Thurs Devo: Go, Tell It on the Mountain!

I’m taking a break from our adoption story this week to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

During the Christmas season, my family had a few traditions that we have started now with our new children! At dinner time each night we light the advent candles, sing a Christmas carol, pick a Christmas card we’ve received and pray for the person that sent it to us. James and Sarah love to participate by praying themselves for the person, trying to sing along to the carol, or blowing out the candles at the end of dinner.

One of the kids’ favorite carols is “Go, Tell It on the Mountain,” probably because it’s upbeat, has a catchy chorus and I added hand motions to it. The message of the carol is great for us all to focus on or sing in our heads throughout the day!   

Chorus:

Go, tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born

Verses:

While shepherds kept their watching
Oe’r silent flocks by night
Behold throughout the heavens
There shone a holy light

The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo! above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed our Savior's birth

Down in a lowly manger

Our humble Christ was born

And God sent us salvation

That blessed Christmas morn

John 10:14-18         ¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Who will you and I share the message of Christmas with this week who isn’t already part of God’s sheep pen? The Savior of the world left His secure home with God to experience all the pain of this world. He then willingly died on the cross and rose from the dead to provide salvation to those who believe!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Alice

A Call To Action

“Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”  Exodus 3:9-12

One of my all time favorite sermons talks about us as Christians going out and being the church of Christ.  I’ve used many of its sayings to motivate me toward action.  It reminds me that I am not to be just a student of the word although I must read to understand its relevancy.  It does not call upon me to be just a consumer of God although I must take in all that He gives me to enrich my own life.  It tells me that I am not to just hang out with church goers although they give me great strength when I do.  It calls me to act.  It calls on me to put my study of the word into living action.  It asks of me to put out into the world what God has instilled in me, and it forces me to engage with those who are not only just like me but also very different from me.  There is a reason they call the Bible ‘The Living Word of God.’  It is because it lives within all of us, and we are called to bring it to life.

We are called to spend as much time living out God’s word as we are understanding it.  Today’s verse is one that I have reference many times because it spells out how we are to respond to God’s prompting.  God is giving Moses marching orders to do God’s will of freeing the Israelites from Egypt.  Moses says the famous words that many of us find ourselves saying when God is asking what seems to be a monumental if not impossible task.  “Who am I?”  Moses is not questioning God’s righteousness.  He is questioning himself.  In Moses’ eyes, he is but a mere man who was exiled from Egypt.  But to God, Moses was a faithful man who He had prepared for this calling.  We all have doubts about who we are to God, or we feel we might not either know or understand God enough to fulfill that which He would ask of us.  However just as God reminded Moses, He is with us wherever He commands us to go.  Our mission is to act on His word.  Studying for understanding is important, and taking in of God’s spirit is essential.  However, action is what God needs from us.

God requires our active living out of His word each and every day.  As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, we can’t just be in the huddle every Sunday and not play in the game Monday through Friday.  Just as Moses was reminded, God is with us each and every step of the way.  All we must do is walk with Him showing His love, compassion, guidance, and wisdom to a world and generation who is in desperate need of all of these.  Jesus Christ is the ‘reason for the season!’  Let’s commit to being shining examples of Him in our deeds.  What is God prompting you for?  How will you put what God has taught you into action?  My prayer is that we live out God’s word for what it is meant to be; a call to action!  Amen.

Tues Devo: Two reactions

Hello,

I was reading some of Luke to my kids this weekend, and I was struck by a difference in response to the presence of Jesus. Let’s take a quick look at the two examples:

John – while he was still “living on the inside” his mother Elizabeth encountered Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus. The presence of Jesus caused an excitement in John. We see the description in Luke 1:39-44 “Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.” (NASB)

I want to contrast that to the response of the presence of Jesus by Herod. Matthew 2:1-12 goes into this account: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, [a]magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’” Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.” (NASB)

So what is the comparison here?

Both John and Herod had a reaction to the presence (and existence) of Jesus. John was one of joy and hope – Herod was one of fear. We see later in John’s life that he placed all he had to the promise of Christ, spending his life turning folks to Christ – not trying to gain any position on his own.

But Herod, he had a response of fear. He feared for his current role as king, and let the short term perspective impact his choices.

What is your response to the presence of Jesus? Is it fear or joy? Are you concerned/focused on what you may have to give up, or what can be gained in the long run?

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill