Don't Be Afraid

Luke 1:30,31

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Here is Luke’s account of the angel telling Mary what to call her newborn son.  This time, she is told to not be afraid.  Why? Because, the angel says, Mary has found favor with God.

Mary found herself to be with child, and she wasn’t yet married.  And yet, the angel tells her to not fear, and that she is in good standing with God.

Sometimes, God fills us with an idea or a direction to go that we clearly know is from him, and we become completely full of hope and wonder at what He’s going to do.  But we may be misunderstood or even rejected because of our stand in obeying Him.

Obviously, we must be in line with his word, but even when we know that we’re in his perfect will, it can be quite difficult sometimes to carry out what God has called us to do.

It’s then that we need to hear his voice calming our spirit and our minds, by reassuring us that fear is not a part of our walk with Him, and that his favor is on our heads.

Mary received the gift of the Savior of the world, gave birth, and called him Jesus.

God loves us and extends his favor to us as well, and when we know Jesus, we too are full of all that he is, and we too are called to give birth to share this Jesus with others.

Don’t be afraid.  God loves you, and will see to it that you accomplish all that he has called you to do, if you trust in Him.

God With Us

Matthew 1:23

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 

There’s so much wealth in this verse.

Jesus was born of a virgin – a miracle of all miracles – an immaculate birth.  God with us.  Immanuel.

“Behold” means to look, or pay attention to.

So what is it that we’re supposed to see in this verse?

The part I like is where it says “and they shall call his name…”

Jesus is the King of Kings and “they” – everyone on earth – will one day acknowledge him as Lord and Savior.

But that hasn’t happened, yet.  In fact, Jesus’ name is mostly used in cursing, when people are angry and full of hate.  His name is not allowed in prayer at school.  And his name means nothing to those who don’t know him.  It’s just another five-letter word.

However, part of our purpose on earth is to glorify the name of Jesus and lift him up, so that all people will be drawn to him – and we do that by loving others.

This Christmas, exalt the name of Jesus in song, in giving, in receiving, and in loving, and help this verse become reality – so that others will “behold” and see that he is indeed God – God with us.

Call Him Jesus

Matthew 1:21

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. 

My daughter is about to give birth to her third child, and this child doesn’t have a name, yet.  But he will.  And his name will be one given to him by his parents, one they handpick to call their child, because they love him and want him to know who he is, and that they are his parents, and that his name is personal and special for him.

Mary was about to give birth and God, the father, named his son Jesus.  Jesus – the savior of the world – the one who would forgive all sin and restore sinners to their right relationship with God.

Jesus had a destiny, he had a name above all others, and he had the power of almighty God, because he was God in the flesh.

There’s much to be said for what we call our children, not just the internet or book meaning of their names, but what we call them to be when we name them.  We can pray and ask God to give us vision for their future, for their purpose in life, and then we can call it forth, as we raise them.

God demonstrated this when he called his son by his name – Jesus – and shared it with his mother, Mary.

What do you call your children?  Ask God for their destiny and call it out.

The Name

Philippians 2:8-10

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

What a gorgeous, beautiful picture at Christmastime.  Our Savior, our Prince, humbled himself by becoming obedient to his Father to lay down his life so that we might live.

And because of that obedience to his Father’s will, Jesus was exalted and given a name above all names so that EVERYONE can call on that name and be saved.

There is power in the name of Jesus.  You can call on him in the darkest of times.

There’s  salvation in the name of Jesus.  You can be forgiven for the worst of sins.

There’s hope in the name of Jesus.  You can rise out of the biggest pile of ashes.

There’s healing in the name of Jesus.  You can experience joy and wholeness when you are broken.

This Christmas, reflect on Jesus’ birth, but also think about why he came and acknowledge him, by bowing before him in worship and honor, receiving all that he has for you because of the cross.

The Prince

Acts 5:31

Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Just yesterday we read about how Jesus came on a donkey, in humility, bringing righteousness and salvation to us.  And today this verse says God lifted him up to be our Prince – the Prince we’ve been waiting for!

I think every girl thinks of Cinderella when a Prince Charming is mentioned, and our minds recall the dance at the ball just before midnight, when Cinderella hurriedly leaves, losing a slipper, as she tries to get to her carriage and make it back home to her attic of soot.

When Jesus arrives and takes us by the hand, he doesn’t escort us to a ball to dance with us and then let us go, as we run off afraid into the dark.

He offers forgiveness of our sins and dresses us in white, and dances with us all night, into eternity.  There is no fairy godmother’s warning in our minds, our coach isn’t going to disappear, and we never ever have to return to a place where all we see is dirt on our faces each day.

He eradicates that scene…forever.

Prince AND Savior.

Take his hand and dance with him.

Humble & Mounted

Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

This isn’t really the description found in most fairy tales of a prince arriving, is it?  Where’s the white horse?  And where is the royal entourage? 

Yes, this verse instructs the women to rejoice and shout aloud at the sight of their king’s arrival…on a donkey…humble…yet righteous and having salvation.

I remember one of the things I fell in love with in my husband was his humility, his complete trust in God, and the fact that he was in a wheelchair and never complained, when I first met him.  What a guy, I thought. I had already dated lots of guys who thought they were “all that” and those who were popular, by high school standards. 

Jesus comes to us offering us what he knows we need, not what we dream up in some fantasy from which we will awaken the next morning.

He knows we need a righteous king who offers salvation to us, and he knows that when we recognize him as king, we can’t help but rejoice and be glad.

Are you still waiting for your Prince Charming?  He’s right beside you, just notice Him. And rejoice!

His Name

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

One of our articles this month is taken from this very verse – the Real Stories column on the ENCOURAGEMENT page – read it if you have time!

I love these four names given to Jesus because they encompass his character and the fact that he meets every need we have throughout our lives.  What a great gift we have been given!

When we are confused and need direction, or wisdom for life, he’s our wonderful counselor.

When we need miracles and the ability to slay giants that taunt us, he is our mighty God.

When life on earth is cut short for someone we love, we have hope because he’s everlasting!

When turmoil is all around, and we’re in the middle of the storm, he’s the Prince of Peace!

We need no one and nothing else but Jesus.  And we can call on his name any time, day or night, and he’s there beside us to illuminate our path and lead us out of darkness into his light.