Grace To The Humble

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(photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net/Arvand Balaraman)

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6)

Lord, forgive me for anytime I have felt insignificant and wondered if You knew or cared that I exist. Forgive me for ever doubting whether You would hear my prayers or if You would really answer them. For I have found that You do care and You do hear and You do answer. Just as You revealed Yourself to the humble shepherds in Bethlehem, I pray that You would reveal Yourself to me. Just as You led them to a close encounter with You, I pray that You would enable me to see You more closely too. Because You announced the great news of Jesus’ birth to the most humble people on earth, I see that no life is without significance in Your eyes. And no matter how isolated we are, how outcast from society we feel, or how lowly and unworthy we see ourselves, You see us as having value. Thank You that even when I am merely doing the most menial and mundane job, You will meet me right where I am and extend Your love and grace to me.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

(Excerpt taken from “The Power of Christmas Prayer” by Stormie Omartian, page 97)

Today I am joining … Spiritual Sundays and Still Saturday and The Sunday Community and Sunday Stillness and Scripture & A Snapshot .

 

Rest, Comfort & Joy

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2 Story Holiday Decor Mall Display

(photo from moscadesign.com)

These days before Christmas can find us totally engulfed in shopping and decorating and writing out Christmas cards. Oh, and then there’s the baking and the wrapping of gifts. How could I forget the office parties, the visiting of friends and family, the gift swapping, the trips to the post office……

God rest ye merry gentlemen.

Yet I am being called, wooed if you will, to rest. And He bids me, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29). Perhaps it is when I am so joined into the activities that need not be, I am wrongly yoked. Perhaps I need to take off the yoke of activity and become yoked solely with Him. It is as I am still before Him that I will find rest. Interesting word, ‘rest’ — I discovered that it means that which is good, profitable, easy to use or bear (New Testament Lexical Aids).

Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day.

I wonder how often in the midst of the busyness, the chaos of this month, I will need this reminder. May I hear the angels words, often and loudly, as they declared, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11). I want to remember. Lord, help us to remember!

To save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray.

Gone astray? Yes, “We all like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.” (Isaiah 53:6). May He save me from straying from the meaning that is rich in these days of anticipation. May I remember that He is the One that keeps my life on His charted path.

Tidings of comfort and joy.

It is as I remember the purpose, the point, the meaning of this Day, I find that I receive both comfort and joy. Odd combination, don’t you think? Yet to be comforted and not have joy almost seems like you have been shorted. Our God brings the comfort and goes beyond…He deposits joy into our lives as well. “I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.” (Jeremiah 31:13b). He truly does bring both to our lives. Circumstances may still be the same but our joy is not found in that which is happening but in His being with us. Among us. Now in us. “You have turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.” (Psalm 30:11).

Yes, it is as we take time to rest our souls that we remember. It is in the remembering that we are saved from the doing. And it is in the saving that we find the comfort and joy of this season. For it is then that we remember Christ was born on Christmas day.

God rest you merry gentlemen.

Today I am joining …. The Weekend Brew and The Saturday Sharefest and Blog Lovin’ and Make My Saturday Sweet and Recommendation Saturday and The Friday Five and Ladies Only .

 

Reflect The Light

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{{It is Friday. Today I link with Lisa Jo Baker for Five Minute Friday. Here is how it works…. One word prompt. Five minutes. No editing. Lots of women. Everyone writes on the same word. Equals a great time.}}

And…this is the last FMF of 2013 as the linkup goes on sabbatical until after the New Year.

Today’s word ….. reflect.

Whether we realize it or not -  we all reflect something. We cast an image, we reproduce, or we throw back. The question becomes …. what do we want to reflect?

How interesting to me that Lisa Jo would pick the word “reflect” on the day that Nelson Mandela departed from this world. For here was a man that reflected much – courage, truth, justice, integrity, a love for his people. And his legacy will be remembered as such. Each of those characteristics will be displayed in each and every book and movie that will be made about his life.

But we each reflect something as well. Every day.

This Advent Season my desire is to reflect The One whose birth I am remembering. Celebrating. The birth that turned this world upside down. Turned my world around. As I read the word, “reflect”, it was then that a line from a Christmas song came to me….

From a million points of light
A reflection of something that’s deeper within
Just a flicker of something more

Humming the familiar song, I remember – Jesus, Light of the World. Of my world. Of our world. He is the “something deeper within” me. I am praying that He will shine in my heart, in our hearts, this Advent season. I pray that my life will reflect Him and shine brightly in a world which is desperate need of a Savior. May we reflect Him and Him only.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV)

Today I am joining …Lisa Jo at Five Minute Friday and Friendship Fri. and Faith Filled Fri. and Fun Fri. Blog Hop and Faithful Fri. Blog Hop and Fri. Flash Blog and Essential Fri. and Womanhood With Purpose .

Grown Up Christmas List

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I went through my teenage years listening to Amy Grant & Kathy Troccoli music. Loved them both! So it should not come as a surprise that one of my favorites Christmas songs is on Amy Grant’s Christmas CD. I have loved this song for years. Even at other times of the year, this song speaks to my heart.

Here’s my life long wish, My grownup Christmas list. Not for myself but for a world in need.

I do not think there has ever been a time where I have been more aware of the brokenness which is in our world. In our lives. And it is into our brokenness that our Savior broke in that first Christmas. Or perhaps He broke open our brokenness.

No more lives torn apart, that wars would never start and time would heal all hearts.

Time does not heal all hearts. But the Babe in the manger did come for that very reason. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3). He, Himself, dresses our wounds, bandages our hearts so that we do not hemorrhage.

Everyone would have a friend.

It is at this time of year, loneliness is most on display. May those who are alone experience the truth that we have a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Prov.18:24). The Life born in the stable came to bring life and to call us His friend.

Right would always win and Love would never end.

Right will always win. One day He will right all wrongs. And in the meantime, we keep loving others. Loving Him. “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.Love never ends.” (1 Corinthians 13:7-8, ESV).

Perhaps our Christmas Wish List should look more like this: jesus%27+christmas+list“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8, NIV).

May this song by Amy Grant bless deeply today!

Today I am joining with … Thurs. Favorite Things and Time Travel Thurs. and Word Filled Wed. and Thankful Thurs. and Blog Lovin’ and Thriving Thurs. and Thrive At Home and Thought Provoking Thurs. and A Heart For Home and Thoughtful Thurs. .

 

Hear The Bells

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ID-100159137(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net/Evgeni Dinev)

This morning my thoughts turned to wondering …… When will our first Christmas card arrive in the mail? Who will send the first one? The very first one this year? One thing I know for sure is that our card will never be the first to arrive in any mailbox. No matter how well intentioned I may be, I never seem to get them out early enough.

And then I found myself wondering …. What will be the most frequently used words in the cards this year?

“Peace on earth, good will to men.”

At the time of Jesus’ birth, these were the very words declared by the angels (found in Luke 2:14). They were referring to the fullness of blessing which the birth of our Savior would bring. Salvation. Well-being for His people. It was not just the absence of hostility or conflict.

Then rang the bells more loud and deep, God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.

Four centuries passed in which God was silent. Not a word. No prophecy given. The people had to be wondering, “Where is He?”. Yet the psalmist tells us, “Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:4) Every minute He is awake and attentive to His people. His silence is not indicative of inactivity. There will be a day when He will right every wrong.

The Christmas bells WILL ring this year as they have every year since His birth. Here’s the thing …..

And with our hearts we’ll hear them.

There are truths that we will only be able to hear with our hearts. Perhaps that is why Jesus prayed for our “hearing”: “Then Jesus said, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mark 4:9). He knew our hearts and ears need to work in conjunction with one another.

Open up your heart and hear them.

May we open our hearts to Him. May we hear all that He is saying to us this Advent season. “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord.” (Jeremiah 24:7).

These words can be found in the Christmas carol, “I Heard The Bells”. May they sink in deep as you listen. And may you bend in close to Him and hear Him for yourself!

Joining with …… Tuesdays Unwrapped and  Walk Humbly With God and Tell Me A Story and Unite and Soli Deo Gloria and Titus 2sday and Teach Me Tues. and Women Helping Women and Testimony Tues. and Titus 2 Tues. and Tell His Story and Whimsical Wed. and Imperfect Prose .

Hark The Herald Angels Sing

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manger1

I started pulling out my Christmas CD’s almost two weeks ago. I love Christmas music. Always have. As of late, I realized that I can sing them and almost, just almost, miss the depth of meaning found in those familiar words….

Peace on earth and mercy mild. God and sinners reconciled.

Could we even have imagined all that the birth of that babe was going to offer this world? Man would finally have a way to be reconciled to God. A new offering for sin that would be “once, for all”. And that would include each of us that comes to Him.

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5: 18, NLT)

Pleased as man with man to dwell. Jesus, our Immanuel.

Jesus, our Immanuel, walking and living on this earth, experiencing the same life that we each do. Living with us, among us and now in us.

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him, Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’ ” (Matthew 1: 22-23, NLT)

Light and life to all He brings. Ris’n with healing in His wings.

Here is the promise of spiritual restoration – of light & life. Jesus the Light of the world. Jesus the Bread of life. And it is in Him we find protection and healing and rescue.

But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. (Malachi 4: 2, NLT)

Born that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons of earth. Born to give them second birth.

It is in and through Him that we receive eternal life. He came. He died. That we might live.

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. (John 3: 5-6, NLT)

May the words and depth of their meaning fall on you anew as you listen to “Hark The Herald Angels Sing.”

Today I joined with these blogs … Hear It, Use It and Sharing His Beauty and Inspire Me Mon. and Motivation Mon. and Making Your Home Sing and  Mommy Mon. and Living Proverbs 31 and Mom’s Mon. Mingle and Mon. Musings and The Modest Mom and Playdates With God and Miscellany Mon.