pray for peace! Pray! Whether God’s children are Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Greek, French, Chinese, or even American. Pray for peace for God’s children.

Snoopy was sent on a “suicide mission” in terrible conditions. It wasn’t expected to end in victory! And when it looked like Snoopy was going to fail, God’s Spirit intervened in a miraculous way and a moment of peace came. What if 3 people were willing to answer “yes”? There would be 3 moments of peace. Contagious, isn’t it? God works like that. Twelve guys spread the Good News some 2000 years ago and millions know Jesus now. God works on the “contagious plan”. Let’s spread the peaceful infection, shall we?

Let There Be Peace on Earth by Jill Jackson and Sy Miller (1955)

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Advent: Jesus is Coming!

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Jody Neufeld

Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
He will delight in obeying the Lord.
He will not judge by appearance
nor make a decision based on hearsay.
He will give justice to the poor
and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word,
and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
He will wear righteousness like a belt
and truth like an undergarment.           Isaiah 11:1-5 (NLT)

In August, the song, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, inspired a devotion that was about Revelation 21. No surprise that I am humming this song again as I am reading prophecies about Jesus’ birth. We are celebrating Advent in the Church year but we are also in Advent now as we anticipate the Messiah’s return to earth yet again.

Isaiah is given words to encourage God’s children as they are oppressed and imprisoned. Today those words still speak to God’s children as we struggle. Some of us struggle in a world with a value system that has changed in our lifetime. As a child, the family was the center of my world. It was rare that we did not eat dinner together around a table. We watched Ed Sullivan’s variety show and Gunsmoke on Sunday nights together. We went to school where doing drugs was the exception and while a lot of guys carried knives, they were the jackknives or Swiss army knives that their grandfather’s gave them for fishing.

But there are Christians in Ethiopia, China, Sudan, and many other countries that are tortured, hunted down, and harassed because of their faith in Jesus Christ. They truly are martyrs. These words from Isaiah may be the words that come into the hearts of those running through the back roads at night as they try to escape those who would kill them in the name of God.

Jesus is my joy and comfort when there is nothing that the world can offer me except platitudes and self-help books. Joy is happiness that has nothing to do with the circumstances of my life. It is Jesus’ personal involvement in my life that brings His strength and peace that is beyond what I can understand but is so real.

Take time today to receive Jesus into your day. Listen to Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.


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Heirloom

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Jody Neufeld

I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.      2 Timothy 1:5 (NLT)

This is a time of year that usually involves a fair amount of cooking. Smells of the season bring memories of childhood. I have a big oval pot that I always cook my chili in. I would not think of using any other! I have a huge yellow mixing bowl that my mother always made chocolate chip cookies in. I will be using it this week to make cookies for my grandchildren. My mother was a great cook. I am blessed that she took time to teach me. My children love my fried chicken, real mashed potatoes, and gravy. However, there were a few skillets of ‘wallpaper paste’ before I got the hang of gravy and was able to produce the savory, smooth gravy of today! I watched my mother a lot.

My mother also had a great faith. Unfortunately, she did not speak of her faith. She taught me prayers. She sent me to a parochial school. I saw her pray every day. I saw her go to church and a look would come over her face…I did not know what it was all about but as I got older, I wanted it. I just did not know what “it” was. The “religion” I was hearing in church was not personal and so did not seem real to me. The questions I had were not welcome or answered by the preachers and teachers I asked. But I still wanted a trusting faith like my mother had.

God sent many people to water and fertilize the faith roots that I had. My first Bible at age 24 was a Living Translation that, fortunately, read like a novel. That is probably why I actually read it all the way through. Teachers that shared their passion for God’s Word; the beauty of it; the depth of it. I began to see how Old Testament connected with New Testament and back again. I learned there were wonderful resources, writers of Biblical history and study guides, that would help me dig deep and think about why I believed and encouraged my roots to go deeper. Young people with their excitement and enthusiasm that taught me to seek God’s fresh bread and water and never ‘settle for’ the stale.

My children now have children of their own. The chili pot and the cookie bowl may very well still be around to pass along to them some day. I want to leave them more than a pot and a bowl, however. I want to continue to tell them about Jesus. They know Jesus now but there is always more to know so I do not want to stop sharing and encouraging them to learn more about their Jesus. Our faith should never grow dusty with no use or attention. Our faith is not something you bring out on holidays for ‘company’ but we use it every day – especially with family. Our belief in Jesus the Messiah and all that He is including Father and Spirit is the most valuable legacy that our family passes from generation to generation.

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs, Heirloom by Amy Grant, Ferrel, B, Bannister, B.


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What Gift to Bring?

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Jody Neufeld

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

hey hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,…                      Luke 2:15-18 (NLT)

When they [the Magi] saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.                     Matthew 2:10-11 (NLT)

I have heard many parents remark this year that they would like their children to grasp the concept of giving instead of getting during this season of Christmas. I have wondered how many parents are going to carry through on their desire to teach. For to teach this concept, they will have to show by example. It won’t be just cutting back on how many gifts are under the tree per child or how much is spent on each child. It will be including the child on a giving expedition. To be a success and make a lasting impression on the child (and the parent!), there will have to be some prayerful thought as to what is the pull on this family’s heart strings? To whom does God want you to serve? If there is not some prayerful thought to this, then you might as well just pull out your wallet and toss $1 into the can on the way into Wally-World. Remember: Jesus was impressed with the widow who gave her all than the rich who gave out of their wealth (Luke 21).

The Magi, or Kings from the East, gave extravagant gifts. They gave much because they had much. They could have just sent their gifts by servants. Their real gift was that they gave their time. They gave something beyond price. They humbled themselves and came from afar to honor the King of kings.

The shepherds had nothing to give. They, too, gave themselves. They, too, humbled themselves and came and bowed to the One that made angels sing, “Glory!”. Maybe there was a little drummer boy among them.

What is God saying to your family? “Take some blankets to the homeless shelter”? “Go to the soup kitchen and serve Christmas dinner”? “Shop for the children on the Angel Tree”? (Yes, you may have to explain to younger children that the toys/clothes are not for them!) “Get 2-3 other families and go caroling and take along some bags of homemade cookies”?

If you give from your heart, then God will be honored and pleased. Let us give our children a legacy that will play forward for generations to come.

Let us learn from The Little Drummer Boy.


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Light in the Darkness

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Jody Neufeld

The Lord gave me this message:

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” Jeremiah 1:4-6 (NLT)

Moses, David, Joseph, Esther, Jeremiah, Jonah, Habakkuk, Peter, John, and me. You may think of some more to add to this list. Called by God – with plenty of excuses, complaints, and ways to ignore the call.

I am not ordained by a denomination. Too often we may think that if we are not formally ordained that we are not ‘called’. That is a deception. It is the Light that shows me my destiny; shows me my place in God’s plan.

Jesus knew that I would need help in finding my way to the Father and then living my life in obedience to the Father. Jesus paid the price but from the moment He appeared in that barn in Bethlehem He showed me how to live my life in obedience to the Father. There was no ease in the circumstances of Jesus’ life. He and His family had to escape into Egypt. Jesus worked a job of manual labor all through His growing years. He did not attend fine schools or live in a 2000 square foot home. He had no servants to cook or clean. His disciples would have drove any professor to retirement or homicide. And Jesus not only taught these disciples, He lived with them! And when Jesus needed them, they ran away. And, yet, still He fulfilled all His promises, including sending them a Counselor. And this Counselor is with me today.

We all have a job in God’s Kingdom. We have all been gifted for our job. If we listen to the Counselor, we find that our job in the world that provides for us is also an opportunity to bring what we have learned from Jesus to others. Whether we are a child in school, a mother at home, an executive in a business, or one of many in a cubicle or factory, we are ambassadors for Jesus. There is no situation that is beyond His power to bring us through. The events of the world, the darkness that creeps into our life, lose all power in His revealing, guiding Light.

By Jesus’ example, I can know that even when I am walking in obedience, it won’t be any easy life. It will be a life in the Presence of God. It is never being alone. It is finding peace and strength in the midst of difficulties because God’s promises are always true. My weakness is always enough with His strength!

Another inspired song of this Advent season, Breath of Heaven.

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DID you know, Mary?

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Jody Neufeld

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”         Luke 1:26-33 (NLT)

Most Bible historians put Mary’s age between 12-14 when the angel appeared to her. I was 24 when I had my first child. (Uh, children. I had twins!) The appearance of an angel would have confused and disturbed me even at my age! Unlike me, however, Mary probably knew something about the prophecies and God’s promises to send a Messiah that would come from David’s lineage. I also bet she knew that this was also her husband Joseph’s lineage. She had nine months to ponder these words and pray.

Later, in Luke’s gospel, we learn that at the time that Jesus is presented in the temple, Mary is told by Simeon that a sword would pierce her soul (Luke 2:35). Mary, in my mind, was the first soldier in Jesus’ Army. She was drafted by God. She served faithfully and with great courage. Mary did not flinch even when she was warned that there was going to be great pain involved.

Being a parent is the most awesome job; the most horrific job; the best job! I had my moment of panic before each child was born when I wondered how I was good enough to raise a child. Unfortunately for my children, it wasn’t until they were 16, 16, and 8 that I learned that there actually is an Owner’s Manual – the Bible – to advise me. I learned to call on the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom when the questions are hard and answers seem murky. And pain? Yes, there is pain involved in being a parent. Having a child say, “I hate you!” is only the beginning.

Mary had her child ridiculed. She had siblings fighting. We believe that her husband died and then her eldest son, Jesus, left her and the home to fulfill His mission in ministry. And she watched her son die. It was His destiny.

We do not know how much Mary knew and understood about who and what her son, Jesus, was. But we do know that Mary was faithfully there from His birth until His death. She shows us how to stand with our children as they continue to grow and fulfill God’s plan in their life. She shows us how to pray for them, believing that no matter how dark the hour, God will bring them through to victory when they submit to His will.

The day my children were born I did not know all that would come but I praise God that He did.

Be blessed by this wonderful song, Mary, did you know?.


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Jesus Always There

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Jody Neufeld

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.      John 1:1-2 (NIV)

Jesus is God in flesh. He is Emmanuel. Genesis tells me that all of God has been since the beginning. Genesis 1:2 says that His Spirit hovered over the waters. In Genesis 1:26, God speaks of Himself as “us”. Jesus was not a “great man” or “prophet”. He is God.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.     John 1:3-5 (NIV)

If I wonder whether Jesus can understand what I am going through in my life, here is the indication. Jesus is my Creator. He knows every cell in me. As I read the gospels, I see Jesus living fully as a human, feeling pain, experiencing hardship and the death of those He loves. All my struggles He has walked through them.

In Isaiah 9, God tells us that He will send a Light into the world to show us the way. We are people walking in a dark world. We cannot navigate without His help.

Usually my husband, Henry, is an “early to bed” kind of guy. I am usually up to at least midnight. One night, I decided not to disturb my sleeping husband by turning on the light in order to negotiate the walk from the door to the closet. I tripped on a rug, bumped into the wall, and, need I say it – I woke up Henry! In retrospect, it might have been better to turn on the light and make a bit less noise!

When I follow Jesus, I am following the Light. When I am on His plan for my life, I am not tripping and running into walls. His Light shines in my darkness.

One of the darkest times of my life was when my 12-year-old son, James, was diagnosed with cancer. I could not imagine why it was happening. I did not know how I was going to explain “the why” to my son when I did not understand it myself. Not once in the next five years did James ask me “why”. I believe God took care of that question Himself since He was the only One with the answer; the truth. God never left me during that time and He is still with me today. Still listening, still teaching me, still comforting me, still healing me. His Light grows brighter as I have learned to trust and love Him more.

The darkness of the enemy cannot “understand” the power of God’s love. Satan cannot comprehend our relationship. He thinks that he can get me to blame God for James’ death. I thank God for James’ life that is eternal. The night James died I was reading Revelation 21 about the new heaven and the new earth. James looked at me and smiled … and left. Somewhere in Satan’s world there was yet another defeat.

…The kingdom of this world
Is become the kingdom of our Lord,
And of His Christ, and of His Christ;
And He shall reign for ever and ever

For ever and ever, forever and ever,
King of kings, and Lord of lords,
King of kings, and Lord of lords,
And Lord of lords,
And He shall reign,
And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings, forever and ever,
And Lord of lords,
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings! and Lord of lords!
And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings! and Lord of lords!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!  from “The Hallelujah Chorus”, George Frederic Handel (1741)


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The Truth of Prophecy

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Jody Neufeld

Mobilize! Marshal your troops!
The enemy is laying siege to Jerusalem.
They will strike Israel’s leader
in the face with a rod.

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you,
one whose origins are from the distant past. Micah 5:1-2 (NLT)

Many times we see an Old Testament prophecy spoken in these first chapter of the gospels and we don’t stop to think about – why is that here? This prophecy spoken by Micah is repeated to King Herod to explain to him where the Messiah was to be born. The Magi had come to worship the Messiah King and Herod felt a threat.

Micah was a prophet to the southern kings in the 700’s B.C. Israel and Judah were morally and religiously corrupt, socially oppressed, with political intrigue, deception, and treachery. Israel’s false worship led to its destruction and the LORD’S rejection.

We would do well to hear the words that Micah spoke. We too have many idols in the treasures we lay up (check that Christmas Wish List!), the career that takes priority over family and God, and pride that says, “It is all about me!”. We wonder about the destruction and decay of our world and, like the Israelites of 730 B.C., we ignore the warnings.

Jesus came as Savior. He is the Lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Jesus is also the Lion of Judah (Revelation 5:5). He will return to judge. Each of us must make the decision on whether His judgment will be death or eternal life.

I am small among all the people. I am not a president or a billionaire. I do not control the lives of hundreds like a CEO. My picture isn’t on a magazine cover or a newspaper front page. Yet the Creator of the Universe sent His Son to cover my sins and says that I am His child. It is His unfailing love, His grace, and all-covering forgiveness that takes me from unknown to known to the only One who counts.

Herod attempted to manipulate the Magi into leading him to the Messiah. They were warned in a dream not to report back to Herod. When that scheme was thwarted, Herod gave orders to kill all the male children in the Bethlehem region age two and under. Joseph, warned in a dream, takes his family and escapes to Egypt. There they remain until Herod dies and they are told by an angel to return. It is difficult to understand why those children had to die and Jesus, the Messiah, lived in exile in Egypt. I do not believe there is any explanation other than He is God and I am not.

There are children that are suffering now in Africa where they are starving and being massacred in wars. There are children here in America who are beaten and abused. I cannot understand it except on the same level. I know that God loves His children and is not turning a blind eye to their cries. There will be a day of justice.

Jesus said to all seven churches in Revelation “Let those who have ears, hear what the Spirit says.”

Take time to listen to this song today as part of our devotion. Let us have ears to hear.


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