“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.”
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.
This is such a great reminder of the core of everything is God's love. His love is what made me, this world, the miracle of living things...all of it is because he loves us. To really live in this reality is very humbling. Then to not be motivated to use all my talents and power to serve God in giving this love to others would be the height of arrogance. We are here to serve God by loving others. That is done when I humbly acknowledge that my talents, gifts, circumstances are a gift and a gift that is best used when done in the spirit of love.
Every day the world is going to throw adversity my way. My response is not to complain or wish it were different, my response is to dig deeper into his love for me, his love for this world and use my abilities to respond as he would respond.
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.
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.
This is such a great reminder of the core of everything is God's love. His love is what made me, this world, the miracle of living things...all of it is because he loves us. To really live in this reality is very humbling. Then to not be motivated to use all my talents and power to serve God in giving this love to others would be the height of arrogance. We are here to serve God by loving others. That is done when I humbly acknowledge that my talents, gifts, circumstances are a gift and a gift that is best used when done in the spirit of love.
Every day the world is going to throw adversity my way. My response is not to complain or wish it were different, my response is to dig deeper into his love for me, his love for this world and use my abilities to respond as he would respond.
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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