Merry Christmas!

"And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them." - Luke 2: 1-20

Praying for you: the peace of Christ, today and always.

Merry Christmas!

God is Faithful

But now, this is what the LORD says - He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour..." Isaiah 43:1-3a

Don't be afraid. I've heard more than once, tho I've yet to count them myself, that 365 times in the Bible it is written: "Do not be afraid" or "Fear not." Coincidence? I don't think so. :) Daily, a reminder to not be afraid...

What are you afraid of? Do you need to be afraid? Or is there something you can do with that fear besides holding onto it and letting it rule over you?

I find it slightly discomfiting that those verses don't say "if you pass through waters or rivers" or "if you walk through the fire..." They say "when." Trials come. It happens. But if we know Jesus, we know the One who promised they wouldn't ultimately overwhelm us. He took an entire nation through a sea on dry ground. He kept three men alive in a furnace. And He will walk with you today. "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8) Don't be afraid. He is faithful.

desperate

when was the last time you were desperate for something? you wanted it so bad and almost felt that if you didn't have this something you couldn't survive without it. sometimes for us that can be a person, a material item, food, money, etc. sometimes we miss someone and believe our life won't be the same without them. occassionally we want an item and feel our life is missing something and would be so much better if we had it. or maybe you feel that if you had more money you'd be much better off. when was the last time you were that desperate for God?

have you ever been so desperate for God that your seeking to find him in every moment and crying out to him to be near you. not just the, "yeah God, your in my heart" kind of way, but more of, "God I NEED to feel you with me today" kind of way. the key word is need. that's real desperation. i've had seasons of life, and i'm sure you have to, where you needed God. your whole day was spent seeking him in everything, clinging to him because of circumstances in your life that were beating you down. in every moment you wanted to find him anywhere you could. what an awesome place to be.

but why can't we be that way all the time? why is it that in the good times of our lives, when everything's going smooth and we're loving everything about our situation that we turn to him less? or maybe, when those moments of good pass into dark times in our life we turn away from God. we shut him off and blame him angrily for what's going on in our life. honestly, this has been me lately. i've tried to shut God out of my life due to hard times, thinking immaturely how could the God who created everything let these things happen? i've given so much to him yet he lets things like this happen? truth is he didn't and i know it. this world is full of evil and fallen. we're the culprits of sin not God and the fallout of sin often results in dark times. whether or not our sin directly caused our circumstances doesn't matter when we're all sinners and the cause of this awful mess of a world.

the amazing thing is that for me, through all of the darkness in my life lately, i've felt him or seen him or heard him trying to get my attention. he's trying to open up the doors to my heart and reveal to me his love but i slam them shut. how undeserving of him i am but yet he doesn't give up on me. he's never given up on any of us from the beginning of time. he never gave up on the israelites, he sent his son Jesus to die for us because he wasn't going to give up on us. and even now, when our world is beating us down, he won't give up on us because he loves us. the proof is there, we just have to remember it when we're going through the valley.

in concluding, the last couple of weeks have been some of the lowest and highest times of my life, pure hell, surrounded by uncertainty, heartbreak, and loss. moments of newness, where i had no idea what to do but to pray and depend on him. but when they were over the bitterness crept in. i hate that i've tried to shut him off, i hate that i've hurt him when he's been the only friend there for me, the only one who's love can satisfy. he is the one i want to be desperate for because he has never let me down, and never will. his love is better than life, and i always want to be desperate for that.