Whose You Are

 

"Remember who you are," Mom would say as I left the house; it was a mother's advice - a subtle warning to "behave yourself." Matthew writes, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly,. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.'" (Matthew 1:18-20). Not that his parents would have ever let him forget, but God's messenger reminded Joseph of his royal lineage, which would have brought to mind ancient words that from David's family would come the Savior of the world. Consider this: every born-
again Believer has been bought with a price, adopted into God's Royal Family, and given an inheritance into His Kingdom for now into eternity. God's children have Kingly qualities and a Fragrance foreign to this world. You see, it's not who we are as much as whose we are! Do not let this Season of the Savior slip away before you know for sure whose you are and celebrate your rich life in Jesus Messiah.

Sovereign God

Do you ever have days when you just seem to be out-of-sorts – everything about the day seems … off? I’m not sure Mary would have described her days this way but reading her words in Luke makes me conclude she truly believed God to be Sovereign – in control of all times including her current situation.  “He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” (Luke 1:51-52). In this culturally crazy-cycle, it’s comforting and encouraging to trust in God Who will have the last say!  We can’t always see it – that is, God orchestrating events of this world and of our lives – but God will ultimately accomplish His holy, eternal purposes, including fulfilling all His promises!  So on those out-of-sorts kinda days, remember nothing is ever out-of-sorts with All-Powerful, All-Knowing God. Consider how He intervened in the lives of two [otherwise] unknowns (Joseph and Mary) to bring us The Savior of mankind. “Wait for the LORD and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.” (Psalm 37:34). It's a great time and 'tis the Season to delight in God Who is always in control. Wait for Him as you walk in His way - He is Sovereign God.

Rejoice in Hope

How many broken promises have you experienced?  How many promises have you [yourself] broken? Yeah, I know – let’s don’t go there. The last words from God in the Old Testament – “lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:6) – were followed by 400 years of silence! Those silent years must have felt as if God had abandoned His people, like a broken promise. Maybe it felt like Narnia under the continual curse of ice, snow and cold – hopelessness. A teenage girl named Mary knew differently: “He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His offspring forever.” (Luke 1:54-55). She was not detoured of heart by God’s long period of silence; she remembered The God of Promise never breaks His!  The angel left her with hopeful exuberance. The child she would deliver would deliver her! What might it have been like to live in that period of time: to see God’s Promise of The Messiah born, to experience “God with us” in relationship with people, to witness Truth unfold in the reality of life! ‘Tis the Season to remember with Mary and ... rejoice in Hope!

What We Needed

It's not uncommon when shopping for others to gravitate to things we'd love to have ourselves. If you think about it, how weird this is since, after all, we're shopping for someone else! In 1993 the group 4Him released a song entitled, "A Strange Way to Save the Word." Written from Joseph's perspective, he wonders ... why me - just a simple man of trade ... why her - just an ordinary girl. One line adds, "To think of how it could have been if Jesus had come as He deserved." This is truly part of the wonder of Christmas as it pertains to God's salvation of mankind - that Jesus would take-on human form and all that means to ... yes, save the world. "For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in [Jesus] we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV). You see, God was not blind-sided by the fall of man to sin and darkness; He knew and He knew what it would take to deliver us. His had a plan and that plan was to do what was best for us! Another line from the song says, "love had to reach so far" and Jesus was God's perfect reach. Jesus was ... what we needed.

Gift of Gift

Mark 10:45. Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

 There's few things, if we're honest, we enjoy more than being served. After all, it's what prompts us to go to a restaurant for a meal ... someone else is cooking, serving, cleaning-up. It is not, however, what disciples of Jesus are called to do! Jesus set for us the supreme example of servant-hood. Named in Isaiah 9 as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Jesus surrendered Himself to serve-up Salvation as The Father willed it to be done. Altogether worthy and deserving to be served, He did not come for that reason. "But we see Him Who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone." (Hebrews 2:9 ESV). No one forced or compelled Jesus to die - no, He willingly gave Himself - He became a servant to forever be our ... gift of grace.