What Did You Find?

By Jarrod Spencer –

My wife and I traveled to her grandmother’s house for the holidays one year, using my father-in-law’s directions. The car we traveled in had no overhead light, so Aubrey was forced to read the directions using the under-dash light. We thought it said to look for a “green house,” however before it was too late, we realized we needed to turn at the “greenhouse,” a plant nursery. We didn’t miss our turn, but we still joke about it each time we drive by there. We were following directions but ended up with something totally different by the time we reached this part of the trip.

Finding something totally different than what we expect isn’t abnormal. It’s possible people reacted that way when Jesus was born—and even today, when they find Jesus.

There are some interesting life lessons we can learn from trips, such as when the shepherds searched for the baby Jesus. First, don’t over-plan your trip. Each day you may do much of the same thing; but don’t forget to plan for flexibility. God may throw something at you that you never thought was going to be in your day of travels. The unexpected can make it very interesting!

Second, the unexpected may actually have been planned. God brings about something that may be a surprise to you, but certainly didn’t take Him by surprise. Your day may be going the way you planned it, but when something unplanned happens, that may have been God interjecting and saying, “This is what I’ve got planned.”

Finally, reveal the manger. Have you ever hidden something behind your back that you were going to later reveal? All Christians have something they need to reveal to others—Jesus! He is our treasure. Bring Him front and center, and show others your Savior, even if the reveal wasn’t what they expected.

The shepherds found Him in a manger. You found Him somewhere else. Let’s make sure others see Him in all sorts of places.

AUTHOR QUOTE: People may not have planned to see Jesus when they met up with you, but hopefully He is exactly what they’ll find.

“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them” (Luke 2:15-18 ESV).

Today’s devotional is by Jarrod Spencer. He is a seeker of God’s surprises in everyday life, looking for ways to be used by God with anyone he comes in contact with. He has a passion for encouraging people through the written word and exercises that passion with blogging and sending out a weekly text of encouragement. You can read more of his writings at http://jarrodspencer.blogspot.com and his church’s website is http://www.colbychurch.com.

What Did You Expect?

By Jarrod Spencer –

My wife is very expressive. It is one of her great traits. I am not so expressive. It is one of my…traits. We tend to joke about this area from time to time because we are very different. Luckily, our son is more like his mommy in this area.

Since I tend to not be as expressive, I hate to open gifts in front of people. I love to receive them, but do not like to open them in front of people. The main reason is that I’ve been known to be very unexpressive when I open something that maybe wasn’t what I wanted or expected.

I can’t help but wonder if the people of Jesus’ day were much like I am about gifts? Their ancestors had passed down the prophecy to them. It was always a waiting game. “Could it be this year?” At the time of Jesus’ birth, they had experienced about 400 years of no contact from God. The time between the two Testaments, God had not sent prophets to shape up the people. So, very few even knew that the time of a Messiah being born was a possibility, especially, those outside the Jewish faith.

However, once He did come on the scene, how many people questioned it. “A child born in Bethlehem? In a manger? From a peasant family? I don’t think so.” Joseph wasn’t the Rockefeller of his day, nor was he a Heisman winner. He was from a common family. Mary—she was no princess, by heritage. She wasn’t a former Miss Israel. A commoner.

Jesus came in common form, to common folks, for a common purpose. He may not have come in a form they expected. They may have gruffed at the fact He arrived the way He did, to whom He did. Regardless, Jesus was the gift we needed, even if it didn’t seem so in the beginning. Jesus was the expected Savior, but in different form. May we praise God for the things we’re given which we didn’t expect!

PRAYER: Father, You are an expert in giving us what we need and when we need it. I love that about You. May we appreciate what comes our way from You, even in the moments of our lives we didn’t expect what you provided. May we understand what comes from You is beneficial for our lives. Thank You for giving us the unexpected!

“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown” (Luke 4:24 ESV).

Today’s devotional is by Jarrod Spencer. He is a seeker of God’s surprises in everyday life, looking for ways to be used by God with anyone he comes in contact with. He has a passion for encouraging people through the written word and exercises that passion with blogging and sending out a weekly text of encouragement. You can read more of his writings at http://jarrodspencer.blogspot.com and his church’s website is http://www.colbychurch.com.

Enjoying Your Color

By Jarrod Spencer –

Most of you have probably heard for the song “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” It is a song that I have sung for as long as I can remember. The main verse that is sung mentions that whether you are “red, or yellow, black or white, [children] are precious in His sight.” We normally associate this with the color of one’s skin, to which it doesn’t matter, because Jesus loves all.

I want to take the concept of color into a little bit different direction. We all are a different color and together we make an awesome looking rainbow array of colors in this world.

We all have different skills, talents, favorites, desires, passions, education background, family background, and the list could go on. This brings us to this week’s quote:

The white light streams down to be broken up by those human prisms into all the colors of the rainbow. Take your own color in the pattern and be just that. – Charles R. Brown

If you’ve never had the chance to ‘break light’ with a prism, it is really a pretty cool thing to see. What seems like just ‘light’ becomes red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Plus, there are variations of each one. There are more intense colors within a color and more dull colors within a color.

Our world is much the same way. The light will come down and be broken up into all of us. People made up of all types of talents, passions, desires, goals, etc.

We are not all administratively minded.
We are not all passive.
We are not all OCD.
We are not all parents.
We are not all CEOs.
We are not all miners.
We are not all artists.
We are not all musicians.

…get the point?

You are a person of color. Not pertaining to the color of your skin, but to what you are ‘composed’ of, inside. Sometimes you’ve been molded to become a certain color, people may have encouraged you to pursue something that you wouldn’t have tried, so they helped you become the color you are.

Appreciate whatever color you are…whether you are red, or yellow, black or white, you are still “precious in His sight” and your color is who you are.

And who you are is awesome!

Enjoying my ‘color’!

“He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created” (James 1:18 NIV).

A Suggested Resolve

By Jarrod Spencer –

2013 is upon us. Did you resolve to do anything this year? How is that going? Of course, we’re only a few days into the year, so hopefully you haven’t lost any “battles” with your resolve thus far.

I didn’t make a resolution, just a goal to read through the Bible with a “One Year Bible.” It has been going well.

I came across this quote at the end of last year and thought it may be a good “resolve” for some to think about in 2013. It focuses on how to have a happy year and also how to create one for others.
With that said, let’s look at this poem from Edgar Guest…

A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I’ve played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.
– Edgar Guest

So often we think about how we can create a New Year’s resolution that will benefit ourselves. This poem suggests that when we go about the year let’s not just think of ourselves, but think of others.

How will you benefit others?

PRAYER: Dear God, Show me how to touch Your world in 2013.

Ministry: Long Hours, Little Pay, Great Retirement

By Jarrod Spencer –

People will sometimes ask me what made me choose to begin a career in ministry. I may disappoint some when I don’t have this eureka-like experience of feeling “called” to this position.

I didn’t have ministry on my radar at all growing up. I fell in love with the work of the manager/trainer in high school. I started out as the “water boy” type of person. Just your typical freshman who was the errand boy and carried the equipment out to practice and games, along with making sure there was water for the players. I was pretty much the bottom of the barrel in the way of popularity and respect. However, there was something about it that I greatly enjoyed. My pursuit of this career took me through college and two years as a professional trainer at a community college.

Somewhere during my last year and a half of college and my two years in the profession of being an athletic trainer and instructor, my focus started to shift toward ministry. It piqued my interest and I gathered some advice. Soon, I decided to go into something I never thought I would be even remotely interested in pursuing.

It didn’t take long to realize that I love ministry. As a person who has several talents, ministry has allowed me to use those talents to touch the lives of many people.

As you can see, there really was no “Aha!” moment, but rather the idea of ministry came through influence and something inside of me that seemed to click with the profession. One thing that I have always had a difficult time doing is fitting into a “box” when it came to ministry.

I did not want to have the stigma that was attached to ministers. I have always liked to be real and approachable. I want people to still be themselves even when a “preacher” is around. I love the opportunities that have come about through being in ministry to help people. These are some of the priceless moments.

A few years back, a church was looking for a minster and listed the following phrases in their job opening: “long hours, little pay, great retirement benefits.” They were being lighthearted with their advertising, but for most of us who work in ministry, this holds true.

Most don’t realize how much goes on in a minister’s life. It is generally not a physically laborious position, but there is a lot that goes into the mental side of things. We are always “on duty” in the eye of the public. We must be wary of the way we conduct ourselves for threat of rumor that can dampen our influence. We are not done at 5:00 PM, for someone can call us at a moment’s notice. We try to please everyone.

Some even think we work for them instead of Him.

Each minister or pastor has their various passions. Each has their own delivery style. Each one is different. However, this is important; each minister has feelings and runs out of steam once in a while. I hope you take the time to embrace and encourage your minister throughout the year. You have no idea of all that happens behind the scenes.

Let’s appreciate those who serve us!

PRAYER: Father, thank You for all the opportunities I have had to serve others in the way of ministry. I appreciate You so much for giving me the opportunity.

“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 NIV).

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