2 Chronicles 25; Reveleation 12; Zechariah 8; John 11

“She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron…*”

Doesn’t this beginning sound a lot like Christmas?
the child. Immanuel. God.with.us. the promised One.

Sometimes maybe we get so caught up with the Christ child this time of year that we forget that His life here was just a fraction part?  In this chapter, we see Him, the Unborn, the awaited One.  Oh, but wait, there’s so much more!

Fast forward five verses and the Babe has become the salvation, the power and the kingdom of God* – come; the risen Christ. But between those three sentences fits a 33 year parenthesis, a significant parenthesis, the one we think about at Christmas. A baby. A boy. A man, who loved*, was troubled*, who wept* and prayed*.

A man who raised the dead.

He was flesh and blood just like us. But He was no ordinary man.
God with us. The Immortal took on flesh so that He could die and save us from our sins.

He keeps on raising the dead.

And this parenthesis is everything after all because He is the door on which all history pivots.  But too, it was only a beginning, because it was just the first helping and there’s still more to come.
So much more to come.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts; behold I will save my people… and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God in faithfulness and righteousness… For there shall be a sowing of peace… Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord.”

Zechariah 8:7, 8, 12, 22

And in that day, maybe we’ll taste a little bit of perpetual Christmas?

“…seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts*.” 🙂

Let us celebrate Christmas. We celebrate Christ. We celebrate Christ coming again.

Lord,
Immortal God, Who took on flesh.
You blow us away with
The wonder that is Your eternal plan.
Sometimes we don’t see what You’re doing,
We question your working,
We don’t understand.
We cry desperate
And You are moved because
We are loved by You.
We want to believe,
We want to see the glory of You.
We were dead in our sins,
But You’ve raised us
And given us life,
Help us to walk in it.

*Rev.12:5, *Rev.12:10, *John 11:5, 11:33, 11:35, 11:41, *Zech.8:19

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2 Chronicles 7; 2 John 1; Habakkuk 2; Luke 21

“As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven
and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
When all the people of Israel saw…
they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord saying, ‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.'”

2 Chronicles 7:1-3

Fire came down from heaven.

Fire. came. down. from. heaven.

Fire consumed the burnt offerings and sacrifices – some 22,000 oxen and 122,000 sheep.
So many that they filled the court. (v.7)

Um. Yeah. BIG fire came down from heaven.

“…and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.”

Big God. Big glory.

And the people?

down.
face down to the ground.
on. the. pavement.
worshiping.
thanking Him that He is a good God,
with love that endures FOREVER.

And me?

…thanking God He is good  (we would be utterly lost if He were not).
…and that He loves (the fire would otherwise terrify us)
…worshiping Him bent, face down on the ground (the view is best from here).

Because when faced with the fullness of His glory…
We won’t be able to do anything else.

God of the Consuming fire,
We offer ourselves.
We pile it all there.
Everything we have.
Everything I am.
Come down.
Consume me.
I want to see Your glory.
Even if we have to look from the pavement.
We look for the day when Your glory will fill our senses,
Overwhelm us with Yourself.

amy in peru

1Chronicles 18; James 5; Jonah 2; Luke 7

this voice is the one I’m listening for…

the one that speaks to fish, and to widows and their young men. the voice that commends great faith and great messengers. the one that says, ‘your sins are forgiven.  go in peace.’

the voice that spoke to the fish who then vomited Jonah onto dry land.
the God who says, ‘do not weep’ and ‘young man, I say to you, arise.’

a voice brimming with authority… a voice spilling over with tender compassion.

that voice.

“But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”
John 10:2-4

I’m listening and waiting for the voice of my Beloved Shepherd.

He who has been forgiven much, loves much… that’s true.

O Lord, it’s so loud, there’s so much noise.
So many voices vying for my attention.
Sometimes they drown out the quiet,
‘your sins are forgiven, go in peace’.
But I’m sticking right behind You…
Help me to fine tune my hearing to
Your beautiful, winsome calling,
Your irrefutable commanding,
Your tenderest whispering,
Your voice saying my name.
Oh sweet Jesus, I long for the day,
when I’ll sit at Your feet
and listen to Your voice. all. day. long.
Thank You for speaking to me today through Your Word.

amy in peru

2 Kings 22; Hebrews 4; Joel 1; Psalm 140 & 141

Over the last couple weeks, as darkness threatens,
I’ve allowed some shifty shadows to creep in between my Shepherd and me.

Nothing of much substance, but enough to sense the coolness.
During the day, the rush and tumult keeps a body warm and I forget.  Then night falls and I remember.

I close my eyes and feel His prodding and am almost moved to tears, but I flinch, blink hard and tremulously turn a cold shoulder and my thoughts to sleep.  What’s happening?  Why do I sit outside the encircling warmth of Fire?  What am I afraid of?

Fire may keep us warm, but it is still dangerous.

“To you, O Lord, I call.
For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,
and flame has burned all the trees of the field.
Even the beasts of the field pant for you
because the water brooks are dried up,
and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.”*

As living water, bread to the weary traveler, God’s Word is worth more than the most valuable treasure a billion times over…  “It is also sharper than any two-edged sword piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”*

God’s Word may be life-saving, but surgery can be painful.

O Lord,
The distance shouts and I can’t ignore it,
The coolness chills and I’m drawn by Your warmth.
May I never, ever again shrink from Your hand.
Naked and exposed, I offer You my broken heart.
Burn out the rot, and make me brave to stand victorious in Christ,
That I might do what is right in Your eyes Oh Lord, turning not to the right or the left*.

amy in peru

*Joel 1:19-20;  Hebrews 4:12; 2 Kings 22:2

2 Kings 7; 1 Timothy 4; Daniel 11; Psalm 119:25-48

Truth is God’s signature.

God speaks truth. He who is against God, is against truth. And will not escape.

“Hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord, Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.” Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes; but you shall not eat of it.”

…

So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel according to the word of the Lord. Now the king had appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate, so that he died, as the man of God had said…for the people trampled him in the gate and he died.”
2 Kings 7:1-2, 16-17, 20

“Now the Spirit clearly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared…”
1Timothy 4:1-2

“and the King shall do as he wills. he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper until the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god for he shall magnify himself above all.”

“Yet he shall come to his end, with no one to help him.”

Daniel 11:36,37,45

He who loves God, loves truth. And will be blessed.

“Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
1 Timothy 4:16

“I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever,
and I shall walk in a wide place,
for I have sought your precepts…
for I find my delight in your commandments,
which I love.”
Psalm 119:44-45, 47

Lord, help us to be careful to reject lies and love Truth.
Help us to love Your word, making it our delight.

amy in peru