It is that crazy time of the year again, when every group you belong to in any way is having a Christmas break up, the Stores are having Midnight sales for the latest and greatest presents, people are getting frazzled and exhausted, and everyone seems to be having "a silly season". Is this what Christmas is really meant to be like ?
As I was doing my preparation for the final Singing Company and the devotions I would bring I started to think about what Christmas was like for Joseph and Mary. We all complain about our lives and how tough this is or that is, lets quickly look at their lives that very first Christmas. They had to leave all their family behind and travel by Donkey to Bethlehem, now I am not sure about you but if I was pregnant and just about to give birth a long donkey ride would not be high on my list of must do things! When they finally got to Bethlehem there were no rooms available, they ended up staying in a stable, not with a beautiful cot for Baby Jesus but an animals food trough lined with hay. Even think a few months earlier when Joseph was told that Mary was to have a baby, he knew it wasnt his and they werent even married ... I would suggest life wasnt great, things were tough !
But this is where the story of this first Christmas should give us encouragement and challenge, Mary and Joseph didnt run and hide because life was too tough, they had enough faith in God (a vision of an angel would have probably helped a bit !) to allow Him to use the situations they found themselves in. And through this the greatest Man to ever live on earth was born !! God took extremely tough circumstances and used them to change the world forever, what can he do with your life and mine.
You see for those of you that dont know me, God has already done some of this with me. My life was close to rock bottom, I didnt think things could get much worse. I was in trouble with the law, in huge debt, in mourning for my father, had broken the trust of all my closest family and friends, the list could go on ..... but then God took over my life. The day I started to have a real relationship with this very same baby Jesus my life changed forever !! Has life been easy since ... NO !! Have times been tough ... ABSOLUTELY !! Has God been able to use these times to develop me and to use me to help others ... YES !! This little baby born in Betlehem long ago has completely transformed my life, and He is wanting to do the same for you.
So this Christmas if life is tough or just doesnt make sense I pray that you will seek the baby Jesus and allow him to start to mould you into the person you were created to be. And remember that God never stops loving you and is desperate to welcome you home !! God Bless each of you and may Christmas be special to you for all the right reasons this year.
Wednesday 10 December 2008
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