Sunday, December 25, 2011
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Weekly Devotion 12.25.2011
God's Guiding Stars
Matthew 2.9-11
9 After [the Magi] had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Long before GPS or map technology came about, traveling in the ancient world implied a treacherous, long, and often undulating journey. When we read of the Magi, we must understand that the journey "from the East" suggests a rather lengthy journey that could have spun from weeks to months. Yet in this journey we see a subtle yet powerful message: God sends direction when we need it. Matthew explains that the "star [the Magi] had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was." Let us stop and consider the meaning of this. The star was not merely a directional navigator, but an indicator of God's direction and eternal guidance to achieve His purposes in our lives. If God can guide a star to point others to Jesus, He can guide you and I to Him. Indeed, He doesn't stop there! Once we have Christ in our hearts, the Holy Spirit points us like a star into the land of blessing and purpose. You see, God's plans for us are mighty and wonderful. Never has he led a man or woman fully dedicated to Him into the void. Even through the vast and limitless expansion of stars above, God cares enough to guide His children through a single star.
In Genesis 15.5 we see that "[God take Abram] outside and [say], 'Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.' Then he [says] to him, 'So shall your offspring be.'" What is God saying here? Once again, He is using stars to demonstrate that the immensity of heaven is under His command, and He will bless Abram with descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky.
This Christmas season, these two illustrations of stars ought to cause us to realize something: God is always giving us a star to point the way to Christ's will. Just as the Magi were pointed to the Christ-Child, so are we everyday. Let us listen to the Holy Spirit. Let our hearts be open and tender about the things of God. Beloved, may our whole being be excited and joyful each day at the works God is doing with His children. Isn't it great to be a child of God?
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Only One Thing is Needed
Luke 10.38-42
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
How easy it is during the holiday season to get caught up in the yearly festivities and lose sight of the birth of Christ and the uniting of family. When there is work to be done, when preparations are to be made, when others must be accommodated, the true purpose of not only Christmas but all events in life often fall along the wayside. I believe this is most certainly true for most all of us in our spiritual walk with Christ. Like Martha, God grants us tremendous opportunities to serve Him. These opportunities are intimate and exciting, with Christ Himself coming to meet us! Yet rather than fall at His feet and worship Him, we allow the mindset of task completion to overtake worship. When we are in this mindset we, like Martha, often blame others for our own lack of focus.
What can solve this? Jesus proclaims to Martha: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.” What an amazing, comforting verse! When our lives appear to tailspin into unmanageable tasks where the core mission of God’s kingdom is forgotten or pushed to a lower priority, Jesus repeatedly calls our name and tells us not to worry or be upset. Only one thing is needed: a heart of worship. Mary, too, served the Lord by falling at her feet and worshipping Him. Nowhere do the scriptures suggest that this was all she did. She may well have been prepared to cook and tend to His needs. But her attitude was to “seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he [would] give [her] everything [she needed]” (Matthew 6.33).
What are we seeking after? Life is busy, and God has charged us to set our hands to being about the business of His kingdom. But He has called us to worship Him. He has called us to pray, read and meditate on His Word, engage in fellowship with other believers, and reach out to the lost. These are not side tasks—they are the fundamental flow of all other things. Let us be like Mary and fall on our knees before Jesus. Only then will our hearts be charged and humbled enough to serve God faithfully and fully! Amen.
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
How easy it is during the holiday season to get caught up in the yearly festivities and lose sight of the birth of Christ and the uniting of family. When there is work to be done, when preparations are to be made, when others must be accommodated, the true purpose of not only Christmas but all events in life often fall along the wayside. I believe this is most certainly true for most all of us in our spiritual walk with Christ. Like Martha, God grants us tremendous opportunities to serve Him. These opportunities are intimate and exciting, with Christ Himself coming to meet us! Yet rather than fall at His feet and worship Him, we allow the mindset of task completion to overtake worship. When we are in this mindset we, like Martha, often blame others for our own lack of focus.
What can solve this? Jesus proclaims to Martha: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.” What an amazing, comforting verse! When our lives appear to tailspin into unmanageable tasks where the core mission of God’s kingdom is forgotten or pushed to a lower priority, Jesus repeatedly calls our name and tells us not to worry or be upset. Only one thing is needed: a heart of worship. Mary, too, served the Lord by falling at her feet and worshipping Him. Nowhere do the scriptures suggest that this was all she did. She may well have been prepared to cook and tend to His needs. But her attitude was to “seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he [would] give [her] everything [she needed]” (Matthew 6.33).
What are we seeking after? Life is busy, and God has charged us to set our hands to being about the business of His kingdom. But He has called us to worship Him. He has called us to pray, read and meditate on His Word, engage in fellowship with other believers, and reach out to the lost. These are not side tasks—they are the fundamental flow of all other things. Let us be like Mary and fall on our knees before Jesus. Only then will our hearts be charged and humbled enough to serve God faithfully and fully! Amen.
Weekly Devotion 12.18.2011
Only One Thing is Needed
Luke 10.38-42
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
How easy it is during the holiday season to get caught up in the yearly festivities and lose sight of the birth of Christ and the uniting of family. When there is work to be done, when preparations are to be made, when others must be accommodated, the true purpose of not only Christmas but all events in life often fall along the wayside. I believe this is most certainly true for most all of us in our spiritual walk with Christ. Like Martha, God grants us tremendous opportunities to serve Him. These opportunities are intimate and exciting, with Christ Himself coming to meet us! Yet rather than fall at His feet and worship Him, we allow the mindset of task completion to overtake worship. When we are in this mindset we, like Martha, often blame others for our own lack of focus.
What can solve this? Jesus proclaims to Martha: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one." What an amazing, comforting verse! When our lives appear to tailspin into unmanageable tasks where the core mission of God's kingdom is forgotten or pushed to a lower priority, Jesus repeatedly calls our name and tells us not to worry or be upset. Only one thing is needed: a heart of worship. Mary, too, served the Lord by falling at her feet and worshipping Him. Nowhere do the scriptures suggest that this was all she did. She may well have been prepared to cook and tend to His needs. But her attitude was to "seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he [would] give [her] everything [she needed]" (Matthew 6.33).
What are we seeking after? Life is busy, and God has charged us to set our hands to being about the business of His kingdom. But He has called us to worship Him. He has called us to pray, read and meditate on His Word, engage in fellowship with other believers, and reach out to the lost. These are not side tasks—they are the fundamental flow of all other things. Let us be like Mary and fall on our knees before Jesus. Only then will our hearts be charged and humbled enough to serve God faithfully and fully! Amen.
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