Debbie's Perspective

Just my thoughts of the day.

Dec 15

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 21

by Debbie

We’ve talked about Jesus being a part of the Godhead from before time began, Zechariah and Elizabeth receiving the news, and then the miracle of their son, John, who came as a forerunner to the Messiah. Mary had a visit from the angel Gabrielle, Joseph had a dream, and now we are closing in on the biggest event mankind has ever known.

Luke anchors this story once again in history. This part of the story is during the reign of the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus. Quirinius was the governor of Syria at the time. Everyone was called back to the city of their tribal origin to register. Real people during a real time in history, affecting the lives of many and ultimately affecting the lives of every Jesus follower.

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to ‘the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.’” Luke 2:4-5 (NLT)

Both Joseph and Mary were from the lineage of David. Both had to return and register. This is a simple thing that we think just happened at that time. Caesar Augustus decided to decree that all the world should be registered. But we know from prophecy that Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem. If not for this census, Joseph and Mary wouldn’t have traveled through mountainous rocky terrain for somewhere around 70 miles on foot and riding a donkey for the fun of it. Especially not while Mary was close to giving birth.

Just a side note, when I first read “Mary, his betrothed…” I thought, wait a minute, Joseph took her home to be his wife. But then I realized that to move from betrothed to married, the marriage had to be consummated. That was the final step in the process. Prior to Jesus’ birth, Mary remained a virgin, so even though she was kept and cared for by Joseph, she was still his betrothed until after the birth.

“And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn.” Luke 2:6-7 (NLT)

Two small verses about our Savior’s birth. I have so many questions. I’m sure women at that time were the same as today and talked in detail about their birth experiences with other moms. But Luke doesn’t give us any details. Did Joseph help her? Did he run for a midwife? She’s the one who wrapped him in swaddling cloths. Was that the mother’s job, or if she had a midwife, would they have done that? You couldn’t have just anyone there to help with the birth of God’s Son. Luke was a doctor and could have given us so many more details about this incredible birth, but apparently, the details we have here are all we need to know.

She gave birth, she wrapped him in the cloths that were the norm at the time, but this detail is going to be a sign to the shepherds in just a few verses. Because there was no room in the inn, they were relegated to a place where animals sheltered and ate. His first bed was not in a palace with furniture made of gold and soft fabrics; the ‘bread of life’ was laid in a feeding trough.

Today’s truth is that every tiny detail of Jesus’ birth was planned and orchestrated by God the Father, and every tiny detail of our lives are in His hands as well. I can trust that even when things don’t happen as I expect, He is working everything out for my good according to His plan.

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Dec 14

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 20

by Debbie

Expectation (Revised and reposted from December 19, 2021)

My lack of expectation could have cost me the child I had longed for. Decades of dashed hopes and the disgrace of barrenness had hardened my heart and caused me to lose hope that my prayers would ever be answered. Now, as I stand here holding this miracle of God, I think back to that life-changing day.

It started out as any other day with my order of priests on duty for the week. I had been chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. I hadn’t been in the Holy Place for long before he appeared, a huge angel of the Lord standing right there to the right of the incense altar. I was so overwhelmed by fear that I almost couldn’t stand.

He told me not to fear and called me by my name, Zechariah. Then he started telling me the wildest story – Elizabeth was going to give me a son, and we were to name him John. He went on to describe the boy and all he would do. It sounded incredible, but didn’t he realize how old Elizabeth and I were? How could this possibly be true?

I realize now that he could have struck me dead right then and there. What a fool I was. How was I doubting this when I was looking right into the eyes of this angelic being? Instead of striking me dead, he let me know that he was Gabriel and he stands in the very presence of God. God Himself had sent him to tell me this good news. But now that I had not believed him, I would be made silent and unable to speak until the child was born.

It didn’t matter that I had my doubts, God was still faithful to His promise, and this would be fulfilled in its proper time.

The other priests were waiting on me and had begun to worry that something was wrong. When I walked out and couldn’t speak, they knew something had happened. I finally got them to understand I had seen a vision. I’m thankful my merciful God gave me the time to regain my faith. Now I stand here holding the son He promised we would have.

John, his name is John, and I wait with great expectation to see all that the angel told me about him come to pass.

Luke 1:5-25; 57-79 NLT

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Dec 13

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 19

by Debbie

Luke 1:56 tells us that Mary stayed there with Elizabeth for about three months and then went home. It doesn’t tell us if she stayed for the birth of John or left before he was born. Since she arrived when Elizabeth was six months pregnant and was there with her for three months, you would assume she stayed until the baby was born. Was this a preparation time for her own pregnancy and delivery?

“When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her. When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. But Elizabeth said, ‘No, his name is John!’ ‘What,’ they exclaimed. ‘There is no one in all your family by that name.’ So, they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise, he wrote, ‘His name is John.’ Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.” Luke 1:59-64 (NLT)

Elizabeth had a boy, just as God had promised she would. All the neighbors and relatives rejoiced with them; just what Gabriel told them would happen. Now came the naming of the child. Since Zechariah was unable to speak, the crowd assumed they knew what he would want this boy to be named, Zechariah, of course. Elizabeth is quick and adamant that his name is John. They acted like she was crazy and then asked Zechariah what he wanted to name him. You can’t really blame them for not understanding why Elizabeth would name the child some name that wasn’t attached to their family. In any other instance, Zechariah would have wanted this boy he had waited for all these years to have his name.

It’s puzzling to me why they would use gestures to ask Zechariah since he was not deaf but merely mute. Since he communicated with gestures, it may have seemed natural to talk to him using gestures as well. But this may indicate that he and Elizabeth had both cloistered themselves away, not sharing this coming miracle with anyone else until it actually came to pass. We might even think that Zechariah was still harboring some light doubt, but the way he quickly let them know his son’s name was John without any hesitation is telling. This was an act of faith and obedience for Zechariah. He may have doubted the initial announcement, but it is clear here that he no longer doubted the promise God had given him. God was faithful to return his voice, and the first thing he did was praise the God who keeps His promises. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied about God’s goodness, power to save, mercy, and much more. You can read his whole prophecy in Luke 1:68-79.

Awe struck everyone, they spread the news through the Judean hills, and those who heard the story wondered what this special child would turn out to be. It was evident to everyone that God had his hand on this boy.

The last verse in this chapter tells us that “John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry in Israel.” Luke 1:80 (NLT) He fulfilled everything the angel said about him during his life.

Today’s truth is that if God says it is going to happen, it does. When we look at the Word of God, we see prophecies that are spoken centuries before they come to pass, but they come to pass. We see others spoken, and in a short time, it happens. If story after story shows us evidence that God is faithful to what He says He will do, we can be sure that every promise in His Word that hasn’t been fulfilled yet, is on its way.

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Dec 12

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 18

by Debbie

For the past few days, we’ve examined why God chose Mary to be the mother of His Son. Well, why we think He may have chosen Mary. We’ve already seen that she is humble and willing to do whatever the Lord asks of her, even in the face of some very formidable circumstances. Today as we read her beautiful Magnificat, I believe it reveals an even deeper view of who Mary was and why God would choose her.

Mary responded,

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on, all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”

Luke 1:46-55 (NLT)

There it is right there!  Mary knew the covenant promises of God, and she already believed they would come to pass. She didn’t just know them, she believed them. She already knew about all He had done. Her praises are filled with references to the Law, the Psalms, and the Prophets.

Mary wasn’t just another Israelite girl who was the right age and of the right lineage.  She was a girl who had her heart filled with the Word of God! So, when God called on her to be the vessel to bring His Son into the world, she was ready and willing.

Today’s truth is our God is worthy of all our praise and honor! He is mighty to save and has done great things for us.

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Dec 11

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 17

by Debbie

There were two verses in the middle of the angel telling Mary about Jesus and her response that we didn’t look at. They are important, and they could have had something to do with Mary’s quick response.

“And listen, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.” Luke 36-37 (AMP)

Mary would have known about her relative’s disgrace of being barren for all those years. She would have known her time had passed, but now the angel is telling her about this impossible gift that didn’t just happen but has been for six months. Mary is young and hasn’t had a lifetime of disappointments to cloud her wonder and awe of the things she is hearing. The angel tells her what will happen to her, he tells her what has already happened to Elizabeth, and he’s told her how it will happen. The only thing left is for her to answer, and she says yes, let everything you’ve said about me come true.

In the next few verses, we see Mary immediately heading to visit Zechariah and Elizabeth. Did she want to see for herself that Elizabeth was pregnant, or, more likely, did she need to tell someone she knew would believe her and help support her in all of this?

At the sound of Mary’s voice, the child Elizabeth is carrying leaps within her, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. Then Mary gets what she possibly came for, the belief and confirmation that all that has happened to her is real.

“Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, ‘God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said.’” Luke 1:42-45 (NLT)

One thing Elizabeth said to her jumped out at me.

You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” Luke 1:45 NLT

Mary believed that the Lord does what He says, but this verse doesn’t say “will” do, it says “would” do. It doesn’t mean that she believes that the Lord will do what the angel said at some point, she believed He would do it, that it is going to happen just as He said. 

Tomorrow we will unpack Mary’s beautiful response to Elizabeth.

Today’s truth is that blessings come to those who believe the Lord does what He says.

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Dec 10

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 16

by Debbie

Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! ~ Luke 1:28 (NLT)

Mary was favored. Why? What was it about her that caught God’s attention? Why did He choose her to be the mother of His son? Did she do something special, or did He just pick her out of a group of girls her age who were descendants of David? I don’t think so.

Reading further, we can find many clues as to why God chose Mary.

The angel of the Lord visited her and told her she would conceive a son, name him Jesus, he would be great, would be called the Son of the Most High, be given the throne of David, and would reign over Israel forever. Mary’s response is important.

“Mary asked the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’” Luke 1:34 (NLT)

At first, this may seem that it’s the same kind of response Zechariah had, but what she really wants to know is how it will happen physically for her. She is a virgin. She was saying, “What will I have to do to conceive this baby?”

We know her response was different because Gabriel’s response was different.

“The angel replied, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.’” Luke 1:35 (NLT)

“Mary responded, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.’” And then the angel left her. Luke 1:38 (NLT)

With all that this meant for her; she would be pregnant and not married, and her fiancé, Joseph, would know it wasn’t his. Would anyone believe her story? She could have been stoned for adultery, but she still said yes. Why? We will explore that tomorrow.

Today’s truth is Mary said yes to the Lord’s request even when the ramifications were formidable. She didn’t hesitate but took the position of being the Lord’s servant.

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Dec 9

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 15

by Debbie

In yesterday’s post, I contemplated whether Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid because he thought she was afraid of him or if he knows she’s concerned about his greeting and what it means to her. Another thought came to me that maybe he’s telling her not to be afraid of what she is about to hear. This is going to be news that will change the course of history, and her life will never be the same.

“Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom, there shall be no end.” Luke 1: 31-33 (AMP)

Do you think Gabriel is telling her to stop worrying about his greeting and focus on what he’s about to say? “Listen carefully.” Other versions say, “And behold,” but any way you say it, I still think he was telling her to focus before he drops the most incredible news on her that she is going to conceive and give birth to God’s Son. This is the most important news anyone will ever hear, and she must pay attention.

She is to name this child Jesus. As I said in an earlier post, Jesus was a common name at the time, but the name means, ‘The Salvation of Yahweh.’ The description of Him will point to all that He will be. His name won’t just mean the Salvation of Yahweh, He will be the Salvation of Yahweh.

 He will be given David’s throne just as prophecies of the Messiah have said, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will have no end. By this point, Mary may be realizing that she is the virgin talked about in those prophecies about the Messiah, and the Son she will give birth to will be the Messiah they’ve waited and watched for all these years.

The encouragement of the angel to not be afraid is very powerful about now. She’s young, not even married yet, and the task in front of her is daunting. Was Mary afraid? Was she excited? Did she really understand at this moment the full ramifications of everything? Whatever her emotions, the Lord is with her, she is highly favored, and she needn’t be afraid.

Today’s truth is we have nothing to fear, either. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior during this season, let’s remember who we are in Him and all that He has promised us. Like Mary, God is with us. Jesus said He is with us always to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20), we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3), and we are favored, He has blessed us with His glorious grace in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6), meaning we have His divine grace which is His undeserved love and favor.

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Dec 8

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 14

by Debbie

Today we will begin to examine the story of Mary and Joseph. We’ve already looked at the story from the report in Matthew, but let’s look at what Luke has to say about Mary and her visit from the angel Gabriel.

“Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy], the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was very perplexed at what he said and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Luke 1:26-31 (AMP)

Gabriel was sent from God to Nazareth. In this translation, it is called a city, but commentators say that Nazareth was an obscure village in the Region of Galilee. This is the first time it’s mentioned in the Old and New Testaments. It’s far from everything and has no acclaim to it. It seems strange that God would use such a small unknown place to identify Christ with. There are multiple scriptures referring to Jesus as ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Nathanael, in John 1:46, asks, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John’s birth announcement came to a priest in the Temple in Jerusalem, and yet our Savior’s birth announcement came to an obscure village in the middle of nowhere to a young girl. In God’s economy, no person or place is too unknown or obscure for Him.

This young girl, a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, is the one the angel was sent to. Her name is Mary meaning ‘exalted one.’ At some point in man’s eyes, she will be exalted, but I’m sure Mary has never seen herself in that way. She’s a poor girl in a small village just living her life, preparing for her marriage to Joseph. In comes an angel and declares a pretty amazing greeting calling her “favored one” and saying, “the Lord is with you.” The thing that strikes me in this account is that Mary doesn’t seem to be terrified like Zechariah when she sees the angel. She’s perplexed by what he says to her and carefully considers what this kind of greeting means. When the angel says, “Do not be afraid, Mary, is he saying this because he thinks she is afraid of him, or he sees her concern over the greeting and what it may mean for her? To me, this shows me that Mary was not some frivolous silly young girl. No, she is a thinker, and this is the first of many times she will ponder the events around her in her heart.

Mary has found favor with God. He has seen her and chosen her to be the mother of His Son. She will need to hang on to these words in the coming days.

Today’s truth is, that we are never too hidden for God to see and move in our lives.

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Dec 7

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 13

by Debbie

In Luke 1:21-22 we see the people waiting and wondering why Zechariah is taking so long. When a priest would go into the Holy Place and burn incense on the altar, the people waiting outside would see the smoke rise through the roof of the Temple. They would then know that the priest was offering prayers, and the assembly would fall on their face and pray until the priest came out to pray a blessing on them, and it would be over. When Zechariah finally came out, the people realized he had seen a vision because he kept making signs and was unable to speak. 

“When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. Soon afterward, his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. ‘How kind the Lord is!’ she exclaimed. ‘He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.’”  Luke 1:23-25 (NLT)

Zechariah had to continue to work in the Temple for the whole week. While the priests were on duty, they couldn’t go home. He had to be anxious to get home to Elizabeth and try to explain somehow all that had happened to him in the Holy Place. Thankfully they didn’t have to wait very long before they saw evidence that what the angel said was coming true. Was he shocked or had he gone home and had relations with his wife as an act of belief and obedience to the word that was given? I’d like to believe he chose to believe Gabriel and was partnering with the Lord to enable the promise to happen. He did his part and waited on the Lord to do His.

There is nothing in the text or biblical culture that tells us why Elizabeth secluded herself away for five months upon learning she was pregnant. Does she feel protective of this child and not ready to bring the world into this marvelous gift just yet? Is she waiting until there is no denying that she is pregnant to let people know? Her whole married life she’s been barren, and with that came shame and disgrace. She could have been hesitant to set herself up to public ridicule, even if it would be for a short time. She may have not wanted voices of doubt and unbelief spoken over her or the child. She chose to remain silent about this miracle along with her husband.

Whatever reason Elizabeth had for going into seclusion, we will see in the coming verses that she didn’t have to finish out the last three months of her pregnancy alone.

Today’s truth is that we may have moments of unbelief, but when we choose to believe and partner with God, being obedient to our part of the equation, amazing things happen.

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Dec 6

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 12

by Debbie

Zechariah and Elizabeth have no children. It’s obvious from later in this story that this was not a choice they made, it was a reproach to them. At that time, being barren was looked at as a judgment of God. People thought you probably had some secret sin in your life. Now the angel is telling Zechariah that Elizabeth is going to give him a son, and this child is going to be pretty incredible. So, is Zechariah dancing in the streets from this news? Let’s see.

“Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.’” Luke 1:18 (NLT)

Basically, he’s telling the angel that he thinks this is impossible because… “Have you seen us; we are too old to have kids, are you messing with me?” On the one hand, you really can’t blame him, God hadn’t been speaking for the last 400 years, so angels weren’t regularly giving people big messages like this. Plus, I’m sure after a lifetime of praying for his biggest heart’s desire, he had given up a long time ago on believing that God was going to answer that prayer. On the other hand, there is this heavenly being standing right in front of him, bringing this message. The angel let him know pretty quickly that he wasn’t too happy with Zechariah doubting his message.

“The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” Luke 1:19-20 (NLT)

Zechariah could only see his circumstances and the impossibility in them. Gabriel was bringing really good news, and he wasn’t believing him. The angel let him know who he was and what his credentials were for bringing this message. He stands in the presence of God, and if God says it, it will happen. Then he silences Zechariah before he can speak any other words of unbelief. This was God’s plan, and as the angel said, it would come true at the appointed time whether Zechariah had the faith for it to happen or not. Thankfully it was about God’s plan and promise being fulfilled and not Zechariah’s faith.

Today’s truth is this, “…if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13 (ESV)  

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