THE BIRTH OF CHRIST

 THE BIRTH OF CHRIST

An odd thing happened this week. Jane came back into the house and said, “I don’t know how to tell you this, but someone stole baby Jesus!” I went out the front door and across the lawn, and sure enough, my whole Nativity Scene was gone, stakes and all! I was flabbergasted! “Who would do such a thing?” But after a few angry words, Jane and I decided to take the high road. We guessed that the person who stole our Nativity Scene was probably someone who was too poor to buy something for the family and thought baby Jesus would be the perfect gift. So I left it at that and felt better about not cursing and rebuking them!

 

Then Jesus did a really cool thing. He reminded me of the many other Nativity Scenes I’ve accumulated over the years, and He told me to go around the house and take pictures of them. I don’t consider myself a big collector of anything, but if I was, I think it would be Nativity Scenes. I really like them, and I keep them out all year long, at least one in almost every room in the house.

 

I love the story of Jesus’ birth, how He was not born in a fancy place, but in a manger. He came to be known and honored by very rich men, but still, His birth was simple. And the first people the angels came to tell about Jesus’ birth was the shepherds.

 

We never even know the shepherds’ names. Were they all old men, or did they have youngsters with them? There are so many things we don’t know about them, but what we do know is that God felt that these shepherds were important enough to invite to this event. Right here, we see that God is not impressed by notoriety, wealth, or worldly power. God is impressed by the humble human who is willing to believe in Him and in “his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Ps. 107:8). God sent His holy child to regular people like you and me. It’s so great that we celebrate Jesus’ birth every year.  

 

And even though my outdoor baby Jesus was stolen off my lawn, the indoor Jesus remains in my home and in my heart.

 

Love, Carolyn

For those of you who haven’t had a chance to read the story yet, here’s the record from the book of Luke:

 

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

 

“And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

 

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

 

“And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

 

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’

 

“And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, ‘Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.’ 

 

“And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

 

“But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them” (Luke 2:4-20).

 

 

"BE IT UNTO ME ACCORDING TO THY WORD"

“BE IT UNTO ME ACCORDING TO THY WORD”

In the story of Christmas, the angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her she would be having a child by a miracle of the Holy Spirit, and this child would be Jesus, the son of God. Mary believed that if people would just stick with what God told them, His Word was always going to come to pass. “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37).  She had heard of the miraculous things God did and totally believed that God’s Word was true. She believed that the Red Sea really did open up miraculously to let the Israelites cross over on dry land. She believed the story about the ax head that was lost, but then floated up out of the water, defying the natural laws of gravity (2 Kings 6:5-6). She believed what she heard about the Hebrews just looking at the brass serpent in the wilderness and getting healed of their snake bites (Num. 21:8-9).

 

So when the angel Gabriel told her that she was the one who would miraculously birth the Messiah, the son of God, the promised seed from the Bible, she believed it: “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38).

 

Peter also was taught to believe the records of the many miracles God did. And he, like Mary, believed beyond what looked impossible by natural laws. Peter literally stepped out of the boat, after hearing and believing just one word from Jesus: “Come” (Matt. 14: 29). Peter saw that Jesus was walking on top of the water, even as the ship was being tossed around by the waves. When Jesus said, “Come,” Peter figured Jesus meant it, so he dared to do it.

 

We all have verses that mean a lot to our hearts. We can probably name a few right now. Those are the very ones the Lord has been trying to speak to us personally all along. If you’ve not done this before, you can take a slightly new approach to those favorite verses. Focus on the verse, then be like Mary: Believe the miraculous and say, “Be it unto me according to thy Word.” And let’s be like Peter, walk out and expect it to work.

 

Love, Carolyn

(painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner 1898)

 

Have a wonderful Christmas!

 

 

 

PROTECTING THE ANOINTING

 PROTECTING THE ANOINTING

Peanut and I were sitting in the car waiting for Jane. I looked over at the passenger side of the car next to ours and a young man was opening the door for his wife. I thought, “Wow, you don’t see that much anymore!” opening the car door for a woman used to be a common act of respect, appreciation, and honor—to show that the woman was someone special in the man’s eyes.

 

Many good ideas and practices like this one have been dropped, and many of us Christians have been wrongly taught when it comes to appreciation, honor, and respect, not only for others but even more insidious, as I see it, is the lack of respect for the anointing God’s put within us individually. Are we protecting that anointing, or are we sabotaging ourselves without even knowing it?  

 

In 1 Chronicles 16:22 God says: “Touch not mine anointed.” Verse 21 says: “But the Lord did not let anyone mistreat them. He warned kings not to harm them.” But what if we are the culprits ourselves, not giving honor to the God-given anointing within us?

 

Are we sometimes being like Jeshurun of Deuteronomy 32:15 who “lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation”?

 

When I thought about the man opening the door for his wife, I thought about some of the wisdom Solomon shared about a virtuous woman in Proverbs 31. “She perceiveth that her merchandise is good” (v. 18). And as a wife, “She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life” (v. 12). And verse 10: “Her price is far above rubies.” Isn’t the anointing of God in us at least as valuable as this? We need to honor who we are spiritually and take care that we aren’t sabotaging our most precious treasure.

 

So what are some of the ways we can honor and protect who we are spiritually? We can consciously be more aware of our physical surroundings. Is the environment in our home, at the grocery store we go to, where we choose to go for entertainment—does it encourage us spiritually, or is it a place we merely endure? Or can we possibly choose a different environment that is better for our spirit and our soul? Jesus can lead us there if we are willing.

 

Are we being cognizant of the food, the drink, the medications we take, and how they are affecting our spiritual treasure? And are we practicing healthy boundaries with other people, or are we letting others step all over us? These are choices we make.  Are they encouraging our spiritual anointings, or are they stealing energy from who we really are?

God says we have Christ in us. It’s a mystery, and it’s a treasure beyond anything the world has to offer: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).

 

So like the man who cared enough to walk around to the passenger side of the car to open the door for his wife, let’s open the door for our anointing, treating it with respect and honor and protecting it from all its enemies.

 

Love, Carolyn 

THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM

THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM

I’m sure we all know people who are naturally wise. They just seem to have a very solid sense of what will work to the positive and what won’t. They exhibit an uncanny plethora of common sense and seem to be able to make good choices and good decisions that keep them out of trouble. Jesus told a parable about a man like this. The man wasn’t a good and honest person, but he was wise.

 

“Now Jesus was also saying to the disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager [of his estate], and accusations [against this man] were brought to him, that this man was squandering his [master’s] possessions. So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management [of my affairs], for you can no longer be [my] manager.’

 

“The manager [of the estate] said to himself, ‘What will I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig [for a living], and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from the management, people [who are my master’s debtors] will welcome me into their homes.’

 

“So he summoned his master’s debtors one by one, and he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of [olive] oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

 

“And his master commended the unjust manager [not for his misdeeds, but] because he had acted shrewdly [by preparing for his future unemployment]” (Luke 16:1-8 AMP).

 

The KJV puts verse 8 this way: “And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely.”

 

Some people seem to have this kind of worldly wisdom already, and I have no idea where they got it. But then there are people like me who drew the short end of the stick when it came to worldly wisdom. My guardian angels must have been very busy, because, unlike the manager that Jesus talked about, I didn’t make many wise decisions as a young person, and even into adulthood, I made a lot of stupid choices. I’ve done my best to do God’s will, and He’s given me tremendous wisdom in so many situations, but there’s always more to learn.

 

A week or so ago, Kathy Stiles shared some insight on wisdom that changed my life. She posted The Passion Version’s translation of Ephesians 1:17a: “I pray that the Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would impart to you the riches of the Spirit of wisdom.” Then she went on: “The book of Proverbs came to mind because of the subject of WISDOM throughout the book. I then recalled that King Solomon wrote most of the proverbs. And what is Solomon best known for? He received wisdom and riches above all others, for all time.”

 

Solomon also wrote the book of Ecclesiastes and The Song of Solomon, so how much wisdom can we also learn from these two books?

 

Though we’ve read the Bible many times and gone to the Lord in prayer for wisdom, I can see that it would really benefit us to take a closer look at these writings of the wisest king ever. I believe that in doing this, we will definitely be asking and allowing God to impart into our lives—to our daily choices and decisions—even greater wisdom than we’ve ever experienced before.

 

Love, Carolyn