As Long as I Have Breath

by Bruce Gordon

  If you’ve sinned and not confessed it, simply give it to Jesus and take a step forward.

  If you’re facing a decision that could be life impacting, tell Jesus and take a step forward.

  If life is fantastic, take a step forward.

  Questions

  Which promise from Psalm 37 do you find particularly meaningful?

  How has God kept His promises in your life? Be specific.

  Where do you need to take a step forward in your life?

  If life is great at the moment, how can you come alongside someone else to encourage him or her to step forward in the confidence of God’s promises?

  47

  O Come, Let Us Adore Him

  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

  JOHN 3:16

  WE HUMANS HAVE BEEN granted unbelievable dignity. If you struggle with self-esteem, you need to pay attention to the story of Christmas. It’s about royal dignity.

  God didn’t become an angel, an eagle, a cow, or even a great whale. God became a human being like us. God so loved us that He became us.

  What did He do? Here are a few thoughts adapted from author Darrell Johnson.[1]

  He altered the mode of His Being. Before Christmas, the Living God was pure Spirit. At Bethlehem, one of the Persons of the Trinity took human form as a baby and lived among us. Wow!

  God empathizes with us. This is astounding because He is aware of our pain. Does He feel our pain? Yes, I believe He does. Jesus coming to this world and going to the cross shows God’s great care and compassion for us.

  He has given us awesome hope for the future and the certainty that we will be made whole. At Bethlehem, God forever linked His future to our future. That means our future is as certain as God’s future is. “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).

  He makes claims that we can trust absolutely. Jesus says: “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).

  “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

  “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).

  “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37).

  “Your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20; 7:48).

  He’s greater than any issue you’re facing or will face in this next year.

  This Christmas, may we follow the lead of the shepherds and the magi and worship Jesus.

  O come, let us adore Him.

  Questions

  What does it mean to you that God altered the mode of His Being to become like us?

  What hope do you find in Jesus’ birth and the claims that Christ made about Himself?

  What issues do you face now or in the coming year? How does the idea that God is “greater than” affect you?

  How has God cared for you over the years? How can you share this with others as part of your Christmas celebrations?

  [1] Darrell W. Johnson, The Most Wonderful Time of All Years (Regent College Publishing, 2013).

  48

  Does God Really Care about Me?

  Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).

  MATTHEW 1:23

  WHEN WE LOOK AROUND the world and see problems such as terrorism, people losing their homes because of wildfires, and refugees desperately seeking safety, we realize that these are big issues compared to the ones we typically face in our own lives. Yet we hope that God sees our small needs and cares about them.

  Does God, the Creator of the Universe, honestly care about our infinitesimally small problems?

  Most of us would answer yes because that’s what we’re supposed to say. Yet there are times when we want rock-solid assurance of His faithful care.

  Most of us have been shaped by Enlightenment philosophers who picture God as a divine watchmaker—a Being who set the universe in motion and then sat back to watch it all tick. The Bible says differently. It presents a God who is intimately close, who speaks one-on-one with people, including Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joseph, and Mary.

  God wanted to reinforce this thinking that He is near to us. Isaiah 7:14 says, “The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

  Immanuel in the Hebrew is a simple construction that means, “God with us.” It’s as much a sign as a name and signifies that in coming to earth God has chosen to dwell among us.

  God says that He will come to us in His Son and live in us through His Spirit. I’m asking God to make this new to me this month. I have heard the Christmas story all my life, and it can become rote.

  I once visited a synagogue in Israel, and above the ornate Torah scroll cabinet were inscribed these words in Hebrew: “Know Before Whom You Stand.” It was a place of awe, perhaps even a little terror. The words are a reminder that you’re standing in the presence of God Himself.

  The Jewish people live with a sense of God’s presence. When we entered the synagogue, we men had to wear a yarmulke. Its purpose is to remind us to be humbly in awe of God’s presence all around us. He’s ever near us. He’s infinitely powerful, yet near.

  At this time of year, with so much going on, isn’t it ironic that we can be singing about Immanuel and almost forget His presence completely?

  Over these next few weeks, reflect on the closeness of God in your life.

  Immanuel—God with us. Yes, Jesus cares.

  Questions

  How do you balance being in awe of God and the fact that He cares personally for you?

  We are to live in the reality of Immanuel—God with us. How has God been personally present in your life? How can an awareness of God’s presence enhance your celebration of Christmas this year?

  What problems, big and small, can you bring to God right now? How does the fact that Jesus cares bring you peace?

  49

  Handing Over the Keys

  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

  JOHN 15:5

  I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME Dad handed me the keys to our 1964 green Ford Meteor station wagon to drive to a youth event. I looked at them in my hand and said, “The world will never be the same again!” That certainly came true for the car that night, because I put a dent in it.

  There are times when I clutch the keys to my life tightly in my hand while God quietly says, “Bruce, hand me the keys.” I offer God all kinds of excuses: I’m a leader; I have fewer years ahead of me and need to maximize my time; You haven’t asked so-and-so to hand over anything; and many more.

  I like the picture presented by Bruce Wilkinson in Secrets of the Vine where the Vinedresser is leaning against a trellis in the late afternoon sun and the look on His face conveys delight and expectation as He looks at “your branch” with pleasure, satisfaction, and joy.[1]

  Jesus asks us to seek His face. That takes handing over the keys. It’s stepping into the Jordan like the priests were directed to do with Joshua. It wasn’t until they stepped into the river that God acted.

  My fellow travelers, it doesn’t matter what season of life you’re in; the Vinedresser isn’t finished with you yet. Only He knows what the harvest ahead looks like.

  I want that harvest, so I’m handing over the keys, though this is easier written than done.

  Why don’t you write down this week what keys you are still holding on to, and then look up at the Vinedresser leaning against the trellis in the late afternoon sun and say, “Here, You take them.”

  I did this once when I was struggling with a move. I finally said, “You do it,” and what God did was more than Denise and I could ever have imagined.

  The Vinedresser is very patient; He won’t force us to release our keys to Him. Yet I wonder about His thoughts as He looks at me and quietly says
, “Bruce, if you could only know what I have for you.”

  Questions

  What keys are you hanging on to that you need to release and hand over to God?

  I make the statement that the Vinedresser is very patient and will not force us to release our keys to Him. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

  How does it make you feel to know that you can turn over the keys of your life to God?

  [1] Bruce Wilkinson with David Kopp, Secrets of the Vine: Breaking Through to Abundance (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books, 2001).

  50

  Frames of Reference

  So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

  PSALM 90:12

  THIS NEW YEAR’S EVE, Denise and I, along with good friends, opened a time capsule.

  We gather over a great meal every December 31 to discuss our answers to a number of questions. We have journaled our answers to these same questions for more than twenty years.

  This year, I suggested that we look back at our answers from ten years ago and reflect on where we were then to give us perspective as we entered a new year.

  It was a fascinating and encouraging process as we were reminded of the tangible involvement and intervention of God in each of our lives. Deaths of parents, the gift of grandchildren, new careers for our kids, transitional leadership in churches, change of homes, health issues, a recent new church home—we had all experienced so many things. And it was obvious that God was with each of us through the hills and valleys of our journeys.

  Yes, we gain clarity when we look back and see that God has been there for us through it all.

  I’ve been asking God about a couple of things and recently sensed that God was saying to me, “At this moment, your frame of reference doesn’t allow you to see what I see.” A friend told me that he was having similar discussions with God and that God had told him that he wasn’t able to receive the answer right now. We talked about how, at times, we see things very differently than God does. Our circumstances can block or distort what we’re seeing. Can you relate as you look out at this year and decade?

  Here are a few thoughts on frames of reference.

  We burden ourselves, and we need to release the loads that God never intended us to carry. This may include unconfessed sin, bitterness, and anxiety about the future.

  Our frames of reference should be rooted at the cross. This means that our lives are to be lived in the reality of what Jesus accomplished at the cross for us. The events of our lives need to be interpreted through the lens of the Resurrection.

  We can learn a new frame of reference from the Lord. Start by reading Psalm 90:12.

  As I look back as well as to the future, I’m asking God for new frames of reference. Specifically, I want to be more afraid of missing opportunities than making mistakes!

  Questions

  How has God intervened in your life over the years? Where do you see evidence of God’s care, love, mercy, wisdom, and grace?

  What new frames of reference do you feel you need?

  What load are you carrying that you need to release?

  51

  Bearer of Hope

  But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.

  PSALM 71:14

  I REMEMBER A VISIT MY FATHER and I made years ago to a man named Percy.

  My father always visited Percy in late December, and I accompanied him several times. I had mixed emotions about these visits. Percy was a bit of a mystery to me and the local residents. Yet these winter visits gave me an opportunity to see how he lived.

  One visit stands out in my mind. The night before, new snow had blanketed our valley. Then the weather had turned clear and cold. With a bag full of groceries, Dad and I waded through knee-deep snowdrifts to reach Percy’s small tarpapered shack where a thin wisp of smoke climbed straight up from the chimney.

  Following our knock on the door, Percy gruffly welcomed us. We entered a one-room house that had known better days. The air had a mixed smell of a hardwood fire in the stove and body odor.

  Dad set the bag of groceries on a sticky, oilcloth-covered table near where Percy invited us to sit. Following a discreet inspection of the chair assigned to me, I carefully sat down, making certain that I did not touch that gross tablecloth. Cleanliness was not one of Percy’s virtues.

  Percy and Dad made small talk about the recent turn in the weather, whether there would be enough wood to last the winter, and other topics. I wasn’t paying much attention because I was too busy inspecting this old man’s living quarters.

  After the topics had been well covered, Dad said, “Christmas is here again, Percy, and our family just wanted you to have a few groceries as our gift to you. You know, Percy, Christmas is important to us because of the birth of Christ.”

  This particular year something strange happened. I watched a single tear slide down Percy’s face and into his thick bushy beard. He quickly brushed it away with a dirty hand as he mumbled thanks. As we rose to leave, Percy touched my father’s arm and said, “Don, you are a bearer of hope.”

  That scene will stay with me forever, because that moment I was taught a great lesson: God softens grizzled old hearts through the kind acts of His people.

  Questions

  The theme behind this personal story is generosity. Who is God asking you to be generous to this Christmas?

  As a young boy, I was amazed that Percy showed emotion when Dad shared with him about Jesus. Is there someone like Percy who has a grizzled old heart, at least from your perspective, to whom you could show kindness?

  Is there a story from your childhood that has shaped you? Consider writing your story and sharing it with others.

  52

  Stepping Forward into the Good Night

  For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

  2 TIMOTHY 1:7

  “Do not go gentle into that good night.”

  DYLAN THOMAS

  DYLAN THOMAS WAS A WELSH POET who died at age 39, leaving a life of erratic behavior and alcoholism. Yet he wrote some powerful poems and is best known for the line above.

  As I reflect on Thomas’s words at the end of this year, looking through the portal into the next year, I realize that we may know these words, yet they never really take hold in our lives.

  I want to be one who lives out 2 Timothy 1:7 and allows the Holy Spirit to do what He is so good at—be the resurrection power in my life. When Paul wrote these words to Timothy, Timothy was grappling with leading the church in Ephesus. We understand from Acts 19:10 that this church had a huge outreach because all the Jews and Greeks living in the province of Asia heard the Word of the Lord. Surely Timothy was encouraged by Paul’s words.

  I’m always asking myself what these early believers saw in the text that we may miss today. For example, consider the word self-control in 2 Timothy 1:7. In Greek, it’s a compound of two words: sōzō meaning salvation, deliverance, protection, or soundness and phroneō meaning mind. Together, they have a rich meaning of a mind that is saved and protected, a mind that is sound. It’s the opposite of panic, fear, and unreasonable thinking. It’s a mind that is thinking correctly.

  That is why Jesus came to Bethlehem and went to the cross—that through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit we can have a sound mind. Romans 8:14 says, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” The Greek word translated as led is agō. Those reading this would have seen a picture of someone extending his or her hand to another to gently lead the person along a path that is already known and understood. The person is saying, “I know the dangers and where to step and where not to.”

  That is the mission of the Holy Spirit. Will you reach out your hand this year and grasp His? For He won’t take yours against your will.

  One exercise you might want to do this week is to make two lists. In the first list, record what you will not take into the new year. In the second list, record what you will take.
I challenge each of you, and myself, to not go gently into that good night.

  Questions

  Dylan Thomas wrote these words for his father, who was dying. Yet the words are powerful for us as we enter a new year. The old one is coming to an end. As you reflect on going gently into this next year, what does this mean to you?

  What three goals do you have for this coming year? What will success look like for you twelve months from now?

  In what ways will having a spirit of power, love, and self-control benefit you as you enter the new year?