Monday Morning Minutes

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” – Isaiah 55:8

Picture this scene in your mind if you will. Jesus is sitting around an audience composed of superheroes such as The Hulk, Superman, Spiderman, Batman, etc. They are listening intently to His story which ends with “…..and that’s how I saved the world!” I actually saw that cartoon not too long ago and I must admit that it caused me to chuckle inside yet also caused me to to think and exclaim, “yeah, that’s my Jesus!”

We love superheroes. I believe mainly due to the fact that we get so caught up in their stories  filled with drama, action, and ultimately the finality that in the end, our hero of choice will win victoriously and furthermore promote justice, truth and the continuance of good over evil.

When I think about how Jesus came into this world in order to save it, it literally blows me away and is still difficult to fathom.

• Why would the God of all creation leave paradise in heaven to enter a world that would not accept Him, despised Him, and ultimately sentenced Him to die an execution death on a cross?
• Why would He choose to enter this world in the form of an innocent child, His one and only Son and be born to an ordinary Jewish girl?
• Why would He choose a simple carpenter to rear Him here on this earth?
• Why would He choose Bethlehem to make His appearance into this world when He could have chosen fine palaces of royalty as opposed to a lowly stable?

I have so many more questions that I could list although ultimately it ends up coming back around to the opening scripture telling us that God has such different plans than we do. He has such a different way of accomplishing His will and purpose for our lives. The scripture tells us also in I Corinthians 2:9 that “…..”No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.” God’s ultimate goal is that we would come to a place of surrender & trust that He will do and accomplish what He has said He will do in His Word through faith.

You may be experiencing a difficult time in your life today of trusting God. You may have felt that your strength is almost gone and you feel as I have so many times in the past that God has forsaken you and that your prayers are not being heard. I know. I’ve been there many times. The good news is that God has not forsaken you. He has heard every prayer. His desire is to give you good things. A future filled with hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) Let me invite you as those wise men did many years ago when they followed the star that led to where the first Christmas began by seeking the Christ child. God promises that you would find Him when you seek Him with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:14)

I thank God for each and every one of you who take time out to read these posts each Monday Morning and pray God’s richest blessings over you and your families this Christmas season. May each of you experience the miracle of Christmas this year as you continue to seek Him in all you do. I also invite you to watch and listen to this beautiful video below which captures in word and song the truth behind what I wish to convey in this post how God chose such a Strange Way To Save The World; to save you and me.

Merry Christmas from The Tarjick’s

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:4,5

Awhile back, I had contacted a local electrician to come in and perform a lighting check for our school where I work. He came in and noticed that we had several lights that were in need of either new bulbs and/or ballast replacements. One particular area which was in need of bulb replacements was our faculty/break area. Upon completion of the job, he was off and running to his next assignment for the day.

One of my teacher co-workers was one of the first on the scene to visit the newly lit area. She walked in and stepped back exclaiming, “Wow! you don’t realize how much you were in the dark until there is new light”. Bam! Immediately, I thought this is so true in our own lives as well. If we are not careful to stay in the Word and keep that intimate relationship with the Lord fresh and alive each day, we too can become complacent and comfortable giving no thought that we too can enter into a subtle area of darkness that eventually leads to sin.

When God entered the world in the form of baby Jesus over two thousand years ago, He entered a world that had become so complacent living in darkness that many failed to see His true identity and the purpose for which He was sent. Scripture tell us in John 1:11,12 that He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.

What a thought that the giver of all life and the very one who placed every star in the sky and knows them by name. The very one who was rejected by His own yet still came to be born, live and ultimately die for them. The very image of God the Father in living form coming down from heaven to die in our place.

There might even today be some dark areas in your life that you’re not even sure how they got there but you would like the light of God’s forgiveness, mercy and grace to set you free, I invite you today to ask Him to deliver you. Just recite this simple prayer:

“Jesus, I thank You for coming to my rescue. Thank You for coming into this dark world and shining Your light of love, forgiveness, grace and mercy in order to set me free. I accept Your forgiveness that You provided on the cross at Calvary and ask that You would wash me clean by Your blood that was shed for me on that day. Thank You for saving me. Thank You for forgiving me. Thank You for accepting me. And finally, thank You for reserving me a place in heaven with You and preparing that place even now. In Jesus name, Amen.”

A child will be born for us. A son will be given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. He will be named: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6

There they were, kicked back in Dad’s recliner while watching Christmas shows. Every once in a while as with any show on television, there would come several commercials advertising the latest and greatest toys for that Christmas season. And without hesitation, they would both in unison begin quoting, “want one dem too”, next commercial, “want one dem too”, next, well you get the idea. I still have that picture embedded in my mind as well as on video tape when I captured the moment listening to their audible Christmas list. As I reflected on that moment this past week, of course I couldn’t help but smile within as I thought about my children’s innocent requests.

Yet, almost immediately, I also become somewhat disheartened when I look and read upon what society has reduced this holiest of seasons to. Every year we hear of businesses who have made a decision to stop saying “Merry Christmas” so not to offend anyone. So many people have lost sight of what the true meaning of Christmas is all about. We tend to look to God as a “genie in the sky” or a spiritual “piñata“ready just to pour out goodies upon us. That he is there to fulfill our every whim and desire. All we have to do is tell Him as my children did so many years ago, I “want one dem too”, and “one dem too”, etc., and “poof”, our wishes are granted.

The Bible says in James 1:7 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Jesus was God’s greatest gift to each and every one of us. Grace, Mercy, Forgiveness, Salvation, Love.., all wrapped up in the form of an innocent, sinless sacrificial lamb for each and every one of us. He gave us what we didn’t deserve while withholding that which we did.

It literally blows my mind when I think about God’s love and the extent at which He went to in order to express that love to us. So far as sending His only Son in order that we might live eternally and fellowship between us and Him would be restored once again. Taking upon Him the sin of us all.

As we continue in the Christmas season, I pray each of us would evaluate our lives and consider what we have to offer Jesus, God’s greatest gift to all of us. It might be a habit, an addiction, forgiveness towards someone who has wronged us, our attitude, or most importantly, simply the gift of ourselves to Him.

“…and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” – Luke 2:7

Well, Thanksgiving is over and if you’re like me, you’re still recovering from the delicious dishes and deserts that were enjoyed with family and friends this past week. If I’ve failed to mention it, I so love this time of the year not only for the food which is a major plus in my book but also for the beauty of the changing of nature all around us, time spent with family and friends,  but most importantly for the upcoming celebration of our Savior’s birth.

In our house during this time of the year, there is usually the sound of Christmas music playing in every room. I cannot wait every year to begin playing those old classics which I grew up listening to in my parents home. Nat King Cole, the Beach Boys, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, I could go and on. While listening to Ann Murray’s rendition of “Joy To The World” last week, these lyrics in the song rang out clearly as I pondered upon them:

Joy to the world! The Lord is come
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing

Immediately, I thought about the opening scripture in Luke 2 where we read that Jesus, God incarnate, Savior of the world, Creator & King of the universe, Son of Man, etc., was to be born in a smelly, dusty, chilly stable and His crib, a feeding trough for animals. For you and I, we would never consider such an environment for our little ones to have been born in and yet, this dark fallen world never gave it a second thought. He left His home in Heaven as eternal King and entered our world as a lowly servant sent to save all mankind and be stripped of all His royalty while living among us.

How many times have we in our own personal lives chosen to willfully not prepare our rooms (our hearts) for this Savior of the World to enter and dwell. We so easily fill our schedules with events and get so busy making a living that we forget to allow our Creator to show us how to truly make a life. The Bible instructs us that this life will soon enough fade away and all we see and experience with our natural senses will cease to exist but those things which are not seen will be eternal.

Jesus invites us in Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

It is my personal desire and hope that it will become yours too as we enter into this Christmas season that we would truly focus on allowing the Savior of the world, Maker of our hearts and so much more, to enter our hearts and lives as we truly Prepare Him Room and allow Him to rule and reign in our lives.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – I Thessalonians 5:18

A church sign caught my eye yesterday while the family and I were on our way to church. The sign simply read, “Thanksgiving is good, but Thanksliving is better.” As I pondered on that for the next several miles, I thought, this is so how we ought to live our lives each and every day as believers. It’s so easy when everything is going great and we’re checking out the view from the mountaintop while singing, “How Great Is Our God”, “Mighty To Save” and so many other awesome worship songs in thankfulness to God for who He is, what He’s done and what He’s about to do. But what about the times of testing. Those times that seem to all of a sudden come out of nowhere unexpectedly and hit us like a ton of bricks (or coal). The turbulent times that God allows into our lives to help strengthen us, purify our faith, grow us and ultimately reveal more of who He is in our lives as well as revealing things about ourselves that are displeasing to Him and keep us from becoming all He has destined us to be. If we’re honest with ourselves, most of us find it difficult to express our gratitude to God in quite the same manner during these seasons of trials.

Some of you reading this right now are familiar with my accident which happened back in 1994 when my skull was crushed by falling pieces of lignite (coal) where I worked at the time at a Steam Electric Station Power Plant. I had worked at the plant for nearly 14 years, received safety awards, and made a nice living for my family and I. Some of the other Christian brothers and I had just begun our first time of gathering together for Bible Studies the Monday morning prior to the accident. Life was pretty sweet or so I thought it was. When the accident happened, I had no idea of what had taken place. All I know is that is that it didn’t look good in the natural and the doctors didn’t give my wife much hope that I would pull through but God always has the last say until our purpose is fulfilled.

Moving forward a year or so, I began to blame God for what had happened to me. I began to walk through a dark valley questioning my very existence and what my purpose was here on earth. Although, through this difficult time, I truly learned what it means to completely rely on God. My life scripture became Proverbs 3:5,6. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” This scripture came more alive than ever to me when I began to totally surrender my “everything” back to God. Not just a few things, not just those things that weren’t that much of a surrender to me but everything. I also truly began to understand what it means as the opening scripture reads, “give thanks in all circumstances”. Notice it doesn’t read to give God thanks for all circumstances but in all circumstances.

The key is to give God thanks in all circumstances of your life. This verse goes on to read that this is God’s will for you, me, us in Christ Jesus.  I’ve heard it said that there are three classifications of people. Those that are in the midst of a storm, those that are coming out of a storm and those that are about to go into a storm. If you’re in the midst of the storm right now friend, take comfort in knowing that you have someone that is there with you. Someone who has already traveled through that storm. Someone who has promised to never leave nor forsake you. That someone is the One who created you. The One who knows you better than you know yourself. And finally, the One who has promised to never allow anything into your life that you cannot handle. He will truly see you through to the other side.

A recent study several years ago concluded that Thankful people live longer as opposed to those that are unhappy and seem to always blame someone else for their mistakes and troubles in their lives. As difficult I know as it might be friend, begin to offer God thanks in every circumstance of your life.  I have made it a practice several times a day to just lift my hands to the heavens and offer up thanks to God for who He is, all He’s done and all He’s about to do no matter what the circumstance may be at the time. We have so much to truly be thankful for. I do hope as you gather with your families this Thursday that you will take time to reflect on the goodness of God and know that we are truly blessed more than we know.

I pray each of you has a great week and a  Happy Thanksgiving.

See ya next week!

– Bryan