Luke 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

When my wife asks, “Could you go to the store for me?” I always want to know what it is she needs me to get. After asking this question, my mind usually begins to think about something else as she tells me the list she has: “Grapes, bread, bacon, coffee creamer, and eggs.” Sometimes, I get to the store and pick up the grapes, bread, and bacon, but end up forgetting the other two things. When I get home, I’ve got to go all the way back to the store because I forgot the creamer and eggs.

Tell me I’m not alone! It’s easy to forget to pick up the dry-cleaning, or even the kids at school. The point here is we are all prone to forget things from time to time. We get preoccupied and distracted, and then it happens. And it only gets worse with age!

Unfortunately it’s not just the little things that we forget. It’s also very easy to overlook the big things, like the peace of mind and the power to overcome that are both available to us through prayer. When a bad day comes our way, it’s easy to forget the joy of our salvation. Some days it is even possible to forget what Jesus did for us at Calvary, and the hope that brings to our lives.

Now I know that it’s hard to believe that we could ever forget what He did at Calvary. But we know that in the hours before the crucifixion, Jesus warned the disciples that they might forget Him while eating the Last Supper. This seems shocking to me, because the disciples watched Him do so many wonderful miracles and other amazing things! How could they ever forget Him after seeing that firsthand? Still we read in the gospel of Luke the account of this moment were Jesus is speaking to the disciples: Luke 22:19 “This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me”. He was telling them “Don’t forget Me”!

Why is it important for us to remember Jesus and what He has done for us? So when the tough times come, we remember that He suffered to give us hope. When something good happens to us, we remember it was His act of unselfishness that makes happiness possible. When we remember, we keep Him in the rightful place as Lord of our lives.

With the holidays coming and life only getting busier, make a list of the things you might forget, and check it twice. Ask yourself if you are keeping Jesus and all He has done for you on the top of your list?

Psalms 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

We have been out of town for the last few days, and I just realized that I did not take the trash can out to the street for pick up. My wife usually has to remind me to take out the trash when it gets full in the kitchen can. It’s not one of my favorite jobs, but I muster up the willpower to get it done and then just do it. Afterward it’s a nice feeling to have it out of the house, and I forget about it for a few days.

I have lived enough life now to realize that just like we need a trash service to pick up the garbage that accumulates in our homes, we also need to let Jesus remove the “trash” that often accumulates in our hearts. When we forget to take out the trash, it’s not a pretty picture. We manage to get ourselves in to a mess from time to time, and we have to walk through this world and all of its junk has a way of clinging to us. Jesus desires for us to drop it off regularly at the foot of the cross. In fact, He has promised to remove it and He chooses to forget it.

But wait a minute! Could we be guilty of digging through the bins, trying to find that thing we weren’t quite ready to part with? A bad habit we don’t want to give up, a fantasy we want to hang on to, a revenge that we still want to fulfill? Why do we want to hang on to the garbage?

Taking out the trash begins with confessing the wrong, and then relying on Jesus to get rid of it. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Today is garbage day. Take out the trash and leave it at the foot of His cross!

1 Timothy 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

Our search for joy & happiness often takes us many different directions. We dream about nice vacations, homes, cars, shopping, atvs, the list is almost endless. These things often bring us joy and happiness. At times however, these things have the ability to bring with them a feeling of guilt. As if having them is somehow wrong.

Why is it we sometimes view the joy of earthly things as less than spiritual and show this feeling by apologizing for the nice things we might have? “I wouldn’t have bought this, but I got such a great deal on it.” As if real people that follow Jesus never eat a fillet mignon, drive a nice car, wear a nice outfit, or live in a nice house.

No one among us will argue that God’s greatest gift to us is His finished work at Calvary. It’s a gift beyond comparison. Jesus also promised that when we abide in Him, we will experience the fulfillment of His joy according to John 15:11. I know that without that kind of deep, abiding joy the rest of life will be mundane at best. Now, do not misunderstand me, I know that the Word of God says, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” But contentment does not mean the absence of stuff. It is important we do not allow our desires to shift our focus away from what God truly desires for our lives. But you can enjoy life and its blessings while being content.

Scripture also shows the joy of the Lord in terms of earthly things. The enjoyment of “things” can be a positive spiritual experience if handled correctly. When we recognize that it is God that “gives us richly all things to enjoy” and that “every good gift . . . is from above” according to James 1:17, our hearts should be full of thankfulness and praise because of His goodness to us. This, in and of itself, is an act of worship! Trust in the living God who gives all things to enjoy!

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

This morning while I was driving my daughter to school, we were memorizing this verse together. This is a longer verse, so we were breaking it down into smaller parts in order to memorize it. As we continued to speak this verse out loud in small pieces, it really started speaking to me on a deeper level. Even as my daughter got out of the car and headed into school, this verse just kept talking to me.

The Word of God is quick, powerful, and sharp! I do not know how many times I have been in a situation and was in need of the right words to say. It was in those moments that His Word showed up quickly in my mind and was powerful when I spoke it out loud. I have been in tense meetings with people and a verse was quickly delivered to my mind that was sharp enough to cut through the tension and relax the situation. I have seen it bring comfort in the most difficult of situations.

The Word of God has the ability to dive into our very soul and spirit to address the thoughts and ideas we are struggling with. I love that even on the worst of days, the Word that I have placed in my heart has in it the ability to sustain me even in the darkest of times. The psalmist knew this and it cause him to pen the words “Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee”.

There is just something about the Word of God, that when studied, read, kept, and memorized, brings about a change in our lives. When we take His Word, and use it in sync with His Spirit that dwells in those of us who have been reborn, it is a quick, powerful, and sharp. It brings with it the ability to overcome anything that comes our way. Keep His Word active in your life daily and allow it to become all that He wants it too be for you.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

More than likely, we have all heard the story of the stressed-out woman who was tailgating a man as they drove down a busy city street. When he slowed to a stop at a yellow light, the woman hit the horn, cussing and screaming in frustration and waving her hands frantically. While she was still in the middle of her rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a police officer who ordered her to exit the car with her hands up. He took her down to the station and placed her in a holding cell.

An hour later, the officer returned and said, “Ma’am, I have made a mistake. When I drove up behind you, I noticed your ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ license plate holder and your ‘Follow Me to Sunday School’ bumper sticker, along with the “Jesus is Lord” magnet on your back finder. I just assumed that you had stolen this car!”

The enemy of our soul doesn’t care that you claim to be a Christian, just as long as you don’t really start acting like one. If he can get you to live by his ways, react to life’s situations the way he would, then he can damage you and cause you to dishonor the name of Jesus in the process.

Instead, Jesus calls believers to be “salt” and to “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” We must allow Jesus in the driver’s seat of our lives. Only then are we able to show His love and grace to our world. Our actions will show others who is really in charge our lives.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

My middle daughter came downstairs just a few weeks ago with frustration all across her face. It was Saturday morning, and as I looked up from my cup of coffee to see that she was obviously bothered, I asked here what could possibly be wrong so early in the day. She started telling me that she had plans to play with her Legos, but her little sister came into her room and was interrupting those plans. In my mind I was thinking, “you better get use to life being interrupted”.

My life is pretty well planned out. I have a calendar that reminds me of appointments, meetings, and other “to-do” items. Inevitably, interruptions change my day dramatically; and while they can be frustrating, they also can be productive. We may not always see it at the beginning of the interruption, but God often uses these moments to keep us in His plan for our lives.

Take Mary, for example. Here she was in the middle of planning for her wedding and the start of her new life married to Joseph. An angel interrupted her plans with the announcement that she would soon become pregnant and have a son named Jesus. Since she was a virgin, this news was undoubtedly shocking and deeply troubling and without a doubt began to derail some of her plans. But where would we be without the virgin birth?

Saul the feared Jewish zealot who persecuted the first Christians, was on his way to Damascus to arrest more of them when he was blinded by God. This life-changing interruption had huge implications for the future of the New Testament Church and the spreading of the Gospel around the world. You just have to know that this huge interruption was something Paul was not happy about. Who would be happy with with that interruption? But were would we be without the ministry of Paul?

Jeremiah reminds us that God has a plan for our lives. Yet all too often we respond to the interruptions of our well-ordered lives with attitudes of frustration, irritation, fear, and doubt. God’s surprises in our day are full of opportunities. Do not always respond to ever interruption with disgust, it might just be His way of keeping us in His plan for our lives.