Sometimes our brokenness is also a time of God’s greatest restoration. Ok, follow me for a moment with this one. Occasionally, we have to tear something down in order to build something new…and this isn’t more vividly demonstrated than a major remodeling project in our home. There’s the demolition with all its mess…there’s the inconvenience, frustration, and weeks of living like nomads in your own home…not to mention the aggravation of cooking only with a microwave & doing dishes in the bathtub. But in the end, we have the kitchen of our dreams, and all is well with our life. When Peter wrote this passage, he was encouraging all of us to look at those rough patches as a chance for growth…an ever-deepening fellowship with Christ as our understanding & faith grows.
Author: kezha1
A Christian mother, grandmother, and retired nurse living in Illinois. Called into a ministry of encouraging others to find their ultimate plan and purpose in life through Christ.
Proverbs 19:11 ” A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.”
It’s probably better to ask the Lord for wisdom than patience. For wisdom will enable us to remain calm…employing Godly discipline, self-control, and discretion rather than flying off the handle in a huff. Wisdom will also allow us to forgive rather than take offense at every little insult. So, patience requires wisdom to forgive without a spoken word…a deep breath and then a release of the self-perceived slight…for our good and His glory.
John 1:14 ” The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
His tiny cry cut through the night sky…proclaiming that God had come to earth. The plan of Redemption realized for all mankind.
And on that hill of Golgotha, His cry of “It is finished!” was not uttered in defeat but rather in victory… as the Temple curtain was torn from top to bottom…allowing all to enter the Holy of Holies and have true fellowship with God.
And someday soon, His all-powerful cry will fill the entire earth & sky as He returns. There will be no question, there will be no doubt, there will be no argument. And as the heavens are torn apart by His mighty voice, every knee shall bow, and every tongue will confession that Jesus is Lord.
Malachi 4:1 ” Surely the day is coming…”
There are well over 300 prophecies about the coming of Jesus in the Old Testament, all covering different aspects of His life – from birth to resurrection. What’s so amazing, is that starting in Genesis and throughout the rest of the Old Testament, we can see the prophesies, followed by the fulfillment of them in the New Testament. From Samuel to Isaiah, from Jeremiah to Daniel and many of the other minor prophets, Jesus took their words and made them come alive. The last prophecy is found in Malachi, the last Book of the Old Testament, which points to new beginnings…but the length of time between it and fulfillment was over 400 years…also called the Intertestamental Period or The Years of Silence. How many Servants of God do you think spent their whole lives waiting, but never seeing God’s Words fulfilled…wondering if they had even heard God correctly or if their ministry had made a difference?
Matthew 2:1-2 ” Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He Who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.’ “
These gentlemen weren’t kings but rather the wisest men of the time. They were also called Magi, referring to a priestly caste in Persia, where it is supposed they traveled from. The men were scholars, astrologers, seers, and fortunetellers…and very well versed in all types of ancient writings. No doubt they had poured over the Pentateuch and the many prophecies of the coming Messiah and His star, so when this brilliant orb rose in the night sky, they immediately remembered Numbers 24:17, “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” and organized an expedition to find this Messiah spoken of. Despite their culture and religion, they came in respect and honor, familiar with Daniel’s prophecy of the Anointed One. (Daniel 9:24-27) And with them, they brought Gold, representing a royal gift afforded to Kings…Frankincense, representing His Divinity…and Myrrh, representing Jesus’ humanity and foretelling His death and burial. These unnamed Magi traveled many miles out of curiosity and desire to connect the dots of ancient prophecy…and they found it in a stable manger.
Luke 2:8 ” And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.”
If there was a more unlikely bunch of people to be used of God…it would have been the shepherds. They were men from the other side of the tracks, despised, and often rendered unclean by the priests…a group of misfits and social outcasts who would probably prefer to talk to a herd dog than a human. But yet, this humble group were chosen of God to receive the most powerful news in human history…the birth of Jesus. These unnamed men were first-hand witnesses to the brilliant night show as the heavenly host of angels broke out in song announcing Christ’s birth. They were also the first to see the star that led them to the manger in Bethlehem. In the world’s eyes they were marginalized & scorned as worthless…but in God’s eyes, their job description actually became the whole of Jesus’ ministry…”I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11)
Luke 2:1,4-5 ” In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. So, Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.”
This census was being done primarily for taxation purposes…so from the start, no one was overjoyed to travel to their ancestral home. But Joseph was forced to go to Bethlehem… with a very pregnant Mary. Now Bethlehem wasn’t a huge city, it was more like a small hamlet with very limited places that a traveler might safely stay for the night. And by the time Mary & Joseph finally got there, the small town had ballooned to overflowing. This is when we meet an unnamed Innkeeper who had been “stuffing” people wherever he could all day. He was weary from feeding & watering animals and exhausted from dealing with travelers. So when Joseph knocked on his door, he might have taken one look at the harried & very pregnant Mary and shooed them away…but he didn’t. Even in his overwhelmed condition, the Innkeeper unwittingly became part of God’s magnificent plan…his compassion for the weary couple overriding his own exhaustion as he found room for them.
Matthew 1:20 ” Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”
Joseph, a kindly carpenter of Nazareth, became the earthly father of Jesus through default…having nothing to do with the actual conception. As a devout Jew, Joseph adhered to the Law, but as a human, he struggled mightily when his beloved Mary informed him that she was pregnant. Joseph’s emotions ran the gambit from absolute disbelief of Mary’s explanation, to anger at her seemingly betrayal of their love, to total heartbreak of their future together. Hence, it took a revelatory dream to change Joseph’s mind from quietly divorcing her. Joseph was a man of faith, integrity, and humility…and Jesus was deeply imprinted by this quiet man, even taking on his trade. For even though it wasn’t Joseph’s plan, he was entrusted with the huge task of caring for God’s Son by Divine intervention. And so, cutting through it all, Joseph chose faith over fear, Godly understanding over confusion, mercy over anger… deliberately choosing to love not only Mary, but this baby boy who wasn’t his.
Luke 1:28 ” And He came to her and said, ‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’ “
To the world, Mary was just a poor peasant girl…but to God, she was a woman of rare strength. And when the angel visited this chaste Jewish girl who was betrothed to humble carpenter, her world was turned upside down with the announcement that she would have a son by Immaculate Conception. This miracle was only amplified by the social perception of her being an unwed mother…her pregnancy causing her immense embarrassment and the near loss of her fiancé. But in this Scripture, Mary is called favored…meaning unmerited kindness and grace from God. For God saw a willing, and obedient servant and the only person to be with Jesus throughout His entire life- from birth to death.
Luke 1:45 ” Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.”
Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah had endured the shame & disgrace of not being able to have children. And in a society where having many children was normal and celebrated…being childless was looked upon as disapproval from God. But this all changed when the angel Gabriel promised them a son. Later, when Elizabeth was 6 months along, she was sought out by her cousin Mary…a bewildered and frightened young girl who had just been visited by an angel herself…the angel announcing that she too would bear a son. Fearing the rebuke of the townspeople, Mary had come seeking solace & understanding. And that’s just what Elizabeth delivered, articulating in humble wonder the true identity of Mary’s unborn son and paying tribute to her unwavering faith. Elizabeth may had spent most of her life slighted & trivialized by society…but for those following 3 months, she was Mary’s best cheerleader, encourager, and confidante.
Safetypinlove 