Praying for God to change something is ineffective if your actions do not align.

You can pray all day and night. You can have a strong faith in God. You can believe that God can do something powerful in your life. But none of that matters if you act in ways contrary to your prayers.

Prayer does not negate the stupid stuff we do. It works together with our actions to produce results beyond what we ever imagined. It is not a way to avoid the consequences of our sin and stupidity.

Keep praying. Then do your best to behave in Godly ways to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

For Christmas, I watched the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” for what seems like the hundredth time.  Even after all the times I have seen it, I still get choked up.  And every time I watch it, I see some detail I had never noticed.

This time through, I noticed a character who never says a word.  He is Mr. Potter’s server.  He stands behind his wheelchair and caters to his needs.  It appears one primary function is to push his wheelchair, but the rest of the time, he stands quietly behind his chair and never says a word.

What troubles me about this is that he is complicit in Mr. Potter’s behavior. First, he sees Mr. Potter get his hands on uncle Billy’s deposit.  He watched him hold onto it while watching Billy frantically search everywhere. Then, he stands quietly while George begs for a loan or some help. He sees Mr. Potter do an unthinkable evil on Christmas to George and the Building and Loan and never says a single word. 

I wondered, “What would make a person quietly stand by when they know an injustice is happening?” Maybe it was because he didn’t want to lose his job. Perhaps he also has a grudge against the Bailey family.  Maybe he is purely evil too. 

I don’t know his reasons, but he becomes just as guilty as old man Potter by his unwillingness to confront the evil he sees happening. 

I wonder what wrong God has revealed to you this past year.  Who is being mistreated?  Who needs help?  Who has been wronged and can’t find the justice they need?  Who could use a friend and others pass them by?

Maybe God has opened your eyes to a need because he wants you to do something about it.  At the very least, he wants you to say something.  No follower of Jesus is given a non-speaking part.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas weekend.

Remember that one Christmas post you read that changed your life?

Yeah, me neither.

I have written a lot about Christmas through the years, and I have spoken even more. Unfortunately, none of it really ever changed anyone’s life.

The only thing that changes people is the baby in the manger.  The savior of the world has come, and he is changing hearts and lives one person at a time. My job is to point people to Jesus and allow him to do a mighty work in their life. 

I pray you encounter Jesus this holiday weekend.  May your December 25^th be filled with family, gifts, and most of all, the love of Christ. 

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21 NIV – 2011)

Merry Christmas Everyone. 

We often think of being a giving person in terms of gifts.  Sometimes, your gift to the world is the little acts of service you do to improve other people’s lives.  I started a small list.

-Park far away and walk.

-Pick up any trash you see, especially your own.

-If you get something out, return it for the next person.

-Take the smaller piece of food.

-Save some of whatever you are taking for others.

-Smile and be kind to everyone.

-Hold the door open for people.

-Listen carefully when people are talking to you.  

-Compliment someone on something specific.

-Take a treat to any gathering, including work.

-Share discount codes, great deals, and coupons when you are able.

-Say “yes” more often.

-Let other people go first in line.

-Write something personal inside when you give a card.

-Don’t take the best seat.

-Drop some money in the tip jar. And tip well. 

-Say “please” and especially “thank you.” 

None of these things may ever be noticed by someone else but consider them your little gift to the world.  Who knows, your actions might brighten someone’s day and make the world a little better place. 

The Lord’s prayer says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” It is a simple plea for God to provide us enough to live on for a single day.

Honestly, I have never been forced to pray for a single meal. God has always provided me with enough food to fill cabinets, a refrigerator, and a freezer. Not only that, I have a closet full of clothes, multiple vehicles, and all kinds of items for personal entertainment. God has blessed me abundantly.

During seasons like Christmas, I am reminded that I am so blessed that I have not only enough for today, but I also have enough to share. Life was never meant to be like a reservoir that collects items into abundance. Instead, it is like a river where things flow through your life to others.

Christmas is a time to receive, and it is also a time to give. Paul quotes Jesus in Acts chapter 20 and says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Since that is true, allow your abundance to be a gift for someone else so that you may both be blessed in the end.

One reason people give up on serving others is that they feel unappreciated.  They give their time and energy to be a blessing.  Then when no one responds, they feel like they are wasting their time.  Perhaps they think that what they are doing is not a blessing or maybe no one even cares.  Often, they try to press on but eventually give up because of a perceived lack of support. 

The Christmas season is a great time to send cards, emails, and texts to a large number of people. When you send your message, be sure and tell the person something you appreciate about them and what they do.  This is the perfect opportunity for you to let someone know you notice their work and are blessed by it. 

Who knows?  It might be the encouragement they need to keep pressing on in the service of the Lord and others in the new year.  You might brighten their holidays simply by recognizing their efforts.  A kind word has never hurt anyone.

Sometimes a statement of appreciation is the fuel we need to shine our lights brightly for the Lord. 

Have you ever seen something happening and thought, “Somebody should do something?”

That could range from something good that is not being completed to some injustice that needs to be stopped.  You know in your soul that somebody should be trying to change this situation. 

What if you are that somebody?

What if God allowed you to see this problem so that you could make a difference?

Maybe you are somebody who can make a positive change, and if you don’t do it, then nobody will. 

The Israelites were returning to Jerusalem and rebuilding the city.  Walls were reconstructed, homes remodeled, and worship was being re-established.  The people who had lived in exile were now back in their homeland.  It was an exciting time for the people of God, according to the book of Nehemiah. 

In chapter 8 of his book, Nehemiah tells of the work of Ezra, the priest.  He had brought together all the ancient scrolls of our Old Testament.  He then stands up in front of the people on a wooden platform and reads it starting at the beginning.  Once they saw him above them, all the people stood up and listened closely.  The reading started at daybreak and lasted till noon.   

The Levites and other priests had gathered with the people, and they also had the words of the Old Testament.  As Ezra was reading, it says of these men that, “They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.” (Nehemiah 8:8 – NIV 2011)

This one verse highlights how the Bible is to be taught and read.  Two significant parts follow our reading of the Bible.  First, there is a need to make it clear.  The original word means that it was “translated.” That could refer to taking a foreign language and putting it into the people’s native tongue.  It could also be a rephrasing of the ancient images into modern pictures to make them easier to understand. 

The second part of that verse says they were giving the words meaning.  Once the people knew what was written, they needed to see how that applied to their lives. So each passage was read, made sure it was understood clearly, and then given practical application.  That would mean for them that they need to re-establish the temple and holy days as acts of worship of God. 

That day the people were sad, filled with guilt and shame over the things they had not been doing for God.  Nehemiah then informs the people not to be sad, instead to celebrate with great joy because “they now understood the words that had been made known to them.” (Nehemiah 8:12 – NIV 2011) The people could have been sad about all they disobeyed because they did not know God’s words; instead, they are happy to move forward with new information. 

God has given us his book, and like the men helping Ezra that day, we are to make sure that we know what it says and how to apply it. Then, once that happens, we help others understand what it says and help them live it each day too.  Encountering the scriptures should increase our understanding, change our behavior, and bring joy.  If it doesn’t, then we are probably not using it correctly. 

Jesus instructs his followers not to judge, or we will be judged.  I heard a preacher recently say that he believes this is the most quoted verse in the Bible.  While it requires us to understand the context of what he is saying and total Biblical comprehension of the concept, it is relatively simple.  We are to withhold our judgments about people because that is the way we want to be treated. 

One reason that judging is so dangerous is that it relies on limited experience.  It is easy to take one poor exchange and let that be the determining factor for our thinking.  We say to ourselves, “Their tone sounded angry to me; I bet that is because they are an angry person.” Possibly we think, “They did not do what I desired in this situation, so they are a disagreeable person.”

We never seem to factor in the intangibles.  Maybe that person was going through a crisis.  Perhaps they had not been able to sleep the night before.  They could be stressed about a difficult decision.  It is quite possible that the undercurrents of personal turmoil impacted them so deeply that they became something they never wanted in that situation.

I know this is true because of my own experience.  I am sure I have made people mad and led them to question my faith and personal holiness because of one bad day.  I try not to allow outside influences to adjust my character, but it still seems to happen.  I have been judged as a bad person because of specific days in my life where even I knew I was being a jerk. 

Not judging other people is hard.  It is so easy for us to do.  One way to help you overcome it is by saying to your soul, “Maybe they are just having a bad day.” Hopefully, that will increase your level of grace.  And remember, a day will come when you wish people understood that you were just having a bad day too.