You are Near!

Psalm 119:151-152

But you are near, O Lord,

    and all your commandments are true.

Long have I known from your testimonies

    that you have founded them forever.

This Christmas season I am reveling in the nearness of God. God’s constant presence. God’s insistence on being with us since the beginning of time – His walking with Adam in the cool of the day, choosing Noah to build the ark, calling Abram out of Ur and making covenant with him and his descendants. Our Creator established covenants and altars to give us, His image-bearers, access to draw near and call upon their Creator. God also welcomes us to be with Him.

Though I want so desperately to respond to my Lord’s invitation with consistency and enthusiasm, I have a hard time allowing myself to be. The to-do list is too long, there are too many distractions, too much fear, too many concerns to manage and problems to fix – things on the verge of falling apart that I feel obligated to hold together. Still, God is near, here, now. My Father reminds me that He is holding me together, and, if I let go of the other stuff, He will hold those too (Colossians 1:17). He is our hope now for when the hard things we hold are not changing or maybe getting even harder.

Thankfully Christ, God donning flesh, was born and lived, teaching us how to be: how to be in solitude, how to be with God – present, honest, open, certain He was in need of all the Father had to offer; reverent, knowing the messiness of life on earth and the intensity felt within Himself (e.g. these things that we carry in our hands and hold in our souls) are welcome with Him in the presence of the Almighty; and how to be with others – those mourning and celebrating, in need and in abundance, children and aged, sick and whole. I do not see in Jesus’s life the daily, hourly, moment-to-moment urgency I often feel inside. I am grateful! What confirmation and relief this brings to us! We are not supposed to live this way. There is peace. 

“Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]” - John 14:27 (AMP)

In seasons when solitude eludes me and I don’t feel permitted to be still (no matter how much I actually need it), the Holy Spirit catches me chopping veggies, folding laundry, “I am here. I have been here. Do you not see?” In that moment I am reminded of answered prayer, promises in Scripture, needs met that I did not express, times I operated in knowledge I did not have before that instant and certainly did not come to of my own accord, times when the doorbell rang when I am barely holding on and someone who loves me was on my porch, peace and joy in chaotic parenting moments, and comfort and advocacy when the darkness closed in and profound grief seemed to overtake me. Our God, Emmanuel, is here, with us indeed!! Do you not see?

—Anyah E. R. White

What is Your Hope as a Believer?

There are an estimated 2.4 billion Christians in the world. That is a staggering number when you realize that Christians make up about 30% of the total world population. Almost two-and-a-half billion people in the world believe God sent His Son, Jesus to save the world. They all share the same hope; or do they? 

It flirts with my curiosity to wonder how many Christians can properly identify what their hope is as believers. Is it healing from an illness? Could it be deliverance from past mistakes and wrong doings? Financial stability? Some Christians’ hopes are based on lesser spiritual goods and even on material blessings. I also wonder if this is why the Bible says that not everyone who calls him “lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. Or why another part of scripture suggests that many who perform good deeds in the Lord's name will be declared unknown by God in heaven and even labeled, “evil doers.” This blog entry is not meant to upset you or to cast any negativity, but to encourage you to take a deep look within and articulate what it truly is you are hoping for as a Christian.

1 Peter 3:15 tells that we must worship Christ as Lord of our lives. Keep that in mind. Lord, as in “master,” or “ruler” of our LIVES. That means from the moment we are conceived until we are called back home, He rules EVERYTHING that happens to us. Equally important, the verse ends with an exhortation for us to always be ready to explain our hope as a believer. One version actually reads, “Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

After much meditation and reading, I conclude the Christian hope to be that our God is faithful, and that He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins. But it doesn’t end there. Our hope further relies on the affirmation that Jesus is coming back to judge the living and the dead to complete what He has begun. That’s it! This belief encompasses an array of connected truths, including the fact that we should submit to His will, regardless of the situation, because He is coming back one day. As 1 Timothy 4:10 reads, “We have hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe…”  So regardless of the present struggles and troubles, we can have a holy expectancy of a “light at the end of the tunnel,” so to speak. 

What could be more soothing than resting in the promise that if we believe, we will someday live in peace and harmony with Christ in paradise. A place where the Bible assures us there will be no more tears, no more death, no sorrow, no crying, no pain. All these things will be gone forever! We will dwell in a crystal clear and pure city. Where gates are made of pearls and the streets out of gold. A place where nothing evil will be allowed to enter.

If our hope as Christians is that Jesus is coming back to take us to such a place, and we truly believe this; why dismay in the face of this world’s ongoing problems and incompleteness? Our struggles are valid and in no way am I trying to minimize yours. But I want to encourage you to join me as we internalize the concept of our true Christian hope in such a way that helps us fight the good battle while we are still here, with the certainty that God’s will cannot be violated. So even if our children continue down the wrong path, or that financial situation worsens;  the marriage continues in decline;  the medical diagnosis does not change; the promotion does not come; the business fails; or anything else that my attempt to steal our joy happens, we  remain trusting, and hopeful. And if our prayers are not answered in real time, hope goes beyond what we know we will one day have and could never fully attain in this world. This understanding reassures us that God is working all things out for our good. The Word says in Hebrews that we should hold on tightly to our hope simply because God can be trusted to keep His promise. This is where our hope should be anchored.

God Bless!

—Rich Bermudez

¿Cuál es tu esperanza como creyente?

Se estima que hay 2.4 billones de cristianos en el mundo. Se trata de una cifra asombrosa si se tiene en cuenta que los cristianos constituyen alrededor del 30% de la población mundial total. Casi dos billones y medio de personas en el mundo creen que Dios envió a su hijo Jesús para salvar al mundo. Todos comparten la misma esperanza; ¿O no?

Coquetea con mi curiosidad preguntarme cuántos cristianos pueden identificar adecuadamente cuál es su esperanza como creyentes. ¿Será ser sano de una enfermedad? ¿Podría ser la liberación de errores y malas acciones del pasado? ¿Estabilidad financiera? Las esperanzas de algunos cristianos se basan en bienes espirituales menores e incluso en bendiciones materiales. También me pregunto si es por eso que la Biblia dice que no todo el que lo llame “señor” entrará en el reino de los cielos. O por qué otra parte de las escrituras sugiere que muchos de los que realizan obras en el nombre del Señor serán declarados desconocidos por Dios en el cielo e incluso etiquetados como "hacedores de maldad". Esta entrada de blog no pretende molestar ni transmitir negatividad, sino animarte a mirar profundamente en tu interior y articular lo que realmente esperas como cristiano.

1 Pedro 3:15 dice que debemos adorar a Cristo como Señor de nuestras vidas. Mantén esto en mente. Señor, como en “maestro” o “gobernante” de nuestras VIDAS. Eso significa que desde el momento en que somos concebidos hasta que somos llamados a regresar a casa, él gobierna TODO lo que nos sucede. Igualmente importante es que el versículo termina con una exhortación para que estemos siempre listos para explicar nuestra esperanza como creyentes. Una versión actualmente lee: "estén preparados para dar una respuesta a todo el que les pida que den la razón de la esperanza que tienen".

Después de mucha meditación y lectura yo concluyo la esperanza del cristiano ser que nuestro Dios es fiel, y que envió a su hijo Jesús a morir por nuestros pecados. Pero la cosa no termina ahí. Nuestra esperanza se basa además en la afirmación de que Jesús regresará para juzgar a los vivos y a los muertos para completar lo que ha comenzado. ¡Eso es todo! Esta creencia abarca una serie de verdades conectadas, incluido el hecho de que debemos someternos a su voluntad, independientemente de la situación, porque algún día regresará. Como dice 1 Timoteo 4:10, “tenemos esperanza en el Dios vivo, que es el Salvador de todos los hombres, y mayormente de los que creen…” Entonces, independientemente de las luchas y problemas presentes, podemos tener una santa expectativa de una “luz al final del túnel”, más o menos.

 ¿Qué podría ser más importante que descansar en la promesa de que si creemos, algún día viviremos en paz y armonía con Cristo en el paraíso? Un lugar donde la Biblia nos asegura que no habrá más lágrimas, ni muerte, ni tristeza, ni llanto, ni dolor. ¡Todas estas cosas desaparecerán para siempre! Habitaremos en una ciudad cristalina y pura. Donde las puertas están hechas de perlas y las calles de oro. Un lugar donde no se permitirá la entrada de nada malo.

Si nuestra esperanza como cristianos es que Jesús regresará para llevarnos a tal lugar, y realmente lo creemos; ¿Por qué la consternación ante los problemas y la insuficiencia continua  de este mundo? Estas luchas son válidas y de ninguna manera deseo minimizar las suyas. Pero quiero animarlos a que se unan a mí mientras internalizamos el concepto de nuestra verdadera esperanza cristiana de tal manera que nos ayude a pelear la buena batalla mientras todavía estemos aquí, con la certeza de que la voluntad de Dios no puede ser violada. Entonces, incluso si nuestros hijos continúan por el camino equivocado, o esa situación financiera empeora; el matrimonio continúa en declive; el diagnóstico médico no cambia; el ascenso no llega; el negocio fracasa; o cualquier otra cosa que trate de robarnos la alegría, permanecemos confiados y esperanzados. Y si nuestras oraciones no son respondidas en tiempo real, la esperanza se desvanece más allá a lo que sabemos que algún día tendremos y que nunca podremos alcanzar plenamente en este mundo. Esta comprensión nos asegura que Dios está obrando todas las cosas para nuestro bien. La Palabra dice en Hebreos que debemos aferrarnos firmemente a nuestra esperanza simplemente porque se puede confiar en que Dios cumplirá su promesa. Es ahí donde debe anclarse nuestra esperanza.

Dios Bendiga!

—Rich Bermudez

Any Room?

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

My experience wasn’t the same as Mary’s. Well, not in the end anyway. And not in lots of other ways!

We had traveled across Virginia. It was getting late and I was finished. Young and probably quite foolish, Kenny and I had decided to take a little vacation and visit his brother, Jerry, a proud sailor in the U.S. Navy. His ship had just docked in Newport News and we wanted to see him.

Now, I’m an over-zealous vacation planner, a bit of a travel junkie. Once I knew we were heading to Virginia, I got out my boxes of trusty maps and Mobil Travel Guides (Oh, how far we’ve come) and planned a route that would literally take us all over that state, stopping to visit every historic site, explore every tourist trap, hike every waterfall trail, and take pictures at every scenic viewpoint recommended to this tour enthusiast. We had two small children, ages one and three. And I was eight months pregnant. Yeah. Not smart.

Virginia is a big state and my plans were even bigger. Unfortunately, we could only be away a few days and we quickly ran out of time long before we exhausted my ambitious itinerary. Thankfully. Yes, I had overdone it. For sure. I was feeling some concerning pain. I needed to rest. The kids were beat. We immediately revised our schedule and made tracks from the lovely Blue Ridge mountains in the western part of the state eastward toward the Navy base. And toward the very popular August tourist attractions of coastal Virginia.

It was late when we neared our destination. But there were no rooms anywhere. No Vacancy signs taunted us at every exit. It was getting later and less hopeful each time we asked if there had been any cancelations or if they had suggestions for where we could go. We didn’t know what to do and both of us were getting quite anxious. The kids had conked out hours before. I knew I needed to just sleep and get my swollen feet up.

In desperation, after yet one more failed attempt to secure lodging, Kenny suggested I go inside and ask for a room. He was hoping the desk clerk would feel sorry for me, a bedraggled and weary woman with a very big belly. And I must have been a pitiful sight because, in minutes, we were snoozing away in a very clean and cool Comfort Inn suite, the very last motel that had just turned Kenny away!

But that didn’t happen for Mary. And that breaks my heart.

I’ve thought about that a lot over the years--especially during Advent season when beautiful carols remind me again and again of Joseph’s worried and desperate search for lodging. The lovely refrains echo the saddest words of the season to me. There was no room. No room for Mary or Joseph.

But more than that, there was no room for the Savior of the world.

No room for the King!

Here is a perspective on this subject from Rick Warren that I think you will like. It’s titled Is There Room in Your Inn?

No holiday on our calendar gets as much advertising time as Christmas. This month you can’t turn on your television, open a website, or check your email without hearing the word “Christmas.” You see beautifully decorated trees everywhere you turn. You’ll notice lots of chubby guys with white beards in red and white suits.

You simply can’t miss Christmas as a cultural phenomenon.

But you can miss the birth of Jesus.

You can miss the very point of Christmas.

That dilemma isn’t just a product of our time. Even people who were alive during that very first Christmas—just right around the corner from Jesus himself—missed the point of Christmas. And they missed it for the very same reasons we do today.

Take the innkeeper for example.

You know the story. In the last week of her pregnancy, Mary and Joseph have to go to their hometown of Bethlehem. They live in a city called Nazareth and need to be involved in a census with the Roman government.

As they get to Bethlehem, Mary goes into labor. Her water breaks. She’s ready to deliver. And Joseph tries to check her into the local Holiday Inn. The innkeeper comes out and says, “Sorry, no vacancies. There’s no room in the inn.”

Luke 2:7 tells it like this: And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.  (Luke 2:7 ESV)

Think about this from the innkeeper’s perspective. If he has no more room in his inn, that’s good. It means business is booming. If you own a motel, you want it to be sold out. A lot of out-of-town guests have come back to town for the census. They’re looking for a place to stay. And he’s all booked up.

The innkeeper has no use for this little baby or this pregnant woman. He doesn’t know who he is snubbing.

The Son of God could have been born in that inn. Imagine the public relations power of that! You could put up a sign: “Son of God born here!” You’d be sold out in your inn for the rest of your life.

God was coming to Earth in human form. (The innkeeper) could have been a part of it. But (he)missed the greatest opportunity imaginable because he was busy. He missed it because business was booming.

Are you too busy with your work to make room for Jesus this Christmas? Is your schedule, your plans, or your budget too tight to let Jesus in?

Just like that innkeeper, you could be missing out on the biggest opportunity of your life this Christmas. God is right here. He wants to be a part of your life. God coming into the lives of ordinary people like you and me is the point of Christmas.

 So, dear friends, do the words, “no room” stir your heart like they do mine? Maybe it’s because the Holy Spirit is inviting us to something more in the busyness of this beautiful season of celebration, something more meaningful than our usual trappings and traditions, no matter how fun and exciting they may be.

Perhaps, if we purposefully silence the noise for a moment, for just a moment, we may hear the gentle knocking at the door of our hearts.

He wants to come in.

Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,

When Thou camest to earth for me;

But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room

 For Thy holy nativity.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,

 There is room in my heart for Thee.

When the heavens shall ring, and the angels sing,

At Thy coming to victory,

Let Thy voice call me home, saying “Yet there is room,

 There is room at My side for thee.”

 My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus,

When Thou comest and callest for me.

Have you any room for Jesus,

He who bore your load of sin?

As He knocks and asks admission,

Sinner, will you let Him in?

 Room for Jesus, King of glory!

Hasten now, His word obey;

 Swing the heart’s door widely open,

Bid Him enter while you may.

Oh, my friends, let’s make room.

Let’s not miss Him!

—Eileen Hill