Best Christmas Gift Ever

When Jesus was born the Israelites knew that the Messiah was coming soon. "How did they know?," you may ask. Because even though there had been no word from God in 400 years, they had been given a timeline. The prophet Daniel told them when to expect the Messiah to arrive. (Daniel 9:24-27) The prophet Isaiah told them how it would happen. (Isaiah 7:14; Matt 1:23)

So when the shepherds, the least desirable people to be around, received the announcement they ran to see if it was true. When they found Jesus they spread the word of the angel's proclamation and what they found. (Luke 2:8-20) They continued praising God. What a revival in a time of oppression!

Further in Luke 2, we see Simeon and Anna, both known to be righteous and devout who proclaim they saw the Messiah. Don't you think the priests would have heard their conversations before and after they saw the Messiah? Sadly, they totally ignored this. 

Then the wise men arrive on the scene. From Matthew 2, we see Magi, or royal astrologers, coming to Jerusalem looking for the new king. Reading between the lines and putting the pieces together, we know they were wealthy. In that case, everyone in the city would know of their arrival because of the large entourage that came with them.

When Herod finally schedules a meeting with these men, he has already gathered information from the priests. Have you ever noticed that none of the priests go with the Magi? The men who knew what signs would accompany the Messiah's arrival end up turning a deaf ear. Were they repeating their ancestors' actions? (Psalm 78:35-37)

Have you ever wondered what your reaction would have been? Would you have been a shepherd, or a Simeon or Anna? Running to see God's salvation come to life? Or, would you have been a priest? Standing back and just saying, "Yes, yes, we know that. You go see and let us know so then we think about going." Truly not caring that God had fulfilled the promise they had taught about.

Let's update this thought. There is talk that another revival is coming to this country before the return of Jesus. I believe this. The question to ask ourselves... will I have a priestly response or a shepherd response? Do I know all the signs to look for yet pass it off as nothing because my church life is where I want it to be? Or will I look for the change to happen and grab hold of the dynamics of the revival?

When the population that we think are lost or less likely to burn with the fire of the Holy Spirit starts praising God and shaking things up, how will we react? Let's give it some thought in this season as we celebrate the act of God becoming man as the best Christmas gift ever.

Am I Like Jonah?

The story of Jonah is known by churchgoers of all ages. A man of God was told to go to a city filled with people Jonah could not stand. I once heard that most Hebrews, along with Jonah, couldn't stand that place because the Assyrians living there would impale Hebrews, then hang those bodies at the city gate as a warning to other Hebrews.

When you think about it, who would want to go to a place where you know you will be hated and, possibly, could face death? But God was doing something in that city and He asked Jonah to join Him in that effort.

So the question I felt God point out to me the other day in regards to Jonah was, "Are we refusing to do something God is asking of us?"

Has God asked you to forgive someone who injured you emotionally? He has asked me to do that, many times. It wasn't easy, but I spoke the words several times. And, actually, anytime I remember the pain or begin to dwell on it, I repeat the words of forgiveness again. Maybe that sounds weak to you, to repeat words of forgiveness. But, I can tell you that each time I do it, there is a lightness in my spirit that wasn't there before. (John 5:38-48)

Maybe for you, it's not forgiving a wrong, maybe it's something else. Is God asking you to speak to someone you dislike? Or someone you consider an enemy? 

I think of it this way. How many times have I turned aside rather than cross the room to speak with someone that turned my stomach? How many times have I refused to speak a kind word to someone who was shunned by others? How many times have I turned the other way rather than seeing the reality of the hurt that was happening?

Do any of these sound familiar? Maybe we can relate to Jonah more than we realized. I'm seeing that I can.

Before we condemn ourselves, there is good news, and hope. Just like with Jonah, God gives us time to come to our senses. And when we do... He uses us just like He used Jonah. Notice in the story (Jonah 3) that God didn't go ahead and destroyed Nineveh without Jonah giving the warning. No, God waited for Jonah to wake up and be willing to give the warning.

God will use us once we realize we need to turn toward that action he wants is to take. We are not terrible because of our hesitancy. We are learning the acceptance of God to our struggle to follow His directions. This is great hope for all of us.