abandoned to Christ.

It seems everywhere we look and every place we go, there's Christmas music playing, people shopping, commercials filled with laughter and gaiety; sparkling decorations and hearts filled with merriment and hope.

But it's not that way for everyone.

There are a silent few...or a silent many, who are not merry at Christmastime.

Some people have lost loved ones this year through death, or by sin, that always separates. Some, like orphans, have no one to lose, but have constant dreams of finding parents who offer the sacrificial and eternal love of Christ rather than the self-centered, ephemeral love this world offers and settles for. Then, there are those who are alone in adulthood: widows, divorcees, and those struck with depression. The list goes on...and so do their sorrows.

To aggravate the reality of their lack of merriment, they are often pressured to join in on all the Christmas festivities whether they feel like it or not. And as Christians, if we don't, then we're often bombarded by insensitive questions and presumptuous statements about our faith, "Are you trusting Jesus?", "Isn't your joy in Christ?", "Aren't you grateful that Christ came? You should concentrate on that rather than your sorrows."

I'm not denying we all need our faith tested in order to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I'm not ignoring the fact that some are falsely sorrowful (to get attention) and some sorrows are self-inflicted (by sin). What I am saying is that some people are genuinely (by no fault of their own) not merry at Christmastime. And those of us who are merry, need to be more sensitive to their pain.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."

~Romans 12:15 (ESV)

We're commanded to rejoice when good things happen to others. But often, we're envious and bitter. We're commanded to weep with those who are genuinely sorrowful, yet we often judge harshly and try to force cheerfulness. This seems like a simple commandment, but without the leading of the Holy Spirit, without the power of Christ, this simple commandment becomes an impossible task (Heb 11:6). Without having our minds renewed by the Word of God and our hearts transformed by His Spirit's work of sanctification, we don't have the wisdom necessary to discern truth from error (Prov 2:6). We can't rightly decipher whether someone needs a gentle reproof because their sorrows are self-inflicted by sin (which includes the desire to wallow in self-pity), or if a person is genuinely and rightly (by God's estimation) sorrowful due to the various heartaches we all suffer in this life.

This is why as God's dearly beloved children, we all need to daily feed our souls with the Word of God. We need to study it diligently so that we might truly know what His will is, and gain wisdom from the power of His Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:12-13).

"Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way."

~Psalm 119:104 (ESV)

Whether someone is sorrowful for the purposes of vanity or truth, I do not know, but God does. And before I communicate with anyone who is sorrowful, I must first pray and seek God's wisdom (James 3:17) in His Word, by the power of His Holy Spirit. For who alone but God knows what the hearer needs (Eph 4:29)? How will I know if the person needs a gentle reproof, a strong rebuke, or a shoulder to cry on with a loving heart that listens with tenderness and compassion?

God says He shows mercy on whom He chooses and compassion on whom He chooses. As His precious children, re-born in the likeness of Christ, ought we not do the same? If I, in my pride, proceed to communicate with a sorrowful person with "mercy" when they need rebuke, am I not getting in the way of the Lord's discipline which is good in someone's life (Heb 12:11)? Or what if in my arrogance, I rebuke someone who's genuinely sorrowful and needs an attentive and compassionate ear? If I communicate by what I think I know of the situation, instead of proceeding in prayer and careful searching of God's Word, then I will hurt rather than help the person who is sorrowful.

"And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty."

~Luke 1:50-53

So as you celebrate Christmas and enjoy a cup of steamy hot chocolate, a glowing warm fire, an enchanting skate on glistening ice, and making Christmas crafts while surrounded by loved ones, please look up from your merriment and look around...because there is surely someone in your midst that is not merry this Christmas. It may be evident, and it may not. But if you're seeking to bring the true meaning of Christmas to those around you, that is, Christ our God came to die—to save sinners like you and me, then God will open your eyes to those who are hurting. The Lord will use you as His healing balm to soothe their wounds, or as a light of truth to shine in the darkness of their sins so that they may be healed.

We sing, “Oh, come to my heart, Lord Jesus; there is room in my heart for thee.” But often that is no more than empty sentiment. If it were more, we would have room in our hearts not only for Jesus but for others also.

Jesus emptied Himself for us. He laid aside His great glory in order to help us. Do we lay aside our prerogatives to help those who need help?

For some it will be the first Christmas since the death of a beloved husband or wife, son or daughter. They will be reminded of their loss with every carol, every smile, every “Merry Christmas!” Others have poor health, and they will be left out. Still others are separated from their families—foreign students in our country, those who have to work through the holidays, spouses who are divorced from their children (as well as the former husband or wife) through the failure of their marriage. All these are left out.

Can you not include one or two in your Christmas—some student, some nurse, some single person, some poor derelict, someone who can never return the favor of a family Christmas to you?

Do you say, “Oh, but Christmas is a family time, and I don’t want to spoil it by including someone else.”

If those are your thoughts, remember that you were on the outside once. You were separated from Christmas in two ways. First, you were likely a Gentile, and Christ was Israel’s Messiah. Second, you were a sinner, and you were barred from God’s blessings by sin. Jesus came to include you. He came to die for you so that you, who were unclean and unholy, might be cleansed of sin and made holy. If you know Him and love Him, you will reach out to others.
~James Montgomery Boice
The Christ of Christmas

What does it mean, to give thanks in all circumstances?

In First Thessalonians chapter five, the Apostle Paul closes with a list of things that every Christian ought to do (vv. 12-22), but can't do in our own strength or by our own sheer will. Perhaps we can accomplish some, or all that's on this list, but it would only be a temporary appearance of godly character rather than a faithful and continual walk. For we know if we do not abide in Christ, we will not bear His fruit. And any true godly quality we exhibit is a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit within us (1 Cor 2:5), not from our flesh that continually desires the ways of this world.

I often refer to my physical trials as a gift from the Lord and something He has seen fit to work in my life for my greatest benefit. And often, I get questions and comments from people who are outraged by my proclamation that a good and loving God would bring pain into my life. They tell me I'm rather foolish and audacious to claim God would do anything besides make me healthy, wealthy and happy. But that's not what God says.

"For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though He cause grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love; for He does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men."

~Lamentations 3:31-33 (ESV)

In Psalm 119 verses 67 and 71, the psalmist sees the good purposes of afflictions in this life: they keep us from going astray and give us deeper understanding and appreciation for God's holy statutes. The writer of Hebrews also echos this in chapter 12 when he talks about God's loving and faithful discipline, which is painful at the time, but for those who endure and are trained by it, they will yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

~Romans 5:1-5 (ESV)

Wow! Who doesn't want to build endurance, character and hope? Everyone, both believers and non-believers aspire to such a high and noble stature, but this can only be obtained by divine providence; by the power of God's Holy Spirit that indwells the children of the Most High God.

I would be lying if I didn't admit the hardships of these 10 years, with the past five encumbered by many hospital admits, five surgeries, countless procedures and tests, and the acquisition of more specialists than there are colors in the rainbow. Constant physical pain, and I mean pain on the scale from 5 - 10 on good days, every day, non-stop (up until recently) has really worn on me. It was always something, one thing after another. I was either tearing a muscle, a tendon, or an organ wasn't working right or my blood work was out of whack...again. It was a constant dance for my doctors to try to figure out what would help me without causing something else in my highly precarious system to malfunction.

And I'm supposed to be grateful for this? Yes!

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the thing that are unseen are eternal."

~2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV)

Did you hear that? Did you hear what our heavenly Father said here? He said that He makes even the most agonizing and grievous things in this life work for our benefit! So then, if God uses even the "bad" experiences to work for our greater good, then the question is, why is suffering a bad thing if it's working good in us and for us—for this life and the one to come?

If this doesn't give you reason to be grateful for whatever you may be suffering today, consider Hebrews 5:7-8, "In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to Him who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. Although He was a son, He learned obedience through what He suffered." We are not greater than Jesus (Lk 6:40), so if He "learned obedience through what He suffered" how much more will we learn? Besides that, let's do a reality check here. Jesus didn't deserve one iota of suffering, but we deserve more suffering than we will ever know because God poured out His wrath on His Son instead of us.

In view of this awesome mercy and grace from God, we should rejoice in the freedom of our salvation and give thanks to God in all and for all circumstances. Our circumstances don't determine our joy; Jesus does, and He's already sealed it by giving us His Holy Spirit.

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid...I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world."

~John 14:27, 16:33 (ESV)

P.S. I almost forgot. For those who've been praying and have asked about my heart issues; the meds are working and I'm doing well. Thank you for your prayers and thank you for asking! ♥

I look to the Lord.

"Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy." (Psalm 61:1-3, ESV) In my current situation, my "enemy" just happens to be my own body.

My literal heart is faint. As many of you know, the Lord has allowed, in accordance with His good and perfect will, for my body to suffer many things these past 10 years. Now with five surgeries within five years (I didn't write about my kidney stone surgery and stent last year...I just didn't feel like it, sorry), I have another issue that requires extensive medical attention. I have a heart arrhythmia.

I have what's called premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). I've actually had them for the past five years, with about one year where they completely went away. They started up again this past year, but similar to when they started, they were benign, as most PVCs are. But because God has blessed me with extremely wise and kind doctors, my cardiologist did a full workup (stress echo, blood work and 24-hour Holter monitor). All tests looked good and the 24-hour Holter monitor only showed 13 PVCs occurring in one day. I didn't have any symptoms either. They were just annoying.

About four weeks ago my PVCs began behaving a bit differently. Rather than come and go, they came and stayed. They came all day, every day with increased frequency from every other heart beat (bigeminy) to every three heart beats (trigeminy). I began to have symptoms (which I never had before): lightheadedness, breathlessness, and near fainting. My blood pressure began to drop, especially with exercise and my resting pulse danced around the high 50s and low 60s.

By God's providence my yearly physical with my PCP was scheduled a week after these constant PVCs began and she ran an EKG. It didn't look good, so she sent it to my cardiologist who saw me in his office the next day. They agreed I needed to start a beta-blocker (Metoprolol XL succinate). We tried it for a week, but it wasn't working, and my blood pressure (96/57) and pulse rates (fluctuated from the mid 30s to high 50s) were too low. So they told me to stop taking the Metoprolol and come in to get hooked up to a 24-hour Holter monitor so they could compare it to last year's.

Did I have a pity party in the midst of all this? Yes, I most certainly did. Did I get a bit depressed, a little angry and exacerbated that these PVCs couldn't just be like all the other ones I've had for the past five years? Yes I did. Did I overstay my welcome at my pity party? By the grace of God, no, I didn't.

Those of us who've been given a new life in Christ have the freedom to choose—to look at ourselves or to look at the Almighty.

"I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD."

~Psalm 40:1-3 (ESV)

I'm so very grateful the Lord lifted me out of the miry bog of self pity because yesterday, I wound up in the Cardiac ED and was kindly treated there for four hours. The Cardiac ED is quite nice and they take you in and begin treating you immediately rather than spending most of your time in the waiting room. I was hooked up right away to an EKG, had blood work and a chest x-ray done along with an IV put in place so they could slowly give me three doses of Metoprolol to get my PVCs under control.

The doctor at the Cardiac ED contacted my cardiologist's office and discovered that my 24-hour Holter monitor showed that I was having 24,386 PVCs in one day. Anything that's above 20,000 per day is too much. So as usual, it seems I have to be the overachiever (wink). They switched me from two Metoprolol succinate (24-hour extended release tablets) to two to three Metoprolol tartrate (12-hour tablets), hoping this will help reduce the amount of PVCs I'm having to decrease heart damage.

My wonderful nurse Andrea from my cardiologist's office has taken fantastic care of me with the other doctors in the practice since my cardiologist is out of the country for a couple of more weeks. The next steps are to get an echo (echocardiogram) to make sure my heart hasn't weakened, and a visit with an electrophysiologist (a cardiologist that specializes in the electrical functioning of the heart that causes arrhythmias).

Why am I sharing all this? I'm sharing this for two primary reasons:

To encourage all saints to fix our eyes and hearts on Jesus and suffer well because all our trials here on earth are as temporary as our lives; though it may not always feel that way (2 Cor 4:16-18);
To encourage others who have PVCs, that they're mostly benign, like mine have been for the past five years. And rarely do they require medical treatment. The things that can trigger or worsen PVCs are: hormones, lack of sleep, anxiety, caffeine, thyroid issues and electrolyte imbalances. So most of the things that cause PVCs can be treated by simply changing to a more healthy lifestyle as well as, for a Christian, trusting God rather than insisting your doctors have all the answers...because as smart as they are, they don't know everything...only God does.

The trials we face in this life, whether they be emotional trials, physical trials or spiritual trials, they all have the same effect—they make our heart faint. And when our hearts faint, figuratively (like mine is often) or literally (like mine is presently), the remedy is the same—cry out to the LORD, seek the Rock that is higher and greater than you and anyone else, dwell in the refuge of God''s love rather than dwell on the troubles your enemies cause you; the greatest of which, is in ourselves.

If you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, not by empty profession, but by a true concession to His good and perfect will, then you know there is no trial we suffer here on earth that is greater than the great salvation and life we have in Christ; now and forevermore.

If you don't know Jesus, click the following link to be introduced to Him: Know Christ.

"What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.

"Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come Home with shouts of joy, bringing His sheaves with him."

~Psalm 116:12-14, 126:5-6 (ESV)

May all who know the Lord Jesus, return to Him with a harvest of righteousness, sown by His love, in our hearts, extended to others (2 Cor 5:20, James 3:18).

Ah, Facebook, our beloved friend and greatest foe. What are we, as Christians to do with Facebook? Whose face do we choose to display—ours, or Christ's? Whose life is magnified on our personal timeline and news feeds? What do we mostly share and who have we chosen to surround ourselves with by accepting or making friend requests?

Are we enticed by the world and encumbered with its dealings (politics, our jobs, our personal rights, physical health, and beauty)? Are these worldly entanglements the prevalent "face" that everyone sees?

I'm not suggesting that sharing pictures of us, our families, and the life God has given us is a bad thing. And I'm not suggesting we never share anything about politics, our jobs, religions freedoms, or healthy lifestyles. What I'm doing is questioning: Is it the things of God or the things of this world that mostly populate our personal timeline as well as our news feed where we're greatly influenced (whether we like it or not) by what we see, hear, and read?

We're commanded and strongly warned in Scripture to choose our company wisely (1 Cor 15:33). Nowadays, our "company" not only includes people we physically invite into our homes, but also the company we virtually invite into our homes via the all-too-easily-accessible internet, our televisions and even our "smart" phones, that often contributes to our dumbness and numbness to reality (this is another topic for another day).

Depending on how we start our day (we either give our first to the Lord or to ourselves), and how we choose to spend our time, drastically effects whose face we end up displaying on Facebook—Christ's, or ours.

"For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

~2 Corinthians 4:5-6 (ESV)

We can choose to begin our day with Jesus Christ, or we can choose to begin our with social media so we can have our egos fed and agendas pushed forward. We can choose to open up the Word of God, consume a heavenly feast from our Lord, concluding, we've tasted and seen that the Lord is indeed good. Then, we can choose to remain seated and be still so we can meditate on the sumptuous meal from the Bread from Heaven—the Word of God. Or we can begin our days with God's Word, but rather than remaining still before the Lord, allowing our spiritual food to settle and strengthen us, we can quickly pop up, check it off our "religious duty" list and walk away unchanged.

Some of the choices I make to get my heart, mind, and spirit united with God's Word is through singing hymns, reading the Scripture associated with it, and listening to good sermons by faithful preachers and teachers of the Word, like the one below with Alistair Begg (Truth For Life).

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people." ~2 Timothy 3:1-5, ESV (emphasis mine)

Isn't it amazing that God had this passage written more than 2,000 years ago, but it perfectly describes our world today...especially on Facebook?

No matter how hard we try to display a positive, I-have-it-altogether-don't-you-wish-you-were-me posts and pictures on Facebook, we'll always miss the mark. We may be able to fool ourselves and our "friends" on Facebook by our well-edited and Photoshopped lives we choose to display, but we'll never fool God. No matter how many commendations we receive from others through "likes" on our posts, we will never achieve the acceptance of a holy God without being washed clean by the blood of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ the Lord.

Therefore, we, as Christians should live every day as if we know that our lives are short, they are not our own and we owe all our love, adoration and magnification to Christ alone. This not only includes how we live at home, at work, at school, church or at play, but it includes how we behave in our "online" world bolstered by Facebook.

Here's something to consider: How long would an unbeliever have to go down your timeline to know you're more than just another religious person? How long will they have to go down your timeline to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ? How long will they have to go down your timeline to see that your life is different from theirs because you love what God loves and hate what God hates? Will it be minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or sadly...years before they can distinctly see the holy life of Christ shine through you?

Next time, before you post something on Facebook, ask yourself, "Whose face, whose life, do I inherently want to share and display for all to see, mine, or Christ's?

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