Why did He choose to come when He did?

It must have been a dark time…the era Jesus was born into. Close to 500 years passed from what was written in the book of Malachi and the beginning of the New Testament. The people of Israel are no longer sovereign and haven’t been for hundreds of years. Sure, the temple has been rebuilt, but it is much smaller and the religion of Israel had become deeply politicized. The people of Israel had, on one side, a “brood of vipers” governing their moral lives and on the other side they were being passed around from being the captives of one nation to another. Their identity was lost and hope seemed far, far away. Why then, of all times, did God choose to come to Earth?

In reading through the Old Testament lately I have seen God moving in mighty ways in the lives of ordinary men. These men, although flawed, were about resting in God’s righteousness over their own. Men like Gideon, David, Abraham, and Joseph are just a few examples. These men were men of “unclean lips” and yet God used them. They were men, like any other man, but they sought out God with all their heart. When they wavered, or when they rested in their own righteousness, that’s when bad things happened. Unfortunately, it almost seemed like, for these men and the people of the time, staying righteous was an uphill battle. You see, these men all failed God at various times in their lives. They started out well, but as time went on, they made more errors. Now these men were holy men, men of God, but it seems that the trend was that man was…hopelessly lost. Indeed that was the case. God knew that what we needed was a savior. As humans we just didn’t have it in us to be able to stay on the straight and narrow. They/we needed a savior. I can almost feel the hopelessness as I think back on that. The men, the leaders whom the Israelites looked up to…kept failing them and failing God. It makes sense then that the cry of the nation was for God to bring about their deliverer. Rich Mullins captured their cry so well:

“Joseph took his wife and her child, and they went to Africa
To escape the rage of a deadly king
There along the banks of the Nile, Jesus listened to the song
That the captive children used to sing
They were singin'

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
He will never break His promise - He has written it upon the sky
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by”

There was an air of hopelessness, but yet there in the midst of it all was a glimmer of hope in their cry to God. He heard their cries and brought forth their…OUR savior. Jesus stepped off His throne to be born, to live, to die. Our deliverer is coming…our deliverer CAME and He is still with us. We don’t have to rely on ourselves, because we now have God in us. The Holy Spirit now dwells in us. We don’t have to worry about the uphill battle because Jesus is our Emmanuel our God with us.

So, to answer the question why God chose to come down to us, to be born when He did…well…I don’t know. What I do know is that is fits in EXACTLY to His divine plan. God’s timing is perfect. Although we don’t have the answers now, it will all make sense in the end. What we do know is that Jesus was born…born to a virgin, He was born in a stable because there was no room at the inn, shepherds kept watch, and multitudes of angels praised God saying "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." This birth literally split the calendar in two and this child grew up, was/is God walking amongst us, was betrayed, put on trial, tortured, brutally crucified, died and then three days later He rose from the dead victorious. He did this for you and for me. So although I don’t know why God chose to come when He did, I sure am thankful that He did come when He did. I have life now and do not have to fear eternal death. This is God’s gift to you as well…if you’ll receive it. Merry Christmas to all and God Bless!

I close with this:

O Holy Night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees,
O hear the angels' voices!
O night divine,
O night when Christ was born
O night divine,
O night divine,
O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend!
He knows our need; to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy Name!
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!

So, Yeah…There’s a Battle Going On

Yes, you read that right! If you didn’t know, there’s a war going on around us. Sure, it LOOKS peaceful outside. I mean, right now we aren’t dodging bullets or hiding for our lives, but there IS a battle raging on. This war carries on all around us, daily. It isn’t a war we can see, but be assured, the enemy is there. The older I get, the more aware I become of these things. I see just how easy it is for me to get distracted and just how easy it is to let the enemy in. You see, the enemy hasn’t been forceful; in fact, the enemy has been quite the opposite. The enemy has a subtle way about himself, but being aware of this is enough to get my blood boiling. I’ve seen much loss in my life, much pain, much sorrow simply because I wasn’t paying attention, I wasn’t prepared. No more. As Michael Buffer puts it “ladies and gentlemen….let’s get ready to rumble!!!”

I’ve been reading through the book of 1 Samuel and let me tell you, if you didn’t realize there was a war going on, you need to read 1 Samuel. Sure, this is a historical account from the Old Testament, but every single day I’ve found something incredibly applicable in reading through Samuel. This was a time where the enemy was on all sides of Israel. War seems to be a central theme to this book, or at least one of the central themes. The Israelites fiercely battled the Philistines on many occasions. Back then, the custom for the Israelites was to take the Ark with them into battle. The Ark was the very presence of God. Throughout the Old Testament it seemed that anytime the Israelites would bring the Ark into battle, they would be victorious. With God for us, who can be against us? God will always be victorious. That was lesson number one for me in reading through 1 Samuel.

The second lesson of war I learned was something dealing a little more with how subtle the enemy truly is. In 1 Samuel 21, David is fleeing for his life from Saul who wants to kill him. He flees to Gath, looking for some kind of refuge. Gath was a Philistine city and the Philistines were no ally to the Israelites.

1 Samuel 21: 10-15
“That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. But the servants of Achish said to him, ‘Isn't this David, the king of the land? Isn't he the one they sing about in their dances:
'Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands’?’
David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. Achish said to his servants, ‘Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house’?”

David was looking for safety. He was running for his life, and his run led him right into the presence of his enemy. Now the enemy was all to welcoming to David. Their mindset was any enemy of my enemy is my friend. That is indeed the mindset of the enemy of our souls. The enemy wants our attention and wants our focus. The enemy desires us to be an enemy to God. David realized that his enemies were all too welcoming to him and, although they welcomed him in, they intended to do him harm. This is why he acted like a madman so that he could escape. So it should be with us. We should be very aware that the enemy wants our attention, but at the same time the enemy is here only to steal, kill and destroy.

I’ve seen this so much in my life and the lives of others. When times get tough, and sometimes when times are great, it is so easy to feel like we are running for our lives. We look for safety. The only true safety we will ever find is in the presence of the Lord. No matter what the enemy says, he is our enemy for a reason. The enemy does not desire to see us prosper. How then do we combat against such an enemy, how then do we prepare for war? I’m glad you asked…

Ephesians 6:10-18
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

Be prepared. That’s what this Eagle Scout says to you…be prepared because “the safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” God will fight the battle for you and He’s even equipped us with protection. He’s equipped us with both defensive and offensive weapons. He wants us to be aware that there is indeed a battle going on around us. Don’t be discouraged, but rather be encouraged that God is on our side. He desires our hearts. Let Jesus Christ be your shepherd and walk with the Lord. Life won’t be easy, but it will be rewarding and you will be victorious in the end because…well, I have a spoiler for you. I know how it all ends…and Jesus is VICTORIOUS over the evil one, over our enemy. Know this, you aren’t alone. God is with you and He loves you. He wants to see you prosper and grow, He wants to see you be victorious.

Taking Dangerous Roads

So something struck me as I sat in traffic on 635 yesterday…and no, I it wasn’t another car, although I figure the odds are in favor of that happening eventually on this road. No what struck me is how incredibly dangerous 635 is. I think my chances of safety are better in a dark alley on the wrong side of town than driving on 635. So there I sat, in traffic, for the second time in three days (the other day having been Sunday in which I did not touch 635) watching the sign on the side of the road flashing “Traffic accident ahead.” I am fairly certain that the stretch of 635 between the Central Expressway and I-35 is one of America’s top accident prone roadways. Only a few days before, on my way to my company Christmas party, did I sit in my car for an hour while the freeway was shut down. It’s starting to become an expectation with me…travel 635 at your own peril. Of course I could take another route, but there is none as direct at driving on 635. So as I sat in my car, it dawned on me how often we take dangerous roads, whether we do so because we have to or because we choose to. Either way, dangerous roads are a part of life.

As I sat there and let that truth marinate for a while, I realized that the Bible is full of stories about roads, some dangerous, some narrow, some where transformations take place. It is very obvious that there is significance in this. We travel dangerous roads daily. It may be sin that is the danger, it could be true physical danger, it could be emotional, spiritual, etc…, but we do in fact travel dangerous roads. Now this isn’t to invoke fear or cause doubt or sorrow, but this is to make you, to make everyone aware that our safety is in the Lord, not traveling down the road of life. Too many times we put our trust and faith in the road we are on. We pop it in cruise control and our mind drifts off. Distractions come about and the next thing we know, we are off course or worse yet, we’ve encountered destruction. God wants our focus to be on Him and Him alone. In my realization of this I recalled a story that I have always found to be incredible. The people of Israel were being led out of Egypt and towards the Promised Land by Moses. On this road the people of Israel began to lose their focus on the Lord. Instead they complained and grumbled. Because of this, God sent poisonous snakes and many people died. Destruction had come to the people of Israel because they had lost their focus. I want you to read this though, and see what He does. Amazing…

Numbers 21:4-9
“They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’

Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, ‘We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people.

The LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.”

To the Jews, the snake on a pole symbolized a defeated serpent, but the significance of this story isn’t fully realized until Jesus says this in John. John 3:14-15: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Wow. The people stared at the symbol that was meant to symbolize Christ’s death on the cross and they lived. You see on these dangerous roads in life, it is so very easy to lose sight and at times we encounter our own personal destruction, but God’s desire for us is spelled out clearly in the Gospel. If we set our sights on Jesus He will guide us through and keep us safe. He is our cloud by day and our fire by night. He desires to walk us through these tough times, hand in hand, and at times He lifts us up and carries us. I don’t know about you, but that may just be the BEST news I’ve heard.

I can say that it feels like my life is nothing but dangerous road after dangerous road. It feels like all I do is duck and dodge one calamity after another, but as I sat there in traffic on that cold, foggy December evening I realized something. I realized that my focus needs to be on the cross. No matter the weather, no matter the road, no matter the circumstances, my focus must be on Jesus. Life can be trying at times, but God isn’t going anywhere. Contrary to Nietzsche God is most definitely NOT dead. He is very much alive and His desire is to make that known by His Spirit through Christ alone. No matter the trials, no matter the danger of the road, Jesus is there. Let these words remind you that Jesus is there with you. John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” There is no one greater to put my faith in than the One who has overcome the world.