“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew
“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew
― C.S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew
JOSHUA 4-6
14That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.(4:14)
LUKE 2:1-24
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
JOURNAL
Joshua needed to do nothing but obey God...Joshua needed not to worry about public perception, how he was viewed, who liked him, who didn't. Joshua just needed to trust God and in doing so...God paved the way for him.
It was the same with Jesus...from a PR perspective it was a nightmare. Jesus born in squalor to a teenage girl, who is pregnant outside of marriage. What a disaster...how God was this the plan? Joseph must have made that long walk to Bethlehem thinking..."what have I gotten myself into?". Yet God takes what the world would consider as all wrong and makes it righteous.
Day 6: amid all the rants, fear, anxiety, predictions, warnings etc. this really just doesn't seem real. I find myself looking back at things just over a week ago and thinking how did this all fall apart so quickly? I struggle to rationalize it all without getting really angry at times. But I then go to scripture and realize how petty my concerns are given the context of the words on the page. To think that the band of wandering misfits would achieve anything more than certain death was completely irrational...even more so to think that Jesus and the background of his birth would amount to any mention in the history of the world would be complete lunacy. Yet both these situations defied all probability.
Likewise I must always keep these stories and this reality close to my heart and mind. It is what gives me hope and faith when the doomsayers are making end of the world statements. It reminds me again that the point of it all is not economic prosperity but rather obedience to love those in need.
Joshua needed to do nothing but obey God...Joshua needed not to worry about public perception, how he was viewed, who liked him, who didn't. Joshua just needed to trust God and in doing so...God paved the way for him.
It was the same with Jesus...from a PR perspective it was a nightmare. Jesus born in squalor to a teenage girl, who is pregnant outside of marriage. What a disaster...how God was this the plan? Joseph must have made that long walk to Bethlehem thinking..."what have I gotten myself into?". Yet God takes what the world would consider as all wrong and makes it righteous.
Day 6: amid all the rants, fear, anxiety, predictions, warnings etc. this really just doesn't seem real. I find myself looking back at things just over a week ago and thinking how did this all fall apart so quickly? I struggle to rationalize it all without getting really angry at times. But I then go to scripture and realize how petty my concerns are given the context of the words on the page. To think that the band of wandering misfits would achieve anything more than certain death was completely irrational...even more so to think that Jesus and the background of his birth would amount to any mention in the history of the world would be complete lunacy. Yet both these situations defied all probability.
Likewise I must always keep these stories and this reality close to my heart and mind. It is what gives me hope and faith when the doomsayers are making end of the world statements. It reminds me again that the point of it all is not economic prosperity but rather obedience to love those in need.
It was the same with Jesus...from a PR perspective it was a nightmare. Jesus born in squalor to a teenage girl, who is pregnant outside of marriage. What a disaster...how God was this the plan? Joseph must have made that long walk to Bethlehem thinking..."what have I gotten myself into?". Yet God takes what the world would consider as all wrong and makes it righteous.
Day 6: amid all the rants, fear, anxiety, predictions, warnings etc. this really just doesn't seem real. I find myself looking back at things just over a week ago and thinking how did this all fall apart so quickly? I struggle to rationalize it all without getting really angry at times. But I then go to scripture and realize how petty my concerns are given the context of the words on the page. To think that the band of wandering misfits would achieve anything more than certain death was completely irrational...even more so to think that Jesus and the background of his birth would amount to any mention in the history of the world would be complete lunacy. Yet both these situations defied all probability.
Likewise I must always keep these stories and this reality close to my heart and mind. It is what gives me hope and faith when the doomsayers are making end of the world statements. It reminds me again that the point of it all is not economic prosperity but rather obedience to love those in need.
37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
MATTHEW 25:37-40
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