No room

Luke 2:1-7

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  And everyone went to their own town to register.

 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Have you ever needed to book a hotel room when some major event was taking place near where you were trying to book a room?  Right now I’m actually trying to make some reservations for the weekend that my niece will be getting married in February.  Turns out that besides being the weekend after Valentine’s Day, there is also a big tournament in town so rooms are harder to come by than if we were going the weekend after.  The prices are up and the pickings are slim. 

Now imagine Joseph and the stress he was under as he came into Bethlehem to register for the census.  Here he was, unable to book a room before getting there, going inn to inn, looking for a place to stay.  He has with him his bride-to-be that is about to go into labor. 

Then you have an inn keeper that really wants to help but he has no room.  He clearly saw that not helping was not an option.  So he sets them up with the only place he could find, a stable.  At least there, they would be sheltered from any weather. 

What are you stressing over today?  Nothing is too big for God!  Take it to him today.  Allow him to provide that shelter that you need.

Get In The Game!

Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:16-20

You know, turning fifty is an amazing time in your life.  Many people become afraid of what the future holds as their life may have fallen short of what they expected.  Others find purpose and spend time focusing on the next chapter in their life.  I believe that I would fall more toward the latter having been blessed by what God has done in my life.  If you are like me, you realize that while there is much to be grateful for what He has done, He is not done with us yet.  I realized as much yesterday as I felt Him tugging at my soul.  A friend sent me a link to an article about Millennials, and it was titled, “12 Reasons Millennials Are OVER Church.” (see http://tosavealife.com/faith/12-reasons-millennials-church/) 

As faithful Christians, this is OUR problem.  It does not matter if we are in our early twenties or retired, we are officially in crisis.  How much so?  The stats are telling.  Only 1 of 5 Millennials attend church regularly.  Almost 60% of Millennials raised in church drop out.  More than 1 in 3 Millennials are anti-church.  We are not saying neutral here.  We are saying firmly against it!  It was as if God punched me in the face, and said, “So Kent, what are you going to do?”  While there is much that I have wanted to do over the next part of my life, looking deeply into this article made it clear what my calling would be.  As a pastor once told me, we can’t just be in the huddle every Sunday and not play in the game Monday through Saturday.  As this election should have taught everyone, the time to act is now.

There is a reason God asks of us to make disciples of all men and women.  We are His voice for those who cannot hear any voice.  An entire generation hangs in the balance on what we decide to do.  Yes, God can do anything, and here’s the funny thing.  What does God moving have to do with our obligation to serve Him?  You see, we often look to God to handle things when the reality is, God chose us.  We are both responsible and accountable.  It’s easy to pass this off on others, but the reality is when God asks, we are to respond as humble and obedient servants.

God wants us to be engaged in the battle for souls.  We are not just responsible for ourselves for as Rick Warren so perfectly stated, “It’s not about you.”  We are often caught up into our circumstances, and as such, get distracted from the big picture.  When we are in crisis mode, we need to respond pronto!  Along those lines, we must acknowledge that an entire generation is in crisis, and God calls on us to respond.  Are you going to ignore the warning signs anymore?  How will you get involved?  My prayer is that we do as God called on us to do and get in the game!  Amen!

Our Journey to Adoption, Part III - Moving forward

We finally got our foster license in February 2015. It took 9 months to complete all the paperwork, interviews, background checks and training to become a licensed foster home. I wrote a devotional about it at the time… Anyway, we got a call 3 weeks later for an 8 day old baby girl! We were shocked and excited! My Mom and sister washed all their baby stuff in the 3 days before we were to pick her up. Then, we got another call that it was decided to keep her in the temporary foster home she was already in. We were all very disappointed.

The next few months were quiet. No more phone calls came. We were told it might take a while since we were only open to certain children 18 months and younger. However, never having done it before, we weren’t led to change any of our restrictions.

Last week I talked about multiple “right” choices before us at times and that sometimes God seems to want us to take one step of faith forward with the wisdom He’s given us. He doesn’t always give us step-by-step instructions. So, as we waited for a foster child, a friend recommended another fertility doctor and we made an appointment. We went through repeat tests and some new tests and the doctor did find one possible hurdle to pregnancy. For several months we tried some natural things to counteract. However, we still didn’t get pregnant and didn’t get a call to take in a foster child.

I do like it when God lays things in my lap and I often want to sit back and wait for that in each situation! We were willing to patiently wait for the children God had for us, if children were His will. However, He wanted us to actively participate.

God expects us to move forward in faith with the wisdom He’s already revealed to us. In Jesus’ parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the one that took the talent and did nothing was rebuked harshly.

Matthew 25:26-29 His master replied, “you wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” 

As we move forward in faith, God grows our faith (gives us “more” faith). Where are you sitting back waiting for God to work, when He might be waiting for you to take a step forward in faith before He reveals the next step? 

Alice

Tues Devo: Position of trust

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (NASB)

The other day I was goofing around with my son when he took a fall (he is fine…he is boy, they bounce!). He was holding on to me, and asked me not to hold him while he climbed. He made a tactical error in his climb when he let go with both hands. As I scooped him up, the look in his face I will not soon forget. There was a mix of fear, shock and confusion. There wasn’t much pain in his face –the shock and confusion were overwhelming. In his mind, he was with his dad – nothing could happen to him. He was used to holding on and being safe. But when you let go, and ask to not be held, bad things tend to happen!

Looking back at this I thought of the verses in Psalms from a different perspective than before. My son fully placed himself in my trust. There was no checking to see if he agreed with what I was doing or how it was being done – it was a simple equation that being in my presence received his trust. Do I deserve such trust? Perhaps not – but my heavenly Father does. Perhaps how this trust plays out is why Jesus later said to His disciples “Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”” (Matthew 19:13-14, NASB)

Have a blessed day as you put yourself fully in His trust.

Will Hill