A Baby Changes Everything

"But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call Him Jesus"- Luke 1:30-31 (NIV).

If there was a heavenly newspaper, I could just imagine the citizens and angels reading the headlines: A Baby Changes Everything! Faith Hill sings a song by that same title. Here's the last stanza: "My whole life has turned around, I was lost, but now I'm found. A baby changes everything, yeah, a baby changes everything." Why would God send His Son? Paul Harvey offered the best "parable" called: The Man and the Birds. Here's the link if you've never heard it:

http://www.everydaychristian.com/blogs/post/christmas_classics_the_man_and_the_birds_by_paul_harvey/

Here is the crescendo of the story of the man trying to save helpless birds, a man with little understanding of why God would send His Son: “If only I could be a bird,” he thought to himself, “and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to safe, warm…to the safe warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and understand.” And then the church bells rang. That Baby did change everything; He changed our whole lives around; we were lost, but now we're found. We thank God for His indescribable Gift: the birth of His Son, Jesus.

The Right Position

"Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before"- Daniel 6:10 (NIV).

Would you continue if there was a law forbidding the worship of God? You might, if you felt you were of little consequence and had nothing to lose. What if you were in a position of authority, living in the palace? There's much of life's comforts to give up if you violate the law. Would you continue to give thanks to God when you've been put in a dangerous position? Daniel knew the only "position" he needed to be in was on his knees. We live in a land of religious freedom, yet many find themselves in a "position" that doesn't allow the time. Job, family, health, recreation, even church demands rob you of time on your knees. Each activity could be of noble intent, but they have become the god you worship. Daniel was willing to be thrown into the bone-crushing jaws of a den of lions than to worship King Darius. He saw that as the better option than putting anything before God Almighty. Our "position" reveals our heart and faith. May we be found on our knees.

He's A Good, Good Father

"For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you"- Isaiah 41:13 (NIV).

The Lord cannot lie. He is holy. "God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19). It may seem your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, or that God is too busy with the problems of this world to hear your solitary prayer; lest you have forgotten: He is all powerful and all knowing. He has heard your prayer and holds your right hand. He will help you. He doesn't say, 'I'll see what I can do.' He can do all things; impossible things become possible. Nothing you could pray about is too trivial for Him; He is your Heavenly Father. "Ask and it will be given to you...which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead...how much more will your Father in heaven give" (Luke 11:9-13). With all these promises, and the knowledge that the Lord cannot lie, we should feel free to talk to God about any and everything and then trust Him for an answer. Honor the Lord in your words and actions; one of which is to trust Him and not be afraid to set your prayers before Him.

Covered and Transformed

"Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow"- Psalm 51:7 (NIV).

It was extremely foggy driving to work this morning. I poked along trying to make out the road and staying on my side when passing oncoming traffic. There was a blessing in it all: The fog covered the deforestation going on at the neighbor's house. Like a blanket of snow, all the ugly was covered, changing the scene entirely. That's what God's forgiveness does for us through the shed blood of Jesus: Our ugly is covered up and we are transformed from ugly to beautiful. You can white-wash a wrecked car, but you can still see the scars. Snow, on the other hand, covers it like a blanket. It fills in the scars, the broken parts, the missing parts, and makes it look the same as the snow-blanketed new car beside it. You can't tell them apart. God in His mercy did this, and it is grace we didn't deserve, nor earn. It is freely given to those who know Jesus as Lord.