Meditation: December 26

“Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34- 35

Births are produced out of pain. The agony of a mother in labor will eventually end at the bringing forth of her newborn child. God had sent forth His Son into a hostile world to rule and reign over it. But those who would subject themselves to His reign had to be born into His kingdom. All others would challenge and work at undermining His authority. His coming on the world scene would produce promotion among those to whom God willed to promote, but the demotion of any whose reign God arbitrarily decided to bring to an end. What had been introduced through the law and the prophets was now personified and fulfilled in one person. None could remain neutral to. His  presence. Jesus would either bring the best out of them or the worst out of them. When confronted with Jesus, whatever resides within the hearts of individuals is brought to the surface. And those who fully identify will suffer with Him as partakers of what would be measured against Him even to this day. If we are willing to go into labor with Him for souls, we too will experience new births, but an earnest desire for genuine conversions will come with a price.

Meditation: December 23

“For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” John 18:37

Jesus gave us a clear picture of the Nativity. There is a purpose for every birth. But His birth was not like any other. He knew why He was born and why and when He was to die. Many live and die never knowing why they were permitted to occupy a particular space in a particular period of time. The Nativity has to do with the place, conditions, and the circumstances of the birth of Jesus. “For this cause…” A cause that would affect the whole of humanity would come to light as the result of a child that was born. He was the gift given to us by God to save the world from the consequences of sin which was resident within all. His life was the resounding amen to the Truth of God. Christmas is about mankind coming into agreement with God. As Jesus bore witness to the truth, we are to be made witnesses of Jesus Christ. The world will know the reality of Christ through those us who hear and believe on the One who was born to live for us and to die for us. 

Meditation: December 26

“Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34- 35

Births are produced out of pain. The agony of a mother in labor will eventually end at the bringing forth of her newborn child. God had sent forth His Son into a hostile world to rule and reign over it. But those who would subject themselves to His reign had to be born into His kingdom. All others would challenge and work at undermining His authority. His coming on the world scene would produce promotion among those to whom God willed to promote, but the demotion of any whose reign God arbitrarily decided to bring to an end. What had been introduced through the law and the prophets was now personified and fulfilled in one person. None could remain neutral to. His  presence. Jesus would either bring the best out of them or the worst out of them. When confronted with Jesus, whatever resides within the hearts of individuals is brought to the surface. And those who fully identify will suffer with Him as partakers of what would be measured against Him even to this day. If we are willing to go into labor with Him for souls, we too will experience new births, but an earnest desire for genuine conversions will come with a price.

May 2015 Article: “Behold Your Mother”

“When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” (27) Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” John 19:26-27

This is a story of adoption. It is the transference of love and care by a son to a beloved friend. It is also having a new son to fill the void created through the loss of a beloved son. Throughout this exchange, love is the primary theme as mother and son/ son and mother are connected in a new relationship. The background is the cross, while Jesus, the Son of God, pronounces His blessings upon them while enduring His greatest crisis. He did not merely focus upon His current condition, but looked ahead at the future needs of His best friend and His mother. Those who love Jesus also love the objects of His affection. He felt at ease that the treatment of His mother would be the same as He would have treated her.

This scene illustrates to us the duality of the expression of true love. True love fills a need, but at the same time, love creates a need. What is poured forth from the heart must not leave a vacuum. The empty feeling experienced by loving without reciprocation leads to deep frustration and pain. A mother will carry a child for months with the anticipation of nurturing and providing for her bundle of joy. But if she miscarries before her child reaches full term, no outlet is available for her to express all of the stymied emotions of love and care. Her love requires an object where she can display her affection. To those mothers whose pregnancy was aborted by circumstances beyond their control or a decision that they now regret, Jesus provides an outlet by allowing one to adopt another to replace what may be absent.

The pain suffered by loss, whether it is by divorce, the death of a loved one, or by abandonment, is real pain. There will be moments when it may appear overwhelming and tempting to close one’s heart as to never love again. A closed heart produces a root of bitterness whereby many others are defiled. They will either be burdened down by depression or vindictive as a protective mechanism in one’s defense. In either case, much damage is done to the soul. The heart must be opened in order to allow another person in. Jesus knows what we need and is ready at all times to meet our deepest need. John needed a mother to comfort him at the departure of his best friend. A mother can be confided in where even a man who may be reluctant to express his tender side can cry in her arms. Additionally, a mother also needs a child. There is a special connection between mothers and sons. She is his role model of femininity just as fathers are role models to their daughters of masculinity. Jesus received His nurturing from His mother. She was there from the beginning and was determined to be there at the end.

What Jesus knew and promised was that His absence would be temporary. He would rise from the dead, but not as the Son of Mary or the Son of man, but in His resurrected body as the Son of God. His Spirit filled His followers, including the mother that once knew Him as her Son. It is the Spirit of the Son of God that makes all earthly relationships meaningful. Mothers can be godly mothers when the Spirit of God’s Son has enveloped them. Sons can be godly sons when the His Spirit interprets the truest meaning of life and relationships. Let His love arise in your hearts—mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, in order to make you completely whole.

Meditation: December 26

“Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34- 35

Births are produced out of pain. The agony of a mother in labor will eventually end at the bringing forth of her newborn child. God had sent forth His Son into a hostile world to rule and reign over it. But those who would subject themselves to His reign had to be born into His kingdom. All others would challenge and work at undermining His authority. His coming on the world scene would produce promotion among those to whom God willed to promote, but the demotion of any whose reign God arbitrarily decided to bring to an end. What had been introduced through the law and the prophets was now personified and fulfilled in one person. None could remain neutral to. His  presence. Jesus would either bring the best out of them or the worst out of them. When confronted with Jesus, whatever resides within the hearts of individuals is brought to the surface. And those who fully identify will suffer with Him as partakers of what would be measured against Him even to this day. If we are willing to go into labor with Him for souls, we too will experience new births, but an earnest desire for genuine conversions will come with a price.

May 2014 Article: “Giving Birth”

The beauty of creation is that God allows us to participate in His continuing work. He alone can make something out of nothing and preserve it in order for future generations to gain a profitable return. But He allows those things that originated from Him to pass through a vehicle of delivery. The attachment to and love for what has become an extension of the person is inseparable. Think about it…God made woman for purpose of procreation. The continuance and expansion of creation has been given to her charge. Without her, life would end at the death of what currently exists. Things die during the winter season and life appears to be suspended. But when springtime comes, new life begins to bud in places of lifelessness. The barren womb rejoices over the pregnancy of hope while latent potential is developed as the process continues in the secrecy of the hidden place of the womb.

Only God could have thought of such a grand idea and purpose as to place so magnificent a wonder in His creation. The complexity of the process may be studied and examined but never completely figured out. The personalities of two distinct individuals merged into one unique being as a means of demonstrating the command of God that “the two shall become one flesh.” Not born to duplicate the past of its origin but rather a continuance to carry the original plan of God to future generations. He allows both the husband and wife to nurture the child into fulfilling his or her own destiny and the two shall become one in the process of creation through procreation. She becomes more than a wife by embracing the role of a mother. The future of all humanity is given birth through her. Things so vital to the preservation and progress of all people must pass through her if they are to ever exist. God created it that way and His way shall forever stand.

Nations are born. Although kings, presidents, and potentates will rise and fall, they all have one common origin. They all had to be born. Each was once a child. A mother once carried that child in her precious womb. The child is loved and nurtured into the formation of its character. More takes place than the casual observer realizes when the wife becomes a mother. The envisioned future of many past generations rests in her heart when she is drawn by love to her life partner. Together, they produce that which is greater than themselves because it will exist after they have passed from their earthly habitation. Not does she give birth to future hope, but she is also gives birth to a legacy. What speaks louder than words is what we leave behind after we are gone.

Our truest statement and confession of faith is our children. What did your life really represent? Was there a real purpose for your existence? The answer to those questions and the evidence that you lived your life intentionally is expressed through the children that you raised. But if it had not been for their mother, they could not have been carried long enough to be born. I am what I am and who I am because of where I came from. God set the process in motion for life to be a continuum and not a thing of the past. What exists now can be changed through future generations but only if He influences mothers to live and love according to His original design. Thank God for mothers! They are precious in His sight for they carry the future within their wombs.

Meditation: December 26, 2013

“Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34- 35

Births are produced out of pain. The agony of a mother in labor will eventually end at the bringing forth of her newborn child. God had sent forth His Son into a hostile world to rule and reign over it. But those who would subject themselves to His reign had to be born into His kingdom. All others would challenge and work at undermining His authority. His coming on the world scene would produce promotion among those to whom God willed to promote, but the demotion of any whose reign God arbitrarily decided to bring to an end. What had been introduced through the law and the prophets was now personified and fulfilled in one person. None could remain neutral to. His  presence. Jesus would either bring the best out of them or the worst out of them. When confronted with Jesus, whatever resides within the hearts of individuals is brought to the surface. And those who fully identify will suffer with Him as partakers of what would be measured against Him even to this day. If we are willing to go into labor with Him for souls, we too will experience new births, but an earnest desire for genuine conversions will come with a price.