Life

Just as God is at work in the history of the world, so he is at work in the history of your world. That may be hard for you to believe right now. Your life may seem to be on hold or in chaos. But you can be sure that God is using every experience to weave a magnificent masterpiece with your name stitched at the top.

Is there anything God is calling you to do that you are resisting? Anything that you are ignoring or putting off? A life calling? A career change? A new focus? Dealing with a sinful pattern? Dealing with an emotional scar? Getting help with your brokenness? Getting involved in a ministry? Are you reluctant to follow the call? Why? Look at what God did with Moses’ reluctant heart. Think of what He could do with yours.

Woven into the story of God’s sovereign work that saved and secured the nation of Israel, we see the overwhelming emotions of two brothers being reunited. God’s Word is simply amazing.

Death followed Jesus throughout his life. From the moment of his birth, those in authority were trying to kill him. And finally, they did. But not as a helpless victim; Jesus voluntarily gave himself up for us on the cross.  He died in my place. He died so that I could live. Have you surrendered to the King? Or, like Herod, are you still trying to keep him out of your life?

The journey to Jesus is seldom free of obstacles. The reality with Jesus is not always a storybook life or a storybook ending. It is often tiring and messy. The believer is not free from disappointment, discouragement, or disillusionment. Sometimes the terrain is rugged and the paths steep.  But when we set our hearts on seeing Jesus, nothing will hold us back.

In our busy lives, it’s hard for some people to make room for Jesus. They keep him at a distance. The things of life fill their hearts with temporary satisfaction. But sooner or later temporal things fail to satisfy. The heart of the person who makes room for Jesus is filled, changed, and transformed.

Jesus was born to unmarried parents and carried that stigma with Him for the rest of His life. Jesus was stripped of all royal privileges, all the way to the cross. Nate Saint, who gave his life for Christ as a missionary, said it this way: “If we could only grasp the significance of the Incarnation, the word sacrifice would disappear from our vocabulary.”

The virgin birth, however hard to explain, is something we need to know. Every aspect of our faith and hope for eternal life hinges on this truth. If Jesus were simply a product of a man and a woman, His life and death mean nothing more than yours or mine.

Today many live in a darkened world, leading lives of fear, confusion, discontentment, and despair. Searching for meaning and significance in all the wrong places. Occupying themselves with busy days. Losing sleep over things that matter little. Losing time over things that matter most.