Luke 2

Luke 2 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. It is just beautiful. I never tire of reading it every year at Christmas.

Luke 2King James Version (KJV)

2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

This photo somehow reminded me of this beautiful true-life story.

source

When God seems silent

There are many times in our lives when it seems like God is not answering us...like He is silent. Sometimes it can be days, months, or even years before we hear what God's answer is. These can be really difficult times. Often we want to say, "God, why aren't you answering me?"

We have had many moments like this. We are going through one of these moments now. It sure is hard to be patient and wait. Sometimes we see little pieces of the puzzle...not the whole picture...just little bits. Other times, we cannot see anything at all.

What do we do during these times of waiting on God?

1. Seek God through prayer
2. Read the Bible...God's Word
3. Examine your life
4. Seek godly counsel
5. Wait until you hear God speak to you...wait until He opens the door
6. When He opens the door, walk right through

Psalm 27:14 - Wait for the Lord;

    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

What God has taught me

A couple of years ago, I heard a message by James Merritt (one of my favorite speakers from a church in Atlanta). It was about making decisions and choices in life. Here is what I took away from that message.

6 Questions to ask:

1. Will this cause me to compromise my character?
2. Could this put me in a potentially bad situation?
3. Could this hurt my influence with others?
4. Would this go against God's Word or God's will?
5. Will this draw me closer to God or further away?
6. Is it illegal, immoral, or unethical?

What God has taught me

This week in my devotions, I read Genesis 6:5-8. Noah proved that it is possible to live in a corrupt culture and still please God. I found this to be so relevant to today. Some days I cannot believe where we have come as a culture. It truly is so sad. We must remain true to God. He continues to remain faithful to us.

Creation vs. Evolution

Yesterday we watched the DVD that we have of Bill Nye and Ken Ham in debate on Creation vs. Evolution. It was so fascinating. Ken Ham did a wonderful job on the Creation side. We still have one more DVD to watch.

I highly recommend everyone see this debate.

Reading Through the Bible

I am so proud of the boys. They both finished reading through the entire Bible in the spring of this year. This was a goal that we set for them about 3 years ago, and they stuck with it and accomplished it. Now, they are trying to learn one thing every day from what they read. They both like Psalms best, because they feel it is so relevant to today.

source

How I started my Day

This is how I started my day today.

It was an absolutely perfect day outside today. The sun was shining brightly, but there was a slight breeze. I enjoyed having my devotions outside this morning.

What God Has Taught Me

My devotions this week was on kindness. The neat thing I read this week was about using kindness as a way to witness. Kindness is a fruit of the spirit and a powerful context in which to genuinely speak to others about the Lord. When you help a stranger in need, tell them that you are glad to help them and that you are doing it is Jesus' name.

What God has taught me

Yesterday's message in church was really good. The pastor has been speaking on Hospitality for the past 4 weeks. We have really enjoyed it.

Here are some thoughts about hospitality from the past few weeks: (found in Romans 12:13, I Peter 4:8-9, Hebrews 13:1-2)

Hospitality in Greek means "to entertain strangers."

God's purpose for your home is to be a place where He can touch people's lives and minister to them in significant ways.

Our homes are to be places of refuge.

Here are some thoughts from yesterday's message:

• God is a relational God. Relational intimacy is God's heart.
• Hospitality has to emanate from a heart of love and an attitude of genuine concern for others.
• Hospitality must be a priority and one must be intentional about practicing it regularly.
• Hospitality is a ministry that requires the Lord's supervision.
• God will put people in your path to be hospitable to--they won't always be people who are the same age as you, or have the same interests as you, or have the same life experiences as you
• Ask God to use you to encourage others and meet their needs.
• Get "below the surface" with people. Find out what kind of masterpieces of God they are.
• Conversation is indispensable to intimacy, and intimacy is a goal of hospitality.
• Hospitality requires stepping into the unknown.
• Hospitality requires time and energy.

source

source

source

source

What God has taught me

For the past few weeks, our pastor has been preaching on Hospitality. It has really been good.

I felt like my devotions this morning hit on this very topic...in a different form. My devotions this morning was in Philippians 4:1-5.

Philippians 4:1-5

New King James Version (NKJV)

4 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.

Be United, Joyful, and in Prayer

2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 And[a] I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

What I took away from this scripture this morning is the importance of dealing kindly with others. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our lives and the stress that we have that we forget to just be kind to one another. I believe that this is another form of hospitality...outside of having people into your home. I believe that when people see genuine kindness in us they see Christ demonstrated.

Thankful Thursdays

THANKFUL THURSDAYS:

• my warm house
• my 3 boys
• food to nourish me
• a hard-working husband
• everything we need
• being able to homeschool

What God Taught Me

Every day I learn something in my Devotions. Some days seem jam-packed with lessons; other days  have just one lesson. The lessons that stood out this week were found in Matthew 10:1-42.

• vs. 14 "Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet."

Don't take it personally when people reject Jesus.

• vs. 19 "But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say."

This is my issue. I am always afraid that I will say the wrong thing or not know what to say. God will give us the right words to say.

• vs. 31 
  

God loves us so much, and we are worth so much to Him.