By Joy Mays, posted February 23, 2017
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16
I want to share a couple of stories with you.
During the Black Death of the Middle Ages, when millions upon millions of people died from the deadly plague, it is said that while many individuals fled their families and hometowns to escape the disease, Christians in Rome stayed and cared for the sick and dying pagans among them, and consequently converted many of them to Christianity. So great was their compassion--and their success--that the Roman government even attempted to replicate it (albeit unsuccessfully) in a public welfare system.
Now, here's a more modern perspective on Christian compassion: avowed atheist Penn Jillette (of magician-duo Penn & Teller fame) tells the story of a Christian businessman who came up to him after a performance and handed him a Bible. Penn's response is recorded here , but I want to quote the "meat" of his comments:
By Joy Mays, posted February 9, 2017
"We love Him because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19
One of the most famous commands in the Bible is first found in the Old Testament, and reiterated again in the New: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deut. 6:5, Mt. 22:37). But the children of Israel had a problem with this--and it seems modern times haven't much changed our inclination to fall away. Loving God just doesn't come naturally to us.
Today's verse reminds us of this fact by telling us where our love for God does come from: not from anything we could manufacture within ourselves, but from the immense love that He first extended to us. God's eternal, reliable, unconditional love is more than we can comprehend this side of Heaven. As recipients of such a love, Christians have the joyful duty to love Him in return. What does one who loves God look like?
By Joy Mays, posted February 2, 2017
"In this the love of God is made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we may live through Him." - 1 John 4:9
February is a special month for me. From Groundhog Day to Ferris Wheel Day, there is a lot to celebrate! 😉 Just kidding: as Russell Stover and your local florist gladly remind us, Valentine’s Day is this month! For me, February has an even greater significance, because this month Michael and I celebrate both our wedding anniversary and the anniversary of our first date.
With the inescapable appearance of all things heart-shaped and love-related, I figured February would be a good month to spend some time talking about love. Christians have good reason to focus on this topic, since the Bible has so much to say about it. In fact, when comparing the many spiritual gifts and virtues God has given His church, the Apostle Paul declared love to be the “more excellent way.” This month, we’re going to examine a few of the many facets of Christian love, but today, I want to look at the foundation of it all: God's love for us. There are three principles of God’s love that I want to share with you.
By Joy Mays posted January 26, 2017
"But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." - John 1:12
There’s been an awful lot of talk in the news lately about “rights.” Women’s rights, gay rights, gun rights, religious freedom rights: this buzz word has been front and center during the entire presidential campaign, and has continued into the beginning of our new administration. Democrats, Republicans, atheists, and Christians have all used the word “rights” in an attempt to gain political advantage. I can’t speak to many of these individuals, but today, I’d submit to you, my Christian friends, that the world’s view of “rights” is markedly different from the view that we should take.
Believers in Christ have received a right that cannot be taken away from us: “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12, emphasis mine). The earthly rights that our government has acknowledged may someday be denied us, but this right to be God’s children is permanent, as it was given to us by God Himself. This is the only right that we will carry with us from this life to the next, and as such, it’s the only right that truly matters. And my friends, that right IS ours!
By Joy Mays posted January 19, 2017
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven…" - Matthew 5:11-12
As a kid, every day on my way to school we would pass a road called Easy Street (no, I’m not making that up!). I used to joke that I wished I lived on that street. What I wouldn’t have given for an “easy” life! Back then, “easy” meant no homework, no awkward teenage crushes or acne, and parents who would indulge my every whim. Now that I’m a grown-up, that elusive Easy Street has some different qualities: no financial concerns, well-behaved children, and a healthy family…oh, and maybe a picket-fenced dream home while we’re at it. ;-)
The fact of the matter is, life isn’t easy. And in fact, Jesus tells us that the “easy” way leads only to destruction (Matthew 7:13). And while we may rightly say that this verse refers to the way of eternal life, it is no less true for our lives as believers. Everyone faces trouble in their lives. But those who try to lead godly lives invariably find themselves facing a remarkable amount of trouble. This is not accidental, as Paul told his young protege Timothy: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). So let’s face it: life is hard.
By Joy Mays posted January 12, 2017
"The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost." - Luke 19:10
My family sure knows what I need when it comes to gifts. For Christmas, my thoughtful mother-in-law got me a new gadget called a Findable. You attach a little doohickey (I think that’s the technical name for it!) to your key ring, download an app, and—voila!—lost keys are a thing of the past! Unless, of course, I lose my iPhone. But then I think it works in reverse, too. If I ever lose my iPhone and my keys, I’m in trouble!
I’m joking: this really is a great invention for someone like me; I’m pretty sure I lose my keys or my phone at least once a week. The ironic thing about this app, though, was that when I went to download it, I was informed that my iPhone was too old for it. Figures. I guess I’ll just have to pay better attention to where I put my stuff.
I lose a lot of things, and I lose them quite often. As I was contemplating this sad fact of my life, I was reminded of a line from maybe the most famous hymn in all of Christendom, “Amazing Grace.”
By Joy Mays posted January 5, 2017
Did you make any resolutions for 2017? I used to make elaborate New Years' resolutions: some years my list would even go into double digits! (Not surprisingly, most years didn't see me keeping any of them even through January!) This year, though, I didn't really give it much thought. Between a busy concert month, packing up and moving my household, unexpected illnesses, and planning for some new ministry opportunities, I just haven't taken the time for resolution-making.
Whatever your approach to the new year, I have a good resolution for us all to consider....
By Joy Mays posted December 29, 2016
As a kid, I always wondered why everything returned to normal almost immediately after Christmas. We suddenly stopped singing the Christmas carols; the tree was summarily disrobed and kicked to the curb; and even the shimmering white snow seemed to turn a dingy gray, for crying out loud! And now, as a mother (who happens to have two December-born children), I have been even more befuddled by how quickly we seem to move on. I don’t know any mothers for whom life goes “back to normal” the day after giving birth! Now that I have my own creative writing outlet, I decided that Christmas doesn’t have to end on December 26. As we close out our time with the characters of Advent today, we’re going to visit with two people whose story has always fascinated me, though they don’t usually get much attention at Christmas.
It was forty days after Jesus’ birth that Mary and Joseph brought him to the temple in order to perform both the ritual purification for Mary after childbirth and the redemption of the firstborn son. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about the actual rituals that occurred, but we do get to meet Simeon and Anna, two people who had been anticipating this moment for many years.
more...
By Joy Mays posted December 22, 2016
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given." - Isaiah 9:6a
Zechariah & Elizabeth. Joseph & Mary. This extraordinary cast of players in the Advent story was strategically chosen by God to point us to Jesus, the central figure not just at that moment in time, but for all time and eternity. The baby lying in the feeding trough was poised to change the world, but for now, He wasn’t saying much. So we’re going to go back to some familiar passages in the Old Testament book of Isaiah to see what He said about Himself. Who was He, and why had He come?
By Joy Mays posted December 15, 2016
"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." - Luke 1:46
Mary needs no introduction to those of us in the Christian faith. Of all the women in the Bible, she figures most prominently as the mother of our Savior, chosen by God above all other women to bear His Son. We know of her quiet and faith-filled acceptance of Gabriel’s message; we’ve seen the images of her pregnant form as she and Joseph traveled from inn to inn that fateful night in Bethlehem. Many of us even know the later stories of Mary in the gospels: her frantic search for the boy Jesus in Jerusalem; the mother who was present for some of her Son’s most prominent miracles; and the grieving widow who stood at the foot of the cross as He hung there to pay for the sins of the world. She was there in the shadows for every important moment of Jesus’ life, and we’ve watched as she navigated this motherhood that outwardly seemed so similar to any other—and yet was so unlike that faced by any other woman in history.