Only at the cross

Yesterday I was talking about Simeon’s prophecy to Mary about what was to come. She did not understand the mission of her new born baby, not for many years to come. But Simeon gave her a forewarning that “A sword shall pierce thy own soul also” God used Simeon to put in the mind of Mary that this burden will be sorrowful, but she must bear it anyways for the good of all people. 

Side note and totally my opinion; We don’t give much thought to Mary as Christians, we more look to Jesus who saved us, but Mary should also be called blessed, and I believe should be looked on with awe. Having raised the ruler of our universe, and watched his torture and death, that could not have been easy. This is not to say she should be worshiped, but I don’t think she should be passed over either.

Simeon’s prophecy went on to say “this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against.” 

in desire of ages chapter 5 page 57, it says “They must fall who would rise again. We must fall upon the Rock and be broken before we can be uplifted in Christ. Self must be dethroned, pride must be humbled, if we would know the glory of the Spiritual kingdom.” 

This to me speaks very loudly. Have you ever fallen and hit your knee on a rock? Do you remember the pain it sends through your body… I recently did this, and I was limping for about a week. The Rock that is being referenced in this chapter, is Jesus, our savior. Without coming to the realization that only by falling on him and being broken will we be able to be made new and rise again strong in our Lord. It is by His hand only that we can be restored. And it is by Gods ever present Grace that we can be saved, through the faith that we possess. And unlike the rock that had me limping for a week, this rock will help you heal. Will it still hurt? Maybe. Saying no to self and yes to Jesus can be painful at times, but it is through the strength of Jesus that we can overcome. 

Today I encourage you to pray for your brothers and sisters, ask God to send them his strength, and to lift them up renewed and resorted. Have a blessed day!

The Dedication (A glimpse of what is to come)

 Chapter 5 of Desire of Ages gave me shivers (in a good way) I recommend reading this chapter either again, or for the first time. It really spoke to my heart. In summation, it talked about Mary and Joseph taking the baby Jesus to be dedicated in Jerusalem as was the custom. They needed to have him registered by the priest and his name recorded. When the priest took the baby from Mary it was just like any other child he had touched and dedicated to God. He had no clue that the baby in his arms was the Son of God, who was destined to be our redeemer. He was going about his daily tasks with no thought in mind of the importance of his role he would play.

My thought on that was how many times do we go about our daily tasks with no thought of our possible opportunities? Or how many times have we come close to touching the hand of someone who is truly going to make a difference in this world, and we don’t even know it… or how about this. What if we are so caught up in our “tasks” that we forget our true task, which is spreading the love of God and being a light in the darkness. I believe that priest who held Jesus in his arms had a calling to make a difference. But he got into the rhythms of life and missed his opportunity to bless. 

This unremarkable dedication of Christ however, was not to be overlooked. There was a man who was in the temple that day who had been studying the scriptures, and awaiting the arrival of Jesus. When he looked at Jesus being handed back to Mary, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and he went to Mary and took the baby from her arms and held him up high and declared “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.” He returned the babe to Mary and said to her “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” 

Mary had no clue at this point that Jesus would be persecuted and put to death, she believed as everyone else that Jesus would sit on the throne as the true ruler of Israel. But Simeon prophesied of his Death and resurrection. 

Let us today not be so blind that we touch the hand of God without knowing or understanding. Spend some time in study, and ask God to lead your way, and to guide you through this troublesome world. Ask him to open your eyes to see the blessing that you can be to another life. Jesus has a plan for you. No matter how important or unimportant your life seems to be. Jesus wants, and NEEDS, the hands of his people to do his work here on earth. I pledge this day to bless someone’s life. My prayer is that I can be a light shining on a hill. 

God bless you my friends.

Unto you a saviour

 Good morning and happy Thursday. I have been a bit off course the last several years, but with Gods Grace, I am attempting to bring my life back in line with the plan He has for me. I had forgotten that I had this blog, and today when I was doing my reading from desire of ages, I suddenly had a memory of recording my devotions on my blog… so here I am 11 years later to share some brief thoughts I had from my reading of Desire of Ages.

This morning I read the chapter “Unto You A Saviour” on page 44 the last few sentences of the last paragraph really got me thinking. I’ll write the whole paragraph out for you to grasp the context of my thought.

“Angels attended Joseph and Mary as they journey from their home in Nazareth to the city of David. The decree of imperial Rome for the enrollment of the people’s of her vast dominion has extended to the dwellers among the hills of Galilee. As in old time Cyrus was called to the throne of the worlds empire that he might set free the captives of the Lord, so Caesar Augustus is made the agent for the fulfillment of God’s purpose in bringing the mother of Jesus to Bethlehem. She is of the lineage of David, and the Son of David must be born in David’s city. Out of Bethlehem, said the prophet, “shall He come forth… that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2. But in the city of their Royal line, Joseph and Mary are unrecognized and unhonored. Weary and homeless, they traverse the entire length of the narrow street, from the gate of the city to the eastern extremity of the town, vainly seeking a resting place for the night. There is no room for them at the crowded inn. In a rude building where the beasts are sheltered, they at least find refuge, and here the Redeemer of the world is born.”

My first thought when reading through this paragraph was how amazing that a worldly ruler was used to fulfill prophecy. For me it just goes to show that no matter who is in power, God can use them to bring about his will. Be this something as simple as bringing Mary to Bethlehem to deliver her baby, or something as grand as bringing about the second coming of our Lord. 

My second thought was about the reception of Joseph and Mary. Mary was carrying the king of the universe, there is no higher honor a person can have, and yet no one recognized her or honored her. My thought here was we all have a high calling, and just like Mary, we may not be received well, but that does not mean our calling or our mission is of no consequence. In some way or another our calling will be fulfilled if we just trust God and allow him to do his workings through us.

My third and final thought was about the lowly entrance to this world our Lord and Saviour had. In a barn on the outskirts of the town; in a manger, used for the feeding of animals, Jesus was laid. He was not brought into the world in the hustle and bustle of a busy inn, he was brought here in the quiet and stillness of a barn. I believe it is, to this day, the best place to find and commune with God. Not that he can’t be found in the business of life, but when we truly stop our busy life to sit awhile and listen, you will hear his voice calling to you. Speaking to your heart, and asking to allow him to guide you in the paths of his righteousness. 

To sum it up; One: Know that no matter the season, no matter our leader, God will find a way to make his will a reality. He will use whoever is in power to bring about his second coming. Two: Even though we are not recognized for the part we play in Gods plan, that does not mean our part is unimportant. Three: In the stillness, as our Saviour entered the world, he can still be found. Take a moment to stop and listen don’t be so caught up in “life” to block out the sound of his voice.

Have a blessed day.