More violence. Bloodshed. Destruction. Hate. Death... And we wonder aloud: Are you going to put a stop to this, God??! If so, how? And when?! Are You really going to let this pass? We wonder if the wickedness, injustice, and immorality is ever going to cease...

Impure motives of pride, heartless obligation, superiority, longing for admiration, applause, success, wealth, rank, or pity are never sung aloud from our lips for all to hear. We quietly hide them, creatively disguise them, and carefully redefine them. We naturally think ourselves very good at judging the motives of others, but how about our own motives? Ouch. That question seems to drop like a sharp knife between my toes. Perhaps the most penetrating and uncomfortable question for all of us to ask ourselves is: What is my motive? To determine the answer to this question I believe we need a litmus test.

Having a strong intellect is a good thing, yet there is an inherent danger in touting our mental powers or relying on human intelligence. A person may have a high IQ and be missing the essential ingredient for the soil of becoming spiritually mature – to grow in the faith and in the likeness of Jesus. The measure of one’s intelligence does not indicate the measure of one’s spiritual maturity or usefulness in God’s mission. . . .

We don’t like having a finger pointed at us because it implies we’re guilty! However, we are pretty natural at pointing toward someone else. It seems quite easy to see the sins of others; doesn't it? We think we're quite accurate at evaluating the faults and failures we presume to observe in friends, family members, neighbors, and the like. . . .

When we're jogging along in a healthy trajectory of spiritual growth, we can find ourselves gaining an inordinate confidence in ourselves. We gaze back at our past accomplishments with a token note of thanks to God, yet also an encroaching desire for a good ole' pat-on-the-back. We might ease up on the throttle, subtly believing we've crossed a threshold in obvious maturity. . . .

All our time and energy goes into “that one day” and when that day is done, many of us might be happy but a lot of us feel wiped out, burned out, let down, or downright empty. But what if the biggest thing you and your family looked forward was something more, something that would never let down? Is there a hope that never dies…that sustains you, motivates you, inspires you, energizes you…and even dramatically changes your focus about everything?

We love all the festive decorations, candles, lights, trees, and ribbons of Christmas around our house. In fact, Christmas music has been ringing and singing through our place since the beginning of November... or maybe even October. Memories of snowball fights, goofy red sweaters, sleigh rides, and hot chocolate warm my soul. How about you?

I can still hear their muffled cries. The sound won't leave my ears. I can still see their mud-stained tears. The sight won't leave my mind. I can almost smell the faint aroma of the seashore... While we may have myriad questions about the politics and economics involved in this refugee crisis, as Christians the most important question is not if they come but when they come, how does God want us to respond? Wherever they are in the world, how should we respond to the sojourner, the refugee?

We here at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids are calling one another to 12 days of focused prayer. If you're part of our church family, I invite you to join with me in praying the 12 requests below over the next 12 days. You might take just one per day, following the sequence below. If you have additional time, you could pray through the list several times over the next 12 days. But most of all, let's pray and keep praying because this is the way we fight and keep fighting the right fight... God's way. 12 Days of Prayer for North Park As an expression of our desire to be a church committed to personal and collective prayer, we encourage you to pray for the following items...

Satan wants to get in your head and convince you that his lies are true. But don't expect his schemes to be obvious. He is cunning and smart like a snake. He bites into us when we're exposed to pain, hurt, and abuse. He splits hairs to craft wrong to look almost right. Our enemy camouflages destructive ideas with the appearance of life and light (2 Cor. 11:14b).