GraceCreates

By Jon Walker

“You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!” … They ran to the village … and there was the baby, lying in the manger.  (Luke 2:12,16 NLT)

If we believe what we say we believe, then when God says it is so – it is so. Yet we often doubt.

The interaction between the angel and the shepherds in Luke 2 shows a simple, yet significant sequence: The angel says, “You will find a baby lying in a manger,” and when the shepherds got to Bethlehem “there was the baby, lying in a manger.”

God told them what they would find, and they found exactly what God told them they would find.

How would we live differently each day if we followed this sequence: When God says it, we know it is true, and when we follow what we are told, we see that God’s promise was true.

If we could just stop slipping and sliding in our faith, I think we’d be radically different!

Now, before you put on your “believe harder” hat, rest in God’s grace, knowing that he wants you to succeed at hearing what he says and at doing what he wants you to do. So he’s not tapping his foot, ready to reprimand you; rather, he’s walking on the water, encouraging you to step out of the boat!

What does this mean?

• Do what you know God wants you to do – We get so caught up in wanting to know a specific answer. You know the joke, “I wish I could turn to a verse in the Bible and it said, ‘Jon, take this job and turn the other one down.’” But here’s the thing: There are lots of things God wants us to do that are very clearly explained in the Bible. Like staying in a prayer conversation with him or touching the people around you with a sacrificial love. Start doing those and watch as God tells you the rest.
• Look for what God provides – The angel told the shepherds to look for a babe in a manger. It required faith for them to go to Bethlehem. They could have debated whether that’s what God really meant. They could have said, “You know, maybe he really meant the hotel. It just isn’t logical that the baby would be out with the livestock.” It also required faith to believe this was the actual babe. They could have said, “Maybe we should look in all the other mangers. What if this isn’t the right baby?”
• Trust God is working it out – Think you made a mistake? Think you missed his direction or that you were distracted when the angel came with the news? Trust God that he is working it all out and will still use you for his purposes.

Jon Walker is the teaching pastor for “The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals,” and resident writer at www.GraceCreates.com. This devotional is copyrighted 2007 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! (Luke 2:8-10 NLT)

Have you ever noticed God is always telling us to not be afraid? For instance, in the Bible, whenever an angel showed up with a message from God, the first thing the angel said is: “Do not be afraid.”

There are all kinds of reasons we might be afraid to receive a message from God: We’re afraid of change, afraid of losing control, afraid of sacrifice, afraid of not being good enough, afraid to face the fact that we’re not good enough – and would prefer to live in our pretense.

And, I suppose, any us would be afraid if a member of the heavenly host suddenly showed up next to the receptionist at work, or in the middle of the laundry room at home. Ha!

Perhaps our fear comes from this sudden moment when we realize that what we say we believe is really true, with all the implications of what that means. Is a lukewarm faith sustainable in the face of an angel?

Our response to this is not only fear – we have a bad habit of telling ourselves: “Try harder!” It doesn’t help that, frankly, there is so much Christian literature that re-enforces this “Try harder! You should be doing better!” mentality.

Yet the Good News of Great Joy is that you don’t have to be good enough. You don’t have to be good enough because God is enough!

The Bible teaches us to fight fear with faith – faith that Jesus will cover all our sins and shortcomings.

What does this mean?

• Replace your fear with faith – Ask God to help you. Remember, “I believe, Lord; help my unbelief.” The apostle John tells us God’s perfect love drives out all fear.
• Chase God, not perfection – You will never reach perfection, but Jesus, through his death and resurrection, is your perfection. God doesn’t love you because you’re the best kid in the class, or because you try really hard. God loves you because he loves you. Slow down, shake off your anxiety, and meditate on that.
• Expect God to speak to you in the routines of life – The shepherds weren’t on some spiritual retreat seeking God. They were by their flocks, following their routine, maybe even a little bored – then suddenly …. Look for God this week as you go about your routine.

Jon Walker is the teaching pastor for “The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals,” and resident writer at www.GraceCreates.com. This devotional is copyrighted 2007 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. (Luke 2:6 NLT)
 
We manage time; we waste time. We spend time, and we save time. We wish the time would come; we wish the time would pass. We see time fly, and we feel time drag. We watch clocks and carry calendars, creating the illusion that we somehow control time, yet all the while moments flow forward like a mighty river that cannot be stopped, harnessed, or re-routed.

Yet God controls time. He created time and we, his creations, are fenced by his time, directed and guided by his holy and loving hand. Do you think God was surprised that “while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born?”

We’re often surprised by unexpected developments in our lives, yet the Bible teaches that God is never surprised, even in the most disastrous turn of events. How would your faith differ if you believed God was not surprised by your current circumstances and that he’s working, at this moment, for a holy and healthy conclusion?

What does this mean?

• God is always on time, at just the right time – George Mueller, the great prayer warrior from the 19th century, once waited on a dock for a special chair to be delivered. He had a bad back and needed the chair for the ocean voyage ahead of him. When the departure time grew close and the chair still had not arrived, Mueller’s friends offered to buy a substitute chair, but Mueller said no – “Either God will provide the chair, or he’ll give grace to do without it.” Like a Hollywood ending, the chair arrived just in time, right on time. Mueller noted, “If the chair had arrived earlier, we might have dismissed the provision of God.” This Christmas, point out the provisions of God when you see them.
• What if you were certain God would provide? – How would you act, think, and live differently if you were absolutely certain God was at the end of the deadline? That is, even if there were mere seconds left, you still believed with certainty that God was working through your circumstances? Believing he’s there and about to provide is the essence of faith. Tell God, “I believe; help my unbelief.”
• Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) – Time cannot diminish Christ’s love for you or his power to work within your life. He is there in the past; he is here in the now; and he is there in your future.
• A thousand years are like a few hours to God (Psalm 90:4) – God is working to bring you into eternity, not just to get you through the end of next week. Praise God for his grace and for a love so strong that he wants you to spend an eternity with him.

Jon Walker is the teaching pastor for “The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals,” and resident writer at www.GraceCreates.com. This devotional is copyrighted 2007 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

“And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was obviously pregnant by this time.” (Luke 2:4-5 NLT)
 
God uses your family to direct you toward his purpose. The family into which you were born was not the result of an accident; God spoke you, quite deliberately, into your mother’s womb. You are a unique blending of the DNA, heritage, and characteristics of your parents.

Jesus had a family too. We tend to think of Jesus in terms of his heavenly Father, or as the son of Mary, or the heir to David’s throne. But he had a flesh and blood family that God used to move Jesus toward his holy purpose.

When we think about the heritage of Jesus, we might think about his lineage from King David, yet Jesus became a carpenter because that was his earthly father’s trade. Can you imagine that, when the local townspeople looked into the face of Jesus, they saw a hint of Mary in his smile or his eyes? Because of his family obligations, as the oldest son, Jesus waited until he was 30 years old to begin his public ministry.

What does this mean?

• God is using your family to work his purpose in you – He placed you in your family to help you develop Christ-like characteristics. Hopefully, those characteristics are developed through positive role models, relationships that encourage and support you as you learn to be more like Jesus. But even if you’re in a difficult situation, God can still use your family to develop a Christ-like character.

Jon Walker is the teaching pastor for “The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals,” and resident writer at www.GraceCreates.com. This devotional is copyrighted 2007 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.