The Appointed Time

The Appointed Time                                                                            December 14, 2015

You know, God’s all about the appointed time.  He visited Sarah and Abraham in their old age and gave them a son, at the appointed time.  YEARS after He promised them He would.

Joseph became second in command in Egypt, after 13+ years of being a servant and a prisoner.  At the appointed time, he came to power and saved the entire region from starvation.  YEARS after he had dreamed the dream that predicted that his father and brothers would bow down to him.

He found an 80-year-old Moses on the backside of a mountain and at the appointed time, made him the deliverer of the children of Israel.  Moses had pretty much resigned himself to be hanging out with sheep for the rest of his life, but God hadn’t forgotten the plan He had for Moses’ life, even if Moses himself had forgotten.

David became king of Israel at the appointed time, 13+ years after he had been anointed.

Esther became queen at the appointed time so she could intervene for the lives of her people, and save them from genocide.

And Jesus came at the appointed time to save the world. 

God is all about the appointed time… and it’s always perfect timing.

Do you think that all of a sudden, in your life, God is not concerned about the appointed time?  That He really doesn’t know where you are or care about you?  He’s VERY MUCH concerned about you… He knows right where you are and what you need.  He also knows the appointed times he has for you.  When you will meet your spouse.  When you will change jobs.  When you need financial provision.  When you need healing.  When you need comfort.  When the promises He has made you will come to pass.  He knows all those things. 

The One who created time itself knows the times He has appointed for you.  Just trust Him today.  Listen to Him today.  Spend time with Him today, so that you can hear His voice, and when it’s your appointed time to be somewhere, to meet someone, to do something… you’ll be there at your appointed time too.

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for coming to earth from Heaven at your appointed time in history.  Thank you that you know where I am right now, and you know what I need.  Thank you that you are orchestrating all my circumstances and that at my appointed time, the promises you’ve made me will come to pass.  I choose to trust You today.  In Jesus’ Name.

INTIMATE ACCESS                                                                                   December 10, 2015

This week, God has me reading the book of Esther.  You’ll remember that in the story, Esther is chosen from hundreds of beautiful young women to replace the previous queen.  After Esther becomes queen, Mordecai the Jew hears of a plot to kill King Xerxes.  He tells Esther, who then tells the King, the plot is foiled, and the King has his enemies impaled on a pole.

Later, Haman, enemy of Mordecai and the Jewish people, conceives a plot to kill all Jews throughout Xerxes’ kingdom.  Mordecai finds out about it and again tells Esther.  Esther invites the King to a banquet (two in fact), tells him about the plot to kill her and her people, the plot is foiled, and the King has Haman impaled on a pole. 

Quick question:  why couldn’t Mordecai approach the King himself?  He’s at the palace gate.  He’s around the King and his Kingdom.  But he’s not close to the King.  Esther is INTIMATE with the King.  She is his bride.  She is close to him.  She has access to his heart.  She has favor with him. 

Isn’t it interesting that it’s a woman who is intimate with the King? 

When Jesus was born as a little tiny baby, He came through a woman.  He was inside her womb.  She nursed him at her breast.  She raised him from a helpless infant to be a mighty man of God (literally!). That’s as intimate as it gets! 

Do you suppose that this is a pattern that Jesus wants us to repeat?  To be that intimate with Him?  It’s not limited to women… John is described as the disciple that Jesus loved.  The one who leaned against His breast at the supper table.  John was so close to Jesus, he is the one Jesus chose to take care of Mary.

I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ wants to be that intimate with us now.  To be close to Him.  To have access to His heart.  To have favor with Him.  To love Him and be loved by Him with no restrictions, no boundaries.  We are His bride, you know.

This Christmas, remember that Jesus left the glory of Heaven to come to earth to have relationship, to have intimacy with you.  When He died on the cross, the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two from the top.  God Himself tore that curtain so that there would be no separation between us and Him.  At least not from His side. 

You can choose right now to have a special, intimate, close relationship with Jesus.  It’s totally worth it, and pretty soon our enemy’s plot will be foiled and he will find himself impaled on a pole!

Dear Jesus, thank you for humbling yourself to leave the glory of Heaven to be born as a tiny baby in Bethlehem.  Thank you that you did all that to have an intimate relationship with me.  Today I choose to be close to you.  To spend time with you, loving you and letting you love me.  Thank you, Jesus, for loving me.  Amen.

DISTRACTIONS!!                                                                     December 2, 2015

This year I literally prayed, “God, please help me not hate Christmas this year.”  What a horrible thing to have to pray!!  Why in the world would I feel the need pray that?  It’s because in the past, I have let every other thing distract me from the real meaning of Christmas.  That’s probably why I’m writing this devotional.  It’s true.  This is for me, not for anyone else. J

But we often do that, don’t we?  ESPECIALLY at Christmas.  We’re so focused on getting the right gifts, having the house perfectly clean and beautifully decorated when people come over, preparing the most delicious food, having the most beautiful tree.  Blah, blah, blah.  We can be so DISTRACTED that we miss the relationship that’s available to us.   

Martha did that, you know.  Jesus was at her house, so she HAD to make everything perfect!  The house had to be cleaned with her new Swiffer mop, the decorations she had pinned to Pinterest had to be made, the Food Network recipes had to be cooked, the Martha Stewart table had to be set!  There was so much to do!  And that doggone lazy sister of hers, Mary, didn’t lift a finger to help.  Noooooo.  She’s too busy sitting in the living room listening to Jesus talk.  Well, Martha had had enough of that nonsense, so she asked Jesus to back her up. 

She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!  There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10:40-42 NLT

Oh snap!  Jesus told her to chill out!   

I think Jesus would probably tell us the same thing today!  He would say “you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential” (MSG).  Sit down at my feet, spend time with Me. I’m the reason for the season.  I’ll help you with the rest.  But now, focus on me.  Got it?  Got it!   

Prayer for today:

Dear Jesus, I thank you that your Word gives me wisdom in every area of my life.  Even in the area of being so distracted with other things that I miss you.  Please help me focus on YOU today, the real reason for the season.  And I know that  you will help me sort through the details of my day when I choose to put you first. 

CONNECT

Jesus, our world is very broken.  Every morning we wake up to hear about new atrocities that are happening.  Islamic fundamentalists shooting up a Christmas party and killing 14 people.  “Christian” fundamentalist shooting up a planned parenthood facility and killing 3 people.  Islamic fundamentalists wreaking havoc on the city of Paris and killing hundreds of people . 

What as Christians are we supposed to do?  Buy an arsenal of guns and hoard food in the basement?  I don’t think so. 

Yes, there were times in the Bible when God said store up food.  But there are also times in the Bible where God just provided food.  For 40 years. 

I think the answer is to reach out to people.  The lost.  The hurting.  The Christian.  The atheist.  The Muslim.  Your next door neighbor. 

Your Word says that love never fails.  Loving someone else.  Loving someone other than yourself.  Loving someone different from yourself. 

In this age of “cocooning,” online shopping, online gaming, online dating, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, cellphones, tablets, and laptops, the personal interaction has been removed.  We don’t know how to connect with each other anymore.  And the devil wins. 

Jesus, you chose to connect with us.  You chose to leave the splendor of heaven to come to live inside a virgin’s womb, to be born as a tiny helpless baby, to come into the world in the stinkiest and nastiest of places.  A stable. 

You chose to connect.  You chose to relate.  You chose to love.

And You still do.

Please, Jesus.  Help us do the same thing.

December Devotionals -- December 1

BEGINNINGS                                                                            December 1, 2015

I flipped over the calendar page to the month of December this morning, and it made me tired.  It’s December 1.  The beginning of the Christmas season.  Parties to go to, gifts to buy, presents to wrap, cookies to bake, decorations to hang, cards to send, family pictures to take, trees to decorate, etc. etc. etc.  It’s very easy to get overwhelmed by all the “busyness” of this season.  But how about we go back to the beginning.  Not the stable… not yet.  We’ll get there soon.  Go ALL the way back to the very beginning.

Genesis 1:1 -- In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

That’s a very familiar verse of Scripture, but what does that have to do with Christmas? 

That’s actually the first time we see Jesus in action. 

John 1:1-2 KJV and NLT -- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… He existed in the beginning with God.

Jesus was there at creation too!  Jesus was part of the entire creation event… He helped form the moon, the stars, the sky.  He helped create the majestic elephant, the tiny ant, and the beautiful butterfly.  And He was there when we were formed!  God is talking to Jesus and the Holy Spirit when He said in Genesis 1:26, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.”   

Yeah, but that was Adam and Eve… not me. 

Well how about this verse in Ephesians 1:4 AMP that says “[in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world.”  

What?  I’ve been chosen since the foundation of the world?  Why? 

Read the rest of the verse.  It says, “so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love ⁵ He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will.”

At the foundation of the world, where Jesus was present, God chose YOU to be adopted as His child.  Jesus made a way for that to happen. 

THAT’S the purpose of the Christmas season.  Since the very foundation of the earth, God has wanted to have a relationship with you.  Not a domineering, overbearing, “you-must-worship-me-or-else” kind of relationship.  No.  One of a good, good father to his beloved child.  He wants to be your daddy. 

But because sin entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, that opportunity for relationship was taken away.  Until Jesus.  Until Jesus came to the earth as a little tiny baby.  A baby that was destined to grow up and die on a cruel cross.  To pay the price for our sin, so that we could be reconciled with God.  So once again, we would have the opportunity to have a close loving relationship with God. 

So as you go about all the busyness of the season, remember the beginning.  Remember that in the beginning, Jesus saw you.  Jesus knew He would make a way for the Father to have a relationship with you.  He was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen.  And He did.  Will you do your part?

Prayer for today:

Father God, thank You that You have known me since the foundation of the world, and that You have always wanted to have a close relationship with me.  Thank you, Jesus, for making a way for that to happen!  As we celebrate the season of Your birth, please help me remember the real reason for the season.  Help me to spend time with You each day, growing in my relationship with You, loving You more and letting You love me more.  And help me to share this amazing love with others.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen