Sherry Sharp

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9, NIV

“You deserve happiness!” At least this is the message that appeared on my teabag container. In the same perspective as the fortune cookie, randomly throwing out feel-good statements might make for a laugh or two with friends, but true statements are often harder to hear.

As we enter another new year, one need only listen to the news to discover that nothing about the actions of humankind is “new.” Depravity is built into the human DNA since the Garden of Eden. Sometimes my heart is so heavy that I yell out loud, God, what is wrong with people? Then, just as quickly as the words come out of my mouth, the Holy Spirit reminds me, that sin is what is wrong with people. Self-inflicted, “sin” is the human scar every person bears.

When Adam and Eve sinned against God in the Garden of Eden, their disobedience did not come as a surprise to God. And nothing you or I do today come as a surprise to God. Freewill requires a decision; we either choose obedience or rebellion. There is no compromise. Therefore, God did not compromise when He gave us His very best, His Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our rebellious nature. “Repentance” is the word Peter uses to describe the road we each must travel to receive God’s forgiveness. By repenting, we agree with God when He calls us into accountability instead of pleading our case, whatever our excuse may be.

My evening favorite tea ritual is forever changed, because whenever I read, “You deserve happiness!” I am reminded, no, I deserve misery, even death! But in His great mercy and abounding grace, through Jesus, God invites me to share in eternity with Him. God is inviting you too, friend. What do you say?

May you and I find peace with God in 2023!

“I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel…” Numbers 24:17, NKJV

“Seventy-five trips around the sun,” read the invitation prepared by my precious daughters. What? How did this happen? It feels like only yesterday, my cousins and I were playing hide and seek in our grandparents’ yard!

Time is a peculiar commodity. When looking ahead, such as excitedly anticipating a special event, the clock seems to move painfully slow. Conversely, looking backward on the calendar, the days, months, and even years feel like they have flown by faster than the speed of light. Anyone who has raised children knows what I am talking about.

While from my perspective the 7-plus decades birthday has arrived with seemingly lightning speed, I know the twenty-four-hour clock is the same today as it has been since the beginning of time; only my internal “clock” is subject to the feeling of either drag or swiftness based on my viewpoint. In the Bible passage above, the prophet, Balaam, centuries before the coming of Messiah, spoke about His arrival. God did not give a specific date of when He would come, only that He should be expected. The people of Israel waited with longing and anticipation for the One, who would enter the world and bring redemption. Each generation must have felt saddened and disappointed when time failed to produce their Deliverer.

Today, on “the other side” of the story, Christians reflect on the arrival of the Savior as we celebrate the twelfth day of Advent, with joy and gratitude. Jesus is not restricted by time. In fact, He has always existed since before time began. Join me today in giving thanks to God for loving you and me and wanting to dwell within each heart. Jesus is not our past nor our future hope, alone; He is here today, and simply a breath away!

Emmanuel, God with us!

“’And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.’” John 1:14, NKJV

The day was turning into night when my phone dinged, alerting me to a new message. As I opened the message, a beautiful photograph appeared. My granddaughter home from college for Christmas was running in the neighborhood when she spotted an amazing sunset. She quickly snapped the picture and said, “Such a pretty sunset right over your house! I know we can never see them from our side of the lake.” While the sunset was indeed stunning, I wonder how many times I have missed God’s glory when it is “right over my house?”

In a world which appears to be plagued by violence, war, and insecurity, is humanity more focused on the darkness than on God’s glory? Satan wants nothing more than for you and me to be all consumed by the noise we hear rather than see with our eyes the truth of God’s presence among us.

During this Advent season, I invite you to join me in a simple exercise of the heart. The meaning of the word, Advent, is “The arrival of a notable person, thing, or event” (Oxford Dictionary). A heavenly angel announced the physical arrival of Jesus on the night He was born. But God’s Word from the beginning of time, through the appearance of His glory has prepared humanity to live expectantly for Him. At Christmastime, during Advent, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ into the world over 2000 years ago. Scripture also tells us of a future Advent that we should expect. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3, emphasis mine).

Jesus is coming again! His glory is all around us. Keep your eyes open and live each day expectantly.

“Jesus called a little child to him and stood the child before his followers. Then he said, ‘I tell you the truth, you must change and become like little children. Otherwise, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is the one who makes himself humble like this child.” Matthew 18:2-4, NCV.

Jesus often spoke of things that confounded His listeners. When He told the Pharisee, Nicodemus, that “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3), the learned teacher understandably asked, “How can a man be born when he is old?” (4). Again, Matthew in his writing quotes Jesus as if He is suggesting one should act like a child instead of an adult. Really? Is Jesus telling us to “go back to our childish ways?” Taking a closer look, Jesus is not telling us to act childish, rather “child-like;” there is a big difference!

Picture the scene: Jesus is surrounded by His disciples. The topic of discussion is philosophically deep… “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” someone asks (1). Thinking Jesus will declare one of them the deserved recipient, instead He “called a little child” standing nearby, saying, “one who makes himself humble like this child” is the “greatest person in the kingdom of heaven.” Ego’s deflated, the Halleluiah Chorus ringing in their self-righteous ears silenced,Jesus once again demonstrates to His followers both then and to His followers today, that heaven is not a place for the proud and haughty.

Humility is the absence of self-awareness, not its’ building up. Human beings are prone to the desire for greatness. Our culture celebrates greatness and individual recognition, and if you do not believe this, check out social media platforms. We want to be “liked.”  

Faith in Jesus is simple enough for a child to grasp and profound enough to confound the most intellectual individual. This is a paradox where every human heart must begin the journey to eternal life. Humility is something we should all desire, but once we think we have achieved it, like grabbing at soap bubbles in the air, it is gone.

“He who believes in Him [Jesus] is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18, NKJV.

Human beings have a bent toward things that are forbidden. For example, if the speed limit is 25mph, we think we can safely do 30mph without getting a ticket. Right? Ask me how I know… Our disobedient tendencies are simply part of our human nature. Adam and Eve were the first people to disobey God but not the last. From birth until death, every human being since that heartbreaking incident in the Garden of Eden carries the defective gene God calls “sin.” Before you get upset with our ancestor’s, please know, if you or I had been the first humans in the garden, we would have gone “apple picking” just like them!

According to a recent news article, an apparent standoff between two opposing groups of people in Texas got heated. One group gathered in support of a local “church” who were promoting views deemed very controversial in the current social war, while the other group, many who professed traditional Christian values knelt in prayer. Individuals from both groups held signs suggesting that those who did not agree with their grievances were “going to hell!” Sadly, I wondered if the declaration was more wishful thinking than being grounded in biblical knowledge? You see, only God can determine one’s eternal destiny because God alone is all-knowing. Only God knows the intentions of the human heart.

For certain, our actions on earth will always have earthly consequences, many of them resulting in pain. History is proof alone of this fact. Some consequences involving pain are self-inflicted, other’s result in collateral damage. But the Bible is very clear about how to enter heaven, and it has nothing to do with what we have done, neither good nor bad, rather it is about Who can save us. That “Who” is Jesus Christ. If sinlessness by human effort were the criteria for entrance into heaven, hell would be overcrowded and heaven empty, except for the Triune Head, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Today, will you invite Jesus into your heart? He is waiting to hear from you.”

“Jesus called a little child to him and stood the child before his followers. Then he said, ‘I tell you the truth, you must change and become like little children. Otherwise, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is the one who makes himself humble like this child.” Matthew 18:2-4, NCV.

From the earliest age, parents begin teaching their child the way to maturity. Of course, each milestone has an appropriate approach. No one expects a newborn to read, write, or understand the same level as a six-year-old. And no one expects a six-year-old to reason in the same way a sixteen-year-old might. I especially remember my grandchildren as they came along, each one amazing me with their abilities (okay, I know…what grandparent is not amazed with their offspring?).

Jesus often spoke of things that confounded His listeners. When He told the Pharisee, Nicodemus, that “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3), the learned teacher understandably asked, “How can a man be born when he is old?” (4).

Views on conflicting and contentious topics in the modern world are not lacking in quantity; one need only read or listen to the news to agree on this one truth. Being able to decipher the facts and understand whatever topic is being addressed, I sometimes think requires a scholarly education! The irony must not be lost, however, when Jesus uses a little child to demonstrate the “requirements” for entering the kingdom of heaven, something I think to which most people aspire. In contrast, He highlights one of the most educated and respected religious leaders of the day to explain, that it is not about what you know, rather who you know that opens heaven’s door.

Faith in Jesus is simple enough for a child to grasp and profound enough to confound the most intellectual individual. This is a paradox where every human heart must begin the journey to eternal life.