Delightsome Land

You shall call His name Jesus… They shall call His name Immanuel. —  Matthew 1:21, Matthew 1:23 There is an interesting psychology in the naming of our children. Some are named with family names to retain a family heritage. I am often asked what O. S. stands for, and I am quick to say, “Omar Sharif.” But the truth is, my initials represent family names — Otis Swafford. And now you know why I use O. S. on the covers of my books. Others are named for an attribute their parents desire their child to achieve in life: Faith or Hope, for example. In the Bible, names have specific meanings. Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter because he saw the potential for him to be a “rock.” Joseph’s name was changed to Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”) because every time he had center stage, he was encouraging the early believers. During these days let’s pause to think of the names given to our Lord.  The mission of Christmas is in His name: Jesus. And the message of Christmas i...

But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” –  Matthew 1:20-21 Every time I read this part of the story, my heart aches for Joseph. I wonder what his dreams looked like before his life took such a hairpin turn. Had he dreamt of the love he would share with Mary or about the night he would make her his own? Had he imagined their children, their home, or the secrets they would whisper in the dark? Joseph was a real man with real dreams, and I would imagine that at this moment in his life, those long-held desires lay in ruins around his feet. Nothing was going the way he had imagined it would go. Can you relate? It’s beautiful to me that God doesn’t speak to awake, alert, and consciou...

Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.  — Psalm 142:6 Years ago, when my second daughter, Morgan, was about two years old, I arrived home from my church office early one afternoon. I was eager to spend a little extra time with my young daughter. My wife informed me that Morgan had been sleeping for a while, but gave me the green light to go upstairs and wake her from her nap. I opened the door to her room and quickly noticed two things: First, her dresser had toppled over on the floor and made quite a mess — an obvious, but not necessarily alarming, observation. Second, I noticed that Morgan was not in her bed. Again, easily apparent, but not especially concerning. Until I connected this second fact to the first. In only a few seconds, I realized what had happened. In an attempt to reach something on top of her tall dresser, Morgan had pulled out the lower drawers and started climbing when the entire dre...

God came to the poor — in other words, to each of us. The apostle Paul reminds us that - [Jesus] set aside His infinite riches and was born into the lowest circumstance so that you may gain great riches through His humble poverty.  — 2 Corinthians 8:9 What does this mean? Jesus gave up the glory of heaven to be born into a sin-scarred world. That glorious night in Bethlehem, every day of His life, and in the deadly pain of the Cross, Jesus became poor for our sake. Jesus entered our poverty so we would no longer be poor. The priceless gift of a restored relationship with God and others is now offered to those who could never afford it. The outrageous wealth of His righteousness is credited to those who don’t deserve it. To those of us who are poor, this is very good news. But is it still relevant news? Can Christmas still change the world? We’re discovering that the answer is a resounding yes! But how exactly does that happen? How can Christmas and the way we celebrate it still ch...

The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them.  – Luke 19:10 Our God is the God who follows. Have you sensed Him following you? He is the one who came to seek and save the lost. Have you sensed Him seeking you? Have you felt His presence through the kindness of a stranger? Through the majesty of a sunset or the mystery of romance? Through the question of a child or the commitment of a spouse? Through a word well spoken or a touch well timed, have you sensed Him?… God gives us Himself. Even when we choose our hovel over His house and our trash over His grace, still He follows. Never forcing us. Never leaving us. Patiently persistent. Faithfully present. He uses all His power to convince us that He is who He is and He can be trusted to lead us home. Excerpted from  Grace for the Moment  by Max Lucado. Start your New Year with this devotional of inspirational messages - with extra room for journaling and recording personal notes each day!      ...

After spending nearly two years investigating the identity of the Christmas Child, I was ready to reach a verdict. For me, the evidence was clear and compelling. Yes, Christmas is a holiday overlaid with all sorts of fanciful beliefs, from flying reindeer to Santa Claus sliding down chimneys. But I became convinced that if you drill down to its core, Christmas is based on a historical reality — the incarnation: God becoming man, spirit taking on flesh, the infinite entering the finite, the eternal becoming time-bound. It’s a mystery backed up by facts that I now believed were simply too strong to ignore. I had come to the point where I was ready for the Christmas gift, the Christ Child, whose love and grace are offered freely to everyone who receives Him in repentance and faith. Even someone like me. So I talked with God in a heartfelt and unedited prayer, admitting and turning from my wrongdoing, and receiving His offer of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus. I told Him that w...

Sometimes My Sovereign hand — My control over your life — places you in humbling circumstances. You feel held down, held back, and powerless to change things. You long to break free and feel in control of your life once again. Although this is an uncomfortable position, it is actually a good place to be. Your discomfort awakens you from the slumber of routine and reminds you that I am in charge of your life. It also presents you with an important choice: You can lash out at your circumstances — resenting My ways with you — or you can draw closer to Me. When you are suffering, your need for Me is greater than ever. The more you choose to come near Me, affirming your trust in Me, the more you can find hope in My unfailing Love. You can even learn to be joyful in hope while waiting in My Presence — where Joy abounds. Persevere in trusting Me, and I will eventually lift you up. Meanwhile, cast all your anxiety on Me, knowing that I care for you affectionately and am watching over you con...

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ” -Matthew 2:6 NLT  – The Wise Men Sometimes things just do not go according to plan. Have you ever had that happen? Do you remember the people from a far away land that told Herod about Baby Jesus? Well, a long time ago, they experienced a trip that did not go according to plan.  For many years, these wise men had studied old writings that said a special king would be born to rule over the Jews. Their studies told them that a special star would let them know when this special king was supposed to be born. Can you imagine how excited they were when they finally saw the star that they had been waiting for? They wanted to go see this new king and worship him. But, that meant a long journey and they were not exactly sure where they were supposed to go. They just knew they were supposed to follo...

Joseph… did what the Lord’s angel had told him to do. — Matthew 1:24 The white space between Bible verses is fertile soil for questions. One can hardly read Scripture without whispering, “I wonder…” “I wonder if Eve ever ate any more fruit.” “I wonder if Noah slept well during storms.” “I wonder if Jonah liked fish or if Jeremiah had friends.” “Did Moses avoid bushes? Did Jesus tell jokes? Did Peter ever try water-walking again?” “Would any woman have married Paul had he asked?” The Bible is a fence full of knotholes through which we can peek but not see the whole picture. It’s a scrapbook of snapshots capturing people in encounters with God, but not always recording the result. So we wonder: When the woman caught in adultery went home, what did she say to her husband? After the demoniac was delivered, what did he do for a living? After Jairus’s daughter was raised from the dead, did she ever regret it? Knotholes and snapshots and “I wonders.” You’ll find them in every chapter abou...