Christmas is coming! It is the time of year that we remember God’s best gift given to us. Jesus left heaven and all its glory to live here with us on the earth. He came and dwelt among sinners in a fallen world so we could get a glimpse of God’s ineffable love. He sent him as a precious baby, loved and nurtured by earthly parents. But he was raised up to die and to be a sacrifice for his enemies.

I have been thinking about this great love that I have received and how well I exhibit it to the world. After all, I am an ambassador of Christ. It is my job to represent him to those outside of his kingdom. It is my responsibility to let them know that God’s kingdom is ruled by indescribable love that permeates every act of justice, compassion, law, forgiveness, and mercy.

How am I doing as an ambassador of God’s love? I have been talking about the Christmas story to those outside the kingdom. I have been telling them about God’s love. But, do I act like a citizen of a kingdom where the overarching theme is love? Or am I acting like the citizens of the worldly kingdom and only loving when it is convenient?

I thought about this passage in Matthew, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” (Matthew 5:44–47, NIV)

How I treat my enemies is what makes a difference. Everyone treats those that love them well, but God’s people should stand out from the crowd by treating their enemies well. So I had to question whether I love my enemies. The closest things I have to enemies are two men at work that I don’t like and they don’t like me, right back. How do I treat them?

If I look at the world and its citizens as my standard, I do ok. I am polite and avoid too much interaction with them. It saves all of us grief.

But if I look to God as my standard, which I should, I see that I fall woefully short of being a good ambassador. Would I give my son to suffer a horrific death and die for these men to live? Would I leave the comforts of my home to go to theirs to share my love with them? Would I step out of my cultural norms and be politically incorrect, facing a barrage of hatred from the establishment if it would help these two guys? Would I agree to walk with these guys throughout their entire existence providing comfort, truth and help to them even when they turn against me in selfish disregard for all the good gifts I have given them?

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Triune God, has loved me with an everlasting love that is incomprehensible, and as their ambassador, I have a responsibility to invite others to be a part of their Kingdom. The best way to do this is to show them the love that permeates the Kingdom of God. I need to let the Spirit love people through me. I must seek to make God’s love the center, the overarching theme in all decisions I make. I need to love like Jesus if I am going to be a good ambassador for Christ.

This Christmas Jesus, make me more like you. Let me love like you.

I had so much fun on Halloween. I went trick-or-treating with “Spiderman,” “Joy,” a butterfly and a cute little guy that dressed like his grandfather. As we were walking along, my granddaughter aka “Joy” said, “Check this out. I have a lot of stuff”. I looked, and she did have a lot of stuff.

I started discussing the blessings she had received. I talked about how kind the givers were. I reminded her that she had received so much in so fast and discussed how amazing that was. She agreed.

Then I suggested that she share her bounty with me when we get home, and she said, “No, it is mine.” Right at that moment, I realized how much she is like me. I had handed down my DNA to that beautiful girl. I had handed down the selfish gene.

People will often find me excited talking about the sack I have filled with grace, compassion, peace, love, protection, etc. I can’t wait to show it to everyone. Look what I have received. Look at all the good stuff I have been given. Check this out; I am truly blessed. I just showed up, and goodness was poured out on me. I didn’t deserve it. It was freely given. Someone else’s generosity has made me rich!

But often when I am asked to share a little of the compassion I have received, I decline. Someone will look at my bulging sack and say, “Can you give me a small bit of forgiveness.” Instead of remembering that it was freely given and undeserved, I see my bulging sack and say, “No, it is mine.”

God’s plan is different. Jesus sent his disciples out as witnesses, and he commanded them “Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matthew 10:8, NIV) We are reminded in 2 Corinthians 1:4, “who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” And who can forget the words in the Lord’s Prayer, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12, NIV)

Jesus knew we would have a tendency to gather good things to ourselves and then be stingy. So he provides these reminders and then the Spirit moves our souls, so we will share the goodness that has been freely bestowed on us. My hope today is to remember that I have a great treasure that was freely given when I didn’t deserve it, and I have plenty to share.

By the way, if you were wondering, my granddaughter did share when we got home!

Happy Mother’s Day! I hope this blog encourages all mom’s who read it today.

The Bible has a description of the ideal mom. It’s in Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31 is a popular chapter for women’s Bible studies. Since I spent many years teaching women’s Bible studies, I have taught and discussed this passage many times. The Proverbs 31 embodies all that is good in a woman’s role in her family. This ideal woman has helped many women set goals of excellence in their role of homemaker.

I am a mom that set goals of excellence. Many times I achieved the goals. Many times I failed miserably. Most of the time, I plugged away day by day with the help of the Lord. One of the lessons I learned early on was not to expect the children to rise up and call me blessed until the end of the chapter.

Like the Proverbs 31 woman, I kept my household. I cooked good food. I provided clothing, even sewing some of it. I watched over finances so we would not worry about the future. I shared the wisdom that I had and showed kindness. Many times this seemed unappreciated. I just kept telling myself to pursue God. It is at the end of the chapter that the children rise up and call her blessed.

Well, my children are grown. They have moved on and are building their own families. They are wonderful people who love Jesus and serve Him. Their spouses are equally wonderful. I am truly thankful for them.

As I celebrated another birthday, I reflected over the years and how God had worked through them. I am so thankful that God helped me to focus on the end game. I am glad that he had included verse 28 in Proverbs 31, “Her children rise up and call her blessed” (Proverbs 31:28, ESV). There was a reward at the end of the mission

I received some wonderful gifts. One of them was this beautiful wall hanging that my son and daughter-in-law made for me.

They had no idea that I had spent years trying to get to the end of the chapter. I am not sure if they knew that this gift would be a daily reminder of a successful missionary journey. I hope they know that this was an answer to prayer. For me, this will be an ongoing reminder that God fulfills his plans through us and that he always keeps his promises. And how wonderful that he gives us a mission that is so much fun and so rewarding. God is good!

“In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” (Genesis 4:3–8, ESV)

I read this story the other day. It is the account of the first murder. Two brothers brought offerings to God. Cain, who seems to be wanting to serve God, ends up in such a sinful place that he murders his brother. I have thought about this story for days.

To the casual onlooker, it would seem that Cain was serving God. He brought a sacrifice. He was doing good works for the Lord. But there was something that made his work unacceptable to God.

Cain’s brother Abel brought an offering that was acceptable. He brought a lamb. This was an acceptable sacrifice because it was a picture of the Lamb of God who was to come. “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, ESV)

Cain’s sacrifice was unacceptable because it represented the works that mankind tries to offer God rather than resting in the finished work of the Lamb of God. The Lord warned Cain that his prideful and self-centered sacrifice would lead him into sin, not away from it. The warning to trust in The Lord and do things his way was not heeded.

Cain’s sin was not atoned for and he became a slave to sin. His sin controlled him. Even when God confronted him, he did not repent nor was he remorseful. He was still concerned about himself and how his life would be affected by his actions. He was far from salvation even though he brought a sacrifice.

There are many today who are like Cain. In their pride, they offer gifts to God that are unacceptable, and they are far from salvation. Many people today caught up in works based religion. They believe that being a basically good person will atone for their sin. This is a lie, and sin is crouching at the door waiting to devour them. The only sacrifice that makes us acceptable before God is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” The sacrifices of our own hands will never be acceptable. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV)

If you have been trusting in your works for your salvation, now is a good time to bring an acceptable sacrifice to the Father. Humble yourself and let the Lamb of God, Jesus, and his supreme sacrifice, his death on the cross atone for your sins. Now is a good time. “For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2, ESV)

Psalm 86 is a source of joy and encouragement. It is an encouragement because it is based on truth. It is founded in the truth of a real, personal, imminent and transcendent God. It is based on the revealed truth of the God who exists. It is founded on the fact that our God has power over all things because He created it. The truth is that this God is the Lord and Master of all including each of us.

The psalmist would not have had hope if this god was a god conceived in his own mind. A god that a human could think up would be limited by the scope of the human’s imagination. This god would always have limitations for he would be restricted to the scope of knowledge of the one doing the imagining. This god would not be an encouragement for he would always fail when the mind was weak.

The reason I am sharing this is because Psalm 86 is a real source of joy because there is an all-powerful God who exists and has revealed himself to mankind. He is Yahweh, the existent one. He is Elohim, the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe. He is Adonai, the good and loving Lord and Master who deserves respect, glory and praise.

This week I was reading a Facebook thread that was quite controversial. Many people attempted to lend authority to their ideas by using the idea of a god. The problem was that many people argued based on a god they had made up in their own mind. They said things like, “Well if your God would do that I want nothing to do with him. My God is loving and would never do that” and “In my heart I know God does not think that”.

If we are going to find true joy and encouragement it must be in a true God, not one we make up. The only way to know the true God is to learn from the revealed truth He Himself has given us. The information we need to find joy and peace is outside of us and beyond us. The only way we can know it is if we receive it from the One with the knowledge and truth.

As I read through Psalm 86, I realize the author knew God through His revealed Word, the Holy Scriptures. I want to know this God, the One, who listens, who saves His servants, the God whose works are great. I desire to have a personal relationship with this God, the One, who is true and truly exists. I can know Him and understand Him through His revealed Truth, The Word of God, The Holy Bible.