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“I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. . . though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. . .” (2 Corinthians 10:1, 3-5 ESV)

Not exactly the usual “holiday scripture,” but how many are like me, fighting the battle of my mind — the expectations, the old wounds, the busy-ness, even the gray weather?  I MUST remember that, because of the Holy Spirit dwelling in me, that I have “divine power to demolish strongholds. . .”  Divine power (that means, Almighty God-type power) to demolish (picture those big buildings that are blown to pieces to make room for a new, better building) strongholds (those stubborn, really tough to tear down, walls of hurt or rejection or self-pity or pride or bitterness, etc.).

So, how do I “flesh out” the rest of this passage, i.e. demolish arguments, take every thought captive?  These verbs are strong, active, take-care-of-business verbs.  Just the tone tells me that this is something vitally important, something that I must do, not an option for me.

How do I demolish these arguments and every lofty opinion? 

By remembering that I am not fighting in my own strength. 

By remembering that the Holy Spirit dwells within me, and He will give me strength to fight. 

By remembering that I must fight; taking every thought captive to obey Christ isn’t easy!  Why am I surprised that the fight is hard? 

By purposing in my heart that I will hone my weapons by immersing myself in God’s Word.  If I neglect my relationship with Christ, how can I expect to have the strength to fight?  If I don’t know God’s Word, how can I expect to know what God thinks?

By deciding, being convicted, that I will regard God’s opinion and God’s Word as true, and if my feelings or opinions, or others’ feelings or opinions differ, I will choose to believe God and act on that belief.

I really like how this passage reads in The Message:

“The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.”                 (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 The Message)

Almighty God,

You love me; You chose me; You value me; I am Your child; You have placed me in the family of God; You have a specific mission to accomplish through me.  Oh, help me to never forget Who You are and what You can do!

Don’t you just love Him so much!?

Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
(Psalm 112:4 ESV)

What a challenge.  What a hope-inspiring promise!  Even during this holiday season, and sometimes, especially in this holiday season, there will be times of “darkness:”

unfulfilled expectations

rejection

weariness

disappointment

the sting of old wounds being opened

So, how does this upright man, this blessed man, handle this “darkness?”

with grace

mercy

righteousness

So, will I be kind to those who treat me unfairly, rudely, or just ignore me?

Will I choose not to “return evil for evil, or insult for insult” (I’m also camping out in 1 Peter, so some of those principles are oozing out)?

Will I choose to do what is right because it’s the right thing to do?  Will I choose to believe and act on what God thinks of me, more than what others think of me or say about me or expect of me?  Will I allow God to order my day and my holiday schedule, and not choose to go my own way, becoming so busy that I forget and neglect my relationship with my Creator and my Savior?

Light will dawn; the darkness won’t last forever.  Will I choose to keep my eyes focused on the “Light of the World,” Jesus Christ, or will I turn my eyes to the things and people that will never truly satisfy? 

Do I want to stay in darkness, or will I choose Light?

I found a cool website today www.adventconspiracy.org .  I loved this question:

What if you could inspire your church, your family and yourself to avoid being consumed by commercialism this Christmas?

worship more

spend less

give more

love all

I think it fits well with my previous post.  However, I don’t want you to think that I am a modern-day Ebenezer Scrooge.  I will be doing Christmas baking (my husband is already looking forward to stollen);

my tree will be up and trimmed with all of my favorite “memory” ornaments (and my girls despair that I refuse to abandon the eclectic tree for a “themed” tree);

my nativity sets (including my lastest acquisition of a Kyrghystani creche from my daughter’s deployment this year) will be displayed;

Christmas music will be played on my CD player (and I will still carve some alone time this season to listen to the entire Handel’s Messiah). 

I love this season, and I love it even more since I have slowly, over the years, tried to simplify and slow down and remember what this time of year is truly all about.

Psalm 112 begins with “Praise the Lord!”  Just three simple, one-syllable words that can change an attitude, lift a spirit, inspire renewed faith.  When I become frustrated over attitudes — “Praise the Lord” would encourage me to pray for my brothers and sisters, rather than judge them and their motives.  When I am tired and cranky — “Praise the Lord” will lift my spirits and give me the energy to finish well (and not sin with my tongue).

These three words are not some kind of “magic mantra” that, upon saying, will make everything fall into “our”  line.  Praising the Lord is actually taking the focus off me — my frustrations, my way, my expectations — and putting the focus where it belongs, which is on the Lord.  This is His season; He is the only One worthy of praise.

This psalmist is speaking of a person who is actually quite happy and content and non-stressed.  The man who fears the Lord (and can truly praise Him) is

blessed

delighted

prosperous

gracious and compassionate

steadfast of heart

not shaken in troubled times

This person doesn’t sound like a Scrooge to me.  I so want to “praise [my] Lord.  I want to be that blessed [wo]man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in His commands.”  May each of us make Psalm 112 an earnest prayer of our hearts this season.

Psalm 112 (ESV)

 Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commandments!
His offspring will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
who conducts his affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.
He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn is exalted in honor.
The wicked man sees it and is angry;
he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
the desire of the wicked will perish!

This psalm has been on my mind and heart for several days now.  I keep reading it, and wondering. . .

Do I show that I truly fear the Lord by obeying His commands with delight?  Or do I have a complaining spirit, feeling somehow that I am “missing out” or that God is holding back something that could be mine if only . . .; or, worse yet, do I outwardly “check the boxes” and obey commands in order to gain favor or status, or to make myself look better than I truly am?

Do I understand that, by truly fearing the Lord by delighting in obeying His commands, I will influence my children for good far more than anything I may say to them?

Are the following terms a part of my life and actions:

am I gracious? (being kind to those who don’t deserve it)

merciful? (not dealing harshly with those who do deserve it)

righteous? (doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do, not because someone is watching)

are my dealings generous? (do I only give my “leftovers”?  do I think of how little I can give and still look good?)

do I lend freely? (am I picky about who I lend to?  am I resentful when I am asked to lend? am I more concerned abou the “thing” I am lending than about the person I’m lending to?)

do I conduct my affairs with justice? (do I treat others fairly?  am I honest in all my ways?  do I act at home and in private the same way I act in church and at work and in the community?

do I distribute freely?  do I give to the poor? (am I generous or tight-fisted? when I see the poor, do I look down on them, or do I pray for them and ask God what and how I should give?)

That’s quite a bit to “wonder about” and to ponder.  I want to be like this man.  I want my righteousness to endure forever, through the faith of my children and their children.  I want to “never be moved;” I want my actions and my attitudes to be consistent, whether in private or in public.  I want my heart to be firm, trusting in the Lord, so that, even when bad news comes, I will not be afraid, for I know that whatever happens, my God is for me, and He has my best in mind.

 After pondering this psalm, and meditating on it, I ask the most important question:  what change will occur because of reading this?

1. I will not be sending out Christmas cards this year.  On average, considering current postage costs and including producing the “yearly Christmas letter,” a family will spend about $30 to send out these cards.  That same $30 will give milk to a child overseas for almost 2 months; send 5 Bibles to believers in countries where the scriptures are scarce; will purchase a brood of chickens so a family can have eggs.  You can visit www.samaritanspurse.org and click on their Christmas catalog to see all the opportunities to give.

2. I have asked my children to take the money they would have spent on a Christmas gift for me, and use it to give to someone in need.  They get to pick how the money is used, and just let me know what they have done.  That will be my delight, and my gift.

3. My husband and I are currently praying and asking God for wisdom to know how we may live more simply so that we can be more generous.  We Americans so often do not realize how much we actually have, in comparison to others in this world.  We don’t have to wear rags or live in unheated shacks or go without food for days, in order to be generous with what God has so generously blessed us.

I don’t say any of this to brag; I’m only sharing my heart. I know that I can’t change the world.  However, I can participate in God’s changing a life, when I “greatly delight in His commands.”

What is God saying to you?