Stress or Celebration?

Matthew 1:20-21
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 2:16
When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.

Stress or celebration?

On Sunday afternoon, I went with Sara, Eli, and Ella Cate to see the movie Journey to Bethlehem. The movie is a musical, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I found was a fresh retelling of the birth of Jesus. Yes, they took some creative liberties, but what I carried away from the movie and thought about this week were two important messages.

King Herod was evil and so threatened by the thought of a new king being born, he would go to the worst measure to get rid of the baby. My heart broke for this man who, so full of pride and greed, would dive into the depths of darkness to keep his crown.

The truth is, Jesus didn’t come to rule nations or dethrone anyone. He came to rule the hearts of people. To spread love and offer hope. A hope Herod never knew.

The second was the effect Mary’s pregnancy had on her family and Joseph’s. We read of how Joseph said he would break the betrothal to Mary quietly. Even still, Mary carried baby Jesus.

I have great respect for Joseph. Not just because he stepped up and married Mary, but because of his faith in God. He trusted the One who created him and carried out His plan in obedience.

When faced with a difficult circumstance or conflict, what do I do? React like Herod and lash out? Or pray like Joseph and obey God?

As I consider the celebration of Christmas and the stress placed on us to have everything perfect, I remember Mary and Joseph and their not so perfect circumstances and know God doesn’t expect me to have a flawless holiday. He only wants me to be obedient and have faith like Joseph and Mary and share the love of Jesus.

How about you? Will Jesus’ love shine through your Christmas celebration?

Don't Worry

Luke 12:22-25
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

We can worry something or worry about something.

The dictionary says worry is used two ways. Snapping, biting, and tearing particularly at the throat or mental distress, anxiety, pondering on something that might or might not happen.

From the definitions I read, it sounds like the act of worrying could go either way. The tearing at the throat is pictured as a terrier going after a rat, but sometimes I feel like worry tears at me, not just mentally, but physically, too. Worry has a way of beating a person down.

Jesus, in his great wisdom, knew worry was an enemy. He taught his disciples not to be anxious about what was to come. Imagine being Jesus’ followers. They had to sense danger with so many people against Jesus.

But in his way of teaching, he assured them God would take care of them. He provides for the ravens, of course he’d take care of his followers.

Worrying adds nothing to our lives. As we’ve found with modern medicine, stressing about life contributes to high blood pressure and anxiety. Yet in our society, worry has almost become an obsession. Jesus wants me to spend my energy on my faith and the way I treat others, instead of fretting over things I have no control over. He wants me to use my time loving him and loving people, and the rest will fall into place.

To keep worry from strangling me, I’ve learned to turn my thoughts to Jesus, and if I wait most issues work themselves out. As I’m a work in progress—prayer and time spent in the Bible help me balance my worry with trust. Instead of imagining all the terrible scenarios that could happen, I accept God’s providence and pray my faith outshines my worries.

Cast your cares on Jesus because he cares for you.

Bow Down

In this time of uncertainty, I know God remains the same. 

He's bigger than all my problems, greater than all my stress. 

I know that I can bow down and lift my prayers to Him, and He hears me. 

He loves me and He comforts me. 

Lift your worries and anxiety to the one who always listens.

Worship the One who cares.

Three Choices

Ephesians 6:18-20
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

When someone I love is sick, when finances stress me out, when I've sinned, or when life just stinks— I have three choices.

1. Worry and fret. 2. Ignore the situation. 3. Pray.

Sad to say, I sometimes attack the problem using choices 1 and 2 before I get to number 3. I know better. But too often there is so much noise in the world, not necessarily verbal noise,  but so much going on that I push myself away from the one who can help. I don't stop to think about what I need or the person I should be praying for needs. Instead, I fall into the trap of doubt and fear.

Truth is, Jesus wants me to call on him instead of worry. He wants me to call on him instead of hiding. He wants me to call on him and trust him to answer.

This year I've made an effort, when someone requests prayer, to stop at that moment and send up thoughts to God. I've done better, but I still get distracted and forget. But that doesn't mean I'll stop trying. The apostle Paul asked the folks in the Ephesian church to pray for him. He needed their intercession. I want to throw out a challenge to anyone reading this. This week in everything you do, every person you hear of who needs prayer, every situation—pray first. I'll be doing it too. I believe prayer makes all the difference in our daily lives.

If you'd like me to pray for you. Please, let me know.