Green Pastures and Still Waters
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“Fear Not!”
No wonder we put angels all over the place at Christmas! There’s a lot of angelic activity in the Nativity Story. From the announcement of John’s birth to Zacharias and Elizabeth, to the Host of Heaven revealing God’s glory to the shepherds, the realm of Heaven came to earth in spectacular ways in those days. If you have ever wanted to see an angel, you better think about it for a while. It might not be what you actually want. Almost every time an angel appears to a person the result is fear. If you study the Biblical accounts, you’ll note the angel almost always has to say, “Fear Not!” Why? J.C. Ryle wrote, “Because of our inward sense of weakness, guilt and corruption. An inhabitant of Heaven reminds us forcibly of our own imperfection and unfitness to stand before God.” However, when an Inhabitant of Heaven comes as a Baby, there is no fear. When God came, He came in the most vulnerable, weak and unassuming way possible—a Baby! No one has to say “Fear Not,” when they see the Baby Jesus. Of course, the way He came the first time is very different from the way He will come the next time. The next time He comes it will be like lightening! I suggest you get on the right side of Him before that storm. Because of what He accomplished in the first Advent, it is possible to be thrilled with His return at the Second Advent. Thrilled is better than scared—think about it. Merry Christmas 😊.
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“Some Assembly Required”
You have seen this before. You order a table, or a toy, or a gadget, and the delivery person drops it off in a cardboard box. You open it up and the directions inform you of the obvious; you are going to have to be a participant in the assembly of this “new” thing. Perhaps the directions inform you what tools you’ll need, the amount of time it will take and whether or not you will need a helper. If you are a Christian, did you know your heart is like that? Under the provisions of the new covenant, God gave you a new heart when you believed. To appreciate it fully, “some assembly is required.” You’ll need the directions, it will take a lifetime and you will need a Helper. A new heart is available because Jesus made it possible by His work on the cross. But, He wants us to join Him in seeing that new disposition fully formed. So we’ll need the Word. We’ll need to repent—regularly. We’ll need the Holy Spirit’s power and guidance to have any semblance of real transformation. At times, we’ll wonder if we are making any progress at all. Others may see it before we do. This is a project that we’ll be working on until we go Home. Do not weary in this process, there will be progress if we do not quit. The enemy will be constantly attempting to interrupt our progress but the One who is IN you is greater than the one who is in the world. So, keep working on that new heart, it’s the one thing you’ll have forever.