Luke 1:28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 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 be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name 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 the house of Jacob 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 upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
A child was to be born! And not just any child. This child was special. He was the One.
I wonder what filled the heart of Mary as she pondered these things? Knowing that she carried the Son of God in her womb, knowing that from His very conception He was a miracle. The child she carried would be given the throne of David, and He would reign over God’s people forever. Can you imagine how this greeting from the angel, this pronouncement of God’s awesome intention changed everything she did?
She carried this miracle inside of her for months. She spoke with people about ordinary, common things, and all the while her heart must have been bursting to tell the secret, the most wonderful secret of all. I’m sure she overheard people talking about the Romans and she heard whispers of Jewish zealots who wanted to dispel Rome from Judea. She encountered people in despair, without hope. And all the while she carried the answer to their prayers. She felt it growing inside of her, day by day.
She did not think the same anymore. Tasks were no longer mundane. Even eating. It wasn’t just a meal, for now this common activity was filled with purpose. She nourished the Child, the Miracle. She did not think the same anymore. She couldn’t.
And with all of these things weighing on her heart, the decree of a census goes out. If not for the promise of God, this census might have seemed like an inconvenience coming at the worst time. Hey, Mary was human. Maybe it did seem like a terrible inconvenience.
Glory to God! A miracle is coming. Then the rest of the memo…Really? A road trip? All the way to Bethlehem, like this?
The trip to Bethlehem could have taken 4 days to a week to make, depending on how far they traveled each day. Oh, my. That’s not a very appealing journey, riding on the back of a donkey (my assumption) for days, very pregnant and I’m sure more than a bit uncomfortable. But take heart, Mary. This trip isn’t just an inconvenience. It isn’t just some painful thing to endure. It isn’t interfering with your miracle. It is, indeed, a part of it.
Jesus must be born in Bethlehem, and that’s not going to happen if Mary doesn’t get there first.
Has the Lord spoken a promise to you? Are you waiting for that wonderful fulfillment of what has been whispered to your heart? And did you get the rest of the memo, that there is a difficult journey ahead? Don’t despise that journey, friend. Don't dismiss it as a waste of precious time. God has a perfect time and a perfect place. What you perceive as an interference or an inconvenience or a terrible mistake, just might be our gracious Lord getting you there, getting you to "Bethlehem."
Friday, December 19, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Immanuel
Matthew 1:18-23 NLT
Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace her publicly. 20 As he considered this, he fell asleep, and an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. 22 All of this happened to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet: 23 "Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Immanuel (meaning, God is with us)."
Isn’t that just like our God? Who could have imagined the Savior of the world would come to us as a fragile infant, born to just a girl, from just a small town. The Son of God, entrusted to this young couple, starting out their lives together.
And isn’t that just like man? So unaware of the miracle growing in his midst.
“Joseph, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace her publicly.” Tuck her away in secret and protect the pristine reputation that means so much in this life. Good intention. And I think this is a common reaction when God moves onto the scene and invades our well-ordered, planned out lives with the supernatural wonder of His own plans.
And yes, how by His grace He does invade our world! We could never guess how it would play out. We could never guess how the Lord would answer our prayers. “Lord, I want to know You more.” “Lord, use me.” “Lord, help me. Change my heart.” He hears those prayers and moves in ways we cannot understand to bring us to the place of surrender where that miracle occurs and we are being conformed to the image of His glorious Son. It is in these moments of advent, these unexpected, supernatural birthings that we are confronted with a terrible truth…things are not going according to our plan! We are in over our heads.
A pregnant fiancé was a definite problem for Joseph. He couldn’t see how God was right in the middle of it all, preparing deliverance and inconceivable blessing. I don’t know what you are facing today, but I know God works all things together for the good of those who love Him. Sometimes it’s hard, like Joseph, to see our trial is actually pregnant with amazing grace. Does that minimize the pain? Of course not. But it does give us hope. Hope that we don’t suffer in vain, and hope that in the end, God will use this for His glory. Hope that, yes, He does hear when we cry out to Him, and He does come when we call. He does invade, permeate, and surround. We are not alone; God is in this thing with us. Immanuel, always.
Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace her publicly. 20 As he considered this, he fell asleep, and an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. 22 All of this happened to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet: 23 "Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Immanuel (meaning, God is with us)."
Isn’t that just like our God? Who could have imagined the Savior of the world would come to us as a fragile infant, born to just a girl, from just a small town. The Son of God, entrusted to this young couple, starting out their lives together.
And isn’t that just like man? So unaware of the miracle growing in his midst.
“Joseph, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace her publicly.” Tuck her away in secret and protect the pristine reputation that means so much in this life. Good intention. And I think this is a common reaction when God moves onto the scene and invades our well-ordered, planned out lives with the supernatural wonder of His own plans.
And yes, how by His grace He does invade our world! We could never guess how it would play out. We could never guess how the Lord would answer our prayers. “Lord, I want to know You more.” “Lord, use me.” “Lord, help me. Change my heart.” He hears those prayers and moves in ways we cannot understand to bring us to the place of surrender where that miracle occurs and we are being conformed to the image of His glorious Son. It is in these moments of advent, these unexpected, supernatural birthings that we are confronted with a terrible truth…things are not going according to our plan! We are in over our heads.
A pregnant fiancé was a definite problem for Joseph. He couldn’t see how God was right in the middle of it all, preparing deliverance and inconceivable blessing. I don’t know what you are facing today, but I know God works all things together for the good of those who love Him. Sometimes it’s hard, like Joseph, to see our trial is actually pregnant with amazing grace. Does that minimize the pain? Of course not. But it does give us hope. Hope that we don’t suffer in vain, and hope that in the end, God will use this for His glory. Hope that, yes, He does hear when we cry out to Him, and He does come when we call. He does invade, permeate, and surround. We are not alone; God is in this thing with us. Immanuel, always.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
How Long?
Scripture:Mark 9:14-29
14 When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15 When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him. 16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked.
17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”
19 Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20 So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”
23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!”
26 Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?”
29 Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.”
My heart is so moved by this account as I imagine the great compassion of Jesus. This boy and his family are tormented by an evil spirit. This isn’t just a made-up story about a fictional child. The demon was actually throwing the boy into the fire and the water, trying to destroy him. Real injury. Real bondage. Real danger.
Jesus asks, “How long has this been going on?”
Oh, my! How long has this suffering continued?
I can’t read this passage without that question ringing through my spirit. There are things we become enslaved to. Things we learn to live with, because, well, that’s just life. Right? We limp along, making concessions and settling for "less than." But in the presence of the Healer there is hope. Could it really be possible? Could I really be free?
Jesus asks the question. “How long has this been going on?” He knows the answer to the question before He asks. But He asks because it is important that we answer.
How long has it been for you? Since childhood? Since you suffered rejection? Since you were betrayed? It can be sobering to answer this question…sobering to realize we have been crippled for years. We are so good at stuffing things into a box to be dealt with later. Before we know it, a decade has passed. How long has it been going on?
Chances are, whatever your hindrance, it’s not throwing you into a literal fire. But it is trying to destroy you : Bringing strife into relationships, filling your mind with anxious thoughts, causing doubt, creeping in with fear, dragging you down with dread, wielding destruction in your body.
How long? The question is laden with compassion, my friend. How long have you suffered? Jesus wants to heal you. He wants to heal me.
First we must realize that Jesus paid the full price for our freedom. How long have we been enslaved? Too long. We don’t have to live under the power of evil any longer. Regardless of what we might deserve, our merciful Savior has purchased our freedom.
Second, we must believe. We must believe that God will set us free. I want to challenge you now to examine your heart, as I examine mine. What ground have we conceded? What have we accepted as fate? As irreversible? Could it be that we are in unbelief? Lord, help us.
Third, we must pray, and fast. Sometimes we struggle for so long that we give up. It seems our prayers are ineffective. Maybe we even convince ourselves that this is just our thorn in the flesh. In 1 Cor. 12:7, Paul writes that the thorn in his flesh was sent to torment him to keep him from becoming conceited. It wasn’t trying to destroy him, it was just keeping him humble. Believer, if your struggle is trying to bring death and destruction it needs to be dealt with. In prayer. I know sometimes it seems impossible, especially if it’s something we have struggled with all our lives. But don’t give up. Get alone with God in prayer; listen as He asks with compassion, “How long have you suffered with this? All things are possible to those who believe.”
Isn’t it time for freedom?
Pray on!
14 When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15 When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him. 16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked.
17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”
19 Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20 So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”
23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!”
26 Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?”
29 Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.”
My heart is so moved by this account as I imagine the great compassion of Jesus. This boy and his family are tormented by an evil spirit. This isn’t just a made-up story about a fictional child. The demon was actually throwing the boy into the fire and the water, trying to destroy him. Real injury. Real bondage. Real danger.
Jesus asks, “How long has this been going on?”
Oh, my! How long has this suffering continued?
I can’t read this passage without that question ringing through my spirit. There are things we become enslaved to. Things we learn to live with, because, well, that’s just life. Right? We limp along, making concessions and settling for "less than." But in the presence of the Healer there is hope. Could it really be possible? Could I really be free?
Jesus asks the question. “How long has this been going on?” He knows the answer to the question before He asks. But He asks because it is important that we answer.
How long has it been for you? Since childhood? Since you suffered rejection? Since you were betrayed? It can be sobering to answer this question…sobering to realize we have been crippled for years. We are so good at stuffing things into a box to be dealt with later. Before we know it, a decade has passed. How long has it been going on?
Chances are, whatever your hindrance, it’s not throwing you into a literal fire. But it is trying to destroy you : Bringing strife into relationships, filling your mind with anxious thoughts, causing doubt, creeping in with fear, dragging you down with dread, wielding destruction in your body.
How long? The question is laden with compassion, my friend. How long have you suffered? Jesus wants to heal you. He wants to heal me.
First we must realize that Jesus paid the full price for our freedom. How long have we been enslaved? Too long. We don’t have to live under the power of evil any longer. Regardless of what we might deserve, our merciful Savior has purchased our freedom.
Second, we must believe. We must believe that God will set us free. I want to challenge you now to examine your heart, as I examine mine. What ground have we conceded? What have we accepted as fate? As irreversible? Could it be that we are in unbelief? Lord, help us.
Third, we must pray, and fast. Sometimes we struggle for so long that we give up. It seems our prayers are ineffective. Maybe we even convince ourselves that this is just our thorn in the flesh. In 1 Cor. 12:7, Paul writes that the thorn in his flesh was sent to torment him to keep him from becoming conceited. It wasn’t trying to destroy him, it was just keeping him humble. Believer, if your struggle is trying to bring death and destruction it needs to be dealt with. In prayer. I know sometimes it seems impossible, especially if it’s something we have struggled with all our lives. But don’t give up. Get alone with God in prayer; listen as He asks with compassion, “How long have you suffered with this? All things are possible to those who believe.”
Isn’t it time for freedom?
Pray on!
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