Hope
A full week ahead, Father. I take Your hand, for we shall go it together. Amen.
Luke 2:25-35 (<<click to read the passage)
In my earlier years, I was an avid reader. I was one of those people that would stay up into the wee hours of the morning because I just couldn’t put a good book down. At one point, I worked in a Christian bookstore and we were encouraged to read as much as could so we could help our customers. I devoured books at a fast pace!
In high school, I came to love the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis – both men of strong faith – who allowed that faith to bleed through into their writings.
The interaction between Simeon and especially Mary is reminiscent of many portions of Tolkien and Lewis’ work. Prophetic statements brimming with hope but tinged with the inevitable pain that comes with life. Read the words spoken to Mary,
“Listen carefully: this Child is appointed and destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign that is to be opposed— and a sword [of deep sorrow] will pierce through your own soul—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Jesus – the Messiah in the flesh – was hope personified. And as we spoke of yesterday, His would not be a hope limited to one group of people but the hope He extended was for all of humanity! But, as we know full well, it would come with great cost…
“…the thoughts of many hearts” being “revealed” makes it very clear that truly the reality of our hearts would be exposed. When it all was laid out on the table, it was not just the black and white of the Law. When hearts of stone were replaced with hearts of flesh and the Law was then written on our hearts, every aspect of who we are was made known. We are called to, “…love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” – that expands upon the idea of what it means to have is every aspect of who we are made known.
He has undoubtedly caused “the fall and rise of many.”
With His birth, Jesus was also “appointed and destined for…a sign that is to be opposed.” The notes of the Amplified Bible explain that that “sign” is “the rejecting of the Messiah, culminating in the crucifixion.”
It was not some cute little golden emblem that served as a bit of ornamentation. It was death – a horrific death that only the worst of the worst were made to endure. And…it was the death that I deserved…it was the death that you deserved. But Jesus took it upon Himself so that we may find pardon from the death sentence that we had rightfully earned with our disobedience.
Read the words of the Apostle Paul from Romans 8:1-4 (AMP),
Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]. For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do [that is, overcome sin and remove its penalty, its power] being weakened by the flesh [man’s nature without the Holy Spirit], God did: He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful man as an offering for sin. And He condemned sin in the flesh [subdued it and overcame it in the person of His own Son], so that the [righteous and just] requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not live our lives in the ways of the flesh [guided by worldliness and our sinful nature], but [live our lives] in the ways of the Spirit [guided by His power].
All praise to Jesus, the Messiah – hope personified. And “thanks be to God for His indescribable gift [which is precious beyond words]”! 2 Corinthians 9:15 (AMP)
Nov 4th, 2019, Mon, 1:02pm
Consolation!
Father, I bow my head before You in gratitude for who You are to me. I don’t deserve the blessings that You allow to be poured upon me. I have done nothing to earn them. I continue to give myself over to You for there is no other choice. Praise and honor to Your Holy Name!
Luke 2:25-35 (<<click to read the passage)
I’ve watched more of them in the past, but I enjoy watching crime dramas. When Massey first went to college, we DVR’d so many shows that we enjoyed watching together. Then neither of us would watch them but would wait and binge-watch 3, 4, or 5 of them in a row (skipping all the commercials) and staying up until the wee hours of the morning do to so. I still had to go to work, but it was well worth the trade-off just spending the time together.
If Luke had not have been a doctor, he would have made a great detective! It had to have taken hours of intense research and digging (and of course the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit!) for him to find all he found in regard to Jesus’ early years of life.
I love the story of Simeon! Here is a man who “was righteous and devout [carefully observing the divine Law], and looking for the Consolation of Israel” v25 (AMP)
…OK…right there I have to stop… already I can see that this passage is not going to get covered in one sitting!
Reading that phrase, “looking for the Consolation of Israel” brings tears to my eyes.
When I typed in the word “consolation” this is the definition Google gave me, “a person or thing providing comfort to a person who has suffered.” Similar words are comfort, solace, sympathy, compassion, pity.
In this context, the word “consolation” is used as a Messianic title.
Against popular belief, the Messiah wasn’t just a power-player come to boot out the oppressive Romans. The Messiah’s impact was to be much, much more than that.
The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, had this to say about the Messiah to come
He says, “It is too trivial a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will also make You a light to the nations
That My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6 (AMP)
To “raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel” (which was huge) was “too trivial a thing”! God’s plan included that, but it was a much grander plan and entailed bringing salvation to the ends of the earth!
And we, me and each and every one of us, were a part of God’s plan from the very beginning! Here comes my favorite verse again!
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Ephesians 1:4 (NLT)
We are all so, so much more than useless! Read Ephesians 1:4 again!
That “us” is you! That “us” is me! That “us” is everyone! No one is excluded!
What more needs to be said today? Rejoice!
Nov 3rd, 2019, Sun, 5:28 pm
The Law Applies to All
Father, it’s been a long day of trying to get over whatever I caught. I’ve not been this sick in some time but I seem to be coming around. May I be able to drive tomorrow and may I also hear Your word clearly this evening. Amen.
Luke 2:21-24 (<<click to read the passage)
One thing that amazes me is the fact that so many people flagrantly disregard the laws of the road. This year I put about 90 miles a day on my bus, plus trips to and from home to the garage. A couple of things I’ve witnessed this year so far.
- An older woman, looking for where she was going and not at what she was doing, blew through a four-way flashing stop at the intersection of the school right in front of my bus loaded with kids.
- At the same stop, a guy decided to just follow the car in front of him, without stopping himself – right in front of my bus.
- The county road that goes through campus is clearly marked on both ends for a 20-m.p.h. speed limit from 7:00 am through 4:00 pm weekdays. People rarely abide by that limit. Some of the worst offenders are the parents of preschool-age children who are running behind in dropping their kids off.
Some just feel that the law doesn’t apply to them. They can do what they want when they want.
If anyone would have been at liberty to bend the rules it would have been Jesus, right? He made the rules – the Law. I mean, He is God! Couldn’t He have blown off the rules and regulations? We had so badly messed up the first covenant with God that He had to come and establish a second covenant to set things straight. He eliminated the old covenant and the Law…right? …WRONG! Jesus, even though He is God, is not above the law – instead, he fulfilled it perfectly!
From the time He was born, He abided by the Law.
He “was circumcised” on the eighth day. (Leviticus 12:3)
There was a “purification offering…required” where His parents would “present him to the Lord.” In essence, they were buying back – “redeeming” – Him from God, acknowledging that He belonged to God first. (Exodus 13:2, 11-16; Numbers 18:15-16)
The “purification offering” was also a requirement for Mary following the birth of her son. (Leviticus 12:8)*
Jesus, Himself, proclaims as recorded in Matthew 5:17-19 (AMP),
“Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the Law [of Moses] or the [writings of the] Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke [of the pen] will pass from the Law until all things [which it foreshadows] are accomplished. So whoever breaks one of the least [important] of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least [important] in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Lord Jesus, may we not feel that Your Law does not apply to us but may we abide by them. May we embrace Your words in John 14:21 (AMP), The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him].”
*The points in this secti on were from my Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation.
Oct 31st, 2019, Thurs, 5:59 pm
Guilty? Not Me!
Father, I am leaning heavily on You this evening. I’ve caught something and feel miserable, I guess it’s just one of the side effects of driving a school bus… Help me to get over what I’m dealing with and help me to still think clearly enough to benefit from our time together. Amen.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
This afternoon the elementary assistant principal came on my bus to address my kids. He shared that some parents had contacted the school about some inappropriate things that were being said and done (I can’t see and hear everything that goes on.) He addressed the culprits publicly and made it very clear that those actions would not be tolerated.
After we were out on the road, I was informed that one of the individuals was being harassed by several of the other kids. At first, I made a general announcement of the “if you can’t something nice, don’t say anything at all” variety. Within minutes I was informed the person was still being harassed. They had already been dropped off, so I safely pulled the bus over and turned on my hazard lights.
I got everyone’s attention and got them quieted down. And here is the lesson for all of us. I asked them, “Is there anyone of you that have never done anything wrong?” And, I kid you not, of the close to 40 kids on the bus probably half of them raised their hands! I asked, “None of you have ever disobeyed your parents? Or said something you shouldn’t have said? Or taken something you shouldn’t have taken?” And I got basically the same response! I then said, “Well, for one thing, I have called almost every one of you out for not being in your seats or being out in the aisle – and that is disobedience!” It didn’t faze them…
I stressed that none of us are innocent, the best I could but I don’t really feel that I got very far and wrapped it up with the “if you can’t say something nice…” statement again.
Honestly, I was shocked! (I’m sure parents and teachers would be, too!) But truly, isn’t it a microcosm of the world in which we live? We hold fast to the mantra that we are innocent until proven guilty. In reality, we are guilty until we own up to that guilt and lay it before our Lord and Savior. And then we are only made innocent because of His blood that was spilled on our behalf.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23 (NLT)
“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone …” John 8:7 (NIV)
For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NLT)
Oct 30th, 2019, Wed, 7:24 pm
Don’t Keep It Bottled Up!
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ∼ Albert Camus
All praise to God, our Almighty Creator! Amen!
Luke 2:8-20 (<<click to read the passage)
Isn’t it hard to keep exciting news to yourself? Getting that acceptance letter to college! A young couple getting engaged! Getting pregnant for the first time…or second…or third! New jobs! Promotions! Retirement…finally! And there are many other things that can be a challenge to keep bottled up!
My wife, Karen, is good at keeping things quiet until just the right time. When I turned forty, she planned a surprise birthday party for me. I pulled in the driveway, walked into the house and…SURPRISE! My house was packed! People from work and church and of course family filled my home. I had absolutely no idea! She had even worked it out to shuttle everyone from the nearby school parking lot for the ultimate surprise! She pulled off both of her parents’ 80th birthdays and their 50th Anniversary party – lots of fun for all!
The shepherds in the field that night outside of Bethlehem had no clue as to what was about to transpire but it quickly went from a quiet, humdrum evening to literally the biggest surprise of their lives! First, one angel with a glorious proclamation.
“Then suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host (angelic army) praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest [heaven], And on earth peace among men with whom He is well-pleased.” v.13-14 (AMP)
When the angels departed the shepherds didn’t waste time but said,
“Let us go straight to Bethlehem, and see this [wonderful] thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” v15b
Once they had seen everything was just as the angel had proclaimed (not because they doubted but out of sheer excitement!), they spread the amazing news!
All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished…v18 (NLT)
They had no reason to keep what they had learned bottled up. They have every reason to proclaim it! I’m sure it was one of those stories that they readily shared with anyone that would listen. And if they are like people I know, many probably heard it over and over again!
Now here’s the rub – are those of us, who claim to be followers of Jesus, are we as eager to proclaim the amazing news of His coming into our lives? Many of us are pretty subdued. In our politically correct culture sometimes it’s easier to keep quiet.
Lord Jesus, embolden us! Set our hearts afire as those of the shepherds! May we be as eager to get the word out as they were! Help us to not keep the Good News of Your coming bottled up! Amen!
Oct 29th, 2019, Tues, 1:08 pm