What Really Happened?

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Christian encouragement, christian walk, Christmas, form of a man, Jesus became flesh, mystery of Christmas, season of Christmas, seeking Christmas

 

Philippians 2:7 says, “But [God] emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”

There is no way that we can truly grasp what happened on the very first Christmas. Only God Himself and the host of heaven know who Jesus was before He became a tiny infant. All of heaven trusted God, but I’m sure they were amazed and maybe even a bit mystified when it occurred. Can you imagine seeing God in all His majesty choosing to become the most vulnerable of all humans? After they got over their initial shock, it seems they were a bit excited. Luke 2:13-14 says, “And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.’”

It seems like a curtain was drawn back and God let us see what was taking place in heaven in that moment. All of heaven must have been astounded that their God had humbled Himself, sucked Himself in (as my husband says) enough to become a tiny child. He could have appeared as a man in the middle of the wilderness with a great bio, but He chose to live among us as the most vulnerable. I’m getting a little excited myself!

Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament tells us that the phrase “but emptied Himself” is really rendered from one word in the Greek. Barnes says that this is the only time this word occurs in the entire Bible. (I think it’s because no other event in history can compare with what Jesus did for us.) Barnes says, “It is applied to a case where one lays aside his rank and dignity, and becomes, in respect to that, as nothing.”

We view a tiny babe as the most precious thing on earth, but in comparison to God’s glory it was like He became nothing. Who else but Jesus has really done this in all of history? Who else but Jesus laid aside all rank and privileges to bring a bridge to a dying race? Actually, to become the bridge for a dying race.

Barnes also gives an amazing example of this by saying, “When the sun is obscured by a cloud, or in an eclipse, there is no real change of its glory, nor are his beams extinguished, nor is the sun himself in any measure changed. His luster is only for a time obscured. So it might have been in regard to the manifestation of the glory of the Son of God.”

Wow! The sun is still the sun no matter the clouds and our God was (and is) still God no matter the mantle of humanity. That’s what really happened at Christmas! God sucked Himself in, clothed Himself with humanity and took the form of a vulnerable baby. Oh, what a Savior!

The God who had no need of food, felt the gnawing pain of hunger for us.

The God who never knew thirst, became thirsty for us.

The God who never tires was overcome with sleep.

The God who was worshipped in majesty beyond our imagination became rejected and ridiculed… for us.

That’s what happened at Christmas! Let’s give Him glory today.

Seeking Hearts Ministries

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Hope for the Hyperventilating

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breath, breathe, breathing, Christian encouragement, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, devotional, devotions, encouragement, exhaustion, faith, family devotions, focus, hyperventilating, joy stealer, overbreathing, oxygen, rest, resting in God, trust, under breathing

How many of us are barely breathing? Hyperventilating through life? At this time of year, when things are supposed to be so joyous, how many of us are simply taking short little breaths to just get us through the day? I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of barely breathing. I want to live a life full of clean air. I want the weight off my chest and my lungs to be filled with oxygen, not just any oxygen, but the Breath of Life filling every nook and cranny.

When we are in hyperventilating mode, we can survive, but just. When we are hyperventilating, we are so busy just trying to breathe nothing else can be accomplished. This is not the abundant life Jesus told us about in John 10:10. I’ve been learning a lot lately about big joyful and I am finding that a big joy stealer in hyper-ventilating through life.

So, what is hyper-ventilating exactly? According to Medline Plus, hyperventilating is “rapid or deep breathing that can occur with anxiety or panic. It is also called over breathing, and it may leave you feeling breathless.” Overbreathing? Hmmm…I thought it was under-breathing. Interesting. So, maybe hyperventilating through life is more about me trying to do someone else’s job instead of not getting enough of something?  

When Someone is breathing for you, when The Holy Spirit inside of you is filling you with His breath, His life, but you are still trying to breathe on your own, hyperventilating occurs. This is when I gasp through life, but when I rest in Him and allow His breath to flow through my body, all is well. When I try to breathe when He is already breathing for me? It’s hyperventilating time. My body is fighting itself because of all the “help” I’m giving it.  Hyperventilating through life boils down to a lack of trust.

When we freak out, we hyper-ventilate. Our bodies try to pull in too much oxygen too quickly. When we forget to breathe, we get short of breath and when we over breathe, over think, over analyze we hyperventilate. Trying to help God is just as dangerous as forgetting to breathe Him in.

You might be wondering if the breath of God can be trusted? The short answer is yes, but here’s some assurances:

Exodus 15:10 tells us that God breathed destruction over the enemies of His people. This verse assures us that when we are on God’s side, we can allow His breath to do the job for us. Our job is to listen, obey and rest in Him. No freaking out, just allow His breath in us to do its perfect work.

Ezekiel 37 is another great example of what the breath of God can do. We see in this passage that dead bones can be made alive again when the breath of God reaches them. Talk about hope! What’s more impossible than death? This passage assures us that nothing is impossible with the breath of God. Everything can be made alive again! Your marriage, your children, your health…nothing is impossible when God breathes over the situation.

Another beautiful picture of breath is in First Kings 10:5. Here we see the Queen of Sheba’s breath being taken away when she saw all of King Solomon’s splendor. Our King is even greater than king Solomon and we can rest assured that when we see the provision of our King, our breath will we taken away as well. Stop a moment to breathe Him in. Allow Him to speak to you about the provision He has in store for you. King David says in Psalm 27:13, “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” We lose hope if we don’t stop and allow Him to show us His provision. Allow His breath in you to blow you away today.

Job 33:4, says, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” When we truly know that we are in God’s hands, we are at peace. When we remember that God is the giver and taker of life, we can rest in Him, breathe deeply and stop hyperventilating. He has us in the palm of His hand and that is the safest place to be.

So, let’s stop trying to help God this Season. Let’s allow Him to breathe His life giving peace through us. Let’s feel His strength and wisdom fill up every nook and cranny and let’s forget how to hyperventilate and rest in Him instead.  Let’s choose His breath today.

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Seeking Hearts Ministries

Does God Create Serial Killers?

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all things for good, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, control, devotional, freewill, freewill of man, God, God creating bad, God's creation, serial killers, sovereignty, sovereignty of God, trust

What a question, “Does God create serial killers?” The short answer is, “No”, but if you believe in the sovereignty of God, the answer must also be, “Yes”. What do I mean? The sovereignty of God says that everything is ultimately under the control of God. It says that nothing is allowed in a believer’s life that is not for their good and anything allowed will always allow them to draw closer to their Creator. When we believe in the sovereignty of God, we acknowledge that there is evil, but we also know that God has evil on a leash.

So, again, the question can be raised, “Does God create serial killers?”

While I do not believe that God creates anyone for a sinful purpose, I also believe that God allows us to choose who we become. It’s that whole freewill thing. Most of us have a love-hate relationship with freewill. We like it when it suits us, but when others make a choice that affects us in a negative way, we wonder why God didn’t stop it.

The free will of man is a complicated thing for me. I like it when I’m making the choices, but when others are…not so much. When someone is going to make a decision that will hurt my family, I catch myself wondering why God allowed it? I can’t see the good immediately, so I assume there is no good. I often think God should step in right before something terrible happens to my family, or friends. Do you admit being the same way?

If we really had control over freewill, would it be better utilized? If we could stop and start it, what would we do? When would we rein freewill in? Would it be before someone was born who would make a poor decision? Would you choose to simply not let them be born? What about their parents? Didn’t their parents have something to do with an innocent child growing up to become a serial killer, or a rapist, or a suicide bomber? So, would you not allow the parents to be born as well? What about the grandparents of a serial killer? Didn’t they have some part in rearing a set of parents that would then rear a serial killer? Do you see the cycle? Where would it end?

If we stopped allowing children to be born who would make wrong choices, what would be considered acceptable? If you were going to be a rapist, a serial killer, or a gang banger you’re out? What about a drunk driver, or a drug dealer? What about a gossip, or a thief? Again, I ask, “When would it end?”

Why doesn’t God just stop someone from being born who will make a decision that will hurt others, especially someone who will become a serial killer? Did God not realize they would make that decision? Was He surprised? Of course He wasn’t surprised, so why did He create them? Why were they allowed to be born if He knew they would choose to kill others?

I don’t even pretend to have all the answers to these questions, but this I know, my God is sovereign and He is a good God who has my back. Does that mean I will always like what comes my way? No, but it does mean that I can rest in Him knowing that He is working to produce good in everything that He allows in my life. I may not see it, but I trust that it is there. Romans 8:28 assures me that my trust is not wasted.

After all, who is to say what one life given in sacrifice at the altar of a serial killer wouldn’t end with hundreds coming to receive Christ if it gave the family a platform to proclaim the forgiveness of Christ? Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Can this hold true even in the face of evil? Of course it can and it does.

I think it’s good to think and ask questions that can sometimes shake our faith if we aren’t careful. When the hard stuff comes up, we sometimes sweep it under the rug and choose to think about it “tomorrow”, but tomorrow never comes and then that rug gets swept out from under us when crisis hits. Let’s remember that God can handle our questions. Let’s ask Him to teach us even the hard things. Let’s ask Him to blow our minds with the wonder of who He is so that our faith can grow stronger and not weaker in the face of adversity.

So, now I’ll ask you. Why do you think God allows serial killers to be born? Maybe you don’t even think He has control over any of it, or just part of it. Let me know what you think, so we can learn together.

As I end my musings of this crazy question, I want to leave you with a few things I know for sure: One, God’s ways are not my ways and His thoughts are so much greater than my thoughts. Two, I am so glad I am not God. I would make a mess of it. Three, my God is sovereign and I trust Him. And four, I am safe in the arms of my Savior.

I am so glad our God is always willing for us to ask Him the hard questions. He is the best Teacher of all. Let’s praise Him today!

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Seeking Hearts Ministries