It's almost Christmas time and I havn't posted much on here for Chirstmas. Iv;e been meaning to, i have been rather busy getting things wrapped and ready for Christmas. Exspecially those cards, I sure love making homemade cards to give people! I certainly don't have a skill in baking, that we just kind of either buy at the store or every now and then i'll make a pie.
In the mean time I have been doing a daily reading plan, 2 in fact. One was a 4 day one on Chris Tomblin's new Christmas CD called Adore and a different reading plan that's a 25 day on Joy! to Your World! A Countdown to Christmas. I have fallen behind abit on the longer one and need to catch up, I'm goning to post one of the days that I've read that was interesting and just made me think yea, God can certainly use people in many ways. This devotional is interesting because it uses the word Favour, I've herd it many times before like if something good appens, God's favour is upon you. It makes things sound pretty nice for sure. God has favour with us all that are seeking Him at different times in life. I know I'm not a very popular person to be around or be someone people would think of first for doing much, but God knows I can be useful, as He always finds a way for sure and sometimes he can use others to give us a boost of confidence too!
It's a bit of a read, but if you find the time this Christmas Eve lets see and learn how God favours Mary as well as Joseph!
Mary had grown up in the same village as Joseph who was several years older than she was. Perhaps they had admired one another from a distance … perhaps Joseph had just been waiting for the darling Mary to grow up!
Mary was in the house one afternoon, maybe working on her wedding attire, or sewing towels for her new home when she sensed someone in the room with her. Conceivably, Mary looked around to see if anyone had joined her.
“And coming in, Gabriel said to her, Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
Christmas, for Mary, was the challenge of understanding what the favor of God is truly all about. Mary was about to learn that being highly favored by God does not mean a life of unbroken happiness nor does it promise that all of your dreams will come true. There is a tremendous price to be paid by those who are highly favored by God; favor means, simply, that God is willing to use you.
God is willing to use the young, the uneducated and the inexperienced in His grand plan for humanity. Just as the favor of God targeted the womb of Mary, I believe that the favor of God is targeting everyone and anyone who is willing to be part of God’s strategy at this historical juncture.
Christmas, for Mary, was about discovering the intimacy of the Lord’s presence as never before. Mary was about to be confronted with the reality that favor happens when God places a piece of Himself into an earthly life. No longer was God a mere concept or a Divine Being who never engaged Himself in the affairs of everyday life. Because of Gabriel’s message, the presence of God Himself had invaded the life of this young girl who, prior to this moment, had nothing but Joseph on her mind.
Experiencing the favor of God in new ways is one of the best parts of Christmas for me! To think that God would desire to use me at this time in history is a gift that I never imagined I would find under the Christmas tree of life!
Discovering a fresh lifestyle of intimacy in the presence of Jesus is God’s life-changing Christmas gift to you this year.
Christmas is proclaiming to your world, “The Lord is with me … and with you! What a wonderful surprise!”
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! ” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
Luke 1:26-29 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.1.26-29.NLT
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder. For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian. The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!
Isaiah 9:2-7 NLT
http://bible.com/116/isa.9.2-7.NLT
