THE RISK OF BIRTH

MADELEINE L’ENGLE This is no time for a child to be born,With the earth betrayed by war and hateAnd a comet slashing the sky to warnThat time runs out & the sun burns late. That was no time for a child to be born,In a land in the crushing grip of Rome;Honor and truth were trampled by scorn-Yet here did the Savior make his home. When is the time for love to be born?The inn is full on the planet earth,And by a comet the sky is torn-Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.gift. 

SAVORING

• Romans 5:6-8 (NIV) ⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 Just take a moment for all of it to sink in and savor the love.

IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THIS HARD

When I said yes to God I must admit that I thought the rest of my life would be like the parting of the Red Sea.  Everything just going well and God just paving the way so that it all came easy.  So you can imagine my surprise that it has not been the story.  I wonder if Mary had some of those same thoughts? 

“I said yes to God, I am doing something of great significance, that I didn’t ask to do, so why is it so hard?  Isn’t God in this?”“Why can’t we stay here in Nazareth and have the baby, why does it have to be so complicated?” “Why can’t we find a room?  Being obedient to God should not be this hard!  This could not be going according to God’s plan.  Someone screwed up!”

• Galatians 4:4 (MSG) ⁴ But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law.

When the time arrived – in other words, God had planned all of these goings on.  The difficulty was all part of His plan!  And He did not spare His Son the difficulties either.

 SAVORINGIs there anything in your life this time of year that makes you say, “It is not supposed to be this way!”  If so, is it because of your schedule and priorities of is it beyond your control?Read Proverbs 3:5-6.  Is there anything in your life that doesn’t make sense, yet you are willing to trust the Lord and be obedient to His calling?Read Isaiah 46:10-11.  What comfort can this verse give you.