Wednesday, December 24, 2008

May It Be


"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her (Luke 1:38).

Have you ever had a boss come to you and give you an assignment which had rules never before used? Not only were the rules different, he was asking you to agree to them not knowing the outcome or impact it would have on your life. That must have been the way Mary, the mother of Jesus felt.

God was about to do something so extraordinary that it required a face to face meeting with the subject, Mary, and his key angel, Gabriel. What God was about to do was so foreign that it needed detailed explanation.

Mary had been handpicked to give birth to the Christ-child. Can you imagine!? However, in order to do so she was going to be pregnant while yet unmarried, something totally taboo in her culture. In fact, women were stoned to death if found to be fornicators. So, when Mary heard the assignment and responded by saying, "May it be," this tells us what a courageous woman of faith she must have been.

She did not understand the implications of what she was about to do. However, she placed her total trust in God and knew that if God chose her for such an assignment, she could trust the outcome to Him. She would even have to trust the explanation to Joseph, who was not going to understand. In fact, when he discovered Mary was pregnant, he immediately considered divorce proceedings.

However, when God saw Joseph's response, He sent an angel to explain the situation through a dream. I am sure the time between her telling him and his dream must have been difficult to explain. She did not know God was going to solve the problem. This is another example of her faith and courage. I would imagine most women might have responded to the angel like this, "I won?t do it unless you tell my husband!"

Do you have an assignment from God that seems impossible on the front end? Is God calling you to trust Him for the outcome? Take a lesson from Mary and release the outcome to God.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Rules of Thumb


Here are a few "rules of thumb" to keep in mind:

1. If you ask a negative question, you will get a negative answer.
2. For every day you spend in the hospital, plan on one week to recuperate.
3. All putts break toward the water, even on greens that appear perfectly flat (because all greens are contoured for drainage).
4. You are wealthy enough to give some money to worthy causes when you can buy all the groceries you need.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

One Solitary Life


If you've never read "One Solitary Life" or it's been a while, click here to see an inspiring clip.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Trials and Pain


"The devil, things and people being what they are, it is necessary for God to use the hammer, the file and the furnace in His holy work of preparing a saint for true sainthood. It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply". - A.W. Tozer

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Santa Clause -vs- Jesus


Santa Claus lives at the North Pole; Jesus is at the right hand of God.
Santa Claus rides in a sleigh; Jesus walks on water.
Santa Claus comes but once a year; Jesus is an ever present help.
Santa Claus fills your stockings with goodies; Jesus supplies all your needs.
Santa Claus comes down your chimney uninvited; Jesus comes into your heart only if invited.
Santa Claus lets you sit on his lap; Jesus lets you rest in His arms.
Santa Claus doesn’t know your name. He has to ask. Jesus knew your name before we did. He knows where we live, our history, our future, and how many hairs are on our heads.
You have to wait in line to see Santa Claus; Jesus is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa Claus has a bowl full of jelly; Jesus has a heart full of love.
All Santa Claus can offer is HO, HO, HO; Jesus offers Hope.
Santa Claus says, “You better not cry;” Jesus says, “Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.”
Santa’s little helpers make toys; Jesus makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.
Santa Claus is a “jolly, old elf;” Jesus is the King of Kings.
Santa Claus may make you chuckle; Jesus gives you joy that is your strength.
Santa Claus puts gifts under your tree; Jesus became our gift and died on a tree.