That Most Expensive Tree
Black Friday is regarded as the first day of the traditional Christmas shopping season, on which retailers offer special reduced prices and shoppers snap up some of the season’s best deals. Crafts, dinners, gifts, artists, Santa, parties, parades, lights and decorated trees have all highlighted the start of the season, with little attention given to the world’s most expensive tree of all time, and that tree would be the one God decorated.
Matthew 1:23 reads, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel meaning, God with us.” Some three decades later that child became the required innocent sacrificial victim, as He was hung on a tree fashioned into a cross (John 19:19). That most expensive tree was decorated with the body of our Kinsman Redeemer, the sinless Jesus Christ. The decorations included a sign declaring His Kingship, His cleansing blood, as well as spikes, thorns and wood that He spoke into
existence.
God the Father also decorated His tree with lights, for His Son who was nailed to it is known as the Light of the World, although not much light is shed on Him by the masses these days. On that most expensive tree the wrath of God against all sin was satisfied as Colossians 2:14 declares, “God canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the (that) cross.” Thus, Jesus Christ becomes the greatest gift ever offered, and to receive this gift one must repent of sin and entrust their spiritual well-being to Christ for eternal life (John 1:12).
I have no higher goal in this life than to increase my love and deepen my friendship with my Savior, my God and best friend ever, Jesus Christ (John 9:38). May we demonstrate our commitment to Him whenever and however we can, for He has certainly demonstrated His commitment to us.
Including Him
Pastor Huck
Do Yourself a Favor
Inside every one of us there is a contest going on for the right to dominate. Is it going to be Jesus Christ, or will it be me who rules the day? In Luke 9:23 Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” The word “deny” in this context means to say no to oneself.
Many years back when I was a very new Christian, I went to our church retreat and had some great one on one time with my pastor. We were out on the deck on a beautiful sunny day in Page Springs, Az when I said something regarding my rights. In an instant he shot back saying, “But Huck, you don’t have any rights. You gave them up when you came to Christ.”
Paul introduced himself as a bondservant and back in the day, these servants possessed no will of their own. Today our rebellious flesh wants to superimpose its will over God’s will. Choosing my will over God’s only slows down the growing up process. When we Christians ignore the will of God, a sense of conviction will set in until we surrender. This feels like being stuck in a spiritual mud hole. Have you ever seen these truck or tractor pulls where the sled slowly grinds these powerful vehicles to a stop? That’s what disobedience will do to a believer’s progress.
Until we’re brought to the place of total dependence on Jesus Christ, allowing Him to be the supreme authority in our lives, it is impossible to be an authentic disciple of Christ. The Holy Spirit looks deeply into our lives. When He puts a finger on known disobedience, a true disciple will address that sled that is slowing him or her down with repentance.
We do ourselves a big favor by walking in obedience, and keeping ourselves under the spout where God’s blessings are pouring out. For serious disciples, read Psalms 32 and 51, then follow David’s lead.
The World is Watching
Pastor Huck
Defining a Disciple
A disciple is a learner who is also a follower of Jesus Christ. There is a big difference between being saved and being a disciple. Not all people who are saved are disciples, but all people who are real disciples are definitely saved. Are you sure about where you stand regarding this? Many people will say they like Jesus, but they’re not behaving like Jesus. Jesus said, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27).”
Jesus called His first followers from their fishing businesses, which indicates that sacrifices were expected. Their initial interest began with curiosity but after hearing Him teach, they were willing to be taught more. In Matthew 13 Jesus sent the multitudes away who had heard the parable of the tares, but His disciples were the ones asking Him to explain the parable. The only people Jesus explained the parables to were His disciples, who were eager to learn more.
Being a disciple involves more than being a great student of scripture. Discipleship means Jesus owns all the rights to my life, to do as He sees fit. True discipleship will shake up your former lifestyle and priorities. Author J. Dwight Pentecost rightly declared, “As long as a man pursues the affections of his natural heart, he cannot be a disciple of Jesus.” Paul wrote, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth (Col 3:2).”
True discipleship focuses on a moment by moment, day by day walk with Christ. It goes way beyond any Bible class, Bible study or program. A disciple is someone who grows in their thinking, speaking and behavior. This would describe the Christian who is honestly glorifying God with their life.
Ask yourself: How has my life really changed since receiving Christ? Do you think you could tell anyone how they too could be saved? These are marks of a true disciple.
Go therefore and make…
Pastor Huck
Defining a Disciple
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