This will be the last Morning Meditations until January 1, 2009.  I pray you all have a very blessed Christmas; that you see Jesus in everything you do for the remainder of your earthly life.  Hallelujah!  He is risen as He said!! The cross of Christ represents so much more than the hours that He chose to hang between sky and earth – allowing His life to flow out in order that we might live.  The cross represents the glory of Christ.  A God-man strong enough to live on earth and never sin, yet gentle enough to identify with every form of human flesh alive -then and now. In Psalms 4:2, God asks a question: Psalms 4:2 (KJV) 2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah. Another version writes it this way: Psalms 4:2 (HCSB) 2 How long, exalted men, will my honor be insulted? [How long] will you love what is worthless and pursue a lie? Selah “…turn my glory into shame…love what is worthlessness and pursue a lie?” Don’t we do just that?  We call ourselves Believers and then we behave in ways that bring shame to the name of Christ.  Any time we behave in a way that is not the way that Jesus would have behaved, we bring shame to the name of Christ.  When that store clerk’s attitude makes you angry and you get in that little jab with your tongue, you’ve brought shame to the name of Christ.  When we respond with an attitude of superiority or disgust, we have brought shame to the name of Christ.  Jesus wasn’t afraid to confront, and He wasn’t afraid to rebuke or speak the Truth.  But Jesus always spoke the Truth with the right motive and attitude.  When we justify the losing of our temper (James 1:19 & 20), we lie to ourselves and bring shame to the name of Christ.  When we decide that our “rights” and feelings are more important than the conscious of a new Believer or a lost person, we shame the name of Christ.  When the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control) is not evident in our lives because we are tired or busy, we shame the name of Christ. How do we avoid bringing shame to the name of Christ?  The Psalmist does not leave us in the dark: Psalms 4:4-5 (HCSB) 4 Be angry and do not sin; on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still. Selah 5 Offer sacrifices in righteousness and trust in the Lord. “Be angry and do not sin…”  How?!  We live in a society that is filled with rage.  We read and hear and experience – road rage, customer rage, personal rage...  Some days everything that happens creates rage within us.  Why?  How do we “be angry and sin not?”  “…reflect in your heart and be still.”  We are also a fast-paced society.  No time for reflection.  Dishes to do, clothes to wash, deadlines to meet, children to transport. Be still?!  What is still?  I read and listen to things while I drive.  I lie in bed and make up the to do list for tomorrow.  While someone is speaking to me, I am deciding how to best get away so I can get on with the next task.  Cell phones make me accessible all day and all night no matter where I am; they accompany me while I drive, eat, and bathe.  Pocket computers make it possible to work while standing in the grocery line, spending time with my family, attending a funeral. But WAIT!  This isn’t a suggestion.  Another Scripture (a direct command from God): Be Still! And KNOW that I am God! Read Mark. No one led a busier life than Jesus.  Yet, Jesus always had time for people.  God values relationships.  God hates laziness, but He never wants you to be too busy for relationships. We accomplish living the life required by God, by being still and reflecting in our hearts “on your bed.”  In a private place, set aside for the purpose of being with God, “reflect in your heart and be still.” God goes on to tell us 5 Offer sacrifices in righteousness and trust in the Lord. Psalms 51 tells us that the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart.  God wants us to allow Him to show us our sin and comfort the deepest hurts in our hearts.  Then as we repent in our quiet place with just Him, as we pour out our deepest feelings and griefs, we will experience peace.  We will find release of the stress that causes us to be angry and sin.  We will find strength to live out the fruit of the Spirit.  We will learn to trust the Lord because we will find that He is always there. His promises and character traits always come true.  He cannot lie and He will never leave you. Psalms 4:8 (HCSB) 8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, Lord, make me live in safety. The Father loves us more than we could ever possibly understand.  He wants to give us more than we will ever accept because we do not spend enough time with Him.  Start today.  “Be still.”  You will find that He is there, waiting to give you the peace that you are seeking in so many other places.  The devil sets us up for a fall.  We “pursue a lie” when we allow ourselves to believe that we are too busy for a quiet time with God. **Thank You, Lord that You never give up on us.  It is never too late to pursue a relationship with You.  Please, today, speak to our hearts.  Clear our minds of the urgent and help us to seek what is in Your Heart.  May our eyes see what You see.  May our hearts cry when You cry.  Use us.  Fill us.  May Your will be done.  Amen.