It's not a tree all tall and bright.
But it's a star, a holy night.
It's not a box all wrapped in red.
But it's a box where sheep are fed.
It's not a ring, a suit, or toy.
It's God come down, this baby boy.

He saw a tree all stained with red.
His blood a star of mercy shed.
He saw a box. It was the grave.
From there He rose, God's sons to save.
He brings His ring, His robe, His joy
Come celebrate this baby boy . . .
It's Christmas!

Two dead, dozens left homeless, chaos, confusion--all this was the aftermath of a tornado that ripped through Hurtsboro, Alabama years ago. I asked a friend whose brother and family lived through it, how they reacted to the tragedy.

"One word can sum it up," she said. "Thankful. While they lost nearly all their material possessions, they are grateful they have each other and their faith."

I thought about John 6:27. "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you"(NIV). When the listeners asked Jesus what this work involved, He answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

Believe. Believe what? I think Jesus was saying He is the true food and treasure in life. Fancy meals, clothes, houses, and cars--these are all mere trappings. But those who have given their hearts to Christ are living on food that will last through eternity.

Are you hungry? Jesus said, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" ( John 6:35, KJV).

I need a transfusion of power.
Today's demands are great.
And yesterday's troubles still linger.
I feel the burden and weight.
You may leave me here for a season.
If so, help me yield to this call.
I'll give You my mind and my moments,
Then stand, and win, through it all.

 Not my problems, but his power
Not my stress, but his strength
Not my worries, but his wisdom
Not my failures, but his faithfulness
Not my loss, but his love
Not my pressure, but his peace
Not me, but him, in everything
"For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen."
(Romans 11:36, NIV).
(c) Sara DuBose

Celebrate God’s Sovereignty
 
 
Think about it. Have you reached a point where you can recognize, and even celebrate, God’s sovereign choice in your life? It’s not always easy, is it?

            Today the sun is shining, but rain is predicted for tomorrow. The same scenario may be the case in our personal lives.

 My latest bit of nasty weather began about 5 months ago and neither the GP nor gastroenterologist could determine the source of the constant fatigue. Finally, I was sent for a CT scan that revealed a ruptured diverticulum requiring immediate surgery. A week in the hospital was followed by home health including physical and occupational therapy. However, the greatest source of renewed strength must be credited to my faithful Lord and Bill, my faithful husband.

Recently, I laughed and said, “Bill, when God called you into the profession of dentistry I bet you never dreamed you would be using some of those same skills to dress and re-dress abdominal wounds.” He nodded and grinned as he continued to smile and complete the thirty plus minutes of the daily procedure.

Naturally, other significant chances also came into play for my husband: Grocery shopping, cooking, dish-washing, and a long list of chores that became a part of his daily routine. On top of that he was, and still is, thinking of other ways to simply make life easier and make me smile. Observing his faithfulness points my heart back to our faithful Creator.

As you know, it’s not difficult to recognize and thank God when He is answering our prayers, but not so easy when we feel we’re being squeezed like a lemon. As this lemon squeeze regarding my health continued day after day I had to force myself to recall Romans 8:28: “…in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Like the process or not, God is using this illness as part of my sanctification, or for my good and His glory. Like my husband, He remains faithful through the hard times. How do I know? I know because He is my Abba Father, or daddy. In fact, Roman 8:16 declares, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

And so today I am committing my self to the remainder of Romans 8, especially verses 35-39: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death no life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Compared to what many Christians are enduring today my health issue is minor. More importantly, my LORD has a purpose in it and He is forever faithful. I can, and will, celebrate God’s sovereignty.
 
 

Mammals are awesome!

The Whale

If you saw a recent front-page story of the San Francisco Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider's web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds  of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, and a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours the rescue team arrived and determined that she was in such a state that the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed the whale.

When she was free, the divers said she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged and pushed them gently around as she expressed her thanks. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

Like that whale I, too, was tangled in a web of weights, traps and sin. The ONE who came to save me paid the ultimate price to free me. Saved now, I can never praise the resurrected LORD enough, but I will continue to swim in joyful circles of thanksgiving around HIS throne.

Some women like to say, “I don’t sweat. I just glisten!” Well, I’m sorry to say, I don’t do either. My body simply refuses to sweat. That’s right. The medical term is anhidrosis. Sometimes I forget about this condition until . . . something happens.

We live in a neighborhood called Pine Forest so our house sits in the middle of a pine thicket along with other trees such as gum, oak, and magnolia. Now, one of my favorite poems from childhood is Trees by Joyce Kilmer, but I’ve learned trees can also be a problem; especially after a rainstorm.
So, several days ago I was determined to help my husband pick up the numerous limbs around our house. You guessed it. In the 98-100 degree temperature I soon became dehydrated. Since he was in another part of the 3 acre lot Bill didn’t hear my call. I staggered to the back porch swing and prayed he’d come before I passed out, or our new puppy tried to revive me with slobbering tongue.

When Bill did appear, he quickly saw the need and hurried inside for a glass of cold water. Now here is the ironic part of it all. Years ago Bill had installed an outdoor water fountain right there on our back porch. In fact, it’s a charming little fountain retrieved from a country school. Why didn’t I think of it? A flowing stream of water was right there ready and waiting!

It was several days before I made a spiritual application to this experience. The Scripture reading for that day was John 7. When I came to verses 37-39 the call of Jesus stood out as though in bold print. “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, (the Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths) Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified” (NIV).

At this point, Jesus was speaking to a crowd of people calling them to repentance and faith, but my mind jumped back to another time when he spoke words like these to one woman, the woman of Samaria. In John 4:10 he told her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asked you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” Living water! What is this living water? In John 7: 39 the author tells us he meant the Spirit who would come to all believers after the death and resurrection of Jesus. This gift, purchased by the blood of Christ, meets our every need:

1. Present satisfaction: Initially urging us to repent and believe the Gospel, the Holy Spirit, our living water, is like a flowing stream. This stream is always running and will completely cool and cleanse us. “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.”
2. Plentiful: Like a fountain, this stream will amply supply our thirst and flow over into the lives of others.
3. Perpetual: The fountain of living water will never dry up, but will continue to be as strong as a stream; washing away our doubts and fears. The Holy Spirit will forever refresh, enliven and enable us to bear fruit.

On the last day of the Feast of Booths the Jews had a custom. They would fill a golden vessel with water, bring it into the temple, ascend to the altar and pour it out before the Lord as an expression of joy. Today, we have a far greater comfort and joy than a temporary container, or glass of water to remind us of God’s faithfulness. We have the very promise of Jesus who said, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (v. 38).

It took an experience with dehydration to remind me of our water fountain. May I never forget to rely on my Savior who provides the fountain of life. Yes, a flowing stream of water is always available!

Sara DuBose is the author of five inspirational novels, scores of articles/stories, and appears in several anthologies. She is also the author of Be Anxious For Nothing: Finding Hope In A Hectic World published by CDM of the Presbyterian Church in America, and is designed for individual or group study. To review a chapter, click here.  All of Sara’s books are also listed on Amazon.

The skunk is smarter than you think. Did you know he can eradicate his own fleas? That right? When a skunk is thoroughly fed up with the pesky insects he simply gathers a mouthful of straw and grass. He then heads for a nearby stream.

At this point, Mr. Skunk slowly submerges himself into the water until only his muzzle is visible. As he sports his awkward mustache, the fleas begin to move upward to avoid the water and, before you know it, the dry stalks in his mouth are covered with hundreds of tiny fleas. Our stripped friend then opens his mouth, releasing the mustache, and his uninvited guests float down stream.

As believers, we are delivered and forgiven for our sins, but we still must contend with our enemy who tempts us to disobey and fall back into old patterns. One of our problems is a lack of trust in our Savior. We become anxious and fearful. If you are like me, you want to be rid of these pesky sins as much as the skunk want to be rid of his fleas. In God's strength there is a way. Think of it like this: As the skunks fleas cannot survive in the water,  our fearful thoughts and anxieties cannot survive when we are communing with God, or walking in His light. This, of course, includes spending time with Him in prayer, Bible study and confession of sin. This sweet fellowship with Christ will always give us the victory!

To read more see Be Anxious For Nothing: Finding Hope In A Hectic World @ www.amazon.com/author/saradubose.

NEVER AGAIN

NEVER AGAIN will I say, "I can't," for "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me." (Phil. 4:13)
NEVER AGAIN will I admit lack, for "My God shall supply all my need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19)
NEVER AGAIN will I fear, for "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (11 Tim. 1:7)
NEVER AGAIN will I harbor doubt and lack of faith, for "The Lord is the strength of my life; of who shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)
NEVER AGAIN will I allow supremacy of satan over my life, for "Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
NEVER AGAIN will I admit defeat, for God "always causeth us to triumph in Christ." (11 Cor. 1:14)
NEVER AGAIN will I lack wisdom for, "If any (of you) lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)
NEVER AGAIN will I be worried and frustrated, for "Casting all my care upon him; for he careth for me." (1 Peter 5:7)
NEVER AGAIN will I be in bondage, for "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." (11 Cor. 3:17)
NEVER AGAIN will I feel condemned, for "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)    Author Unknown