New Birth

What a beautiful verse to contemplate as we consider the birth of our Savior into the world and into our hearts.

Thank You, Lord, for the living hope that you have provided. May we keep Him close in our hearts and follow in His ways.

Hear the Crying

Hear the Crying

Imagine if you will, Christmas day more than 2000 years ago in the town of Bethlehem.  Jesus is born.  Do you feel the crisp morning air?  Do you smell the animals and the hay?  Listen.  Do you hear the newborn crying?  Can you see Mary, seated on the floor of the stable, holding her tiny son?  Can you see her rock back and forth to comfort her babe?

Thirty years later, behold a dry and barren land.  The voice of John the Baptist cries out in the wilderness. “Make straight the way for the Lord,” he calls to any who will listen.  Now that the crying baby is grown, his cousin John cries for the repentance of his people.

Three years later the mother of Jesus cries.  She weeps at the foot of a rugged Roman cross.  High above is the broken body of her baby boy.  The once tiny babe is grown, and men have nailed him on a cross.  She cries for her son as he suffers and dies.

In just a few days, everything changes. Now those bitter tears, those agonizing cries have turned to miraculous cries of joy.  The son who was crucified on a cross is no longer in the tomb.  He is alive!

As you contemplate these cries, think about your preparations for Christmas.  Did you spend many exhausting hours shopping, wrapping, cooking, cleaning, and baking?  Did you cry in anger, frustration, or fatigue? 

Through your tears, remember, the babe who cried in the manger is the Lord who died on the cross.  He is the same Lord who was resurrected and is alive.  He is the same Lord who washes away our sins so that we, too, may become blameless and live forever in heaven. 

Once again, we hear crying, the crying of our hearts.  We cry, remembering our sins.  We cry in repentance, preparing our hearts for His coming in our lives.  We cry in grief, remembering His sacrifice.  We cry in joy, recognizing His resurrected life in us and anticipating eternity with Him.  We cry tears of delight, for we realize that even though all the preparations are not yet finished, we are, finally, ready for Christmas.

May we never overlook the reason for the celebration.  In all the busyness and scurrying, let us take time to reflect on the miracle of our Lord’s birth. Let us cry tears of repentance and gratefulness, remembering our greatest Christmas gift.  We have worked so hard to prepare for Christmas. May we work just as hard to prepare for His birth and life in our hearts.  May this precious life within us cry out joyfully for all to hear.           

Psalm 34:15 “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry.”

Looking Up

“…the world has no charms for me when I look up, but the trouble with God’s children is they do not look up enough.”

– D.L. Moody

Lord, remove my gaze from the charms of the world. Instead, help me keep my focus on You and Your glory.

Praise God~

In good times and bad times, times of plenty, times of want, times of joy, times of pain, in all times, He is worthy of praise.

I praise you, almighty God, in all situations.

Thank You!

Hey, readers and friends. I just want to take a moment to thank you all for joining me on this spiritual journey of life. Thank you so much for following, reading, and for all the likes, comments and shares. Each one brings me joy and encouragement.

I wish you all a blessed Christmas and a joyful new year, as we strive to walk more closely with our God and Savior.

Follow Me

“It is into this deeply tired world of ours that God sends Jesus to speak the voice of love. Jesus says, ‘Follow me. Don’t keep running around. Follow me. Don’t just sit there. Follow me.’ The voice of love is the voice that can completely reshape our life from a wandering or just sitting-there life to one that is focused and has a point to go to.”

~ Henri Nouwen

As a person who has run around, madly trying to do it all, and one who sometimes just sits, doing nothing, I can so relate to this quote. He speaks the simple truth. Follow me. Just follow me.

Lord, help me focus on just following you. Keep me from frantically trying to do good or from giving up and doing nothing. Show me how to patiently wait for your signal, and then get up and follow you, wherever that may be.

Compassionate God

I looked up the definition of “compassion.” Here’s what it said in Merrian-Websters: “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.” I don’t know about you, but when I apply that to God, it’s pretty special. Basically, He is aware of my distress and desires to alleviate it. You can’t get much more personal that. What a loving, caring God. Oh, and He is known for great faithfulness.

Lord, on those days when I feel down, afraid, or overwhelmed, help me to remember how much you care. Let me feel your loving arms of compassion around me, making me stronger again. Thank you for the many ways you care for me.

Is There Room at the Inn?

Is There Room at the Inn?

For several weeks I’ve busily prepared for the holidays. The house is decked out in Christmas finery: the tree is lit, garlands cover the stairway and windows, and angels and nativities adorn the tabletops.  Holiday meals are cooked, and the pantry is stocked. Treats wait for children and grandchildren to indulge. Gifts, wrapped in red, blue, and green, sit under the tree. After all the work, I’m finally ready for Christmas! Once my loved ones arrive the celebrating will begin!

While I’ve worked, I’ve wondered what preparations Mary made. Like all pregnant women, she must have made special plans for the birth of her little one. Since Joseph was a skilled carpenter, Mary surely asked him to make a cradle for her soon-to-be-born infant. She must have arranged for her mother and at least one other woman to assist with the birth.

I wonder how the trip to Bethlehem impacted her plans. Did it make her fret and worry? Did she cry, thinking she might have her child while on the trip? Or did she calmly prepare, packing swaddling clothes and trusting God to provide?

In spite of her preparations, Mary surely wasn’t ready when she started labor in a town far from home. Did she cry for her mother? Was she frightened when they could not find a room? In a quiet corner of a little village, in the company of stable animals, Mary gave birth. Surely this birth didn’t happen the way she had planned. But the birth of the son of the living God as a tiny, helpless infant happened precisely how God planned.

I suppose the real question isn’t how Mary prepared for the birth of her son.  The question is this: as I make my preparations to celebrate the savior’s birth, have I left room for him in the inn of my heart?  Perhaps I need a little more time to truly prepare for Christmas. What about you? Are you prepared?

Ephesians 3:16, 17a “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

Lord, as I busily prepare for the holidays, enable me to make room in my heart for the Savior of the world. Let me take the time to make room at the inn.

What’s Your Calling?

“Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry. It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it.”

― A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Hmm, it seems we spend much time considering what it is that God wants us to do in this life, yet Tozer suggests that what we do isn’t as important as why we do it. What do you think about that?

Lord, whatever I do, guard my attitude and motives. Let me work for you, Father, in whatever I do.