A Christmas Gift- Part 2

     

How do you think Christ learned the discipline of love, surrender and submission? Don't you think He learned it from His parents Mary and Joseph? 

Now let us look as Joseph. Here he is getting ready for marriage, newly engaged, in love with Mary and he finds out that she is pregnant. How humiliating! How indignant of her! How many questions went through his head? I can imagine he wanted to know who did it? The rage he must have felt. But wait, Joseph took a look at the greater picture. He manned up. He realized that if he revealed his rage to the public, it would disgrace Mary. Understand, Joseph could have only surmised that Mary became pregnant by another man. But he decided to divorce, discontinue the engagement in private. Now think about this. Here is this guy, planning his future with grand ideas of how it might be. The promise of having a woman completely devoted to him. He was honorable as was Mary. They each honored the requirement of God to maintain their virginity prior to marriage. And now this, his soon to be wife shows up pregnant. The story does not end here. In Mathew 1:20 we read that an angel  appeared to Joseph, gave him the what's up. Because Joseph surrendered and submitted to God, he fulfilled God's will by continuing with the marriage to Mary and accepted Jesus as his own son. That is huge! Joseph's pride was deprived since his first born son would not even be his. Sure, I get it. Joseph understood what was important. Joseph was not deprived though of the ability to provide the love Jesus would need from him and the ability to pass on his skills of carpentry to his son. Very honorable. Joseph was provided this opportunity because he accepted God's will, surrendered and submitted.

What would you have done in either of the roles? Well, you have the choice now to make the right decision today. God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) desires you to have a relationship with Him that will enable you to serve Him by accomplishing the call He has for you. Through your relationship with Him, you to can "Conceive" or have Christ live in you and through you so that others will obtain a relationship with Him as well. You may be the only door to Jesus that some people may ever get to open.

What happens in our lives is the "SELF" gets in the way. Pride deceives and withdraws the availability of one to have an intimate relationship with God. By this another "door" is taken away. You nor I truly have a right to self. If you are a child of God's you live in Him and He in you. You are a part of a kingdom. In a kingdom you have no rights to self. What is exciting about God's kingdom is that you do not need to have a right to self which is generally birthed out of fear. God loves you and will provide for you so you can surrender to Him. But how will you know this if you do not practice it?  Know God's word and live it out if you are not already. You may be surprised at the outcome. You and I do not have to be influenced by this world, but influence it.

Jeremiah 15:19 “If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!”

1 Peter 5:2-4, 6-11 "2 Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care watching over them-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 no lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. 11 To Him be the power forever and ever. Amen" 

 "To hope is to believe. Continue to have hope in what God has given you to desire. For if you lose hope, you've lost the dream."  ©Clint Fleming

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!