In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat. (Isaiah 10:27)

Well it is that time of the year again, an annual experience when I get a report on my most up to date physical condition. I have been to every kind of ologist there is and have too many times been asked to dress in an undersized grocery bag. I have been poked, prodded and stuck more times than I can imagine.

For the most part, all checked out well, but I still don’t like those sentences that begin ……”but for a person of your age.” I am blessed with good family medical history and I don’t smoke and I don’t chew and I don’t hang around with those who do. But, this year, as with most years, there is that one factor … weight. Some doctors refer to it as obese and refer to the charts. Those docs who know me on a first name basis use the word “fat.” I tell them that I am not overweight, just two feet short according to the charts.

So, here I go again, off to shed the pounds. It’s easy. I have done it many times and lost hundreds of pounds. Mark Twain once commented how easy it was to quit smoking, as he had done it hundreds of times.

No, it’s not easy. It is plain hard work and once you get to the target goal it is a bear to stay there. Let’s face it, I like to eat and that it the root of my problem. It creeps up gradually pound by pound and all of a sudden I am, well … fat again.

Sin is like that. Our natural man likes to do it and it creeps up on you sin by sin and soon you are drowning in it. We can try to wish it away, desire it to be away and even pray it away, but there is nothing passive about resisting sin. It, like losing weight, is just plain hard work. As humans, we like to sin, because Satan wraps it in such beautiful packages.

Physical weight has its consequences. Someone recently asked me how many fat people I knew who were over seventy. It was a sobering question. Sinful weight also has its consequences, often deadly. Isaiah (10:27) talks about a burden lifted from our shoulders.  It is an image of deliverance from oppression and calamity.

It is time for all of us to throw off the sinful burden our shoulders and the yolk around our neck. Get serious. Get real. Sin will take you under and drown you, so we all need to work hard to throw it off.

As for me, I am a man on a mission … a mission to shed the pounds, so if you see me, shake my hand, but please don’t offer me a Twinkie.

“Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” (Luke 11:14)

Imagine you’re doing work on a deck and you fall on a rusty nail. It’s a small puncture but you keep working. Meanwhile, anaerobic bacteria begin to metabolize and cause infection. You don’t treat it and soon you have lockjaw, facial spasms, difficulty swallowing, and muscle rigidity. You start to get full body spasms and they continue for weeks until one day you die… if you don’t treat it.

Sin is the same way. It loves to fester in a grudge. The puss and poison of bitterness will eat away at your soul and enslave you… if you don’t treat it.

But treating it is hard. It’s open-heart surgery. We feel justified in our grudges! We think our bitterness is warranted and our rage is necessary for justice. Justice? Consider our Lord Jesus Christ:

He was crushed for our iniquities.

He took up our pain.

He bore our suffering.

He was stabbed for our sin.

His punishment brings us peace.

His wounds heal us.

We receive unwarranted forgiveness every day. We must also give it. The giving and receiving are two in one. Love God and your neighbor by accepting forgiveness and also forgiving.

Recall the people who have hurt you. Have you forgiven them? Reach back in your memory to your childhood and ask, “Does hate still linger there?”

Don’t listen to the voice that tells you, “Things are fine, let’s move on.” Search your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to search you as well. Uproot and kill the weeds of hate in your soul and humble yourself before God and man. Ask for forgiveness and be made new right now.

Lord, I understand that my salvation is not fair. You forgave me when I did not deserve it. And so, as I have been forgiven, so I must forgive. Holy Spirit, help me give up my grudge. Draw out the poison from my heart. In Jesus’ name I rebuke the unclean spirits in my heart and confess I have allowed them to fester. I repent and ask that you Lord Jesus to make me new. Cleanse me oh God from all unrighteousness. I trust you to heal and cleanse me and praise you for being the Great Physician. Amen.

“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:4-7)

The big picture of Christmas does not start in Bethlehem, or in the manger, or with angels announcing the Savior’s birth. The big picture of Christmas begins all the way back in the Garden of Eden, though God knew well before that exactly what would happen. Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord and thereby poisoned the entire human race with sin. Every single person from then on has sinned against God.

Long before that time, God was already preparing the ultimate sacrifice to erase the sins of everyone who would receive His offer. God referred to the coming Messiah by saying Satan would bruise His heel. (Genesis 3:15) Christ’s ultimate victory over the devil is forecast in the same verse: “He will bruise your head.” Then God killed an animal to create coverings for Adam and Eve, an indication that blood had to be shed on a person’s behalf for him or her to be forgiven of sin.

Scripture and human history books reveal the Father’s continuous preparation for Messiah’s arrival. God promised to bless all nations through Abraham, and Jesus is of Abraham’s lineage through the patriarch’s great-grandson Judah. And God used Alexander the Great?sinner though he was?to spread the easily understood Greek language throughout the world. In that way, there was already a common language when the disciples began to travel and share the Good News.

Christmas did not begin in a Bethlehem stable or end on Calvary’s cross. God’s plan is eternal, and He prepared it all for you.
The Christmas story starts in Bethlehem but Christmas brings with it many gifts. Take our study on the Gifts of Christmas.

“I will walk with integrity of heart
within my house;
 I will not set before my eyes
anything that is worthless.
I hate the work of those who fall away;
it shall not cling to me.”  (Psalm 101:2-3)

I admit it. Last night, I watched one of my favorite TV shows, even though it had a sub-plot that bristled my beliefs.  I have to ask myself why I did that. How much do I set before my eyes that is worthless?

In our visually oriented world of technology we absorb so much in a day, much of it subconsciously. How easy is it to watch a TV show that subtly slips in immorality, alternative lifestyles, casual sex, drugs, violence, selfishness – and those are the good guys!

I’m not saying we should be mentally productive 24/7, or be constantly reading our Bibles when we are not doing anything else. Vegging out is necessary now and then. But, we need to be careful what enters into our eyes, ears and brains – and into the eyes, ears and brains of our family. And, we need to remember this — integrity is what you do when no one else is around to watch you. Even though our pastor or fellow church members are not there on our couch when we choose our type of entertainment, God is.  How often do we walk with integrity of heart within our homes? Last night, I didn’t.

We must be willing to click off a show, even in the middle of a plot, if it begins to project something that is not biblically sound. Is finding out “who done it” so important that you or I can put up with a flavoring of sin and think it doesn’t affect us?

My mother used to say that idleness is the devil’s playground. Today with TV, internet, iPads and MP3s, more than ever we need to be wary of what is being “fed” to us in the process of entertaining us. And, I think we need to be more vocal when something offensive is slipped in.  We should write to the TV producers and game makers to tell them our views and objections to the material they produce. Otherwise, how will they know?

Question: What have you watched in the past 24 hours that maybe you shouldn’t have?

“And now, dear children, continue in [Jesus], so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.” (1 John 2:28)

Continuing in Jesus supplies us with what we need to turn from sin, to love our brother and to walk in the light. Confidence does not come from never making a mistake or never sinning; it comes from Jesus. Only Jesus provides a way for us to stand unashamed in the presence of God. That means that our assurance springs from continuing to look to Jesus as our atoning sacrifice, the One who speaks to the Father on our behalf.

The temptation to sin hounds us; we can’t reach perfection.

Patient, humble, long-suffering love doesn’t flow from our hearts naturally. Lies of the world trap us in darkness, block our way to the light. All that seems impossible by human effort becomes possible through Jesus.

To continue in Jesus means to seek His face daily, look to Him for guidance, trust He is good and in control, surrender my will to Him, to repent when He convicts me and obey what He commands. Then, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, as we seek Jesus, we sin less. Moment by moment, the power of the resurrected Christ enables us to love. As we stay in close communication with Him, we walk in the light.

God, this is what I want. I desire to continue to walk with Jesus every day of my life; to continue to learn from Your Holy Spirit and be taught by Him; to continue to humble myself before You – the one true God; to continue to submit to You and be transformed by Your power.  Amen.

Questions: What does continuing in Jesus mean to you? How do you put continuing in Jesus into practice?

As church pianist I started to play the introduction for the choir during the morning service. After several measures, I glanced at the keyboard and was so startled that I almost missed a beat. There, on middle D, lay a stunned cockroach flailing its legs. Obviously it had run into the path of my flying fingers.

What could I do? Gritting my teeth, I went on, gingerly trying to avoid middle D, but not always able to do so. (The choir number would be in the Key of D!) Finally, halfway through the first verse I was able to flick the now-deceased roach onto the floor. (Well, that’s one way to kill a roach!)

Some problems we may face are not so easily resolved as a cockroach on a keyboard. They might not be brushed off during the first phase of the situation. We may have to live with them longer than the first verse. But I have learned that if I just keep looking to the Lord for grace and trusting Him with a problem, He takes care of it one way or another.

Sometimes as we pray, He shows us ways to make the situation easier, as I did by avoiding the “middle” D while I played. Sometimes He shows us how to deal with the situation, as I did by flicking that roach to the floor during a whole note in the melody. (Thank heavens for piano “hold” foot pedals!)

Then during or after the resolving of the problem, there’s the cleanup.  After church I went to the rest room and washed my hands off using liquid soap. But in dealing with life’s problems, we may often need a more comprehensive spiritual cleanup.

It may be necessary to ask the Lord to forgive us if we have sinned. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  We may discover a need to forgive any who have hurt us. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

And let’s never forget the One Who guided and helped us! Let’s thank and praise Him for His help and deliverance.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever” (Psalms 107:1)

Question: Are there problems you’re facing that you haven’t yet brought to the Lord in prayer?

“But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23

Have you been sneaking around? It could be a bad habit that you have been hiding from your family or maybe it is an attitude that has been smoldering in the deep recesses of your heart.

Little children will sometimes close their eyes or put a blanket over their head, believing that it renders them invisible. How silly, we think.

Yet, are we any different when we imagine that our thoughts or deeds go unnoticed by our Omniscient (all-knowing) God?

The Bible is clear that there is no possibility of hiding from God.

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13)

“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.” (Luke 12:2)

God knows about our sinful behavior and attitudes; eventually others will know about them too, as the Old Testament passage reminds us.

What then, shall we do?

Let us stop hiding and cooperate with God. Ask Him to shine His light into your life to reveal the sins, evil thoughts and wrong motives that you have been hiding, so that you can confess them and turn to God.

As Paul said to the Ephesians, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11) and “everything exposed by the light becomes visible” (Ephesians 5:13).

We have a faithful God who longs for our repentance, forgives all our sins, cleanses us from all unrighteousness and brings us into a right relationship with Himself, so that we don’t have to hide any longer.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23, 24)

Questions: Why do we hide? What is the hardest part of coming out of hiding?

“Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” (1 John 3:3)

Day in and day out all kinds of stuff builds up on our hair and it begins to feel weighed down, looks greasy or dull and it becomes hard to manage. When this happens, any professional hairdresser will advise you to use a good clarifying shampoo that will help get rid of the buildup and impurities.

Acting on this advice, most of us can contest how much better our hair feels once we go ahead and use a clarifying shampoo. Our hair is more manageable, it does not feel as heavy and weighted down, and the shine comes back. Afterward we may respond by saying, “I should have done this a long time ago”.

The same is true with our souls. Life in general has a way of depositing a lot of stuff inside us that begins to weigh us down. We might begin to feel sluggish as though we lost our bounce and flare for life. In addition, guilt and shame over sin in our lives has a way of building up inside of us, which will inevitably make us feel as though we are unworthy of receiving God’s love and forgiveness.

Over time, the continuous residue building up in our souls will get the best of us if we do not take time to clean and purify our souls. John wrote, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himslef, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3). In order to purify our souls we need to confess our sin(s) to God, turn from debauchery and seek the abiding help from the Holy Spirit within.

In Psalm 51 David pleaded with God for mercy, forgiveness, and cleansing.  “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” (Psalm 51:2)

“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7)

“Create in me a clean pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) 

As with King David, God desires that our hearts be right with Him.

Father God, I pray that you will search our hearts, sift through our “inner and outer” lives, and reveal to us what is displeasing in your sight. Lord cleanse us through and through for nothing can wash away our sins except for you. May we all become vibrant and whole again as we seek to clean and purify our lives.  Amen

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2)

Not sin? Really?

John aims for perfection; he writes this letter so that we will not sin. Yet even as he aims high, John assures us that if we do sin, Jesus advocates before God on our behalf and atones for our sins. We live with the tension between our call – do not sin – and our ability – we do sin.

Although perfection is not possible, humanly speaking, knowing that Jesus atones for our sins doesn’t mean we can neglect the command not to sin. Perhaps John knew that too often we take a soft stance on sin. We excuse and explain and rationalize why we sin, when we should grieve that we sin.

John understood the connection between faith and action. There must be tangible evidence for loving an invisible God.

Obeying God’s commands proves that we know Him.

“We know that we have come to know [God] if we obey His commands.” (1 John 2:3)

Obeying God’s commands demonstrates that we love Him.

 “This is love for God: to obey His commands.” (1 John 5:3)

How we live reveals our relationship with Jesus.

“But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:5-6)

Heavenly Father, I want to walk as Jesus did. Not sinning seems like an impossible dream, but Your power can make the impossible a reality. Make me like You.  Amen.

Questions: How do you manage the tension between our call not to sin and real life? How has God done the impossible in Your life?

 “Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin!” Hebrews 12:3-4

When you feel like giving up and you start to feel sorry for yourself, and you get discouraged and have a pity party, stop and think about what Jesus endured for you.

Think about the attacks and the criticism he went through. Think about the abuse and cruelty he experienced not for his benefit, but for yours.

You may be facing some very real, discouraging challenges in your life. But what you are really going through is a test of your faith.

It’s easy to trust God when everything is going your way. It’s tough to trust him when you’ve been out of work for a year or longer. It’s tough to trust him when you don’t know where you will get the money to make ends meet. It’s tough to trust God when somebody you depended on has walked out of your life. But these are tests.

Will you endure? Will you persist? Will you make it to the end? Will you be disciplined? Will you finish well?

What are you being tested in right now? Are you going to give up, or are you going to persevere? What have you started that you need to finish?

A year before Paul wrote the letter to the Corinthians, the church there had made a commitment to give an offering to help the Jerusalem church. It was tough times for churches in those days, but they had pledged an offering that they hadn’t given yet. Paul wrote and reminded them, “[F]inish what you started a year ago … carry this project through to completion just as enthusiastically as you began it. Give whatever you can according to what you have” (2 Corinthians 8:10-11 NLT).

What commitments have you made that you need to complete? Whatever it is, you need to finish. Trust God to help you through so you can pass the test.

Question: What commitments have you made that you need to complete?