This is our final set of meditations for December.
Hallelujah !!!
Let us begin our journey anew as we follow Jesus from his humble place of birth to his mighty triumph over death at his resurrection.
Our journey over the next several months may be familiar in many parts yet refreshingly new as we discover words in scripture we have not pondered before.
First a Quote:
“St. Augustine drew out the meaning of the manger using an idea that at first seems almost shocking, but on closer examination contains a profound truth. The manger is the place where animals find their food. But now, lying in the manger, is he who called himself the true bread come down from heaven, the true nourishment that we need in order to be fully ourselves. This is the food that gives us true life, eternal life. Thus the manger becomes a reference to the table of God, to which we are invited so as to receive the bread of God. From the poverty of Jesus’ birth emerges the miracle in which man’s redemption is mysteriously accomplished.” Pope Benedict XVI, p. 68 Excerpt from Jesus of Nazareth Infancy
The Christ Mass is celebrated on Jesus Birth Day.
Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14
Isaiah 9:2 “Those who live in darkness will see a great light. :3 You shall multiply the nation. :6 A child will be born to us . . . a son, given to us . . . and the government will rest on his shoulders and his name will be called wonderful, counselor, mighty God, eternal Father, prince of peace.”
Titus 2:11 “The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men.”
Luke 2:7 “And she age birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn.” :10-11 “But the angel said to the shepherds, ‘Do not be afraid’ for I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. :13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, good will toward men.”
This is a day of celebration! These familiar words stir my heart every year. This instant, this moment in time, seems to stand still in my heart as I try to imagine this miraculous birth, shepherds visited by the Angel of the Lord and glorious praise from the heavenly realm. For just one moment each year, during the reading of these words, I am transported into that very heavenly realm.
We cannot imagine the life of Mary before, during
and after the birth of Jesus. If we try we will not be even remotely close to her reality back then.
We live in far too pristine a world with technology that makes life way too convenient.
Yet, we can bask in the luxury of our wonder. We can envision this vulnerable babe, placed in a feeding trough after birth, swaddled in who knows what and held tightly by Mary and Joseph just to stay warm on this cold winter night. We can watch the sky on a clear night and imagine swaths of angels moving about frantically to draw the vulnerable into this moment.
The reality is that ‘God with us’ was just as needy as any baby who trusts that all his needs will be met, that every bit of sustenance will be provided. Jesus can do nothing on his own. He is vulnerable. His only resource to sustain his life depends on his parents.
As Jesus grew and began to minister to others, no one ever thought of his vulnerability in infancy. He had matured, changed into a prophet, a leader with both a human side and divine side, some one beyond what anyone expected of Jesus. That’s a whole new story.
Let’s linger at the manger and drink in this special moment before moving on.
Think about it: Do you visit a manger scene this time of year?
Have you visited a scene that is life-like with someone narrating the story?
These tableaus bring us closer into the presence of Christ through symbolism and story. Ask yourself if you have grown beyond the manger scene in understanding who Jesus really is. It’s more complex than we think. Jesus’ mercy and grace, the gentle Jesus we learned to love as a child, is far more than this.
If you follow the life of Jesus, do you see how his Holy Boldness becomes more apparent through the stories in the Gospels?
A vulnerable babe in a manger becomes a voice for the
vulnerable, a healer for the invalid, a sacrifice for us all.
Take a few moments to linger over this story and enJOY Jesus’ beginning.
All too soon we will pick up speed and learn about Jesus from another perspective that is tough, challenging, gritty, and everlasting.
Blessed Christ-mass!
Re-JOY-ce !!!
PAUSE: Today we begin to celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas. In the time of Henry VIII there were no festivities before Christmas day. In fact, Advent was a time of fasting. No eggs, no cream, no sugar [which was so expensive that even the king measured it carefully.]
Today, therefore, was a grand feast in the kingdom. There was so much food for the court that they had plenty of leftovers. So they 'doled'out the uneaten food to the poor, over 1/3 of the population. Therefore, all had some reason to rejoice on Christmas day after attending church. "On the DOLE" became a phrase used for centuries when the needy receive alms.
12-26 Jeremiah 26:1-9, 12-15; Psalm 31:1-5; Acts 6:8 —7:2a; Matthew 23:34-39
Acts 6:7 “Stephen spoke great things and others could not argue against his words and the Spirit; and they stirred up false accusations and he was stoned to death.”
God’s Word never goes out void. People hear but may hate what they hear. Thus, they hate the messenger. The saying, “Kill the messenger,” is true even today. From the days long before Jeremiah was called to be a prophet, God’s voice, speaking through those He chose, was and is the only light in a very dark world.
Stephen, a deacon in the new church, the body of Christ-believers, was filled with the Spirit, with Holy Boldness. His words drew people into the Light of Christ. Many, blinded by their deceit, shunned this bright truth. The Apostle Paul was among them. He was witness to the stoning of Stephen.
One minute we are floating with the angels as we rejoice with Mary and Joseph and celebrate the birth of God’s only begotten son.
The next minute we read gritty words that sadden the heart.
REALITY!
We can only float on our cloud so long.
The reality of being a Christian hits hard in this story. Stephen is the first of thousands martyred for their belief in Christ who was born into this murky world, crucified for His Truth, resurrected from the dead to give us eternal life.
Stephen’s death is a blow to the kingdom of God but only propels God’s mighty work. We know what happened to Paul, who was present at Stephen’s death and may have even encouraged the stoning. Praise God, Paul’s life was changed so dramatically after Stephen’s death.!
Stephen’s death is a blow to the kingdom of God but only propels God’s mighty work. We know what happened to Paul, who was present at Stephen’s death and may have even encouraged the stoning. Praise God, Paul’s life was changed so dramatically after Stephen’s death.!
Most likely, when he was dying, Stephen said these same words from Psalm 31 that Jesus said on the Cross. “Into Your hand I commit my spirit.”
Christ was murdered. Stephen was murdered. Thousands were murdered, and continue to be murdered, for the sake of the Good News that Christ died, not in vain, as we well know. Christ died so that all of us, with empty souls, could be filled with His presence, filled to overflowing, and walk in the LIGHT of Christ as we continue what Stephan began.
Think about it: Holy Boldness! All the martyrs had Holy
Boldness to stand firm in their faith. We received the same Holy boldness that Stephen had when we were baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Is holy boldness alive and well in your Christian walk?
Some might ask, “How do we build up enough courage to use that power within us, to use that Holy Boldness?”
Ask yourself how those martyrs stood firm and did not waver in their faith.
Study a few lives of the saints to see how they lived. It’s those who went before us, who were bold in their faith, who helped to build the Christian foundation of the next generations to come. Ambrose, Augustine, Ignatius, Francis, Teresa of Avila, Hildegard of Bengen, Thomas Aquinas, Mother Teresa and thousands more spent their lives giving away what God had given to them . . . with Holy Boldness.
All we need to do is Trust in the Lord with all our heart, pray without ceasing, hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest God’s Word and share with others all the knowledge and love and mercy and grace given to us . . . as did thousands who lived before us.
Holy Boldness . . . it’s a gift all Christians are given.
We just need to be bold enough to share our holiness.
12-27 Exodus 33:18-20; Psalm 92; 1 John 1:1-9; John 21:19b-24
1 John 1:5 "God is Light and in Him no darkness at all :7 If we walk in the Light as He is in the Light; we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. :9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Perhaps you are still cleaning up from all the festivities of Christmas Day. For many, their revelry is just getting started. In fact, in the 1500s the breaking of the Advent fast meant that the people could take
could now play games, tricks, on one another or do devilish deeds during Christmastide.
During the twelve days of Christmas neighbors would wear grotesque masks and join others as they visited their selected neighbor on these darkest nights of the year. That neighbor, upon opening the door and seeing these grotesquely clad people would be obligated to invite them in for a simple game, “Throw the dice.” If the dice were thrown the exact number twice, the one who was visited was obligated to hand over a few coins. Of course the dice were weighted so the one visited would always loose. This was expected. Part of the game was to guess who was behind each mask as treats were served. This Christmas tradition soon faded as these ‘tricks and treats’ were moved to All Hallows Eve or Halloween.
Why do I share this story? Because this scripture, selected by theologians for this day centuries ago, was quite appropriate. Sometimes the Christmastide revelry got out of hand. The longer, dark nights often covered a multitude of sins. Harm may have come to some because of a ‘trick’ gone awry. We are reminded that God sees every move we make and knows every thought we think because He is the Light that shines His presence into our souls in the midst of this darkness.
If we ‘confess’ our misdeeds or bad feelings to one another, talk about them, iron them out, we share our soul with our Lord at the same time. He already knows what’s going on inside of us and beams His Light upon us strongly when we show our dark thoughts or actions to another.
The Catholic, and some Anglican and Lutheran churches, offer ‘confession’ with their Priest so that, when the darkness of the soul is revealed, it is ‘locked’ in God’s hands. The Priest is not allowed to reveal that confession to anyone. If you think of it, confessing to clergy is far safer than a dear friend who might ‘slip up’ and share our dastardly deed to another unexpectedly. Formal Confession every few months may not be a bad idea to keep those cobwebs cleared from the dark corners of the soul. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Think about it: Have you ever confessed to another how you feel or an action you may have taken that was not the best option? Sometimes it weighs so heavy on our soul
that we might blurt it out at the most inopportune time to a complete stranger. Yet, God is in the midst of that confession. He knows your heart and wants to be the balm that mends our bruised heart. Our Lord loves us so much that He wants us to come to him as often as we are able to ‘confess our sins’ to talk it over with Him. Cleansing prayer is powerful.
However, there is something far more cleansing that truly takes that burden from us . . . confessing to another human being. Our vulnerability is front and center. We feel awkward, uneasy, even ashamed sometimes. Yet, it’s that vulnerability that is so important. We can’t hide from God and we cannot hide from our neighbor. Eventually, it comes out.
Set up a specific time to meet with a church leader or clergy you trust. Let that person known that you have a burden you need to share. They are trained to listen and love you through your conversation of confession. Most important, they will offer to pray with you knowing that our Lord is right in our midst. When it is given to the Lord, it is dropped at the foot of the Cross and forgotten. The sin no longer exists. God works through clergy, also, to drop all wards shared at the foot of the Cross. They truly are forgotten, done, buried with Christ, never to be thought of again.
It’s up to us who confess to let go, drop it, never to
think of it again . . . unless the experience is a meaningful lesson to carry you into the next chapter of your journey. The Lord helps us keep what we must use to grow and drop that which keeps us from growing in Him. Confession. A beautiful antidote to Christmastide revelry or a freeing habit for the rest of our lives.
12-28 Jeremiah 31:15-17; Psalm 124; Revelation 21:1-7; Matthew 2:13-18
Matthew 2:13-15 After the Wise Men left Bethlehem to return to their homeland, “The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you ; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod.”
The family of God had to flee to Egypt, a safe haven for Jesus. God had made preparation for this flight through the Magi. They gave Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Frankincense is the sap that bleeds from the Flowers and branches of the Boswellia sacra tree in Africa. This resin is used to emit a sweet odor if burned and to embalm, a reminder of what would be used after Jesus’ crucifixion along with the Myrrh. Myrrh resin has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense, and medicine. Both Frankincense and Myrrh were very expensive and could be kept for years and sold for good money when needed. Therefore, this holy family was well provided for the four years they were in Egypt.
The Wise men were truly wise. They followed the star, they found the God they’d been seeking, Jesus, and they followed the advice given to them by the angel of the Lord. They returned home to Persia via a different route in order to avoid contact with Herod. They were filled with the ‘Good News’ of the birth of the son of God. These Wise men became the first ‘evangelists’ as they shared their story with others on their return journey.
This Fourth Day of Christmas is remembered to this
day as ‘holy innocents’ day’. Herod, by now, knew there was born a ‘King of kings’ and did not want to be usurped by any other ‘king’. Herod estimated that this king-child would be about two years old so he ordered the death of all male babies in the area about two years old. Some historians estimate about 250 babies were killed in Bethlehem but we do not know if Herod’s edict was followed beyond this area. Innocent babies were killed because of a fanatic leader. This would not be the first time. Therefore, this day of remembrance would be called Holy Innocents’ day.
Think about it: Too often children die unexpectedly by accident. This tragedy lingers with parents and dear friends for the rest of their lives. No life should be cut short due to an accident. Never should an innocent baby be killed no matter what the reason. We know this. Life happens. Death happens. Yet, we never should dictate the death of another of God’s creations.
The death of a physical body is no different than the death of a soul. The human soul is just as fragile as a human body, isn’t it. It is up to us, whose souls are filled with God’s presence, to share our fullness just as the wise men did on their journey home and throughout Persia. We are the precious gift to the world to be used in the same way as the gold, frankincense and myrrh given to the Joseph and Mary to sustain them and Jesus on their journey into the unknown.
We know our journey. Our friend, neighbor or family member does not. First, make a list of those whom you
think do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray through this list for the next year. Make room for notes by each name. Write down any ‘action’ you are to take with any or all of them. You can also put a small bulletin board on your wall with pictures of each. This gives you a visual reminder of those who will become part of God’s kingdom through persistent prayer.
For instance, I have been praying for several nieces and nephews for several years. I was led to write personal notes of love and encouragement and words pointing to Christ on pretty cards for several of them . . . and I always send birthday cards on their special days. Take a friend to lunch once a month just to talk. Call a relative that lives far away more often than usual. It may take time. Several prayed for me for over ten years before I become open to even hearing what they had to say about Jesus.
God finds unhindered routes to the soul but this often takes time.
Hang in there.
It’s worth it.
12-29 Isaiah 61:10—62:3; Psalm 147:13-21; Galatians 3:23-35, 4:4-7; John 1:1-18
Psalm 147:16 “He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes.”
Galatians 3:24 “The Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ so we may be justified by faith 4: when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the Law, that he might redeem those under the Law. 4:7 No longer a slave but a son and of a son, then heir through God.”
John 1:1&14 “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God . . .And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
Once in awhile I cannot select one book or one verse. Today, all the readings filled me with JOY! Re-JOYce!
Be GLAD! For this fifth day of Christmas brings reminders that fill the soul.
We all know the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” and all its renditions. Stories fly through the air of each day’s symbols telling the story of Christ’s birth but this may not be true. The song, published in England in 1780 without music as a chant or rhyme, is thought to be French in origin. Over the decades various renditions were published, including the one we now know with music.
Although this song may not relate to the story of Jesus’ birth, this IS the fifth day of Christmas in which FIVE GOLDEN RINGS is repeated endlessly.
Five golden thoughts about the birth of Christ are what I see today. The prophecy in Isaiah became true many times during our long history. Jesus’ life and death made Israel the “Crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord as Jesus became the ‘royal diadem’ in the hand of our God.”
Frost may have occurred during the winter months in Israel but snow is rare in the lower regions. The reason the shepherds came closer to the city of Bethlehem, down from the high hills on the night of Christ’s birth, may have been due to snow falling in the higher regions. Snow brings calm, cleans the dusty air and scatters blankets of beauty here and there. Snow in the high regions brought shepherds close to witness the birth of the King of kings.
The third gold ring we find in Galatians verse 4: “When the fullness of time came, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the Law, that he might redeem those under the Law.” Let the light of Christ shine in all souls like the ‘bling’ of a golden ring, so that all may be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
The fourth and fifth golden rings are the new beginning that we read in the Gospel of John, the first few verses and then the fourteenth verse. John writes differently than Matthew, Mark and Luke. He writes from his heart. The book begins as Genesis begins: “In the beginning was the word . . . ” In Genesis, God breathed. He ‘said’ and what God ‘said’ became. God’s Word Spoke Creation. God “said” the words and creation happened. That’s another piece of gold we keep tucked in our heart.
The fifth is, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the WORD WAS GOD . . . . and the WORD became flesh and dwelt among us.” God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, existed before creation and were present at and through creation and are present back then, and now and forever. God in the flesh IS, was and ever shall be. Jesus was revealed to humanity through the birth of the New Covenant. Mary was the ‘ark’ of the New Covenant, Jesus Christ. One golden moment we who believe in the resurrected Christ will treasure eternally.
In one month you will have a pile of scripture from which to choose one verse. Memorize it. It may only be a few words but this golden truth can be tucked into your heart forever. After one year, select a verse from those treasures you memorized. Pick that verse as your ‘annual’ verse to be used for the following year.
Along the way, you will find a verse or two that you treasure always. I have about five passages of scripture that I call ‘Life Verses.’ These words pop into my mind continuously and have been a golden treasure to my soul during many challenging moments.
Try it.
See how far you get.
If you find even one verse during this entire year that touches your heart, grab it, love it, meditate upon it, and plant it in your heart and soul.
If you find even one verse during this entire year that touches your heart, grab it, love it, meditate upon it, and plant it in your heart and soul.
12-30 1 Kings 17:17-24; Psalm 20, 21:1-7, 23,27; 3 John 1-15; John 4:46-54
3 John 11,13-14 “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from
God; whoever does evil has not seen God. . . . I have much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink; instead I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face.”
3 John 1-15 is the entire letter. John wrote this short letter to Gaius, his friend and an elder in the church regarding a troublemaker, Diotrephes, who is defying authority and causing discontent in the church. This church was like many churches in the early years of Christianity and even today. The doctrine set forth regarding faith in Jesus Christ may have caused some unbelief. That unbelief may have caused murmuring within the church, even false accusations. Any group that gathers together to learn how to live as a Christian may have challenges but it takes strong leaders to help all work together to discuss, listen, ask questions, learn and live as one body as all grow in our Christ-faith..
It is interesting that John took such great care of the churches in his sphere of influence that he not only wrote to them but visited them. Any good shepherd would do the same. In this electronic age, we think texting or sending emails back and forth is good conversation. This is not good when trying to discern what is going on with an individual. Tone of voice, facial expressions and even the banter of tossing words back and forth in good conversation are far more effective. John knew this. In other words, John is saying, “I have heard what is going on over there. Yet, I need to be with you to listen hard, reflect together and discern our best path forward.”
As the church matured, these ‘Shepherds’ kept a certain amount of stability as people grew in knowledge and belief in the Son of God. To this day, it is important to have an ‘umbrella’ of leadership over leaders that denominational churches provide. Bishop to Pastor to Elder to lay leaders etc., form an ‘umbrella’ of prayer, discernment and guidance for the one they are leading.
Think about it. Who is the ‘authority figure’ in your church? Does that person have a spiritual advisor, an accountability partner? We do not think about the need for our leaders to have oversight. One might say, “God is their oversight.” This is good but those who lead a congregation need to be held accountable by someone who can meet with them face-to-face, with skin in the game, so to speak.
Pastors often stand alone in their leadership, unless they work with several other pastors. Even then, there should be other pastors in the community with whom they gather, pray, discern and share concerns. Ask your pastor, “Is it good to have an accountability partner or “Spiritual Advisor?” This is a general, non-intimidating question for both of you to discuss. In the conversation you might ask if your pastor has a spiritual advisor. Then you can ask how you can have one also.
Whether you lead a bible study, a prayer group, the worship committee or the church service ushers, we all need an accountability partner. If we are leading a group, that group might be holding us accountable but we also have the pastor of the church with whom we can discern or chat through concerns. Whether we see ourselves as leaders or not, we all need an accountability group. A “home” group or bible study is a good start.
I’ve been attending a weekly accountability group for almost twenty years. We encourage, exhort and share trials and triumphs. Over the years as few as two have met some weeks or as many as nine. We rarely miss having a meeting. It’s good for the soul. It’s good for our walk in Christ. It’s just plain GOOD.
To start an accountability group, find one or two others who are willing to meet weekly. Set up standard accountability questions to be used each week: What scriptures touched your heart this week? In what ways
were you able to share the light of Christ with one who does not know Christ? Share a challenge you had and how the Lord helped you through it. Share a revelation or new understanding you found in your walk with Jesus this week . . . etc. Stick to 4-5 basic questions. Allow one to on and a half hours for each weekly meeting. Divide the time so all can share. At first, a timekeeper, kitchen timer, might be necessary to help you. This group may take some time to form but it is so well worth it.
Begin with with one other person.
Then be open to inviting several more.
Enjoy the deep fellowship, the loving bonds and the sense of knowing there is another who you can talk to at any time.
Begin with with one other person.
Then be open to inviting several more.
Enjoy the deep fellowship, the loving bonds and the sense of knowing there is another who you can talk to at any time.
12-31 The end of the physical year but a new beginning in Jesus Christ
1 Kings 3:5-14; Psalm 46,48,90; James 4:13-17, 5:7-11; John 5:1-15
1 Kings 3:5 “The Lord appeared in Gibeon to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.” Solomon said, :9 “Give your servant an
understanding mind to govern your people, to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this great people?” The Lord said, “:12 . . . I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. :14 If you walk in My Commandments, as your Father, David walked, I’ll prolong your days.”
Solomon was about twenty years old when the Lord spoke to him and he responded with his wish for wisdom. Indeed, Solomon did walk in the footsteps of his father, David. He honored God with multiple sacrifices in ‘high’ places until he completed building the temple in Jerusalem, the place his father, David, had wanted to build for God to reside.
Solomon’s new-found wisdom meant that the wisdom that was already within him was manifest according to God’s will instead of his own. Solomon was smart. When the Lord asked what he wanted, he knew he needed a strong sense of discernment to manage such a vast kingdom. He already had all the physical riches he could want. He needed to use that which cannot be touched, smelled, seen, heard or tasted . . . Wisdom.
Solomon was wise enough to ask for that which he already had, at the young age of twenty! Years ago I was in a Christian leadership group which taught discernment, listening skills and, most important, negotiating skills to be used in the church if there were issues that might divide the congregation. A Christian psychologist led the
group. Most of us were 40+ years old but one dear friend was not yet thirty. He was like Solomon. He was very smart and totally dedicated to the Lord. In my opinion his abilities to discern and lead were already manifest. Indeed, the psychologist agreed . . . with a caveat. Physiologically, males experience a physical change in the brain at about the age of thirty. A fluid develops that flows between the two sides of the brain to enable that brain to be highly functional in a leadership role. In other words, although my friend was very mature in his leadership skills, in another few years they would bloom exponentially.
I immediately thought of all the leaders we read about in scripture who became prominent in their leadership roles at about the age of thirty. John the Baptist and Jesus are right there at the top of the list. Solomon and his father, David, are the Old Covenant examples that pop into my head.
By the way, women manifest this fluid flowing from one side of the brain to the other at an early age. My
personal theory is that, as mothers, we are called into a leadership role at a very early age. Think of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She had wisdom beyond her years as a teenager. Because of her devotion to the Lord, Mary said, “Yes” to the message given to her by the Angel Gabriel because she was bathed in the presence of God all of her life.
God provides. Yet, there is always a caveat. . . IF. God was saying to Solomon, and to those who seek wisdom within God’s will, “IF you walk within the parameters of God’s commandments and IF your actions show what your heart desires, I, the Lord, thy God, will enable you to reign, to be in your leadership role, a very long time.”
Think about it: Have you ever desired to be a leader in some area? Before you say, “no,” ask yourself if you ever said to yourself, “I can do this task better than that person.” That’s leadership. Sometimes we think of ‘leaders’ as those who do great and mighty things. Yet, there are many types of leadership.
Yes, Solomon led a kingdom. That takes leadership skills few of us may have. Yet, we all lead in some way. If you are a parent, you are already a very important leader. In fact, your role in shaping your offspring to walk in the ways of the Lord extremely important. Yet, this opportunity may have passed by the time you developed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ . . . or not.
I am blessed to know many parents who raised their children with the wisdom of the Lord. They dedicated their lives to shaping their children, and grandchildren, according to God’s will. Yet, many of those offspring made the choice to follow their own way.
Have you experienced this in your own life? Take heart. God is not finished with any of us yet. Keep praying for the Lord to lead those who have wandered off His path. Keep seeking others to mentor in the faith. Although some of our own family members make the
choice to wander far from the presence of the Lord, we can still continue our leadership role as a disciple maker.
Ask the Lord to bring you one or two people with whom you can share the love of the Lord and help them grown in Christ’s wisdom. Of all those whom you influence, if even one becomes a leader according to God’s will, you have done well. Solomon made many mistakes in his leadership role even though he had great wisdom. None of us is perfect but God will use us until we take our last breath IF we pray for His wisdom and IF act upon that which our Lord gives to us.
As we end this year and think about how we can be used in the new year, ask the Lord for “Wisdom” to know where and how to lead another into a fuller understanding
of God’s presence in our lives through His son, Jesus Christ.
Leading another is very fulfilling.
Try it.
See what happens.
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