Today’s Reading : Luke 2:21-52

Joy. Excitement. Hope.

He is finally here. Christ has been born. Unlike with toys and games, when we have a new baby, joy and the excitement has only begun. On the third or fifth or seventh day after you receive your games and toys: Sometimes the batteries are broken, or we lost a piece of toy, or we just have play with us so much that we cannot enjoy it anymore. But with Christ and the news of his appearance, we get energized at each moment that we have with him. This energy does not stop, but it multiplies as we continue to have a relationship with him.

As we complete the Advent season and going into Christmastide, we have several more weeks of the season of joy and hope and wonderment.  In this passage, we see the perspectives of four different individuals. Individuals that we have here are: Mary, Joseph, Simmons, and Anna. Each of these individuals have a different perspective on this new child that has come into the world.

Luke 2:25-38 (MSG)

25-32 In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God:

God, you can now release your servant;

    release me in peace as you promised.

With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation;

    it’s now out in the open for everyone to see:

A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations,

    and of glory for your people Israel.

33-35 Jesus’ father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother,

This child marks both the failure and

    the recovery of many in Israel,

A figure misunderstood and contradicted—

    the pain of a sword-thrust through you—

But the rejection will force honesty,

    as God reveals who they really are.

36-38 Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.

Mary has the perspective of a new life, and a new beginning for her and the salvation of the world. She has known since the conception that Jesus was part of the new covenant to change the world. But you also know that he will be a part of her. He would be an extension of God into the world.

Joseph is an amazing person. One of the gifts that I received this advent season was a deeper understanding of the person Joseph. Joseph was a role model for all men.  He embodies compassion, love, support, caring, understanding, and rising above the occasion. After reviewing this passage, I had the realization that Joseph actually delivered Jesus. Joseph was the one who coached Mary through the pregnancy and the labor and actually delivered Jesus into the world. In my 40 Christmases this was profound for me. Joseph didn’t ask for any acknowledgment or gratitude, but he performed his role in his responsibilities with the greatest care.

Simeon is vital in this story as well. Simeon shows how to be patient and find comfort in the promise that God has given us. Simeon shows us how to acknowledge our frailty and wait with expectation of something new or something exciting that God has promised us. Simeon show us how to be faithful to God through all of his promises.

Anna, shows us that despite the changes in our life, God will supply everything that we need. No matter what the circumstances are: we can have wealth, or poverty, sickness, health, despair, joy, but in all of these things, God will be there with us from young age until our old age.

As we celebrate this Christmas season for the next several weeks, can we all observe ourselves and the  different people in our lives?  How has God placed them in our lives and can we see a little bit extra in them. Can we see the promises and the blessings that God has installed upon them? Can we acknowledge it ourselves that God has something in store for us that we may not be aware of but we are there for his purpose?

Continue to be blessed this week and weeks to come.

Today’s Reading: Malachi 1

With the advent season upon us, we are actively looking forward to the most precious and amazing gift we have ever been given, Jesus.  This season of anticipation is filled with so much joy and happiness and excitement.  One of our traditions for my family is the elf on the shelf.  Our elf is named Simon.  He has been visiting our house for over 11 years.  He comes on the 1st day of December and leaves on the 24th of December.  The kids all wake up daily with the joy and excitement of finding Simon and to see what activities he has been doing throughout the evening and his trip to the North Pole.  This is a great example of how we should start our day: waking up with excitement and seeing what Jesus has done for us overnight and the excitement of what the day will bring.  

As the season of Advent turns into Christmas, with the celebration of the birth of Christ. A lot of us are searching for the best gifts to exchange with each other and the anticipated joy that it may bring. For the kids, it is a time of excitement. For the young  it is a time of celebration.  For moms and dads it is a time of reflection and memories.  

In the Bible, Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament, before the birth of Christ.  It is approximately 400 years between the last words of Malachi and the proclamation from the angels of Christ birth.   In the first chapter of Malachi, God is directly telling Israel how He has shown love to us and how we have not acknowledged the love or recognize this love and he is disappointed.  

Malachi 1: 1-3;5

 God said, “I love you.”

You replied, “Really? How have you loved us?”

“Look at history” (this is God’s answer). “Look at how differently I’ve treated you, Jacob, from Esau: I loved Jacob and hated Esau. I reduced pretentious Esau to a molehill, turned his whole country into a ghost town.”

5 “Yes, take a good look. Then you’ll see how faithfully I’ve loved you and you’ll want even more, saying, ‘May God be even greater, beyond the borders of Israel!’

He has continuously been gracious to Israel and in return for his goodness he was met with deceit and complete disregard for his love.   Like Israel, have we given him our worst, when he constantly gives us his best?  

Malachi 1:11- 13 MSG 

“I am honored all over the world. And there are people who know how to worship me all over the world, who honor me by bringing their best to me. They’re saying it everywhere: ‘God is greater, this God-of-the-Angel-Armies.’

12-13 “All except you. Instead of honoring me, you profane me. You profane me when you say, ‘Worship is not important, and what we bring to worship is of no account,’ and when you say, ‘I’m bored—this doesn’t do anything for me.’ You act so superior, sticking your noses in the air—act superior to me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! And when you do offer something to me, it’s a hand-me-down, or broken, or useless. Do you think I’m going to accept it? This is God speaking to you!

I’m guilty of this as well.  How many times have I not given my full potential or talent to what God has in store for me? Many times. How many times have I not given fully to those in need? Many times.  How many times have I not  shown mercy to others? Many times.  I acknowledge that throughout my life I have been here.  But with my acknowledgement of his presence in my life and my current relationship, I attempt to give him my all: all of my life, all of my family, all of my finances, all of my health; in return for his peace and blessings on me.  I may falter, but I constantly get back up and continue to push forward.    

How can I (we) do better at giving our Father the best gifts: 

• Be intentional about the gifts that we give.  
• Acknowledge that we will fail often, but we will have to continue to work at giving the right gifts 
• He only wants us to be thoughtful and respectful of him and his presence 

What gifts are we preparing to give God during this Advent, Christmas, and Incarnation Season? Are we willing to give him the best and first fruits of our everything? Will we be able to transition to a place of reverence and reflection?

May we be able to grow and shine with this renewed commitment. 

Be blessed 

Today’s Reading: Psalm 66

Psalms 66: 1- 4

Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
²     sing the glory of his name;
    give to him glorious praise!
³ Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
    So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
⁴ All the earth worships you
    and sings praises to you;
    they sing praises to your name.” 

During the season of Thanksgiving, we take time to reflect on the things that we’ve been given throughout the year. This is the time that we can express our gratitude and appreciation to each other, and those around us for the many gifts that they have bestowed upon us.

In this Psalm, we were looking at the great deeds that God has done for us. The many mountains that he has moved for us, the many obstacles that we have overcome with His guidance. But what about the daily, hourly, and minutes that He has done such great deeds for us . If we look at our day from midnight to midnight how many great deeds has God done for us.

Come and see what God has done:
    he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.(v5)

• Restful sleep without seizures
• Waking up with ease
• Ability to move all limbs independently and voluntarily
• Ability to use the bathroom without assistance and ease of moving in the dark and not falling

Bless our God, O peoples;
    let the sound of his praise be heard,
⁹ who has kept our soul among the living
    and has not let our feet slip. ( v8-9)

• The ability to take a shower by yourself.  The warm and hot water that is available. The warm house and bathroom to use.
• The ability to eat a morsel or more and the ability to have a cup of warm coffee.
• The ability to have a vehicle that will work properly
• The fuel to get to work

Come and hear, all you who fear God,
    and I will tell what he has done for my soul.(v16) 

• The traveling mercies that allow you to get to and from work without incident.
• The ability to work and be present at your place of employment
• The ability to thank God continuously for the Spirit of God to be the protection for you and the love ones as they go about their daily and activities.

These are just a handful of things that go on a daily basis, and sometimes we can forget that each of those items can have hundreds of great deeds associated with them to perform those and to continue to grow.

During this next week find a day to see how many great deeds that God has done for you in the mist of you living your life.

Today’s Reading: Psalm 81

Psalm 81: 1-3;6-7

Sing aloud to God our strength…..  

Shout for joy to the God of Jacob!……

Raise a song…. sound the tambourine……

 the sweet lyre with the harp……

Blow the trumpet at the new moon……

at the full moon…. on our feast day……

I relieved your shoulder of the burden

your hands were freed from the basket…

In distress you called, and I delivered you;

Too often we do not take the time to celebrate and have JOY in our lives. So often, throughout the days, weeks, months, and years we experience so many trials and tribulations that we forget to celebrate our release and liberation from these obstacles.  We forget to acknowledge the harshness and strife that we have come through. We tend to go from one situation to the next and not allow ourselves to breathe and to celebrate the joy that we have.

How many times have we taken an exam, and as soon as the test is over we are preparing for the next event? How many times have we made it through a long journey, and then we are going to the next event or task without reflecting on the trip? How many times in the past week have we made it to our destination without injury, malice, or harm and not celebrated the journey?

Let’s take this time to celebrate. Let’s take this time to reflect on the goodness of God. Let’s take this time to reflect over all of the things and the hardship that we have come through this week, this month, this year. We are rejoicing because God has given us peace, refreshment, and renewed our life.  Have an amazing week.

Be blessed

Today’s Reading : Micah 7:1-20

I am constantly reminded of the complexities of adults and children and how to interact with our children and our adult counterparts. A couple days ago I was having a conversation with a new friend and we started to talk about our past experiences and how that has created the people who we are today. As we were having a dialogue, this new friend gave me a profound perspective into myself. You are not your child and your child will not be you.

We were talking about how we raise our kids and compared it to how we were raised. We talked about the opportunity and the ability that we have to be with our children on a daily basis and how we give them the resources and chances to give them the best opportunity to succeed.

I was recounting to this friend how my kids have me as a resource to help them with homework and to be there on a daily basis to help shepherd them through life. The friend says the children only know that which is what I have given them. So they only know : me being there to support them and to guide them. They don’t know anything different. This is their only point of reference. This made me have the realization and a redirection of myself because I had compared who I am and how I was raised. These are two completely different mutually exclusive points of view between who I am and who my children are. My children will never know how I was raised because I am raising them in a different manner.

Micah 7:1-2

Woe is me! For I have become
    as when the summer fruit has been gathered,
    as when the grapes have been gleaned:
there is no cluster to eat,
    no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.
2 The godly has perished from the earth,
    and there is no one upright among mankind;

In Micah, Micah is telling the children of Israel a different perspective of how God is with you. Micah has had the intuition and the revelation from the Holy Spirit. Micah understands and knows the mission of God. He has no fear of what’s to come. The others don’t have that understanding. The others are trying to make it work. Micah is telling them the good news with the hope of them retaining it.

Micah 7: 7-8; 18 

But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
    I will wait for the God of my salvation;
    my God will hear me.

⁸ Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
    when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be a light to me.

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.”

‭

Imagine for an example, trick-or-treating with the kids. When you are trick-or-treating with your kids, the kids are comfortable and not afraid of the dark or the people or the situation of that night. In that particular moment, your younger kids feel comfortable with you knowing that you will protect them from anything that could possibly harm them in the darkness. They are resting in you knowing that you are stronger and have your best interest at heart. But without you the night is scary. The neighborhood that they know in the daytime is not like the neighborhood that I know at night. They can be confused and they could be guarded.

In the time that Micah is writing, the truth is that Israel is in the night time of their despair. They are afraid they are lonely, they are confused. But Micah is giving them life and the hope of what is potential for them. They don’t have to be in the darkness by themselves if they come to God.

There are many times in our life that we do not know where we are going or what’s the next plan. We do understand that in God we have that safety in the security of him being there with us. We have that assurance that his steadfast love is there for us.

Today’s Reading: Amos 2:1-16

In many parts of the country, especially the south and the north, there are typically two seasons: for the south there are summer and construction; for the north there is winter and construction. Here in the Midwest in Illinois we have three: Winter, construction, after construction. Construction can be seen as both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing because our infrastructure is being upgraded and becoming safer for our use. It could be seen as a curse because it decreases our ability to get to our destination without obstructions. I have been able to witness in my journeys to different states and different countries that our infrastructure is actually one of the top in the world. Without this infrastructure our daily living and our daily interactions with each other would be hampered.

Whenever we are preparing for a journey, we have to take it into consideration: 1) where we want to go and 2) what route should we take? We know that on our journey at different times of the year, there will be some obstacles and some challenges, but we will reach the destination at a particular time. With current technology, we can actually see what minute we will arrive at our destination.

In our passage for today, Amos is giving us a glimpse and Mapquest report of what Israel and the BIG seven will have on their journey. God has a benevolent and compassionate spirit to all his children. In these first chapters of Amos, we are seeing the sadness and the hurt that God is going through with all of his children. Amos is a prophet, and he is giving the direction or the guidance that God has given to the people. Amos is laying out the MapQuest for the people. God is telling the people that there is something that is going to happen. God is telling them that the journey that they have been on has created obstacles and challenges and what to expect.

Imagine, we are on a highway going to our destination. For a majority of the highway, there are not a lot of obstacles, the road is just minted and newly refurbished. But ahead of us there is construction. There are signs that tell us that within the next 6 miles there will be construction for a certain amount of time. Also, imagine that God is a state trooper and he is our father. There are many cars that are going up and down this highway and we are also driving this highway as well. Because God is our father and he’s also a state trooper, we have a more profound understanding of the rules and regulations of the road.

Everyone that is a driver has to pass a license exam. We have not only passed the licensure exam, we have been taught from an early age the rules of the road. Whenever anybody breaks the rules of the road, especially in a construction zone there are higher penalties and repercussions. For us as children of God, we know the rules of the road and if we choose to break the rules of the road especially in the highest danger zone we are held to a higher expectation.

This is an analogy that helps to describe what Amos is telling us in Chapter 2. Amos is warning the people of these Seven different clans: Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammonites, Moab, Judah, and Israel, about the impending earthquake. This is the largest earthquake that is recorded in the Bible which is a 8.2 earthquake. The magnitude is the equivalent of having a blast with 60 BILLION kilograms of Dynamite.  This earthquake was so major that it could completely destroy cities and villages and leave no trace. This is the magnitude at which Amos is warning all of the BIG Seven peoples about. God is upset with the behavior that they have done, not just the chosen ones but everybody. But He still is compassionate. God still gives us warnings and wants us to acknowledge what we have done and prepare for what is to come.

So this passage could be summed up into three areas:

• Signs and warnings – We must be aware and vigilant of the signs and the detours that lay ahead of us. If we are not observant of the signs because we are distracted or checking texts or daydreaming , we could find ourselves in a predicament that delays us from getting to our destination.
• Promises and expectations- God is always giving us promises. Unlike man he delivers on all of his promises. God also gets frustrated when we do not listen and do not comply with his expectations. He is a gentle God and a loving father, but we will have to submit to the consequences of our actions if we do not heed the warnings.
• Compassion and disappointment– In spite of it all God is compassionate. He will give us warnings and signs to help us to avoid the consequences of our actions. Even though he does have compassion he is disappointed when we choose not to follow his direction. But he’s always willing to bring us back to his loving arms.

Doing this coming week, Lord allow us to see the warning signs and allow us to make corrective actions to be aligned with you.  How is your spirit to strengthen us and give us confidence in the process that you have prepared for us for this journey. Allow us to rest in you knowing that we are safe and we’ll get to our destination.

Today’s Reading Proverbs 17:1-28

Have you ever sat in the presence of an old sage? A person who is full of wisdom and knowledge. One of my dearest mentors and confidants was my former pastor. This was a gentleman that knew my grandmother and grandfather, they were a minister and minister wife. He would fellowship with them on a regular basis. This means a lot because my grandfather passed away two years before I was born.

This pastor and I had a great relationship. We met when I was in middle school and he was such a gentle and caring individual. We continued our mentorship into my adult life. There were many instances that I would call him in the middle of the night with many dilemmas and situations. He always would have the right words to give me in those times. But I only understood him after I was an adult. He passed away a couple of years ago, but I can still hear his voice and his many sayings.

The most interesting part of our relationship is that as a young youth, I could hardly understand anything that he said. The words were intelligible and crafted, but I was still without experience to fully understand the true meaning of the wisdom. It was only several months before he passed away that I found the key of his wisdom. We can spend countless hours trying to understand what our elders are saying, but it is only revealed when we have the experience to truly understand and make the correct choices.

In this proverb, it reminds me of my time with my pastor. At first glance, there are many different pieces that somehow come together. I picture the author writing things for a purpose, but they are also somewhat random. From my understanding there are four people that are addressed in this proverb: the children, the fool, the wicked, the wise. Throughout our lives we can be each of these individuals. We have to make the deciding and discerning effort to listen to the wisdom of the spirit.

We understand that children are individuals that are not able to make decisions on their own ability to see the best for themselves. Fools are by biblical definition are is someone that disregards God’s word. Fools are individuals that do not learn from their mistakes. Someone that continues to do the same thing even though they know it is not correct. Proverbs 26:11 – Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.The wicked are those that overtly despise righteousness, truth, justice and honor. The wise are individuals who have keen judgment, deep understanding, and a capacity for sound judgment.

Children 

6 Children’s children are a crown to the aged,
    and parents are the pride of their children.

Fools 

12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
    than a fool bent on folly.

16 Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
    when they are not able to understand it?

28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
    and discerning if they hold their tongues.

Wicked 

23 The wicked accept bribes in secret
    to pervert the course of justice.

Wise Counsel or Advice 

17 A friend loves at all times,
    and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

26 If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,
    surely to flog honest officials is not right.

27 The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,
    and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.

We at one point and time in our lives have been part of each of these individuals. We all have had times when we were young. We didn’t have the ability to see the fullness of life and had to have mentors and helpers to guide us to sound judgment. We have been foolish in many ways. We knew that God needed us to do and continue to make the same follies. When we are corrected with love and support we are able to transition to understanding. There may be times that we are wicked in our own way. But there are many times and opportunities that God will give us a way to step away from wickedness and understanding and choose Him. Then after many iterations and times we are hopeful to get to the point of being able to discern and understand more with experience and trials. But with the new understanding comes more responsibility, we have to help the others that come behind us.

So this proverb is for all of us. It is stating something for each of us at different times in our lives. Let us pray that God will be able to use us in all of our forms: child, fool, wicked, and wise; to be able to allow His glory to prevail in spite of the craziness of life.

Be blessed

Today’s reading: Deuteronomy 27:1–27

As we continue our journey through Deuteronomy with Moses and the tribe of Israel, we have come to the actual description of the journey across the Jordan. In this passage, Moses gives specific instructions on how the people will cross the Jordan. Moses informs them what they will get from the Jordan, the stones for the altar. Then Moses explained how they will come in this new land with proclamations over them. These proclamations are written as blessings and curses.

Relationship. This is the one word that describes what is happening here. The relationship that God had with Israel. The relationship that was between God and Israel was strained when they were freed and sent into the wilderness. God had everything ready for the people and they didn’t trust God because their relationship was not strong enough. Throughout Deuteronomy and the entire Bible the main theme and the main focus is : relationship. In Deuteronomy we are seeing a new reset of expectations for the entire people of Israel. We are seeing that God is giving them a reset of the expectations and a reset of their relationship. God is not concerned about all of the small things but he wants us to be in a relationship with him.

Is the beginning of this Passage, when Moses is instructing the people how to gather the stones. God has instructed Moses to tell the people to use uncut stones. This was not a mistake. God wanted the people to obey and to make no excuses in their worship. He did not want them to get obsessed with the cutting and the perfection of the stones for the altar, He just wanted their love, their devotion and relationship with them.

Blessings and curses have been used throughout the Bible and throughout time. Blessings are defined as special favor, mercy, or benefits that have been given to you from God. Curses are defined as a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon the person. When we see or hear these particular words, Blessings and Curses , many images come to our minds. But if we actually take a step back and understand the truth underlying meaning of both of these words, we can see that they can be linked back to relationships.

When we are in a relationship with God, we understand his purpose for us and his direction for us. When we are in a relationship with him, his favor is with us. But when we choose to go against his words or his will, then we are not in a relationship with him. And when we have a disconnect from God we feel out of place and lonely and disconnected. So when we try to redefine these words of blessings and curses that we see here in Deuteronomy, we can actually see it as being in relationship with God or not a relationship with God.

Hosea 6:6 “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭6:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

God‘s main focus for us is to be in a relationship with him. He does not want all of the things that we have put upon him to love us. He does not need our money, he does not need our riches, he does not need our sacrifices. The one thing that God needs is our relationship with him. When we start a relationship with him and maintain this relationship we can see the blessings and curses better.

Let’s look at a relationship with God as if we are going to an optometrist. We are able to live our daily lives without perfect vision. We might be able to see our world fairly clearly. But when we have been reviewed and examined we might come up a little out of focus. We are prescribed new glasses. Then the world that we have been living in and observing becomes clearer and the obstacles more pronounced and the opportunities are more defined. With our relationship with God, we have a new prescription and are able to see what are our obstacles and opportunities. In a similar manner to the optometrist , we must get a check up on our relationship with God on a regular basis.

This is what the relationship that we have with God changes. It creates new expectations and clarity to our lives. We are able to navigate the world with more light and not fall into pitfalls of our own creations. We can stay in connection with God without trying to do more things, but just being in relationship with him.

My relationship with God has not always been the best. I have fallen down many times. I have been shown grace and many times over. But I realize that my relationship is dynamic and living. It is not static and nonliving. I have to daily reassess my relationship and make a commitment to move forward. That is what God wants, he knows that it will not be perfect but He wants to be with us no matter what may come.

Be Blessed