Lakeshore Baptist Church

The Shock of Taking on Humanity

2010-12-16T14:53:00.002-05:00

THE SHOCK OF TAKING ON HUMANITY

It’s easy for us to have kind of a sanitized view of the birth of Christ, with a focus on cute baby Jesus. We probably don’t think about what the Son of God gave up when He took upon Himself a human body to live in this world. We have no idea what it was like for the Son of God to leave the glory and majesty of heaven and take upon Himself human flesh and live in this fallen world. I don’t believe it was a shock for the Son of God since He knows all things, but can you image what a shock it would have been for us if we had left the glory and majesty of heaven to come live in this fallen world?

Can you imagine what it was like for the Son of God to go from being Creator of all things to beginning life as a helpless baby and being totally dependent upon His earthly parents? Can you imagine what it was like for the Son of God to go from knowing all things as God, to taking on humanity and now needing to grow and learn just like we do? Can you imagine what it was like for the Son of God to go from having no needs from all of eternity, to experiencing many needs because of His human body, like needing food and rest? Can you imagine what it was like for the Son of God to leave a sinless environment where He enjoyed perfect fellowship with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit to come live in a fallen world where He was mocked, abused, beaten and killed? Can you imagine what it was like for the Son of God to be sinless from all of eternity and to continue in sinless perfection after taking on a human body, and yet the reward for His sinless life was to have all the sins of the world placed on Him? He was willing to endure all of this so that He could represent us and pay the penalty for our sins as the Father’s righteous wrath was poured out on Him as He hung on the cross.

We can never fully understand all that Christ was willing to endure for us, but there is no greater demonstration of love. May we respond to His love for us by loving Him in return and devoting ourselves to living for Him and His glory.

Why Do We Have to Be Reminded to Be Thankful?

2009-11-20T15:15:00.002-05:00

WHY DO WE HAVE TO BE REMINDED TO BE THANKFUL?

Have you ever wondered why we need to be reminded to be thankful? It’s not that we don’t have anything to be thankful for. We actually have the opposite problem, which is an overload of things to be thankful for. We have been showered with countless blessings day after day, but it’s so easy to take those blessings for granted until we don’t have them. For example we often take our good health for granted until some health issue appears. If we have beautiful weather day after day we can more easily begin to take that kind of weather for granted. When I lived in Zambia the weather was so consistently pleasant I told friends there that they didn’t appreciate how nice their weather was.

When we thank God we are honoring Him as He deserves, but it also blesses us as well. When we thank God for the many blessings in life we are tracing those blessings back to the hand of God, who is the giver of good gifts. “Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.” James 1:17 NASB When we trace the blessings of life back to the hand of God it brings greater joy into our lives for it helps to remind us of how wise, loving and giving God is to us.

During our lifetime in this world we will never be fully thankful as we should be, but we can commit ourselves to becoming more thankful day by day. There are endless things about God’s wonderful creation to thank Him for. Do you ever thank God for the water cycle that replenishes the earth with the needed moisture? Do you ever thank God for the marvelous way that He has made your body? Our bodies are so complex we are still learning many things about how they function. Do you thank God for the people He brings into your life to bless you in various ways?

Of course the most important thing of all to be thankful for is God’s wonderful plan of salvation. Through the gift of Christ and our faith in Him we can experience a relationship with Him that never ends. It’s because of this vital relationship that thankfulness in every other area is truly meaningful.

Let’s not confine our thankfulness to one day of the year. Instead may each day of the year be a day to add something more for which we are thankful to God.

Finding More Joy in God's Creation

2009-06-05T11:26:00.002-04:00

This is a beautiful time of year with all the green grass and trees, the blue sky and the many different colorful flowers. We may appreciate the beauty of God’s creation, but we will never fully enjoy God’s creation until we praise and thank the Lord for what He has made.

Until I came to faith in Christ while I was in college, I largely took for granted the marvels of God’s creation. Even when I did have some appreciation for this world in which we live, I didn’t realize that I was supposed to honor God for His wonderful creation.

God’s Word reminds us again and again of how God’s marvelous creation declares to us things about God. “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” Psalm 19:1-2 (NASB) “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20 (NASB)

God’s Word also makes it clear that God has created everything for His praise and glory.
“Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, highest heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He commanded and they were created. He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away. Praise the LORD from the earth, sea monsters and all deeps; fire and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His word; mountains and all hills; fruit trees and all cedars; beasts and all cattle; creeping things and winged fowl; kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all judges of the earth; both young men and virgins; old men and children. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven.” Psalm 148:1-13 (NASB) It’s very clear that everything has been created for God’s praise and glory.

Part of our purpose in being here is to trace the wonders of this world back to the hand of God and then praise and thank Him. We can praise Him for His greatness in creating this vast universe. We can praise Him for His power displayed in a thunderstorm. We can praise Him for His marvelous plan for the seasons of the year. We can praise Him for His great knowledge and wisdom which are displayed in all that He has made. We can thank Him for all the beautiful colors. We can praise Him for His creativity which is evident in all the different kinds of living creatures. We can thank Him for the many unique songs that different birds sing. We can thank Him for the beauty of a sunset and a rainbow and the majesty of a waterfall.

If you want to honor God and enjoy life more, then develop a practice of tracing the blessings of this life back to the hand of God in order to praise and thank Him.

Remembering Those Who Gave Us Freedom

2009-05-21T14:46:00.004-04:00

It is so easy for us to take for granted the wonderful freedoms that we have in our country. After living in a couple of African countries and traveling in a number of other nations I have grown in my appreciation for our great nation. We are far from perfect, but we have many freedoms that we should cherish. We are all probably guilty of not appreciating the great sacrifices that have made these freedoms possible. We can never repay the men and women who have given their lives on our behalf, but we can be diligent to help defend the freedoms that have been passed down to us.

We have many freedoms in our country, but only one person could provide our greatest freedom. Jesus Christ made the greatest sacrifice when He went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins so that through faith in Him we might experience forgiveness for our sins and begin an everlasting relationship with Him. Jesus not only provided forgiveness for our sins, but He also broke sin's power over us so that we are now freed from slavery to sin. Through faith in Christ we are now free to live the way God created us to live. No matter how many freedoms a government may take away, it cannot take away this wonderful freedom from sin that Jesus Christ has provided for us.

As we remember with grateful hearts the men and women who sacrificed their lives in order that we might have our many freedoms in this country, let's also remember to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for His great sacrifice for us on the cross. He has freed us and enabled us to truly live the abundant life that He created us to live.