Proverbs 4:25–27 12/16/2025

“Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.”

One of the greatest lessons young men learn playing football is the answer to the question, “what is the most important play?”… The answer is, “the next one”.  You can’t change the past so you should focus on what to do next.  That is not the default position for most people and learning this simple lesson can be life changing.

This proverb teaches that same lesson, and it is a principle that we struggle with. Too often we waste time second guessing decisions. We focus on mistakes and imagine what life would be like if we had not made them.  It is an ironically comfortable place to be, because we are in the center of it, and it allows for self-focus and self-pity. 

The problem with that is that it leaves you where you are.  It facilitates misery and  self-absorption, but it does nothing to change what you are depressed about.

Our passage this morning tells us to do the opposite. It tells us to forget what is behind and focus on the opportunities in front of us.  Good or bad, what has happened has happened and you can’t change it.  The key is to not let it poison what happens next. 

Set your gaze directly ahead. Look forward and consider your future options so you can respond properly. That may seem hard to do until you remember who controls the outcome.  

Your Father in Heaven has demonstrated His relentless love for you …Love Him back… Trust Him. Be called according to His purpose… and know that He is working for your good. Trust his omnipotence and reject the temptation to worry about the past. Most of us who have played a sport have heard the admonition to “keep your eye on the ball”. In life the key is to “Keep your eyes on the King.”

Nothing can separate you from His radical love … It dwarfs any love known on earth and is beyond our comprehension.  That combined with knowing His omnipotent power is your only path to peace. Your best option is to remember His innumerable blessings in your life and watch in amazement as He adds to that list.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”    - Albert Einstein

John 15:11 12/9/2025

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” 

The opening words of this verse, “These things”, refers to the preceding verses where Jesus’ indicates we are branches and He is the vine. Then He makes it clear that we are incredibly strong when attached to the vine through obedience, and only fuel for fire when we are not. 

Then Jesus addresses the purpose of being attached to the vine. It is to provide us with joy… joy that is full. Does that describe your life? 

It is hard to blame people for not being interested in our church if we act no differently than everyone else.  Our culture doesn’t seek joy; we seek affirmation for our anger. We want people to approve our hatred for those we disagree with… from social media to the pulpit the message is the same – the only argument is who’s to blame.  

If you don’t believe me, look at your chosen news feed and see how much good news you find being promoted today. Compare it to the avalanche of stories intended to bolster your negativity and anxiety and I think you will see my point.

If that feels wrong to you, it is because you were not created to live that way. We were made to joyfully follow the will of our Father.  We were created to light the world – not just accusingly point out the darkness. 

Let me challenge you today. Apply this verse and choose to be joyful. Refuse to be sucked into the vortex of negativity and anxiety and instead have confidence in your King.  Smile and encourage people instead of looking for a debate you can win.

This is not our home, and it is natural not to approve of all that happens here. But we have a destination and it is glorious. You’re on your way to Heaven so focus on that and bring as many people with you as you can. 

We all have a choice today – fixate on things that are wrong – or focus on the Savior who will make them right. He came that His joy might be in you, make sure others see it. Watching you enjoy life because you trust God, will change more people than any sermon.

"Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet." – Bob Dylan

Hebrews 10:30-31 12/2/2025

“For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.  It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

I’ve heard these verses before, but didn’t realize they were connected… I always thought “Vengeance is mine” was a verse I could quote when someone wronged me, and God would “sic em” for me… Apparently, it’s directed toward those who trample His grace… Which, at times, is me. 

It’s followed by another verse I’m familiar with because of Jonathan Edward’s famous sermon “Sinners in the hands of an Angry God” … Again, a verse that lands closer to home when I examine its origin. 

As we begin the season of candy canes and reindeer, we must remember why Christmas exists…  God sent His Son because His justice demanded payment for our sin… His holiness is terrifying, and the demand was one we could not meet.  

Christmas is “step one” of a rescue mission, the importance of which cannot be overstated. The massiveness of the debt we owed is only outweighed by the enormousness of the price God paid when He allowed the sacrifice of His Son. It is the Cross that keeps us from falling into “the hands of an angry God” and the road to Calvary begins with Christmas.  

This holiday reminds us of our inability to save ourselves… it obliterates the arrogance that tries to convince us that we can earn our own salvation. Jesus’ birth has made a way for us to avoid our self-earned destruction.

What brought “Joy to the World” was the catastrophic collision of God’s love and His holiness, which resulted in Christmas… I must grasp the terror of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God to rightly appreciate the importance of the birth of the sacrificial Lamb. Christ’s birth opened the door to the amazing Grace of the Cross. Only Jesus’ death and resurrection pays my debt and credits me with the perfection required to live eternally with my Heavenly Father. 

As you anticipate Christmas morning, remember there will be nothing under the tree this year that holds a candle to the gift God gave us on that first Christmas. Joy to the World… we have been redeemed!

“My righteousness is just as good as Jesus' righteousness, because it IS Jesus' righteousness!” ― E.W. Kenyon