Above the Sun: God gives special gifts to each of us

December 9, 2018

by Barrett Vanlandingham

         When you’re a toddler, there is nothing more fun at Christmas than playing with an empty box, unless the box is really big. In that case, the most fun to be had is getting to crawl inside the box! (The same is true for most house pets! haha)  Anyway, while this scene can be quite entertaining, it is also a little frustrating if you are the one who gave the gift that has been tossed aside in favor of the box it came in.

          I wonder if that is how God feels about us when He gives us gifts we do not use. For instance, God has given each of us special gifts to use for the benefit of the Lord’s kingdom. Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 1 Cor. 12:27-31, and 1 Peter 4:10-11 list these gifts that are distributed by the Holy Spirit to be used in service to others. These gifts, when used by believers in Jesus and His power to save, draw people closer to God. Examples include faith, mercy, encouragement, service, hospitality, leadership, evangelism, teaching, preaching, wisdom, and knowledge.

          Your gift is that special quality that just feels natural to use. You probably do not view your gift as anything special since it just seems to be woven into who you are. It does not feel like work because it is actually the power of God’s Holy Spirit working in you. While this is true, other people can clearly see what your gifts are, and probably wish they had your gift. Thank God we do not all have the same gift. What a boring and even frustrating world that would be. Can you imagine if everyone had the gift of hospitality? Fights would break out in the streets over who should agree to come over to the other person’s house for dinner! That is why we each have different gifts that are all useful in the work of the Lord (1 Cor. 12:15-20, Rom. 12:4-5).

          The greatest gift of all is Jesus and His grace. Without His life on earth, His sacrifice, and His resurrection, even the biggest boxful of spiritual gifts would have no value, amounting only to an empty box to enjoy on a very temporary basis. Thank God for His Son who was willing to pay the wages for our sin, and on top of that, gave us gifts from His Spirit so we can partner with Him in saving lost souls. Christians can live an abundant life now and for eternity! (John 10:10 and 2 Peter 1:3-11)  Have a great week!

Above the Sun: The story of Jesus’ birth is simply amazing

December 2, 2018

by Barrett Vanlandingham

          2000 years later, the facts surrounding the birth of Jesus still leave us with a sense of awe and wonderment!

          “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

          4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

          8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

          13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

          14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

          15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

          16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” (Luke 2:1-20)

          Can you even imagine the conversations? Where would they start? Perhaps with the angel Gabriel’s big reveal to Joseph and Mary? Or the previously terrified shepherds finding the Savior exactly where the angel had told them? Or the magnificent army of angels the Shepherds saw praising God? Or the 700 year old prophecy (Micah 5:2) that all the priests knew about regarding the future birth place of the Messiah?

          Did you ever wonder what life was like from that day on for those who experienced all of this first hand?  Have a great week!

Above the Sun: Thank God for His confidence in us

November 25, 2018

by Barrett Vanlandingham

          We’ve all heard someone ask in anger, “Can’t you do anything right?” Sometimes, I wonder how often God feels that way about each of us at various times in our lives. But when I stop and think about the fact that He created us, those feelings of failure begin to fade away because of all the evidence that says God actually has confidence in us.

          God knows us better than anyone. And if His word says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), then we really ought to reconsider how we think He looks at us. God sent his son, Jesus, to fix our sin problem. We continue to sin. God knows that. Yet, Jesus told his followers (that includes us), the same ones who continue to sin, to “Go” and teach the good news to all creation, make disciples, baptize them and teach them to obey everything He commanded.

          Can you imagine giving someone a job to do, knowing that sometimes they will choose to do it right, and sometimes wrong? Your confidence in your employee would be pretty low.

          The difference in us and God is that He actually has confidence that His work will get done through us as He uses our hands, feet, and love for all people to make a difference. Otherwise, He would not have asked us to take on such a huge task of bringing lost souls to Him. Part of what keeps me going is knowing that even though we do our best to trust and obey God, it is not our good works that save anyone, including ourselves. That power comes from on high!

          “And when you were baptized, it was the same as being buried with Christ. Then you were raised to life because you had faith in the power of God, who raised Christ from death” (Colossians 2:12, CEV).

          It is God’s work that saves. All we can do is plant seed by telling others about the good news of Jesus and the hope we have because of his life, sacrifice, and resurrection. We can also water the seed by continuing to teach and model His teachings contained in the Bible, and trusting that He will do the rest (1 Corinthians 3:7).

          We can try as hard as we can to impress God. But in the end, the words of the prophet Isaiah ring loud and clear: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away” (Isaiah 64:6).

          While that sounds pretty bleak, Jesus came along about 700 years later and destroyed death, and gave us the option of partnering with Him. To this day, His prayer for us is to experience and spread God’s joy, unity, and message of love so that we can be with Jesus in heaven someday (John 17). Bottom line? If God has confidence that we can accomplish great things through Christ (Philippians 4:13 and Matthew 19:26), then we can too.  Have a great week!

Above the Sun: Thank God for the “little” things

November 18, 2018

by Barrett Vanlandingham

          “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:13-14)

          Most of us do not think about giving thanks to God for our next breath, our next heartbeat, or for our ability to think, or say the right words in the right order to make a sentence. But when “little” things like that are threatened or even taken away, their value increases. It’s not really that those things were not valuable all along, it’s just that most of us tend to take those things for granted.

          My close friends, Chuck and Linda, are fighting a battle they never thought they would have to fight, that is, until Linda had a stroke a few weeks ago. One minute Linda was sitting next to my wife Lisa in a Sunday morning Bible class commenting on the lesson, and the next minute her limp body was lying on the floor of the church lobby. 

          For days, she could not open her eyes, breath on her own, or talk. She is at home now, but still cannot move the right side of her body because the stroke happened deep in her brain just to the left of center. Little by little, Linda’s brain is re-connecting her abilities to think, move, be expressive, talk, sit in a wheelchair, and eat. She is also learning basic things like numbers and colors. As I write this, Lisa is on her way there to teach Linda how to tell time.

          The important thing I want you to take from this is that we all need to take time daily to be thankful to our Creator for the little things in life, that in reality are not so little. Yes, we need to say “I love you” more. Yes, we need to hug more, appreciate more, laugh more, listen more, and serve others more. But let us never forget to thank God for the salvation we can have because of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of His Son. As Christians, that good news of Jesus can sometimes become such a “given” in our lives that we forget just what an amazing thing it is.

          The Bible teaches that those who trust and obey Jesus will be saved! This is no little thing! Let’s be thankful for it, and tell others about Jesus so they can be thankful too.

          “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).  Have a great week!

Above the Sun: Thank God for the peace of Christ

November 11, 2018

by Barrett Vanlandingham

           

When I was a little kid, I remember how good it felt to know that when I could not figure something out, all I had to do was ask my dad or mom, and at least one of them seemed to always have a good answer for my dilemma. I always knew they would be able to bring a sense of peace to my frustration. They still give great advice. I feel very fortunate to still have them in my life. But many of my friends and relatives have only memories of their loved ones left to cherish.

The other day, my friend, Joe, wrote these heart wrenching words on Facebook about his late father: “Every day I find myself needing to talk to you!! Can’t believe it’s been 3 years already. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss you!! Love you dad!!”

            Another close friend of mine, Duane, recently told me he did not attend his father’s 82^nd birthday. He had no idea there would not be an 83rd.

            I am pretty sure the apostle Paul had days he wished he could just sit down for a visit with Jesus and ask questions about how to deal with the struggles he was facing as a believer. But Jesus’ teachings that had circulated among the early Christians were no doubt encouraging to believers like Paul.

            In his letter to Christians in Colossae, Paul wrote, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:15-17).

            There are many things in this life that can rob us of our peaceful state of mind. But Paul reminds us of something that should be of great comfort. If you are a Christian, you are a part of a single body of believers with Jesus Christ as its Head! This is GOOD NEWS. Paul knew without a doubt this peace we have been given through the work of Jesus was something for which to be thankful. Peace through Christ is what kept Paul going in spite of being jailed, beaten, hungry, and shipwrecked just to name a few of his challenges that resulted from his commitment to Christ.

            Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

            If you are a Christian, those words are a source of peace. If you are not a Christian, why not turn your life over to Him today? I would be glad to visit with you. Have a great week!