THE PURPOSE OF THE STAR

There has been an ongoing debate that has been taking place for decades concerning a star that was in the night’s sky, a real cosmic event that got the attention of some very wise men, which caused them to go on a very long journey looking for a newborn baby, whom they believed was to be a great King. Yet, not just any King, but according to their limited information, a King, of the Jews? These Wise Men, or Kings are believed to have been based on the Magi, which were Persian sages, who believed that the stars effected and had influences on the earth. The kings were religious scholars of sorts and were revered Babylonian astronomers of their day. They studied the stars and planets interpreting the meaning behind the universe’s cosmic events. Anything that appeared unusual in their limited wisdom, was considered a sign that had some kind of meaning. In the case of the Bethlehem star, it’s appearance caused them to travel to Jerusalem, where they spoke with King Herod asking him, if he knew where the new King had been born.

Well, we know from scripture that King Herod was a terrible King himself and sought to kill the baby, out of jealousy and fear. Once his chief priest and scribes told him that according to Hebrew prophecy that the baby was to be born in Bethlehem, he passed on that information to the Wise Men in hopes that they would find the baby and lead Herod to him, as they returned to him with the information. However, the Lord was always a step ahead of Herod’s evil plan and warned the Wise Men in a dream what Herod's plan was towards the baby, and they returned to their own country instead.

Just think, God used one cosmic event to draw the world’s attention to what he was planning to do. While I have no idea as to how planets crossing in front of each other can cause other planets and orbits to do odd things or of what the birth of a new star or nova looks like when it is happening, I am, totally convinced, that the Creator of our entire universe and beyond can do, or change whatever needs to be done in order to accomplish His will; whether it was, or is with a very bright light, a big blast, a bang or simply turning a planet into a reddish color that appears to us on earth to be blood. I don’t struggle with these types of issues because my faith renders me peace in spite of all that I do not know or understand, and I simply trust!

As for the children of God, one of the great wonders of Christmas is the star that appeared around the time of the birth of Jesus. This star is known as the star of Bethlehem and it led the Wise Men from the East, to the site of the birth of Jesus according to scripture, in Matthew Chapter 2. Some folks like to debate if this event was an astronomical object or a supernatural object, such as a star or an angel.

It amazes me that people cannot grasp the fact that a Power that is great enough to create every nova, comet, pulsar, double eclipse, supernova, star, sky, cloud, rain drop and atom that exist, along with every cell, and every creature great and small, cannot create a simple bright star and place it in the sky to symbolize an event that He is bringing to pass and had already predicted would happen.

For me and mine, we will continue to place the star atop of our Christmas tree each year, to symbolize and celebrate the day that God sent His only Son Jesus Christ who was both fully God and fully human according to Hebrews 2, who knew no sin, to take the punishment of sin and death, so that we would not have to, according to John 1:29. He came to take away the sins of the world. “For he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Cor. 5:21. This is the true purpose of Christmas.

Merry Christmas,

Bren

THE TASK OF OUR HOLIDAY WORK

The holidays can sometimes be so overwhelming that when they are over and we can get our breath, it quickly becomes obvious to us that we, ourselves somehow missed the fun and pleasures that they bring. 

We missed out because we were so busy making them happy for everyone else, covering all the details needed to ensure our families and friends get as much out of their holidays as we can possibly provide for them to. 

If only we could learn the balance that is needed to enjoy the work, as we are doing it. I believe that we can! It is only a matter of getting into an atmosphere of worship as we go about the task of doing. Mary the sister of Martha did. Because her priorities were in the right place, Jesus said to Martha of Mary, in Luke 10:41-42, that she chose the right thing, while Martha was running around stressed and panic stricken over her work. 

In contrast to Martha, if we will get into the same atmosphere as Mary did, we too will do what is needed before and in the middle of our work and still be able to enjoy them for ourselves. You see as we take the time to go before the Lord, to learn from Him and see Him as He is, and what He is doing, He comes along side of us as we are working. It is as though we have one who comes from outside our situation to bring us the help that is needed to accomplish our task. 

When we are in the middle of a stressful moment, the problems are often times all that we can see. God will empower us with the solutions that we need, but we must make the conscience effort to create the atmosphere for His presence in our lives. Just like putting up the tree at Christmas, wrapping the presents and placing them under the tree, and filling our homes with Christmas music, that creates the atmosphere of the Holidays, so must we make the effort to create for ourselves an atmosphere of thanksgiving, praise and worship to One that we adore. 

For He is the reason for our celebrating, no matter what they holiday may be. When we do this, He never fails us. He comes and joins in to save the day! The task of our Holiday work does not have to overwhelm us, if we will only choose that which is needed, as Jesus told Martha. “How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.” Psalm 31:19 Wishing you and yours a most wonderful Thanksgiving!

Hold Fast,

-Bren

THE PURPOSE OF WHERE YOU ARE

 

No one in their right mind ever chooses to suffer, be it through health, wealth or relationship. But choosing God’s will in our life, even if it means that we have to learn through the means of suffering in one way or another is something altogether different. We are also encouraged to be very careful in how we interfere with a lesson that is being taught in other Christian’s life as we see them suffer as well. 1 Peter 4:19 says, “Let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good…”. Jesus understood suffering better than anyone, and it is only through a relationship with Him that we can understand what God is after in His dealings with us or others. It is never beneficial for us to seek to carry out God’s request or will through shortcuts of our own, as we often try to do. God’s way is always the way of suffering at some point in life. Some of the suffering that we must bear, is not always meant for us personally. Yet, their design is to make everyone involved useful in God’s hands in some way or another. It can also enable us to understand what takes place in the lives of others, once we understand how God works through suffering.

Because God works on this level, we are to never be surprised by what comes our way. Dealing with a difficult person for instance might very well cause you to think, that you cannot deal with nor tolerate them. However, God tells us that we can and gives us sufficient opportunities to learn from Him concerning that situation. But, if we are not careful, we will turn away from what He is saying, and not heed the lesson that we are being taught, because it is too much trouble for us to do so. Then again, if we are going to be used by God, He will take us through a number of experiences that will stretch us to the point of being broken over it, and that is a good thing. Our sufferings should produce in us the same thing that it did in Jesus as He so earnestly prayed in the Garden before His arrest. He said, “…what shall I say? "Father, save Me from this hour"? But for this purpose I came to this hour. "Father, glorify Your name." John 12:27-28. The human side of Jesus knew what He was spiritually up against and dreaded what He would have to face. But as He prayed and surrendered His will to His Father's will, peace, comfort and a new will to carry on flooded His being.

Brokenness may be the very thing we are needing to bring us to the point of humility and accepting the will of God no matter what it may cost us. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life. Wallowing over the fact that we wish it were not, is spinning our wheels and wasting our time. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are real in everyone’s life, and it is not for us to say that God made a mistake by allowing them. If you will accept yourself in the fiery pain, of sorrow and suffering in your life with humility, God will elevate you to a higher spiritual ground and make you nourishment for those around you as well as those that He will bring into your path. May I encourage you today sweet friend, do not waste any suffering that God may allow to come your way, not even the smallest amounts of it. Are you partakers of Christ’s sufferings today? Are you ready for God to stamp out that personal ambition that is in you and destroy your individual decisions by supernaturally transforming them? If so, it may very well mean, not knowing why God is taking you the way that you are going until He is ready to reveal it to you. Will you wait for that? We often times never realize at the time what God is putting us through and then suddenly, we come to the place where He reveals the purpose of that suffering and we “get it”. Until His answers come to us, we must be like Christ, who knew that no one on earth could understood what He was going through or the purpose of it just as Peter did not understand in Matthew 16:23, yet Jesus settled with only the sympathy of His Father and the ministering angels. Never measure your life by how or where you may be at the moment, nor think that you are of no use to God there. For God places His children where they will bring Him the most glory and we are totally incapable of judging where that may be. No matter where you are right now in your life, it is not a waste. Take the role of the postage stamp and stick with it until it gets you where you are intended to go!

Hold Fast,

Bren

WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF

“Worry about yourself”, said my little 2 ½ year old granddaughter to me the other day, as I was asking her if she was “supposed to be getting into her mother’s purse”. No sooner did she get those words out of her mouth, did her mother respond back to her in the spirit of a 911 emergency operator, loving, but stern rebuke, by telling her not speak to her Granna like that. She bowed her little head and said, “I sorry Granna”! How precious that was! Not her harsh rebuke to me for questioning her business, but the humility she showed, when her higher authority spoke. My daughter apologized and told me that our little princess was copy-catting her Mom because that is the response that she gets from her mother when she tries to tell her brother what to do. Her mother tells her to, “worry about yourself” and leave your brother to me. My little granddaughter is having to learn one of the toughest character builders in life, and that is to mind her own affairs. God’s word even tells us to do that! It says, “And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you…”  in 1 Thessalonians 4:11. In Proverbs 26:17 Solomon provide us with a little bit of imagery or practical mental picture to help us understand the importance of minding our own business by saying, “Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.”, Proverbs 26:17.

 

Fooling with someone else's problems, butting into other's arguments, meddling in other people’s affairs is just not smart. In fact, it is just about as smart as grabbing a dog by his ears. When I see people in big quarrels and animosity towards each other that causes division and conflict, I am sometimes so tempted to step in and get everyone straightened out by giving them some great advice, but then, I quickly remind myself about what would happen, if I picked up a dog by the ears. As I hold my own tongue, and not get involved, I do as Jesus told Peter to do in John 21:20-22,  Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” I do this because I believe in Romans 14:12, “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God”. Some people will go through life and never learn to keep their tongue under control. You can tell that by looking at the long trail of damage they have brought about that leads straight to their own mouths. In the end they too will give an account of what they have said, and friend it will not be a good thing! I think my daughter hit the nail on the head when she said, “worry about yourself”!

Hold Fast,

Bren

 

SUCCOTH, A TEMPORARY PLACE

 

A city, east of the Jordan River in the territory of Gad, about 30 miles north of the Dead Sea, is a very important little piece of land. It is important because, it is a part of Bible history. On the way back to Canaan, after Jacob had ended his exile from his family, in fear of his brother Esau’s anger against him from Jacob having stolen his birthright; Jacob built himself a temporary place to live and made booths for his cattle, and he called the place Succoth. Succoth was not a place that Jacob intended to stay forever. But to only dwell for a short time, until he could make amends with his brother Esau, for having wronged him. Succoth appears in a number of places in the Bible, as a physical location, and even as one of the Feasts that the Children of Israel were commanded to keep and celebrate throughout their generations.

 

Today, the place that used to be known as Succoth is part of the country of Jordan. There is a two-fold meaning for this little name; Succoth. It has both a spiritual and a practical meaning to God’s people. Because of its importance, it was a  Biblical Mandate to remember it and celebrate it as such. The exodus from Egypt by the Children of Israel is probably the most significant event in the history of the Israelite people. In fact, many Judaic festivals owe their origins to this event. After the Children of Israel departed from Egypt in route to the Promised Land, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. During their nomadic wanderings, they too dwelt in these small temporary booths and shelters like the ones in Succoth.

 

 For the child of God today, Succoth should represent to us, and be a physical reminder that this world is not our home. We are only here for a very short time.  It should also remind us that Succoth  has a spiritual aspect as well, and remind us that we should consider the places that we often end up at in our lives, as little plots of Succoth. Temporary places that were not intended for permanent dwellings or places to stay. Just temporary places, until the Lord opens up for us clarity to move on from the place we may be for a time. Because of the hardness of their hearts where they ended up in the dessert, many Jews died there, never seeing the promised land that was intended for them, while others eventually moved out, and into the land that God had promised.

 

You see Succoth represents to the believer that our time frame is not always Gods, and it is always best to stay at the place we may be at, until God instructs us to move on to the next phase of our lives. Like the patriarch Abraham, Gideon also was a great example of waiting on God. Gideon stepped out of his comfort zone where he was, as Abraham did, not having all the answers he may have wanted and obeyed God, even though he may have been a little skeptical about what he was ask to do. When we step out of our comfort zones at the leading of the Lord, He doesn’t expect us to remain comfortable; that’s the whole point. If it wasn’t uncomfortable then we’ve merely stepped from one comfort zone into another. The idea is that we do uncomfortable things in faith. That is what faith is. So never think, that you aren’t demonstrating sufficient faith when facing a grueling challenge, and you have fears and worries along the way.

 

If you ask any soldier who has ever been in combat if they were afraid, they will tell you “absolutely, they were!” What they had to learn was to control that fear in order to function, not dismiss it. Even so, Gideon would have to appear sure and confident among his men because, nothing frightens soldiers more, than to have a wavering leader. We can trust God’s leading, for He never wavers and our faith in Him will move us from our temporary places to the places of better dwellings.

 

As I said, we should always consider the places that we oftentimes end up at as little plots of Succoth. Simple places that were not intended for permanent dwellings or places to stay. But temporary places until the Lord opens up for us clarity to move on from the place we may be for a time. Into a better place, a place of promise!

Hold Fast,

Bren

HOPE IS HOW YOU COPE

Man cannot measure its effects nor can they tell exactly how it’s power is released in the human body when someone chooses “Hope”. Hope is mostly intangible, until you have reached out for it. It may be impossible to see or touch it, until you have crossed over to where hope waits. It plays a most important role in our lives when we are at wits end and in need of a deeper help other than ourselves. Hope brings us healing and promise and it powers us to move ahead in our life. Hope can be contagious as we see other’s being gratified by its power. Hope in one person, can very well activate and raise hope in another and before you know it, it becomes contagious. The Bible teaches that hope fills us with joy and peace as we lay aside our gloom and doom and reach out for something better. The truth is that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and He promises to help those who cry out to Him. Jesus says to you, “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I’ll give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.

There are a lot of dark places in life and while they appear to be like long dark train tunnels, keep in mind that a lot of engineering went into designing those tunnels, and are actually true marvels of engineering, as they help trains navigate through harsh and unwelcoming territories. You may be yearning today sweet friend for that light at the end of your tunnel. But while you are waiting, through faith, the flame of your hope can provide some much needed glimmers of God’s light. It's there, shimmering and dancing waiting for you to see it. You simply need to break out of your tunnel vision and gaze a little wider and when you do, hope steps in and helps you cope, with whatever it may be that is causing your darkness. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
 

Loving on you today,

Bren

Finding God's Place For Your Life

God has a plan for every life that He creates. His plan is sure, wise and designed to fit our personality and position in this world. His design involves where we go and what we do, and the people that He places in our lives. How do we know this? Because His Words tells us so. Before God created the first man and the first woman, He created a place for them to be, and He placed them there. When He established His relationship with Israel as a people set apart for Him, He had already established a place for them to live in the Promise Land. Even the Son of God, as He left the throne of God, to come to earth and live amongst a lost world, had a plan and a place already picked out for His arrival as well as His leaving.

 

You too, sweet friend have a promised future if you will diligently seek Him and follow where He will lead you. You see, when we seek after God, we run into His goodness, we find the wisdom we need in every area of our lives and we open the door for His Kingdom to be done in our personal lives as it was for-planned in heaven for us to live. However, if we choose to not seek God on the level that He ask of us to seek Him on, we will miss out on the plans that He has prepared for us. Like Adam and Eve’s failure in the garden as they chose to disobey God, because they chose to do things their way, it ended up costing them the very plan that God had designed and intended for them to have, the Garden Paradise. While life is no longer perfect since sin came into the world, God though His own plans has a place of blessing for each of us, but we must continue in His ways and not fall short.

 

Staying connected to God means you must make the effort it takes. An occasional trip to the church house to drop a few dollars in the plate, posting sweet pics with Bible verse on it about Jesus on your Facebook, is not how the true child of God, stays connected. I, am talking about a real, live connection to the Son of God, and to the God Who created you. To connect with God, Webster describes it this way, to bring together or into contact so that a real or notional link is established. To join together so as to provide access and communication. To link to a power source. Are you really connect to God? Are you in a place that God has for you or do you wish you were? If not, seek Him for that place in faith, and stay expectant. For God knows the plans that he has for you, to prosper and not to harm you. But you must seek Him, on His terms. Are you doing things God’s way, or yours? Remember, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 

 

Loving on you today,

Bren