Christmas: Love came down

I'll admit that sometimes around Christmas I feel a bit cynical. I've never been one to get excited about Santa clause, excessive shopping, crowds at the mall, or songs about reindeer.

Since I've become a Christian I have really enjoyed holidays like Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas so much more than I ever did before. Now the holidays actually have meaning and now I actually feel like I have something to celebrate!

We do lots of things to make Christmas special, put your kids on Santa’s lap, sing Christmas carols, drink eggnog, open presents. 

While none of these things are bad, if that’s all you’ve got, the holiday can end up feeling a bit hollow and superficial. At least for me anyway.

Some people get upset, saying that Jesus wasn’t actually born in December. And you know what? I don’t care. Does it matter whether or not He was born in a certain month for us to celebrate anyway? I don’t care when He was born; I’m too busy celebrating that HE WAS BORN! 

But the thing that will take your breathe away? 

The real thing to be in awe of?

The real miracle of Christmas?

The real miracle is that God Himself left the comfort and splendor of Heaven for a cold, smelly manger with scraps for clothes and hay for a pillow.

The real miracle is that the god of the universe wrapped Himself in skin and bones.

The real miracle is that the hands that hung the moon and stars became tiny and childlike.  

The real miracle is that the God who commands the winds and waves allowed his creation to rock him to sleep. 

Jesus didn't have to endure cold nights, sore feet, cruel humans, runny noses, and a  limited body. At any moment He could have snapped His fingers and had angels sweep Him back up into paradise. He chose our world so that one day we might live with Him in His. 

He could have chosen to be born in a mansion, and yet He chose a lowly, dirty manger. In every single circumstance Jesus chose the worst option. Jesus chose to become the least of these in every single situation.

Why did He do that?

One word: LOVE.

Only a love like His, that is perfect, unending, unconditional would choose the very worst for Himself so that we might have the very best for ourselves.

And the very best isn’t a nice house, presents under the tree, or job security. The very best is having Him. It’s nice to have all of those things but the very best for us is to have Him, and that’s enough.

Jesus chose the very worst so that not a single person on this earth would be able to look to God and say, “You don’t understand.” Because He does, He’s the only one who does.

 The reason that Christmas is so holy is because LOVE CAME DOWN. Love Himself stooped all the way down to the dirt and dust and became one of us. Love came down to rescue us. Thank God He did.

Not feeling in the holiday mood? Remember that love came down for you and that enough is reason to celebrate. Don't feel like you have to rush around trying to find the perfect tree, the perfect gifts, or grumbling that you don't have the perfect family. Remember that you have been given a perfect savior. 

Jesus came down to save us and now we must respond to that action. Right after the angels announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds the very first thing they did was set out to worship Him. I love the song lyric, “Oh, Come let us adore Him.” The dictionary defines the word, “Adore,” as, "To regard with the utmost esteem, love, and respect; honor."

The shepherds had hearts that were full of worship for someone that they had not yet met. As Christians, our ENTIRE lives should be lived in a state of constant adoration.

The greatest news ever told:

Luke 1:8

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

There is power in the name of Jesus

To me, taking a step back feels like I have failed. Admitting that I’m struggling with something that I’ve had victory over in the past makes me feel as though all the progress was for nothing. But stumbling doesn’t mean that we have failed or are failures.

 It means that we are human.

There are some lessons that we need to learn over and over again. There are some fears, some lies that we have to stand strong against over and over again. Some mornings you need to wake up and forgive all over again. Some mornings you need to proclaim truths all over again. Some mornings you need to ask God for courage all over again.

Sometimes the most difficult person to show grace to is yourself. 

We say, “I shouldn’t struggle with this anymore, I shouldn’t believe that lie anymore, I shouldn’t be that afraid anymore.”

But we are and we do anyway. Because we are not done being made like Christ. We are afraid to share our shortcomings, our backward steps with others, as though they aren’t holding onto any themselves.

But God never condemns. He knows that it’s hard being human; He knows that it’s hard living on this planet. It’s okay to not have it all together, it’s okay to stumble and take a step backward, as long as you don’t unpack and live there.

The good news is that God sent His spirit to live in us, and that alone is what gives us the power to say no to sin and to believe truth. If you have accepted Jesus as your savior, then the same power that raised Him from the dead lives inside you. That is incredible. There is power; all we have to do is call on His name.

Romans 6:11 Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Do not let sin reign in your body so that you obey its evil desires... For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

It’s so easy for us to forget that God’s love for us is not a result of our actions.

I know sometimes I go to God and say, “Look! I don’t do that anymore, I do this more, look at how I’ve changed! Aren’t you proud of me? Don’t you love me now?”

And my Dad shakes His head understandingly and reminds me that He loved me before I even took a single breath.

We remember that we no longer have to be slaves to sin, that sin no longer has any power over us. We may fall occasionally, but we DO NOT have to live there.

The victory we have in Christ is being able to say, “God help me,” and knowing that He will.

Something that I struggle with is forgiveness. Sometimes I just don’t care that I’m supposed to forgive because all I’m feeling is hurt and forgiveness just doesn’t seem right.

I ask God, “How could you possibly ask me to forgive that person? Look at what they’ve done to me!”

And He replies, “Yes, I know. But look at what I’ve done FOR you.”  

If you are the one asking for forgiveness and the other person isn’t able to extend forgiveness, just know that God always will.

There is power in the name of Jesus to break every single chain that could possibly entangle you. There is no sin too bad, no person too far, no pit too deep for God’s power to save, rescue, and redeem. No matter what you’ve done, no matter where you’ve been, no matter how long or far you have strayed, God welcomes you back with open arms. You are not the exception, there are no exceptions. Jesus loves prodigals.

Every day I thank God that I am not dressed in my own righteousness, I am dressed in His. If I had to rely on my own power, my own strength, I wouldn’t make it a day.

I am so glad I can go to God and tell Him exactly how unbearably difficult it currently is for me to forgive. I am so glad that He is not up in heaven shaking His head in annoyance that I still struggle over the same hurt. I know that any time, morning, afternoon, middle of the night I can cry out to Him and say, "Lord help me to forgive, but more than that, help me WANT to forgive." 

What are some things that you need to call out to God about? Where are the areas in your life that you have not trusted in God's power to give you victory?  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uu2RDZdaxc

Feeling World Weary

The other night I was feeling tired. Not tired physically, I was feeling world weary. 

You know, those days when all that you see around you in the world is loss and brokenness and sin and your heart has just been weighed down too far. The kind of day that makes you ask, "God, where are you? Don't you care? Don't you see?" 

The days when you can't remember how to not take all the hurt of the world into yourself. Days when you hear stories of slavery and exploitation and abuse in faraway countries and your stomach drops and you grasp for some finite way to help and come up empty. When you long to reach out and embrace and comfort and speak words of truth, but your arms can't reach that far. 

Driving home a couple of nights ago I heard these words on the radio and they said everything I was feeling. This time your heart has had enough, sick and tired of everything that's so messed up.

Do you ever just get so tired of living in this world that has fallen so far? I recently heard the story of a little girl in Latin America who was abused. And I wish more than anything that I could tell her face to face of the infinite value and worth she has as God's precious daughter. I wish I could tell her that God made her for so much more than to be used to satisfy someone's selfish desires. 

God is so good to me. He is the ultimate comforter, my ultimate comforter. In moments like this He draws Himself closer so that we can grieve together in agreement. I so love that God never rushes me through sorrow or demands my joy. He gave me almost two days to feel sad before He greeted me with words of comfort and truth. 

A lot of times when we're sad we don't want people to try to comfort us or give us nice answers. We just want someone to be sad with us, and thats what God did for me. 

He most often ministers to me through music. Today He met me in a quiet place with a song whose words speak to my soul and reach my heart. 

I asked, "God where are you?" And He answered,
I am the Lord your God, I go before you now. 
I stand beside you, I'm all around you.
Though you feel I'm far away, I'm closer than your breath.
I am with you, more than you know

God asked me why I feel the need to carry the weight of the world when it is He who is my peace.

I am the Lord your peace, no evil will conquer you.
 Steady now your heart and mind, come into My rest. 
Oh, let your faith arise, lift up your weary head. 
I am with you wherever you go
. Don't look to the right or to the left but keep your eyes on Me. 
You will not be shaken, you will not be moved. I am the hand to hold

One  thing that spoke to me the most was the line, "Come into my rest." 

Don't we rush around trying to be everything, do everything, fix everything? We feel like we need all the answers. But God gently invites us to come away with Him to a quiet place. To come into His rest and experience His peace. 

Resting in His peace I feel like I can keep on loving in this crazy, messed up world. That I can start looking for the good in bad situations. That in depravity, I can look for reasons to be thankful. 

That doesn't mean my heart no longer feels the hurts of our world. It means that I can take all of that hurt to my heavenly Father whose arms DO reach far enough to wrap around the whole world. My God's arms wrap around the orphan and the widow, the hopeless and helpless, the broken, the lost, and afraid. I can take all of the hurt to my God who is in the process of redeeming everything. 

What is there in your life that is pulling you down? What is God asking you to bring to Him? 

To Have Courage

A good friend of mine recently bought this picture for me because I told her how much I love it. I love the way that the word courage has broken out of the darkness into this beautiful bright color. I love the splatters and the random colors everywhere. Courage is messy. I wouldn't define courage as standing tall completely confident and unafraid. No, courage means taking one tiny terrified step of obedience after another. 

I love the word courage. Not that I have courage, but that always I've needed it. And God always provides it. Not that he provides courage by removing fear, but courage comes from knowing that He is holding my hand through everything. Knowing that the Lord of heaven and earth has a secure grip on me. A grip that neither living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable, or absolutely anything else will ever be able to loosen. Courage doesn't mean that you are never afraid. It means that while trembling in fear, you still do the thing you think you cannot do. 

Sometimes when I say, "God, I'm too afraid to do that."

 He says, "Then do it afraid. I'll be with you." He doesn't ask for absolute courage, just absolute obedience. 

When I say, "God, I'm afraid," He doesn't offer me a million reasons why I shouldn't be afraid and why my fear is irrational. He knows me better than that. All He says is, "I'm here." And that's enough. And He reminds me that there has never been a single moment in my life that He has EVER left my side. 

Looking at this art helps me remember that God gave me courage yesterday so I know He will give me courage again today. Looking back over every part of my life I remember He gave me courage then so I know He will give me courage now. 

I've learned a lot about courage. I've learned that courage means you dare to show your whole heart. Courage means you trust anyway, you try anyway, you love anyway. That no matter how many times the world tells you that you can't, you rise up because your God has told you that you can. Courage means trying even if you're afraid you will fail. Courage means choosing to see the good even when everything is falling apart. Courage means choosing to believe God's truth despite what you may be feeling. 

We need a lot of courage to live in the world today. Thankfully our God is an endless supplier of courage. Sometimes the most courage that we can manage is to be able to ask God for courage. And God loves when we come to Him, trembling in fear and ask to be made courageous. He loves when we bring our weakness and inability because thats when His power is made perfect. Sometimes courage means surrendering to God's will for your life. Sometimes it means forgiving someone, sometimes it means asking for forgiveness. Whatever courage looks like for you at this point in your life, know that we have a God who loves to encourage and strengthen us and fill us with His courage.

Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Come to Me- Bethel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT_bj2qBfoI