Category: Encouragement

It was always dark when I awoke on Christmas morning as a boy. I begged my sleepy parents to let me get up. Christmas meant surprise gifts, family fun, and good food. Waiting was hard.

As I grew older, Christmas took on a deeper meaning, especially as I experienced Christian faith. There was a grand scheme in the unparalleled event in Bethlehem that set Christmas in motion. Jesus, the Son of God, was born. God came to earth. And I invited Jesus into my life.

The coming of Jesus to this earth, as C. S. Lewis wrote, is “like light from a lamp, or heat from a fire, or thoughts from a mind. He is the self-expression of the Father – what the Father has to say. And there never was a time when He was not saying it” (Mere Christianity, page 151). When Jesus came to earth, we began to hear what God had been saying all along. Jesus’ disciple, John, put it this way, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” (John 1:14, The Message).

When Jesus came to earth, God was unwrapping mystery about himself more dramatically than ever before. Now we know more about what God is like, how God feels, what God would say, how God would act. God, in his son, Jesus, moved into our neighborhood. That brings exuberant hope into even our darkest times. Now we realize that God’s amazing, with-us love, looks beyond our faults and sees our needs. His ever-present grace is greater than all our sins, mistakes, and regrets. 

To experience the significance of Christmas, a relationship with the one who is the heart of Christmas is a must. Open yourself to Jesus. Rely on him, trust in him, and Christmas will have greater meaning than ever before.

Like turning the lens of a telescope for a clearer view, I was recently given a clearer understanding of worldliness – that worldliness is to embrace practices in our culture that cause us to give little thought to how we are living our lives.

Think of overcrowded schedules, little quiet time, no time for reflection, or quick answers to heavy questions because we are in a hurry. Imagine the capacity to love God and others slowly dying in a lifestyle of worldliness.

Our small group at our church was studying John Mark Comer’s book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry when a light came on for me. I began to reimagine worldliness. John Comer highlighted the practices of silence and solitude, regular sabbath pauses, the pursuit of simplicity in schedules and possessions, and slowing down as ways to counter a hurried lifestyle. Disregarding these practices opens the door to worldliness. 

Jesus lived these practices, which is a compelling way of teaching. Jesus showed us how to live, by practicing these things. He often moved away from crowds to be alone and pray. A Sabbath pause came at regular intervals for him, though never in a rigid way. He always had time to help someone in need, even on the Sabbath. Sabbath is more than a day, it is a pause to be practiced often. God designed us so we need one day in seven to rest. 

Jesus showed us that simplicity is living with little but it’s also living with a sensible schedule, which got my attention. Yes, I need to resist the endless invitation to get another gadget I can surely live without. More basically I need to be careful of how much I take on to create simplicity on my calendar. 

In our day when we are often looking for a faster way to get something done – think microwaves or fast-forwarding through TV commercials – slowing is a step toward sanity. If you are satisfied with your pace of life, work on the other three practices above, just work at them slowly. 

Noted Greek Scholar, Kenneth Wuest, says the Greek word translated “‘Worldly’ is kosmikos,” meaning “having the character of this present age”(Wuests Word Studies, Eerdmans, 1984, p 3499). That’s worldliness – having the character of this present age, an age characterized by hurry, few quiet times, cramped schedules, and fast-paced living. 

Are you a worldly person? However you answer that question, I highly recommend The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (Waterbrook Press, 2019).

The subtitle says it all: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World.