UpLIFT Minute

Are you familiar with the popular Christmas song, “Joy to the World”? The lyrics include earth receiving her king, sins and sorrows not growing, and Christ ruling the world with truth and grace. But, as is often the case, we sometimes sing words and we’re not deeply thinking about the context. Case in point is “Joy to the World.” Although it is thought of as a song about Christ’s birth, it’s really a song about His second coming. Second coming? What’s that? Just like the Bible prophesied Jesus’s first coming as a baby who would one day die for our sins; the Bible also records Jesus coming again to earth, but this time as reigning King. It is then we will no longer have sin and sorrow and Christ will rule with truth and grace. Yes, we will continue to gladly sing, “Joy to the World,” at Christmas, but now with deeper meaning and anticipation of Christ’s second coming, also.

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Are you familiar with the saying, “I’m your huckleberry”? Last summer, my husband and I visited Glacier National Park. Right outside the park, we stopped at a restaurant that had every imaginable huckleberry item. Huckleberry pie, huckleberry pancakes. Huckleberry syrup. My husband insisted on buying me a purple shirt that said, “I’m your huckleberry.” Doing a little research on exactly what that statement meant, I discovered that to be one’s huckleberry is “to be just the right person for a job.” When I thought about that definition, my mind quickly raced to Jesus. He, as God’s Son, is the only One who could die for our sins, return to heaven, and empower us to live the Christian life. If you’re looking for the right One to follow, that person is the Jesus Christ. There’s no one more right for this life and the next than Him. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus Christ, the perfect and only One who could satisfy our sin debt and give us life eternal. 

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Reaching to straighten my collar, I felt a button that was loose and made a mental note to take care of it. Later, looking in the mirror, I noticed that not only did I have a loose button, but that I’d also lost one.  Sometimes, in the busyness of life we don’t notice things that are slipping or have accidentally fallen off. Just like my buttons gradually loosened, so our spiritual commitments can gradually become less firmly established; such as gathering with other believers each week to worship and pray. Are these commitments important? Yes, Hebrews 9:24-25 says, “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”  Gathering to worship and serve with other believers is important. What might we need to look in the spiritual mirror and reattach that has fallen aside?

Heavenly Father, thank You that through spiritual practices we can grow and become more transformed into your likeness. Help us take spiritual practices seriously and not let them fall aside. 

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Years ago I joined a class at a gym but didn’t venture into the weight room. Deciding it was finally time, I was shocked to discover how weak my left arm was compared to my right arm. A trainer suggested I use a weight at home to strengthen my left arm. In other words, strengthen what is weak. What holds true for the body holds true spiritually. Hebrews 12:12 tells us to “strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble.” Hands speak of what we do. Knees speak of our walk. In other words, are we doing what God tells us to do? Are we walking by Christ’s Spirit? If not, what can we do? Psalm 119:28 says, ”Strengthen me according to Your word.” When we read the Bible, we’re strengthening our spirit. Second, pray. Ephesians 3:16 explains that the more intimate we are with Christ, the more we experience His strength in our inner man.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the encouraging words in Your Word that tell us we can strengthen areas of our life that are weak. We ask now that You strengthen us so we are increasingly strong in our faith.

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Did your mother ever tell you, “Turn that frown upside down”? My mother did – typically when I was moping because she told me to do a better job of cleaning my room. Earthly parents aren’t the only ones to notice our face. Our Heavenly Father notices our countenance. In Genesis 4:6-7, God confronted Cain. “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?” Then He warned Cain, “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door and it’s desire is for you, but you must master it.” Our face is a reflection of our heart, and our heart is either fully loving and obeying God or rebelling against Him. Perhaps we need to look in the mirror today and see what our countenance is telling us about our heart. 

Heavenly Father, we confess that sometimes our downcast spirit is because we aren’t following You. Please forgive us. Set our heart on course to follow You so our face reflects our peace with You. 

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Do you often fall for temptation? I seem to be a glutton for it.  Temptation reminds me of a sign I saw one day when approaching a small town that boasted it was the “playground of the area.” As I drove into the city, however, I didn’t see that anything that matched the alluring sign’s description. Satan is a lot like that sign. He places temptation before us and boasts it will give us pleasure. But if we’re wise, we’ll act on 1 Corinthians 10:13 that tells us “no temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” In other words, we’re to keep our foot on the pedal and take God’s escape.

Heavenly Father, forgive us when we keeping walking into temptation instead of stopping, turning, and taking your way of escape. Help us be more mindful of what we’re doing and walk more closely by Your Spirit. 

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Have you noticed how stores are filling with poinsettias and people are using them to decorate? The poinsettia, also called the Christmas Flower or Christmas Star, reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas. Why? The red petals point to the reason Jesus came from heaven – to take our sin and judgment on His holy body and die in our place on the cross. The green leaves? They point to the gift of eternal life in heaven God gives us when we place our faith in Jesus. The gold crowned center of the poinsettia reminds us that Jesus is the crowned King of heaven, and one day, we will bow before Him.  In the midst of shopping and parties, the poinsettia reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas as stated in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” To learn more about Jesus and why we celebrate His birth, visit debbietaylorwilliams.com. 

I want to pray bold and effective prayers. I want to pray war room prayers. I want to pray mountain moving prayers.  
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