Luke 2:6-7

While they were there (Bethlehem), the time came for her to give birth.  Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough – because there was no room for them at the inn.

The two greatest miracles that ever happened were the birth of Christ – the Son of God born to a virgin – and the resurrection of Christ. Both were completely supernatural, and both happened for our good and for God’s glory. The birth is recorded in these two verses, and we find only Joseph and Mary present when it happened. They were not in a palace, as would be appropriate for a divine king and the Son of God, but they were alone in a lowly stable because the inn was full. The miracle of the long awaited Messiah took place in private, where only those called to raise Him were present.

This seems so different from the birth of earthly future kings. The whole world watched and waited to see if the royal babies of England would be a boy or a girl, how much they would weigh, and what they would be named. Some even placed bets on the gender and time of their birth. The births were highly celebrated and publicized everywhere. Yet, this birth of an even greater king was very private. God often gives us our greatest victories in private before He acknowledges them in public.

God announced the birth of His Son to selected individuals – lowly Jewish shepherds and wealthy Gentile wise men. Jesus was given to both Jew and Gentile, rich and poor. All are to worship Him. He did not spread the word of this great miracle to everyone because everyone was not receptive to His purpose. Herod would have killed the baby to protect his throne.  The religious leaders would have scoffed and questioned Joseph’s and Mary’s integrity and morality. He often gives us private victories to protect His public interest. Indeed, if the Devil knew just what God is doing in our lives, he would certainly try to destroy it. 

Rejoice in the private victories God gives you. Don’t think your miracle will always come with great celebration or in public view. What God gives you in private, He will acknowledge in public before the proper individuals. He will protect his interest in you. Savor those moments alone with God when you know that you are hearing directly from Him. Your private miracle has great purpose, and He will use it for your benefit and His glory.

Have a blessed day!

Matthew 2:12

And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

The wise men were Gentiles. They had no Jewish heritage and did not have the law. They did not grow up in the traditions of the chosen people of God, but they knew enough to seek Jesus. While they were not His chosen people, God still spoke to them through a dream, which is proof that God speaks to those who are not His own so that they may become His.

God knew the star would attract the wise men’s attention. He knew they would seek the child. He also knew they would respond to the dream. God knew just how to communicate with them to make them respond to His call. He knows how to speak to us and to those we love, as well.

If you have loved ones who have strayed from God or who have never known Him, read this verse with hope today. God knows exactly how to get anyone’s attention to draw him/her straight to Him. He can appeal to both our intellect and emotions and speak to us in ways no one else can. He knows the heart of every individual, and He knows how to reach it. Never give up praying. When you pray for someone to know Christ, you are most certainly praying God’s will because He is not willing that any should perish but that all may come to know Christ. He can even break tradition and do something completely out of the ordinary to make it happen.

God still speaks through dreams, and many Muslims are coming to Christ in this way. A dream will often stay with you for a long time and make you ponder many questions, especially if it were a very vivid dream. I’m certain if all three wise men experienced the same dream, it was very vivid and clear! They knew Herod was danger for the child and took a different route to avoid him. God will protect that which belongs to Christ, so if your loved one ever knew anything of Scripture, trust God to raise it up at just the right time and protect the word already in him/her.

Have a blessed day!

Luke 2:25

There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on Him.

I’m thoroughly convinced that we give up on God much more than He gives up on us. Considering our own track records and short-comings, shouldn’t it be the other way around? Simeon was a man who never gave up believing that God would restore Israel and that He would see the promised Messiah. In dark days where God did not speak for 400 years through His prophets, the Holy Spirit was on Simeon, and he was devout to the promises of God. That speaks wonders of his faith.

God does not respond to need or pain alone. He responds to faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. He is not manipulated by pity parties; He is moved to action by the heart that dares to believe Him and trusts Him. 

The name, Simeon, is from a Hebrew word meaning “hearing.” Simeon believed God’s promise, and he heard from God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Hearing from God is important in dark times. Many of us are either going through dark times or have been there.  In fact, in the midst of difficult times, God often speaks the loudest to us. We must believe that God is faithful to his Word, and He responds to faith. 

Simeon is a great example for us to follow. Regardless of our age or our past, we can make the decision today to believe God and trust Him for our future. He will accomplish what He has promised, and He will respond to our faith.

Have a blessed day!

Matthew 1:24-25

When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him.  He married her but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son.  And he named Him Jesus.

Joseph obeyed God. His wedding was not what he had pictured for himself when he was first betrothed. He did not know Mary intimately until after the baby was born. His new life as a husband and a father must have carried a tremendous weight. If anyone needed a word from God to get through a matter, it was Joseph, so God made sure Joseph received the assurance he needed by sending the angel. God still sends words of encouragement and assurance to His people today.

To my knowledge, I have never personally encountered an angel. There have been times, however, that I knew I was hearing from God. He speaks through the Holy Spirit and the Bible to His people today. He may use other people, dreams, or situations to speak to us, as well. He knows what will capture our attention and reach the heart. Will we be like Joseph and willingly obey what he has to say when His word to us requires the sacrifice of a dream? Will we obey when the word we hear appears to be disappointing?

Joseph never had to actually sacrifice his dream. He simply had to forsake his previous imaginations and assumptions of what he thought that life would be. He still married Mary. They still had a life together and children together. He just carried a greater responsibility in raising the Son of God, and it would require he follow in obedience. When our dreams seem shattered, it is important that we, too, remain close to God. He has a greater purpose for us than what we had previously imagined, and we will need to walk forth in obedience to find it and fulfill it.  

If you find yourself facing disappointment today, God may be requiring you forsake false assumptions and imaginations, rather than your actual dream. Be willing to follow Him and watch to see where He leads. Every good and perfect gift is from him, and He will not disappoint you in the end. He will use you for His greater glory!

Have a blessed day!

Luke 2:13-14

Suddenly there was a multitude of heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:  Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!

The angels recognized God in the highest place possible – the highest heaven. How awesome and glorious that He would grant peace and favor the lowly men of earth! They announced this to the shepherds in the field the night of Jesus’s birth. God had granted tremendous peace and great favor to these poor, lowly shepherds, informing them of the birth of His Son.  They would be among the first to see Him and to worship Him. His birth was a symbol of hope to those of humble position that they might have a right standing and a high calling with the God of the highest heaven.

Gabriel told Mary she was highly favored by God when he announced her calling as the mother of His Son. I can’t imagine her submitting to such a calling and walking forth in it without the peace of God. When He calls us to a place or position, He grants us the peace we need to walk in it. Many of you can attest to this as widows. While it may feel at times like you are being punished in some way, know that if God has given you peace in your situation, you have His favor. 

This is not a peaceful world in which we live. All we have to do to encounter conflict is wake up and turn on the television! Crime, bickering, war, and danger are all around us. Not everyone has peace, but God grants it to those He favors. This peace always begins with worshipping His Son – Jesus. Don’t forget Him as you celebrate with your loved ones. He is God’s peace to us, granted as an act of favor. He is God’s gift to us. Worship Him, and thank God for giving us His very best!

Have a blessed day!

Luke 1:16-17

He will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.

These words were spoken to Zechariah the priest by the angel when he went before the LORD to intercede for the sins of God’s people. God was finally ready to fulfill the deep desire for a son that Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, were unable to conceive on their own. Zechariah’s son would serve a great purpose in God’s kingdom. He would be anointed to draw people back to God and to make a difference in his world. God would use him to change people’s lives and to blaze the trail for the Messiah. I can understand how Zechariah had trouble believing. This news was overwhelming and almost too good to be true. I’m afraid I might have questioned it, too.

While the angel explained how Zechariah’s son would serve a great purpose in God’s kingdom, his barrenness seemed to speak louder than his God at first. After all this time, how could his be? Zechariah seemed to have lost hope of ever having his deepest desire fulfilled. When God speaks, we cannot allow our void to be greater than His voice.

Sometimes, God gives us news that just seems too good to be true. In actuality, we would have been happy to settle for much less to fill our void, but God had greater plans. In those times, our human nature might be to look for the bad so the good doesn’t seem so great. We might even be afraid to get our hopes up so high in fear it is a hoax. While some things can be too good to be true, there are times when God chooses to move in our lives to complete a greater purpose, and we just have to let Him be God. We need faith not only to endure the bad things of life but to embrace the good things God has planned for us. When He is moving, you will know it because you can’t stop it or deny it. He just does it!

Believe God today without second guessing Him. The enemy will always attack before God does something great, and the bad times just serve to confirm that God has something good planned all along. A season of barrenness will prime you to produce fruit beyond imagination. We really are in His hands, and that is an awesome place to be!

Have a blessed day!

Luke 2:17-20

After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, just as they had been told.

The shepherds acted in faith and saw the evidence of the promise. They were so excited they couldn’t help but share the good news! Mary, however, enjoyed the moment. She knew she had participated in God’s divine plan and treasured every moment in her heart. 

We often expect the shouting, excitement, and praise of the great moments of our lives, and there is a time and place for that. These miracle moments, however, are also times to realize that we are partakers with the Divine in His plan. Moments of reverence and awe are appropriate, as well. 

Don’t miss a thing of what God has planned for you. Take time to praise Him and celebrate the goodness He pours into your life, but also take time to meditate on what you see Him doing in and through you. Christ gives us the opportunity for both celebration and reflection.  Your relationship with God is multidimensional, and your purpose is multifaceted.  Being a partaker in God’s divine plan is too awesome an experience to rush or ignore. Cherish every moment, and praise Him for it!

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 62:3-4

You will be a glorious crown in the LORD’s hand, and a royal diadem in the palm of your God. You will no longer be called Deserted, and your land will not be Desolate; instead, you will be called My Delight is in Her, and your land will be married.

Have you ever felt rejected, used, and deserted by the world? Have you ever felt abandoned and despised? As a widow, I dare say most of us have at some point. The world will use you for its own purpose and then disregard you because that is how the Devil operates, and he is the ruler of the earthly realm. Such a fate is exactly what Jerusalem experienced when she was taken captive, but God eventually restored her because she was – and still is – His.

You are His, too. In fact, our identity in Christ stems from the fact that we belong to Him. Because we are His, He will claim us for His own, where we will be displayed as a glorious crown and a royal diadem. While the world may have rejected you, God will exalt you, and His favor will shine upon you. Like a trophy wife, you will sparkle and shine in His hand!

We must remember, however, that such exalting is God’s work to do. Our works will never bring us the approval we so desperately need. We already have God’s approval, and He will display it in due time. He will restore all the broken and ruined places in us and make us valuable in His hand. The key is just remaining in His hand and allowing Him to do the work.

You are not rejected; you are loved and accepted by God the Father. You are not desolate or alone; you are in relationship with Jesus Christ, who lives today in resurrection power. You are not unwanted and despised; you are married to the King of Kings. Your worth is found as His possession. You are His, and He will eventually display your value for the world to see.

Have a blessed day!

James 1:17

Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow casting by turning.

Every good gift we receive if from God. If it is truly good, desirable, and beneficial for us, God is the sender. Rest assured that the Devil wants nothing good for us at all! He will only tempt us into trying to take a good gift by an illegitimate means, as he did when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. If the gift is for you, God will give it to you. You won’t have to steal it!

The Message Bible explains that there is nothing deceitful in God. He is not two-faced or fickle in His favor toward us. He is constantly loving and faithful. Satan will try to steal our blessings by attacking us and trying to convince us God is mad at us or withholding a blessing for some reason. He will try to make us believe we have blown it too badly for God to bless us and tell us we should just give up the fight. We must endure these trials and ignore such negative thoughts. If God has promised it, He will deliver. Stand strong in your faith, and watch Him come through for you!

We know that every good and perfect gift comes from God because He sent His own Son for us. If He would give us His very best and offer Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins, would He not give us good gifts we desire that are not as costly? He has already given us His very best. He will surely continue to give us what is good, desirable, and perfect as long as we belong to Him.

Have a blessed day!

Matthew 1:18-19

The birth of Jesus came about this way: After His mother Mary had become engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.  So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.

Joseph and Mary were engaged to be married. Surely, they had many dreams for the future as they awaited their wedding and forthcoming marriage. Joseph must have been devastated to learn the news of her pregnancy. His dreams would have been shattered, and his trust in her destroyed. He must have been deeply hurt by the news. Was she in love with someone else? Was she not the innocent girl he had come to love? Would people think the baby was his and look disdainfully upon him? He certainly must have had many questions as he struggled with the emotions of his heart. Legally, he could have had her stoned to death, but he chose to divorce her quietly, instead. 

Joseph is described as a righteous man in these verses. There was something good in Joseph.  God knew what He was doing by choosing these particular parents. He knew Joseph would not harm Mary or the baby by taking revenge upon them to satisfy his own hurt. He was a self-sacrificing man – the kind of man God’s own son would need as an earthly mentor. God chose a heart that would save the life of His Son so that His Son could save us by giving His own life. 

Greater life comes when we give ours away. When we look beyond our selfish desires, our own hurt, our own rights, and our own needs, we find new life in the thing God has placed in front of us. Don’t miss your blessing of new life by holding on to something that was never meant to be. Surrender your emotions to God, and watch to see what He will show you and where He will take you. Things just might not be the way they seem after all. 

Have a blessed day!