Last year, we got to spend a few days in Bartlesville celebrating Christmas with family. We had a great time quoting lines from Elf, opening presents, eating way too much, and getting schooled in Scrabble by my 10 year old niece. In other words, it was a perfect holiday. Since I grew up in Bartlesville, any trip back home brings back all kinds of memories – good and bad. In many ways, I have grown into a different person since I moved away from there 20 years ago. Some of those changes have been positive, some have been negative.

One of the changes that I would consider negative, is my general optimism about life. When I lived in Bartlesville I was much younger, and much more optimistic about my future. Let me give you an example. Back in 1984 when the Olympics were in Los Angeles, I remember dreaming that one day I would be a part of the U.S. Olympic basketball team. I loved playing basketball, and thought I had a “realistic” shot at making the team one day. I actually did the math and thought that I would only have two chances to make the team – 1992 and 1996. I thought I would only have the chance for those two Olympics because I would be in the NBA in 1997, thus making me ineligible for an amateur competition (the Olympics at that time were only open to amateurs). Best I can tell, I wanted to be an Olympian for three reasons:

• A love of America. Putting on the stars and bars and taking on the world was an incredibly motivating idea.
• A love of Basketball. I thought I had the skills to compete.
• A love of Mary Lou Retton. Remember the 1984 games? As an 11 year old, I thought if I could just meet her, I had a chance . . .

Anyway, by the time 1992 rolled around, I no longer lived in Bartlesville . . . and I no longer thought I could be an Olympian. Though the inclusion of the professionals did not help me (thanks a lot Dream Team), the reason I did not make it to the Olympics in 1992 was that I was not good enough to make the team. Time has an incredible ability to kill our dreams, doesn’t it? The longer we live, the more we are in tune with our own abilities and liabilities. The more basketball I played against better and better competition, the more I realized that I was not going to be the next Mark Price or even the next Tim Legler. My talent ceiling was 6A sports in Oklahoma. Getting a realistic picture of what I could accomplish caused me to alter my idealistic notion of being a Olympic champion.

What about you? What did you used to think you were going to grow up to be? How has time changed your hopes and dreams?

While it is fun and nostalgic to look back on our dreams of fame, it is tragic when we let the passing of time ebb away at the confidence we have in our spiritual lives. For far too many of us, we trust God with less with each passing year. This happens because over time we become more and more acquainted with our lack of ability to accomplish things we genuinely desire. Year after year, an illness remains, a relationship deteriorates, a sin struggle lingers, depression clings on. Because of the persistent nature of some of our struggles, and our lack of ability to change them, we begin to trust God with less. As we become aware of our liabilities, we begin to limit our expectations. When we limit our expectations, we shrink our dreams. When we shrink our dreams, we have a tendency to shrink our God as well.

The flaw in all this is that we are attaching our hopes and dreams in the areas that matter most to us only to our own ability. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have a God we can trust for things way larger than that! Think about it: if you are a believer in Jesus, you are trusting God for forgiveness of all your sins. Your ability to be forgiven has nothing to do with your ability to accomplish something yourself, but it has to do with God’s ability to do more to you and through you than you could ever do alone! God forgives by sending His Son to die on the cross for us. That is how we are forgiven. However, as believers live out their spiritual lives, we can allow time to cause us to focus more on what we can do and less on what God can do. When we do that, our vision for tomorrow deflates.

This year, this Christmas, I want to encourage you to inflate your vision again. Trust God more this coming year for things bigger than what you can accomplish on your own. I want to encourage you in this direction by looking at the first few words in Luke 2 tonight. At the beginning of the story of Jesus birth, Luke says this, “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus. . .” If you have been a Christian for a long time (or if you have recently watched the “Charlie Brown Christmas” special), no doubt these words are very familiar to you. In fact, the name Caesar Augustus is one of the most famous names of any Caesar in the history of the Roman Empire. But who was Caesar Augustus and why do we know his name today? Answering that question is a very interesting story.

In 63 BC, a young man named Gaius Octavius was born. Octavius was in the Roman army. At that time, a man named Julius Caesar was the dictator of Rome. Julius noticed the great skill and leadership ability that Octavius had. Octavius was Julius’s nephew. Julius had no children of his own. Unknown to Octavius, Julius had written into his will to adopt Octavius upon his death, and make him the heir to his fortune and political successor. On the Ides of March, in 44 BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated by political adversaries in the Roman Senate. Octavius was summoned to Rome to hear a reading of his late Uncle’s will. In the will, Octavius found out his future would be changed forever. He had been post-humously adopted by his uncle Julius and at the age of 19, Octavius had become the leader of Rome. As a tribute, Octavius took on Julius’s name “Caesar,” making him Octavius Caesar. In 42 BC, the Roman Senate deified Julius Caesar, making him the “Divine Julius” and Octavius, “The Son of the Divine” or as we might say, he became known as the “Son of God.” Then, in a twist that changed the course of Rome, Octavius changed the Roman constitution making himself an Emperor and Rome an Empire. At that time, they changed his name to Augustus . . . which means “Sacred one” . . . Thus Augustus Caesar became known as the Sacred One, the Son of God. He was the leader of the world at the time of Jesus birth.

Caesar Augustus was such a powerful man that he was able to speak a word and make the entire Roman Empire move. When you are an emperor and people think you are a god, you have lots of power. That is why when Caesar developed a new tax code and said that people needed to go to their ancestral homes to register, people started walking – among them Mary and Joseph.

Now imagine that you were alive in the Roman Empire on the night that Jesus was born, and imagine that you were walking with a set of travelers to the town of Bethlehem to register for the census. Imagine that someone were to say to you that alive in the world at that time was one known as the Son of God, the Sacred one, who would be known for 2,000 years and counting into the future. Imagine that someone were to tell you on the way to Bethlehem that 2,000 years later all of human history would hinge around this Son of God and what He would accomplish with His life. Imagine that someone were to tell you that 2,000 years later, people would look at pictures and symbols of this Sacred One and think of how the Son of God had changed their lives. Imagine that. I would imagine that if someone would have told you all that on that night, you would have thought they were talking about Caesar Augustus. In reality, however, they were talking about a child that would be born later that night in a cave and placed in an animals feeding bin.

Despite the drastic differences between Jesus and Augustus on the first Christmas night (one in a manger, the other on a throne), the world has come to remember the one, only because of His association with the other. Think about it, the man who was responsible for starting the Roman Empire . . . the man who was known as a god by the most advanced civilization in the world at that time, would be known to us only because he was the ruler at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ. As Andy Stanley has correctly said, Augustus Caesar is merely a footnote in the history of God’s Story in Christ. Men and women, we serve a God who can make a baby born in a manger infinitely more powerful than the leader of the “free world.”

This Christmas, as you ponder anew what the Almighty can do, I want you to stop limiting what God can do. I want you to renew your belief that God can do big things. As the Christmas story is read and you hear of Caesar Augustus, I want you to remember the power of God. Caesar thought he was a god and tried to make himself famous, but in the end, he was a footnote in history. Time has taught us of the limitations of human power. However, time has also taught us of the enduring nature of God’s story. When we are attached to Christ, He can do infinitely abundantly beyond all we ask or think. I want you to trust God again for big things this year, because we serve a big God.

Now, I want to ask you this question. Who are you trusting tonight? For the problem of our sin. For the problem of our uncertainty. For the problem of our mortality. For the things you truly long for. Who are you trusting? Yourself? The best a person could do is what Augustus did . . . and he is rotting in a tomb. Trust instead in the One who has gone from the manger to a throne that will never be unseated. He can offer us forgiveness, and hope. He is the One we orient our history around. His story gives meaning to ours. My dreams are bigger because I am a part of His team.

 

This devotional is part of a 25 day devotional guide.  Download all 25 days of the devotional in pdf or ebook format (for free) by clicking here.

In our home we have many Christmas decorations.  Along the roof line is a set of lights designed to make Clark Griswold proud.  In the front window is the Christmas tree full of memories disguised as ornaments.  On the mantle is a Saint Nicholas statue given to us as a wedding gift many years ago.  And in three prominent locations, we have nativity scenes.  These nativity scenes are my favorite Christmas decorations . . . and I am not just saying that because I am a Pastor.

I truly love these nativity scenes.  I always have.  As a kid, we had one that set on top of our cabinet television set and I used to love to see those simple figures in a tiny barn surrounded by fake hay.  They were a real reminder of the reason for the Christmas season.  When Kimberly and I got married, Kimberly brought a very special nativity set forward with her into marriage . . . a gift her mom and dad got for her one piece at a time during her growing up years.  It is one of the greatest treasures we own.  Each nativity set has a back story of how we came to own it, but also points us to the ultimate reason for why we celebrate Christmas at all — the birth of Jesus.

Each set in our house is arranged similarly.  All the pieces are crowded together around the baby Jesus . . . as they should be.  After all, Jesus was at the center of it all that first Christmas night.  However, what is sometimes lost in nativity sets is how those pieces ARRIVED at the manger scene.  Unlike the pieces that adorn our mantles, the participants at the first Advent did not all come out of the same box.

Most nativity scenes include 3 “wise men” or “magi.”  Sometimes they are riding on camels and most every time they are carrying three neatly wrapped gifts.  They are often painted the same color as the other pieces in the set.  In our nativity scenes, they look like they totally belong.  However, those familiar with first century Jewish culture would have been quite surprised at their inclusion in the story.

By the first century, the Magi were considered to be more “wise guys” than truly wise.  The Magi were an ancient order of star-gazers from Babylon who made a living interpreting dreams and foretelling the future.  While there were certainly some honest men among them, their reputation had deteriorated toward “snake oil salesmen” – people who would tell you what you wanted to hear just as long as they could make a buck.  Most people did not view them as honorable, and certainly, no one viewed them as godly.  Metaphorically, these Gentile heathens were about as far away from the birth of the Jewish Savior as you could possibly be.  The songs we sing of them talked about them traveling far to see Jesus, but their distance was even further spiritually than physically.  For the wise men to look the part in our nativity sets, we should paint them contrasting colors and place them at the beginning of December in the garage while the rest of the pieces nestle together in the living room.

Yet in God’s mercy, those who were far off are brought near by the birth of Jesus.  Further, they were brought near INTENTIONALLY.  The Magi made it to the manger at the end of a very long and well thought out plan:

• 1400 years before the birth of Jesus, Balaam issued a prophecy about a star rising for the Messiah.  This led Jews to a belief that a real star would one day be a sign that Messiah had arrived.

• 700 years before the birth of Jesus, Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in the little town of Bethlehem.

• 600 years before the birth of Jesus, the Jews were taken captive by the Babylonians.  The Babylonian foreign policy of the time was to take the best and brightest people of the lands they conquered back to Babylon to work for the improvement of their culture.  One of the Jews exported to Babylon in this captivity was Daniel.  After demonstrating his ability to interpret dreams, Nebuchadnezzar promoted Daniel to become the overseer of (you guessed it) the Magi – see Daniel 2:48.  Daniel would have been in a position to influence this group with his understanding of Jewish prophecy, which would have included the idea that one day the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and a star would mark his arrival.  This story was passed on from generation to generation of Magi until the birth of Jesus.

• At the time of Jesus’ birth, God sends a special star in the sky to guide the Magi from Babylon/Persia to Israel to see the newborn king (see Matthew 2:1-12).

For 1,400 years, God had prepared a plan to invite those who were far off to come near and into a relationship with Himself.  The night Jesus was born, the star rising in the sky made sense to the Magi because of years of divine planning.  The pieces that began in the garage were brought into the living room by God’s grace.

Contrast the response of the Gentile Magi with the response of the Jewish religious elite.  In Matthew 2:1-12, we see the chief priests and scribes correctly answer the question, “where will the Messiah be born?” BUT, they do not do anything with that knowledge.  Though the Savior of the world was right down the road from them, they were too busy or preoccupied to go check Him out!  The absurdity of the Jewish leaders’ actions might be best reconstructed in script form:

• HEROD:  Hey Jewish religious leaders . . . there are some Magi out here who have traveled hundreds of miles over hard terrain following a special brand new star that they believe is leading them to see where the Savior of the world was born.  Do you know where the Savior of the world is supposed to be born?
• RELIGIOUS LEADERS:  Yeah, the Savior will be born in Bethlehem.  The town directly underneath that brand new and bright shining star.
• HEROD:  Oh really?  Should we go check it out?
• RELIGIOUS LEADERS:  Nope. Can you pass the pretzels?  We are busy watching some paint dry.

The religious leaders of Israel WERE in the same box as Jesus.  They were painted with the same colors.  They did look like they belonged in the same room . . . however, the story of Matthew 2 shows us that sometimes those who look near are really VERY FAR away spiritually.

The contrast between the Magi and the Scribes and Priests is shocking.  Those who were far are brought near while those who looked near are revealed to be very far away.  The implications of this are extremely important to us at Christmas time.

Are you someone who is currently very far away from the Savior?  Someone who is painted a totally different color than most church people?  Maybe your life is marked by addiction, abuse, or sensuality.  Maybe you are known by your peers for your marginalized business ethics or immoral lifestyle.  Maybe you even follow another religion and do not own a Bible.  Because of the sin in your life, you appear to be in another zip code compared to Jesus, much less in the same room.  This Christmas, are you someone who is far from Him?

Or, are you someone who has grown up inside the church.  You were dedicated at First Baptist Church, confirmed in the Catholic Church, and attend a non-denominational church . . . you just want to make sure your bases are covered!  Do you have multiple bibles in your house, never miss a History channel documentary about the historical Jesus, and have a set of Jimmy Stewart “It’s a Wonderful Life” morals.  Do you realize that it is possible to have all these things . . . to look like you belong . . . yet to never really have begun a real relationship with God?

The beauty of the Christmas story is that there is hope . . . for people who are both FAR AND NEAR.  If you feel very far away from the Savior today, know that God has been working since the foundation of the world to get the message of salvation to you.  The combination of the life of Christ, the preservation of God’s Word, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and your network of friends, family, and opportunities have served as a “star” to invite you to the manger this Christmas.  The same set of signs have also been shared with those who are “near” the church.  The big question is: will you (like the Magi) follow the signs God has given and worship the Savior this year, or will you simply enjoy some pretzels and ignore the real reason for this season (like the Jewish religious leaders)?

To those who are far or near, Jesus is the “good news of great joy for all the people.”  He is our Savior, so come let us adore Him.

 

 

This devotional is part of a 25 day devotional guide.  Download all 25 days of the devotional in pdf or ebook format (for free) by clicking here.

Have you ever stopped to think what life would be like without Christmas?  If somehow it were possible to eliminate Christmas from the landscape of human history, what would be the net effect?  In answering that question, here is a sort of “un-Christmas” list of the things lost if Christmas never happened:

• Wal Mart would be forced to find other items to fill their shelves from August to December.
• Ebenezer Scrooge would have been able to work every day in December without any “unwanted visitors.”
• The average man would own 10 less “bad ties” and the average woman would own 14 less “decorative items,” the cumulative result of one less yearly gift giving mandate.
• Hallmark would go out of business.
• The Grinch would have to find something else to steal.
• Families would no longer get together for big parties and meals at the end of every December.
• Jimmy Stewart would never have realized that he had a wonderful life.
• We would never have heard anything about flying reindeer or jolly overweight men in red suits giving gifts to those who have been “nice”.

As sad as it would be to give up all that, the loss of Christmas would cost humanity so much more.  To fully understand the impact of a Christmasless history, we have to go back and investigate the origin of Christmas and the reason for this season of celebration.

If Christmas were truly lost, the greatest impact on humanity would be that mankind would be separated from God forever.  That’s right.  Without Christmas, you and I would stand no chance at gaining access to heaven after we die and no opportunity to have a relationship with God in the here and now.  If Christmas were skipped historically speaking, humanity would be without hope.

All humanity suffers from a terminal condition known theologically as “sin.”  Sin is anything that falls short of God’s perfect standard.  Any honest survey of our own lives informs us that there is plenty in our lives that falls short of divine perfection.  The problem with the sin in our lives is that it has a consequence.  The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23 that the “wages of sin is death.”  Therefore, because of our sin, a price of death has to be paid.  When Jesus was born into the world 2,000 years ago at the first Christmas, He started His earthly life so that He could end it on the cross.  Without physical birth, physical death would be unattainable, so He was born . . . and He was born to die in our place.  Your sin (and mine) demands a death, only who will die for your sin?  There are only two options.  Either you will pay the price for your own sin and after your physical death be separated from God forever in hell, or you can put your faith in Jesus Christ.  If you do, then the death He died in His Passion will pay the penalty for your sins, so that you might spend eternity with God in heaven.

If Christmas never happened, Wal Mart would find another way to sell toys and decorations, people would find other ways to honor each other with gifts, families would gather for celebrations at New Year’s, and Hollywood would entertain us at Winter Wonderlands instead of at the North Pole.  Life would move on in each of these areas.  However, if Christmas never happened, mankind would be without a Savior . . . and there is no other solution to that problem.  This year, as you celebrate the holidays, remember the part of Christmas that you cannot afford to skip.  Without Christ in your heart, your life and future are without hope.

 

This devotional is part of a 25 day devotional guide.  Download all 25 days of the devotional in pdf or ebook format (for free) by clicking here.

Have you seen the television show, “Undercover Boss?”  Honestly, I haven’t . . . but I am familiar with the concept.  On the show, a CEO of a big-time company leaves the boardroom and perks behind to become a common worker in his/her organization.  The ensuing drama inevitably leads to some dynamic shift in perspective as the CEO ultimately sees how their executive decisions are effecting front-line employees.

Jesus birth in Bethlehem was not an accident and was not by chance — God had planned it all along, and had been making preparations for Christ’s arrival from the very beginning.

It is a misnomer to think that Jesus came into existence at Bethlehem.  The Bible is actually quite clear that from the time that was the beginning, Jesus already WAS.  John 1:1 says it this way, “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”  Notice the tense of the verb in this verse.  Literally, this verse says, “Imagine the time when there were no people, no planets, and no plants.  At that very moment before anything was created, Jesus WAS ALREADY THERE.”  In fact, John 1:3 goes on to say that “All things were made through Jesus, and without Jesus was not any thing made that was made.”  Jesus created the world.  He did not originate in Bethlehem, He created the earth under which Bethlehem sits.  Jesus birth is not so much a simple Baby Story, as it is an episode of “Undercover Boss.”  The CEO of the universe came to the earth He created “dressed” as a common carpenter’s son.

But why did Jesus humble Himself to come as a baby that first Christmas day?  Here is a hint from Hebrews 4:15:  “For we do not have a high priest (Jesus) who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”  Jesus went through the full human experience so that we could fully know that the King of Kings has a dynamic, personal understanding for what it means to be human.  He knows what it means to cry, laugh, and love.  He knows what it means to be disappointed, discouraged, and dissed.  He knows first hand what it means to spend a sleepless night in prayer, seeking God’s will while asking if “the Cup could pass from Him.”  Jesus knows.  Because the Boss went Undercover as the carpenter’s son, we can (as Hebrews 4:16 concludes), “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Therefore, this Christmas season, as you see reminders of the infant in the manger, remember that the baby was the Boss undercover.  He has lived our lives, and He understands what we are going through.  He is not a disconnected Executive.  He is the Sovereign Savior who cares.

 

 

This devotional is part of a 25 day devotional guide.  Download all 25 days of the devotional in pdf or ebook format (for free) by clicking here.

There is a great scene in the 1995 movie “Apollo 13″ where Tom Hanks (playing the part of Astronaut Jim Lovell) sits in his back yard staring at the moon.  Lovell was soon to pilot the famed Apollo 13 spaceship all the way to a lunar landing.  As he sat in his suburban backyard on terra firm, however, Lovell was thousands of miles away from his destination.  While staring at the moon, Lovell closed one eye and extended his hand in front of him.  The captain then extended his thumb up into the air.  The camera switched to Lovell’s perspective and showed us the captain’s ability to make the moon disappear behind his thumb.

Now, two possible explanations exist regarding Lovell’s disappearing moon technique:

1. The disappearance of the moon was an optical allusion created by the close proximity of the finger to the eyeball.  In other words, it was a matter of perspective.
2. Tom Hanks has an extremely large thumb!  In other words, his thumb is bigger than the moon.

Of course, option one is the correct answer.  It also serves as a helpful reminder to you and me.

In our lives, the problems we face everyday have a very close proximity to our eyes.  Medical issues we deal with, relationships that crumble, dreams that are dashed, are so close to where we live that they feel absolutely enormous.  In fact, they feel so big, they can even cause us (as we close one eye of perspective under the strain) to not be able to see God in the midst of our difficulty.  As we ponder this phenomena, two possibilities exist:

1. We have some really large problems . . . larger than the God who created the universe.
2. We are allowing our current circumstances to create an optical allusion blinding us to the reality of the presence of our God.

This Christmas season, many of you are no doubt dealing with difficulty.  In fact, I would hazard a guess that virtually all of us are facing a tough trial of some kind.  Because of that, we might have a tendency to miss God this holiday season.  Under the stress and strain of life, we squint our eyes and see only that which is attached to our own hands.  However, do not be fooled.  God is there!  The infant born in Bethlehem is not small in stature . . . He is larger than life, and He is our Immanuel – God with us.  Because of this, we can sing loudly the chorus to the hymn “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” –

O Tidings of Comfort and Joy!  Comfort and Joy!  O Tidings of Comfort and Joy!

We are comforted because God does not disappear from us . . . He has come to us in Christ.  We have great joy because when we open both eyes of biblical perspective, we can see that the Lord has been here all along.  Remember, Jesus last words to His disciples were, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  This promise opens our eyes to dispel the allusion that we are alone.  He is here, and He is bigger than all of the problems and issues we face.  We can trust Him with all our problems, big and small.

 

This devotional is part of a 25 day devotional guide.  Download all 25 days of the devotional in pdf or ebook format (for free) by clicking here.