Where does your greatest respect and confidence lie?

If you were to type in your search engine, "most powerful military in the world," you would clearly learn that the United States of America reigns supreme in all military sectors. The U.S defense budget is greater than 600 Billion dollars, which is more than the next ten top militaries in the world COMBINED. Our biggest conventional military advantage would have to be our fleet of 19 aircraft carriers,

a technologically advanced fleet of weaponry, a very well trained human force, and not to mention the worlds largest nuclear arsenal.

 I think it is safe to say, that America is the strongest, prowess country in the world. As I was reading through Psalm 147 this morning, verses 10-11 caught my eye...

"His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love."

This word "strength" in the Old Testament is most likely referring to/ or in comparison to military strength. When the author in this text talks of the Horse and the Legs of man, we can assume that he is referring to weaponry and infantry used in military defense or what "man" would consider strength.  

What I am reminded of in these verses and in the entire Psalm is, that the greatest strength or force to have on our side, is not our military (although it comes in very handy, and I don't want to loose it) but it is The Lord God, Himself. 

He is stronger than any number of aircraft carriers, a technologically advanced fleet of weaponry, a very well trained human force, and not to mention the worlds largest nuclear arsenal.

What He looks for are the qualities of Reverence and Hope.

Reverence: Deep respect for someone or something.
Hope: A feeling of confident expectation and desire.

Where does your greatest respect and confidence lie?

Santa Claus is Coming? Or Jesus Christ is Coming?

Christmas! Yes, it is the most wonderful time of the year.

From spending time with family and making life long memories, to picking out the perfect gifts, I love this holiday and none other compare for me.

However, as I watch my son become engulfed in the commercialization of the Christmas season, (be it from the commercials on television, the Christmas songs he learns from school, or the first question that everyone seems to ask him which is, “So, what do you want for Christmas?”) my wife and I find ourselves trying to figure out how to keep the “main thing,” the main thing.

During this Christmas season, join us in remembering that though it is great to give and expect gifts, our greatest expectation should NOT be in the advent/coming of Santa Claus but in the advent/coming of Jesus Christ.

Not only did Jesus COME to this earth, born of a virgin, wrapped in swaddling clothing, lying in a manger, but the bible goes on to tell us that He is coming again. That should be our greatest expectation!

So as you are wrapping those gifts, watching those timeless Christmas movies and creating those family traditions, remember the coming of Christ. That He came, and He is coming again.

Here are a few passages to help you remember.

He Came…

Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah 9:6-7

Luke 1:30-35

He is Coming Again…

Acts 1:11

Philippians 3:20

Colossians 3:4

Revelation 22:20-21

God is Great, God is Good!

A lot has happen since the last time I posted on my blog; one being, the birth of our baby girl, Hannah Elizabeth. Though I am not getting much sleep at night, to hold her and gaze into her eyes has been far more rewarding than sleep. I have decided when she wakes for her 4:30AM feeding, to remain up and spend a few hours in prayer and meditation.

Tim Keller, in his latest book called, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, talks about how one of the greatest ways to grow in your prayer life is by reading the Psalms, because they are prayers to God. As a result, I have been doing this over the last few weeks and it has definitely helped strengthen the quality of my prayer time. This morning one of the Psalms I read was Psalm 31. You may remember, this is the Psalm that Jesus quoted in His most difficult time of trouble and sorrow... "(Father) Into your hands I commit my spirit." If the son of God Himself found this prayer to be the consummate expression of his heart's desire for rest in the hands of his father, could we find any more  adequate expression for our own?

David says in the 19th verse, "How GREAT is your GOODNESS, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you." 

Immediately, after reading verse 19, I was reminded of the beginning of a simple yet profound prayer we teach our three year old son to pray, "God is GREAT, God is GOOD..." It is easy for me (and I would assume you as well) to skip over this communicable attribute of God or view the word "Good" as a generic concept. However, this morning I am reminded (In the words of Berkhof) that God is in every way all that He as God should be, and therefore answers perfectly to the ideal expressed in the word "God. He is good in the metaphysical sense of the word, absolute perfection and perfect bliss in Himself...He is the foundation of all good, and is so represented in a variety of ways throughout the bible...And not only that, but God is also the summum bonus, the highest good..."

David reminds us in Psalm 31 that not only is God Great and Good, but He stores up His greatness and goodness for those who fear Him, giving it (his greatness and goodness) out freely to those who find refuge in Him.

So I pray, in the words of my three year old son, God is Great, God is Good!