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."
29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” 35 And the angel said to her,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[a] will be called holy, 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.
Opinions? It is not Jesus’ birth which is so remarkable but His conception.
When the angel appeared before her, announced that although she was a virgin, Mary would have a baby who would rule the entire universe, she simply asked the most sensible question possible: “How?”
And with that single question of “How?” asked in the loneliness of the moment, the miracle, mystery moment, we arrive at the very heart of the Christian story.
How was this child to be conceived?
How was God’s own created and ordered human physiology going to be set aside – where a man and a women come together and have sexual intercourse and by God’s own mystery and miracle moment, one sperm enters one egg and conception happens, life begins and God goes to work to weave together a baby.
Psalm 139:13-18 Revised Standard Version
13 For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful.[a] Wonderful are thy works! Thou knowest me right well; 15 my frame was not hidden from thee, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth. 16 Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance; in thy book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious to me are thy thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee.[b]
God was going to make it happen.
By some unknowable miracle, by some unknowable mystery, He would do it.
The language of being “overshadowed” reminds us of God’s divine presence being symbolized to the Israelites by a great cloud pillar (Exodus 40:34-38).
The conception, in other words, would be miraculous, would be mysterious and would be undeniably supernatural too, able to be accomplished by God alone.
As Apostle Paul contemplated, pondered, worked through the theology of the incarnation, he wrote, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).
He emphasized that the Redeemer had to be human so that He would be of the same nature as those whom He came to save: a man dying for mankind.
But it was equally imperative that the true Redeemer should be perfectly holy, perfectly righteous because no sinful person could effect atonement for the sins of others – He had to be Immanuel—God with(in) us—and He had to be man.
The early Christians hammered out the incarnation’s implications and came up with ways to describe the one who was conceived by the Spirit in Mary’s womb, coming to the true convictions that have passed down to us in the early creeds.
Our spiritual forefathers identified the wonderful mystery of the incarnation, bowed before the mystery and miracle of it, and affirmed through the holy scriptures that indeed Jesus was, is, and remains, very God and very man.
The idea that God would supernaturally invade this world shouldn’t surprise or discomfort us.
Considering how hardcore sin is, it takes a supernatural invasion of God into individuals’ lives, after all, to bring them to living faith, just as God sovereignly wonderfully worked a miracle in Mary’s womb in order to bring us – Redeemer.
Jesus told Nicodemus that unless someone is born from above—a birth brought about by God through His Spirit—they would not see God’s kingdom (John 3:3).
If we have been brought to salvation, it is only because God alone has done it.
You did no more to save yourself than Mary did to become pregnant with your Savior – the “How?” of salvation is forever answered only by – “God did it.”
What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?
How is God calling me to think differently?
How is God calling me to be wonderfully, mysteriously, different?
How is God miraculously reordering my heart’s affections — what I love?
Ephesians 2:8-10 Revised Standard Version
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God— 9 not because of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
So, kneel today before the wonder, miracle and mystery of God taking on flesh.
And bow today before the wonder and mystery of God redeeming you – for that, no less than the virgin birth of the Son of God, is the supernatural work of God.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 139:1-18 Revised Standard Version
The Inescapable God
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
139 O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me! 2 Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up; thou discernest my thoughts from afar. 3 Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. 5 Thou dost beset me behind and before, and layest thy hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, thou art there! If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Let only darkness cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to thee, the night is bright as the day; for darkness is as light with thee.
13 For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful.[a] Wonderful are thy works! Thou knowest me right well; 15 my frame was not hidden from thee, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth. 16 Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance; in thy book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious to me are thy thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee.[b]
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]
8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt 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.
The Advent and Christmas seasons are a powerful and unique time of year to remember that Jesus came from eternity to make a way for us to be near God.
In his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus built a bridge between us and God allowing us to have continual, unhindered communion with our Creator.
But God can’t force us into nearness with him.
Even as believers filled with the Holy Spirit, we can choose to live as if God is still far off.
So this Advent, Christmas season, may we choose to open our hearts to the living God that we might experience fullness of joy in his loving presence.
Except, what do we do when we cannot find God?
The Christian author C. S. Lewis searched for God during the illness of his wife without finding him.
In his book A Grief Observed, Lewis wrote, “Meanwhile, where is God? … Go to him when your need is desperate … and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double-bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away.”
Both believers and non believers, sceptics and agnostics and atheist’s have searched for God without being able to find him.
David, who wrote of the wonderful comfort of God in Psalm 23, also cried out in Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus said those self same words on the cross (Matthew 27:46).
If for some reason you can’t seem to find God, or identify with the voice of God calling them as Eli and Samuel, let God know you can’t find Him—then listen.
Listen longer, Listen harder, Listen hardcore, Listen continually, continuously, Listen repeatedly, Listen as if your very eternity (because it is) is at highest risk.
Psalm 139:23-24 Holman Christian Standard Bible
23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. 24 See if there is any offensive[a] way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.
God is right where He always is.
The writer C.S. Lewis found that perhaps the volume of his own cries deafened him “to the [still small] voice [he] hoped to hear.”
He wrote later, “I have gradually been coming to feel that the door is no longer shut and bolted. Was it my own frantic need that slammed it in my face?”
Accept God’s invitation: “Come near to God and God will come near to you.”
Come as you are, empty handed, and with a simple prayer.
God is where we are.
Says Jesus in John 6:37, “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”
It’s a sure promise.
Try Identifying The Importance of Our Drawing Near
James 4:7-10 Easy-to-Read Version
7 So give yourselves to God. Stand against the devil, and he will run away from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. You are sinners, so clean sin out of your lives.[a] You are trying to follow God and the world at the same time. Make your thinking pure. 9 Be sad, be sorry, and cry! Change your laughter into crying. Change your joy into sadness. 10 Be humble before the Lord, and he will make you great.
James 4:8 contains a profound promise of God.
Scripture says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”
For a while I thought this verse seemed backwards.
Does not God do the drawing?
Is not God the one who’s constantly pursuing us?
After diving deeper into the meaning of James 4:8 I discovered an important truth that’s foundational to living in communion with God: the door of God’s heart is always open to us, His love is always for us, presence always available.
At Calvary, The Father turned away from Jesus as ours sins rested squarely on His Son’s shoulders ensuring He would never ever have to turn away from us.
To draw near to God is to simply open our hearts to what was always available.
It’s not that God ever withholds his presence from us.
It’s that He never forces us to abide in Him.
If all us sheep want to go our own way, He willingly and patiently waits for us.
And the moment that we turn our hearts back to him, He is there to fill us with a grand celebration, revelation, of His loving nearness and unwavering devotion.
Luke 15:17-24 GOD’S WORD Translation
17 “Finally, he came to his senses. He said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more food than they can eat, while I’m starving to death here? 18 I’ll go at once to my father, and I’ll say to him, “Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and you. 19 I don’t deserve to be called your son anymore. Make me one of your hired men.” ’
20 “So he went at once to his father. While he was still at a distance, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son, put his arms around him, and kissed him. 21 Then his son said to him, ‘Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and you. I don’t deserve to be called your son anymore.’ [a]
22 “The father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let’s celebrate with a feast. 24 My son was dead and has come back to life. He was lost but has been found.’ Then they began to celebrate.
In his book, The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer describes two veils.
The first veil was the veil between the Holy of Holies and the world was torn at the death of Jesus, signifying the availability of God’s manifest presence to all.
The second veil is the veil of our own hearts, our decision to tear by God’s grace.
Whether it’s the effects of sin and shame or a lack of understanding what’s available to us in Christ, all of us have the ability to veil places in our hearts.
Like the Prodigal son while wildly spending our inheritance, all of us can shield our beliefs about our identity, our possessions, or all our relationships from the abiding presence of Jesus and live to live far apart from communion with Him.
We all have the ability at any given moment to go our own way and miss out on abundant life.
Isaiah 53:6 GOD’S WORD Translation
6 We have all strayed like sheep. Each one of us has turned to go his own way, and the Lord has laid all our sins on him.
But the truth is that the Christian life is not about our ability to abide in God perfectly, but about God’s grace to draw near to us in response to repentance.
Reading Scripture, God has no expectation that we would live this life perfectly.
He remembers our frame and knows we are dust (Psalm 103:14).
What God desires from us is to allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate any parts of our lives that are not His that we would be quick to repent, return to our right minds, renewing our worship, and enjoy his grace-filled presence once again.
God is not angry with us for veiling your heart.
He knows better than we do the reasons we are not letting him fully in.
His heart is filled with the fullness of compassion for us that we might all live to experience the fullness of His grace rather than strive, condemn ourselves for all of our bodily and sinful, spiritual failures and unchangeable imperfections.
While we wait for His Advent, our Christmas gifts, why not take some brief time today to rend apart the veil of your own heart, draw near to God, and experience the abundance of His glory, the nearness of His breath, His manifest presence.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on God’s promise to draw near to you if you will draw near to him. Allow the truth of God’s word to fill you with faith to encounter God.
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”James 4:8
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”Jeremiah 29:13
2. What parts of your heart seem veiled today?
Where are you going your own way?
Where in your life are you not experiencing abundant life in God synonymous with communion with him?
3. Rend the veil over your own heart today and allow God to flood those places with his forgiveness and grace.
Take time to allow him to fill you with a revelation of his love.
Psalm 139:23-24 The Message
23-24 Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life.
“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:19-20
May Hebrews 10:19-22 provide joy and hope to your heart as you seek to draw near to your heavenly Father:
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Lord our God, show us your presence in our lives. Help us to trust that you will never let go of us. As you have promised, you will never forsake us. 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.
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.
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a [a]manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
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.
The time had come for Mary to give birth to her first child.
Husband Joseph goes from place to place to find warmth and comfort.
All Joseph hears is: “I am sorry but …!”
Place after place – rejection even for a pregnant teen mother about to give birth.
Let the words of these constant rejections come in direct contact with your soul:
“Sorry …”
“No room for them.”
“Sorry again …”
“No vacancy.”
“Nope! Don’t tell me, I know … I heard it before … but Sorry …”
“No place – no not none.”
Words when seriously considered, still seem to hang close, cold, cruel, today.
Makes my soul just bristle with anger-does no one care enough about this child.
Surely, not in our caring and compassion driven healthcare systems would the sound of such words ever be heard or if they were heard they’d not be tolerated!
No room in anyone’s heart to offer mercy, a place to stay – to save a life or two?
In our divided chaotic world that seeks to crowd the message of the child Jesus out, where busyness and distractions abound, and hearts are stirred to focus on other fear focused things, it can be hard sometimes to choose to keep Him first.
Why is it for us that it’s all too easy to get caught up in the whole hurried dash of the holidays, and not give our fullest attention to what seems more urgent?
Too many of us, focus gets blurred; and the most important gets pushed aside.
There is too much of that attitude – “Sorry, not today, but no room in my Inn.”
It takes an active, daily choice to put Christ first, especially in a culture that says you’re too busy to focus there. Or that life is too full. And there’s no more room.
I sit and pray a whole lot now that I have had my Triple Bypass Heart Surgery.
Proverbs 4:23 New American Standard Bible
23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23-27 The Message
23-27 Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.
The proverb writer is deeply concerned about helping his children build a wise and discerning life. “Listen,” he pleads, “pay attention to what I’m saying.”
“Make room for God – Maximize all spaces within your soul => solely for God!”
Throughout the early chapters of the book of Proverbs we find one plea after another from author King Solomon who the wisest man to ever live, like this.
And in Proverbs 4:23 the writer points out the central issue in all this teaching.
“Above all else,” the writer says, “guard your heart.” In other words, “Look inside – less room for sin and maximum room for God who is our salvation.”
Be concerned about your inner life before you build your external life.
After all, your heart, your inner life, ‘is the very wellspring of life.’ Your heart shapes who you are.” More room for darkness means far more room for chaos.
Jesus taught this truth also. He said that a person produces good things when that person has a good heart— that is, a heart focused on living for God.
But if a person has room for only an evil heart, a sin darkened heart closed off to God, that will show up inside the evil things that person does. (See Luke 6:45.)
Let’s simply talk about what’s inside. After all, it would be a wasted effort to try building a way of life (on the outside) if the heart wasn’t healthy (on the inside).
We can hardly go through any Christmas season without at least receiving one reminder that the infant Jesus was born in much less than ideal circumstances.
Christmas cards often have scenes of a stable filled with animals, while Mary and Joseph both look lovingly into a manger, where the baby Jesus is lying.
While many written and cinematic portrayals of this one scene aim for a warm, sweet, nostalgic approach, the birth of Jesus was far from a pleasant experience.
But remember how it began -forced to travel to Bethlehem for a Roman census, Mary and Joseph were repeatedly rejected, found no comfortable place to stay.
So Joseph had to go from place to place, each less savory, healthy, and Mary gave birth in a cold, dirty stable and used the animals’ feedbox for Jesus’ crib.
What irony! Repeated rejections, no room was available here for the birth of our Savior who had in truth came to prepare a place for us in heaven (John 14:1-3).
John 14:1-3 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.
Everyday life has plenty of room its own ironies too.
For example, people were created to live in community and enjoy each other’s friendship.
The sheer chaos and havoc that sin has wreaked in this world often breaks down that sense of community and friendship, leaving far, far too many of us feeling as though there’s never going to be no place where we can actually feel at home.
The infant Jesus was born into a place that was hostile to the presence of God.
But, thanks be to God, the infant became a man who made room in His heart for all of God’s Children of all coming generations-made room, changed the world.
Throughout his entire ministry here, Jesus called people to Himself, where those who felt homeless, lost, lonely, and unwelcome could find a place where they experienced the warmth of being at home in the presence of the Lord.
May God help us to choose wisely, what room we make for whom, what voices we choose to listen to, and in Jesus’ name, where we give our attention today.
He is the only One who makes room, who brings true meaning to Christmas.
He is the only One who brings real peace in this all-too-often hectic season.
He is the only One worthy of making room for, giving our maximum time and attention, listen for God, we slow down the maddening rush around our lives.
We can make more room for God, we can know all of this in our heads, but may He help us to really believe it in our hearts…and choose to live it out this season.
Reminded.
Renewed.
Refreshed.
Repenting.
Believing the Good News.
That the Kingdom of God has, in maximum truth, Come Near.
And He will surely and certainly, as promised, come again!
Standing on the Promises of Christ our King and our Savior!
Making maximum effort to clear out maximum room for Him alone, first.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
ABBA Father, Help us to keep our focus first on Christ this season. Please forgive us for giving too much time and attention on other things. Help us to reflect again, on what Christmas is really all about. Thank you that you came to give new life, peace, hope, and joy, that you came to make room in our eternal darkness for your Son.
Help us to repent, make room for Him, remember that the gift of Christ, Immanuel, is our greatest treasure, not just at Christmas, but for the whole year through. Fill us with your joy and the peace of your Spirit. Direct our hearts and minds towards you. Thank you for your reminder that both in seasons of celebration and in seasons of brokenness, you’re still with us. For you never leave us. Thank you for your daily powerful Presence in our lives, that we can be assured your heart is towards us, your eyes are over us, and your ears are open to our prayers. Thank you that you surround us with favor as with a shield, and we are safe in your care. We choose to press in close to you today…and keep you first in our hearts and lives.In Immanuel‘s 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.
3 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[a]3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare[b] the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”
4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
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.
If John the Baptist were alive today, a noisy passenger on an airplane, or an unkempt passenger on a commuter train, a homeless person sitting against a building with his sign or someone standing on some street corner or in some other public place with a bullhorn or mic running his mouth, his message to the masses would be the same message he preached in the wilderness so long ago.
“Where do you think you are going , how far can you run you brood of snakes?”
“Do not think for even one hot second you can flee from God’s coming wrath!”
Picking up a rock or stick he says shaking them; “God can raise up far better Christians than you with these!”
“Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Who is actually going to take any time to actually listen to any of those words without thinking: “He is Drunk!” “He is off of his medications!” “Arrest him!”
We certainly won’t ever go near him to be baptized in any river called Jordan!
Just another sad, down on his luck soul in weird clothing not worth any time.
Yet, I wonder how many of us would take him seriously – in our world that is deafened by the constant noise and chaos, how many would actually listen to a man in the streets of any city who claimed to be preparing the way of the Lord?
John’s timeless message is like a banner waving over every heart on the planet.
It continues to wave bold and strong, even in our darkest of days – like today!
We all need only look up, pay attention and see that God’s kingdom is at hand.
Our present circumstances are not our final destination-here is not all there is!
The beautiful thing about that ancient John the Baptist’s invitation, is that it does not require any whole google search check-list of things to accomplish.
There is no get-your-life-together-first requirement – there are no rules you and I have to follow before repentance – for repentance now is where it begins.
A moment of recognition then a moment of confession (Peter’s Confession of Christ as Messiah when the disciples were asked by Jesus who did the people say, and thought Jesus was – and Jesus proclaiming BINGO) Matthew 16:13-20
The Bible assures us that when a person, or a nation, repents of sin, God is faithful and just to forgive (1 John 1:9).
When people humble themselves and with their whole heart seek the Lord, He will hear them – He will heal them. And, He forgives them (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Have we lost that “very first loving feeling” of being 1000% forgiven by God?
32 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up[b] as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. 7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
What a simple, yet unheeded message from the Psalmist’s and John’s call:
“Know you will be blessed” “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
If that ancient John the Baptist declared the kingdom of heaven was at hand, more than 2,000 years ago, exactly how much nearer is God’s kingdom today?
Every new moment of everyday, we are one step closer to our heavenly home.
Yet, how likely is it that we will continue to live as though this is all there is?
We will continue to strive for the things of earth, which will one day pass away.
Even Jesus himself said to those who had gathered around Him, His Message,
Matthew 5:4 Amplified Bible
4 “Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].
Today, let’s take 1% more heed to John’s ancient, yet relevant message, ask God to begin, renew our hearts, minds, souls, surrendering more everything to Him.
Every spark of coming chaos, darkness, hardship, trial, sin, and struggle, let us enter our prayer closets, invite God inside, confess them, to lay them at His feet.
Will you read John’s ancient admonishment as recorded here in Scripture and in some part of your busy day-take the time to absorb them-try to find relevance?
There is a brooding, budding John the Baptist within every single unbeliever!
There is a brooding, budding John the Baptist within each and every Christian!
When does our world of chaos and darkness around us-hear his words of truth?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Heavenly Father, We come before You, humbly seeking Your will and Your way. Forgive us, Lord, for doing as we please, in a world that is not our home. Help us to gain a heavenly perspective of “By Your stripes we were healed”. Help us heed the timeless call of John the Baptist—“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Please, ABBA Father, give us a fresh and refreshed and refreshing boldness and more clarity to share this message with those around us, to break away from the noise and chaos and speak words of truth. Thank You, Father, for preparing the way through Your Son. There is no other way. Continue to work in our lives until the glorious day when Jesus returns. For it is by Him, for Him, and because of Him that we live, and move, and have our being. It is in His name above all names that we pray. 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). 