Christ

Preparation

The earth will be purified, the dross swept away, leaving only absolute holiness to stand before God.

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Many of us have spent hours upon hours of preparation for Christmas. For me, it started right after Thanksgiving and has continued to this point. In fact, I began pulling out my Christmas fabrics several months ago with the plan to sew a few things for the holidays. Well, it never happened, at least not yet!

The house has been cleaned, the halls have been decked with boughs of holly – literally – the furniture is polished, the gifts have been purchased. All in anticipation of one singular event. Christmas. Literally, Christ’s Mass. A special day set aside to celebrate the Messiah or The Anointed One. Preparation indeed! I can think of no better thing to celebrate than Jesus!

But what about my heart? How much time, effort and concentration is placed on preparing my heart to seek out the word of God? Why do I celebrate Christmas? My home looks like it’s ready for something special. Am I?

As I ponder this thought I pray that my diligence in preparation for the return of Christ begins within. In Malachi 3:1, the coming of the Christ was foretold. The messenger, John the Baptist, was to prepare the way for the Messiah.

Malachi 3:1 Mal 3:1 "Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts.

It happened just like God said it would!

Lu 1:13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.

Lu 1:76 "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;

Joh 1:29 The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him, and *said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

So why the need for preparation if Jesus has already been born to this earth?

He will come again. It will happen just like God says!

Ac 5:31 "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Mt 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Is the same effort, time and energy put into our preparation for the return of Christ? What a glorious day for those whose hearts have been diligently attended to.

Most of us have heard the term, ‘refiner’s fire’.

A refiner's fire does not consume completely like the fire of an incinerator. A refiner's fire refines. It purifies. It melts down the bar of silver or gold, separates out the impurities that ruin its value, burns them up, and leaves the silver and gold intact. desiringgod.org

The earth will be purified, the dross swept away, leaving only absolute holiness to stand before God.

Mal 3:3 "And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.

Pr 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests hearts.

Consider. When all the decorations are taken down, gifts have been opened, parties have been attended, friends and family have left, what remains, what are we left with? Does my heart continue in preparation for Jesus to come? Or is the ‘reason for the season’ put away in a box until the same time next year?

I pray hours and hours of preparation will continue to polish my heart as I yield to God’s refining fire from within. Let’s celebrate Jesus continually as we ready for His return! It will happen.

Lu 21:36 "But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Re 22:7 "And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book."

The most precious gift you can give to Jesus is your heart; the most valuable gift you can give to those you love is the Truth of the Gospel.

December 25th will come whether you are fully prepared or not; Jesus was born according to scripture, some were ready to receive Him, some were not; Christ will return again according to the scripture – is your heart prepared?

Anticipation

The season we are entering is about Jesus’ birth, but His birth is significant because of His death and resurrection. That’s the complete Christmas story we need to share.

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As we enter this season of celebration, there is a heightened sense of getting ready for family and friends who will be visiting. Many of us will be preparing traditional and favorite foods, planning for gatherings and maybe even freshening up a guest room for those who will be staying in our homes. Lots of additional planning for guests means thinking ahead. All of this anticipation is part of what makes this time of year exciting, something many of us look forward to!

It is fun that in our culture, a time of Thanksgiving is what kicks off the holiday season. What a fantastic place to start! Giving thanks for what we have and what we’ve been given. Thanks for what God has done in sending His Son to earth in the form of a baby so that we might receive life everlasting! I love this season of focus on the most incredible gift of all!

As I consider the time and energy that goes into planning and preparation, I can’t help but consider the importance of these same concepts in my spiritual life. Planning with anticipation to ‘hear’ God’s truths in His written word. Planning a schedule that puts Him first and foremost in all things in spite of the busyness. Planning to encourage those around me to ‘see’ what all the excitement is truly about. Planning to reach out with the story of Jesus’ birth and the gift that we celebrate in His death and resurrection. Preparation for all this planning is essential! How do you make sure your heart is prepared to be sensitive to opportunities to shine during this time? Although certain things do need to be accomplished physically, isn’t it so much more important that our hearts are prepared spiritually?

Planning: an act of formulating a program for a definite course of action; the cognitive process of thinking about what you will do in the event of something happening. WordWeb

Planning and preparation are similarly defined in the English dictionary. They are closely related. What does God’s word say about the importance of preparing for something?

In the book of Exodus, specific plans were set forth for the tabernacle (Ex 26:30). Solomon was given plans for the building of the temple (1Chronicles 28:11-12). Sometimes, God causes our plans to fail because they are not in agreement with His plan (Ne 4:15; Isa 8:10; Isa 30:1).

Before time began, God planned the path for His only Son.

Ac 2:22-23 "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know--this [Man], delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put [Him] to death.

Wow, this is a strong, heart-wrenching section of scripture for those who believe and trust in God. The season we are entering is about Jesus’ birth, but His birth is significant because of His death and resurrection. That’s the complete Christmas story we need to share.

In Psalm 78, David gives a warning on the importance of following God’s plan and the preparation of a heart that is faithful.

Ps 78:1-8 Listen, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, 3 which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. 4 We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done. 5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should teach them to their children, 6 that the generation to come might know, [even] the children [yet] to be born, [That] they may arise and tell [them] to their children, 7 that they should put their confidence in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments, 8 and not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Time, energy, planning and preparation. What do these concepts look like in your heart? Is your faithfulness to God in all things held high above all else? Even when you’re busy planning and preparing?

I love decorating my home, the home God has given us, in preparation for this season. It’s actually necessary, because it’s the one time of year absolutely everything comes down off the shelves and gets cleaned and polished! Even the window sills! We usually put up more than one tree and have a wonderful collection of nativity scenes that we carefully unwrap and display. The snowmen come out from their packaging and find temporary homes amongst the holly. We have several Santa’s from all over the world,

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some antique from my husband’s Grandmamma. I pray none of this is offensive to anyone. But, for me, a figurine of Santa kneeling before the Christ child is a warming picture that all will bow before Him when He returns. The focused celebration is the gift of Jesus, the truth of His death, resurrection and the anticipation of His eventual return! This is certainly what we should be excited about. Amidst the gingerbread men and the ornaments, the worship and honor is to God alone.

One of the best things about this time of year are the open doors for encouragement to those around us to set their eyes upon Jesus. To be mindful and focused on God takes time in preparation of my own heart. It takes energy and a willingness to put all other things aside, all the items on my to-do list, to do what is truly necessary – to keep my heart set on Jesus. If I don’t plan to spend time in the word, learning and being reminded of who God is and what He desires of me, it simply won’t happen. If I don’t ask God to prepare my heart to see His will, I won’t!

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I pray our hearts are shining brighter than the lights on the Christmas trees as we anticipate the most glorious gift of all. Thank you Lord, for the incredible blessing of Jesus!

1Ti 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, [be] honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Fort Jefferson or Jesus?

A fortress is not only a place of safety but a place of strength.

Ps 91:2 I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!"

My refuge - <machaceh> a shelter (literally or figuratively); hope, place of refuge, shelter, trust.

A refuge is a safe place. Something or someone we turn to for assistance and security; a shelter from danger or hardship (WordWeb). Think sanctuary or asylum. Places of protection and safety.

My fortress - <matsuwd> a net, or (abstractly) capture; also a fastness; castle, defense, fortress, stronghold, strong place.

A fortress is not only a place of safety but a place of strength. A stronghold keeps the enemy out. Fortresses were commonly built as defensive structures with weapons aimed and prepared to defend. Several years ago, I visited the ruins of Fort Jefferson. The picture below was taken while it was in active use.

One of America’s largest masonry-built buildings was designed in the mid-1800s to ward off pirates from the Gulf of Mexico shipping lanes. Located on Garden Key way out in the Florida Keys, past Key West, Fort Jefferson is made of more than 16 million bricks. It was a massive upgrade from the lighthouse that originally stood on this spot. The fort was in active use through the Civil War, mainly to house prisoners, but its thick walls weren’t as impressive by the late 1800s and it was abandoned as a fort. The structure was never fully finished, but the six-sided fort covers 11 of the 16 acres of land on the key and remains a tourist destination. Wikipedia.

Billions of dollars are spent in building structures for protection. Think military fortifications that are currently in use, secretive buildings that require the latest technology in identification for access. Is anything man-made immune from attack from an enemy? Consider 9-11 and the Pentagon. No matter how much money is spent or what technology is used, human kind is not impervious to attack.

But, where does the greatest source of infringement come from? From within. The same minds that work hard to think of ways to protect are the same minds that follow sin to the road of destruction and chaos. Intelligence can be used for good; it can also be used for evil. For attack. There are numerous weapons used for physical attack in war. Missiles, bombs, guns, grenades and, yes, even airplanes have been used as weapons. While many of us have been spared the experience of bodily harm from enemies, most of us can relate in one way or another to internal onslaught. Spiritual attack is often launched towards others from within. The use of spoken words, written words or stirring up hostility within a group are methods of attack commonly used by people. When this happens, where do you go? Who guards your heart, your thoughts, and your actions in response to attack?

Think again about a physical place of refuge. For all our efforts to provide physical protection, it eventually becomes outdated or wears out. No man made structure is completely impervious to attack. Buildings deteriorate, technology becomes old. What was once the best we have, now lays in ruins. Look at the pictures below of Fort Jefferson in July of 2009.

We do have an answer! It is not all futility. This is not a story of ho-hum humdrum, nowhere to go, wearisome thoughts. Rather, it is reminder of the exciting benefit we can have in Christ as our strength and security. The onslaught towards Truth is weak when met by God, our perfect and permanent refuge and strength.

Click for more study on Psalm 91:2…

Identity Crisis!

Having a sense of identity is important because it allows people to stand out as individuals, develop a sense of well-being and importance, and fit in with certain groups and cultures. Why is identity so important? | Reference.com
www.reference.com/world-view/identity

Beyond the basic need for a sense of control, we are deeply driven by our sense of identity, of who we are. We are in the middle of our individual world, where we place central importance on our sense of individual self. As Descartes said, ‘I think, therefore I am.’ Many social theories are to do with creating or preserving our sense of identity. Changingminds.org

Images of identity
Bing.com/images/public domain

identity: the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity; the individual characteristics by which a thing or person is recognized or known. WordWeb

With technology increasing and permeating the work place, financial markets and just about every aspect of our personal lives, identity has become a big topic. Mostly in connection with fraud and the need for protection. There are those who feel as if they’ve lost their identity in certain situations.

Several individuals we know, including ourselves, have had experiences with stolen identity within different organizations. Years ago, my husband was in the hospital for ongoing medical issues and we received a call from the admitting department that there was an inpatient using the same social security number. A few years ago, our tax return was stolen by someone who had assumed our identity and filed taxes under our social security numbers. Several years ago I received a letter from the IRS stating I owed thousands in back taxes – my name had been associated with someone else, again, an identity breech. This is real and it is unnerving.

You can purchase several different plans for identity protection. Sometimes, a company will offer protection for up to a year if the fraud has happened on their end. Of course, there are fees attached to most of these programs.

What does the future hold as technology becomes more complicated and ingrained into every area of our lives? I suppose we should take reasonable precautions and approach the possibility of identity fraud as real. However, no one can hack into my true identity.

My identity in Christ is impossible to lose once claimed. I need not fear something will be taken from me or that I would lose my representation in Christ. I did not have to purchase this identity. It was purchased for me! In Christ. By his death and resurrection. Because of His Father’s love. It is given to me as a gift. My identity in Christ is 100% foolproof. No one will steal it. Yet, they can join me in this same identity, for free. Just by accepting the gift of God’s Son.

This is a wonderful source of peace and comfort in this world of uncertainty.

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Tag: Christ

Preparation

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Anticipation

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Fort Jefferson or Jesus?

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Identity Crisis!

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