Every year,
the focus of Christmas changes for me, it has a deeper meaning. I love that! It
means God’s Word is not old and worn out. It means there is always something
new found in the same verses we read every Christmas. This Christmas, God used the wise men to stir
in my heart a much deeper meaning.
Matthew 2:1-2, 11> Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod
the king, behold, 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.” … And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary
His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their
treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (ESV) (I have capitalized the first letter in any name
pertaining to Jesus.)
I
always found a reason to give gifts in these verses. The Wise Men were my
example. After all, they presented gifts to Jesus. They went to Joseph and Mary’s
with the intent to take gifts to Him. Isn’t that what we do? We travel to our
family, or perhaps we are the ones who host, and give gifts? Most especially
for the children. Do not get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with it. I
personally find joy in that! However, this year the focus has shifted. I saw in
the verses something different and for the very first time. It was what the
Wise Men gave Jesus and where it came from that convicted me.
Following
a star, the Wise Men traveled a long way to see the king of the Jews. They
stopped in Jerusalem to ask for directions. Herod the king got those from the
chief priests and scribes and gave them to the men. He told them to come back
and let him know where the king of the Jews was so he, too, could go worship Him.
(Well, we all know that was garbage. He had no intent of doing that!) So, off
the Wise Men went to find Jesus.
Because
they were seeking Him, they found Him (Jeremiah 29:13), with a star leading the
way. When they saw where the star came to rest, they rejoiced! They had found
Him. It is what they did next that got me: “they
saw the child…and fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts…
Y’all,
that absolutely gets me. After intentionally seeking Him, they found Him. Their
intent had been to worship Him. They even told Herod that is what they were
going to do. Being in the presence of Jesus could only make you worship Him.
The Wise Men opened their treasures and offered their gifts to Him. The gifts
given were valuable, costly. They knew that but never debated giving them to
the king of the Jews. That, too, was intentional. That was the lesson for me.
Have I opened my treasures and offered them to Jesus? What are my treasures? Jesus
is pretty clear on what treasures are considered: ‘’For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) OUCH!
The
Wise Men gave Jesus gifts from their heart. After all, they were very wise men!
Where
is your/my treasure this Christmas? Are you, am I, willing to offer it, them to
Jesus?
In awe
of Him,
~Vonda
My
momma was a single parent. She worked a lot. Therefore, we were at home alone a
lot. In the beginning, she told us what we needed
to do around the house. Then it became what we had to do. After that, it was clear what was expected. There were consequences if we did not do what was
expected. Those consequences were not fun. We had heard what she said,
countless times, but we had stopped doing them. If the consequence did not come
right away, we felt as if somehow we had gotten away with it. Well let me tell
you that was far from the truth! We had not gotten away with anything; the
consequences were simply delayed.
James 1:22> “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves.”
We
tend to treat God the same way. We have lost the fact that He is our heavenly Father. You would think we
would treat Him different because of that. We treat Him with the same, or
sometimes less, respect than we do an earthly parent. Is it because our
disobedience has not been dealt with right away? How many times do we have to
be told? Absolutely, God is a God of love. His mercies are new every day. He is
forgiving, He is compassionate, and I am so thankful for that. However, how
long am I, are we, going to sit back and “hear” what He says and yet not do it?
How long are we going to pretend there are no consequences? None of us are perfect, His Word is very clear
on that. However, it does not excuse us to sit back and do nothing. It does not
excuse us to continue in our own sin…knowingly.
We
misuse what Jesus meant in Matthew 22:39 when He said, “You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.” He did not mean the kind of love
that tickles your fancy; the kind that grants yourself everything you want.
Some of those are fleshly desires that we should be at war with! We can mean
well with loving our neighbor as ourselves, but if we are not careful, we can
actually love them into hell. We are supposed to tell them, and show them by
our actions, who Jesus is and what
His Word says. If we do not, we are hearers of the word only and not doers.
Folks, I am guilty! If I were in a courtroom right now and tried to plead my
case, I would be found guilty. The idea of telling or showing a loved one what
the Bible says is truth does not always appeal to me. Quite honestly, some of
them simply do not want to hear it. What if they never speak to me again? What
if they dread being around me? What if…? I should be more concerned about their
soul than I am about their wanting to be around me. It is hard I do not deny
that. However, isn’t their soul a lot more important? It should be.
We
cannot just tell people about a loving God. We have to tell them about His
Sovereignty, His meaning-what-He-says. We can tell someone what we will do if
they do not do what they are asked or told to do. We can easily not follow
through. God is not like that. He will do what He says He will do. That should
make us tremble. (Hebrews 10:31> “It
is a fearful thing to fall into the
hands of the living God.”) Do we, do I, believe that? We can all tend to
rely on His love being the sappy kind of love that we have at times yet do not
consider His love as a tough love, also. The love He has for us is a tough
love. After all, He did give His only Son to die for us (John 3:16). That
sounds like tough love to me, not the sappy kind.
When
we know to do good and do not do it, it is called sin (James 4:17). It does not
just mean the kind that are obvious (sexual immorality, drunkenness, debauchery,
homosexuality, etc.), it also means the ones we know about yet others may not
see. (Example: 1- not taking care of those in need when you have the means to
do so. 2- not telling someone about Jesus when the Holy Spirit is nudging you
to. 3- being honest on what His Word says when directly asked.) When we neglect
(ignore or disregard) to do what we know we are to do it is sin. Ignoring or
disregarding the truth does not change its meaning.
People,
Christians included, do not like the word sin anymore. It makes them, us, sound
bad. They would rather use the words mistake or accident. No doubt, a mistake
can simply be that…a mistake! Even an accident can just be an accident, things
that were not intended or on purpose. However, those words are often in use to
cover up a known guilt or sin. Sometimes the phrase "life-style
choice" will be in use to butter-up the word sin. We often hear the
phrase, “This is who I am.” The truth is we can call it whatever we want to, or
use it in any way we want to, to make us feel better. Nevertheless, what God
calls it is what is important. That is the only
thing that matters.
Just
like my momma wanted us to do what we had heard her tell us to do, so does God.
So y’all, let’s “be doers of the Word and
not hearers only”, the lost are depending on us … so is God.
In
awe of Him,
Vonda
Happy
Monday!
Here
we are in the last week of October. Another month has come and gone. They seem
to be going by faster now that I am older. Time is just slipping on by. A lot
has happened this month. Some things have been really good; some things have
been just okay, and some, well not so good. I was caught unaware, but God
surely wasn’t. I find comfort in that. The troubles we face in life have
purpose. Knowing that should give us joy. That means they’re not random. That
means there’s something greater that will come from them. (That gives me
goosebumps!)
James 1:2-3> “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles
come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when
your faith is tested, your *endurance has a chance to grow.” (NLT) (*Note:
patience, perseverance, steadfastness)
Endurance.
Patience. Perseverance. Steadfastness. Something we as Christians need,
however, we’re just not very keen on how we get it. At least I’m not. It’s hard
to comprehend how an opportunity for joy can come from trouble. Yet it does. For
years, I pretended to have joy during hard times simply because God’s Word said
to. Therefore, I manufactured my own joy. I said I had it when I really didn’t.
The outside looked joyful. I even spoke joyful words. However, on the inside,
where it really mattered, my joy was fake. I thought if I pretended hard enough
that real joy would come. It did not. Why in the world would I consider that an
opportunity for joy would come from troubles? Furthermore, how was I supposed
to do that? It didn’t make any sense to me at all. I had missed what the reason
was.
Troubles
and trials will come. That’s a given. The interesting thing about them is that
God uses them to help us grow. That’s the opposite reason of why Satan uses
them. He uses them to capture us, enslave us and to destroy us. Not God! Nope,
He does what seems crazy to the world. He uses troubles and trials as a means
to set us free. They grow us to be more like Him. If I don’t learn how to
endure, to be patient, to persevere, or to be steadfast then I won’t make it
during those challenging times. Clinging to the knowledge of knowing that Jesus
is with me, walking with me, and standing beside me in whatever “furnace” I may
face should give me joy. You know what? It does. It even makes me smile. That
was not the result Satan was hoping to get. Way to go God!
In
those difficult times, stop and praise God for loving you enough to help you
grow. “Dear brothers and sisters, when
troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” (Why
should I do that?) “For you know that
when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”
In
awe of Him,
Vonda
Daniel 3:18> “But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as
king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you
set up.”
(CSB)
Most
of us are familiar with the story of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and the fiery
furnace. It mesmerized us. It seemed unbelievable, yet it happened. Felt boards
have been used in Sunday school classes to retell the story. Sermons have been preached regarding these
three men. Their story has certainly been popular. It’s one of those “only God”
moments that appear all throughout Scripture. When you see them, you definitely
need to focus on them.
As
a child, I read it without a whole lot of thought regarding their situation. The
fire is what caught my attention. I have to be honest with you; I’ve read it as
an adult that way, too! I focused on the furnace and Jesus being in there with
them. Don’t get me wrong; nothing was wrong with that whatsoever. I mean my
goodness, even in our ‘furnace’ moments Jesus is still with us. That is
wonderful! Who doesn’t need to hear that and know it? Nevertheless, knowing
what got the three amigos there is important to remember, too.
King
Nebuchadnezzar had a gold statue made that was ninety feet tall and nine feet
wide. You couldn’t have missed it! His intent was for it to be worshiped by
everyone. At the dedication of this statue, a herald loudly proclaimed that the
sound of music would be their que to bow down and worship this statue. If they
did not, they would “immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire”
(verse 7). Not after a court hearing, not after giving it a little thought, and
not after preparation, but immediately! Furthermore, not just any kind of fire
would do. It had to be a blazing fire! A rip-roaring fire! That bad-boy had to
be H-O-T! If anything would deter someone from disobeying such a command surely
that would do it. Only a crazy person would disobey. Right?
Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego were the disobedient ones. It was not because they were
crazy, either. These three amigos were committed to God. There was no other god
and these three knew it. They’d heard the command; they knew the consequence of
disobedience. There had not been a reason to doubt the king. They knew he was
serious. However, it was a risk they were willing to take. To bow down and
worship something, or someone, other than God was unimaginable. They were
willing to face the furnace of blazing fire.
How
many of us today are willing to do what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did?
How many of us today are willing to stand for our convictions? It is true that
some have. They would not go against God. Their very lives were taken because
of such a conviction. Not just in death either, but also in life. With
reputations ruined and businesses closed, they, too, knew the consequence of
standing firm. Nevertheless, just like the three amigos, they still would not
deter from their conviction. There was/is only ONE GOD and that was that! To
say or act otherwise was unimaginable.
Things
at work are a little challenging right now. I guess the question to myself is am I
going to join in on the bandwagon of uncertainty and fear, or am I going to stand firm
knowing that God is God and He has got it? Am I going to stand firm in knowing
that God is God and this situation is not? Am I going to say one thing, yet act
another? Truth be known, I played a big part in the uncertainty wagon. I
probably led the revolt of fear. If I didn’t lead it, I was still part of it. I
should have stood firm and said no. I should have been an example of not bowing
down and worshiping uncertainty. However, today is a new day! I can stand firm
and say no to the king of uncertainty, and say yes to the King of Kings!
Are
you facing a furnace? What are you, am I, going to do? Fall prey or stand firm?
In
awe of Him,
~Vonda
Psalm
141:3>
“Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (NIV)
There has also been a time when I could not
retaliate. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to. I wanted to! However, there was
a deep stirring inside me. The Holy Spirit was at work. I wanted to open my
mouth and dish it back but it wouldn’t come. Instead, reminders of Jesus
mocked, beaten, and spat upon came. He had done nothing wrong. He had said
nothing wrong. He could have whipped every one of them with His tongue without
ever laying a hand on them. Instead, He was silent. Oh, the strength it took to
be silent. I desire that strength. Am I the only one? Thank You, Holy Spirit, for continuing to work in me...
In
awe of Him,
Vonda
Another
month is under our belts as we begin a new one. They seem to be going by
quicker than I can keep up with. If only time would slow down just a tad so
that I can catch up. Then again, more time would not make a difference. No
matter how much time I do have, it will probably never feel like enough.
Genesis
1:3-5> Then God said,
“Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.
Then He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and
the darkness “night”. And evening passed and morning came, marking the first
day. (NLT)
Time
has always felt like an issue for me. I either don’t have enough, have too
much, or it is just right. I have to be honest; rarely do I feel like it is
just right. It is not often that I feel like I have too much, either. Well,
according to the verses above, it is
just right. After all, God did create it. It is certainly not His fault if I
try to cram too much in a day. I cannot blame time for that.
When
our gracious God created day, He knew it was enough. He knew what we would need,
no matter the season. Night would end and day would come just like planned. It
is hard to keep in mind that all of those years ago He knew today would come.
He knew that we would overfill our days or perhaps not put enough in them. He
knew all of that from the beginning.
Trusting
God’s creation of time in a day had never crossed my mind. At least, not the
way explained in the first few verses of the book of Genesis. He knew exactly
how much day light I was going to need. I do tend to forget that even when it
comes to time, God is still all knowing. His ways are perfect. His creation is
perfect.
Darkness
had always been there, the light had not. So, He created just what we would
need.
In
awe of Him,
Vonda
There
is a story in the Bible that has new meaning for me, one I have overlooked many
times. It is a very familiar story. It is the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 men. (More were there
counting women and children.) I love that story. I love how even though the
disciples did not know how it was going to work out, it did not deter Jesus! I
even love how it affected the last group of fifty.
Luke
9:14b-15> “Jesus
replied, ‘Tell them to sit down in groups of about
50 each.’ So the people all sat down. (NLT)
Imagine
being with Jesus all day. You have listened to Him speak about the kingdom of
God. You have seen people cured that were in need of healing. You have heard
things and seen things that blew you away! It has been a great day, certainly
one you will never forget. One thing is for sure, you are not leaving. You have
seen too much and heard too much to leave now. (I wonder if they were
experiencing our modern day Fear-Of-Missing-Out.) This Man is different. This
Man has touched your heart. You certainly want more. Who could blame you? No
one else is leaving either.
After
speaking with Jesus, the twelve men who are normally with Him, He calls disciples,
have a strange look on their face. Something said seems to be a little confusing
to them. Except for Jesus, He has a look of peace on His face. The twelve begin
to move through the crowd. You have heard there is not enough food. You have
heard someone had five loaves of bread and only two fish. You have even seen
for yourself how large the crowd is. Yet, you have been included in a group of
about fifty and told to sit down. All eyes are forward on Jesus. He took the
five loaves of bread along with the two fish, and He looked toward heaven and
blessed them.
Imagine
being in the last group of about fifty. Curiosity would be all over me! Curious
as to what was about to happen. The anticipation of another miracle would
certainly be in my thoughts: “What is He going to do? How is He going to feed
us? I am so excited to be a part!” At least, that is how I would feel … at
first. What would I feel after a few hours have passed? What would my thoughts
be then? Whenever I read this story in the past, I never considered how long it
must have taken the disciples to pass out food. After all, there is not much
space between verses 14 and 17. It was a quick read so it had to have been a
quick food delivery, right? My goodness, even I know feeding a large group of
people at family reunions, or Homecoming, takes a lot of time, why would I
think this would be any different? And we never had 5,000 or more people
attend!
Time
seems to be passing very slowly. Most especially if you are in the last group.
Have you lost hope that you will receive a blessing? Does it appear as if you
are going to miss out? I am sad to say, that I would probably be that one who
is afraid of missing a blessing. I have seen others receive one; surely, by the
time the basket gets to me it will be empty. It was just five loaves of bread
and two fish after all. Even I can do the math. Discouragement would settle on
me. There is not going to be enough. Why am I in the last group of about fifty?
I cannot look at the others in my group. I cannot see their despair. If they
are still hopeful while I am not, I certainly do not want to see that either!
I
heard something. Was it a sigh of sadness? Was it gratitude and thankfulness? I
look up to see the same twelve men still passing out food! Their baskets are
not empty! Their faces have changed from confusion to elation! I even notice a
little-pep-in-their-step! What just
happened? As for Jesus’ face, He is still at peace. He knew what He was going
to do. He knew that even the last group of fifty, the group I was in, would
need food, too. He knew He was going to provide it. It is hard to imagine all
the blessings received that day! Not only was it bread and fish provided, the
nourishment received was so much more. Hope had been restored.
Luke 9:17> They all ate as much as they wanted, and
afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers! (NLT)
What
is my take away from this new story written in my heart? It is simple. No
matter which groups you feel like you are in, the first fifty to receive or the
last fifty losing hope, Jesus cares. He still sees you and graciously cares for
you. He will see to it that with Him you will find nourishment.
In
awe of Him,
Vonda
