Christmas Day: Savior and Messiah

 
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Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, The Lord.  

Luke 2:11

Today is it.  We celebrate Jesus, the greatest gift every given to us.  Despite all the chaos and stress, Christmas comes and goes.  Sometimes it feels like just another day but it shouldn’t.  It's a time to stop and reflect.  The way I make the most of it is where I put my focus.  It could be on hosting dinner, finding the perfect gift, attending a record number of church services, or it could be on Jesus.  I will never give or receive any better and greater gift than that baby born to a virgin in a cave stable 2000+ years ago.  He is the True Reason for our celebration.  God has out-gifted us all.  

Jesus coming down to us is the good news but we can’t understand or appreciate the good news without the bad news. The bad news is that we are all sinners, born into Adam’s family of sin (Romans 6:23, Romans 5).  We want and try to be our own saviors because we think we have it all right. The truth is we are farrrr from getting it right and getting into heaven. God can’t be around unholiness, meaning He can’t dwell in or with people who don’t have Jesus in their lives to wrap them in His righteousness. Without Jesus, we face death and separation from God. With Jesus, we might face trials and sufferings for our beliefs, but we have a hope that last forever, the hope of heaven and God waiting for us, preparing a room for us to live with Him forever ( 1Peter 1:3-4, John 14:2-3).

Jesus was born to die for us.  He is the Perfect Lamb of God to pay the price—death, for all of our sins.  He is the Messiah, the long awaited one.  He fulfilled many scripture prophecies that night He was born.  All of Heaven was waiting and rejoicing.  Angels were crowding in to see their Creator born on Earth.  What a sight that would've been to be a shepherd when the heavenly hosts were praising God.  We will see that one day :)

So today as you look at the Baby in the manager, also look at the cross because that is what He was looking forward to for you. Is Jesus the One you have been waiting for in your life?  Is He your personal Savior?  Run to Him because He is waiting with open arms in love to receive you.  What words of worship will you offer Him on this Christmas Day?

Merry Christmas and Enjoy the Day with your family celebrating our Lord!!! 

In His Love,

A

Last Day of Advent: Emmanuel

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel. 

Isaiah 7:14

Today is THE day before THE BIG DAY.  Tomorrow we celebrate Jesus' birth, but today is the last day to prepare our hearts and we really should be celebrating each and every day.  The second to last name for Jesus we will study is Emmanuel or Immanuel (Greek vs. Hebrew spelling).  This name is so wonderful because it means "God with us".  

Jesus came down from Heaven to dwell among, literally the Greek word for dwelling is ἐσκήνωσεν and means tabernacled among us!  The original reason that God had the Israelites build the Tabernacle (or temple) was so He could dwell among the people in that one place.  Then Jesus comes down to dwell among the people and teaches them.

However, Jesus didn't leave us alone when He ascended to Heaven after His resurrection.  He left His Spirit (well after Pentecost, see Acts) so He is always with us.  We are never alone in any circumstances.  Sometimes I feel as if I am alone when no other humans are around or can understand my situation.  Jesus is there for me and has gone through the same feelings and temptations that we face every day.  

Jesus fulfilled the original intent of the Tabernacle.  He came and dwelled with us in human flesh and then returned to Heaven.  The Holy Spirit was sent down so that we can have God in us not just with us.  Therefore, the Holy Spirit dwells within us, closer than any relationship with God prior to Jesus.  

Our relationship with God is even more intimate than Moses and God because Jesus has fully cleansed us.  With this cleansing we can now come so close to God that He can live inside of us!!  Does this change your view on the celebration tomorrow?  Will you take some time tomorrow to give thanks and just rest in the awe of God's amazing love?

With His Love,

A

22nd Day of Advent: The Vine

"I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing"

John 15:5

Jesus is the Vine, the main life source.  We cannot bear Fruit of the Spirit unless we get our life source from The Vine.  I have been so desperate in producing the Fruit of the Spirit lately, but I need to remember that I cannot bear fruit of my own. It’s the Fruit of the Spirit, not Amanda. I am not the one producing the fruit but He is producing the fruit through me. I need to remain in the Vine, connected to Him, to bear fruit.  I have recently learned more about the Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Paul says fruit, not fruits meaning that they all come in together, like a bunch of grapes.  Also it takes time and it is inevitable.  

The opposite of the fruit of the Spirit is fruit for death if we remain in our sin.  Destruction, jealousy, envy, immorality, and manyyyy more are those kinds fruits. There is no joy, peace, or love.  Which type of fruit do you want to produce?  What do you need to change in your life so that you are going to the Vine daily for support and life supply?

Remember it might take time for the Fruit of the Spirit to shine through but have hope, IF the Holy Spirit dwells in you, He is working and the Fruit will be seen at some point!! 

With His Love,

A     

21st Day of Advent: Living Water

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.....but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life" 

 John 4:10, 14

In this passage, Jesus is talking to a women at a well.  She is Samaritan and the Jews don't really talk to them.  Therefore, that was the first unusual aspect of this interaction.  She was also a woman which was uncharacteristic of men to talk to woman who aren't their family members.  He then asks her for a drink of water.  When she questions Him talking to her, He says the above verse.  She is confused because Jesus doesn't have a pail to draw water and what does it mean to be living water??

He switches it around on her.  He says you should be asking me for a drink, a taste of His Glory.  Wouldn't that have been amazing to be sitting on the edge of a well chatting with Jesus?  Oh how I can't wait for those days when we will be able to do that :) Anyways, she is curious and wants some of this water! 

As humans we need water to survive.  Our body is made up of about 60% water.  Therefore, we can barely go one day without becoming dehydrated and sick.  So how does that translate to Jesus being the Living Water?  Well if we "drink" Him up, or take in The Word and invest in our relationship, we will never be thirsty again.  We could be thirsty for: wealth, attention, significance, power, love: it is personal for everyone but basically most things of this world.  However, when we fill ourselves with Jesus, then those spaces are filled and we no longer long for those.  We will never be thirsty for things that aren't good for us!! How amazing is that!!!

There is another great truth in this name.  Jesus is the Living Water.  Yes Jesus died on the cross but He didn't stay in the grave.  Death had no power over Him.  He rose from death and is LIVING again.  We truly have a God that is not dead, but fully living in Heaven (Luke 22:69).  This means that Jesus is alive and active in our lives.  That just brings me to my knees and humbles me.  The love that Jesus has for us, we will never be able to fully give out or understand, but we can experience it if we allow Him into our lives.

But WAIT there's more.  Again in John 7:37-38, Jesus invites all who are thirst to come to Him for a drink.  He made this invitation during the Feast of the Tabernacles when the Israelites where celebrating the Exodus out of Egypt.  When the Israelites needed water, Moses struck the rock, water came out.  Well it was no coincidence that Jesus made this statement during this commemoration.  Jesus is the Rock and the Living Water flows out of Him.  Ahhhh!!! Mind Blown!! That's my new favorite revelation about Jesus!!

What worldly things are you thirsty for?  How can you ask the Holy Spirit to help you replace them with time with Jesus and drink up His presence?  Have you tried this in your life?  How has it changed your perspective?  I would love to know :D

With His Love,

A

20th Day of Advent: Son of Man

 

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"No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man" John 3:14

"For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost."  

Mark 19:10

Jesus was fully Man yet He was also fully God...again the duality of Jesus.  It's crazy to wrap our minds around but there is an importance for both aspects of His duel identity.  Jesus was born of Mary, therefore He was human (despite His Father is God). He came into the world just like every one of us.  He was in the line of David, meaning He has real, human, tangible ancestors.  He had a job and family.  He was human. 

Why is it important that Jesus was Man?  Well, He needed to fulfill all the Old Testament Prophecies, but also our sins required a human death for the penalty of sins.  God had temporarily accepted animal sacrifices to cleanse from sin but that wasn't sufficient enough to cover the mass amount of sin that we commit as humans (some days I feel like the majority are mine) (Lev 17).  His Perfect Life offered as a sacrifice satiated God's wrath for all time!!! He lived the perfect life that we cannot which brings me to my third point.

Jesus is our example.  Hebrews 4:14 tells us that we don't have a high priest who can't empathize but He was tempted just like us (paraphrase mine).  We can look to Scripture and study Jesus' response to varies issues and use it for our own lives.  It is often hard work to response and act like Jesus but guess what?!....it helps us to relinquish the hold sin has on our lives.  That is a wonderful reason.  

How can you praise Him for giving us an example to live by?  Where in your life do you need to act a little more like Jesus?  (don't worry my list is long!!!).  He is seeking you and waiting with arms wide open if you need to run to Him!!

With His Love,

A