Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
24-28 “‘For here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land. I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You’ll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Our passage from Ezekiel speaks comforting words.
Here the Sovereign Lord promises to use his people to declare his holiness among the nations.
But the question is: were the people of Israel up to this most difficult task?
Already in Egypt we have seen their repeated hesitation to follow God.
They grumbled and complained, twisting and turning against God’s will, refusing to trust him.
And then once they established their home in the promised land, their disobedience spiraled out of control – read the book of Judges.
We these words for ourselves and we wonder if it was even going to be possible for the people of Israel, on their own, reveal the holiness, righteousness of God.
And TBT, the sad fact was that it was completely impossible for them to do so.
But in this passage, as well as others sprinkled throughout Ezekiel and the other prophets, we will find God’s own promise to bolster the hearts, minds, and wills of his people by putting His Spirit in them.
He promises to cleanse them from their impurities and give them a new heart.
To take hearts of the hardest stone and create in them a heart of flesh for God.
God himself, through the Holy Spirit, makes his people a witness to the nations.
Just as the people of ancient Israel fell short in following God, so each one of us struggles to be holy – our hearts are no less than theirs – made of hardest rock.
When a Child Smiles Your Heart Grows Three Sizes
In Dr. Seuss’s classic Christmas tale, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch suffers from having a small heart.
The source of his heart problem is his severely negative outlook on life, an absence of feeling joy clear, a lack of understanding the meaning of Christmas.
Only the very most negative feelings give him the greatest satisfactions in life.
Anything that might bring even 1% joy or happiness is to be immediately gone.
As the story goes, the Grinch tries to put a stop to Christmas, but in the end, as a little child smiles at him, he comes to understand what Christmas is all about, his heart grows three sizes! This heart change makes a big difference in his life.
I’m not very sure what Dr. Seuss’ intentions were when he wrote the story back in 1957, it was a few years before I was born, but it certainly comes across as a Christian parable to me that parallels the change that takes place in a person’s life when he or she comes to understand the true meaning of Christmas: the birth of Immanuel, God’s only Son, was born to save His people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)
Matthew 1:20-23 The Message
20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.” This would bring the prophet’s embryonic revelation to full term:
Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”).
When the light of the Good News of Jesus dawns upon the heart of a person, God replaces the heart of stone, with a new, fleshy heart – a new person emerges.
As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!”(2 Corinthians 5:17)
“Welcome Christmas – While we stand – Heart to heart – And hand in hand.”
It might just make all the difference in the world.
Holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in; Be born in us today!
We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel! (from O Little Town of Bethlehem)
We celebrate the real meaning of Christmas because of the power Jesus brought to change our hearts-the power of a child to smile at us, to melt our cold hearts.
Going Deeper with God and your families, your friends, your neighbors too:
Give an example of a time when you changed your mind about something.
How did the words or actions of others influence your change of heart?
Towards the end of the story “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” what happened that caused the Grinch to change his mind about Christmas? What lessons might we learn from the story?
How has understanding the true meaning of Christmas made a difference in your life?
Even more Quality Family Time:
Gather your family together and watch the classic half-hour Christmas cartoon, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Then, using the content above, pick up your bibles and lead your family in a devotional discussion about how Jesus has the power to change our hearts.
Pray the Spirit into your family time,
Emmanuel
Emmanuel, Emmanuel, His name is called Emmanuel God with us, revealed in us His name is called Emmanuel We love Him so, we love Him so, His name is called Emmanuel
Call on the Holy Spirit today and ask Him to fill you, your family, friends and neighbors’ hearts so that you can be holy and reflect his holiness in his world.
He will turn hearts of hardest stone into a heart of truest love and goodness.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Lord, I thank you for all you’ve done for me. I just pray that you would change me, oh God. Please guide my heart, from stone to flesh, and help me to grow into the person you want me to be. Rather than me following my own ways, please purify my heart and make me more like you. Please guide my path and help me take steps that will guide me toward your plan for my life and not my own whims. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
There was a long time in my life where I severely doubted God’s existence.
I refused to understand or try to 1% understand how people would accept the existence of an all powerful divine being controlling everything in existence.
For thirty years – Sheer nonsense!
For thirty years – Utterly impossible!
Then one day I found myself in a place where I could not mouth one thing to one person, including myself, what exactly I believed about anything at all.
I was a completely blank slate – my soul was empty, my heart was emptier yet.
One day, I went to a church – not to a bar, not to a restaurant, not to a movie.
I ended up entering that church – sitting down in its rear most pew so I would not be noticed and could make a quick escape in case someone called out to me.
Over the next several months, I found myself moving closer and closer to the front of the church – to the front most pews – closer to their tall wooden cross.
I joined that church and enjoined myself to a “Friendly Men’s Bible Class” and began a time in my life when serious Bible Study, prayer became my #1 passion.
Now, twenty plus years later, all those negative thoughts of God > I could never understand how people could doubt the existence of God and of Jesus Himself.
2 Timothy 2:14-15 English Standard Version
A Worker Approved by God
14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God[a] not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,[b] a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Over those years it was many many hours of personal study of the Word of God.
I did not go to seminary or to any bible school or college - much too expensive.
Instead I devoted myself to study bibles, concordances, dictionaries, and long hours sitting in a Friendly Men’s Bible Class listening to experienced teachers.
Then all of that expanded when I became attached to online sites like blue letter bible https://www.blueletterbible.org/ – I could dig deeper into the languages.
Then the greater wonder of the Word of God was revealed and I looked into the deeper meanings gaining deeper understandings of what the original authors intended for all those generations of ancient and early readers and listeners.
Then the great bewilderment of asking how could God possible exist became even greater wonderment at how people could not possible believe in Jesus!
The Word of God reveals very clearly that thousands of years before the birth of the Messiah, the prophets wrote about this event – this first birthday of Jesus.
Isaiah 7:14: “Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him ‘Immanuel’.” GNB [Immanuel means ‘God with us’]
Jeremiah 23:5-6: “The LORD says, “The time is coming when I will choose as king a righteous descendant of David. That king will rule wisely and do what is right and just throughout the land. When he is king, the people of Judah will be safe, and the people of Israel will live in peace. He will be called ‘The LORD Our Salvation’.” GNB
Micah 5:2: “The LORD says, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times.” GNB
The words of the prophets, the prophecy was clear about the virgin birth, the place it would happen and about Jesus being special, someone who will change quite literally everything for Israel and for all of those who hear his teachings.
Even today, more than two thousand years after He walked the earth, people still adhere to diligently fellowshipping, to reading and to studying His Word.
It must all come together somewhere, for some much greater reason, to mean something more, don’t you agree, that His legacy survived for such a long time?
Why is it then that we still doubt? Have we become so consumed by greed and ego that we stopped looking to the One who created us and gave us a Savior?
John 5:44: “You like to receive praise from one another, but you do not try to win praise from the one who alone is God; how, then, can you believe me?” GNB
During this festive season, why don’t we try to remember the truth, the reason why we celebrate?
I know the actual birth date may be all wrong, but that is not the point here.
The point is finding wonderment in one day in the year when we can become still in front of God and thank Him for the wonderment of this one great gift.
This is the time to NOT DOUBT, but to wonder, believe in this Child’s greatness.
Forget about looking for that one perfect gift for that one single perfect person.
Forget about buying expensive presents.
Forget about impressing others with your grand trees and extravagant feasts.
Remember Christmas begins with CHRIST, and is indeed about a wonderful gift.
The ONE GIFT that has the wonder, power, to save us from eternal damnation.
Read the ancient passages of the Word of God to your family, to your friends on Christmas day – before you sit down to Christmas dinner and opening the gifts.
Read the ancient prophecies, study the ancient prophecies, pray the prophecies.
Read the Gospel Narratives of His birth being the fulfillment of God’s promises!
Study those Narratives of His birth being 100% fulfillment of God’s prophecies!
Pray to the Holy Spirit to make the wonderment of them all become 100% alive!
Accept them today, do not wait, do not doubt their truth, cease to wonder, just 100% enter into the light He provides and you will never be in darkness again.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 16 Revised Standard Version
Song of Trust and Security in God
A Miktam of David.
16 Preserve me, O God, for in thee I take refuge. 2 I say to the Lord, “Thou art my Lord; I have no good apart from thee.”[a]
3 As for the saints in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight.
4 Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;[b] their libations of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips.
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot. 6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. 8 I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure. 10 For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit.
11 Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant[a] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Luke 1:37cNew International Version
37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
This verse allows us to know the authority of God’s word.
God is as good as His word, and His word shall be accomplished, and that which is accomplished lasts forever.
For example, God used His word to create the heavens and earth and all things; He promised to give Sarah over childbearing age a child and blessed Abraham; and His word also made the blind see, the lame walk and Lazarus come alive.
Plenty of historical facts bore witness to the authority and power of God’s word.
And even more, God’s word can change us, can save us and can bring us the light and hope.
When in these times and seasons of max celebration and unspeakable joy we are pained in failures and setbacks, God’s word can comfort us, help us regain faith.
When we are confused about life and unable to find direction, God’s word will guide us forward.
When we live in sin and cannot free ourselves, God’s word can show us the way of practice so that we can break free from the shackles of sin.
The Lord Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
From this we can each see that God’s word practically gives us the supply of life.
Therefore, it’s so important to read God’s word and we can put it into practice.
What if we were asked why God’s Word is Important?
Luke 1:37 New International Version
37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
When the angel Gabriel visited the unsuspecting Mary with news of her being highly favored and chosen to carry and give birth to God’s only son on earth, he left her with a spoken promise that we can all hold onto (Luke 1:37).
In our socially and politically engineered world today, where countless people are rewriting God’s Word to say things He isn’t saying and to support causes that go against His will, we need to remember that God’s Word will never fail.
Especially now with the weight of socially, politically, globally changing times, there are individuals and groups are believing God’s Word needs a new spin on it and updating, a cultural modernization to keep up with the changing times.
But these are foolish, untrue thoughts, attitudes because they are dead wrong.
2 Corinthians 4:4 explains the source behind their ideas. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 The Message
3-4 If our Message is obscure to anyone, it’s not because we’re holding back in any way. No, it’s because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won’t have to bother believing a Truth they can’t see. They’re stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we’ll ever get.
When people so arrogantly or so naively think they can rewrite what God said and meant, they are only revealing their lack of knowledge and faith in Him and exposing their underlying uninformed, or badly educated unbelief in His Word.
As John 8:47 explains, “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
John 8:42-47 The Message
42-47 “If God were your father,” said Jesus, “you would love me, for I came from God and arrived here. I didn’t come on my own. He sent me. Why can’t you understand one word I say? Here’s why: You can’t handle it. You’re from your father, the Devil, and all you want to do is please him. He was a killer from the very start. He couldn’t stand the truth because there wasn’t a shred of truth in him. When the Liar speaks, he makes it up out of his lying nature and fills the world with lies. I arrive on the scene, tell you the plain truth, and you refuse to have a thing to do with me. Can any one of you convict me of a single misleading word, a single sinful act? But if I’m telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Anyone on God’s side listens to God’s words. This is why you’re not listening—because you’re not on God’s side.”
Still, God’s Word cannot really ever be changed, rewritten, or torn down.
In fact, it can’t even be touched, damaged, or modified in any way that lasts.
Humans do not have any of the power or authority to make His word void.
Matthew 5:17-19 English Standard Version
Christ Came to Fulfill the Law
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Whether people are being deceived, really believe what they are promoting is true or knowingly determined to tear down God’s Word, all their efforts are in vain As Psalm 119:89 confirms,
“Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”
Psalm 119:89-96 The Message
89-96 What you say goes, God, and stays, as permanent as the heavens. Your truth never goes out of fashion; it’s as relevant as the earth when the sun comes up. Your Word and truth are dependable as ever; that’s what you ordered—you set the earth going. If your revelation hadn’t delighted me so, I would have given up when the hard times came. But I’ll never forget the advice you gave me; you saved my life with those wise words. Save me! I’m all yours. I look high and low for your words of wisdom. The wicked lie in ambush to destroy me, but I’m only concerned with your plans for me. I see the limits to everything human, but the horizons can’t contain your commands!
God’s Unchanging Word
Although some individuals, groups may think they can rewrite and reword what God is saying to us, they are actually powerless to do so because His word comes with an everlasting promise, to stand eternally (1 Peter 1:25) to never, ever fail.
1 Peter 1:22-25 The Message
22-25 Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said,
The old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; Grass dries up, flowers wilt, God’s Word goes on and on forever.
This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.
To help us in understanding how God’s word is lasting and never changes, Isaiah 40:8 describes, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
Isaiah 40:6-8 The Message
6-8 A voice says, “Shout!” I said, “What shall I shout?”
“These people are nothing but grass, their love fragile as wildflowers. The grass withers, the wildflowers fade, if God so much as puffs on them. Aren’t these people just so much grass? True, the grass withers and the wildflowers fade, but our God’s Word stands firm and forever.”
Likewise, we read and diligently ponder the admonition from these words …
Spoken by Jesus Himself …
Matthew 24:32-35 The Message
32-35 “Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer’s just around the corner. So it is with you: When you see all these things, you’ll know he’s at the door. Don’t take this lightly. I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for all of you. This age continues until all these things take place. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out.
The Living Word
God’s Word is not like human words written in the past.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart”(Hebrews 4:12).
Because God’s Word is living, it is timeless, untouched by changing times, and able to speak to hearts through all generations.
“So is my word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
Isaiah 55:8-11 The Message
8-11 “I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.
In ordering priorities, organizing our thoughts, choosing our words, let us all speak, write, share God’s Word over our own whenever given the opportunity.
Whereas our own words may at times fall flat, become outdated, or fail to have a good lasting effect, God’s Word is never void or falls short of its divine purpose.
A Sure Foundation
Because God’s Word is, from beginning to end, sure, solid and steadfast, we can count on it being a strong unbreakable foundation for us to build our lives upon.
We can have absolute assurance, maximum confidence in God’s Word because it doesn’t change with the times, or politics, or culture – it will not fail us, ever.
We can ground ourselves, base every day of our lives, on its principles because modern-day thoughts and opinions do not change the 100% truth of His word.
As 1 Corinthians 3:11 reminds us, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 The Message
5-9 Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us—servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God’s field in which we are working.
9-15 Or, to put it another way, you are God’s house. Using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
John 1:1-5 GOD’S WORD Translation
The Word Becomes Human
1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was already with God in the beginning.
3 Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.
4 He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity.
5 The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it.
John 14:1-7 English Standard Version
I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life
14 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;[a] believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?[b]3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”[c]5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.[d] From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Jesus said; “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me”
Jesus said to him, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Take time in these next coming weeks to commit to truly reading God’s Word.
At Christmas, make a gift of a study Bible, In the New Year, resolve to ask God alone to reveal His truth to you and show you how to apply it to your daily life.
Develop the habit in the coming year, if you’re uncertain what God’s Word says about a situation, resolve to check His Word first before making any decision.
When sorely tempted to choose what the world tells you to do over what God says is right, commit to following and trusting His Word over worldly advice.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 119:9-16 GOD’S WORD Translation
9 How can a young person keep his life pure? ⌞He can do it⌟ by holding on to your word. 10 I wholeheartedly searched for you. Do not let me wander away from your commandments. 11 I have treasured your promise in my heart so that I may not sin against you. 12 Thanks be to you, O Lord. Teach me your laws. 13 With my lips I have repeated every regulation that ⌞comes⌟ from your mouth. 14 I find joy in the way ⌞shown by⌟ your written instructions more than I find joy in all kinds of riches. 15 I want to reflect on your guiding principles and study your ways. 16 Your laws make me happy. I never forget your word.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Refrain: Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills, and ev’rywhere; go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born.
1 While shepherds kept their watching o’er silent flocks by night, behold, throughout the heavens there shone a holy light. [Refrain]
2 The shepherds feared and trembled when lo, above the earth rang out the angel chorus that hailed our Savior’s birth. [Refrain]
3 Down in a lowly manger the humble Christ was born, and God sent us salvation that blessed Christmas morn. [Refrain]
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin [a]betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the [b]descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was [c]Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord [d]is with you.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
In an instant, in one moment of time, young Mary’s life was forever changed.
As the angel of the Lord spoke about her future, Mary went from an obscure Jewish teenager to the hand-selected mother of the long-awaited Messiah.
In that exact moment, everything changed when she understood her destiny.
This obscure teenage girl Mary didn’t have nor know any power or popularity, wealth or fame; nothing was great about her we don’t even know her last name.
Yet in this great moment she was chosen by God above all women throughout all time to bring the greatness of God’s salvation and healing into this world.
The bearer of God’s greatness in her womb, it’s the kind of salvation needed by both paupers and presidents, rich and poor, black, white, known and obscure.
And such healing would become the spark of life in the darkness of dead men’s souls, and bridge the one great divide between lost humanity and a loving God.
Yet her journey was not without difficulty as she had to deal with practical facts: not fully understanding God’s plan, or God’s greatness, all of those judgmental people speaking lies about her, about the coming greatness of her own first born son, her own doubts and fears, and trusting God to vindicate and protect her – Mary’s story was that trial of faith – yet she made it through and so can we.
Because like Mary, we are all, in our own God-ordained way, anointed, called to bring something extraordinary into the world – the Greatness of our great God.
145 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. 7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
But to do so, we must learn from Mary’s experience.
1. Commit Ourselves to Personal Righteousness
“Personal righteousness” refers to a commitment by believers to live their life consistent with our great God’s high calling to carry His light into a lost world.
Matthew 5:13-16 New American Standard Bible
Disciples and the World
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how [a]can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a [b]hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor do people light a lamp and put it under a [c]basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
We must commit to display integrity, purity, honor, respect and holiness.
Our lives should be examples for others to emulate – not perfect lives without fault, failure or messiness, but lives consistent with being on a mission for God.
We must hold on to, we must cling to God’s grace, not as an excuse to sin, but as a motivating force to present our whole selves to God live honorably before God.
Romans 12:1-2 New American Standard Bible
Dedicated Service
12 Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, [a]acceptable to God, which is your [b] spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this [c]world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may [d]prove what the will of God is, that which is good and [e]acceptable and perfect.
We should neither become judgmental nor a stumbling block to those who desperately need to experience His humbling greatness, Christ’s forgiveness.
Personal righteousness is an enormous battle that we commit to fight in order to be messengers, examples, of God’s love that helps lead people to salvation.
And I believe a life of “personal righteousness” was a factor in “Hailing Mary” Mary’s favored anointing by our great God to bear the Messiah for mankind:
Luke 1:26-28 Revised Standard Version
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”[a]
These verses imply that Mary, who was divinely chosen for this extraordinary task, was chosen partly because of her commitment to personal righteousness.
In fact, the Word makes it clear that there is a connection between personal righteousness and God’s decision to entrust great responsibilities to people.
This also implies lackluster personal righteousness limits the effectiveness of the individual in their being God’s messenger, their message in their success.
Hebrews 12:1-2 Revised Standard Version
The Example of Jesus
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Anything less than focused commitment to personal righteousness will become our own millstone, weight standing in the way of our God-given assignment.
And I am quite convinced that if we would fight as vehemently for personal righteousness as we do for social righteousness, or pointing out the sins of the world, we would greatly impact the world in much more GOD profound ways!
2. Make Our Not So Great Selves Available Unto God
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 The Message
26-31 Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, actually chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.”
Translation – neither you nor I have to be ‘great’ to do great things for God!
Notice here what Mary later says of herself on behalf of future generations:
Luke 1:46-55 The Message
46-55 And Mary said,
I’m bursting with God-news; I’m dancing the song of my Savior God. God took one good look at me, and look what happened— I’m the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him. He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts. He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud. The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold. He embraced his chosen child, Israel; he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high. It’s exactly what he promised, beginning with Abraham and right up to now.
Luke 1:46-48 New Living Translation
The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise
46 Mary responded,
“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. 47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! 48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
“Lowly Servant Girl,” “Low estate” means someone who is low in rank, considered vile, or who is humiliated.
It describes a person who is down and out, rejected, despised, overlooked or simply not popular!
Although it can’t be proven, some people believe Mary was perhaps the least in her father’s house, as if she were under some particular contempt and disgrace among her family – like the belittled Cinderella archetype of ancient Israel.
Regardless, whatever her actual social place in her family, it is clear that Mary felt there was nothing “favored” extraordinary about Mary! Yet, God chose her.
Why?
The Word of God for His Children demonstrates that she made herself available to God; “unfavored” to be used by Him to carry out His extraordinary mission.
In her own “unfavored” “humbled and lowly estate,” She was willing to make room, in her “unfavored by man” life, in her virgin womb, for God to use her.
I might guess if we took a hard look at our “unfavored lives” our own “humble estates” busy schedules, our wildly diverse priorities, most of us would mirror Martha, the sister of Mary Magdalene rather than Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Luke 10:38-42 New Living Translation
Jesus Visits Martha and Mary
38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”
41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Translation – our “blessed and highly favored” schedule is probably packed too full to focus on the “blessed, highly favored” things of God, matter most in life.
At times, our “favored” lives get so cluttered, so over-burdened that we don’t have time or mental space to be available for God to use in any significant way.
If that somehow unfavorably resonates with you, then it’s time bring them back into favorability, to reorganize, reprioritize some things; we must intentionally make ourselves fully available so that we are able to carry out anything He asks.
3. How Well Do We Understand the Purpose of Favor?
One of the most memorable words of the angel’s announcement was “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you…” (Luke 1:28).
Many times, we will intentionally misunderstand favor in our society.
God’s favor is not all about a blessing, good breaks and open doors, favorable versus unfavorable circumstances in order to increase personal or social status.
Rather the purpose of divine favor is to anoint us, to bring God into our spheres of awareness, which allows us to accomplish what God needs done in our lives.
– Joseph found favor with Potiphar, found favor in prison, and found favor with Pharoah…because his purpose was to serve as Prime Minister over Egypt in a time of great famine.
– Young David found favor in the eyes of the prophet Samuel, and God touched David’s sling shot with favor to defeat the giant Goliath in battle…because his purpose was to serve as King of Israel.
– Daniel found favor in the courts of the wicked King Nebuchadnezzar…because his purpose was to serve as the prophet of the LORD to the nations.
– Esther found favor in the eyes of the King of Persia…because her purpose was to serve as an intercessor to save her people from destruction.
Favor is not as much for our person, as it is for our purpose.
Even so, when we commit our humbled unfavorable selves to God, that mindset then status of “favored by God” does positively affect our lives in many forms.
4. But Are We, like Mary, Willing to Risk Everything
Think of what young Mary risked to bring the salvation of God into the world.
Imagine all of those dinner conversations with her parents.
Or the angry, hushed argument raging between her parents, Joseph’s parents.
Imagine the “eyes and gossip” of her village community, what it felt like to walk to the marketplace, sit in synagogue or look into Joseph’s wounded eyes.
For Mary to fulfill her God-given assignment, she had to release control and risk it all: her reputation, family and friends, her financial security – her life.
In the culture of that day, she could have been severely humiliated, divorced, and ultimately stoned to death for adultery while being betrothed to Joseph.
Whatever God entrusts you to bring into the world, regardless of your sphere of influence, be aware there could a day, might be a high and mighty personal cost.
Jesus did not try to hide this aspect of being His disciple.
Luke 9:22-24 New Living Translation
22 “The Son of Man[a] must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”
23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
One of the greatest challenges for many of us, especially in Western society, is seeing, acknowledging, publicly confessing ourselves as God’s actual servants.
We will allow ourselves to forget that as believers, we have given our lives over to Christ, we are no longer our own; rather, we have been bought with a price.
The Christ who created us and redeemed us from death now has the sovereign right to direct our lives and our actions in it, regardless of perceived risk to our most favored plans, our most favored social standing or financial well-being.
But every person who lives, who impacts the world in a significant way for God understands this truth.
For example, we will see the Apostle Paul in his epistles constantly reaffirm his submission to Christ.
Romans 1:1-4 Amplified Bible
The Gospel Exalted
1 Paul, a [a]bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative), set apart for [preaching] the [b]gospel of God [the good news of salvation], 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the sacred Scriptures— 3 [the good news] regarding His Son, who, as to the flesh [His human nature], was born a descendant of David [to fulfill the covenant promises], 4 and [as to His divine nature] according to the Spirit of holiness was openly designated to be the Son of God with power [in a triumphant and miraculous way] by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
A “bondservant” was someone who had been purchased as a slave.
At the time appointed for them to be set free, they elected to stay with their master for life and serve them, because of love.
Ultimately, that’s what it takes to bring divine greatness to the world in an impactful way.
By Covenant, it requires we that love Jesus so much that, even though we must reprioritize things in our lives to reflect His character, intentionally make room in our schedules to answer His call at any time, and to be courageous enough to step out in our unfavored status in life, in a faith well beyond our comfort zone.
We devote our lives and everything we do to favorably serve Him as our Savior.
It may seem unfavorably impossible now, but nothing is impossible with God!
He is greater than our human limitations, He can find favor in our unfavorable circumstances to prepare and position us for every good thing He has planned.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 16 Complete Jewish Bible
16 (0) Mikhtam. By David:
(1) Protect me, God, for you are my refuge. 2 I said to Adonai, “You are my Lord; I have nothing good outside of you.” 3 The holy people in the land are the ones who are worthy of honor; all my pleasure is in them.
4 Those who run after another god multiply their sorrows; To such gods I will not offer drink offerings of blood or take their names on my lips.
5 Adonai, my assigned portion, my cup: you safeguard my share. 6 Pleasant places were measured out for me; I am content with my heritage.
7 I bless Adonai, my counselor; at night my inmost being instructs me. 8 I always set Adonai before me; with him at my right hand, I can never be moved; 9 so my heart is glad, my glory rejoices, and my body too rests in safety; 10 for you will not abandon me to Sh’ol, you will not let your faithful one see the Abyss. 11 You make me know the path of life; in your presence is unbounded joy, in your right hand eternal delight.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
As many times as I have read these verses from Luke’s narrative, I believe I have never seriously pondered, nor really asked the question: What did Mary ponder?
Did she drop to the ground in “shock?”
Did she kneel in prayer?
Did she laugh or giggle or pinch herself, trying to grasp the truth that lying in front of her in a manger was the Son of God himself, the promised Messiah?
Did she wonder how the whole of God could also be a real human baby boy?
Did she wonder about all of God being her first born baby that needed cuddling, feeding, diaper changes, baths, potty training and her motherly attentive care?
Somewhere, our Mary surely realized that she was in the presence of a miracle.
Somewhere, thinking about what the shepherds had said, she probably thought back to the very day nine months earlier when she too was visited by an angel.
On that day she learned that she, a virgin, would become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that the child in her womb would be the very Son of God.
Almighty God, who Created all things, brought order from chaos, who is beyond space and time, chose her young life to empty himself, to take on human flesh.
By some miracle she could not begin to comprehend, out of His greatest love for her you and me, He came as a baby born to this mother that night in Bethlehem.
Somehow, somewhere on this day, sit and ponder for yourself: there in the manger lay our Savior, who would surrender his own life for your sake, mine.
The one whom Mary held and nursed, who could not even hold up his head and would need his bottom washed, his diaper changed, would too need to be taught when, how to stand up and walk, would need her help to even stand up on his own, what to touch, not to touch, was God in the flesh, come to make us whole.
One day this very real human being needing every single inch, need every single ounce of our life’s energy, our support in the good times and the bad and all the very worst, to just get through the day, and issues growing up, issues of puberty how to make friends would choose to give his very real body over to be crucified.
And Mary would be there to ponder every single precious moment of that too.
Will we, today, take any one single moment to ponder these things with Mary?
Pondering How We Ourselves Will Reveal Jesus Today
Luke 2:19-20 The Message
19-20 Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The shepherds returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!
The seasons of Advent and Christmas.
Time to make all those travel plans.
Time to hang all those lights and decorations both inside and outside the house.
Time for a family outing to go to some tree farm, some nursery, or some mall parking lot and look among all of the trees which have been cut and harvested.
Time to go up to the attic or the lost in the garage or the storage out back and retrieve all of the treasured family and the traditional Christmas decorations.
Time to make a family day and set the tree up and decorate it to its finest and plug it in and light it to its brightest glow – so our neighbors may admire it.
Pick a theme for the Christmas season – Country Christmas or Red, White, Blue.
Cookie cutter Christmas, an International theme – whatever is in your hearts.
Time to pull out all of those recipe books of all your families favorite foods.
Time to buy all those last minute gifts, sing all those carols, watch the movies.
Many Christians will also read the traditional Christmas stories from the Bible in some form, the Prophecies from Isaiah, birth narratives, Matthew and Luke.
The biblical Christmas narrative tells an exciting story filled with prophecy, danger and supernatural guidance, protection, and even angelic declaration.
Young Mary moves and reacts at the center of the story, a young girl of faith who is given a difficult and epic role — to be the mother of the Son of God.
She and her betrothed Joseph are given one miraculous supernatural message after another, whether through angels or people and they must know its God.
At one point, the Bible tells us Mary “treasured all these things in her heart.”
We’ve heard or read this phrase a hundred times, and we can often look over it as too familiar.
But we should we our contemporary selves not take the time Mary and Joseph did to ponder and explore this miraculous story and the glory of God, further?
What does Mary’s “treasuring all these things in her heart” say about how we reveal Christ today?
In the Gospel of Luke, the story begins with the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary and announcing that she will conceive and bear a son, Jesus, who will be the Son of the Most High.
Mary, initially perplexed, accepts this divine calling with humility and faith.
Subsequently, she visits her relative Elizabeth, who is miraculously expecting a child, they share in a moment of joy, praise for the work of God in their lives.
As the narrative progresses, Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem due to a decree from Caesar Augustus, who has ordered a census.
It is in Bethlehem that Mary gives birth to Jesus in a humble setting — a manger — because there is no room in the inn.
Shortly after Jesus’ birth, angels appear to shepherds in the fields, proclaiming the good news of the Savior’s arrival.
The shepherds then visit the holy family and share the angelic message about the significance of the child they have just witnessed.
Amidst these extraordinary events, Luke 2:19 provides a real 1st century glimpse into young Mary’s deep emotional and spiritual response to the unfolding story.
The verse states, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
This reflection captures for us today Mary’s deep contemplation and thoughtful consideration of all these miraculous events surrounding the birth of her son.
This verse highlights Mary’s contemplative nature, emphasizing her role not only as the mother of Jesus but as a woman of deep faith and spiritual insight.
She could have easily been overwhelmed by these epic events, but she, as Luke states, instead, sat, pondered and meditated on the events and their meaning.
Her response is a model of lasting obedience, faithfulness and contemplation in the face of extraordinary occurrences beyond all human pale to comprehend.
The Gospel of Luke the continues to unfold the narrative of Jesus’ early life as a child growing up, and maturing, in ministry, in ultimate sacrifice for humanity.
Mary’s role remains significant throughout, from her initial acceptance of the angelic message to her presence at key moments in Jesus’ earthly journey.
What Did it Mean for Mary to Treasure All These Things in Her Heart?
Mary’s incredibly mature act of treasuring and pondering as a teenage mother reflects a deep and profound spiritual reflection which sets us a high example.
The miraculous nature of Jesus’ conception, the angelic announcements, and the visitations from shepherds all pointed to the extraordinary nature of Jesus.
Her response indicates that at her age she recognized the divine significance of these events and patiently sought to understand the deeper spiritual meanings.
Mary, as the mother of Jesus, played a central role in the unfolding of God’s plan for salvation.
By pondering, treasuring these events, this young teenager Mary acknowledged the sovereignty of God, creative handiwork of God in her life, and in the world.
Her contemplation suggests a recognition these were not mere coincidences but rather direct divine interventions holding profound implications for humanity.
The events surrounding Jesus’ birth were shrouded in mystery, divine purpose.
Mary, in pondering and treasuring these things, plumbed the depths, embraced the incomprehensible mystery of God’s plan for humanities final redemption.
She recognized that her role as the mother of the Messiah was part of a grand and intricate narrative that had been steadily unfolding throughout history.
Her response can also be seen as an expression of gratitude.
Gratitude for the angelic messages, the visitations of shepherds, and the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
By pondering and treasuring these moments, this young Mary acknowledged the fullness of blessings bestowed upon her and expressed unyielding gratitude and obedience to God, for being chosen as a vessel for God’s redemptive plan.
Mary’s act of treasuring and pondering implies a greater personal and intimate connection with the divine.
It suggests that she did not merely witness these events passively but actively engaged with them on a spiritual and emotional level.
Her mother’s heart became a repository for the sacred moments that unfolded around the birth of her son.
Treasuring these things in her heart might have also served as that essential source of strength and guidance for Mary in the future when Calvary came.
As Jesus grew and matured and embarked on his earthly ministry, Mary’s reflections on the miraculous events surrounding his birth likely provided a foundation of faith and resilience for the toughest challenges that lay ahead.
She contemplated, she pondered, she treasured them all, which speaks of an inclusive nature to each event as part of a whole, both for her individually, for her family, for the nation of Israel, and for generations ahead and the world.
She did not reject any part of the message she didn’t like but received it all.
Further, she didn’t consider these things intellectually, as if she would one day write a long theological treatise or submit Doctoral dissertations on the events.
Mary acted like these wonderful events should impact the state of her heart, and others, and she valued these revelations where they mattered: in her heart.
How Do Jesus and the New Testament Teach Us the Importance of Our Hearts?
Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament consistently emphasize the importance of truth in the hearts of believers.
Jesus speaks of the types of people who are blessed at the beginning of the famous Sermon on the Mount, what we call the Beatitudes. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8).
Speaking of our whole heart, Jesus responds to the question, “What is the greatest commandment?” with the following answer: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).
Mary didn’t simply acknowledge her heart but used her heart to focus on the truth of the events around her. We must address our hearts with truth.
In John 8:32, Jesus declares, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Here, truth is not merely a collection of facts but a transformative force that liberates individuals from the bondage of sin and ignorance.
The idea of know here is an intimacy, a oneness.
We must let truth deal with our hearts because the heart is the problem.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus links the condition of the heart to the words spoken:
“But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts — murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”
Matthew 15:18-20 English Standard Version
18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
This underscores the importance of cultivating a truthful and righteous heart to produce words and actions aligned with God’s will.
Jesus used parables to deal with the importance of receiving the truth in our hearts.
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus likens the good soil to those who hear the word of God and understand it.
This understanding is rooted in truth, emphasizing the necessity of truth in the receptive heart for spiritual growth.
Later in the New Testament, Paul writes the following about God’s love in the first letter to the Corinthians. “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”
This highlights the inseparable connection between love and truth.
Genuine love is grounded in truth, and living truthfully is an expression of authentic love.
Where do we find God’s Truth? In His dynamic, living, powerful revealed Word.
How Can Christians Today Reveal Christ to the World?
Revealing Christ to the world through treasuring God’s Word and truth in our hearts is a powerful way for Christians to embody the teachings of Jesus and share the transformative impact of faith. What are some of these principles?
1. Live out biblical principles.
Mary didn’t hear and say amen and then leave to do her own thing.
God’s Truth revealed through Christ Jesus is meant to be lived out daily.
Luke 9:23-24 English Standard Version
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
This includes demonstrating sacrificial love, compassion, humility, and justice in our daily interactions.
By aligning words and actions with those in our biblical teachings, we become true living testimonies of the revealed transformative power of God’s Word.
2. Integrity in character. Mary treasured it all.
This is integrity.
We can reveal Christ by exemplifying honesty, kindness, and ethical conduct in all aspects of life.
A character shaped by God’s Word becomes a beacon of light in a world often marked by moral ambiguity.
3. A heart for service.
Mary submitted to the Word of God through the angel to serve God and others.
The teachings of Jesus emphasize service and selflessness.
We can reveal Christ by actively engaging in acts of kindness, generosity, and service to others.
This outward expression of love mirrors the selfless love modeled by Jesus and draws people to the transformative message of the Gospel.
4. Sharing the gospel. Mary received the Word in her heart but also in her womb, becoming a vessel for God to work through for salvation for others.
Treasuring God’s Word includes a commitment to sharing the Good News with others – Christians can reveal Christ by effectively communicating the message of salvation and the transformative power of a relationship with Jesus.
5. Being born again. Mary was the first embodiment of the incarnation.
God created a new life within her, and Jesus was both human and divine.
As both God and man, Jesus was the first of a new race of people, the born again, the new creation.
We cannot reveal Christ without the incarnation, God in our hearts.
We must rest in this new, divine nature he shares with us.
6. Responding to adversity with faith.
For Mary, following the Word of God meant she would face adversity and difficulty, but she faced it with faith and trust.
The same is true for us.
We are promised difficulty by Jesus, but we are also promised we can overcome those difficulties with Christ (John 16:33).
He has overcome the world, and so will we if we continue with Him.
By facing adversity with faith, resilience, and trust in God’s promises, we reveal Christ’s sustaining presence even in difficult circumstances.
7. Cultivating a joyful spirit.
After getting a confirmation of God’s power and word when meeting with Elizabeth, Mary sang a song blessing God for his redemption and salvation.
The joy that comes from treasuring God’s Word is infectious.
We can reveal Christ by cultivating a spirit of joy, gratitude, and contentment.
This joy becomes a dynamic living testimony to the transformative impact of God’s Word upon the ever fickle and finicky sin blasted human heart.
By embodying the teachings of Jesus and sharing the transformative power of God’s Word, believers become powerful agents of change and ambassadors of their Savior Christ in a world that desperately needs all the light of the gospel.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 119:1-16 The Message
119 1-8 You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I’m going to do what you tell me to do; don’t ever walk off and leave me.
* * *
9-16 How can a young person live a clean life? By carefully reading the map of your Word. I’m single-minded in pursuit of you; don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted. I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won’t sin myself bankrupt. Be blessed, God; train me in your ways of wise living. I’ll transfer to my lips all the counsel that comes from your mouth; I delight far more in what you tell me about living than in gathering a pile of riches. I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you, I attentively watch how you’ve done it. I relish everything you’ve told me of life, I won’t forget a word of it.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
13-16 Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish plotting. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.
17-18 Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
According to 1 Kings 3 in the Bible, In a dream, a young new King Solomon was told by God that he could ask for anything he wanted, and he would receive it.
He is given what amounts to a “blank check” signed, guaranteed 100%, by God.
Instead of asking for a long life, riches, popularity, or power, Solomon asked for wisdom – he understood that the “wisdom that comes from heaven” is the one thing we need more than anything else if we are to be what God wants us to be.
According to our reading from the third chapter of James for today, wisdom is not some intellectual pursuit or intellectual gift that makes us more intelligent.
True wisdom does not come from a high I.Q. or from high scores on high school aptitude tests or college entrance exams.
True wisdom is a gift from God, given to help us live life as God expects us to.
It is the kind of wisdom that literally effects every area of our everyday lives.
Says James,
“The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
As we eagerly or not so eagerly watch and we wait, as we anticipate and expect the world around us to either fly apart at the seams or for our Savior’s second Advent, which ever one comes first, this is the #1 wisdom each one of us needs.
Putting our faith into practice, hearing God’s Word, speaking and teaching God’s Word and doing it, begins with asking God for his wisdom (James 1:5).
James 1:5-8 The Message
5-8 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, and ask believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
Without praying for our “blank check” we can’t be what God wants us to be.
Wait for God.
Anticipate God
Expect God.
Listen for God.
Hear God.
Be mindful of God.
Pray for the presence of the Holy Spirit to help you experience as King Solomon had those thousands of years ago -“the wisdom that comes to us from heaven.”
Why? Because It Is God’s Wisdom Our World Needs!
James 3:13-18 Easy-to-Read Version
True Wisdom
13 Are there any among you who are really wise and understanding? Then you should show your wisdom by living right. You should do what is good with humility. A wise person does not boast. 14 If you are selfish and have bitter jealousy in your hearts, you have no reason to boast. Your boasting is a lie that hides the truth. 15 That kind of “wisdom” does not come from God. That “wisdom” comes from the world. It is not spiritual. It is from the devil. 16 Where there is jealousy and selfishness, there will be confusion and every kind of evil. 17 But the wisdom that comes from God is like this: First, it is pure. It is also peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help people who have trouble and to do good for others. This wisdom is always fair and honest. 18 People who work for peace in a peaceful way get the blessings that come from right living.
Considering our education system, listening to what is being “taught” to the children as the truth, it is incredibly easy to confuse wisdom and intelligence.
If someone allegedly has all the right answers and an encyclopedic knowledge of seemingly every subject known to man, and particularly of Bible verses, we may be prone to assume that they are wise — and they each very well could be.
But equally true is that they may well not be, for raw intellectual ability and the capacity to retain a vast number of facts don’t necessarily equate with wisdom.
In his epistle, the author James correctly links wisdom not with just knowledge alone but also with good conduct and meekness.
The one who is truly wise in God’s sight will act in a way that accords with the humility (Philippians 2:3-4), gentleness (Ephesians 4:2), joy (1 Thessalonians 5:16) that God asks of His people.
God, who needs no counselor (Romans 11:34), doesn’t need us either to impress Him with what we know or with what we want other people to believe we know.
God tells us what draws His appreciative gaze is the man or woman, girl or boy, who is “humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:1-2).
Isaiah 66:1-2 English Standard Version
The Humble and Contrite in Spirit
66 Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? 2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
James has a memorable phrase for this approach to ourselves and to life:
“the meekness of wisdom.”
A genuinely wise person knows exactly how much they will never know.
They know that however much they come to know, it is only ever going to be a tiny portion, miniscule fraction, of the vastness of the knowledge that God has.
Intelligence marked by wisdom will not be polluted by our showy displays of grandiose verbosity or railroad others with “gold medal” intellectual vigor.
Instead, such a measure of wisdom will be marked by a kingly humility which will always aim to build others up with whatever we have—be that physical, or intellectual, spiritual, or emotional strength.
Wisdom echoes the prophet Isaiah, who acknowledged, “The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary” (Isaiah 50:4).
Isaiah 50:4-9 Easy-to-Read Version
God’s Servant Depends on God
4 The Lord God gave me the ability to teach, so now I teach these sad people. Every morning he wakes me and teaches me like a student. 5 The Lord God helps me learn, and I have not turned against him. I will not stop following him. 6 I will let those people beat me and pull the hair from my beard. I will not hide my face when they say bad things to me and spit at me. 7 The Lord God will help me, so the bad things they say will not hurt me. I will be strong. I know I will not be disappointed.
8 God is with me, and he is the one who shows that I am innocent. So no one can say I am guilty. If anyone wants to try to prove me wrong, they should come here, and we will have a trial. 9 But look, the Lord God helps me, so no one can prove me guilty. As for them, they will all be like worthless old clothes, eaten by moths.
The truly wise maintain a high view of God, a sober view of themselves, and a generous view of other people.
How do I know if I have a high view of God?
If I am constantly aware of just how much I depend on Him for everything.
How will I know if I have a sober view of myself?
If I admit I am aware of my own shortcomings and understand that all I have is only what I have received from God—if by my own public and private lifestyle, if I am in the habit of pointing away from myself instead of towards myself.
How do I know if I have a generous view of other people?
If I am routinely building them up instead of cutting them down.
This is the sort of wisdom from above which pleases God, which the world so desperately needs from you and me—a gentle yet strong expression of wisdom that demonstrates itself in our speech, good conduct and consistent meekness.
As we watch and we wait, just how does this not so eagerly challenge us today?
As we go about our daily affairs waiting for Christmas, waiting for the promise of a new and we pray a better year ahead, how does God’s wisdom challenge us?
As we anticipate and expect How does this, will this, challenge us tomorrow?
How will will either of us eagerly pursue living with this true wisdom today?
In the name of God, the Father, and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 24 New International Version
Psalm 24
Of David. A psalm.
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.[a]
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.[b][c]
7 Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty— he is the King of glory.
Lord, our God, Author of all life, Giver of every good and perfect gift, grant us our portion of your wisdom to help us understand your Word and to live by it every day. Guide us into peaceful, wise living that shows your love. In Jesus name, Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
31-33 Jesus answered them, “Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
I Will Lift Up My Eyes Praying for Peace in the Chaos
“If there is really a God you want me to believe in, why then is there always so much chaos, trouble everywhere we look, why doesn’t God just take it away?”
Standing in a super market check out line getting my groceries for the week, I got into a line where the customer ahead of me was trying to engage the clerk.
Her message was a simple one in this Christmas season – Happy Holidays and of course, Merry Christmas – but the cashier responded – not in my streets, not in my neighborhood, not in my city where I always read about someone killed.
The cashier’s experience was obviously very different and was far more tragic.
She then told the customer ahead of me that her neighbors son was just killed by someone- yet to be caught – who walked up to that teenager and shot him.
A Christmas Season now checkered, now colored, by that worst kind of chaos – the loss of a son who was out trying to shop for a Christmas gift for his mom.
Pick up any local newspaper, watch any local news channel, turn on your own computer or iPad or Smartphone and that kind of news is literally everywhere.
Your own life is moving along at its own good pace, in its own good place, in a state of relative peace and quiet and tranquility – then comes the belly buster.
The reality that not all is well, not all is peaceful, not “kosher in their kitchen!”
Things go real somber, sullen and quiet in your own heart in a real big hurry.
Just how fast can peace, joy and the good life life turn on the proverbial dime?
How fast can it turn into something we want to throw away as far as we can?
How does this truth color and checker our own Christmas experience realizing that the person or the people we encounter directly in front of us, the silent and quiet ones, are those whose place of peace, joy and goodwill is now, shattered?
Stop, and think about that today as you go about your day at work or in school.
As you smile, please quietly reflect, fervently pray for those who pass you by.
Reflect on today’s verse from the Gospel of John Chapter 16 verse 33, perhaps making a substantial effort to memorize it and then mightily pray it forward:
John 16:33 Amplified Bible
33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]
Pray it forward for the people on the highways and the streets you drive on as you go to work, or go to school, or go to the supermarket and get your groceries, for the strangers on the stores and in the streets, as you watch that daily news.
Keeping in mind that Jesus never promised His followers the absence of trouble.
Nowhere in any of His Gospel narratives does He teach to us, preach to us, that as a result of His coming, dying, rising, and ascending, the world is going to be that more peaceful place or that our place in it is going to be more comfortable.
In TRUTH, what He says to us is this: “In the world you will have tribulation.”
Sometimes we desperately want to import to now that which is promised only for then—that is, for the eternal future of peace of which Christ has assured us.
We might want to claim only for ourselves, just for today all those promises—of God, all the blessed assurances of Jesus’ salvation – wealth, healing, or absence of tribulation—that God intends to bring into fruition during the age to come.
Except, there is an important caveat which Jesus’ commanded us not to ignore:
John 10:11-18 Easy-to-Read Version
11 “I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. 12 The worker who is paid to keep the sheep is different from the shepherd. The paid worker does not own the sheep. So when he sees a wolf coming, he runs away and leaves the sheep alone. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 13 The man runs away because he is only a paid worker. He does not really care for the sheep.
14-15 “I am the shepherd who cares for the sheep. I know my sheep just as the Father knows me. And my sheep know me just as I know the Father. I give my life for these sheep. 16 I have other sheep too. They are not in this flock here. I must lead them also. They will listen to my voice. In the future there will be one flock and one shepherd.[a]17 The Father loves me because I give my life. I give my life so that I can get it back again. 18 No one takes my life away from me. I give my own life freely. I have the right to give my life, and I have the right to get it back again. This is what the Father told me.”
There are a few others who are standing in front of us, working right next to us, driving and walking right by us, shopping in the same stores as us, in front of us in the super market check out lines, behind the cash registers serving our needs.
We do not know their stories, we are not privy to their lives at home or at work.
We know they have their stories, and blessed assurance, Jesus knows them all!
Yes, His kingdom has broken into our world with the advent of Christ.
But you, me, we, and all of those people around us, still await its full benefits.
And we “leave someone, their “known but to God” story behind, not prayed for?
And if we make the mistake of thinking that God has promised us today what He has in fact only promised us in eternity, then we will certainly be disappointed, and we will run the risk of turning our backs on Him on the basis that we did not pray for and deliver, He did not deliver what He had never actually promised us.
But though like Jesus taught in that Upper Room to His disciples, we can expect to encounter trouble and tribulation right now simply because we follow Jesus as our King, we’ll pray for others, we still have hope for true peace in this world.
Apostle Paul writes, “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1, emphasis added).
This is a peace with God that we can claim now as our own.
This is a peace with God we can, always should be, fervently praying forward.
For us and all of those who are around us, it is ultimate freedom from the fear of judgment and death, from recrimination, and from all the dredging up of all the vileness that Christ has already – once and forever – 100% dealt with at Calvary.
The true gospel is the “good news of peace through Jesus Christ” (Acts 10:36).
We still have trials.
We will groan, suffer under the weight of sin—both our own and that of others.
But in the good news of the gospel we have a true and steady peace, even in turbulent times.
“Let not your hearts be troubled,” says Jesus, “neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
We may not feel like it’s true today, but the #1 unchangeable truth remaining is our Lord and Savior Jesus has already overcome the world and all its troubles.
We await His second Advent, the day is not yet here when He will dry all the tears from your eyes, but you can know that that day will arrive, for there is nothing in all of the world that can prevent Jesus bringing His final victory.
In the meantime, you can know, we can know, you and I can share, we can pray it forward at every kingdom opportunity that Jesus always stands with you and me and everybody else, by His Holy Spirit, no matter what “trouble” meets us.
What tribulation faces you today?
What tribulation do we not face but others directly in from of us, assuredly do?
Be sure that Jesus is with you in it and that Jesus will bring you through it—that Jesus will bring them through it too for He has overcome the world! Take heart!
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of his Spirit, washed in his blood. Refrain: This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long; this is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.
2. Perfect submission, perfect delight, visions of rapture now burst on my sight; angels descending bring from above echoes of mercy, whispers of love. (Refrain)
3. Perfect submission, all is at rest; I in my Savior am happy and blest, watching and waiting, looking above, filled with his goodness, lost in his love. (Refrain)
Blessed Assurance Text: Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915
This IS My Story: Blessed Assurance Jesus Is Mine
In that Upper Room, Jesus told the disciples that he, and they, would suffer.
And, even though the disciples would experience mourning and pain after Jesus’ death, the Holy Spirit would be sent, would come to comfort them.
Ultimately, the disciples’ peace would be in Christ; a peace which is eternal.
The unavoidable truth is that we all have trouble in this life, Christian or not.
But we also have a Mighty God who in the beginning spoke, brought order from the chaos, light from the darkness, creation from the great void of nothingness, who is with us-with that sacred and blessed assurance we are to be courageous, encouraged, no matter what we face as our #1 hope is Jesus who has overcome.
We can be at peace, can face anything; as we too have overcome because of Him.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 16 Easy-to-Read Version
A miktam of David.
16 Protect me, God, because I depend on you. 2 Some of you[a] have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord. Every good thing I have comes from you.” 3 But you have also said about the gods[b] of this land, “They are my powerful gods. They are the ones who make me happy.”
4 But those who worship other gods will have many troubles. I will not share in the gifts of blood they offer to their idols. I will not even say their names. 5 Lord, you give me all that I need. You support me. You give me my share. 6 My share[c] is wonderful. My inheritance[d] is very beautiful. 7 I praise the Lord because he taught me well. Even at night he put his instructions deep inside my mind.[e]
8 I always remember that the Lord is with me.[f] He is here, close by my side, so nothing can defeat me. 9 So my heart and soul will be very happy. Even my body will live in safety, 10 because you will not leave me in the place of death. You will not let your faithful one rot in the grave. 11 You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Nowadays, well, at least since my open heart surgery this past July, I think a lot about life – not just about my life and how it has just been so drastically altered by the rapid sequence of events leading up to it, but too the increasing suffering I had experienced in my physical body – the angina pains, shortness of breath.
How in the beginning, I hadn’t recognized these symptoms as being something of significance which if left unchecked would have resulted in great sufferings.
My wife had an inkling of the significance of what I was feeling in my chest and tried to drop several hints from her experiences with her own mom and father.
I, of course, was brushing it off – it was all just unrelated stuff and excused it all away because eventually, with a couple hours of rest, that suffering went away.
But gradually, even I had to acknowledge to my self and her that my new found suffering was not going away – in point of fact – it was getting that much worse.
After a couple of visits to my Primary Care Doctor, I was sent to the Emergency Room and several hours later, after numerous EKG’s and blood tests and Image Studies (Echocardiogram and Nuclear Stress Test) a Cardiologist told me that I was in a whole lot of trouble and needed an immediate Cardiac Catheterization.
Now, in addition to my physical suffering, was being added Spiritual suffering and a growing realization and growing anxiety level – something is very wrong.
The Catheterization revealed six blockages – three of which were very critical.
My one Coronary Artery was 99% blocked – 1% from a severe Heart Attack!
I was told by the Cardiologist that I required emergent Triple Bypass Surgery.
Three days of growing spiritual anguish later I had that Triple Bypass Surgery.
Within that mounting and maturing spiritual anguish, not so much physical as my medication regimen had been significantly changed to address all of those, I found found myself becoming more reflective and still more than I’d ever been.
Looking at the digital clock in my room slowly ticking away the seconds until I was rolled away for my five plus hours of surgery – Psalm 23 became far more relevant than it had ever been – its deeper meanings becoming far more deeper.
Especially relevant and more deeply meaningful was verse 4 – “yea, as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
“I will fear no evil,” ergo, neither will I fear my suffering – God is my Shepherd!
His Son Jesus who gave up everything and suffered enormously the very worst of everything humanly possible for me, through this indescribable suffering, for the joy which was before Him, endured the Cross – saved my suffering soul.
Psalm 23 New King James Version
The Lord the Shepherd of His People
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not [a]want. 2 He makes me to lie down in [b]green pastures; He leads me beside the [c]still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will [d]dwell in the house of the Lord [e]Forever.
Today, as I reflect back on those days of my suffering and then my waking up with my new surgically repaired heart to write this devotional, I think a whole lot about the suffering, questioning, world which has always been around me.
Always the inevitable questions about “is there an answer to all that suffering?”
What Is the Answer for a Suffering World?
Yes! There absolutely is an answer to all of those deeply theological questions!
Isaiah 9:6-7 New Living Translation
6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor,[a] Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!
One of the questions that I’ve heard many times is, if Jesus is the messiah then why is there still suffering and sin in the world?
Where is the greatest expression of shalom promised by all of the prophets.
I would point them to a couple verses in the Old and New Testaments.
Isaiah 9 verses 6 and 7 are one of them.
In God’s revelation through Isaiah it is discovered that the Messiah’s authority will “grow continually,” “His PEACE will come, His Peace will have NO END!”
It will not happen all at once.
In fact, Jesus refereed to the kingdom authority as leaven in dough.
It starts small and grows to eventually saturate the entire lump of dough.
He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” (Matthew 13:33)
In a similar parable Rabbi Jesus likened the kingdom to a mustard seed.
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32)
Reflect then, how appropriate it is that Immanuel, God with us, God within us, came from everything to the earth as the smallest, most humble form, a baby.
This baby would eventually grow and mature and radically change the world as we know it and bring eternal deliverance unto anyone who would follow Him.
Do not despise the small and humble beginnings in your life.
It is through all the small victories, even open heart surgery when compared to Calvary, as we sit and reflect upon the Word of God to cut open the soul and the spirit, follow the Lord that we grow and in turn we spread the kingdom with us.
God sent His Son (John 3:16-18) that God would use the humbled and obedient, the suffering servants, to serve in and through their suffering to do His work.
I and my newly repaired heart can strive mightily to be at max peace with that.
It is just waiting on the will of Him who saved my life twice, who is my Savior, to be revealed through my long period of prayer, study, Cardiac Rehabilitation.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
1 Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge.
2 I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.” 3 The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them! 4 Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods. I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood or even speak the names of their gods.
5 Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. 6 The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!
7 I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
9 No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.[b] My body rests in safety. 10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead[c] or allow your holy one[d] to rot in the grave. 11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.[e]
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
16 Always be full of joy. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Whatever happens, always be thankful. This is how God wants you to live in Christ Jesus.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
On my mind exactly right now is the word ‘Peace.’
Heavy on my soul exactly right now is the phrase: “Pray for Peace Everywhere!”
As I am allowing that phrase to weave in and out of my conscience, the words and music to my favorite Advent/Christmas Hymn start playing – calming me.
Do You Hear What I Hear? Song by Bing Crosby
Do you hear what I hear?
Said the night wind to the little lamb Do you see what I see? (Do you see what I see?) Way up in the sky, little lamb Do you see what I see? (Do you see what I see?) A star, a star, dancing in the night With a tail as big as a kite With a tail as big as a kite
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy Do you hear what I hear? (Do you hear what I hear?) Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy Do you hear what I hear? (Do you hear what I hear?)
A song, a song high above the trees With a voice as big as the sea With a voice as big as the sea
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king Do you know what I know? (Do you know what I know?) In your palace warm, mighty king Do you know what I know? (Do you know what I know?)
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold Let us bring him silver and gold Let us bring him silver and gold
Said the king to the people everywhere Listen to what I say! (Listen to what I say!) Pray for peace, people, everywhere Listen to what I say! (Listen to what I say!) The Child, the Child sleeping in the night He will bring us goodness and light He will bring us goodness and light
8 I heard what the Lord God said. He said there would be peace for his people and his loyal followers. So they must not go back to their foolish way of living.
Psalm 85:8 Names of God Bible
8 I want to hear what El Yahweh says, because he promises peace to his people, to his godly ones. But they must not go back to their stupidity.
Well, I definitely want to hear what El Yahweh says, because I definitely want to live long enough to bear witness to the works of El Yahweh achieving His Peace.
Because I want to live long enough to bear witness to El Yahweh’s fulfillment of this great promise of His Perfect Peace to His imperfect people, His Godly ones!
Because I am, as so many other of His people are, so utterly tired of stupidity!
And it goes without saying, that El Yahweh, is utterly fed up with our stupidity!
Getting away from our stupidity to that place of perfect peace with El Yahweh is admittedly a onerous task, an impossible for us to accomplish on his own task.
Admittedly, too great a proportion of humanity loves their stupidity more than they love their El Yahweh and they refuse to give up their foolishness for Him!
But with El Yahweh, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love for His most wayward of His stupid children, nothing is impossible-if God’s people will Pray.
2 Chronicles 7:11-18 English Standard Version
If My People Pray
11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 17 And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, 18 then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’
El Yahweh Gives His Command: Pray Without Ceasing
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Amplified Bible
17 be unceasing and persistent in prayer;
This is the spoken Word of God for we who are the Children of God.
Apostle Paul affirms the significance of prayer, and wrote in one of the epistles, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Prayer is a powerful way to connect with God, to develop a relationship with Him, and to cast your cares upon Him.
There are countless examples of prayer throughout Scripture.
It is apparent that prayer is significant to the faith of a believer.
When we read about the life and ministry of Jesus in the Gospel accounts, we find that He prayed often and made this spiritual discipline a priority in His life.
Jesus deliberately took time to get away and spend time with God.
Prayer is incredibly important for every believer’s spiritual growth.
To pray is God’s will for us.
But, as inspiring as that sounds, is it possible to pray without ceasing?
What did Paul mean by such a statement?
Praying without ceasing means to have a heart inclined to prayer, to pray often, and to make the spiritual discipline of prayer a high priority, just as Jesus did.
What Does “Pray without Ceasing” Mean?
The Apostle Paul wrote the epistle we know as 1 Thessalonians to the church of Thessalonica.
He sent it shortly after he had established the congregation there.
In the letter, he affirmed and commended their ongoing love and passion for Jesus.
Paul also warned the church of Thessalonica to be prepared for the second coming of Jesus by keeping their hearts pure and holy for His return.
It is in this context that we find Paul’s assertion to “pray without ceasing.”
Here in the fifth chapter of Thessalonians, Paul urged the church to cling to the Gospel message they had received, to hold onto what was good and righteous.
They were to continue living holy lives and the spiritual discipline of prayer was essential to that instruction.
Paul reminded them of the importance of prayer to keep their faith strong, to stay connected to God’s truth so they would not be deceived by false messages.
The Greek word translated to “without ceasing” is (adialeíptōs), which means constantly or without intermission.
In most Bible translations, this word is interpreted as “without ceasing,” but other versions also translate to continually (NIV) or all the time (The Message).
Whichever version of the Bible you read, the meaning remains the same and consistent with the Greek word.
The various translations of the Bible help emphasize the same message, which is to pray often and pray diligently.
Can We Really Pray without Ever Stopping?
Throughout the Bible, there are many kinds of prayers demonstrated.
In our own lives, we may also be accustomed to saying a variety of prayers.
The verses and prayers that we read throughout Scripture can become the prayers we use in our time with God.
Realistically, it would be impossible to actually pray without ever stopping.
We have thoughts, we read, we sleep, we eat, we converse with others, we work, and have a whole host of responsibilities to tend to throughout the day that would quite naturally and obviously disrupt our attempts at constantly praying.
There are an over abundance of tasks and roles we need to participate in that would naturally hinder our ability to ever be able pray without ever stopping.
When we take into account the context of what Paul wrote, we recognize that Paul wasn’t instructing believers to give up their responsibilities and only pray.
Rather, the Apostle Paul teaches us in this passage that we each need to commit ourselves to maturing our discipline to prayer, make it top priority in our lives.
By doing so, we will remain holy and pure, living lives consecrated to El Yahweh making our life paths straight – having our hearts ready for when Jesus returns.
Prayer helps us stay accountable to living righteously.
Can We Realistically Apply This Verse to Our Lives?
The verse 1 Thessalonians 5:17 serves as a serious reminder to all believers how significant prayer is to our faith.
Prayer is the way we talk to God, hear from God, and keep our minds on Him.
Prayer is the channel in which we can let go of fears and concerns, and how we lift up our praises and thanks to God.
Prayer is vital to our spiritual formation and growth.
Just as Jesus was often seen taking time away to go pray, we should do the same.
Paul knew prayer was key to guarding our hearts against evil and to keeping ourselves in line with God’s will.
Proverbs 4:23 English Standard Version
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
As Christians, it bears continual repeating that it is important to pray to God and to carve out time throughout the day to speak to Him and worship Him.
Paul was right when he wrote to the church of Thessalonica, urging them to pray often because prayer is what helps us find our way through difficult times, tough decisions, or expressing our hopes for a lasting peace and everlasting joy.
Prayer draws us closer to God and helps us practice our faith.
Prayer has been a spiritual practice since the beginning of time and the point Paul made was that the spiritual discipline of prayer is still something each and every Christians needs to spend quality time maturing, integrating in our lives.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one’”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,[a] serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Tis the season for Good News!
Tis the season for glad tidings – for inexpressible indescribable heights of joy!
Unless, for you – it is not!
Tis the season also for inexpressible, indescribable depths of greatest sadness.
Such a depth of sadness will soon teach us to cling to what is good for survival.
In the ugly cry moments that always seem to arise in our lives, we can all cling, hold tightly to Christ Jesus, and know He absolutely understands how we feel.
Paul’s words in the verses above are often the very reason we are clinging as we cry, holding tightly to the comfort Christ Jesus provides.
“Don’t just pretend to love others,” he wrote to the Romans, “really love them.”
As iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17), when we then take Paul’s words to heart, when we really give “tough” love unto others, it’s bound to get painful at times.
Paul wrote earlier in his letter to the Roman church, “we all fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
We are all flawed human beings-but we are flawed human beings covenanted by an absolutely Holy God to imitate Him, love each other as God first loved us.
Clinging to His Love, Living in Harmony Is Necessary
Wise believers acknowledge when Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another” (John 13:34-35), this was not simply a suggestion for getting along.
So too, the Bible’s commands us as to how we each treat one another shouldn’t be considered minimally optional – that’s not the nature of God’s commands.
As Christ’s followers, we must cling to the Word of God, cling to the life Jesus revealed to us throughout His Gospels, cling to His miracles, remember exactly how our very relationship with God affects our relationships with each other.
When we pray, “Our Father,” we acknowledge before God, our Father, Creator of heaven and earth, we are part of a family that includes sisters and brothers.
We are called to cling to the example set by Jesus – live in harmony together.
Today’s reading mentions specific ways of doing so, such as honoring one another above ourselves, holding tightly to what is good, praying faithfully, sharing with people in need, showing hospitality, and our not being proud.
When believers cling to harmony, live in harmony, expressing their love for one another by sharing tears of sadness in times of sorrow, expanding their joy by celebrating together, they become appealing witnesses to their hope in Christ.
When a family member or friend or a stranger or a coworker observes, “It’s amazing how you guys love each other,” the cause of Christ moves forward.
John 13:34-35 Easy-to-Read Version
34 “I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. 35 All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.”
Jesus went even further when He was alone with His Father, taught this when he prayed that all believers “may be one” “may be brought to complete unity.”
Then, ”He prayed unto the Father, “the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:22-23).
John 17:22-23 Easy-to-Read Version
22 I have given them the glory that you gave me. I gave them this glory so that they can be one, just as you and I are one. 23 I will be in them, and you will be in me. So they will be completely one. Then the world will know that you sent me and that you loved them just as you loved me.
Now Comes the Hard Part – Actually Clinging to God!
Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT
Joshua was about to take over for Moses who had just died, and God’s people were the most fickle and finicky to lead.
Long years with Moses had taught Joshua – always rebelling and losing faith.
The Lord faithfully clung to Joshua, encouraging him in his coming conquests.
The Lord is faithful to encourage us today, too. When life gets hard, and we find ourselves clinging …turn to the only One who can mend the cracks in our hearts.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Father,
Praise You for the way You faithfully place people around us. When the hurt is so bad, and the fear of connecting with others is paralyzing, please remind us who we are in Christ Jesus. More than conquerors, we are Your children, equip us with hearts full of encouragement. Fill us with the love we need to cling to You, heal and move forward and pour out and spill onto others who are discouraged and in need of a faith-filled friend. Help us to be encouraged by the same words Moses encouraged Joshua with:
Deuteronomy 31:7-8 Easy-to-Read Version
7 Then Moses called Joshua. All the Israelites watched while Moses said to Joshua, “Be strong and brave. You will lead these people into the land that the Lord promised to give to their ancestors. You will help the Israelites take that land and divide it among them. 8 The Lord will lead you. He himself is with you. He will not fail you or leave you. Don’t worry. Don’t be afraid!”
Intersecting Faith and Life:
There is no one person we can guarantee will love us perfectly, but You do, Father. Help us to gain a clear understanding of who we are in Christ, and allow others grace. Help us to see the good in each of us, created in Your image. Father, when we find ourselves clinging too tightly to ourselves, it can cause us to fear. Remind us in those moments, tis always the good season You have placed people in our lives to encourage and love us, even at times when we’re having trouble loving ourselves.
Father of all forgiveness, mercy grace and compassion, when our hurts are too big to think of or talk about, we know the Holy Spirit takes them to you in prayer, and You meet us right where we are at. We confess our disobedient tendency to quit and run on people, God. It’s hard to cling to You alone, and You don’t shame or blame us for our feelings of fear. But help us to stick it out more, God. To stay with You as You stay with us, to stay with people, and learn the remarkable relationships which grow out from clinging to Your ageless example of forgiveness, mercy, grace, and compassion.
Mature us to be strong and courageous and to cling to the good. Allow us each to see people the way You do, Father, fearfully and wonderfully made. Father, we want to cling to You and we want to live with others in such a way that shows we are in a life-giving relationship with you. Grant us your Spirit to do so. In Jesus’ Name,
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 