Tag: Advent

Humility of Mary

As I continue my Advent reading plan, seeking God for new revelation in the Nativity story, I am struck by the simple humility of Mary.

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. – Luke 1:38

If God wanted to achieve massive notoriety in the birth of His Son, He could have used a highly public figure, but that would never be the persona Jesus took. Jesus would set in motion a new style of leadership, that of a servant, and God started that process in choosing His vessel. If He had chosen a famous or wealthy person, the rest of us would feel disqualified. Or worse, that person might have mistakenly think they “earned” the privilege to be chosen. But God used a humble girl, likely a teen, which would give hope to everyone who hasn’t felt worthy, and would keep any of us from thinking that being used by God is something to be earned.

I, for one, am grateful that God can and does use normal people to accomplish His purposes. I pray that I never fall into the trap of thinking that success is a result of my own humanity.

Obedience of Joseph

Courtesy of my YouVersion app, I’m doing an Advent devotional, written by lifechurch.tv. Like many, I have read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth repeatedly, year after year. But this time, I’m seeking fresh revelation and God is responding to my request.

In Matthew 1, the account of Joseph, I was drawn to verse 24, which says “And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife.”

Joseph obeyed. He made a choice, and that choice changed his-story and History. I can’t imagine the challenge it must have been to be in his shoes and consider his options. We know from earlier verses that he was considering walking away from the engagement when he heard the news, but God intervened and Joseph obeyed. Lord, help me to always obey You, even in difficult circumstances.

This Christmas, take a break!

The “Advent” season is upon us! This is honestly one of my favorite times of the year. I always loved Christmas growing up, but it took on new life when I got married and again when we had children. There’s something about sharing the special nature of this season with loved ones that makes the celebration even more powerful.

One of the reasons I treasure this season is because I generally take a week or more off from work and enjoy lots of extra family time. I’d encourage you to consider blocking out time for a break in your schedule at some point this month. Whether it’s a break from work or from extracurricular activities, taking a time out to focus on yourself and your family is a valuable way to refresh yourself for the season ahead. In my experience, even when I struggle to make time for a break, I find that things go better when I come back because I have a fresh perspective and new energy.

In the spirit of that “break”, I’ve decided to take the month of December as a break from my typical business/ministry blog topics and focus on reflections on the Christmas story. God is bringing new revelation to the Nativity story this year for me and I’m hoping to share those here and that they may be a ministry to others also. I’ll be back in January with writings on planning, goal setting, etc., but the next few weeks will be a little different. Merry Christmas!