This blog is designed to create community for believers and provide support for seekers. I encourage all readers to share their faith in an effort to lift and encourage one another.
“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.
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.
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.
“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.
For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 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. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and high and long and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Lord, I pray that his may be so. What more can we ask for?
When I opened the back door, I heard a small voice yell, “I’m king of the world.” In a yard nearby a small boy perched about eight feet high on top of his backyard playground equipment. With tousled hair, smudged cheeks, and torn jeans, he was quite an unlikely looking king of the world.
Jesus, too, came as an unlikely king. In His day, He was expected to be a great and powerful king who would be victorious in vanquishing the Roman conquerors. As a king He would be expected to have certain qualities: wealth, power, authority, and the ability to conquer with force. On the surface, it didn’t appear that Jesus had any of these powers. As a carpenter and son of a carpenter, he certainly was not wealthy. As an Israelite living in a conquered country, he had no political power, nor did he have an army of men providing military might. His authority appeared limited—He used none over Caiaphas, the high priest, or over the Pharisees or the Roman rulers who put Him to death.
But looking below the surface, one can see Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was, and is, King of the world. Those who know Him realize that He has wealth far greater than we can imagine—even His streets are paved with gold. He is far greater than any king or
army that ever existed or ever will exist, for His might created all the heavens and the earth, every animal and plant imaginable, the highest mountains and the deepest oceans. He is commander-in-chief of a host of heavenly angels who would have rescued Him from crucifixion if He had commanded it. His power is far beyond our ability to comprehend, and His authority is endless. Even while He was on earth as a man, He had the authority to calm the waves of the sea. Think what authority He commands now, reigning at God’s right hand! Yes, He was an unlikely king of the world, but He is our King of kings and Lord of lords. He has wealth, power, and authority, but he chooses to conquer with humility, sacrifice, and love.
Almighty Father, King of creation and King of my life, even though you have all power and authority in heaven and earth, you do not abuse your authority or force your subjects into submission. Thank you for giving each of us the choice to yield to your authority. Give us the wisdom to choose wisely.
Matthew 26:52-54 (NIV) “’Put your sword back in its place,’ Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?’”
May our Lord walk beside you in all things. May He open your eyes to see how very much He loves you and how He is working in your life for good. May He open your ears to hear His word and teach you to apply it to your daily life. May He teach you to be His hands and feet so you may love others the way that He loves you.
Growing Our Faith Together 