Even Today.For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. --Luke 2:11 Today in the city of David.
What do we call each day we live? Today. Today has been born for YOU, a Savior. Everyday we live in is today. And today, and every today after this one, no matter who you are, no matter where you are, no matter what you've done, a Savior has been born. FOR YOU. Even today. Your 14th gift this December to Remember - Today. No matter how many todays I live on this earth, Jesus was born for that day, and me in it. Thank You, Jesus that you love me so. Even on today's when I'm not so lovable.
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The Heart Knows All Is Well There are few things in this life that evoke the same emotions I feel when I look upon a sleeping baby, especially when I looked upon my own sleeping infants. My heart bounces between a calm that has never been matched on this earth and a joy so intense that I almost tremble inside. How can I possibly feel joy so intense that I tremble, yet at the same time experience a calmness within the soul that even the ebbs and flows of the ocean tide can't match? Aside from God, I just can't explain it. But I think the shepherds out in the fields knew exactly what I am talking about. And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people -- Luke 2:10 A great joy. Not the joy like I had always thought. All this time I have read past this word and imagined it to be an exceeding happiness that should make us giddy, and that's not necessarily wrong, but what I read this year about this word joy meant more to me. Actually, I noticed two things. First, the word joy. Joy comes from chara and the meaning that jumped out so strongly to me was "a calm delight". The only thing I can think of ever experiencing that was truly a calm delight was watching my precious girls as they slept. Moments when you just breathe deep, exhale, and your heart smiles. A complete relaxation in the soul. Moments you know that all is well. Secondly, I never noticed something very small in this verse, the smallest of words in our language, "a". I bring you good news of a great joy. That tiny word "a" changes everything for me. "A" takes this from a mere emotion to a thing. What was that thing? Jesus. A Great Joy. The Great Joy. A Calm Delight. which shall be for all the people. A Calm Delight, not just for me. Not just for you. For ALL the people.
I can breathe deep, exhale, and my heart smiles. A complete relaxation in my soul. And the heart knows all is well. Your 13th gift this December to Remember - a calm delight. The Calm Delight. There is no other emotion I experience that compares to calm delight. I have often asked things like "How can anyone look at a sleeping baby and doubt that God exists?" It is calm delight that drives me to that question. You gave me those emotions and when they surface, they draw me directly to You and your work. God, how can You be so marvelous? How can You be so good to give us experiences like this and then still offer more. More in that your Son is our calm delight. As Different As Night and Day
And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. -- Luke 2:8-9 Since we're all shepherds anyway, lets think for a minute what this must have been like.
You're standing amidst a cool evening breeze in the expanse of an open field. You're are squinting and straining for a glimpse of your flock against the backdrop of darkness. The crickets are chirping, limbs crack echoing in the silence of the night. You look out over your left shoulder, scanning for any sign of harm advancing toward your sheep. It's safe in that direction, so You shift to the right, searching and listening for any suspicious movement. Just as your eyes begin to focus in the blackness, the canopy of black is swallowed by brilliance that outshines the sunbeams that normally beat down on you at noon. Just think, one moment it's midnight, and the next moment, its as if it's noon. You look around you and see no darkness anywhere, it's bright everywhere you turn. Light has pierced the darkness - completely. You have never experienced this before, and understandably, you are a bit fearful of what is happening. The light that surrounded them wasn't from the noon day sun, it was God's glory shining around them. And they knew it. Thus, their fear. How do I know they knew it? Because the word for glory in the original language says very apparent. Let's play with those words a little to better grasp what it is saying - And angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them and the very apparence of God shown around them. Has the "apparence of God" ever been apparent to you in circumstances in your life? I can answer that question with a resounding "Yes!" It was pitch black outside and all of a sudden it was completely clear, they could see. When God becomes apparent in a situation, the difference is night and day. We can see through the darkness more clearly and can fall at his feet in fearful reverence that He has drawn near. Your twelfth gift this December to Remember - God's apparence. His Glory. Right smack dab in the middle of the midnights of our lives. Glorious Creator, You are never far. Even in our darkest hours You are leaning in, ready to make your glory known to us. Shine on and shine through, Father, pierce the darkness and show us your apparence in everyday situations in such a way that we fall in worship of your greatness. Me? A Shepherd?
And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night. -- Luke 2:8 One year in the annual Christmas Program at church, our girls had parts in the play that, at first they thought unlikely. They were "Flo" and "Jo", two of the main characters in the play. And they argued back and forth, which came quite naturally for my girls. There was a slight problem, though. Flo and Jo were shepherds. Shepherds are boys. Or so my girls thought! As it turned out, they made the perfect little shepherds and that was one of my favorite programs that they have ever been involved in.  To tell you the truth I think they enjoyed being Flo and Jo just as much, if not more, than any other role they have played. They took their roles very seriously.
Question is... Do we? Just like they didn't see themselves as shepherds, sometimes we don't see ourselves as shepherds, but in reality, in some aspect we all are shepherds. We all have a flock of some sort. Sheep follow a shepherd. Yes, maybe we're girls. But we're still a shepherd to someone. Look around today, where is your flock? And where are you leading them? We'll talk about that more in a few days. A flock. Your 11th gift this December to Remember. Good Shepherd, You have given each of us a sphere of influence, and that is, in fact, a gift. The sheep in our sphere of influence are very special to you and you give those very special sheep to us to lead somewhere as we come and go through each day. Spirit, I ask you to resensitize me to the impact I may have on the flock around me, whether it be the little flock in my home (my Flo and Jo), my extended family, those in my workplace, and those I shepherd unaware. Father, I don't want to confuse them with mixed messages and a life that is not in line with the one You desire for me and for them. Show me ways to be a better shepherd. The Feeding Trough
...and she wrapped Him in cloths and laid HIm in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. --Luke 2:7 In a manger. A manger is a feeding trough. The feeding trough is where the animals come to eat, where they come for nourishment. There in little Bethlehem, a house of Bread, (as we learned a few days ago), there in a house of bread, she laid the Savior in feeding trough. Do you get this? Your Savior is the nourishment in the feeding trough. He is our food. The Bread of Life was laid in the feeding trough for all to eat from. The animals know that food lies in the trough for their consumption, and we must know and remember our food lies in what was placed in that trough over 2000 years ago. I wonder if Mary realized the significance of her actions when she placed that tender babe in the manger? She may not have, but God did. Jesus said to them, "Come and dine.".... --John 21:12 Jesus, I may feast from your table anytime. Thank You that You are the Bread laid in the trough for my nourishment. Please forgive me for all of the times I have passed you by for something that I thought would taste better. Feasting upon You is better than life.
While They Were There
And it came about that while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son..... -- Luke 2:6-7 While they were there.
While they were where? Far from home. Far from comfort. Far from preferred. Mary was far from home. Far from her mother and friends. She was in a strange place and knew no one but Joseph. Although they did not have the modern conveniences that we are accustomed to, I am sure that Mary would have rather been in the comforts of her own surroundings. She was near the end of her pregnancy. Her body must have been tired, her feet swollen. It was probably hard to breath, and definitely hard to rest. What she probably would have given to just go home and rest in her own bed. She was miserably pregnant. For those of you who have never carried your own child, please know, I mean no disrespect by saying she was miserably pregnant. I know you would have given anything to experience carrying your own. What I do mean is, there is a point near the end where you are weary, tired, anxious, and your body just hurts all over, or at least it was that way in my experiences. Certainly Mary wasn't where she wanted to be this close to delivery. I just can't imagine what was going through her mind. I wonder if she cried silent tears upon the back of that donkey as she journeyed with Joseph just wishing for relief. Wishing for the comforts of home. Wishing for reassurance from her own mother. Wishing for the support from friends and family. It wasn't ideal. It wasn't convenient. It wasn't comfortable. Then I think of Joseph. He must have been uneasy. Here he was far from advice from his father with no clue on how to be a husband or a dad. I imagine he was much like my own husband in that he would do anything he could to comfort her and provide her needs, but he was in a situation completely foreign to him. He knew nothing of childbirth and what to expect. I am sure he would rather have been at home as well. Again, It wasn't ideal. It wasn't convenient. It wasn't comfortable. But while they were there.....In the midst of their being out of their personal comforts and preferences, Jesus was born. Sometimes we wait to be in our preferred places, our preferred situations in life before we allow a new birthing of Jesus in ourselves. We want things to be just right first, then we'll listen to God. But really, that's not how He works. Most commonly, He births new parts of our faith and our growth in times or places that aren't comfortable. In times or places that aren't necessarily "home". I can say that because I have experienced it. I have been through things in my life that I just wanted to go away, that I just wanted fixed, that I just wanted back to normal - home. Each time, when I gave up the fight and let Him be birthed in the situation while I was there, my faith grew. My relationship with Him grew. I grew. I don't know where you are in your life today. You may be in a very uncomfortable place, you may be very far from home, so to speak. If you are, would you allow Him to birthed in you in a new way "while you are there"? Your ninth gift this December to Remember, letting Him be born in your situation, while you are there. It really is a marvelous thing. I would be honored to pray for you if you are in such a place. Would you mind leaving a comment below so that I can pray for you? You don't have to explain your situation, just simply your name and that you would like prayer. I will pray specifically for each need. Almighty God, You over and over birth Jesus in my life in difficult, uncomfortable, less than desirable situations. When I reflect on that, it really is just like You to do it that way. For when You birth your son in times of adversity, it proves to us how big You are. It proves that nothing is impossible with You. Although I gripe along the way wishing I were on easy street, thank You for placing your hand in my back and urging me to press on so that I get to see You on the other side. A Royal Bread Box  Earlier in this series we learned what Nazareth meant, click here if you missed that day. I promise, you won't be sorry. I loved learning about Nazareth, but today we are arriving in Bethlehem, Heaven's choice as a birthing center to welcome our matchless Savior. We broke down "Nazareth" to discover it's meaning, and we'll do just the same with Bethlehem. I hope you are in as much awe over what you read here today as I was when I discovered it a few days ago. I still get goosebumps over it. And Joseph went up from Galilee , from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register, along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. -- Luke 2:4-5 They went to Bethlehem. A little city with a very big name, both alphabetically and symbolically. Bethlehem is made up of two Hebrew words beth and lehem. Let's get the microscope out and take a really close look at both of these, we'll start with beth. The original word for beth is bayit which means house. It is also used to describe a depository of certain items. Let's think for just a minute. A house, a depository of what? Keep that question in mind as we move to the next part, lehem. Lehem comes from the root word lechem, which means bread Beth + lehem = house, depository + bread Bethlehem is a house of bread. Bethlehem was a depository for bread. .....I am the bread of life. -- John 6:35 Bethlehem was the house where God deposited life. .....I am the way, and the truth, and the life. -- John14:6 Your eighth gift in this December to Remember.
Father, I can't add anything to that. You miss no details when you plan things out, and yet we still manage to doubt You and your sovereign control over all things. You raised your tender shoot in Nazareth after You deposited the source of eternal life in little Bethlehem. Like a gift wrapped under the tree with the gift disguised inside, Bethlehem is but wrapping paper for a word full of significance to your master plan. Magnificent God, Beautiful Savior, I am so grateful for the Bread that You are to me. You truly satisfy my soul. Just Who Are You, Anyway? Yesterday we left off with Caesar Augustus issuing a decree that everyone had to participate in a census that ordered each person to return to the city of their birth to register. We'll keep reading from Luke 2... And all were proceeding to register for the census, everyone to his own city. --Luke 2:3 Caesar Augustus needed information. Their empire needed revenue and they needed to know who they could get revenue from. The only way to track the people was to make them all register. It is likely they had to register not only who they were, but everyone in their household, their income, the land they owned and all of their assets. Sounds familiar, huh?? Can you imagine walking up to this big desk to fill out your name and every other detail of your life while making sure your donkey doesn't wander off? I despise going to do "official business", it makes me nervous, and this was official business. If you were to have to go somewhere to register, who would you say that you were? What could you register as truly yours? Everyone had to go his is "own city". Going back to where you came from can often be painful, both literally and spiritually. I have never attended any of my high school reunions because I don't want to revisit who I used to be. It's not that I have this dark past or anything really to hide, but for some reason, I don't want to go back there. Maybe it's because of the things I thought of myself back then or what I thought people thought of me. Maybe it's because I went through those years not realizing the worth being a child of the King automatically gave me. I don't know, but I couldn't have accurately "registered" back then, because I had no idea who I really was. If you were to "go back" to "your own city" of life, who would you tell your own city that you are? How would you register? Would it be the old you? Or is the old you no longer living? I am still growing spiritually, but I am confident that I am no longer who I used to be. To register as the old me would really be a lie, because I have been made brand new. The old me is gone, behold new things have come. We don't have to register as the "old us", we get to register as a child of the King. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it. --Revelation 2:17 Since names are so significant to God, I wonder what name He has in mind for me and for you? I can't wait to find out what my new name will be. How about you?
Your seventh gift in this December to Remember. Almighty God, you have made us new and You have a name so special and significant that you have written on stone. A white stone at that. I wonder, Father, is it a glistening diamond, maybe mother of pearl, who can even fathom the stones You have in Heaven, but I believe it will be beautiful. I also believe that since our new name will only be revealed to the one who receives it, that it is something very special that you share specifically with each of us. I praise You that You count us who are insignificant as so significant to You. I just can't adore You enough. I sure hope you come back for Day 8, I just can't wait to tell you about it! It's one of my favorite things about this series! God's Plan Trumped All That Now it came about in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. -- Luke 2:1  A decree went out..... Just what is a decree, anyway? According to google, a decree is an official order issued by a legal authority. When a decree is issued, what the person in authority says in that decree goes. No questions. No negotiation. It is stated, therefore it is. Except when it comes to God. The world can say what it may, order what it may, but it doesn't trump what God says. He is the final authority. He issued the ultimate decree. He sometimes even uses decrees issued by man to accomplish His plan. Caesar issued a decree that took Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, but God used a decree issued by a man to fulfill a prophecy. You see, God had decreed something about Bethlehem seven hundred years earlier, before Caesar Augustus had taken his first breath..... But as for you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. --Micah 5:2 Bethlehem wasn't much in terms of a town. It was tiny, barely on the map. How like our God to pick a small, unlikely little town to host the birth of the King. It did not matter what man had decreed, God's plan trumped all of that. The world may say things about you, it may label you with things that you are not proud of, decree things about you that make you feel small, insignificant, non-usable. But the world doesn't get to give the final decree about you. God's plan trumps all that. God issued decrees about you long before you drew your first breath... He decreed that He loves you alot... For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life -- John 3:16 You are an heir... Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? -- James 2:5 With Him you can accomplish anything... I can do all things through Him strengthens me. -- Philippians 4:13 He will destroy the work of the enemy... ....The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. -- 1 John 3:9 You are His friend... No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends... --John 15:15 You aren't the old you, you are brand new, no matter what the world says... Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come. -- 2 Corinthians 5:17 If you believe nothing else, believe what this verse says about you... .....if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved...Romans 10:9 and what this one promises you... ...And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed. --Romans 9:33 No matter what the world decrees about us, what God says is the final authority. When we believe in Him, we will not be disappointed. Our sixth gift in this December to Remember.
God - Not disappointed? This life is riddled with disappointments, it's just part of living and we expect some disappointments, so to think that I will not be disappointed in You is a much welcomed change, Father. The world will disappoint me, but You will not. As your child, I have much to look forward to and I trust what you have decreed in Romans 9:33, that I will not be disappointed. It will all be worth the wait. Thank you for the gift of anticipating what being with you will be like. We all have known times that we anticipated a gift only to unwrap it and be disappointed, but that will not be the case with You. It makes me even more excited for the day I will meet You face to face. Never Walk Alone Several weeks ago our family attended a birthday party hosted by dear friends of ours for their daughter. We had a blast playing all sorts of games, but I think the overall crowd favorite was the three-legged race. I think we spectators enjoyed it much more than the participants! I stood on the sidelines and laughing as I held my sides, thoroughly enjoying the show.  Several of these kids had never played "old-fashioned" games, therefore had no clue of the sheer strategy it takes to succeed at a three legged race. As is typical, it started off well, which lasted all of about one step before some of the partners encountered trouble! Those who started out of the gate fast, usually didn't finish first.  Some got ahead of their partners causing one of the pair or both to stumble. At times the one still standing would stop and wait for the other, and even raise their partner to their feet, but there were other teams who had one member so focused on the finish line that they kept going, dragging their teammate behind with all their might. It often didn't seem to matter that the other person was yelling out, "Wait! Stop! Slow Down!" Fueling my laughter all the more!  Since there was an odd number of children, Todd agreed to be Brenna's partner. I could hear him coaching her as they waited for "go", telling her the best way to make it to the other side. They traveled step by step, his arm across her shoulders and her arm around his waist, joy on their faces. I don't remember if they ever won a round, but they finished together. She and he enjoyed every step. Tied together. Working as one. One never getting ahead of the other. Bonded by a single strip of fabric and their willingness to take a step only with the other. And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. -- Luke 1:38 Isn't a bondslave a strange thing to call yourself?
I guess at first thought it is, but when I really stopped and thought about what Mary was saying, it was the perfect thing to call herself. Referring to herself as a bondslave was her way of expressing her willingness to be obedient to Him and His plan. The angel had just revealed this impossible-without-God plan to her (he actually says that in the verse before), and she submits herself completely to the journey He had planned for her, calling herself a bondslave. The original word for bondslave was doulos which meant to be a slave or a servant, and doulos comes from the word deo which meant to bind, to be in bonds, to knit, to tie. May I ask you - How is your three-legged race? Are you tied to Him? Are you letting Him coach you each step of the way? Are you getting out of step and stumbling behind Him? He is willling to tie Himself to you and walk through the days you face, are you willing to do the same? Your steps must become His, which will allow His steps to become yours. Mary was saying she was willing to be a slave, His property. She was willing to be tied to Him. Bound to Him. Step by step. To Judah to visit Elizabeth. Upon the back of a donkey to a strange city. To a manger stall. Even step by step up the hill of Calvary. Never walking alone. And neither will you. Your fifth gift in this December to Remember. God, how thought provoking that You are willing to tie yourself to me if I am willing to be your bondslave and tie myself to You. For that is how I will truly never walk alone. My heart sings at the glimpse of You and I in our own three-legged race, your arm across my shoulders and mine around your waist. Bless You. Praise You, Jesus. |
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