The Parable of The Icy Sheets

As winter approaches, climbing into bed in Wisconsin can be . . . well, an "exhilarating" experience. Icy sheets bring "Let it go!" screams from under our frigid blankets. But eventually, if we can survive the initial chill, things eventually begin to warm up. A little.

Last night my wife and I were getting ready for bed. Why do women take longer than men to get ready for bed anyway? I think it's so we can warm up the covers a bit before they climb in. Just a theory.

So I was lying there, shivering in bed as my wife was brushing her teeth in the bathroom. Then, for some unknown reason, I decided it would be a good idea to slide over and warm up HER side of the bed.

"Aww, how sweet," you might say. Nope. It was dumb. I triple froze myself. First I froze on my side, then on her side, then again on my side again because the heat left my side the same time I did. I was triple frozen!

When my wife finally DID climb into bed though her side was all toasty and warm. You should have heard her. I think that was the first time I have ever actually HEARD joy.

"Oh, man! This is so warm!! It's wonnnnnnnderful!!"

This time of year men across the globe are trying to find the best gift for their wives this Christmas. They'll spend a lot of time and money trying to get the perfect thing. Ha! Not me. I have found the perfect gift and it doesn't cost a cent. My heat! Of course it IS a seasonal gift. My heat is abhorred come late July and August. Sigh. I guess it's not the perfect gift after all.

There has only ever been one perfect Christmas gift - Jesus.

But there IS a hint in this "frozen" story of mine about what DOES make gifts "perfect". Sacrifice. Thinking about the other person's needs and desires above our own. Our gifts don't have to come with hefty price tags but they DO have to come from the heart.

When God sent His Son to earth in the form of a baby He knew that one day He would sacrifice that same precious gift. God placed OUR needs above His own. And although His gift to us came from His heart it DID cost him a lot - His Son.

^"17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." - James 1:17

Every Good Gift - One: A Worship Collective

Staying Warm

Ten below zero! That was the temperature on my way into work yesterday morning. It was C-O-L-D cold!! When it’s really cold like this it can be downright dangerous! Pipes freeze, cars won’t start and frostbite can occur in a matter of minutes.

Our faith can get like that if we don’t actively engage in efforts to keep ourselves spiritually warm and toasty when life gets “cold”. If we let our faith grow cold through inattentive behavior we soon can find ourselves on the side of the road with a spiritual car that just won’t run.

So, how do we stay warm in a world that wants to suck the heat right out of us? Here’s a few things that help keep ME stay warm. I hope they do the same thing for you.

Read - Spending time in God’s Word can warm our hearts. Reading God’s promises can lift us up and remind us of “warmer weather”. The sun will come up tomorrow. Spring is approaching. Read!

Pray - Talking to God, our Father, can be a very warming experience. Especially when we remember that He DOES hear us and that He DOES love us.

Praise & Worship - I personally get great enjoyment out of singing worship music. I don't sing very well but when I am alone in my car I am one of the loudest. LOL!

Serve others - Helping others brings great joy to the heart of a Christian. It warms our hearts to serve God by serving others. The widow, the orphan, the sick, the poor. It is an honor to become less in His name.

And now for a little bedtime secret about how my wife and I stay warm when it's time for bed. Don't worry. Nothing TOO "hot". LOL!

I am usually the first one in bed so I get the unenviable job of warming the sheets. Someone has to do it, right? Ephesians 5, husbands . . . sacrifice! So I shiver under the covers until things get warm. Then do you know what I do? I scoot over to my wife's side of the bed and I warm her side of the bed as well. You would not believe that shouts of joy she emits when she climbs into a pre-warmed bed. HA! And it's even Biblical!

“9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?” – Ecclesiastes 4:9-11

So, on those cold, lonely nights when you're feeling downright chilly, put a log on the fire and pick up your Bible and read a few chapters about Moses wandering through the desert. You will be warm in no time! :)

Let It Go - Pentatonix
California Dreamin' - The Mama's and The Papa's

How cold is cold?

Thirteen below zero!! That was the temperature my car’s thermometer registered this past Monday. That's pretty cold!

I’ve experienced some colder temperatures in my lifetime. The coldest was 31 years ago when our daughter was born. It was -27 degrees Fahrenheit. -75 with the wind chill that day. Now dat be chilly! Still it DOES get colder than that.

The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was -128.6 degrees. That was July 21, 1983 at Vostok Station in Antarctica. I have no idea what -128 degrees feels like. I’m not sure I WANT to know either. Let’s just agree that -128 degrees is very, VERY cold.

In the book of Matthew, when Jesus is telling His disciples about what will happen at “The End of The Age” He says this in verse nine . . .

"12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold." - Matthew 24:12

First off, the Greeks have several words for our word love – eros, phileo, agape – so I looked up the Greek word used in this particular text. Honestly, I was expecting to see Phileo (a friendly love) but I didn’t. I saw the word Agape. Unconditional, sacrificial love.

Agape is the ultimate form of love and Jesus said in Matthew 24 that even those who feel Agape love for Jesus and others . . . their sacrificial, unconditional love will grow cold. Now THAT is cold!!

Picture the flame on a candle as it extinguishes, leaving everything in the room in total darkness. That kind of cold - a life without light and without love. Welcome to hell.

So how can we keep our love from going cold even when everything around us is falling apart? How can we keep our light from going out? The answer, of course, is Jesus.

"12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12

It is easy to find our eyes and hearts focused on other things these days. Even those of us who profess a faith in Christ get sucked away from our faith by living in a world that contradicts it. With all the civil unrest these days? People are actually chanting in the streets for others to be killed. Any love THOSE people might have had at one point in their lives for their fellow man surely has grown cold. Calling for others to be killed?

That is really the $1,000,000 question. Is our love for Jesus strong enough to withstand anything? Anything?

We Christians tend to answer "yes" to that question while we are sitting in our comfortable pews, listening to our pastor's Sunday morning sermon, but would our answer be the same if we found ourselves in an orange jumpsuit with a man in black standing behind us, holding a knife to our throats?

You may never face such a test, but it WILL happen to some. For other people the test of faith might be a phone call in the middle of the night. There has been an accident. For others it might be a diagnosis from a doctor. When things get dark in our lives what will we do? How will we react?
 

The answer is simple. When things get dark, get closer to The Light. When love grows cold get closer to The Fire. When situations in this world make you weak, get strength through Christ. And when times seem like things just couldn't get any worse, seek Jesus. When you are "drowning" in a world that doesn't know God, lift up your hand. He'll grab it.

So when it turns cold outside, remember the love of Jesus and the warmth of His embrace. Then warm yourself in His Word, ask for warmth in your prayers and rest in the knowledge that warmer days are coming for those who believe.

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30