The Gift Of Jesus

Hey, this is Mike Zwick from If Not For God Podcast. Our show, Stories of Hopelessness, Turned into Hope. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it, share it. But most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network. Welcome to The Masculine Journey.

We are glad that you're with us this week. And we are talking about the gift of Jesus. And Robby, this is probably the most spectacular Eve that we've ever, yeah, we've never done it, right? It is the Eve of Eves. Yeah, other than Eve.

Yeah, how spectacular. We've waited all these years to actually do the actual Christmas Eve masculine journey. Yeah, so it's Christmas Eve masculine journey. And so what a better topic? I can't think of one, or we would have had it. The gift of Jesus, you know, and so what are we grateful for, for the gift of Jesus?

And it goes everywhere. You know, as far as our clips go, just where God took us with this adventure, it's been pretty cool to see what's been happening as we kind of did our prep coming into the show, to see where God had each of our hearts headed. Yeah, it's a potpourri, no doubt of relationship, right? Each guy's relationship and season, right? Seasons are definitely a part of what's going on with each of these. And that's a neat thing about walking in community with different generations, right? Some people are at the point like Andy lost his mom this week, really difficult.

Other people are just getting engaged to be married. And it's just a season. And fortunately, we have a Savior who's there for every season.

Absolutely, that's true. Yeah, I think it's pretty interesting that last week's show is just tell me what you want, what you really, really want, you know, for Christmas. And we really struggled. But this week, we didn't like for clips at all, which I think is really cool, because I think we're focused on the right part. Right? You know, something about our heart comes alive when we think of the gift of Jesus, you know, versus what is it that I really want?

You know, it just pales in comparison. And so actually, our first clip tonight is this is only the second time isn't Harold that you've had a clip on the on the show? That was a microphone not Harold's bones making that sound. Are you really really sure? Thank you for that clarification.

Yeah, I think this is only the second time for me. This is an excellent clip. I love this clip. So you want to tell us a little bit about it? Do you want to play it?

How would you like to proceed? This this clip is from the movie How to Train Your Dragon 3. I fess up that I have not seen the movie. I was looking for an appropriate clip and I thought this was great. Now I may want to see the movie. But there's several elements in this thing that I really relate to. You'll hear him talk about his his wife, who's apparently not with him and the child any longer. And the gift and its greatness.

Go with the clip. Okay, here we go. Son, you should be asleep. I was thirsty.

Yeah, come here. Dad, are you gonna get us a new mom? I don't want another. Your mom was the only woman for me. She was the love of my life. But with love comes loss, son.

It's part of the deal. Sometimes it hurts, but in the end, it's all worth it. There's no greater gift than love. That was that was what resonated with me, because John 3 16 is one of my favorite verses, as it is for so many others. God loved us enough that he sent his son.

And the verse that ties to that is from John 15 13. Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. To me, in thinking about the gift of Jesus, it all involves love. I mean, a lot of people think that we're nothing. To the contrary, I think we're everything. There is nothing that is that's not there because of us. God loved us enough that he created all of this. And before any of it existed, and before any of it existed, he had planned what was needed for us in order for him to express his love and share it with us for eternity, as long as we're willing to join with him.

And that's another part of his love is he leaves it up to us. We're not forced, and we're not kept from it. We're invited into it.

And if we accept the invitation, bingo. That's awesome. That's a great clip. Thank you, Harold.

Appreciate that. Rodney, we are over to your clip. And this is based on a true story. Not that How to Train Your Dragon wasn't, but this is based on a true story. It might have been. I wasn't there.

I was hoping to get a dragon someday. Yeah, it could be. Well, this clip is secretariat, and it's about the making of a champion. It's kind of a...

It uses part of the movie in the clip, but then they're also talking somewhat about it, so it's kind of what it's taken from. But like many of us kind of said, it wasn't real easy to find something that really could completely capture what a gift Jesus is, because we all had, like we said earlier, the potpourri of ideas and thoughts about what Jesus really means to us. And he means... The first thought was, I think, everything. That's the very first thought I think you had when you sent it out. And then it really was like, well, it is finished. And then it kept going through undeserving, unmerited favor, all kinds of different things. And I just happened to, when I listened to this clip of secretariat, it has many different lines in it that kind of helped me to express many different thoughts in one single clip.

So let's go. The story of secretariat is the story of a horse and the people around him who were able to do things that no one thought was possible. As far as underdog stories, that's maybe the best one of all. You're about to see something that you ain't never seen before. You're guaranteeing that this horse is going to win the triple crown. It takes a lot out of a horse to run in one of the triple crown races. Three races, three states in just five weeks.

Hasn't been done in 25 years. Secretariat is moving like a tremendous machine. This is unbelievable. No horse can take this pace. He was like Michael Jordan of all race horses.

ESPN did the hundred greatest athletes and secretary was ahead of Mickey Mantle. That's how unbelievable his presence was. Entering the final turn, secretariat searching past angle light.

It was as if God whispered in his ear, go, and he went. Secretariat pulling away at blazing speed. Secretariat did something that no one thought was even conceivable. So what this story gives us is a sense that there are capabilities in each of us that are beyond what we think we can have. And that life is about finding how far you can go, how fast you can run, and you never know until you try, until you run.

So in there, you have so many different lines. And just starting off with just capable of doing things that no one thought was possible. You know, you've got the whole miracles of Jesus.

And again, it's a miracle that I am a son of God at this point, because I wasn't, you know, looking if it wasn't for God coming to grasping me, I'd still be out there doing the same stupid human tricks I was doing before. And then, you know, it comes into about, you know, the guy's like, you see something you've never going to see before. And it's like, that's what they all saw when he walked this earth. They saw something that was never seen before. And just to think about what it was like to go through that, it's why I love watching the shows because it helps me just to kind of put other pictures together of what things might have been like at that time, walking with Jesus.

Then they talk about being unbelievable and capabilities that are, you know, way beyond anything that we can have. Well, that's the Holy Spirit in us. That's Christ abiding in us.

That's us abiding in him and that relationship that is just something that is still indescribable. We throw words at it. We throw explanations. We throw thoughts out there.

But it's something that really none of us are really good at describing. And then to get to the point where now that you're at that point and you realize, okay, I've had this encounter with God and God is real and I'm not him. And you sit there, now how far can I run in that race? Just like Paul said, right? How are you going to run?

What are you going to do? How are you going to serve this God that has given you so much? And then I just love the fact that as we're talking about gifts, I happen to be reading Romans, you know, 515 through 517 just talks again and again about gifts. And I was just more and more thinking about, you know, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the gifts that, you know, of salvation and sanctification and everything else that God does in our lives. It's just constant giving and giving and giving and giving.

And it's just hard for me to even fathom life now without him. I mean, it's kind of like we all said earlier before we got in here. It was just, it's Christ forever. It's Christ where we're going to actually, we know him now, but what we're going to see and know him on the other side of eternity, on the other side of this life, it's just going to be beautiful. Yeah, I thought it was interesting at one part in the clip where one of the people say that it's as if God whispered in his ear and told him to run.

Yeah, go. Right. And it makes me think of the Chariots of Fire clip where, you know, the guy talks about when he runs, he feels God's pleasure. Right.

Right. And so there are times, you know, and I think, and I've seen you guys do it, where you step into that place where God's got you right where he wants you. And you step into that lane, you know, and you step out and you do it in faith and you see it come alive.

You know, it's really cool to watch Jesus do that in each one of you as we've worked, you know, through things together to boot camp, at the radio show, those types of things that, you know, he constantly is giving those gifts as well. Yeah. And you want to really look forward to another gift. Yeah.

But usually what most often you realize, oh, he just gave me a gift I didn't even, wasn't even looking for. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Which is pretty common. You know, I'm always looking for something obvious. Yeah, the obvious. And it's not always the obvious. Sometimes it's so small and obviously more meaningful.

Yeah. It's usually what I want. Like Jim always says, it's something, it's what I wanted, but God had something better in mind.

Yeah, that's true. So what do, I'm asking you out there, what does the gift of Jesus mean to you? We're going to be going to break here in just a little bit, you know, here in about half a minute, but what does that gift of Jesus mean to you on Christmas Eve today? What a better day to think about it?

Well, tomorrow might be a little better, but there's not a much better day. Maybe one. You know, to think about that, what does truly the gift of Jesus mean to you? Is it salvation? Yes. Is it relationship?

Yes. I mean, you fill in the blank. I'm not going to fill it in for you, but spend some time with God, you know, while we're at break and we'll come back and we'll talk more about it. We've got great clips to get in. Go to masculinejourney.org to register for the upcoming bootcamp.

That's coming up March 30th through April 2nd and the entrenchment June 27th and 28th. We'll talk to you after the break. How did God remind you who you were at bootcamp?

Oh, in so many different ways. From beginning to end, you better expect God to show up because he's going to show up. If you give him the time, he's going to show up big at this bootcamp. It's so important to me that I'm going to drive 550 miles to get there. You can spend three days laughing with your brothers and fishing, shooting.

It don't get no better than that. And then you're given time to spend time with God and he will talk to you with the brothers, friends, the things that you're taught and the things that you think about. Just amazing experience all the way around. What we have at our bootcamp is something that makes you stronger and gives you the strength to go on your regular walk with God. It's something that will make you be bigger than you were when you got there. I think sometimes as men, we feel like we're on our own and we've got to do everything ourselves and the way of the world is on our shoulders and it's our job to fix everything and make everything right and have all the answers.

And I think when you come here, you just get really honed back in and reminded that God really is for us, that a good father helps you and a good father makes you have all the tools you need and a good father comes through for you when you need him and you just feel less alone. Register today at masculinejourney.org. Welcome back to masculine Journey and that is Chris Tomlin and it's from an album where he sings with a lot of different country stars. On that, there's a country star that sings with him, but I can't remember who it is.

Chris Lane. Chris Lane, thank you. Very, very good song. I would encourage you to listen to it on Christmas Eve today because it talks about the different gifts from God. When I was listening to it, the one that really kind of jumped out to me is the feeling of peace when the day is done. You know, when I can get that in a given day, man, that is such a gift.

You know, that is no matter how the day turns out, you know, no matter what happens throughout the day, that if you can have peace at the end of the day, what an incredible gift from God, you know? And that's just one of the lines in there. It's a great song. Danny, you liked it. I think you listened to it. Yeah, I did. You sent it to me and I love the, you know, it talks about, you know, your family surrounding you and you're raising, but it made me realize that, you know, the greatest gifts are those things you have. Yeah.

And, you know, if you have relationships, if you have, you know, your health reasonably or whatever, those are gifts and it's pretty awesome. So, yeah, I was going to ask you guys what you thought of it, but I didn't send it to you. No, I sent it to Danny A because I knew Danny would listen to it. And some of you would have, and some of you might not have.

I might not have if you sent it to me, but no, the other thing, I know Danny likes country music, so that makes it a little bit easier. So what do we think about being left out, huh? Uh, you can pray about it. I think, uh, got to give you peace at the end of the day. Yeah, at the end of the day, you know. At the end of the day, I've got peace over at Rodney's. He's not first clip, so he got, he got the first, uh, email.

As a real classical fan, my feelings are not hurt that you didn't send that to me, but he did enunciate, which he doesn't always do. Yeah. Yeah. Probably one of the most popular, uh, worship leaders of our time. Eh, statistically.

I mean, he's probably sold the most heads. Yeah. We don't go with Jim for statistics. No, we don't. No, no.

Long, hard, complicated words. That's where we go. Yeah. Yeah. I'm actually better at statistics though.

Are you? Well, Danny, you were up with a clip and it's not Andy Griffith. It's not whatever the Tom Selleck show is. Blue Bloods.

Blue Bloods. Yeah. It's not a lot of things, but it's something that's of that same era.

I mean, black and white for a little while, color for a little while. You're back in your childhood, I would think. Yeah. Pretty close to my childhood there. So I watched a lot of it growing up to Gilligan's Island. Yeah.

And I didn't even know they had a Christmas episode. I missed, must've missed that one, you know, outside playing or something. Yeah. When Harold was little, Thurston Howe was only a single dollar heir. Yeah.

The Palm trees were seedlings back then. He wasn't later. Yeah.

He didn't have his money yet. But no, you have a Gilligan's Island clip. So you want to tell us a little bit about that? Yeah, the scene is they're sitting around and evidently, you know, every episode there was a potential that they would be rescued and it always fell through. Otherwise you wouldn't have another episode.

So kind of a good plot, I think. But anyway, they're talking about, you know, they didn't get rescued and it's Christmas Eve and they're, you know, just kind of down and out. And the Santa Claus character shows up and it's, he looks a lot like Skipper in a red and white suit. And he tells them it could have been worse.

And he runs through these things and, you know, and then as soon as he leaves, you know, Skipper shows up. They didn't have time to change. But anyway, that's what they're going because he's, what are you looking at? But the scene is, you know, that and they went from being dejected and hopeless to a message of hope.

So, play the clip. Christmas Eve. And we're still on this island.

Yes, I thought, sure we'd be home by now. I'm sorry. Aw, Gilligan, it's not your fault. Merry, merry Christmas. Oh, merry Christmas to you all.

Well, thank you, Santa, but would you care to tell us what we have to be merry about? Why, certainly, good sir. After all, you might have been lost at sea and never reached this island. He's right. That's right. Or you might have hit an island that had no food or water. That's right, too.

Or you might have all been enemies by now instead of the family group that you are who all learned to get along with each other. By George, this bearded gentleman is right. That's right, good sir. So remember and be of good spirit. Merry Christmas to all. Merry Christmas. What's everybody looking at?

What's everybody looking at? You'll never believe it, Skipper. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, Gilligan.

Thank you. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, Skipper. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. You know, in the Christmas story, we talk about Jesus, the hope of our salvation. And that was, in that scene to me, Santa Claus was kind of the Jesus character. And he's speaking hope and truth into their lives because it could have been a lot worse. And I never figured out how they had all that stuff on that little bitty boat.

But they did. But, you know, in any situation in our life that, you know, there's always hope. You know, especially if we have Jesus in our lives, we have hope. And I love the scripture. Rodney was in Romans 5.

I'm going to go to 15. So we'll cover the gamut there, Rodney. So is, you know, 513, now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. And, you know, no matter where I find myself, you know, I know when I was out in my addictions and that kind of thing, my mom and my grandma held onto their faith in hope that my life would change.

And obviously it did. And the, you know, but there was always a ray of hope somewhere. And, you know, Michelle and I celebrating, you know, 20 years of marriage. And, you know, we talked about it the other night about the journey we had been on in different scenarios and that kind of thing. And it was always that glimmer of hope. And, you know, so I thought about, you know, the eternal hope of heaven and, you know, that no matter what happens on this side of heaven, you know, I've got glory waiting on me. You know, eternal unfettered relationship with the God of hope and, you know, then there's that situational hope that, you know, no matter what we're going through, you know, because Christmas time can be a depressing time for people as well. And but no matter what, it'll pass. You know, sooner or later, things have got to get better. And, you know, so, you know, whatever you're going through, you know, there is hope.

And his name is Jesus, so. Thank you, Dan. And hope does not disappoint.

No, never does. Well, I'm going to go ahead and get one more clip in. It's a little over a minute, minute 20, something like that. It's my clip, go figure, right? But I was one of the few people that I knew exactly what I wanted to do when the topic came up.

Of course, I did send out the topic, so I had a little bit of time to think about it. But for me, it was pretty obvious that in my season of life right now that Jesus is truly my friend. Yes, he's my Savior. Yes, he's my Lord.

All these other things, but to learn to walk with him as friend, as I've been learning to do, and God's been fathering me in it, it's just been so cool to be able to do that. And so I'm going to go ahead and play this clip and come back and talk about it from the very beginning, but I'm going to go ahead and play it from the very beginning, so I'm going to play it from the very beginning. And so I'm going to play it from the very beginning. You just call out my name, and you know wherever I am, I'll come running, oh yeah, babe, to see you again. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you got to do is call, and I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah, you've got a friend. You know, I've liked this song for a lot of years. You know, I like James Taylor long before I've lived in North Carolina and realized he was from North Carolina, just loved his voice, loved the way he could put words together with music and just move in motion, but I realized as I thought about this song last week or a couple weeks ago, it has become not of my best friend or, well, yes, my best friend, but not my human friends that I think of when I think of this song, I think of Jesus. And the really cool part about it is is, you know, you don't have to wait on him to get there.

He's already there. You've got to ask him, you know, and for me in this song when he talks about winter, spring, summer, and fall, you know, that's the seasons of life. You know, there's lots of winters.

You know, today was not a pleasant day if you were in North Carolina and you worked outside. It was really, really cold, you know, and sometimes there's cold stages of our life when you just need a friend. You just need somebody to lean on, and Jesus is always there. You know, I used to, when something would go wrong in my life, the first thing I would do is freak out. Oh, no, what am I going to do?

How am I going to figure this out? And somewhere along the way, that's become, Jesus, what do I do? It's become a lot more of turning right to him. And I don't always get a clear answer right away, but I get peace. And I know that it's going to work out. And most of the times, as I've talked about before, he's like, it'll be all right. Again, I don't know what that means, but it'll be all right, and that's enough. That's the peace that I need.

That's the word of a friend that I need. And so this is a song that will be ever changed for me, and it'll always be about thinking of Jesus. Tim, as I listen to that, I don't know if you're familiar with Jim Cole, but he's got James Taylor's voice, but he did Christian music back in the 80s, 90s. And I wondered, and when JT wrote this one, God's all in it. And I kind of wondered if he was called to do Christian music, and dabbled a little, but then Jim Cole came through. I remember talking about that with my wife a bunch of years ago, but I love James Taylor too.

Many of his songs are very moving. Yeah, he's literally from the Charlotte area, and I think his dad worked at Elon, and stuff like that. Chapel Hill. Oh, it was at Chapel Hill. Oh, I'd never heard of that school before.

Just kidding. No, go to masculinejourney.org to register for the upcoming boot camp. I'll try to get the dates right. The boot camp's coming up March 30th through April 2nd, and the entrenchment is January 27th and 28th. That's a Friday and Saturday.

So look, if it's not a Friday and Saturday, I probably got those dates wrong, but it's the 27th and 28th, and that is... Robby, do you remember what that is? F-R-E-E. Free! That's free.

The entrenchment is free, and it's local. It's in Kernishville. No reason you can't be there. We want to see you there. Go register for it this weekend. You got time. You got five minutes now.

Go do it right now. But more importantly, think about the gift of Jesus this week, and we'll talk with you next week. We love you. Thank you for listening. We'll talk with you soon. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. This is the Truth Network.