Calendar Consecration by Kim Jackson

I bought my 2010 calendar today. There were three full kiosks at the office supply store, each boasting different designs, colors, formats, and time frames. The one I picked is called a “Monthly/Weekly Planning Calendar.” It has a tagline printed under the brand name: “Design your day.” I chose a lavender way to design my days. At the present moment it has pristine 2” squares for each day of the upcoming year.

Quite a lot of each day is planned for me by others: my boss at work, my church responsibilities, the clubs and groups I belong to, doctor’s appointments, etc. Sometimes I get to fill in a few of those blank squares with things that make my heart smile: “Home for Thanksgiving,” “Writing Retreat,” “Meet Robin for lunch.”

I will write in lots of appointments and plans. The empty squares on my calendar will quickly fill up. I’ll start out writing neatly, but soon scribbles will overtake my precision.

Sometimes things have to be marked off my calendar because, as John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

But does life really “happen to” a believer in Christ Jesus?

Ponder this:

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10, NIV).

There is a designer for each of my days, but I’m clear that it’s not me. So how do I cooperate with His design for the precious days He has given me?

Several years ago I started a tradition that helps me be awake and aware to God’s handwriting on my calendar. Perhaps it might help you, too.

I set aside a chunk of time near the end of the year to consecrate my calendar. I put on a favorite praise and worship CD, open my new calendar to January and write out Ephesians 2:10 at the top of the page. Then I pray something like this:

Dear Jesus,

Today, December 31, 2009, I consecrate my 2010 calendar to You. I commit the days You have given me on this planet to Your purposes.

Thank You for the gift of life. I pray that You will strengthen me to live a life that makes You smile.

Jesus, Your Word says in Ephesians 2:10 that I am Your masterpiece, Your workmanship, and that the reason You created me is to do good works which You prepared in advance for me to do.

So today, Jesus, I am asking You to fill all the little blank squares on this calendar with the things You prepared before time began, specifically with me in mind. I want to always be on Your schedule, fulfilling everything You have in mind for me to do in the minutes and months of my life.

I ask that You will guard my heart from distractions that would hinder me from fulfilling the matters You have planned. Keep me aware and awake to Your Spirit’s promptings and help me to seek Your guidance before filling up the squares on this calendar.

Father, if I run ahead or behind of your perfect plan, I claim the promise in Your Word, Romans 8:28, that even in my missteps, You will work things for good.

Father, please teach me what it means to “number my days that I may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
Lord, help me to recognize the enemy’s strategies that would keep me busy, but not productive; remind me often of Your truth expressed in 2 Corinthians 4:18 so that I will fix my eyes, not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. Please remind me frequently that what is seen in temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

True Lord Jesus, empower me by Your Spirit to live my life with my eyes focused on what matters to You.

Lord, if you tarry and I am still walking this earth on January 1, 2011, may I be able to look back over the filled-in pages of this 2010 calendar and rejoice, knowing that I have lived well for my Master.

I love You,
Kim

Symbolism: What is on Your Christmas Tree? by Ann Wayne

It was a quiet evening at home. I sat by the fire while my black lab, Bailey, snored in the leather recliner. The chair is her favorite spot to sleep. Christmas music set the tone in the background. Memories of Christmases past brought vivid images to mind as I gazed at each ornament on the Christmas tree. My oldest son’s first ornament with his named cross stitched on a red wood stocking adorns the tree each year. A sparkly gold and clear carousel ornament for my daughter represents her senior year in high school when she was the Carousel Queen. A red bass guitar ornament for my youngest son dangles on a branch to remind me of his unexpected purchase last year. He walked in the door with the real instrument in his hands – something that was a surprise to all of us. He has never had any musical talent.

Each year, I carefully place the quilted bells, stars and stocking shaped ornaments on the tree that I made the first year I had my own tree. They are thirty something years old now and are very sentimental to me. There was simply no money to buy ornaments. As I hang these, I tell the story to my family and I’m reminded of the many blessings since that first year.

Do you get the drift? All of these ornaments represent something unique in a particular year. We have continued this tradition through the years and now I look forward to finding a special ornament for two grandchildren. Emma Grace will open her ornament with excitement from Grammy again this year and Little Benjamin will receive his first ornament for the tree. Even the dog at my house gets an ornament. But she doesn’t get to open it because it would never make it to the tree. Or at least if it did, we probably would not recognize it.

There are other ornaments on the tree that represent joy and pain. Ornaments from trips taken bring back fond memories. Others signify accomplishments of a particular year or hobbies of my family. There are lots of fish and deer on the tree and even some western ornaments on the tree from our “horse years in the 90’s.” An “angel of comfort” ornament hangs on the tree holding a small black dog. This ornament was given to my younger son the year after his father left. There is a paw print ornament representing that same dog who was hit by a car while I was out running one morning a few years ago.

But near the top of the tree hangs a Chrismon. It was given to me by my step-grandmother over twenty years ago. The ornament was hand-made by some church lady at the Lutheran church that my grandfather’s family attended for many generations. When my step-grandmother was preparing to go to heaven, she gave family members things that would have special meaning to them. She was right. The chrismon ornament is one of my favorites.

A chrismon is intended to represent aspects of the Person, life or ministry of Jesus Christ and the history of the Christian Church. It is usually a single image, emblem or monogram. The term "chrismon" comes from the Latin phrase "Christi Monogramma", meaning "monogram of Christ".

Perhaps most commonly, chrismons are used to adorn Christmas trees during Advent and Christmas, where they are made from various materials. They can also be found as decorations in and outside of Christian church buildings and homes, and even found on gravestones and personal stationary. Many of these symbols have histories dating back to the earliest times of the Church.

Even though there is only one chrismon on my Christmas tree, the Christian symbolism reminds me of the reason we have Christmas. It is in the shape of a Greek Cross. The Greek Cross has arms of equal length. This particular symbol has circles on the arms, representing eternity. The celebration of Christ’s birth this season and the reminder of his death on the cross bring all of us hope. In the four gospels, we witness the life of Christ. In Matthew 1:21, the writer portrays the big picture of Christ’s life. “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” And in John 16:33, Jesus tells his disciples “these things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.” We have a promise from God himself, through his Son, that we can overcome adversity, struggles, sin, and temptations if we simply believe in Him and trust in the Holy Spirit to guide us daily.

As you place your ornaments on the tree this year, I encourage you to hang at least one special ornament that represents the life of Christ. It will be a wonderful reminder for your family about the reason we celebrate Christmas.

May your family be blessed this holiday season!

Ann Wayne

They Could Smell Our Christian Perfume! by Gail Purath

Two years ago, Michael and I visited Vienna on a cold, wet weekend. After tromping around in the drizzle for several hours, we ended up back in our hotel lobby close to the tea service. While sipping steaming cups of tea, an American couple came in to register for a room and initiated a conversation with us. We explained we were missionaries in Budapest, and the woman told us she had attended a Christian college.

Since this couple had been traveling together for three weeks and registered for one room, I assumed they were married. But when I asked where they lived, the woman seemed embarrassed to admit they were just friends and lived in two different states.

Michael and I said nothing to add to her discomfort. Instead, we continued in friendly conversation; and when they left for their room, we told them we enjoyed visiting with them. However, the following morning at breakfast, they barely acknowledged our greetings and walked past the empty table next to ours. I think it was our smell…

There is a whole generation of Americans who aren’t even aware that God lovingly prohibits sex outside of marriage. They think premarital sex is natural instead of realizing it is harmful to their spiritual and emotional well-being. But the couple we met in Vienna was from an older generation, and the woman had gone to Bible college. I think they understood that their relationship was neither healthy for them nor pleasing to God. And Michael and I were an uncomfortable reminder of this fact. You could say that our “Christian perfume” was offensive to them.

2 Corinthians 2:15,16 says, “Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume...” (NLT)

Of course, this fragrance isn’t the only thing that offends people. We Christians can also emit the nasty odors of self-righteousness, legalism and superiority. Recently I read the book They Like Jesus, but Not the Church by Dan Kimbell. He talks about our tendency as Christians to talk about God’s judgment more than God’s love, to focus on what we oppose more than what we embrace. He makes some good points. It's not our job to judge those outside of the church (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).

I’ve also read several books by Ray Comfort, a New Zealand missionary to the U.S. He believes American Christians share God’s love without sharing His law and judgment, thus deceiving people into false conversions without warning them of the consequences of sin. He makes some good points as well. God gives His commands for our good, and we have no business watering them down or ignoring them in order to make the Gospel more palatable. If a person doesn’t understand their sin, they won’t understand their need for a Savior.

It can be hard at times to explain Christ because He is just as merciful, forgiving and loving toward repentant man, as He is unforgiving and just toward unrepentant man. No wonder that the passage I quoted earlier (about our fragrance) ends with this statement: “And who is adequate for such a task as this?” (verse16b).

How do we, who bear the fragrance of Christ, give an accurate picture of Christ to those around us? How can we avoid stressing certain aspects of His character at the expense of other aspects? Some people are wallowing in regret and pain for their sin. They feel they will never be good enough to come to Christ, and we must tell them of God’s grace and love. Other people are self-satisfied. They think that they will receive God’s mercy no matter what they do or what they believe, and we must tell them of God’s purity and judgment.

But how can we know when to stress grace and when to stress purity? Who of us is adequate for the task? Our answer is found in 2 Corinthians 3:5: “...our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” We have the Holy Spirit to guide us, and He knows exactly what needs to be said in any situation. Because of that—and only because of that—we are able to bear Christ’s fragrance!