Month: December 2020

No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:39

My husband and I drove by a church recently and read this message on the sign board:

No church services until  ?

Share the good news

Because of the Coronavirus issue, many churches have closed their doors to in-person worship services for a time.  And there may be some people who would agree that is good news!  But I’m quite sure that’s not the good news the church was encouraging people to share.  With all the many months of world-wide pandemic, people need to hear good news that can only come from a personal relationship with the One who came to save the world. 

No one is unaffected by this pandemic, and our hearts ache for those who have lost loved ones, their own health, a business, a job. New phrases have been added to our common vocabulary: “social distancing” and “masking up.”  Relationships are suffering because of the distance we are supposed to be keeping from each other.   

As sad as I am about the restrictions imposed because of this virus, I understand the need for it.  But it has made me think about how grateful I am for my relationship with God and His Son Jesus. They will never require distance from us once we receive the gift of salvation God offers through Jesus’ death on the cross to forgive us of our sin!  Jesus came to this earth He created so that we can know God, know His eternal love for us, and understand our need to be forgiven of sin.  And when we receive Him, He gives us another gift — the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. He teaches us, guides us, connects us with the mind and heart of God and gives us everything we need to follow His plan for our life as we depend on Him.

No matter how sad and disconnected we feel from the life we had before this year 2020, here are some verses that have encouraged me to remain thankful for God’s promises:

The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18).

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged (Deuteronomy 31:8).

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:29-31).

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  (Psalm 23:4)

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

For I will turn their mourning into joy and will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow (Jeremiah 31:13b)

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7)

We can’t get together in large groups like we used to, but it is important to stay connected with God through time alone with Him in the Word and in prayer.  His Word assures us that He knows exactly what we are going through, each and every moment of our lives.  He sees us, He hears us when we talk to Him, and He delights when we put our trust in Him no matter what circumstances we are facing.

It’s also important to stay connected to other followers of Jesus.  We can email and text, but what really encourages me most is to hear another friend’s voice over the phone.  I’ve enjoyed many conversations during these months – encouraging and being encouraged.  I love praying together over the phone! Let’s stay connected and share the good news!

I’m reminded of the song: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Can you think of someone you could call and offer encouragement to during a difficult time?

Maybe you are the one who needs encouragement.  Can you call a friend and share what you are going through and ask for prayer?

What can you choose to be thankful for even during these months of unsettled and difficult time?

What can you do to keep your focus on the Lord, His love, His presence with you and the promises in His Word?

Behold, the bondservant of the Lord. 

Be it done to me according to your word.

Luke 1: 26-38

Last week I wrote about Moses and the many excuses and “what ifs” he offered when the angel of the Lord spoke to him in the burning bush and told him he had been chosen to lead God’s people out of slavery in Egypt.  I also mentioned Gideon and Jeremiah and their initial excuses about not being qualified to do what the Lord was asking.

This week I want to focus on the experience of Mary with the angel Gabriel from Luke 1:26-38.  She was greeted by Gabriel with this message from God: 

“Rejoice, favored woman! The Lord is with you.  Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and His name will be Jesus.  He will be great, the Son of the Most High.  The Lord will give Him the throne of His father David.  He will reign forever and His kingdom will have no end.”

Think about Mary’s situation and what she might have given as excuses.  She could have mentioned that she was engaged to Joseph, and what would he think of her if she became pregnant before they were married.  She could have brought up the fact that she would bring shame to herself and to her family.  She could have mentioned that she was so young and had no experience raising a child, let alone the responsibility of raising the Son of God!

Instead, she only asked the simple question, “How can this be, since I’ve never been intimate with a man?”  Gabriel told her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and the power of the Most High will overshadow her, and the baby will be called the Son of God.

I love Mary’s response of absolute trust in God: “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your Word.”  (A bondslave was someone who could have been set free, but they chose to stay in service to the family because they loved the family and wanted to stay.)  So Mary was declaring her choice to follow God, no matter what, and to commit her life to His purpose for her.

Mary’s response inspired me to think about my own life.  The Holy Spirit came upon her and created new life – the birth of Jesus.  It is the same Holy Spirit who comes to live in every person who believes in Jesus and receives Him as their Savior and Lord.  The Holy Spirit creates in us new spiritual life.  He will never leave us! And as we learn to depend on Him completely for everything in our daily life, we can enjoy peace in His presence, His strength in our weakness, His clear direction for our guidance.  And He is our guarantee, the seal of God’s promise of our eternal salvation (Ephesians 1:13).

This Christmas season is a special time to re-evaluate our relationship with the Lord. I ask myself, “Am I serving Him out of duty or habit or just because someone is expecting me to serve?  When God calls me to do something for Him, do I offer excuses about not being qualified?  Maybe the timing isn’t really convenient for me.”   

I want a heart to serve the Lord out of love, trust, and unshakeable faith.   I want to say to the Lord just as Mary said to the angel: “Behold, the bondservant of the Lord.  Be it done to me according to your word.” 

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this week, let’s give Him the gift of our heart that is surrendered to Him in complete faith and trust and love, ready to do whatever He asks us to do, to follow wherever He leads.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

What is God calling you to do at this time in your life?

Do you have any excuses for not doing what He is asking you to do?

Are you able to put your complete trust in the Holy Spirit to enable you to do what He is asking?

How are you encouraged as you consider Mary’s response?

Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?

Exodus 3:11

For several weeks I’ve been writing Bible studies on Moses, Gideon, and Jeremiah focused on how God called each of them for specific assignments He had for them.  Today I just want to share a few thoughts about how God called Moses to lead the people of Israel out of cruel slavery in Egypt and bring them to the land He had promised to Abraham long ago. I pray that some of the valuable lessons I’ve learned for my own life will encourage you to say “Yes” to God when He calls you for a specific assignment. We can learn a lot from what God says about Himself, what He promised Moses, and how Moses responded.  I hope you’ll take time to read the whole story in Exodus 1-4, but here is a brief summary:

Moses was a Hebrew who had been raised in Egypt by the Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:1-10).  The Hebrews had been suffering greatly as forced laborers in Egypt. As an adult, Moses kills an Egyptian who had beaten and killed a Hebrew slave. Pharaoh tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled for his life. Fast-forward about 40 years.  The next time we read about Moses, he is minding his own business on a normal day shepherding his father-in-law’s flock in the wilderness.  From a distance he sees a very abnormal sight – a bush is on fire but it is not being consumed! When he turns aside to investigate, the angel of the Lord speaks to him from the burning bush. He tells Moses, “I have seen the misery of My people and have come to rescue them.  I am sending you to Pharaoh to lead my people out of Egypt.”

Then we get to listen to the ongoing conversation between the Lord and Moses:

The Lord:  Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh.  You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.

Moses: Who am I to appear before Pharaoh?  Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?

The Lord: I will be with you…

Moses: If I go to the Israelites and say to them, The God of you fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should I tell them?

The Lord:  I Am who I Am…  Now go to the Israelites…assemble the elders of Israel and say to them: “Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to me and said, ‘I have paid close attention to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt.  And I have promised you that I will bring you up from the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites…a land flowing with milk and honey.’”

Moses: What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me, but say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?

The Lord gives Moses several miraculous signs to convince him that He is in charge.  Moses finally turns from his “What if…” questions to tell the Lord about his inadequacies for the task.  Moses makes excuses for not doing what God asks:

Moses: O Lord, I’m not very good with words… I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.

The Lord: Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak? Who makes him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh?  Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.

Moses: Lord, please send anyone else.

The Lord became angry with Moses, but He answered Moses’ request by agreeing to allow Moses’ brother Aaron to be the spokesman instead of Moses.  You can read in the rest of Exodus how the Lord miraculously provided for the Israelites to be led out of slavery in Egypt.  Their story continues with their grumbling and complaining and refusal to trust God to conquer the enemies living in the land God had promised them. That led to 40 years of wandering in the wilderness before they were finally allowed to enter their promised land.

Here’s what I have learned for myself.  Even after God’s declaration of Himself as the “I Am,” the eternal covenant-keeping God, the assurance of His own presence to be with him,  Moses continued to focus on himself and his own inabilities and inadequacies.  So many excuses and “what ifs.”  It’s easy to be judgmental. But then I think of what God has called me to do – to write these devotionals and then to set up a website to publish them.  My initial response was to think about all the amazing devotional books already in print written by world-famous people.  What do I have to say that hasn’t already been written? How do I even begin to set up a website? “Who am I” seems like a legitimate question.  But God has a way of making His will clear.  So, after some amount of hesitation, I began to realize that I just needed to take each Next Step as He led me. I know the promises in His Word, that when He calls His people to an assignment, He provides all that is necessary to complete it.  He empowers us by His Spirit as we depend completely on Him. So, no more excuses! I’ll just do what He asks and trust Him for the results.

Next week I’ll share the story of Mary.  I’m so encouraged by her response to the announcement from the angel Gabriel that she had been chosen to give birth to Jesus.  No excuses!

Personal Reflection

What is God calling you to do?  Have you given excuses for not doing it?

Here are a few promises from God’s Word to encourage you:

Jeremiah 29:11 I know the plans I have for you…

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you…I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on  your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.