Babies were being born all the time, so what was so very special about this baby Mary was about to give birth to? At the very moment Jesus was delivered, salvation suddenly appeared and shone its light on mankind…and God’s loving kindness was made flesh in the body of this tiny babe.
Month: December 2012
Colossians 1:15 ” He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”
That baby lying in the manger was the personal manifestation of God…not a resemblance or facsimile…Jesus was God incarnate. In Colossians, Paul wrote that Jesus was placed above all creation in that He was the first to rise from the dead with a transformed body…leading the way for us.
II Corinthians 1:4 “…who comforst us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
When distress, grief, or affliction are crushing down, you long for someone to tell you that they’ve not only been where you are, but about the journey back to wholeness. The Lord encourages us during those dark times, so we in turn can impart that same compassion and mercy to others. The time spent in the valley of the shadow of death is difficult to be sure, but when we’ve made it out, we can reach back to help others with the same encouragement the Lord has given us.
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. Mother Teresa
I have always admired Mother Teresa, a tiny dynamo of a woman who truly showed the love of Jesus to everyone she met. Here is one of my favorite quotes from her…
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies; succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people often forget tomorrow; do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.
Isaiah 7:14 ” Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
Isaiah had just gone to King Ahaz reassuring him about the times ahead, but asking him to have faith in God… to the point of asking Ahaz what kind of sign he’d like God to do to prove that the Lord was with him. Ahaz’s faith in God was so weak he wouldn’t give Isaiah a suggestion. Angrily, Isaiah said “you’re trying God’s patience Ahaz, so God Himself will give you a sign”…a extraordinary event, so miraculous to be inconceivable to mere man. And his name will be Immanuel…God with us.
Isaiah 40:11 ” He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart…”
Like many of you, I have been trying to put my mind around the senseless killings at the grade school in Newtown, Connecticut a few days ago. We were at our Bible Study Friday night and were praying for all those affected by this tragedy, when I asked the Lord to show me where He was during those horrific moments in the classrooms. Suddenly I saw Jesus in those classrooms gently picking up tiny baby lambs one by one and gathering them all close to Him. I was struck by how calm and peaceful the picture was, the lambs weren’t scared, but rather were running up to Jesus waiting to be picked up. He gathered those little lambs in His arms and will now and forever carry them close to His heart.
Psalm 119: 105 ” Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
I love nightlights! We have quite a few in the house spread out in various areas…hallways, bathrooms, bedrooms when the grandkids are visiting. You can get up in the middle of the night and not stub your toe or fall over something because of those little lights. God’s Word is like those nightlights…His Word brings illumination and enlightenment to our lives. With the Word lighting the way, we can boldly go forth without fear. The light of His Word brings instruction to confusing times in our lives. In the dark world around us, His Word is a nightlight showing us the way.
I John 4:9 ” This is how God showed His love among us; He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.”
God could have sent someone else, but so important was the mission, He sent His Son. In ancient times, the more important the matter, the higher the level of the person that was sent as an ambassador. To send a son showed gravity in the situation…to send an only son showed immense seriousness of the undertaking. God commissioned His one and only Son to the greatest mandate known to man…to save the world and give eternal life through His Son Jesus.
Isaiah 42:1 ” Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on Him and He will bring justice to the nations.”
There are four “Servant Songs” within Isaiah…Chapter 42:1-9, Chapter 49:1-7, Chapter 50:4-11, and Chapter 52:13-53:12. All these songs are prophecies of Christ Jesus; His life, death, and resurrection. In speaking with His disciples, Jesus used these scriptures to show that He was the fulfillment of the words foretold by Isaiah. This Holiday Season I would urge you to take time to read all these passages and marvel at that tiny baby in the manger, and what He stood for.
Luke 1:34 ” How can this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin?”
Elizabeth was the wife of Zechariah. She was old and barren. But the angel of the Lord came to Zechariah and announced that Elizabeth would have a son. Six months later that very angel visited Mary and told her the same mind-boggling news. When Mary asked the angel how this could happen he told her of Elizabeth and stated,”For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke then states that Mary got ready and hurried to the hill country of Judea to Elizabeth’s home. Why? This shell-shocked young pregnant teenager needed answers to questions, and Elizabeth was the very best person to answer them. Only Elizabeth could relate to what was happening to Mary, and God knew that only Elizabeth and her wisdom could prepare Mary for the path ahead. The Lord will bring Marys into your life also…searching young people who need you to share your grace, mercy, love, but most importantly your Godly wisdom with them. You will be the very best person to answer their questions. Be that Elizabeth to them.
Safetypinlove 