Thoughts from the Hour Part 2: Look into the Manger

Note: The original "Part 2" was changed to "Part 3" in keeping with the chronological order of the Gospels. It will be re-posted shortly.

"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:4-7, emphasis added).

She laid Jesus in a manger. A manger is nothing more than a trough that horses and cows eat out of. Think about it: she laid Jesus, the King of Kings, in a manger. I don't imagine it was the cleanest crib, and I doubt it smelled very nice. The King of Kings, used to a land of light and glory, become a babe and was lying in a dirty, smelly feeding box! And why? He did it for us, friends. He did it so that the poorest of the poor could never say He didn't know the struggles they passed through.

That is food for thought enough, but I want to bring something else to your attention today as you contemplate this scene. In light of this condescension made by Christ on our behalf, in light of the level of poverty to which His Majesty stooped, why do we allow ourselves to complain about not having this house or that car, this fridge or that blender, this dress or those shoes, or whatever it may be? Why do we let our hearts clamor for more, more, more? If Jesus passed by the luxurious homes of the rich when it came to where He should be born, why don't we pass them by?
I don't mean that in the physical sense; I mean that in regards to our way of looking at things, our mentality. Considering what our Lord had, should we not be utterly content? Most of us have far more than He ever did. Our hearts' striving for gain should be hushed, and thankfulness should take the place of griping. If some of us are indeed so poor that we have nearly nothing, then we should be cheered by the thought that the Master knows all about it; in fact, we should consider it an honor to tread the same path that He has trod, and we should remember that His grace is sufficient for any infirmity--even poverty.

Thinking about all this has subdued me. It has refocused my perspective, and has set my priorities straight. Once again eternal things are the most important things. I hope you can say the same after reading this, and that we all may attain them in the end.

Blessings,
Jean

Thoughts from the Hour Part 1: "Thou Shalt Call His Name Jesus"

What was the point of Jesus' being our Sacrifice? Some might answer, "It was to die for my sins." That is true, and praise God He was our substitute! Praise God He died so that we don't have to! That's not the only reason, however. It goes far deeper than that.

 Matthew chapter one records that Mary was "found with child of the Holy Ghost" before she and Joseph "came together" (v. 18). Joseph, of course, wasn't aware of that. He thought Mary had committed adultery, and wanted to privately divorce her. While he contemplated this, an angel came and explained the situation, thus stopping him from doing any such thing (vv. 19-20). The angel went on to say, "And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins" (v. 21).

"And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins." Notice the angel did not say, "He shall save His people only from the penalty of their sins." Oh, no. He said, "from their sins." Not in them, but from them. That is the other all-important reason why Jesus lived and died and rose again — to deliver us from our sins! That means that He came so that we might be the clean and good and noble people He intended us to be in the first place. People that love and worship Him, and that love and respect their fellow men, everywhere and all the time. He came so that we could have the power to stop killing each other (imagine — no wars!) ; so that children (young and old) could have the power to be good kids instead of brats; so that spouses could have the power to always be faithful to each other...Isn't it beautiful? I love thinking about it.

This is what Jesus was referring to when He said, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). The thief, or devil, only wants to steal us from God, to kill and destroy us; but Jesus came that we might live. Live physically, yes, but live aright as well. I could go on and on about this beautiful subject, but that might get a little tiring, so I will leave you to ponder it. In the end, I hope we'll have all let Jesus save each and every one of us from our sins, that we may happy, and be with Him forever.

Sincerely,
Jean

Introduction to Thoughts from the Hour

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"It would be well to spend a thoughtful hour each day reviewing the life of Christ from the manger to Calvary. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination vividly grasp each scene, especially the closing ones of his earthly life. By thus contemplating his teachings and sufferings, and the infinite sacrifice made by him for the redemption of the race, we may strengthen our faith, quicken our love, and become more deeply imbued with the spirit which sustained our Saviour. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and faith at the foot of the cross." Ellen White, Gospel Workers (1892), p. 246.

To be completely honest, I don't often do this because I feel like I'm not doing it correctly, or like I don't have enough energy for other spiritual reading by the time I finish. Sometimes, however, I do try. I tried recently, and thought of many things. I don't want to lose them, so I'm going to endeavor to share them with you in a series of posts entitled Thoughts from the Hour. I hope you are blessed in some way by them.

Sincerely,
Jean

The Money Magazine

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The Bible says, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). "Trust in Him at all times; [ye] people, pour out your heart before Him: God [is] a refuge for us. Selah" (Psalm 62:8).

The last time I wrote, it was on allowing the Holy Spirit to do the work while I spoke less. I'm still trying to cultivate that habit; still trying to trust Him always, and let Him fight and speak for me. Well, I had an opportunity a week or so ago to do that. Sometimes we receive things in the mail that we haven't subscribed to. I'm sure you've experienced the same. This time it was a magazine all about money, addressed to my mother. As I looked at its cover, with the large, bold lettering and the prominent $100 bill on the front, I saw nothing but a lure. A means to lure away from eternal interests to temporal interests which would end in destruction. "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:10).

For a bit I said nothing, then asked if she had subscribed to it. She told me no. I believe it was a few days afterward that my sister and I asked her if she wanted us to throw it away, but I'm not certain. Whatever the case, she said, "No, I'd like to look at it." This made us both sad, and it made me worried. I had read enough and was familiar enough with my own heart to know what money could do. But instead of giving her a hard time, or throwing it away, we left it on the stool. I prayed about it privately, and Z. and I prayed about it together when our mother wasn't around. We claimed Genesis 3:15, and asked that God would put enmity between her it.

After a few days, my mother grabbed it. "Did you know someone put up a post on Facebook the other day about how unbiblical stuff like this is?" she commented as she walked over to the rubbish barrel and threw it away. Now, neither of us girls use Facebook anymore, but were we ever happy! God answered our prayer--and what's more is, He did it without us running our mouths.

The next time you may be tempted to nag somebody about something out of concern, pray and trust God instead. He didn't let us down, and He won't let you down either.

Blessings,
Jean