THE CHILD IS BORN

The child is born.  The Baby Jesus, born in a manger, a humble place, so insignificant but yet full of significance.  It proves to us that God among us does not flaunt His power and excellence even though it is very attainable.  Imagine if He was born in royal influence, rather than a stable, would we have been able to understand how God's love operates?  Imagine if He was born in wealth, would the people listen and follow Him simply because of His worldly influence?  Stop and think about that.  As humans we are attracted to delusions of grandeur, it is simply human nature.  Our intellect cannot comprehend wealth in God's love as compared to diamonds and pearls.

I can understand perfectly why God chose for Jesus to be born in such a humble circumstance.  First, it was for protection.  Protection from His life being taken which could halt God's plan.  His birth was incognito as they disappeared among the crowd when there was an order to kill all the newborn baby boys.  The second is because He wants to be relatable and more humbly below the lowest of all humankind.  This way, the blurred vision of worldly riches will not come between Him and us.  God is all powerful and a genius for planning such life for Jesus.

After the Christmas story, the Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, He is now living among us and spreading God's word, breathing life to the Bible, a book that is ever so timeless but timely.  Small wonder this is the greatest story ever told.

Now you can choose to believe it or choose to reject it but ultimately, you will have to accept it, because EVERY knee shall bow to Jesus when He returns for those of us who love Him.

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

REFLECTION

It is easy and quite normal for humans to shift focus from ourselves to others especially when it pertains to accountability.  It is in our nature to be protective and succumb to self-preservation and so it goes with every living species.  Our protectiveness does not just entail life-threatening situations but the line goes as far as the emotional realm.

No one is faulted for this however, after all, we all have a need to be justified and validated.  There is another side to this double-edged sword, however, and that is growth.  When we rebuke correction, our growth is stunted.  Often we default the solution baton being passed to God.  While that is acceptable and God desires it, going one step further into self-realization encourages growth.

What I mean by this is that when it comes to forgiveness, it is easy to simply say "I forgive."  Forgiveness doesn't stop there.  True forgiveness seeks forgetfulness.  God forgives and forgets because He is the almighty one whose love is immeasurable, unlike ours.  But when growth happens, so does love.  When you make the paradigm shift and focus on yourself, rather than waiting for the wrongdoer to do so, you not only progress spiritually, but you also urge the change in the forgiven.  The wrongdoer has his or her own accountability to God.  We need to remove ourselves from God's responsibility to cast judgement on that person.  When the baggage is not released, the forgiveness is like water washed away in the stream.  Holding on to resentment from that wrong done does not equate to forgiveness at all.  It will eventually fester inside of us and will manifest itself in every aspect of our daily relationships with others.  This is why the enabling saying goes, "Be kind to others, you don't know what they're going through" points to.  Again, human nature ensues.

To truly forgive is to forget.  This is what God has been teaching us about Himself.  When we are truly a reflection of God, we have to learn how to do this and perfect it.  Start with a clean slate.  What a blessing it would be if the guilty party could see the love and kindness coming from the wronged which could eventually change the guilty.    But that is not for us to patrol this change, because at the end of our time, we are only accountable for ourselves.  This is never an easy task, but with growth, baby steps are taken.  When that happens, our lives and hearts become wholesome and pleasing to God.

Until my next rant.... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

HERE'S LOOKIN' AT YOU KID, THROUGH ROSE-COLORED GLASSES

When you look at yourself in the mirror, how do you feel about the person staring back at you?  How holy is that person?  Well, I'm pretty sure the quick answer to that would be "not too holy" or "well only God is holy," etc.  Human nature is self-deprecating because we know that we were born sinners.  I do not dismiss sin as to say that we can't help being sinners because when in a deep relationship with God, we purposely avoid sin until we become pros at it.

Since we have established such fact, it doesn't mean that God sees us the same way.  God is unexplainable, and you would go insane if you even attempted to understand God.  Our finite minds cannot and will not be able to achieve such complexity.  However, with a deep desire to truly get to know Him, He will reveal Himself to you.  He loves you and He wants nothing more than to know that love is reciprocated.  

Furthermore, and most importantly, God sees you through rose-colored glasses because His spectacles are stained with His Son's blood who saved us, gave His life, as sinless and as perfect as He was and is.  I do not insinuate in the least or to encourage you into complacency as a sinner.  On the contrary, I urge you to seek God, seek His mercy and His love so that you can turn away from sin and work on becoming a better person.  Some of us have began our journeys, yet there are still miles to go.  I believe God is just waiting for the right moment to scoop us all up who love Him and it will be soon.  Just look around you until you realize that the world is on its way to demise.  The signs are everywhere.  Don't ignore them.  It is never too late until Jesus' return.  I've always said, don't get caught with your pants down.

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

KILLING WITH PRAISE

Most of us are still inhibited when it comes to praising God.  I see people, and I include myself, a little shy or embarrassed to raise our arms in church when worship songs are sung even though your heart is full and bursting with adoration of God.  We are still self-conscious about what people around us may say.  The funny thing is that everyone or at least majority of the attendees think the same thing.  

What's even funnier is that when I'm alone at home listening to worship songs, I have no problem stretching my arms out to heaven, head thrown all the way back, eyes closed singing along at the top of my lungs!  Goosebumps start to plague my whole body and tears come streaming out feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit with the blast of joy streaming out of my heart to my esophagus and out my mouth!  How I wish I could do that at church.  But again, it's that self-conscious notion of the fear of making a mockery out of myself that holds me back.  Something I definitely have to work on.

The Bible teaches that God is fit to be praised wherever we are, expressed through words and music, at all times for His greatness because He is worthy of our praise!

But why?  For what purpose? I am willing to bet that God already knows He's awesome, He already knows the names of those who love Him.  So why?

It thrills God to be worshipped and praised.  He knows our hearts more that we do our own and praising Him brings glory to Him and it literally makes Him happy!  Think about what your dogs think about you, someone who oh, maybe once in a while spends time with them but regardless of your treatment of them, they still love you.  Now multiply our kindness to our dogs 1000%.  That's how God loves us and when we praise Him, it brings Him joy.  What privilege is that for us to bring God joy?

Another reason is that praising God is our best weapon against satan!  When we praise God, it cements to the evil world that God is worthy of our praise and worship.  It is worst for satan because he hates to see that.

So go ahead!  Raise your arms, sing at the top of your lungs, lift your hearts up to God because He is worthy of all those things and there is nothing to be ashamed of.  If anything, you might be able to encourage others to do the same!

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!!